The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-08-04
BERT FERRlER's LETTER.

sANTIAoo. DE tURA, July s. '92

anded at BaiquiTi De Cuba on Jvne
.2 The country Is very mountainous
md marching has been very difficult
The frequent rains have made the
poor roads almost i'm passRole. Most
* the marching has been done at
night, as IL is too hot TO move in the
day time.
After landing we marched ten miles |
TO Siboney, where we campee until /
the 30th, when We packed up and /
marched all night until noon of jug
lst AZ er resting for an hour we
marched upon a Spanish fort com
manded by about 1000 Spanish sol
diers. Then occurred our first battle.
1t lasted over two hours Oh, it was
horrible 10 see our brave boys falling
dead al our sides and 10 hear the
groans OF the dying One poor fellow,
q boy Of Co. A, and a favorite with the
company, was shot dead within three
feet Of me. He never spoke after be
was shot. You cannot imagin how
terrible it Is 10 look upon the CHASTITY
faces OF Of the dead and mangled, and
TO hear the groans of the wounded rs
they lay in the hot sun and plteously
cried for the doctor, or some Of them
In their last moments thinking Of
home, and crying in vain FOR mother.
We killed and wounded Eve hundred
Spaniards and took over hundred
prisoners. DO not know how many
men we lost only / do know that it
was far too many. Out OF ninety men
In our company only eleven were left
As for myself, ] escaped with two
bullet holes In my hat After the
fight we buried the dead and marched
back about two miles where we stop
ped for supper, which for me, consist
ed of a small pineapple At eight we
were again on the move and went
twelve miles over mountains and
through creeks and underbrush and
stopped at four in the morning half d
mile east of Santiago All day long
the shells Of the Spaniards were ex.
plOding over our leads and the bullets
we're flying and dropping around us
like hail Gnly too often did we hear
some cry or groan which told US that
some poor fellow was wounded OF
killed. 1t was impossible 10 reach us
with any thing TO eat, so my meals
that daV we're two small raw potatoes
At about six in the evening The
Spaniards charged upon us and foi
half an hour the fighting was very
lively, but we drove them back Al
nine in the evening they again charg
ed, probably thinking they would
catch us mapping, but next morning
as they gathered up their deal and
wounded, which numbered nearly d
thousand, guess they had changed
their minds. At 1880 the white flag
lfiag of truce was raised aud about
six o'clock they brought Us some pro
visions coffee, bacon and hard tack
The first meal ] had had since the
night OF the 30th. Never did meal
taste better. During our marching
we had thrown away our blankets and
tents, so the heavy rains on Sunday
night found us without any protec
ticn, and a strange thing TO say IN this
hot country, we nearly froze 10 death
AS the days are dreadfully hot, so the
nights are cOrrespondingly cool
On Tuesday morning was taken to
the hospital with fever. The wnite
dag remained up until sunday, July
10th, at 8 o'clock, when IL was lowered
The firing commenced at once ]
went TO the doctor and asked permis
sion to join my regiment, but he very
promptly told me that / was not abls
70 go, but Just as promptly | told him
l was going just the same, and went
nlA igN A4iE W nE ANAlA III Anh HOS
pital when there was a fight in prog
roas. l joined the boys ia their en-
trenchments and after firing 20 shots
left under cover Of darkness and
went back to the hos ospital, where ]
r remained until Wednesday morning.
Abpresent hm feeling as well as ever
and ready for anything that should
occur. The white flag was again
raised Monday morning aud on Thurs
day morning the Spaniards in Santa
90 surrendered. We are now en-
eamped half mile southeast and in
plain sight OF the city. ] do not know
what our next move will be, but the
general impression is that we will
soon 20 TO Porto Rico. The Spaniards
as ! have found them, seem 10 be very
cruel, and their method OF warfare is
very bArbarous. They have used brass
bullets, which are very poisonous.
have three or four OF them which / in
tend to keep as relics. They used ex-
ploding bullets, and have fred on the
Red Gross flag. On July cd we found
three Spaniards hidden In trees They
were firing on poor unarmed, wound
ed soldiers as they were going to the
hospital. We soon fixed those tree
fellows.
When we DIST started TO fire on San
tiago they raised the black dag, and /
guess # they had captured any OF as
they would have killed us. All the
prisoners we have captured have been
well cared for.
/ am quite proud to say that / help
ed TO plant the egst American dag in
Cuba since the war commenced. II
was raised at Baiquiri De Cuta, at 8 p.
m. Wednesday, June 22.
As the country Is mountainous
around here, n is quite healthy, and
very little sickness Is reported. Our
meals since we landed have consisted
OF coffee, bacon, hard tack and beans
Occasionally we get potatoes or onions.
We each do our own cooking, so when
we are on the march and most in need
Of food, we are generally too tired 10
cook il, SO consequently we are often
quite hungry. The hospitals are very
poor. They generally consist OF a
shady spot out OF danger Of bullets
where they take the sick and give
them medicine. II they happen TO
have blanket or tent they are allow
ed the privilege of lying on the ground
and using IL as protection from the
wind and rain.
With love to all,
Albert b. FERRIS.
Real Estate Transfers,
United States to Sarah Lowder, pat