Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-09-13
lContributed.)
CAPT. ". D. NEWBILL, U. S. A.
EDITOR OF THE CITIZEN:

son of DIR. w. J. Newbill, of Irving.
ton, Va, has been promoted to a
captaiucy in the regular army, and
desire to congratulate him through
the columns of your paper upon his
rapid promotion, aud, having served
under him at Porto Rico, | should
like to add few words to show the
esteem in which he was held by all
who served with him in that CAM
paign.
He was graduated among the first
of his class at West Point in the
spring of1S9S in his 24th year. Soon
after his graduation he was assigned
to duty at Fort Slocum, N. Y, as
2nd Lieutenant of Light Battery
NJ, 7th U. S. Artillery, in which / was
a private, Capt. M. q. McComb in
command. We were soon ordered to
Fort Myer, Va, to be equipped for
regular service. Lieutenant Newbill
was put in charge Of drilling the
men, most of whom were green and
unused to the hardship of preparing
IN artillery service, and his patience
aud kindness during this trying
period of about six weeks was APP
preclated by all the men and won
their hearts.
We were then ordered to Tampa,
at Camp Rodgers, and after few
days delay took transport Arcadia
for Porto Rico, in General Miles
fleet, and were on the high seas
twelve days, landing at Port Ponce,
on the south western coast of the
Island.
During the voyage, which was very
long and rough, and the men mex
perienced, it required a great deal of
tact and intelligence to deal with
them, and many were i'll, but Lieut..
Newbill was unfailing in his kind
ness to all the men alike and they
looked up to and respected him and
bore their suffering like brave men.
The Lieutenant was constantly doing
something to relieve their suffering
or ministering to their needs.
On the night of our arrival at
Ponce we were very late landing, and
had to do so during heavy rain and
were obliged to camp on the wet
ground. Lieut.. Newbill did not go
to bed until he saw that all the men
were made as comfortable as possible.
The battery remained in camp,
called after our captain, Camp
McComb, three weeks. From there
we were ordered across the mountains
and had proceeded about fifteen
miles when one piece of the battery
fell over the mountain because of the
sharp turns in the road and the
number of horses required to carry
the piece up the steep incline. We
had six horses killed by the fall,
and we were delayed, recovering the
piece and burying horses, some
thirty-six hours. Lieut.. Newbill
pulled off his blouse and worked
side by side with the privates in re-
the piece from the noun
tain side. On account of the
rough and almost impossible road,
and our captain being taken i'll, we
had to await orders. We were then
commanded to return to Ponce and
go into camp. But we only got
about mile down the mountain
that night where We encamped, and
as our provision wagons had gone
some ten miles in advance we had
no supper that night and nothing to
eat for breakfast but two hardtacks
and a small quantity of tomatoes and
corned beef, which made very
desirable soup.
This was the only time that we
suffered any great privation. Our
lieutenant ate his lunch on the noun
tain side and seemed to make the
best of the situation and bear the
hardships while he enjoyed his hard
tack.
Captain MoOomb was sent to the
hospital in city of Ponce and we
went into camp about one mile north
of the city. Capt. McComb, after
getting better, was sent to Washing
ton AMI our First Lieut.. Benton was
put In command, and Newbiil then
became acting first lieutenant.
AT this time the mems pay was
three months in arrears, being over
due before we left the United States
but our noble captain loaned each
man from $3 to So. This was soon
exhausted and the men were without
means to buy tobacco and other littl,
necessities that make camp life endur
able and Lieut.. Newbill, appreciatins
the condition of things, gave us al
a pleasant surprise by purchasin,
from his own pocket enough tobacc,
to give, each man half pound O.
smoking and half pound of chewing
Only men who were suffering til,
privation could fully appreciate thi
kindness. After the men were pal,
off Lieut.. Newbill told me that h,
had kept no record of the debt, bu
believed every man had paid hin
back.