had been hurried to the front to fight. It was well understood that it
would be a hard fight. The dead would need only burial, but the wounded
would need care. And yet, with the exception of a limited number of
stretchers, a medicine-chest and a few bandages, no preparation had been
made--neither cots nor food--practically no hospital supplies.

"It is not strange that surgeons were desperate and nurses distressed.
The force of each was wholly inadequate. The exact number of wounded may
never be known. But the estimate at this time is about 1,000
wounded--some 1,500 killed and wounded.

"Wounded men who made their way down on foot eight miles over the rough,
hilly road will never know just how their strength held out. Others were
brought down in army wagons by the load, as few ambulances were at
hand. Fortunately, there were some tents here that had been used by
troops before going to the front. Under these hay was spread and covered
with blankets, and the improvised hospital was ready. One tent was taken
for operating-tables, and the work of surgeons and nurses began. They
worked night and day for forty-eight hours, with only brief intervals
for coffee and hard-tack.

"Wounded men had to wait for hours before bullets could be extracted and
wounds dressed. But there was no word of complaint--only silent, patient
suffering, borne with a courage that was sublime. As the wounded
continued to come in, tent-room gave out, and hay with blankets were
placed outside, and to these 'beds' the less severely wounded were
assigned. It was evident that the medical department of the army had
failed absolutely to send hospital supplies, or by this time they would
have been landed. As it was, the surgeons turned to the Red Cross ship
'State of Texas' for help, and the supplies originally intended for the
starving Cubans were sent ashore for our wounded.

"Miss Barton had been urged and advised to wait until the army opened
and made the way safe to land supplies for reconcentrados and refugees.
But she had foreseen the situation to a certain degree and followed the
army as quickly as possible--to wait for the emergency, rather than have
the emergency wait for her. The 'State of Texas' was here a week before
the attack on Santiago.

"While surgeons and nurses were probing for bullets and dressing wounds,
a force of men on the Red Cross ship worked half the night getting out
cots and blankets, food and bandages, and at daylight next m