Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-09-07
LETTER FROM WILL WILSON.

San Fernando, T. l., July 20, 1899
Dear Mrs. Cole:
We received mail the other day
from the transports Zelandia and
Sheridan and we were pleased
to hear from you. And also thank you
very much for the stamps, writing pa
per, safety pins and state papers which
you sent. 1t seems that you know just
exactly what soldier needs. OF
course you were there your self for a
| few years and ought to know the needs
of soldier. / have been wanting q
| safety pin ever since we arrived in this
city and now have one. I'll bet those
| four years you spent in the army seem
| ed long to you. / think that l would
heave prolonged sigh if / were told
that l had four years to serve, but still
when a fellow has cause such as yours
was, he would not notice it so much.
If wasn't needed at home and was
| in good health, don't know but what
| would reenlist for another two years,
myself, for l am young yet and
wouldn't miss two years. There are
plenty of men who wish to follow sol
dering as business and who have not
| any interest at home who can take my
| place if they wish. If was to reenlist
though, / think would take the cav
airy branch of the service for chasing
these ''niggers" on foot wears q fellow
out. If they would only stand and
fight long enough so that troops could
be sent around them things would be
| better. If the general would get three or
four regiments of cavalry over there
I think the boys would make those In
surgents open their eyes, and also
when the Negro soldiers get turned
loose on them. Clyde and | were glad
to hear from you because you under
stand army life better than most peo-
pie and your letters are very interest
ing and advising. Our company is on
outpost duty today and Clyde Is with
them. He has remained in excellent
health, but l was not so fortunate.
took the dysentery while back and
haven't been much good. 1t is my
first siege of sickness since enlisting.
am feeling little strong and better
now, and the surgeon said I could take
a little walk each day and should be al
lowed to eat little substantial food
such as an egg, little rice, beef soup,
etc. have been living on nothing
but matted milk for ten days. / still
have..the diarrhoea, but by remaining
quiet and living on milk have kept it
checked pretty we'll. want to try and
get in good shape in time to go on
board the boat with the regiment, or
if am not 1 will have to be sent with
the siet and wounded on special boat.
think our regiment will soon be re-
called from the firing line to be got in
readiness for going home, for under
stand that enough transports are on
way over here now to take the last of
us volunteers home. We think we can
get off by Sept. 18th, as the Tenn. reg
ment is at Iliolo. Our regiment may get
started home before them, but / am
not sure. They are entitled to go
ahead of us. The Sherman left day be-
fore yesterday and when the Grant
leaves next week with the North
Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming boys
there will be only seven of us volun-
teer regiments to go. There are five
of the boys Of our company W no intend
to reenlist and good many more will
before we go home l think. Quite a
few of the officers of our regiment in
tend TO remain. The travel pay is a
great inducement to good many of
the boys. Clyde has his whiskers
shaved off now and | hardly knew him
when he came up to the hospital to see
me. He came up every day or so and
whenever ! wanted anything, such Us a
towel, writing paper, etc, he would go
and buy it for me. ! am writing over
in the house where / lived before ] had
to go to the hospital.
suppose you have heard by this
time that our First Lieutenant shot
himself. We all thought the world Of
him, but he would take spells and his
mind would wander. Our Capt. has
proved rascal and a coward and the
boys got up petition asking him to re-
sign. He put in his resignation, but l
understand that it was not accepted.
He is in Manila now and will go home
when we do | suppose, but he will
never be given command of the COM
pany again for the boys despise him
and wouldn't stand it. He got away
with lot of money which belonged to
our company hospital fund. Our
Second Lieutenant and First Sergeant
are fine officers and as cool and brave
under fire as could be. l think there
will be some promotions before long
for we want more than one officer. The
Vol. Regulars are being discharged and
sent home us fast Us room can be made
for them on the ships. We expect to
have a nice visit it Nagaskia and Yoko-
homo if We stay there long enough in
each place. We would like to see Hon
olulu again on the way home, but will
pass too far north for that. Someone
said that surgeon McCray got cable
gram from Council Bluffs saying that
our mail was being held in Frisco. I
don't know whether it is so or not.
Well, have written quite a long letter
and am getting tired so must quit.
Clyde and l are very glad that the peo-
pie at home appreciate what little we
AaYe done, although it wasn't much