Evening star., 1898-08-17

believe him innocent of the charge
| August II am writing by moonlight.
1t IS after taps. The moon is so brilliant
| that one can read newspaper easily
L took six men on the goth of July and
went down into a sunken road on the San
| Juan battlefield. Two boys of the 9th In
| fantry had been killed there and simply
covered with earth as they had fallen. The
ram had washed the earth away We un-
covered them completely. dug two graves
and gave them Christian burial. This is
terrible work-it is war.
Food is getting better all the time
mad an attack of the fever yesterday but
my supply of qufnine knocked it out. Am
a little weak yet, but did not give in. All
the sergeants now mess together and each
squad together. We had for breakfast this
morning rice cakes, bacon 'slumgullion
coffee and bread. For dinner, good SCUM.
boiled beef, coffee and bread. For supper.
| toes
Dark When They Landed
The following extract is from a letter
written by Woodford Babbitt. a member of
the District regiment, to schoolmate of
his in this city:
1t was dark Egypt when we landed
in Cuba, and the road was full of holes.
stones and roots; SO you can guess what a
tine We mad. After marching about five
miles we rested until O'Clock We were
then aroused, had coffee served and were
to!u 10 ieaVe everything except our can
Teens, ammunition and guns and be ready
Tor short march, not more than 700 or
S0o yards. We even left our coats. We
started, and never let up till We had COW
cred ten miles. 1t was march never to be
forgotten, and proved the vast superiority
OF our men l wish you could have seen US
we got to the trenches and lay there
for three hours under fire, though of a
weak sort, for the Spanards We're pretty
nearly done for. and when our batteries
began to arrive they ran up the white flag.
and two days later they surrendered bag
and baggage.
While We were waiting in the trenches
transform came up with a cold wind be-
hlnd 1t, and we almost froze. You see we
mad lett everything behind. We didn't get
anything to eat until the third DAY, and
all that time 1t just poured rain, and you
may guess our condition. Some of the boys
| aren't over it yet; but somehow it don't
seem to hurt me like it does them. 1t is
the same with the food. We are On short
rations, consisting of a half a cup of coffee
without sugar, three hardtacks and per
haps some canned beef, which generally re-
minds me of Patsy Mann's glue factory by
the odor, though that's a small matter
when you are really hungry. Some of the
boys can't make it go and are. Of course,
weak and sick from hunger; but that's all
over now, for the vessels have got into the
hdrDor and the fOod VIII reach Us tonight.
For the last forty-eight hours We have
been driving the Spaniards toward the CITY,
but they are so slow that they wouldn't
start Tor some weeks IL lett TO themselves
1t is a fearful JOB, as you may guess. when
l tell you that the buzzards follow them
every time they move camp. The Span
iards don't want to go, and quarrel and
fuss till one feels like cracking them over
their heads
Eoys Collecting Relics.
This letter is from Edward McGinnis of
Colonel Harries' command, a member of
Company M 1t was written to his brother
John, under date of July %:
We are camped on San Juan hill, where
the worst of the battle was fought. There
are many of the rough riders and any num-
ber of Spaniards buried here. 1t was the
barbed- wire fence that caught the poor
rough riders in a death trap, but the Span
ish were caught in their own trap after
ward. The list New York Regiment made
a charge on them, and it was hot fight.
The list made a bluff and turned back,
and the enemy followed them, but when
the Spaniards got on the other side of the
wire fence the 9th Cavalry fenced them on
one side and the list New York on the
other, and when they got through with
them there were not enough of them left
to bury their dead. This scared about ,0o9
of them down the valley. The Cubans
awaited them ON the top CT San Juan hill
and killed a great many of them. What
was left of them rushed back toward their
camp, but the 9th Cavalry caught up with
them and killed and wounded a great many
more. One of the 9th Cavalry with whom
l went to school was killed. His name was
Ed Ross, and he lived near Goth street and
Pennsylvania avenue in Washington.
The spaniards must have been looking
for trouble for long time, for the whole
place was strung with barbed wire. The
bark of the trees has grown over some of
it, so it must have been there for a long
time.
The SpaniardS are not game by any
means, and it was not their pluck that kill
ed and wounded SO many of our soldiers
1t was the trap our fellows were caught
In The Spanish don't like way of
houses and ambush. They are like the In
dians. They were scared by the charges
and rushes the Americans made. 1t seemed
impossible to fence their whole army in
the way We did.
The city has some fine old-time buildings
but the place is filthy. The streets are
very narrow and the people throw all their
slops and everything In the streets and
II is left there until the rain carries it
away. The big palace once occupied by the
Spanish is now General Skaters head
quarters. A lot of us have pieces of the
boat that Admiral Cervera tried to escape
in, and about 500 of us had a shake-hands
from Lieutenant Hobson July Il. We had
a hard time of 1t while we were in the
trenches, waiting to get shot at the Span
iards, but We got broke in and didn't mind
1t.
The Spanish ponies are plentiful here.
We use them for carrying water. We also
use them upon which to cross the swamps
to go swimming. l tried to make one jump
wire fence with me last week, but in
stead of going over it he went under 1t,
and almost tore the pants off of me. had
to take piece of my shirt to fix my pants
with before l could go in town.
Jokes Now and Then.
James II. Kolb, bugler of Company F.
writes his brother as follows his letter
Icing dated July 81:
IF you could only see what we came
down here to fight for you would say we
were very foolish. Why, the Cubans will
steal cents from you. and then curse you
because they were not nickels. When we
left our things at the other camp they
stole everything of any value, and ruined
the rest. Some of the boys drums were
all broken up, and mine had disappeared
altogether. What they wanted with il !
don't know, for they can't play it.
We'll, l am rot a bit down-hearteG:
we have a good time. Every now and
then joke comes into camp. The other
night we were all lying in the tent and one
of the boys jumped to the door and stuck
his head out, and one of us asked what
was the matter. He said he thought he
heard an electric car go past the door
"One Spaniard said to another: What's
the matter, old man? You look like you had
80 h0a N1,,0