od, and it would open up a hell of an outcry from all the families of
the boys who have volunteered. Of course, the only answer is a
standing army of a hundred thousand, and no more calling on the
patriotism of men unfitted and untrained. It is the sacrifice of the
innocents. The incompetence and, unreadiness of the French in 1870 was
no worse than our own is now. It is a terrible and pathetic spectacle,
and the readiness of the volunteers to be sacrificed is all the more
pathetic. It seems almost providential that we had this false-alarm
call with Spain to show the people how utterly helpless they are.

love,

DICK.

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.