The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-04-20
Z Indicative Ct War.
.illAy to be Concentrated in the South.

Amy to be Concentrated in the South.
Washington, April i Decidedly
the most wal'!iAe step taken by the
war department in preparing for the
possibility Of an encounter with Spain
was jn9ugrrated today when orders
we're issued for tie concentration at
four points in the South of six regi
mcD;s Of cavalry, twenty two ligi
mrrts Of infantry and the light
b.t'el; ;es Of ivc regiments OF artillery.
A. Chickamauga there will be six
rieimerts Of cavalry aud the light
batteries Of five regiments Of artillery:
at New Orleans, eight regiments Of
infantry; at Tampa, seven regiments
Of iufantrv, and at Mobile seven reei-
mcn:s OF iafantry. Since the civil
war no such proportion cf the army
has been mob:ljZed, and :he move.
ment itself i, the best evidence of
the gravity of the situation as looked
upon By the President ard his ad-
vl>OrS.
The determination to rendezvous
the troops in the South, where they
can be acc:imate1 to the conditions
of a more tropical climate, has been
urder consideration by the President
ard his Cabinet for some time. |!
was not until to-day, however, that
!he President, in view of the enorm-
Gus expense whirh will be entitled,
felt justified in taking this step.
When S"cretary Alger returned
from tie Clbinet meeting he at once
called ;nto Conference General Miles
aud AGia'ant General Corbin and ac
Qlain'ed ihs III with the result Of the
Cabin4,'s d-l:bpratiors. There were
buried con, uitations. in which the
qua,'ermqster general, who has
charge of the transportation of the
troops, The cormissary general, who
looks. after their subsistence, and
representatives in Washington Of
vacions railroads running to the South
participated.
The heavy batteries of artillery IN
tie five regiments will remain at
their pres, mt posts. The two rev
regimen s # artillery recently autho-
.;zod by CONGRESS have not been re,
cluited to their full strength and, in
addition, are not well equip! el with
horses and other pecess ary requisites.
ard therefore are not included in to-
DAY, orders. The department has
50 distributed the twenty-five reoi
ments of infantry at such convenient
places on the gulf that they will be
accessible ioc transportation to Cuba
Proposals have been invited from
steamship companies for chateling
vessels to the government for this
work.
InstructioEs to the commanding
officers Of the regiments ordered to
move were sent out late today. With
directions to be put into effect as
soon as possible. 1t is the confident
expectation of the officials that the
movements in scme places will begin
tomorrow. The railroad facilities, the
officials say, are more than ample to
meet the demands of the occasioD,
and DO trouble will be experienced in
mobilizing this large body of men at
the places designated within a
reasonably short space Of time.
TIE command Of the army will de-
volve upon Major General Nelson A.
Niles, who is now at the head Of the
military branch of the government
His temporary headquarters, it is
said, probably will be at Atlanta,
where General Graham, wEo has
command cf the Department of the
Calf, is now located. Gen. Miles,
permanent headquarters vii! depend
entirely upon the exigencies of the
situation and The developments cf
the camppiSn He will leave the
city SON for his new duties.
Three regiments of Infantry and
four Of cavalry arc not included i'll
the mobiliz ,ticn orders ofthe relation
that thay are either a great distance
from the centre of operations, are
needed in the sections of the country
in which they are located, or are
already in location whe,e they can
readily be summond.
Company Fl. of the Fifth infantry
left Fort Mcpherson tonight for
Tybee Island Another company
which was ordered to Sullivan's S
I-laud by General Graham today
will leave i'll the morning