The San Francisco call., 1898-06-22

" WAoI11NGION, June Zl. - TWO months ago to-day war broke out be- tween the United States and Spain, ac- cording to the proclamation of the President and the declaration of Con gress. The end of that period finds nearly 16,000 United States troops lying off Santiago preparing to land; it finds cable communication established be- tween the Government at Washington and the advance guard of the eXpedi- tion in Cuba and it finds Cuban terri tory in the possession of the United States marines, backed by a squadron, and nearly all of the commercial ports of Cuba blockaded. This is all apart from Dewey's great victory at Manila, and from the splendid results achieved in organizing the armies now in camps. The officers of the administration feel that they have a right to look back with pride over what has been accom- plished in the short space of two months, working in large part with raw material in both the army and the navy.
 The vessels that have arrived off San tiago with the troops on board of them, according to data supplied by the War Department by General Shafter, num- Der, with the conveys, forty-nine, and this is the largest fleet that ever left the waters of the United States for for eign port. It is expected that the trans ports will remain off Santiago, or per haps nearer the exact landing point of the troops, until Santiago has been cap- tured, when they will take aboard the greater portion of the invading army, if 1t can be spared from that locality, and convey the troops to Porto Rico to ef- feet the capture of that island.
 <1z+., ,zr@l to send heavy endorsements to Gen eral Shafter at Santiago To this end the first expedition will leave Newport News on Thursday morning. carrying Brigadier General Duffield's separate brigade of the second army corps, made up of the Ninth Massachusetts, the Thirty-third and Thirty fourth Michi- gan and the Third Virginia regiments, An all about 4000 men. The expeditions Will follow rapidly by way of Tampa, for while Fernandina and Miami are considered to have many good points for concentrating troops, yet army of ficials are now satisfied that Tampa can be retained with advantage as the main point of embarkation.
 The next forces will include those of Brigadier General Garretson of the Second Brigade, First Division. Second Army Corps, embracing the Sixth Illi- nOis, the Sixth Massachusetts and the Eighth and Ninth Ohio regiments. Brigadier General Guy V. Henry, a distinguished cavalry officer of the reg ular army, arrived here to-day from Tampa and the present plans are for General Henry to command a division made up of the brigades of General Duffield and General Garretson, this division comprising 5000 men, for the speedy re-enforcement of General Shaf- ter. It will at once swell the American forces at Santiago de Cuba to about lrrf fl1a- s~s not stop at that number, as there is a determined purpose to send forward a sufficient force to crush any Spanish command which may be concentrated at that point.
 The reports from Santiago that about 41,000 Spanish troops are in and about the city do not agree with the reliable estimates in the possession of the War Department. According to the latter there are not to exceed 1400O Spanish troops at Santiago while 100 miles away to the northwest, at Holquin, the Span ish corps commander, General Pando. has 10000 men. The War Department is satisfied that the Cuban forces under Garcia can keep Pando from re-en- forcing Santiago. Should this not be accomplished the Spanish forces at Santiago would be augmented to about 25,000 men.
 They are all we'll armed, well dis ciplined, used to the climate, know the fighting grounds of that locality and ,> are as good an all-round fighting force cas the Spaniards can bring to bear There is no purpose on the part of the authorities here to leave General Shaf- ter with inadequate forces to meet these seasoned Spanish soldiers. It is for this reason in part that a division probably under General Henry will re- enforce Shafter, followed by such ad- ditional troops as the needs of the situation seem to demand.
 Up to the close of office hours to-day neither the War nor the Navy Depart ment had received any detailed infor- nation as to the arrival of the troops at Santiago. The entire information to-