The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-05-12
THE INVESTIGATION!
Of Major General Miles
| Concluded.
The Board CensureS Miles,
Eagan and the Canned Beef,
And Says The Rations as Whole
We're Unsuitable, i@
But Nobody But Miles and Eagan
Were to Blame.

After the close Of the war, there was
much complaint Of the character of the
camps and the character and unsuffici-
|ency of the rations furnished the sol
diers.
Thousands Of soldiers had died from
sickness and other thousands came
home sick unto death.
The complaints made by the news.
papers caused shifting of camps, and
q considerable improvement during the
progress Of the war.
In the Santiago campaign, so much
sickness developed, that Immediately
after the city surrendered, the subor.
dinate officers addressed Ground rob.
inn letter to the Administration, asking
that their regiments be Immediately
Withdrawn from Cuba.
The result was that the army oi
Shafter, as soon as transports could be
secured, was transported to Long
Island, where a new camp had been
prepared for it, at Montauk. Point.
On the way home and after their ar.
rival at Montauk, so many OF the sol
diers got sick, that q parade Of the
Santiago veterans in New York City
had to be abandoned, because the
General in command reported that moi
more than one fifth Of his command wal
able to parade.
So general was the sickness thai
some of the regiments lost 10 per cent
of their number before they were
mustered outr-within six months.
Here was a condition of affairs tina
should have been thoroughly investi
gated, but it never was, and never wal
attempted. Soldiers who left Santiago
in good health, were taken sick a
Montauk, and remained sick fol
months, and laid their sickness to th'
canned goods they had to eat on ship
board.
Gen. Miles, after the close OF tn
war, began to investigate the state o
affairs, as he had had personal knowl
edge of the issuance of bad rations II
his own command, at Porto Rico. HI
sent orders to the officers under him
particularly to the regular ofiicers-t
report the facts as to the ration supply
especially as to the beef ration, in thei
several commands. These command
were scattered and it took some tim
to get their replies.
Gen. Miles became satisfied, fror
these returns that the army had bee
furnished with bad rations, and lik
every true soldier who loves the me
who fight his battles, he became il
ldignant and let out some Of the facts
reporters.
| For this, he has been denounced
threatened with court martial, remov,
from command, ETC., etc.
But the voice of the people had bee
traised in demuciation of the rotte
beef issue before Miles let out any fac
and it would have raised storm of il
, Idignation to have condemned him fl
taking the side of the soldiers.
So commission was appointed al
it made a report that was everywhel
3 condemned as a whitewashing repor
8 and it fell so fat, that the Secretary
y War at once ordered Board OF Inq,
: Try to examine into the complain
|, tmade, and after several months, havil
d taken a great deal of testimony it b
r made, its report.
}. This report condemns General Mil
for unsoldierly conduct in not reporti
n to his superior officers the facts
= learned, instead of making them kno'
= to the public, and for not ordering
!. m mediate investigation. And it also
l. ports that his charges as to the refrig
t. ated beef were not sustained.
N We are no partisan of Gen. Miles;
m don't know whether he is Republic
or Democrat; but we fail to see q
ground for condemning his action,
n the evidence that has been offered
n fore the Board. We think every chal
n he made has been fully sustained, 6
a much more proven.
s- He is condemned for waiting so 10
as before making his charges. But
pr complaints were matters Of notorie
a. and no officer above him had made
Ie effort at investigating. Why is not
no Secretary of War condemned by
Board because he did not order an
vestigation? The condition of the al
sn and the charges that were notorit
D. should have made him order an inve
Is, cation in August, but he did moth
al of the kind. Miles is condemned for
it. doing what others above him she
is have done.
d.. We have recognized Gen. Miles
he the advocate of the rank and file Of
ty army, demanding justice in their
he half, and he has been the only one b
in authority who had complained of