The record-union., 1898-07-28
GENERAL MILES IN PORTO RICO.

General Miles landing in Porto Rico
was very happily accomplished. IL
seems that he set out for definite port
and that until the last moment no in
timation of change of purpose was
made known. Suddenly, as a true STRAIT
egist, he shifted his course, ran rapidly
for a small, we'll protected and much
neglected port, sufficiently deep as 70
water and large enough to float all the
ships we need to send and that had not
been mined by the Spanish. There.
because of the depth of the water at
precipitous banks, he was enabled to
lay his ships practically against the
land and disembark with the ease ac-
companying landing upon a good
wharf.
So swift was his movement under
sudden change of course that the Span
ish were completely surprised, and be-
yond a bit of a skirmish there was no
fighting The Spanish flag floating be-
fore a blockhouse in the village of the
port was pulled down and the Stars
and Stripes raised on Porto Rican soil
for the first time. A good road leads
from the port to considerable town,
and then through the length of the ISL
and Tt was an admirable shift and a
mastery stroke. Even Sagasta is re-
ported from Madrid as admitting that
General Miles has landed "at an unde-
Tended point
1t has been given out, and for time
we believed it, that great deal Of hard
fighting was to be expected in Porto
Rico. Upon just what that judgment
now rests we cannot discover, after a
more careful study of the known
strength of the enemy, the character
of the topography, and the volume of
the force sent against the island. There
would have been bloody work had an
attempt been made to carry San Juan
Bautista. It is we'll defended on the
ocean side, has a citadel of remarkable
strength and size, and on the land side
is protected by intrenchments and
works of resistance Of elaborate char
acter and by an army Of some 1000
welI-disciplined and experienced troops,
the flower Of the Spanish army abroad.
But it may no. be the purpose Of
General Miles to take San Juan by as
sault. There is another way against
which the enemy cannot defend. The
port is easy to blockade. Sampson can
seal it up on the ocean side. On the
land side the approach to it is narrow
and easily blocked by investment with
troops placed beyond the reach Of
Spanish artillery. That the small army
in the city will attempt to break out is
hardly to be considered. To do so
would be to leave San Juan at the
mercy of the fleet, which can lombard
the city from a comparatively safe dis
tance and reduce it to ashes without
paying much attention to the fortifica-
tions
In such a situation where could Span
ish arms accomplish victories? The
enemy's force outside the city will not
nearly equal our own in number. They
have the advantage of knowing the
country, it is true, and their object
will be to cut the American army off
from its base. Along that line fighting
will be had, and doubtless it will be
hard and bloody, but we cannot con-
ceive of General Miles being driven
from his suddenly established base. We
have naval ships sufficient to cover it
completely, and the General before the
close of the week will have men enough
TO maintain an open line Of communica-
ton with this base.
1t looks very much as If San Juan is
to be reduced by siege. not by assault.
However, in the hands of a commander
who keeps his counsel so we'll as does
General Miles. changing his base of
operations without knowledge even Of
the War Department, we may be
treated to the further surprise OF a
rapid and terrific assault upon the
chief city and port of the island