Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-02-17
GEN. MILES is CRITICISED
By the War Investigation Commission
Alger Did Not Grasp the Situation DisObeyed
Transportation Facilities Inadequate RESPONSE
bty for the Camps--tOO much Red Tape,

That the quartermaster general threw the
energy of his department into this work
when funds were available seems evident,
and that his officers labored faithfully in
their efforts to aid him is plain to those
who have carefully studied their work"
bad Transport Service.
There is considerable criticism, however,
. of the railroad and water transportation
and the transport service is thus treated
| in the report:
Upon loading the vessels concentrated
at Port Tampa it was found that their ca
pacity had been largely overrated and it
was impossible to carry upon them, with
out great discomfort and danger, more
than 1000 men, with their equipments,
artillery, ammunition, subsistence, medi
cal supplies and 1905 animals, for average
| of 1000 miles. Even with this reduction
the vessels appear to have been crowded.
In spite of the efforts of the quarter
masters department, many of these vessels
were poorly equipped with sleeping accom-
modations, the sinks in many instances
| were inconvenent and insufficient, and
| some of the vessels were badly ventilated
and filled with disagreeable odors. 1t has
been stated that had the fleet encountered
severe storm while en- route for Cuba, the
discomfort would have been intense, and
there might have been loss of life. The
quartermaster's department ought TO have
been able to more thoroughly equip these
vessels, and surely it should have been
more certain of their carrying capacity.
A sufficient number of vessels for trans
porting $4,000 men, with the required
lighters for their Decentralization, should
have been promptly furnished, even had
| 10, l,n at
of every steamer on the Atlantic and gulf
coasts sailing under the American flag.
So far as railroad transportation is m
cerned, the usual steps appear to have
been taken. The supplies were sent as
freight, and the great delay in delivery at
Tampa and Chickamauga was mainly due
to the congestion of the railroads at those
places.
The steamers Seneca and Concho were
used as hospital ships for the return of
sick and wounded from Santiago in
July. Their conditions for this purpose
were very unsuitable.
Responsibility for Camps.
Under the head of camps much attention
is given to Camp Thomas, Chickamauga,
which was the subject of such general
criticism during the war, and the difficult
ties which had to be contended with are
discussed. The report is to the effect that
Chickamauga park is not adapted to the
accommodation of more than 20, 900 men
at time. On June 30, there were 5S,54S
men in the camp. The water supply was
unsatisfactory, the water itself repugnant.
Some of the wells being contaminated.
The sanitation of the camp was very i'm
perfect and at times decidedly bad" The
troops were not we'll located, many being
permitted to camp in the woods. Sinks
were not deep enough or sufficiently re-
moved from the mems quarters. Six hun
dred licenses to peddlers and hucksters
were issued by the commanding general in
the early days and the ground swarmed
with vendors Of unwholesome trash. Passes
to Chattanooga were issued at the rate of
from two to six men a day per company
This was fruitful source of injury TO the
men. On the whole the camp was unsat-
isfactory. Without mentioning Major
General John r. Brooke, who commanded
the camp most of the time, by name, the
commission says: "Making due allowance
for the stated causes of insanitation the
responsibility for the failure to materially
lessen the evils which existed must rest
upon the several commanders and chief
medical officers of the camp and corps"
Upon Gen. Miles is placed the response
bility for the selection of the camp at
Miami, Fla, which proved to be in all re-
spects unsuitable, and the glowing indorse-
ment which Gen. Miles gave to this site is
quoted by the commission with evident
relish.
Responsibility for the selection of Camp
Alger is divided between the quartermas-
ter's department and the headquarters of
the army. Camp Wikoff, the commission
concludes, was an ideal place for the isoa-
ton of troops who had been exposed to or
had had yellow fever and for the recupera-
ton of those who had suffered from ma
lara. The faults that existed at that
camp are excused on the ground that the
time for PREPARATION was too short and the
camp was occupied long before it was
ready. In that part of the report devoted
to the quartermaster generals department,
reference is made to the contract with the
Long Island railroad in regard to traffic
between Camp Wikoff and New York
city. 1t was on account of the monopoly
of transportation which was given by this
3 contract that there was so much suffering
among troops ordered away from camp
and so much delay in transporting supple:
= to Montauk Point. The commission
e CLOSES this over and says that the purpose
was to prevent the landing of excursion
f parties or of improper articles at Camp
y Wikoff.
f Against Red Tape.
n "The routine work in the department.
d is far beyond what is necessary, and eacl