The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-23
Prepared to Embark From Newport
News Today to Reinforce
Gen. Shafter.
LEFT CAMP YESTERDAY
Will Sail Under Command of General Duffield-
Second Supplementary Expedition
Will Leave Saturday.

bile have been ordered TO Miami, Fla
! These organizations are the First and
! Second Alabama, First and Second Louis
lana and First and Second Texas infan-
try. about 5000 volunteers. They form
the First division of the corps. the Second
Alabama having recently joined It.
The war department is dumb as TO the
reason for this movement. but presumably
It has reference to the reinforcement Of
General Shafter or the conquest of Porto
Rico. Miami has been spoken of for some
time as a possible place for encampment,
but these are the first tropos sent to that
point.
! INCREASING ARTILLERY FORCE.
! General Shafter left a large artillery
| force at Tampa, but orders have been is
| sued to increace it. There are already
| six batteries of light and two of heavy
artillery at Tampa under Brigadier Ger
/ eral w. F. Randolph. They are all from
the regular army, and four more batteries
have been ordered to join them. These
four are B of the Fifth regiment, sta
toned at Fort Slocum. New York; G of
the Fifth, stationed at Fort Monroe; of
the Sixth, stationed at Fort Monroe, and
II Of the Sixth, from Fort Adams, Rhode
Island
The inference is that the artillery fer
contemplated movements is to be sent
from Tampa because of its convenience
for loading heavy guns.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Adams
has said that the Yale and Harvard would
be able to carry a large force of rein
fOrcements for General Shafter They are
in Hampton Roads taking on thousand
tons of naval stores for Admiral Samp-
sons squadron, and one Of them will be
able to sail by Wednesday or Thursday
1t will probably be Saturday or Sunday
before the other can start
THREE CHOSEN REGIMENTS.
It has been reported on creditable au-
thorlty that General George A. Garrett
sons brigade was to go on the fast aux
iliary cruisers. That brigade is composed
of the Sixth Illinois, Sixth Massachusetts,
and Eighth Ohio regiments. and Ninth
Ohio battalion. 1t has beeen later re-
ported that General Dufield's brigade,
consisting of theThirty-third and Thirty
fourth Michigan and Ninth Massachusetts
regiments were to be the favored COM
mand, but this was afterward denied at
the war department.
Subsequently 1t was asserted that 1t had
been decided to pick out three regiments
without reference to brigade organiza-
ton, with the result that the First Rhode
Island and Sixth and Ninth Massa-
chusetts regiments had been chosen. This
could not be confirmed and orders to move
had not been issued up to the close of
office hours.
Nine regiments at Camp Alger have
been ordered to put themselves in shape
to move, and all Of them are striving for
the honor of being the advance detach- |
ment on the Yale and Harvard.
The government has made no progress, |
apparently. toward securing more trans |
ports for the expedition to Porto Rico. |
Assistant Secretary of War Meikleiohn /
reported no additional ships chartered. |
There are rumors of an intent:oin to i'm |
press ships, but government: officials are
10th to take that step except as a last re-
sort. 1t prefers to charter British vessels,
if congress will grant American registers.
hut it is fortified by an opinion from Major
Morrison, assistant judge advocate gen
eral. maintaining that the government
has clear right to seize American YES
sells in case of need.
Secretary Long and the war board had
a conference today, at which the propo-
siuon to send a squadron to the coast CT
Spain was discussed. The plan apparently
IS TO send fast ships to cruise off the
mouth Of the Mediterranean to :ntercept
Admiral Camara's armada and report its
movements if it should steam in the d.
rectiOn az Cuba.
The discussion went so far as to con-
slider the vessel likely ito be used if
such move is to be made. The armor-
ed cruiser Brooklyn. the protected cruiser
and Columbia and the aux
ihary cruisers St. Paul and ST. Louis
We're proposed. Every one Of these shins
has speed rating of twenty-one knots
or more and they can cary sufficient coal
to steam from 1900 to 1900 miles at ten
knots an hour. They can cross the At
-anuc several times at economical speed
without recoaHng.
II is understood this conference a,so
considered the ACCESSIBILITY of sending the
Oregon with this fleet. from which # is
Inferred the squadron might attack he
'Camara obscura" If a good opportunity
should offer. or at least hang on lis earl
and harass 1t.