Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-18
REBELS DEMORALlED
Their Forces Are Evidently Being
DisintegTated'
THEY ARE KEPT IN RETREAT
LAYTON Oul1aDkS Every Position They
Take Up.
1T is MOUNTAINS OR SEA FOR THEM
In the Former They VIII he Safe
from Pursuit, and Can Keep Up
Guerilla Warfare Indefinitely
Capture of San IsIdro.
1T IS MOUNTAINS OR SEA FOR THEM

WASHINGTON, May H.-That the in
surgents are disintegrated and democrat
lied Is perfectly manifest from the press
dispatches and the cable received from
General Otis to-day.
General I.awton, who was pushing the
line OF the rebel retreat along the Rio
Grande has flung his advance which, at
last advices. was resting at San Miguel
northward about twelve miles, has taken
San Isidro, the second insurgent capital,
and when Ots's dispatch was sent was
still pressing the enemy northward. The
fact that no is sustaining few losses in
his forward movement, although in al
most continual contact with the enemy
is another proof of their utter demorali-
cation
LAYTON OUTLAWS THEM.
According to General Otis's cable. they
still continue to throw up entertainments.
but General Lawton's strategy outflanks
each position, keeping them in full re-
| treat, and giving them no opportunity
TO recOnccntrate their scattered forces.
1t will soon be the mountains or the sea
for the insurgents, and as our troops
could be transported by sea TO the mouth
| Of the Agno, and a new base Of opera
tons established there. it would be folly
for them to take the latter course. Scat
tered. dcmoralized, and disheartened, it is
almost certain that the rebels, in des-
peration. will retreat into the Businesses
OF the mountains where they will be safe
| from pursuit, and where they could keep
s1..ff ff.. or
| their leaders came TO their senses.
WHERE WE HAVE FAILED.
Although all the past efforts of our
| troops to get into the rear Of the lnsur-
gents have failed up TO this time, by
sheer force OF the battering ram the
enemy has been driven back step by step
| into a pocket where nothing will be LETT
| for them but surrender or the mountains.
over hfty-five miles as the crow flies, the
rebels have been forced back.
REBEL. SITUATION DESPERATE.
The situation of the insurgents is des-
perate. MacArthur's division drove them
back along the line Of the railroad at
Dagupan as far as Calumpit. All efforts
| Ia impede his progress by the destruction
| Of bridges were frustrated. The insur-
gents were forced out OF their strongest
positions simultaneously, General Law
|
| toward NOrZagaray the eastern limit or
open country with the intention of turn
| ing the enemy's position and crushing
him between the two columns. Although
unsuccessful in this. the enemy, TO make
| good his escape, was compelled to ADAM
| don his line Of retreat along the railroad
and retire I'd the Rio Grande. The insur-
gents. by this move. displayed consider
able adroitness in the art Of war, as 1t
made 1t incumbent Upon the Americans
| to get their supplies to the front along
| the new line
I4AWTON STOPPED.
This had been comparatively easy along
| the line Of the railroad. which had been
| repaired as the troops advanced. The
| change in the line OF retreat Of the rebels
| stopped LawtOn's advance for several
days. 1t is presumed, as no movement UNI
| til to-day had been reported since Friday.
Meantime, 1t is presumed supplies were
| sent forward up the Rio Grande in cas-
| Goes native bargcs) under the escort or
| the gunboats commanded by Mayor
Hobbs. The latter was reported to have
| 1.5O0 men with him, designed for the rein
| forcement OF Lawton. These supplies
probably have now arrived at Il point OPP
| posite IawtOn, whose column had al
vanced along a line five miles east ana
parallel with the river, and were deliver
| ed to him, so that to-day he pushed on
| into San Isidro. This cleared the pro-
vince OF Bulacan, although the words In
General Ouss dispatch must not be lite
rally taken as meaning that Lawton mas
covered all Of Bulacan province, but
only the open country OF that province
or all west of NorZagaray.
THE MOUNTAIN REFUGE.
r,,e+ g N-orzaqarov Is a wall of noun
tains. extending TO the sea. These noun
tains run directly north on the LEFT nahk
Of the rebel retreat along the valley Oh
the Rio Grande, to about ten miles nortn
of San Isidro, where they trend WESTWARD
and form the source Of that river III Is
into the foothills OF these mountains that
Lawton is now driving the scattered anu
demoraliZed forces of the insurgents
Lawton has with him the Ihlrd anu
Twenty-second Infantry, ono battalion Oh
the Seventeenth Regiment the Second
Oregon. First North Dakota. and Ihlr-
teenth Minnesota regiments, and squad
ron Of the Fourth Cavalry. No nforma-
tion has vet been received as TO the
twelfth Infantry and Light Battery +,
Of the First Artillery. which have arrived
at Manila. The Ninth Infantry, which
.r,,,od with those two commands, has