Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-21
NILES UNWILLING TO TESTIFY
War Inquiry Board Asks Adjutant General Il
fj'tt' Request His Presence.
GENERAL SKATERS INTERESTING STORY
Captain Hardy Of Fifth Illinois state,
His Opinion of First Division
Hospital In No Uncer.
tain Terms.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 2O.-General shafter
appeared rather Unexpectedly before the
War Investigating committee this after.
noon and told his story Of the Santiago ex-
petition. He was supported by his aide,
Colonel Miley. who was with him in Cuba,
and fanked by q large portmaneau OF
papers. to which his aide occasionally ap-
piled for reference.
General Skaters story Of the operations
around Santiago was tersely told. but at
times quite vivid In It's recital and inter-
esting In detail. Briefly summed UP, his
estimate OF the Santiago expedition was that
1t had been O military success and cheap at
the cost Of 500 men lost in the fight. He
considered the expedition to have been as
well fitted out as the time allowed would
permit and said that In looking back he
had no criticism Of his plans to make and
would not change them II the events had
to be gone through again. He said he had
no complaints Of any sort to make and
would be 10th to intrude them at this time
II he had. - o..
The commission stated that General Miles
today communicated to the commission his
unwilingness to volunteer testimony. A
message was accordingly sent to the ad-
jutant general, directing him to request the
- HCHciut IA DclUTe Tie
board. No reply had been received to this
Communication when General shafter rather
Unexpectedly appeared,
Captain A. F. Hardy Of the Fifth Illinois,
whose res ment was the nrst to arrive at
Camp Thomas, was the first to testify before
the commission today He said that after
the first few days there was no dihlculty
In obtaining 'rattons. - The quality was
good The travel ration used on the train
was unpalatable and the men refused to
eat the canned corned beef. Sickness began
In the regiment some ten days or two
weeks after arrival int camp. The sanitary
arrangement Of his ragimental camp was
good and the regulations promptly enforced.
He Visited his men In: the division hospital
and found the arrangements decidedly bad.
The hospital was ;unclean, the nurses ig-
norant and the food bad, with a total lack
OF milk at first. .a..
THE very name Of the First division hos
pital used to send a shudder through the
men," he said. INC man ever went to the
division hospital who could possibly escape
1t. The men were not given to complaining
and spoke In the highest terms OF the care
given them at Fort Monroe. when stationed
there. My experience all tends to show
that their complaints at Camp Thomas. were
we'll founded. M
Plans Changed Three Times.
After a brief preface General shafter
went into a detailed account Of his prep
arations for the Santiago expedition. He
said his plans were changed three m
by the department and once he actually
started out but was called back by the re-.
port OF Spanish war ships of the coast. HI
said the transport feet was not sufficiently
10 rOA - anaAnVn~lAl- a. Ann 49, -
length Of time at sea, butt all were 30
anxious to 60 that he risked considerable
crowdtng to take air the men possible. He
admitted that he s6SQ chances in doiAs this,
said, the wsat1er swas good and there
no mishap to regret. > ,. s.. .s.e
AZ to the medical supplies, General Shat.
ter said: You know medical supplies are
one thing that q commanding general or a
line officer never knows anything about.
surgeon Is supposed to know what he |
wants. My medical officer said he thought |
he had enough medical supplies for the tenn
porary service to which vi thought we were
destined. Events proved, however, that the
was mistaken. The ammunition !
supply was ample"
How about the ambulances!" asked Gen.
eral Beaver.
A to those ambulances," said General
II take the whole responsibility on !
/ ordered and supervised their load
Ing. After events proved that it would
have been better to have taken ten or fifteen
ambulances and left that many
wagons behind. But wagons can be used
Tor two purposes and ambulances can be
used but for one. I took the wagons and
the wounded had to be transported in them
lfter the nrst days fighting. I must say
that on q rocky, muddy road, such as we
had there. there Is little difference In COM
between an ambulance and an escort
The men were put on straw In the
bottom OF the ago and We did the best
We could for them. Ambufances would have
been better, but then hind sight is always
better than foresight"
Concerning the landing facilities with the
expedition, General Shafter said they had
large barges. one Of which was lost en-
'oute, and . small tug. the Captain Sam"
whose captain deserted during the night.
boat capacity Of the feet was sufhcisnt
or the landing, as the events proved.
Castillo Did Not Appear ON Time.
An interesting incident Of the landing was
out by General Skater. who said
10 had arranged with the Cuban general.
Castillo, the day prior to the landing to
rave 1000 men back Of Baiquiri to catch
- 70 oPoh'aios Wuen tney were 9nelIed out
~ the navy. Castillo was three hours late,
however. and all the spaniards got away.
How about getting the supplies to the
ront for the near asked, General Beaver.
1T was the one problem Of the campaign
md It taxed W to the utmost" he said. az
t had not been for the pack train we could
Tot have done II and the expedition would
ave been a failure"
General Shafter said he regarded the land
ne OF the expedition as eminently success
VI. They lost only two men and thirty
nimals out Of q total Of 20, 1000 men. 1t was
remarkable record.
There has been considerable criticism
rom the medical officers about getting their
medical supplies ashore" said General
beaver. Were any OF these complaints {
'rought to your" ,
"A majority Of the regimental surgeons {
EFT their chests on the vessels. When | |
ound this out l put DR.. Goodfellow aboard
hs Aanteo and had him collect these chests. I
10 soon as they were landed they were put d,
n four wagons and distributed at once to I
be men,. 4
As an additional explanation of the diff
ulty In furnishing supplies ashore, General
halter said at one time. with an army of
900 men. he had to issue rations to 40, 900
eople' the excess being the refugees from
antiago, old men, women and children for .
he most part, whom he could not allow 10 :