The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-22
HOT SHOT AT ALGER
GEN. WILEY TELLS THE SECRE-
TARY THINGS HE is TO
BLAME FOR
DRILL Ed MEN IN THE SUN
They Fell Exhausted Provided No
Litters With Which to Garry
Them to HOspital-GrOss NegIi-
gence on the Part of Quartermas-
tiers of the Army.

CHICAGO, Sept 21-The Records
Lexington, KY, special says: There
was a stormy scene in Inspector Gen
eral Breckinridge's tent here, in which
Secretary Of War Alger, Surgeon Gen
eral Sternberg, Quartermaster General
LudingtOn, Generals Breckenridge,
Sanger and Wiley, and Gov. Bradley,
of Kentucky, took part. 1t began as
discussion on Observation-Disclosures it was
best to maintain division hospitals or
to return to regimental hospitals. The
discussion was tame for few minutes,
but 1t grew red hot, and changed to the
subject of the management of the VOL
unteer camps, and then it got hotter.
Gen. Sanger began the hot talk by
saying there was rottenness in the
management of the departments of the
QuartermaSter and surgeon general.
Looking at Secretary Alger, he said:
Sir, your chief cook and bottle
washer down at Chickamauga-I refer
to Dr. Heidenkoper-was nothing but
the very rankest sort Of veterinary
surgeon, and did not know the word
disinfectant. l issued order after order
for materials and medicines, and could
not get them. I failed utterly to get
what I wanted. I sent requisition after
requisition, and none of them was hon
OT0u. FlIdlly sent d ISQuSSl
pointed and received the reply that
such stuff was not needed"
Col. Leonard, of the Twelfth New
York, who with the other colonies was
present, cOrroborated Gen. Sanger's
statements as to DR.. Heidenkoper, and
then Gen. Wiley began to talk. He
declared:
"The neglect to furnish supplies, gen.
tlemen, was criminal. While in Chick
amauga 1 was in command Of the di
vision over which Gen. Sanger is now,
and while holding that command l fire.
quently made acquisitions which were
not honored. An imperative order had
been sent to US to have all water boil
ed. Now, you can't boil water, Mr..
Secretary, without boilers, and I made
a requisition on Quartermaster General
Lee for water boilers. No attention
was paid to this and 1 repeatedly
urged him to send boilers, saying that
men were taking typhoid fever by not
having boiled water to drink. Failing
to get any reply to my repeated tele-
grams, I sent him a sassy message,
and l received a prompt reply which
read: The war department does not
furnish boilers.
Failing to get boilers from the war
department. I bought them myself;
but much valuable time had been lost,
the seeds of disease had been SoWn,
and, Mr.. Secretary, you have seen the
results of this criminal negligence in
the large death reports which have been
sent out from every camp in this broad
land. These men in the quartermas-
ter'S department cannot stand off and
say it was somebody else's fault It
was the fault of Quartermaster Lee,
and it was the fault Of Quartermaster
Ludington, who is standing right
there"
Here Gen. Wiley pointed his finger
at Ludington, who WINGED perceptibly.
Continuing, Gen. Wiley said
These acquisitions were made both
on his office and on the quartermaster
general in charge. The brigade sur
geons would complain of the absence of
certain medicines and medical instru-
mentS, and acquisitions for these things
were not honOred, and men were forced
to borrow fever thermometers to take
the temperature of the sick, and the
same instrument had to be used from
one regiment to another. These things
are responsible for the Wretched state
of affairs now confronting you"
Secretary Alger quickly replied:
Il want to get at the bottom of the
whole matter. We don't care if some
body's feelings are hurt. We want to
find out who is to blame. But what
we were to consider at this meeting is
whether We are to go back to the regi-
mental hospitals or to continue the di-
vision hospitals, or shall we have both"
Col. Leonard opposed the division
hospital, saying it was certain death
in many cases to send men there
When Dr. Heidencoper's advocates
would try to put in a word for him,
Col Leonard and Gen. Wiley, who led
the fight on him, would break in and
abuse him. Gen. Sternberg came to
the defense Of his department and said:
1--WE have had a difficult problem.
No acquisitions came to Washington
which were not honored. We honored
them all promptly, and tried to secure
the best regardless of cost, as Score
tary Alger had instructed us to do If
the medical officers failed to do their
duty, they should have been reported.
If their acquisitions were not honored.
complaints should have been lodged
against the proper persons"
Gen. Wiley could stand this kind of
talk no longer, and he cited many in
stances where there was no response
to demands for articles absolutely a.