Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-23
Two Letters Heretofore With
held by War Department.
ROUGH RIDERS SUFFERED
Col. Roosevelt's Story as Told IN Omcial
Communications To Gen. Wood. Com
plain. of Lack of Proper Foo Sup
plies and transportation.
(By TelecraDh)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.-The War
Department today made public two re-
ports of Colonel Roosevelt on the fights
of the First United States Volunteer
Cavalry tRough Riders). in front Of
Santiago. One is addressed to Colonel
Wood, commanding, and the second is
to General Wood after Colonel Roose-
Welt took command of the regiment.
fused to make these reports public.
Unused to make these reports public.
The second and more Important report,
after detailing the fighting done by
the Rough Riders is as follows:
THE MEN SUFFERED.
Fer the next seven days, until the
truce continued. We had continually
to work at additional bomb proofs and
at the trenches and, as we had no prop
et supply of food and utterly inadequate
medical facilities, the men suffered (:
good deal. The officers Clipped to-
sugar for the men so that they might
have some relief from the bacon and
i.ard-tack. With a great deal OF diff
Guilty, we got them coffee. AS for the
sick and wounded, they suffered so in
'lle hospitals when sent to the rear.
for lack of food and attention, that we
found it best to keep them at the front
and give them such care as our own
doctors could. AS i mentioned in my
previous letter. thirteen. our wounded
dition allowed them to walk most Of
The worst cases We're ultimately sent to
the States.
COMMANDMENT RE-OPENED.
On the tenth the truce was OF an end
and the bonlbardment re-opened. AS
far as our lines We're concerned it was
en- 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 We're
moved ee-duarters Of mile to the
right, the truce again being on. Moth
ing happened here except that we con-
tinued to watch and do our best to
get the men, especially the sick, proper
" fed, and, having no transportation
and being able to get hardy any
through the regular channels, we used
anything we could find, captured Span
ish horses, abandoned mules, which had
been shot, but which our men took and
cured diminutive skinny ponies, pur-
chased from the Cubans, etc. BY these
means, and by the exertions of the Of
ficers. we We're able from time to time
to get supplies Of beans, sugar, toma-
toes and even oat meal, While from the
Red Cross people we got invaluable
loads of rice, corn meal, etc.
LACK OF FOOD TELLING.
All Of this was Of the utmost conse-
luence, not only for the sick, but also
for the we'll, as the lack Of proper food
was telling terribly on the men. It was
utterly impossible to get them clothes
and shoes; those they had We're in many
cases literally dropping to pieces On
the 18th the city surrendered On the
18th we shifted camp to here, the best
camp we have had. but the march
hitlser under the noon day sun told
very heavily on our men. weakened by
underfeedirS and overWork, and the
next morning 123 cases We're reported
ID the doctor. and I now have but half
Of the 600 men with which landed four
weeks ago, fit for duty, and these are
they could do then. -
LEFT MUCH BEHIND.