Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-06-10
WASHINGTON LETTER
From our regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, June 6.-The adj
ministration is highly pleased with
recent war news, and even more so
with the outlook. Admiral Sampson
only awaits the arrival of the army,
which ought to be on the ground by
now, to make a combined land and
sea attack upon Santiago de Cuba
and to capture or destroy the Spanish
fleet now known to be in that harbor.
1t is impossible to say how long this
will take, owing to lack of definite
knowledge as to how strong a defense
the land Notifications will be able to
put up, and the amount OF assistance
the insurgents will give our land
forces. Although General Shaftef,
who is in command of the army SEM
to assault Santiago, will welcome any
assistant reSG,.,i by the insurgents
his plans are in no way dependent on
their assistance. The assault will be
a strictly business one from the start,
as the orders of Gen. Shafter are TO
take the town ofSantiago, and those
of Admiral Sampson to take or des-
troy the Spanish fleet.
The present programme is to fol-
low up the capture of Santiago with
the capture of Porto Rico, the fleet
going from Santiago to San Juan and
troops following at once from Florida.
The opinion is strongly prevalent i'll
administration and diplomatic cir
Giles that if Santiago and Porto Rico
en- be captured without any delay
the war will practically be over, and
that it will be unnecessary to send an
army to Cuba for the purpose of cap
turing Havana. The ground for this
opinion is the belief that if these
blows can be struck in quick success
sion Spain will realize that she has
been sufficiently whipped and will ask
for peace, consenting to accept the
loss of the Philippines, Porto Rico,
and Cuba. But this opinion is not
lessenlng the efforts to push the war.
Gen. BIanco is now cut off entirely.
The only Cuban cable remaining
uncut is that to Key West, of which
he can make no use. BY the time
Santiago and Porto Rico are disposed
of we shall have our entire army
thoroughly equipped and ready to
move on Havana, if it be necessary to
do so.
II is heroic deeds like that per-
formed by Lieut.. Hobson and a crew
of seven volunteers who carried the
L. S. collier Merrimac into the nal
row mouth of the harbor of Santiago
de Cuba, under a hail of Spanish shot
and shell, and sunk her to obstruct
the channel, that makes one proud to
be an American. When Admiral
Sampson asked for volunteers for
this perilous duty, regarded as going
to almost certain death, more than
four hundred men responded, al
though only seven heroes performed
their work and escaped death, but
they were all captured by the Span
ish. Promotion and an ovation
awaits them, when they are restored
TO liberty either through exchange or
by the capture of Santiago by our
forces.
Speaker Reed has made a positive
statement that the House will be a.
lowed to vote on the resolution for
the annexation of Hawaii this week,
and it is an absolute certainty that it
will be adopted by large majority
when it is voted on. But there IS
no abatement of the opposition in tie
Senate, and fears are expressed that
the minority can stave off a vote In
definitely and will do so, unless they
can be reached by the force of public
opinion in favor Enumeration.