The times., 1899-07-21
CAVALRY FORCE FOR OTIS.
4 Volunteer Resiment of Rough
Riders 10 He Raised

Riders to he Raised.
The President and his military advisers
have determined that an aggressive cav
airy campaign is necessary in the Phil
ippines, and TO that end have already be-
gun to make preparations for augmenting
the force under the command of General
Otis with mounted men of the regular and
volunteer services. Orders preparatory 70
sending eight troops of the Third Regular
Cavalry to Manila with the necessary num-
Der OF horses, were issued yesterday, and
the Quartermaster Generals Department
chartered three large steamships to carry
the animals. 1t is said that this action
OF the Administration was based on a
recommendation from General Otis, who
has come to the conclusion that a large
force OF cavalry can be used in Luzon with
telling effect on the insurgents.
Heretofore General Otis has had only four
troops of cavalry, and these have been
used chiefly IN reconnoitering. The char
acter of the campaign followed by the
t1lipinos Is such that they cannot be close
ly followed by infantry without great IA
tigue to the American soldiers. The mill
tary authorities here believe that with a
large force of cavalry the retrograde tao
tics OF the rebels can be checked and re-
treat turned into rout. The authorities are
of the opinion that if Otis had possessed
several cavalry regiments his plans for
bagging the insurgents would not have
met with failure. The horses and cavalry
men are to be sent to the Philippines in
time to engage in the expected campaign
at the beginning of the dry season.
In addition to the eight troops OF the
Third Cavalry, a volunteer cavalry regi-
ment is to be organized and sent to Ma
Mia, and enough horses will be transported
to the Philippines to enable General Otis
to mount at least one infantry regiment.
Four troops of the Third-A, D, H. and
M-now at Fort Myer, Va, are to remain
at home. in accordance with the intention
of the War Department to inaugurate the
English home battalion system. The head
quarters of the regiment and troops C, E,
f, and are at Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont;
troops and l. at Fort Sheridan, H., and
troops G and X at Jefferson Barracks, Mo.
The eight troops last named will 30 to
| the Philippines. Each of these eight troops
will be increased from 100 to 12O men,
making the number assigned to foreign
service $50.
The Quartermaster Generals Depart
ment has not made any preparations for
their transportation, but it was explained
yesterday that they will go from San
! Francisco on troopships now i'll service.
The War Department anticipates no diff
fculty in raising the regiment of volun
| teer cavalry which will be modelled after
Roosevelt's Rough RIDERS Assurances
| have sheen received that several troops
| can be organized from among the men
! in New Mexico and ether parts of the
| Southwest who served in the Rough
( Riders. This regiment will consist OF LAD
enlisted men, divided into twelve troops
| of i20 men each. Later on, il the condi-
| tions in Cuba permit. 1t is probable that
! some of the cavalry now attached to the
army of occupation will be transferred to
| the Philippines. The battalion of the
| Fourth Cavalry, which has done excellent
! service in the Luzon campaign. has been
| augmented by the remaining eight troops
| of that command. so that with the two
/ battalions of the Third Cavalry, the vol
unteer regiment and regiment of mount
! ed infantry, General Otis VIII have about
! five thousand mounted men to barass the
| insurgents and prevent their escape in re-
treat.
| When all the State troops now in the
Philippines have been withdrawn, General
Otis Will have 10000 regulars. BY the be-
| ginning of the dry season this force will
be augmented by nearly $1,000 volunteers
In addition TO these he will get one full
regiment of volunteer cavalry and the
eight lEOOpS OL lie IniTu htRulaT cavalry
This Will bring his force up to As, 900 men.
| The three vessels chartered by the
| Quartermaster General yesterday for car
rying horses and other animals to Manila
are the steamships Victoria. Garrone. and
| Port Albert. On their first trip they will
carry go horses for the Third Cavalry and
| 500 mules. The Victoria is one of the
finest ships of the Canadian Pacific Com
| pany. She will be available the first
week In August but it will be necessary
| to overhaul her in order that she may
carry the horses. She has a capacity of
| 500 animals. The Garrone now due at
| Seattle, has accommodations for 500 ami
mails, and the Port Albert, which will be
available before the 1st of August. will be
able to take 700 animals. These three ships
will be loaded at Seattle. They will be
J used exclusively for carrying horses and
| mules. 1t is expected that one of them
| will be ready to start for Manila about
August 10.