292 The Rough Riders 



two, and never as many as three. We had a regi- 

 mental pack-train, but it was left behind at Tampa. 

 During most of the time our means of transporta- 

 tion were chiefly the improvised pack-trains spoken 

 of above ; but as the mules got well they were taken 

 away from us, and so were the captured Spanish 

 cavalry horses. Whenever we shifted camp, we had 

 to leave most of our things behind, so that the night 

 before each fight was marked by our sleeping with- 

 out tentage and with very little food, so far as offi- 

 cers were concerned, as everything had to be sacri- 

 ficed to getting up what ammunition and medical 

 supplies we had. Colonel Wood seized some mules, 

 and in this manner got up the medical supplies be- 

 fore the fight of June 24th, when for three days 

 the officers had nothing but what they wore. There 

 was a repetition of this, only in worse form, before 

 and after the fight of July ist. Of course much 

 of this was simply a natural incident of war, but a 

 great deal could readily have been avoided if we had 

 had enough transportation; and I was sorry not to 

 let my men be as comfortable as possible and rest 

 as much as possible just before going into a fight 

 when, as on July ist and 2d, they might have to be 

 forty-eight hours with the minimum quantity of food 

 and sleep. 



The fever began to make heavy ravages among 

 our men just before the surrender, and from that 

 time on it became a most serious matter to shift 

 camp, with sick and ailing soldiers, hardly able to 



