Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-06-16
THE TROOPS SAILED At LAST
After Many Delays the transports
Start for Cuba.
1887 MEN MOSTLY REGULARS
Big Fleet of warships Convoy the Trans
ports on the Way to santiago-Only
Two Regiments OF Infantry voinn-
teera-RooseveIt,s Rough Riders.

DELAY after delay in starting the
transports with u. ;. troops from Port |
Tampa for Cuba had caused SO many |
disappointments that the troops |
scarcely believed they were going when
they had really started. They had
been aboard the transports several
days with all arms, ammunition and
supplies, but each day mad brought
forth further delay, and only the day
before the expedition actually sailed
Mai Gen. Shafter and his staff had
boarded the transport Seguranca and
given orders to hoist anchors, when a
dispatch was received from Washing
ton saying Delay expedition until
further orders" Two OF the trans
ports had already started, however, and
it required hot chase on the part of
dispatch boat Castine to overtake them
with orders to return. 1T was learned
later that plans had not been fully
completed for warships to convoy the
transports. This was arranged after
lengthy conference between the war
and navy officials at Washington and
the first expedition sailed the next day
at daylight.
Mai. Gen. Shafter, who commands
this expedition, has with him force
of 773 officers and 14,564 enlisted men.
The U. 5. regular troops make up the
greater part of the force, there being
but three volunteer organizations on
| the ships These are the list New
York infantry volunteers, the Second
| Massachusetts infantry volunteers and
two dismounted squadrons of four
troops each, from the First U. 5. vol
unteer cavalry, the regiment which
Col. Wood commands and of which
! Theodore Roosevelt is a lieutenant
colonel.
1t was difficult to prevail upon the
mounted rifllemen to leave their
mounts behind, but this was matter
of necessity, it is said, owing to the
lack of accommodations for the horses
on shipboard.
The full list of the troops that make
up this expedition as reported to the
war department by Gen. Shafter, is as
follows:
infantry regiment = First, Second,
Third, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth,
10th, 18th, 18th, 10TH 18th, Goth, 2lst,
22d. cath, 25th, all L. $. regulars; list
New York volunteers, Second Massa-
chusetts volunteers-Total infantry,
sci officers and 10.709 enlisted men.
Cavalry-Two dismounted squadrons
of four troops each from the Third,
Sixth. Ninth. First and 10th cavalry,
d dis,,.,,,.e d sSidsio,-- as OF Iottr.
troops each from from the First U. S. volun-
teer cavalry. Total dismounted cav
airy, 159 officers, 2.S75 enlisted men;
mounted cavalry, one squadron of the
Second, 0 officers and ESQ enlisted men.
Artillery-Light batteries L and X,
First artillery; A and +, Second artil-
lery, ii officers and 1928 enlisted men;
batteries G and III, Fourth heavy seige
artillery, officers and 1873 enlisted
men.
Engineers-Cos. and f, 0 officers
and 200 enlisted men.
Signal corps-One detachment, Off
GERS and A. enlisted men.
Aside from the men and officers max
ing up the expedition the boats carried
vast quantity of supplies, ammuni-
ton and war equipments, necessary to
maintain an organization of this size
for at least GO days Every detail for
the landing of this party has been
worked out by the engineer corps of
the army 1t will be a laborious pro-
cess at best. and will take full day
or more. The point of landing has
been so chosen that there is little dan
ger of an interruption from the Span
ish forces, but should they attempt to
make trouble. Admiral SIMPSONS
ships will insure ample protection un-
til the troops can care for themselves.
The expedition should arrive off San
tiago within five days at the latest,
barring storms or accident, and the
landing probably will take place on
the afternoon of the day of arrival or
the day following, as Admiral Sampson
is extremely anxious to reinforce the
small body of marines now ashore at
Guantanamo bay.
Capt. Taylor. of the battleship Indi-
ana, was in command of the naval con-
voy feet which accompanied the trans
port ships. The makeup of the con-
voy feet is still withheld by the navy
department Besides the Indiana, one
other battleship and frst-class cruiser
accompanied the feet. The other ships
are lesser cruisers, gunboats and auxil-
larry craft. Five of the war vessels first
went to Port Tampa while / remained
off Key West. When the five warships
and the 3? transports reached Key
West they were joined by the II others
and the combined fleet of AS vessels
made a magnificent spectacle as they
sailed to carry freedoms banner to the
oppressed Gem of the Antilles. The
procession was several miles in length.
Some villain has been poisoning the
fish in Berrien lake. near Niles.
When the cable from Santiago was
cut by American cruisers the ends were
buoyed and Rcar-Admiral Sampson can
establish communication with Wash