Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-11-03
LETTER NO. -.
San Juan Hill. July 10.

San Juan Hill. July 10. 1898.
| No change since my last letter : &
| There are rumors that we VIII attack
| The Spanish in the morning. Seems
| likely that we Will as We have received
| orders TO pack rolls ana hav2rSacks at
/ Il. n. tomorrow. This afternoon
Went along the entire line of our
| army. Had nothing else to do. and |
| wanted to see Just how we were To-
Gated. This is the way we are sit
u&ted: Letter furnishes map not
| deemed necessary to publish. Ed
You will notice IL little hill in the
rear which | have marked II. II"
That is where the Rough Riders did
all their terrible fighting on the first
day OF the fight. l don't know. but
honestly believe they never saw Il
SEaniard over there. | hear that il is
III all the New York papers that
Roosevelt and his Rough Riders took
San Juan Hill. That is a lie. He
didn't take San Juan Hill. He didn't
even see the hill. and he has never been
near it yet. We took the hill. and
we've been on top of it ever since
The actions of that man are the laugh
ing stock of the army. He is cOntil1u-
ally blowing his horn. and seems to
think he is the biggest man down here.
If he were not Roosevelt | believe he
would be drummed ont of camp. 1t is
quite Sickening to see the airs he puts
on. | suppose before the war is over
he will be commanding the army, and
that Will mean Il through ticket to the
Presidential chair. It's all politics.
The men who did the fghting-the
rGgulars-have very little 10 say. They
don't seem to be in it for glory. They
simply do it as 4 matter of business
But Roosevelt is out for glory alone
and he seems to be taking all he can
get. s. Now he wants to get
back to the United States probably 10
pull some wires. lie has done nothing
but kick. kick. kick for tie last three
or four days. and he has made himself
very obnoxious everywhere. He kicks
because he can't have toast and eggs
every morning for breakfast. He kicks
because he has TO sleep on the ground
instead OF Il hair mattress. He kicks
because his men are hOmeSick and
want to see their best girls. I'm
homesick myself, but I'm not kicking.
and | haven't heard q kick from any
one in the regiment yet-not even from
one fellow whom / helped into Il trans
port wagon to he taken back to the hos
pital. He had both eyes shot out.
wounds through the neck. chest alb
dOmen. legs and arms. but the only
thing he said was: 'WhOS GOT Il pip"
handy" l gave him mine. didn't
think ned live more than an hour or
two. although be had lain i'll the grass
three days without attention. but tLc;.
got him into the hospital alive.
family. or Of territorial AID CONNER
cial greed.
By the latter path we abandon HI
manity. and with drum ana trumpet
and Warship. hurl ourselves into the
Wretched Wrangle which has been go
ing Oh III the Old world since The dawn
Of history. and the new world then
ceases 10 exist. This is the track into
which. tentatively but surely. orr Gov
crnment has been trying to push, with
accelerated pace. during tie last three
years. and now the people Of the Unit |
Ell States are about to be called upon
to say il it be their wish to continue
the march. If they say yes. let them
marshal their heaviest batta!!ons, |
change their form OF government to
a dictatorship. and prepare their !
purses for a drain in comparison 10
which that of our Civil War was light. |
The Republic is, Indeed, at tie parting |
OF the ways.