The record-union., 1898-05-31
WAR NOW
TO BEGIN IN
EARNEST.
Enemy's Territory to Be
Immediately Invaded.
Within a Few Hours Troops
viii Be Landed
Unless the Orders of the War De-
partmeni Have MisGarried.
Whethe the First Invasion Is TO Be Cuba
or Porto Rico the Directing Spirits
Refuse Positively to
Answer.


tary invasion of Cuba has begun. IN
less the orders of the War Department
have miscarried, at an early nour this
morning the troops that have been
gathered at the Gulf ports began to
break camp and march aboard trans
ports waiting to carry them to the en-
emy's territory About twenty live of
these ships, the biggest and fastest that
could be obtained suitable to the pur-
pose. had been gathered ready to re-
ceive the troops They will accommo-
date about 10000 men, for in a short
voyage like that from one of the Gulf
ports to Cuba it is possible, with safety
and comfort, to carry a much larger
number of men aboard ship than would
be admissible than in the case of
cruise to the Philippines, for instance.
How many troops started this morn
ing. where they took ships or whittier
they are bound, are questions which the
directing spirits of the campaign refuse
positively to answer. They have no de-
sire that the Spanish should have Op-
portunity afforded them to gather
forces to attack our soldiers as they
land Therefore nothing of the details
of this movement can be learned. There
is a suspicion that the start will be
made from Tampa and Mobile, and
in such case the fleets of transports
viii converge at Key West to pass
under the convoy of the warships which
Admiral Sampson has provided to in
sure the safety of the troops during the
passage across the Florida Straits, to
protect them against attack at the
hands of some stray Spanish cruiser or
gunboat
It is probable that there will be no
less than four separate military expedi-
tions, and that these will be landed at
four different points. Whether Porto
Rico is one of these points or not can
not be learned. Before the entire force
which it is proposed to use in the inva
sion can be landed the transports must
make four separate voyages across the
straits. Arrangements have been made
to utilize the services of the insurgents
to the largest possible extent. The
Government already has sent expedi-
tions to a large number of points on
the island and landed arms for the in
surgents Most of the parties succeed
ed perfectly in their object. and ii was
said at the War Department to-day
that a sufficient number of the insur-
gents have been armed to constitute a
very effective support for the troops as
they land.
A war conference was held at the
White House at o'clock this after
noon between the President and his two
War Secretaries, Alger and Long, and
Major General Miles. in command of
the army president Hobart, who
accompanied the President TO Airing
ton, and returned with him to lunch
was present a part of the time, and
Secretary Day, who had just returned
to Washington, also dropped in during
the conference.
After the entire situation, naval and
military, had been gone over, Mr.. Long
retired and General Miles remained to
discuss more in detail the military op-
erations now about to be put into ex-
ecution. as a result of the definite Off
cial information that the Spanish
SQUADRON is securely held within San
tfago harbor. Naturally those ~ho
participated in the conference OBJ
served a strict reticenee regarding il
1t was stated, however, in an authorita-
tive quarter that the discussion had
covered the entire range of naval and
military operations, with particular
view to active movements about to be-
gin General Miles brought with him
a memorandum showing the exact dis
position of the military forces now con-
centrated at various points throughout
the country, with the number of men at
Tampa and other Southern points ready
for embarkation.
He also made known that at l o'clock
this morning, Immediately following
the receipt of definite information of
the presence of the Spanish fleet at
Santiago, he had gone to the War De-
partment and had issued telegraphic
orders putting the troops in motion,
and thus starting the forward move
ment of the military arm of the serv-
Ice. Further than this, those attend