Evening star., 1898-10-06
LEE ON THE STAND
Investigation of the Camps Re
sumed.
CONDITIONS At CHICKhMkUGA PARK
Gen. Boynton BIames RegimentaI
and Brigade Commanders.
CHARGES ARE CONTRADICTED

The war investigating commission met az
| 10 o'clock this morning and held a session
| for half an hour with closed doors While
in session Gen. Fitzhugh Lee arrived and
sent In word that he was ready to appear
| before the commission at their pleasure
He was told by Gen. Dodge. the chairman,
that they would wish him to testify at
| o'clock this afternoon.
| Gen. Henry V. Boynton continued his
testimony at 1890 o'clock, ex-Gov. Beaver
taking the lead in asking the witness ques-
| tions.
| Gov. Beaver asked If the camp arrange
ments at Camp Thomas were defective who
| were responsible for that condition.
| Gen. Boynton replied that the brigade
! and regimentsl commanders were response
! BILE
T! Gen. Dodge read a statement which he
| said was from the 9th New York Regiment.
| IN which IT was said the government coffee
| issued there was green; that government
! cooks roasted it in pans, and generally
| burned most Of 1t. and II was cooked In
| greasy pans; that meat was not improved
| by cooking, and that the only vegetables
| they saw were potatoes and onions, and
| that these We're generally spoiled.
Gen. Boynton said that all the coffee he
| saw was roasted. As to that matter OF
| food in whatever shape they put It there is
| 40 reason for the criticisms. The beef
| came in refrigerator cars of the same kind
| that brings beef to Washington. and II
| came from a great establishment of St
| Louis, he thought. He never heard more
than two complaints of supplies of meat,
| and there was never time when such
| beef as had spoiled could not have been
| exchanged for good beef If the officers had
| known how to exchange it. In view of the
| warm weather it was not strange that
| some meat did spoil after 1t was taken
| from the refrigerator cars.
| 1t is impossible for me to speak with
| any patience in regard to this matter" said
| Gen. Boynton.
Chaplain DuIey's Charges.
Gen. Dodge produced a statement made
by Rev. James Duley, chaplain who said
| the camp at Chickamauga Park was q per-
| feet hell on earth. War would have been a
perfect paradise, he said compared with
| the condition in Camp Thomas Men died
| for water he said. and men had typhoid
| fever for days without receiving medical
attendance, no one even taking their tenn
perature. With 500 men in the hospital,
Father Duley said. there were but dozen
/ attendants. Everything about the camp
| he SAID, was badly managed OF the food.
| he said there was but one word that would
describe it-that 1t was rotten.
After hearing these complaints from
Father Duley, Gen Boynton said he did
| not like TO take issue with the chaplain in
such matters.
Father Duley," he said had a tent in
| our headquarters yard and he spent the
most of his time there. Father Ryan and
another chaplain were with him. and their
sensational stories would have furnished
material for all the dime novels of the
country We furnished these gentlemen
with tents and they appeared to be COM
Portable. If they saw any of these things
they refer to / do not know any one else
who did see them
This chaplain had told him there were
! 5000 sick men in the hospitals. while his
own investigation showed that there were
mar ind F..1 L.
| of the kind of information he furnished
General Boynton made a long explanation
regarding the camp and the part In its con-
troll taken by General Brooke He said
General Brooke was now away and had
been attacked in some parts Of the country.
He wanted to make IT plain that General
Brooke had constantly exercised all the
diligence that any one could possibly have
SHOWN IN the proper conduct Of the camp.
Flies Spread Disease.
Speaking of the cause for the spread Of
typhoid fever he said the whole camp was
Invaded with swarm of flies as extensive
~ as was Egypt invaded with flies. These
flies swarmed about, going from the sinks
and the kitchens and TO the tables and he
believed they had been the cause of the
spread of disease. Had the sinks been kept
covered with fresh earth he thought the
spread Of typhoid would not have taken
place. If General Sternberg's instructions
had beeen carried out he did not think this
condition would have existed.
llgulGdl
GERS, responsible for the health Of the camp.
had not seen that these instructions We're
carried out.
General Boynton said the medical officers
could only advise. 1t was for the brigade
and regimental commanders to see that the
instructions Were carried out.
General Boynton said the increase of dis
ease did not spread TO any extent until
General Brooke left the camp. The canlp
was not carefully watched by the STAN
of General Brooke after the latter had or
ders to get 500 men ready 10 go to Porto
Rico. The work of getting these men
ready to go off took up much OF the time
OF the officers, and there WAS more depend
ence placed upon brigade and regimental
commanders in looking after the carving
out of detailed instructions than would
have been the case had the great work of
getting off the troops not been on hand
speaking OF the failure on the part OF
reglmental officers to keep their camps in
as clean a condition as they should have
been kept Gen. Boynton said hc did hot
wish to reflect on officers who had come
fIon civil life, but the fact that these
officers had not had an opportunity to learn
ways for conducting camps sufficiently TO
allow them to do II with perfect results
Again speaking of the condition of coffee
furnished the troops at Camp Thomas, Gen.
Boynton said he had seen half barrel of
Gnroasted coffee in storehouse at one
time, but he understood that 10 more of il
to be sent TO the camp. When asked
what facilities the soldiers had for roasting
their coffee he said he didn't know exactly
what Iney were, Out they had least
what the soldiers in the late war had-their
tin cups.
Capt. Howell remarked that on the COLI
federate side they were not troubled about
roasting coffee at ALL, as they had none to
roast.
Gen. Boynton wished to make an expla-
nation regarding a report he had sent to
the commission on statements made by Sur
geon John {. Martin OF Ohio. While at
Chickamauga DIR. Martin had made a SEN
sational statement to him regarding the
health of Camp Thomas, but when the sur
geon was called upon to substantiate his
charges he acknowledged having said the
things credited 10 him. but retracted every
statement ne had made. This retraction
had been sent to the department Since
then DR.. Martin had gone before the San
ger committee and had again made the as
sertions ne had retracted.
Gen. Boynton was on the stand but three
quarters of an hour this morning the tax
ing Of testimony being stopped at lib
o'clock until 2 o'clock, when Il was ar
ranged Gen. Fftzhugh Lee should appear
before the commission.
Gen. Lee Says He Had Few Conn
plants.
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