Evening star., 1898-11-14


which was made. public today, contains a
| full ard complete statement of the arrange
| ments made Tor feeding the army during
| the Spanish war The total expenditures
| were $60OS,I15. and the balance on hand
July last was SO, 222, $50. Gen. Eagan de-
| seFloes the Amy ration and says that the
Usual rule, subject to local or temporary
| Icentroll1ng circumstances. for the issue Of
| the meat portion of the ration in the army
Is that seven days fresh meat shall be
issued to three days salt meat.
In regard to the war with Spain, Gen.
| EaSan says, III part:
| Anticipating HOstilities.
! In authorization of the actual breaking
| ont OF ho5tllities betWe cen the United States
| ana Spain, the acting commissary general
OF subsistence had. at the beginning of the
month of April, 1898, advised all chief ard
! purchasing ccmmissaries to have at all
| pests travel rations adequate to the wants
oi ene full garrisons if ordered to move,
| ana 10 ascertain and list the houses from
| "hoH articles of the ration and of the travel
| iatloh could be had at once if wanted in
| large quantities. BY actual inspection of
'he returns of subsistence stores for the
| iieceulhs me nth on file in the office of
me commlssary general of subsistence
| mere were fcund to be on hand at each
pest more chan thirty days supplies for tie
| huhlbef OF men at each and thirty days
supplies OF stores claSSed as perisha bIe be-
| siaes supplies for sales Canned goods, etc.)
| III equai or greater quantities. 1t had also
| a. that time been recommended by the act
ing commissary general of subsistence that
| ORDERS Whlc might issue directing any gar
lisoi 10 cnahge station should include a
| r~eqiliement ~ that. if the whole garrison
moved all salted meats should be taken
| WIN IT, ana propcrtionately if only a part
| moved ana that at least thirty days ra-
| tions (excluiihg fresh beef should be taken
| some m)Venle ntS of the artillery toWa rd
the sea coast had been ordered duriney ,bn
| Inchtf of March. 1893, but it was not until
! April 10, ls.s, that orders were issued from
| .ne "i1ce OF the adjutant general of the
| q my ur@ctihg general movement OF the
| Iesuiar army from the posts scattered
| throughout ;he eight military Departments
| covering almcst the entire area Of the
| United States, to the places of concentra
ton at Caickamauga NationaI parp NJ
! orleans Mobile and TAMPA The order.
| lSSueo tnat cay required the troops in all
| na*es "a 10 take with them thirty days' field
! [dtioilS ana ar order of the following d.,v
Grected all the articles of the ratinn an1
s!reS Tor sales at the various nosts On
| 5 iem,o oaus, "here economy would be SUP
served over and above 1 reasonable an,oIn+
~ ne ieit 1or the troops retained at the
| Posts. 10 be invoiced and shipped fo The
| Suiiiiiil9SdfleS at the= to which rho
toraa vi fach post were transferred, the
| SUES , 10 iolow the departure of the troons
| with as little delay as practicahIa Thi
! M1s WIN the view of. utilizing the stock of
saa enc of stores on hand at the posts, i'll
s'ead OF leaving them to deteri0rate in tbe
hahds OF the depleted garrisons"
| Instructions to Depot Commisx.-;.s
| Ihe depot eommissaries at places of con-
| cehtr&n0a Were authorized to call on the
ctmmlssary general Of subsistence for ALI
| the supplies that they might consider IA
| De needed in carrying out the plan of the
| department. These instructions have an
! phed tc all places where large bodies of
| troops have been assembled and undar
| them there has been no difficulty in nro-
curing ana shipping all subsistence sun
| lies needed. As measure Of nracau1;an
| the comniSSarles on duty in charge of
| dvpots near large bodies of troons in the
eastern part of the United States have
| Deen required to make weekly reports IN
the commissary general of subsistence of
! the number Of complete rations on hand
| in order that there might be no de,av or
| t&Hure of replenshment by the subsistence
| department.
| Freight Blockade ut Tampa.
! very serious freight blockade at and in
the heishhorhood of Tampa in May and
June 1913, was caused by the celerity
| with which the troops and their supnlias
| "=re concentrat ted at that place in prepara-
| ton for the invasion of the Island of Cuba
| II is lockade was a matter of grave con-
| Germ to the subsistence department and
| 1t was only after the most peremrtorv
| orders of the commissary general of sub
| sistence to unload the cars and to btrs
| warehouses, If necessary, that the officers
| OF the department on the spot We're en-
! ahIed, with unfagging zeal and untirinc
| energy to so far extricata the depart-
nlent to permit the taking by the ltb
| Army Corps, when 1t sailed on June IA
a supply of rations sufficient to last th,,
| &C mmand of 10000 enlisted men for four
| months, and the sending on June 26, ~
| and IS of further supplies.
| Under contract entered into July 1908
! between the commissary general of subsist-
| ence and Swift & Co. of Chicago III a
| cargo of refrigerated beef reached Santiago
| on July II, 1S3S the day after the port
was opened for navigation, and was most
| acceptable to the troops and hospitals there
| Supplies of this beef have since been fur
| nished in plentiful quantities to meet the
| needs at that place
| 1t will thus be seen that all due diligence
| was used by the commissary general OF
subsistence in placing subsistence stores
| within reach of the troops operating against
| Santiago. Upon landing in Cuba these
| stores of the expedition were subject to
| the orders of the general comman andinp who
| was in paramount control of the military
| operations in that quarter. The relations
| of the commanding general of the force.
| and of the staff officers on duty under him
| to the supplies placed at their DISPOSAL are
sufficiently defined by laws, regulations and
| orders. The degree of diligence ana eff
| cheney with which all the subsistence on
| GERS of the staff performed their duties in
| supplying the troops in the Immediate thea
| ter of operations was primarily within
| the observation and control of the general
| commanding.
| Department Not at Fault
If, with abundance of provisions ashore
! and afoat at the base of supplies in Cuba
the enlisted men were at any time hungry.
not the commissary general of subsistence
nor the entire personnel of the subsistence
department was at fault.
| 1t is evident that the supplies of sub
| sistence stores shipped for the use of the
| army in Cuba have been at all times in
| excess of Immediate needs. Besides being
| available for our own, troops they afforded
| relief to the Cuban army and to the desti-
| tute population which abandoned the CITY
! of Santiago when preparations for its de-
| struction had been made. The official re-
| turns from Cuba. showing in detail the
| issues made to these several classes of
| persons and others contemplated by law
| have not yet been received, and there ia
| not in this office any Information throwing
! light on the subject of the provisioning of
| the transports which brought the army
| back to Montauk Point further than there
| was an abundance of subsistence stores in
| Santiago and vicinity.
Diet for the Sick.