The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-10-28
WAR INVESTIGATION.
The First Missouri Claimed Their
Trousers Were Rags.
COMPLAINT ABOUT HOSPITAL CORPS.
Third Tennessee's Canteen Does n Rush
ing Trade In Beer at Chickamaugs-
The Water supply Cousid-
cred Had.


ined about dozen witnesses, includ-
ing a number of officers and men of
the regular troops. as we'll as a
number Of volunteer officers 1t is
now expected that the commission will
leave for Huntsville tonight The
commission began its session with Maj.
Otto ii. Falk on the stand. He is the
chief quartermaster of the First divi-
sion of the Third army corps while In
Chickamauga and he now occupies the
position of chief quartermaster of this
camp. He said the most serious COM
plant in the early history of Camp
Thomas was from the First Missouri,
whose men claimed that their trousers
were nothing more than rags and
threatened to appeal to charity at
home to supply their wants.
II. NJ. Drake, in charge of the hospi-
tai here, and who was in command of
the hospital of the First division of the
Third corps of Chickamauga, was the
next witness. He. stated that the
medical supplies had been ample from
the beginning, but the hospital corps
had proved inefficient as nurses.
"They were, as n class" he said, "the
very worst material that could have
been found out of which to make
nurses"
Mai. David Vickers, who was inspect
or general for the Second division of
the. Third corps at Chickamauga, at
tributed the trou bles in that camp to
the shallowness of the sinks. He said
also that some of the regimental
officers insisted on making poor selec-
tions of camp sites, and in one instance
a Mississippi colonel who had put
his men in a swamp had insisted on
remaining on the ground that the Mis-
sissippians had natural affinity for
swamps Nevertheless his men were
taken sick Mai Vickers also COM
planned that the drinking water was
poor. Asked as to the competency of
the surgeons at the hospitals, he said
there was one man in the hospital
whose proneness to profanity untitled
him for the service. This man was
Mai. Hubbard, surgeon of the Ninth
New York. His profanity was of such
a villainous character, said Mai. Vick-
ers, it pretty nearly made me sick and
know it could not have had pleas
ant effect upon patients.
Lieut.. Col. Bisbec, in command OF
the First infantry. told the story OF
the transportation of his regiment to
Santiago briefly described the fight
ing about Santiago, spoke of his ex-
perience in Cuba, of the return to
Montauk point and of the stay at that
place and the transfer south. Asked
II the landing at Santiago could have
been accomplished IL opposed, he re-
piled: 1.-The facilities were so poor
that think not; at least | should say
If / had been on shore no enemy would
have been permitted to land. l can
not say how IL was with the Span
iards." He said there was consider
able difficulty in getting food while in
front of Santiago, "buI we had
enough" He said: "If there had beer
more to eat the men would probably
have been sicker." lie expressed the
opinion that the only deprivation hac
been in not having proper food for the
sick They could not take the army
food in their condition, he said. ii,
thought the ratious contained toe
much fat meat for the climate
Maj Dempsey, of the Second regular
infantry, covered much of the samt
ground as Col. Bisbee lie said tina
his command had never, during tn,
Santiago campaign, suffered for wan
of supplies. Men had sometimes a
night felt the want of covering, bu
not of food. Not more than half tn,
men in the regiment were fit for dut,
nj the time of the surrender of San
tiago. He had heard doctor say tina
quinine and castor oil were the onl,
medicines he could get. He said tn
only deficiency discovered at Montaul
point was in the matter of transporta
ton facilities, which seemed to b
taxed. He had also heard IA docto
say there were not sufficient cots il
the regimental hospital for the accom-
mediation of the sick.
Col. II. NJ Seaman, of the Fourth VII
consin, complained that the supple
his regiment had down at Camp Doug
lass Wis, including clothing, shoe
and arms, had been poor lie did nc
consider the men Sufficiently well ella
for the harsh weather, and said the
had suffered somewhat on account {
the recent cold.
Col. James Ply flo, of the Third Tel
nessee, whose regiment had been ell
camped at Chickamauga park as
part of the First division of the Thir
army corps, previous TO removal her
said the commissary supplies had bee
excellent in quality and ample
quantity until within the past mont
He said in reply to questions that
canteen had been maintained in his rel
iment, and that beer in large quantiti,
had been sold at it, Most of the r
ceipts, amounting to S4OO or $500 p,
day, of the canteens were from bee
Ibid you consider it proper for yol
regiment TO maintain general be,
garden for all the camp2" he was aslSt
by DR.. Conner reading from his lett
as his authority. The colonel said
did not know, but the beer was the
to be sold. He expressed the opiniC
that Chickamauga was an eXcellei
camp site, but he considered the wat
supply bad as 1t was arranged.