Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-07
FORCES IN The PHILIPPINES
Imposing Array o. Forty 0ne thousand Men
Represent Amsto.n Strength There.
ASoUT 1900 NOT YET REACHED SCENE
Three Transports Carrying 1000 Men
Now on the wny-Dewcy's Conn
mnHd Numbers Nineteen Nes-
sells and over 5000 Men.

WASHINGTON, March 6-Forty- one
thousand officers and men Of the combined
army and navy forces comprise the APP
pTuXimate total American strength now en-
route and under orders for service in the
Philippines No further reinforcements are
now in contemplation The forces OF the
two services already stationed in and about
the archipelago consists Of twenty regi-
ments Of infantry, one engineer battalion,
seven troops OF cavalry and eleven batter
ics OF artillery, an aggregate OF about 24,5OO
men. Nineteen vessels, with an aggregate
Of 1871 officers, 1890 men and 253 marines
make UP the naval contingent. This Is eX-
elusive Of the transport Solace, with l52
officers and men all told, which is con-
stantly passing back and forth from Ma
nila. There are about 1900 army rein
forcements on the way to Manila, making
as rapid progress as possible, and there
are, roughly estimated 1880 men in the
force under orders TO proceed to the Phil
ippines
The following are now at Manila or Hong
Kong under the command OF Admiral
Dewey. Baltimore Bennington, Boston,
Buffalo, Callao, Charleston Concord, Gull
boa Don Juan de Austria, Helena, Isla de
Luzon, Isla de Cuba Manila, Monadnock,
Monocacy, Monterey, Olympia, Petrol and
Yorktown. These vessels carry 297 officers,
$3.50 sailors and 2jS marines. The trans
port Solace does not remain at Manila. The
Castine and Princeton are now on their way
through the Red Sea to join Admiral Dewey
and the Oregon and its attendant vessel,
the Iris. are travelling through the Pacific
to the same destination. These vessels will
add to the naval force at Manila ffty-ninc
officers 73g men and eighty-four marines.
The captured ships, Don Juan de Austria,
Isla de Luzon and lsla de Cuba. are not
available for immediate service, as they are
in need of repairs. The Solace has taken
out a number of recruits, and with these
the Isa de Luzon will be manned. The
Wheeling will join the Manila fleet, but is
not to be counted as being available in the
immediate future.
Regulars and Volunteers.
The regular troops now in the Philippine
islands under command of General Gus
consist of the following: The Fourteenth
United States infantry, Eighteenth United
States infantry, Twentieth United States in
fantry (Which has but recently arrived
there. consisting or forty-one officers and
1.21S mem; Twenty second United States
infantry and Twenty-third United States
infantry, a battalion OF United States en-
gineers, Troops c, E, G, l, X and l. OF the
Fourth United States cavalry; Batteries G,
H X and l. of the Third United States artll-
lery. and Batteries d and G, Sixth United
States artillery.
Most of the volunteer forces already in
the field and most OF whom have borne
the brunt of the engagements with botn
the Spanish army on the islands and more
recently the Filipnos, have been there since
the beginning of the American occupancy or
the islands. They comprise fifteen regl-
ments of infantry. one troop OF cavalry ano
five batteries of artillery, as follows: The
First California. First Colorado, First ldaho,
Fifty-hrst Iowa, Twentieth Kansas, lhlr-
teenth Minnesota, First Montana, First
North Dakota, First Nebraska, Second ore
gon. Tenth Pennsylvania, First South Da-
Lota First Tennessee, First Washington,
First Wyoming, First troop of the Nevada
cavalry Batteries and B, Utah Light ar
+nIery. Batteries and B, Third Califor-
MIA. the First Wyoming light battery, Tenth
and Eighteenth companies of the United
States signal corps.
In addition to these another company for
the signal corps has just been formed at
Manila being recruited by transfer from the
regular branch of the army. This means
Of making up the new company was MADE
necessary by the lack of time for dispatch
az men from the United States reinforce
ments for the Philippines now on the way,
which aggregate in the neighborhood OF
4,SO0 men all told.
Expeditions on the Way.
These are made up of three general eXpe-
dltions as follows: Transport Grant Win
Generalp Lawton and staff, with total oil
sixty-four officers and 7l6 men, including one
battalion of the Seventeenth infantry regl-
ment and four companies OF the Fourth IN
fantry This expedition sailed from Ne"
York January 10, was reported at Singa-
aoH General La cADleU
General Otis that his expedition VIII reacn
Manila in the early morning of March 10
The transport Sherman, Colonel }. ii
Page commanding carries a total OF thirty
four officers and 1,7O2 men, including the
entire Third infantry regiment and bat
TALON of the Seventeenth infantry. The
sherman sailed from New York February 3
The transport Sheridan, under command Of
Lieutenant Colonel ]. H. Smith of the
Twelfth infantry, carries all of the Twelfth
and a battalion of the Seventeenth infantry
making a total of 81 officers and 1875 men
Besides these the Roanoke, with a fair
sized detachment Of recruits for the vari
ous regiments already in the archipelago
has gotten a good start on the way Il
Manila and the transport Valencia sailed
from San Francisco for Manila via Homo
lulu with $50 recruits for the infantry, ar
tillery and hospital corps and number o
West Point graduates assigned to duty witt
various companies in the Philippines.
To swell this formidable list of men al
ready in the field and en- route five regi
ments OF infantry and the crack Sixth ar
tillery with an approximate strength ad
ditional of 1900 men in all, are under or
ders to proceed to Manila at the earlies
opportunity. These reinforcements, which
go to the archipelago, under an order ISSUED
by the war department last week, complete
the roll OF troops so far as contemplatel
for service in the islands and are as follows
The sixth United States infantry, now a
San Antonio; the Ninth United States in
fantry, now at Madison barracks; the Thir
teenth United States infantry in New Yorl
state; the Sixteenth United States infantr!
at Fort Crook and neighboring points ant
the Twenty first United States infantry a
Plattsburg, New York and the Sixth United