The record-union., 1898-11-09
Or. Clinton, in Charge of Second
Division at Camp Thomas,
Gives Testimony Before the War Inrestlga-
tion Commission.
Then There Was No Provision
Made for Feeding the Sick
Other Than Rations Issued to
Soldiers in the Regular Service,
Except Such as Were Brought
in by Charitable Organizations.

So1o1ers IN the Regular Service,
Except Such as Were Brought
in by Charitable Organizations.
| CHICAGO, Nov. S.-The War Inves-
! tigation Commission to-day continued
| the examination of witnesses. Genel a |
Dodge, Chairman of the committee,
says that he can begin to see an end
of the long investigation.
DR.. G. A. Smith Of Clinton, Ia, was
! the first witness to-day. From August
9th to September 10th he was in
charge of the Second Division. Third
Army Corps hospital at Camp Thomas.
DR.. Smith said:
When I assumed my duties July
l4th, l found a shortage of tents and
cots. The patients in the hospital were
crowded on account of tent short
age Some of the patients were lying
| on the ground on account of lack Of
| cots. There's was no provision made for
feedlng the sick other than the rations
| issued to the soldiers in the regular
service, except such as were brought
IN by charitable organizations, the prin-
c1pal of which were the Red Cross So
ciety and the National Relief
In the pharmacy there were at that
time no Intestinal antiseptics, although
| the commanding officer informed me
when l made requisition that he had
made repeated efforts to get them. The
pharmacy at that time-and indeed I'M
| til 1t was ordered closed and I turned
the stores over to the Government on
the 9th of September-never had any
proper equipment for doing pharmaceu-
| tical work. There were no scales TO
measure with. The hospital stewards
used board for a time. There were
no pill boxes or powder papers. The
stewards dispensed tablets and pills IN
any paper they could secure. and they
were carried to the wards in that
shape, and owing to the prevalence Of
| dampness at night they would become.
| by morning, a sticky mass not fit for
uSe.''
| The witness then went on to saw
that the medical supplies did improve
after the 1st of August, but UP to that
time there had been a great scarcity
Of suitable supplies. DR.. Smith said:
The water that was furnished for
the use of the hospitals UP to August
lst was taken from the pipe line from
ChickamauSa Greek, and it was so full
Of sediment that it was simply slush
and was not water.
In regard to nursing in that hospi-
tai, we had no trained nurses All the
nursing was done by orderlies. and
many of them were densely ignorant,
and when I was in charge of the wards
of the Second Brigade I had two men
who could neither read nor write, and
three men who did not know the mean
ir1cr Of o. Sv>ob xr,I>o,
I'm regard to the sinks, disinfection
and drainage" said the doctor, right
back Of the tents of the Second Bri-
gade there was a cesspoo1 which con-
tanned most Of the water from the
camp, and that remained stagnant un-
til some time in August. One great
trouble, in my judgment, was the shall
lowness Of the sinks"
In speaking of the infection of the
camp, the doctor expressed himself as
being of the opinion that typhoid fever
germs were carried around by the flies
which invaded the grounds In Dr.
Smiths judgment the water supply
was not contaminated by sewage car
ried into it from the camp, but mainly
by an inorganic sediment which acted
as an irritant on the mems digestive or
gans, and caused in many cases dysen-
| terry and other intestinal diseases
L never knew of m:re than two in
| stances in which I should say that
there was any amount Of neglect in
my hospital said the DOCTOR "Yes,
| saw sick men lying in their camp cloth
| ing because of the want of blankets.
clothing, ETC., to make a change Usu-'
| ally within twenty-four hours after
| such thing was discovered it was
| remedied. There We're times when
had not single sheet or blanket in our
storeroon, and many men were using
| their private blankets brought from
| their companies.
| 81 went to General Compton once and
| told him of the conditions prevailing
| in our hospital, and so far as I know
| lie made efforts to have nv recommen-
dations carried out 1 think that fully
| one-half of our sheets, pillowcases and
| pajamas were furnished by charitable
| institutions, and that practically AL
| the nourishment proper for seriously
sick men was furnished by the Red
Cross and the National Relief Associ-
alton. We obtained all our ice and
| milk from other sources than the Cow
| eminent. / was told that it was ex-
pected there would be a hospital fund
! on hand large enough to purchase these
| things. The United States Govern
ment did not supply any special diet
or delicacies for sick men; they were
obtained from the relief associations.
| Witness thought the bad reputation
| of the Second Division hospital wss
due to the fact that it had been Iocat-
| ed with the idea that it was to be main
| tanned for few weeks only, and pro-
vision was not made for drainage 7
| believe that General Brooke. who was
| in command of the First Army Corps.
and also in command of Chickamauga
| Park, was instrumental in DETECTING a
large amount of the supplies into the
First. to the detriment Of the Second
Division hospital.
DR.. Smith said there were no ther-
mometers in the hospital until late in
| July, when a large supply was obtain
| ed from the Red Cross. and some from
the Government.
| Asked about DR.. Ward. who testified
yesterday, witness said he regarded DR..
Ward as a very competent and very
conscientious man. and would not doubt
any statements DR.. Ward might make
as to conditions at Camp Thomas. Wit
! ness said he had read DR.. Wards de-
scription of those conditions in the