Evening star., 1898-08-10
ECHOES OF THE CAMPAIGN
Letters From Those Who Braved Spanish
Bullets in Cuba.
The Scenery of the Island Fine, but
Climatic Influences Severe-Suf-
fering of Inhabitants.

Among the numerous letters recently re-
ceived by friends in the city from absent
boys in blue are the following, which Inc
Star is permitted to publish
Following is an extract of a letter from
S. Maupin of the 1st District Volunteers,
Company G, at Santiago de Cuba, to his
mother, written July %:
I'VE are now camped upon hill in the
mountains which surround Santiago. These
mountains look just like the Blue Ridge.
The scenery is fine, and the sunsets lovely,
but down upon the roads which run INTO
Santiago there is desolation. Sick men
straggle along toward the city, starving
Cubans sit by the wayside, and graves are
seen here and there all along the way All
this is made more deathlike by the terri
BILE heat.
The Cubans are the ones who suffer.
We are well fed and it is cool in our tents
Cuba is not the unhealthy place that | i'm
agined it to be. There is no yellow fever
near US. All the sickness comes from
starvation and the lack of cleanliness.
I'VE are not allowed to go near the Gu
bans. Their suffering will soon be over
now, as our government will feed them
All the boys are we'll. The only thing from
which suffer is the fear of spiders and
scorpions at night. They are not poison
Gus, but the bite hurts like the sting of a
hornet 1t Is funny to see the boys with
candles searching for them in their tents
at night before going to bed. suppose
We will be home by September. You
know what to fix for US to eat
Extract from letter received from John
c. Hyer, who is member of Company c,
District of Columbia Volunteers. 1t was
dated JULY %, at Santiago:
Il would have written sooner, but have
not had any time or paper. have had the
mountain fever, but am well now. We hope
to be back in the United States soon We
saw the Spaniards' coat-tails and killed
few. but none of US were hurt 1t rains al
most all the time and we have had no
shelter. On arriving here we were put In a
trench full of water and had to shoot from
there. We remained thirty-seven hours
without food. Four-fifths of the regiment
are sick. We are badly fed. The Cubans
steal our food. The sights are horrible
dead bodies, bones, buzzards and starving
people"
The letter which follows was written py
George Mayo, colored, of this city, who en-
listed in the 10th Cavalry last March. II
is addressed to his mother and dated
Cuba, near Santiago, July IA, 1898:
Through many snares and difficulties I
We have fought two battles and 1 am yet
saved. We arrived the island the 22d
Of juno and Friday had an engagement
with the Spaniards. They kept quiet unit!
the 1st of July and then We fought again
and have been lighting ever since. We had
one of the bloodiest battles the 1st of July
that the world has ever Seen and we drove
the Spaniards from their trenches and won
the day. Where England lost 5000 men
we only lost about 200 killed and wound
ed. You have read of the Charge of the
Light Brigade" but you will read of a
greater charge when you get the account
of the charge of the I'd Brigade, of which
am member. Tell all friends that we
charged into the jaws of death. The Span
iards fight hard. The Cubans are not of
very good service