Our route was over a narrow trail,
through a dense wilderness; water was scarce and the heat
was intense. About noon we arrived at Siboney, where we
bivouacked for the night. Before daylight next morning the
troops in our rear were heard passing on the trail by our
camp. Shortly after daylight Captain Capron's battery of
four guns passed, and the men lined up along the road and
cheered lustily. About an hour later, musketry fire and the
occasional discharge of a Hotchkiss gun could be plainly
heard towards Santiago. About three-quarters of an hour
later we received orders to march. By mistake, the wrong
trail was taken, and after marching fourteen hours we
returned to our camp of the previous night, all fagged out.
A great many men of the brigade were overcome with heat
during this long, tiresome and fruitless ramble. I cannot
say how many of these were of the 25th Infantry, but in my
own company (B) there was not a man out of the ranks when
the camp was reached. (I have called the above-mentioned
place "Siboney." There is probably some other name for it,
as the Cubans have one for every hamlet. It is not far from
Siboney, and not knowing the name, have called it Siboney.
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