The Mena star., 1898-10-05
THE WAR INVESTIGATION.
Tae Full Commission Meets and
Proceeds at Once to the Taking
of Testimony.
GEN. WHEELER GIVES HIS VERSION.
The General Says That for Seven Days HE
Men Slept without Tents--N-vsr Really
Short Of Kstions--CompIaints About the
Medical suppiies-Men In Hospitals
Thought to he Well Treated.

Thought to he Well Treated.
Washington, Oct 4.-The full war
investigation board met at ten o'clock
this morning and proceeded at once to
the taking OF testimony. Gen. Dodge
occupied the chair. Gen. Wheeler vas
sworn and began by telling of his APP
pointment; his going to Tampa and
his voyage to Santiago. He said that
the 20 transports sailed under CONVOY
of men-of-war, around the east end of
Cuba
On the 2ist was ordered on board Skaters
ship and instructions were given that we would
dlsembark next day I disembarked with a
portion OF my command; visited the surround
Ing country and reported next day to Gen
Shafter reached Siboney and found Gen.
Linares had removed to SeviIla followed by
Cubans / met the Cuban general Castillo
and arranged to have some 200 Cubans 90 wish
ss and fnc the SpanisTas and ight them Tne
roads were very narrow and we had dinhculty
in moving The Cubans did not appear and we
found Spaniards, which we at first feared were
our friends the Cubans Our troops prepared
to attack and soon began firing along the whole
line
Gen. Toral afterwards told him the
entire Spanish losses were but 265
The witness thought this included
missing men. He said Gen. Shafter
put the Spanish loss down as much
less.
Gen. Wheeler went on TO narrate the
steps he took to put his men in de-
cisive position. The general said he
was then from II to Is miles away
from the point of debarkation. The
men had TO wade the San Juan river,
some of them up to their waists. He
said that for seven days they all slept
without tents. They were finally in
treuched successfully within ~ miles
of San tiago.
The roads were very fair and ordnance stores
and provisions moved along easily. We were
never really short OF rations or supplies
though one or two regiments complained OF
temporary delay. ! think Gen. Shafter de-
serves great praise for the way he supplied US.
His great purpose was to get supplies ahead
about two days so that we would be we'll sup
piled when we became intrenched.
Gen. Wheeler explained the plans
and purposes of all the movements
Gen. Shafter wrote me a letter on
July 2, asking If we could take the
forts down on the bay. | wrote re-
ply protesting very strongly against it.
That would have left San Juan with
out invest ment We could not have
taken those forts without heavy loss"
Gen. Wheeler was asked about the
medicine supplies.
Yes, there was some complaint Sometimes
there was a shortage One surgeon was
killed and several wounded, which left us
short handed. The wounded were promptly
m pf 7 In 40 fgft T4ft-
the men carried off the wounded in blankets
and got them all of the field | think that
night
Coming back to the camp at Tampa,
the witness testified;
We were well located while we were there
but from inquiries / learned that there we're
fears OF suffering there when the weather
should change There was only one railroad
there / think there were 49, 600 or 1000 troops
there think they were well supplied with
commissary stores. We were oil under tents
l consider the men In the hospitals very well
taken care Of The pereen tage Of sick was
very small
Replying to question from Col. Dem
by. Gen. Wheeler said the regulars had
shown n greater ability to take care of
themselves than the volunteers. The
volunteers were more careless, but the
volunteer cavalrymen were not so neg
ligent as the other volunteers, because
they were generally western men who
had been used to camping. He thought
this fact had had strong influence in
causing the health of the regulars to
be better than that of the volunteers.
Capt. Howell asked to what he at
tributed the development of disease
after the capitulation of Santiago and
Gen. Wheeler replied that it was due
to the climate and to the exposure
made necessary. All the men seemed
to be more or less affected by the
conditions. He had, he said, known
of no instance of sick or wounded
man dying from want of care from the
physicians. So far as he knew there
was general commendation OF the
medical corps, except that on one or
two occasions there had been some.
grumbling in regard to general eou-
ditions. He thought there was def
cheney in the number of anbulances.
but this deficiency was due to the
exigencies of the campaign.
Terrible Accident Co Three historians.