New-York tribune., 1909-10-08
WOOD ANSWER CRITICS
Joint ManeuUres IN Boston Cam
pnign Successful, He Sans.

The critics Of the joint maneuvres OF the regular
army and the national guard who have been pre-
dieting that the Boston campaign OF the last sum-
mer Will be the last of such joint operations be-
cause the hardship and suffering OF the militia
n.en were out OF all proportion to the lessons
learned answered yesterday by Major Cen
eral Leonard Wood, commanding the Department
Of the East.
General Wood ha paid attention to criticisms
until the publication Of dispatches from Washing
ton yesterday to the effect that while forces which
now guide the War Department have their way
there Will be repetition of joint nanRuVres on
such a scale as took place in the defence OF Bos-
ton this summer After reading these dispatches,
General Wood said
The statement purporting to from some
one connected with the War Department at Wash
ington relating to the hardship and suffering of
the men engaged IN the manRuvres in Massachu-
setts has no foundation IN fact The amount OF
sickness was extraordinarily small The report OF
General William A. Pew commanding the Blue
division. which has just reached me, says:
The health Of the men during the week under
unusually severe weather conditions was excellent.
In the entire division there were under hun
dred cases treated and those mostly minor
injuries. feet and the like
The report OF Major J. b. McCook, chief
geon OF the Connecticut brigade of the Red army,
which has also just reached me, says in regard to
the health Of the
There was almost % sickness and few accidents
and what We had. a rule amounted 10 nothing"
There other reports which l have not
ceived but from personal information know that
the general health OF all the troops excellent.
Further than that" General Wood continued, Il
observed the excellent health of the men myself.
was around the lines at least a day and con-
slider II remarkable. The regular army officers had
many fears for the health OF the militiamen the
opening Of the campaign. and when the two days
of cold rain set in fears increased. considered
the showing remarkable. In the Blue division there
about $500 men, and General Pew reports
fewer than hundred cases OF sickness. There
was only death, and that due to opera
ton for appendicitis after the manoeuvres were
closed, and I do not know that it could be traced
10 the campaign.
1T IS true to say that the hardships all
out OF proportion the lessons learned In the first
place. there no hardshIps. No complaint has
come from the or officers. There We're possibly
3 per cent Of the militiamen dissatisfied with the
manGuyres, and they the proportion which
would prefer life in a camp.
"On the other hand, the lessons learned were in
valuable. One Of them is that we haven't enough
regulars militiamen ready for mobilization to de-
| fent city against such attack made
against Boston. The other is that it builds up the
spirit of cooperation between the regular army and
! the national guard.
THE total cost Of the whole campaign, with all
! The naneuvre fund paid ror the transports
| and their pilots know Of way I better
| illustrate the exemplary conduct Of all the men
than to say that with the twelve thousand troops
engaged the total expenditure for rentals and dam
1 ages has been only 81 600. Frankly expected it
| would be nearer SIS GOO. The conduct OF all the
| men unusual"