The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-01
DR.. GODFREY'S REPORT
WORK OF THE HOSPITAL CORPS IN
DER FIRE AT SANTIAGO.
Followed on the Heels of the Army to
san Juan Hill and Ell Caney
and Never FIinched.

| lowing extracts from report of Lieut.. Guy
c. NJ Godfrey assistant surgeon, T. s. A.
regarding conditions at Santiago:
Santiago de Cuba. July 2S-To the sur
geon general L. S. A, Washington. d. c.:
''Sir-As commanding officer of the hos
| pital corps company of the First Division.
! Fifth Army Corps. / have the honor TO
submit the following report:
This company vas organized at Tampa,
Fla. on June ). 1898. Just two days previous
| to the departure of the troops of the First
Division for the transports at Port Tampa,
| Fla. On the day of organization the
| strength of the company was eighteen priv
| ates. No noncommissioned officer was as
signed to it until June T. 1898. when acting
Hospital Steward Mcclure reported for
duty. He at once detailed as first SER
| geant OF the company which place he has
| held up to the present date. a cook and an
assistant cook, orderlies for the medical Of
hcers and clerk We're at once detailed.
When the order came to move the
men of the company performed the work
necessary thereto. and the enthusiasm and
esprit de corps with which they labored add
ed greatly to the celebrity and facility with
| which the task was accomplished. The per-
| sonnet and supplies of the division hospital
as we'll as the hospital company. was placed
| on board the transport Santiago and ar
rived off the coast of Cuba near Santiago on
June 70. The DAY before landing all of the
| material was brought up from the hold by
the men of The company and stored on the
main deck of the ship near the forward
starboard deck. This was done by direction
of Maj. NJ w. Wood. chief surgeon of mis-
division. and proved a wise and efficient
| measure
LANDED AT SIBONEY.
10 Ian I'm at (s1flao
and pitched camp on the beach. On this
day thirteen of the privates of the hospital
| corps of the Seventy-first New York Vol
unteers joined the company. During the
night of June % acting Hospital Steward
Mcclure AID five of the men worked all
night unloading the material for the hos
pitsl and storing it upon the beach under
canvas. On June % the men were
given d short drill to perfect organization.
Hurried preparations were made for a for
ward movement and as absolutely no trans
portation could be obtained from the quar-
termaster's department. these preparations
consisted principally in selecting such nee
essary dressings and drugs as the men
could carry on their backs and filters.
ION June q the First Division moved for
ward, and the hospital company followed in
rear of the Third Brigade taking the ridge
|
bility of an immediate skirmsh or battle.
none of the medical officers rode their
horses. but made pack mules of them and
carried large a number of dressings, etc.
as they could. The division camped in
column of brigades, and the hospital COM
pany and division hospital pitched camp
near the headquarters of the division COM
mander On the following morning twenty
men and the steward and two medical Of
ficers returned to Siboney and brought us
four filters and as many medical supplies
as possible, returning about o'clock y. m.
After a soaking rain the company broke
camp and was ordered to move forward two
miles This they did. marching over
rocky, yet muddy road, carrying the hos
pital supplies with them. They pitched
their shelter tents the soaking ground,
while the officers, who had no shelter. slept
in the open air exposed to dampness and
poisoning. On June % the company moved
forward a quarter of mile further TO
beautiful spot with the Aquadores river on
one side and the Siboney road on the other.
Here on the 18th the division hospital was
established, and here it remained all
through the terrible carnage that followed.
On this day six wagonoads of our supplies
were brought up from the beach at Siboney.
and tent flies were pitched and everything
arranged for the coming battle. On the goth
of June the work of establishing the d.
vision hospital continued and more of our
supplies were brought from Siboney.
ION the morning of July the writer rode
in the direction of the firing towards Ell
Caney and while searching for an ambu-
lance rode to the extreme right and visited
the firing line of the Twelfth Infantry. He
then returned and reported to Major Wood.
who directed an ambulance to be at once
sent in that direction. Owing to the very
small number of hospital corps men pres
ent with the division and as the number
of ambuances for the entire army was linz
tied to three, it impossible to expect
them to convey the total number Of
wounded from the collecting stations to the
first division hospital. 1t was soon apparent
that the entire force of the hospital corps
would have to be used to man the hospital.
but about noon Acting Hospital Steward
Mcclure two litter squads and ambu-
lance went forward up the San Juan road.
SURGEONS UNDER FIRE.
"As the Spanish shrapnel was bursting
around the battery on FL Paso hill, near
the road it was not deemed prudent to take
the ambulance beyond that point. There
fore it remained while the two litter squads
pushed forward up the San Juan road. One
wounded man was founu who was not able
to walk about four hundred yards before
reaching the furthest crossing of the Aqua
dores river lie was at once dressed and
conveyed to the rear by litter squad The
other litter and the steward advanced about
four hundred yards further to the east bank
of the Aquadores and there found a
wounded man who could not walk At this
time the Sixth and the Sixteenth Infantry
were Immediately in front and were making
, their advance towards San Juan hill. 1t can
therefore be seen that the hospital litter
squad in the rear under the hot
test kind of fire and the bullets were cut
ting leaves all around, but not one Of these
men faltered or showed the least sign Of
fear.
! AT this time the wounded were coming
back in a constant stream, and such as
needed stimulation dressing were at
tended to by the roadside. Many of them
returned alone, others walked supported by
the arm Of some comrade. while the more
seriously wounded were borne on filters of
various kinds. 4 few Of those who returned
mad not received medical attention, but the
majority OF them were dressed with first
aid packages by the regimental surgeons
, and their hospital corps men.
, At about / p. m. Major Valery HavaarG
! chief surgeon of the cavalry division es-