Evening star., 1899-02-06
OUR FORCES AT MANILA.
According to Latest Reports Gen
Otis Has Fl $40 Troops.

The forces under the command OF Gen.
Otis at Manila, as shown by the records Of
the adiutants generals office December 10,
the date of the last report. were u $40
troops, and of these there were present for
duty 1856 men. This command is COM
posed of the following organizations:
Company a, United States Engineer Bat
TALON: Companies C, f, G., !, K and L, 4th
L. S. Cavalry: troop of Nevada Cavalry,
Companies G., II, K and l. of the Sd and ID
and G of the 9th United States Artillery;
Companies and D of the California and
A and b of the Utah Artillery and the
1st Wyoming Battery the I'd and 4th U.
S. Infantry. the 14th and headquarters and
Companies r, ID, +, H, i, X. l. and NJ of
the 1Ith L. S Infantry; the 18th, 10th and
23d L. S. Infantry; the 1st California. the
LIST Colorado, the lst Idaho the a1st Iowa,
the 10th Kansas, the 18th Minnesota, the
1st Montana, the 1st Nebraska, the 1st
North Dakota, the ID Oregon, the 10th
Pennsylvania. the LIST South Dakota the
1st Tennessee, the 1st Washington and the
1st Wyoming Regiments of Volunteer In
fantry.
A portion of this force, the 18th Infantry
and battery of artillery, are at Ioilo.
where General Miller was sent a month or
more ago.
approximately 5000 men are on their
way to join General Otis. i'm four separa tie
expeditions, though none are expected 20
Il
They are follows:
The 4th and four companies of the 18th
Infantry. LIS men, under General Law
ton, which sailed from Gibraltar last FRI
day: the both Infantry, comprising 81 Of
ticers and 1.26s men. under General Wheat
on, which left San Francisco January 2T:
the 22d Infantry, in command of Colonel
Egbert. which left San Francisco early in
the present month, and 1000 men and Of
ticers of the Sd and 17th L. S Regiments of
Infantry, which left New York Friday on
the Sherman.
There is big transport. the Sheridan.
now making ready in New York to carry
the 18th Infantry and battalion of the
nth Infantry, 1920 men in all. and she
VIII start not later than the 18th instant
That is all that can be supplied to General
Otis in the way of reinforcements, accord
ing to General .Corbin, if the soldiers are
to be of service in this campaign. More
of course, will follow as rapidly as they
can be gotten ready if General Otis needs
them in any future operations he may
plan, but, already stated, il is believed
this particular crisis will have passed be-
fore they can be transported the great dis
tance from the United States to Manila
These troops, with those now in Cuba, rep
resent the cream of the American army
1t is true that only about 5000 of General
OtS soldiers are regulars, but his volun-
teer soldiers have been under thorough
discipline and training for months some
as much as eight months. and many par
ticipated in the engagements attending the
capture of Manila, and are practically as
good as the regulars.
1nsurSent Strength.
No one here knows the real strength OF
the insurgents opposed to General Otis
The accounts of their numbers are con-
flicting, and none of them comes from re-
liable sources. Still. the best belief Of the
authorities at the War Department is that
they number about 10000 men, but they
are not comparable to the American forces
in personnel, discipline or quality of arms.
1t is known that they have some Mausers
some Remingtons and a variety of other
firearms and it is suspected that they
have been quite plenufully supplied with
ammunition from outside sources Taken
as a whole this armament is decidedly in
ferior to that of the American troons
Then, with inexperienced officers, in many
cases even the colonels of regiments being
not more than twenty-one years of age
and their lack of knowledge of tactics, they
are at a great disadvantage.
Their strong point Is their knowledge of
the country and certain fanatical bray-
cry in onslaught that would be formidable
to a volunteer force not we'll trained TO
stand fire. Like the Cubans, they rely too
much on sword-like weapon correspond-
ing to the machete, a weapon of little
value against long-range rifles. Altogether
the War Department officials have not the
slightest doubt of General Otis ability to
hold his position indefinitely, and the only
cause for apprehension Is the fear that by
taking to the interior of the country, prac-
tically impossible for American troops in
the approaching rainy season, a prolonged
Indian fighting style of campaign may
follow.
The Fleet at Manila.
Besides his soldiers General Otis has at
his back in Manila bay. commanding the
city. a veritable Rock of Gibraltar In
Deweys fleet With the vessels he now
has and those about to join him, Dewey
will have, twenty-one ships of various
types. OF full-fiedged warships he now has
nine, as follows: The flagship Olympia, the
Boston. Baltimore, Charleston, Concord
Monadnock Monterey. Petrol and the Buf-
falo. He also has three armed supply ships,
which are just as effective as a warship
almost in attacking troops outside OF forti-
ieationS and in maintaining the blockade
They are the Culgoa, the Nanshan and the
Zafiro.
The vessels on the way to Join Dewey are