Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-06-16
Written from the ConyaIescent Hos
pital to a New England Friend,
THE FINE SPIRIT DISPLAYED


NAlcHccnt hospital, turruE.lur Island.
Philippine Islands, under date OF April
Q. There is IN Il revelation OF The
sslrit and quality OF the volunteer sul-
dlurg Of tho United States that will
move every reader 80 army ln the
world contains better material than this
country has sent TO nEht this war Ia
the distant East We quote:
Dear Ralph: a letter written IN such
kind, generous words uB yuuu. and
breathing 30 loyal and concst O. spirit
would have touched me deeply at any
time. anywhere. but today with bodily
weakness, In this Gar country. with the
sound W battle hnrdly yet died away
II comes with a peculiar force. You
have been very gracious. Ralph.
Through the years you have been
very mindful pf the good you found iu
othou1, and In your charity overlooked
ull else. You have struggled hard your
Helf-i saw the beginning uf ID No the
--- - days you have aurmuuutel
much since then and are faithfully Rct-
tins up somewhere near your work. yet
you pause today 60 wrrathc laurel Tor
another II o. your hourt-unurlur. ans
lH such take u, not Go myself or any
man alone but na your trlbuy Co tho
whole Eighth army Curpa-to those men
who on the Manila roads ana ln the
Luzon rice fields fought % desperate
hrht. asking no why's or Whsrpf1roa:
who shook out the old lag further from
home than Il had ever been before ptr-
FORMING % thnnklgss duty knowing fun
well the reward.
The blame OF those SO bstar;
The hate Of those SO guard,
You say you are proud of being an
American How we'll I know your
patriotism ana enthusiasm OF old. II
was not nero Fuldlgry out here: 10 was
incnrnntc AmerIcanlsm
sweep all these regiments away. and
at random, bllndly YOU could have
gathered the same sort the Same aplr-
H., In amy State in the Union. Not
plekcd-commou. everyday sort OF boys.
with no peculiar virtue over others. II
was simply theirs 10 have privilege
and opportunity that other men. at
home. often by force OF circumstance,
had missed or been denied.
| would like 90 draw those men for
you, not aH individuals, hut na % tyne.
a Kind " composite. u would Doe from
my recollection OF many regiments uH
saw than come Into action, but I have
het htllns words The common Ideal
OF "a soldier would boz destroyed by "a
mere glimpse OF him aa he was: 4
gray SLOUGH hat shading the grlmy.
sWcnt-HtruukDd fuCr,Hu dark blue nuu-
mel shlft ana web cartridge belt. greasy
hrld pants, and dlrt-hruwn leugiuH.
] would draw him when tho rrat uor-
Nuus iluHh hud passed away when the
face grow stole, rigid aud seJ.-Whpn
the cllekHCluNk NJ Euu-lupks heeumc "A
clear steady uulertuuc amid an tho
deeper dln,=whvn ho threw the long
Springfield up with q grim smile. and
became Indifferent 10 an things save
the one thing
An htU couldn't c,uoftss bt,,, ,b...
l mention the infantryman-he would
perhaps best serve uH u type, for HH
always, he formed the bulk of tho
army he made up the long. thin aklr-
mish lines That swHygd forward. il1pped
ana cruuphed and laid down TO escape
the terrific llrr. lalped, rushed, fpll.
lcapcd again. forward. sometimes slow
~ and doggcdly railways surely.
II, however my personal experiences
and the thought Of comrades Were 10
influence me, I would more readily Hp-
lcct an artilloyWun Tor portrayal. not
that he was always nearest at hand.
for at the crisis % the battle Of Febru-
airy Q, infnntrymon were lying IN tho
rpad-dust at our very gun wheels. but
the battery boys We're the ones { knew
the best-with shirt sleeves rolled to
the elbow ana skin blackenpd with
powder looking half noud and half
man, Death was among them az the
start A man calmly hands q shrapnul
20 the gunner ana on the instant falls
face forward, he is rolled over "a pnlllr
IL ON tho face, blood bleach ON tho
iroehead-dead, 80 quickly does the call
come 10 some
A man stpggors from the piece. ana
clutches at his breast, Are you hin.
JohnF' only flesh wound" he an
sWors, and dies after u whole day uf
pAin,-so do some mon suffer A cane
nonecr steps aside, unbuttons his shirt.
secs whore MauEer has made O. rcd
furrow across tho chest, laughs ana no.
turns 10 his post. so close do some men
come and escape. I have seen many
make the last saCrincg and sometimes.
looking down into u familiar fnce, have
for the moment felt that glory was a
hllcuuH thing ana yet, Ralph, Il lH "a
great privilege 10 have soon men de
30, The memory Of n will make one
stronger and better. You are ~ course
Interested ln knowing what part ~ the
field I was on. I served on one OF the
two Nordvntolt guns that took the san
Juan bridge ana held open the road 10
the water-works. II was one OF the
hcll-spots.
The First Nebraska Infantry sup
ported us-spIaudld, rcsOluta follows
they were Utah and Nebraska won't
up the slope together took tho pUpleitl
and rested that night-tho extreme od-
vance, on tho next afternoon captured
inc pumping NANllNN anu went INTO
camp, The day after ! was one of the
many victims Of Runstrokc, and was
taken back 20 the division hospital.
Went huck 20 battery. and after thrcc
wrclIs' dosult0ry lighting had relapse.
was again taken back 10 Manila, nnd
thcncc down here 90 Corrogldpr where
the sea hrrczc and gnlt air promise TO
do more than medicine.
II IN n pleasant thought that Just az
this time, after an Interval Of years, n
letto" should come from one who know
me IN student days You say our ways
focused once. Yes, and you received
your best inspiration from that Same
heroic man who touched my life more
deeply than any other man has done,
To have known him az the Same time
ana place ~ 90 have had considerable
In common, aside from anything else
we have experienced together. You
have mot many men since then, some
OF the worlds great men perhaps, and
yet not so great as he was, You say
regretfully that you now have nothing