Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-06-18
THE FLEETS OFF At LAST.
Departure from Key West of the
Army of Invasion Under
Maj. j.-Gen. Shafter.
OVER FIFTEEN THOUSAND MEN ABOARD.
The Large Fleet of Transports Conveyed by
Strong Squadron of Warships, Rang
Ing from the Big Battleship to the
Small Gunboat and Fast Sailing Armed
Yacht.

WASHINGTON, June BIT is formals
ly announced at the war department
that the first military expedition left
| Key West at daylight, bound for San
| tiago. All day Sunday there was a
lively conference between the officials
of the navy and war departments, and
after an all-day session the war
board completed its plans for
| conveying the troop transports.
! Mai-Gen. Shafter, who commands this
expedition has with him force of 773
officers and il 56i enlisted men. The
United States regular troops make up
the greater part of the force, there be-
ing but three volunteer organizations
on the ships These are the Seventy
first New York infantry volunteers, the
Second Massachusetts infantry volun-
| teers, and two dismounted squadrons
First United States volunteer cav
airy, the regiment which Col. Wood
| commands, and of which Theodore
Roosevelt is lieutenant colonel.
Whether either of these officers is with
the two squadrons named is not yet
known at the war department. 1t was
difficult to prevail upon the mounted
ritlenen to leave their mounts behind,
but this was matter of necessity, it is
said owing to lack of accommodation
for the horses on shipboard.
The best that the department could
do at this time in the way of supplying
the cavalry contingent for the eXpedi-
tion was to include among the troops
one squadron of the Second United
States cavalry, fully mounted, with
nine officers and 2SO enlisted men.
The full list of the troops that make
up the expedition, as reported to the
war department by Gen. Shafter, is as
follows:
Infantry Reglments-Sixth, Six
teenth, Seventy-frst New York vol
unteers, Tenth, Twenty first, Second,
Thirteenth, Ninth, Twenty-fourth,
Eighth, Twenty second Second Mas
sachusetts volunteers, First, Fifteenth,
Thirteenth, seventh, Third, Twen-
tieth-total infantry, a6l officers and
10, 100 enlisted men.
Cavalry-Two dismounted squadrons
of four troops each from the Third,
Sixth, Ninth, First and Tenth cavalry
and two dismounted squadrons of four
troops each from the First United
States volunteer cavalry. Total dis.
mounted cavalry, 1j9 officers, 2,S75 en-
listed men; mounted cavalry one
squadron of the Second, Q officers and 2SO
enlisted men.
Artillcry-Light batteries L and X,
First artillery; A and +, Second artil-
lery, IA officers and 323 enlisted men
Batteries Il and II, Fourth artillery
siege, OIL 3ers and l33 enlisted men.
Engineers Companies C and E,9otf-
GERS, 200 enlisted men.
Signal Corps-One detachment,
officers and 4j enlisted men
Hospital detachments are included
in the above figures.
The staff corps numbers } officers.
The grand total of the expedition is
773 officers and II, 56i enlisted men.
Gen Shafter, in his report, indicates
the great obstacles that had to be over
come in order to embark his force at
Port Tampa, and it is not likely, if his |
recommendation carries weight, that |
the effort will be made to again EN-.
bark SO large n number of troops from
this port without considerably enlarg-
ing the shipping facilities.
1t will be noticed that by far the
larger portion of the expedition is
made up of infantry, although an un-
usually large number of artillery is in
cludcd; and that the cavalry is almost |
altogether lacking. 1t is expected, how
ever, that the dismounted cavalry with
the expedition will be mounted later
in Cuba, either from the stock of
native horses or from mounts
that will follow them from this coun-
try Owing 20 the mountainous and
jungle-like character of the country
back of Santiago, where the troops
must operate, there will be little op-
portunity for the use CT cavalry, SO
that the expedition has not been weak
ened in the opinion of experts
The troops will arrive off Santiago
Thursday morning at latest, barring
storms or accident, and the landing
probably will take place on the after
noon of that day or Friday following. as
Admiral Sampson is extremely anxious
to reinforce the small body of marines
now ashore at Guantanamo bay. The
position of these men is not entirely
satisfactory to the officials here. While
no advices have yet reached the navy
department of the attack made on the
marine force by Spanish guerrillas
Saturday night, there is no disposition
to question the accuracy of the press
reports.
large force of transports conveyed
the troops under the convoy of strong
squadron of warships, ranging from
the immense battleship to the small
gunboat and armed fast-sailing yacht.