The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-03
Officers Before the War IlV6Sti.
eating Board.
CASE OF TWO ROUGH RIDERS
Tiffany and Wrenn Mai. Jersey,
VoIunteers-CiviI Appointees.

tFrOm verbatim reports OF Il session I.
Of the War Investigating Board at
+ Washington
+ IN regard TO the case OF Tiffany. who /.
/ was reported 10 have died from sJarva- /.
/ ton, Mai. Hersey. Rough Riders. said I
Tiffany had had yellow fever, and that /
/ DR.. Gonzales had favored having him
! in camp, but other surgeons thought
/ otherwise, and he was sent TO Boston.
/ Maj. Hersey thought that Tiffany had
| been killed by kindness more than any
thing else. At Boston his friends had
met him, slapped him on the shoulder
and occupied mis- attention, when he
should have been given complete rest.
The case of Wrenn of the Rough
Riders was called to the attention OF
the witness. He said Wrenn wanted
furlough to attend a tennis tOurna-
ment, and, after he had gone, be was
taken i'll. He was quite we'll when he
left camp. Re had been i'll, but not
seriously i'll. lie begged hard TO be al
lowed to go TO the tennis tournament,
and as he had been a good soldier, Maj
Hersey gave him permission TO leave
camp.
4 have served through the war of
the rebellion said Col. Lee, L. ). A.,
and have no hesitation in saying
that | have never seen in the United
States troops fitted out and supplied
as that army in Chickamauga with
everything necessary, and many things
, that were unnecessary. | do not be-
lieve any army in the world was ever
equipped with as many things in the
same time as was the army at Camp
Thomas l do not say these things in
any spirit of vanity or boastfulness,
but because l think it is true"
He had but two officers of the quar-
= termaster's department until late in
June. They were not created, and
when they were created it took time 10
get their bonds and to report for duty.
He had to take ambitious young lieu
/ tenants and coach them in their duties.
At first he, simply taught them 10 get
the goods out without undue delay, and
after he had more time he instruc, ed
them more minuteiy in their duties. He
had only got these young men trained
when the new appointeeS were sent &C
him, and they were not as good as the
young men he had trained, and he had
: 10 do all his work Of giving instrue
Q ton over again.
l. Gen. Dodge-"What was the char
= acter of the civil appointees that came
e to your department? Did they catci
on to business methods readily? Were
they naturally efficient
Col. Lee-"There is a fine line Z
. draw there. Men may be efficient il
the ordinary pursuits Of life, but in tn
army they are brought face to fac
with an entirely new condition o
- things. The civil appointees were eX
callent gentlemen, but it takes time L
make qUartermaster or engineer o
ordnance officer. Some OF them talk
hold readily enough. Some do yer
well and some not so we'll
Gen. Dodge-"When yOu saw that
man was inefficient, did you repoT
that face TO your superior officer?"
Col. Lee-"Men must learn; the
must have time to learn before "
can see if they are efficient. They ar
confronted with another kind of If
from that which they have been liz
ing. They did the best they could.
y do not know single instance ia whic
~ these appOintees were not gentl5me
and some of them showed exception;
ability"
- Gen. Dodga-''Do you think the civ
appointees made as rapid progress
this war as similar appointees made
-, the Civil war;"
81 Col. Lee-''No, because in the Ia
q war the men went into active can
~ paign while We were in camps. I'll
bo active campaign develops men Vel
he quickly"
IL DR.. What were these oth'
ar causes, in your Judgment"
% Col. Suffering in a majority
cases arose from a lack of knOwleds
of how to take care of themselves
camp. TO begin with, and, secOndl
T from the freedom that was given II
1 men in the use of harmful things, sue
as the stuff that was brought into can
- and sold TO them in the shape of pie
and particularly the large quantiti
OF beer brought into the camp. Ne
ne were allowed to go 10 town (Chatt
70 nOoga), and there was great deal
N drinking. These things, in my jui
ment, were the sources of much of u
tc- disease that visited our camp and q
other camps, and such things will co
tinue TO injure the health Of sold e
- until we learn TO put men in camp al
control them scientifically"
Capt. HOwell-"Was not the disci
line of that camp laX?"
ns Col. Lee-"NO. I consider that &c
les Brooke managed the establishment
Sc that camp with much wisdom. He su
on prised me. He went as far as ne cOu
with his orders with those men fr1
J. civil life"
. Capt. Howell Suppose these m
oH went to Chattanooga and got drum
What was done TO them?"S
Col. Lee-"TwO troops were kept
a provost guard. The meIf were {
'Nu rested and turned over 10 their re:
ments for punishment"
When the witness was testifying