The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-05-14

y trained Commissary officers in the>ser-
vice. In the Quartermaster Department
the number of officeriras limited by law
to 81. Congress alloI:eA 1872 medical Off
GERS, but when war came only 1I9 We're
ready for active service. On this point
the Surgeon-General made the following
statement to the War Investigation Com
mission:
- The number of medical officers, 1872,
allowed by law to the army is inadequate
in time of peace. This number includes
10 Assistant Surgeons authorized by the
act approved May II, 1898. Later in May
there were Is vacancies; six officers were
engaged in administrative duties in the Of
fee of the SUPERINTENDENT and in the
superintendent of the library and the
Army Medical Museum; II were on duty
ut medicalsupply depots and as Chief
Surgeons of military departments; one ut
the United States Soldiers Home, Wash
ington, ID. c.; 90 at general hospitals and
at garrisoned posts; one as Colonel of a
volunteer regiment; while four were dis
abled. One hundred officers We're thus
left for field service, five of whom were
placed on duty as Chief Surgeons of army
corps, 80 as Brigade Surgeons of volun-
teers. and 80 as Regimental Surgeons and
assistants with the Regular troops. The
insufiiciency of the aforementioned number
WIS up by tUe assignment
cal men under contract
sit should be added that the Hospital
Corps consisted of 723 men-a mere hand
full. There were many medicines that
could be purchased at once in the open
market, but great number of articles
Indispensable to an effective service in
camp or field could not be so readily OBJ
tanned. Medical chests and apparatus,
surgical instruments, hospital tents and
furniture, 'frst-aid packets,'* etc, had
to be ordered and manufactured.
I'm one respect alone was the War De
partment able to make immediate response
to at least n part of the sudden demands
upon it. Including those already in the
hands of the Regular soldiers, there were
J3,50S .30-caliber Krag-J orgensen rifles,
and Il, S95 .3O-caliber Krag-Jorgensen car
bines. This supply, however, was barely
sufficient to meet the requirements of the
increased Regular Army. Nothing was
left for the volunteers except .45-caliber
Springfield rifles, of which there were
265, $50. For these weapons, and for the
1888 .45-caliber Springfield carbines, also
in our arsenal, there was no smokeless-
powder ammunition, nor was any imme-
diately obtainable. The Government did
not manufacture the article. Its supply
was drawn from the only establishments
the DupOnts, and Latin & Rand, of which
firms one was situated on the Pacific coast
and the other two in the East. From the
supply thus obtained the United States az
senal at Philadelphia was then turning
out .30-caliber ammunition at the rate of
10000 rounds per diem, but the remain
der of the output was taken by the Navy
Department, and, as we could not, after
the inauguration of hOstilities, draw upon
Europe, there was no smokeless powder
for the volunteer-army .45-caliber weap-
ons. This constituted serious drawback,
as was illustrated in the Santiago cam
paign.
1.-The situation can be summarized in
a few words: The War Department had
on April %, accomplished some little ex-
ira work on the coast defenses; it had
ready for use enough .30-caliber rifles to
arm the 30, 600 men added to the Regular
Army, and enough .45-caliber Springfields
for the volunteers, but that was all. There
was in the supply bureaus absolutely moth
ing for the troops included in the first call,
and for the other troops provided for dur
ing the last days of April, nor for the addi-
tional forces created between the 10th
and 25th of May, aggregating $4,000
men, exclusive of the Regular Army in its
original status. If the wording of the act
of Congress had permitted the War De
partment to make use OF some portion of
the S50,O00,O00 for offensive preparations,
much could have been accomplished be-
tween March o and April % in the way
of getting ready for the impending con-
Hct.
"On the 1st Of April, 1898. the % regi-
ments of infantry and the 10 regiments
of cavalry. all of minimum strength-less
than 60 to the cOmpany-were scatter
ed over the United States from the Ca
madam border to the Mexican frontier.
The heavy-artillery regiments were on the
Pacific, and Gulf coasts, and the
light-artillery batteries were stationed at
various posts in the North, South, East
and West. Few of these regiments We're
intact. Detached companies and troops
were quartered at different posts at great
err or less distances from their regimental
Fortunately there was no law forbid
ding immediate mobilization. On the 18th
of April. therefore, all Of the Regulars
that could be spared from their stations
We're sent to New Orleans, Tampa, Mo-
bile, or Chickamauga. Maj.-Gen. John r.
Brooke was assigned to Chickamauga,
Brighten. William r. Shafter to New
Orleans, Brig-Gen. J. J. Coppinger to
Mobile, and Brig.-Gen. J. f. Wade to
Tampa. The mobilization was effected at
the South in order that the troops should
be near Cuba in the event of Immediate
need. Moreover, it was considered desira-
bic to acclimatiZe the men. as far as pos
sible. preparatory to operations in a semi
tropical country.
"a great part of the Regular Army was,
therefore. either modified or in process
Of mobilization when, on April 81, the
American Minister at Madrid was given
his passport by the Spanish Government.
The severance Of diplomatic relations, I'M
der the circumstances then existing. was
interpreted by Congress as tan
tamOunt to q declaration of war. On the
day following, April %, in anticipation of
a formal declaration of war, Congress au-
thoriZed the President to temporarily in
crease the army of the United States in
case of war by calls for volunteers. -Four
days later, April &c. the day after the
formal opening of hostilities. Congress pro-
vided for the increase of the Regulars to
the maximum strength. The army of 1898
was organized under the provisions of
these two laws of April 90 and %, and
that of May II, which provided for Is
volunteer regiments possessing special
'The act of April 26, 1898. increasing
the Regular Army to approximately 61,-
300. also provided for n three battalion
formation and the development of compan-
les of infantry to JOG men. This law did
not augment the number of regiments of
the Regulars. but the number of enlisted
men. Enlistments were made with the
same care as in time of peace, although