Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-06-14
"reminiscences OF A SOLDIER
bergt. C. A. McHugh Tells of
the Cuban Campaign.
|oOD WORK OF LIGHT ARTILLERY
long and Tedious Marches in
Rough Country.

Long and Tedious Marches in
Rough Country.
+lrdhrilling Experiences During Memorable
Wy Invasion of Cuba-Fighting Against Odds
Work of Spanish sharpsiiooters- Gen.
u,Iiles' Arrival Welcomed.
leo The Gazette has received a most
| ia tteresting letter from Charles A. Mo
Iao II ugh of Lancaster and Ford avenues,
bee is city, who is a sergeant in Battery
I,pty, Second Artillery, United States
HcioI rmy, now stationed at Vedado, Cuba.
llar He was one Of the few Delawareans in
+ic,lie notable engagement at Santiago de
he Iuba, during the Spanish American
&plicIar, and in his letter gives series OF
. tiesIBrsonal "reminiscences of army life
Hersnhich are entertaining and instructive.
.GeJ 81 enlisted in the United States
aooIrmy ut San Antonio, Tex, on July
ana Lin, 1894, to serve five years. he
hJrites. ~ was assigned to f Troop,
msbifth Cavalry, and was Immediately
|b,cynt into active service, as that was the
bertme when men were needed for frontier
vsnIuty on the Rio Grande River, better
III Known as the Mexican border. This
| 1huDr1OQ was also NDUNu hS tut tOOrLh
anhmpaign, the territory covered being
/ thE the Rio Grande from El Paso to
ven4 Tort Brown, Tex, and during this
tbihmpaign the Fifth Cavalry had q
yinI lumber of hard rides There were many
|ublN astein men in the troop and large
In Number of them were made sick. Ii
auKade the most of them think that
Ge(sxas was larger than she appeared on
wtlbe map, as the cavalry is branch Of
loonIhe service that is siokening, especially
braid uring long ride.
h MI After the Cora campaign l was
+wep transferred to Light Battery X, First
rtillery, which was at that time sta
thAoned at San Antonio, Tex. This was
the 10Th day of November. 1886, and
was stationed there until February
Isl. 1898 From there, at this date, we
Uarted on practice march up the
wi,faudalupe River, and arrived at our
urip$ destination on the 18th of the month.
/ PedEe had covered a distance of $50 miles.
|pnpakhis was at Kerriville, at the head OF
}, odbe Guadalupe River.
hce son the 10Th, the day the battleship
las tAlane was blown up in Havana harbor,
willie received orders to break camp, and
M3e made forced march back to San
tnizaN ntonio, covering the distance in seven
|icigl$ay We left San Antonio on the Isl
i've III March for Galveston, Tex, and there
preIe did coast defence duty for nearly
weIhree months. From there we went tc
hiXhckamaugua and were in Chicka
Ite bIbaueua only about ID hours when We
Hekpceived orders to load our six guns or
. littuat cars. These guns were 81 inches
ever nd without doubt fine gun for the
in Il e'd service, which was proven ID the
panish American war. The only thing
! A,nt Iarl t,o nd rhiph prnuad
Inca ore q little behind the times, wa
mon( nokelss powder. We hurried to Por
itho tampa, Fla, leaving horses and driver!
. iiftH blind, as there were no coast defence
bred \ tho coast at that time, and it wal
viii kported that hostile ships had beer
an 3en in that vicinity. We were sta
3 biz oned on the docks, and we were Their
bitat ntil the 10th of June, when We sailet
18th the invading army for Cuba.
eetti "Of tho light batteries of artiller.
In I'd here were only four which participates
blika D the engagement at Santiago. The
ere A and + of the Second and E ant
nj \ of the First. We all embarked
blk h o2ether. There were 46 transports il
/ for VI Il and X batteries and four com
Sp anies of the Seventh Infantry were o.
or bard the steamship Comal, No. 7. W
Ia. M Eae nine days CD the voyage when "
be- ghted land at Barquire on the south
nst coast OF Cuba. We anchored With
Joe bout 500 yards of the shore, in 8
) hthoms of water, and had to swif
III gu shore with our horses, numbering II
nder the roar of Sampson IS guns, an
do 10 could see fleeing Spaniards as far
Mr. eyes could reach. 1t was yer
yd |bugE Job, owing to the high seas, gel
n I'd Ing the horses ashore, but by dark "
! Till Eere ashore aud in the handicap "
.ho m pst only two men and four horses
ces Owever there were lots Of horses To-
man Of of the different outfits. The Seoon
tuga avalry, of which four troops wei
far Ounted, lost quite a number of horses
Anat lille the Ninth Cavalry, dismountef
Ih nd the Sixth Infantry lost lots of mel
aiou no were found on the beach the ne'
me forming. At this time l was lea
brit river of the first piece in Light Ba
TO I'D Dry X, commanded by Capt. Clemoi
lin Id lest.
biant I'VE wore the only light battery th
tn Anded at Barquire, and from here
. it harched into Siboney, which was
+. N lilies through one OF the toughest piec
bf N country that a man ever Walked owe
hnn was then that my mind went back
avov he city in Delaware. | began TO lie
loo, though my ma wanted to see m
Mat md was sorry that ever left home
6pol VI When we arrived at Siboney, 10
leg Paws later, Grimes and Capron's la
eries had not yet landed, but they fc
owing day they disembarked. When
UEl harchcd into Siboney, there were ty
Mea |ngines on the raj road which runs In
IL antiago. and one Of them had stea
a; p, which indicated that some one hi
IN PIT there ON short notice, 1t was b
EIed short while till the United Stat
In h Odiers had the engines in runni
rider and ready to move. Down t
mn rack, about one half OF mile, was
anoi ron bridge that had several holes in
I n Ii enetrsted by shots from Sampson
n m eet. The men hooked the engine th
ono BAD steam up to the other and gave
head on across. Luckily, 1t went oy
safety and was used in transport
fs. DC troops. We remained in Sibon
Az until The Goth: then we marched
. d q payilla on the lst of July.
cen "A few other incidents happened
b. u mall note, but when we arrived on
BID u BRING line, had great deal to attIi
| th Ply attention. 1t was indeed pitt
~ ght TO zoe the wounded being broue
pack, and being on the lead horse, and
dapp With bullet in his leg, made me thi
nat my position was very dangero
spanish sharpshooters were plentiful
tIFH nat place, all Of them hiding in
branches of the cocoanut trees.
sIrived at the point known rs
uoody anglo at Ell Paso hill, VII