Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-05
GEN. Joe WHEELER
CONTINUED from page l.,

There was at times some shortage OF
SUPPLIES at the camp, but nothing, ne
added, That soldier could complain
OF. They had comfortable tents ana
the commissary supplies were sum
Client. The water supply also was
good" He said the men in MS COM
mand were well taken care OF. HOW
ever, very few men were at that tlihe
sick. He had himself gone into the
hospitals and had found the men 90
ing well.
Cen. Wheeler said he had no control
over any OF the supplies which were
taken to Santiago on the transports
when he left Tampa. This was at
tended to by the different staff officers.
He only knew from conversation with
these that there was an abundance of
the supplies OF all character.
Returning to the Santiago campaign.
he said that only two regiments had
reported shortage of ratlons and he
had Immediately telephoned to the rear
and the shortage which was due to ac-
cjdent had been adjusted. There was
suffering when the men were compell-
ed to lie in the breastWorks. The meat
was poor and they had no bread but
hard tack They We're forced to lie in
the sun and water alternately and
necessarily there was much sickness.
While they had the full quota of doc
tors and nurses, ne thought that If
more had been furnished the men
would have been better cared for As
for rations, three days supplies was
generally issued. Whenever the troops
went into action they would throw
their food away as we'll as their packs
and they often did not recover them
Gen. Wheeler took up the common
report that the Cubans stole goods thus
discarded. 1t was not fair, he said, to
thus accuse the natives, for there was
so much of this floatsam and jetsam
that hungry and poorly clothed as the
Cubans Were, they We're not to be
blamed for helping themselves. He
said he had seen among the $4,000 peo-
pie who came out of Santiago many
ladies of refinement emaciated and evil
IDENTIFY hungry.
In reply to questions he stated he
never had heard of any shortage of
commissary or ordnance supplies at
Santiago, but he had been told that
the medical supplies We're short. He
had no personal knowledge on this
men crawling to the rear in the engage
inent, but as rule as soon as a man
fell in battle he was carried to the
hospitals by the medical corps. He said
that as rule the quality of the hard
tack was good. When there was any
deterioration it was due to local rains
and not to the fact of original inferi-
GRITTY. The spirit of the army was such.
4 M dicnrlSit
to complain. They We're all proud TO
be there and willing to undergo hard
SHIPS
Replying to a question from Col.
DENLY, Gen. Wheeler said the regulars
had shown greater ability to take
care Of themselves than the volunteers.
The volunteers were more careless, but
the volunteer cavalrymen were not so
negligent as the other volunteers, he
cause they were men who had been
used to camping He thought this fact
had had strong influence in causing
the health of the regulars to be better
that that of the volunteers.
Cant. Howell asked to what he at
tributed the development of disease
after the capitulation of Santiago, and
Gen Wheeler replied that it was due
necessary. All the men seemed to De
more or less affected by the conditions.
He had known of no instance of sick
or wounded man dying from want of
care from the physicians. So far as he
knew there was general commentator
of the medical corps, except that on
one or two occasions there had been
some grumbllng in regard to general
a thOICht a.
fciency in the number of ambulances
but this deficiency was due to the ext
geucies of the campaign.
Gen. Wheeler also said in reply to
Capt Howell, that he knew of no con-
fusion in shipping supplies from Tam
pa. He was not acquainted with "A
case in which the body of a vehicle was
shipped on one vessel and the wheels
on another. His memory was indis-
tfnct as TO complaints from officers in
his, command as to the scarcity of med
zeal supplies, but he thought there
were some such complaints and in such
cases he had had them supplied as
promptly as possible. There had beer
difficulty in getting the transports as
near in shore as was desirable, rem.
derlng 1t difficult to promptly get a
supplies.
In this connection Gen. Wheeler re
vea!ed the fact that he had felt some
what hurt that his had been the fourth
command ordered to be landed, whe,
he thought his rank entitled him to tn
first landing. Gen. Shafter had givel
the order which thus affected him
The masters of the transports elaine,
to have their authority from the quar-
termasters department, but he though
the commanding officer had acted in
dependently as to how far out the.
should lie.
Referring to the sleeping apartment
OF the transports, Gen. Wheeler sal
they were quite warm and there wa
some discomfort. He had often gon
down among the men at night an
found that there was compa rativel
little complaint except from the hea
He recommended that in the futur
hammocks should be used instead c
cots for the transportation of troops
Coming back from Santiago to Nor
tnuk he had sailed on the Miami, hay
ing chosen 1t because it was said to /
the worst. He had found it very con
Portable and when they landed the,
lctnl