The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-11
A TERRIBLE INFAMY
A Tale of Criminal Incompetency
From Camp Thomas.
WERE LITERALLY STARVED
Soldiers Dropped a Their Posts Rather
THAI Go TO Certain Death in the
Hospitals-what an OBJ
server Saw.

Eward Langley. brother Of Clarence
A. Langley of Captain Stivers' troop
of rough riders who died recently at
Chickamaugs, has written a letter for
publication to his uncle. c. j. Smith of
this city. The writer. who lives at
Syracuse, n. Y, went to Chickamauga
at the time of his brothers death and
has made an investigation on his own
account. Unlike the soldiers who have
returned from Camp Thomas. he has
nothing to restrain him from covering
up the dark side OF the story. and in
his letter to his uncle he makes a
scathing arraignment of the treatment
the men have received. He also BAYS a
high tribute to all men of Troop l. The
letter reads:
These cold, grim facts are from my
personal observations and will substan-
tiate tales that have come from that
gallant Troop L of Grigsby's rough
riders. They are a fine, sturdy set of
fellows; unfortunately though, they
show in their manly countenanos the
pangs of hunger. sickness and lack of
proper care. j did not meet Captain
Stivers, who was on a furlough endeav-
oring to recuperate from sickness. First
Lieutenant NSOehlnu Was IN CndTkt.
The men look up to him with true SOL
dierly respect. He has a wonderful gift
of making n retaining friends and
drilling his men to a high degree Of
proficiency.
ALLOW me to say a word with affec-
ton of my brothers bosom friend. Tom
Walker. His treatment Of Clarence
was almost beyond a brothers love.
Many times the surgeons tried to
flpatgf him fEnpa NJ hrnfh ArfG cot NUhNla
bathing his fevered brow. The men
speak in the highest terms of young
Walker M they may well do so. for
his treatment of my distressed mother
showed his real character. These men
have mammoth hearts and are a credit
to your city.
The papers throughout the country
have minimized the dfreful scenes. rath-
er than exaggerated them. Things were
in a most deplorable state. One could
never realize hat at this stage of civili-
cation such terrible sufferings OF gall
liant fellows would be tolerated. Ones
heart could bleed for the poor, ENACT
ated, shrunken forms wandering from
tent to ent in their dazed, forlorn and
pitiful state.
The men have been literally starv-
ing. / took breakfast at Colonel Grigs-
by's mess, but ate only a few mouth
fuls, the food being so poor, and this
was considered princely fare as COM
pared to what the privates received.
The men are 10th to speak Of their ev-
perience. 1t Is marvellous TO see men
suffer with little or no complaint when
things could be so different. You may
read Of the pangs of war. but these
thousands of poor fellows nave suffered
tenfold the amount OF actual service.
At the division hospital the only nurses
were comrades taken from the ranks,
young men, some of whom had never
been sick In their lives.
Think of three or four overworked
surgeons ~endeavoring 10 attend some
hundreds of patients In a single division
hospital. besides administering to scores
of patients able TO walk.
Thousands of young women that
have graduated from training schools
offered their services to nurse back TO
life these poor dying soldiers, but their
offers were rejected. True, several of
the larger hospitals, the Letter and
Sternberg. have efficient service with
female nurses; but the many division
hospitals have been entirely neglected.
For weeks the ranks were so terrorized
by the facts, coming from the hospital.
that hundreds of soldiers concealed the
truth Of their own extreme illness and
attended to regular duty rather than be
reported sick and sent TO what seemed
10 lnen certain uSdtn. MANY Vi lnCtH
have remained on duty till they fell un-
conscious.
Gould you believe that the body of a
membe of a New York regiment was
thrown under the flap of a tent, there
To remain from Saturday until Monday,
and when discovered was much eaten
by death ~scavengers. and only a few
yards from his sick comrades, who We're
compelled to lay helpless and stand the
nausesting odor of a Notifying corpse?
Dozens of such scenes could be emu
merated. Is it not time the real truth
were officially know NJ The public
should know at once the dark chapter
of terrible infamy that has made the
very nam division hospital a source
of fear and agitation to the poor soldiers
who cannot, who dare not, complain for
mo official mantle shall cover the
criminal. careless, guilty ones from the
wrath of an outraged humanity, whose
duty 1t vas 10 protect those heroes In
time of distress.
In conversing with a German officer
now serving as lieutenant in our volun-
teers, ne remarked: I have seen four
teen years OF actual service in Germany,
and have never experienced such terri
bic treatment as in these three months
OF camp life at Chickamauga.' He
asked, Where Is your humanitarian
ism?'
"Such is a small portion Of the afro
cities OF camp life, where only two
months ago 40. 700 OF our brave volun-
teers were stalled"