Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-08-12

JOnn IL OJeWafJ, elnplOyeu III H. Ii.
Thompson's jewelry store, received yes
terday ali interesting letter from Merton
Warren, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Gilman War
rem of Brattleboro and a private of Com
pany G., Ninth Massachusetts Infantry at
Santiago de Cuba A letter from Private
Warren was published in The Evening
PhmniN a few weeks ago and it was read
with much interest. His letter to Mr..
Stewart is in substance as follows:
SANTIAGO De CUBA,
July 2G.
Ny Dcur Juck:-l have Just finished
reading your letter Of the tenth and Jack,
you can't know how much good it does a
fellow to hear from one OF the boys at
home when cXiled in foreign country as
| am. | have written home often, but OF
course / do not know whether the letters
have reached there or not. Sunday after
noon we received "A large bundle OF papers
from Boston dated from July ) to 9, ald
have read everything that was printed
Oh them, even to the "als.,' and long for
more, but it is very uncertain work here
TO try and depend upon the arrival OF mail.
"Have been in action?' Well, Just a
few | wish that could charter steam
ship to bring home few tons OF the lead
and steel that flew over my head during
the three days that We were under fire.
Great music, Jack, these bullets and shells
make when they whistle and howl and
shrek around fellow.
In the first place, We had a great thing
to brace us up when We came ashore in
| this forsaken hole. Came of the boat at
! r. NJ, and found that big battle was
on, over at Santiago. \ little later we re
! ceved orders TO 90 to the front that same
night. Then came the wounded soldiers
Imagine how nice it seemed to us vOlun-
teers, just going into battle for the first
time, to see the wounded, all torn and
bleeding, some with parts OF their faces
| torn off, some with arms and legs shot
through, all OF them white from eXhaus-
tion and pain, and drenched with blood.
! And we fellows stood there and thought
how We were going on to the same field
and how We might come back, like those
men. all torn and bleeding,
Starting on that long lI-mile march at
| 1:3O =. NJ, we were soon stretched out in
single file, founderng along in the mud.
| Several streams of about four or five feet
in pth had to be waded, and from time
TO time during the night we had to break
| into double time and run, stumbling and
falling over the jungle paths.
1t was terrible. After covering II miles
or more we were falling asleep one by one,
| but still marching on, and at last We were
compelled TO halt, about 3 o'clock, and
every man dropped like log wherever he
happened to be and all were soundly
sleeping in minute.
We awoke about ; o'clock and began to
MUNICH away on our hard tack. The for
eign military representatives rode by short
y afterward on their way to the front and
little later we saw long line OF men
! coming toward us, dressed in blouses and
| overalls of the lightest blue. Little evil
looking fellows with black hair and yell
low skin, guarded by company of Uncle
Sans sturdy boys. These first Spanish
prisoners passed us on their way to the
rear.
An orderly came up soon afterward and
ordered us to get ready to march again.
We left soon, and then came the first real
horrors of war-dead men lying by the
road side, just where they were shot down.
Rather hard, wasn't it?
That was nothing to what | have seen
| since then. But | must have something
to tell you when get home again, so Jack
you may expect some blood-curdling tales
when the Bohemians once more sojOIrn
to that shady dell on the shores of Lake
! SpOfford.
have honestly seen some terrible
sights. We slept in the trenches for sew
eral days with nothing to protect us but a
small rubber poncho. We were not al
! lowed to build any fires for four days, and
ten hard tack and three pieces of fat pork,
with little coffee, served us for days
rations. And the pork had to be eaten
raw at that. Talk about volunteers; if
| you can find a man who has been here
with us since the first of July, either reg
ular or volunteer, who would come here
again unless forced to | will give you a
nice old hat that l have been wearing
some time.
We were under fire on the ID and 81
and have a hole through my canteen and
another through my trousers to remember
it by. Only four men of our company
were wounded. We are in hard luck Just
now, however, and 20 per cent of the men
are laid up with mountain fever. 1t is
not dangerous, however, and runs its
course in eight or ten days. 1t is terri
BILE sickness, though, and | am glad that it
has not tackled me.
| am feeling first rate, but have a ter ri
BILE headache and am rather weak in the
legs. My regards to all, and don't forget
to write often. Scorpions, tarantulas,
centipedes and in fact every other kind of
insect and reptile crawl around here.
Hoping that | will be home soon, re-
main your true friend,
"NUCKER"
Mrs. Warren received letter from her
son this morning saying that he was suf-
fering from an attack of mountain fever,
but that he would be free from it by the
time the letter reached her. The letter
was written two days later than the one
received by Mr.. Stewart.
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