Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-17

is they had been good shots, we
would have been minus some men
now, that is our brigade. not our
company from Companies G and II
were upon mountain just opposite the
Spaniards, and Company G got in a
cross, fire and drove the enemy from
its position, and gave the other boys
chance to rally. and then short,
sharp skirmish took place in which
the Spaniards got a good licking any
way. All they did was to fire and
run, and load their magazines while
| they were running. 1t was estimated
afterward that about 100 of the enemy
were killed, and they carried them
away as they. retreated. The graves
were afterward found on the side of
mountain. Our boys only had two
men wounded. Some of the boys of
our company. who were on the top of
the mountain. saw the battle, but as
l was at the bottom guarding a house
l did not get to see il. The mosqui-
ties bothered us so much that night
that we could not sleep. We were up
there two DAYS and two nights. Dur
fired 200 shots Mt what they called
made one shot. The 30th we moved
onto Ponce and were three days in
making the trip, and l never want to
go through such an ordeal again.
We had Just come off of u
boat and had been on poor
food for two weeks and three DAYS
and were not used to hard marching
without food. 1t was simply awful
making 10 and u miles in five
hours. At Ponce we stayed for eight
days. During this time we were on
outpost guard. On the 9th, my
birthday, we moved out of Ponce on
our way to Arecibo. on the north
coast of the island. We marched all
day long, first in the hot sun. then in
n rain shower. and all the time up
mountain. We marched all day and
into the dark, and made u miles
before we stopped. Then we had to
lay down Oh the ground with nothing
but our pOnchoes over us and sleep.
When we awoke in the morning we
were all wet with dew, and our
ponchoes were in the same condition
from the heat of our body. That is
the way L spent my birthday. The
next day we went on and made about
six miles and stopped for the night
or rather the rain stopped us. 1t be-
gan to rain good and hard, and we
had to stand out in it for nearly an
hour before we were assigned to Il
place to camp, and then it was on the
side OF n mountain, right in the road,
and steep bank on one side and
precipice on the other, and place to
sleep in the mud, beside being on poor
ratiOns. The next day we went on
and scaled the last mountain
for awhile and then went down
the other side to town
called Adjuntas, and pronounced
Albania. Here we stayed for four
days, and two out of the four / was |
was on gnard. We moved out of |
here without provisions because we |
had to send our wagon train back |
after provisions to Ponce, some % |
miles away, and then went on to |
Utuado, and made the trip from $50 |
in the morning to / in the afternoon
less stops. We were beginning to |
get toughened up by this time. We |
stayed here IL days and heard the |
good news that peace had been de-
elared. We just expected to go into
hi
10 Ponce to take transports for the
United States, and be mustered out as
Don as possible. You can picture
or yourself what took place in that
amp at that time. Most of us were
without clothes OF shoes. but we did
lot care for the forty miles of tough
travelling we would have to 90
through, just so we would be allowed
o see home again. l have no shoes
md my trousers are ragged. j am
III brown and tanned, and run bare
GOT, just like the natives, in fact all
wear is pair of pants, rolled up to
ny knees and and an undershirt and
blue shirt that has the sleeves
oiled up to my elbows. l made the
march back to Ponce in my bare
eet in two days and n half with
bout fifty pounds of traps on my
Jack. am now in Ponce, or about
our miles from there, in camp wait
NC for orders to board transports.
iaybe l win get home some time
round the 1st of October. We un-
lerstand we are to have a grand
'arade in New York, but do not know
or sure yet. You will find inclosed
ONE flowers and leaves from the
Stand. The big leaves with the
'rown backs and stems are off the
mahogany tree. and YOU Will find a
ew coffee beans just as they come off
he bush. / have several other
hings which / will bring along if |
an. Our captain and first lieutenant
ave been sick with malarial fever
nd laid up in the hospital.
BuckIen's Arniea SaIye.