The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-23

many soldiers struggling along the
roadway apparently too weak to move. |
Some of them told him they had been
discharged from hospitals as cured.
He told of the regulations that COM |
PEELED those men to hang around for
hours before they could get transporta-
ton to their homes, and said he came to |
the conclusion that the handling of the |
men was careless and inefficient. Il
do not blame the war department" said /
he, but some one must have been re- |
spOnsible for the brutal negligence. 1t
was not the head officers, but the Off |
GERS charged with carrying out the
minor details"
Col Roosevelt next took the stand, |
and in reply to a request from Gen. |
Wilton told of the equipment and mus
tering in of the rough riders. when !
we reached Tampa" Col. 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 "a hours, ! 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 reimbursed for your out |
lay?"
Il never asked it. 1t was a personal !
matter entirely"
Col. Roosevelt said a great condition
of confusion existed at Tampa No
body seemed to know anything, and
no arrangements We're evident as to
what transports were to be used. His
own regiment was assigned to the Yu-
catan. Incidentally he had heard that
the Second infantry ana Seventy first |
New York volunteers we're also as
signed to the Yucatan. AS soon as he |
heard that, he hurried on the rough |
riders. and took possession of the ship
and held it against the other regiments. |
His men had decided to get to Cuba |
and they got there
do you attribute all the confusion" |
asked Gen. Wilson, Ito lack of inteli- |
gence on the part of the men in charge, |
or TO the natural overcrowding of
work?'
Il was only a lieutenant colonel, and
l could not know whose the fault was
Col. Roosevelt told of the voyage to
Cuba and the Decentralization of the
regiment at Daiquiri. Capt. Shaw who
was associated with Col. Roosevelt in
the navy department sent a Cuban pi-
lot on board the Yucatan, and he took
the transports a mile and a half nearer
shore than any other transports. There
was a great scarcity of material for
4 landing men, horses and supplies.
Still replying to questions, Col. ROose- |
welt continued: After supper Col
Wood told us we were to start next
morning to take the Spaniards.
THE next mornings march was u
hard one especially for the men There
We're no opportunities for hankers. 1t
was so hot that about 100 men dropped
out for rest, and when the first Span
iGh OI1tDOGt was digpOvare6 Col Wood
ordered silence, and l was sent to the
right to deploy with the right wing.
When the Spaniards began firing
did not know what was up. 1t was my
first experience. They were using
smokeless powder, and I could not see
where they were. 1t was Richard
Harding Davis who first called my at
tention to the Spanish hats in the dis
lance When l located them with my
glasses / did not know what to do, but
1 knew 1T was a good rule if in doubt
to go ahead, and so went ahead"
Asked about the rations, he said:
We had the regulation rations of salt
pork, hard tack, coffee and sugar but
| the men wanted vegetables, and [ want
ed TO get some for them. I took 40
men with the officers horses to Siboney
and tried to buy them. The depart
ment refused to sell me beans and to-
matoes unless I could certify that they
We're for officers consumption. I
stretched my conscience so far as
could, and then boarded a transport
and purchased about 500 pounds of
beans. The change did the men good
It was too hot to eat nothing but me
regular rations.
Col. Roosevelt went on to tell of the
advance on Santiago and of the night
OF July l. when the regiment slept in
the trenches. He spoke of the adj
I tor H~,-l.- i
said that the United States artillery
was frequently driven from it's posi-
tions because of the targets made hyI
| the clouds of smoke that resulted from
each discharge of the black powder.
WAS your command fully supplied
with food and ammunition" asked Gen.
Wilson
The ammunition supply was excel
| lent The food was insufficient There
was plenty of food back at Siboney. II
suppose it was lack of transported iun
facilities that kept us without good
| food until July a. organized q trans
portation corps with the officers horses
and went to Siboney and got food for
the men. Then later | got into Santi-
ago and brought rice and milk If wei
had had the mule trains that we We're
forced to leave behind at Tampa there
would have been no lack of supplies -
Col Roosevelt said other regiments
at the front suffered from lack Of sup
plies. One man Of the Illinois regiment
visited the rough riders camp and Of
fered 81 for seven hard tacks Two
hundred men Of the regiment came into
the rough riders camp and ate the
broken hard tack. The rough riders
had enough to eat but it was the re-
suit of individual effort and individual
expenditure. There was a great scar
city of all medical supplies at the front
except quinine and calomel, and a great
lack Of surgeons and hospital stew
ards
With reference to Camp Wikoff. Col.
Roosevelt said there was great confu-
sion for the first three days after the
arrival Of the troops During these
days" he continued, Il do not think
our men We're treated as well as they
should have been so near home, but
after that there was nothing that II
could and fault with ! thought our
brigade was admirably treated, and our
SICK admirably cared for The record
was badly kept at the hospital, but the
work was crowding the authorities. and
! as our reSimental records We're also
! badly kept, | don't care to complain
about it. or course can only speak
OF the experience of my own regiment"
Why was there a scarcity Of medi-
cal supplies in Cuba?' asked DR.. Con-
nor.
u don't know l heard there were
| plenty on the ships. There was
lamentable need Of ambulances. l think