Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-11-04
IT WAS ALI WRONG.
Chief Surgeon Hartsuff, in
Charge Of Camp Thomas,
For Three Months, Criticises the Whole
Management Of Camp.
He Recommended Many Changes Of Which
No Notice Was Taken.

Washington, Nov. 3.-Dr. A. Hartsuff,
who was chief surgeon of the army s.t
Camp Thomas. Chickamauga Park,
from the 21st of April until the 9th Of
July last, was examined, today, by Col.
DENLY of the war investigating COM
mittee. concerning the conduct of the
camp from a medical point of view
He criticised various features in the
management of the camp, beginning
with the location of some of the regi-
ments. He said that the park was,
upon general principles, a good camp
ground, but that some of the new regi-
ments We're located in sWampy sections
and in rocky ground, when it was inn
possible to get the sinks of sufficient
depths. In other cases the camp was
poorly drained and in most instances
the tents were too close together
He said the sites were selected by
Gen. Brooke and that notwithstanding
his own position as chief medical off,
Ger, he had not been CONSULTED in re-
gard to the location. He had made a
formal protest at the time, but the
protest was not needed.
DR.. Hartsuff took positive ground
against the establishment of division
hospitals at the expense of the regi-
ments. He thought a division or field
hospital. was a necessity but he thought
it should be built UP as an Independent
institution. He had found that regi-
mental surgeons and nurses transfer
red to a division hospital were not so
capable of rendering good service.
Others were almost paralyzed. Fur
thermore, there was immense confu-
sion in transferring the regimental ef-
fects to the hospital and in sending
them back when the regiments were
ordered away.
DO you," asked Col. DENLY. think
a bad policy?'
Very bad, as done.' responded the
witness.
Gould not you, as chief medical Off
Ger, have controlled the mattter?" he
was next asked.
mo, sir, it was an order of the sec
retary of war, and under this order no
regimental hospital could be MAIN
tained.'
He thought this order unfortunate:
that in carrying it into effect the work
of caring for the sick was greatly in
terfefed with and that no one was ben
efitted by it.
DR.. Hartsuff also expressed the opin-
ion that the water supply of the camp
was not good.
Another feature of the camp system
which DR.. Hartsuff criticised was that
of allowing each regiment to have
refuse dump of it's own. This had rem
dered the camp very Objectionable
from a hygienic point of view. He had
recommended to Gen. Brooke the Gre
nation of the garbage.
He stated that the recommendation
had not been acted upon, and in re-
spOnse to "a question from Col. DENLY
said a medical officer could not execute
but could only recommend. He attri-
buted the failure to adopt his recon-
mendations to the confusion incident
to preparing great army for the field.
Asked if the volunteer army surgeons
under him were competent, DR.. Hart
suff replied that some were while 9TH
ers were not.
ritorial Infantry, went before the COM
mission and made the following state
ment:
oCc, ny newspaper TtpOTtS, tHdl
Lieut.. Col. D. d. Mitchell of my regi-
ment, the 1st Territorial United States
Volunteer Infantry, (who before join
ing the regiment was a captain in the
18th Infantry gave some testimony for
the investigating commission yester-
day. at Lexington to the effect that the
requisition made by the commanding
officer of that regiment (myself) had
not been promptly responded to.
Il wish to contradict that statement,
if it was made. Every requisition that
l have made in behalf of the regiment
of whatever nature has been promptly
complied with. One requisition that l
made upon the quartermaster at San
Francisco. while the regiment was sta
toned in Arizona for clothing, hats
and blankets and shoes, and which
must have weighed several thousand
pounds, was shipped to me by express
thus causing the supplies to reach me
four days sooner than they would if
shipped by freight.
"The medical officers of the regiment
have never complained of lack of
medical supplies, nor has the quarter
master or the commissary ever made
complaints that they could not get
their requisitions promptly filled.
THE regiment is well equipped in
every way. This fact will be patent
when l say that in the early part of
July the regiment was mustered into
the service and contained 1908 officers
and men. Up to the present date it
has lost but three men by death and
off, nd