The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-11-25
lumber 4 Z
ROOSEVELT ON STAi.
Tells of Conditions at Tampa
and Before Santiago.
MEN HAD NO VEGETABLE FOOD,

Tried t. Buy Eaans aud Tomatoes For
HIS Men, But Was Refused Unless lie
Would Certify They Were For Officers
Con.,mp ,o,.-- Scarcity of Medical sup
plies Excepting QUINN" and Ca,one,.
New YORK, Nov. 23.-Among tbs
witnesses examined yesterday by the
war investigating commission was Col
onel Theodore Roosevelt.
'Whe, we reAah+,i "'ampa," Colonel
Roosevelt said, "the.e WAS a cori;tlnn
ct ,nCAr COL fusion. We were dunn
OUTSIDE ME away from our camp.
No one knew where the camp WAS.
There was NJ one to tell MS where to 20.
or what to do. Aster awaiting "a hocrs
I took the law inle my own hands aud
tCusht food for the men and hGrses.
L,.e when we toand our camp we We're
al II rht."
Were you reimbursed for your ont.
Ly?''
I never asked it. It was PERSONAL
u,a.ter entirely."
Colonel Roosevelt SAID great condi-
tlou OF confusion existed ~ Tampa. NO
body seemed to know ANYTHING and nn
arrangements We're evident as to what.
transp rts were to be used. His own
regiment was assigned to the Yucatan.
Incidentally he heard that til Sew
enty.fj:st New York volunteers and
Seventh infantry were also assigned to-
the Yucatan. AS soon as he heard that
he hurried on the Rough Riders and
took possession of the ship and held it.
against other regiments.
"Do you attribute all. the confusion,
asked General Wilson. "to lack of intel
ligeuce on the part of the men in charre,
or to the natural overcrowding of work.
II was only a lieutenant colonel and Z
cou,d not know whose fault it was"
Replying to other questions, Colonel
Roosevelt said the food was ample and,
with the exception of the canned roast
beef, was good. The beef was very bad
Men Wanted Vegetables.
Colonel Roosevelt CLOSED over the
details OF the fighting. He paid a,
warm tribute to the gallantry of Sur
geon James w. Church, former Prln-
ceton football player, who be said more
than once ran to the firing line and
carried wounded men on his back to the
division hospital.
Asked about the ratiOns he said: eve
had the regulation rations Of salt pork
hard tack. coffee and sugar, and the
men wanted vegetables and wanted TO
get them for them. took 40 men with
the officers horses to Siboney and tried
to buy them. The department refused
to sell me beans and tomatoes unless J.
could certify that they We're for ot1i,:-
ers consumption. stretched my cor
science as tar as l could and then
boarded a transport and purchased
about 500 pounds of beans. The chause
did the men good.
1iReplying to questions Colonel Roose~
welt said other regiments at the frolnG
suffered from lack OF supplies. One=
man from the First Illinois visited the
rough riders camp and offered 81 for
seven hardtacks. M.,y men came TO-
the camp aud ate the broken hardtac.S.
The rough riders had enough to eat, but
it was the result OF Individual effort
and individual expenditure.
"Was your command fully supplied
with food and ammunition" asked
General Wilson.
"The ammunition supply was excel
lent. The lood was insufficient. There
was plenty of food back at Siboney. Z
suppose it was lack OF transportation
facilities that kept US out of good food
until July "a. There was great scare.
ity of all medical supplies at the front
except quinine aud calomel and great
luck OF surgeons and hospital steward ~
why was ruere II scarcity OF medical
supplies in Cuba" asked DR.. Conner.
Il do not know. l heard there was
plenty on the ships. There was la
luentaDle need OF ambulances. thInk5
we could have done better with feWer
men nd Inot transported
''N ere tie prrations greater than
you cxpeGteu!
II sd not expect anything. wen.
to take tlilngs as they came. l thug
near.y AL the prlvatlons tnere mi. lis
have been avOlued it the lransportA,
ton 1aciIlJles lad been bcJter az
ranged.
'44Ave you anything you can sug-
gesG 70 us lpr the tuCurr!" asked Gen.
eial Wilson.
II bth,ve all the difficulties we
met would be Utviat,d III the future lit
tins national gaaru We're framed as are
the ARMIES of 4o,e.gu countrles.
/ IfnIO