Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-19
PLAIN TALK
By Witnesses Before the War
investigation Board.
Fridays Testimony Finds Plenty Ct
Fault With Conduct Of War,
Though Few Witnesses Can Positively P ace
the Responsibility.


Avenue hotel here, today. All the
members were present except Col. Dem
by, Major Miles and Mr.. Weightman.
Dr. Charles H. Greenleaf. chief sur
geon of the troops in the field, on Gen.
Miles staff, was the first witness call
ed In response as to questions as to
the fitness of Camp Alger as a camping
place for troops, he said that in some
respects it was good camp for small
body of men, but there were many
drawbacks The water supply was
poor and the region was known to be
highly malarious. There was a def
clecy of privates in the hospital corps,
and of medical officers and at time of
medical supplies.
The best interests of the sick, DR..
Greenleaf said, were not seriously i'm
perilled but the efforts of the physi-
clans were generally embarrassed
Taking up the question Of lack of
tents, surgeon and medical supplies in
Cuba, DR.. Conner asked Dr. Greenleaf
how the medical supplies were delayed
at Sibony. DIR. Greenleaf said that he
did not know.
Who finally unloaded these sup
plies?' asked DR.. Conner.
OlQ. II ClpluTcu SUITE pO!lOOIIS
and took the law into my own hands,"
you unloaded in SO hours supplies
that has been lying in the harbor two
weeks. Why did not DIR. Pope, chief
surgeon of General Skaters corps,
land them within those two weeks?"
II suppose he was at the front, at
tending to the wounded"
In reply to a question, DR.. Greenleaf
eaid he supposed DR.. Pope had author
ity from General Shafter sufficient to
enable him to unload the supplies at
Sibony as he CDR. GreenleaD had done.
There is no doubt" said DR.. Conner,
''that somebody was dreadfully, awful
ly slow. Can't you find out who it
] was?" DIR. Greenleaf said he could not.
In reply to another question. DR..
Greenleaf said that it was usual in
time of war, to anticipate the wants of
wounded men and to expect that there
would be wounded. He could not tell
whether all proper arrangements had
been made in Cuba, but he knew that
the stores had not been landed. He de-
clared positively that he had found no
evidence OF neglect or incompetency on
the part of any medical officer.
Camp Montauk, DR.. Greenleaf con-
sidered an ideal camp for its purpose
I No complaints of any moment were
J submitted to him and the small grumb-
lings he had heard he investigated and
found to be without justification.
Dr. Conner asked why the large force
Be women nurses who had offered their
Services were not accepted, and DR..
Greenleaf said there was no way to
care for them at the camp.
DIR. Greenleaf, still replying to ques-
tions, told methods of granting fur
loughs from the hospitals at Camp
Montauk, and of the influence brought
i to bear upon the surgeons to grant
these furloughs. He said if a man, to
whom leave was granted, died at MS
home, the surgeons We're blamed FOR
letting him leave the hospitals, ana
where leave was refused, if the man
died there, his friends declared that
home nursing would have cured him.
Replying to questions, DR.. Greenleaf
said that he would not have selected
Camp Alger as a camping place for SOL
diers and that in his opinion Camp Mi
ami in Florida was fitted up as a quar-
antine hospital and should not have
been used as a camp for 10000 men
awaiting transportation to Cuba.
to<criticize the department for not hav-
incss employed female nurses sooner
than it did?
DR.. Greenlief-I think General Stern
*berg right, and / agree with him, that
the firing line was not the place for
woman. The women nurses rendered
excellent services, but at the front was
no place for them.
Gen. Dodge asked about the condi-
I'm of the transports leaving Tampa
fTr Cuba. and DR.. Greenlief said they
were dreadfully overcrowded.
David j. GOss, a private of the 7ls1
Regiment, who was a cook for his com
Dany at Camp Black, next told of the
provisions supplied to the troops. He
Mid they were good and ample. He
iad a slight attack of yellow fever
he spoke highly of the attention pait
10 him by the surgeons at the Camp
1dontauk hospital. The nurse. Mis-:
Braves told him his trouble was star
fation. but there was plenty of fooe
81 the st. Louis. upon which he came
10 Montauk, for well men.
FAs general summing up of his mos
Unpleasant experience Goss said: Il
vas all pretty rough. Nothing wen
ght. 1t was someone lncOnlpeteHcy
1T I don't know whose
He did not grumble at the San Jual
IN experience, because that was nee
eary; the other discomforts he sal
IRE not. Goss said he slept in tn
EN- air in Cuba for IL days because h
ID no tent.
Henry Hauck. an assistant foreman
the fire department, who serve
roughout the campaign as privat
Co. /, list Regiment, was the mex
tness.
dauck said there never was any lac
good food until the regiment reach
II Cuba, and then the fault was du
y the lack of cooking facilities and tn
kcessity for each man to cook hi
m rations.
During the march to San Juan hi
ke, men lost their rations and ther
ns some scarcity for three days. TIL
zicers told them to leave their havel
cks with their rations by the roa
re and left man to guard then
BIT the man was shot and the ration
fere stolen.
L