Evening star., 1898-08-03
IN THE TRENCHES.
Experience OF District Soldiers a.
Told by Lieut.. Hudson.

GApeEIehce OF Dlstrtct SOi0ter9 ~
Told by Lieut.. Hudson.
| A letter has just beer received by his fam
| lily from Charles B. Hudson, first lieutenant
] of Company K, 1st District of Columbia
Regiment of Volunteers which The Star Is
permitted 10 publish in part 1t is as fol-
lows:
| In the Trenches in Front of Santiago. Cuba,
July l3, 1898.
I'VE are actually in the trenches and face
to face with the enemy. We marched on
yesterday evening and go off tonight at
| about g. AT present there is a truce: hence
| this letter. We expected fully to go right
into action. but there was not half the ex-
citement about it that I had anticipated.
The firing was not very brisk, being sort of
| pot-shooting from behind breastworks and
a slow but steady fire from couple of our
| light batteries. This was most impressive
the ugly, snappy bang from our breech-
leading S.2-inch guns and the -asping
screech of the shell with the distant bang
! a. the end of 1t. This fire was very steady
and businesslike, and you felt that they
were doing damage somewhere. Then at
occasional intervals there was the long,
| stea ady rattle of a machine gun. md you
felt there was more damage being done.
But altogether, 1t was slow and reminded
one of a Fourth of July afternoon. late,
when people were getting tired of the fun.
We were within hearing for consider
able time before We reached our position in
the rear of the trenches, and some of the
| men looked a little pale and one of them
complained of being sick at his stomach,
but there was little appearance of weaken
ing in the ranks.
Our trench, which is the most advanced
OF any in this part of the line, is within
4ee yards of the main work of the Spanish.
II is the post of honor. of course, and is
compliment to the efficiency of X Com
pany. Last night I was able to get within
rf1cr rnf
est trench-near enough to distinctly hear
them talking. I did not hang around long.
as l was not sure there might not be a
patrol out from their lines, too, and it
might be bigger than mine. / took cnly
one mana West Virginia boy-but we did
not see any one. There was little danger
owing to the flag of truce.
While establishing an outpost we were
quite certain We heard some one moving In
the brush. Under such circumstances it is
necessary to investigate; SO we nosed
around considerably and saw a great many
bushes that looked remarkably like Span
| iards. I pushed out to the end of the spur
upon which our trench is situated, and
then crept back.
This morning some Spanish officers ap-
preached our lines, and l was requested "a
| go out and observe. l went a little further
| than last night and within sixty yards of
| the Spanish outpost and within about
eighty yards of their most advanced trench.
They watched me curiouSly, but made no
demonstration in the least. l was glad of
1t l. was interesting, surely, to see the
fellows so close at hand who have been
pegging away so industriousiy at our boys
! in blue. But they can't shoot, and the
American who gets hit in the trenches is
In hard luck and careless. though the Span
ish sharpshooters have done some execu-
ton, after all.
Poor Mosner was SHOT through the alb
dcmen a few days age and lay twenty-four
hours on the field without attention. But
he has a ffrst-rate chance of recovery. 1
! learn he has been sent home.
Il am perfectly we'll. The climate and
country are superb. 1t is the coolest since
! We have been In the service-vastiy more
| so than Washington-end when we get
| tents we shall be more comfortable than II
| any camp yet. l boil the water. Nothing
seems to hurt me. marching, wet, nor hun
| ger, and in .he last few days we have had
| them all in excess.
when l left off writing we were inform
| ed that the flag of truce would come down
a. o'clock, and we expected our Baptism
of fire. But 2 o'clock has come and gone.
and in an hour We are to be relieved by
arother company. We have the trenches
! again in a few days unless some terms of
| surrender are agreed upon, which seems
| likely.
! I'VE occupy a ridge Just outside of the
| city, which is about three-quarterS of a
| mile a mile distant, and on each side of
| us broad. beautiful valleys, rich in
! foliage and dotted with palm trees. To the
| east west and north are mountains. cloud
| S"FPSo hioSt VI INC li1iie, anu ioNeiS
| extreme. The gcloud effects are exquisite
even finer than those of England and
| France.
| War seems out of place in such sur
| roundings, but the wrecked villas and sug-
az houses and grassg grown fields tell of
! something worse than the present war.
1t is Interesting to watch the proceed
| ngs in the Spanish lines just across the
! fields. We an every movement dis
| tiEctly. Just now some of them are lining
| up for mess. They are a motley lot evi.
IDENTIFY mostly clad in cotton (Which is usu-
| ally very dirty and a few of them in
| bright sky-bIue uniforms. The Spanish col
ors are planted nearly opposite position
| and a while ago officer rode UP to the
| flag, halted and bowed profoundly in mis-
saCdle and remained in that position for
| several inmates, evidently in prayer. Then