Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-11-03
SHARP CRITICISM
By Soldiers Befoss the War
Investigating Board.
Major Romeyne Has Much Fault to Find
With Cuban Campaign.
Several Testify At Lexington Against the Camp
Thomas Management.

tigating committee held a session here
today, for the purpose of hearing the
testimony of Major Henry Romeyne, a
retired army officer. He said that he
had asked at the beginning of the war
for a military assignment to go to the
front in his capacity as an officer, but
it was refused, and he then went as
correspondent of weekly newspaper
His testimony covered the embarka-
ton of the troops at Port Tampa and
the campaign in Cuba. He said that
when he went to Port Tampa the bank
of the canal there was covered with
troops. He had wanted to go over with
the 10th Infantry, whicn was his Old
regiment, but no one could tell him
where the regiment was to be found.
There was great confusion, as con-
sequence of which a part of the COM
mand would go to one vessel and part
on another and the commands were in
some cases separated from their stores.
He had seen no order for the systema-
tic embarkation of the troops and he
had heard it said that they were told
to go aboard helter-skelter.
When asked to express an opinion as
to the preparations for the embarka
tion, Mr.. Romeyne replied that he did
not think the preparation was such as
it should have been. There was" he
said. "a lack of surf boats and also of
order and of preparation for landing.
When the Landing was undertaken the
troops left the ships indiscriminately
parts of regiments going at one time
and other parts at other times
He told of the effort to tow two
lighters over to Cuba, but said that one
was lost and that it was the general
impression that it was the general i'm
preston that it was lost on purpose be-
cause it retarded the progress of the
fleet.
In response to a question from Gen.
McCook, Major Romeyne said that
while it was difficult to land anything,
ambulances and wagons could have
been landed as easily as artillery. He
had seen only one ambulance at the
front at the battle of Ell Caney, and it
was not used for conveying the wound
ed to the rear.
Speaking of other incidents of this
battle. he said there was general sur
prise that an inflated balloon had been
carried at the head of the attacking
column thus indicating to the Span
iards the exact location of the troops,
but he did not know at whose orders
this had been done. He said the town
Of Siboney was without exception the
most unclean. place he had ever seen
and that no effort was made to clean it
I'D before the fever broke out. There
was lack of proper food at the fever
hospitals, and the cooking was gener-
ally poor.
Major Romeyne sair he had come
North as a convalescent with many
other convalescents on the transport
Concha, and he criticised the provls-
ioning of the vessel in severe terms.
Many of the men were compelled to
sleep on board hunks. without blankets
or pillows, and with no covering at
night except the cotton uniform they
wore during the day.
.'The water was offensive to both
sight and SMELL" he said, "and the food
was poor and scant, none being provid-
ed especially for convalescents. The
meat was canned and inferior, and
much of the hardtack moulded
He also said that there was only one
physician aboard the vessel and that
he was convalescent. Six men had died
on the way up, and Major Romeyne ex-
pressed the opinion in response to a
question from Capt. Howell. that with
proper attention and good food the
lives of at least some of these men
9 could have been saved. He said he was
unable to place the responsibility for
the neglect but that the captain of the
vessel had stated that when he made
application to go to Jamaica for fresh
food and water before starting on the
voyage from Santiago, the request was
refused.
Gen Wilson, Governor Beaver and
Captain Howell go to Camp Meade. to-
morrow, for the purpose of inspecting
that camp.