The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-02
SITUATION IN BARACoA.
YOUNG SAVANNAH OFFICER TELLS
OF AFFAIRS IN CUBA.

Letter to Friend Here Describes
Condition of Affairs at Santiago.
The Battlefield All That Has Been
Said of It-HOw the COIOred Troops
Passed the New Yorkers-HOrde or
Cubans Around BaracOa, Where
There Are Only Two Companies or
American TrOops-TroubIe Appre-
hended If 1t Comes, "GOOd-by,
Bob" Writes the Lieutenant.
Two companies of Col. Rays regiment
are stationed at Baracoa, which Is across
the island from Santiago de Cuba. In one
Of these companies is young savan-
nathan, who is lieutenant. He has writ
ten a friend in the city a very interesting
letter, describing the condition of affairs
at his station. He thinks there is trouble
in store from the Cubans, many of whom
are In the vicinity of Baracoa. The young
lieutenant also tells about the battlefield
of Santiago.
Opening with a complaint of the diff
Guilty he encounters in receiving mail and
| getting 1t off, and writing plaintlvely of
| his eagerness to get letters and papers
from home that never reach him, the
young lieutenant turns to an account of
what he saw and experienced before be-
ing sent with his company from that city
to Baracoa. He says:
"Of all the confusion and disorder that
mortal man Is capable Of causing, San
tiago affairs and people were the acme
The restitution Of the Spanish army,
dumped on this American government at
time and place when our own men could
not be cared for, made the situation hor-
| rible. The poor devils died from illness of
| all kinds, principally fever, daily in such
numbers that they could not possibly be
| buried And the cremation while sue
cessful in getting rid of them, was horribly
| conducted and several times resulted in
| condition of things too beastly to write
| of. When we left the states all said that
we were coming to a SNAP" you will
| have no fighting to do" they said, mean
| ing that every other part Of the soldiers
| life was bed of down. / can safely say
that there is not an officer or man In cur
| regiment who would not exchange cur
| present duties for the deadiest hail OF bull
let's that could be rained upon US.
At Santiago, aside from the work of
| establishing camp and getting straight af-
| ter the sea voyage, we were put immediate
ly at work as guards of the roads leading
into town and also Of the camps aban-
doned by the regiments, then returning
TO the states. We have a delightful camp
just at the end of the Spanish lines at
| Ell Caney on the top of a sloping hill,
from which you looked across a wide
| valley to the mountain range on which
the American lines were established"
Strangest of the miracles performed t
| Santiago was the entrance of the Merit
mac and placing her where she lies. In
spite of the fact that she does not block
the channel she passed the fort and went
| three or four hundred yards In, while
everything was blazing at her at dis
lance from which you could kin man
with a sling shot By the way, I met
Hobson-dOwn at Santiago to raise the
Colon I wrapped my right hand up and
kept it so for some time after shaking with
him. He doesn't put on one bit of buds,
very quiet polite Southern gentleman.
We arrived before any decided changes
had been made in the lines of the bat
tlefield before Santiago, all the tents of
the American troops being still up, which
we had to take down and pack. Tho
forts or what is left of them, all being
on the Spanish side of the valley, still re-
main. Our headquarters, in fact, my tent,
being post adjutaut after the colonel went
to Guantanamo, was within ten feet of
Spanish cannon, which they say did des
perate work on our lines as they came
across the valley But the place where
the most desperate USnLlnS NOOh pldCei pan
Juan hill, surpasses all others for steep
ness, and what looks like impossible for
tifications of wire fences and breastworks.
How in the name of God they ever went
up that place, can't see. This, you know,
Is where the Seventy NV York laid
down and the negroes went over them.
The troops in that scrap said thy didn't
blame the Seventy-hrst a bit. The Span
iards we're breaking shrapnel over them as
they came up, and completely disorganized
them. The negroes had been there before,
the difference between a regular and vol
unteer.
Santiago Itself Is a filthy hole, in spite
of all that has been done to clean It.
The people are disreputabe and filthy
All in ALL it is the last place one wants
to be stationed, except for the communi-
cations with the states, or, rather, the
world. Oh, for a letter and a Morning
News or Atlanta Constitution! Under the
circumstances. you feel just as a man does
when he hasn't had anything to eat for
some time and wants some special article
which he can't possibly get.
The town of Baracoa has about 4,0O0 in
habitants when those in the bushes are
at home. 1t is situated right on the ocean
or, rather, a large, open bay lined on the
side opposite the city with mountains COW
cred with cocoanut trees.
There are about 700 Spanish prisoners
here. We have dsarmed them-shipping
tneT guns PACK TO santiago. we are the
first American troops on this side of the
island, and the first seen by the Spanish
soldiers here. They spend their time try
ing to eat US out of everything we have,
and watching the sea for the steamer to
take them home. You might think it re-
markable that so small a force could hold
the place, but you should see how they
have fortified il with only three sides to
defend, the sea being on the fourth
The condition of things here gave our
little force some food for worry for
while We were sent here to disarm the
Spanish. Well, of course. this had to be
done. but it left the city and all In 1t,
including prisoners promised protection, at
the mercy of the Cuban army in the noun
tains outside the city. There are about
1900 of them, a brigade, they call It, I'm
der a black, heavy-jawed negro. They
form a part of Garcia's army. which has
as yet refused to lay down its arms. At
night you can see their signal lights flash
ing from mountain top to mountain top.
Sometimes an almost continuous line of
lights stretch across the country for miles.
So far thew have been peacea ble and