The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-23
AND RECOMMENDS BETTER TRAIN
ING OF THE NATIONAL GUARD.
Most of the Suffering Due to Lack OF
TranspOrtation-Civ Testify
Regarding Camp WikOfF.

NEW YORK, Nov. 22.-The star witness
before the investigating commission to-day
was Col. Theodore Roosevelt, of the Rough
Riders. governor-elect of New York State.
The colonel took the stand in the after
noon towards the close of the session. IN
reply to request from General Wilson the
colonel told of the equipment and mastering
in of the first volunteer cavalry, known as
the Rough Riders.
when we reached Tampa" Colonel
Roosevelt said, ''there was a condition Of
utter confusion. We were dumped outside,
a mile away from our camp. No one knew
where the camp was. There was no one to
tell us where to go or what to do. After
waiting twenty-four hours 1 took the law
into my own hands and bought food for the
men and horses. Later, when we found our
camp, we were all right"
Were you imbursed for your outlay?"
81 never asked it. 1t was a personal mat
ter entirely"
Colonel Roosevelt said a great condition
of confusion existed at Tampa. Nobody
seemed to know anything and no arrange
ments were evident as to what transports
were to be used His own regiment was as
signed to the Yucatan. incidentally he
heard that the Second Infantry and the Sew
enty-first New York volunteers were also
assigned to the Yucatan. AS soon as he
heard that he hurried on the Rough Riders
and took possession of the ship and heldAit
against other regiments. His men had de-
cided to get to Cuba, and they got there.
do you attribute all the confusion
asked General Wilson, ito lack OF lntelli-
gence on the part of the men in charge or TO
the natural overcrowding of work?''
II was only a lieutenant colonel and I
could not know whose fault it was"
Replying to other questions, Colonel
Roosevelt said the food was ample, and,
with the exception of the canned roast beef,
good. VThe beef was very bad. Colonel
Roosevelt told of the voyage to Cuba and of
the Decentralization Of the regiment at Bal
ouiri. The regiment was one of the first to
land Captain Shaw, who was associated
with Colonel Roosevelt in the Navy Depart
ment, sent a Cuban pilot on board the Yucca
tan, and he took the transport a mile and
half nearer shore than any of the other
transports. There was a great scarcity of
material for landing men, horses and sup
plies.
FIRST EXPERIENCE IN BATTLE.
Colonel Roosevelt, still replying to ques-
lions, told in detail of the march of his
regiment to it's first camping place. After
supper" he continued, Colonel Wood told
us that we were to start next morning to
take the Spanards. The next mornings
march was a hard one, especially for the
men, There were no opportunities for flank
ers 1t was so hot that about one hundred
men dropped out for a rest, and when the
first Spanish outpost was discovered Col.
Wood ordered silence, and was sent to
the right to deploy with the right wing
When the Spaniards began firing 1 did MOI
know what was up. 1t was my first ex-
perience They were using smokeless pow
der, and / could not see where they were.
When 1 located the Spaniards with my
glasses / did not know what to do, but
knew it was a good rule If in doubt to go
ahead. and so went ahead
Colonel Roosevelt CLOSED over the further
details of the fighting. He paid a warm
tribute to the gallantry of Assistant Surgeon
James w Church, a former Princeton foot
ball player, who, he said, more than once
ran to the firing line and carried wounded
men on his back to the division hospital.
Colonel Roosevelt then told how the regi-
ment camped for the night.
Asked about the rations, he said: we
had the regulation rations of salts pork.
bareback, coffee and sugar, but the men
wanted vegetables, and / wanted 10 get
some for them. / took forty men, with the
officers horses, to Siboney and tried TO buy
them. The department refused to sell me
beans and tomatoes unless l could certify
that they were for officers consumption. l
stretched my conscience as far as / could.
and then boarded transport and purchased
about five hundred pounds of beans. The
change did the men good. 1t was too hot TO
eat nothing but the regular rations."
SLEPT IN THE TRENCHES.
Colonel Roosevelt went on to tell of the
advance on Santiago and of the night OF
July ]. when the regiment slept in the
trenches. He spoke of the advantages of
the smokeless powder and said that the
United States artillery was frequently
driven from its positions because OF the
targets made by the clouds of smoke that
resulted from each discharge of the black
powder.
WAS your command fully supplied with
food and ammunition" asked General Will
son.
THE ammunition supply was excellent
The food was insufficient. There was plenty
of food back at Siboney. / suppose it was
lack of transportation facilities that kept
us without good food until July "A. / organ-
lied a transportation corps with the officers
horses and went to Siboney and got food
for the men. Then later ] got into San
tiago and bought rice and milk. Ii we had
had the mule trains that we were forced
to leave behind at Tampa there would have
been no lack of supplies"
Replying to questions. Colonel Roosevelt
said other regiments at the front suffered
from lack OF supplies. one man Of the
First Illinois Regiment visited the Rough
Riders camp and offered 81 for seven hard
tacIxa Two hundred men OF the regiment