The San Francisco call., 1898-07-03
Richard Harding Davis. Tells of the Plans Of
 Attack.
Generals Wheeler and Young Compelled to ReIinquish Com
 mands Owing to Fever.
Id. Copyr
 by met

GENERAL SUMMERS CAMP, BE- FORE SANTIAGO, Thursday, June 30 (by Herald-Call Dispatch-boat Golden Rod to Kingston, Jamaica, Friday, July D.-The attack on Santiago is to begin in a few hours-at o'clock to- morrow. From this ridge we can see the lights of the city-street lamps shining across a sea of mist two miles wide and two miles long, which looks in the moonlight like a great lake in the basin of the hills.
 Three columns of United States sol diers are to descend tomorrow morning into this basin and attack the city, eat ing up on their way the little villages of Fl Caney and San Juan. They have been pouring down, since early this morning, the narrow trail that leads from Siboney to Santiago. They came in two single lines over the foothills on either side of the trail, a foot deep with water and mud.
 The line seems interminable. Thou sands of men, slipping and stumbling in the wet grass and mud, passed slow ly. AS there seemed no end to them, some one said they were the same men
 
 to impress the Spanish outposts.
 Hours passed and still the men moved forward in unbroken lines, the moon rose and still they passed, great, stalwart giants in brown, and young volunteers in brown, and cavalry mounted and unmounted, white and colored, and pack trains of mules fol- lowed the leaders bell. There were long halts while generals and colonels fumed and sWOre and sent aids splash ing between the lines to hurry up one regiment and send another down the side trail on the banks on either side.
 The Cuban army, ragged and starved, rested after their three years of effort and laughed and cnatted as though they said, Now you will know how it is yourselves" Russias military at. tache looked at them and smiled. Save me from my friends" he said, ''I can take care of my enemies myself.
 If the regiments are not lost in the underbrush, which is not likely to. hap pen, as the moon makes everything as light as day, the three columns will advance at reveille tomorrow, but they will move under new commander.
 In the army, whereas in spite of half rations, tropical sun and tropical storms, the sickness is only per cent, two of the generals are down with fever and have relinquished their com- mands. General Joseph Wheeler's place is taken by General Sumner and Colonel Wood of the Rough Riders moves up to the command of a brigade held by General Young, who is also down with fever. Colonel Carroll of the Sixth Cavalry takes General Summers s command of the First Brigade of cavalry.
 General Ludlow of the engineers, for some unknown reason, is made, by or der from Washington, to take command of Colonel Van Horne's First Brigade of Infantry of the second division. It is proposed to reach San Juan, little suburb of Santiago, just outside of it's gates General Chaffee, with the Twelfth Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Comba; Seventh, Colonel Benham, and the Seventeenth, Lieutenant Colonel Haskell, is to take Fl Caney, a town oc- cupied it is believed, by one regiment of Spanish soldiers. It is on the far right of our line.
 General Chaffee's attack on Fl Caney is to be under the fire of Capron's bat tery, which is on the hill between Fl fee will move. General Ludlow, with the Second Massachusetts Regiment, Colonel Clark; Twenty second Infan- try, Colonel Wikoff, and Eighth Infan- try, Major Conrad, is to re-enforce Chaffee if necessary. Otherwise he is to advance to the village of Duero, be- yond Clancy, which is the most conspic- uous object in the basin. This will bring him to the right Of San Juan.
 General Miles, with the Fourth h. fantry; Lieutenant Colonel Bainbridge,