The herald., 1898-11-02
OF BAD.MANAcEMENT AND OF
SHORT SUPPLIES
IN CAMP AND FIRING LINE
The Things Most Urgently Needed
Were Conspicuous by Their Alb
sence-Incompetents
Associated Press Special Wire

ALAiNO1ON, n.y., NOV. 1-Delore IHe
War Investigating Committee today, Chief
Commlssary Marshall, OF Camp Hamilton,
denied the statements made by Lieutenant,
Colonel Mitchell OF the First Territorial
last night. He said every requlsltion had
been honored from the 1erritorials:
The second witness was General j. y.
Bates, who testified us to the Santiago cam
paign, the camps at Mobile and at Chicka-
mauga. He went to see General Brooke re,
gardlng the lack of equipments, clothing and
other supplies. lie said:
"The day before we left Mobile we got
pretty well supplied. There were supplies
tor. recruits. AT Santiago, we mad bread
the proper place for camp Of sick soldiers
ct this time of the year. At MontaMk Point
l learned that the Long Island Railroad
Company had an exclusive contract to haul
soldiers to the city.
II issued orders to all of the other rail
roads to- come in and help take off the sick
''In Cuba medical supplies were woefully
short. The medical officers said that they
could not get them. This was especially
true at Siboney. In going over we had
enough medical supplies, but we were cut
down. We had trouble in getting ambul-
regiment and one for each squadron. ]
think the ambulances / took were the only
ones ashore when the Rough Riders fight
occurred on the oath of June"
When asked what, in his opinion, was
the weakness in the medical department,
General Bates said he thought a great mis-
take was made in not sending medical of
ficers in sufficient number with regiments
ordered to the field. Additional transpor-
tation should have been furnished for med
ical officers and medical supplies, ambu-
lances and horses.
By DR.. Conner-What do you think of
the propriety of allowing female nurses nc
companying an army into the field?
II think it would he perfectly proper to
have them at large hospitals, but not at
regimental hospitals"
Replying to leading question by DIR.
Connor, General Bates said that with mod.
ern arms, danger in removing the wounded
from the lines Of fire was greatly increased ;
that it would be difficult for ambulance men
and litter bearers to live in the increased
zone of fire. In Cuba it was difficult to get
oatmeal a. and 10th other deicaeiss is for the sick
medical supplies being short in Cuba" he
added. "Better preparations could have
been made for transporting them. We had
no way to shoe horses and mules. / have
no recommendations to suggest as to the
improvement of War Department regula-
ters have been subjected to the consdera-
tion of board of officers and I do not care
to offer an opinion"
General Bates was then excused.
DIR. Edgar A. Mearns, surgeon in charge
Of Gibbs general hospital, Lexington, was
Camp Thomas, where he was brigade sur
geOn. He read report on the conditions
Of the sites there, which showed they were
aiseas breeders. He thought the men de-
tailed from the regiments to the division
hospital were incompetent. DIR. Mearns
condemned the water supply at Camp
Thomas because there was typhoid fever
ttnro Tho prIar toh hn;1 ,i,.,,1 TOW.
generally obeved when boilers could be pro-
cured. DR.. Mearns was asked what recon-
mendation he would make. He said men
in charge should be given what they asked
for, as had been done here. With compe.
tent men in charge, there should be no waste
and nothing would be asked for that was
not needed.
After luncheon Major John J. Backman
of the Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana was
the first witness called by the commission.
His testimony indicated that his regiment
had Jared well in every respect.
Major j. ID. Glennan, who was captain and
assistant surgeon in the regular :rmy and
who was made major and brigade surgeon
of volunteers June 4th, was called Major
Glennan was at Chickamauga and Tampa
with the Sixth cavalry. He later returned
to Chickamauga as brigade surgeon, Third
division, First corps. lie said that he found
a much larger amount of sickness among
the volunteers than he had been used to
seeing; that he found the sinks left open
and not dug deep enough to make the camp
healthful, and that the water supply was
affected by this.
William w. G.. Cogswell, surgeon of the
Eighth Massachusetts, said that when his
regiment reached Chattanooga it was kept
in freight yards Is hours, and it took them
then four hours to be transported to the
park. The men went two weeks without
l. l. IA II
ly impaired, and large numbers were taken
Major Cogswell attributed the typhoid to
the water, milk and lemonade drunk by the
men,. He said that the clothing and blan-
kets belonging to men who died Of typhoid
fever were brought back without having
been boiled or washed, and were used bv
other men of the regiment. He mentioned
other abuses too degraded to write, which
ne said were reported to the higher author
tiles, without action being taken.
Capt. George B. Duncan of the regular
army, who recently served as adjutant gen
eral of the district of Ponce, Porto Rico,
testified before the commission He stated
that he was wholly conversant with the
conditions connected with the sailing of the
transport OLDHAM, and that DR.. Seaman,
who returned in charge of that vessel, had
positive orders not to take any man on
board who was not entirely convalescent.
DIR. Thomas c. Chalmers, captain and as.
sistant surgeon of the Twelfth New York.
who saw six weeks service in Porto Rico.
testified that at Chickamauga his regiment
could not only not get medicines, but could
not even get blanks to make acquisitions
Tor them. In regard to the transport Mass
achusetts, on which he went to Porto Rico.
Dr. Chalmers said:
There was no regular cooking on board
and the men were unused to to eating cold
rations. The reserve hospital men were
supposed to be well men, but subsequent
events proved that they did not have
enough to eat. The men never could get
enough water to satisfy their thirst. Ice
water was sold at $l.25 pitcher. The mat
ter was reported, but the custom was not
stopped. The mules and horses on board
wen, for "a hours at one time without wa
Lieutenant Colonel James Parker. Twelfth
New, YORK said that when the troops ar
rived at Chickamauga the men had to slecs
on the wet ground with only one blanket.
md no change of clothing. He said thaf
the First South Carolina regiment did mt
Fnceive their rifles for month after their
arrival at the park, the men being com.
r''ied to do guard duty without arms. The
,wcnty-frst Kansas also had to do guard
duty for two weeks without guns.
when the. volunteers first arrived at
Chickamauga,"' said Colonel Parker, "tbeir
tongues were literally hanging out for want
of water. For three weeks they could not
ret enough water to quench their thirst.
Then the pipe lines were laid, but the water
There were wells left at the park as land.
,narEe which roptainad MO ! a. IL - -