The record-union., 1898-10-26
DR.. Boss Testifies Before the In
vsstigating Commission
Relative to Conditions Existing During the
Campaign at Santiago.

01t1OnS or lamps at Cn1cka-
manga Park-Medica1 Supplies
Were insufficient, Though There
Was Sufficient Supply of
Food.
ADMISSION (Ala.), Oct. 25.-Dr. r.
D. Boss, Assistant Surgeon in the First
Infantry, was the first witness before
the War Investigating Commission to-
day. He was with the Fourth Infantry
in Cuba. He arrived in Cuba on the
10th of July. He found the medical
supplies short, and was unable to Sc
cure any of them for a few days, until
he learned how to get them from the
division hospital There was a suffi-
Gent quantity of quinine, but short
age of morphine; however, he had all
of the latter remedy that was abso
lutely necessary. He was able to secure
hospital stores, such as food delicacies,
by ''rustling" for them, getting them
first from the Red Cross Society, and
then going to Santiago for them. He
had made a requisition on the chief
of the division for these supplies, but
had been unable to secure them be-
cause they We're not there. However,
he had no serious illness in the COM
mand.
DR.. Conner asked if the Government
could not have gotten these supplies
to Santiago as promptly as the Red
Cross, and DR.. Boss replied that while
he had no information, he thought it
could have done SO. He left Santiago
with the Fourth Infantry, and had
gone to Montauk Point on the second.
When they left Cuba he said the
command was "all broken up" and
every man of the command was sick
and at the detention hospital at Mon
tauk, and he testified to the careful
conduct of that institution, saying the
supplies were ample, and that the tent
ing was all that could be desired.
Colonel Fife of the Third Tennessee,
having made request to supplement his
statement of yesterday, gave some of
the particulars concerning the sinks
used by his regiment. He said they
were very near the tents, and that it
was impossible to- remove them farther
owing to the proximity of other regi-
ments, six of them being within a
stones throw. In one instance the
sinks Of another regiment were within
twenty PAGES of the tents of the line
officers.
The character of the soil had also
rendered it impossible to put the sinks
down more than four feet, rendering it
necessary to renew the sinks every
two or three days. Thus the soil be-
came honeycombed with sinks. Never
theless, the sinks had been carefully
looked after, and his regiment had been
commended by the brigade commander
for the condition of it's camp.
He characterized as false and mali
cious charges against his regiment by
a Chattanooga musician named Hunt,
who had been with his regiment for a
time.
Other witnesses examined were Lieu
tenant Reed of the Fourth Wisconsin.
Lieutenant West of the Third Alabama,
and Lieutenant Haley of the Third
Tennessee
West is the Commissary and Quarter
master of this regiment, and Reed was
Commissary for his regiment for a
time. He said the supplies were ample
and excellent
Lieutenant HALEY Is COlIlullSSdTy lOI
his regiment. He said there had been
a few complaints when rations were
not sufficient, but he thought the COM
plant was caused by the return Of
men on furlough.
Other witnesses at the forenoon ses-
sion were Fountain Ragland and Ed
ward Simmons, colored, of the Third
Alabama; D. c.. Lemke, a Quarter
master Sergeant of the Fourth Wiscon-
sin; Congressman Colson, Colonel of
the Fourth Kentucky, and Lieutenant
Colonel Cabell of the Second Arkansas.
Colonel Cabell said in reply to ques-
tions by DR.. Conner that he had OBJ
served condition of affairs at the hos
pital of the Second Division of the
Third Army Corps in June which he
considered horrible. He had himself
seen one sick man lying without the
protection of even tent, and he had
been informed by other officers that
several others had been left in the
same way. He thought theN doctors
were honest enough, but that they did
not know how to get supplies. Mule
drivers had been used for nurses and
he had been reliably informed that
many of them were in the habit of
getting drunk, and on such occasion
neglecting their patients. He said DR..
Schooler was the division surgeon at
the time. Colonel Cabell is a Lieuten-
ant in the regular army, and his testi-
mony made an evident impression upon
the commission.
Major Charles F. King, Surgeon of
the Fourth Wisconsin Regiment. was
one of the first witnesses this after
noon. He said the medical supplies of
his regiment were insufficient, and that
there was too much delay in getting
acquisitions filled. He thought there
was a sufficient quantity of food, but
said some of the men would not eat
it, preferring to buy food for them
selves.
General Wilson asked if the men had
ever complained to him as Surgeon of
the regiment. and DR.. King replied that
they had.
What did you say to them?" asked
the General
II told them to go to the devil, and
eat what they had" replied he.
Il think that a very improper reply
for you to have made" said General
Wilson, and he declined to further con-
tinue the examination.
DR.. Henry H. Lee, Major and Sur
geon of the Third Brigade. First Di-
vision, Third Corps, said he had urged
the removal of the camp from Chick
amauga because he said the water was
bad, and also on account of inability