Cañon City record., 1898-10-06
CAnp DEWEY, Aug. s, 1883.

DEAR PARENTS-We nave not nao
much trouble yet but the big thing
will come of in very short time; ]
think everything viii be ready IN a
few days. We have been up to the
front two or three times. Last Fri
day (the 10Th Of july we went up
within 500 yards Of the Spanish in
trenchments, and threw up intrench-
ments Of our own, then of course we
had to keep men in them to hold
them. Nothing happened until Sun
day night when the Pennsylvania
troops and some of the regulars were
up there, and they had quite fight.
1t commenced about 20 minutes past
IL, and lasted about an hour and
quarter. and then they quit for the
night. About ll:45 Sunday night
we were called out, and of all the
firing ever heard! 1t was one con-
tinual roar for over an hour. On
Monday night the Colorado boys were
in the trenches, and about 8 o'clock
the Spaniards began to advance on
our lines; we could not see them un-
til they were within 100 or 150 yards
of our intrenchments, then the men
on our right were oroered to open
fire, and when they were within 100
yards Of US we had orders to FIRE. and
when we did commence It was most
too warm reception for them. They
could not stand 1t and had to back
Of. 1t was just solid stream OF
lead going over our bereastworks in
to he Spanish lines. They returned
the next night when the Nebrasba
boys were 10 the trenches and were
received the same way. tell you
the Boys in Blue gave them warm
reception something they are not
used 70, for the insurgents never did
nuch damage to them. We have
killed more SpaniArds in three nights
than the insurgents have in year.
We killed about 100 in three nights
and wounded about 1900 more, and
that Is more damage to them than
the TOO killed. OF course we had TO
lose few. The first night the Penn
sylvania lost seven, and several
wounded; on Monday night the Colo
RADIO bst one. be was in company d;
Nebraska lost one; California lost
two, and some have been wounded
70 or 25.
Several Of the Spanish soldiers
have deserted and joined the insur-
gents and think there will be few
more desert or bite the dust If they
try to take our trenches again.
! expect We will 20 to the front
again in the morning, that Is the First
Battalion: the Second and Third Bat
talions were out yesterday. So | will
close and finish when we come in
again.
Sunday, Aug. We'll. We have
Just returned to camp. have been on
duty for "a hours steady, and are
pretty tired. There WAS not much
excitement last Might've never fired
q shot. The insurgents began firing
about 10 o'clock and kept 1t up pretty
lively until about IL. Yesterday the
Spanish fred . few shots at US but
did no damage. They seem to think
they cannot do enough damage with
q three and two-tenths inch shell, 80
they turned their two big l0-inch
guns, but all In vain. The Spaniards
are very poor marksmen themselves,
but last Monday night think they
had some foreign gunners either
German or French--for they were
dropping those shells right around
us and it kept u dodging to keep
out Of the way, but we have been
lucky so far.
You may talk about exposure, but
II we havn't had It l don't know. We
have hardly been dry since we landed
on the island, and have had to lay out
In the rain and mud, and when we
wake up we arc chilled through and
through, but for al the exposure We
arc subject 10 there has not been
any sickness ct all. This 10 the most
healthy sst Of men ever saw. svery-
body Seems to b. enjoying themselves.
Thsy ~ the SpaniArds are Ioeding
thsir shslls with horseshoe nails and
~ old thiag thsy can Ct hold Of.
! was ovsr 70 ~ graveyard today
and Il losks pretty ~ 70 ~ tAoss
gFsveA although l sxpsot 4 ] oould
- ~ gpenlsh graveyard Il wosA b
9 grsat dsal veess. Bat Il wsslds't
lssk = ~. foe - Uni>sd Btatss
so11kseb ~ b wsetA . theaoan1
opaniGh ss,1fEt llvoA I 49,.
49, m - - - - -