The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-02

tive orders not to take any man on board
who was not entirely convalescent.
DIR. Thomas C. Chalmers, captain and as
sistant surgeon of the Twelfth New York.
who saw six weeks service in Porto Rico,
testified that at Chlckamanga ms reglin ',Id
could not only not get medicines, but could
not even get blanks to make requ1stlons Tor
them. In regard to the transport Massachu-
Sets on which he went to Porto Rico, DR..
Chalmers said: There was no regular cook
ing on board and the men were unusued 70
eating cold rations. The reserve hospltal
men were supposed to have been we'll men,
but subsequent events proved that they dld
not have enough to eat. The men never
cSuid get enough water 70 o,d saasly q aHei
pitcher, the matter was reported put tns
custom was not stopped. The mules and
horses on board went for tWenty-Iour hours
at one time without water.
A NEW WORKERS CRITICISMS.
Lieut.. Col. James Parker. of the Twelfth
New York, said that when the troops ar
rived at Chickamauga the men had to sleep
on the wet ground with only one blanket
and no change of clothing. He said that
the First South Carolina Regiment did not
receive it's rifles for month after It's ar
rival at the park, the men being compelled
to do guard duty without guns. The Twen-
ty-first Kansas also had to do guard duty
for two weeks with sticks. When the vol
unteers first arrived at Chickamauga, said
Colonel Parker, their tongues We're hteral-
they could not get water enough TO quencn
their thirst. Then the pipe lines were LAID,
but the water the men got was not pure.
In my opinion there were wells lett at the
park as landmarks which contained water
that was bad tor them to drink. The usual
precautions that are taken with troops In
camp were taken there 1 have spent six
years of my life in tents, having been
captain in the Fourth Cavalry, and think
any regular army officer will agree with me
that the camp was established on the proper
plans. General Breckenridge when he took
command did more to change for the better
the sanitary conditions than had been ac-
complished altogether before He had lum-
Der, which had before been applied for in
vain, furnished the hospitals he provided
lime in great abundance. He had new tent
age supplied and he gave medicines when
needed.
Upon my inspections 1 found the hos
pitfalls of the First Division, Third Corps, OF
the Third Division, First Corps, and of the
Second Division, Third Corps, were dirty.
The first was placed alongside dump heap.
The dirt in most cases, however, was due
to the overcrowded condition of the hos
pitfalls, The surgeons were worked to death
and too sick themselves to look properly
after cleanliness. So far as l know neither
General Brooke nor General Wade ever
made a sanitary inspection OF the camp. l
think there was dissemination on the part
of the government to purchase lime. 1t
could have been secured easily or even
burned by the troops The quartermaster s
during this war that it did not seem in
clined to. 1t would have been just as easy
to establish at Chickamauga the ideal con-
ditionS that prevail here at Camp Hamilton
at the cost of not more than 81 per man"
LACKED EQUIPMENT.
The night session began at 8 o'clock,
Lieut.. Frank Strange, quartermaster of the
Third Kentucky, being the first witness
called. He was at Chickamauga Park from
June until July II, when he took sick and
left. He testified that while at Chicka-
manga his regiment was badly equipped.
His regiment was unable to procure quar-
termaster's supplies consisting of clothing,
tentaSe, ETC., because the supplies were not
on hand but in small quantities. They had
so many regiments to equip that when they
had supplies on hand they were distributed
among all the regiments. Often the quar-
termaster did not have equipment from a
lack OF knowledge as to what was required.
Then when the regimental QuartermaSterS
went to the depot they were made TO wait
for several hours.
Next were called seven noncommissioned
Othcers and pr1VateS who stated generally
that the rations and clothing furnished was
good The witness, keene Ryan, from
whom DR.. Conner expected to obtain valu-
able testimony, was former private in
the Third Corps Signal Service, who was
sick in the First Division hospital at Chick
ainauga. he hao sent written statements
or serious nature to the board, but was
unable to substantiate but few. He stated
that the surgeons were guilty of criminal
neglect by not seeing that the orders they
prescribed were not administered; that on
the day Of General BreckinriGge's review
no surgeons visited the hospital when men
We're dying from want of attention; that
the water was bad; that on frequent oc-
casions meals were eaten when bed pans
were sitting in the rooms, rendering the air
foul; that the sinks were in bad order and
that on one occasion a man was almost
drowned in one.
Tomorrow General Sanger, Major Grif-
fifth, acting chief surgeon of the First Corps
and Major Slocum will be called. Then the
subcommittee will have completed it's work
here.