Of all the precautions advised before we started for Cuba I could follow but few.  I wear my woolen bandages, but in wading the stream I was unable to put on dry clothes again.  In fact, for seventy-two hours we were under fire without sleep and thirty-six hours without water or food of any kind.

Bacon and hard bread are fine.  I sleep on the side of San Juan hill in a ditch, so I won’t roll out.  I have a raincoat, blanket and shelter half.

This is the most beautiful country I have ever seen, and if we should have peace I know of no place I would rather live in.  I have seen enough of the horrors of the war, but am proud of the gallant boys of the Twenty fourth.  The fighting is practically over, so have no fear.  Your son,

Will.

Colonel wood writes of his battle—­rough riders’ leader describes
the American attack at la Quasina.

Camp First United States Volunteer Cavalry, Six Miles Out of
Santiago, June 27, 1898.

Dear General:  Thinking that a line about our fight and general condition would interest you, I take this opportunity to drop you a line.  We are all getting along very comfortably thus far and find the climate much better than we expected; also the country, which, aside from being awfully rough and full of undergrowth, is rather picturesque and attractive.

We commenced our advance from our first landing place on the 23d, and that night General Young and I, as second in command of the Second Cavalry brigade, had a long war talk about taking the very strong Spanish position about five miles up the road to Santiago.  He decided that he would make a feint on their front and hold on hard, while I was to make a detour by trail under a couple of Cuban guides and take them in flank and try to get them out of their strong position, which was in the wildest and roughest part of the trail toward the town.  Our little plan worked.  I located the Spanish outpost and deployed silently and when in position fired on them.  Shortly after I opened I could hear Young on the right, down in the valley.

Fought two hours at close range.

The fight lasted over two hours and was very hot and at rather close range.  The Spanish used the volley a great deal, while my men fired as individuals.  We soon found that instead of 1,500 men we had struck a very heavy outpost of several thousand.  However, to cut a long story short, we drove them steadily but slowly, and finally threw them into flight.  Their losses must have been heavy, for all reports coming out of Santiago show a great many dead and wounded and that they, the Spanish, had 4,000 men and two machine guns (these we saw) and were under two general officers, and that the Spanish dead and wounded were being brought in for six hours; also that the garrison was expecting an assault that night; that the defeated troops reported they had fought the entire American army for four hours, but, compelled by greatly superior numbers, had retreated and that the army was coming.