Clifton David Scott (1872 - 1947)

Born 18 Sep 1872 in Kansas

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 31 Dec 1947 at age 75 in Shawnee, OK

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Biography

Early Life

The earliest record located for Cliff is the 1880 census listing a 7 year old Cliff living in Iola, Allen Kansas, Cliff's likely birth place ^[1] An 1882 newspaper reports Cliff was promoted to the fourth grade. ^[2]

Service as a Rough Rider

Cliff served as a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt^[3]

Battle of Santiago

The Iola Register, July 22, 1898 reports on Cliff's fighting in battle of Santiago.^[4] The newspaper states that Cliff's account "strikes us that it is about as vivid a picture of war as we have seen:

We marched ten miles and ate supper. Next morning we started for the front as an advance guard. L Troop was leading and ours was next. It was boiling hot and we were worn out. Our feet were blistered and we were ready to drop. We were matching along with no thought except of our own personal discomfort, when the first thing we know the Spaniards opened on us from a fortified ambush on both sides of the trail.

We were a triffled rattled at first, for we couldn't see where the fire came from, but we deployed skirmishes and advanced. The fire was terrible. Old Civil War veterans say they never saw the bullets fly so thick as they did there. L Troop got the brunt of the fight (Indian Territory boys). They lost over half of their men. We got it next for we were under a flanking fire from both sides, our loses being about 12 percent.

I got a bullet through the butt of my gun and one in my canteen. One missed me by about four inches and another by an inch. But I think about fifty passed over my head. The air was so full of them that there was hardly room for the sun to shine through... How any of us escaped is a wonder. I fired 115 rounds. Several Spaniards were captured and they say we do not fight according to rules for we advance at their hardest fire, instead of standing still or retreating.

Cliff concludes his account with a bit of criticism directed at the government:

The Cubans are all right. They do all in thier power for us. But damn the United States! Excuse me, but this is the sentiment of all the boys, only not quite as strong as most of them put it. We live on what the Spanish solders throw away, on green fruit or anything we can get. A days ration for us is one spoonful of coffee (ungrounded), two hard tack, four ounces of bacon, and one spoonful of sugar. That is ALL. We have not got a grain of salt for a month. For a while we got tomatoes. In fact we boys would all be happy to get into a good hotel slop barrel. We are all half starved and some one is to blame. Am feeling better than I ever felt in my life - but I could eat a raw dog!

Surrender of Santiago

The Wichita Daily Eagle (1898) printed a excerpt of letter from Cliff sharing his observations of the battle^[5]:

Santiago Cuba, July 16, 1898

Dear Sir - Words can not express the conditions here. I have tried to look at the bright side of this war, as there is not a well man in camp; we are all in tent and several of the boys have been taken to the yellow fever hospital. I have been taking 10 grams of quinine three times a day, but I can't shake off the chills, fever and rheumatism.

I saw a sight today that would melt iron. Since the surrender of Santiago the women, old men and children have been ordered back into the city. I don't want to appear weakly sentimental but I hope to God that I may never witness such a sight again, and I would give all is coming to me to forget what I have seen today.

They began passing early this morning and they passed right through our camp. They were starved and kept falling all along the road. I was talking to one man with a family, and he said, 'sell me something to eat. I have $2,000 in gold but my family is starving. Won't you sell me some hard tack?' But we gave away all we dare: we must protect ourselves. If a man was mean enough, he could make $500 a day here but the boys are not taking a cent for anything, and we are all going hungry today in order to relieve them as much as possible.

It is a fact that I never saw a beautiful woman until today. They are well dressed and some even wear diamonds, but they are all without anything to eat. It goes against our grain to see these large dreamy eyes look us in the face and ask for a hard tack and we have to say no. And little poor little thin hands, saying the only word of English they know, 'please'

They are not beggers by any means, they all have money and offer to pay for what they get...there was hardly a dry eye in canp today. We all went without out our dinner and supper and slipped it into our shirts (we didn't dare let the officers know) and doled it out to the most needy. It is an awful job, for they are all hungry and when we have to refuse they look at us with such a wistful gaze that it makes a man feel as if he was the meanest man on earth...

July 18, The surrender proceedings took place today, very tame affair...Colonel Roosevelt announced today that just as soon as the war was over he would give us our discharges . . .he is a fine man and a scraper from the word go. Here is just a little incident showing his magnificent courage and bravery. In the last fight he was about the sixth man over the trenches and just as he came up a Spaniard who was hid in the block house ran out and fired point blank at the Colonel. We all raised to fire, but Roosevelt said, 'Don't shoot boys, he's mine' and he calmly raised his pearl handled revolver and dropped Mr. Spaniard.

July 27- We are very comfortably situated now, have lots to eat, and we are all feeling fine. I will close this letter now and send it...I have about three barrels of talk saved up for you and when I get home I will open all of them at once.

[click here for more on the Battle for San Juan and Kettle Hill]

Life After the Rough Riders

At least two newspaper articles reports that Cliff Scott traveled with Buffalo Bill's Show^{[6] [7]}

In a 1902 President Roosevelt recommends Cliff for a job stating, "I am confident he would be an admirable public servant". ^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch [: accessed 6 December 2015 Clifton Scott in household of William Scott, Iola, Allen, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district 9, sheet 97A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0372; FHL microfilm 1,254,372.]
2. ↑ The Iola Register [The Iola Register available here]
3. ↑ Compiled military service record of Cliff D. Scott, documenting service in the 1st U. S. Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders) during the Spanish American War [available here]
4. ↑ Iola Register, July 22 1898 [Iola Register, July 22, 1898 available here]
5. ↑ Wichita Daily Eagle, 1898 [available here]
6. ↑ Burke, J. J., editor. The Norman Transcript. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 12, 1900, Newspaper, April 12, 1900; [: accessed December 16, 2015 Oklahoma Historical Society, The Gateway to Oklahoma History, http://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.]
7. ↑ Free Press., May 26, 1900 [available here]
8. ↑ Recommendation letter from President Roosevelt [available here]

• Family Bible in possession of Margaret Findley.