The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-03-22
From Camp Colum bia.

3218d60iuSs NJ oiS ECsIoateS@ w fo~
iish the following letter. which be
seceived q few days ago from his
grandson, Sergt j. B Holman Of the
% Reg. S G Y. Infantry:
Camp Columbia, Cuba, March I.
My Dear Grandfather Ii is colder
here now than it Ias been since we
have been here you eau see the
Cnbans going about all wrapped up,
and they will say to you "nuy frio. "
but it is only cool enough to put
some life into a fellow, make him
sleep good, and hate to hear reveille
ID The morning Suppose you have
read in the papers about tttbas eight
days march re went on. . Don't
mean totire you by repeating what
you hare already read. but am going
10 tell You something about it We
left .camp last Sunday two weeks
ago The first three miles of the
march were over the country, across
hills, rock fences, etc. 1t was very
siresome and warm, bus il gave one
3 good chance to see how Havana
was protected By small Spanish forts
on almost every bill, surrounded by
the famous barb wire fences March.
iiag across the country soon tired
lots Of the men ont. and before we
were Eve miles 25 per cent. had
fallen ont There are only about six
IN onr company who went the eigh.
days without falling ont. am one
sof them. On our oacks We carried
q half dog tent, our dinner. plates
and clothing After sixteen mile
march ne reached our first nights
camp The frss thing that We saw
Of any importance was q hay field,
where we at once got to work, and
soon had our little tents filed with
hay, which made Us sleep very com
fortably, although we were all SO
tired | believe we could have slept
well on the ground We got into.
camp abont four IN the evening !; but
from then until II o'clock that night
men who had fallen ont on the way
were showing up. About ten, an
old fellow who used TO work for
father as Mecbanicsyille, named Geo.
Collier. but known ID our company
as Gel. came in with crowd Of
about twepty Eve. which he called
hiis lind Bat.
When ne werein sight of Gninas
our destination, being on the top of
. high Hill, and about three miles
from il, we were rested . day The.
country around it was very interest
ing a crowd of ns took our dinner
with as and set ont to see and learn
what sse could. The Fret and most
interesting place we visited vas q
very large care; what little we
could see with a candle was very
pretty. Bats were plentiful. and dis.
sturbed BY our lights became very
numerous, and would dy against a
felIow-the lick would feel as if
some Que had his him From the
cave We visited the remains Of some,
Gaban houses, and Judging from the
masonry, and beautiful flowers, and
shade trees, they must have been
costly aud lovely houses. From what
NE could get ont of Cuban, these
fne places were owned by Cubans
and burned by. the Spaniards years
ago. You must excuse mistakes,
she boys are taking in She tent SO ]
can scarcely write And the own,
.ers haYing iost everything they hsd,
are not able TO rebuild !: not even
able to cultivate the many acres of
fertile. lands that are around these.
places
In Guinias q town Of about 5 600
inhabitants. and of some Importance,
being eight miles from the Caribbean
Sea, we were reviewed on the 22d
by Gen Gomez We thought we
would remain 10 The town about three
DAYS. but the men drank so much
cognac, and raised SO much disturb.
ance that Gen Douglass issued
marching orders for us sitter one days
stay there. If We had remained
another day We would have gone
down to the Caribbean Sea. Our I'd
Lieutenant had the. trip all ready
planned for crowd Of ten of Us, and
we all regretted being in eight miles
of marching across the Island and
not being able to go across Our
Isss day out on the march, we made
sixteen miles and were in camp
Columbia in time TO. dinner. We
were, previous to the march, detach.
ed from the Regiment and did provost
guard duty in Quemadas. but are
glad to be back and settled down in
the Regiment again.
We hear lots of talk about going
home. eyerydsy we hear some new