The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-09-01
LETTER FROM DR.. THOMAS.
Interesting Account of His Trip to
Cuba-Now at Montauk.
CAMP OF 7TH INFANTRY.
5 MILES FROM SANTIAGO,

ohONOhuiuI oIIP via IdLlpd lOr SuDd.
We were chased once by q. S. Block
aiding gun-boat, that mistook US for a
Spanish blockade runner, but when it
got close enough to see it turned
off and left US. We entered the mar
row 'neck of the bottle,' as it has
been termed since Cervera was bottled
up here, and passed close to Moro
Castle. | supposed from what I had
seen in New York papers, that after
Hobson was removed from Moro that
our guns nearly demolished it; while
the fact is, it is but slightly injured.
Just past this fort, and " Socapa'' the
earth works opposite) was the Spanish
ship "Reina Mercedes" sunk bv them
after Cervera went out, to block up the
channel; little further in, was the
smoke-stack and one mast of Hobson's
Merrimac sticking out of the water. l
took 4x5 kodak pictures of all these
and hope to show them to you all
sometime.
My first duty here was with the Goth
Massachusetts, Regiment, but as their
sick list was not so large, it was left
to the care of one surgeon and | was
detached and ordered to the eth In
fantry U. S. Regulars. This has been
sadly unfortunate Regiment: it lost
~ killed on field and 13S wounded in
the battle on July 1st. Since that
nearly 800 have died from yellow fever
exposure, starvation and lack of medi-
cines. When | came here the sick list
was nearly 300. The surgeon himselfwas
sick with yellow fever and the steward
carried our whole stock of medicine
about in an old hat. As | made my
rounds, sick men were laying on the
ground or on rail beds made of bamboo,
which grows here very tall and often
eight inches through. These rails
kept men off the ground and though
hard We're smooth and dry. Grass on
the ground under one begins to heat
and would smell, in few hours, and
is in itself an additional menace TO
health, so it can't be used. This is of
course the rainy season; for a while
the rain will fall like a cloudburst
accompanied with thunder and light
ming, and then for two or three hours
the tropical sun will pour down its
heat till the rising steam and stencil
from the foul mud is almost sutfocating.
Then just as all is fairly getting dry
comes another rain to be followed as
before by sun; and this is every days
weather program. 1t is no wonder our
men are all sick. If yellow jack spares
them, they must fight malaria of most
pernlc1Ous form, perhaps later sink
with typhoid dysentery. Imagine my
horror at finding so many sick men
suffering so terribly, and for over
half of them'not a dose of medicine
to be had. acquisitions sent to medical
headquarters would have to go through
two or three day red tape program
for signatures and endorsements and
then not get . per cent of whatI'd ask for.
OF late ten or twelve regiments have
been sent North to MOntauk Point,
Long Island, and / can get now near
er what | want in drugs, but sick food
is not to be had, the supplies sent of
matted milk, beef extracts, ETC., were
used up long ago, and sick are dying
from actual starry alton: they can en-
dure, if they could eat, the rations of
bareback and bacon. Fresh meat has
been supplied about twice week, but
[ dread to see it issued. 1t is mostly
Chicago beef; has been killed for to
6 weeks and shipped in refrigerators-
not tainted exactly, but in its trip
from the city out to camp a change in
it begins, and the next days sick list
is sure to be larger, with distressing
bowel trouble and irritable stomachs.
l have worked the hardest l ever did
in my life, and put up with hardships
that [ did not think | could bear |
offered my services because 1 thought
[ was needed, and | certainly was.
Am sorry that doctors did not respond
more readily to the call for medical
help. OF course it is much pleasanter
to stay at home, but had the medical
profession realized how great was the
need for help, they would have offered
themselves far more freely: for as
class, they are not towards: they are
brave and self-sacrifcing and yellow
fever, pestilence and hardships would
not have frightened them from their
duty.
This regiment was nine hours under
hot fire on July 1st and walked over
the laying down list at one time to
form firing line further ahead. New
York papers praised the list so, as it
was their hobby regiment of the city's
elite-but they really did but little
service. The Rough Riders however,
in which were SO many rich New York
ers, certainly did fight bravely, and
so did the 18th and 10th Lieutenant
Shipp's regiment1 fight like demons.
l have kodak picture of the field
where Shipp fell: also views outside
and one inside of that block house
that. cost us so many lives to take.
Relics have nearly all been picked up,
but in this block house | picked up
few empty cartridges that had spent
their force on our advancing lines.
Our Colonel was a brave old fellow:
ne leu, anu Oh HOFSGDdck mOSU OF UIlo
time; over one little rise of ground he
tried to encourage his men to advance
with him, saying: "Come on, boys!
come on. don't hang back, there's a
whole brigade behind us!'' and an
Irishman in front rank said: 81 wish
they were before us, Colonel" 1t
made laugh even at such moment
and the regiment rushed over the
ridge after their leader in perfect
hailstorm of lead poured into them
from trenches and block house.
From my tent door I can plainly see
the block house and field. 1t is a
beautiful picture spread out before us,
| in the distance are the high mountains
| the only passes being in these valleys.
The slopes are covered with a coarse
grass, mixed with yucca and fan
| palms, while every few yards cocoa
| nut trees and royal palms with their
| white monument looking trunks, fill in
a fore ground that can not be appre-
| ciated unless seen. This is a regular
paradise, so far as nature has had to
| do with it. Any faults about it are
| like the original paradise the works
| of man. Fruits of hundred sort
| not very attractive, others good but
| perishable SO that they never get to
| the United States. Beautiful plumaged
birds are abundant, also parrots and
paroquets wild, but very few song
sters. 1 have not heard one yet with
even pass able notes. Wild guinea
| hens, like the American tame ones
only brown and quail are plenty.
Oh if / could only have my dog and
| gun for an evening here l would be
able to smile amid all my surround
L. T l.