Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-06-15
SOLDIERS OFF FOR CUBA.
Gen. Skaters Army Of Invasion
Leaves Key West.
HE HAS $1,000 TROOPS.
Roosevelt and His Rough Riders Had
to Leave Their Horses
Behind.

Washington, D. c., June 13.-It was
| formally announced at the war depart
ment this morning that the first military
expedition had left Key West at daylight
| today bound for Santiago. All day yes
! terday there was a lively conference be-
| tween the officials of the navy and war
| departments and after an all-day session
| the war board completed it's plans for
| conveying the troops. Maj.-Gen. Shafter,
who commands this expedition, has with
him force of 773 officers and IA, 564 ell
| listed men. The United States regular
troops make up the greater part of the
force, there being but three volunteer Or
CARNATIONS on the ships. These are the
Seventy-hrst New York infantry
volunteers, the Second Massachusetts In
fantry volunteers, and two dismounted
sQuadrons of four troops each from the
First United States Volunteer cavalry,
the regiment which Col Wood commands
and of which Theodore Roosevelt is lieu
tenant-colonel. Whether any of these Of
tlcers is with the two sQuadrons named
is not yet known at the war department.
1t was difficult to prevail upon the mount
ed ritemen to leave their mounts behind,
but this was q matter Of necessity, it is
said, owing to the lack of accommOda-
tions for the horses on shipboard.
The best that the department could do
at this time in the way of supplying the
cavalry contingent for the expedition was
to include among the troops one squadron
Of the Second United States cavalry, full
~ mounted, with 8 officers and $50 en-
listed men.
The full list of the troops that make
up this expedition, as reported to the war
department by Gen. Shafter, is as fol-
lows:
Infantry Regiments-Sixth, Sixteenth,
Seventy-frst New York volunteers
Tenth, Twenty-first. Second, Thirteenth
Ninth, Twenty fourth, Eighth, Twenty
second, Massachusetts volunteers; First
tftefnth: Thirteenth, Seventh, Seven
teenth. Third, Twentieth, United States
infantry. Total infantry, SCI officers and
1C.7O9 enlisted men.
Cavalry-TwO dismOunted squadrons of
| iQur troops each from the Third Sixth,
Ninth, First and Tenth cavalry, and two
dlsmounted squadrOns of four troops each
from the First United States volunteer
cavalry. Total dismounted cavalry, 159
othcers, 1913 enlisted men: mounted cav
airy, one squadron of the Second, Off
GERS and $50 enlisted men.
Artillery - Light batteries e and X,
First artillery. j and =. Second artil-
lery, II officers and 1913 enlisted men;
batteries G and H, Fourth artillery
siege, 4 officers and 132 enlisted men.
Englneers-Cos. G and Z, nine officers,
ZOD ennSted men.
Signal COrps-One detachment. 2 Off
GERS and 40 enlisted men.
Hospital detachments are included in
the foregoing figures.
The staff corps numbers fifteen officers.
The grand total of the expedition is 773
officers and 14,564 enlisted men.
Gen. Shafter in his report indicates the
great obstacles that had to be overcome in
order to embark his force at Port Tampa.
and it is not likely if his recommendation
carries weight that the effort will be made
to again embark so large a number of
troops from this port without considerabl
enlarging the shipping facilities.
1t will be noticed that by far the larger
portion of the expedition is made up of
infantry, although an unusually large
number of artillery is included. and that
the cavalry is almost altogether lacking.
1t is expected, however, that the dis
mounted cavalry with the expedition will
be mounted later on in Cuba, either from
the stock of native horses or from mounts
that will follow them from this country.
Owing to the mountainous and jungle
like character of the country back of San
tiago where the troops must operate there
Will be little opportunity for the use of
cavalry, so that the expedition has not
been weakened, IN the opinion of experts,
by Withholding the cavalry mounts at the
beginning Of the campaign.
The troops will arrive off Santiago
Thursday morning at the latest, barring
storms or accident, and the landing prob
ably will take place on the afternoon of
that day or Friday following, as Admiral
Sampson is extremely anxious to rein
force the small body of marines now
ashore at Guantanamo bay. The posi-
ton of these men is not entirely satisfac-
tory to the officials here While no ad-
vices have yet reached the navy depart
ment of the attack made on the marine
force by Spanish guerrilas Saturday
night, there is no disposition to question
the accuracy of the press reports
1t cannot be said that the attack caused
surprise here, but it was plain to be seen
that it indicated to the officials some ugly
possibilities for the future. 1t is appar-
ent for one thing that regular organiza>
tons of troops fighting according to estab-
Gshed methods are destined to meet with
severe loss at the hands of irregular
bodies such as the Spanish guerrillas, who
evidently have taken leaf from the Gu
bans practice and are conducting some
thing like Indian warfare in the jungles.
One Of the most annoying features at
tending this style of warfare is the wOr-
ry imposed upon the soldiers, for a few
score Of regulars can manage to keep in
a stage of unrest and excitement a large
body of regular troops, preventing them
from sleeping and generally disturbing
them. Behind earthworks there viii be
little reason for complaint on this score
and it is probable that our troops in oper-
ating in Cuba will be obliged to resort fire.
quently to this means Of defense.
Capt Taylor of the battleship Indiana
is in command of the naval convoy which
accompanies the transport ships. 1t has
been presumed that this capable officer
would be charged with this duty, but the
fact of his command can now be stated
positively. The makeup of the convoy
fleet is still withheld and in fact the navy
department knows only as to the general
character Of its strength. Besides the
Indiana, one other battleship and a first
class cruiser accompany the fleet. The
other ships are lesser cruisers, gunboats
and auxiliary craft Five of the ma
val ships of the fleet first went
to Port Tampa, while eleven re-
manned off Key West. When the
five warships and the thirty-two transports
reached Key West, junction was made
with the eleven warships at that point,
and the combined fleets started together.
Naval officers speak of it as a magnificent
marine procession. The transports
stretched out for several miles, according
to high naval official, although even this.
II iC fpI+ * short of tho 1onDtb which