The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-22
A BOOST FOR ALGER
War Secretary Again Tells What
He Has Done.
DEPEW TO THE RESCUE
ASKED ALGER TO REVIEW HIS
OWN RECORD.
Chauncey Then Hastens to Spread It
Before the Public - Alger Pre-
sents the Extraordinary Feats
Accomplished, But Ignores
Charges of Incompetency.

Charges of Incompetency.
New York, Aug. 21.-Hon. Chauncey M.
Depew has received letter from the sec
rotary of war and has consented to its
publication. The letter, which was writ
ten in reply to request for information
on the subject referred TO. is as follows:
War Department Aug. Is, 1898
My Dear Mr.. DepeW-The great pres
sure of business has prevented me send
ing TO you the statement you were kind
enough to ask as to what has been &C
compiished in the way of Quitting the
army for the field, conduct of campaign,
etc. Also the chiefs of divisions have been
too much driven with work TO compile the
data requested. One not in the midst of
the work can hardly realize what an UNI
dertaking it is to call 125, 900 men into the
Held 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 scarcely any out
mt for their accommodation, all having TO
be provided for by the war department,
as you know. when war was declared,
there was no equipment whatever for the
volunteers in store. That this was sue
ceSsfully accomplished, with very few
accidents, is a matter of record. Suisse
quent calls, including the regular army
(Which numbered about q ,0G0 men when
war was declared), made total of 26S,500
men.
To accomplish all in so short time has
been great work. OF course, gathering
this vast number of men together, in
large measure under unframed reglmental
and company commanders mean in
actual field duty-the lack of knowledge
as to the sanitary conditions to be OBJ
served, the careleSSnesS in not observing
instructions which We're furnished as to
the proper use of them, added greatly TO
the work of the medical department. Thus
from the homes of 2l6.000 volunteers has
constant great anxiety been felt as to
what might happen 10 their soldiers and
hundreds OF inquiries made by letter and
kilograms have been received every day
concerning individual soldiers. The feel
ing upon the part of these people that the
war department is responsible for the
care of them individually has naturally
aroused sympathy in case OF sickness and
death and created much sorrow. There is
nothing young men in robust health are
gone. Men go into camp feeling that they
can stand anything and everything and
cannot be made to believe to the con-
trary until stricken with disease.
FIELD OFFICERS RESPONSIBLE.
Every effort has been made from the
beginning to furnish every camp with
the commanding officers in the field are
the ones who have direct charge of these
men. For instance, one army corps COM
them respecting sanitary affairs, and he
has today but fraction over per cent
on the sick list. Others have not been
successful and the consequence is that
typhoid and other feVers have bred and
spread to a considerable extent One regi-
ment in the Chickamauga camp has
regiment, requiring all men to boil all
wafer they drink. keeping the camp clean
ly, and the result is that there are less
than % sick and the camp, too, is in as
unfavorable a location as any in the COM
mand. Others more favorably situated
have ten times that number on the sick
call not yet removed from its state, sends
bitter complaints of typhoid fever.
SANTIAGO CAMPAIGN.
Concerning the Santiago campaign. when
the ships left Tampa, they had on board
three months provisions and an abund-
ance of hospital supplies. They had
lighters to unload at a point of debarka-
ton. These lighters were lost in severe
storms on the way. AS soon as we were
notified of the fact, two lows of lighters
were sent from Mobile and New Orleans.
which were also overtaken and lost by
storms. The navy supplied us with light
ers and one of these was wrecked. The
army disembarked, getting off portion
of its supplies and medical stores. and
Immediately marched to the front to fight
the SDaniards. The great difficulty of
landing supplies subsequently was that
the wind Sprang up every morning at 10
Impossible the use of small boats. with
one lighter, which was all they had left
for the purpose. OF the packers who
were employed so or more fell sick and
heavy rains falling every day, the roads
Gf they could be called such) became i'm
for vehicles. Pack animals had
to be employed TO carry food TO the army |
which, being extended to the right around
Santiago, increased the distance from
the coast every day, and made the task
more difficult
SKATERS WISDOM.
However. in the result. and the subse-
quent sickness that has broken out in the |
army showed the great wisdom of General !
Shafter in moving forward TO make an |
attack while his men were in Vigor. 1t !
was a movement bordering audacity, |
but it succeeded and the persistence of |
the attack, | have no doubt. greatly dis !
heartened the Spaniards. The result was !
one of the greatest victories for the men |
engaged of modern warfare The number |
0f prisoners taken exceeded the attacking |
force by nearly two to one.
When yellow fever broke out and the |
fever list increased into the thousands it
was Tor time supposed that il was prin- !
cipally yellow fever. The bringing of /
troops north at once after the surrender. |
under such conditions, would have been
inquiry, it was ascertained that a very
few of these cases comparatively were |
yellow fever, when it was at once decided .
10 bring the men home as speedily as
possible.
EVERY EFFORT MADE.
Everything that human ingenuity could
levise has been done to succor that army
lot the ingenuity of the secretary of war
)ut the result of the combined counsel
If those who have had a lifelong expert
nee in the field. Some men have been
on the transports coming home
here is no doubt all against positive
riders, due perhaps to careleSSneSS and
Negligence largely. on account of not
having the medical force to spare (many
# whom were Sick). from the camp at
Many medical officers sent
With the transports We're taken ill on
he way home.
DEPARTMENTAL WORK.
To give YOU a little idea of the work
hat has been done / append the fol-
owing. The work of the adjutant gem
rails department has been to muster and
rider 10 their station, to be precise. ga
10 volunteers and $4,000 of the regular
rmy. This, with a reduced force as
many of the staff officers from all of the
apartments had been promoted and
rdered TO the field.
The chief of engineers reports an ex-
enditure of S5.SG0.O09 for harbor defenses,
ulldlng emplacementS of heavy guns |
lortar batteries. and mines.
The surgeon general has had the fore
lost work of fitting up hospitals, organic
lg the medical corps, employing male ;
nd female nurses. contract surgeons or
ldeS those commissioned as corps. bri- I
ade and division surgeons, furnishing .
ledlcal supplies and answering the de-
lands or them all over the country and
amps at Santiago, Porto Rico and
lanila. The work done in this line is al !
lost beyond comprehension.
The commissary general had purchased l
nd distributed up to Aug. l. 10 907 235 !
oundS of rations, which have been trans / {
orte9 ana distributed to all armies in ?