The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-16
TIMELY ARMY TOPICS.
Mistake Made in Camping So Large
an Army at Tampa.

an Army at Tampa.
Jacksonville, Fla, June ii have read
with some interest the editorials in the
Morning News about Bigelow's criticisms
on army affairs in Tampa. There is no
question as to his having some good
grounds for complaint, but 1t is question
able whether his wholesale denunclations
were prudent at this time.
The whole trouble arose from mis-
taken idea OF Tampa and its advantages
for massing a large body Of troops to be
uniformed, equipped and fed before being
embarked. Too much haste was shown in
getting the troops there before they Were
actually needed, and then arose the trou-
bic of getting store houses, railroad facili-
ties, etc, that made the confusion stih
greater.
An ex-army officer of large experience
Inrputting troops into the field says Bige-
low had the facts cold-blooded facts on
his side, but he was not wise to use them.
inexperienced officers have blundered in
many ways and various things, largely be-
cause of politicians and contractors inter-
fering, which has caused much real incon-
venience to the soldiers
Savannah, Fernandina and Tampa should
have been selected as shipping points,
with Waycross and Jacksonville, as out
lying camps. A proper division of the
troops and the transports would have sent
the recent expedition 10 Cuba in fine
shape AS il was, nobody went away sat
isfied, nothing being in proper shape. The
embarkation of the troops was badly mis-
managed and took place under many diff
cultes.
I am assured by a number of promi-
nent officers that the advantages of Sa-
Vannah for housing compactly large guam
titles of Quartermaster's and commissary's
stores, well as the embarkation of
troops are superior to any place yet used
or now under consideration.
No city is healthier more fully equipped
to entertain soldiers, or better prepared
to put them on their transports than Sa-
vannah. and should your city be made a
camp of preparation and depot of sup
plies, the glaring defects and evils that
Bigelow depicts win vanish into thin air.
and our soldiers have no cause of COM
plant.
The statement that Gen. Miles. Gen.
Merritt and Gen. Brooke came into the
army from civil life. is error. Gen.
Merritt took a fiYe-year's course at West
Point and graduated in 1860, being then
in the middle of his class. We went into
the Dragons. and during the war made
a brilliant record as a cavalry commander
of the highest rank.
Nor is it true that Brig. Gen. A. s. Burt
L. s. v, is the only private of the regu-
lar army to rise to a generals commits
sion. Brig. Gen. Theo. Schwan and Brig
Gen. Louis H. Carpenter came up from
the ranks of the regular army and Brig
Gen. Wallace F. Randolph, one of the fin
est artillery officers in the service, was
originally a private in a Pennsylvania
regiment
Some newspapers speak of Gen. Miles
as cOmmander-in-chiefo of the army. This
is mistake, as the President alone holds
this title, and next to him comes the Sec
rotary of War, to both of whom Gen.
Miles is subordinate. He is simply the
commanding general" by virtue of the
earlier date of his commission as major
general and assignment to that position
by the President.
The first commander of the United States
army an 1889, was Lieut. Col Josiah Har-
mer. In 1896 Brig. Gen. James Wilkinson
was in command, and in 1900, the COM
mand fell upon Brig. Gen. Wilkinson
again, he having given place to Lieut..
Gen. George Washington in 1898. All the
other commanders have been major gen
erals, except Brevet. Lieut.. Gen. Scott,
Lieut. Gen. and Gen. Grant, Lieut.. Gen.
and Gen. Sherman, Lieut.. Gen. and Gen.
Sheridan and Lieut.. Gen. Schoield all
by special act of Congress for each.
The Southern people have touched ten
Ger spot IN the hearts OF the NOrtnornerS
by their very kind and generous treatment
of the soldiers en- route to Tampa and
Jacksonville. In this good work the no
bic people of Troy, Ala, have been con-
spicuous. Corpl. Wardwell of q Wiscon-
sin regiment wrote back to Troy a letter
of thanks for the kindnesses showered
upon his soldiers in passing through that
city. The Daily Messenger published this
letter and sent a copy, by request, to the
soldiers mother, Mrs. Mary T. Ward
well, of Buffalo, N. Y. Among other
things this good mother writes: "My
heart Is SO full that cannot express to
you all I fell. We are very grateful that
you gave such kindly thought to our SOL
diers. We all pray to the same
loving Father who will hear and answer
our prayers May He bless you and those
to whose welfare you are devoting your
life. MY children join me in grateful ac-
acknowledgement of your exceeding kind
ness" s. A. II.