The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-26
THEATER OF OPERATIONS.
Scene of the Fighting as Mapped Ont
by Major Simpson.

WASHINGTON, March 25.-Major Simp-
son, chief Of the Bureau of Military Infor-
nation, was busy during the day taking the
fragmentary information of the movements
here and there of battalions and brigades
and so assembling them as to give the
military map complete picture Of to-day's
theater of operations. AS explained, the
field of to-day's action is as follows:
Back OF Manila at a distance of about
seven miles from the water front. sweeps a
great semi-circle Of American troops. This
arc is about twenty miles long and embraces
about q 900 men. 1t is cut midway by the
Pasig river, which forms natural military
division To the south the arc is under the
command Of Major General Lawton. just ar
rived in the Philippines. Until now this
has been the field OF activity, with Wheat
on's flying brigade beating back the insur-
gents. But to-day Lawton's forces are idle
and the scene 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. Major General
Macarthur is in command of all the troops
north of the river and these are roughly es-
timated at between 1900 and 1900 men, the
others being with Lawton on the south. Be
fore the action began this morning MacAr-
bodies. Far to the right, near the water
works. Hale's brigade. Far to the left
about Caloocan was the brigade of Harrison
Gray Otis and of Wheaton, the latter hav-
ing been drawn from Lawton's forces on the
south in order to strengthen Macarthur s
command for this operation. Between the
two was the brigade of Hail. held as sort
of reserve TO demonstrate but not to at
tack. Hale's brigade, as shown on the mill
tary map, was made up of the Third Ne
braska, First South Dakota, First Wyo-
ming, First Colorado and Battery IL, of the
utah Artillery. Harrison Gray Otis's COM
mand on the left was made UP of the Twen-
tieth Kansas, First Montana, Tenth Penn
sylvania, a batCalion of the Twenty-third
Infantry and Battery A, OF the Utah Artil-
lery. These are the troops, with the addi-
tional force of Wheaton's and some recent
arrivals, possibly not yet reported, which
have sustained the brunt OF the action to-
With this approximate disposition Of the
forces Major Simpson took the official dis
patch of General Otis and the more de-
tailed reports brought by the Associated
Press and pointed out the probable line of
action to-day. 1t began with Macarthur 3
| moving rapidly northward 10 Novaliches,
reaching Novaliches, Macarthur turned
sharply 10 the west, intending 10 make a
forced march OF about seven miles to Pelo
tgiven as Polo in dispatchesl. BY this move
side OF the inSurgent base OF operations.
This base is at Malabon, midway between
MacArthur's forces at Pelo and the COM
bined forces OF Harrison Gray Otis and
Wheaton at Caloocan. Thus the rebels are
fanked and between two strong bodies OF
American troops. To the west of them is
Manila bay, cutting of retreat in that di-
rection. and TO the east the forces of Hall
cor Hale, as reported by General Otis are
demonstrating in order TO forbid an In
surgent movement towards the east. They
are thus left between the two main bodies
OF American troops and must engage either
one or the other OF them. 1t Is General
Otiss plan, as shown by his dispatch, TO
have the brigades OF Wheaton advance
towards those Of Macarthur. thus gradually