?6 The Rough Riders 



Young, had exactly the same impedimenta that I 

 had, namely, a mackintosh and a toothbrush. 



Next morning we were hard at work trying to 

 get the stuff unloaded from the ship, and succeeded 

 in getting most of it ashore, but were utterly un- 

 able to get transportation for anything but a very 

 small quantity. The great shortcoming throughout 

 the campaign was the utterly inadequate transpor- 

 tation. If we had been allowed to take our mule- 

 train, we could have kept the whole cavalry division 

 supplied. 



In the afternoon word came to us to march. 

 General Wheeler, a regular game-cock, was as anx- 

 ious as Lawton to get first blood, and he was bent 

 upon- putting the cavalry division to the front as 

 quickly as possible. Lawton's advance-guard was 

 in touch with the Spaniards, and there had been a 

 skirmish between the latter and some Cubans, who 

 were repulsed. General Wheeler made a reconnois- 

 sance in person, found out where the enemy was, 

 and directed General Young to take our brigade and 

 move forward so as to strike him next morning. 

 He had the power to do this, as when General Shaf- 

 ter was afloat he had command ashore. 



I had succeeded in finding Texas, my surviving 

 horse, much the worse for his fortnight on the trans- 

 port and his experience in getting off, but still able 

 to carry me. 



