Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-08
THE War INQUIRY.
THREE WITNESSES ExANIzED NJ
THE DODGE ooxMiss1os..
Army LUxuRIOUsLI SUPPLIED.
So Agree General Greene ~ The
Manila Expeditisn, ouarternastss
Lee. Of Chiekamausa, ans nsjss
Jersey, Of the Rough Riders.

WASHINGTON, October 7--Throe wiz
nesses were before the war investigating
commission to-day-General Greene. VINO
participated In the battle at Manila; Cob
onel Lee. chief Quartcrmaster az Camp
time in command Of the Roosevelt
Rough Riders. All agreed In saying that
no army was ever SO abundantly and
luxuriously supplied as was tho Ameri-
can army in the Spanish war. M :,
General +. v. Greene, who was in
charge Of one Of the divisions Of United
| States troops at the battle OF Manila, was
| the first witness. He sailed from San
Francisco to Manila on the steamer
| China, al excellent vessel. he said. which
was inspected by board OF officers be-
fore II was chartered.
The health Of the troops at Manila was
| excellent, and the commissary supplies
were abundant. but there was difficulty
in getting them ashore. on account of tho
storm. This caused some hardships. One
| day they were without food, but during
| the other twenty-four days they had SUI
ficient food to sustain life.
| There were only twenty or thirty sick
in his command. He considered the sur
| geons efficient, and had heard no COM
plants from the men In the hospitals.
The sinks were inspected twice daily.
| 1t had been impossible to properly sup.
ply the men with shoes, and as conse-
quence about 800 Of the troops marched
into the city barefooted. after the capt.
tulation.
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT.
|. General Greene thought the army regu-
lations should be adapted more to cam
| paign experience than at present. The
| commissary was so restricted that In
| case where lighter sank with rations
for regiment the commissary could not
issue others without the authority OF
board of survey.
Speaking OF the camp at San Fran
cisco, he said the site of the camp was
| very poor. but he did not know whether
| better site could have been secured.
The location was made by General otis.
and General Greene felt safe in denying
the report that there had been collusion
with the railroad authorities In choosing
the site.
General Greene stated that the most
| fragrant evidence OF neglect that he had
seen during the war was In the case or
tho transports at New York. Their con-
dition was Of a character that should
have been remedied. He had also seen
| green Coito looutH, bVth NV
at Manila.
Comparing the experience Of his troops
with those OF Turkey and Russia, no said
he had seen more suffering In the Turkish
army In a day than he had seen among
the American troops In month, ana
there were 5000 Russian troops Ill with
typhoid fever at the close OF the Russian
campaign. He spoke from observation.
and said tho comparison at every point
-. A N
AN UPPIsH SURGEON.
Major Henry u. Hersey, of Santa re,
NJ NJ. OF the Roosevelt Rough Riders,
was next examined. Tie said the men
were generally In good health at san
| Antonio. as they were. In the main, az
TAMPA. which was the next stopping
place. He complained, however, that at
the latter place the camp was low ana
| fat and toward the close OF MS stay
there, in July, there was an lnoie ' =.
| fever and Kindred diseases. Inc troops
were. he said, well supplied with pro-
visions from the commissary and otner
dena rtmeuts. but there was some COM
nlaint against the physician VINO was leit
with the squadron at this point iss
| chief cause OF criticism appeared 10 20
the bearing of the surgeon towaru 'ho
| men. ,,.ox h.
AT the afternoon session, MAJOR nel
sew related his experience anu oooe.
yations M Montauk Point lie nan come
18th ON the Miami, which was conslo-
cred one of the worse of the trahspol,s,,
can the VOYAGE was not characterizsu
bv any special discomfort ,,
rte considered Camp Wykoff the moSs
nerfect camp he had ever seen;
VOLUNTEERS IMPATIENT.
This witness was followed ny Soiohs'
James IG. Lee, who was chlet qua, .s' ns' !,
ter Al Camp Thomas during the his9oly "
that camp. He said that neither tue So
lars nor the volunteers hao 800
RECONSIDERATION facilities when tney eaih7
IN and their wants in this respect werS
s,,nnIied He had Immediately made es-
,,,,ates for supplies, and all hah peen'
net with n remarkable degree OF proripu.
tude colonel Lee dwet upon the natu.a ~
difficulties Of supplying an army Oh vo 49,
,nar Thev were impatient, as ruis'
and seemed TO expect TO be able 10 turf,
n faucet and get everything they "an.e Ta
upon the spur OF the moment tnele
were some articles OF when they WE
never able TO get sulilcien. suppy
| ormv trousers, for instance. lie remsm-
harad one case in which there appeared
Iu.eIv 10 be a clash In the making OF CON
tracts with the railroads for the. Trans
nortation OF troops, In which men VINO
wera MIA juniors In the Washington mead
| quarters were manifesting disposition
10 interfere with him by prescribing con-
ditions with which 1t was lmposslpie ~
! comnlv He had protested in sharp ana
vigorous language, and thereafter tne''
was no trouble. as the washington o''S'
receded from It's position.
NAMES CALLED FOR.
General McCook asked for the names OF
those Who had interfered. and Insisted
mon having them. After hesststins some
mi Colonel Lee said the difficulty arose
On the transportation branch OF the de-
| nartment. I'm charge OF Colonies Hecker
and BIRD. Pressed 10 enter into parueu-
,ars Colonel Lee said that his contention
,..as that he should be allowed 20 make
all the rates. He found that the passen'
ger rates had been made at washington:
| and while these were very low, ne iouno
whom he came to getting freight rates
that they were too high
| He did not believe that any actual sur
| ferine had arisen on account OF the in-
effciency of officers. He thought. on the
other hand, the suffering had been caused
nv the failure OF the men TO contro'
themselves. He thought the beer-drink-
ing in the camp and the whiskey -drnklns
outside had much TO do IN causing dis-
tress and disease.
In conclusion. Colonel Lee said he D.
lieyed that the department shovtd hev1
credit for what IT had done, and not b
| blamed for what IL had not done. and NJ
| thought the accomplishments OF the past
| ave months were simply marvellous