The semi-weekly messenger., 1898-10-28
THE CARE Of OUR TROOPS:
More Testimony Before
the Commission.
POOR DIET FOR FIGHTERS


Hardtack for a Meal-WitnessesT Test
ify 10 Sick Soldiers Sleeping on the
Ground - Hospitals Over.Crowded.
CanyaIescent Patients Reno ed from
the Hospitals too Soon Difficulty I'm
Getting Medical Supplies.
Huntsville, Ala, October 26.-The
war investigating commission today
postponed the inspection of the camp
owing to a mild snow storm and very
muddy roads. The camp here is a
large one with about fifteen sub-divis-
ions of troops, to say nothing of the
hospitals. There are a great many
regulars here, and among them many
who participated in the Santiago cam
paign. Many of these will be examined
by the commission. The investigation
here will be directed especially to the
procuring of facts concerning the man
agement of the hospitals and the care
of the sick while the army was in
Cuba.
The commission began the examina-
tion of witnesses today, with General
Louis H. Carpenter, who is in command
had been at Chickamauga, Tampa and
at Fernandina before coming here. He
said the camp at Chickamauga was too
crowded. That at Tampa was unsat-
isfactory, but it was not intended to
be permanent. That at Fernandina
was ideal. The food supply had been
ample throughout, but quartermasters'
supplies were generally slow and there
had been especial trouble in securing
tents. There was more difficulty in
getting supplies at Tampa than else
where, because of railroad congestion.
Major Chas. M. Candy the surgeon
who was in charge of the medical sup
ply depot at Tampa, said he had been
able to fill all reasonable acquisitions
for medical supplies with promptness,
but many bulky articles for which sub
| stitutes could be had were not supplied.
Regular troops were easily satisfied, but
the volunteers were exacting. Still,
there were delays and he mentioned
one instance of supplies ordered from
New York that were not received for
two months He had fitted out the
Shafter expedition for Cuba and
thought that in the main the expedi-
tion was fairly supplied. This was es-
pecially true of the first requisition.
| He had afterward heard that many Of
| the stores came back to Tampa in the
| hold of the IrOQuOis He gave the
name of Captain MunsOn as authority
| for the latter statement and he was
| sure that Captain Munson would testi-
fly willingly and fully.
| During the afternoon session of the
commission number of officers who
had served in the Santiago campaign
| and in Florida were eXamin ed
| General G.. S. Carpenter said the sick
| at Santiago had suffered somewhat on
account of the deficiency of medi-
cines and medical supplies, but this
was the only deprivation of which he
| spoke. The troops did not receive the
entire ration while in the field, but
he was quite sure that no man in the
command had gone hungry.
Captain Geo. S. Cartwright, who had
been aide to General Kent in the San
| tiago campaign, said that doubtless
some Of the men had been hungry at
of battle had sustained them. On the
night of July 1st, he had half hard
tack for supper and the remaining half
the next morning. He thought that
under the circumstance the commits
sary department had been quite eff
cient in Santiago.
Lieutenant Farnsworth, General
| Lawton's Quartermaster at Santiago
and Lieutenant Grierson, chief com
misary at Tampa, and Captain Thomp-
son who had held the position at Fer
nandina, told of the supplies at these
two points. Mr.. Farnsworth said that
for a time it had been impossible To
get full rations TO the front Messrs
Grierson and Thompson said the prin-
cipal complaints they had heard about
supplies concerned the bacon fur
nished
Major II. d. Thomasson surgeon oi
the Thirty-third Michigan. who had
served in the general hospital at Mon
tauk point after August 18th, said that
in August there were 500 patients in
the hospital and that there were often
eight in a tent. There were in the be
ginning of his service not sufficient
cots and some men had to sleep on
blankets. Some OF the members Of tbs
hospital corps were without training
but he had known of but one instance
in which the hospital refuse was thrown
out on the ground beside the tent. There
were times when there was not suf
ficient number Of attendants. AS Z
rule the surgeons were capable, bu
when he w5Lt into the institution Their
was & sad deficiency in numbers. HI
had heard no complaint of Ill treat
ment from patients. but there was crit
icism from outsiders. He though
deaths were caused by the removal O
patients before they were in condition
to be moved; yet the removals wer