The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-04-25
THE PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN
AN IMPORTANT STRATEGIC MOYE-
 MENT BEING EXECUTED.
The Objective Point is the Insurgent Town of Calumpit, Eight Miles North east of OlOs-IMsurEents Said to be 7 Concentrated Thero With AguinaldO, Gen. Luna and the Filipino Staff.

Washington, April 24.-Information received at the war department to-day indicates that General Otis is now exe- cutting a very important movement. The objective point is the insurgent town of Calumpit, lying about eight miles northwest of Malolos. It was stated that the insurgents concentrated at this place after being driven out of Malolos, setting up a new capital and making it the base of their operations. In nov ing on this stronghold, General Otis has inaugurated two distinct operations. The first one under Major General Mac Arthur has for its purpose the pushing straightforward from Malolos along the railroad and striking at Calumpit from the south. The second one is under Ma jor General Lawton, who with his fly ing column is moving far around to the northeast, to the large town of Norse- gay, from which point he will turn abruptly west toward Calumpit. This
 
 military strategists look upon it as an- other effort to flank the insurgents, by getting behind them at Calumpit to the flank movement to which General Mac Arthur attempted to execute at Malo- bon.
 This double operation makes Calum- pit the center of interest for the next few days, while attention will be divided from MacArthur's column advancing from Malolos and Lawton's column on its ten days march to Norsegay. Mac Arthur has only short distance to traverse, so that his forces may be en- gagged with the main force of the insur- gents within the next few hours. The country is flat and open, and rather better for our troops than that lying south of Malolos. Calumpit lies on the left bank of small stream, with it's confluence with the large river Rio Grande. It is a substantially built town, with some two thousand houses The advance of General Lawton by circuitous route will be over country of which little is known here. Norse- gay is considerable town, and it is thought that General Lawton is about there by this time. A road runs all the way from there to Calumpit. Along it | are scattered many small towns--Angat. | Bustos, Balinog--ndicating that the ad- | vance is through a populous country. | It is an agricultural locality, with ex- | tensive rice and fruit plantations. The | war department map, prepared by the | military information bureau, shows that | this road joins the one on which Mac- Arthur is moving up from Malolos. It l is hardly thought, however, that Law ton will make junction with MacAr- thur before striking Calumpit, but rath- CT that he will leave the road when nearing Calumpit, so as to strike the city in the rear while Macarthur is at tacking in front The execution of this double movement is being followed With great interest by war department offi- cials, as it is on a considerably larger scale than the brush clearing which has been in progress recently.
 Manila, April 24-7:40 p. m-General Hale at 4 o'clock this afternoon had the Bagbag and had reached position a quarter of a mile from Cal umpit, thus commanding the ford. Pris- oners captured by General Hale's troops say that Aguinaldo, General Luna and the Filipino staff are at Calumplt With