Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-06-18
AFTER MANY DAYS
Skaters Army of Invasion Starts
for Cuba.
rhirty-hve Transports Are Required to
Garry the Soldiers to Santiago-The
Force Consists of $4,000 Men,
Mostly Infantry.

Tampa, Fla, June 15.-After weeks
of waiting and preparation Che first
army of invasion to start from the
eastern shore of the United States de-
parted under the command of Gen.
Shafter, Tuesday morning at o'clock.
The fleet of transports consisted of
35 vessels, four tenders and IA con-
voys. These are all now upon the
Gulf of Mexico, headed to the south
ward. If the destination be Cuba,
they will continue their present
course until Cape Antonio, at the
west of the island, is doubled, when
an easterly course will be sailed until
they reach the vicinity of Santiago.
The actual embarlation of the troops
began on June 6. Orders to sail were
given at four different times before
the fleet finally started.
Maj. Gen. Shafter, who commands
this expedition, has with him 773 Off
GERS and 1864 enlisted men. The
United States regular troops make up
the greater part of the force, there
being but three volunteer organiza-
tions on the ships. These are the
Seventy-first New York infantry vol
unteers, the Second Massachusetts, in
fantry and two dismounted squadrons
of four troops each from the First
volunteer cavalry, the regiment which
Col. Wood commands and of which
Theodore Roosevelt is lieutenant
colonel.
BY far the larger part of the ex-
pedition is made up of infantry, al
though an unusually large number of
artillery is included, and the cavalry
is almost altogether lacking. 1t is ex-
pected, however, that the dismounted
cavalry with the expedition will be
mounted later on in Cuba, either from
the stock of native horses or from
mounts that will follow them from
this country. Owing to the noun
famous and jungle-like character of
the country back of Santiago, where
the troops must operate, there will
be little opportunity for the use of
cavalry.
Aside from the men and officers
making up the expedition the boats
carried vast quantity of supplies,
ammunition and war equipments nee
essary to maintain an organization of
this size for at least 60 days. Every
detail for the landing of this party
has been worked out by the engineer
corps of the army.
1t will be a laborious process at
best, and will take a full day or more.
The point of landing has been so
chosen that there is little danger of
an interruption from the Spanish
forces, but should they attempt to
make trouble, Admiral SIMPSONS
ships will insure ample protection un-
til the troops can care for themselves.
Washington, June 15.-Without ref
erence to the exact hour at which the
United States army left Florida for
Cuba, it may be safely said that before
the end of the week Gen. Shafter will
have landed with his $4,000 troops Oh
Cuban soil and that the investment OF
Santiago by land will have begun.
There was some confusion in the off,
cial mind here yesterday on the time
of departure of the transports, though
assurance was given that they had all
gotten away. The confusion on this
point is easily accounted for by per-
sons who know anything of the dill
culties of moving simultaneously a
fleet composed of vessels of all sizes
No less than four times, beginning
Sunday, was a definite hour selected
for the start and the war department
so notified. Yet in each case some OBJ
stacle was encountered that required
postponement had been forced. Sail
ors say such delays are inevitable and
that rarely does feet get off by first
intention. However, the department
officials stated Tuesday afternoon that
they believed the last of the trans
ports had at last started for Cuba.
After all the delay of day or two in
the start is not calculated to make any
material difference in the plans and
the only persons who will suffer from
it will be SIMPSONS marines, camped
Oh the tropical bay of Guantanamo and
obliged to maintain the greatest vigi-
lance in repelling the bushwhacking
Spanish irregulars who swarm in the
thickets.
Having started the Santiago eXpe-
dition, the war department has now
concentrated all its energies on the
preparation of the force to be sent to
Porto Rico. Active movements in that
line have been made on a scale so eN-
tensive as to lead to the supposition
in some quarters that the attack is
to be directed upon Havana, but if this
is so there is no open indication of it.
The volunteers collected at Chatta-
nooga, $4,000 in number, are reaching
a degree of excellence under the man-
agement of Gen. Brooke that would
warrant the government in ordering
them Immediately into active service,
but unfortunately there is still con-
siderable lack of equipment that will
not permit of this.
The only bulletin posted at the navy
department yesterday from Sampson
contained the satisfactory news that
an American naval officer, Lieut.. Vic
tor Blue, of South Carolina, at the risk
of his life had succeeded in encircling
the bay of Santiago and counting the
Spanish vessels therein, with the re-
suit of establishing the fact that all
of Cervera's ships were bottled up.
Earthquake In Kentucky.
Paducah, KY, June ia distinct
earthquake was felt here and through