The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-02
WARS MULTITUDE OF WRONGS
-.opr CONDEMNATORY TESTIMONY
As TO CAMP THOMAS.

uo+es says the Medical Supplies
c,,na were VyOefuIIy short-Dr.
.,.Loner Gets More BIame-Dr.
,.,.,1,,crS Testifies to short Medi-
S,uDIies at CbicAamauga, ana
condition of Transport Which
ri His Regiment to Porto Rico.
,.,iogton. KY, Nov before the war
.-,;gating commission to-day Chief
r,,,,o.ssary Marshall of Camp Hamilton
80 the statements made by Lieut.. Col.
,r..5e1 First Territorial. last night. He
o,erv reouisition had been hOnored
from the Territorials.
The second witness was Gen. ]. c. Bates,
--b, testified as to the Santiago organiza-
,,. the camps al Mobile and Chicka-
80 He went to see Gen. Brooke "a
ding the lack of equipments, clothing
and other supplies.
..rbs dav before we left Mobile We got
..ottv well supplied" he said. These
ara SUPPLIES for recruits. Al Santiago
had bread and meat always. Moo
..,l Point was not the proper place for
ann of sick soldiers at this time of
~ At Montauk Point 1 learned that
me Long Island Railroad had an exclusive
oortr7ct to haul the soldiers to the city.
..rr cuba medical supplies were woefdl-
,..sbort The medical officers said they
conld not get them. This was especially
,r,,e at Sboney In going over we mad
couch medical supplies, but we were cut
aoUn We had trouble in getting ambu-
,orces taken to Cuba Got one from each
regiment and one for the squadron.
t,inl, the ambulances I took were the only
ones ashore when the Rough Riders fight
occurred, on June pa
When asked what in his opinion was
the weakness in the medical department,
Cen Bates said he thought a great mis-
t,1le was made in not sending medical Of
4cers in sufficient number with regiments
ordered 10 the field. Additional transpor-
tation should have been furnished for
medical officers and medical supplies, am
balances and horses.
81 think there is not sufficient excuse
for medical supplies being short in
Cuba" continued the witness. Better
preparations could have been made for
transportation. We had no way to shoe
horses and mules" Gen. Bates had no
recommendations to suggest.
Dr.. Edgar A. Mearns, surgeon in charge
of the Gibbs general hospital, Lexington,
was asked regarding the sanitary condi-
ton of Camp Thomas, where he was bril-
gade surgeon. He read a report on the
condition of the sites, claiming they were
disease-breeders, though the men detailed
from the regiments to the division hOspi-
tails were incompetent. DR.. Mearns con-
demned the water supply at Camp
Thomas.
After luncheon Maj. John ]. Backman,
One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana, was
the frs, witness called by the commission.
His testimony indicated that his regiment
had Jared well in every respect. Maj. j.
D. G}ennan, who was captain and assist
ant surgeon in the regular army, and was
made major and brigade surgeon of volun-
teers June 4, was called. Maj Glennan
was at Chickamauga and Tampa with the
Sixth Cavalry. He later returned to
Chckamagua as brigade surgeon, First
Brigade, Third Division. First Corps.
He said that he found larger amount of
sickness among volunteers than he had
been used to seeing, that he found the sinks
left open and not dug deep enough to
make the camp healthful, that the wa
ter supply was affected by this.
Maj. Glennan said he reported on these
conditions. both verbally and in writing,
and made certain recommendations, but
that no attention was ever paid to his re-
ports He said he tried to get lime, that
requisition was made on the quartermaster
department. and they said they did not
furnish it; that requsition was then made
on the medical department and DR.. Huide-
koper, the corps surgeon, concerning
whom sensational charges have since been
made, disapproved the use of lime, and re-
turned the requisition. Maj Glennan
stated that he knew of certain regiments
where the sick were kept for weeks be-
cause the division hospital had no room
1u them, He further said that he be-
AeVed the water in every well in Chicka-
manga Park contained the Colon bacillus,
which indicated contamination by sewer
age.
Asked by Dr. Conner whether the ten
dency in the medical service in the regu-
lsr army was not to deteriorate from the
cay a man went in until his retirement,
MAJ Glennan said this had been his i'm
preston until he saw the volunteer sur
eeons' when he had come to the con-
cllsoh that those in the regular army
were as good as those in the volunteer
service.
,I have no doubt" said DIR. Conner,
Inat The worst in the regular army are a
great deal better that some who were
drought INTO the volunteers"
AaJ. William Cogswell, surgeon of the
Eshth Massachusetts, said that when his
itesnhent reached Chattanooga 1t was
AsP' IN the freight yards eighteen hours.
. .lu took them then four hours to be
transported to the park; that the men
t %enl TWO weeks without fresh meat; that
ond uealth was thus greatly impaired,
',u large number were taken sick.
~ Cosswel attributed the typhoid to
VIE water milk and lemonade drunk by the
i lI,u' lie said that the clothing and blan-
s ps'ongIng TO men who died of typhoid
W. 80 brought back without having been
.os 80" or boiled and used by other men
'le regiment He mentioned other
JI5ses' 100 DEGRADED TO write which he
were reported to the higher authori-
,D "iIhout action being taken The doc
H. alip tnal in three months and half
n, me- ne was at Camp Thomas be knew Of
iiglle Roper, the corps surgeon, having
amy, y.fi H..