The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-07
Healthiest Regiment i'm His Command
Is Col. w. II. Durbin's one-Hun-
dred-and-Sixty-First Indiana.
NO DISTRESS OR NEGLECT
CHARGES INVESTIGATED AND FOUND
TO BE WITHOUT CAUSE.
sickness at ChicIxamauga Said by GENE
Boynton to Have Been Due TO Filthy
Sinks and Careless Officers.

WASHlNGION, Oct. 6.-The war 1nyes-
tigating commission held two sessions to-
day. In the forenoon Gen. II. V. Boynton
concluded his testimony and Gen. Fitxhegh
Lee was heard in the afternoon. General
Boynton dwelt to-day on the causes of dis
ease at Camp Thomas, charging the in
crease towards the close of the camp to
the lack of sufficient care on the part of the
regimental and brigade commanders in COW
ering the sinks. General Lee detailed the
conditions pevaiIing at the camp at Jack
sonvile. He said the site was a good enc,
the supplies were plentiful, the men well
taken care of, and he had no complaint to
make of the War Departments treatment
of his command He also took occasion, in
reply to a question put by Captain Howell,
to say that he did not consider that he had
been sighted in the war; He had wanted
to go to Havana, and the President had re-
Gently told him that in case it had been
necessary to take Havana by assault he
had intended to ask him General Lee) to
lead the assaulting army.
When the commission met this morning
General Boynton was questioned in regard
to charges formulated by Surgeon Milo B.
Ward, of Kansas City, who said in letter
to the commission that the camp was with
out drainage that the water was unfit to
drink, that there was no proper food and
that all of the $500 men in the camp were
suffering from intestinal diseases. General
Boynton said "Of course in so large
camp some painful things must necessarily
happen. For instance, when measles broke
out the hospitals were quite crowded, but
to say there was any purposely inflicted
neglect is as false as it is possible to be-
DISEASE-BREEDING SINKS.
os~,k- Ia
enter upon a general statement in regard
to the conditions of the camp and to give
his opinion as to the cause of it, He at
tributed the prevalence of disease to the ex-
posure CT the regimental kitchen and hos
ptal sinks. These, he said in the latter part
of the camps history had been left uncov-
cred by earth, contrary to directions Of
the surgeon general and to this fact more
than all others he attributed the spread
of disease. This failure to carry out sani-
tary orders, he thought, was due to the
negligence Of the subordinate officers, bril-
gade and regimental commanders. The
trouble only began after General Brooke
was ordered to Washington Prior to that
time General Brooke required daily reports
from the regimental officers and prompt at
tention to any neglect of sanitary precau-
tions. This system and the care which the
camp had, had the effect of keeping the
camp In good condition When Gen. Brooke
left for Washington the camp was neces-
sarily in charge of the subordinate officers.
When General Brooke returned his time was
devoted almost entirely to preparation for
the Porto Rican campaign, so that he could
noE give SO much heed to sanitary regula-
tions as he had previously done General
Boynton elaborated upon the strict disci-
plie maintained by General Brooke in police
and sanitary matters, but said there was a
suspension of this care after the Porto
Rican campaign was decided upon. After
General Brooke left there was material
increase of disease and at one time almost
a panic.
MULTITUDE OF FLIES.
Returning to the conditions subsequent to
the date when General Brooke was ordered
to Washington, General Boynton said the
exposed condition of the sinks had encour-
aged the presence of a multitude of flies,
which bred disease by carrying germs from
the sinks to the tents. ''They were," said
the general, 'as thick throughout the park
as they ever could have been in Egypt, and
they went back and forth from the sinks To
messroom and men and officers with the
greatest impunity, covering everything in
sight"
General Boynton was questioned at some
length as to where the responsibility for
this condition of affairs lay, and he said
that 1t was with the brigade and regimental
commanders. II am satisfied" he said
that the medical officers reported to them
the condition and warned them of the Sc
rious consequences of failing to obey the
surgeon generals orders for the covering of
the sinks, but the medical officers could not
give orders; they could only advise. would
not say that the commanding officers as a
whole paid no heed to these representations,
but many Of them apparently failed to APP
preciate their Importance and did not give
them the attention which the circumstances
demanded. They should receive the atten-
tion, for instance. that officers in the regu-
lar army would have given them"
General Boynton added that he did not
desire TO make any reflections on officers
from civil life. but there were some things
which they had TO learn, and many of them
were not experts in sanitation. Further-
more. most people looked upon the camp as
partly temporary. and the fact that all were
in daily expectation of receiving orders to
move caused many to be Indifferent to the
future.
General Beaver asked General Boynton
who was at fault If the Chickamauga camp
was crowded. ''If such was the case was
the reply. 1.-The fault was that OF the regi-
mental and brigade commanders as the de-
tails were left 10 them"
COMPLAINTS OF SOLDIERS.
General Dodge read complaint purpoft-
ing 10 be from a soldier Of New York reg
| iment. saying that coffee was isused greer
to the troops. and then poorly Drowned