The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-05
Testimony Covered the Case of Soldiers at
Santiago and Montauk-- Difficulties of
Campaign Discussed---Contended by
General That Wil1off Was Model
Camp--Considered Hospital Ca
pacity Equal to Demands.

this explanation for the Spanish sol
diers We're not footsore. Gen. Wheeler's
opinion was that the Spanish com
mander was not able to face the Ameri-
cans in the open.
Discussing the plan of campaign he
said he doubted whether any more ef-
fective plan could have been adopted.
Speaking of the medical department,
he said that at times there were com
plants, but that they were not serious.
On occasions there was a shortage of
surgeons; some of the surgeons being
sick or wounded. According to Gen.
Wheelers belief the wounded in battle
were promptly cared for by the sur
geons After the fight of July l, all the
wounded were carried from the field
that night The witness had heard that
there was more complaint of the short
age of medicine among the infantry
than in the cavalry arm Of the service.
Going back to Tampa, he said that at
the season he was there, the first half
of June, the site was without objection,
but he had felt it would be wet later
in the season.
It was his impression that Tampa had
been selected as a camp site after the
beginning Of the war, and was inciden-
tai to the intended movement on Ha-
vana There was at times some short
age OF supplies at the camp, put
nothing" he added, that a soldier
could complain Of"
They had comfortable tents and the
commissary supplies were sufficient.
, The water supply was also good. He said
the men in his command were well
taken care Of. However, very few men
were at that time sick. He had himself
gone into the hospitals and had found
the mer- doing well.
over any of the supplies, which were
taken to Santiago on the transports
when he left Tampa.
This was attended to by the different
staff officers. He only knew from con-
versation with these that there was an
abundance of supplies of all character
Returning to the Santiago campaign
he said that only two regiments had re
ported a shortage of rations and he had
Immediately telephored to the rear and
the shortage, which was due to an ac-
cident had been adjusted.
There was suffering when the men
We're compelled to lie on the breast
works The meat was poor, and they
had no bread, but bareback They
were forced to lie in the sun and water
alternately, and there was much sick
ness.
While they had the full quota of
had been furnished, the men would
have been better cared for. AS to ra-
lions, three days supplies was gener-
ally issued Whenever the troops
went into action, they would throw
their food away as we'll as their packs
and they often did not recover them
Gen. Wheeler took Up the common
report that the Cubans stole goods
thus discarded. It was not fair, he
n he
there was so much of this fotsam and
jetsam, that hungry and poorly
clothed as the Cubans were, they were
not to be blamed for helping them
selves. He said he had been among
| the $4,000 people who came out of San
tiago, and there were many ladies of
refinement who were emaciated, evil
IDENTIFY by hunger. In reply to ques-
tons, he stated he never had heard of
any shortage Of commissary or ord
nance supplies at Santiago, but he had
been told that the medical supplies
were short.
EIe had no personal knowledge on
this point. He had seen some wound
ed men crawling to the rear in the en-
gagements, but as a rule, as soon as a
man fell in battle, he was carried to
the hospitals by the medical corps He
said that as a rule the quality of the
bareback was good. When there was
any deterioration it was due to local
rains and not to the fact of original in
feriority.
/ The spirit Of the army was such, he
said, that there was no disposition to
complain. They were all proud to be
there, and willing to undergo hard
ships.
Replying to question from Col.
DENLY Gen. Wheeler said the regulars
| had shown a greater ability to take
care of themselves than the voiun-
teers The volunteers We're more care
| less. but the volunteer cavalrymen
We're not so negligent as the other vol
unteers, because they were generally
men who had been used to camping.
He thought this fact had a strong in
| fluence 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 af-
ter 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 con-
ditions. He had known Of no instance
of sick or wounded man dying from
want of care from the physicians. So
| far as he knew, there was no condem-
nation of the medical corps, except
that on one or two occasions there had
been some grumbling in regard to gen
eral conditions.
He thought there was difficulty in,
| the number of ambulances, but the
deficiency was due to the exigencies of
the transportation. Gen. Wheeler also
said, in reply to Capt. Howell, that he
had known of no confusion in shipping
supplies from Tampa He was not ac-
quainted with a case in which the body
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