Daily camera., 1898-07-21
WORK FOR INFANTRY
An Army Officer Outlines a Cuban
Campaign.
The First shock of War Would Come
Upon the Sea, and Land Forces
Would Find But Lit
tie to Do.

VIC ~ A~~'
The movement of infantry from this
military department has aroused inter-
est in the possible operations OF that
arm of the service, should war be de-
clared. An officer of rank, when ques-
tined, discussed the matter thus:
''All of the regular army, no doubt,
much of the national guard, and per-
haps number of volunteers may
eventually be called upon to do duty
along the seacoast. Our coast line, in
cluding the Atlantic, the Pacific, and
the Gulf, is so extended that many
thousand men will be needed to estab-
iish even fringe of protection by land
forces But, on the other hand, very
few of these troops will ever catch sight
of fighting Spaniard. The enemy
would scarcely dare to land men at any
point, and the only active service of our
land forces would be in connection with
the capture of Cuba,
lit has been suggested that while
landing in force and formal occupa-
ton of American territory would be out
of the question, considering Spain S
meager resources, yet swift Spanish
cruiser might run into some feebly pro-
tected point, and land troops for few
hours of destructive villainy. Such
troops, it is said, might effect heavy
losses by the prompt use Of fire and eX-
plosives, or they might exact large
ransom before retreating from the
coast. These conjectures are far from
comforting to the residents of the
smaller coast towns or to the isolated
dwellers beside the sea, It's conceiv
able, of course, that they could do but
little damage, and could simply indulge
their natural love for guerrilla warfare.
| think, however, that such raids are
mere Imagination. Although our prep
arations for coast defense are of course
not ideally complete by any means,
they are, nevertheless, far more COM
plete than the public, for obvious rea-
sons, has been told. Every town of i'm
portance is now protected by batteries
on shore, by mines and torpedoes off
shore. And our navy, If small, is rapid
ly growing. The number of effective
fighting ships cannot be increased as
rapidly as one could desire. But the
man that worries because we haven't a
battleship for every 20 miles of coast
ought to remember that we shall have
far more fighting ships than the enemy
can send to attack us, and that if the
enemy's ships are kept out of mischief
wherever they chance to be, all the
rest of the coast is as safe as if war
were being fought on Mars,
What is necessary in order to pre-
vent Spanish war vessel from find
ing herself alone, like deserted stage
girl in black gown, is an abundance
of small boats of high speed, boats that
can maintain perfect line of recon-
noissance, and still be able to get out
of the way promptly should the enemy
attempt to rid himself Of impertinent
observers. Because if there were plenty
of these small fast boats on our side. no
Spanish vessel could get near our coasts
without the news coming quickly to
one of our war vessels, which would
then be on hand to prevent the Span
iards attempting to land troops or to
shell the shore.
"That's no doubt the reason why the
government has bought so many fast
tugs and yachts within the last few
weeks. These so-called dispatch boats
and transports will serve as naval pick
cts and will be indispensable to the eff
cient maintenance of naval trocha.
"The first shock of war will take
place. without doubt upon the sea. No
troops would probably be moved from
this country until the supremacy of The
sea was definitely decided between our
selves and Spain. Because Spain could
defeat our navy she might establish a
blockade of Cuba and she might oblige
any troops we had already sent there to
share the horrors of a reconcentrado sit
uation infinitely worse than that which
shocked the world, But should the
Spanish fleet be forced from the west
ern hemisphere Spain might then ban
don Cuba and sue for peace without our
landing one soldier upon the Queen of
the Antilles. Indeed. it would be fool
hardy for Spain to attempt then to re-
tain her grasp of Cuba,
"Should we decide to open port for
the insurgents, the undertaking would
require merely such a garrison as
would keep the Spaniards from recap
turing the town, The insurgents un-
doubtedly would soon open line of
communications from their principal
field of operations to that port. Then,
if the insurgents could secure along
this line unlimited supplies, ammuni-
tion and arms, including the latest field
artillery, and, if along the same line
could be sent in some hundreds of
American officers, why, imagine that
the insurgents would shortly control
the island without the American troops
being obliged to attempt regular in
vasion.
"The occupane of port in that fash
ion would not Il duire a large body of