Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-02-16


MENr
"Thc commission finds that the inspec-
tor generals department was not as cf
lI,tcnt as it ought to have been. There
i seems to have been question as to the
authority by which inspections were to be
ordered. on at least one occasion. May II.
! The secretary Of war instructed the major
general commanding The army to inspect
certain camps. viz, those AT ChiCklmauga,
Atlanta. New orleans. Mobile. Tampa
Miami ana Key West. Tho major general
did not act upon such Instructions. stat
Ing it to be his place to order inspection"
QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT
con March I, 1885 with the possibility Of
war with Spain, the Quart"rmastcr's de-
partment found itself facing the prohq bill
ity of large army being organized TOR
field service.
1t was also confronted with the revised
statutes which prohibit amy government
department cXpending money in excess of
appropriation that purchases shall not Cx-
coed the necessities of the current year
and that al proposals shall be advertised.
! 1T will thus be observed that the dec
! laraton of war threw upon the quarter
masters department an amount Of .abor
and responsibility for which it was neither
physically nor financially prepared.
CLOTHING, CAMP AND GARRISON
EQCIPAGE.
..rhc darortment has renorto1 tbo+ IN
April i, 1S9S, it was amply provided with
al neco Ssarv clothing and eQupage sup
plies for three months for the army as
then organic d. 1t app that wi ,hin a
few weeks it became necessary to provide
for clothing and cGuipping AN army of
more than a quarter of Il million Of men.
So soon as funds We're available so soon
as war was inevitable, so soon "a law per
mitted. the quarte,mastcr's department
under took IFS enormous work That the
quarternaSt'r general threw the energy
of his department into this work when
funds Were available seems evid mt, and
that his officers labored faithfully in tn in
efforts to aid him is plain to those no
have carefully studied their work.
I'm spite of every effort there were oc-
casons where troops suffered from poor
teLtagc or from lack Of tcntaSa and abb
serce of straw Tor bedding. whore cloth
inE was scarce and trcOls suffered dis
comfort for lack of shoes. shirts and other
hr '', 1T 1T "pPI(l, ms Was note.
Arniston. huntsville ana Lexington.
MANY complaints were made in refer
cnoc to unnecessary DELAYS ana lack oi
promptnes4 on the part Of the quarter
masters department III the moving of
regiments ana ia TIE care Of sick and
conValesccnt returning homo with THEN
regiments or alone.
POOR MAN \Gi.Nr1,>1, Ar r>,rp,
GREAT complaint was male OF the raul
read congestion at Tampa ana tn abso'
Nlc Iack OF dplIty TO brlnS order out oi
claoS ut tnNt place during the carly par
OF III" leilod oil MS occupancy ~ troops
! ne major SehcraI comm"hcihS mas stdte'
mat suip4'S lo' 'o'o'" men lor ~ d"SS
were grderyd ih"ro and the confusion or
the iai!roid Wheh ne r'ached lhmpt was
sI'h'' lV'' '":S p'IlE Sl@N tracked
IL Is Sl"ted 'l''' III thc hurry ana ru9t
attending lAe commencement cl TINS WotF
lne c0hlon'7 OF cars were unknown a.
iaihla ana mat II seems llhpu9S ,le I'f :
tin' 10 uc-riliIhc Nhtfe apSolut y he1's
SdiY "rl'l'S were locdleu'
me ooHu!t ION OF IN" rl!Fodd cohS'F
non curing thf carr! portion Of th' uih'