The age-herald., 1898-11-02

until he saw the volunteer surgeons. when he had come to the conclusion that those in the regular army were as good as those In the volunteer service.
 T have no doubt" said Dr. Conner, "that the worst in the regular army are great deal better than some who were brought in with the volunteers.
 Kept in FreightCar
 Major Cogswell, surgeon of the Eighth Massachusetts, said that when his regi- ment reached Chattanooga it was kept iH the freight yards eighteen hours, and It took them an additional four hours to be transported to the park; that the men went two weeks without fresh meat; their health was thus greatly impaired and a large mum Der were taken sick. Dr.. Cogswell attrib- uted the typhoid to the water, milk and lemonade drank by the men, He said that the clothing and blankets belonging to the men who died of typhoid were brought back without having been washed or. boil ed, and used by other men of the regiment. He mentioned other abuses which he says were reported to the higher authorities without action being taken.
 The doctor said that in the three and half months when he was at Camp Thomas
 
 geon having visited the camp of the Eighth
 Massachusetts but twice. He had great
 difficulty in securing medicines, he said,
 and had to buy drugs out of a private funo
 The list of medicines which he made requi-
 stion for always had about half of the most important drugs scratched off by the
 higher authorities. He complained Of the
 red tape, which required reqoisition for
 to a dozen clannefS
 and then back before the supplies could be
 secured. Captain G. B. Duncan, of the regular army, who recently served as ad1utaht- general of the district of Ponce, Porto Rico, testified before the commission lie stated that he was wholly conversaht Wieh' the conditions connected with the sailhs of the transport Obdam, and Dr. seamm' : the surgeon in charge of that vessel, had positive orders not to take any man on board who was not entirely convalescent' -. Lieutenant Colonel James Parker, of the Twelfth New York, said that when the troops arrived at Chickamauga the men ! had to sleep on the wet ground, With oply one blanket and no change of clothing. He said that the First South Carolina regi- ment did not receive their rifles for a month after arrival at the park, the men being compelled to do guard duty without
 guns. The Twenty-first Kansas also had to do guard duty for two weeks with sticks. ,g-91 Tongues Hanging Out sg q "When the volunteers first arrived at Chickamauga," said Colonel Parker, their tongues were literally hanging out for va , ter For three weeks they could not get water enough to queneh their thirst. Then, the pipe lines were taxed, but the water, was not pure ;n my opinion There were wells ,eIu at the park landmarks, which contained water that was bad for them to
 drink The usual precautions that are
 taken with men in camp were taken there; I have spent six years of my life in tents,
 having been a captain in the Fourth cav lalry, and I think any regular army officer will agree with me that the camp was esr l.tablished on the proper plans. , ..s,oa T. l. "General Breckinridge, when he took Command. did more to change for the bet
 ter the sanitary conditions than had been
 accomplished before altogether. He had
 lumber, which had been applied for. in Sain, furnished the hospitals. He provided
 lime in abundance; he had new. tentage
 supplied he gave medicine when needed.
 Upon my inspections l found the hos
 pitals of the First division, Third corps,
 Third division of the First corps and of
 the Second division, Third corps, very
 dirty. The first was placed alongside a
 dump heap. The dirt in most cases, how
 ever, was due to the overcrowded condi-, tion of the hospitals. The surgeons were worked to death and too sick themselves to look after the cleanliness of the prop erty. "The quartermaster' department might have accomplished much in this war that it did not seem inclined to do. It would have been just as easy to establish at | Chickamauga the ideal conditions that pre- vail here at Camp Hamilton at the cost of not more than one dollar per man. The Night Session
 The night session began at o'clock. | Lieutenant Frank Strange, quartermaster 1 of the Third Kentucky, was the first, wit | ness called. He was at Chickamauga park | from June 1 until July 17, when he Was taken sick and left. He testified that while | at Chickamauga his regiment was badly | equipped. His regiment was unable to procure quartermasters' supplies, consist | ing of clothing, tentage, etc., because the | supplies were not on nand. Iney nad 50 l many regiments to equip that when they | had supplies on hand they were distribu- | ted among all the regiments. Often the uuartermaster did not have equipment | from lack of knowledge as to what was required. Then when the regimental quar- | termaster went to the depot they were l made to wait for several hours
 Next were called seven non-commis- stoned officers and privates who stated that the rations and clothing furnished | were good.
 | One witness, Keene Ryan, from whom | Dr. Conner eXepected to obtain valuable | testimony, was former private in the ! Third corps of the signal service, who was | sick in the First division hospital at Chick | amauga. He had sent written statements | of a serious nature to the board. but was l unable to substantiate but few He stated that the surgeons were guilty of crimind1 | negligence by not seeing that the ofders issued were obeyed; that the medicines | prescribed were not administered; that on
 the day of Breckinridge's review no sur | geons visited the hospital, when men were | dying from want of attention; thats tlfe |