The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-22

a. Miles, commanding the United States
army. and General Wesley Merritt. COM
mander Of the American forces at the
capture of Manila. were the principal
figures before the war investigation
commission to-day. General Miles re-
sponded to the summons of the commits
sion only after several days considera-
tion. He was accompanied by his own
stenographer. His examination was
comparatively brief and not sensa-
tional. He spoke with some Bit
terness as to the "embalmed beer and
the canned beef furnished the army in
the field. This he characterized as an
experiment for which some one in
! Washington" was responsible. He said
that the landing facilities of the Santi-
ago expedition were inadequate and
that the men were short OF rations and
medicines and might have been better
protected from exposure to fever con-
tagion.
General Merritt told the commission
that he regarded the Philippines expe-
dition as a decided success and would
conduct IT on the same lines IL he had
II TO do over. He spoke in high terms
of the troops under him and said his
army was well supplied with medicines
and food.
Lieut. Col. Miley. Gen. Skaters chief
or STAN, testified before the war inNesti-
eating commission to-day concerning
the Santiago campaign, largely follow
ing the lines of General Skaters testi-
mony. Colonel Miley said that while
4 the expeditionary fleet was lying at
/ m fn ha ata fE..
were given every facility for bathing
and other privileges. He told of the po-
sition of the lines Of the two armies be-
, fore Santiago, and said the Spanish
| lines were SO conspicuous there was no
/ necessity for any reconnaissance I'm
! force to determine them. He said there
was no doubt that there were Spanish
/ sharpshooters between the Spanish and
American lines, but he was unable to
/ find single Instance of Spanish sharp
| shooters firing on our hospitals i'm the
rear. or of their firing on our Hanks. He
| spoke of the two mile range of the
! Spanish rifles and describing the Amer
! lean position on San Juan hill said IL
| would have been far more dangerous
| for the men To have been half mile in
the rear than to remain where they did.
General Miles took the stand next.
wouldn't BE sworn.
Are you willing to be sworn?" he
was asked.
Il think" was the reply. that / can
say what / have to say without being
| sworn.
General Miles was fortified with
| large package of papers and had his
| own stenographer. He gave his evil
dence i'm a clear. unhesitating way, and
went into details regarding both the
Santiago and Porto Rico expeditions.
| He opened by describing the railroad
| confusion in getting the war munitions
IN To ta1 70 he aalr ~
! ernment storehouse facilities there, and
said the cars at one time were held
back as far as Columbia, $. G. He said
when the troops were loaded IL was
found impossible to put more than 1900
| men aboard and they were equipped as
well as possible under the circum-
stances.
1T was most fortunate" he said.
that the transports had good weather.
1f they had encountered a severe storm
the loss of life or the suffering at least
must have been fearful. AS IL was. with
fair weather, the men below crowded
in with the mules and supplies could
get on deck, which would have been i'm
possible otherwise"
The commissary stores taken. he said
were sufficient, but the medical sup
plies were inadequate. He had left the
loading. except for general directions.
to the corps commander General Shaft
er. He found just before sailing that
there were a number Of pontoon boats
being taken which would be utterly
uesless for the purpose and he himself
had secured two barges from the own
ers there and had taken other steps. but
the supply of such boats taken was
very inadequate. 81
The expedition" he continued.
should have been furnished with
launches. naphtha OF steam. or tugs for
towing barges from the ships to the
shore. We relied largely upon the engi-
neer officers and the engineer depart
ment for these. In the second expedi-
tion to Porto Rico these were furnished
but they arrived too late to render as
sistance.''
He said before the first fleet sailed
, from Tampa estimates had been defin-
itely made of the number of boats to be
furnished the transports. and the num-
Der to be furnished by the navy to as
sist. The most cordial assistance. he
added. had been promised on the part
of the navy. At Santiago he said the
supply OF tentage and food was very
limited.
Were the medical supplies at that
time sufficient for the needs OF the COM
mand?" was asked.
In reply he read a dispatch from
General Shafter on Aug. 4. which refer
red TO "a chronic scarcity of medi-
cines." and that four men had just died
from lack of medicines. There was at
no time. said General Miles. sufficient
medicine for the troops. He remem-
bered seeing one train for the sick in a
drenching rain with no covering over
the wagons. He had taken steps per-
sonally to correct matters and on Aug.
IL had telegraphed for a well equipped
corps of pier and bridge builders. etc.
and had ordered places burned.
insufficient supplies.
General Beaver-From what you
learned and observed while there. do
you think there was at any time a suf-
ficient medical supply?
General Miles-Of medical men and
materials?
General Beaver-Yes.
General Miles-No. sir.
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