Cuba, by far the most advanced of all the West Indian colonies; Cuba, essentially Spanish, was destined to be the battle ground between our troops and the veterans of Spain.  The question to be settled was that of Spain’s sovereignty.  Spain’s right to rule over the colonies of Cuba and Porto Rico was disputed by the United States, and this question, and this alone, is to be settled by force of arms.  Further than this, the issue does not go.  The dictum of America is:  Spain shall not rule.  The questions of Annexation, Expansion and Imperialism were not before us as we launched our forces to drive Spain out of the West Indies.  The Cuban flag was closely associated with our own standard popularly, and “Cuba Libre” was a wide-spread sentiment in June, 1898.  “We are ready to help the Cubans gain their liberty” was the honest expression of thousands who felt they were going forward in a war for others.

CHAPTER V.

Passage, landing, and first battle in cuba.

     The Tenth Cavalry at Guasimas—­The “Rescue of the Rough
     Riders”—­Was There an Ambush?—­Notes.

“The passage to Santiago was generally smooth and uneventful,” says General Shafter in his official report.  But when the fact is called to mind that the men had been on board a week before sailing, and were a week more on the passage, and that “the conveniences on many of the transports in the nature of sleeping accommodations, space for exercise, closet accommodations, etc., were not all that could have been desired,” and that the opinion was general throughout the army that the travel ration was faulty, it cannot be doubted that the trip was a sore trial to the enlisted men at least.  The monotonous days passed in the harbor at Port Tampa, while waiting for orders to sail, were unusually trying to the men.  They were relieved somewhat by bathing, swimming, gaming and chatting on the coming events.  A soldier who was in one of the colored regiments describes the inside life of one of the transports as follows:  “After some miles of railroad travel and much hustling we were put on board the transport.  I say on board, but it is simply because we cannot use the terms under board.  We were huddled together below two other regiments and under the water line, in the dirtiest, closest, most sickening place imaginable.  For about fifteen days we were on the water in this dirty hole, but being soldiers we were compelled to accept this without a murmur.  We ate corn beef and canned tomatoes with our hard bread until we were anything but half way pleased.  In the fifth or sixth day out to sea the water furnished us became muddy or dirty and well flavored with salt, and remained so during the rest of the journey.  Then, the ship’s cooks, knowing well our condition made it convenient to themselves to sell us a glass of clean ice water and a small piece of bread and tainted meat for the sum of seventy-five cents, or one dollar, as the case might be.”