Evening star., 1898-08-17
TIDINGS FROM CUBA
Members of the District Regiment
Send Messages Home.
how THEY FARED IN TEE TRENCHES
Rendered Valuable Aid Near Close
Of the Campaign.
RAVAGES OF THE FEVER

RAVAGES OF THE FEVER
| Elliott Hopes of Company 1. 1st District
| Of Columbia Volunteers, writes to his par
ents in Anacostia, under date of July 81, as
! follows:
I'VE are now in quarantine camp for
| five days, or longer if any serious sickness
develops. Everybody is well at present
excepting those having colds and the like,
caused by sleeping on the wet ground /
have got so used to this now that don t
| mind it. did not even catch a cold from
being out in the rain for seventy-two hours
in the trenches. We have little work to do
| now, excepting to keep camp clean We
have to do our own cooking, and don't get
too much to cook, either. One thing our
company takes pride in is the fact that it
was one of the two selected from the Dis
| trct regiment to go the firing line when
we arrived.
Lieutenant Walker has been transferred
from Company l to Company c.. We are
very sorry to lose him, as consider him
one of the best officers in the regiment"
Writing under date of July 81, young
Hopes mentions that he has recovered
from mountain fever, and says: Nearly
half of the regiment was down at one time
and one company had but twenty-four men
| to mount guard with when their turn came.
No one is seriously i'll, but this mountain
fever shakes a fellow up considerably.
was sick only four days, but it seemed as
though the time were month. We are all
enjoying life as much any one can with
nothing TO do and unable to get away from
camp We have nothing to do but guaro
duty, and at present We have to do little
extra in this line because of so many being
sick. We are not allowed outside the picket
| lines only to go for water, and then we
have a non-commissioned officer with u.s.
August he writes: Our supplies, which
came over on the boat with US, just reach
ed camp yesterday. Everybody is improv-
ing fast, and about one-half of those i'll
were dropped from the sick roll today and
the rest were marked for light duty. We
signed the pay roll today
Letter From John Maupin.
From a letter written by John Maupin
of Company G, Morton Cadets, under date
of July "a, the following extract is taken:
I'VE are still encamped On a hill near
Santiago, a hill that was taken from the
Spaniards July 2. We are acting as body
guard to Gen. Shafter, and also guarding
Spanish prisoners by details. When We
came to Santiago We had seven Gays
ocean trip, and not many of US We're sea-
sick, but nearly all were land sick for sew
eral hours. Our transport stopped severa!
miles up the coast from Santiago harbor,
and there saw part of the lombard
II ent of Moro Castle and Santiago by our
warships.
We marched the whole distance from ST.
honey to Santiago-a distance of about
twenty mieS-in one night, and arrived at
the firing line, which averages about one
fourth of mile from. the city, at o'clock
am. AS we marched 10 the entertainments
bullets were whistfinS about in every di-
rection. The cannon wer making a noise
also, but, above ALL the roar of the big
guns on our warships could be heard from
the harbor. We know how 1t feels to have
bullets whistle over our heads now, as
some of them came very close. but none OF
US was hit, as we did not expose ourselves
unnecessarily One of the boys shot his
heel off. and another was injured in the
neck by the explosion of a shell. Outside
of that. we are all right.
Native Cubans live all along the road
here. some in little 'shacks,' and nearly all
sleep on the bare ground, without cover
ing. 1t is a pitifu sight to see them hud
died together in the underground, like wild
animals ! old men feeling about On
the ground for crumbs of hardtack that
the soldiers dropped. i gave an old man,
who was in nearly the last stages of star
walton, part of my canned beef, and
feared he would injure himself in trying to
express his gratitude.
THE surrender of Santiago 1 will never
forget The Spanish flag was pulled down
and our flag went up: then the whole
Spanish army was marched out of the city,
our side cheering, rot being allowed to go
into town on account of yellow fever. We
marched back to camp and were SO full
of enthusiasm that We procured cocoanut
from under a tree and had a fine game of
foot ball"
Sergeant Dobson's Account.
Henry A. Dobson, first sergeant of Com
pany D, writes his father as follows, under
several dates, beginning with July 49,
I'VE have the satisfaction of knowing
that we helped the outcome. We aided in
surprising the Spaniards by putting a
trench within 100 yards Of their lines, and
we did it too after We had failed once,
owing to rain and darkness. General Shat
ter expected treachery, and last night we
slept on our arms. We have orders now to
be constantly on the alert, and the guards
are doubled.
We have been under fire. / have had
that satisfaction personally. Yesterday
took a glass and located the place l struck
the other night (noted in The Star pre-
viously). 1t was fifty yards from the Span
yards before l reached the shelter of our
own trenches. Our regiment has taken
several Spanish prisoners. We are getting
half rations only. Two days We lived on
mangoes and hard tack. Mangoes cost 10
cents each. Now get ten or fifteen hard
tack, little coffee, a little sugar and some
pork, with sometimes few beans. l am
in mess with Sergeants Walker and Lee
man, PrlVateS NoyeS, Rollns, Austin ana
Barstow. We combine our grub and cook
one mess for all, much better than COM
pany mess. Fred Austin is now superin-
tending kettle of beans and frying man
goes.
July 1--we are now lined up along the
ridge of hills around Santiago, waiting
for the stars and stripes to be run up over
the city. 1t is approaching noon now, and
at that time the surrender is to take place.
In front of us, about $50 yards away, are
shallow trenches filed with Spanish dead.
There are some clouds in the sky, but
it has not rained for two days, seemingly
keeping off for the great event. Long
lines of Spanish troops can be seen in the
city. .a r.
I'VE are still quite hungry. Please have
some beans baked in the pot when l get
home, and have pumpkin pie and iced tea
and cold milk. I dream of them at night,
and l have had but two glasses of milk
since l left home. And please do not have
any bacon in sight.
THE boys are getting pretty well tanned
down here q
July 19-I had no chance to write about
the surrender. We saw it, and how we
cheered! We are hoarse yet. We moved
camp today and are now on the Siboney
side of the city. uHaye>a nice breeze.
I sit and write, while in wild glee