The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-24
SOLDIERS SICK OF CUBA
Fourth Volunteers Eager to
Leave the Island.
HOMESICk AND DEPRESSED
The Mcn Have No Desire to Become
Observation-Disclosures They should BE
Relieved From Garrison Duty
Rumcred Reduction Of Pay Causes
D:sgust-A Most Pathetic Letter.

D:s.ust-A Most Pathetic Letter.
1t may not be well known to the people
of my native city that between $50 and 500
of its citizens are serving their country in
! Cuba in tine Fourth Regiment of Volun-
teer Infantry, popularity, though erroneous
ly, known as 'Immunes." These men en-
tered the service with a patriotic desire to
aid their country in time of urgent need,
studiously perfecting themselves in every
thing that goes to make up the true SOL
der, but never supposing they were giving
! up good homes in a healthful country to
do garrison duty in a tropical fever strick
en- land.
| write this. my first letter for publica
ton. in answer TO the grossest injustice
that has yet been done us. Many self
interest letters have been published by
some one in our regiment whose desire 1t is
TO remain in the service as long as posi-
BILE, probably because he has no other
means of support. The last letter from
/ this party stated that ii was the uniform
desire of our enlisted men to remain in
! the service and to become regulars. / can
! truthfully state that no one recognizes the
! value of or appreciates more highly the
regular soldier whose duty 1t is to be doing
| the work we are now doing, but the voun-
| teer soldier has no desire to be regular;
! he is a creation for emergency and has no
! excuse for existing in time of peace. To
! keep a volunteer in service in time of
| peace. after he himself is persuaded he
can do his country no more palpable SER
vice, is menace to n free people; IL is a
precedent so harmful that should another
war occur before the hardships and lessons
of this one have become dimmed by time,
a call for volunteers tthe value of whose
services is already being questioned) would
not be responded to like the last patriotic
display, but would necessitate a compul-
sorry service. 1t is my candid opinion af-
ter being associated with enlisted men over
seven months, that not l per cent of the
present volunteer army would dream of
again proffering their services, which ex-
perience has taught them is far from ap-
preciated so highly as the sacrifice involved
would lead them to expect.
Every man who enlisted in our regiment
was told that he was going in for war ser
vice; he knew practically nothing of gar
rison duty, his one idea being that fighting
and the necessary work involved would be
all that was required of HMM brief, a
soldier He was, instead of being sent
early TO the front kept in his own country
in unhealthful camps, located without re-
gard for sanitation and compelled TO do so
much heavy labor and excessive drills on
an inadequate diet that his constitution
became undermined and unfit for the gar
rison duty required of him here. In our
last camp. that of Cuba Libre" at Jack
sonyille, we were located practically in
swamp, and al a place where drainage
from other camps and the mule corral set
tied. II was not long before malariai and
typhoid feYers appeared and increased
alarmingly, but with no increase in the
numbers officially reported sick; those who
were too sick to respond to duty were re-
ported officially well. but they we're unof-
fcialiy excused. AT the time the regiment
was most weakened by disease the sick
reports tOfIiciaD showed the fewest sick
and q glowing report was made by the
medical inspectors; then, at the time we
were least fit for duty, we received orders
to go 10 Cuba. l shall never forget the
gloom that settled over the camp after the
order was received, for every man sup
posed himself going to certain death. yet
we were reported as wild with enthu-
siasm." 1t was only a sad display of grim
determination to be honorable that re-
strained a wholesale desertion; patriotism
led us 10 enlist. and more intense pa
triotism led us to do what in our hearts
we despised-garrison duty. We all had a
pardonable desire to gain little glory.
/ newspapers but not one announced our
departure, and even the most hardened felt
sad.
However. we have now been in Cuba
. about three months and We feel that we
| have done our share and more OF the
! hard work. and long, without hope. that
some ether regiment will relieve us. We
! supposed we were soldiers. but find that
street cleaners would be a more appro-
fs
sergeants has a squad at work laying a
pavement across the street around pri-
yate house and cleaning up the street it
self. II is hard Tor me see the men
going about the unusual work with
I hopeless, settled look OF gloom on their
faces.
The statement that many of this regi-
ment desire to enlist as regulars
is not only untrue but maliciously false.
tending to convey wrong impression to
cur friends at home and to those officials
whose Office it is to designate what troops
shall remain here and for what period
We are all intensely indignant TO be thus
treated after faithfully serving our country
| three long months in an unhealthful eli
mate. Anyone who does not believe
three months sufficiently long to keep vol
unteers in Cuba should enlist and go
through what we have before he makes
public his opinion. Not long ago an Of
fcer stated to me that it was the desire
OF great majority of his company to re-
main in the service here. | contradicted
the assertion and a few moments later
put the question to the company while at
mess. They not only hooted me but said
II there was one man in the entire force
who desired to remain they had not met
him. Surely. If an officer has the right
to express publicly such an assertion an
enlisted man. volunteer Tor active serv-
ice, should be accorded the right to reply
We respect and admire our regular SOL
diers as much, II not more than other cit
liens OF our country who cannot know
them as well as we do. Many Of us have
families to support and cannot afford the
luxury OF serving for sl3 per month
The assertion has been made in the
American and Cuban press that the war
percentage is to be removed This has
produced CONSERVATION among ALL and es-
pecially among many of us who have fam
HES. One Of the men who was a car
penter at home and in good circumstances
and who has been depriving himself of
such little additions to comfort as a SOL
der finds necessary, who every pay day
sends nearly all his money home is wor-
ryins himself sick and is in the hospital
During the night he sleeps very little
and that unrestfully. talking about his
children. There are too many such cases
Last week word came from Santiago.
the department headquarters. that the.
Fourth Volunteer Infantry, having perfect
ed Itself and shown more interest and less
disorder than any other volunteer organ
iZation 1t had been decided to retain II