The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-23

ing carried on filters, the doctors and
medical attendants, with Red Cross
flags on their arms and the burial
parties.
Il organized a detail of sharpshoot-
ers and sent them out after the guer-
illas, of whom they killed 13, Two of
the men thus killed were shot several
hours after the truce had been in oper-
alton because in spite of this fact they
kept firing upon our men as they went
to draw water. They were stationed
In the trees, as the guerillas were gen
orally and owing to the density OF the
foliage and to the use of smokeless
powder in their rifies,it was an extreme
ly difficult matter to locate them For
the next seven days until the tenth we
lay in our line while the truce con-
tinued. We had continually to work at
additional bomb proofs, and at the
trenches, and as we had no proper sup
ply Of food and utterly inadequate med
ical facilities, the men suffered good
deal.
THE officers Clipped together, pur-
chased beans, tomatoes and sugar for
the men, so that they might get some
relief from the bacon and hard tack.
With great deal of difficulty we got
them coffee AS for the sick and
wounded they suffered so in the hos
pitfalls when sent to the rear for lack
of food and attention that we found it
best to keep them at the front and give
them such care. as our own soldiers
could.
AS mentioned in my previous let
ter, thirteen of our wounded men con-
| tinued to fight through the battle, in
spite of their wounds, and of those sent
to the rear many, both of the sick and
wounded, came up to rejoin us as soon
as their condition allowed them to
walk. Most of the worst cases were I'LL
timately sent to the states.
ION the tenth the truce was at an
end, and the bombardment reopened
AS far as our lines were concerned it
was on the Spanish part very feeble.
We suffered no losses, and speedily got
the fire from their trenches in our front
completely under. On the 18th we were
moved three-quarters of a mile to the
right, the truce again being on, nothing
happening here except we continued to
watch and do our best to get the men,
especially the sick, properly fed, and
having no transportation and being
able to get hardly any through the
regular channels, we used anything we
could find captured Spanish cavalry
nofSeS, abandoned mules which had
been shot, but which our men took ana
cured; diminutive skinny ponies pur-
! chased from the Cubans.
by these means, and by the eXer-
tons of the officers, we were able from
time to time to get supplies of beans,
sugar, tomatoes, and even oatmeal
While from the Red Cross people we
got our invaluable load of rice, corn
meal, etc, and all of this was of the
utmost consequence, not only for the
sick, but for those nominally we'll as
the lack of proper food was telling ter
ribly on the men. 1t was utterly i'm
possible to get them clothes and shoes,
those they had were in many cases lit
orally dropping to pieces.
On the 18th the city surrendered. On
the 18th we shifted camp to here. the
best camp we have had, but the march
hither under the monday sun told
very heavily on our men, weakened by
under-feeding and overwork, and 1913
cases were reported to the doctor, and
I now have but half of the 600 men
with whom 1 landed four weeks
ago, fit for, duty, and these are not fit
to do anything like the work they could
do then. AS we had but one wagon
the change necessitated leaving much
of our stuff behind, with a night of dis
comfort with scanty shelter and scanty
food for the most of the officers and
many of the men.
t'Only the possession of the improvis-
ed pack train alluded to above saved us
from being worse. Yesterday / sent in
detail of six officers and men to see
| if they could not purchase or make ar
engagements for q supply of proper food
and proper clothing for the men, even
! if we had to pay for it out of our own
pockets. Our suffering has been due
primarily to lack of transportation and
of proper food or sufficient clothing and
of medical supplies. We should now
have wagon sheets for tentage."
Very respectfully,
~. Theodore Roosevelt