Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-05

WOtlDutu anu lie WAS III command. mat
night no supplies came and the men were
without blankets or food except such
food as they had in their haversacks.
The witness said the command began to
break down about the 14th. They had
dug trenches by night and lay in the wet
bitches all day. The hot sun and the wet
weather broke the men down. When Il
march of three miles was made, not more
that one-fourth of the men kept up, bur
all got in by night. The morning after
the surrender, the witness took the regi-
ment to higher ground and kept it in
camp. BY personal appeal to Gen. Kent,
he secured one wagon and cooking uten-
sils and change of clothing for the men.
Being asked about the diet he said he
would recommend pickles and vegetables
for Cuba. The canned beef was nau
seating and the men when almost starry
ing would not eat it. 1t seemed to be
beef that had been boiled for extracts and
was as free from nutriment as chips
Col. c. B. Hunt of the LIST Ohio Infantry.
testified that when his regiment reached
Chickamauga 1t was poorly supplied with
clothing and arms and that this deficiency
never was fully supplied. The sickness
among the troops was not the fault OF
| the camp nor due to the lack of medi-
cines. but more to the incapacity of COM
manding- officers in not enforcing disci-
pline and giving necessary care.
Gen. II. c. Egbert was the next wit
| ness. He commanded the 9th Infantry
after the retirement of Col. Cochran UNI
til he was wounded, July l. He had no
| fault to find with the camp at, Tampa or
the supplies, or even with the transport
Miami, except with the ventilation He
| found the troops abundantly supplied for
| the campaign. The witness received ex-
| cellent care at the hospital.
| Recurring to his return on the Seneca,
he said the conditions on that vessel were
not good, especially below where the
! certain conditions and Capt. Doughty
| remedied them. There was Il shortage IN
water. The boat was hurriedly sent away.
Gen. Egbert said that while the Seneca
was not in good condition for transport
ing troops her officers did not seem to be
in command during the voyage as much
reached Fortress Monroe, the surgeon
photographed to Surgeon General Stern
berg, who ordered the vessel to go. to
| New York. The next day, to his surprise,
the vessel had not gone. He asked why
and was told that the captain refused
until ordered to do so by the quartermas-
the captain and found this to be true.
| Meantime he sent note to the quarter
master at Fortress Monroe and an order
| to New York and the captain obeyed.
Fred J. Flueguer of Newport, KY, was
next examined. He went to Chickamauga,
Aug, !, to bring home Albert Boedker of
the I'd Kentucky. who was lying in the
hospital. He found him in very bad
condition. He was in tent with Tour
other patients. the space. between the
| cots being SO narrow that the witness had
to walk sideways in going through. The
| nurses were detailed men.
The witness detailed Boedker's case,
| how he looked how he marched through
the rain and how he was taken sick the
day he reached Chickamauga. He was
at first refused admfttance to the hospi-
tai, but finally the captain got him i'll.
He lay there 10 days on blanket on the
ground, with one blanket over him. Then
he was sent to his quarters for full duty
and next day at inspection he stood in
line three hours, when he again broke
down. He was then in the hospital until
the witness brought him home. He
reached home, Aug. q, and died. Aug. %
At the afternoon session, Major Griffith
testified regarding the camp conditions al
Chickamauga and the hospitals; They
had difficulty in getting enough tents
| and when he secured the proper number
he found the last ones of poor quality
AS a rule the men detailed as nurses were
unfit Sickness among the surgeons re-
uuced the working force. Witness said
there would have been no difficulty III
getting hundreds of competent surgeons
at Chickamauga within week. He said
He attributed the failure at Camp
Thomas hospitals to red tape ant
peace for 80 years" which incapactatet
the men for expansion for emergency
i drugs arose from passing acquisitions
from the division surgeon to the corps
surgeon and the surgeon-in-chief. This
, | required a week.
He asked the corps commander. June
90 to have the typhoid patients isolated
, The epidemic could then have been avoid
quest He regarded flies and water a.
, causes of the infection. The beer drink
) ing and the unwholesome food assisted
! in developing typhoid germs. The NOR
tality from typhoid fever in this hospita
was 60 out of 1856 cases.
Father vatman. post chaplain; wa:
! Camp Thomas, Fort Sheridan and For
= Thomas. The witness heard no complain
5 at Fort Thomas from either friends OF
patients. AT first at Fort Thomas Their,
was trouble for lack of good nurses, bu
q this was soon remedied. Being asked
! what complaints, if any, he had heart
q from patients about their treatment a
i other places, he said that he had heart
: none whatever from soldiers of the reg
. ular army. but that a number of the vol
: unteer soldiers had told him of disagree
able experiences. which We're often an
| swered by a soldier on the next cot b,
I the question: Did you think you wer
!, going to a picnic?"
The examination was postponed until
h O'Clock tomorrow morning.