Flagship-Off Havana
April 30th, 1898.
[DEAR FAMILY:]
You must not mind if I don't write often, but I feel that
you see The Herald every day and that tells you of what I
am
seeing and doing, and I am writing so much, and what with
keeping notes and all, I haven't much time — What you probably
want to know is that I am well and that my sciatica is not
troubling me at all — Mother always wants to know that. On the
other hand I am on the best ship from which to see things and
on the safest, as she can move quicker and is more heavily
armored than any save the battleships — The fact that the
admiral is on board and that she is the flagship is also a
guarantee that she will not be allowed to expose herself. I
was very badly scared when I first came to Key West for fear I
should be left especially when I didn't make the flagship —
But I have not missed a single trick so far — Bonsal missed
the bombardment and so did Stephen Crane — All the press boats
were away except The Herald's. I had to write the story
in
fifteen minutes, so it was no good except that we had it
exclusively —
I am sending a short story of the first shot fired to the
Scribner's and am arranging with them to bring out a book on
the Campaign. I have asked them to announce it as it will
help me immensely here for it is as an historian and not as a
correspondent that I get on over those men who are
correspondents for papers
only. I have made I think my position here very strong and
the admiral is very much my friend as are also his staff.
Crane on the other hand took the place of Paine who was
exceedingly popular with every one and it has made it hard for
Crane to get into things — I am having a really royal time, it
is so beautiful by both night and day and there is always
color and movement and the most rigid discipline with the most
hearty good feeling — I get on very well with the crew too,
one of them got shot by a revolver's going off and I asked the
surgeon if I might not help at the operation so that I might
learn to be useful, and to get accustomed to the sight of
wounds and surgery — It was a wonderful thing to see, and I
was confused as to whether I admired the human body more or
the way the surgeon's understood and mastered it — The sailor
would not give way to the ether and I had to hold him for an
hour while they took out his whole insides and laid them on
the table and felt around inside of him as though he were a
hollow watermelon. Then they put his stomach back and sewed
it in and then sewed up his skin and he was just as good as
new. We carried him over to a cot and he came to, and looked
up at us. We were all bare-armed and covered with his blood,
and then over at the operating table, which was also covered
with his blood. He was gray under his tan and his lips were
purple and his eyes were still drunk with the ether — But he
looked at our sanguinary hands and shook his head sideways on
the pillow and smiled — "You'se can't kill me," he said, "I'm
a
New Yorker, by God — you'se can't kill me."
The
Herald
cabled for a story as to how the crew of the
New York
behaved in action. I think I shall send them that although
there are a few things the people
had better take for granted — Of course, we haven't been "in
action" yet but the first bombardment made me nervous until it
got well started. I think every one was rather nervous and it
was chiefly to show them there was nothing to worry about that
we fired off the U. S. guns. They talk like veterans now — It
was much less of a strain than I had expected, there was no
standing on your toes nor keeping your mouth open or putting
wadding in your ears. I took photographs most of the time,
and they ought to be excellent — what happened was that you
were thrown up off the deck just as you are when an elevator
starts with a sharp jerk and there was an awful noise like the
worst clap of thunder you ever heard close to your ears, then
the smoke covered everything and you could hear the shot going
through the air like a giant rocket — The shots they fired at
us did not cut any ice except a shrapnel that broke just over
the main mast and which reminded me of Greece — The other
shots fell short — The best thing was to see the Captains of
the
Puritan and
Cincinnati frantically signalling
to be
allowed to fire too — A little fort had opened on us from the
left so they plugged at that, it was a wonderful sight, the
Monitor was swept with waves and the guns seemed to come
out
of the water. The
Cincinnati did the best of all. Her
guns
were as fast as the reports of a revolver, a self-cocking
revolver, when one holds the trigger for the whole six. We
got some copies of
The Lucha on the
Panama and
their
accounts of what was going on in Havana were the best reading
I ever saw — They probably reported the Matanzas bombardment
as a Spanish victory — The firing yesterday was very tame. We
all sat about on deck and the band played all the time — We
didn't
even send the men to quarters — I do not believe the army
intends to move for two weeks yet, so I shall stay here. They
seem to want me to do so, and I certainly want to — But that
army is too slow for words, and we love the "Notes from the
Front" in
The Tribune, telling about the troops at
Chickamauga — I believe what will happen is that a chance shot
will kill some of our men, and the Admiral won't do a thing
but knock hell out of whatever fort does it and land a party
of marines and bluejackets — Even if they only occupy the
place for 24 hours, it will beat that army out and that's what
I want. They'll get second money in the Campaign if they get
any, unless they brace up and come over — I have the very luck
of the British Army, I walked into an open hatch today and
didn't stop until I caught by my arms and the back of my neck.
It was very dark and they had opened it while I was in a
cabin. The Jackie whose business it was to watch it was worse
scared than I was, and I looked up at him while still hanging
to the edges with my neck and arms and said "why didn't you
tell me?" He shook his head and said, "that's so, Sir, I
certainly should have told you, I certainly should" — They're
exactly like children and the reason is, I think, because they
are so shut off from the contamination of the world. One of
these ships is like living in a monastery, and they are as
disciplined and gentle as monks, and as reckless as cowboys.
When I go forward and speak to one of them they all gather
round and sit on the deck in circles and we talk and they
listen and make the most interesting comments — The middy who
fired the first gun at Matanzas is a modest alert boy about 18
years old and crazy about his work — So, the Captain selected
him for the honor
and also because there is such jealousy between the bow and
stern guns that he decided not to risk feelings being hurt by
giving it to either — So, Boone who was at Annapolis a month
ago was told to fire the shot — We all took his name and he
has grown about three inches. We told him all of the United
States and England would be ringing with his name — When I was
alone he came and sat down on a gull beside me and told me he
was very glad they had let him fire that first gun because his
mother was an invalid and he had gone into the navy against
her wish and he hoped now that she would be satisfied when she
saw his name in the papers. He was too sweet and boyish about
it for words and I am going to take a snapshot at him and put
his picture in
Scribner's — "he only stands about so high — "
DICK.
I enclose a souvenir of the bombardment. Please keep it
carefully for me — It was the first shot "in anger" in thirty
years.
