OCR Text |
Show lOErniENlX)!? OTIS. FIVE REGIMENTS OF INFANTRY ORDERED TO MANILA. When They Arrive at Manila. If Condition, are Satisfactory, the Volunteers ow There Will be Sent Home. Washington, March 4. The secretary secre-tary of war has just ordered the reinforcement rein-forcement of General Otis by six regiments. regi-ments. These are the Sixth artillery now at San Antonio, the Sixth infantry infan-try at San Antonio, Texas, and the Sixth artillery, scattered along the Atlantic coast stations; the Ninth infantry in-fantry at Madison barracks, Thirteenth infantry in "ew York state, Twenty-first Twenty-first infantry at Plattsburg, K. Y., and the Sixteenth infantry at Fort Crook and neighboring posts in the middle ' west. ' These regiments have been ordered to make ready to proceed to San Francisco Fran-cisco and thence to Manila. In answer to direct questions as to whether or not these regular troops are intended to relieve a corresponding number of volunteer soldiers at Manila, it was said at the war department that while this probably would be the case, it was not possible to make a positive statement. This means that if when the reinforcements arrive at Manila, the conditions are satisfactory, the volunteers will be brought home; but if General Otis shall have need for all of the combined force, then they . must wait. The reinforcements are made up of troops who are not only regulars in the full sense of the term, but who have been through the Cuban or Porto Rican campaigns. They know what it is to be under fire, how to hunt Indians In-dians and also how to fight in tropical jungles. With them replacing the same number num-ber of volunteers, General Otis will have a majority of regulars in his command, com-mand, something the war department has earnestly desired to bring about at the earliest possible moment. The position of the American commander at Manila also will be safeguarded against the effect of a sudden and forced discharge of volunteers by the ratification of the peace treaty. |