The times., 1898-10-26
TOLD TO GO TO THE DEVIL.
Maj. Kings Soft Answer to Wrathy.
Hungry Soldiers.

fseoH OF volunteers and attached to
the First Regular Infantry while in the
trenches before Santiago His testimony.
IN substance, was to the effect that II
was several days before he discovered
how to get supplies from the supply sta
lions. During the several days when
ratlons were short the only wav I'm
which proper food supplies for the sick
could be gotten was by 'rus,ling," a
process In which he participated. he said.
Several important witnesses were ex-
amined at the afternoon session of the
Alger Relief Commission. Complaints
have been frequent in the Fourth Wis
consin Regiment and an effort has been
made to determine the cause OF the
trouble This regiment is camped near
other commands and has supplies from
the same sources. Men have several
times alleged that they did not get enough
10 eat and were compelled to supplement
their army rations with articles from
nome and private purchases.
MAI Charles F. King, surgeon of the
fourth Wisconsin. was among the Wit
"esses called. He said his reoufsi,Ions
We're three weeks in being filled and -.
Aau found his supplies insufficient.
nave You heard men complain Of mt
getting enough to eat?" asked Gen WI,
son. e'i' VII
Yes, SIR
"hat did you tell them?
wen found out that their comp,aip,
was not well founded, >and l told then, ~
go to the devil and eat what von.yo
got you We
III you will allow me. responded Gen
wilson. Il would like to say that I don,
think that a proper remark to make.
beg your pardon" returned the wit
ness.
Lieut. Col. Caldwell, of the same repi-
nent, was asked about COMPLAINS ,1,
ne SAID he had been informed thar tbe
men did not get the fun ration C,nI
Caldwels attention was drawn by cen
Wilson to Major Kings remark for M.
men to go TO the devil and eat what
they had" "--A'
What do you think of that?' Gen
Wilson asked
~ was not right, was the response.
Col Caldwell thought his men wanted
more 10 eat than ordinary men. They
> +-S%Ai III bTItE 10 Trace
paints about lack of food, he said can
tains had been told to make such repo,ts
IN writing, but he had received none, h
charged that the quality Of the coffee wa.
poor. as was also the sugar.
Gen. Frank, the division commander
was next called. He was told BY Chair
man Dodge Of i complaint in the Fourth
Wisconsin. Gen. Frank said the regiment
had but recently come from their State.
were not yet used TO army life. and ex-
pected things just as they had them at
home
Referring to Camp Thomas. he stated
that he recommended to Gen Breckiu-
ridge, the corps commander, that the
troops be sent elsewhere. He inspected
Admission and reported directly to the ad-
jutant general as To the suitability of
the location and asked that his division
be sent here
Major Benson, inspector general at
Chickamausa, charged that there was
considerable difficulty in getting regi-
ments to properly police and clean their
camps. This was true of the Second Ne
braska and Third Tennessee There was
one brigade from which there was no
complaint. The camps of the Fourteenth
New York and First Missouri were abso-
lutely clean. In the entire camp in gen.
eral the state of discipline was very
bad
Gen Frank, division commander. tried
repeatedly to remedy the defect, but he
Vas not properly sustained
Major Henry II. Lee, acting surgeon of
the First Division, Third Army Corps,
complained that the hospital was over
crowded and it never had = proper corps
of nurses.
George A. Lee. private in Company \,
Second Arkansas testified that he. wac
well fed. There were some complaints,
but it was caused by h9mesickuess.
Samuel II. Hunt, IT.. quartermaster's
sergeant in the Fourth Kentucky, said
he had Jared so well that he had gained
twenty pounds.
David Bobbs, private. Second Arkansas,
said he was well satisfied.
George b. Gross, OF the Fourth Ken
lucky, and Major Frank B. Kennon, sur
geon in the same regiment, each testified
TO satisfactory conditions.
on re-examination. Maj. Benson said.
had the regiments po!iced their camps
properly Chickamauga was good place
TO camp. Fifty thousand troops there
could have been secured proper water if
the Government had paid for the use of
the Crawfish Springs.
We'll. now" exclaimed Gen. Wilson.
''as being inspector general and on the
ground. you must know who was to
blame. Who was responsible?"
That is a hard question to answer
replied Mai Benson. ''and I cannot say
definitely. The fault came. though. with
the original placing of the camps. The
fault was made by those generals who
originally placed the regiments in camp.
l don't know who they were"
Maj. Charles c. Woodbury., of Yer
mont, and son of Gov. Woodbury.. of the
commission. did not think Chickamauga
a good camp for $1,000 troops for three
or four months. 1t might do for a few
weeks, but not for any length of time
He referred to the water supply and said
for while water was obtained at Craw-
fish Springs. but the land owner wanted
$50 day for its use. and an order was
issued prohibiting its use. He charged
that drainage from Chickamauga Creek
did flow into the intake from Chicka-
mauga River.
Major Benson was again recalled and
examined about an assertion that the di-
vision commander was not the commander
of the division hospital. DR.. Hon at
Camp Thomas, had made a change in the
personnel of his staff. The men appealed
to the division commander. who held that
the change should not have been made
The medical department appealed and the
corps commander who indorsed the paper.
saying that a division commander had
nothing to do with the personnel of a hos
pital. This was brought to Secretary AL
gers attention when he was at Anniston.
and he declared that a division comman-
der had authority over his division hos
pital.
Capt. F. p. Fremont said that while at
Chickamauga he heard DR.. Schooer say
there would be an epidemic of typhoid