New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-13
MERRITT NAY COMMAND.
1c.p BREAKS OFT HE WILL FRoBA-
BLY, BE SENT TO CUBA.


cr-n7.,,4s THE DEPARTMENT OF THE EAST
,,,,.s uArrA1IoSs TO GO TO SANDY
NOOK on MONDAY OTHER
TROOPS TRANSFERRED.
avon. OF the outbreak Of hostili,ies between
~" oor,,rv and Spain. and II troops are forward
- Cuba Il is understood 10 be probable that
=. will rc under the immediate command Of
,,..,-.General Wesley Merritt /. s. A, who is In
.,,ord Of the Department OF the East General
.,r,,. ,s the ranking officer Of the Army. next TO
,,,,o-- General Miles. who commands the entire
n.sror Army. bu; who will he likely 70 remain
- wosNirgton ~ war should lie declared, and 10
.,r-,o-d from tina; point.
General Merritt appointed q cadet al West
rolu, in 1879. He became 4 second lieutenant in
,s,o and a first lieutenant Of cavalry In 1851. He
cav service throughout the war and was in many
battles lie was made brlgadcr- general OF vol
r,,esrs IN 1866 and major-Ce2eral by erevet IN
,sz In 1861 he was mustered out % service. But
IA remained in the Regular Army, gaining the
o,t of lieutenant colonel In 1885. colonel IN Si"
b,lradier- general in 1881, and major-general on
,,-il 3 $50 He commanded the Department Of
ere Missouri with headquarters at Chicago. before
Ne was sent the Department Of the East to sue
o.4d General Miles in April. 1897 lie is one Of the
,,-Ae mator-generals OF the Regular Army.
.ovo,rent IS on foot 10 revive the rank Of leuten-
,..ren4ral which was allowed 20 expire when
General schoneld retired II is thought that IN
case Of war the commanding officer IN the neio
.h,uN have higher rank than any OF those under
Rim General Miles would be the legitimate sue
cessor 20 Gen >ral Schoheld In this rank II 'he oe
cson Is rea ched 10 revive II.
When asked by a reporter for The Tribune OF
ava narade ground at Governors Island yesterday
:, regard 10 the change in his plans effected by 'he
,ea-ra 7gement Of the Department OF the East d!
che formation Of the new Gulf Department. zen
.-al Merritt said "Of course. this puts an end 20
nv plans for visiting the posts IN Florida snail
however make trip TO Forts Monroe anu '"O
,sa,- in the near future and visit the posts about
Uoshincton The change from the Department oil
Missouri 10 the Department Of tho Lakes taxes
ro,, Thomas and the Columbus Barracks away
from, this department so l won't have 10 WISH
them"
III hostilite5 break out, are you likely 10 20 u
CUBA" General Merritt was asked.
81 think IL is altogether likely. was the repN'
.,b,,t Of tina, know nothing officially have seen
ss-,,,ca and am the ranking officer but we VIII
let the future take care OF that
.Iyho, Go Won think Of the rearrangement OF
oepartmentsT
Il, seems TO me great improvement, ana MAKES
q more equitable arrangement all around. Inc
Dena-,uen; Of Texas, with headquarters at san
.n.o,to vos a good thing when there was Indian
Ashnng. hu, 4, Is much better 10 have the Depart
roa,t Of the Gulf including all the States bordering
on the Gulf OF Mexico. together win south 'aro-
Ina and Georgia. with headquarters al A"d"'a.
which is great railroad centre ana we" H''eo
nc n base for military operations. The Department
~ the East as heretofore constituted was unwleu!'
:, mas formerly the Division Of the Atlantic. with
.uo DEPARTMENTS one Of the Atlantic and the other
~ the East They were consolidated ~heh Secre-
tsrv Proctor under Presden, Harrison. aoohsheu
the divisions At the same time the DIVISION OF 'he
Missouri was cut up into several departments one
oFM ice
quarters at Chicago Now the new Department q
me Lakes will have its headquarters there, ana II
takes Ohio Kentucky and Tennessee from the De-
partment Of the East, Instead OF twentyfour states
nv department will now include fifteen. ana VII!
practically take in the Atlantic Sea board from the
northeasterly poin, Of Maine 10 the southern limits
Of North Carolina extending only little west OF
the AIleghany Mountains I should think the ter
ritoral extent Of the department had been reduced
one-haN The headquarters will remain mere on
Governors Island"
"IIow about the transfer OF troops 10 Fort Han
cock and other points,
These transfers TO Re made under ORDERS
rom the War Department. -Four batteries OF arth-
lery are 10 60 10 Sandy Hook. where Fort Hancock
,s being built and they Will properly garrison tha
!np7rtant fertilization. one battery Is 70 ne trans
.erred at Boston. one battery from Fort Mchehry
In Maryland to Fort Delaware, Delaware. part OF
battery 10 toin the other part at Fort Mott, Finn
Point Y /: one battery from For; Monroe TO
sheridans Point another TO Fort Caswell North
Carolina a .hird 10 Fort Morgan. Alabama, ana a
fourth 10 Tyhee Island. Georgia. Four batteries OF
Ncht artillery Will come from the interior 10 'ne
coast and Will be stationed at Fort Monroe JACK
son Barracks Louisiana, Savannah and Galveston.
II. infantry are sent 20 the coast. where would
they he camped?'
We could camp twelve thousand here on Gov
erncr's Island ! don't say We will. but we can.
Tents could be put up on the parade ground ana
the elacs Of Fort Columbus. and we could care ior
that number OF men here.
TbarA wa. much activity in the Quartermasters
Department in the Army Building, yesterday, in
charge Of Lieutenant Colonel 4. s Kimbal arTang-
Ing FOR the transfer OF the four batteries OF art-
lervmen ordered from Forts Socum, Hamilton ard
Arbough the orders were not requiring haste. ef-
forls were made TO transfer the men yesterday. But
nerts before Monday At the office Of the Quarter
master II was said yesterday afternoon: We fUIly
hui we're unable 10 make the arrangements for
transportation. on Monday at II a m the boats
fton and Wadsworth Leutenant-Colonel Sinclair,
who is IN command at Fort WadswoT n, has prom
ready a, that tine. and 80 has Major Ramsay. who
is IN command az Fort Hamilton. Major fully Nc
cdS5, bsTe bs 1wd 6atsrs Tea&y or MONDAY but
promises that early in the week they can De sent to
ready for before July. the men viii hove 70
camp out in tents. They VIII be put in charge OF
drilled daily in operating them and keeping them In
order The post has never been garrisoned before.
and a detail Of twenty men was sent down a fort
nigh ago take charge Of guns turned over by the
engineers"
Just how much has been dore IN the completion Of
the foTtihcations at Sandy Hook for the last two
years has been allowed to become public. for the
orders keeping unauthorized visitors away have
been strictly enforced Strenuous efforts have been
made recently by the representatives Of sensational
pers 10 secure inside information In regard 10
the defences An officer at the Army Building said
yesterday Il regard efforts 10 get the Information
hi coll ms 10
Gus public peace. one OF the yellow papers sent
Q man here. who tried for week 20 get a pass 10
Sandy Hook. When he failed in that he put on a
Nth mud and tried 70 get n chance to work on the
barracks and spy the fortincatiOns. But he
was detected md brought away n q boat with words
nat made his tinGle ~ had caught him
there again would have locked him up In a
mate. Newspaper men were sert 10 For, Lafayette
for reasonable Utterances in t1c war and don't