Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-23

work."
II was only a lieutenant colonel and
/ could not know whose fault 1t was.
Replying to other questions Col.
Roosevelt said the food was ample,
and. with the exception of the canned
roast beef, good. The beef was very
bad. Col. Roosevelt told of the voyage
to Cuba and the Decentralization of the
regiment at Daiquiri.
Capt. Shaw, who was associated with
Col. Roosevelt in the navy department,
sent Cuban pilot on board the Yu-
catan and he took the transport mile
and half nearer the shore than any
of the other transports. There was
scarcity of material for landing men,
horses and supplies. till replying to
questions Col. Roosevelt continued:
after supper Col. Wood told us that
we were to start. next morning, to take
the Spaniards. The next mornings
march was hard one, especially for
the men. There was no opportunities
for flankers. 1t was so hot that about
100 men dropped out for a rest and
when the first Spanish outpost was dis
covered Col. Wood ordered silence and
I was sent to the right to deploy that
wing.
When the Spaniards began firing !
did not know what was up. 1t was my
first experience. They were using
smokeless powder and I could not see
where they We're. 1t was Richard
Harding Davis who first called my at
tention to the Spanish hats in the dis
lance. When l located them with my
n. -l.o Is u b,,t
l knew it was good rule if in doubt
to go ahead and so went ahead"
Col Roosevelt CLOSED over the further
details of the fighting. He paid warm
tribute to the galantry of Assistant Sur
geon James W. Church, former Prince
ton foot ball player. who, he said, more
than once ran to the firing line and ear
red wounded men on his back to the di-
vision hospital.
Asked about the rations. he said: I'VE
had the regulation rations of salt pork.
hard tack, coffee and sugar, but the men
wanted vegetables and / wanted to get
some for them. I took 40 men with the
officers horses to Siboney and tried to
buy them. The department refused to
sell me beans and tomatoes unless l could
certify that they were for officers con-
sumption. ] stretched my conscience SO far
as l could and then boarded transport
and purchased about 500 pounds of beans.
The change did the men good. 1t was
too hot to eat nothing but the regulation
rations'
Col Roosevelt went on to tell of the
advance on Santiago and of the night of
July /, when the regiment slept in the
trenches. He spoke of the advantages of
smokeless powder and said that the
United States Artillery was frequently
driven from it's positions because of the
targets made by the clouds of smoke that
resulted from each discharge of the black
powder.
WAS your command fully supplied with
food and ammunition asked Gen. Will
son.
THE ammunition supply was excellent.
The food was not sufficient. There was
plenty of food back at Siboney. I sup
pose it was lack of transportation facili-
ties that kept us without good food until
July "A. l organized a transportation
corps with the horses of the officers and
went to Siboney and got food for the
men. Then later l got into Santiago and
bought rice and milk. If we had had the
mule trains that we were forced to leave
behind at Tampa, there would have been
no lack of supplies"
Col. Roosevelt said other regiments at
the front suffered from lack of supplies.
One man of the Illinois regiment visited
! the Rough Riders camp and offered 81
for some hard tack. Two hundred men
| OF the regiment came into the Rough
| Riders camp and ate the hard tack. The
| Rough Riders had enough to eat but II
was the result of individual effort and
| individual expenditure. There was a
great scarcity of all medical supplies al
the front except quinine and calomel, d
great lack of surgeons and hospita
| stewards.
Gen Daniel Sickles and Admiral Erber
of the navy, sent in their cards while
Col. Roosevelt was testifying. They Were
invited in by the commission.
WITH reference to Camp Wikoff, Col
Roosevelt said there was great confu
sion for the first three days after TIL.
arrival of the troops. During thes'
days" he continued, Il do not thinl
our men We're treated as well as the.
should have been so near home, blu
after that there was nothing that
could find fault with. l thought on
brigade was admirably treated and on
sick admirably cared for. The recor'
was badly kept at the hospital, but tn
work was crowding the authorities an
as our regimental records Were badl
kept I do not care to complain abou
it. OF course l can only speak of tn
experiences of my own regiment.
why was there scarcity of medi
cal supplies in Cuba? asked DR.. Con
nor.
Il don't know. I heard there wer
: plenty on the transports. There wa
enough of all kinds. / think We coul
have done better with fewer men an
more transportation
Were the privations greater tina
you expected"
Il did not expect anything. l wen
to take things as they came. l thin
that all the privations there Nigh
might have been avoided if the trans
portation facilities had been arranged,
: Have you anything you can sugges
to us for the future?" asked Gen. Wi
!. son.
4 Il believe all the difficulties we ms
u H. IT,, f,,t - - |,