Evening star., 1898-08-06
TAKE REFUGE UNDER SHACKS
District Regiment Endure Hardships Incl
dent to War in Cuba.
Letter From Quartermaster Sergeant
Mortimer. Written From Capap at
SantiagO-Scarcity of Comforts.

The following letter is from Mr. Charles
G. Mortimer, 4 young lawyer of this city
but now quartermaster sergeant of The 1st
District of Columbia Regiment, written to
his moi her, partly across one of her let
tiers to him, for want of paper or other
writing material. The letter is dated in
front of Santiago. Cuba. and was COM
T. enced the 18TH of July and finished the
list, when he procured a little more paper
L trust most sincerely that you viii par
don the uncoaventionality OF this paper
and. by taking the will for the deed. i'm
agina you have received a real newsv let
ter from your boy in the field where paper
Is as scarce as envelopes, envelopes as
scarce as water. and water as scarce as
1000. ana food scarcer thar frost in Flor
lda We are almost without food or water
Half rations would be a luxury ] could
write you long, newsy letter had I the
energy, but not only is the energy lacking
but the strength necessary to hold the pen-
Gil ana piece of tin which | am using for
a table is not here.
Just as | finished my letter to YOU.
written on the book. Capt. Field cama
aiter me much to my joy, to join the regi-
nlent at the froct distance of fourteen
miles. We started after Gownpour of
ram about ] pm. the rain lasted all night
and up TO L cf that day, and after trav-
eling hree-quarters of mile the wagon
"hlch we were guarding. and which was
loaded with commissary supplies got
stuck in the mud up above the hub ana
for three solid hours the guard. nine of
our men and six Cubans. the latter of
Vlom we pressed into service together
WIN the six mules, worked on the wagon
at last getting it cut of the hole back
ward We then corduroyed the road and
ploceeqe1 Dy forced marching on our sour
IN
pushed through mud and streams scn,a
walst-deep. and the other part we rode ON
Top OF the boxes Of food on the WAGON
mating IN effort to hold on. and expecting
every moment to land under the wheels
OF the wagon. We finally arrived bara at
O'Clock am. very much the worse for
wear, but alive. ] am not looking for anv
more such experiences. That night | s!ert
on Two boxes, without any blanket Tho
boxes reached from my hesd 70 the r,,idsia
OF my back, but was SO exhausted that 7
Sept like a log ''
Shacks the Only Shelter
Having no tents at all, the men and off
GERS nave to sleep under such improvisoG
shacks' as can be manufactured OUT of
palm leaves bamboo sticks and grass. with
an occasional piece of tin or board torn
from the roof of an abandoned sugar re-
hnery near by They sleep on the ground.
without blankets or anything else to cover
them and as 1t rains about once or twice
every day and several times at night there
is seldom q dry man in camp The otha~
n'ght 1t rained torrents. and thoe;, VINO
sept did SO with streams of water running
over and under them and with the cold
damp air chilling the very marrow nf their
pones- But, surprising it seems The
health of the camp is better than AT any
time since we have been out 1t is a most
remarkable thing. have been sleeping on
me ground in the wet without even a blaa-
q rr-1
land at night here.
All of my stuff having been left on the
BOAT except what was on my back, / have
not even a change of underwear or socks.
out l make a Journey to the stream every
other day, take off my clothes and batnc
ana wash the underclotheS. While they are
Crying l wear none. You should see me 60
ing around in camp in a blue flannel shirt
with the skirts of the same out and a pair
OF trousers chopped off half way to the
knees and barefooted. Major Pyle saw me
coming UP the hill that way today and said;
Look al the dignified lawyer Would
not ne make a scene in court now?' / told
Elm the court rooms had no charms for me
any more, as was too near an approach to
q wild man for any such civilization
We hive had to sleep with all our
clothes or, up to night before last for fear
OF an attack. Our trenches are only about
one hundred yards from those of the Span
ish All of the first day we were here we
were unC II fire, but were not allowed to re-
turn it, c1 account of not having the Krag
rife with smokeless powder. \ battery on
day with its big guns, and Spanish bullets
whistied over our heads and dropped leaves
frC m the trees on us like rain, Owing to
our position, no one was struck.
Witnessed the Surrender
Yesterday we journeyed to the top of the
hill in front of Santiago and watched the
sure nder of the city. Tkat is, we saw at
distance the Spanish flag run down and our
glorious stars and stripes take its place.
amid the booming of cannon, cheering and
the playing of the bands. 1t was quite ex-
hilaIating. and made one feel that he had
done something, after all We also saw the
Spanish tcoops march out of the city.
TUesd y, l p.m.-Reveille ?. sounded at 3:30
this moi 1ing, camp being broken, nd
march of six miles being made 10 The out
skirts of San Juan. Here We are Yery COM
fortably located, on the top of hill. There
is but one objection to the site-the graves
of about a dozen rough riders in oul midst.
They are not half buried.
Wednesday esterday our men banked
the graves L was speaking of above and
put pieces of tiling, taken from Old
house, on top and carved their names on
a piece of the tile. The names they took
from a little stick of wood at the head of
the grave, put there by the men who
buried them. Last night and today there
is no smell 1t is hot in the daytime and
cold at night, and l don't sleep much This
afternoon one battalion of our regiment
has gone to Santiago 10 guard Spanish
prisoners for forty-eight hours aud al one
of the companies of that battalion is the
one with which | have been messing | have
got to go back to cooking fer myscif--tha:
is, if | can get anything to cook, which is
very doubtful.
Nothing to Eat.
Thursday, July 21-I shall try and finish
this letter today and mail it, though |
don't suppose it will reach you for two or
three weeks. AS stamps are impossible to
procure. l shall send it as soldiers mall"
Have not had anything to eat today, and
1t is now l pm. i feel rather tired and
have not the energy to write much. | am
also mentally fatigued, so anything Grange
you run across don't wonder at.
1T rained pitchforks here yesterday even
ing and | got soaking wet: hence the ap-
pearance of the first pages of this letter.
Caldwell has just come in from the city
with the startling information that if Il