Evening star., 1898-11-05
NO GROSS MISTAKES MADE
Gen. Lawton Testifes Regarding the San
tiago Campaign.
No Lack of Care on the Part of Those
in Authority Statement
to Col. DENLY.

Gen. Lawton, in command of the I'd Di-
vision of the 9TH Army Corps during the
campaign in Cuba, and who fought at the
battle of Ell Caney and in front of Santiago
gave TO the war investigation committee
yesterday testimony regarding the condi-
ton in that portion of the army with which
ne was connected. Gen. Lawton left San
| t1ago two weeks ago. His statement was
made to Col. DENLY, who is acting as chair
man of the commission, and tended to show
that everything was done for the comfort
of the troops which the exigencies of the
case permitted.
Landing Troops and Supplies.
Gen. Lawton said the instructions con-
corning order of landing the troops and
supplies at La Quaisna contemplated the
assistance of the navy. In fact he said it
was contemplated that the navy should
perform the greater part of the labor in
landing troops. At the same time an order
was given directing that certain small
boats on the transports be assembled to
assist in this work.
The transports, Gen. Lawton said. were
furnished for the purposes for which they
were used as well as could be expected
considering they were not troopships. He
said the medical and cOmmiSSary supplies
We're sufficient to prevent absolute discom-
fort There was he said, some confusion
owing to a misunderstanding of orders, but
he did not believe there had been any
hardships occasioned because of this mis-
hap.
Gen. Lawton described his march to Sib-
oney and told how he operated at Ell
Caney to prepare for the light there. Re-
ferring to the operations at Ell Caney, he
said:
Il had received very imperative orders 10
mdve to my left and to the right of Gen.
WHeelars command but my situation was
sucn that ii was impracticable for me to
leave Ell Caney until l had captured it.
Gen. Lawton said that his division had
lost 40 men killed and wounded, and that
all the wounded had been accounted for.
| This latter remark was brought out by
question from Col DENLY in regard to some
statements in effect that wounded soldiers
had wandered in the woods and had never
been heard from. Gen. Lawton said:
Il never heard that before. All the
wounded of my division were accounted for
| and all were taken to field hospitals
No AmbuIanccs.
The witness said there were no ambu-
lances, but there were some littars for
caring for the sick, but he did not know
how many litters were on hand.
Col. Denby-''Knowing there was to be a
fight, how did it happen that there were not
enough litters and enough surgeons to
properly care for the wounded?'
Gen. Lawton-''I cannot say there were
not enough"
Col. Denby-"How do you account for the
fact that the medical men did not provide
everything necessary for taking proper
care for the wounded?''
Gen. Lawton-''I think they did provide
themselves with everything they thought
necessary, considering the material they
had to choose from. There was no time
to do hap
we had"
Witness said that while 1t was difficult to
get supplies to the men in the trenches
from the I'd to the Ith of July he thought
the quantity delivered there was sufficient
He said there had been sickness worth
mentioning until after the campaign. There
had been no tents except shelter tents.
which some had until just previous to the
embarkation to the United States.
When asked where he fixed the RESPONSE
bIlity for not having tents at Santiago to
provide for the men Gen. Lawton replied
Il do not fix it at ALL because l do not
think there was any responsibility about it.
The men were there without tents because
of the fact that 1t was impossible to un-
load them from the ships because of the
lack of time and facilities. 1t is a difficult
natter to unload a ship In a rough sea
There was very little complaint on account
of lack of tents Complaints did not come
to me- l was with my men constantly
That they should have to lie out as they
T did without shelter was one of the contil-
gencies attending the conduct of the war.
Wore Shirts Thirty Days, Possibly.
Gen. Lawton said 1t was true, reported,
that men had tc wear their shirts for possi-
bly, thirty days without change. This was
because they had thrown away their extra
clothing. He said the climate was respon-
sible for sickness in Cuba, and that 1t WAS
possible that with more appropriate food
and better cooking and shelter some of the
| sickness might have been prevented.
He continued: 1T is my opinion tina: any
one going from this climate to Cuba will
have to suffer that acclimatizi1g fever
| there. 1 do not know one person who es-
capped 1t altogether"