The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-10-05

but he had felt that IL woulu DC W. - ~.
in the season, 1t was his impression mat
Tampa had been selected as camp ste
ar.er the Dsgindng OF the war anu was
| Incidental 10 the intended movement On
| Hayana "1heie was" he said, at TIMES
some shortage OF supplies at the camp
but nothing" he added, that a soldier
could complain OF"
They had comfortable tents ana me
commissafs supphs "e;e sul. .tie-..' y.
| water supply vas good. The mon IN
| his command were well taken care OF.
Very few men were at that time SICK.
| He had himself gon5 into the hospit1is
and hnl found thu men long well.
General Wheeler said he had no cohtrol
! over airy of the supplies when Were TAKEN
I 10 Santiago OH transports when ne lett
| Tampa. This was attended 10 by the DIFF
| ffrent staff officers. He oD.y knew from
I conversation with these that there was
an abundance OF the supplies OF all char
| scLaTs.
| Returning to the Santiago camp he said
( that only Two regiments had reported
Shortage Of rations and he had telephoned
| to the rear and the shortage, when was
, due to accident, had been adjusted. There
was some suffering when the men were
compelled TO work on the breastworks.
| They had no bread, but hardtack. They
| were forced 10 live IN the sun and water
alternately.
While they had the full quota of doctors
and nurses he thought that Il more had
| been furnished the men would have been
better cared for. AS for ratons, three
days supply was generally issued. When
ever the troops were going into action they
would throw their food away as we'll as
! their lacks, and often did not recover them.
General Wheeler took up the common
report that the Cubans stole goods tnus
discarded. 1t is not fair he said, 10 thus
/ opp q. IN ftsoa fNr 2 -
of This folsom and jeisam that, hungry
ana poorly clothed as the Cubans were,
| they could not be blamed for helping them
| selves.
! In reply to questions ne stated be never
had heard of any shortage OF comm'sslry
or ordnance supplies at Santiago, but he
| had been told thai the redicll supplies
were short. yet he had no positive knowl-
edge on this point. He had seen wounded
| mon crawling to the rear in the engage
| ments, but as a rule as soon as man fell
| In battle he was carried to the hospitals
| by the medical corps.
! He says that as a rule the quality OF
| bareback was good. II there was any de-
terioration it was due to local RI ms ana
not 90 the fact of original interiorty.
The spirit OF the army was such he said.
| that there was no disposition TO complain.
They were all proud to be there and
willing to undergo haraships."
| Replying to a question from Colonel
| DENLY. General Wheeler said the regnlfrs
had shown greater ability 10 take care
o, themselves than the volunteers. The
| volunteers were mole careless, but the
cayalrymen wer5 not so negligent as the
others. He thought this fact had had II
| strong influence in causing the health q
che regulars 10 be better than that of the
| volunteers.
Captain Howell asked the general to
| what he attributed the development OF dis
| ease after the capltuation OF Santiago and
| General Wheeler replied that Is was due TO
! climate and to exposure made necessary.
| All men seemed to be more or less at
| fectei by the conditions. LIE had he said.
| known OF no instance OF a sick or wounded
man dying from want of care from the
| physicians SO far as he knew there was
| general comm ndation OF the medical corps
| except that on one or two occasions there
had been some grumbiing in regard to the
general conditions. He though, there was
II deficiency of ambulances, but this de-
| iiCiency WAS due to the exigencies of the
| campaign. General Wheeler also said in
reply to Captain Howell that he knew OF
no confusion in shipping supplies from
! Tampa. He WAS not acquainted OF q case
! in which the body OF a vehicle was shipped
on one vessel and the wh1els on another
| His memory was not distinct as 20 COM
plants from physicians in his command as
! to the scarcity of medical supplies but
| he Thought there We're some complain 5
and in such cases he had them supplied as
! promptly as possible. There had been no
difficulty in getting tro5ps to lie as near
nshore as was possible, rendering it dlf-
ticult 10 get to supplies promptly
In this connection General Wheeler re-
vealed the fact That he had felt somewhat
hurt that this had been the fourth com
| nIand ordered to be landed VIII N he
thought his rank entitled him to the first
| landing. General Shafter had given II
order which thus affected him. Speaking
Of the sleeping apartments of the trans
ports General Wheeler said they were
I quite warm and there was some discomfort
He had often gone down among the men a;
night and found that there was compare
lively liWlc complaint except for the heat.
Coming back from Santiago to Montauli
! he had come on the Miami having chcs n
it because 1t was about the worst. He had
found IL very comfortable and when they
landed there were only thirty-fou sick
and only three or four of these were too
i'll to stand up for inspection. There was
plen,y of water on the vessel and a suffi-
, cheney of ice for the sick, though not fol-
Others. After the destruction Of Cervera' IS
fleet the army was more ahundantly sup
piled than any army in the field had ever
been.
roT the Iulure ne recommended that the
men Should be kept off the ground and be
well sheltered from the rain by good tents
There should also be more care in regard
TO the transportation facilities and as to
medicine and commissary supplies.
| He said in reply TO u question that the
| tents should have been left on board the
| transports so no time should be con sumed
| In removing them. I'VE felt that prompt
Decentralization and speedy movement to
| the front would impress the enemy more
than anything else we could do"
| There was also a shortage at this time
| o; the transportation facilities. The def
| cheney OF tran portation after the landing
| was the reason why tents were not brought
! up; why the siege guns were not brought
| up, and why many other things were not
! done.
After recess General Wheeler devoted
his testimony ohiefly 10 his experience al
| Camp Nikot, M0ntauk Point.
| Tho president on giving him command
there had ordered him 10 spare no pains
| or expense 10 make the men comfortable
ho mado an examination of the camp and
| found 1t nece sary TO undertake mach
preparation TO oare for the msr, properly /:
| to. bore wells, to lay water pipe, build laun-
dries disinfeoting plants, get floors for the
tents, erect hospitals, etc.
The surgeons al his request had made a
| list OF special articles to be purcha ed for
| the sick. This he had asked ihsrn IN 40 ~,