WP HUNT'S DAILY WAR JOURNAL OF JUNE AND JULY 1898

WP Hunt's Daily War Journal of June and July 1898


Faithfully Preserved and Scanned by Granddaughter Cathy Clark
Transcribed by Grand-daughter Cathy Rae Clark and Annotated by Grandson, William "Bill" Hunt
March, 2008

WP Hunt joined the Army for his first hitch in 1892, in Toledo, Ohio. At the time, he listed his residence as Atlanta, Illinois. He was 22. He spent most of his first three years at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and an unknown length of time at Fort Russell, Wyoming. His first discharge was on February 16, 1896. But after three months, he re-enlisted for another three years, on May 7th 1896.

Upon re-entering the service a second time he listed his residence as South Bend, Indiana, and noted that his mother was living in Golden City, Missouri. He was then assigned to Fort Niebrara, Nebraska, where he met Abigail Razey, who lived nearby with her parents. They were married February 28, 1897.

WP was born "Woodard Perley", and named his first son D Woodard, but when WP joined the Army he enlisted as William P. Hunt. From then on, for the rest of his life, he signed his name to all official documents as WP. No one seems to know why, but it might have had something to do with his father, who had fallen off a railroad hand car and who became quite insane before WP joined the Army. His father, James Henry "McCord" Hunt, had threatened WP's mother, and perhaps the boys. When WP joined the Army, and when he later re-enlisted for a second hitch, he noted that his father was dead…that his father had died in a railroad accident. Actually his father lived until 1928. Abigail kept the WP secret, and children have never known this simple twist of names.
OE would have known as a product of her research.

This transcription of WP's war time journal is to bring attention to his war time service. But one must bring up the William P. Hunt aspect of it, as that is where
one would look for his records. Even his grave marker, provided or paid for by the US Government, bears the name as they knew him, not the simple "WP" that
he preferred to be called.





2


When the Spanish-American war broke out, in 1898, he was sent to Cuba to help rid the island nation of the Spanish occupational force that had been hard fought by native Cuban resistance fighters for several years. The war was poorly planned, and many books poke fun at the strange way we entered the war, and the rush to revenge for the "Maine" apparently sunk by the Spanish. Still, all war, from the foot soldier's point of view, is about what they saw, what they heard, and what it meant to them. They never had the advantage of historians who can only discuss the broad view of things. The participant can only discuss the narrow view, the things in front of them at the time, the things they witnessed and tried best to overcome with pride and honor.

This is his story. And so we begin…


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This book is the
Property
of

WP Hunt
G Company, 12th US Infantry

If I loose it
Will the finder
Please return it
To me if I am living. If I am dead,
Please be kind enough to
Send it to my wife

Mrs. WP Hunt
Valentine
Cherry County, Nebraska US





Left Port Tampa 1045 p.m. June 7th.

Dropped anchor 1 mile out in the channel.
Weighed anchor 5:15 a.m.

June 8
Arrived at St Petersburg 9:15 a.m.
Everybody went ashore while the decks were being washed.
Left St Petersburg 11:25 a.m. June 8
-----------

Anchored 30 miles from Port Tampa
June 8 2:05 p.m.
Left from Port Tampa 6:20 PM
------------

Arrived in Port Tampa 9:45 PM
the command went ashore and took a bath. June 9th.
------------
June 10
Anchored out 2 miles from Port Tampa
-------------

June 11
Four men carried out of the hole
unconscious
one man taken to hospital ship

Maj. Doster (misty old nick) about the sanitarian/sanitation of the ship. Claffey says this is war time and we can get plenty more men.

The boys say they will shoot him if he ever go into the field. Boys are very very devastated. Over 200 men on board complaining of different aliments and they say that they will never enter another transport. This confinement is unnecessary
as there are plenty of empty vessels in this harbor.
-----------


June 12th. Still at anchor
All kinds of news of a war afloat
but hour after hour still find us here.

June 12th. Still here
Last night was a holy fright
The rain came down in torrents
and drove most of the men
below deck.

10:45 a.m. just weighed anchor
going to St Petersburg

11:15 a.m.
Anchored off St Petersburg

6:30 p.m.
Have been sailing around
within 5 miles off of
St. Petersburg all afternoon.
Waiting on number 25
to clear the docks. It looks as
though it will rain again tonight.
The boys are gambling on
one end of the boat while the
Chaplin is preaching on
the other end. Two men taken
to the hospital ship today.
All transports have to
move out from Port Tampa.

Several large porpoises
are playing around the ship.

---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------


WP didn't quite know it,
but June 14th was the day that marked his beginning voyage south to Cuba. It was the day that the US Navy finally pulled in to take
command of a line of transports and gun support for the journey that would lead to the land invasion just east of Port Santiago.
--------------------------------------------------------------


June 14th.
Left St Petersburg 4:15 a.m.
Arrive off [Santunimo]Straights or Quartintine StatioN????? 30 miles out from port

8:00 a.m.
24 transports in line and
Helena giving instructions.
Weather, calm and hot, no breeze.

12:00 a.m.
32 transports in line.
Helena gunboat leads the expedition
followed by the Cherokee.
Numbers 4, 12, and 17
regiments on board.
The boys are growing more content
as the expedition gets under way

------------------------------
The U.S.S. Helena
was a rapid-fire
gunboat
-----------------------------

Still June 14th
8:45 a.m.
The propeller turned for the
first time under orders to
follow the gunboat Helena.

Crew after crew went
upon board. It is believed
that at last we have started for
Cuba or Puerto Rico.

June 14th
3:45 p.m. the Cherokee powered
over here then to Tampa Bay
and headed out into the Gulf of Mexico
with the gunboat Helena.
Transports 1, 2 and 3 in the
lead and 29 other vessels chartered
by the government bringing up the rear.



The other cruisers 7 in number
on the flanks as vanguards.
---------------------

June 15th
All quiet.
Passed Key West at 8:00 p.m.
15 miles to the west.

-------------------

June 16th
Morning dawn with a rough sea
and finds us far out in the
Florida straits. The USS
Indiana joined us during the night.
With 3 torpedo boats and 2 cruisers,
this marks 12 armed vessels
on our right, left and front.
The boys now feel secure.
Recruits are drilling above deck.
A few of the boys are getting
sea sick. We are now running
South by East. It is possible that
we are going to Puerto Rico.

At 8:45 a.m.
The USS Indiana discharged 6 blank shots and we thought for a few moments that we were going to a naval battle.

USS Marblehead joined our fleet.
At 2:55 p.m. passed a
British merchant ship.
At 3:05 p.m. we are in route
for Key West.

-------------------

June 17th
7:15 a.m.
Just changed our course, south, it looks as
through we are going to Santiago.
Been in sight of land all afternoon
Passed light house on the right
and small sailing vessel.

--------------------

June 18th
8:15 a.m.
Anchored in the Atlantic Ocean,
whereabouts I don't know
but I think that we are
off the Windward Pass
and still in the Bahama (Banks. ?)
This trip is getting very monotonous.
It looks as though they are dividing
up the brigades.

Started up 11:15 a.m.
A long stretch of mountains off
to the South of us all afternoon.

6 mules were dumped off
the (Gussir?)can't find this word anywhere, this afternoon.
Died for the want of fresh air.

--------------------------

June 19th
Sunday and still sailing East.
This 8:00 a.m. the boys are
taking a shower bath
of salt water through a hose.

9:25 am
Turned Southeast.
The Windward Pass.
At last I know where we are going.
Cuba is our destination.

-------------------------

June 20th
6:00 a.m.
We have rounded the coast of Cuba.
We are running due West
Off. posts guards Sely in sight ?
Will probably make a landing
in a few days.

-----------------------

June 21st.
Took a sail around a circle last
night and came back opposite the Bay.

-------------------------------

WP was indeed about to land
on Cuban soil. It is unlikely that
he knew exactly where he was.
But the expeditionary force that
he was part of was commanded
by General Shafter, and Shafter
landed his troops at Daiquiri,
Cuba. The landing was generally
unopposed, a fact that caused
the General to immediately head
for the high ground around
Santiago de Cuba.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


June 22nd.
Soldiers are landing on Cuban soil
at 10:17 a.m. under fire of our Navy.
We raised the Stars and Stripes
over the Spanish fort New Sacramento
at 5:15 p.m., June 22, 1898.

We marched 3 miles inland
and camped for the night.
We had the first good nights
sleep 14 days.

--------------------

----- PHOTO-----
--------------------
June 23rd
Broke camp at 5:20 a.m. and we
started in route for Santiago,
where the first artillery battle
will be fought. Unless we meet
the Dons sooner.

--------------------

June 24th
Broke camp at daylight and
marched 15 miles.
Rough Riders and Spanish had
a skirmish.
39 Spanish killed
14 Americans killed
40 wounded.

---------------------

June 25th and 26th
In camp in sight of Santiago
63 Spanish killed last night.
No Americans

Our rations are short,
the men are about half famished.

---------------------


June 27th.
Bwos all day




AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN CUBA ---PHOTO---

-----------------
June 28th.
Still in the rear camp.
Nothing new has turned up.
Had to buy rations out
of the company.

------------------

June 29TH
G company escort to
General Claffey and two
fibigan companys ????
…and two fatigue com-- phillipean?

150 Cubans made about
2 ½ miles of road and cleared space in
about ½ acres within 2000 yards of a
Spanish blockhouse at El Caney.
About 25 Spaniards in sight
caught coming out of a Church

Artillery batteries will be planted
on the space that was cleared
off this morning,.
Canna and San Juan are
the two small towns
North of Santiago.

-----------------------

June 30th.
7:00 a.m.
Still in camp.

6:20 p.m.
Left camp and marched
6 miles Southwest.
Went into camp at 8:00 p.m.
The road was wet and muddy.

We slept in the wet grass all
night with he canopy of heaven
to cover us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On July 1, U.S. and Cuban troops took El Viso Fort, the town of El Caney, and SanJuan Heights. Spanish General Vara del Rey died in the fighting. San Juan Hill was taken at the same time, with the help of the Rough Riders under Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood at the battle on Kettle Hill. These victories opened the way to Santiago de Cuba. General Duffield, with 3,000 soldiers, took the Aguadores Fort at Santiago de Cuba. Spanish General Linares and Navy Captain Joaquín Bustamante died in battle.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------


July 1st
Broke camp before daylight
and without any breakfast marched
2 miles through the mountains.
At 6:00 am the artillery opened up
on the Spanish block house
of El Caney.

We stripped down to fighting trim
and went into the fight in earnest.
The fight lasted until 9.5 hours


At 3:00 p.m. we flew the
Stars and Stripe and our
Regimental colors on top of the strongest block house in the Province of Santiago de Cuba, El Caney blockhouse


About 8:00 a.m. Sgt. John Dahl
was shot dead. The bullet that killed him passed directly over my head.. Kelly was killed about 10 feet from me on my left.


12th Infantry G Company
dead and wounded:

Our Dead
John Dahl -- heart
David Kelly -- bowels

Wounded
Witman -- leg and foot
Sivan -- rump
Hopkin -- thigh

Nape -- leg and hand
Whortin -- groin
Bungarty -- hand

There were about 8 killed and 31 wounded in the regiment.
We ran the Spaniards out of 53 trenches and 3 block houses.
Killed about 300 and captured 172.

At 8:00 p.m. the prisoners were turned over to G Company.
We broke up all their guns
and buried their ammunition.

We buried an unknown
American Soldier
in the block house hill.

At 11:00 p.m. we left the
block house with our prisoners
and marched 2 miles in
the direction of Santiago.
And camped after 1 ½ hours
and then started on the back trail to headquarters. When we arrived at 10:00 a.m. and turned our prisoners over to the 9th Cal. and at 12 o'clock the company started back for Santiago. Myself and four other boys were left behind as we were too sick and tired to travel further.


July 2nd
The bombarding of Santago was very heavy. 300 of our boys were killed and wounded The 2nd. Mass and Rough Riders loss the most men.

July 3rd
3,000 Spaniards were killed and wounded in the various battles. A flag of truce is flying over the town. They are given 24 hours to surrender Sampson in the Harbor and we hear this town cut off from all help.


July 4th
Morning dawned clear and bright
And without a ripple of excitement

All is quiet and the Don's are resigning to the fact. The rumor is afloat that they have signed the surrender papers.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



William T. Sampson was
the Commander of the
U.S. blockading and
North Atlantic squadrons
during the Spanish-
American War of 1898



But the Spanish were not quite ready to surrender. That would not happen for another 10 days. On July 4th, apparently after writing this last entry, WP was guarding prisoners when enemy artillery came into his position.

One prisoner broke free and ran. WP was, "laying on the ground at the time, shooting at the Spaniard who was trying to get away."

A shell exploded near his body, killing the man next him and wounding WP internally by way of a whole-body concussion. There seemed to be specific internal damage to the "lumbar" region of his back.

Apparently he was rendered unconscious and left for dead. According to writings by his daughter Y, WP was later picked up by Clara Barton girls (the forerunners to the Red Cross) who were helping in the field hospital.

Doctors later determined, according to Y, that his stomach was torn loose from his back. It just hung loose the rest of his life. This affected his whole system. Especially his nervous system. His food did not digest well, he had terrible headaches, and toward the end of his life his heart, kidney and lungs were involved.

When he returned home from the war he had to crawl up the front steps. He was admitted to the military hospital at Fort Monroe, VA, on July 14th after evacuation from Santiago, Cuba. He was formally discharged on April 13, 1899, at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, where he had been given "light" duty prior to discharge. WP never fully recovered, and was ill the rest of his life.

He died at home on February 10, 1926. He was buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles in a place reserved for veterans of the Spanish-American War.