The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-27
THE WAR INVESTIGATION
TESTIMONY HEARD BY THE COMMITS
SION AT HUNTSVILLE, ALA.
Supplies at Tampa and Santiago
Stores Intended for Skaters
Army Not All UnIOaded.

investigating commission to-day post
poned the inspection of the camp here ow-
ing to a mild snowstorm and very muddy
roads The camp is a large one with about
fifteen subdivisions Of troops, to say moth
ing Of the hospitals. There are d great
many regulars here, and among them many
who participated in the Santiago campaign.
Some of these will he examined by the COM
mission. The investigation here will be Ill
rected to the procuring OF facts concerning
the management of the hospitals and the
care of the sick while the army was in
Cuba. 1--WE know all about the landing and
the way the battles were fought said Gen
eral Dodge. What we want to know is
how the sick and wounded were cared for"
The commission began the examination
of witnesses with Gen. Louis Fl. Carpenter,
who is in command in General Wheeler's
absence. He had been at Chickamauga,
Tampa and at Fernandina before coming
here. He said the camp at Chickamauga
was too crowded. That at Tampa was UNI
satisfactory, but it was not intended to be
permanent That at Fernandina was ideal
The food supply had been ample through
out but quartermasters' supplies were gem
orally slow, and there had been especial
trouble in securing tents. There more
difficulty in getting supplies at Tampa than
elsewhere because of railway congestion.
Maj. Charles M. Candy, the surgeon who
was in charge of the medical supply depot
at Tampa, said he had been able to fill all
reasonable acquisitions for medical supplies
with promptness but many bulky articles
for which substitutes could be had were
not supplied. Regular troops were easily
satisfied, but the volunteers were exacting.
Still, there were some delays, and he men,
toned one instance of supplies ordered
from New York that were not received for
two months. He had fitted out the Shafter
expedition for Cuba and thought that in
the main the expedition was fairly supplied.
This was especially true of the first expe-
dition. Half of the supplies he had on hand
had been packed tor Cuba, and he had
afterward made a supplementary shipment
of two wagon loads. He had afterward
heard that many OF those stores came back
to Tampa in the hold of the Iroquois. He
gave the name of Captain Munson as au-
thority for this latter statement and he
was sure that Captain Munson would tes-
tify willingly and fully.
During the afternoon session of the COM
mission g. number OF officers who had served
in the Santiago campaign and in Florida
were examined. Gen. u. >. Carpenter sad
the sick at santiago had suffered somewhat
on account or the deficiency of medicines
and medical supplies, but TINS the only
deprivation of which he spoke. The troops
did not receive their entire Iations while in
the neid, but he was quite sure that no man
in the command had gone hungry.
Capt. George 5. Cartwright, VINO had been
aid TO General Kent in the Santiago cam
paign, said that doubtless some of the men
had been hungry at times, but lie thought
the excitement of battle had sustained
them. On the night OF July he had
half bareback for supper and the remain
half the next morning. He thought
that under the circumstances the commas
sary department had been quite efficient at
Santiago.
Lieutenant Farnsworth, General Lawtons
Quartermaster at Santiago. gave the details
of forwarding supplies, and Lieutenant
Gierson, chief commissary at Tampa, and
Captain Thompson, who had held the posi-
ton at Fernandlna, told of the supplies at
those two points. Mr.. Farnsworth said that
for time it had been impossible to get full
ratiOns to the front. Messrs. Gierson and
Thompson said the principal complaints
they mad heard about supplies concerned
the bacon furnished.
Maj. IL. ID. ThomaSson, surgeon Of the
Thirty-third Michigan, who mad served in
the general hoSpitaI at Montauk Point after
Aug. IL, said that in August there were 600
patients in the hospital and that there were
often eight in a tent. There were in the
beginning of his service not sufficient cots,
and some men had to sleep on the blankets.
Some of the members of the hospital corps
were without training, but he had known
of but one instance in which hospital refuse
was thrown out on the ground beside the
tent. There were times when there were
not a sufficient number OF attendants. AS
a rule the surgeons capable. but when
he went into the institution there was a
sad deficiency in numbers. He had heard
no complaint of ill treatment from patients
but there was criticism from outsiders. He
thought deaths were caused by the removal
of patients before they were in condition
to be moved Yet the removals made
to make place for others who were still sick
and who otherwise would not have found
a place in the hospital. In one instance he
had been told to get 300 ready for removal
but when going through the hospital he had
found only seventy fit to be moved and had
demanded a written order This order he
did not get, and therefore removed only the
seventy. He estimated that from 200 to 500
had been thus prematurely removed