The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-09-06
ONE WHO WAS THERE TELLS THE
THRILLING TALE.
Lieutenant Rynning of Rough Riders
Writes of the Fighting to His Broth
er on the Scandia.


stewatd on the Scandia just received
letter from his brother who was in
all the fighting before Santiago,
which gives a very vivid picture of
what took place. Mr.. Rynning whose
home is in San Francisco is a pro-
fessiopal nurse, and volunteered for
field work. His brother is Second
Lieutenant in Troop b, RooseveIt's
Rough Riders. But as during the
fighting both the Captain and the
First lieutenant were disabled, he
was actually in command of the troop
during part of the fight and at one
time, owing to the loss of ranking
officers was in command of three
troops.
The letter is written from Montauk
Point, l.. |. He says:
81 am again back in Gods country.
| am at present quite well, but had
three attacks of malaria fever in Cuba
and oh, talk about pain in the back
and kidneys! it was something awful.
l staid well through all of our fights
until Santiago surrendered, and then
got sick; but no wonder, it doesn't
rain in Cuba it pours. The rain gen
orally comes up at p. m. and lasts
|
down about Z and next morning when
Old Sol comes out it is nice and hot.
| can stand almost anything in the
shape of heat but tropical heat catch
es one in the base of the skull and the
nerve center. One almost goes wild.
Bacon and hardtack is not quite the
proper thing for sick man either.
l went three whole days, | could not
| nI I
! tive lines.
Now | am going to give you a bit
of just what took place in our differ
ent fights. l haven't seen an article
that was just right, so | will begin
at the beginning. We left Tampa on
the sth of June, lay outside of Santi-
ago de Cuba on the 21st. That is the
day we arrived. Well, on the morn
ing of the 22nd, we steamed east
again about nineteen miles to Dui-
quire, or as it is sometimes called, to
Biquah. Well, the gunboats shelled
the place for about one hour, then we
landed and between Santiago and all
along the coast our ships kept up a
fusilade to attract the enemy's atten-
ton, whilst we landed in small boats.
We were almost all landed by dark.
and went into camp; pulled out next
afternoon about 3 and marched only
ten miles, but it was a hard trip,
through cocoanut groves and small
trails, most places in single file and
this kind of travel is rather slow in
this Cuban climate. With blanket.
tin cup, mess can, and a knife,
fork, spoon, gun, siX-shooter, saber,
200 hundred rounds of ammunition, a
canteen of water, one has to be "A
horse to stand it. Well, we arrived at
Seboney about 10, all wet and hum
CRY, and next morning we left early,
climbed up hill or mountain, struck
a trail that led inland, marched about
four miles under this relentless old
sun, and here is where the papers say
we were ambushed. Now, that is not
so; we were looking for Spaniards,
and our own men, our own scouts,
men of our own troops are scouts
picked out each day for this kind OF
work, and it takes a good man to act
as scout too. Well our scouts discov-
cred them. AS to being in ambush
the whole country is mass of tangl-
ed underbrush that no one can walk
through unless on a trail or with a
machete to cut the brush. Well, we
were looking for Spaniards and we
found them, and if l do say so oul
men deployed as skirmishers under
as heavy a fire as any troops ever llv
ed under, and they did it in order
and when the order to advance was
given every man in my troop advanc
ed, and when / ordered them to fire
they fired, and when we had fought
2 hours and 10 minutes by my watcf
. we routed them, cannons, rapid fire
= guns and ALL and the day was ours
NV captain got it twice through tn,
left leg by a rapid fire gun. as boil
balls entered in the same place. W.
lost o killed, 80 wounded and 10 miss
ing in this, our first fight. / dressed
mans wound myself in this fight
He was shot over the heart and bleC
inwardly, and | knew it was no use
but did it to please him. | will sa!
, this much for my men, that they wen
at it with shout and some were evel
laughing. I only had one man tina
seemed weak, and he was crawling
! through the grass ten feet behind tn
} line. / was afraid he would shoe
some of our own men, so I ordere'
: him up; had to pull down on hin
t with a few curses. He came up, an
/, Colonel, now General, Woods curse
e him too. Well he was a New Yorker
1 an eX-senator's son. Induced Wilco'
my first lieutenant in command G
the troop, to send him to America, $
saved him likely, don't know, No
I want to tell you of Wilcox. Georg
I b. Wilcox, an eX-hospital steward {
the Fourth United States cavalry, rel
ulars, has been out eight years. #
halls from Bisbee, Arizona. Well, l
n ranks me, and when Captain McClil
n took fell, went to him, about twel
r ty feet from me, and he told me
: turn the troop over to Wilcox. ! wei
r to Wilcox, did so. and whilst we we
t talking branch &as cut off betwee
n us. We We're not over eighteen il
/ ches apart, IT struck both. Rath,
il close was all we said. To tell the trut
a I don't believe during those tv
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