| Show HELL IN THE TRENCHES HOT AND DRY AND THRLE DAYS WITHOUT FOOD I 1 Grap graphic laiti description of a salt lake soy boy of the bloody work before santiago toy joy nt at the surrender the following letter Is a from frank C mccune who aho enlisted list last may at fort douglas tor for the second regular infantry U S A it was written on scraps of paper but is probably the best beat letter that lias 1 I a a been published here it Is 19 thrilling in parts parta and describes several occurrences that have bay e not yet appeared in print franks friends mill vi ill bo be glad to hear hes aa sate I 1 e and sound lie ile was waa ono of we the most popular young men in the city working before the war in tho the treasurers treasur ers office of the short line in camp outside santiago sunday july IG 16 the walte hinged dove of peace la is over our camp now and latt la abt tt wo 10 wore were moved back from the trenches anti and pitched pit clied our dog doff tents rot for the hie first tinte time in fourteen days am sitting hero arro with a cool breeze blowing in guard mounting will be going on lit in a moment the fellos s are lauh la laughing u h or chewing the rag raff and e everybody y Is happy once met moie e our lias has done no brilliant fighting but we have been here till all the ahm rind stuck it out fourteen cen days in the trenches tin nn grub tor for three diya days at a time und and sleeping in it the le mud at night and fighting in tile the day clay will ann a little of my expel alcoces since landing at siboney we lit out biorn there june 21 ath and took look 10 daya to march a dozen miles on tile we made C camp amp about tu luo a miles below fort san juan 1 I here tho the twenty fourth their kallant gallant charge abid sol got a bitor bitof bile grub and next coining tirl bright gl lit anti and polly mily heard the th big biff guns of a the enemy shelling h our tel low the regiment wadud waded a small rivel filled our canteens con leens piled our rolls and havers aks and filed out lor for the fit mine ing line we came up of to I 1 ahr lit neveu ty first new boik along the roid road all lying down and the bullets we acie 1 S sans I 1 g ing ine a merry tune over our head lien d another A crek creek cr ek to wado and we struck an open fjeld just fust in III time to bei bee the T ell ty fourth sn arming tile the teat crest of the hill und plant old ginty on the blockhouse it 0 use that Is where poor augustine lost IOKI hla his life although I 1 lid did not know of it until several days after L a N P baling off 0 to the he left four our position find out tr to fx A line took a hill at the double and not a lot biorn our tide side well it was it a pretty hight from ill HIP the forts fort avid batteries and tr eurlies of the enemy being in foil fell view we opened ore fire on a battery at a thousand yards and after wo we got to toi fo pot got all about tile tho filial is und and bullets coming over we allen silenced ced that battery all right but lost lo 10 several men thon took a position over on our right and ocene opened d on the rifle tills pita tit n the sp spanish anish we plugged plue EOl anay aay at them for nearly fifteen minutes ahrn their MR mg hal bill tolle lri liH yot got our iange anop vind shelled abetted us ua put out W we juel behind tile fill and put up it conall ani ill line of ants ond and tall laid down don lint until duck arthon tin the fighting erased cased till all ailing tile hie line anc put out out our pickets anil and sailed in fit in die dic until d dui aai just jul hal had them about doel dep enough for covet cover alin lien tile alf firing coin lint hot aal I aravy avy well ie kept it up lit all day long no arrul fill I 1 no antei and hot tip in hicks s chrit night ite e nena ly finished our alfip rin 1 its ind sol got vuu r I 1 from 1 n I creek a mile aaby no grub rub im am yet till th next day dav i a a repetition or of abo one on before ln and ile ifft a good many rel helloms 1 out our arst sergeant among almonr ilium we very relieved that noon by the third for ahlee or jour hours end camo came don to lu eat cat and 11 bury ury our dad d ad it u MM the a saddest at idever t hit I 1 ever sair we put tho the poor away lu in one bis big trench for A and II 11 I 1 r e mi lanies th the e captain cappall 1 I I 1 read d tha I 1 b burial L urial bonice erv lc c h hta 14 white little old 1 I head R 6 ire ill ahr ruin comier down hard and shells iund und bullets over our heads 1 like fice a a hall armm wi we mang it a verso verse of nearer my illy god to thee and tin husky voices anade but bui a poor attempt I 1 dul we took our at 5 and at dusk k out nut to tile hill on once CC anro ran 1211 and at lii a I 1 ked arms ai mb which aich w wu as a fatal 1 on our part the company started to flesh tile hie trenches and pan pait bof 0 UK im lying down don asleep waiting ni out turn lurn to eig die when v lien hilt biff bani bang and a irom roni life alic bull opened with at a night attack alack tit lk all the cc conf fusion UHlon that N was as th lh dwors I 1 no ono had his rifle everyone was elleni orders and to cronn the I 1 whole blindy buKi bu mins nM the ninth mas ilaa dolunt volunteers ers just jum below opened fire on oil u IK 4 moro here me ile were nothing to do but bul lie down the massachusetts c chu tinora mere ero ordered off of by our auto major anti and we ROI got out and pumped the old magazines to a finish and nil alt along the fighting line come ou our ate ady volleys volle til the troops all got ot in into to aldr the ope d their old a ott n tiling gun E and they binl n aply red those spaniards not next day a flag flae ot of truce canie came over rind nad all day long lone they burled buried their dead and ile it Ivul noved the time by fixing our pits the tivice ti uce lasted from the ath until the loth anti and never a rest louv n all it that time but vie managed to get pork hardtack orl and coffee they told lold the Span larda if 1 they surrender surender ia we ne would open on thern them at I 1 on the loth the spaniards Span lardi failed ailed to see eee the error ot of their way and IV tat there under the shelter ot or our allo and sano bags listening for or the firby eun it carne came all right about exactly nod and wo we jumpa d to the port holes all along alone the title tine eight or nine the place simply hailed balled buthis bullits at the beggars our company had bad aho ih corst I 1 ioa that day the first shot from tho the spanish a shell struck 0 our u r pits and knocked them saily a second d shell ann cnn came e through anti and exploding just J u s t at our pit struck capt rowels at t the b blew him 1111 to lleces another ran mans ns wins end anil chest cheat orr olt and the eyes out of a third poor fellow it was awful I 1 I 1 tell you the captains hat was wad blown into a tree fitly fifty feet away alloy pla pin ind and spyglass blown blonn to slivers sll sli veis und anil nothing left but lili 1114 legs the men picked up tip the fragments raff menta as best beat they rould could that night find and we are burled buried the them ill tile tho next day commenced tin ill blood bloody Y once more about 33 12 ill the 0 pig ild of oc truce went up tip once more this time to stay we W have bavo bee been 11 n the pits its sin since ce than he nit all ready our on oin the n bilut no older came to tire fire and ator eater day tho the whole cheese surrendered well we wore were happy plenty of grub once move tents up and thi the strain olt our nerves and every one going around orr 1 ettles getting shaved and takings baths this la Is about thy the light fight ai a i I 1 con can tell it though there have been it a hundred tittle tattle incidents clenti to make a 0 fel ell low laugh and forget that mn men m n are arc dropping next to you lack jack of grub I 1 lina all night in kho h mud and all day in the heat beat when you are so tired with handling a pick find and shovel you w u lit lie down aind 1 sleep w lali the alic rain coming flown down hard all night flight eat cat raw pork and pick a hardtack out of the trout mud and bless bles your lucky stars you can get it then iou ou think after it t Is nil all over what Is the good of 0 war the island of cuba Is not worth half I 1 alc the poor fellows v who lie have fallon the church bells belle over in n santiago ire ajo bolln tor for early earli mass as our reveille sounded founded the sun just coming over the hill anil and its all like a strange dream now at 3 9 oclo lc we go anto nto 60 the pit once more to in receive tile tho surrender of tho the spanish 1 I dropped tills till at ft a rn and vre ire all out to 10 bo be under arms amis when lien the Aso assembly embly sounded and wo we climbed the hill once more I 1 it t was i quite a panorama way tile the hills on the other oilier side aide of the hie valley our troops aeo lined un UD ench each regiment with lla its bat battle it ling fang wailing Al a and D d at tile tho alist sun gurt the cheering bor ber itan an each regiment clment re hip hip hurrahs hur it was wag ilkow a a ripple ind and ran rail from regiment to regiment ment all around the city for or a dozen miles and more the binds bands pin played yd the star Spang kl cl banner hats hais waving and convict cannon booming then they had wall hall columbia and alter after diett as a w wr were marching back played the great pre light la Is over we WC lared rod a eat eallie uis 0 of f forty five guns and old glory waves over the city FRANK |
