The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-23
ROOsEvELT's RICK RELEASED.
Department Gives Out His Report on
Rough Riders.

HOu-h hAOcFS.
Washington, Dec. 22.-The war depart
ment to-day made public two reports from
Col. Roosevelt on the fights of the First
United States Volunteer Cavalry (Rough
Riders), in front of Santiago.
One is addressed to Col. Wood, com
handing, and the second to Brig. Gen.
Wood, after Col. Roosevelt took command
of the regiment. The war department
has hitherto refused to make these reports
public The second and more important
report after detailing the fighting done by
the Rough Riders; is as follows:
For the next seven days until the 10th
we lay in our line while the truce contin-
ued. We had continually TO work at ad-
ditional bomb proofs and at the trenches,
and as We had no proper supply of food
and utterly inadequate medical facilities,
the men suffered a good deal
1.-THE officers Clipped together, purchas-
ed beans. tomatoes and sugar for the
men, so that they might have some relief
from the bacon and hard tack. With
great deal Of difficulty we got them cof-
fee. AS for the sick and wounded they
suffered so in the hospitals when sent to
the rear, for the lack of food and atten-
ton, that We found it best 10 keep them
at the front and give them such care as
our own doctors could.
"As l mentioned in my previous letter,
thirteen of our wounded men continued TO
fight through the battle in spite of their
wounds. and of those sent to the rear
many. both of the sick and wounded, came
up to rejoin US as soon as their condition
allowed them to walk; most of the worst
cases were ultimately sent to the states.
Short of transportation.
ION the tenth the truce was at an end
and the bombardment reopened. AS far
as our lines were concerned, it was on the
Spanish part very feeble We suffered no
losses and speedily got the fire from their
trenches in our front completely under.
On the 18th we were moved three-quarters
of a-mile to the right, the truce again be-
ing on.
Nothing happened here, except we con-
tinued to watch and do our best to get
the men, especially the sick, properly fed,
and having no transportation, and being
able to get hardly any through the rega-
lar channels We used anything we could
find, captured Spanish cavalry horses,
abandoned mules which had been shot, but
which our men took and cured diminutive
skinny ponies purchased from the Cubans
etc. By these means and by the exertion
of officers we were able, from time to
time to get supplies of beans, sugar, to-
matoes, and even oatmeal, while from the
Red Cross people we got our invaluable
load of rice, corn meal, etc.
Lack of Proper Food.
''All of this was of the utmost conse-
quenoe, not only for the sick, but also
for the well, as the lack of proper food
was telling terribly on the men. 1t was
utterly impossible to get them clothes and
shoes; those they had were in many cases
literally dropping to pieces.
ION the 18th the city surrendered. On
the 18th we shifted camp to here, the
hest camp we have had, but the march
hither under the monday sun told very
heavily on our men, weakened by under
feeding and overwork, and the next morn
ing 1913 cases We're reported TO the doctor.
and 1 now have but half of the six hun
bred men with which 1 landed four weeks
ago, fit for duty, and these are not fit to
do any thing like the work they could do
then.
LAS we had but one wagon the change
necessitated leaving much of my stuff
behind with night of discomfort, with
scanty shelter and scanty food for the
most of the officers and many of the men.
Only the possession of the improvised
pack train alluded to above saved us from
being worse.
Paid for Their Own Food.
yesterday I sent in a detail of six Of
ficers and men to see if they could not
purchase or make arrangements for a sup
ply of proper food and proper clothing for
the men, even if we had to pay for it out
of our own pockets. Our suffering has
been due primarily to lack of transporta-
ton or of proper food, or of sufficient
clothing and medical supplies. We should
now have wagon sheets for tentage. Very
respectfully, Theodore Roosevelt.