Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-09-01

often been made 10 get along with 1oO
narrow cots. They are simply laid on
litters not six inches from the ground.
Few, if any. OF the hospital tents have
plank floors
This camp was moved to the open field
at the special request of the officers con-
cerned, as they were inclined to think
that their camp ir the open woods had
something to do with the increasing sick
ness of their men. Here 1t may be peril
nent TO remark in passing that the Eighth
New York had. at the time Of its moving,
and had maintained, one of the filthiest
and most disgusting canteens to be found
in the entire army. From personal OBJ
servation of this canteen, some two weeks
since, am prepared TO assert that 1t was
little better than serving beer to the SOL
diers of the Eighth New York in hog
pen. 1t is also true that the reports show
that since this regiment moved its health
conditions have improved.
Instead of there being no water within
five miles of this regiment, two of the
largest and finest springs of clear water
in this entire country, pronounced by COM
petent medical and chemical authority to
be pure water. are less than two miles from
their camp.
THE Eighth New York has been camped
Upon the ground where General Torrey OBJ
served II less than ten days. 1t was per-
fectly clean ground when they occupied
it, and had not been previously occupied
by any troops. II it had been transformed
within this brief period by the troops of the
Eighth New York into a place filtiiier and
dirtier than can be found in the Sums of
New York, it will become the officers of
that regiment and men to explain how
such transformation could have been
made by them In this brief space of. time.
Whether General Torrey means that
twenty-four died in the camp of the Eighth
New York, or twenty-four in the entire
camp. in one day. and that nearly as
many would die the day of his departure,
cannot be exactly determined by his form
of speech-but on the day he is quoted as
making this remark, the deaths in the
entire army encamped here were seven, and
the deaths in the Eighth New York. two
days before his visit Cbeing the last re-
ported, numbered only one, which had been
the rate for several days.
AS TO the hospitals being unclean and
there being a lack of food and the only
FOOD being regular army rations badly
cooked, and other similar conditions, a suf-
ficient answer is found in the critical ex-
animation OF the hospital of the First d.
vision OF the Third army corps. General
Frank commanding. SCI forth above. The
hospital IN charge of Major c. Nj. Drake
Is one of the cleanest and most complete
which any veteran cf-the civil war would
expect TO see, and this is the division to
which the Eighth New York is attached.
I'm closing, 1 beg leave to express my
opinion that most of the interviews with
chaplains. regimental surgeons and others.
both officers and men, now appearing at
the North in many of the newspapers In
regard to this camp. are reckless and false,
except as to the filthy conditions which
their own criminal neglect has caused. In
my judgment, the recent increase In the
outcries against water and the persistent
assertion that the park is unhealthy have
been largely and deliberately used to stir
up sentiment and influence which would
be exerted to secure their relief from serv-
ice. Very respectfully, your obedient serv-
ant. II. v. BOYNTON, Brig. Cen,
United States Volunteers"