Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-11-25
At Tampa and Also in Cuba He
Was Forced to Purchase
,4.c Needed Supplies.
HUNGRY MEN AT SANTIAGO
SAYS Volunteers From Illinois
Ate the Remnants Left by
His Com mand.
Lack Of Transportation Facili..
ties the Main Cause OF
the PrivationS. ,s

New YORK, Nov. %. - Theodore
Roosevelt, governor-clect Of New York
and late colonel Of the Rough Riders,
testified before the war investigation
commission during the day. After de-
failing the organization and equipment
Of the Rough Riders Colonel Roosevelt
said:
when we reached Tampa there was
condition Of utter confusion. We
were dumped outside, mile away frcrn
our camp. No one knew where the
camp was. There was no one to tell
where to go or what to do.
After waiting "A hours I took the
law into my own hands and bought
food for the men and hospitals. Fur
thermore, when we found our camp we
were all right
Were you reimbursed for your out
lay?
IL never asked it, It was personal
matter entirely
EvCFytn ming IN OOU1uSIuus
Colonel Roosevelt said great condi-
ton of confusion existed at Tampa.
Nobody seemed to know anything and
no arrangements were evident as to
what transports were to be used. His
own regiment was assigned to the Yucca
tan. Incidentally he heard that the
Seventy-frst New York volunteers and
Second 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. His men had
decided to get to Cuba and they got
there.
Replying to other questions Colonel
Roosevelt said the TODD was ample and,
with the exception of the canned roast
beef, good. The beef was very bad.
The Landing at Daiquiri.
Colonel Roosevelt told of the voyage
to Cuba and of the Decentralization OF
the regiment at Daiquirl. The regi-
ment was one of the first to land. -
Colonel Shaw, who was associated
with Colonel Roosevelt in the navy de-
partment, sent Cuban pilot on board
the Yucatan and he took the transport a
mile and half nearer shore than any OF
the other transports. There was a great
scarcity. OF material for landing men,
hospitals and supplies.
Colonel Roosevelt told in detail the
march to the camping place and the
first fight with the Spaniards, especially
condemning the black powder used by
Americans, which, he said, made them
easy targets for the enemy. The latter
used smokeless powder and were hard
to locate, Asked about the rations he
said:
Bought Beans for His Men.
"We had the regulation rations Of
salt pork, hard tack, coffee and sugar,
but the men wanted vegetables and I
wanted to get some for them. took 40
men with the officers horses to Siboney
and tried to buy them. The depart
ment refused to sell me beans and toma-
toes unless I could certify that they
were for officers consumption. l
stretched my conscience as far as I
could and then boarded transport and
purchased about 500 pounds OF beans.
The change did the men good. 1t was
too hot to eat nothing but the regular
1atiOns."
"Was your command fully supplied
with food and ammunition" asked Gen
eral Wilson.
Food Supply Insufficient.
1.-The ammunition supply was excel
lent The food was insufficient. There
was plenty of food back at Siboney. I
suppose it was lack Of transportation
facilities that kept us without good
food. Had we had the mule trains that
we were forced to leave behind at camps
there would have been no lack Of sup
plies" "' - 49,
Replying to questions Colonel Roose-
welt said other regiments at the front
suffered from lack of supplies. One
man of the First Illinois regiment Wis.,
tied the Rough Riders camp and offered
~ for seven hardtacks. Two hundred
men of the regiment came to the Rough
Riders camp and ate the broken hard
tacks The Rough Riders had enough
to eat, but it was the result of in
dividual effort and individual expendi-
ture.
Experience ut Camp Wikon.
With reference to Camp Wikoff
Colonel Roosevelt said there was great
confusion for the first few days after
the arrival of the troops.
During those days." he continued,
II do not think our men were treated as
well as they should have been so near
hama hut after TINT there was nOfhinn