Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-08-25

ltlltI llull lHt oNtltbhig Va NhA ehN
has consented to It's publication. II
was written In reply TO u request for
information;
war Department,
Washington, August 10, 1898.
Mr. Dear Mr. Depew-The great
pressure OF business has up 10 now
prevented me from sending to you the
statement you were kind enough to
ask for, as to what had been accom-
pllshed In the way OF QUILTING the
army for the field, the conduct OF
campaign, etc. Also, the chiefs OF di-
visions have been too much driven
with work TO compile the data re-
quired, One not In the midst Of the
work can hardly realize what an un-
dertakng II Is to call 1875, 900 men into
The field at one time, coming from all
the states and to have them mus
tered and gathered In camps on so
short notice, and this, too, when we
had scarcely any camp OUTFIT for
their accommodation all having "a
be provided for by the war depart
ment.
As you know, when the war was
declared there was no equipment
whatever for the volunteers In store
That this was successfully accom-.
plished, with very few accidents, is a
matter OF record. Subsequent calls
including the regular army (Which
numbered about $4,000 men when war
was declarcd), made total Of $685.
500 men, TO accomplish all in so
shorS time has been great work,
OF course, gathering this vast num-
Der of men together, in large meas
ure under unframed regimental and
company COMMANDERS mean in nc
tual field duty--the lack of knowledge
as to sanitary conditions to be OBJ
served, the carelessness In not OBJ
serving instructions which were fur
nished as TO proper care Of the men,
has added greatly TO the work OF the
medical department,
Thus, from the homes OF $4,000
volunteers has been constant and
great anxiety as to what might hap
pen to their soldiers, and hundreds
Of inquiries, made by letters and tele.
grams, have been received every day
concerning individual soldiers, The
feeling on ihe part Of these indlyid-
uals that the war department is re-
sponsible for the care of their men
individually has naturally aroused
sympathy In case Of sickness and
death, and has created much sorrow
There ia nothing young men in robust
health are so prodigal Of as their
health, until It is gone. Men go into
camp feeling that they can stand
anything and everything, and cannot
be made to believe to the contrary
until stricken with disease.
Every effort has been made from
the beginning to furnish every camp
with all appliances asked for, but, OF
course. the commanding officers in
the field are the ones who have direct
charge Of these men. For instance,
one army corps commander has d.
vision orders and enforces them, re-
spcciing sanitary affairs, and he has
to-day but fraction over per cent
on the sick list. Others have not been
successful and the consequence is
that typhoid and other Ievers have
been bred and spread to a consider
able extent, One regiment In the
Chlckamauga camp has n colonel who
enforccs sanitary rules in his regl-
ment, obliging the men to boil all the
water they drink, keeping the camp
clean, and the result Is that there are
less than fifteen sick, and the camp,
too, Is in as unfavorable place as any
in the command, Others more favor
ably situated have ten times that
number on he sick list. One OF the
regiments Of ,he last call, not yet re-
moved from its state, sends bitter
complaints OF typhoid fever,
Concerning the Santiago campaign,
when the ships left Tampa they had
on board three months provisions
and an abundance of hospital sup
plies. They had lighters to unload
with point of deb0rkation. These
lighters were lost in severe storms on
the way, AS soon as we were notified
of the fact, two tows of lighters were
sent from Mobile and New Orleans,
which were also overtakeu by storms
and lost. The navy supplied us with
lighters, and one of these was
wrecked, The army disembarked, get
ting off portion OF its supplies and
medical stores, and Immediately
marched to the front to fight the
Spaniards. The great difficulty Of
landing supplies subsequently was be-
cause Of the wind, which sprang up
every morning at 10 and made high
surf, rendering almost impossible the
use of small boats, with one lighter,
which was all they had left for this
purpose,
OF the packers who were employed,
60 per cent soon fell sick, and, heavy
rains falling every day, the roads Gt
they could be called such) became
impossible for vehicles. Pack animals
had to be employed to carry food to
the army, which, being extended to
the right around Santiago, increased
the distance from the coast every day
and made the task more difficult,
However. the result and the subse-
quent sickness that has broken out
In the army showed the great wisdom