It was not until three days after, on Sunday the 17th, that the formal surrender took place. The troops were assembled in front of their trenches, and as the gun announcing the hoisting of our flag over the governor's palace, boomed out, we cheered, and then marched back only to be formed in front of Col. Clark's quarters, where certain men were given a "wigging" which they remembered for a long time. Since the 14th our men had been allowed to go freely outside our lines, and although not permitted to go into the city proper, yet they found some interesting things in the suburbs. One of these was the cemetery and some regulars and a number of Second men had gone there and thoughtlessly taken some flowers and trinkets from some graves. This desecration had been reported by the Spaniards to Gen. Shafter and the latter "wigged" Gen. Lawton about it, Lawton repeating the operation to Gen. Ludlow and the latter giving Col. Clark and the commanding officer of the 22d a bad quarter of an hour. So when it came his turn, Col. Clark let himself out on the men, and his remarks were of the keen and cutting style which makes a man feel good when he hears some other fellow getting them. This concluded the exercises of the day and we were dismissed to think it over.
Next day the "Jo Jo" bureau resumed operations and we heard "on the best of authority," of course, that we were to be hustled on to Porto Rico with Gen. Miles. Next came the news that our brigade, having done so well was to be sent against Holguin in the interior of the province where there were some 8000 Spanish troops, who had been surrendered with those in Santiago but did not like it and proposed to fight. Within the next few days it was gravely announced by the "Jo Jo," that we were going to be sent to the Philippines, as experienced and acclimated troops were wanted there; that we were to be sent to help capture Havana, marching from Santiago for that purpose, and best of all, that unless Spain sued for peace within a week, we were to embark for that country and invade it. As to the "Jo Jos" about double pay, the receipt by each man of a lump sum of money in consideration of waiving our claims to a pension, etc., they were numerous and varied enough to fill a large book. In its "Jo Jo" bureau the Second had some distinguished artists.
But the most convincing sign of all that the city had surrendered, was the arrival of rations, and they were gladly received. For a day or two it was the familiar bacon and hardtack, but soon we were surprised and gladdened by the sound of mule wagons coming up the road from the city and laden with good looking loaves of soft bread. We then found that army ovens had been established in the city and that we would have bread in abundance. Next came some refrigerated beef, and it looked good and tasted better. Our first issue of the beef was quickly disposed of, each man's share being taken to the nearest fire and a "bluff" made at broiling it, the majority of the men being too "meat hungry" to do more than merely toast it. That first "beefsteak supper" of ours on the island is remembered yet. Next day came more beef, more bread and finally potatoes and onions, while with them were brought along rice and canned tomatoes and bacon and hardtack. The two latter we scorned. Eat hardtack and canned beef when we had fresh bread and meat and the materials for beef stew? Well, we guessed not. But it turned out we were too proud. There came days when the refrigerated beef became less relished, especially when our noses could learn of its being on the way long before it reached the camp, and we were glad to fall back on the despised, "sowbelly," and by this time in deference to our luxurious tastes, the conscience stricken commissary department was sending us something that resembled bacon far more than anything we had previously had, and that came in nice tin packages. Even the soft bread palled on us after a while, and we were glad to nibble a hardtack now and then, especially, when as sometimes happened the bread was sour.
A few days after the surrender, B company was gladdened by the arrival of its cook, Walter Butler, who had remained on the ship and who, on his arrival, took charge of the culinary department and began to concoct some excellent stews. The Buzzicot field-cooking outfits, which we had brought from Massachusetts with us, were also landed, and that of G was at once set up with Private Carl Mueller as cook and Corporal "Nat" Gardella and "Dido" Hunt as steward and assistant steward, and "Daniel" Bellamy, the well-known temperance orator, as chief of the wood and water department. Private Fisher, the company cook of K, was ill, and K's Buzzicot was but little used.
The day after our arrival in this camp, Private Bates of K severely injured his foot while chopping wood, the axe slipping and severing one of the arteries. He was laid up for some days.
G and K moved their camps to the other side of the trenches about the 20th, but B remained where it was. The wall tents which we brought with us from South Framingham and used at Lakeland and Tampa, also came up, and at once took the place of the "pup tents" we had used on the island. Our knapsacks and other property which we left on the Knickerbocker were also sent to us and we found that some of our things were left, although many knapsacks which had been left well filled, on the boat, had been "touched."
Once again we began to have the same old shortage of rations, and this time with our ships in the harbor we couldn't understand it. One day we received two hardtack and a spoonful of coffee berries for a twenty-four hours issue. We were out of fresh meat, sugar and everything else, but this only lasted a couple of days and then we got fresh meat, vegetables and beans.