The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-09-15
HORRORS OF CAMP THOMAS
Commissioned Officer De-
scribes Soldiers SHfferings.
FOOD SCARCE AND FOUL ll.f.
The Coffee Unroasted, Pork Woriny,
Beans Beaten Into POwder-Tents
without FIoors-Doctors Sent Men
to Death. 4

| New York, Sept 15.-The World prints
the following:
Here is the statement of renapie pusi-
ness man of this city who is non-com-
missioned officer of the Ninth New YORK
Regiment. The World can produce him,
| if it becomes necessary, after the regiment
is mustered out of service:
THE Ninth Regiment reached Chicka-
manga Park early in June We found our
camp located in thick forest of sycamore
and pine trees, growing or feet apart.
! There We were ordered to pitch tents
No floors were provided go we slept in
| our blankets and ponchos on the bare,
damp ground. Heavy dews fall there,
and in the morning our clothes, blankets
and everything in the tents would be wet.
THE breakfast call was a farce. The
boys very aptly parodied it in the fol-
| lowing lines:
Dirty, dirty dough boys,
Come and get your sum.
THE words are eloquently descriptive.
| The cooks were volunteers and did the
best they could, but the result was gem
| orally nauseating. Our cook was APP
| pointed by the captain. He said he had
had previous experience. Here is sample
breakfast he gave us: Hardtack soaked
in hot water until it softened and swelled.
then laid in the grease of sow belly, and
black coffee. That made the meal. You
can imagine putting that mess in your
stomach.
The Government coffee was issued
green. The volunteer cooks tried to roast
| il in pans and generally burnt most of 1t.
Then the beans were put in greasy
gunnysack and pounded with clubs. A
decoction of this powder in Chickamauga
| River water was very unpalatable The
| fresh meat served to us, called beef, was
as rule so tough we had to swallow it
whole. 1t was not improved by cooking.
The only vegetables we ever saw were
potatoes and onions. and these were gen.
| orally spoiled through the ignorance of the
| cooks. The company quartermaster SER
geants were inexperienced. They could
| issue equipments in the armory at home,
! but knew nothing about issuing army ra-
| tions.
las a result a meal for a big strong
| man who had been working at chop
| ping trees or digging trenches all day
! would consist of three bareback, piece
| of fat SOW belly about three inches
square and cup of coffee. Our regu-
| lar Sunday night supper was potato sal
! ad. coffee and a quarter of a loaf of
bread. We had beans and rice that were
never soaked before being cooked at rare
| intervals.
THE sow belly, called army bacon, was
! often wormy. j remember one instance
when several thousand pounds of it were
| issued TO the regiment. The regimental
| butcher notified the colonel that the sow
lDaIl, ft,ll ~
| board of survey was appointed to exam
| inc ii. Capt. Warner S Young. of Com
| pany II, was one of the members.
| He ordered the meat cut open and
| the worms were seen scurrying in all d.
f, rections. Capt. Young said the meat was
all right and fit 10 eat.
Would you eat it?' asked Capt. Bride,
of Company F. in disgust. Younk walk
| ed away without replying. Capt. OCon-
nor ordered his share thrown into the
| sink As a result of the consequent
| shortage of meat we had nothing but
oatmeal for breakfast for many days.
| AT the outset it appeared to be the OBJ
| iect of the physicians to keep down the
sick list. have seen men absolutely I'M
fit to work assigned to duty or light
! duty. At sick call in Company X, Of
which ! am member, men would line up
! before the doctors. They would ask his
/ symptoms and prescribe medicine with
out moving from their chairs. Frequent
ly they would declare a man was taking,
and in gruff and abusive language order
him put down for duty.
| Two of the men they diagnosed as ia
kris died. One of these was T. Z. Lynch
| a mechanical engineer and graduate of
| Yale. He reported sick Monday morning,
| and was told he was fakir. He was sent
| back to duty, although suffering severely
from diarrhoea. Wednesday he was re-
moved in an ambulance 10 the hospital.
and Sunday he died. Private Renner was
allowed to die with myriadS of flies
crawling in and out of his mouth and
| eyes.
THE officers allowed the sinks to be
dug within Loo feet of the company
streets, near a little gully that drained
the camp. They were used until nearly
full. Then earth was thrown on, which
caused them 10 overflow into the gully.
Every rainstorm made the gully a
stream, which flowed into Chickamauga
River. We bathed in that river and from
il our drinking water came.
when the sickness broke out the men
were all run down for lack of proper
food, and the fever spread rapidly l sue
ceeded in keeping myself in good condf-
ton until August by eating food sent me
from New York. When my store was
exhausted however, l could get no more
ana was soon TAKEN do"h with LeNei.
They diagnosed my case at the regimen
tai hospital as rheumatism and slight
fever 1 was sent to the Second Division
Hospital, called by the men The House
of DOOM From there / was brought
home by a relative My family physician
said l was suffering from intermittent
fever and starvation.
"I weighed 100 pounds when l went
away / came home skeleton. weigh
ing only 116 pounds. / had always beer
an athlete and strong man. Now
am physical wreck.
I'm my opinion our officers are largei,
responsible They could have remediet
much If they had used ordinary intelli
eence and looked after the welfare o
the men, as it is their duty to do, ac
cording to the Hygienic Manual. Blu
they did little and cared less.
An inStnnce. Ii had rained and III