The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-02-14

ns win give or that the secretary OIL wa.
will place in the general in chief that con-
fidence which is necessary to perfect llar-
mony. Neither the president nor the sec
retary of war should have in the command
in harmony with him."
The Secretary of War.
The report now takes up the war depart
ment and its various chiefs of subdivisions
beginning with the secretary of war. "The
been laid before US, show that the secre-
tary OF war. extended to all chiefs of bu-
rsaus cordial la and full SUPPORT and prompt
upon upon, him = by commanding officers. No
to serve personal interests. The charges
made .a. that the secretary of war was pecu-
nnd aTy IN m m
ment have been thoroughly examined and
"In the Judgment Of the commission
there was lacking in the general admfnis-
tration OF the war department during the
compete o Of be war ata Win an SnsI that
essential to the highest efficiency and dis
cipline of the army.
generais Department was not as efficient
as 1t ought to have been. The organiza-
ton IN. IN the he field was ample and the in
officers to whom they had been assigned.
These reports were often not acted Opor
and were not forwarded 10 the war de-
partment.
Was Not Prepared for War.
1T will be observed that the declaration
OF war threw upon the quartermaster's
department an amount of labor and re-
sponsibility for which 1T was neither
physically nor financially prepared. The
department has reported that on April /.
1898, 1t was amply provided with all neces-
sary say clothing and ,equipage supplies for
ia q ~rr1NT &c han, n1scr m
ized. 1t appears that within few weeks
II became necessary TO provide for clothing
nnu me eqSipping an army OF more than 25o, COO
soon as war was inevitable. SO soon as law
permit1ed. per m the depart part
tne quartermaster gener Il threw the en-
ergy of his department into his work when
hi ocers ayaabe and that
Iorts to aid him, is plain to those who have
carefully studied their work
Some of the Complaints.
'In spite of every effort there were occa-
sions wnere troops suffered from poor tent
age or lack of tentage and absence of straw
TOT beddtng, where clothing was scarce
an and troops suffered discomfort for lack Of
At santago the @ defaiency % u.ei at the e. front ap
pears to have been caused rather from lack
Of transportation from the coast than from
which was on the transports. Great COM
plant was made of lack of transportation.
sfMSsaRties e M at the camp ear At MSniaMk Point.
promptness on the part Of the quartermas-
In the care of the sick and convalescents
returning home either with their regiments
or alone Great complaint was made of the
railroad congestion at Tampa and the abb
solute lack of ability to bring order out OF
chaos at that place during the early part
The major general i' commanding' has stated
that supplies for 10000 men for 80 days were
ordered there. and the confusion on the
railroad when he reached Tampa was very
great 1000 cars being sidetracked. some of
them as far back as Columbia. g. c.
Lack of Executive Ability.
sit is stated that in the hurry and rush
attending the commencement of this work
Tampa: that bills Of lading were not for
warded, and that it seemed Impossible for
time to determine where absolutely neces-
quartermaster's department., testifies that
this was corrected later on when the con-
11
ed The condition of the railroad conges-
ton during the early portion of the time
paraileled, showing an almost inexcusable
lack of executive ability on the part of
those charged with the loading. unloading
and handling of the trains. Col. Bird and
very poor facilities for transferring troops
Florida Central. railroad to the Plant sys-
tenn, leading direct to Port Tampa. Order
was finally brought out of chaos. the cars
| vast amount Of supplies of every character
delivered at this Immense encampment
Water transportation.
With reference to the vessels used to
| transport troops to Cuba. the report says
pacity had been largely overrated and it
| was impossible to carry upon them. with
out great at discomfort and nd danger more
| equipments. artillery, ammunition. sub
for @ VOYAGE of 1000 miles: ...
| to have been able to more thoroughly
equip these vessels. and surely It should
capacity. A sufficient number of vessels
| for transporting $4,000 men, with the re-
| quired lighters for their Decentralization.
had such action rendered necessary the
seizure of every steamer on the Atlantic
and and Gulf coasts sailing under the American
Land Transportation.
lowing to the lack of necessary trans
ports the means of land transportation dur
ing the Santiago campaign was painfully
transports arrived off the south coast of
Cuba near Santiago on June 81; that the
| pack trains were landed on June %; that
the first wagons were. landed on June 25.
and that the landing of the latter was con-
! tinued more rapidly than they could be
/ of those that We're landed were never set
/ up at ALL Gen. Chaffee testifies that on
! July /, at the battle of Ell Caney, ten days
after the arrival of the fleet there were
| no ambulances or wagons available and
| that the roads were so horrible that they
could not reach the front.
TT is plainly evident that this army of
| 1900 men disembarked in the face of an
| enemy in hostile country, and rapidly
/ thrown forward against well-armed
force, was painfully deficient in land trans
portation, but in spite of the absence of this
| almost absolutely necessary portion of the
equipment of wel-trained command it
drove the enemy before it, captured their
outposts. pushed them behind their main
defenses. drove their fleet from Santiago
| bay to absolute destruction as it faced the
| navy of our country, and finally, after most
| gallant fighting under tropical sun,
4 amidst most adverse conditions. captured
a strongly fortified city and received as
prisoners of war over $4,000 Spanish sol
diers.
OF the department under charge Of Gen
Eagan as commissary general the report
says: 1.-The commission has carefully in.
1 vestigated the subject of the condition
j to the army. Almost without exception il
has been shown by theftestimony taker
lAthat wherever the troops were ordered
whether to the various camps In the United