To-day was like the second day up to 12:30 o’clock, when a truce was made.  Up to now (5 o’clock P. M.) there has been no firing since then, but I don’t yet know what the result of the conference was.  We offered the truce after the naval battle.  I only give a brief outline, as the papers have told everything.  I am unhurt and perfectly well.

Told from the trenches-council Bluffs boy describes the fighting before Santiago.

The following letter was written in the trenches before Santiago the morning after the attack: 

Heights Before Santiago, July 8.

Dear Father:  I have not been hurt and am fully convinced that Providential protection alone took me through it.  Contrary to all principles of tactics, but unavoidably, the Twenty-fourth infantry was marched for three miles in a flanking fire from artillery, and when we were within about one and a half miles from the first Spanish position we were hemmed in a narrow road and subjected to a hail of fire from two blockhouses and intrenchiments on the hills on our right.

We waded about 400 yards down a stream up to our shoulders under protection of its banks and charged across a field of bull grass as high as our heads for about 600 yards, and then up the hill about 200 feet and drove the Spaniards out of their fort.  The one we took is called San Juan.  We lost terribly.  Lieutenants Gurney and Augustine are dead.  Colonel Liscum, Captains Ducat, Brett and Burton and Lieutenants Lyon and Laws are wounded.  We lost about 100 men, but the fight is virtually won.

During the engagement I threw away my sword.  I saw the colonel fall and I gave him my canteen and he soon revived.  We occupied the hill by the blockhouse.  We are within about 400 yards of the city and they have put up a flag of truce.  They want until 10 A. M. July 9 to hear from Havana.  We have them sewed up tight.  I have a piece of an eight-inch shell which tried to get me, but struck the parapet of my trench.  Will try to send it home.

No one except those thoroughly acquainted with this country will ever know how dreadfully desperate the fight and charge were.  It is a mistake that the Spaniards won’t fight.  The Spaniards have their barracks and other buildings covered with the Red Cross and abuse all the established principles of ’warfare.  They put their men in trees hidden with leaves and bark and they pick off officers, surgeons and men of the hospital corps.

Finally it became necessary to systematically hunt these down, and this has been done with considerable success.  The night of the 4th Sampson began countermining, and the dynamite made such a racket that the Spanish officers ran out under a flag of truce about 11:30 P. M. and wanted to know what we meant by firing under a flag of truce.  It did not take us long to tell them that our flag of truce did not include the navy.  Now, about 9 am, I hear the guns of the navy and Morro castle exchanging compliments.