471 officers and 10,432 enlisted men actually reached Manila before the capture of the city on August 13, 1899. At the end of this chapter will be found a complete statement of the forces despatched to the Philippines up to June 30, 1899, with dates of sailing and arrival.

GENERAL MERRITT ASSIGNED TO THE COMMAND.

On May 20th, Major-General Elwell S. Otis, U. S. V., assumed command at San Francisco of "All United States troops now assembled and upon arrival of such troops as are to be assembled at this point for contemplated expeditionary purposes." On May 21st, General T. N. Anderson, U. S. V., was assigned to the command of the First Expedition to the Philippine Islands. On May 29th, a locality in the "Bay District Track" was designated by order as 'Camp Merritt." On May 30th, Major-General Wesley Merritt, U. S. A.

assumed command of the expeditionary forces at San Francisco, and on the same day assigned General Otis to the command of Camp Merritt as an independent division for administrative purposes.

June 2d, General Otis assumed command of this division and put in force a strict camp discipline. On June 23d, General Merritt assumed command of the Eighth Army Corps, composed of forces comprising the Philippine Expedition, and on June 29th, General Otis assumed command at San Francisco of "All the Philippine Islands' Expeditionary Forces in this locality, and, upon arrival, of all troops directed to the port for further expeditionary purposes." On July 11th, Brigadier-General N. P. Miller, U. S. V., assumed command of all troops at Camp Merritt and the Presidio, including the so-called "Expeditionary Forces," General Otis relinquishing command to serve in the Philippines.

DEPARTURE OF THE FIRST EXPEDITION.

Prior to the arrival of General Merritt at San Francisco in command, as noted, the First Philippine Expedition had sailed for the islands with General Anderson in command. General Anderson in speaking of conditions then, said: "I was ordered to Manila, when things were very unsettled, with a few regiments. I was hurried away with no explicit instructions. 'Do the best you can' were the orders I received."

The cruiser Charleston had preceded this expedition to Honolulu from which place it was to convoy the expedition to Manila. At Honolulu the expedition disembarked, where it was received with much enthusiasm by all classes, and most hospitably entertained. The expedition left Honolulu in good condition on the 15th, under convoy of the Charleston, Captain Glass being in command of the cruiser. On this date, while at sea, according to instructions, Captain Glass

opened his sealed orders, and at once signaled General Anderson, then on board the Australia: "My instructions require me to capture the Spanish forts and vessels at the Island of Guam, en route to Manila. The transports will accompany this ship as only two or three days' delay will occur. This may be made public. GLASS."

THE CAPTURE OF GUAM.

Guam was reached June 20th, after an uneventful voyage. Soon after the battle the press of the country was filled with tales of the heroism of the capture of Guam, but it should be said no one in the command thought of it especially as an exploit. This may be said-it was not known exactly in what the fortification consisted, the condition of the force, or the strength of the Spanish military occupation; and such precaution was taken as would be observed had they been of a formidable nature. In Guam there were two forts, St. Iago and Santa Cruz, and the ruins of an old fort called San Luis. The fort St. Iago was also at the time an old, unoccupied fort. The Charleston left the convoy so as to be unexposed to shells from the fort, and proceeded to the attack. She passed the old fort St. Iago in silence and moved up against fort Santa Cruz to shell the fort. There was no response and it was unoccupied. In all, the Charleston discharged thirteen shells at the fort, seven shells from the starboard three pound battery, and three from the port battery. The "battle" lasted four and a half minutes. By this time the Spanish settlement 'was aroused, and the captain of the port came aboard the Charleston and said he had recognized the salute but could not answer as he had no battery, but would try in the future to have one so salutations could be answered.

Authorities in Guam had no knowledge that a declaration of war had been made. Upon being apprised of this, they parleyed for delay, but were notified that they were prisoners of war; that the Governor and garrison must surrender and become prison

were, with the Governor and staff, taken aboard ship. After the necessary preparation the expedition set sail for Manila. There are a dozen and perhaps more of the Mariana or Ladrone Islands, Guam being the largest. The capital

of the group is Agana. These islands were given the name Ladrone by the Spaniards because of the thieving propensities of the natives. In 1668, the name of Mariana was given them in honor of Maria Ana of Austria, the widow of Philip IV of Spain. The population of the group is estimated at 27,000; that of Guam 12,000; and Agana 4000. The soil is very productive and well adapted to the culture of all tropical plants. The harbor of San Luis d' Apra could easily be made a fine coaling station, being nearly in direct line between Honolulu and Manila, at which place the expedition arrived on June 30, 1898, and the reinforcement of Dewey had begun.

NAVAL REINFORCEMENTS.

It is proper to state in this place that while, as had been demonstrated, the Admiral had a naval force quite sufficient to take care of any Spanish ships then in eastern waters, there was no heavy armed battle-ship in his fleet, and there was always a possibility of the despatch of heavy armed vessels from Spain by way of the Suez Canal, which later grew into a strong probability when Admiral Camara's fleet sailed for the east. It was also not impossible that complications might arise

should be promptly strengthened. The cruiser Charleston, as already stated, accompanied the first expedition, and the monitors Monterey and Monadnock, although intended for coast defense and not for long voyages, were made ready as soon as possible and despatched from San Francisco, the Monterey arriving safely at Manila on August 4th, and the Monadnock later. They would have been a few days too late to meet Camara's fleet had it continued its voyage from Suez and met no mishap, and it is said to have been Dewey's intention, had the Spanish fleet continued its course, to leave Manila Bay and cruise until his reinforcements were met, after which he would have returned for another battle for the possession of the bay. The necessity of this was prevented by Admiral Camara's return to Spain. Upon the arrival of the monitors Admiral Dewey was equipped for any emergency, and the subsequent changes in his fleet did not affect the course of events, and do not fall within the scope of this narrative.

MORE REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE.

The troops of the second expedition, under command of Brigadier-General F. V. Greene, reached Manila on July 17th, and those of the third expedition, in

command of Major-General Merritt, on July 25th. The fourth expedition, under Major-General Otis, reached Manila on August 21st, a few days after the fall of the city.

DIFFICULTIES OF RAPID MOBILIZATION.

To people not familiar with military operations the despatching of an army to the Philippines may seem a simple matter. There were plenty of men to go, and officers, more or less inexperienced, in superabundance. Apparently in the popular mind, there was nothing to hinder their going-but there were many things. There were no modern guns, no smokeless powder, no suitable clothing, no commissary stores, no hospital equipment, and no ships. The organization of the supply and transport service took far more time than the organization of the troops, but while waiting for these essentials of warfare to be provided there was time for drill. A newly organized regiment is but one remove from a mob, and to unnecessarily lead such a force against a disciplined enemy is to invite disaster. Fortunately most of the volunteer regiments were largely composed of National Guardsmen, and had had valuable training, but real war is very different from a militia encampment in time of

peace, and there was a large number of recruits who had received no training at all. The organization of the staff services seemed slow to the people, but in reality it was rapid, and such delay as there was was turned to good purpose in training the officers and men for service in the field. It is desirable that the public be better informed as to

the details of the various services upon whose effective administration the success of campaigns so largely depends, and it is convenient, in connection with the movement of an army to the Philippines, to give some account of the transport service which accomplished it.

The energies of the government, at the beginning of the war, were directed toward the preparation for the invasion of Cuba, and in pursuit of this plan, officers and men were taken from all sections and mobilized at points accessible to the Eastern seaboard. When finally attention was given to the situation in the Philippines, it was found that a base must be established on the Pacific Coast, and San Francisco was made the place. From the fact that supplies had been diverted eastward to furnish and equip the army for Cuba, the difficulty of the work of furnishing and equipping this new army was largely augmented. To house, clothe and feed the troops was not the only factor. The men had to be disciplined and drilled, and then arose the problem of transportation. In this it was not only to secure suitable transports, but to determine how best to feed and furnish, not only for the long voyage, but for the needs of the new and untried climate.

THE TROOPS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

Soon after the troops began to arrive from the different States at San Francisco, this question of climate effects became serious. Men heretofore strong and vigorous were attacked with divers' ailments, mostly of a pulmonary nature, and

locality might contribute to the mortality, a new camp was established at the Presidio. Here, by choosing the locality least exposed to the ocean winds, and with every precaution of sanitation, the death rate decreased. With improved sanitary conditions came restored health, so that the army sent to the Philippines was in excellent condition. It should be borne in mind that, at this time, the government owned no transports on the Pacific Coast and they must be obtained, either by charter or purchase, and in every instance refitted and made suitable for transporting the troops. Already commerce on the Pacific had received such an impetus that ships were difficult to get, and for some time could only be had after threatened seizure by the government.

SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM ORGANIZED.

After much effort transportation was secured for the first expedition, and in time, by dint of great energy and perseverance, an excellent transport system was perfected. It grew with the requirements, and met emergencies. A table will be found at the end of this chapter which includes the transport service performed by this department, from the time of departure from San Francisco of the first expedition to June, 1899,

showing the number of officers and men and organizations carried. Something of the magnitude of the supplies carried in connection with this transportation may be inferred when it is stated that, outside of clothing and other essential supplies, including tents, camp equipage and medical supplies, there accompanied each man in the expedition 400 rounds of ammunition and four months' rations, and as their stay prolonged beyond this time, their future supplies were to be subsequently added. The public eye seldom looks beyond the glamour of the battle-field to find merit in military life, but