The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-22
All Military Branches of the Govern
ment Pushed to Their Utmost for
the Last Four Months.
SICKNESS DUE TO SOLDIERS
WHO REFUSED TO HEED PRE-
sCRIBED SANITARY REGULATIONS.
CareIessness, Negligence and Acci-
dents at SantiagO-EnOrmOus Work
of the Quartermaster General.

NEW YORK, Aug 2.-Hon Chauncey NJ
Depew has received the following letter
from the secretary of war and has consent
ed to it's publication. The letter. which was
written in reply to request for information
on the subjects referred to is as follows:
MY Dear Mr.. Depew-The great pressure
of business has up to now prevented me
from sending to you the statement you were
kind enough to ask for as to what had been
accomplished in the way of Quitting the
army for the field, the conduct of campaign,
ETC. Also chiefs of divisions have been too
much driven with work to compile the data
required. One not in the midst of the work
can hardly realize what an undertaking it is
to cal 125, 900 men into the field at one time,
coming from all the States, and to have
them mustered and gathered in camps on so
short notice, and this, too, when we had
scarce any camp outfit for their accommo-
dation, all having to be provided for by the
War Department. AS you know, when war
was declared, there was no equipment what
ever for the volunteers in store. That this
was successfully accomplished with very
few accidents, is matter of record. Sub
sequent calls, including the regular army
(Which numbered about II, 600 men when war
was declared) made a total of 26S, 500 men.
To accomplish all in so short time has
been a great work.
"Of course, gathering this vast number of
men together, in a large measure under un-
trained regimental company commanders
mean in actual field duty-the lack of
knowledge as to sanitary conditions to be
observed, the carelessness in not observing
instructions which were furnished as to
proper care of the men, has added greatly to
the work of the medical department. Thus,
from the homes of $4,000 volunteers has
been constant and great anxiety as to what
happen to their soldier, and hundreds of in
quiries made by letters and kilograms have
been received every day concerning individ-
ual soldiers. The feeling on the part of
these individuals that the War Department
is responsible for the care of their men in
dividually has naturally aroused sympathy
in case of sickness and death and has Great
ed much sorrow. There is nothing young
men in robust health are so prodigal of as
their health. until it is gone Men go into
camp feeling that they can stand anything
and everything, and cannot be made to be-
lieve to the contrary until stricken with dis
ease.
SANITARY RULES NOT ENFORCED.
Every effort has been from the begin
ming to furnish every camp with all appli-
ances asked, but, of course, the command
ing officers in the field are the ones who
have the direct charge of these men, For
Instance, one army corps commander mas
given orders and enforces them, respecting
sanitary affairs, and he has to-day but a
fraction over per cent on the sick list.
Others have been less successful, and the
consequence is typhoid ard other fevers
have been bred and spread to a consider
able extent. One regiment in the Chicka-
manga camp has a colonel who enforces
sanitary rules in his regiment, obliging the
men to boil all the water they drink, keep
ing the camp cleanly, and the result is less
than twenty-five sick, and his camp, too,
in as unfavorable place as any in
the command. Others more favorably sit
uated have ten times that number on the
sick list One of the regiments of the last
call, not yet removed from its State, sends
bitter complaints of typhoid fever.
Concerning the Santiago campaign, when
the ships left Tampa they had on board
three months provisions and an abundance
of hospital supplies. They had lighters to
unload with at point of debarkation.
These lighters were lost in severe storms
on the way. AS soon as we were notified
of the fact tows of lighters were sent from
Mobile and New Orleans, which were also
overtaken by storm and lost. The
navy supplied us with lighters, and one OF
these was wrecked. The army disembarked
getting off a portion of its supplies and
medical stores, and Immediately marched
to the front to fight the Spaniards. The
great difficulty of landing supplies subse-
quently was that the wind sprang up ev-
cry morning at 10 o'clock and made high
surf, rendering almost impossible the use
of small boats with one lighter, which was
all they had left for this purpose. OF the
packers who were employed 60 per cent soon
fell sick, and, heavy rains falling every
day. the roads Qf they could be called such)
became impossible for vehicles Pack an
imals had to be employed to carry food to
the army, which, being extended to the
right around Santiago increased the dis
tance from the coast every day and made
the task more difficult.
SHAFTER'S WISDOM.
However, the result and the subsequent
sickness that has broken out in the army
showed the great wisdom of General Shat
ter in moving forward to make the attack
while his men were in vigor. 1t was a
movement bordering on audacity, but it
succeeded, and the persistence of the at
tack, have no doubt, greatly disheartened
the Spaniards. The result was one of the
greatest victories for the men engaged of
modern warfare. The number of prisoners
then exceeded the attacking force by near
ly two TO one. When yellow fever broke
out and the fever list increased into the
thousand 1t was for time supposed that
il was principally yellow fever. The bring
ing of the troops north at once, after the
surrender. under such conditions, would
have been certain death to a vast number,