Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-01-19
A Letter From Our Soldier Brother
At Manila.

At Manila.
The following letter was received
few days ago. We print it as the
writer will be remembered as an
Audubon county boy. He is with
the First Nebraska Regiment:
ON BOARD THE ARIZONA,
ON THE BRINY DEEP,
November 26, 1898.
Mr.. c. A. MARLIN,
Audubon, Iowa.
MY DEAR BROTHER.-Once more
l am on the wing. New sights, new
lands, new emotions; new people
| and new experiences are about to
burst upon the scene of action. Can
you imagine my feelings of joyous
and sanguine expectancy in all this?
The satisfaction of duty perform
ed. The flush-light of new revela-
tons ever bursting upon me, while
no experiences attached, and no
overpowering sacrifice is demanded.
Treated we'll: Yes and no! No hard
ships, nothing but petty irritations
that make man more of a man if
he learns to control himself. 1t
might be better, it might be far
worse. do not mind anything we
have had so far, | rather enjoy it.
Liz VI lIlS
in the future balances the present,
then why fret: 1t does no good! /
am learning the value of stoicisn,
and when | hear the boys grumble
and curse themselves because they
have joined the army l cannot
understand their feelings; l never
rale against fate.
4 Do you realize that now as | sit
here writing at II o'clock A. NJ, you
are sluinbering quietly in your bed:
That when | got up at seven you
had probably just retired at about
nine o'clock: Such is the case. how
!; ever.
Our leaving the harbor was a
scene long to be remembered, from
. the solemnity of it. Not a cheer
arose from the boys; they go to they
know not what. We are in the har-
Dor Of Manila, on board the Arizona.
The sun has just arisen from be-
hind the mountains to the east, and
Manila stretches out to the north
east. Away to the south Cavete
looms up before us while before it,
as sponsor of the bay, the great
!; ocean greyhounds of Dewey lie in
: watchful serenity. Away to the
. west the steam of a transport varies
:: the scene. The Transport Ohio has
!: just steamed past us with her bur
!: den of troops. All about us are
|: vessels, transports ana war dogs OF
]: other nations. Like swallows, small
. sliffs dart out to us from the city,
!: for we cannot approach within five
J: miles of the city harbor, too shall.
. low. bearing to us friends and mes
!; sages from home. The picture is as
6. al:
!: as it is beautiful; as gloomy as it is
!: son Of enduring remembrance. Sto
!. ries of sickness reach me from
]: camp and I'll be the only Sergeant
/; fit for duty when l get on shore
:, which l trust will be shortly. We
arrived yesterday morning but as
everything must go by military Ell
quette it will take time. We were
e just little less than fourteen days
:. on the road from Honolulu, anc
/ the voyage was uneventful, anC
0 smooth seas ever bore us on. Jus
h before we entered the China Sea the
h ocean was little rough, and
!, "heaved to-" over the rail, once O.
6 tx ice, but for the most part fel
e very good, never felt better in m,
8 life than l do this morning, but it il
l. hard telling how soon I may be il
d the hospital. The Island of Luxor
r seems to be of considerable size /
d seems strange that any fleet would
. be fool enough to bottle itself up il
# such a place as this. You may hav.
II read of the shape and size of the en-
4 trance, but in order to have any
;. definite idea of the place you mus
/. see it. Place battery to the bacl
d of the bay and one on either side o
!. the entrance and no fleet in thu
d world could get in. * !; w
y not been near enought to the wrecks
: to locate them. Last night as l wa
" sitting on the deck the tlash-l oh
v. from Dewey's fleet were being
r. thrown about and, although the,
|. are twelve miles from MS, yet coule
Y not look at them when they wer
# turned on us. The light is power
full and brilliant beyond descrip
ton.
l wish we could get off this morn
ing. The boys that have been her
+, are ready and longing to get home
They feel that the work is complete'
and now want to see friends ant
take up their old duties as citizen
of the greatest nation on the globe
| understand there is difference O
opinion in regard to retaining thes
islands that may develop into
political issue. Shame to the MAJ
k that dares to say that these island
fl are not our own! Can true, loya
American citizen so tralnple unde
foot, and cast aside the possession
which the boys in blue have lei
home and friends and loved one
behind; have suffered the privatlon
and hardships of camp life; hav
sailed for daysand days with hope
and fears, joys and griefs that tn
n, world can never know aud do the
say-American citizens say, the
care not for their country's hone
and dignity and unfading glor
which we boys thousands of mile
from friends and home have swor
to protect and defend with our life
blood, if it need be! AS for me y
a have a sacred duty to perform
* which owe to my country and III
~ God and until that duty is perform
&c ed l will never return. If my lii
be taken in this cause of hunanit
and my blood redens the sands
~, these beautiful islands, so be it.
d; am ready, come what may.