The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-11

as Indicating Necessity of Complete
 and Perfect Equipment of Each Mill
 tary Organization-Treat With
 General ToraI for Surrender of Samti-.
 ago-Enlistments in Army of One Man
 to Every Thousand of Population
 Again Urged.
 Washington, Nov. 1O.-Major General Nelson A. Miles has submitted to the secretary of war report on the oper- taions of the army during the year. It contains 25,0OO words, and is accom- panied by the reports of commanders, most of which have been published. Af- ter devoting few paragraphs to the military expeditions to Alaska in the early spring, General Miles take up the war with Spain, saying: At the close or the great civil war the government had a million veterans in arms, well equipped for war for that time. The great amount of war material then in the possession of the government was sold or gradually used up by issue either to the militia of the states or to the regular forces that have been en- gagged in military operations on the frontier for the last thirty years The supplies and material that were not sold, but stored, were gradually re- duCed to the minimum and the tyar with Spain found this country with a very small army-25, ,000 men-with war Waterial sufficient only to equip that force and furnish it with small amount of ammunition; but the tent age, transportation and camp equipage was insufficient for any important mlli- tary operations; in fact quite an amount of valuable transportation, i1- cluding ambulances, had been disposed of within the last few years.
 Increasing the Army.
 The act approved April 26, 1898, authorized an increase in the enlisted strength of the army to 62.597 men Congress subsequently, authorized the enlistment of 10000 men possessing inn munity from disease incident to tropi- cal climates On April g, I recom- mended the equipment of 50,000 volun- teers and also on April 15, recommended that an additional auxiliary force of 40,0OO men be provided for the protec- tion of the coasts and as a reserve. This, with the increase of the regular army and the 10000 'immunes' would have given us an effective force of 162,597 which, with an auxiliary force of 50000 natives, considered sufficient, and deemed it of the first importance to we'll equip such force rather than to partly equip a much larger number"
 12,OOO,0OO Men for Soldiers.
 Copies of the two letters referred to are embraced in the report. General Miles estimated sthat the United States had approximately 12,0O0,OO0 men ca pablo of bearing arms. In the letter of April 15, to the secretary of war, Gen. eral Miles recommended: That in my judgment the available force of the regular army should be mobilized in the best and most available healthful posi- tion in the department on the gulf I suggest Chickamauga park on account of it's altitude and advantage for pre- pairing command for the serious re- quirements of actual warfare. The his- tory of the expedition to the Crimea and to Egypt indicate the necessity of
 
 each military organization, and the ar- my should be thoroughly and effective ly organized in every department, in- fantry, artillery, cavalry, engineef corps, signal corps, construction train for building wharves piers, etc, and repairing railway tracks and bridges, corduroying roads, etc, pontoon trains and appliances for depot and reserve train, in order that upon landing on foreign soil every company, battery, regiment, brigade and division shall be in perfect condition, fully supplied and equipped to render effective service. Hence the regiments of infantry, cav airy and light batteries of artillery should be fully supplied with tentage, camp equipage, arms, ammunition, in- trenching tools and transportation, with medical supplies, and rations and food for men and animals for at least six months The command should also be supplied with field artillery, siege guns, howitzers and mortars for of fensive work against any field works or Notifications of the enemy or for the protection of camps and depots that might be established. Arms and ammuni- ton and fatigue uniforms should be furnished for 50,000 natives that should be organized into an auxiliary force."
 Largely a Naval Problem at First.
 General Miles after quoting the rec- concentrations he had made, says: At the commencement of the war the prob lem was largely naval one and until the superiority between our navy and the Spanish navy, or such naval forces as might be furnished by any other European power or commission of pow CTS, supporting the Spanish govern- ment, was determined, military opera tions had to be determined by the suc- cess or failure of our naval forces. was fully convinced that should our navy prove superior, the position of the Spanish army in Cuba would be rem dered untenable with minimum loss of life and treasure to the United States. There were two most serious obstacles to be avoided, one was plac- ing an army on the island of Cuba be- fore our navy controlled the Cuban wa- ters; and the other was putting an ar- my on the island at a time when large number of the men must die from the diseases that have prevailed in that country, for the last one hundred years.
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