The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-06


 New World" where the Spanish flag had been planted 400 years before by that adventurous nation. It must be re- membered that we owe Spain debt or gratitude; for 1t was from her shores that Columbus set sail to discover Amer iea-as great an event in its day as It would be now if an airship should make the flight to one of the planets ana re- turn with wondrous tales.
 On the fourth or fifth day out from Tampa the Yueatan and the City or Washington, tugging at her tow two speeks upon the mighty ocean, were the only objects in sight Some of the troop CTS lay asleep dreaming dreams of home and loved ones others dreaming of the battles that were to be, all of them con- fdent that a new glory should rest upon the flag that waved above them on the tropical sea-
 Others played games of chance, the national game of draw poker or Spanish monte-when 10! and behold! the dream CTS awoke, the games of chance ceased and all eyes were glued to spot far out on the horizon There was a curl of smoke that grew larger and larger, and then the masts and tunnels of a ship bearing down upon us was seen in the distance. Was It a Spaniard, and in her wake the Spanish fleet? It must be. For she came in the opposite direction froEi that in which we had seen our fleet fade away into the distance. Some of the Rough Riders went Into the hold of the ship and came up with their Krag-Jor- gensens, intending to give battle; for it I must be remembered that some of those men had never been off a COW trail before 1 r their lives and did not realize that d man-of-war could stand beyond the range
 of our guns and send our crew to the ], bottom while we would be unable to give ] them a scratch.
 l The Rough Riders were the strangest | assortment of men that have ever been i drawn together in one body-soldiers or ] fortune, full-blooded Indians, cowboys, 1 adventurers, athletes, college graduates, ;, members of the New York Stock ex- 1 change and men In all walks of life. It l Is stated that there were 15,00O applica- tions to join that noted body of men. i Fifty per cent of that regiment, 1t is esti- 1 mated were sons of ex-Confederate sol : diers. It was the spirit of that regiment, 1 personified in Theodore Roosevelt, a
 strong personality and individuality, which carried him to the highest office in the gift of the American people.
 The ship that was bearing down upon
 them drew closer and closer, and 1t was
 seen through the telescope that she was not a merchant vessel, but an engine of war Was that the stars and stripes floating in the breeze? Or was 1t the i yellow flag of Spain, that meant cap ! ture to them all and an end of all their | dreams of glorious wpr?-for 1t was l equally the spirit of adventure and that ! of patriotism which was the cause of the formation of such a regiment. 1t was the call of the Wild-unloosed. Were they to
 die like rats in a sinking ship, or were i they to be captured?
 i There was no undue excitement shown by that splendid body of men, and they
 4ll xxrtt In nf | precipitating the first fight in Cuba un-
 assisted by the battleships, striking the
 Spaniards in the jungle, on the trail to ! Santiago, and sending them fleeing into i their fortified strongholds around the l city Closer and closer drew the ship l of war. when 1t was seen that 1t was i not the yellow ensign of Spain. but the glorious flag of their country, the stars and stripes; and the men upon the ship Of war their brothers in arms and not 1 their enemies.
 l A cheer went up to the heavens from
 the throats of the men, whose fathers
 wore the blue and the gray; and 1t is
 safe to say that It mostly resembled the
 Rebel Yell' of old for it was rebellion that made this country possible, and later on rebellion that gave to us heritage
 more glorious than Is possessed by any 1 other nation that the world has known. 1 That spirit of rebellion has made us the
 greatest nation under the sun; and it will
 be rebellion against wrong in the future l not necessarily rebellion baptized in
 blood--that will make this nation still l greater in the years to come.
 The cruiser was out scouting, and came
 over to see if the transports were not a l part of the Spanish fleet. Satisfied on 1 this point they parted company and the | transports went on their way that they
 might encounter the real adventure and l they were all willing that it be with solid
 ground under their feet, where they 1 could strike and win.
 They were all delighted when we
 sighted the shores of Cuba. It was to
 them the promised land, for which they I had been striving. To most of the men i the expedition was no more than a holi- day excursion, but there was one poor fellow from the west, who had never
 seen the ocean before, and he told James i Luslk that he would never return home.
 Asked why, he replied that something | told him that he would not Coming
 events cast their shadows He was
 killed at the battle of Santiago, doing his
 full duty. Peace to his ashes
 Then, on the other hand, there was "Bucky'' ONeal, explaining, sheriff of i Yavapai county, Arizona, who declared
 that the Spanish bullet was not moulded
 that could kill him. The words were
 hardly out his mouth before one of those
 same bullets pierced his heart and he l fell a lifeless corpse. He is one of the he-
 roes of Arizona. There is a monument
 to his memory in Prescott. Everyone | knew him, and he was greatly loved. | As the transports were passing Guan- l tanamo bay torpedo boat came out and
 an officer announced through mega
 phone that the marines had landed there
 and fought 100 hours on stretch with
 out sleep So they were nearing their
 destination, and at last caught up with
 the fleet around Santiago harbor
 Cuba, with it's green mountains rising from the white sands along the beach
 that was lined with cocoanut trees and all the foliage of the tropical forest, alive
 with strange birds and sounds! It was not decided as far as they knew, when | they were to land. As night came on | the transports put out to sea, to hide in
 the fog and darkness for fear the Span ish fleet might come upon them una i wares No lights were allowed on board l the ships The battleships were kept guarding the mouth of Santiago harbor,
 for 1t was then known that the Spanish fleet was at that point
 The morning they landed at last was
 one never to be forgotten. The great
 battleships and cruisers bombarded
 Moro Castle and at points along the coast
 for 10 or 15 miles, in order to deceive the
 Spaniards as to the point where the
 landing would be made. The men-of-
 war and cruisers moved about throwing
 prevent the Spanish gunners from train ingstheir guns upon them.
 The Rough Riders first real insight , f,to tba oraweome part of the war was