The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-05
SICK AND
WOUNDED MEN
NEGLECTED
Improper Treatment
of Soldiers.
NURSES WERE BADLY NEEDED
DURING FIGHTING IN CUBA
SUPPLIES RAN SHORT.
One Witness Before the War Investi-
gators Says BE Saw a Hos
pital Patient Covered
With Maggots.
NURSES WERE BADLY NEEDED
DURING FIGHTING IN CUBA
SUPPLIES RAN SHORT.
Special to the Sunday Call.

IL
the witnesses four officers who served
in the Santiago campaign, one of then
being General H. c. Egbert, who, as
lieutenant colonel of the Sixth United
States Infantry, was shot down at Sar
Juan Hill by bullet piercing his chest
The general appears entirely recovered
Lieutenant Colonel Miner, now in COM
mand Of the Sixth Infantry, was an
other interesting witness. Perhaps the
most suggestive testimony was that
given by Major Griffith Of Kansas City
who was in charge of the Third Divis-
ion hospital of the First Corps. The
commission expects to complete its
work here tomorrow evening and to
resume it in Chicago on Monday morn
ing.
DR. Menage, contract surgeon, serv-
ing with the Sixth Infantry, testified
as to the absence of hospital tents for
his regiment in Cuba. He treated his
sick in the regiment in preference to
sending them back to the division hos
pital, because of the difficulty in trans
portation. The nearest hospital was
perhaps a mile and a half away.
The medical supplies were reasonably
sufficient. His chief trouble was in get
ting an ambulance. This he got after
q DELAY Oh Two udyS. uS ASSllLAGA1I 4S4 l
there about the 9Th of August. At that
time there were about thirty or forty
men in acute condition. Perhaps one
eighth of the command was reported
regularly for treatment.
Lieutenant Schendel of the Sixth In
fantry was the next witness. AT San
tlago he was made cOmmiSSary. NeceS-
sary supplies were always sufficient,
except such delays as were unavoidable
from rains and difficulty of transporta-
ton. After the fall of Santiago the
regiment was fully supplied. AT Mon
tauk Point the supplies were sufficient,
but during the first week they were
sometimes delayed until late in the day
by insufficient railway facilities. This
was soon remedied. The men were we'll
taken care of by the medical depart
ment. After reaching Montauk Point
the men rapidly broke down. Not more
than twenty-five or thirty escaped ILL
ness of some sort. The witness was
i'll twice
Lieutenant Colonel Miner, COMMAND
ing the Sixth Infantry, regarded the
Tampa camp as excellent.
The transport Miami. in which his
regiment went to Santiago, was not fit
for troops. The men would have died
in their quarters if the voyage had
not been mild, so that the portfolios
were left open and air thus supplied.
The supplies of the men and officers
were the same. Most of the officers
were on foot from loss of horses.
Speaking of the attack at San Juan
Hill, he said he found when they
reached the summit that Colonel Egg
bert had been wounded, and he was in
command. That night no supplies
came and the men were without food
or blankets, except such food as they
had in their haversacks.
The witness said the command began
TO break down about the 14th. They
had dug trenches at night and lay in
the wet bitches all day. The hot sun
and the wet weather broke the men
down. When march of three miles
was made not more than one-fourth of
the men kept up, but all got in by
night. The morning after the Surren-
der the witness took the regiment to
higher ground and kept them in camp
By personal appeal to General Kent,
he secured one wagon and cooking
utensils and a change of clothing for
the men. Capitalization was the trou>
Die = Capitalization in staff depart
ments, he meant If the witness could
have got one wagon after the surren-
der he could have kept mis- regiment
supplied But nothing could have pre-
vented the sickness that followed the
exigencies Of the Cuban campaign.
Being asked about the diet he said
ne would recommend pickles and vege-
tables for Cuba. The canned beef was
starving would not eat it, 1t seemed
to be meat that had been boiled for
extract and was as free from nutrition
as chips.
Colonel c. B. Hunt of the First Ohio
infantry testified that when his regi-
ment reached Chfckamauga it was
poorly supplied with clothing and arms.
and never was fully supplied and never
had requisition filed completely. If he
MADE requisition for 500 blouses he
would get $50. The sickness among the
troops was not the fault of the camp
and not due to lack Of medicines, but
more to the incapacity of the COM
manding officers in not enforcing dis
cipline and giving necessary care.
William H. Davis of Cincinnati was
the next witness. He was sent to
Chickamauga to examine the water
supply, which he reported as bad
General H. c. Egbert was examined.
He is now Brigadier General of Volun-
teers and Colonel of the Twenty-second
United States Infantry. He COM
manded the Sixth Infantry after the re-
tirement of Colonel Cochran until he |
10 find with the camp at Tampa or the |
supplies. or even with the transport |
Miami, except with the ventilation
General Egbert said the Seneca was
not in. good condition for transport |
Ing troops, and that it's officers did not
RN~AAA |
age as much as the surgeons. When |
the Seneca reached Fortress Monroe |
the surgeon telegraphed to New York. |
The next day, to his surprise, the yes
sci had not gone. He asked WHY and |
was told the captain refused to go until |
ordered to do so by the Quartermaster's /
Department. The witness called on the |
captain and found this to be true. After I
remonstrance against holding the /
wounded men in such a place, the wit |
ness told the captain he would tele /
graph to the Secretary of War telling
him of the conditions and asking for
orders.
Meantime he sent note to the quar-
termaster at Fort Monroe, and as soon
as the situation was understood there
an order was given for the vessel to
sail at once to New York and the cap
tain obeyed it.
Fred ]. Flueger of Newport, KY, tes-
titled that he went TO Chickamauga
August to bring home Albert Boe-
decker of the Second Kentucky, who
was lying in the hospital. He found /
him in a very bad condition. He was in
tent with four other patients, the