The times., 1898-12-16
A DEFENSE OF His CAMP
Maj. Gen. Brooke Before the
Alger Relief Board.
A TILT WITH DIR. CONNOR
Major Parker's Testimony Contra
dicted-Admissionso of Negligence
The Excuses offered for Delays
Constant Complaints of the Hos
We're Slow.

Mai. Gen. John r. Brooke took up the
entire time of the Alger Relief Commis-
sion yesterday. He was in command at
Camp George H. Thomas. Chickamauga
Park. from April 20 until July Q. when he
left for Porto Rico. His testimony was
chiefly given TO a defense of his conduc.
of the Chickamauga rendezvous. In his
opinion. affairs there were managed in a
commendabie way. always to the best In
terests of the numerous troops.
In reply to severe criticism made by
Major Parker. of the Twelfth New York
Volunteers. to the War Department, con-
cernlng the administration of Gen Brooke
at Chickamauga. in which it was declared
that he (ien Brooke) had left the seeds
that bred typhoid fever. the general said
that the statement was false and that il
the commission would give him copy OF
1t he would have Major Parker court
martialed. This angered DR.. Connor and
he remarked with emphasis. mo, you
won't" while Gen. Beaver insisted that
| the commission would see that Parker
was protected.
After detailing his troubles in equIppins
| volunteers, who, he said, came to Chick
| amauga destitute of arms and army cloth
| ing. and admitting that at the start there
| was a lack of medical supplies, Gen
Brooke devoted himself to the statements
made by Col. Hartsuff. chief surgeon at
| the Chickamauga camp.
Col Hartsun had told the commission
| that he had been sent to Chickamauga
| at Gen. Brooke's request Gen. Brooke
| told the commission that he did not ask
| for Col Hsrtsuff, nor did he wanr him at
| Chickamauga. He knew the colonel OF
| old. he said: knew him to be peculiarly
I constituted individual and did not regard
him as 4 satisfactory man for the place.
I He always gave heed to Hartsu1f's sug-
gestiOns, but wanted other testimony be-
fore he acted upon them. As to shearing
1 division commanders of authority over di-
| vision hospitals, which Col. Hartsuf said
| he had so strenuously opposed, Gen.
! Brooke declared that such action was. ney-
/ er taken By him.
DIR. Counor wanted to know whether it
was not true that there had been a de-
| plorable maladninistration of the hos
pitais at Chickamauga- Gen. Brooke re-
| piled that he knew of no such thing To
this DR.. Connor answered. with much
spirit. that there was an abundance of
testimony before the commission TO
! prove that the conduct of the hospitals
was simply abominable. that they were
7
nursing, that medicines were wanted: in
! fact. that everything in the hospital
service was quite as bad as it could have
been.
Gen. Brooke admitted that there were
constant complaints of the need of medi-
cines. He complained in turn. TO the
| adjUtant general of the army Hospitals
! received medicines rapidly as they
were furnished. That was the best he
could do.
1t was hard. Gen. Brooke thought. to
| place responsibility for neglect in hos
pitals He never knew Of a medical Of
fer being convicted by military court
for professional shortcomings
As to the delay in receiving medical
| supplies, Gen. Brooke wrote to hi su-
periors. The replies received indicated
that efforts We're being made to get them
TO him. All that he could do was to wait
DIR. Huidekoper was the subject of
particular praise from Gen Brooke.
| Huidekoper. the general declared, was
one of the best OF the volunteer ex-
ampIes of administrative ability and pro-
fessional skill. He was inexperienced
when he began his service, but he was a
man of broad education and natural in
tellect and took hold of his work with
an alacrity and energy that was aston
ishing. and carried through medical
! measures for the benefit of health with
| a riSIdneSS and unIailing certainty that
was exceedingly exasperatins TO those
with more limited views.
A statement that DIR. Huidekoper was
in the habit Of drinking too freely was
read by Gen Beaver. Gen. Brooke de-
! cIared that the allegation was absolutely
false.
Returning to camp matters at Chicka-
mauga, Gen. Brooke's attention was
! called to a statement that the men had
been compelled to get up at 1870 in the
morning and go TO drill without break
fast. He said he never knew that any
such rule was in vogue. If it had been
at any time. it was without authority
from him. AS matter of fact. the men
did not get work enough. If more had
been put upon them, they would have had
: less time to indulge in habits detrimental
to both their health and military excel
J lence.
In concluding his testimony, Gen
: Brooke suggested 10 the commission that
he had decided ideas concerning the mob
iliZation of troops lie thought they
/ should be equipped thoroughly in the
State camps before being centered in
large camps. The trouble in the large
camps was that men came with almost
nothing and there was a tremendous draft
on the resources of the country at ons
2 point