True Light

Fairfield January 19 1900 abt pg 10  (both dates correct)

From the Third Regiment

Havana, Cuba Jan 6 1899

  Bro Joe - I received your letter some time ago but have not had time to answer it, we have been moving around so much the week.  I feel as well as ever.  

   Well, we are on Cuban soil at last.  We left Savannah last Saturday night and was on the boat four days. 

  We went over on the Transport Michon.  It is fifteen years old and has made so many trips that it is awful dirty.  They put us down about the middle part of the boat in a dark place, - and a hot place too.  Lots of the boys were sea-sick, but I was not although I came very near it.  The water was rough and the last day I rode on top most of the time and had to hold on to something to stand up.  The boat would raise fifteen feet out of the water and then fall back again.  It is funny to get out of sight of land for a few days.  Our boat went about three knots an hour.  When we reached the harbor we passed Morro Castle and went about a half mile father till within about one hundred years of the wreck of the Main where we are archored.  It is a bad looking wreck.  There are breast works thrown up every place, cannon piled up along the harbor, and three big gun boats laying in the harbor waiting for business.

  Havana is a big city.  When we landed and started out to camp I thought we would never get out of town.  They have some of the finest parks and some of the funniest houses down here, that I ever saw.  The Cubans are cleaning up our camp ground.  They all carry knives with them while they work.  One has a knife about the size of a corn knife that he has killed five Spaniards with and if they get into trouble with any one they pull their knife the first thing and they are not afraid to use it.

  It is fun to try to talk we cannot understand each other at all but I am catching on to some of their talk.

  After we get through eating they are waiting around for the hard tack and stuff we throw away.  They are a lazy good for nothing set and will steal everything they can lay their hands on if you don’t watch them.

  We are about two miles  from the sea shore.  Everything is nice and green here, it is a much better place than I expected to find.

  It is quite hot now.  Well I must close now.  The Christmas box was just fine and I lived high for a few days.

Yours truly Harry Vance.