Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-07-21
From a SOLDIER Boy.


| think it was about June 19 when |
called at your office and bid you good
bye, as | was Oh the eve of my depart
ure for Cuba. / returned TO my home
at Bismarck that same evening and
left for ST. Louis on the 22d, after bid
ding all my friends and relatives good
bye. | enlisted in st. Louis on the 23d
of June, leaving there on the night of
the oath, arriving at Fort Mcpherson,
Georgia, on the morning of the 9th,
where | remained with a good many
new recruits until the eve of July 4th,
when after having good day of enjoy
ment, we started from there. 100 of
US in number, bound for Tampa, Flori-
da. where we were to receive transpor-
tation to Santiago De Cuba, to help
reinforce Skaters troops. We arrived
at Tampa on the night of July 5th
where we have remained ever since.
At this writing there are over 26, 900
people here, that is L. S. troops, where
they are going through a good course
of military training. We have the
best of eating; that is what | call good
plain grub. was never better con-
tented than l have been since | arrived
at Tampa, as we get plenty of every
~ hot
writing have more clothing than
hardly know what to do with. think
will start a secondhand clothing store.
Well, | suppose you are aware that it
is pretty hot down here. Still most of
the time there is a nice cool breeze
blowing from the bay. 1t is refreshing
to bathe in the cool salt water of the
bay which we do about every other day.
We have four hours drilling each day,
two hours in the morning and two
hours in the evening. The rest of the
time We are at liberty to go or do as
SSSN
of order and the best of health and all
the boys are contented. They are all
eager to get 20 the front to face the
enemy. Day before yesterday made
the second time We were called to order
since my arrival here and ordered to
pack up for transportation to Santiago
de Cuba, and each time the order was
countermanded and the report is now
that Santiago de Cuba has surrendered
at last, and if this be true we are good
for home here until fall. They start
ed to unload the transports yesterday
that were about ready to sail. They
will send no soldiers over now until the
yellow fever has all disappeared. l
would like to see my friends very much;
still am contented to wait for awhile
as am confident that will see them
all again when this "cruel war is over"
When I return again perhaps they may
all be glad to see me.
Life In the army is not one half so
bad as some people claim it is. While
it is true that as yet have never seen
a battle field or perhaps never may,
yet I can Judge from what / have seen
and heard since my enlistment.
There are at present sc wounded
soldiers lying here in the hospital who
have been returned from the battle of
Santiago and some of them are wound
ed pretty bad. One poor fellow was
shot through the breast and the same
ball killed the man behind him. He
is still here and getting along all right.
| talked with good many of them and
from what they say and their expert
ence they were treated with all re-
spect from the L. S. Government. Still
their leader General Shafter rushed
them into the worst of the fire while
he was a mile or mile and half in
the rear in the shade and far from the
reach of all bullets from the enemy.
The soldiers claim they were for a few
hours in the very midst of hell, and
besides the heat of the sun was also
hot as h-l, still the most of them
want to return and help fin1sh1he war.
They have never forgotten the Maine
and say ..to HI with Spain!" Some
of the boys were paid off yesterday and
last night they all had good time.
They painted the town red-almost.
There was not much fighting to speak
one fight that have learned
of that was of much damage. One of
the volunteers met with one OF the
regulars, after trying to clean out two
or three saloons, and the consequences
were that he was hit on the head with
a spittoon and killed,
There were SO Spanish prisoners a t
Fort Mcpherson when / left. In Tam
pa the majority of the population of
the town are Spaniards and some Gu
bans. They all hate the Americans
and when you pass one of them they
try to look you through with their
eyes. Still they meyer say much or
can't say much, as the town is always
full of u. S. soldiers. There is always |
> heavy armed force of men on guard .