Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-07-15

lIlc MOIlu.
In Camp near SANTIAGO June 20, vs..
In looking at my canteen this morn
ing | found dent in the side of it, made
by passing bullet Pretty close call
but miss is as good as a mile.
In the letter which lost in the pack
threw away had attempted To describe
oar landing at point some twenty miles
up the coast from Santiago. We watched
at safe distance the fleet lombard the
shore and drive the Spaniards out. 1t is
impossible to describe how beautiful this
mountainous portion of Cuba is. When
we drew in near the shore sufficiently
close to distinguish more than the dim
outline, IA scene Of surprising beauty
greeted our eyes. First the low foothills,
green with grass and bushes, rising per-
haps to height of 200or SCOTT, then an
other ridge twice that height, and back
in the distance the mountains bristling
with crags, losing their SUBMITS i'll the
clouds and haze.
The ships of the transport fleet, fanked
on each side by the great battleships and
cruisers of SIMPSONS fleet, added TO the
impressiveness of the scene We were
fortunately among the first to land,
which was no small task, without dock
or pier of any size. Landing III the surf
is dangerous business, and two poor fell
lows of the 10th cavalry lost their lives.
l saw several others go i'll, but they man
aged TO rescue them.
After getting ashore we went into
camp near by and mighty glad we We're
TO ret solid ground under foot again
after fifteen days Of close confinement
on board ship.
We stayed in camp that night and the
next day until about three O'Clock and
then broke camp for forced march to
the trout What Il forced march in the
bro.ling sun with pack Of fifty or sixty
lbs on your back is, 10 one can imagine
until they have had the experience, but
men in the civil war no doubt saw some
hard marches, but doubt if any Amer
lean army eyer faced greater hardship
than that march which lasted way into
the night Our route was lined with
men who, overcome with the heat, had
fallen by the way, utterly exhausted |
thanked God then for clean, pure life,
free rom dissipation, and naturally
hardy strong constitution.
When we reached camp. as | said, it
was late at night, and Joe. Wells, my
bunky. and | gave each other IA rub down
and later we both took salt water bath.
just ~ we came ut of the water it be-
gan to ram We managed to get under
shelter until the shower passed and
then made our beds on the ground and
soon were sleeping Is only tired men can
sleep. 1t rained again during the night.
never woke up until reveille in the
morning. BY the starlight we cooked a
little breakfast and were on the march
again. This was even worse, if that
were possible, than the day before. Sore
and tired from the march of the day be-
fore, with but few hours SLEEP, we had
TO roll our blankets and start out straight
up a mountain side. Oh the horrors of
that climb, almost perpendicular, we had
TO follow winding path, sometimes
winding along the side, then straight up
with little time for rest, we pushed for
ward TO we knew not what. After a
march of four miles we were halted in a
narrow path we were marching aong,
supposedly for rest. Soon the COM
mand was passed down the line to keep
still for the enemy were near. Then,
like a flash ont of clear sky the enemy
opened fire; we had walked into IA Spanish
ambuscade, then | thanked Heaven l
was with experienced Indian fighters.
There were few who ducked and ran
for cover, but most of them stood fast and
waited for orders, soon they came and
our troops moved through "A barbed wire
fence, and deployed to the left in Skin
mish line. Before we got to our places
the command came to open fire. By
this time the bullets from the Spaniards.
who were hidden on the bank of ravine
full of bushes, began to whistle about us.
/ ran to my place on the line amid the
hum and pop of explosive shells, and ly
ing down l began to fire at the bushes.
1t being impossible to see a tangible OBJ
ject to shoot at, directed most of my
fire against block house some distance
ahead. Soon the order to move forward
came, and we moved into a regular
death trap and men began to fall kept
my presence of mind and lay close to the
ground as saw the old Indian fighters
doing, and tried to steady some of the
hotheads around. While few showed
fear, a great many were so nervous that
il was hard to control them. We were
now in the midst of cross fire, that is
the enemy were on our flank and front,
the place of all others dreaded by an
old soldier. General Warren said that it