The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-05

Washington, Oct. 4-The war inves-
tigation committee began its examin-
alton of witnesses today by placing
General Joe Wheeler on the stand
Chairman Dodge stated to him the
scope of the commissions duties, and
asked General Wheeler whether he had
any objections to be sworn. He re-
piled he had none, and he was sworn
Ex-Governor Beaver conducted the
examination, developing the essential
facts as to General Wheeler'S rank and.
his command. General Wheeler stated
that he left Tampa for Cuba on the
18th of June, but that he had no knowl-
edge of the plan of campaign before
going aboard the transport. He told OF
the voyage. On June q General Shat
ter ordered him to disembark the next
day, which he did, with E. portion of his
command. He rode into the country
four miles that day. and the next
moved his troops to Jaguara Cita- He
then began his accommodating, arrang-
ing with General Castillo Of the Cuban
army to send Cuban troops with his
men for the reconnoitre, but unfortu-
nately the Cubans did not keep the en-
gagement He told of the first battle
at La Quasima, stopping to compliment
especially the regular troops, and also
to speak of their excellent firing. They
soon learned to mistrust the reports
and estimates of the Spaniards. Gen
eral Wheeler had not been able, on his
own account, to secure any accurate
estimate of the Spanish loss in the
American approach upon Santiago.
Speaking of the proceedings after the
first battle he explained that he had
been reported sick, and there were soma
movements just prior to the battle at
FL Caney with which he was not IA
miliar Il was not sick he said, but
I had been on the 29th and Goth. Still
I had not gone on the sick list. had
a fever, but 1 appreciated the situa-
ton, took medicine and came out all
right"
He was in the battle of Ell Caney. and
expressed the opinion that more men
had been killed in the formation of the
line than afterwards. He told of the
necessity for wading the San Juan
river. saying that the water was about
waist deep.
Il ought to say" said the general. in
the course of his testimony, that it
was magnificent to see officers of high
rank go ashore with their packs on
their backs, accepting all the fortunes
of war with their men. They slept on
the ground with the soldiers. None Of
u were mounted, and we were with
out tents for seven days"
ROADS AND SUPPLIES
Speaking of the character of the
roads from the coast to the points oc-
cupied by the Americans, he said that
with such attention as they were able
to give them, they were very good. The
rains had not been severe up TO that
time The roads were narrow, but
equal to the demands. The supplies he
considered sufficient, except in a few
Instances, and in those instances the
deficiency was only temporary.
General Shafter," he said, deserves
great credit for the zeal he displayed
in this respect He devoted himself to
t1is task, and think there is no doubt
that he succeeded. We used pack
trains, and there was comparatively
Et.le suffering because Of the shortnesS
CT quartermaster's supplies"
General Wheeler said, in response to
a question, that Cervera's fleet was the
oh. cctive point of the campaign. There
was no reason why the Spanish troops
should not have made a sortie from
Santiago, and he had asked General
Tcral, after the surrender, why he had
not attacked. The latter replied that
the failure to do so was because his
men wre footsore. Yet General
Wheeler could not accept this expla-
nation for the Spanish soldiers were
not footsore. General Wheeler's opin-
i'm was that the Spanish commander
was not able to face the Americans in
the open.
MEDICINES AND SURGEONS.
Do,,;a,,-;re, tho r,Ia1 of canonafer, he
said he doubted whether any more eff
fective plan could have been made.
Speaking of the medical department,
he said that at times there were COM
plants. but that they were not seri-
Gus. On occasions there was a short
age of surgeons, some Of the surgeons
being sick or wounded. According to
General Wheeler's belief, the wounded
in battle were promptly cared for by
the surgeons. After the fight Of July
/. all the wounded were carried from
the field that night. The witness had
heard that there was more complaint
of the shortage of medicine among the
infantry than in the cavalry service.
Going back to Tampa, he said that
at the season he was there, the first
half of June, the site was without OBJ
lection. but he had felt that it would
be wet later in the season 1t was his
lected as a camp site after the begin
ming of the war and was incidental to
the intended movement on Havana
There was, he said, at times some
shortage of supplies at the camp, but
nothing" he added, that a soldier
could complain Of
They had comfortable tents and the
commissary supplies were sufficient. The
water supply was also good. He said
the men in his command were well
taken care of. However, very few men
were at that time sick. He had him
self gone into the hospitals and had
found the men doing well.
General Wheeler said he had no con-
troll over any of the supplies which
we're taken to Santiago on the trans
ports when he left Tampa Tn vas
attended to by the different ST ofIi-
GERS He only knew from conversation
that there was an abundance of sup
plies OF all character.
Returning to the Santiago campaign,