The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-02
FIRST STATEMENT FLES BRYAN AS A COLONEL
HE TOOK GOOD CARE OF HIS
MEN.
Was Incessant in His Efforts for the
Sanitary Condition of the Camp and
for Hcalthfulness.

| Tor ItcalthtulneSS.
Albert Watkins, Jr., in the Chicago
Record has the following interesting
article on William j. Bryan's army
! record:
LAS q colonel Mr.. Bryan was a fiat
failure, and again a grand success. AS
| a commanding officer at drill or on
| dress parade, as a leader in the field,
or at the head of his regiment dur
a corps review, his awkward attempts
were subjects of pity and ridicule to
all good soldiers. But as a father to
the men in his charge, as a thoughtful
| proVider Cor their comfort and a dill
gent champion of their few privileges,
there was no more efficient colonel in
| the ith army corps HIS own men
knew this, and We're quick to make the
! distinction, loving the colonel of the
camp AND worrying but little concern
| ing the incapacity of the colonel in the
| field. And Col. Bryan himself seemed
| Indifferent on this point. He exhibited
no ambition to learn the difference be-
| tween a preliminary command and one
of execution, and during the six months
of his sojourn in the south he advanced
but little in an understanding of the
formal field duties of his position His
main care seemed to be for the sanitary
condition of his camp, and for the well
fare of his men in the hospitals, so to
this responsibility he sacrificed any de-
sire he may have felt to become a sound
tactician and a commanding officer of
standing.
But once seated at his desk at regi-
mental headquarters Mr. Bryan was
no longer the hesitating, bewildered
novice. His natural executive ability
applied itself easily and confidently to
the consideration and solution of the
ms ~ xxvhia h cd
him. AS regards subsistence, location
and sanitation no regiment received
better treatment than the Sd Nebraska,
and it's colonel made a special study
of the latter subject The high rate
of mortality in the neighboring regi-
ments appalled, him, and he was con-
stantly adopting new measures looking
toward a more healthful condition in
his own camp. First board floors for
all tents were furnished; then these
floors were raised nine inches from the
ground as a safeguard against malaria;
next the camp was moved back fifty
yards farther from the cook tents and
the sinks, and constant efforts were
made to render the latter cleaner and
purer, lessening the chances of conta-
gion.
'"These p'ecs utions soon brought the
regiment into high repute among the
officers of The corps as one possessing
as nearly perfect sanitary arrange
ments as possible. When the 161st re-
giment of Indiana volunteers arrived at
Jacksonville and was located near the
Nebraska camp it's line officers visited
the latter, inspecting everything thor
oughly, aud then laid out their own
camp on similar lines.
Col. Bryan utterly dsregarded all
military tradition and etiquitte, treat
ing his priVates cordially and as if on
VI, s,,N- l.
him regularly among the hospitals, eS
pecially to the division hospital. where
all serious cases were taken. Here he
paid almost daily visits, hunting cut
each patient from his regiment, which
was always well represented in the
fever wards. His well known magne-
tism was of the greatest service at such
times, Or he never failed to cheer the
men who had set the time for their own
deaths. BY his personal sympathy and
his inspiring buoyance, which he SEEM
ed to impart so easily, he practically
won over several cases of malignant
typhoid which had been given up be-
cause of the hopelessness of the suffer-
ers themselves. So the emaciated fever
patients learned to watch for his kind
ly greeting and his invigorating pres
ence, and they loved him for the at
tention he gave them.
"Col Bryan's absolute consistency
was nowhere more marked than in the
persistence with which he sought dis
charges for his men. Almost before
his regiment had pitched it's first camp
the war ended in Cuba, and from then
on Col. Bryan was convinced that his
command should be out of the service.
Failing to accomplish its muster-out as
a whole, he determined that he would
at least secure a release for every in
dividual possible. He investigated
personally the merit of each applica-
ton for discharge, and hurried all pa
pers through, chatting considerably at
the long delays in Washington.
"In this connection Col. Bryan greatly
increased the respect in which he was
held by his careful choosing of the de-
serving ones from the long lists of those
asking for discharges. When the spe-
cial order arrived allowing the reduc-
ton of each company roll from 1O4 to
"a names it was no small problem to
select the twenty who were most
worthy of dismissal. Col. Bryan knew
nothing of proper military procedure
in such matters, but he adopted his
own measures with results that were
seldom far in error. One instance will
illustrate at cnce the uniquenesS OF his
methods and their efficiency. Nineteen
of the twenty discharges allowed had
already been granted in company II.
OF the large number of remaining APP
plicants three seemed equally deserV-
ing. Each told of a mother at home
depending on him for support. Mr..
Bryan was compelled to decide which
one of the three should go, and he used
the following test of merit: Interview
ing each man alone, he asked how
much money he had sent home to his
mother since his enlistment. One man
had sent $25, another 81 and the third
none at all. The first man received the
discharge, Mr.. Bryan telling the others
that it was very unlikely that they
would be of much assistance to their
mothers at home when they aided them