Roy Kelso's Spanish American War Experience
Announcement in the Detroit Free Press,
1898
Manistique, Mich. - Leroy Kelso, a bookkeeper employed in a lumber office here, received a telegram today ordering him to join his militia company at once at his home in Toledo, Ohio. He left this morning and was given a royal send-off by his many friends, who carried him to the depot on their shoulders accompanied by a brass band. American and Cuban flags were very much in evidence.
Letter written by Roy Kelso and published in a
newspaper ~probably the Detroit Free Press or the Toledo Blade). The letter
describes his experiences and impressions of Army service in Cuba in February 1899.
FROM CUBA
Cienfuegos, Cuba, Feb. 1, 1899.
We broke camp at Knoxville, Tenn. at 7 A.M. on Tuesday, Dec. 27th. We marched two miles to Lonsdale, a suburb of Knoxville and at 3:30 P.M. boarded the train and started for Charleston, S.C. Our train went in five sections. The first, bearing the horses and mules, the second, the baggage, wagons, etc., the regiment in the third, the first battalion, the fourth, the second battalion and the fifth, the third battalion. We traveled very comfortably, each having a seat by him. We went via Cleveland, Tenn., Atlanta, Ga., Spartanburg, S.C., and Columbia, S.C.. Arrived in Charleston at 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, Dec. 29th.
The trip was one of interest, taking us through a portion of the country that gave us a general idea of the characteristics of the South. The cotton fields were ready for picking and many Negroes of all sizes and colors could be seen with their baskets carrying from the fields the crop upon which the South greatly depends. We left the train and marched to Aikens Park, where the regiment stacked arms to await the getting of the transport. Aikens Park borders one square, through it runs several rows of live oak trees, a very beautiful evergreen. We were allowed to stroll about the city for an hour. It is a characteristic Southern city in buildings and style. I visited St. Michael’s cathedral, built in 1752 and was shown the pew which Geo. Washington occupied while in Charleston in 1799.
About 4 P.M. assembly was sounded and shortly after we marched to the wharf and went on board the transport, which was ready for us. Our boat, the Minnewaska, which is known as U.S. transport No. 24, is considered the best transport in the service. She was built in Belfast, Ireland in 1895 for the Atlantic Transportation Co., and was known as the “Persia”. She is heated with steam and lighted by electricity; is 465 feet in length, 60 feet wide and 76 feet from the top of the deck to the bottom of the hold, and draws 29 feet of water. There were over 1,500 persons on board, besides the horses, mules, wagons, 60 cars of cordwood, 100,000 feet of lumber, all the hospital and regimental supplies, etc. We were quite comfortably situated on the boat, and slept in hammocks swung from posts placed about 5 feet apart one way and 10 the other. We passed the night of Dec. 29th in the harbor and next morning about 7 A. M. the anchors were drawn and we steamed for the ocean. On the way we passed Forts Sumter, Moultrie and Monroe. We were soon out at sea and gradually left behind all traces of land.
The first day out was a very pleasant one and we all enjoyed it very much. The second found us far out in the ocean and as the day was very windy and the ocean rather rough, the boys commenced feeding the fishes on Gov’t hard tack and canned beef. Nearly all of the boys were unaccustomed to the ocean and many were seasick. It was a comical sight at first to see the boys leaning over the rail with that look of anguish on their faces; butt changed my tune about two hours later when I was taken with it. Oh, my! What a feeling came over me; but just before I died I got well and enjoyed the rest of the trip. This was the last day of 1898. Many of us were on the upper deck at night to watch the Old Year out and the New Year in. It was a beautiful night. At midnight we had a nice display of fireworks and at eight bells the captain of the ship shouted through his trumpet, “New Year’s Day 1899,” and thus for the boys of the sixth was 1899 ushered in. When morning came, we sighted San Salvador, where Columbus landed in 1492. We soon passed it and came in sight of Crooked Island. We passed through the Windward passage during the night and when morning came were again in sight of land, this we soon learned was Cuba and we all became interested. Through the efforts of Col. McMaken and General Bates, permission was secured to run the boat in closer to the shore. All along the coast stood the mountain peaks of the Sierra Maestra range, and we passed some grand scenery. About 9 o’clock A. M. we passed Guantanamo Bay, where the U. S. Naval Marines held the Spaniards at bay for so long a time. Soon after we passed the iron ore docks at Baiquira where Gen. Shafler’s army landed and at 11 o’clock we sighted Morro Castle at the entrance to Santiago Bay. As we neared the harbor the Stars and Stripes could be plainly seen floating over battered old Morro. We did some great cheering and the band played the “Star Spangled Banner” and with uncovered heads we slowly steamed past the harbor. In the entrance to the channel we could see the smoke stacks of the Merrimac sunk by Hobson and near her on the beach lay the wreck of the Reina Mercedes, one of Cervera’s fleet, and the ship with old Morro Castle bore witness of the skill and bravery of American sailors. The city of Santiago lies back about six miles from the harbor and with field glasses the blockhouses of at El Caney could be seen. Several miles to the west of the harbor we passed the wreck of the Almirarte Oquendo, and about ten miles further on we passed all that remains of the Vizcaya, the pride of the Spanish navy. These boats lay well in toward shore and were just masses of burnt and twisted iron, reddened by the play of the salt water waves. We passed the Cristobal Colon after dark so could not see her. It was a day of excitement for us. Little did we think as we read of the wonderful victory of Schley that we would ever be steaming through the same waters, viewing the result of his great victory.
Tuesday, Jan. 3rd we arrived at Port de Jagua, the entrance to the harbor of Cienfuegos. The scenery as we entered the mouth of the harbor and looked toward the city was the finest I ever beheld. The beautiful palmetto palm trees, the luxuriant vegetation, the fancy Spanish villas and the general appearance of the harbor and surroundings make a view only to be seen in a tropical country. At the mouth of the harbor we were met by a Cuban pilot and were soon safely anchored in the bay. The entrance to the bay is strongly guarded by a fort on the left hand side coming in and by shore batteries on the right. Cienfuegos harbor is one of the finest ports in the world. When we were safely anchored, the officers from the U. S. auxiliary cruiser Mayflower came on board to exchange greetings with our officers, also the Cienfuegos board of health inspected the boat.
We remained on board until Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 4th, when we took lighters (the boat being too large to reach the wharf, everything being unloaded by lighters) and were soon on land. On the way to shore we passed the British cable ship “Buccaneer”. The crew cheered us vigorously and we cheered them with as much vigor. After landing we marched to the square in front of the customhouse and there stacked arms for a rest. After a short rest, we started for camp. We marched through the city in columns of four, the streets being too narrow for platoon movements. Our band played continually and you can imagine how crowded the sidewalks were. Spanish soldiers, Cuban soldiers and natives of all colors were crowding around us. We marched 3 and a half miles into the country to where we were to camp. We reached camp about 5 o’clock P. M., and passed the first night in Cuba, sleeping on the ground without tents. The following morning after a breakfast of hard tack, coffee and canned beef, (the first meal in 36 hours) we immediately commenced work arranging our camp.
Cienfuegos is a city of about 30,000 inhabitants and stands next to Havana in commercial importance. When we first arrived there were about 30,000 Spanish soldiers in this vicinity but they have been leaving at the rate of 5,000 per week and soon will all be back in Spain. They all seem very anxious to get home and are very glad the war is over. The average Spanish soldier is about 5 feet 4 inches in height, all complexions, and looks perfectly harmless. A great many are very young, mere boys. They are very friendly toward us and delight in trading buttons and other trinkets with the “American soldier”. They seem to respect our size and height and say we are “muchos grande” which means very large. The buildings in the city are almost entirely of stone or brick covered with cement and none are more than three stories in height. The buildings extend over the sidewalks and are supported by columns, which give the entire city a very ancient appearance. The windows are all barred with iron bars and have wooden shutters on the inside; no glass at all is used except in the show windows of jewelry stores. The stores and other business houses have no windows but several large open doorways, which open onto the sidewalks. In the center of the city is the Plaza, which is similar to a small park in an American city. It is a very beautiful place, having several promenades, a great variety of flowers, palms, several fountains and other ornaments. Every evening it is crowded with people from every walk of life, who come out to breathe the cool night air and listen to the music. The young ladies accompanied by their “mammas” or brothers promenade up and down. The Spanish army officers strut around resplendent in their uniforms, with swords and spurs. The young men sit on the benches, smoke cigarettes and watch the ladies, and beggars are everywhere. On one side of the Plaza is a Spanish club, which is very finely furnished with billiard rooms, a cafe and reading room. By the side of this building is the theatre, which is open every night. The people here seem to live only for pleasure. Around the Plaza are situated all the finest cafes, hotels and shops. All stores are open until twelve o’clock midnight and formerly kept open later. They do the bulk of their business after night as the people sleep during the heat of the day. The city is lighted by gaslights. The sanitary system is very poor and the city is far from being clean, but diseases are not prevalent during this season of the year. The better class of people lives in nice houses but all are close together, separated by a single wall and a yard or lawn is unknown. The poor classes live in horrible dirty hovels and I have seen some awful cases of poverty among them. Two issues of rations have been made to the poor of the city at our depot commissary. Division headquarters are situated here and the work of cleaning the city has commenced. The Cubans who live in the country outside the city seem to be more intelligent than those who belong to the lower class in town. They live in huts made of Palmetto bark and thatched with the dry leaves from palm trees. They raise sweet potatoes, garden stuffs, a little tobacco and sugar cane. Some have oxen and cultivate their ground with plows composed of wood shod with iron. Others have no implements at all but use spades and hoes. They are about 100 years behind the times. All Cubans carry the machete in a leather scabbard attached to a belt, which they wear under their blouses. The machete is similar to the American corn knife and can be used for a weapon and makes for a very formidable one as the Spanish soldiers found. The soil here is very fertile - two crops can be raised. They are just now harvesting the sugar cane. The planters only replant the cane about once in four years so it needs little or no cultivation. The climate of Cuba is no worse this time of year than that enjoyed in the Southern states, and the soil is capable of producing a great many things unknown to the natives. The agricultural implement is unknown and the advent of American grit; enterprise and industry will work a wonderful transformation. In ten or fifteen years I think this island will be one of the richest spots in the world, Of course the war has devastated the island and the sugar plantations show very much the effect of the struggle for freedom.
We are camped about four miles north of the city on a beautiful knoll. The country surrounding the camp is slightly rolling. Palmetto palm trees are dotted here and there throughout the whole country surrounding the city. The main trocha runs past our camp. It is made of barbed wire, three wire fences running parallel to each other and about six feet apart. Between the fences wire is criss-crossed in every direction making it a difficult feat for the insurgents to get through. Every 300 hundred yards along the trocha is a blockhouse built of wood with double walls filled in between with earth. The houses are about 16 X 18 feet in size and have a row of loopholes on each of the four sides, which would enable the Spanish soldiers to guard the trocha from all attacks. The Cienfuegos and Santa Clara Way runs within a few yards of our camp and all supplies are brought to camp by rail. The water is brought from Palmetto, a small town above here, on flat cars and is boiled before we are allowed to use it. Before our wood was unloaded from the transport we burned mahogany and some rosewood. Rather expensive fuel if it was in the States. Very nearly all the railroad ties are of mahogany. The nights are very cool and damp. The floors of our tents are raised 18 inches above the ground therefore we sleep safely above dampness, scorpions, tarantulas, etc.
The regiment is pretty well scattered now; the second battalion has been sent to Santa Clara, one company to Sogua Le Grand, two companies are doing “provo” guard duty in the city and detachments from other companies are out guarding sugar plantations. There are quite a number of Cuban soldiers in this vicinity. They still hang together and will not disband or turn in their arms. They are armed with a great variety of rifles and all carry the machete. The officers of the Cuban troops are from the best families and many of them have been educated abroad. The Cubans think they are quite capable of governing themselves and if the United States interferes too much we are likely to have trouble with them. Very nearly everything is high priced here at the present time. The shopkeepers have no fixed price on their goods and if one is good at “Jewing” he can get things somewhere near a reasonable price. A good square meal costs $2.00 in a cafe. They take coffee, buns and wine for breakfast, about the same for dinner and have a good meal in the evening. The coffee one gets here is delicious. It is made very strong and then diluted with boiled milk to suit the taste. We have lost one man by death since our arrival, he died of pneumonia. At present there is very little sickness in the regiment. The days are quite warm and we have a great deal of rain, but as it falls in light showers, the ground dries out very quickly. Yes, you can send me a little snow and a chunk of ice, if you wish. It is extremely scarce here.
Roy M. Kelso
Company L, 6th Ohio Infantry, IJ.S.V.
Cienfuegos, Cuba
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