The evening times., 1898-07-07
HiE;1ouaH RIDERS.
How They Bore Themselves Under
Their Baptism of Fire.

How They bore Themselves Under
Their Baptism of Fire.
A letter from one of the New York
members of the Rough Riders tells in a
graphic way how the men bore them
selves in their first introduction to the
enemy. 1t was written on June 25 the
day after
1t is now eicomprehended. he writes.
that yesterdays skirmish between am
bushed Spaniards and Rough Riders
was a mere mess-up, due to want of the
most ordinary military prudence. y few
| ragged Cubans were ahead. and follow
ing, single file. were drummer. a corpo-
| raj, a sergeant. and so on-no Hanking
force-all advancing along the trail
| through the close-growlng bush. garru-
lous as lot of laborers going homeward
| after a days work. Above the tramping
| noises and the confusion of voice yOi
| could hear Jim Smith, who used to keep
| the store at Red Horse, indian Territory.
arguing with much blasphemy about the
| capabilities of Sheriff Sukes in SOLDERING
up. though nearly insensible with drink.
! to meet the emergency; or you caught
the high rasping accent OF Led Unison
| asserting, Now --i 1t, his name was
| Green 1 tell ye.'' There was another
sound. too. and correspondents who had
heard 1t during the anxious nights at
Camp McCalla felt exciting apprehen-
sions. 1t was the soft coo-coo-coo of the
| wooddove In the chaparral
| In vain did they warn the officers that
| the cooling of the wood dove was for
| some one the knell of death. These troops
| We're fresh from the transports, having
| no acquaintance with the Cuban bush or
| Spanish warfare. 1t is difficult at first
| to realize in war that human beings with
| guns are lying in wait for you. and that
| they will shoot to kill. On struggled the
horseless troopers. eXecrating the sun
which made them drop out and sit by
| the wayside. or throw off their blankets
| and half-tents as deadly burdensome. or
| suffer pangs of thirst, with no relief In
| their canteens or fall back to the hospi-
| tai line or tumble, overcome. in the
path. Forward the line came across the
| dead body of Cuban. The shot that
killed him was not heard above the clam
| or of marching and talking.
! Immediately there was firing from left.
right and front. But you know the story
| -Mauser rifles and machine guns from
ambush played among our men with hor-
rifying havoc. AS is the American i'm
pulse, oaths and imprecations rose from
| the wounded and their comrades till
Col Wood commanded: Don't swear;
was also relief to fight. and with chins
set grimly. the exasperated troops. at one
| time fiat on the ground. later in eX-
| tended order. shot biindiy in the direc-
tlons from which the bullets came. Over
| head these bullets cracked and snapped
| among the twigs. till II was thought they
were exploding. OF course. the men were
a bit demoraiiZed by the sudden attack,
| and the stampede of the mules. The
IN inf thought
| the moment. was to run.
Come to your senses. men,' yelled one
of the officers. and before long Trooos L
and G Were advancing. driving ahead the
| hidden enemy. Here was a Spanish sol
| der in his blue dungaree, stretched on
| his back amid American dead. arms
thrown out. jaw fallen. and eyes staring
a; the sun and not blinking any more.
| To see men bleed. TO see them thrash in
| agony and foam at the mouth. is unset
Ting to tie nerves. You are not sur
prlsed when friend. face flaming with
heat and excitement. rushes up to tell
you something, stops still. and can find
only voice enough 20 say weak. chok-
ing, inconsequent Hello What he
wants to say is that Ham Fish is shot.
| as you learn afterward. and that his head
is so badly shattered that only by a
watch in the dead boys pocket can you
be assured that Il indeed is Fish.
Several give their attentions to one
man wounded IN the spine upon WHOSE
| brain the hurt is pitiful In a sane mo-
ment GS IL a sane momentD he asks for
a cigarette. and on the stretcher. par
alyzed below the waist. he smokes in
seeming comfort. Il is very kind of
them. he says. TO help him 50 much. But
aren't they missing the fight? He swoons
again: again he revives and asks for n
cigarette.
Then. in pleasant baritone he sings
1T is Moonlight on the Wabash. going
through every stanza. wondering. perhaps
that nobody joins. Boys" he asks. will
you have hanson on the beach for me?
I've got TO meet Mr.. right away"
Yes. they tell him there will be a han
som on the beach for him. 1t suggests
New York TO them-Madison Square, up
per Broadway. with its rumble and life,
sidewalks filled with fine women going
to the matinee or to shop. where you
have but TO raise your finger to send
hurt man to hospital. 1t is night be-
fore they get this one to the little shed
where the dead and wounded lie together.
candles making the place weird by their
little. bright undffused speck of light.
Who were the dead? Ii was days be-
fore it could be known. Looking for the
bodies the men found corpses without
faces. Not vultures." explained the Gu
bans, but land crabs" There were the
ugly. crawling things that had come
across the path al the same time the
wood doves cooed, frightened from their
holes in the bushy ground by Spaniards
sneaking up to our unsuspecting line.
We did not read the signs. and the crabs
feasted. This may not look nice in print.
but think of looking upon the thing itself.
and give up whatever illusions you may
have that war is anything but hell.