The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-10-07
The General Appears before the
War Investigating Committee.
THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN PERFECT.
Gen. Wheeler Stated That the Men In His
Command Were Well Taken Care
OLA shortage of sup-
plies at Times.

Lne scope OF the cOmmlSSlOnS duties
and asked Gen. Wheeler whether he
had any objections to being sworn.
He replied that he had none, and Maj
Miles, recorder for the commission.
administered the oath. Ex-Gov. Beaver
conducted the examination, develop
ing the essential facts as to Gen.
Wheeler's rank and his command. Gen.
Wheeler stated that he left Tampa for
Cuba on the 18th of June. but that he
had no knowledge OF the plan of
campaign before going aboard the
transport Discussing the plan of
campaign, he said he doubted whether
any more perfect plan could have been
adopted. Speaking of the medical de-
| partment he said that at times there
were complaints, but that they were
not serious. On occasions there was q
shortage of surgeons, some of the sur
geons being sick or wounded. Accord
! ing to Gen. Wheeler's belief the
wounded in battle were promptly
cared for by the surgeons After the
| fight of July all the wounded were
carried from the field that night. The
witness had heard that there was more
complaint of the shortage of medicine
]
Going back to Tampa, he said that
at the season he was there, the first
| half of June, the site was without OBJ
| lection, but he had felt that it would
be wet later in the season. 1t was his
impression that Tampa had been Sc
lected as a camp site after the begin
ming of the war and was incidental to
the intended movement Son Havana
| There was, he said, at times some
shortage of supplies at the camp, but
| nothing he added, that soldier
could complain Of" They had COM
| Portable tents and the commissary
supplies were sufficient The water
also was good. He said the men in his
command were well taken care Of
! Returning to the Santiago campaign.
he said that only two regiments had
reported a shortage of rations, and he
had Immediately telephoned to the
rear and the shortage, which was due
to accident, had been ad iusted. The
meat was poor and they had no bread
but hard tack They were forced to
live in the sun and water alternately
and necessarily there was much sick
ness. While they had the full quota
of doctors and nurses, he thought that
If more had been furnished the men
would have been better cared for As
for rations, three days supply was
generally issued. He said that as a
rule the quality of hard tack was good.
Where there was any deterioration it
was due to local rains and not to the
fact of original inferiority.
Capt Howell asked to what he at
fri hntaH tha -
after the capitulation of Santiago and
Gen. Wheeler replied that it was due
to the climate and to the exposure
made necessary. SO far as he knew
there was general commentator of
the medical corps except that on one
or two occasions there had been some
grumbling in regard to general condi-
tions. lie thought there was a def
cheney in the number of ambulances,
but this deficiency was due to the ext.
gencies of the campaign.
lie said in reply to IA question that
the tents had been left on board the
transports so no time should be con.
sumed in removing them. ave were
there for business" he said, land we
felt that prompt Decentralization and a
speedy movement to the front would
impress the enemy more than ANYTHING
else we could do" There was also a
shortage at this time of transporta-
ton facilities. The deficiency of trans
portation after the landing was the
reason why the tents were not brought
up, why the siege guns were not
brought up and why many things were
not done.
ftss "a !
his testimony chiefly to his experience
at NikoH, Montauk point. The presi-
dent, in giving him command there,
had ordered him to spare no pains or
expense TO make the men comfortable.
lie made an examination of the camp
and found il necessary TO undertake
much preparation to care for the men
properly, to bore wells, lay water
pipes, build laundries disinfecting
plants, get floors for the tents. erect
hospitals, etc The surgeons, at his
request, had made list of special arti.
cles to be purchased for the sick. The
people came with many kinds of food.
land undertake to say" he declared,
that no army on earth was ever so
abundantly supplied with necessaries
and luXuries"
The general location and the trans
portation facilities and the camp were
poor. There were good hospitals
erected, but there was scarcity of
nurses He Immediately wired for
nurses and within Ave or six days
there was an abundance. lie sum
moned the surgeons for a consultation
each morning and would order imme-
diately by wire any article needed.
The hospital tents were, he said,
foored. The patients were laid upon
mattresses, on the floor and were sup
piled with clean bedding, From first
TO last 10, 900 patients entered the hos.
pitfalls at Montauk. The hospitals had,
when he landed, a capacity not to ex-
coed 900 and so far as he knew the hos
pitfalls had, up to this time, been equal
10 the demands upon it. Over 3,252
of the Santiago troops had been re-
ported sick on arrival, but many others