The herald., 1898-10-30
| |CAMP AT CHATTANOOGA
FULLY INVESTIGATED BY WAR
INQUIRERS
SUPPLIES WERE NEVER SHORT
A Large Proportion OF the Sickness
Ascribed to Bad Habits of
the Men
Associated Press Special Wire.

| CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Oct 29-Ma
ior Edward L. Comegys was the first witness
before the War Investigation Commissior
today. He was medical purveyor mere our
there had never been any delay in filling hi,
reouisitions on the Surgeon,General, and
that he had always been able to meet al
reGnisitions upon himself.
Major Comegys admitted that he had re
fused to fill some requisitions from the nos
t,orps because satisfied the articles demand
ed were not needed. He accounted for the
sickness in Camp Thomas by saying the
men did not know how to take care OF
.:They seemed to think" said he, ''that
when they had put on the uniforms there
was nothing else to do; that they gould
simply enjoy themselves ana thelr ohicers
would do the rest"
He thought the Colonels and Regimental
Surgeons were to blame.
Lieutenant James NJ Arrasmith, who
acted as Chief Commissary Of Subsistence
for Camp Thomas, said that while in the
beginning there had been some congestion
ON the Transportation lines, there had never
been any shortage of supplies He also said
the discipline was very slack. Witness con-
sidered Chickamauga a natural camping site
but that there were more men IN 1t than
there should have been. Some of the volun-
teer regiments never took down their tents
during their entire stay and there was gem
eral negligence of cleanliness and Of the
rules of sanitation. He said general i'm
provement % in the camp followed the assump-
ton of the command by General Brecken-
ridge.
were called to testify in regard to the case
of Sergeant Frank, who died here during
the summer as the result of railroad acci
dent. DR.. Baxter said, notwithstanding
the man was in state of profound nervous
shock, DR.. Hubbard insisted on removing
the wounded man to ChickaMaugua Park
The man died on the way out as he (Baxter)
predicted he would.
DR.. Baxter told of one train of Wisconsin
sick which he had seen on its way home
without medical officer or medical sup
plies.
The commission closed it's sittings here to-
night by hearing the testimony OF some resi-
dents stating their observations of the con-
dtion of Chickamauga park while the troops
were there and giving their conclusions as
| to the causes of the sickness of the soldiers
| They defended the climate as salubrous
and healthful and generally attributed the
prevalence of disease to the habits Of the
volunteers.
At midnight General Dodge's private car
was detached from the special train to per
| mt the Train To uepdIl W lNuoNN " iNh al
the members on board except General Dodge
Colonel Sexton and DR.. Connor. These three
members of the commission remain in Chat
tanooga until tomorrow night, when they
will leave here for Lexington, Ky, proceed
! ing thence to Cincinnati, Chicago and De
| troit and taking testimony at each place IN
| turn.
Edward Belts. engineer of the Chcka
mauga park commission, gave the particulars
Z. III. y. 3 h, ofaV
system of the park for the army, including
the digging of wells and the establishment,
of pipe lines He said there was an ample
supply of water for the troops at all times
and that there would have been space fol
Is 900 more troops on the pipe line.
j. C. Howell, railroad station agent, told
of an instance in which fifty-four sick men
being part of the Wisconsin command, had
been placed on train and started to their
and without furloughs or transportation
papers. They were taken off the train al
/ Chattanooga and their wants administered
to by the members of the relief societies.
| Ira F. Hannes, private, acting as mem
Der of the hospital corps, who said he ha'
been practicing physician in Louisville
Ky, for eight years, was examined on the
lines Of communication he had sent to tn,
commission. In this communication he hat
CudIRtu tAdt pdtieHtn Adu pCcL ttSuecN AL
typhoid fever when they plainly had pneu
monia He said there were several such
patients, and he gave the name of Vincent
Flora of the Third Illinois as one of them
this, he said, being as plain case of pneu
monia as he had ever seen. Upon beint
pressed, he modified his statements, say
4 ing that he had no consultations with tn,
! physicians as to their line of treatment. III
said, however, that he considered some o
the physicians incompetent. He also charged
that appointments were made in the hospita
upon political influence.
: Captains Daniel +. Mccarthy and M. G
Seask of the quartermaster's department
at this point, gave testimony as to the con
duct of his office They said that the ad
ministration OF this department had beel
as efficient as could have been expected
under the circumstances. Captain Sealski
who had charge of the issuance of clothing
said it had been impossible in some case
to supply certain sizes of clothing, bu
otherwise the men had been well supplied.