The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-25
Several of the Returned Soldiers Tell
Of the Conditions There.
WELL MEN HAD ENOUGH FOOD.
The Deprivation Was in Not Having
Proper Food for the Sick-Dr Sea-
man Says lie Did Not Know the
Supplies He signed for
Were Furnished by the
Government

ADMISSION, ALA. october 4.-The
! War investigating Commission began lis
session to-day with Major Otto II. Faik
/ on The stand lie was the chief quarter
master Of the First Division Of the Third
/ Army Corps while IN Chckamausa Park
and now occupies the position Of chief
| quartefmaster for this camp. he said
the most serious complaint In the early
history OF Camp Thomas was from the
| First Missouri whose enlisted men
claimed that their trousers were nothing
more than rags ana threatened 10 appeal
TO charity at home TO supply their wants.
There was also shortage IN tents,
which became quite serious al
the time Of The beginning Of the rainy
season Previous TO that time the men
had slept under the trees and under
their shelter tents without complaint.
Indeed he said, there was never a suf-
hcient supply Of ten,age and It was
necessary TO pt six men in a tent.
POORLY EQUIPPED.
Continuing, he said the division had
never been completely equipped until the
present time, especially in the matter of
transportation facilities. He said, how
ever. that there had been no refusal to
honor requisitions. lie thought upon the
whole that there was too much red tape
i'm the Quartermasters Department. II
do away with IL whenever ! can. / have
succeeded so far" he said, even though
l sometimes violate regulations
He said he had TO sign his name nine
times in the process Of paying a bill OF
81,
A FLOOD OF DISEASE.
Charles NJ. Drake. in charge OF the
general hospital here, ana who was In
command OF the First Division of the
Third Corps at ChCkamauga, was the
next witness He told of various ini-
provements he had found It necessary To
make in the hospital at Chickaniauga
There was" he said such a food
OF disease that It was impossible TO meet
the demands for tentage ana quite out
of the question to anticipate IT, As
fast as he would pitch the tents they
would fiji them up. lie stated that the
medical supplies had been ample from
the beginning but the hospital corps had
proved inefficient as nurses
"They were, as a class he said, 'the |
very worst material that could have |
been found out OF which TO make |
nurses"
LOW DEATH RATE.
However he thought there had been |
no more serious results than discomfort |
to patients caused By the lneficiency OF |
nurses. lie was positive there had been |
no deaths from starvation or deprivation.
Ten per cent. of the typhoid at his hos
pltal had died. and compared with hos
pitals generally the percentage was phe-
nomenaly low He was of the opinion
that patients in this hospital received
better attention than the average man
"a
The commission sat from Q TIL 70 O'Clock
and examined about a dozen witnesses,
including number Of volunteer officers.
Ii IS now expected that the commission
will leave for Huntsville tomorrow night.
Major David Wickers. who was in
spector general of the Second Division
Of the Third Corps at Chickamauga, at
tributed the troubles In that camp TO the
shallOwness of the sinks He said That
some of the regimenal a officers insisted
on making poor selection of camp sites,
and i'm one instance a Mississippi colonel
who had put his men I'm a swamp, had
insisted upon remaining on the ground;
that a Missssippian had a natural af-
fuitv for swamps Nevertheless, his
men were taken sick Major Nlckers also
complained that the drinking water was
poor He thought the camp site unit FOR
a large army. He claimed that IL was
not so that the privates were fe1 better
than the officers. lie said that at one
tima the beds of patients were on the
floor Asked as 10 the competency Of
tho surgeons at the hospitals, he said
there was one man in the hospital whose
to profanity untitled him for
the service This man was Major Hub
bard. surgeon of the Ninth New York
His profanity was Of such a villainous
character said Major Nickers. "as to
pretty nearly make me sick. and | know
il could not have a pleasant effect upon
he patients"
SANTIAGO STORY.
Lieutenant Colonel Bisbee, in command
II the First Infantry. told the story Of
ne transportation Of his regiment TO
Santiago briefly describing the fighting
lbout Santiago. spoke Of his experience
n Cuba. of the return TO Mon,auk Point
md OF the stay at that place and the
ransfer South Asked u the landing at
could have been accomplished.
ma he replied:
The facilities were so poor that /
hink not: at least, | should say If ! had
)een on shore no enemy would have been
permitted TO land. I cannot say how Il
vas with the Spaniards"
lie said there was considerable diff
ulty I'm getting food while in front Of
santiago, put we nad enough. lie sdld
( there had been more to eat the men
would probably have been sicker He
expressed the opinion that the only de-
rivation had been In not having proper
ood for the sick. !
They could not take the food in the
IT was In, he sail.
TOO MUCH FAT MEAT
He thought the rations contained too
luch fat meat for the climate. Colonel
,isbee stated that himself and sixteen
zen were the only members OF his regi- {
rent who had not been III at some time
uring the Santiago campaign. at had
cen impossible TO secure medical sup
les" said the witness. "and II we had 7,
hem we could not have carried them"
c added the army was badly broken I
p I'm that respect. and 1t did not get into
lape for some reason. lie said the men I
ere just beginning TO break in health {
men Santiago surrendered and the capt.
ilation came at just the right time. AZ. r
n the surrender Of the city there was q