The Topeka state journal., 1898-12-23
THE ROUGH RIDERS STORY

on one side and the Pacific waters of a
land-lOcked bay on the other. It is from
one to two miles wide and is nearly
cut off from the main island by an arm
of the sea that has been converted into
a lake by wide railroad embankment.
The rolling hills are grass covered,
with here and there small patches of
brush and low trees. There is an in
cessant thunder of breakers against
the low bluffs and along the sandy
beaches. The Long Island railroad
terminates at the lake where Camp
Wi6Off begins. Within the camp are a
few summer cottages, a Hfe-saving sta
ton, a light house, and a few houses
where fishermen live. The first camps
after leaving the railway station were
those of the infantry, on the hills to the
east OF the lake, extending south to the
beach. This camp was about two miles
square. Farther to the east and around
the llfe-saving station We're the camps
Of the cavalry with their eight or nine
thousand horses, while to the northwest
of the cavalry camp We're several bat
ter1eS OF light held guns. Throughout
the cavalry and artillery camps were
scores of small fresh water lagOons,
where the horses were Watered, and
from which the men drank and used
water for cooking until the water pipes
were put in. There were good wells at
the Hfe-SaVing station, but the officers
tried to stop the men from using water
from them. l was ordered by man
who wore the shoulder straps of a gen
eral not to come back to those wells
IL
We're not connected through the rough
riders camp. When the water pipes
were connected and the water turned
on, it was red with iron rust and hOr-
Tible to taste. The well from which
this water was pumped, is on the side
of a hill to the south of the general
hospital and not very far away.
part of the refuse water from the hos
pital would naturally be washed down
the broad shallow sWau past the well.
The soil is sandy and good absorbant
for water carrying the germs of dis
ease The site of this we'll has been
discussed in the New York papers and
was universally condemned by the
medical profession outside of those con-
nected with the regulararmy. Prudence,
probably, keep these from expressing
an opinion General Skaters head
quarters were from three-quarters to
one mile distant from the hospital,
toward the north. When the general
hospital was first started tents SKIS
Sx10 feet were used. Later these were
discarded and long tents with floors and
wide enough for double row of cots
We're used. I was through these tents
after all the volunteers left the camp,
and when there were but seven or eight
thousand regulars left in the camp.
found dirt and hospital kitchens,
and at that time carpenters were busy
building board and frame quarters for
the sick. There were that day 147
graves on the hill side, back of the hos
pitaL
saw BGNGTd1 SOIQleTS QuE1Gu d
hill near the detention camp. A
sergeant or corporal with eight to ten
men followed these bodies to the grave.
No volleys were fired. In one instance,
while part Of the men were filling the
grave, the others were scuf1ing around
and two or three came near falling into
the half filed grave. I understood
there were other graves scattered all
through the camp, but I do not know
it from personal observation. I do not
know how the general hospital was
managed and from what 1 heard in the
camp 1 was not anxious to learn, but
do know that men from my troop were
sent back to company quarters so weak
that they could scarcely walk; relapses
followed and the lives of these men were
saved through the noble generosity OF
the ladies of Long Island and New
York who came to our camp and either
took them to their own homes or sent
them to club houses, converted into hos
pitfalls. These ladies first came to Camp
WikOff to see the men who had cap
tured Santiago. The men they saw
were grim, gaunt skeletons, yellow and
weakened by disease, sitting around
their tents or lying in the hospitals,
patiently waiting for death, health or a
discharge, as the case might be. They
saw the wreck of the splendid army
that sailed out of Tampa bay on the
14th Of June and that later stormed
the ridges at Las GuaSimaS, won the
battle at Ell Caney, walked up and over
the trenches on the San Juan hills, and
held on to Santiago, until $4,000 Span
ammunition, surrendered. Their SYM
pathies were aroused, and they began
the good work that saved so many SOL
diers lives. The ladies in New York
and on Long Island worked in harmony.
Day after day and week after week
they they came to our fever infected
camp and took away walking
skeletons and cared for them,
supplied them with underclothing, over
coats, medical attendance, nurses, and
paid their fare back to camp when they
were mustered out of service. Mrs |
Armitage of Islip, L. L, raised and paid
out over Sc, 900. Three times each week |
and sometimes oftener, she went to |
Camp WikOff for sick soldiers, and each |
time she would take back from five to |
twenty men. Each trip took from in |
the morning to IL at night. The three |
Miss Stuyvesants, Mrs and Miss Cor |
nellie, Mrs. Doming, Mrs. Bergen and |
scores of other ladies, whose names I |
have forgotten or did not know, gave |
their time and money for this hospital |
work. Miss Helen Gould and hundreds |
of New York ladies were just as patri- |
otic and did just as much as the ladies |
of Long Island.
There were many laughable incidents !
connected with our camp and hospital |
life. A New York woman visited our |
regfmental hospital one day. She was !
neither young nor graceful, in fact, she |
was fat and waddled along like duck |
on land. She went from cot to cot and /
gave each of US a, cotton handkerchief,
lnaI possibly might nave cost cent
a piece. She gave them away with a
gracious air Of condescension that would
have become a queen when bestowing
medals Of honor upon worthy subjects.
After getting her wind, she started on
a second round, giving each one an old
illustrated paper or magazine, receiving
a second round of thanks. Had she
thought in time, no doubt she would |
have had some other article fresh from
a five-cent counter, made the third
round and received an encore.