The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-23

APPEAR Betore the War Invesslgae1on
Commhs<iOn-ne Tells Ahoug Others,
Shortcomings In the Santiago Can.
paign
Washington. December 2f.-General
Nelson A. Miles. commanding the Unit
ed States army. and General Wesley
Merritt, commander Of the American.
forces at the capture Of Manila, were
the principal figures before the war in
ves1gation commission today. General
Miles responded to the summons OF
the committee only after several days
consideration. He was accompanied by
his own stenographer. His examination
was comparatively brief and not SEN
sational.
Are you viii to be sworn?" he was
asked.
Il think" was the reply, that can
say what / have to say without being
sworn"
General Miles gave his evidence in a
clear, unhesitating way and went in
to deails regarding both the Santiago
and Porto Rico expeditions. He OPEN
ed by describing the railroad confusion
in getting the war munitions to Tampa
and pointed out the lack OF government
storehouse facilities there. He said
when the transports were loaded ii
was found impossible to put more than
$1,000 men aboard and they were equip
ped as we'll as possible under the cir
cumstances. 1T was most fortunate"
he said, that the transports had good
weather. If they had encountered a
severe storm the loss of life, or the suf-
fering at least, must have been fearful.
AS 1t was fair weather. the men below,
crowded in with the mules and sup
plies, could get on deck, which would
have been impossible otherwise"
The commissary stores taken, he said,
were sufficient, but the medical sup
plies were inadequate. He had left
the loading, except for genertl direc-
tionS, to the corps commander, Gen.
eral Shafter. He found just before
sailing that there were a number of
pontoon boats being taken which would
be utterly useless for the purpose and
he himself had secured two barges
from the owners there and had taken
other steps, but the supply of such
boats taken was very inadequate. THE
expedition" he continued, Should
have been furnished with launches,
| naptha or steam, or tugs, for towing
| barges from the ships 10 the shore
He relied largely on the engineer Off
| GERS and the engineer department for
these. In the second expedition to Por-
to Rico these were furnished, but they
arrived too late to render much assist
ance"
At Santiago the supply of tentage
and food was very limited.
Were the medical supplies at that
time sufficient for the needs of the
commando" he was asked.
J. In reply he read a dispatch from
| General Shafter on August 4th, which
| referred to chronic scarcity of med
| icines," and said that four men had
| just died from lack Of medicines There
was at no time, said General Miles,
| sufficient medicines for the troops. He
remembered seeing one train for the
| sick in drenching rain, with no COW
/ ering over the wagons.
| General Beaver-"From what Won
f, learned and observed while there. do
| you think there was at any time a
| sufficient medical supply?"
| General Miles-"Of medical men and
| materfals?'
General Beaver-"Yes."
General Miles-"No sir"
| The witness stated that the hospital
! accommodations were only of a tenn
/ porary character. He said that the
| shelter tents did not shelter. Questioned
+: as to the character Of the facilities for
transporting the wounded, he said that
they were taken in wagons.
General Beaver-"Do you know II
! any of the wounded were lying exposed
/ to the weather."
| General MILESTONE were exposed
| in being sent down to the hospitals
| saw one train of wounded men driving
along in the drenching rain with moth.
ing ITO shelter them.' n
He had taken measures personally tc
correct matters and on July 18th had
telegraphed for a well equipped corp.
n Mo nd hv-;1 1x,,sf
had ordered places burned. Genera
Miles said the transportation facilitie.
were used to carry supplies to som.
$1,000 to 10000 refugees from Santiag,
and about 5000 Cuban troops. This,
he stated in answer to a question, "wa
not expected. because had cautioned
| General Shafter to Keep his men out O
the Spanish buildings of every charac
ter, and to keep the men away from tn
! natives. Had Ne not done as he die
, the army would have been much bet
ter supplied" His army in Porto Rico
he said, had been supplied in a wa,
/ with quartermaster's and commissar,
stores, but not in the best way. A
Porto Rico he had asked that fixe,
, rations be sent, but instead they wer
sent down in bulk without invoices
General Miles characterized the re
frigerator beef, Of which there wer
/ 327 tons sent, as "embaimed beef,
u Sdlu Uuc canned IFeSn Deef. n
, which $4,000 pounds had been shippe
there, was condemned by officers who's
| commands used It,
Who fixed the beef as an army ra
tion?''
5 You will have to ask some one her
5 in Washington. You had better as
e the secretary of war or the commits
sary general. 1t was sent as food.
they had not taken that they woul
q have had to go hungry. II they ha
. sent paymasters down there, as I ask
. ed, we could have bought food bu
. they did not do that
. General Miles suggested that III
: food was sent TO his large army unde
pretense Of an experiment. He calle
| attention to the fact that good fres
beef could be bought In Porto Rico IL
! cents pound, American money. an
he suggested that IL might be interes.
ing to compare this with the cost OF tn
refrigerator beef together with the e,
q pense OF transportation. He said he di