The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-10
Lieutenant Wells Tells The Herald
More Interesting Details.
MISTAKE OF SPANIARDS
COULD HAVE MADE A MUCH
STRONGER RESISTANCE.
Outgeneraled as Well as outfought-
Our Soldiers Were In the Rain
Every Afternoon and Endured
Great, But Unavoidable hardships
The Yellow Fever

Lieutenant Briant II. Wells, of the Sec
ond United States infantry. whose return
home from the battle of Santiago was an
nounced exclusively in yesterday morn
fng's Herald, has recovered almost COM
pletely from the wound received during
! the second days battle before that
doomed city. When seer, yesterday ne
! looked picture of health and said he
was feeling splendidly.
| Lieutenant Wells modestly declines to
talk about his own part in the hght.
! though as a member of General Kent
| division he was in the very thick OF it.
1t was on the afternoon of July 2, about
an hour before the lighting ceased. that
he received flesh wound in the thigh and
was carried to thes rear. He brings many
interesting details however, about the
hardships of battle and the tremendous
strain upon the soldiers in that disagree
able country.
THE SPANIARDS, MISTAKE.
where the American forces landed he be-
lieved the SDdniards could have made a
much better stand had they attacked the
former as they came off the transports.
and during the early part Of the advance.
ONLY ONE ROAD.
There was really but one road along
which the entire army had to travel, and
this was through brush and underground.
Had the enemy concentrated a larger
force during the American advance they
COUlU dlUiOSI nave dI4l-LllGleU our army
But aside from small skirmishing there
was little resistance until the. outskirts
of Santiago proper was reached.
RAIN EVERY DAY.
Lieutenant Wells says that all the time
he was in Cuba it rained heavily every
afternoon.
we were sent out with three days
rations." he said, "a blanket and 200
rounds of ammunition. AS the boys
marched they were drenched to the skin
and had to sleep on wet blankets at night.
In the morning there was always "a heavy
dew, whmile later in the day the scorchirg
sun would beat down upon US. Do lou
wonder that the men are contracting
malarial fever? And that is not ALL Dur
ing the fight our TationS ran out and for
a time we had nothing TO eat. The rain
would I'LL up our trenches, but we had TO
stay in them to protect us from the
enemy's fire.
AS TO YELLOW FEVER.
There is not so much yellow fever
among the troops as generally supposed.
The great trouble is malarial Complaints.
If the fever should break out in its. most
virulous form, there would be heavy
death rate. for the troops are in no con-
dition to withstand the disease, being
weak from the malarial ailments.
HOSPITAL ARRANG EMENTS.
The lieutenant says the hospital ar
rangements were all that could be eX-
pected. The wounded were promptly cared
for and given medical attention without
delay.
STILL FULL OF FIGHT.
Lieutenant Wells was taken aboard the !
Hudson, a transport, and for a week or |
so they cruised around among the ships |
of the blockading squadron. On July 20 !
they departed for Fortress Monroe. where |
the wounded were taken ashore. He made !
an effort to rejoin his own regiment. but |
as the war department did not wish TO !
send any more men into that fever in |
tested locality he did not secure permits
sion. request TO join the Porto Rico |
expedition was also refused
Lieutenant Wells is now on waiting or !
ders. For time he will assist in straight !
ening matters out in the affairs OF the !
national guard. though he said he was not /
sent here for the purpose OF reorganizing |
il. He is glad to be home again.