Graham guardian., 1898-07-01
FROM TAMPA.
One of Our Boys Gives Vent to His Feel
ings at Being Left in Camp.
Tampa, Fla, June Is. 1898

J
this opportunity to drop a fe,
lines.
Our regiment leftESan Antoni
on the 29, uit., and arrived her
five days later. We had to 9,
very slowly on account of ou,
horses, they had to be cared fo
twice day. Our route wa
through New Orleans, Mobile
Pensacola and Tallahassee. W.
stopped in Mobile long enough tc
see the U. S. torpedo boat, Dupont
She was lying in barber for re,
pairs, sustained by q collision with
the Iowa off the coast of Cuba
She is It's feet long, II feet deep
carries three torpedo tubes and
runs 27 knots an hour.
Our journey was without in
cident until within 35 miles Of
Tamra where we were delayed
five hours by wreck Of an am
munition tram. We also ran short
on rations and kicked as old sol.
diers with a just cause. There was
not a man in the regiment com.
planned of goat on arriving here
and even dyspeptics looked hope
full, some of the latter arc loud in
their praise for the diet is a sure
cure for chronic indigestion, they
are positive that thorough trial
for three weeks will produce won.
derful changes. 1 would recon-
mend it as much more effective
even than Spanish bullets, and
then it is so cheap.
The first or Arizona's squadron
arrived in the evening but were
confined in ~the cars until after
midnight, then the horses and sad
dies were unloaded and by the
time the boys were allowed to
turn IN 1t was time to turn out.
Really the boys looked as though
they had been at a fourth Of July
ball in Robinson's hall.
The climate is an improvement
on that of San Antonio. There is
no good alkalI dust here and it
does not get so warm. The nights
are invariably cool, then we have
fine sea breeze, invigorating and
laden with perfumes of the sweetest
flowers and most delicious fruits.
Sometimes it carries walls across
the gulf from suffering Cuba. Then
the boys put on their war paint
and defy imaginary Spaniards,
They gestIeulate and shake their
clenched fists at the placed ocean
which separates them from their
would be prey. The mornings are
partly to blame for this feeling,
they are 50 Dewey.
We miss more than anything,
perhaps, the military drills and
regular night sk,rmlshes with the
tacttul and relentless mosquito.
We were getting proficient in the
execution of counter flank move
mcnts and no doubt would have
been more than a match for the
willy blood-suckers. 1t would be
ungallant to mention the lack Of
respect we are receiving and gross
to even hint that we are not nearly
so popular here as at San Antonio.
This is owing partly to the fact
that there have been many sold
iers here for months, and at the
present time between forty and
fifty thousand, partly because we
brought our reputation with us.
They petitioned the officers not to
pay us off here for fear we would
shoot all the lights out and plum.
der the city. They are nearly cor
rect in their estimation OF US. We
are tough.
Orders came for most Of our
regiment to move last Sunday, 5th,
and Wednesday morning at sun
rise eight troops left for Port
Tampa, nine miles south OF here.
They were dismounted and went
as infantry. There were four
troops left to take care of horses.
They are G. III. I. and N. As you
are aware C.troop is made up prin-
clpally of Arizona boys, taken
from H and B. Six of Graham
county's boys were so unfortunate
as to be transferred from A, they
are Parker, Patterson, Weathers,
SkOgSborg, French and Assay. I
think | never saw so angry and
disappointed Il set of men when it
was announced that G troop was
to be left behind. Really it was
unjust. We were the first in the
country to enlist and Arizona was
congratulated by Prest. Mckinley
Tor being the first state to send a
full quota of men, then, according
to my ideas Of justice, we should
have gone and others who enlisted
later left here. Major Brodie as.
sured us 1T was only a matter of a
few days when we should JON
them with the horses and also that
someone had to stay and we were
the unlucky ones. 1t may be that
we were left on this account. but
every man in the troop has a very
decided opinion that the fault lies
with our captain, not because he is
not patriotic, but because he is i'm.
competent.