Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-07-20
MAKE SHORT CAMPAIGN
Gen. Miles Already on His Way
There.
The Transports viii Not Be Convoy ed
but Will be Allowed 10 Find Their
Owp way to Their Destination With
out Concerto Moves-The Expedition
will BE Unusually Strong i'm Artillery.

Washington, D. c., July 1S.--At-
ter three days consultation between
|kthe President, Secretary Alger and
General Brooke, during which there
+ was frequent communication with
IS General Miles at Siboney, the de-
/ halls of Porto Rican expedition
were perfected and the expedition
Itself was gotten under way, Cen
feral Miles with some artillery and
Rtroops sailing today for Porto Rico
f On the converted cruiser Yale, to
'"be followed quickly by an army OF
about 80, 900 men. There are some
notable differences in the plans tor
Ahis expedition and for the stately,
naval pageant that sailed away from
Tampa under General Skaters
command to attack Santiago. First,
there will be practically no naval
convoys. The navy department
has declared that they are unneces-
sarv; that there is not Spanish
warship in the West Indies that
dare thrust its bow out OF port.
In the second place, the expedi-
ton does not start from one point.
but will be divided among several
ports, thus preventing the tremen-
dous congestion that was encoun-
tered at Tampa in the effort to
start the big fleet. Lastly, there
will be no effort made to get the
ships away together, but the trans
ports will be allowed to find their
own way to their destination with
out concerted moves. General
Miles leads the way. He has been
promised by the President that he
should go to Porto Rico and the
promise was redeemed when the
Yale headed today from Siboney
for Porto Rico, eight hundred
miles distant. Gen. Brooke will
be the senior officer in Miles COM
mand and upon him will fall the
responsibility for the extension OF
the details of his superior s plans.
1t is estimated that General Miles
should arrive by Wednesday night
at the point selected for the land
ing and will hoist the American
flag at once over Porto Rican soil.
SECRET LANDING POINT.
The point chosen for his landing
is kept secret, as the general will
land before the full body of the eX-
pedition is at hand, and it is con-
Asequently not desirable that the
Auemy should be able to assemble
paperior force to meet him.
The distance from Charleston,
Where the first body of troops for
Miles expedition was to start to-
day. is more than double the dis
tance from Santiago to Porto Rico,
so that the transports which sail
from the former city can scarcely
reach General Miles before the
early part of next week. These
Charleston troops are the first brig
ade of the first division of the army
corps and are commanded by Brig
adler General George H Ernest.
The brigade comprises the Second
Wisconsin, Third Wisconsin and
Sixteenth Pennsylvania regiments.
The purpose of Secretary Alger
is to make the Porto Rico cam
paign a short one. An overwhelm-
ing force will be thrown upon the
island and it is possible that blood
less victory will be achieved when
the Spaniards become convinced
that they have no reasonable chance
to resist successfully.
WILL HAVE ENOUGH SOLDIERS.
The expedition is TO comprise
20, 900 men at the start, and it will
he Swelled 10 10000 and If neCeS