The Indianapolis journal., 1898-11-19
General Dodge's Reply to a Woman
Who Asserted the Men Had Suf-
cred Greatly in Hospitals.
DR.. GREENLEAF'S TESTIMONY
HOW HE SECURED MEDICAL SUP
PLIES FOR SHAFTER'S ARMY.
Women Nurses Not Desirable on the
Firing Line at SantiagO-Dr.
Frank DOnaIdsOn's Evidence.

NEW YORK, Nov 18-The war investi-
eating commission met here to-day. All the
members were present except Colonel Dem
by and Major Miles.
DIR. Charles r. Greenleaf, chief surgeon
of the troops in the field, on General Miles's
staff, was the first witness to-day. He said
that in some respects Camp Alger was
good camp for a small body of men, but
there were many drawbacks. The water
supply was poor and the region was known
to be highly malarious There was a def
cheney of privates in the hospital corps and
of medical officers, and at times of medical
supplies. The best interests of the SICK DR..
Greenleaf said, were not seriously imperiled,
but the efforts of the physicians were gem
orally embarrassed. Taking up the ques-
ton of the lack Of tents, surgeons and med
ical supplies in Cuba. DR.. Conner asked DR..
Greenleaf how the medical supplies were
delayed at Siboney. DR.. Greenleaf said he
did not know.
who finally unloaded these supplies?"
asked DR.. Conner.
''I did. 1 captured some pontoons and
took the law into my own hands
"You unloaded in thirty-six hours sup
plies that had been lying in the harbor two
weeks. Why did not DR.. Pope, chief sur
geon of General Skaters corps, land them
within those two weeks?"
81 suppose that he was at the front at
tending to the wounded"
Ibid DR.. Pope take charge Of one
wounded MANI"
''I cannot say,' replied DIR. Greenleaf.
II am sure that DR.. Pope did the best he
could. 1 had full authority from General
Miles to do what 1 thought best"
In reply to question DR.. Greenleaf said
he supposed DR.. Pope had authority from
General Shafter sufficient to enable him to
unload the supplies at Siboney, as he (Dr.
Greenleaf had done.
''There is no doubt" said DR.. Conner,
'that some one was dreadfully at fault.
Can't you help us to find out who it was?"
NO EVIDENCE OF NEGLECT.
DR.. Greenleaf said he could not. In reply
to another question DR.. Greenleaf said that
it was usual in time Of war to anticipate
the wants Of wounded men, and to expect
that there would be wounded. He could
not tell if all proper arrangements had been
made in Cuba, but he knew that the stores
had been landed. He declared positively
that he found no evidence of any neglect
or incompetency on the part of any medical
officer.
Questioned as to the condition Of affairs
on the transports Dr. Greenleaf said he did
not personally inspect the transports at
Cuba, but those leaving Porto Rico under
his personal direction were we'll equipped
in all respects.
an ideal camp for its purpose. Lack OF train
service he considered a petty discomfort.
No complaints of any moment were SUD
mitted to him, and the small SrumDllngS ne
heard he investigated and. found without
justification. Questioned as to the discom-
forts endured by the furloughed men, VINO.
sick and weak, were compelled to loiter
about the railway station awaiting fares
and furloughs, he said that all that trouble
might have been avoided by the establish
ment of a quartermaSter'S office at the hos
pital.
DR.. Conner asked why the large force of
women nurses who had offered their serv-
ices were not accepted, and DR.. Greenleaf
said there was no way to care Tor them at
DIR. Greenleaf. still replying to questions,
told of the methods of granting foroughs
from the hospitals at Camp Montauk and
of the influence brought to bear on the
surgeons to grant these furloughS. he Sald
if a man to whom leave was granted died
at his home the surgeons We're blamed 1or
letting him leave the hospitals, ana Where
leave was refused if the men died there, his
friends declared that home nursing would
have cured him.
FIRING LINE NO PLACE FOR WOMEN.
Ex-Governor Woodbury-Is it proper to
criticise the department for not having en-
ployed female nurses sooner than it did?
DIR. Greenleaf-I think not. General
Sternberg, and agreed with him. did not
believe that the firing line was the place for
a woman. In the hospitals women nurses
rendered excellent service, but at the front
there was no place for them.
General Dodge asked concerning the con-
dition Of the transports leaving Tampa for
Cuba, and DR.. Greenleaf said they were
dreadfully overcrowded. He could not say
that the overcrowding was not a military
necessity, but it was certain 1t was wrong
from a sanitary point of view. This con-
cluded the examination of DR.. Greenleaf.
David J. Goss, a private OF the Seventy
first Regiment, who was cook for his COM
pany at Camp Black, told Of the supplies is,
sued to the troops He said they were good good
Tampa on the Vigilancia, transport No. %,
and found the conditions aboard pleasant.
The ship was very comfortable, he said, but
the ventilation might have been better. In
reply to questions by General Beaver, Goss
told Of the Decentralization at Siboney and
marching men threw away their haversacks
with their rationS, and then shared other
mems supplies until the next days rations
were issued. He spoke highly of the at
tention paid to him by the surgeons at the
Camp Montauk hospital when he returned
after an attack of yellow fever. The nurse,
Miss Graves told MIN his trouble was starva-
ton, but there was plenty of food on the
St Louis for well men. AS general sum-
ming up OF MS ulOSl uDpl6dSdHI eAp0IituCc,
Goss said: 1T was all pretty rough. Moth
ing went right. 1t was some ones incom-
potency, but l don't know whose When
we left Camp Black at O'clock we were
kept moving about doing nothing, and then
forced to spend all night in the sheds
at Long Island City because some one had
blundered. and so it went on all the time"
He did not grumbie at the San Juan hill ex-
perience, because it was necessary; the
other discomforts, he said were not.
Henry Hauck, an assistant foreman in the
fire department. who served throughout the
campaign as a private in Company L of
the Seventy-first Regiment, said that he had
no complaint at all to make of the treat
ment he received while in the service.
William Hamilton Henry, whose son
served as private in Company B. Of the
Seventy-frst Regiment. during the cam
paign told of a visit to Camp Wikon in
search of his son, who sick. He found
him lying on the bare ground in tent.
THREE PILLS FOR n BROKEN ARM.
Richard w. Henry the son, called.
He was taken sick after the surrender Of
Santiago Speaking of the treatment he re-
ceived from the army surgeons in Cuba,
Henry said that they did the best they
could and treated every one alike In fact"
he said they made no distinction in man
ner of treatment or in medicine. 1t was two
pills for a fever and three pills for broken
arm
DIR. Frank Donaldson. who joined Colonel
Roosevelt's regiment in Cuba on July and
who was stricken with yellow fever on July
"A, when asked by Dr. Connor as to the
condition of the hospitals. replied: Il do