Evening star., 1899-03-25
Nothing From Dewey.
THEA%ER OF OPERATIONS.
How Gen. McA-thur's Movement An
pears to the Depnrtment Oflciala

Maj. Simpson, chief of the bureau of mil
!tary information, was busy during the day
taking the fragmentary information of the
movements here and there of battalfons
and brigades, and assembling them so as
20 give on the military map a complete pic
ture of today'S theater of opera tions Each
regiment was shown by miniature paper
sips, moved here and there as the REPORTS
showed the varying movements of the mil
itary commanders. This was supplemented
also by all the trustworthy informa ton
prior to today as to the location Of various
divisions. brigades and regiments. AS thus
explained, the field of today's action is as;
follows:
Back of Manila, at distance of about
seven miles from the water front, sweeps a
great semi-circle CT American trBops This
arch is about twenty miles long and en-
braces about 1850 men. 1t is cut midway
by the Pasig liver, which forms q natural
military division. To the south the arch is
Under the command of Maj. Gen Lawton,
just arrived IN the Philippines Until now
this has been The field of activity with
Nheaton'S flying column beating back the
insurgents. But today Lawton's forces are
inactive, ard the ere of activity is shifted
to the north of the river Here the partial
circle of American troops sweeps from the
water works around to the bay Mai Gen.
Macarthur is in command of all the troops
north of the river, and these are roughly
estimated at between 1900 and 1900 men.
the others being with Lawtoa On the south
Before the action began this morning Nc
Arthur's forces Were divided into three
main bodies. Far to the right. near the
waterWCrks. was Haie's brigade Far to
the left, about Caloocan were the brigades
of Harrison Gray Otis and OF Wheaton, the
latter having been drawn from LaWton's
forces on the south in order to strengthen
McArthur's command for this operation:
Between the two was the brigade of Hall,
held a sort of reserve to demonstrates
but not to attack.
Hale's brigade, as shown on the military
map, was made UP of the Sd Nebraska, 1st
South Dakota, 1st Wyoming 1st Colorado
and ID Battery B of the Utah Artillery.
left, was made up of the Goth Kansas, LIST
Montana 10th Pennsylvania, a battalion of
the 23d Infantry and Battery of the Utah
Artillery. These are the troops; with the
additional force of Wheaton's and some re-
cent arrivals, possibly not vet reported
which have sustained the brunt Of the ac-
ton today
With this appropriate disposition Of the
forces Maj Simpson took the official dis
patch of Gen. Otis, and the more detailed
reports brought by the Associated Press
and pointed out the probable line of action
today.
1t bagan with McArthur's right moving
rapidly northward to Novaliches, passing
the insurgent forces On the left. On reach
ing Novaliches Macarthur turned sharply to
the west and intending to make a forced
march of about seven miles to Pelo (given
as Poo in the dispatches). By this move
ment McArthur's forces are carried outside
of the nsurgent base of operations. This
base is at Malabon. midway between Nc
Arthurs forces at Pelo and the combined
forces of Harrison Gray Otis and Wheat ton
at Caloocan. Thus the rebels are danked
and between two strong bodies Of eAnerican
troops.
To the west of them is Manila bay, cut
ting off retreat in that dire ction, and to
the east the forces of Hail. as reported by
Gen. Otis, are demonstrating in order to
forbid an insurgent movement toward the
east. They are thus left between the two
main bodies of American troons. a:Yd- must
engage either one or the other Of them. 1t
Is Gen. Otis plan, as shown hY his dis
advance toward those of Mc4rthur and
Hale, thus gradually ineiasiny&the rebels
between two parallel lineA unHl they are
either crushed or are made.prist{hers
The two opposing forees apbear 10 be
rather evenly matched In Point OF numbers
the estimate of the American force north
OF the river being about fxeO1 while Gen
OTIS places the insurgents at about Il CO.,
MAJ. Gen. Otis Is in supreme command di-
recting the operations from a central tel
egraph station. The actual field move
ments are being executed by Mai. Gen.
Macarthur, who is in person lea;ling the
brigade in its decisive move to flank and
surround the reoel forces.