The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-09-11
ARE WORTHLESS
LAZY YAGABONDS.

| from one trench into another until We
| had control Of the field.
'Jn many cases tho condition OF the
| Spanish soldiers was pitiful. Ambulances
! were sent 90 the hospitals. and the men
who were scarcely able 20 stand uuassist-
| cd. were brought out from the wards and
| put in The trenches % fight Many or
! them were found lying on the ground un-
able 10 get UP and retreat from one
| trench into the next. / saw dozens OK
sick soldiers so weak that they could not
| move alone, King in the trenches trying
10 fight. If anybody thought the Span
iards would not FIGHT that notion has
been exploded. They put up about as
| hard and heavy resistance as was ever
| seen under the circumstances, despite
the many dimcultics facing them.
DASH OF THE NEGRO TROOPS.
"Much has been said Of the work Of tho
| Ninth Massachusetts and the Seventy
! first Now York volunteer regiments in the
/ battle These two regiments did compar-
| atively little fighting The Rough Riders
| were the only volunteers who distinguish
ed themselves for dash and bravery
| Some OF tho hardest fighting done al all
was By the Seventh and Ninth cavalry,
| ard the Twenty-fOurth and Tweuty-htth
infantry. All these are coiored regulars.
| am no admlrer OF the negro, but no one
! could have witnessed the work Of these
| four regiments without being astonished.
| They rushed right into the thick OF the
| fght. and shCWd no signs Of fear whiic
the SpaniaTds poured hot fire into them.
! During the cross fire the Seventy-frst
regiment dropped down on the ground.
and their officers could not get them up.
| The four negro regiments then marched
right over and beyond them. and faced
the enemy at close quarters. But for
them the Rough Riders would have been
almost cut 10 pieces.
sTha gpaniards concentrated their en-
tire fire ON the negro regiments, but they
didn't bulge. Thick and fast they 4eI
under the deadly rain OF bullets, and yet
they forced their way forward. advanc-
ing past the two volunteer regiments,
and did much towards winning the VIC
tory.
when the surrender came the Span
ish soldiers were happy They saw that
they could not hold out long against the
Americans. and q feeling OF relief follow
Cd the cessation Of hosulities. They ap-
pearcd 20 feel no animosity against the
Americans. on the contrary, after the
fighting ceased. many Of them expressed
q deep feeling OF gratitude for the help
our army gave them in furnishing food
to their ha1f-starved soldiers. and IN
taking care Of their sick and wounded.
CUBANs TOUGH CHARACTERS.
what DO think OF the Cubans2 you
ask 1t would be hard to express my
opinion of them. The outfit that went
under the name of an army and hung
around our camp Ike a lot Of shiftless
vagabouds, were certainly q hard lot.
They did absolutely no fighting, they
could not be trusted out of sight 90 carry
out an order and The Americans put no
dependence in them. Such thieves have
probably never been known since the
Spartans Of old. They seemed 10 have abb
s0lutely no MORAL sense. and 81 there was
a chance 10 steal anything left unguareed
for q few minutes they never failed 10
get away with 10. We couldn't leave any
thing without a guard. The miserable,
lazy scoundrels l0uneed about the camp,
took everything they could get 20 eat,
and appeared TO know no such feeling
as gratitude. when asked 20 help 20 do
police duty or turn a hand TO cleaning
up the camp they refused.
"Vain appeals were made 10 them 20 as
slst in cutting poles 20 make litters ON
which to remove sick and wounded men
TO the rear They stood by or hung
around idly and watched others work.
but refused TO give any help. They could
not 30 gotten 90 nurse the wounded
Americans. seldom was it possible TO
get them TO carry water 10 thirsty sol
diers and fever patients parched with
the heat There Is no honor among them.
OUR MEN DIsGUsTED.
"Our soldiers regarded them with spas
moolc contempt ana supreme disgust.
The Cubans are treacher0us lazy, aDso-
lutely void OF any maniiness or character.
Such low order Of man would he hard
TO linda sneaking band Of robbers. rene
worthless tramps. That is just what they
are. 1t VIII be long time before the
harshest treatment OF them would ap-
peal TO the sympathy Of those who VII
messed their conduct during the fighting
around Santiago.
"Nhen l left tho city It was fun Of
fever We had hundreds there down with
typhoid. malarial and yellow fever, while
the Spaniards were dying al the rate Of
from fifty 10 seyenty-tve a day. Fifty
per cent. OF the Spanish soldiers in the
city will never get home. They are plti-
ful looking LOT. All their ambition seems
to have LEFT them, and they stalk around
looking pale thin. hungry. discouraged.
our hospital corps ana medical force are
doing whatever they can Cor the poor
fellows. hut the city is fun OF fever,
and the deaths piling up day by cay
THOSE DEADLY MINES
Before / left Santiago the mines were
removed from the harbor. The work
was q surprise 10 the engineers who saw
IL. Few had any idea that the har5or
was so heavily mined, 10 required three
days 30 remove the deadly machines.
There were a large number OF contact.
percussion and electric mines planted a.
short distance apart Some OF them We're
placed q few feet below the surface 80 as
to explode by contact with hostile ships
They were an 50 designated as to give
warning 20 the Cuban and Spanish craft
Some of the mines were three times as
large as the biggest in New York harbor
A number of them were more than three
feet In diameter Admiral Sampson knew
what he was doing when he decided not
10 run these mines. II he had attempted
TO do 50 his fleet. or al least q large
part OF II. would have been blown 20
atoms. IL would have been impossible
for him 20 have gotten past them without
great loss, and. indeed, without serious
danger of annihilation. These mines with
the heavy shore batteries OF modern guns
on either side Of the harbor would have
been sufficient 20 cone With almost any
fleet that could have been gotten ~.