The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-08
FIVE MORE OFFICERS
Testify to the Excellence of
the Wars Management.
SAYING THAT NO ARMY
Was Ever in the World So
Well Provided For.


nesses were before -, war investigating
commission today: General Greene, who
participated in the battle at Manila; Colo
mel Lee, chief Quartermaster at Camp
Thomas, and Major Hersey, who was Ior
time in command of the Roosevelt Rough
Riders. Each admitted the possibility OF
individual cases of suffering and dIscom-
fort, but ali said that the vast majority Of
complaints were exaggerated, even II not
without foundation. They agreed IN say
ing that no army was ever So abundantly
and Iuxuriously supplied as was the Amer
lean army IN the Spanish war
GENERAL GREEN'S TESTIMONY.
General +. Nj. Green, who was in charge
Of one OF the divisions Of the United States
troops AZ the battle OF Manila, was before
the war investigating commission at its
forenoon session yesterday. lie sailed from
San Francisco to Manila on the steamer
China, an excellent vessel, he said, which
was inspected by d board of officers before
ii was chartered. He found the ship in
good condition, but the men necessarily
were crowded. Four months provisions
and a large quantity OF quartermaster's
and medical supplies was carried, With
few exceptions the loading was carefully
done, though there was some displacement
owing TO haste.
General Green said that there was no
complaint during the voyage Of scarcity of
supplies, but during the first two days out
there was some dissatisfaction with the
cooking. This was soon improved and no
criticism was heard afterward. The de-
tails of the ocean trip and of fac battle
of Manila were related in a manner calling
forth the closest attention from the COM
missioners. but covering the same ground
as his report to the war department re-
Gently made public. He spoke of the insur-
gents which lay between his forces and the
Spanish lines. 1t was, the witness said,
impossible to Nv can estimate of their num-
Der, but he thought it was about 5000.
They were well supplied with MaUsers and
Remington rifles, many of which they had
captured from the Spanish and others
/ they had purchased abroad.
| The health Of the troops was excellent
and the commissary supplies were abun-
dant but difficulty in getting them ashore
on account of the storm, caused some hard
ships. My on one day were they without
food. burt during the other twenty-four
/ days they had sufficient food to sustain
( life, thouh there was a shortage, due en-
| tirely to the Indictment weather. He con-
| sdered the surgeons efficient.
! 1t had been impossible to properly supply
the men with shoes and as consequence
| about 300 of the troops marched in to the
city barefooted after the capituation.
] 10Th ha
! lions should be adapted more to campaign
experiences than at present.
! Since the civil war the regulations had
I been refined until they had been filed down
/ to such fine point that they could hardly
move under them.
The site Of Camp Merritt, San Francisco,
/ was very poor. The location was made by
! General Otis, and General Green felt safe
! in denyin the report that there had been
! collision with the railroad authorities in
| choosing the site.
The most fragrant evidence Of neglect
that he had, seen during the war was the
| case of transports at New York. Their
condition was Of a character that should
have been remedied.
Comparing the experience of his troops
with those of Turkey and Russia, ne said
he had seen more sufferin in the Turkish
army in day than he had seen in the
American troops in a month, and there
were 5000 Russian troops i'll of typhoid
feer at the close Of the Russian campaign.
He spoke from observation. and said the
comparison at every point was favorable
to the American troops.
A ROUGH RIDER TESTIFIES
The officers appointed from civil life were
willing. but as a rule were without expe-
rience and the great difficulty was that
there were not enough regulation officers
to so around"
Majo Heny B. Hersey OF Santa Fe, n.
! NJ. of the Roosevelt Rough Riders, said
the camp at Tampa, Fla, was low and fat
and toward the close of his stay there in
July there was an increase of fever and
kindred diseases. The troops were. he
said. we'll supplied from the commissary
and other departments. but there were
some complaints Of the bearin OF the physi-
clan who was left with the squadron alta
this point. He ascribed the sickness of the
men in Cuba 10 the climate and the hard
ships Of the campain.
He had come north to wikof on the
Mai which was considered one OF the
worst of the transports. but the voyage
was not Characterized by any special dis
comforts. Camp Wikoff was the most per-
feet camp he had ever seen.
COLONEL LEE. OF CAMP THOMAS.
Colonel James @. c. Lee. chief quarter
master at Camp Thomas, said that his
estimates for supplies all had been met
with a remarkable degree Of prompt.tude.
Colonel Lee dwelt upon the natural DIFF
fcultles Of supplying an army OF IS eo,
who seemed to expect 10 Be able 10 run TO
faucet and et everything they wanted
upon the spur of the moment.