Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-08-26
AT SANTIAGO.
A Jamaica Boy
Who Was in the Fig ht

" THE HILLS OF u ia,
July q, ls9o.
We are about five miles outside of the
city of Santiago We landed after being
on board ship IL days and had the fun OF
having a iii of seasickness that lasted
four DAYS. ! am mighty glad that II did
not last any longer as ! came very near
starving to death. We were on board the
Knickerbocker, a very good ship, but
not built for 800 or 600 passengers.
There we're nearly - ships, making big
fleet Every ship was numbered ours
was numbered r., an uulucky number, but
we got here at last all safe and sound,
though we came very near being run atou
four times.
The first day after getting near our port
the cunboats thought they would have
some sport, SO they formed To line and be
gan firing on the coast deiences. and after
firing some two hour, or more then stop
ped unit. two DAYS after. Then they he-
gan the business tor good The rca. bal
tlc began somewhere near % clock iu the
morning, and after smashing the stutlu-
ont of the coast defence, they began t'
run The transports near shore and unload
the soldiers
The FIRST place taken was an iron mine
of about 4U houses and other building, for
storing goods, etc. There were TWO en-
glnes there. The Npauiards set tire 10 The
house in which they stood and burned
them so they are no good After taking
the place We began our march around the
mountain up where the coast deiences are,
and while en- route thu nrst battalion of
the Second Massachusetts got hold of the
other and only engine on the road. The
Spanards gave il up without a struggle.
/ After getting hold of this engine we con-
/ tinued on our march and took the next
/ town. DO not know the name of the
/ place a all towns are named in Spanish.
/ but we called it Granville, Oh account of
/ the great amount of crabs that are IN the
/ place.
/ Next day We went forward on the way
/ 10 Santiago and marched i've miles and
/ camped on, on top OF a hill. Before get
/ ting TO this camp ground the regulars had
a brush and lost l. men As near as !
/ can ind out, the Spanish lost near 100 or
more The Spaniards don't tight fair
/ The way they tight is to tire shot and
! then run back three or four steps and then
/ tire again.
The way we night is TO fire a volley and
/ take three or four steps forward and ire
again. The Spaniards cannot stand tire
! the Cubaus are about as bad Il is no
wonder the war has lasted so long, for by
the way they ugh, by night time they
would be about 10 miles apart.
The fighting that the American boys did
made the Cubans open their eyes ia won
der. They said they never saw the ike OF
I 10 before
Tell father # he had any harder times in
the war OF 1851 and l>i5. / doubt il some
as ! think We are getting some OF as hart
rubs As ] ever heard OF. Talk about hci
days. \ on ought DO bee here and get som,
of 1t tina, We are getting; and rain. 1t dom
rain, il comes down IN Hoods. and We Gel
the same kind every day and expec, ID
every day for a month or more yet
Wei, we have been III ba,,le and a hot
one, too We lost eight men killed an,
about go wounded The total loss so tar
is about 600 men killed and wounded, "a,
far a, ] can ind OUT ola army officers o.
the late war say tina, they We're no, IN il
little bit and ! guess they are not far iron
right My battalion was held in reserve
Talk about bullets Ii one struck arOuu.
us there were 10000
w had TWO men wounded inside o.
seven minutes. guess they will ge
around al. right The Spanish loss is I'M
couuiab.r 50 they say. am told tina
they lay seven OF eight deep dead al,
wounded This was place about Nv.
miles outside Of the town proper.
We have struck Santiago and eivel
them battle four days so far On tn
Fourth OF July flag of truce was throw
out The men did not ike 10 for a cent
They wanted to capture the town on tina
day so As TO have a big time, but cot LEFT
Take it all around il is not so funny a
one may think it is. ! can say for my
d self that ! have not lost my head so far
and Brother Oren is as cool as an iCebei
, We stick together wherever we 60 On
night we had an alarm about 1880 an
went lickity-split up the hill thrOug
/ brush and brier Talk about prckers
! Every bush has got them. / got a
, scratched up, but think / can stand ii,
The whole gang has been digging riff
pits and all the tools we have got ar
/ knives and tin dishes to dig with an
throw out. Many hands make light work
, but don't stop blisters, oh no, Oren ha
e got one as big as a five cent piece in tn
e palm of his hand. If l come home aliv
{ / can tell you more than l can write, f.
= l have been through hell, as you Nigh
say, and out of it again, ard "a, 600 NOR
besides myself, and drawer lot of men
never saw in my life.
There is more fight in the Spanish arm
). than | ever thought there was. The
d officers have told them that if they civ
s up they will all be killed and they ar
s foolish enough to believe it. / had tw
3 men down as near as five feet of me an
90 can say it did not scare me any at all
can look upon blood and it does not max
me sick That was what dreaded nor
y than anything else, and some of thel
e were badly wounded. ! cannot say whe
! can write again for it is by chance that
can sent it.
10 c. j. WILLIAMS,
4, Co. F, md Mass, Vol
l. p. S.--Oh, one thing more, / won
is like a good square meal again. l tell yo
e that bareback and bacon and coffee do n,
L fiji up at all and ! think lots of times