TAMPA, June 9th, 1898.
Well, here we are again. Talk of the "Retreat from
Ottawa" I've retreated more in this war than the Greeks did.
If they don't brace up soon, I'll go North and refuse to
"recognize" the war. I feel I deserve a pension and a medal
as it is. We had everything on board and our cabins assigned
us and our "war kits" in which we set forth taken off, and
were in yachting flannels ready for the five days cruise. I
had the devil of a time getting out to the flagship, as they
call the headquarters boat. I went out early in the morning
of the night when I last wrote you. I stayed up all that
night watching troops arrive and lending a helping hand and a
word of cheer to dispirited mules and men, also segars and
cool drinks, none of them had had food for twenty-four hours
and the yellow Florida people having robbed them all day had
shut up and wouldn't open their miserable shops. They even
put sentries over the drinking water of the
express company which is only making about a million a day
out of the soldiers. So their soldiers slept along the
platform and trucks rolled by them all night, shaking the
boards on which they lay by an inch or two. About four we
heard that Shafter was coming and an officer arrived to have
his luggage placed on the Seguranca. I left them all on the
pier carrying their own baggage and sweating and dripping and
no one having slept. Their special train had been three hours
in coming nine miles. I hired a small boat and went off to
the flagship alone but the small boat began to leak and I
bailed and the colored boy pulled and the men on the
transports cheered us on. Just at the sinking point I hailed
a catboat and we transferred the Admiral's flag to her and
also my luggage. The rest of the day we spent on the
transport. We left it this morning. Some are still on it but
as they are unloading all the horses and mules from the other
transports fifteen having died from the heat below deck and as
they cannot put them on again under a day, I am up here to get
cool and to stretch my legs. The transport is all right if it
were not so awfully crowded. I am glad I held out to go with
the Headquarter staff. I would have died on the regular press
boat, as it is the men are interesting on our boat. We have
all the military attaches and Lee, Remington, Whitney and
Bonsal. The reason we did not go was because last night the
Eagle and
Resolute saw two Spanish cruisers and two
torpedo boats laying for us outside, only five miles away.
What they need with fourteen ships of war to guard a bottled
up fleet and by leaving twenty-six transports some of them
with 1,400 men on them without any protection but a small
cruiser and one gun boat is beyond me. The whole thing is
beyond me. It is the most awful picnic that
ever happened, you wouldn't credit the mistakes that are made.
It is worse than the French at Sedan a million times. We are
just amateurs at war and about like the Indians Columbus
discovered. I am exceedingly pleased with myself at taking it
so good naturedly. I would have thought I would have gone mad
or gone home long ago. Bonsal and Remington threaten to go
every minute. Miles tells me we shall have to wait until
those cruisers are located or bottled up. I'm tired of
bottling up fleets. I like the way Dewey bottles them. What
a story that would have made. Twenty-six transports with as
many thousand men sunk five miles out and two-thirds of them
drowned. Remember the
Maine indeed! they'd better
remember
the
Maine and brace up. If we wait until they catch those
boats I may be here for another month as we cannot dare go
away for long or far. If we decide to go with a convoy which
is what we ought to do, we may start in a day or two. Nothing
you read in the papers is correct. Did I tell you that Miles
sent Dorst after me the other night and made me a long speech,
saying he thought I had done so well in refusing the
commission. I was glad he felt that way about it. Well, lots
of love. I'm now going to take a bath. God bless you, this
is a "merry war."
RICHARD.
