Evening star., 1898-08-17

| OF Columbia volunteers, in a letter to his
parents In this city, dated July IS, 1898, at
Santiago, Cuba, says:
To-day is kind of a holiday, SO 1 will
write you few lines to let you know how
| we are getting along in this campaign.
Yesterday the city was officially surren-
deredto our forces. 1t was very impos-
| ing sight. We were drawn up at our
trenches, which are from 100 to 200 yards
| from the Spanish lines and are twelve miles
| long. We had them completely surrounded.
At ten minutes to II, Light Battery E,
| Capt Capron commanding, fired salute
| or twenty-one guns, and at II o'clock the
| stars and stripes were run up on the gov
| ernors palace in the town, and the band
| played and our army cheered. ] would not
| have missed it for a great deal. l think
| now We Will soon be back in the states. as
| 1t is hard thing to get supplies over the
| roads, which are knee-deep in mud; every
thing is carried on pack mules.
| we have not had but one-third of our
| rations issued day since we have been in
/ Cuba, SO all of us have a good appetite.
| l Will let you know the day we will strike
| Washington, so l can have a good, square
! meal. l have seen one hardtack sold to a
| Cuban for 81. A can of tomatoes which
you pay 10 cents for sells for So a can here
| Money is plenty here and food is scarce.
| This island is destitute of food. No one
| wants money, as you can't spend it when
| you get it, as there is nothing TO buy. To-
| bacco is the only thing need and l am
| almost famished for some smoking totac-
| have bought it at $40 per pound. and are
| glad to get it at that. Well, it will soon be
| over for US, as l don't think they will need
| us in the service much longer. You would
| hardly know us, as we look good and
tough. l have not shaved for month,
our pants are cut off below the knees just
where the leggins meet, all of our spare
clothing has been thrown away long ago;
so have not got clothes enough to pad
guitar string.
For three days and nights we were
l. -{v,cy mot .
cold here at night, and very hot during the
day. All of US are pretty we'll
Nominates Roosevelt for President.
Mrs. E. NJ. OConnor of S15 9th street
northwest has received an interesting 1e.-
ter from her son, Kenneth OConnor, who
| is with Captain Domer's company of the 1st
District of Columbia Regiment. He de-
scribes the life in camp and gives the daily
menu as follows: For breakfast L have
oatmeal with condensed milk coffee and
bread; lunch, steak and onions, coffee and
milk "a kind of BROTH; dinner, Hamburg
steak. soup peaches and coffee. Bread at
all meals
When we come back" he continues Il
Will be sporting 9Th Army Corps badge.
The people ought to give US grand wei
come
Mr.. OConnor then writes to his brother
George as follows
Cook has typhoid fever ard is not with
US at all If we walk up Pennsylvania ave-
hue lots Of US will be pinched for indecent
exposure These barbed-wre fences are
rough on our pants The fighting done here
was wonderful. The 'niggers' are grand
fighters. They did the best work driving
the Spanards off San Juan hill. They were
outnumbered ten to one but they did the
act, charging up the hill into the Spanish
fortifications. l have piece of the block
house for souvenir. We were thirty-sev-
en- hours on the firing line in a rain storm
Ieddy Roosevelt is a peach. l wouldn't be
q
presidency.
santiago is Like Alexandria,
In letter juse received frcm one of the
boys of the District regiment at Santiago.
who was member of the Mount Pleasant
Field Band, dated August l, occurs ;he fol-
lowing:
1T has been some time since wrote YOU a
letter 1t is because l had no writing mate
rial. l successfully passed the guard and
stole into tie city, distance Of three miles
from our camp. There is wnere l got this
paper the fanciest that could find 1t is a
bum place-looks like Alexandria; flying
horses in the middle of the town-and they
are run by ste1m too. And then you say
that they are uncivilized. Rum shops are
on every SQUARE. Beer is fifty cents
bottle, not off the ice. Ice is as scare. as
fens' teeth That last letter that you sent
me served me well. The envelope served
me as sugar bowl and the paper started
the fire three times. We build our own fires
and cook our own meals Soaked hardtack
fried in sowbelly is favorite dish. We get
beefsteak now every day. Everybody has
discovered a new dish-some stew mangoes
ana potatoes; others make hash. Quite
number OF us have mountain fever. l had
1t, and don't want it again. The other day
some of us paid visit to the Spanish pris-
oners. There we met a city guard, and
after speaking to him for a while we pro-
ceeded to cut the buttons off his coat. He
made no objection, and we got nearly every
one or, when the guard chased us away. /
a;so got button off an infantryman's ccat
am losing no time in collecting souvenirs
Campbell Is getting along nicely on his
horn. Fleck is half dead nearly all the time
now, and Campbell plays the only solo cor
net And he plays it good, too. l have not
seen butter or cows milk in nearly two
months: But as we heard some wild guinea
fowls crying, Scotty and l are going to see
if we can't discover a few eggs"
The letter is written on paper at the top
OF which is thrilling picture of Spanish
soldiers charging upon a few scattered and
mostly unarmed blacks.
District Boys Robbed.
In letter to his father John P Church
Of the Agricultural Department. written
July %. Private Clifford Church of Com
pany G, District Volunteers, among other
things, says:
LAS you know, the surrender of Santiago
occurred on Sunday, the 18th, at noon.
We were lined up on the hills surrounding
the city, and after the twenty-one blasts
of the cannon began We came to present
arms. the band played The Star Spangled
Banner nd then we cheered and sang.
AS a similar program was carried out by
ell the regiments around the city we could
see the soldiers lined up in the distance
and hear them cheering and singing ard
the playing of the bands for miles. I. was
very interesting performance. After the
surrender we went back from the firing
line to cur first camp to get our tents and
other belongings. but found a great many
things stolen. Some of the boys lost all
of their private property. l lost few
ticles-shirts, coat and quinine. 1 valued
the last the highest, as it is very useful
and rather scarce. 1 could not get any of
the surgeons unless / was pretty sick For
tunately, l have not as yet felt the need of
any, though many of the boys are fever
ish. 1 follow your advice as much as pos
sible. OF course, we are obliged to sleep
en- the ground. Shelter we are glad to get
Even the officers mostly sleep on the
ground. After week on what had been
the firing line we moved camp to a better
place. We were a mile from water but
are a little nearer now. We are on a hill
klnf