Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-08-10
FROM A TRANSPORT.
GLIMPSES OF WAR AS SEEN BY
AN ELLSWORTH MAN.
S1DEL1GHTS ON ARMY OPERATIONS
DESTRUCTION OF CERvERA's FLEET
THE BRAVE LITTLE
GLOUCESTER.

george +. Woodward, son of Capt. w
p. Woodward, of Ellsworth, is irst mate
OF the United States transport steamer
alamo, officially known as trans port
No. 8. The "Alamo" took troops from
Tampa to Santiago, where she remained
until recently, when she brought wounded
soldiers to New York. She was fitted
out again, and sailed Sunday for Newport
News to take troops to Porto Rico The
following extracts from letter home
give some interesting glimpses OF the war !:
we have bad very trying trip. The army Is
hard gang TO work for; army officer knows
no more about ship, or handling one, than a
hog does about his great-aunt on his fathers
side. think that you could make a soldier out
OF sailor, but am thoroughly convinced that
never In all ages could you make sailor out of
| Il soldier
While In Tampa they almost worried us to
death. 1t would be an order one minute, and In
| a half hour 1t would be changed, and 80 on day
in and day out. Finally we got away but then
we were not prepared.
If there had been no politics in the matter 1t
might have been great deal better but every
| one that had any influence had friend he
wanted to get a job for.
We landed at Daquir 1.-THE papers begin 1t
with b but think d is right; at least that's the
| way the chart spells it. We went In to the land
in the morning. and while the gunb oats were
| Smelling the town and surrounding hills the
| troops were getting into the boats. The Span.
| iards had started to burn things up but did not
stay long enough to complete the job.
| The third day went down the coast and got
Gen. Garcia and 5000 of his men; and hard
| looking crowd they were, too. They had been
| in the mountains for three years living on
| fruit mostly, and were as hungry as dogs. Some
of them ate so much that they couldn't stand the
strain, and just lay over and gave up the ghost
We took the Cubans up to Siboney, and they
started for the front.
| \ fter the battle of Santiago they brought all
the wounded to Siboney, and | tell You it was
an awful sight to see them. There were all
kinds of wounds. must have seen as many as
500 wounded men one day when was ashore
All of the killed, to my mind, We're just muir
dercd Shattcr was not half prepared. There
were eight large siege guns on one ship that
were not taken ashore at all Really the battle
was won by infantry alone. The regulars are a
magnificent lot Of men. They are all very in.
telligent, and they fight like the ID; 1t was
shame to slaughter them All my inforna.
ton got from officers that went out with
| We used to the fleet she'll the batteries
around the MORO quite often. 1t did look grand
to see those shells explode.
| But the GROWING glory was when the Spanish
fleet came out. OF course we could not see
| much, there being so much smoke. The ship
that interested us most was the little "Glouces.
ter. She Is a converted yacht, but when that
| fleet came out she was right among them. She
| isn't bigger than a good whale boat.
If | remember rightly she has five rapid. fire
| guns forward. They very small but throw
about thirty shots each a minute. You just
think of that little thing going after that fleet
| with all her guns going at that rate. 1t was Just
| sheet of flame out over her bows until she had
| sunk the two destroyers l would like to shake
| hands with her commander. She has been In
everything where there has been any lombard
| ing.
| About the time that the fleet came out one OF
! the small ships came out where the transports
| were and told US to go east. The most of us
| could not UNDERSTANDINGS wanted to see the
east and told US to go west, for the enemy was
| In sight to the eastward. 1t proved to be a big
| Austrian batteship, but we all thought 1t was a
| Spanard. If 1t had been, she would have COB
bled up some of the transports, for all of our
| navy was going after old Cervera.