Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-11-08

in Colonel Turner's opinion fafr sam
pie of volunteer regiments: and he
claimed that most of the confusion ar
Tampa was under regular quartermas-
ters and commissaries who, he thought,
lacked business training.
Colonel Turner's regiment remained
at Chickamauga only three weeks ans
during that time he said conditions were
fairly good. The health of myregiment
at Camp Thomas" said Colonel Tur-
ner. was pretty good: we lost one man
of typhoid fever. We got all of our
water from a spring which we discover
ed and as far as 1 could compelled all
OF our men to boil the water they used.
AT Tampa we were finally very COM
pletely supplied with quartermaster's
stores, by being very persistent think
there was very great oversight at ST.
honey. We reached Siboney on Satur-
day morning. July g. and General Rey
nolds then informed me that he had re-
ceived telephone orders that 1 was
to disembark at once When 1 asked
him what preparation had been made
for disembarkaSon he said I don't
know anything about that You must
fight that out for yourself
The colonel finally got his men ashore.
but not all the rations and equipment.
Our men were kept at Siboney until
the very close of the campaign and ST.
honey was a pesthole. We were the last
regiment to leave Cuba, embarking
Aug. %. For the first three days that
we were at Santiago we nearly starved
to death-could get no supplies in any
way. Finally thirty of my men volun-
teered TO foot it to Siboney and bring out
on their backs enough supplies to keep
the men alive. In connection with this
General Shafter sentSnre a very sharp
loi Ia ed
the situation directly to him"
DR.. Conner-As you observed the
medical men and surgeons, were they
competent and faithful men? Colonel
Turner-Yes, sir.
DIR. Conner-Is it not true that some
times when men were detailed for hos
pital corps duty the commanding off,
GERS would send those of their men
who were not good for anything else
that is. the most undesirable men in
their command?
Colonel Turner - Worthless details
may have been made. and as a result
of that men may have been badly cared
for. However. I do not know anything
about this from personal observation.
Asked about the transports on which
his men were carried, Colonel Turner
said, The transports on which We went
to Cuba and those which carried US
back to Montauk were in good shape.
think there was a sufficient quantity
of food and medicine for the sick on
board these transports. I know moth
ing about the stewards on the trans
ports furnishing delicacies, so-called,
to the soldiers at exorbitant rates"
Il observed nothing at Montaul< which
indicated lack of proper medical sup
plies. The detention camp, so far as
could judge of it on the surface, was
as fine camp as I ever saw. 1 know
nothing about the quality Of water
there. So far as know my men who
were sick in the detention hospital We're
well cared for. The OILY thing 1 could
criticise there was a disposition to turn
the men out before they were entirely
recovered.
Dr. A Y. Mccormick of this city,
was called to testify in regard
to the testimony of Mrs. Belts
given earlier in the day, as to the
condition of Frank Belts upon his re-
turn home from Montauk. The evidence
went to show that in all probability
the young man was in the early stages
of typhoid fever when he was given a
furlough, but that at that time the
disease might easily have been mis-
taken for a case of malarial fever. |
which was prevalent among the men, |
bers of that regiment.