Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-07-28

ANo NEWS IEOm home.
Prof. w. H. Hobbs OF the Wisconsin
university, who is spending the sum-
mer in geological work for the gov
eminent in Connecticut, recently re-
ceived two letters, long and anxiously
awaited. from his younger brother,
who is corporal in the I'd Massa-
chusetts Infantry, under Gen. Lawton,
and who participated in the fighting
around Santiago. One was written
June 20 in camp on the battlefield !
La Quasina, and the other July in
the trenches about a half mile from
Santiago The earlier letter refers t.
the forced marches made in going to
the support of the rough riders and
the great exhaustion which resulted,
but does not omit to mention the
beautiful scenery and the plentiful
supply of water from clear mountain
streams. Altogether it gives a better
Impression of the physical conditions
surrounding the soldiers than one had
gathered from the newspaper &C
counts. After the forced march OF
his division to the support of the
rough riders he writes:
"How I got up that gorge at the end
l hardly know. l was a mere ma
chine. If it had not been for my tent
mate l think l should have gone sup
| PEERLESS to bed. We slept on the bat
! tlefeld where the rough riders were
ambushed and never did a fellow
sleep better One cannot but be in
terested in the use of the term ''am-
pushed" since there has been much
discussion Of the matter in the papers
| and it indicates the impression among
: the soldiers.
Dews, says Corporal Hobbs, are
very heavy, the tropical foliage is lux
uriant, but the fruit is not yet ripe.
Referring to the railroad from Jurag-
ia he says: There is railroad here.
The Spaniards had taken the locomo-
tive apart and buried the pieces.
There are two men or our regiment
who are engineers and they dug up
the pieces, put them together, and in
a short time had the engine running. 8"
Continuing, he says: I'VE don't have
much change Of diet-fried bacon,
fried hard tack (moistened in water
and coffee, sometimes with sugar"
The latter letter was written after
more serious fighting: I'VE are still
in front of Santiago and now are only
half mile from the city. All kinds
of reports reach us but we put little
trust in them. have learned what 1t
is to suffer. Perhaps l can give you
some idea of it. On July list we rose
at o'clock, were moved at 6, keeping
, steady pace and at z went into a
fight which lasted all day l can tell
you the bullets rained thickly The
Spaniards use smokeless powder and
were in blockhouse in a very strong
position in the town of Ell Caney. No
sooner was the battle over at FL
Caney (Which is so important because
+ it supplies water to Santiago than we
, started on an all-night march for San
tiago and only stopped when we were
fired upon by the Spanish pickets
, We lay down beside the road to get
what rest We could, not knowing when
we were to move. Thus we lay till
; midnight when our major took
, the responsibility upon himself and al
; lowed us to lay off our packs. After
only two hours sleep, we received or
ders to pack up, had bacon and hard
tack issued 1--WE get coffee only rarely
oh IN aly oh o-t
distance cut through a place that was
so dark one must cling to the mar
in front in order not to get lost. After
we got through we were sent forward
in double time which knocked out
many of us. After waiting for the
other battalions to come up we were
sent forward again and marched over
hills, through gullies. wading brooks
up to the knees, and finally came out
on a road when we heard firing. The
Spanish sharpshooters began to picl
off our men at great rate. Some o.
| our men were ordered to throw of
rolls and I was detailed in charge o.
them but the fellows didn't see muct
of the fight. We finally went into
camp but were called out at midnigh
again by the Smelling of the town. OrE
Of our men was shot by our own mel
! by accident. The city is now under
a flag Of truce and it is the opinion
5 here that they will come to theil
senses and surrender. If not we car
force them
Corporal Hobbs reports that they
get none Of the news and the single
statement eve don't know what Lee Il
doing at Havana" indicates as well a.
anything how rumors only reach them
They had had no letters for over
month