Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1899 — BIG ARMY FOR OTIS. [ARTICLE]

BIG ARMY FOR OTIS.

Tm Additional Regiments for Bervlc in the Philippines. Formal orders were issued Thursday by Secretary Root directing the organization of ten additional regiments fqr service in the Philippines. President McKinley gave his approval of Secretary Boot’s decision to organize this additional force and approved this recommendation in the matter of regular army officers selected for appointment as colonels and lieutenant colonels of the proposed regiments. The result of the Secretary’s decision will be to give Gen. Otis a fighting force of 1*2,451 men, distributed as indicated tn this table: Regulars, including 5,072 en route and 2,801 about to sail 30,423 Organizing in Philippines (two infantry and one cavalry regiments, volunteers) 3,865 Ten infantry regiments, volunteers organized in the United States. .13,090 Ten infantry regiments, volunteers, to be organized in the United States 13,090 Officers 1,983 Aggregate combatants for Philippines 62,451 In addition to this force it is proposed to increase the hospital corps in the Philippines to 2,000 men, and the number of medical officers will be inefeased so that Gen. Otis will have an army of practically 65,000 men. With this number Secretary Root is confident—and his confidence is based upon reports from Gen. Otis—that the Manila commander will have a sufficient force to suppress the insurrection during the coming fall campaign. The enlistment of the ten additional volunteer regiments will make the total volunteer force in service number 30,507 men, leaving but 4,493 men of the 35,000 authorized uncalled for, and the total strength of the army about 95,000 men.