The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-07
OUR FORCES IN PHILIPPINES.
BELIEVED THEY WILL SOON MAKE
RUSH ON THE REBELS.

Annoying Fire-Dewey and Otis
VIII Have II 900 Men When Rein
fOrcements All Arrive-Troops and
Vessels Now There.
Washington, March 6.-There is some
reason TO expect important news from Ma
Mia within the next fortnight
1t has developed that Gen. Otis has prac-
dcally completed his plans for a grand on
slaught on the insurgents, which is ex-
pected to deprive them of offensive power
at least
1t is probable that he win form large
part of his force into columns, as soon as
his reinforcements are all at hand, and
will push these in parallel lines through
the jungles, clearing out the insurgents in
every direction, as the troops go forward.
The American troops are getting restless
and nervous under the petty but annoying
sharpshooting of the Filipinos and are so
anxious to put stop to this that Gen.
Otis has yielded to their desire.
Forty-one thousand officers and men of
comprise the approximate total American
strength now at, en- route to and under or
ders for service in the Philippine Islands.
No further reinforcements are now in con-
temptation. The forces of the two services
| already stationed in and about the archi-
pelago consist Of twenty regiments of in
fantry, one engineer battalion, seven
troops of cavalry and eleven batteries of
artillery, an aggregate of about "a 500 men.
Dewey's Ships and Men.
Nineteen vessels with an aggregate of
| 297 officers, 1880 men and 25S marines make
up the naval contingent This is exclu-
slve of the hospital ship solace. with 169
officers and men all told, which is con-
stantly passing back and forth from Ma
nila, making as fast progress as possible;
and there are roughly, 1850 men in the
| force under orders to proceed to the Phh-
| ippines.
The following vessels are now at Manila
or Hong Kong under the command of Ad-
miral Dewey: Baltimore, Bennington,
| Boston, Buffalo, Callao, Charleston, Con-
| cord, Culgoa, Don Juan de Austria, Hele-
ma, Isla de Luzon, Isla de Cuba, Manila,
Monadnock, Monocacy, Olympia, Petrol,
/ Monterey and Yorktown.
The Castine and Princeton are now on
| NilClT way tHTOQSu the 1tGQ sea TO JOIN
| Admiral Dewey, and the Oregon and her
attendant vessel. the Iris, are travelling
| through the Pacific to the same destina-
! ton. These vessels will add to the naval
| force at Manila SO officers, 739 men and "a
| marines. The captured ships Don Juan
| de Austria, Isla de Luzon and Isla de
| Cuba are not available for immediate SER
vice, as they are in need of repairs. The
| Solace has taken out a number of re-
| crt1fts and with fbasa he Tel ID
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 Mai. Gen Otis
consist of the following: The Fourteenth
United States Infantry Eighteenth United
States Infantry. Twentieth United States
Infantry (Which has but recently arrived
there, consisting of Al officers and 121S
mem. Twenty second United States Infan-
try and Twenty-third Infantry, battalion
of United States engineers; Companies c.
T., G., /, Il. L. of the Fourth United States
Cavalry; batteries G, II, K. and L, of the
| Third United States Artillery, and batter
les d and G of the Sixth United States Ar
tillery.
Most of the volunteer forces already ia
the field. and most of whom have borne
the brunt of the engagements with both
the Spanish army on the islands and more
recently the Filipinos. have been there
since the beginning of the American occu-
pancy of the islands. They comprise fifteen
regiments of infantry, one troop of caval-
ry, and five batteries of artillery, as fol-
lows:
The First California, First Colorado, First
Idaho, Fifty-first Iowa, Twentieth Kan
sas, Thirteenth Minnesota, First Montana.
ond Oregon. Tenth Pennsylvania, First
South Dakota, First Tennessee, First
Washington, First. Wyoming, First troops
of the Nevada Cavalry, battery A and b.
Utah Light Artillery, battery A and bat
terry d of the California Artillery. tho
First Wyoming Light Battery, and the
First and Eighteenth Companies of the
United States signal corps.
In addition TO these another company of
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 the time for dis
patch of men from the United States.
Men Who Are on the Way.
Reinforeements for the Philippines now
on the way, aggregate in the neighborhood
of 1880 men, all told. These are made nm
of three general expeditions as follows: The
transport Grant, with Gen. Lawton and
staff, with a total of AZ officers and ZIG
men, including one battalion of the Seven
teenth Infantry Regiment and four com
panies Of the Fourth Infantry. This expedi-
ton sailed from New York, JAN 49, was
reported at Singapore on Saturday, and
Gen. Lawton cabled Gen. Otis that his ex-
peditlon will reach Manila In the early
morning Of the 10th inst.
The transport Sherman, Col. j. II. Page.
commanding, is carrying total of "a Of
hcers and 1,702 men, including the entire
Third Infantry Regiment and a battalion
Of the Seventeenth Infantry. The Sherman
sailed from New York. Feb. 3.
The transport Sheridan, under command
Of Lieut.. Col j. II. Smith of the Twelfth
Infantry, and a battalion Of the Seven
teenth Infantry, making a total of 81 Of
hcers and 1,196 men, is also on the wav.
Beside these the Roanoke, with a fair
sized detachment OF recruits for the va
rious regiments already In the archipelago
has gotten good start on the way 10
Manila. and the transport Valencia sailed
yesterday from San Francisco for Manilo