Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-07-29
ANOTHER FROM KNOX.
Accurately Describing His Entire Elk
perience Ever Since He Joined the
Rough Riders.

as MIR. knox had not received the copies
of the RECORD which contained ms pre-
ious letters he has accurately described
his W hole experience since joining the
Rough Riders.
S. 5. "BREAKwATER, July IS '9S,
HAMPTON ROADS, VA,
MIR. G. J.. BROWN,
Alma Mich.
Dear Friend u Undoubtedly you will
| be surprised 10 get a letter from me but
! j though that possibly At short account OF
my experience since going TO Cuba with
/ Roosevelt's Rough Riders would prove
interesting 20 RECORD subscribers
among whom / have many friends.
My transfer from the sd Mich, to the
| lst l.. :. y OIL Cay. occurred az Tampa
and was as much Of Il surprise 10 me as
/ II it was to my friends. / had not re
ported TO my first sergeant five minutes
| before | was detailed TO load wagons
with forage for the horses and 50 | was
made acquainted at the outset with the
difference between infantry and caval.
ry. Ii lis principally a difference III the
amount OF work. ! Joined Troop d.
/ ON Sundly and Monday night we broke
camp 60 move on board the transport.
! THIS completed We lay at anchor for ten
mortal days waiting for the rest OF the
expedition, ana ! guess II was the long
est ten days the most of US ever spent.
! At last we got away and an inspiring
/ sight we made a. the fleet, composed OF
! ~ transports and FIVE WarshlpS filed
out of the narrow hmbor entrance, one
/ 10y one.
After five days of slow sailing we ar
! rived or the coast Of Santiago &c Cuba.
| Here We lay OIL shore for two days more
ana then after seeing Sampson bonn
bard little ore dock and the small vii
! lage around it 10 drive out small force
/ of Spaniards, we began the task of un-
| ioaalug, winch proved to be exceedingly
precarous business. / saw two troopers
! Ccolored) OF tine Teuth Cavalry drown
while landing In the surf, just few
yards ia front of our boat | quietly slid
| out Of MY roll and unlocked my cart
ridge belt so as TO be ready TO SWIM but
| the precautions proved unnecessary as
our regiment all got ashore III safety.
! Nevertheless laudng Ia the surf of the
! open sea Is no child play. We slept On
our arms that night Is We did not know
! how far the Spanish force had retreated
and orders were not TO lay down your
eun-I slept with my hand on mine The
next day mt three O'Clock the Rough
! Riders were ordered out as the advance
| Guard, so DOMINIC our packs and should
| tring our carbiues we started out !
| cannot adequately describe forced
march such Is We took that night. To
! begin with, the sun was blazing down
| with ptiless glare that made life IA
| burden, then che roads. SO.Called, lead
| ING over PERCEPTIONS, hills and down deep
wales were either sandy and dusty or
nilcd with broken stones the Size OF a
man head every mile or SO stream
must be fOTded, sometimes waist deep
| Aud so one might 90 on enumeratlng
| difficulties which only a soldier who mas
marched under a tropical sun would
! appreciate. We marched ten miles that
| afternoon 20 the extreme advance of our
| troops ard the line of march was border
| ed with soldiers who had fallen ont by
| The way utterly exhausted. | thanked
! heaven then for my foot ball training
which | got at old Alma. 1t helped me
! through. 1 cOuldn help but admire the
pluck of some OF our men who failing
! ID strength went through on their nerve
| pure and simple. The finish of that
march reminded me strongly OF the fin
jsh of holly contested mile race. 1t
| took the same klnQ of nerve 20 finish.
| We got into camp about eight O'Clock
| md then 20 aQd 10 our discomfort the
! rain began 70 come down in torrents
but we We're SO tired we paid slight heed
! % ii and i'm our wet clothes and blankets
! we laid down q sleep 1t rained again
] during the night but Inever knew II I'M
| nj morning when one OF the guards tOlC
/ me. Al 3 80 tine next morning we Were
! on the road again and this time We start
| cd straight up, or at least so nearly So
! that il would take "a carpenter : level t.
detect the difference / thought / haG
! climbed hills before but | was sadly mis-
! taken Again il was the old stOry-hOt,
! dry, and WearsOme-men falling out
continually by the way. About half
past seven we made what we supposed
was usual halt for rest in a marrow
dehle with "a rocky hill on our right aud
ID dense jungle and hollow on our left
We lay alongside the roadside III care
less attitudes, making the most of the
res and chatting together, when the
command was passed from man 10 man
| to maintain silence as the enemy Were
thought 10 be near. Soon the command
came to load magazines and chambers
my cumbersome blanket roll alongside
the fence and took my place in line
Just at this juuctuie the silence, which
was becoming oppressive, was broken by
"A single shot. then a few scattering
shots, then r.r.rip went q volley and hell
Itself had broken loose We had in our
eagerness followed our Cuban scouts toe
closely and I'm consequence had walked
into an ambush. All along the ROAD
where we were standing the Sraniards
along the hill tops were firing, re.eL-
forced by a couple of rapids fire guns
Then i'm hundreds / heard my first bu e
lets whistle. Nou can reproduce the
noise 10y blowing through your teeth.
IL isn't exactly musical however. For
1--WE minutes we stood hclplessly i'm that
hail OF fire, literally stood up. Watched
myself closely for like most men | was
anxious to know how ] should act under
such circumstance The feeling near
est akin 90 il that / have ever expert.
enced in the one you feel in foot bali
game when the other side is calling sig
mails. As j never can keep my mouth
shut under such circumstances so now
] ]. IL.