Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-04
J. M. FOUROUREHN & co,
O. GO Q . . o o . o . o . ~ - ~


| as TO general officers"
DR.. Hartsuff holds the rank of colonel
| In the regular army, and is now chief sur
| geon of the Department of the Lakes
| with headquarters at Chicago.
ANSWER FOR TERRITORIALS.
Colonel NJ. II. McCord, of the First Ter
| ritorial Infantry, to-day went before the
| Misunderstanding Commission and made
| the following statement:
Il see by newspaper reports that Lieu
tenant-Colonel ID. ID. Mitchell, of my regi-
ment-the First Territorial United States
Volunteer Infantry-(who before Joining
! the regiment was a captain in the Fiji
teenth Infantry, gave some testimony
before the Investigating Commission yes
terday at Lexington, Ky, to the effect
that acquisitions made by the commanding
officer of that regiment (myselO had not
been promptly responded TO. / wish TO
contradict this statement, If it was made.
Every requisition that / have made upon
the quartermaster at San Francisco, while
the regiment was stationed in Arizona,
for shoes, clothing, hats, and blankets
and which must have weighed several
/ thousand pounds. was shipped by express,
thus causing the supplies to reach me
/ four days sooner than they would have
done If shipped by freight.
NO LACK OF SUPPLIES.
1.-THE medical officers of the regiment
| have never complained of a lack of sup
/ plies, nor the quartermaster or the
commissa yer made complaint that
| they couio not get their requisitions
promptly filed.
The regiment is well-equipped in every
! way This fact will be patent when i
say that in the early part of July the
regiment was mustered into the service,
and contained 1908 officers and men. Up
! to the present date it has lost but three
( men by death, and now has over 1000
/ of1cers and men ready for duty"
/ EXAMINATION AT FORT THOMAS.
| CINCINNATI November 3-General
| Dodge. General Sexton, and DR.. Conner,
of the War Investigating Commission,
! reached Fort Thomas, KY, at 10 A. NJ.
| In company with Major Hall, who is the
| surgeon in charge of the hospitals at
that place, the commissioners proceeded
on a tour of inspection through all the
wards OF the hospitals. They also inspect
ed the camp of the Sixth Regiment, which
! is in tents on the grounds adjoining the
/ hospitals. This regiment was cut to pieces
in the Santiago campaign, and has since
! been recruited
General Dodge put many questions to
the patients in the hospitals concerning
/ their treatment, but found no one COM
\ planning.
The inspection of the camp was tho
rough. 1t extended into the dinner hour,
and General Dodge and Colonel Sexton
! went to the mess tents and inspected the
food.
| HOSPITALS AT CHICKAMAUGA.
| The afternoon session was occupied in
| the hearing Of three witnesses, mostly on
| the condition of the division hospitals at
! Chickamauga. The first witness was Ma
| jor e. f. Helburn, of the Second Ken
/ lucky Regiment now mustered out. The
! death-list Of his regiment, he stated, was
2 per cent, most OF whom died at home
on furloughs The sickness in Chicka-
manga increased very rapidly. He knew
| that there was a shortage OF cots In the
| hospitals, as well as of tents.
When questioned. he said he had served
on committee appointed on account OF
| complaint by the colonel of the First Ar
kansas TO investigate the Division Hospi-
! tai DR.. Ward, the witness, and Major
! Johnson formed the committee. The com
mittee was appointed in the latter part or
/ August, and reported about september
! 9Th The patients were then being re-
moved 20 the hospital, and the hospital
was in a chaotic condition. The sinks
were as close as $50 feet from the wards.
and were in an unclean condition. There
was q dumping ground where other re-
fuse was thrown. There was gully rum
ming right through the site. The sick
we're in fairly good condition. The COM
mittee examined 200 or 800 witnesses, in
GLIDING commander, chaplain, prlvates,
hospital corps, nurses, and visitors. The
committee concluded that at first the hos
pital was in a bad condition, but II got
better. and during Major Smiths control
1t was In good condition.
The committee found that the cause for
this bad condition arose from the fact
that Il was not intended TO be more than
a temporary hospital, but the sick in
creased so rapidly that 1t was overcrowd-
ed.
INCOMPETENCE OF NURSES.
Another cause was the incompetency of
men detailed from regiments for nurses.
In many regiments the most worthless
men were detailed for that duty. The de-
tail was made according TO regulation.
The fault was not that of the medical de-
partment but that of the system The
committee found unnecessary suffering
because of lack OF tents and OF cots; that
the patients were exposed 10 the rain ana
compelled to lie on the ground This was
the fault OF the quartermaster's depart
ment. acquisitions were not filled for
from two 10 ten days, and in some In
stances were not. filled at all.
When asked II there were many deaths
resulting from this neglect he said that
there was an order from DR.. Hoff 10
Major Smith to send fifty OF the worst
patients TO Stcrnberg Hospital or these
two died in short time after their re-
moval. II was claimed by DIR. Hoff that
the order was to send fifty patients. and
not fifty Of the worst patients. The origi-
nal order was not produced. The wit
ness admitted that he would not charge
these deaths 10 neglect but to want OF
judgment In sending men out not Mt TO
bear the fatigue.
MEDICAL CORPS. DlsPrRITED.
The only complaint against the Medi-