The herald., 1898-11-15
BUT FAILED TO LOCATE THE
RESPONSIBILITY
CONDITIONS AT CAMP THOMAS
Severely Criticised by Gen. Breckin-
ridge, Chief Medical Officer Hui
dekopfer and Major Knox
Associated Press Special Wire

DTecKluTlukty III. lluiNcNopiSi anu -huJoi
Knox were before the war investigating
commission today.
General Breckinridge's testimony dealt
with conditions at Camp Thomas, of which
he was for a time in command, and he took
occasion to say that but for the change that
was made previous to the war requiring in
spectors general in the field to report to the
adjutant general instead of the inspector
general, the condition Of the camps now be-
ing developed by the commission would have
been developed three months ago.
Governor Woodbury. has returned from
Vermont and sat with the commission to-
day.
The commission resumed the exam
yestipation Commission resumed the exam
nation of witnesses today with DR.. X. 5.
Huidkopfcr of the volunteers on the stand.
He said he had occupied position OF chief
medical officer Of the First Army Corps at
Camp Thomas, Chckamauga Park, until
the 23d of July when he had gone to Porto
Rico with General Brooke. Speaking OF
the supply department he said there were
large quantities of some articles and super
abundance of others at the beginning OF
the history of Camp Thomas, but that this
condition of affairs did not long continue.
He had Immediately undertaken to make
regular requisitions so as to equaize them
in the various divisions of the command. At
one time he had to appeal to General Brooke
to get the supplies necessary, the commits
sary-general insisting in being guided by the
supplies on the table, which was not fair
test.
"Do you know" asked DIR. Connor, "that
there was full supply of medical stores
at the depot at Lytle?"
81 know that many articles were lack
ing" the doctor replied, and added: 1T
is not true, as has been stated, that there
was a full supply"
He continued by saying that he had made
constant representations to the surgeon-gen-
eral of the shortage of supplies. He had
never turned down any requisition from
the division hospitals, except on one occa-
sion, except when he knew that the articles
were not on hand. Also, he had refused his
sanction to a requisition for flooring for
hospital tents when General Brooke had
expected to move. lie contended that there
had been a suffcency of tentage, saying
that no patients had been compelled to lie
without covering for any length of time. 1t
was true, however, that there were occa-
sions on which the sick men had been kept
for several days at time under the tent
flies.
''The Second and Third Division Hospitals
were always clean and well ordered" said
he. Both institutions were well built, but
they have suffered throughout for proper
Hhnro
number of hospital corps men. On the
other hand the First Division Hospital was
not so well conducted, for lack of disci-
pline due to the prospects of removal He
had repeatedly called attention to the lack
of nurses and about the lst of July there
was an increase of hospital corps men in re-
sponse to his representations, but the sup
ply was never equal to the demand"
Reverting to the question of tentage.
Huidkopfer said he knew of his own knowl.
edge that the surplus tentage at the reserve
hospital was turned over to the division
hospitals and that tents had not been held
there to the detriment of other hospitals.
However, he stated that here were always
unoccupied tents at the hospital
In speaking of the camp in general, he
said that some of the sinks were excessively
filthy. Some of them were never in proper
condition.
''Vho was responsible for that condition? 2"
asked DR.. Connor.
"The officers of the regiment" responded
DR.. Huidkopfer
Did not the commanding General have a
duty to perform in that connecticut"
The reply to this question was not sat
isfactory, as DR.. Connor insisted upon know
ing whether anything had ever been done by
the commanding General to secure the pun
ishment of regimental officers who had re-
fused to obey orders for the proper polio
ing of the camps; but DIR. Hudkopfer de-
clared that he knew of no instance of the
prosecution of any offense of this kind. Dr.
Huidkopfer said he had succeeded in get
ting supplies only by being the first on hand
as the medical depot was run in very parsi-
monious manner. There was not only n
great scarcity of important drugs, such as
quinine and opium, but disposition on the
the part OF the purN eyor not to give out what
there was.
Dr. Huidekoper said that, with a few I'M
important exceptions, the medical supplies
for the Porto Kican expedition had been
ample.
At Newport News he had given orders
that the sick men be eliminated from the
command, but he found that the order had
been evaded and the sick men taken ON
board. DIR. Huidekoper referred frequent
ly during his testimony to his difficulties in
securing nurses. lie said he had once Sc
cured an approach to the necessary number
through an arbitrary order from General
Brooke, and when this order was issued the
colonels had insisted upon supplying the
worst men they had in their regiments for
members of the hospital corps. One was
an epileptic and one was a confirmed drunk
ard; yet the men who had given him the
poorest nurses were generally the first to
make complaint of lack of attention. The
witness said the sick in Porto Rico had had
good attention, contradicting the assertion
of DIR. Hartsuff, that there had been neglect.
"In fact" the witness added, General
Brooke would have stopped him if he had
attempted to do So"
Major Thomas T. Knox, inspector general
who participated in the early part of the
Santiago campaign as a captain of the First
regular cavalry said the ship on which his
regiment went from Tampa to Santiago was
greatly overcrowded, and that when they
landed the men were in poor condition for
campaign--.'the worst I ever saw" he said
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