Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-15

wade Porto Rico under General Miles
was gotten together.
May 81 the expedition sailed, con-
voyed by warships and scout boats and
! proceeded leisurely to Porto Rico, et-
fecting a landing at Guanica, about
/ thirty miles from Ponce, the objective
point and the main port on the south
ern coast, July 25. Here Company A
almost engaged in actual warfare In
fact, the members heard the rattle. of
muskets and saw evidences OF their
work, though not actually having a
/ hand in the dOings.
! There was only a small squad of
/ Spanish soldiers at Guanica and the
| resistance was feeble The gunboat
! Gloucester led the way into the har-
/ Dor and sheiled the place A squad of
marines was landed and the enemy
fled inland, leaving a few prisoners.
Next morning they made a stand a
, few miles inland but the Massachus-
etts men and Company G of the Sixth
Illinois put them TO fight after d
sharp skirmish. Three Massachusetts,
men were wounded and the Spanish
/ lost half a dozen killed and IL wound
ed These were the only casualties of
the campaign in southern Porto Rico
The Spanish headed for the north side
of the island and the United States
troops followed them, never but once
getting within striking distance, and
then couple of companies of regulars
frightened them away by a show OF
force.
Share of Hardships.
Company a, however, while not do
ing any actual fighting, had it's share
OF hardships. Marching with the regu-
latiOn army load and in heavy wooden
uniforms under the blistering rays of
tropic sun is no snap, as anyone who
ever tried it will testify, and when you
add to that the softneSs and ineXperi-
ence of the men. the blistered feet
caused by tOrding streams in a land
where there are few bridges and the
cold rains which fell every night, chill
ing the soldiers to the marrow there
IS cause for enough misery to give the
average trooper vivid recollections for
the remainder of his lifetime
Company A was on the island only
from July % to Sept. Z, but the mem
beFs were more than glad to leave.
They marched in that period only a
little over a hundred miles, but it was
done in stunts of fifteen to twenty
miles a day and under forced condi-
tiOns. The men were raw and nm
trained and did not know how to take
care of themselves. They were soft
from lying 10 days on a transport
without chance for exercise and most
OF the time they were poorly fed The
period was one of torrential rains.
Mountain streams which are numer-
Gus in that land, were high and in
variably they had to be forded. Porto
Rico IS a beautiful island and an ideal
place for pleasure trip with the
usual accessories for comfort and con-
but d field for such a cam
paign as Company A participated i'm
it has it's drawbacks
The expedition under General Miles
left Guanica July 30 proceeding 10 |
YauCO and thence 10 Ponce. At the /
latter place resistance was expected I
but there was none, the Spanish hav-
ing fed. While in camp there new /
krag Jorgensen rifles were issued to /
replace the old 45-caIihre Springfields
which were practically of the same
-yPe as were used in the Civil war.
and there was some target practice.
The men received sufficient instruction
so that most OF them probably, in the
event OF clash, would have shot in
he general direction of the enemy in
stead OF toward each other
Leaving Ponce Aug 8 the expedition
vent to AdJuntas and then to Utuado |
lhout in the middle of the island
There camp was pitched 10 await or
lers, which came Aug, % in the form
" a command to return TO Ponce TO
all for home The 40 miles back 10
'once were made in two days over
he worst imaginable roads, with
and landslides and swollen
treams frequently encountered The
sixth dribbled into camp in twos and
hrees late on Aug 20, the men being {
or the most part utterly exhausted hy ]
he ordeal. but more cheerful than ,
hey had been since landing on the is .
and. Till Sept & camp "A few miles !
ut or Ponce Was maintained aud then .