The Jersey City news., 1898-07-05
{ X R A !!
ATTACK DELAYED.
Bombardment Of Santiago
Put Off Until Reinforce
ments Arrive.
SAMPSON MAY CO. OPERATE.
Cabinet Discusses War Prob
lems and is Dilatory.
as Usual.


Alger, on leaving the Cabinet meeting at
1890, said that the President had sent a
telegram to Admiral Sampson and Gem
eral Shafter asking them to confer as TO
what the present situation demanded.
Secretary Alger said that it was his un-
derstandfng that the bombardment had
not begun nor would it take place until
perfect understanding between the two
officers had been reached. 1t is expected
that the two officers will reach a con-
clusion as to the advisability Of Admiral
Sampson making an attempt to enter the
harbor and assist in the bombardment of
Santiago.
Transports with troops will be started
Immediately to reinforce General Shafter
and will continue to go forward as long
as the General may think 1t necessary
to make his victory certain and decisive.
General Alger also said that When all
the facts have come to be heard it would
be seen that the extreme heat and the
severe work done by the troops have CON-
tributed as much to our losses at Santiago
as the fire of the enemy.
1t is thought that there will be no bonn
bardnent of Santiago today ana possibly
not during the present week. This Is the
opinien of members Of the Cabinet as
expressed on leaving the White House
after the Cabinet meeting. Secretary Al
ger and Secretary Long have been N al
eral Snafter and Admiral Sampson upon
the situation, and the conclusion has been
reached that 1t would not be advisable =
attempt to carry the city OF Santiago by
storm with our present forces.
General Shafter in despatch received
last night confirmed the report that Cen.
eral PaEdo with about SIX thousand span
iards had arrived in the city and We're al
ready distributed among the fortfi1cations
This reinforcement makes the spanish
forces defending the city from sixteen TO
eighteen thousand The very great adj
vantage of being intrene he'd adds mater
tally TO their strength, and IN
makes lns 0DthiGn their effective mighty hshng foree force
from a third to half greater than our
own. General Shafter, in his dispatches
states that the excessive neat ana rams
of the last two weeks have contributed
nearly as much as the Spanish bullets to
the .ineffectiveness of our army. Under
these circumstances it is his opinion
that 1t would be unwise TO attempt 10
carry the city by assault.
This view is shared by the officials here.
and also it Is understood by AdmlraI
Sampson, in command of the neet. AT
the Cabinet meeting the President direct
I'd that kilograms be sent to General
Shaftera nd Admiral sampson suggest
ing that they confer as to the situation
and particularly as to the advisability OF
the Adrniral's attempt to force a passage
into Santiago Bay, and so be in a posi-
ton to render effective aid in the assault
upon the city. 1t is known to be General
Skaters desire to have the neet enter
the harbor.
orders were also given looking to the
Immediate dispatch of troopships from
Tampa with reinforcementS for smarter
and others now off Santiago VIII oe
brought here at the earliest possible no-
ment to aid in the transportation OF re-
Inducements. 1t is probable that at least
fifteen thousand will be sent forward as
rapidly as transportation can be proyld-
ed Thus augmented, there seems to be
no doubt that the forces under General
Shafter will be able to storm and take
the city without delay. These are the
Cabinet who talk freely today on the sub
iect Nevertheless the orders under
which both the army and the navy are
now operating gives the commanders
wide discretion and it is not doubted that
should changed circumstances seem 70
warrant it an aggressive movement will
be begun.
A Senator who talked with the military
officials said there was no doubt of the
outcome if thes American fleet could get
inside the harbor and thus place the city
between the land and sea bombardments.
The arrival at Santiago of General
Pando with reinforcements for Llnares oo-
casioned some comment on the course oI
General Garcia and his Cuban troors In
not holding Pando back, particularly IN
view Of the fact that General Lawtpn s.
brigade was cooperating with Garcia. but
ii is believed the latter left Lawton in an
embarrassed position. At the same time
the disposition of the authorities was
mainly to meet the sftuatlon now pre-,
Sented, rather than 10 question now Il iidu
come about.
In melting this, the most active steps
toward getting large reinforcements te
General Shafter were in progress. Three
regiments of General Garretson's brigade
go from Camp Alger, one of them the sta
Ohio. under Colonel Curtis v. Hard. pro-
ceeding to New York where they will EN-
bark Immediately on the st. Paul. The
other regiments of this brigade-the Sixtr
Illinois and the Sixth Massacusetts--go 10
Charleston, S. c., where they take the
cruisers Harvard and Yale:
Al the anne time the brigades of Gem
eral Ernst and General Haines, now at
Chicamaugua, will move with all possible
despatch to Charleston, Savannah, Mo-
bile and other Atlantic coast points, there
to take transports for Santiago.
In detail the commands making up this
important body of reinforcements are as
follows.
General E,rnst's brigade, First Brigade,
First Division. First Army Corps; Tairsd
Wisconsin, Col Martin T. Moore; Fifth
Illinois. Col James S. Culver; First Ken
lucky, Col. John B. Castleman.