The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-08-09

the ship on board. While doing this /
was able to Get ashore considerable
hospital tentage and supplies found
aboard Of her, and. having control OF
her boats, was able to visit other
transports in the harbor and land medi-
cal supplies from them.
While subsequently Quitting the
Cherokee and BreakWater fhls work was
continued as well as opportunity and
limited facilities permitted; getting sup
pllee from perhaps a third Of the trans
ports composing the fleet. Outside OF
this It Is Believed that no other regI-
mental medical property was ever un-
loaded up to the time Of my departure
with wounded on July 10. Appealing on
several occasions for the use Of a lighter
or small steamer 10 collect and land
medical supplies, I was informed by the
quartermaster's department that they
could render no assistance In that way,
and the medical department was called
to rely entirely upon It's own energies
and lmprovise Its own transportation,
I feel Justified in saying that at the time
of my departure, large quantities OF
medical supplies urgenly needed on
shore sill remained on transports, q
return to the United States.
Conditions on shore.
had the medical department carried
along double the amount of supplies It
is difficult to see how, with the totally
inadequate land and water transporta-
tion provided by the quartermasterS de-
partment, tine lamentable conditions on
shore could have been in any way iln-
proved.
The Quitting OF transports for. the re-
ceptlon OF sick and wounded Is a duty
demanding thought and experience and
should never be entrusted to any one
except a regular medical officer.
Usually It Is necessary to overcome
passive resistance and opposition on rne
part OF the crews and tendency on the
part Of the captains t1 disregard or
modify orders. In several instances IN
my own experience this action OF the
crew amounted almost to mutiny and
was only to be dealt with by threats,
show Of force, and. In one instance. by
the use OF the irons.
While the executive officer at int gem
eral hospital. Fort Monroe, I learned
officially that the captain Of the steam
ship Seneca positively refused 70 obey
the orders em1nnting from your otiice,
given him by the contract surgeon IN
charge, to proceed to New York-he
temaining nearly an additional day at
Hampton Roads with sick and wounded
and asserting that he would obey no
orders given by the medical department.
A similar experience OF my own at Dal-
qulri, which had to be settled by force,
emphasizes the fact that no one shouil
be placed in charge OF such o snip woo
is not accustomed to command men
and enforce obedience.
Red CroSa Criticized.
with regard to the Red Cross society,
II would seem as If the lofty purposes of
this organization were. on the Santiago
expedition, subverted to Individual In
terests. While at Tampa the Red Cross
ship, State Of Texas, was formally
placed under the control Of the chief
surgeon, fifth CORPS, by Or. Egan, the
representative OF the society; he act
ing under Geographic instructions 30
that effect. Colonel Pope accepted this
offer and directed that the State Of
Texas accompany the expedition Of Cen
eral Shafter TO Its destination. Al
though thtS orGeT WHs Iully uuuSIStS.tN
BY Dr., Eagan, the State Of Texas did
not accompany the expedition nor did it
arrive at SIboney until the forces had
been landed, q battle fought ana cur
hospitals established IN working order.
The flrst offers Of aid made by this
society, dealt largely IN goneralfties and
manifested reluctance TO subordinate
the organization to the medical depart
aeat. Too much praise cannot be Civ
en- 10 the individual efforts OF Dr. Les
ser and the Red Cross nurses. Their
work was untIrlng and unselish and
the assistance rendered by them was OF
In conclusion It IS desired to euipha-
slze the fact that the lamentable condi-
lions prevailing in the army before
Santiago were due to the military ne
cessIty which threw troops on shore and
away from the possibility OF supply
without medicines, instruments, dress
InEs or hospital stores OF any kind.
Very respectfully your obedlent ser
isIgned) EDWARD L. MUNsoN,
and Assistant Surgeon United
States Army.