Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ...was full of perils from sharpshooters. When he got there he found that he had been right about there being room for him. He was almost exhausted by his long and dangerous tramp, but he was fully rewarded when he heard the ringing cheer which the men sent up for him when they found how far he had'come and what he had come for,6 and when he was gladly accepted and enlisted as a member of the best volunteer regiment that ever fought in our army or any other army. Afterwards, in writing home, he said, first, that he had plenty of material for sculpting, and second, that the stone fort at El Caney, which he had just visited, was an absolute slaughter pen. Its walls were literally kalsomined with the blood of dead Spanish soldiers. It will be remembered that this fort was the one which surrendered to Mr. James Creelman of the New York J ournal.. Creelman was shot while it was being done, but he gained distinction as being the only newspaper correspondent to. whom a hostile force had ever surrendered a fortification. ' The camp was on the right of the main road leading to Santiago, and had no pleasant features that I have been able to learn. The tents were pitched in a hollow instead of on high ground, which was plentiful thereabouts, and the men suffered accordingly, not only when the rains descended as I have described, but from malaria and other fevers. Every day four or five Rough Riders went out over the trail to the hospital at the rear. Wood and Roosevelt had been mighty good to the men at San Antonio and Tampa, as well as on the transport, and after they landed in Cuba, but it was in this camp that the men began to really appreciate the stuff of which their commanding officers were made. Whatever the men had to go without, they...