The record-union., 1898-07-25
GENERAL
MILES,
MOVEMENTS.
While No News Has Been
Received,
1t is Believed He Has Arrived
Off Porto Rico.
The Landing Of Troops May be De-
The Landing Of Troops May be De-
Iayed Several Days.
Everything Depends Entirely Upon the Con-
ditlOns Which Confront the Ameri-
can Army and Commander
Along the Coast.
WASHINGTON, July PIT was

said at the War Department that no
news can be expected from official
sources as toN General Miles movements
until tomorrow. 1t is calculated that
he arrived this evening on the point
at Porto Rico selected as the rendeZ-
vous for all vessels of the expedition.
Whether or not he will undertake TO
make a landing in advance of the ar
rival of the whole expedition probably
will depend entirely upon conditions as
he finds them. Should there be no
Spanish force, at least an inconsider-
able one, on the coast, the troops will
be landed to relieve them from the dis
astrous effects of being confined close
ly on shipboard under a tropical sun.
The Generss, has with him sufficient ar
tillery to hold any position he may
choose to occupy, supplemented as this
artillery will be by the guns of his
naval convoy.
Meanwhile the department is making
every effort to hurry along the re-
mainder of the expedition. Some troops
cAC iiON Oih tHCtt way Iloii diiiPei anu
Charleston, and should reach Porto
Rico by the middle Of the week. Naval
officials are assisting actively in getting
the troops off, and were engaged to-
day in sending the necessary orders to
that end to the naval commanders Of
the auxiliary vessels which have been
placed at the service of the War De-
partment. In the course of a day or
two the troops brought from Chicka-
mauga by General Brooke will sail
from Hampton Roads where they have
been arriving all day, and are ready for
the transports.
There is a probability that General
Miles may be delayed for several days
in his landing operations for lack Of
lighters, but several Of these are now
on their way, and others will be hurried
forward as rapidly as possible. How
ever speedy the landing on Porto Rico
SOIL it will be we'll along toward the
end of this week before the active land
campaign can be begun in Porto Rico.
General Shafter reported by cable
to-day that the condition of the troops
at Santiago was rapidly improving, and
said he hoped in the course of day
or two to have them all located in COM
Portable camps where they may rest
and recuperate and where the sick
may recover. He is feeding 900 Of
the Spanish prisoners of war, and al
though he has not yet been = ole to
furnish them tents, yet this deficiency
IS being made good and their condition
is no worse in this respect than was
their condition before the surrender.
The General makes no mention of the
alleged letter from Garcia to himself,
nor does he speak of any friction be-
tween them; hence the department has
come to doubt the authenticity of the
published stories OF these subjects.
In his report to the War Department
relative to conditions at Santiago, Gen
eral Shafter has thrown some light up
on the difficulties in which certain of
the newspaper correspondents there
have involved themselves. From his
report it would appear that, animated
by an ambition TO take a prominent
part in the important events following
each other in rapid succession at San
ffago after the initiation OF the nego-
tiations for the surrender of the city, a
few of the correspondents We're guilty
Of grave breaches of military law, nee
essitating prominent corrective action
nv General Shafter. Thus, for instance,
one correspondent, in his efforts to take
mart in the flag raising over the City
Hall resisted the military officers in
tbe execution OF their duty, and even
attempted a personal assault upon the
commanding General. This made him
subiect to summary and severe pun
ishment. even death, yet General
sbafter. probably realizing that lgnor-
ance of military law was the expla-
nation of the action. contented himself
with expelling that correspondent from
Cuba.
A more serious offense, from the fact
that II might easily have led TO rioting
and loss of life, was that of three othe
correspondents, who. Il appears by
General Skaters report, by circulating
ipfiammatory posters, stirred up the
town. They were likewise 1eportec,
and as evidence that he has no III feel
ing toward the paper represented ny
them. but desired only TO exercise such
control as is imperatively demanded
in the interest of safety to cur troops
and protection Of the people under their
care. General Shafter has declared tnat
these correspondents may be imme-
diately replaced by others from the
same paper who will observe the rules