The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-10
Ira B. Pearson,

George B. Payne, Ira B. Pearson,
Albert c. Phillips, John w. Phillips.
Blunt A. Ray. Frederick H. Rice,
Robert L. Robinett, c. A. Rumford,
John Sherman, w. A Taylor,
David S. Viers, Jr., Elmer Wilson,
Walter O. Worline, Larin \. Martin
LETTER FROM A ROUGH RIDER.
Ed Loughmiller. private in troop D.
Rough Riders. in a letter to his parents
at Oklahoma City, gives the following
account of the battle before Santiago:
In Camp, off Santiago, Cuba,
June %, 1898.
Dear Father and the Rest am all right
1 survived the battle, and we are covered
with glory and praise by the regulars.
Troop D has five wounded and none
killed. The wounded are: Denham, shot
through the feshy part of both thighs
He is the worst wounded of any of our
men, but he is not seriously wounded
and has more grit than ] can express. He
laughs, talks and smokes. Newcom, from
Kingfisher, was shot through the knee:
Beall, from Kay county, shot in leg (hesh
wound; Corporal Rhodes, shot in thigh
flesh; Ishler, shot through wrist and calf
of leg. iWll spoil wrist; could nearly
run my finger through the hole. There
was eight killed in ne regiment, thirty
two wounded and about seven missing.
The regular officers complimented US
on our behavior.
Captain Capron, the recruiting officer,
was killed; shot twice. Major Brodie was
shot through the arm.
The fight occurred in the mountains and
brush There were $500 or 1900 opposing
about 200 or 1.5OO of us. including some
600 or 700 regulars. The Spaniards had
four rapid-fring guns using explosive bull
lets and one Hotchkiss gun, all formed
in a V shaped waiting for US. They re-
treated over the mountains, carrying all
their wounded and some dead with them.
The people Of a little town they passed
through said they were all bloody.
We have found so far some sixty odd
dead Spaniards.
Not a man in our regiment ran and we
gained a decided victory. When Major
Brodie was shot, Captain Houston took
charge of the line.
The Cubans did not show UP, except two
of our scouts They are an understood
race of people, and the raggedest l ever
saw. Each has machete; sometimes a
gun. All we have seen so far are the
guerrillas.
This is a very mountainous country,
with a very luxuriant growth of every
thing. We went to a cocoanut grove the
other day and got all the milk we wanted.
The doctor said it was good for us. The
nuts are lying on the ground by the wag-
/ onloads.
We landed off the boat Tuesday, the
end. and camped in a little valley until
the next day at noon, when we packed
and got about o'clock. We made a
forced march of about ten or twelve
miles and camped in a town that the Gu
bans had captured that morning. The
next day at 4 o'clock we started as the
advance. About 10 O'Clock. after we had
crossed the mountain. they told US that
the Spaniards were just ahead We
! loaded and about then the advance began
| to fire. We were in the second squadron
and next TO the rear Of the column. We
! deploved TO the left and began firing. our
| SQUAD fred about thirty rounds apiece
and stopped TO keep from firing into oul
/ own soldiers on our right. Some Of the
/ I. men fred 100 rounds. The fight began
/ between s and o'clock and stopped
/ about 1880 1 counted the bullet holes in
( a tree that stood in the road. The tree
! was about sixteen inches thick aud there
were hfty-three places It had been struck
/ that could see.
| We don't expect any more acton until
! we reach Santiago The wounded will be
/ taken 20 Key West today.
The country IS no hotter than Texas
! IS and the water is fine.