Bisbee daily review., 1916-03-22
Only After Long Considera- ton of the Task at Hand Has Commanding Officer Asked for More Men.
FIFTH CAVALRY WILL
 BE SENT TO BORDER
Merely Precautionary" is the Manner in Which Leader Answerei1 All Questions Relative to the Demand.
fRy Review Leased Wire.l )

SAN ANTONIO, March 21.-Gen. Frederick Funston asked the War De partment today for more troops to send into Mexico, only after long con sideration of the advisability of con- tinuing the operations against Fran cisco Villa with the forces now com wanded by Gen. Pershing. General Persh;ng yesterday suggested that an- other regiment be sent to him and to- day Gen. Funston asked the Depart ment for what he characterized as an adequate force.
 It was announced at Gen. Funston's headquarters that the Fifth Cavalry, of which one squadron is at Fort Mey- CT, a second at Leavenworth. Kansas, and the third at Fort Sheridan, lllin- ois, would be brought to the border at once and sent forward along Gen. Pershing's line of communication to Casas Grandes.
 The only req son given for the strengthening of Gen. Pershing's force known by the public generally to be considerably more than 4,000, was that his field of operations had become so extended that his main line of communication and the subsi- diary lines were much weaker than they should be.
 Merely a precautionary move" was the way Gen. Funston answered all questions.
 Some uneasiness was displayed for a moment at his headquarters today when it was reported the wires had been cut between Casas Grandes and the border, but an official report stat ing that the line cut was a 'buZZer" line General Pershing had laid. and that it had been broken accidentally by some of the American forces eros sing it, allayed apprehension.
 It is not believed here that Gen. Funston is worried to any great eX- tent by the reports of growing anti pathy against the American forces among the Carranza troops.
 It has not been forgotten at his headquarters, however, that Villa has many more troops somewhere in northern Mexico than the few hun dred said to be riding with him in his flight before the pursuing troops of the two countries.
 South of Casas Grandes the cavalry detachments that are following the band into the heart of the mountain ous country where Villa is known to have gone are expanding in a triangle of approximately 5000 square-mile area. The search for Villa has as- sumed the proportions of a campaign and it was pointed out that if it be- came necessary to extend the opera tions much more it might be neces- sary to move into the field almost all the remaining available force of the American army. At the time it was found necessary to leave some 1000 men to guard the Mexican border towns.
 It has been impossible in attempt ing in all cases to give them special protection but Gen. Funston does not care to move the troops from their stations that are within reach of most of the more populated points along the frontier.
 With the arrival of four and one third regiments of infantry. twoI squadrons of cavalyry it amounts toI about half the field force of the Amer ican army. This does not include the coast artillery.
 The regiments left in the United States. exclusive of those in the south ern department and on foreign tours, are the Second Cavalry. Fort Ethen Allen. Vt; the Fifth Cavalry. Fort Sheridan. Ills. Fort Meyer, Va. and Fort Leavanworth. Kansas: Third h. fantry. Madison Barracks. N. ". and Fourteenth Infantry. one battalion at Fort Lawton. Tex: Twenty-fifth In- fantry. Vancouver Barracks. Washing ton: TweDtv-fourth Infantry, Fort D. A. Russel. Wvo.: Thirteenth Infantry, Plattsburg Parracks, N. Y: Fifth Field Artillery. with the exception of one battery Fort Sill. Okla: Three batteries Third Field Artillery. Fort Meyer, Va.
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