Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-11-04
NASBY S[CY. AYERS ORDER
That Division Hospitals We're Estab-
lished at Camp Thomas.


THESE INSTITUTIONS WERE THE
CAUSE OF MUCH DEMORALIZA-
TION, AND ARE LOOKED UPON AS
A DECIDEDLY BAD THING IN
THE OPINION OF DIR. HARTSUFF.
THE PLAN ON WHICH THE
CAMP WAS ESTABLISHED WAS
BAD, BUT DIR. HARTSUFF'S REC
COMBINATIONS AND PROTESTS
BROUGHT NO RESPONSE-INEX-
PERIENCE AND INBFFICIENCY
OF MEDICAL OFFICERS RESPoN-
SIBLE FOR MUCH SICKNESS.
WATER WAS BAD AND INSUFFI-
CIENT-ARMY FOUND A SHORT
AGE, AND THE TAKING OF A SUP
PLY FROM CHICKAMAUGA RIVER
WAS IMPERATIVE.
Washington, November 3.-Dr. A.
Hartsuff, who was chief surgeon of the
army at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga
Park, from the 21st of April until the
9th of July last. was examined to-day
by COL DENLY, of the war investigating
commission, concerning the conduct OF
the camp from a medical point OF view.
He criticised various features in .Ae
management OF the camp, beginning
with the location Of some OF the regi-
mentS. he said that the park was upon
general principles good camp ground,
but that some Of the regiments were
located in swampy sections and others
On rocky ground where it was impos-
sible to get the sinks of sufficient depth.
In other cases the camp was poor
ly drained and in most instances the
tents were too close together. He said
the sites were selected by Gen. Brooke,
and that notwithstanding his own
position as chief medical officer, he
had not been consulted in regard TO
the location. He had made formal
protest at the time, but the protest
was not needed.
y DR.. Hartsuff took positive ground
against the establishment of division
hospitals at the expense OF the regl-
ments. He said that the law Tor the
organization of volunteer forces did
not provide for the enlistment OF d
hospital corps and that as conse-
quence there was no force for the hos
pital work, and the only way to get
Dne was to transfer men from the vol
unteer forces to the regular force,
and often these men were not the most
efficient. He thought division or
field hospital was a necessity. But he
did not think it should be built up as
at present by taking surgeons, stew
ards and ambulances from the regi-
ments, but rather as an Independent
institution He had found that regi-
mental surgeons and nurses transfer
i r.r.t fol
SO capable of rendering good service;
many were quite useless. Others were
almost paralyzed. Furthermore there
was immense confusion in transferring
the regimental effects to the hospital
and in sending them back When the
regiments were ordered away. 1t was,
he said, a case of confusion worse con
founded.
do you," asked Col. DENLY, think
the establishment of division hospi-
tails bad policy?"
Very bad as DONE" responded the
witness.
Couldn't you, al chief medical Off
Ger, have controlled the matter?" he
was next asked
mo, sir; it was an order of the
Secretary of War, and under this order
no regimental hospital could be main
tanned" He thought this order unfor-
tunate, that in carrying it into effect
the work Of caring for the sick was
greatly interfered with and that no
one was benefited by it.
IL. Hartsuff also expressed the opin-
ion that the water supply of the camp
was not good. He said that when the
troops began to pour in the discovery
was made with alarm that the supply
was insufficient and that he. General
Brooke and others had set about to in
crease it.
The decision to take water from the
Chicamauga river had been arrived at
under the necessity of great haste, but
Notwithstanding the intake pipe was
located above the mouth of the creek
draining the camp he did not consider
the water of the river wholesome, and
The had recommended even after the
pipe line was established to meet the
emergency that arrangements should
be made to extend the system so as to
secure water from CraWfish Spring
He also said the men often insisted
upon using surface water which was
nothing more than drainage from the
camps.
Another feature o the camp sys-
tenn which DR.. Hartsuff criticised was
that of allowing each regiment to have
a refuse dump of it's own. This had
rendered the camp very Objectionable
from a hygienic point OF view He mad
recommended to Gen. Brooke the Gre
nation of the garbage.
He stated that the recommendation had
not been acted upon, and in response to
q question from Col DENLY, said a med
icaI officer could not execute, but could
only recommend. He attributed the fall
ure to adopt his recommendations to the
confusion incident to preparing great
army for the field.
Asked If the volunteer army surgeons
under him were competent, DR.. Hart
stuff replied that some were while
others were not. The great diff
Guilty had been to secure men of ad-
ministrative ability to conduct the hospit-
ais He thought there had been suffer-
Ing because of this ignorance and instanc-
ed one case in which he had found a big
hospital practically out of food because
none of the surgeons connected with it
knew how to make a ration return.
Summing up, DR.. Hartsuff said:
"In my opinion, the sickness at Camp
Thomas was due largely to the inexper-
isnce, and in many cases the inefficfency.