Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-15
AND HOSPITAL
Letters from Sergeant Wesley and
Corporal Wynkoop, of the
Famous Rough Riders"
TROOP E SADLY REDUCED
Heartrending Scenes Witnessed in Cuba
Santa Fe Boys Brave Soldiers and
Hard REPRESENTATION on
Battle Field.

Santiago de Cuba, July 31.-Events
have crowded Il upon the other so
rapidly of late that it has been almost
impossible to find time to write, but we
are now in camp with nothing to do save
to rest after our excrtions. 1t is pretty
certain that the Rough Riders" will
shortly be moved to Long Island, N. V,
as their work is about over here. The
boys have suffered greatly from fever,
caused by the continuous dampneSs. 1t
dry. As yet there has been no yellow
fever, simply malaria, but that keeps
the men unfit for duty. l have had
two spells of it myself, but am all right
at present.
Corporals Wynkoop and Dean and Ser
geant Breen were wounded and have
been sent to New York. l was snot
through the right arm, but would not
give it up and came back to the front;
have been doing duty with the troop
right along, but cannot do much as my
wound constantly troubles me. Captain
Church, our regimental physician, has
reported on the case and | expect an
honorable discharge soon. 1t is rather
disappointing, but after all what mat
ter. think the fighting is about over
and | have done my duty. We had a
hot time while it lasted and we all Re
membered the Maine" A "Rough
Rider can get any thing he asks for
nowadays and we have earned it.
We are camped about five miles back
of Santiago among the hills on account
Of the healthy location. Very few OF
the boys have had a chance to go into
the city. | have been fortunate in that
| respect, as the opportunity was given
me to come up from Siboney on one OF
the lighters, seeing the remaining por-
tions of Moro castle and other forti-
tications in the channel, passing the
wrecks of two Spanish warships, the
sunken Merrimac and landing at the
dock in front of the city. The city is
built in the regulation old style, Spanish
tlat-roofed house manner, barred win
dows. narrow streets, etc. The streets
are all on an incline of about As degrees,
the city being built on the hillside,
paved with cobble stones. There are
no vehicles, except two-wheeled carts
drawn by the smallest, boniest excuses
for horses imaginable. There are no
animals on the island fit to look at,
neither is there any game. The grass
which grows here seem to be a rotten
growth from the damp ground and af-
fords no sustenance for animals.
The Santa Fe boys, McCabe, McFie,
Skinner, Mckay and others have been
much worried about mail. We write
letter after letter and post them, only
! to learn that not one ever reached their
destination. | have written eight let
tiers to Santa Fe, and found out only a
few days ago that not M had been re-
ceived. There is something wrong with
| the mail service. The boys asked me to
mention this for publication that their
friends and relatives might know they
have written home.
Today being the last of the month
we shall have muster. 1t will be vastly
different from our last one, as there Is
not much of troop Z left to answer roll
call. The dead, wounded and sick have
brought us down to a fine point, but
still we have been more fortunate than
some of the other troops. We have re-
ceived no pay for two months and do
not expect any until we reach the Unit
ed States, which will bring pay day
about the 1st of September.
l see by the papers that 100 more re-
cruits for the Rough Riders have been
started for the front. | cannot see what
will be done with them. We left four
troops at Tampa besides IA men from
each troop that came to Cuba. Those
men have never had the chance to fire a
shot, and Judging from the appearance
of things never will. Still they may
have different plans at Washington, of
which nothing is known here. Quien
sabe.
Our daily wetting is about to begin so
| will close, hoping to write next from
some point nearer home.
F. c. WESLEY.
Corporal Wynkoop's Letter.
Corporal Hartman Wynkoop, who is in
the hospital at Fort Monroe, Va, has
written to friends in the city as follows:
Fort Monroe, Va, Aug. SIN the
| campaign before Santiago the "Rough
Riders" were at all times placed in the
lead of the army, but can not say that
we did any better work than the regu-
lars, or were in any greater danger than
the 1st and 10th regular cavalry were.
These two regiments had detachments
in the battle of La Quasina and they
did great work. 1t was in that engage
ment that the "Rough Riders" became
famous. OF it you have already read so
much that l will not repeat the tale, be-
| sides | I'm asked a dozen times a day by
| visitors to relate it to them, until | am
sick Of it.
My sensation under fire for the first
time was not what l always expected it
| would be. The only feeling l had was a
! little ripple ran through my system as
if a very slightly charged electric wire
had been touched. 1t was but for a
moment, and thereafter l felt no more
concern. l was curious enough to look
at the boys about me to see what sort of
an effect the first volley had on them,
and strange to say, only n seemed ex-
citable and nervous. After this my
mind was on the Spaniards. The battle
was a pretty one, but there were many
sad sights, and q few humorous ones.
You remember how we used to look at
the cartoons in the papers, showing
families of starved Cubans with buzz
yards sitting about and soaring over
them waiting for their death. Well, l
thought those pictures were only for the
purpose of arousing the feelings of the
humane Americans. but when | was in
Cuba | saw such scenes with my own
eyes. II was an awful sight. When
the quartermaster issued them bacon,
hard tack. and coffee and sugar, the
poor people actually sat down and ate
that bacon raw. They would eat any,
thing, even the mildewed hard tack
thrown In the road. Previous to. our
landing the Cubans lived on %cocoanuts,
bananas and mangoes entirely, which
caused a very peculiar disease. Their
limbs were as thin as the bones would
allow, while their stomachs were dis
tended in q frightful manner. Their
eyes had a far-away, dull look and they
were very stupid. The scene was so
sickening that I do not like to think of