. What should
it be But the tug with our Pilot on board for us, the "Hudson" was the
name of the tug.

_May_ 27. still puting on coal, expect to go down to Cuba with the New
York.

_June_ 1. I herd the first shot in this war to day, Santiago de Cuba
and with the flying squadron.

_June_ 2. we had a wild goose chase.

_June_ 3. nothing doing but laying off hear and watching what looks
like to me a big hole in the grond. same thing the 4th and 5th.

_June_ 6. Stand from under, we Bombard the forts and water Baterys to
day for 4 hours but dont know how much damage we don.

_June_ 7. staying out hear and doing nothing.

_June_ 8. same thing.

_June_ 9. " "

_June_ 10. we went down to Guantanamo Bay to put some coal on and
landed 40 Marines in the Morning. we wer the first to put foot on Cuban
soil in this war. The 9th the Marblehead and Dolphin Bombarded the
place and made them look like Munkys; they ran away and left every
thing behind them.

_June_ 11. came back to Santiago on the 10th. and laying off hear as
befor.

_June_ 12. Same old thing. Expecting Troops every day.

_June_ 13. Dito.

_June_ 14. the New Orleans was ordered to run in close to the shore and
do som Bombarding By her self Just to break the Monotony and to let us
believe we wer at war. we don a good Job all right, she silenced the
east Battry and the west one too, and made them show up a water Battry
which we did not know any thing about. havent herd how many got kild or
wounded on the other side. But I know they never hert any one on this
side. Got some news from Guantanamo to day. Col. Huntington and his
Marines of 800 Had a Brush with the Spanish, it is reported that 6
marines wer kild and Doctor Gibbs was shot through the head by
accident. there is at Guantanamo Bay the Texas, Marblehead and Porter
and 800 Marines; they expect to have the cable work soon and the Harbor
well under Hand. I forgot to say the Vesuvius landed 3 shots of
dinomite in the Harbor on the night of the 13th at Santiago and did
great damage to the Shore Batterys; the latest report is that the
Cubans are flocking in to Huntingtons camp.

_June_ 15. coaling ship and still retain our posision on the Blockade.

_June_ 16. At 3.30 A.M. this morning all hands was called and the
coffie was passed around with som hardtack and cand Beef at 4 A.M. Turn
to, some 15 or 20 Minutes later Gen Quarters sounded. Then we went at
it to try and see if we could not knock thoes