General Shafter was ordered to be prepared to move. On the 7th of
June he was ordered to sail with "not less than 10,000 men," but
an alarming, though unfounded, rumor of a Spanish squadron off
the north coast of Cuba delayed the expedition until the 14th.
With an army of seventeen thousand on thirty-two transports, and
accompanied by eighty-nine newspaper correspondents, Shafter
arrived on the 20th of June off Santiago.

The Spanish troops in Cuba--the American control of the sea made
it unnecessary to consider those available in Spain--amounted,
according to returns in April, 1898, to 196,820. This formidable
number, however, was not available at any one strategic spot
owing to the difficulty of transporting either troops or
supplies, particularly at the eastern end of the island, in the
neighborhood of Santiago. It was estimated that the number of men
of use about Santiago was about 12,000, with 5000 approaching to
assist. Perhaps 3000 insurgents were at hand under General
Garcia. The number sent, then, was not inadequate to the task.
Equal numbers are not, indeed, ordinarily considered sufficient
for an offensive campaign against fortifications, but the
American commanders counted upon a difference in morale between
the two armies, which was justified by results. Besides the
American Army could be reinforced as necessity arose.



CHAPTER XI. The Campaign Of Santiago De Cuba

In planning the campaign against Santiago, Admiral Sampson wished
the army immediately to assault the defenses at the harbor mouth