Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-15
GUS DEAL IN CUBA.
HE TELLS OF WHAT HE SAW IN
THE INTERIOR.
THE MARCH FROM CAMP COLUMBIA.

How the Men Fell by the Wayside-The
Scene of Famous Battle-Signs of Ruin
and Devastation - Splendid Macadam
Road-what the Soldiers Think of Col
onel Jones.
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
CAMP COLUMBIA, Havana, Cuba,
March lit has now been about a
week since the Second brigade of the
First division, to which belongs the
Second South Carolina, returned from
the practice march through the interior
of Cuba, to Guines (Gwee-nus), dis
tance of about 40 miles and back.
Excepting the first day, when over
half of the South Carolina boys fell out
from exhaustion, the march was not
hard, and the men were well repaid for
whatever hardships they endured by
the new and interesting scenes along
the route.
On the first day out, the Second,
headed by General Douglas and staff,
made a cut across country, winding
through marshes and over steep bills
by numerous and apparently impreg-
liable Spanish Notifications and slosh.
ing through the soft and sticky clay,
caused by heavy rain the night be-
fore, at every step.
The men were new in heavy march
ing order, carrying haversacks, can
teen, blanket roll, shelter tent, poncho,
gun and 25 rounds of ammunition-in
all about SO pounds-and the rests
were few and short. Consequently
the pace soon began to tell, and by the
time they reached the military road,
after 10 miles of thus battling with the
mud, as the column proceeded on its
forced march without any rest, the
men began to stra aggle and drop out
from exhaustion.
The ambulauces were sent back for
them and they were told to get on the
wagons; but here the spirit of the men
began to show. Few would do so,
they preferring to drag out the re-
naming six miles as best they could.
After the first day there was little
struggling in the Second. The men
stuck we'll together, and when in the
lead set a stiff pace, they arriving
in our old camp, on the last day, four
miles ahead of the two Illinois regi-
ments, having made the 16-mile march
in heavy marching order and under a
tropical sun, between and II o'clock
in the morning.
On the second day we made 16 miles
in easy stages over the fine military
road that runs from Havana to Guines,
camping that night about four miles
from Guines on the summit of high
hill, from which splendid view of the
country in almost every direction
could be obtained.
The plains, dotted here and there
with cocanut' or banana groves and
marked by long, straight rows of royal
palms, or by angular lines denoting the
smooth rock. wall fences, and with the
white, glistening road winding in be-
tween, was indeed a beautiful sight to
see. But there were no houses; only
occasionally one of the little tempora.
ry huts made of the shief of the royal
palm and thatched with its leaves, and
very little of the land was in cultiva-
ton.
fell into conversation with very
nice old gentleman from Guines, who
had ridden out to see the troops, and
told me much about the war and the
sad condition of the country. "Those
plains" said he stretching out his arm,
"were, only three years ago, covered
with homes and the cultivated fields
teeming with people. You see them
now. The houses have been burned ;
the people starved to DEATH" "Say,"
said one of the men breaking in and
speaking of what was uppermost in
his, and all of our minds, for we had
been sorely tried that afternoon in the
long climb TO the top of the ridge, and
one \of the mules hud died from the
heat, "Does it get much hot here in
the summer ?"
"'Bout same as now," said the old
gentleman, in his halting English.
"You have a hot day and cold day,
and the wind blows" Verify it does.
l am just beginning to understand
why these people build their houses of
stone, with three foot walls.
Near here was the field upon which
was fought one of the largest battles
of the late war, and leading to it,
down and around the hill, on the road
to Guines, was the road or pass, about
100 yards long, cut some so or 60 feet
deep out of solid rock, where a col
umn of Spanish troops were ambushed
and almost annlhilated.
Near our camp also were two enor-
nous caves, said to have once been
the headquarters of the Cuban army.
AS we did not resume the march until
the following afternoon, there was dur
| ing the entire morning a continual
stream of men from all three regi.
ments pouring through the mouths of
these caves: bearing candles and Ian
terms to explore their dark and cav
ernous depths. I groped and STUN
bled my way for about 100 yards
through the numerous, winding cav
erns of one, sometimes on swampy
ground and again clim bing over mass
es of rock. was very glad to STUN
BILE out again, for our candles had been
blown out, and in the inky darkness
we were completely lost.
send as souvenir brace of Mau',
ser cartridges that were taken from an
ammunition bag in an old house,
about five miles from the battlefield