The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-16
4 MOST WARL|KE STEP
Great Part of Regular Army Ordered to Quickly Con-
 centrate in South.
EXPENSE WILLBE ENORMOUS
BUT DESPITE THIS THE PRESTDENT
 FEELS JUSTIFIED.

No Such Proportion of the Army Hnx
 Been Mobflized Since the Civil Wal or1
 the Movement Itself is the Bost Evi.
 dence of the Gravity of the Situation-
 Alger and Miles Confer.
 Washington, April 15.-Decidedly the most warlike step p'by the war depart ment in preparing for the possibility of an encounter with Spain was inaugur- ated to-day, when orders were issued for the concentration at four points in the south of six regiments of cavalry. tWenty-two regiments of infantry and the light batteries of five regiments of artillery. At Chickamauga there will be six regiments of cavalry and the light batteries of five regiments of ar tillery; at New Orleans eight regiments of infantry; at Tampa, seven regiments of infantry and at Mobile seven regf- ments of infantry. Since the civil war no such proportion of the army has been mobilized and the government it. self is the best evidence of the gravity Of the situation as looked upon by the president and his advisers. The deter mination to rendezvous the troops in the south where they can be acclimatAd to the conditions of more tropical cli- mate has been under consideration by the president and his cabinet for some time. It was not until to-day, however. that the president in view of the enor- nous expense which will be entailed felt Justified in taking this step.
 Alger and Miles Confer.
 When Secretary Alger returned from the cablnet meeting he at once called Into conference General Miles and Ad- Jutant General Corbin and acquainted them with the result of the cabinet dc- Alterations. There were hurried con- sultions, in which the quartermaste general who has charge of the trans x portation of the troops; the comnlis- sary general, who looks after their sub- sistence, and representatives in Wash ington of various railroads running to the south participated.
 The Assignments.
 The orders as finally given contem- plate the movements of troops to the paces indicated as follows:
 To Chickamauga battIefleld-The First, Second, Third, Sixth, Ninth and Tenth regiments of cavalry and the light batteries of five regiments of ar tillery.
 To New Orleans-The First, Seventh. Eighth, Twelfth, Sixteenth, Eighteenth. Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth regi- ments of infantry.
 To Mobile--The Second, Third, Tenth, Eleventh, Nineteenth, Twentieth and TWenty-second regiments of infantry.
 To Tampa-The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Thirteenth, Seventeenth and Twenty-first regiments of infantry.
 The heavy batteries of artillery in each of the five regiments will remain at their present posts The two new regiments of artillery recently authors ized by congress have not been re- cruited to their full strength and in addition are not we'll equipped with horses and other necessary requisites for service and therefore are not in cluded in to-day's orders. The depart ment has distributed the twenty-five regiments of infantry at places on the gulf that will be accessible for trans- portation to Cuba.
 Orders to Move Quickly. Instructions to the commanding off, cers of the regiments ordered to move were sent out late to-day with direc- tions that they be put into effect as soon as possible. It is the expectation of the officials that the movements in some places will begin tomorrow. The railroad facilities, the officials say, are more than ample to meet the demands of the occasion and no trouble will be experienced in mobilizing this large body of men at the places designated within reasonable short space of time.
 Commanding Officers. Secretary Alger selected the follow ing commanders of the divisions of the army that are to assemble at the places named: For the division at New Or leans, Brigadier General w. B. Shaf- ter, now at San Francisco in command of the Department of California; for that at Tampa, Brigadier General J. F. Wade, now in command of the De- pertinent of the Dakotas, at St. Paul; i for Mobile, Brigadier General J. J. Cop pinger, now in command of the Depart ment of the Missouri at Omaha for the post at Chickamauga, Major Gen. eral R. I. Brooke, now in command of the Department of the Lakes, with headquarters at Chicago. Each of l these officers has authority to take | with him his entire staff of officers and | Quartermaster.