West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1898-09-01
4 PREST0NIAN
in PORTO RICO.
Interesting Letter From Our STAFF
Correspondent Now in the Army
OF Invasion.
c. c. Mouser, OF Newburg. Writes
About The Country aud our Boys
In Blue.
FIELD HOSPITAL CoRrs. FIgsr BRio Anr,
FIRST DIVISION, EIRsr ARMY CoRrs,
T. y. Army

FIRsr DIVISION, EIRsr ARMY CoRrs,
L. :. Army.
PoRTo Rico, Aug H. tsas
DEAR BRowN We are some two
thousand miles from home. soma
twenty-five miles from Ponce march.
ing towards San Juan. On our left Is
Gen. Miles with his army. on our right
il Gen Brooke, while we IRE being led
oy ten. Wilson. Four miles in nd.
vance are the trenches and heavy gums
OF the Spanmrds. IL is rumored that
Uncle Sans boys will try To dislodUc
the Spanlards from their position On.
morrow. Ii such be the case there
viii be blood shed on either side, the
news of which yous will receive long
sefore you will receive this Each dav
we can hear fighting on every side,
the details OF which we know less than
those who read the American ,,dailies.
We have seen no other than a Spanish
paper since we have been here. We
are not living up TO the times at all.
but something like the Indians of some
four centuries ago I'VE just exist
Loud reports were heard .his morning
and the news reaches us later In the
dav that IL was the Spanish blowing
up bridges TO delay the progress Of our
army. The first and only scrap we
have taken any part In took place the
9th inst The fight was opened by the
artillery. They shelled and set fire to
n block house two and a-half miles dis.
tant. In which the enemy took refuge.
Then cavalry troop &C" OF New York
City, dashed forward and took a mum.
Der of prisoners. During the firing we
were stationed some two rods in the
rear OF tho cannon and had good view
OF al that took PLACE. The 18th Penn
sylvan.a pressed forward on our left
aud had quite an encounter with the
enemy aud took the town of Guoma.
The Spaniards lost their Colonel. n
Major. two Sergeants, two Corporals
aud one private. Several others were
wounded, two or three OF whom may
die. Uncle Sans boys were so for
tunate as TO not lose man. Seven
were wounded but none fatally. Abou,
1
200 of the Spaniards were taken cap.
tive with oil arms aud equipments
They protected themselves behind piles
of tubing, sand-baRs and In bitches
which they dug across the road in nu.
nerous places. There has been much
gossip In and rejoicing among our
troops since last evening. occasioned
by the rumor that peace has been de-
clared, but operations have not as yet
ceased.
The climate here Is delightful and
the health OF the army rather good
All kinds of tropical fruits abound and
we surely dispose OF our share. We
are la perfect health except we are
getting too fat on Porto Rico sugar.
Our dollar is worth about two of the
money used here and all articles are
very chear. For example. two cents
(diez centinos) will buy as much whis-
key, rum or wine, as can he bought for
| fifteen cents in our saloons at home.
and rum shops are more numerous thar
grocery stores in our American towns.
Lemons. bananas, cocoanuts, mangos,
etc. may be had gratis.
The majority of the people come as
near living without work as can be.
Little boys and girls run in the streets
without thread TO their back and
many of the adults do not wear enough
to half cover their bodies. II is safe TO
say there are dozens Of children and
adults too, who never tasted good
bite OF bread and don't know what
meat tastes like. hut more kind,
generous and good hearted set OF poo-
pie. never lived. n IL did not make
our blood run a little faster 20 see
them crowd into .he street and follow
our bands and cheer the red, white and
blue, we would not be human.
The roads, as far as we have seen,
are we'll built We have seen but one
railroad IA narrow-guage, and we I'M
derstaud IL is the only one on the
island.
When we left Chielsamauga Park the
First West Virginia Regiment ipected
10 be one Of the regiment T. take Dart
in this campaign. but as IL has not vet
arrived, We are afraid they will not
get 10 come. The only West Virginia
boys here are ~. -. Thompson, of
Three Churches, lHampshi comfy /;
Will ). Cooper, Of huntingdon; Harry
Higgs, Parkcrsburg; Guy Ilalbrittcr,
Piedmont. Hammond. Of Biucfsld and
Bert McCaGrey, whose home is just
opposite Huntington, in Ohio and who
left the w. Va. University law school
and enlisted in the FIRST So Va. Reg
iment
With due regards 30 orr friends in
West Virginia. viii close.
g. G. MOUsER