, with the 3d and 20th Infantry and one squadron of the 2d Cavalry
with their horses, the latter being the only mounted troops in my
command.
After some of them had already reached the lower bay, telegraphic
instructions were received from the honorable Secretary of War,
directing that the sailing of the expedition be delayed, waiting
further orders. This delay was occasioned by the Navy reporting that a
Spanish war vessel had been sighted in the Nicholas Channel. The ships
in the lower bay were immediately recalled. On the next day, in
compliance with instructions from the adjutant-general of the Army,
the necessary steps were taken to increase the command to the full
capacity of the transports, and the expedition sailed on June 14th
with 815 officers and 16,072 enlisted men.
The passage to Santiago was generally smooth and uneventful. The
health of the command remained remarkably good, notwithstanding the
fact that the conveniences on many of the transports, in the nature of
sleeping accommodations, space for exercise, closet accommodations,
etc., were not all that could have been desired. While commenting upon
this subject, it is appropriate to add that the opinion was general
throughout the Army that the travel ration should include tomatoes,
beginning with the first day, and that a small quantity of canned
fruit would prove to be a most welcome addition while traveling at sea
in the tropics.
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