Evening star., 1898-12-05
Tells About the Supply Of Tents to
the Army.
CONDITIONS At MONrAUK POINT
Why Some Commands Failed to
Get Medicines.
CASE OF LIEUT.. TIFFANY

witness before the war investigating COM
mission this morning, having been recalled
| to be interrogated regarding the supplies of
tents, particularly hospital tents, and stated
| that he could not recall a single instance
when a requisition for hospital tents was
| not Immediately honored. There was some
| delay in supplying tents for men and Off
cars. Witness stated he at Camp
Thomas before any troops reached there.
There were no tents on hand then, as the
order for mobilization had been made only
three days before the troops began to
| rive. The regulars came first and brought
tents with them. The volunteers, in many
| instances, brought tents, but they We're fire.
quently old and worn.
Was there any time when there was a
lack of shelter at Camp Thomas for the
men, sick or well?" asked DR.. Conner
No Lack of Tentage.
In my opinion there was no time when
there was not sufficient tentage for both
the sick and well,' said Col Lee.
Witness had not examined the quality of
the canvas in the volunteer tents, and
could not say whether it was up to the
standard or not. Some tents purchased In
Chicago in the spring were not up to the
standard
BY assistance Of quarterma sters records
Col. Lee gave the dates of the various is
of various corps and divisions at Camp
Thomas, as well as the dates of requsi
tions, approvals and filing the same.
Col Lee was asked to prepare a state
ment covering this Information, and stated
! that he would have it done Immediately.
There was never a reduction of the requl-
sittOns for hospital tents, save in cases of
regiments where demands were made that
were plainly extravagant. Col. Lee, in the
course of his evidence, stated that many
hospital tents were used by officers who had
no right to do so. Witness could not state
any instances where lumber issued for tent
flooring had been used to erect stables. Re-
pcrts to this effect had been circulated. and
witness had heard them. He had no per-
sonal knowledge of the facts, however
Why Hospital Tents Were Refused.
| Regarding a complaint made by the sur
geons of the 9th Pennsylvania that they
! had made a request of Col. Lee for the use
| of a mess tent which was stored in Col.
| Lees headquarters, and which was abso-
! lutely needed to accommodate the sick. Col.
Lee said he desired to make a full state
nent of the circumstances owing to the
| wide publicity given to the incident by the
newspapers.
| He proceeded to read the orders of the
War Department he had received the
| subject and explained the msunderstand-
| ing which led to the complaint. Under the
| regulations regiments were required to care
| for their own sick until division hospitals
| were established. When the Pennsylvania
| surgeon asked for the tent he was informed
| that he should send the sick to the division
| hospital, as the regiment already had more
| than its share of hospital tents The sur
| geon replied that the division surgeons We're
| incompetent. Witness eXpostulated with
| the surgeon for expressing such views
| about his superior officers There were
many persons present. clerks and others,
| and witness regarded such criticism as out
| OF place. The criticism, however, was re-
| iterated. The regiment commander then.
I n. anna a tod had fn1Nf In
| Chattanooga and desired to get that. Wit
| ness declined to tear up a storehouse con-
| tanning the supplies of seventy-one regi-
| ments to secure one tent, and informed the
| colonel that the regiment already had more
| than its share of the hospital tents, and
| called his attention to the fact that two
| hospital tents We're being occupied by the
! colonel himself, living In one and messing
| in the other. The whole trouble arose from
| the fact that witness was acting under or
| ders from the Secretary of War and the
| commanding general
| An Interesting exchange occurred at this
| point between Col. Lee and Gen. Beaver.
| Col Lee remarked that Gen. Beaver had
stated to newspaper man, in regard to
| the incident, that the Pennsylvanians
| should have taken him by the neck and
| thrown him outr'
| "No; not that" returned Gen. Beaver,
smilingIy; II did say they should have
| been taken by the neck. meaning that ac-
| tive measures should nave been resorted to
| to get that tent. If / had been in command
| Of d regiment and my sick had been in need
| of shelter I'd have gotten tent"
! This episode was followed by further IN
| quiry as to the use of hospital tents by Off
| GERS. Witness had noticed many of them
| put TO such
| Were they not used in such sufficient
| numbers in this way to attract the atten-
| ton Of superior officer riding through
! the camp
| Most certainly
| Were there any inspector generals there?"
| Il beIlENe there We're quite q number or
| such officers
| Tents Used by Officers.
| After being examined at length on the
| subject of supplying lumber for flooring,
| Col. Lee. in reply TO a question, stated that
| the quartermaster's department had notn-
| ing to do with laying the floors in hospital
| tents In conclusion he declared his con-
| viction that every officer at Camp Thomas
| from the comma nding general down. had
| done his best to do his duty, and had used
| every effort to do it to the best of his abil-
| ity. Before he was excused he direct
| ell to prepare a statement comprising the
| dates upon which transportation facilities
| were provided. the amount of time furnish
ell and other Information of similar char
| acter, and when about to leave the stand
was asked If 1t was permitted by the reg
uiations of the army for officers to Use hos
| pital tents.
He replied that the regulations did not
| permit such use.
Did you any such tents used by Of
| fiCers at Camp Thomas?'
| Il did"
Did you issue any such tents for such
purpOses?'
Il will explain that Gen. Brooke brought
his tents with him from Chicago; Gen
| Wade got his in Tampa. Those used by
Gen. Breckinridge were issued to him by
me. / acted, l believe, under special in
structions in the latter case"
| Then you violated the regulations?'
| We'll, / don't know about that. / acted
under special instructions
ThrOns of Visitors at Montauk
! The next witness sworn was Mai and
| Surgeon Ira c. Brown. who had served at
| Fernandina, Tampa and Montauk He was
| examined by DR.. Conner. He was the first
man at Montauk and the last to leave He
! recited the conditions there. At first there
were no regulations regarding visitors to
| the camp hospital. Crowds of them were
| present all the time, until 1t became neces-
| sary to have rigid rules of prevention
| adopted. After these We're put into opera
| tion very few visitors obtained access to
the sick: only an occasional woman This
condition existed for about two weeks, and
| then, by the orders of somebody whom wit
ness did not know, the rules were relaxed
| Witness had asked at the beginning for a
| tSriIa ri nf Ia, ,;s;to