Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-02-04
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- ---- -----@--I gle, blockhouse
and trench, and that with the fever,
this last not fully ended when the camp
broke up. Every narrative of the cam
paign, whether from the lips of private
soldier or those Of captain, colonel or
general, was prefaced and punctuated
by indictments of the fever as the chief
evil encountered in Cuba Witnesses
needed squirting in order to bring out
details of battle, but the unusual hard
ships of the transports, Of existence in
Cuba and of the fever were staple top
les.
In general the breakdown of the
troops began Immediately after the sur
render The heat, the loss of capacity
to relish and digest coarse, fatty ra-
tions, physical strain and malaria,
were reasons for the collapse. The reg
ulars also said that drinking water was
rendered impure by the volunteers, who
washed and bathed in the streams above
camp. Regular soldiers knew better and
carried water away from the streams
for their additions. In every respect the
sanitation of the volunteers was cited
as bad, and Camp Wkoff official in
spection records gave evidence of it.
Weakness due to heat and the lack of
nutriment invited fever. Every effort
was made to stem the evil. From the
first cargo Of foodstuffs landed at San
tiago Shafter bought several thousands
cans of condensed milk for the troops.
Cuban wines and all the farinaceous
foods available were also purchased by
the government or from outside funds.
Two officers of the Sixteenth regulars,
Lieutenant Colonel Mclaughlin and
Captain Mcfarland, expended SO. 900
Contributed by their wives) in getting
supplies for their commands. The Red
Cross led i'll noble work, and the one
sentiment III the army about this socie-
ty was, "God bless the Red Cross"
July 90 was the date when the first
alarming list of fever patients was re
ported. Out of /, 800 sick so cases were
set down as fever. On the 23d there
were 400 new cases and 500 on the oath.
This report was misleading, for on the
25th there were over 2, 100 fever cases in
camp, 500 of them new, and only 2S7
sick of other complaints. BY the Goth
the sick roll had reached 3,770 nearly
5000 being fever cases. About this
time there were 600 to 800 new fever
cases daily, and on the 2Sth, with a
silk roll of 4,279, over B, 400 were down
with fever. This exhibit refers to the
hospital only. Several hundred fever
cases were returned from the hospital
to the quarters each day, but the vic
tins were not cured, and ON the Sd of
August, when the round robin took the
matter up, General Ames of Kent's di-
vision declared "a full list of the sick
would mean copy of the roster of ev
cry company" in Cuba, Throughout
there were more sick in the quarters
than in the hospital.
The first general relief began about
July "a. That day Clara Barton sent
word to camp that she had supplies at
Santiago dock for the regimental sick.
The dole for a regiment was a sack of
rice and one of cOrnmeal. One officer
told me that it cost 81 80 to get the sup.
ply for his regiment to camp, and it
helped all hands Before the troops left
Cuba they received rations Of vegetables
and of fresh beef. The government sup
piled beef to the officers messes at 10
cents pound. Panic prices prevailed in
the markets An officer said that he
paid 81 and upward for Che canned fruit
and vegetables sold by grocers here at
10 to IS cents each and was glad TO get
them at any price.
On Aug. the first troops sailed from
Santiago. After that steamers left daily
At one stage 1000 men per diem pour
ed into Camp Wikoff. On the 7th of the
month there was not bit Of shelter
ready, and the same with about every
necessity, so that on the arrival Of the
first troops from Cuba the accommoda-
tions were inadequate and never up to
the demand until the very last. BY the
time the 1000 new arrivals Of a given
day had been provided for fresh de-
tachment, half of whom were sick, de-
manded attention. Yet there was no APP
parent lack Of wise and energetic action
in the use of such facilities as the gov
eminent provided, with the exception
perhaps of the medical department
Hospitals grew, bat they couldn't beat
the pace Of the fever; nurses came for
ward, but the fever gave ten new vic
Tins to the one they could save, and sup
plies poured III, but not in time to stop
the ravaging famine Of nourishment al
ready prevailing.
The cavalry tents were pitched upon
rolling hills, but the enoampment was
surrounded and cut through by swamps.
The infantry lay on the low seashore,
where chill night winds and heavy
mists made fall underwear necessity