Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-09-02
CUBAN LIFE
After the Battle
Near Santiago.
Merton Warren of the Ninth Mas.
sachusetts Thinks the Vermont Boys
We're Lucky.

Mrs Gilman Warren of this place has
received within a week letters from her son,
Merton II. Warren, written at San Juan
River, Santiago de Cuba. August ), 6, :,
and IA; also a small souvenir letter writ
ten from the foreign battlefield, where he
was in action, on the inside of a palm leaf
This material has been used by many of
the United States army soldiers in place of
writing paper. be writes: Since July
80 the general health of the troops here,
tour regiment especially, has improved,
and nearly all Of the men are on their
feet again. To be sure they are very weak,
but they are able to cook their own meals
and fill cauteen for themselves occasion
ally, so we manage to get along first rate.
| have had a light touch of the fever, but
managed to fight it off, and am now enjoy
ing my usual good health. My friend Lewis
is not so lucky. He has been down with
the fever twice, and is not feeling well
now, but will come out all right. We are
doing very little now. The hardes. work
consists .. cooking dinner and walking
down TO the brook for water. | received
letter this morning from a Massachusetts,
riend postmarked June 30 there and July
% at Key West. presume there are two
of your letters, either at Key West, or else
they were burned at Siboney.
|, with two comrades, have just returned
from a morning walk, through the city OF
Santiago, for the surrender If which our
men have endured so many privations and
hardshps. II is a very interesting place
and | enjoyed myself immensely during
the short stay. We attended solemn high
mass in the cathedral at 5 80 this morning
1t is beautiful place in the interior and
quite different from our Northern cathe-
erals and churches, as the exterior does
not present a very inviting appearance.
All the buildings are open and are all one.
story affairs, having huge iron gratings in
stead Of window glass al the openings
Tall doors reach from the pavements to
the roofs and they are all solid. The
streets are very narrow and i'll kept. Some
of them have narrow sidewalk, but many
OF them are similar TO the bed of a river,
with houses on either side, and it is good
exercise to jump from stone to stoAe in
the streets.
Spanish money is OF little use here, as
many of the merchants refuse 10 take it
at all, and those who reluctantly receive ii
will demand about twice as much if it is
to be paid for in Spanish money. We are
informed by the officers that every man
who was before Santiago is to receive a
bronze medal made from the cannon cap
tured from the city. So suppose | shall
have to sport one of them in order to be a
Good old comrade."
Saturday morning, Aug. 9.
| was detailed for hospital relief last
night; rather dismal work sitting at the
end of a row Of tents listening TO the
groans of the sick and the incoherent nut
terings of those who are out Uf their heads,
going in every few minutes 10 supply wa
ter 10 some parched throat, or else to damp
en- towel and replace it on some throD-
bling brow. | witnessed a sad sight yes
terday morning in the burial OF one OF
Company Is men by his two brothers
who are in the same company. The gov
erRment orders that all bodies shall be in
TERED within six hours of time Of death.
Last night, shortly after II o'clock,
Major O'Connor of NY battalion, gave up
the ghost, adding one more to the death
list Our colonel, F. b. Began, has gone
home sick. Oar lieutenant colonel, l.. j.
Logan, is also on his way home. Our sec
ond battalion major is in command. Our
first and third battalion majors are dead.
So you see our officers are pretty nearly
gone now.
The dollar | received was perfect God
send to me, and | fully appreciate it. l
had over So with me up TO the time Of the
surrender, but business began to boom as
soon as the commissary opened, and |
spent my little roll buying condensed milk
lime juice, canned peaches, tobacco, etc,
giving nearly all of it away TO the sick
boys OF the company. There is very little
money here now, as il was all spent at the
first opening. Many things could be OBJ
tanned reasonably if money was TO be Civ
en- US. All of the Volunteer Aid delica-
cies will be given to the sick in the hospital,
and the unlucky CD fellows who have their
health will have none. Several hundred
boxes of ice cream came three days ago
from New York, | believe, and the sick
are having great times these days. The
steward hustled around last night and
brought some of it out to the Hospital
Relief" 1t was fine.
Young Warren writes: If Comrade
Brasor could have been with us at a GER
tain time, not long past, he would have
partsken of the forbidden fruit or else
would certainly starve to death. 1t wasn't
a case of PAY your money and take your
choice" but Tackle anything you run
across" Many of our boys would gladly
part with two weeks pay if they could but
lald in fruit wagon for 20 minutes, or
they would have given a months pay tc
sit down to a table and eat some good SOL
id food without having the fine aroma from
a nearby Spanish trench floating over to
their nostrils. There we're several places
where the Spanish had thrown their dead
into the trench and had filled up with dirt
on top.
Now and then as we walked along we
could see an arm or leg sticking up out
of the dirt. Not very pleasant sights, but
we are used to them now. On the hill
where we now are the Spaniards were COW
cred just where they fell. No graves were
dug.
Perhaps some Of the Brattleboro boys
would exchange places with me this morn
ing. | am sure the change would be
agreeable on my side, though have very
enviable position, seated here writing on
the end of a bareback box, and several of
these mounds are to be seen across the fiat.
Another rule is, Remove, and wash all
clothes and underwear every day." Re-
member that, Brasor? We consider our
selves extremely lucky to be able to battle
once a week. When we go down for our
weekly bath we go in clothes and all; then
remove and wash the whole outfit, hang
our clothes on a bush or a bamboo tree,
seat ourselves in the shade and wait for
no oil n 1ru We don't bothar hO,1t