Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-05
IN PRESENCE OF THE ENEMY
Graphic Account of What the District
Soldiers Endnrs.
Marching Through Mud and Rain
and Down in Watcr-Seaked
Teaches.


experience of the LIST Regiment since its ar
rival In the enemy's country. The letter
is in several parts, having been written in
leisure moments on different days. 1t is
in part as follows:
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July IL, 1898
I'm my last letter. written from Altares.
1 said we would hardly get off the trans
ports till the next morning but we did
leave them that evening about o'clock. 1t
was raining we landed, but it soon
stopped We then took the road to San
tago, which is fifteen miles distant. For
about the first mile dwelt the reconcen-
trados in huts made of palm leaves, and
they are everything that the papers pic
ture DEMONSTRATING and composed of skin
and bones, all negroes
''All along the road the troops that land
ed before US had to fight their way and
succeeded in driving the Spanish to within
one mile OF Santiago. We marched up the
road and camped on the spot where Roose-
velt's rough riders camped after the big
battle in which SO many of them were kill
ed All along the road the brush and
palmetto leaves are SO thick that you can
not see ten yards into it. Right here was
where Roosevelt fought and succeeded In
driving back the Spanish, with large loss
OF me- They got within twenty-five yards
OF each other before they were aware of
1t, and you can imagine what a battle is
at that range.
Graves of Rough Riders.
Just at the edge of our camp were sew
eral graves of the Rough Riders That
nisht we slept on our guns, we heard
that two regiments of Spaniards had man.
aged to run the blockade of Santiago, and
we expected an attack; but none came The
next morning at o'clock we started in
nsht marching order for Santiago to rein
torce smarter. We carried two days ra-
ions, and left our tents and extra stuff
stahalhg IN them. We marched ten miles.
GfaVes are dug all along the road and the
stencil is terrible. Vultures hover all around
ana 1t is CHASTITY sight. Barbed-w wire
FENCES are strung nearly every tree
hney seem to grow on the limbs. 1t was
'ills wire that was such an impeachment to
our troops. Here and there we would no.
uce a discarded coat, torn shirt pieces of
ciothlns, bloody rags and everything that
indicates a hard fight
Inc country is very favorable to the
spanlards, as it is very mountainous First
one great big hill, then another and YOU
can imagine what 1t is charging up noun
tam. Inc scenery is beautiful the country
peing full OF palm trees and palmetto brush
we rapidly approached Santiago and as
we heared 1t we could hear the boom of
cannon and the crack of rifles We kept on
marching. and are now camped about so
y Si III the rear of the firing line All dur
ing the night firing continues from the
trenches. We have-the Spaniards complete
ly surrounded and.,there is no hone for
them. oi
July II Uhree days later.
mad to stop writing so as to do my
WORK, and Will now continue. 1t rained all
Right and We We're 1drenched to the skin
TO tel the truth, we have not had COM
pletely dry stitch on since we arrived. The
Hiud is terrible. being six inches deep
The next day We were in the trenches
ana 1lred Tor the first time at the Spaniards
Inc hey nave a strong position. Later on we
naa 10 dis trenches near the enemy Just
thlnk of it! The trenches are dug down
hVe feet in the ground with hill of dirt
IN front of them. On top of this are bags
or gravel, with port holes. From these we
fired at the Spaniards.n
The Spanish bullets cannot reach ne
but We. can hear them whistle over our
heads, Just think of it. Lying in a muddy
trench for tWenty-fQur hours with about
SIX nara tacks to eat, the water six inches
deep in the bottom of the trenches and a
driving rain coming down all the time
This is what the District of Columbia boys
are doing. Hardly four hours pass over
our heads without rain, and we left our
tents down at our last camp, thus COM
pelllng US to sleep in the rain. But the
boys are happy be, and as for nv
self, l never felt better in my life.
spaniards Object, But
For the last two days the Spaniards
have had up flag of truce and things are
quiet. The other day We went out when the
Spaniards put up the flag of truce and start
ed to dig trenches within hundred yards of
them, when one of their officers came on a
hill and commenced shouting, "Espans.
Americans! Parlimento!' which means
that he wanted to talk to us, so CAPTAIN
Domer went over to see them with a hand
kerchief on a stick. They objected to us
digging trenches under a flag of truce so
we stopped. But you can't keep the Yankees
down, and we went out in the night time
and started to dig the trenches again. All
Of a sudden the moon came out, exposing u.s.
The SpaniardS were quick as a flash and
fired on us at distance of 100 yards. You
should have heard the bullets whistle over
our heads, and see scatter Hats picks
shovels and canteens were lost in the scuf-
file, but We soon got out of range, with none
hurt.
THE other night had a squad guarding
two Spanish prisoners, who had deserted
They are only too glad to get in our lines
and get food, of which they have had none
for five days. The Spanish troops. thew
said, could not survive five more days Of
fighting.
1--WE have plenty of mangoes to eat.
They taste like an orange and persimmon
mixed When boiled they taste like dried
apple sauce. Today l walked to big
pa ace, which was formerly the home of the
FreL CHI and German ambassadors but it
is occupied by Cuf ans and French. On
the bottom floor are Cubans and above are
French If 1 ever regretted not knowing
French it was today. The girls are beau
tiful. I could manage to partly make them
understand by some few French words I
knew. They were hungry. They say they
lived in Santiago, were rich, but had to
leave. They also said if we would give
them a few bareback they would repay us
double when the town was taken
THE suffering nthe island cannot be
described. 1t is really horrible 1 am sick
of the sights. Further down the road is a
village we captured. In this place is the
most suffering People are hardly clothed,
are barefooted and without food The
children, both girls and boys all the way
up to ten years old, run naked. and are
lying in front of their huts dying of star
walton. Their stomachs and feet are swol-
len and they are skin and bones / could
not give them anything as we have hardly
anything for ourselvesr
1--WE have to build our own fires and do
our own cooking, OF we don't get any food
We started out with two days rations, and
it had to last us foun- We were nearly
starved Rations could not reach us. as
the roads are very muddy, and you should
have seen us when ave got them. We were
regular reconceEtradoes. But don't worry.
We have enough now.r We came out to
rough 1t, and we are doing it, too. We
are mud head to foot, and you won't know
your dear boy when hes walks up Pennsyl-
ov,ta