The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-10-05

/ Aoluiefl were not IQOtAuFA Geuefhl
Wheeler's opinion was that the Span
iSh Commander was not able 10 face the
Americans in the open.
The Medical DtpaFtmsni.
Discussing the plan OF campaign he
said he doubted whether any more ef-
fectlve plan could have been adopted.
Speaking Of the medical department he
said at tlmea there were complaints,
but that they were not serious. on oeca-
sions there wns a shortage OF surgeons;
some Of the surgeons being sick or
wounded. According 20 General Wheel
er's belief the wounded in battle were
promptly cared for by the surgeons.
After the fight Of July /, all the wound-
ed were carried from the field that
night The witness had heard that
there was more complaint Of the Bhort-
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 frst half OF
| June. the site was without objection,
but he had felt thnt II would he wet las
ter In the season. II was his impresslon
that Tampa had been selected aa q
camp site after the beginning Of the
war and was Incidental to the intended
movement on Havana. There was, ne
| said. at times, some shortage OF supplies
at the camp, "but nothing" he added,
"that soldier could complain OF" They
had comfortable tents and the commits
sary supplies were suhiclent. The water
supply also was pood 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
men doing well.
General Wheeler said he had no con-
troll over any OF the supplies which were
taken 20 Santiago on the transports
when he left Tampa. This was attend
ed to by the different stan officers. He
only knew from conversation With these
that there was an abundance OF the
supplies Of all character.
The Santiago Campaign.
Returning to the Santiago campaign
he said that only two regiments had re-
ported shortage of ratlons and he had
Immediately telephoned to the rear and
the shortage which was due to accident,
had been adjusted. There was suffer-
ing when the men were compelled to
lie on the breastworlSs.
The meat was poor and they had
no bread but hard tack. They were Fore
ed to live In the sun and water alterna-
lively and necessarily there was much
sickness. While they had the full quo
IA Of doctors and nurses he thought II
more had been furnished the men would
have been better cared for. As for ra-
tlons. three days supply was generally
issued. Whenever the troops went into
action they would throw their food
away, as well as their packs, and they
often did not recover them.
General Wheeler took up the common
report that the Cubans stole goods thus
discarded. It was not fair, he said, to
thus accuse the natives, for there was
20 much OF this fOtsam and jetsam that,
hungry and poorly clothed as the Gu
bans were. they were not to be blamed
for helping themselves. He said he had
seen among the 1900 people who came
out OF Santiago many ladies OF refine-
ment who were emaclated and evident-
ly hungry.
In reply to questions he stated that he
never had heard OF any shortage of
commissaTy or ordnance supplies at
Santiago, hut he had been told that the
medical supplies were short, set he had
no personal knowledge on this point
ing TO the rear In the engagements, but
as a rule as soon as a man fell in bat
lie he was carried to the hospitals bV
the medical corps,
He said that as a rule the quality OF
the hardtack was good. Where there
was any deterioration II was due to To-
cal rains and not to the fact OF original
inferiorIty.
No Dl,po,ltIop 10 Complain.
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"
RepivIng to n question from Colonel
DenhY, General Wheeler said the regn-
lars had shown a greater ability TO take
care of themselves than the volunteers
The volunteers were more careless. but
the volunteer caValrymen were not 20
negligent Us the other volunteers, be-
cause they we're generally western men
who had been used to camping. He
thought this fact had had strong In
fuence in causing the health OF the reg
ulars to be better than that OF the vol
unteerH.
Captain Howell asked TO what he at-
NElDuLEu NNH uHNGAgHulNhN VI NA"@a7I -
ter the capitulation OF Santiago. and
General 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 OF the physicians. So far as
he knew there was general commend.
alton Of the medical CORPS except that
on one or two occasions there had been
some grumbllng In regard to general
conditions. He thought there was de-
ficIencV in the number Of ambulances,
but this deficiency was due to the exl-
genoieS Of the campaign.
General Wheeler also said In reply to
Captain Howell that he knew Of no
confusion In shipping supplies from
Tampa. He was not acquainted with a
case IN which the body OF vehicle was
shlpped on one vessel and the wheels on
another. His memory was not distinct
rs to complaints from physicians In his
command as TO the scarcity OF medical
supplies, but he thought there were
some such complaints. and In such
cases he had had them supplied as
promptly as possible.
There had been difficulty IN getting
the transports 10 lie as near In shore as
was desirable, rendering II difficult to
get at supplies promptly.
EIGHT sEANEN DROWNED
Nv the wreck EIha schooner Palmer on
"a NaH