Evening star., 1898-08-05
NEGLECT OF TROOPS
Current Talk About Treatment of the
Soldiers.
CONDITION OF MEN AT THE FRONT
Criticism of Bureaus in the War
Department.
COL. ROOSEVELT'S LETTER

| things in the departments. The matter is
| being talked of by both military men and
| civilians, and it appears that this outspoken
expression of Col. Roosevelt and all the
general officers under Gen. Shafter at San
| tiago has brought to an issue a matter
which has been agitating the department
| for some time. Much regret is felt by the
military men generally that the trouble
| which exists and has led to the extraordi-
| nary course adopted by the officers at San
| tlago, should have been made public The
| opinion is expressed in some quarters that
| Gen. Shafter should simply have acted on
| the strongly expressed advice of all his Off
| GERS, but not have made public their
| muncation. 1t is said that the agitation
| looking to the relief of the soldiers who
| succumbed to sickness has been in progress
| for some time, and that the impatience of
| the officers at Santiago at being unable to
get relief sought has been worked up to
| euch point that it could not longer be con-
| trolled.
Gen. Skaters Neglect.
1t is said about the War Department that
| from the beginning there has been great
| difficulty in getting from Gen. Shafter ex-
| plicit information to the situation of af-
| fairs at Santiago, and that Gen. Shafter
| has said repeatedly that it would not do to
4
! lsh prisoners were still there.
His hospital reports have been statistical
in character, giving the number of sick, the
deaths, the number Of new cases and the
number of discharged from the hospital
! from time TO time, but it is said the re-
ports did not disclose the fact that the men
| discharged from the hospital utterly
| lncapacitated for duty, and were in such
| condition as to render it impossible that
| they should be again fit for duty for a long
| time If kept in that climate, and that they
| cid not disclose the further fact that large
proportion of the army, not actually on the
| sick list, We're debiltated and so reduced in
| strength as really not to be fit for duty
| 1t is not said directly that the department
| was In absolute ignorance of this state of
| affairs, but it is insisted that steps We're be-
| ing taken as rapidly as possible to get the
| troops nortn.
The publication of the round-robn has,
however, brought the matter to the sur
I face and set things in motion in a way to
bring about results more speedily than
there was any prospects of under the ordi-
nary red-tape methods of the department.
Now that there has been outspoken COM
plaint of a vigorous character by men of
such character the officers signing the
letter to General Shafter it is expected that
a great deal may come to the surface con-
corning the management of affairs with
respect to the army, concerning which si-
lence has been observed in public I'D to
this time.
Branches of the Service Criticised
Privately there has been a great deal of
grumblng and criticism with respect to |
the service of the quartermaster' and sur
geon generals branch of the service 1t
has been complained of from the first that !
great deal of hardship and suffering has
been inflicted upon the army on account of |
their not being properly provided with the |
ordinary necessaries, in field and hospital |
The medical department of the service. in |
particular, has been the subject of COM
plant, and the general sowness in proyid- |
ing for the needs of the army has been |
matter of comment. Under the best possl- |
bic conditions the soldiers in the field must |
De subjected to suffering and privation and |
complaints are to be expected, but it ap- |
pears probable that our army at Santiago |
has been compelled to suffer unnecessary |
privation, and it is even complained that |
the hospital service in the camps in this |
country, which are accessible to all forms |
of supplies, has not been as efficient as it |
might be. 1t is beginning to be doubted |
whether the cases of the Seneca and Con-
cho, on board which the sick and wounded |
soldiers being brought from Santiago suf- |
Tered such desperate privation, present an |
exceptional case.
Case of the Santiago
The arrival of the San Marcos at New
York from Egmont Key with a large num-
Der of sick and wounded soldiers is said |
to be awaited with great anxiety to officials |
of the War Department. The sick on board |
the San Marcos We're brought to Egmout |
Key on board the Santiago and two other
transports which had taken the horses be- |
longing to Schwans brigade and Ran
dolph's artillery and some cattle to San
tiago.
On the arrival of these transports at Egg
mont Key reports began to come to Wash |
ington of the terrible condition of the sicl, |
on board and the absolute lack of prepara-
ton for their care before leaving Santiago |
II Is judged from these reports that when |
the sick are disembarked at New York |
they may have tale to tell of worse con- |
oltlons even than existed on the Concho !
and Seneca. 1t is said that the three |
transports which brought them to Egmont |
Key We're in the condition of unclean sta
bles; that after discharging their cargo of |
horses and other animals at Santiago they
were Immediately loaded with the sick and |
wounded, and sent back without being
cleansed, and with little provision for the
care of the sick. 1t is reported that the
conditions attending the voyage until the
sick were transferred to the San Marcos |
at Egmont Key, We're almost unendurable |
Conditions at Camp AIger.
The state of affairs with regard to the
care of the sick which is said to have ex-
listed at Camp Alger until very recently
may give an idea of how much worse the
situation must be at Santiago and on board !
ili-equipped and badly managed transports.
1t is said among department officials. in
excuse OF whatever shortcomings there |
may be in the care of the army that both |
the medical and the quartermasIer,s de-
partments had but a small establishment /
to begin with, and were compelled to rely |
on new men without experience In such /
large undertakings to very considerable
extent. and that. moreover. the department |
and the whole military esta abiishment was |