Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-04
LETTER FROM CUBA
Lieutenant Coleman's Description of
the Battle and Conditions Be-
fore Santiago de Cuba,
HORRORS OF WAR DEPICTED
Women and Children Homeless and Starv-
ing to Death-Oould Render No Aid
Soldiers Worked Night and Day
Without Food.

The following letter has been received
from Lieutenant Sherrard Coleman:
In camp before Santiago de Cuba
July 15.-As / have a little time this
afternoon | will use it in writing ano
telling of some of the happenings il
the army for the past few days.
Yesterday morning the news came
which has since been confirmed, of the
fall of Santiago and the surrender of al
the Spanish forces, some 10000 men
the conditions being that the American
government transport them back tt
Spain. Conditions which General Miles
who is now here, should have jumped
at, as our army is in a bad way on ac
count of the muddy roads and the sick
ness that is beginning to show itself ir
the ranks-a low kind of fever which
may develop into typhoid or even yellow
fever if something is not done to get Us
out of this internal mud and slush
You never saw the like. 1t takes from
eight to ten mules to a wagon and ever
they get along at a very slow gait.
Some of our boys have been sent tt
the hospital suffering from this fever
| but / think it is only exhaustion caused
from being in the trenches and the Sc
we're strain. They have all returned t
the front after a few days, so we do no
think the ailment is anything serious
1t keeps me busy getting provision
from the coast for the boys, and as IN
wagon has just come from Siboney,
will have to stop for a time.
The horrors of war! You can form
no idea of what it means to those poo
Spanish and Cuban women. Such
sight would melt a heart of stone
There were about $4,000 women an
children who came out of Santiago t
escape the fire of the Americans. Thes
poor people are in our lines in the poul
ing rain without shelter and nothing t
eat. Hundreds Of little, helpless babe.
Tclinging to their mothers, crying fO
something to eat. About so died las
night from starvation. Rich women /
their silks and satins, offering all thei
Jewels for a few hard-tacks to kee
their little ones from starving-how sa
they look as they beg the Americans fc
mercy, drenched to the skin and covere
with mud to their necks, begging an
weeping for their children who al
starving-and we have nothing to civ
them.
General Miles is trying to feed then
but the roads are such that he "a NJ
get the supplies necessary. Since til
town has surrendered they are goin
back, dragging themselves along tn
road hardly able to walk.
On the night of June 80 l suffered a
night from an attack of neuralgia of I'll
stomach. We were marching that nigl
directly to where the artillery vas
position and laid all night among tt
guns. Our hospitals were pitched thel
too, a great mistake. The doctor o
dered me to 60 to the hospital about S.;
in the morning. l started. Our gu1
had just opened fire and the enemy ha
located our position to a foot. As l le
the battery a shell loaded with shrapn'
burst right ove my head, killing
Cuban in front of INT and woundin
about a dozen of u men. l went on
the hospital, but there the Smelling b.
came so hot that the wounded wei
struck right and left in the tent. l di
not stay long in that part of the woods
and as u troops were leaving for tt
front | went out and joined them agail
The enemy was then Smelling us fro
a point about 1900 yards in our from
This was on the morning of July /.
Joined my troop in the road about q
yards away. The road led straight to I'll
front, and after marching a short di
lance we were deployed to the right an
crossed a small river called the Sa
Juan. A balloon was raised directly b
hind us for observation purposes an
this drew the enemy's fire. We were
a thicket of high grass and brushes an
were ordered to lie down, as the fiji
coming from the Spanish lines was vel
severe and lots Of our men were kille
and wounded. A spent shrapnel struc
me on the wrist, bruising the skin b,
not breaking it, and at the same time
bullet whizzed through my fingers.
thought for a moment that my hand hs
been shot to pieces. Lieutenant Ha
, kell, who was about Is feet directly
front of me, was shot through tt
stomach; he is still alive. Captain O'Nei
from Arizona, was killed about so yart
away, being shot through the mout
and head.
We were then told to advance slowl,
which we did, holding our line in beaui
full position and passing through I'll
lines of the negroes Of the 9th and 10t
regular cavalry. Then, through son
mistake, a charge was made up the hi
directly in front of us. e troop sprar
to the front, and the colored men, il
spired by the charge, went with us. 4
the foot of the hill was a small rive
We all jumped in, the water being wal
deep, sprang out on the other side an
up the hill we went with a yell. II
Spaniards gave way, taking up a pos
ton in rifle pits nearly a half mile ava,
from where they opened fire on us fro
their artillery and rapid fire guns. Whe
/ got nearly to the top of the hill I fe
to the ground from exhaustion, but
troop was on top pouring q witherir
fire into the fleeing S%paniards. 1 Ia
to the top to find n Of our boys dea,
Clay Green from Cerrillos, and abol
ten of our boys wounded. Our guidol
which was carried BY Sergeant Able
Jones, was the first on the hill, so W,
nearly all of Troop E.
We staid on this hill for nearly ha
an hour gathering in our wounded fro
the different regiments and then we
down in the valley between the tv