The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-07
SOLDIERS AND TOBACCO.
The Martial Spirit Kept Alive by the
Soothing Weed.
(From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.)

(From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.)
DO you know it's mighty risky thing
to deprive soldiers of their tobacco? said
a man who was in the volunteer ranks
during the Santiago campaign. Any 9TH
er kind of physical Observation-Disclosures,
thirst. cold, wounds-is more than apt
make man fighting mad He wants to
take it out of somebody, and, as the
enemy is primarily responsible for his
sufferings. he will sail into the fray with
all the ferocity of a fellow who has a
bitter personal grievance to redress. You
will understand, of course. that L don't
advocate this treatment for putting met
tie into troops; what l say is that 1t
doesn't necessarily rob them of IL; but
the loss of their tobacco will sap their
fighting spirit every time 1t does it by
turning them into the worst kind of pes
simisIs. That was strikingly illustrated
by our experience in the trenches before
Santiago. There was a tobacco famine
from the first. but it wasn't until after
the two big general engagements. when
we settled down to see things out, that
its effects began to make themselves felt.
AT that time our boys were suffering
from about as many different kinds of
discomfort as could be gathered togeth-
er in one heap. They were half-starved
terribly exhausted. wet. cold. and dirty.
They were without shelter or a place
where they could lie down, except in the
muddy trenches, where nobody dared
light a fire for fear of attracting the
sharpshooters, and you would naturally
suppose that all these things would have
furnished abundant material for grumb-
ling. But they didn't. They were scarce
" mentioned The only subject that was
generally discussed was the chance of
getting smoke. and when that chance
Wis finally recognized as zero plus moth
ing, the whole company settled down to
deep gloom.
Up to that time our men had been per
fectIy confident of taking Santiago and
licking the Spaniards out of their boots;
but the longer they remained without
tobacco the more doubtful they became
They had all sorts of sinister fOrebodingS
we would get the fever: the enemy
would shell rs with big naval guns from
the fleet; overwhelming re-enforcements
would be rushed across from Havana,
and the Lord knows what else.
AT the end of twenty-four hours there
was only one man in our detachment who
still believed We had ghost of a chance
He was a chap who had stolen three big,
black cigars from the saddlebags of a
passing general The. company remained
in that frame of mind, only growing
steadily more and more hopeless, until
the evening of the fourth day. when
cOmmissary wagon threw of a box OF to-
balmed beef. Our men bounced on it like
tigers. and in five minutes everybody was
smoking and confidence in the American
arms was fully restored. A man next to
me in the trench; who was writing his
will when the tobacco arrived. tore of
the top lines. I. John Smith, being of
sound mind. etc. and wrote a letter to
his sweetheart instead The troops were
If anything. hungrier. colder. and wear
Ter than they had been at first but 1 new
er sa such a sudden revival of martial
spirit In my life. If anybody had men
toned naval guns or Havana REINFORCE
ments he would have had his head punch
ed. So | say it is risky thing to deprive
a soldier of his 'baccy. The mysterious
pessismism that ensues will reduce his
fighting efficiency 20 per cent