The herald., 1898-10-07
INCLUDES TESTIMONY OF LEE
AND sozNToN
THe 7w0 GENERALS AGREED
That Supplies Were Plentiful and
That the Men in Camp Were
Well Treated
Associated Press Special Wire.

day In the forenoon General ii. V. Boy n
ton conclueded his testimony and General
Ftzhugh Lee was heard in the afternoon.
General Boynt9M dwek today upon the
cause Of disease at Camp Thomas, charging
the increase towards the close Of the camp
to the lack of sufficient care on the part of
the regimental and brigade comma Iders
in covering the sinks General Lee detailed
the conditions prevailing at the camp at
Jacksonville. He said the site was a good
one, the supplies were plentiful. the men
we'll taken care of ana he had no complaint
to make of the war departments treatment
of his command He also took occasion, in
reply to question put by Captain Howell,
to say that he did not consider that he
had been sighted in the war. He wanted to
go to Havana and the president had re-
Gently told him that in case it had been
necessary to take Havana by assault he
had intended to ask him General Lee) to
lead the asssulting party.
Boynton Concludes
WASHINGTON, Oct 6-General H. v.
Boynton concluded his testimony before
the war inquiry commission today.
In reply to charges formulated by Sur
geon Milo E. Ward, of Kansas City, who
8k1lu, III Il " lliS tAol AhS
camp was without drainage, that the
water was unfit to drink, that there was no
proper food, and that all of the 45Oo men in
the camp We're suffering from intestinal
diseases, General Boynton said:
"Of course, in so large camp, some pain
full things must necessarily happen. For
instance, when the measles broke out the
hospitals were quite crowded. But to say
that there was any purposely inflicted neg
lects," he declared, 'is as false as it is pos
sible to be-
These complaints led General Boynton to
enter a general statement in regard to the
condition of the camp. and to give his
opinion as to the cause of it.
He attributed to prevalence of disease to
the exposure of the regimental kitchens and
hospital sinks. These had, he said, in the
latter part of the camps history. been left
uncovered by earth, contrary to directions
by the surgeon general, and this fact more
than all others, he considered responsible for
the spread of disease. This failure to carry
out sanitary orders. he thought, was due
to the negligence Of the subordinate Of
ficers, the brigade and regimental COM
manders. The trouble only began after
General Brooke was ordered to Washing
ton. Prior to that time, General Brooke
required daily reports from the regimental
officers and prompt attention to any neg
lect of sanitary precautions This sls-
tenn and the care which accompanied 1t had
the effect of keeping the camp In good con-
dition. When General Brooke left for
Washington. the camp was necessarily In
charge of the subordinate officers. When
General Brooke returned his time was de-
voted almost entirely to preparation for
the Porto Rican campaign so that he
could not give so much heed to sanitary
regulations as he had previously done.
General Boynton elaborated upon the
strict discipline maintained by General
Brooke in police and sanitary matters. but
said there was a suspension Of this care
after the Porto Rican campaign was de-
cided upon. After General Brooke left
there was material increase of disease,
and at one time almost a panic.
Returning to the conditions subsequent
to the data when General Bro oks was or
dered to Washington. General Boynton
said the exposed condition of the sinks had
encouraged the presence of a multitude of
flies, which bred disease by carrying germs
from the silks to the tents.
"They We're" said the general "as thick
throughout the park as they ever could
have been in Egypt, and they went back
and forth from the sinks to the mess table
of men and officers with the greatest i'm
punty. covering everything in sight
General Boynton was questioned at some
length as to where the responsibility for
this condition of affairs lay. He said that
1t lay with the brigade and regmental
commanders.
"I am satisfied" he said. that the medi-
cal officers reported to them the cond-
tion and warned them of the serious conse-
ounces of failing to obey the surgeon gen.
erals orders for the covering of the sinks,
but the medical officers could not give Dr.
ders; they could only advise. I would
not say that the commanding officers as a
whole paid no attention to these represen-
tations, but many of them apparently
failed to appreciate their importance and
did not give them the attention the cir
cumstances demanded. They should have
received the attention for instances, that
officers in the regular army would have
given them"
General Boynton added that he did not
mean to make any reflections on any officers
from civil life, hut there were some things
them were not experts in sanitation. Fur
thermore. most people looked upon the
camp as partly temporary, and the fact
that all We're in daily expectation of receiv-
ing orders to move caused many to be in
different of the future.
In discussing with Captain Howell the
question of rations supplied to Camp Thorn
as, General Boynton volunteered the sug-
gestion that there had been no complaints
from southern soldiers In the camp.
And" he continued. 81 do not believe
We would have heard half the outcry that
has been raised If all soldiers had been
from the south"
General Dodge said that only two or three
charges had been received from the south
and they We're not from soldiers. The
testimony of General Boynton concluded
the commission adjourned until after
noon.
Lees Testimony
General F.tzhugh Lee was before The
committee at its afternoon session. Cen
eral Lee had no complaint to make in re-
gard t. supplies. r. June. while the ex-
petitions were ing aotten off. there was
then supplies Of all kinds had come with
regularity and N abundance.
"There have. Of course he said. "been
some complaints. Soldiers are like school
boys: they sometimes complain. even when
there is no occasion for complaint"
He thought the army ration was abundant
ard IN the main well suited to a campaign
n tropical climate. Yet he thought sonle