The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-15

formed that the tents We're in the quar-
termasters depot.
DR. Conner made an effort to get
General Breckenridge to say where the
responsibility rested for the poor condi-
tions in the camp, but the latter said
he had never attempted to locate the
responsibility, devoting himself par
.icularly to remedying the evil we
all recognized that the condition was
abnormal" he said, and the question
: as how to meet it. The point was to
- to each man what he needed. This
seems simple enough to do, but as a
matter Of fact il was not simple. The
chief trouble seemed to be that the
hospital attendants were not familiar
with their duties, and that there was
not a sufficient number of men in the
supply department to follow up the
hospital attendants and instruct them"
He said that apparently up to the
date of his arrival the first duty had
been confined to prepare for war. He
had changed this by turning the atten-
ton Of all TO taking care of the sick,
and if he deserved any credit in his adj
lninistration it was for this change. He
said the war department was apparent
/ ly unprepared for the epidemic as were
/ the men on the ground
! IF you could do what you did, could
not General Brooke have done the same
4 thing two months before?" DR.. Conner
i asked.
Il don't think he had the sick" the
/ witness responded.
! Later General Wilson asked prac-
4 tically the same question, and General
/ Breckenridge replied more deliberately
! as follows: Il have no doubt that II
I aroused as l was to the necessity, he
could have done as much as did. The
i indications were probably more marked
4 to me than to my predecessor, because
my experience as inspector general pre-
4 pared me especially for detecting con-
ditions which might escaped others. .
Returning to the question of passes to
4 visit Chattanooga, DR.. Conner asked il
the conditions in that city were MOI
such as to injure the morale of the ar
my. Gen. Breckenridge replied thai
such was the case" but you cannot
make a prison of a camp.
Continuing, he said the town wa!
run wide open," and it was impos
sible to keep the men in their camps
under the circumstances.
Gen. Breckenridge said there wal
such a division of responsibilities tina
lit was difficult at times to know t
whom to give instructions. He gave al
illustration of the defects of a system
in which authority was not well de
fined which had occurred when he wa
there on an inspection tour in May. H
found typhoid fever patient lying IN
wagon outside a hospital. who was re
} fused admission for two hours until al
! order could be secured from Col. Hart
: suff, chief surgeon of the camp, not
withstanding Gen. Wilson, in comman
Z Of the division, had ordered the man
admission.
I Gen. Breckenridge had not conclude
his testimony when the commission ad
$ journed for the day
Gen. Dodge, chairman of the com
J mission, says that the board will leav
the latter part of the week for Boston
! to hold sessions and examine witnesses
! He stated that the entire board woul
be present and that it would be in Bos
ton for ten days or two weeks.
Gen. Dodge said that a mass of com
: plants, statements and requests re
speeding the treatment of the Massa
4 chusetts volunteers during the war ha
! accumulated, and that it would prot
! ably take a good deal of the board
. time TO hear the evidence