The Indianapolis journal., 1899-02-28
Testimony of Fighting Members of the
Ninth Infantry before the Army
Court of Inquiry.
TIMED MEAT MADE THEM ILL
1T WAS NAUSEATING AND APPARENT
LY LACKING IN NUTRITION.
Refrigerated Beef, When Not Spoiled
Gen. n. ID. McFeeIy's Testimony.


quiry that is investigating the beef charges
was the evidence of enlisted men. They
condemned the canned roast beef.
The first witness to-day was Lieutenant
Charles F. Dwyer, Ninth Infantry now at
Madison barracks. This witness had only a
vague memory of what the meat component
of the ration was on the voyage from Tampa
to Santiago. He knew that after the COM
mand landed the men had bacon, corn beef
and canned roast beef. There were numerous
complaints as to the canned roast beef but
there was no official action taken on these
complaints, as it was difficult to get any
thing in the way of rations to the front,
and the army felt that the commissary de-
partment was doing the best it could. After
the capture Of Santiago witness was sta
toned altogether in the city and his COM
mand getting the refrigerated beef early in
the day it was always fresh and good and
he heard no complaints as to it's quality.
He had made no report on the beef after
returning and should not have felt it his
duty to do so except under orders. He had
been made sick on one occasion by eating
canned roast beef stew, but otherwise his
health had not suffered.
THE OLD COOKED RATION.
Brigader General Robert D. Merely, re-
tired, who was cOmmissary general of sub
sstence from 1875 to 1890, testified that dur
ing his services he had recommended the in
PRODUCTION of a regular travel ration with a
view to lettering the condition of the SOL
diers. Prior to that the men often had suf-
fered on long trips in trying to live for
several days on what was then known as
the cooked ration" which usually consisted
of bread and meat without even coffee. Col.
Davis read the records referring to these
orders dating back to 1873 and showing that
canned fresh beef was included part
of the travel ration.
General Merely said that General Sher-
man was the commanding general OF the
army at the time and that he was consulted
on the constitution of the travel ration
Witness said he had seen all the articles
then included in the ration, beans, cn6eSe
and canned meats, in frequent use on hunt
ing expeditions and had found them good.
This was his reason for selecting them Ills
recollection was that general satisfaction
was expressed in the reports on the intro
duction of the travel ration. Cheese after
wards was dropped from this ration not be-
cause the men did not like 1t, but because
it lacked keeping qualities, especially III not
weather.
Regarding the fresh beef supply in the
civil war General Merely said it usu-
ally from a herd of cattle driven with the
army either by the government or by the
contractors. At the time of his retirement
from office he said that about two-thirdS
of the army was supplied with beef on the
block rather than on the hoof tie did not
recOliect having handled any refrigerated
beef for the army during his incumbency.
During the Indian campaigns in the West
beef herds sometimes had been driven along
and sometimes not. Witness recOllected one
occasion where Il herd of young "cayuse
ponies had been driven along and killed in
from straight bacon. said the old general,
with a smile, ''and nobody who did not
know it was horse would have had any crit
icism to make.
THE MEN COMPLAINED.
A party of six enlisted men of the Ninth
Infantry next appeared. First Sergeant
Howard Alexander testified that his regi-
ment used both corncd and roast canned
beef on the voyage from Tampa to San
tiago. There were many complaints from
the men as to the canned roast beef. 1t
nauseated the men, had little taste and ap-
parently contained little Rutriment. Wit
ness was asked to explain as fully as pos
sble what the objection was to the meat,
but evidently much embarrassed. He
had little descriptive ability, and beyond
saying that the men did not like the meat
ana could rot eat ii he had little to say.
He said that after landing three days
uOnS were issued. one can of beef being
three days ratlons for one man. The meat
was not spoiled when the cans were opened,
but they would not keep from one meal to
the next, 50 the men divided into triOS. and
three OF them got one meal at least out of
each can. The men finally got to throwing
the cans away or not drawing them, the
meat frequently made them sick as soon as
lhey ate II. witness was not willing TO say
definitely whether it was the canned meat
or the malaria that caused most ofkhe
sickness in the regiment. After getting fhto
the city where the refrigerated beef was is
sued the men cOntinud to be very sick
nausated and suffering from bowel trouble
The sergeant thought this also came from
the refrigerated meat: the gravy especially
that which came from the refrigerated
meat seemed to useate the men even
hD -.
canned Deef witness said a can would not
keep more than four hours after opening
He said also that the can was an incon-
Venlent package TO carry in the haVersack
with the rest of the ration. In quantity the
ration frequently short. Witness had
book in which shortage of rations had
been noted. This noted a particular short
age on June 80, on going into action, when
haVersacks were thrown away.
Sergeant Buckage, also of the Ninth, was
called. He gave the proportion of canned
roast beef in the travel ration as two days
out of ten, with eight days canned corned
beef. He testified that the men did not
like the canned roast beef. 1t made them
sick and they did not eat it when they
could get anything else. On shore before
the surrender, about half the meat ration
was canned roast beef and the same COM
plants continued. Each man did his own
cooking in his mess tin or empty cans,
though many ate their canned beef from
the can Nothing they did to the beef in
the way OF preparation seemed TO have
much effect on it. Coming to the refrigerat-
ed beef, Buckage said there was little or
no complaint while in Santiago. After the
regiment got outside of town about a quar-
ter Of the beef spoiled in transit to the
camp. What was left after trimming off
the spoiled part was considered quite good.
lie did not know that any man had been
nauSeated by the refrigerated beef But al
the regiment was sick on leaving Cuba, and
% per cent. actually on the sick report The
part OF the refrigerated beef at Santiago
which was not spoiled by the sun compared
very favorably with what he had eaten in
the States.
RATIONS WERE SHORT.
Replying to Colonel Gillespie. Buckage
said from the 22d of June TO July the ration
averaged one-half short. Asked if he
thought the command actually suffered in
health from this lack of food, he replied
very simply Il think it did. sir" He said.
however. that the men were not disposed
to complain at the time. as they felt the
officers were doing all they could for their
men under the circumstances
Sergeant Budstorm Hatcher, also of the
Ninth, was then called. His testimony
agreed substantially with the two preceding
witnesses His summing up of the canned
tion, as to what was the matter with it,
Was laconic. We'll, sir. II did not look good
when you opened il and Ii did not taste
good when you was eating it, and IL did not
seem TO do you no good after you had eaten
it," While the ration was short on shore and
of il to his company officers. You see, sir,
they were living on just the same things
as he men, he explained.
Major Jesse Lee, OF the Ninth Infantry
who is regarded as one OF the best lawyers
in the department.. and who was with Cen
raj as.d fG ohf al ftn ffn fr@fH H1xF