56th Congress, 1st Session. SENATE. Document No. 221. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT TO INVESTIGATE THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT IN THE WAR WITH SPAIN. JUL 11 1900 MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, Iowa, President. Col. James A. Sexton, Illinois. Col. Charles Denby, Indiana. Capt. Evan P. Howell, Georgia. Ex-Governor Urban A. Woodbury, Vermont. Brig. Gen. John M. Wilson, Chief of Engineers, U. S. A. Gen. James A. Beaver, Pennsylvania. Maj. Gen. Alexander MoD. McCook, U. S. A. Dr. Phineas S. Conner, Ohio. Richard Weightman, Secretary. Lieut. Col. F. B. Jones, Chief Quartermaster of Volunteers, Disbursing Officer. Maj. Stephen C. Mills, Recorder. IN EIGHT VOLUMES Vol. 5. TESTIMONY WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. I 900. CONTENTS-VOLUME V. Page. Col. Marcus Cavanaugh <.. 1577-1580 Fred. H. Wines ' 1 1580-1589 Maj.Lawrence M.Ennis 1589-1592 Sergt. Francis Henry Buzzacott 1592-1598 Q.M. Sergt. William E. Willard 1598-1603 Frank A. Bailey 1603-1612 Luther J. Bailey 1612-1616 Maj.C.M.Bonette 1616-1621 Harris Hard Walker 1622-1626 Private Frank B. Reynolds 1626-1628 Maj. Stephen Baker 1628-1633 Col. Augustus H. Bainbridge 1633-1636 George Chipman 1636-1638 Corpl. Edward G. Stanton 1638-1641 Private William G. Dolan 1642-1644 Capt. George Allen Dodd 1645-1654 Cornelius M. Brownell 1654-1666 Maj. A. W. Corliss 1666-1674 Lieut. O. B. Rosenbaum 1674-1677 Capt. Charles A. Booth 1677-1681,1706,1707 Maj. Charles B. Nancrede 1681-1698 Theodore W. Whittier 1698,1699 Dr. Lawrence D. Knowles 1699-1706 Mrs. Lucy Weldon 1707-1709 Helen Stuart Richings 1710,1711 Capt. George S. Young 1711-1715 Maj. William G. Latimer 1715-1721 Asst. Surg. O. B. Weed 1721-1725 Maj. Thomas H. Reynolds 1725-1727 Capt. F. W. Cowley 1727-1731 Lieut. Col. RushS. Huidekoper. 1731-1747 Maj. Thomas T. Knox 1748-1758 Gen. Joseph C. Breckinridge 1758-1793 Capt. Robert W. Dowdy 1793-1799 Dr. George L. Magruder 1799-1803 Asst. Surg. William G. Weaver _ 1804-1823 Maj. Louis A. La Garde 1823-1841 Lieut. Col. J. W. Jacobs 1841-1855 Capt. Jonathan M. Patton 1856-1865 Capt.M.W. Ireland 1866-1875 Capt. Edward L. Munson 1875-1887 Col. W. H. Forwood 1887-1904 Surgeon-General's report 1905-1944 Maj. Richard A. Pyles 1944-1949 Gen. Samuel B. M. Young 1950-1964 Col. Charles R. Greenleaf 1964-1983 Private David J. Goss 1983-2001 Private Henry Hauck 2002-2007 William Hamilton Henry 2008,2009 Private Richard M. Henry 2010-2018 III IV CONTENTS. Page. Asst. Surg. Frank Donaldson 2019-2027 Private James S. Sowers 2027-2035 Mrs. Mary Manson 2035-2042 Mrs. Edmund C. Allis 2043-2051 Capt. Edward H. Plummer _ 2052-2062 Maj. George T. Lorigan .. 2062-2070 Margaret H. Garrard 2070-2080 Lieut. Charles Edwards 2080-2085 Mrs. Josie M. Dobson 2085-2090 Dr. H. A. Dobson _... 2090-2092 Private Lawrence J. Woolridge 2092-2095 Corpl. Samuel Phelan .. 2095-2098 Arthur L. Kitchen ... 2098-2100 Maj. F. J. Ives 2100-2110 Dr. Lewis A. Stimpson 2110-2127,2403-2405 Robert B. Roosevelt. , 2127-2129 Miss Julia Halstead Chadwick 2129-2147 Dr. William Gilman Thompson 2147-2158 Samuel L. Parrish 2158-2169 Dr. S. Clifford Cox 2170-2176 Corpl. William C. Ryan 2176-2179 Mrs. Susan B. Powell 2179,2180 Corpl. Joseph Gurke 2180-2184 Col. Amos S. Kimball 2184-2221 Sidney V. Lowell 2221-2227 Miss Mary C. Lowell 2227-2231 Rev. Henry B. Bryan 2232-2235 Lieut. Hilder Olin 2236-2245 George Wallace 2245-2250 Mrs. L. G. Woodhouse 2250-2255 Col. Theodore Roosevelt 2255-2272 Capt. William S. Hodges 2272-2279 Lieut. John M. Thompson (letter) 2280 James F. J. Archibald. 2280-2283 John Jay Robinson 2283-2291 Mrs. Johanna Von Wagner 2291-2296 Capt. Knight Neftel 2297,2298 Cleveland Moffett 2298-2301 Edward A. Sumner 2301-2305 Dr. Elmer Lee 1 2305-2316 Deputy Surg. Gen. J. Morris Brown.. J 2317-2324 Dr. Herbert C. Anderson 2325-2329 Daniel McKeever _. 2330-2332 Chaplain Dwight Galloupe 2332-2337 Sergt. Charles J. Goulden 2338-2339 Private James P. Holmes 2339-2344 Mrs. Mary Hatch Willard .. 2344-2355 Private Joseph F. Gleason 2355-2359 Private Louis E. Kreuss 2360-2363 Mrs. Elizabeth Brosnan.. 2363-2366 Private M. J. Hussey 2366-2369 Dr. A. Monae Lesser .. 2369-2401 Gilbert G. Brockway .... 2401,2402 Charles J. Coons 2402 Thomas H. Brett 2402,2403 Jacob J. Keller 2403 TESTIMONY. Chicago, III., November 8,1898. TESTIMONY OF COL. MABCUS CAVANAUGH. Col. Marcus Cavanaugh then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name and rank. A. Marcus Cavanaugh, colonel of the Seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Q. Where were you mustered in and where did you serve? A. I was mustered into the service on the 18th of May at the place of rendez- vous, Springfield, III., and transported to Camp Alger, Va. ,and remained in camp there for some two or three months; then we marched to Thoroughfare Gap and remained there until I went to Camp Meade, Pa., and from there we came home. Q. Please tell us when you reached Camp Alger how your regiment was sup- plied with quartermaster's stores. A. The experience of the Seventh Illinois Infantry can be summed up in a word: That we always had at least as much as a soldier could expect. The army in this country in the war with Spain, to my knowledge, was the best paid, best clothed, and best fed army in the world, according to my judgment. When I reached Camp Alger there was some shortage at first, as was to be expected. There was no serious result from that; the camp was well selected and suitable, in my judg- ment. Only two of my men died, less than would have died at home. For three months no man was sick in the hospital. Sometimes we would have days that no man would answer sick call, and the number of sick in my command was less than what it would have been if we had remained in Chicago. Q. Well, I am glad of that. There has been a great deal of criticism about Camp Alger, especially about the water supply and the insufficiency of nurses. A. The water supply there was terrible at first everywhere. They could not bore for wells all at once, but, as I understand, the soldiers expected to get water from the streams and wells. One regiment just across from us carried water a mile and a half. When we were in camp three hours we had all the water we needed. The sickness did not result from the water, because we drank some of the water of the other regiments and ate the same food, and sickness did not result from that, because we were not sick and some others were. About the hospitals and nursing, I am sorry to say, I think there was ground for. complaint. The medical department-I think the surgeon in -charge, Colonel Girard, was not competent for the place, but there was no way to remove him. He was an old surgeon in the regular service, with a good record, and there was only one way to deal with him, and that was by trying him. The hospital service was very bad for a while. I think one of my men was lost by the neglect of the surgeon in charge. He was at the critical stage. They simply ordered him to be taken to a street car on a terrible day. He was carried 4 miles and then taken back to Fort 1577 1578 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Myer. He died within an hour after reaching Fort Myer. This action was severely criticised by Major Davison, who is not only a talented man. in my opinion, but a splendid surgeon. But so far as hardship and deprivation was concerned, we didn't have what we expected when we went in, or what a soldier expects when he puts on the uniform. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you of your own knowledge know, or has it been reported to you, that any of the medical officers at Camp Alger were neglectful, incompetent, and careless? A. I think Colonel Girard was incompetent. I don't think any of them were careless. The fault was, maybe, from a lack of experience. Q. How was the nursing? A. At first bad, and afterwards it grew to be satisfactory. Q. What was the cause for it? A. The increased experience and knowledge that came to the men who were selected as nurses. Q. Were the nurses entirely the ordinary men detailed from the regiments? A. Yes, sir; they came from the Hospital Corps; the hospital corps of my own regiment were students from Rush Medical College, mostly in their third year, and they were trained by my surgeon, to whom all the credit was due. Q. I am speaking about the nurses in the division hospital? A. As I say, at first they were very bad; the men were not properly attended because of the lack of numbers; in fact, I think the only reason for complaint was in the lack of a sufficient number. Afterwards they took from the regiments all their details of hospital corps men. Q. They gave them better men? A. Yes, sir; and. as I said, ours were college students, with some knowledge of medicine. Q. Was it reported to you then or afterwards that the medical officers or nurses or stewards were on account of drunkenness unfit for service? A. No, sir. Q. I believe you said all did the best they could? A. Yes, sir. Q. So far as you know, the medical knowledge is good enough? A. Excepting in the one case I spoke of. Q, That was an error of judgment undoubtedly, rather than of knowledge or otherwise? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Where did you go from Camp Alger? A. To Thoroughfare Gap. The order came to me at ten minutes after 12 o'clock at night. The day was very hot and we did not get started until 11 o'clock. My judg- ment is that we should have marched at 5 o'clock in the morning; and if we did not get ready at 5 o'clock, we should have commenced early the next day. The rest of that march was the pleasantest march of my life. The men who knew how to take care of themselves did not suffer. Of course we marched in the hot sun, and car- rying a pack on the back is not easy work. It is not expected that it should be. There could be no criticism of the march, in my judgment. Q. Did your regiment have fairly good health at Thoroughfare Gap? A. Yes, sir. Q. From there you came home? A. No, sir; we went to Camp Meade? Q. Have you any suggestions about that? COL. MARCUS CAVANAUGH. 1579 A. No, sir; there were a number of minor ailments, and we did not have a place to drill. The secret of the good health of my command was, I think, in having them do plenty of work. Q. Did you permit fakirs to go through your camp? A. No, sir; never. A good deal of typhoid fever, in my judgment-especially any intestinal troubles-came from the men eating what they should not and from the villainous drinks. Q. Did you see any service before you went into this war? A. Only in the National Guard. I was major of the Third Iowa and afterwards lieutenant-colonel of the Third Iowa, and from time to time have been in the service all my life. Q. Have you any suggestions or criticisms to make whereby the service could be benefited for the future, or have you any complaints or statements where you think the staff department did not do their duty or were neglectful? Will you please tell us what it is? A. I think this, General, that the mistakes which were made, if any-and there always are mistakes which result from lack of experience-the regular soldiers had never seen more than one company or a troop or two of cavalry together; and when their officers were called to take charge of 15,000 or 20,000 men, or a division or two divisions, at first there were mistakes. I never saw a set of men so influ- enced by a high ideal of duty as these regular men. I think there should be some encouragement for them instead of being barred all their lives. The next thing I think to be the most valuable lesson of the war is that these gentlemen who had never seen more than a squadron of cavalry or a regiment of infantry together have had command of large bodies of men. Now, I think the Government ought to increase the Regular Army for that reason, if no other, that it will give us trained officers; and it ought to increase the National Guard, and they should be allowed enough to pay their car fare, for instance. I had men in 1892 and 1893 who went to drill a long distance and had to walk back again. Now, these men ought to have their car fare paid, and the line officers ought to get a little something, and the adjutant ought to get a little something. Then the annual encampment is a good deal of a farce; it lasts only a week, and the idea of learning anything in a week is simply absurd; it ought to be a month. They ought to pitch tents, dig sinks, and get their wood and cook their food. They would do that for thirty days in a year and not for regular army officers, but these volunteer officers under the supervision of a regulai' army officer. We would have an army of soldiers who would know how to shoot and how to take care of a weapon. You can get the finest body of fighting men this world ever saw in that way; against any army they would hold their own, in my judgment. Q. I suppose you would include in that that the organization of the National Guard should be armed, equipped, organized, and drilled according to the regu- lations and tactics in the United States Army, so the whole corps would be under one system? By Colonel Sexton: Q. How many men in your regiment could afford to give thirty days? General Dodge. They ought to be paid. A. I don't think a good many could the way they pay now, at the rate of $1 per day, but there are very few who could not afford it if they were paid $2 a day. Q. I think there will be a great deal of pride in the men belonging to it. Then the spirit of the people would be worked up, and merchants, then, would be ready to do it; but the question suggested by the Colonel is, of course, the men. A. Many might sacrifice situations. Quite a large proportion is now made up of mechanical men, good men for making soldiers. Q. Did you have much trouble in getting good company cooks? 1580 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; I would get a more experienced class of men. The sacrifices made by my 'regiment are greater than that of anybody else. The First was made up of men earning $40 or $50 a month in stores, and mine was made up of men making $3 or $4 a day, skillful artificers. Q. What is the feeling of your men, now being mustered out, in regard to the war with Spain? A. It is a good feeling; they are satisfied. Of course there was a feeling of bit- terness among all of my men that they were not chosen for active service to go to the front. I confess I feel it myself, but that is all. Q. They are proud of the fact that they were in the service? A. Yes, sir. Q. It is not a soldier's fault if he does not get before the enemy; he is entitled to just as much credit as if he did. A. But he does not get it, General. In my regiment, of course, I had to estab- lish pretty rigid discipline, and in every company you will find one or two men who think they have not been treated right. Chicago, III., November 8, 1898. Fred. H. Wines, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name and residence. A. Fred H. Wines, Springfield, Ill. Q. What part did you take in the present war with Spain? A. I took no part in that war. I was secretary of the Army and Navy League, which was an organization intended to look after the interest and welfare of the Illinois soldiers in the field and their families at home. Q. Tell us in your own way what observations you made and what you have to present to the commission that will be of use to us. A. I don't know whether I have anything of use to you or not. A committee of three was appointed, consisting of myself, Maj. R. W. McClaughry, and Capt. Hartwell Osborn, all of whom were veterans of the late war, and we were directed to visit the camps and ascertain the condition of the men and what was needed. We made a trip in the month of June to Chickamauga, Jacksonville, and Tampa, and I stopped at Jacksonville and Chickamauga again as I came back, and then in July we went on to Camp Alger, where we went as a committee. I think the simplest way for me to do would be for me to say that after visiting these camps we called on the Secretary of War and had a personal interview, in which he asked us what we had seen. By his permission we filed a written statement and perhaps the best thing would be to read that: " To the honorable the Secretary of War. "Sir: The undersigned, a committee of the Illinois Army and Navy League, appointed to visit the military camps at Falls Church, Chickamauga, Jackson- ville, and Tampa, have the honor to submit for your distinguished consideration a suggestion which we think important. "As we understand, the statutes under which the volunteer service has been organized provide that three surgeons shall be attached to each regiment. In our tour of inspection we discovered regiments in which there is but one surgeon, and that the lieutenant-surgeon, present. We were informed that the other surgeons were detached for hospital service at brigade and division headquarters. TESTIMONY OF FRED. H. WINES. FRED. H. WINES. 1581 "We have no desire as nonmedical men to express quasi medical opinions, nor as civilians to discuss army organization. We are highly gratified by the general result of our observations, and regard the condition and treatment of the enlisted men in all the camps as upon the whole satisfactory to them and creditable to the Government and to the Department of War. But it seems to us (as it seems to the people of our State, and doubtless of other States also) that the removal from any regiment of its medical officers is unjustifiable without the assignment of such reasons as will convince intelligent men and the parties in interest that it is for the health of the troops. "We visited one division hospital in which there was not present any brigade surgeon. The division surgeon occupied quarters with the division staff, at a dis- tance of from one-quarter to one-half a mile from the hospital, in which there were 12 surgeons on duty, all of them volunteers; 6 of them were employed in the care of the sick, the other 6 in the discharge of clerical and administrative func- tions. Since there were but nine regiments in the division; three of these regi- ments, at least, must have been left with only 1 surgeon each. If 1 medical man can properly attend to the wants of 1,200 men. then why does the statute allow 3 medical men to each regiment? The present practice, of which we heard much complaint (part of which, for military reasons, would not be likely to reach youthrough any official channel), appears to be in substance the nullifi- cation of a statute by an executive order. If the division hospital in competition with the regimental hospital possesses advantages which recommend its general adoption, we submit that it should be organized in such a manner, by the employ- ment, if need be, of contract physicians and nurses, as not to impair the efficiency of the regimental medical staff, upon which the main dependence of the Army must be placed in action. " We thought that we saw in our visits much evidence that the practical effect of this policy is to prevent that attention to the requisitions of regimental surgeons for medicines and medical supplies which should be paid them. We were practi- cally impressed by the lack of surgical instruments. In some instances a demand has been made by the higher medical staff for instruments which are private property, and such property has been taken away from the regiments. "We ask, in the name of the friends of the Illinois volunteers at the front, that, so far as may be possible and consistent with the good of the service, the regi- mental surgeons who have been detached from their regiments may be returned to them and provided with all proper medical requisites, especially with surgical instruments for major operations. "Fred H. Wines. " R. W. McClaughry. "Hartwell Osborn." Q. About what date was this? A. Somewhere near the middle of the month, I should say. By Dr. Conner: Q. What did you hear as reasons why the regimental hospitals were done away with and the division hospitals substituted in their place? A. I had a very long conversation with Colonel Maus at Jacksonville, which made a great impression. He took pains to show the papers filed by the medical officers of the regiments. They were full of errors. He said that there were sev- eral reasons why the division hospital was regarded as preferable by the medical authorities of the Army, He first said that it was simply more easily supervised and more economical. It didn't require such an expensive or extensive outfit as a number of regimental hospitals, and he said it was more conformable to military discipline; that we have regimental surgeons who have no military practice and did not appreciate the necessity of obedience to orders and that they could be 1582 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. better broken in in division hospitals. Then another thing which seems to have had great weight was that the division hospital might be more desirable; that the doctor might desire to practice fraud upon the pension list. He showed me where some might have been physically qualified for the service and yet when examined, after enlisted, by the medical staff they were disqualified. It differed from that shown by the surgeon at the rendezvous where they were enlisted, and he thought every man should be examined on the grounds that disability had existed prior to the service. Those were the reasons which he gave. Q. Assuming the fact that a choice lay between the establishment of the organ- ization in each regiment or establishing a division hospital, with three regiments in a brigade and three brigades in a division, is it not a fact that the division hos- pital can be managed more satisfactorily, or, say, a hospital of 500 beds than 10 hospitals of 50 beds each? A. From an administrative point, undoubtedly. Q. Then, from an isolating point, can typhoid cases be more satisfactorily man- aged and better treated if put together than if one or two are in a hospital? A. I did not hear any question of that anywhere, either by the regular or vol- unteer surgeons. Q. Are they not likely to secure in a division hospital more experienced men than in a regimental hospital? A. I suppose I should say that that was one of the arguments advanced to me by Colonel Maus. He says they could take their choice among the regimental surgeons and take the best ones. Q. But leaving out that altogether, could not a division hospital, properly organized, probably have a better average of medical ability than regimental hos- pitals, the medical officers of which in many States were appointed by the gov- ernor without having been examined in any way at all; purely political appoint- ments? A. I should think so. Q. Therefore, the division hospital has an advantage? A. We didn't mean, in our communication to the Secretary of War, to question the advantage of the division hospital. Q. The point that you make, I presume, is that the depleting of the regiment by taking away two out of three of the medical officers was a disadvantage to the regiments in case of serious illness developing in the camp, and for the best inter- est of all if killed in the action? A. And we thought, more than that, it was detrimental to the proper sanitation of the camps. Q. And for the reason, I presume, that you thought, as others did, that the regi- mental officers can exercise a supervision over the food supplies and the care of the troops? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then the plan contemplated that no seriously sick should be kept in the regiments at all; that the sick call being made, a man should at once be trans- ferred to the division hospital, and then, if seriously sick, sent to the general hos- pital. Practically the division hospital, instead of being a division hospital, was in reality a general hospital, reaching up to 500 beds. A. If you will permit me, I will say on the other side from the men giving expert opinions that only such things as were formed by conversation with other men, nonmedical men, officers and privates, and arguments that were advanced by the volunteer surgeons connected with the regiments were that a great many men were sent to the division hospitals that could have been treated just as well and better in the regimental hospital, and the line drawn was not properly drawn; that there were a great many men suffering from minor complaints which did not require hospital care, but which did require rest and exclusion, but that those men FRED. H. WINES. 1583 would be better cared for in the regimental hospitals. In the first place, that the regimental surgeons knew them and took a personal interest in them that a stranger could not be expected to do, because the man who was a regimental sur- geon had volunteered in that capacity, and was perhaps the family physician at home and knew their constitutions. Then it was said that the men in the regi- mental hospitals would be better taken care of than by strange hospital stewards, and that they were not bad enough to require division hospital treatment and would suffer from homesickness, and their chances would be better in that regard. Then it was said that the number sent to the division hospital was much greater than expected: that they were practically swarmed; that there was a tendency to refuse admission to men who ought to have gone, and discharged them before they ought to have been discharged, but we did not discuss that with the Secretary of War or inquire where the line ought to be drawn. The only thing we suggested there was that the withdrawal of the regimental surgeon was the great source of dissatisfaction that would consequently make trouble in the food. Q. As it undoubtedly did. A. We did not believe that the number of surgeons and nurses in the Army was large enough under the circumstances. Q. If the division hospital was organized on the principle of the organization that has already been referred to, and the medical officers of that division hospital were drawn from the outside entirely, either as appointments by the President or as contract surgeons employed for the purpose, and the regimental officers had been left in each regiment, would not that arrangement, think you, secure the beneficial effects and enable the Army to escape the faults from professional jealousies? A. I do, to a very large extent. Q. Of course, we know very well the feeling that existed. The question in my mind is that the original principle upon which the division hospital was organized- that is, to take out the serious cases and classify them and put them where they could be readily taken care of A. The intention was fine. Q. The principal thing was that the regiments were depleting all their officers? A. Yes. sir, and the nurses, as I learn, were very unsatisfactory in the division hospitals. Q. What was the character of that nursing? A. It was such a pretension as the volunteer soldier could give under the direc- tion of a medical man in charge. Q. It is perfectly apparent that the system of nursing was a bad one? A. The men were incompetent who did the nursing; that is apparent; yet a great many nurses were competent. You know medical men and graduates were acting as nurses. I think I went into one hospital where there were eight or ten in the hospital. Q. Every hospital has a number of medical students represented in it? A. They did good nursing. Q. And did good work? A. Yes, sir- with their experience. Q. There was no question that that state was bad in fact, and it worked badly in no small number of cases? A I asked Colonel Maus whether they were going to allow female nurses employed by the Red Cross to come into the camps and he said, "Not at all." He said it was not the intention to use them only in the general hospital, and the reason he assigned was the obvious one of regard for the morals of the men and the nurses. Q. Do you know whether or not the Medical Department of the Army endeav- ored to have proper medical corps formed by Congress? 1584 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No; I do not know anything about the legislation. Q. The Army did try to introduce a bill, or begged that it might be introduced, that the Hospital Corps should be properly organized, and Congress struck that portion out, and that left them without any positive authority to increase the corps or employ outside nurses. A. Constituting a very serious defect in the medical organization. Q. Yes, sir. The Medical Corps had no command over transportation for med- ical supplies. They were dependent upon the Quartermaster's Department; and they first moved the ammunition and the food and the other equipage of the Army, and the Medical Department was the last thing to receive attention from the Quartermaster's Department. A. The other difficulty which appeared to me to be one which should be over- come by legislation was the one of inspection. In the Inspector-General's Depart- ment there should be a medical inspector, and that should be as thorough as any other branch of the service. Q. The only way that could be done is by detailing a medical corps of inspectors, as was done in the civil war. A. We were so impressed that we asked the President of the United States to appoint a man on his own authority, a man to visit the camps, because we felt that the men who were at the head of the medical service would not do it and that the subordinates could not. Q. Do you think that that statement was quite right that the junior officers would not and the senior officers could not report the faults? A. Yes, sir. Q. That is not our experience. By Dr. Conner: Q. The Medical Department suffers as some other departments do. For instance, in the feeding of the men the commissary provides the food and the Quarter- master's Department transports it and supplies the means of cooking it, and the Ordnance Department is called upon to find the knife and fork and plate, and the same thing exists in this case. Tell us whether or not you observed any instance of carelessness or neglect on the part of any medical officer. A. No, sir; I should not say that, so far as my experience went. I was told by officers of several regiments that they had great difficulty in obtaining supplies that they needed. Dr. Cuthbertson spoke particularly of an epidemic of diarrhea in his regiment for which he wanted castor oil and laudanum, and he showed a little 2-ounce vial he had obtained with great difficulty and not through the regular channel. Q. At the time he and others were asking for supplies, was it not, think you, the fact that everything was expected to move away at once, and the supplies were based on the field supply and not hospitals? A. I don't know. There was complaint that they could not get ice, milk, and this, that, and the other. Before leaving I took the agent of the Red Cross around and introduced him to our surgeons, and he promised me he would see that they had these supplies. I was quite surprised on my return to receive from one of our* surgeons a list of some very small drugs which I supposed he could obtain without any great difficulty from the regular channels. There were some things-for instance, a dozen Clinecal thermometers and two or three half-gallon syringes. I purchased the articles and sent them to him, and I received a letter from the druggist who furnished them, saying he could not see why the Army and Navy League should furnish those articles: that they should be furnished by the Army. Q. Do you know why this gentleman made this requisition for these things? A. I do not. I wrote to him, but received no reply. Q. What use did he have for twelve thermometers? FRED. H. WINES. 1585 A. I don't know. I heard from various sources that there was a demand for thermometers. They were easily lost and broken, and that they needed a supply which they could not get. Q. Did you hear of any case of a soldiei- in the hospital that was neglected? A. No, sir. Q. You have heard of such cases, of course? A. I didn't see any while in the camps. After I came back I heard of some. Q. Did you have occasion to investigate any of them? A. I could not. All that I know of is one case, which perhaps I might call to your attention, which appeared to me to be neglected, and which I reported to the Secretary of War, and he said that he would have it investigated and I sup- pose he did. What the result was I don't know. At the latter part of the war we had occasion to take care here of a great many sick soldiers passing through Chicago. We organized a very complete depot service and nobody passed through here without being approached, if he wore a uniform, and asked if there was any- thing we could do for him. A great many were unable to continue their journey and a great many were fed, but about the middle of September I myself was at the depot, having heard that there were two carloads of sick men coming from Chickamauga belonging to a Wisconsin regiment, and I saw them and their con- dition. Q. Please state what it was. A. Well, it was deplorable; apparently they were not able to be discharged at the time they were. I suppose they were discharged on account of their being tremendously anxious to get home, and also the division hospitals to be relieved of the congestion; but they were sent up here in those cars without any physician in attendance or any medicines or medical supply of any kind, and without any food. They stated, and I had no reason to believe otherwise, that they had not been furnished with the traveling money to feed them on the road. The parents of two of the soldiers came with them-a man and a woman. The man was suf- fering with hernia and in no condition to take care of them. If it had not been for them, though, I don't know how they would have got through. We fed them and took care of them and put two nurses on the cars and sent them up to Madison. I have a report of Mrs. Robinson. It is the only case of neglect that came under my personal observation. Q. Do you know what action was taken in that case? A. I never received any information. I should like to know very much indeed. I have the papers in this case. They were referred to the War Department for such action as might be deemed necessary. They were sent to the Surgeon-General by the chief clerk of the War Department, then referred to Dr. Maus. I have Dr. Kean's reply. Q. He was the man who seemed to be responsible? A. You understand I am not making any complaint against the management of the war. By General Dodge: Q. You received a reply from the Secretary of War that this would be investi- gated? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. Now, from your familiarity with cases of typhoid fever, is it or is it not a fact that men supposed to be pretty well on the road to health frequently have relapses and ultimately lose their lives? A. Yes, sir. I think the men that go away in that case run a great danger. Most of them overeat on the way home. 1586 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you not know that many importunities were made to medical officers to discharge men who were not able to be discharged? A. Yes, sir; I know that. Q. We have some instances where they have died. Now, suppose that an impor- tunity is yielded to; if the man suffers, the complaint is made that the man has no business to send him out. That is the way it occurs. That is the statement made by the doctors and everybody else? A. Oh, yes, sir; that is on the man that sends him, of course. Q. On the other hand, if that man recognizes the danger and says, "No, he is not well enough to go; he has got to stay here." Under those circumstances isn't the doctor declared to be inhuman; and if he should have a relapse is it not a com- mon complaint or declaration that if the boy had been sent home he would not have died? A. Yes, sir; I think very likely. Q. So he is between the " devil " and the " deep blue sea?" A. Yes, sir; it is an error of judgment. Q. There are errors of judgment, of course. I don't know what is the reliance of Dr. Kean. It seems that he stated what was true? A. Oh, yes, sir; I would consider it was. Q. Do you know anything about the batch of convalescents belonging to the Wisconsin regiment that were held thirty-six hours in Chattanooga without any medical care? A. No, sir. By General Dodge: Q. You made a statement that the Medical Department suffered because the Quartermaster's Department gave precedence over them and the Commissary and Ordnance Departments; why is that? A. I thought they naturally would. Q. They might in field of battle, but not in camp? A. Yes, sir; that is true. Q. The medical supplies always came first in the camp? A. Colonel Maus said there was enough when he went there in the nature of medical supplies. He telegraphed to Washington and they said there was an abundance of supplies at Tampa that he could get, and to get what he wanted. He went to General Shafter, who said that he wanted to take what he had to Cuba. They were some time without supplies. I have no doubt that in the open- ing of these camps they had precisely the same difficulty that the State camps had. Lots of men came in within twelve hours, several thousand men, and only five men to get ready for them, and they were not ready for them. I have no doubt that at the commencement of the organization of these camps all the depart- ments were behind, but that the Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments had apparently caught up, but that the Medical Department seemed to us to be still behind. Q. Now, what would you think of the circumstance where there was a camp, if there were commissary supplies in plenty-could you see any reason why the commissary supplies were there and the medical supplies were not? A. Some commissary supplies were not; vegetables were not; and I want to say in regard to the complaints of food that the stories in circulation in regard to the improper food compared with the experience that we had in the civil war, that I don't believe an army evei- went into the field as well fed as this army. We found in Chickamauga a bakery in full operation and supplied bread every morning of a quality that can not be surpassed in the city of Chicago. Meat roasted for dinner and boiled for supper. Beef and bacon for breakfast. I tested their food and could see no particular fault with it. The cooking was bad with some of FRED. H. WINES. 1587 them. As one of the papers said down here at Springfield, ' ' They didn't know enough to boil water without burning it." Some meat was spoiled, but that was largely due to the inexperience of the men. By Colonel Sexton: Q. You expect to find that, don't you? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. Have you not known it to be a frequent thing for a convalescent from typhoid fever to complain of being starved? A. I had it myself when in the Army. You can not tell me anything about that. Q. Therefore these men were put on a low diet, and they had to be? A. Yes, sir. Then, I want to say-I will refer to the supplies for the Illinois troops which we sent. They were all inspected by us and went under our label, and some of the things were very funny. In one baggage I know I had a supply of chewing gum, and one delightful girl, whose brother, I think, was down at Tampa in the First Regiment, showed me a list of what she was sending. She was sending Java coffee. I says, "I suppose you don't know that the Government furnishes all the coffee that the boys can drink? " She says, " You can't tell me;" she says, "Brother says it is so vile they can not drink it." I says, " They don't know how to cook it." She says, "You can not talk to me; I am going to send the coffee." One woman was a crank on toast, and sent down large quantities of toasted bread, but the colonel's wife, Mrs. Turner, told me nearly all of that stuff was spoiled before it got there. If a flour product, it was moldy, and if jelly, or anything of that sort, they were sour or fermented, and nearly all the stuff sent down was destroyed before it got there. Then, on the other hand, there was an immensely distressing feeling that they were going to be neglected. They would send them underclothing and shirts and socks, and one lady who went down there to see her son told me that when the socks came that were furnished by the Quartermaster's Department the boys took off the socks sent from home and put on the army socks, because they were of better quality. Q. Think you many of them would believe it now, even if told? A. Those that don't want to believe it won't; but we had no complaints to make. We saw that a storm was coming in regard to the Medical Corps; and the regimental doctors being trained for administrative duties, some of whom had left large practices at home, caused us to call to see the Secretary of War to show him that they needed more men. By Colonel Sexton: Q. You know that system has been adopted now, don't you? General Dodge. Yes, sir; it has been. They have gone back to the regimental hospital, and hold two surgeons with a regiment. Q. They are all satisfied simply because the doctors want to stay with their own men? A. And the men want them, and the officers, too. Q. I know in our war there was a great abhorrence of going to the general hospital. General Dodge. 1 know that is the great consensus of opinion, that they thought at first it was best and now have acknowledged it was a mistake. Isn't that the way of it? A. Practically and theoretically. There was another thing about them. They had selected the best of the men and left the poorest with the regiments. Where one man was left he was the poorest of the three, and the men had a right to complain. 1588 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. On the same principle, the commanders sent the worst men when ordered to make a detail for hospital nurses? A. For stewards and nurses; yes, sir Q. Well, then, he should not make a howl when the men were not treated well. A. He was bound to do it. My impression was that, generally speaking, the condition and treatment of these troops was all that could have been expected under the circumstances; that what complaint there was in regard to the treat- ment of the men medically grew out of this robbing of the regimental hospitals of their surgeons. Q. Don't you think a good deal grew out of these charitable societies? A. Not ours; because we didn't have any money. Q. Where I spent the summer they had an entertainment to get money for the men in the field, and those ladies wanted all to know what good work the ladies were doing. A. I think if the Army and Navy League had had more money at the beginning of the war and had had charge of a larger sum of money we could have saved the lives of a number of men. I think we could have done things that we could not do afterwards. For instance, it didn't seem to me that those men at Chickamauga should have slept on the ground. I would have boarded those tents. We found they had at Tampa spray baths, and they had the benefit of them for two or three months, and they promoted the health of the men a good deal. Q. If those things were necessary, why should not the Government furnish them? A. That is true. I went to Charles Fowler at the time and asked him to come around with me, and he would not do it. He took the ground, fairly and squarely, that the Government ought to furnish everything needed. I said I agreed with him entirely, but the United States Government didn't do it, and they must be supplied from some source. Q. It is a very singular thing that these were not supplied, when every surgeon, from the chief down, and every quartermaster had a carte blanche to furnish everything necessary? A. They didn't understand it, I think. Q. We have not had a staff officer-but we said, as Colonel Maus said, that they could get those things from charitable societies, and were not held accountable for them. The surgeon has got to account for them if they are broken or injured, and certify to it. A. Well, we sent them a carload of potatoes, and sent them bathing facilities, and would have done more if we had had the money. At Tampa we supplied them with bathing facilities, but at Chickamauga we did not. The water supply did not strike us as being very good for bathing. The sanitary condition was good, but it was easy to see that it would not be a great while. The water they showed us for bathing purposes was below the affluents, into which the refuse of the camps were emptied, and our attention was called to it by several surgeons. The soil was in such shape that it would not absorb the impurities. Some burned the offal, but they were unable to burn it all. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you find that as a general thing there was no bathing in the Chicka- mauga Creek above the intake? A. They said so, but I did not go to look. Q. We have gone over that ground, and the last stream empties into the Chicka- mauga River at 50 or 60 feet below the intake, at least. Now, the river is twenty times as large as the stream emptying into it; is it likely that an eddy would form and force that 60 feet back up the stream? A. Not likely. We did recommend in some connection that the pipe should be extended up to that spring and connected with the spring. MAJ. LAURENCE M. ENNIS. 1589 By General Dodge: Q. All of these new camps have got bathing houses and modern appliances of all kinds. They have certainly made great improvements on the original camps every way. A. There is one thing I think should be noted. That is, the conditions about the civil war. It seems to me a great deal more should be done in this case than was done in the civil war. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you think it necessary to keep these men in camps until ready to send them to the seat of war? A. There are two sides to that. Large camps give opportunity for drill for large bodies, and then besides they would have to acclimate them for Cuba. Q. As it was they went out of Chickamauga largely broken in health. By General Dodge: Q. Then taking troops from the North to acclimate them in the South instead of acclimating them debilitates them? A. They were debilitated. Q. What was your observation of things at Camp Alger? A. Weil, I didn't see any ground for complaint, but a great many seem to say that they had some difficulty about the water supply, but I thought that the situ- ation of the Seventh Regiment in the woods was rathei' agreeable than otherwise. One thing they complained of greatly was that ice was not furnished. There was none for the hospitals, they said. Q. Is there any reason for that existing within a few miles of Washington? A. I don't think so, but if they were without I thought it a very curiously man- aged affair. I did not see any reason for going without ice. I hope you will all understand that I didn't come here to meet any volition or make any complaint. Chicago, III., November 8, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. LAURENCE M. ENNIS. Maj. Laurence M. Ennis then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name and rank? A. Laurence M. Ennis, major of the Seventh Regiment of Illinois Infantry, com- manding the Second Battalion. Q. Please state where your regiment was camped from the time it was organized until mustered out? A. It was camped at Camp Alger. The first rendezvous was at Camp Tanner, Springfield; and from Camp Alger we proceeded by marches through Fairfax County, and through Manassas and Bull Run to Thoroughfare Gap. On the 31st of August we left Thoroughfare Gap and went to Camp Meade, which point we left on the 7th of September. Q. State how your regiment was supplied with quartermaster's and ordnance supplies when you arrived at Camp Alger. A. We had no complaints to make at all about the supplies. A short time after we got there-we got there at a quarter to 12 o'clock-I think every man had been 1590 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. fed at 1 o'clock. There was an order by the colonel that the officers never should eat until the men had eaten. I never ate a meal until my men had eaten. I would like to say that what I have observed in the war, the complaints and causes of complaints, first depended upon the lack of sense in the men. You take men and put uniforms on them, and they need discipline; they immediately become like so many children; they expect to do what you don't want them to do, and expect to be told everything to do, and for a time you will find great big men acting like schoolboys and eating big green apples. We only had two deaths, and I think that was on account of the strict discipline of the commander. Each day in camp I visited the hospital twice. For a while I was the only major in the camp; one was sick and the other transferred, and I had more than my share of duty. I discovered that one of the greatest troubles was on account of the sinks. I found one regiment there that the men actually seemed to avoid them if possible, and they were very careless in their habits in some regiments, and the men from country places did not have any idea of sanitation; in fact, I put a guard there at one of the camps in Camp Alger to keep men from going to the woods. Q. Did you have officers' schools? A. Yes, sir; and every day we had a medical school. We had a regimental school and each one of the officers and one noncommissioned officer of each com- pany had to attend, and the majors were advised to attend that school and learn all we could about the soil and the sanitary conditions, and that was done. The majors would visit the kitchens every day and examine, as far as their battalions were concerned, and call the attention of their officers to them. The colonel organized his field and staff officers into a sort of auxiliary to look after the health of the men. Father Kelly, our chaplain, was looking after the men night and day. Q. Did you have any disinfectant? A. None; but we introduced a rule that every man should cover the sink after using it; it was introduced after some time. At first we had details; the ordinary way is to have prisoners do it. Q. Did you have a guard at the sinks? A. Yes, sir; we had a sentry there to see that that rule was lived up to. Q. Did you have kitchen sinks? A. Yes, sir. We noticed one of the cooks throw out a pan of dishwater, and the next day a sort of moss grew up just from that place, and the surgeon explained in the sanitary school that that was likely to blow into the food; and then they passed a rule that the cooks should boil the dishwater after using, then scrape the grease off and put that into the fire, and then the remainder was thrown into the pit and immediately covered with earth. Q. What did you do with the balance left? A. Everything was burned up that could be or immediately covered with earth. Q. Did you draw arms from the State or after you got there? A. We drew arms at Springfield. Q. Did you get all accouterments there? A. They got their accouterments at Camp Tanner before they left. Q. Were they new? A. Yes, sir; they were the 1874 model Springfield rifles, but they drew them new. All Illinois.regiments had them, I think. Q. Not all of them. The First Illinois did not have cartridge belts; they started for Santiago with 300 short? A. That was between the quartermasters; the company commanders would have nothing to do with that part of the work. Q. In our war the commander looked after it all? A. The Government, I understand, now holds the company commanders responsible. MAJ. LAURENCE M. ENNIS. 1591 Q. How were your supplies of commissary stores furnished? A. We had no complaint; the Seventh had no complaints. Q. Did you have company funds? A. No, sir. Q. Did you eat up all your rations? A. Yes, sir; I guess they did; they were pretty healthy; for six weeks we did not have a man in the hospital. Q. How about the tents and equipage and everything of that kind? A. Yes, sir; everything was first-class. I want to say about the water at Camp Alger, and the first thing when I struck that camp. We came in by fours and filed up to the camps. We kicked on going into the open, and they said, " Go into the forest," and we went in and chopped it down. While there some of the officers of the Thirty-third Michigan stated that there was no water, and some of the Third Tennessee said that there was no water. We had just marched 3 or 4 miles, and I never felt so thirsty in my life, so the news went around among the men, and they said, ' ' Major, there is no water in this camp. " I said, " I can't believe that; look at this foliage around us." The ground was covered with shrubbery. I said, " Go down there and see if you can not find some water. Go down the road and see that farmer and tell the farmer you will furnish a guard around his orchard if he will let us have water out of his well." I said, " Make as good a bargain as you can." There had been some trouble with these men about henroosts, orchards, etc. The first we knew we had water. The other men made complaints about water; and when they came around to the Seventh Illinois, we told them we had water. Q. Did you have wells? A. They dug artesian wells. They got an old fellow to come with his machin- ery, but he finally got fired, I believe. We went around and got these wells, and we would not let anybody get water except he was an Irishman. When the Sec- retary of War was there on a visit, I spoke to him, but said we had no complaints- let the other fellows kick. We had ice there; I do not know where it came from, but we had it; but another thing we did there in regard to the meat. I have seen meat spoil coming from Alexandria and coming from Washington out to camp. The men would start and get it at 12 o'clock in the day, and we had to turn in and cook it immediately. Our men then went to work and dug great pits, some as high and as deep as this room, and covered them all over with logs. And then we fixed trapdoors and steps down into the cellars. We had this for our meat and our ice, and every company and battalion had one. Q. Did you learn that thing in Chicago? A. In our company there were a great many men who worked in stock yards- artisans and mechanics, and a great many from the stock yards, railroads, and a great many Armour's and Swift's, and they knew how to take care of meat. We had no trouble with the cooks; we had a great many railroad men, farmers, engi- neers, and there was hardly an industry that we did not represent, When these men went to digging the wells and got tired, I had a kind of an old machine, and we called on the Murphy Brothers-they were well diggers-and they took hold and dug the well. We went after food at Bull Run; the fact was, the railroad trans- portation companies could not do the business with tracks and sidings. Another thing was the mail. I guess the old fellow had about twenty pieces a day, while next day 20,000 men marched in. He would not yield, and finally we started in, as we had about forty men from the post-office, and they just went in and took possession of the office, and we got our mail. Q. Have you got any statement to make as to any neglect toward you from the staff department? A. The only neglect we have to complain about is the neglect to send us to the 1592 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. front; but, being soldiers, we came down with a full supply of medical supplies, mostly all private subscription, and some furnished by the State, and we had an ambulance. Q. Did they try to take it away from you? A. They tried to, by general orders, but they did not get them. We had regi- ments all around us with 60 and 80 men sick. That Fourth Missouri had almost every infantile disease that I ever heard of. That reminds me, the ladies' society here in Chicago, they were the cause of nearly all the sickness in the camp; the men would be sent baskets of Washington pies, jelly rolls, and things of that kind. When the men went up to the sick call they would say, "Well, he got a basket yesterday," and we would always find some sweetheart had sent some- thing. Salt horse, corn beef, and beans did not seem to agree with some of the men. Just as soon as they were informed about a basket they would just act like children. They would also eat green apples, and I would go up and say, "Are you going to eat that?" But after a little while that regulated itself. Q. The men appreciated the advice of the officers after a while, didn't they? A. Yes, sir; a man is afraid at first that everything he does he is going to be reprimanded for; he soon understands that his officer is not a tyrant put over him to jump on him every chance he can get. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Your regiment was composed mostly of Irishmen. Did they manifest the usual affection for the "cratur." A. Not any more than some of the other regiments. Some had joined the Total Abstinence Society, while m one battalion only two officers tasted liquor. All of my investigation was that it was carelessness on the part of the men and I charged it up to the officers. When Colonel Cavanaugh started out, he called the officers together and told us that the prime cause was to look out for the health of the men. The other majors and myself made it our duty to go into the hospital and go around and ask if there was something they wanted; also to jolly them up. Q. Did you find any of your men neglected in those hospitals? A. No, sir; I think you would have heard from them if there had been. Chicago, III., November 8, 1898. TESTIMONY OF SERGT. FRANCIS HENRY BUZZACOTT. Sergt. Francis Henry Buzzacott then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Will you please give us your name and rank in the service, and also your experience in the Regular Army? A. Francis Henry Buzzacott, sergeant, Company A, Third Illinois Volunteers. I have served two terms in both the cavalry and infantry branches of the United States Army, and during the third campaign was with the Third Illinois Volun- teers. Q. When did you enter the volunteer service, Sergeant? A. May 28. Q. Where did you rendezvous? A. Springfield, Ill. SERGT. FRANCIS HENRY BUZZACOTT. 1593 Q. From there where did you go? A. To Chickamauga for about two months. Q. And from there where? A. To Newport News, Va. Q. And from there? A. To Porto Rico. Q. And from there? A. I came home. Q. How was your regiment supplied with quartermaster and commissary stores while you were at Chickamauga? A. Now, in reference to those matters, General, to cover the matter fully, I have, since I was notified before this commission, made it a point to make a few notes. Q. Just give them to us. STATEMENT. My name is Francis H. Buzzacott; I belong at this writing to the Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry. My regiment is now en route to the United States from Porto Rico, after six months of faithful and, I believe, creditable service. I entered the volunteer service on the 28th day of May. Before this had served two terms in the cavalry and infantry branches of the United States Regular Army. With my regiment we have served at the following camps: Springfield, Ill., Chickamauga, Ga., Newport News, Va., Aroya and Guayamo, Porto Rico, and my observations mentioned here cover these points of duty only. My regiment is attached to the Third Brigade, First Division, First Army Corps. With due reference to the treatment accorded my regiment, I have the honor to make the following statements which came under my observation in the present campaign: At Springfield, Ill., the rations issued were good and wholesome; at Chickamauga it was the same way. We got equally as much as I ever received in time of peace when serving in the Regular Army, so far as food and clothing were concerned. As to the quality, it certainly was wholesome and good, and while I have heard and read of spoiled food, rotten rations, etc., with few exceptions I have not come across them, or at least have not gone hungry on account of them. If men's or company's rations did not last them it was not the fault of the Commissary Department. Army regulations govern the quantity to be issued, but while it was thus easy to regulate the amount of food a man was to get, it could not regu- late his appetite to correspond. I believe in a variety of field rations, a larger variety than at present issued, which will, with a slight increase to cover una- voidable loss oi' wastage, terminate the problem of satisfying men as to the change in the rations. There was plenty of good wholesome food, but little variety. Volunteers "cussed" the rations (not the quality), but for want of a change, and the press and those ignorant of the fact jumped at the conclusion that they must be bad. They said they were rotten when it was not always so. I wish here to be cor- rectly reported; my observations cover my own personal experience. I might err in trying to give facts as I found them, but I won't if I can help it. Lack of quick transportation undoubtedly caused perishable food to spoil. In unperishable rations, occasionally a box of hard-tack and a few cans of meat were spoiled, but it was unavoidable. I feel positive that in my command no rotten food was knowingly issued to the men, much less cooked forthem; if so, it was through ignorance and incompetency, and even then it could be condemned and more ordered issued to take its place if this was so. Volunteer soldiers are great eaters, and it is no wonder; veterans and Regular Army soldiers are used to camp fare and. open-air life; ordinary meals suffice them. Not so with volunteers who come from shop and bench to the military camp. The change creates an enormous appe- tite (camp appetites, they call them), and the ration, according to Army Regula- 1594 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. tions, that is, the field ration, is barely enough. Inexperience, too, in the hand- ling and preparation of these rations, makes certain wastes unavoidable; there is a loss in every state in the handling of it; a direct loss to the men. Now, let me ask, is there any allowance to cover that loss? If the portion of meats, canned stuffs, hard-tack, etc., spoils after the ration is once accepted as good, who does the loss fall on? It is the same way with the coffee; its quality is excellent; better coffee can not be found; but there is a loss in every stage of its handling; that is, with the present system, certainly excusable. Coffee should not be issued in a green state or in the bean; it should be roasted, glazed, and ground under Government supervision at home, which will guarantee its quality, and then put up in sealed, air-tight cans, size sufficient for the needs of a meal for a company; if put up right, it would be damp proof, retain its flavor, its aroma, and its strength; it would do away with roasting, grinding, labor to the company cooks in the field, and be ever ready for immediate and satisfactory use. As at present handled in the service, there is a loss in the roasting, in the grinding, and in the transporting from place to place. Car- ried about in the open air in sacks, as it is subject to heat and damp; the loss falls on the men. With it all it is still good, but it can be much better, and the saving effected, if these suggestions are followed, with undoubted advantage to troops in the field, for is not good coffee the backbone of every soldier's meal? The Com- missary Department of the Army is having much unwarranted blame; a great deal of it is undeserved. The task accomplished by that department has been remarkable. Under most trying conditions and with little experience the vast task of feeding an army better than any other military power in the world has been accomplished. Give credit where credit is due; and had this department its own transportation (wagons and teams) it could also deliver the supplies, and with the issue of the cooking utensils, which should rightfully belong to that depart- ment, it could superintend its cooking also if necessary. The lack of variety in the field ration is what made them object to it. The quality is all right, but they grew tired of the same old thing, and in this age of preserved food I don't think it necessary to confine men to hard-tack, beans, canned corn, beef, etc., for weeks at a time. En route to various camps, in the field and trenches, it was the same thing for every meal for weeks; it grew monot- onous; eaten with a relish at first, men claimed it grew nauseating, loathsome, affected the bowels, etc., and under this belief, right or not, they sought anxiously something else to eat: bought it if they had their pay; traded clothes, even, for a difference in fare-for something to eat, the papers claimed, but in most every instance wrongly, but for something else to eat would be more like it. I never yet saw a man forced to buy food; if he was, the occasion was an extraordinary one, and had he the means to purchase it, he did not begrudge it. If a portion of a man's personal ration was spoiled, you could trace the fault as not lying with the Subsistence Department, even if you could not just then replace its loss as easily. It is well to be a little more liberal with the variety of the soldiers' rations; issue them on a scale according to climatic changes; fill a man's stomach with food adapted to the climate he is in and he can maintain strength enough to ward off almost any sickness or perform any duty he is put at; let him be partly hungry, and he is surly, careless, and indifferent. Personally I suffered no inconvenience through lack of clothing, equipments, ammunition, or any food supplies. I saw some lack of medical supplies, such as cots, flooring for hospital tents, mosquito nets, and light diet for extreme cases of sickness. I know that men object to the division hospital in Porto Rico, and to Colonel Huidekoper specially. They seemed to believe that brigade or regimental hospitals were better. A man there was more near to his comrades; men run any risk rather than go to the division hospital. I had occasion to visit the hospital many times, and to SERGT. FRANCIS HENRY BUZZACOTT. 1595 reach it waded through a mule corral with mud a foot deep; the stench of that corral was at times unbearable to the patients. It was too close to the hospital; rainy weather made mud and slush everywhere. Some men lay on the bare ground, some men on stretchers, some men on cots; the foods were wanting in variety, and some I saw served was not much to tempt a sick man. In one instance I saw the effect of Colonel Huidekoper's ill-occasioned orders in shifting patients from dry buildings into damp and uncomfortable tents. There were no floors to those tents, yet the building referred to was roomy, floored, and dry. The food of this hospital was scant and ill-befitting the rendezvous of the sick. I myself contributed the sum of nearly $70 to purchase necessities, not in the way of medicines, but to be devoted to the purchase of milk, eggs, fresh bread, cereals, etc., the need of which was painfully felt. In my estimation, some of the complaints against Colonel Huidekoper and his methods should have attention. There seemed to be universal contempt among some of the men that had been sick; fortunately I was not a sick man under his care; those who were can best speak further on the subject. There is a good many more such things which could be discussed, but in my estimation it would be much better to direct our efforts in preventing its repetition when in the future troops take to the field. I do not wish to be con- sidered fault-finding in drawing attention to these little things, trifling though as they may seem; I do so in a measure to show that these little items contributed to the men s discontent; this was not lessened by the tardy delivery of mails, not only to the sick but to the well. Many of the volunteers for the first time in their life had absented themselves from parents and home. Stacks of mail addressed to various regiments were left lying for days and days, waiting for some one to sort over and deliver or some team to cart them to their places. Wh'en a letter or newspaper-and few of these were delivered promptly-reached the boys, some of them were over a month old. The boys heard of it, and it dis- couraged them, it contributed to homesickness. There certainly was serious neglect in the mail department. It would do your heart good to hear the boys cheer when mail came with a letter from home. The sick smiled, and men forgot their discomforts. There were lines in that letter that were dear to them. I don't believe there was much homesickness before hostilities ceased. There was prospects of a fight ahead, and, strange though it may seem, every man welcomed it. Their minds were occupied; there was always something to look forward to. 1 know of but few complaints until after hostilities ceased. Then lack of tobacco, money, and mail facilities seemed to make the men feel neglected and contributed to nostalgia. I think a ration of tobacco issued frequently to volunteers when on service would be hailed with delight. Another thing: Pay the boys oftener. Twice in six months only did my command get paid, and, personally, I have not drawn a cent since in the Volunteei' service, now over six months. Remember, I am not in the least complaining, for 1 got everything I needed. I simply mention these things to enable you to see that such trifles amount to something with the men in the end. There never was a more ready, willing, energetic body of men than the majority of our volunteers. Growl they can; it's their special habit; but they are just as ready to spring up again and come to the front as they ever were. Most every volunteer is a credit to the Government and the uniform he wears. Press him, and he will tell you that the experiences of this campaign wouldn't be taken back if he could, .and even if hungry in the trenches, he would willingly go through it all again if necessary. I believe, too, that troops aboard the transport should have been served with plain, warm meals instead of the field ration; there certainly was good cooking and refrigerating facilities. The men could well go without table and seating room; did not object to cramped, close quarters; that was roughing it and all right so long as the inner man was well provided. It would have smoothed 1596 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAK WITH SPAIN. it had a hot dish of vegetable soup, fresh potatoes, fresh piece of beef, and a slice of fresh bread been served. It would have been a welcome relief from the fare to be received in the service to come. If these vessels, in ordinary times, cook and serve a bill of fare to three classes of passengers, and a large crew besides, why couldn't a fresh, plain meal be given the troopers? Perhaps had the generals com- manding been likewise forced to subsist on this field ration, things would have been different. As an illustration of what could be done, in one instance I made arrangements on the ship for a supply of vegetables, and in a few hours served the only fresh meal to the 1.000 men on board the ship; that settled it, for there were no more such provisions that we could get at. For the remainder of the voyage, and for many weeks afterwards, we subsisted on this same field ration of hard-tack, corn beef, etc.; and perhaps this diet is responsible for much of the stomach troubles that led to more serious sickness. A piece of cheese, a can of milk, a few pickles, anything would have been a welcome relief, and it is no wonder that we heai* of rolls and such other delicacies being sold and eagerly bought up at almost fabulous prices. It is a broad question, this cause of sickness. I know of some men who, at the mustering-in examination, by some means passed the surgeons; one could almost tell they could not stand hardship incident to field life. Some did not seem to possess the ordinary judgment necessary to taking care of themselves, but for- tunately they were few, and it was hardly to be wondered at when they grew despondent, dissatisfied, and sickened. Again, some men went on the sick report when there was little or no occasion to; others kept away until they had to be carried to the hospital. Medical and commanding officers with them had their hands full. There are a thousand and one things about military life that even men in the regular service don't know, much less volunteers, and it is much harder to make the public understand such things, specially so when it comes to them in the hands of sensational newspaper stories. There was never yet a quarter of a million of men equipped more thor- oughly and in less time with less experience (and the military annals of the world go to prove it), and the service may well be proud of the accomplishments of its troops and officers under Old Glory. Much of the sickness and apparent hard- ship was caused by not a few men's disregard of instructions and advice. Some seemed not to try to either take care of themselves or anything belonging to them. Some would not take off wet clothes, even when they had dry changes, and even when they made no effort to dry or clean those they removed, but fired them in a corner of the tent, and would leave them rot there was it not for the more cleanly habits of other men and the close inspection of their commanding officers or comrades. Good men suffered by such actions. Perhaps more careful men suffered by such ignorance. Men with such faults as these are the biggest kickers. Bear in mind, though, I am speaking of a few instances only. The large majority of men in my command acted with good sense and like veterans, all things considered; took excellent care of themselves and helped others do the same thing. At Chicka- mauga the water was both scarce and bad. Men drilled in the heat of the day. When drill was over, made a rush for and drank copious drafts of impure water, heated as they were, You know the result. Had spring water or even filtered water been distributed daily in ample quantities at convenient places there would have been less evil results of impure water. In spite of orders to the con- trary, acid lemonade, ice cream of wretched quality, were hawked about every- where. There should be more positive means of keeping out all such poor quali- ties of stuff from large camps of instruction. If they are essential, let them be made under medical supervision and disbursed through the army canteen, as pro- vided for in regulations. At Chickamauga nearly every regiment, with few exceptions, had a beer canteen; it was beer everywhere. A small tent, a few SERGT. FRANCIS HENRY BUZZACOTT. 1597 boards, and hundreds of kegs of beer constitute a canteen. Such places were a veritable breeding ground for the pest of flies, which swarmed everywhere. It was evident that with few exceptions no other drink but beer was dispensed in these canteens. Men drank it for love of it, and others drank it because it was germ proof and the water was not. That was a good argument for beer, and 75 per cent of the men's pay went for it; and the misery it caused is felt yet. Many a good lad who had been kept away from drink with the restraints of home here observed that a Government seemingly encouraged its use among their troops. The profits of this beer (in fact all) canteen are enormous. It would be well to appoint a committee to see what became of the funds that accrued from these can- teens or their sales. Ostensibly they were to be used for the comfort and care of the well and the sick, as a fund to purchase necessaries not supplied in the Gov- ernment rations. The question is, Were they? It would be interesting to know. In six weeks the Third Illinois temperance canteen's (the largest canteen ever in the United States Army) receipts were nearly §15,000; its profits close to §3,000. What must have been the profits of these numerous beer canteens which boasted of the sale of hundreds of kegs and cases of beer per day? The vilest kinds of eat- ables and drinkables were hawked over the camp everywhere and sold to the troops. If these things are essential, why not conduct them under military guid ance and to the interest of our soldiers? At Lytle, Ga., in close proximity to from forty to fifty thousand troops, every disreputable kind of a joint was in operation. Was it any wonder that the Young Men's Christian Association tents were deserted at times? If the Government had more such places and less beer canteens the service and the men would be better for it. If such things can not be excluded altogether, restrict the sale of them and encourage the temperance canteen; so regulate it as to make it a benefit to the troops; encourage the Young Men's Chris- tian Association also; incorporate them both would be better yet, and the health and morals in our vast camps of instruction will be the better for it. If such eat- ables and such luxuries are to be sold to the troops, let them be made under army regulations, and the profits thus accumulated can be well used for the comfort and care of the sick, and there will be less necessity of maintaining a large provost guard. I believe, too, that one of the causes of sickness is the improper burying of refuse matter. The latrines (in most camps), owing to the immense number of men using them and their faulty, cramped construction, were the source of much annoy- ance and sickness. Pests of flies swarmed around them, and, in spite of the use of disinfectants, made them unbearable. Rather than go to them men would make use of the immediate vicinity of camp. It was impossible to prevent it. I believe various departments were hindered in their getting and distributing supplies owing to the fact that they did not control their own transportation. For instance, the Subsistence Department provides rations for an army of men, but must look to another department for its teams and wagons to haul them. Had each depart- ment teams and wagons exclusively for the hauling of their own class of supplies much vexatious delay and lack of supplies would have been obviated. I must not omit to mention that much unnecessary lack of supplies was occa- sioned by the acts of some men themselves, who, during forced marches, threw away rations, shelter tents, ponchos, blankets, and clothing. Later on, when neces- sity arose for' their use, the loss of them was a source of much discomfort and the origin and cause, no doubt, of some sickness. Men threw themselves on damp ground, only to fall asleep and suffer afterwards. At times there were reasonable excuses for such acts, but it is the results and not the causes that are forced upon themselves and friends. Many a soldier would have been well and home to-day had he taken care to avoid such overt acts of both ignorance and carelessness. To the volunteer officers much credit is due. They have worked faithfully, diligently to perfect their men in the requirements of the service. Personally I am ready 1598 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. now, and I know the majority is with me, to go through it all again, for it has been a credit to us. We have tried hard to do our duty. We have failed in some respects, but the general results have astonished the world. Well may each and all of us be proud of what we accomplished. My only wish is that both the volunteers and regulars will unite in saying that the results accomplished are worthy of it all. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Francis H. Buzzacott, Late Fifth U. S. Cavalry, Fifteenth U. S. Infantry, Present Third Illinois Infantry, U. S. Volunteers. Burlington, Vt., November 9, 1898. TESTIMONY OF Q. M. SERGT. WILLIAM E. WILLARD. Sergt. William E. Willard, having no objection to being sworn, was there- upon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Are you still in the service? A. I am not. Q. When were you mustered out? A. November 7, 1898. Q. What time did you leave Vermont and where did you go to? A. May 21, for Camp Thomas, Chickamauga, Ga. Q. Were you sick while in Camp Thomas: A. I was. Q. How long were you on duty with your company before you were taken sick? A. Three weeks, I think, it was. Q. Please state the quality and the quantity of the rations which your company had during the time you were with it, as to its sufficiency. A. For the first three weeks they were rather inadequate as to variety. We did not get any potatoes; nothing for vegetables but tomatoes. The meat we had was bacon or salt pork. Q. Have fresh meat? A. During those two or three weeks we had a few rations of fresh meat-couldn't say the number; I know we did not get it only perhaps the first week; we only got it once. Q. After that were the issues regular? A. Yes; they were regular after that. Q. During the time that you were short of some of the components of the ration, was the quantity of what you did have sufficient for the use of the men? A. Yes; plenty, for that matter. While we were receiving our regular rations, two issues of potatoes, for instance-ten days' issue-we had only about enough for four oi' five, the rest of them being decayed. Q. Were the vegetables issued once in ten days or once in five? A. Once in ten days, everything we drew. Q. In some camps the potato ration was issued once in five days. A. Issued once in ten to us. Q. What was the quality of the hard bread and bacon, etc.? A. In two or three instances the bacon was kind of wormy or flyblown; that is, the next day after we received it. Q. What did you do with it? Q. M. SERGT. WILLIAM E. WILLARD. 1599 A. Reported it; the commissary said they could not do anything about it; reported the same on the potatoes; he said that was all we could have at that time. Q. Who was the commissary of your regiment? A. First Lieutenant Miller, of Company C. Q. Didn't you understand that if you were issued any improper article of the ration-that is, any ration that was not good-that you could exchange it for that which was good? A. Did not have any extra that I could get. I mean, if you got maggoty bacon or weevily bread, didn't you understand that you could exchange it for good? A. No, sir, I did not. Q. Were there any boards of survey ever formed to condemn any rations in your company, to your knowledge? A. Not to my knowledge; not anything in the line of rations. Q. What did you do with this bacon that you say was maggoty? A. Disposed of it. Q. How disposed of it? A. Sold it to a party that came around the camp and picked up that kind of stuff; sold it at 3 cents a pound. Q. That is an instance where a commissary did not know his business-no diffi- culty at all in getting rations that are tainted condemned and others issued in their stead? A. I reported it to him right away. The rations were issued to us and then delivered in a team before we saw them. Perhaps I would not be there to receive them when they were brought around. Soon after I noticed it was wrong and reported it to him, but he says, "We can not do anything about it; we have accepted it, and so we will have to stand it." Q. Did you have any repetition of that trouble? A. This was the very last of our being there. I think it was, if I remember correctly, the last two issues. Q. How competent were the cooks you had? A. I do not think any of them were experienced; not to any great extent-that is, not able to cook anything outside of the meat and potatoes; something of that kind. Q. Did you have soups? A. Yes; had soup occasionally. Q. How much, if any, savings were you able to make? A. Able to make some savings on the coffee and on the bacon. Usually sold that down to a very small quantity; what we would need for cooking beans; something of that nature. Q. What did you use your savings for? A. For vegetables; used to trade it for them. Q. On the whole, how satisfactory were the rations to the men of your company? A. Not very satisfactory, judging from the expression of the men, for the rea- son the fresh meat, our issue, was hardly sufficient for two meals for the whole number of men. Q. Please state whether the ration, as issued by the Government, is more than the men used, or if they used it all. A. No; we did not use all the coffee and bacon. Q. Do you think that a company of men will eat in a month's time or ten days' time all the rations that are issued to them by the Government; that is, I want to get your opinion as to whether it is more than sufficient or less than sufficient for the men? 1600 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. It is not, in the line of fresh meat; in other things I think they had plenty- more than they would eat, perhaps. Q. Didn't you actually have more issued to you than your company used, of rations, as a whole? A. Never had to throw away anything. Q. Didn't you have something to sell? A. Yes; what I speak of-bacon and coffee. Q. Did you have soft bread there? A. Yes; had soft bread. Q. Was it good? A. Yes. Q. What about the clothing of the men while you were there? A. Well, some of them did not get their issue-all of them. I know I did not get all of mine. Q. What reason was given for the nonissue? A. Could not get them. Q. When you came to the final settlement, did you get commutation for the clothing that was not issued to you? A. I think it was so stated on the pay roll, that there was allowance for clothing. Q. You said that you were sick. Where did you go when you were sick? A. I first went to the regimental hospital. From there I was transferred to the division hospital. Q. What disease did you have? A. Vaccinia, I think they called it. Q. How long were you sick? A. I was in the hospital for a week. Q. Division hospital? A. I went into the division hospital-the regimental hospital on Monday, and the following Tuesday I went to the division hospital and came back the following Monday. Q. You were in the division hospital a week? A. Yes, sir. Q. What month was that, and what time in the month? A. In June; I can not give the exact date. Q. Who had charge of the hospital at that time? A. Major Hoover. Q. In what condition did you find the hospital? A. My experience was not very pleasant; I was suffering from the effects of vaccination; I had a temperature of 104, and I had no appetite or anything, and the only rations they brought to me was this bacon partially cooked; that was in the morning; they had fresh meat at noon. Q. What other food did you have in the morning besides the bacon? A. They had some kind of a cereal and potato, and bread without butter. Q. Did you have milk? A. Some of them got milk if they thought they needed it; I did not have any milk. Q. Did you have coffee or tea? A. They brought up what they called coffee, but impossible for me to drink it. Q. Did you have any appetite for anything that time? A. No; didn't have any great deal of an appetite. Q. What should you have had, according to your idea? A. I think I should have had something in the line of beef tea; something of that kind; something for nourishment. Q. Did you suggest any different food from what you had? A. I did. Q. M. SERGT. WILLIAM E. WILLARD. 1601 Q. What reply did you get? A. Yes; I complained to the nurse-asked him if he could not get me something different; he said he would try, but failed to get any of it. Q. What was your treatment by the medical officers and nurses of the hospital? A. They were always courteous. Q. Whether kind or otherwise? A. Yes, sir. I did not see anything that would indicate they did otherwise than appear courteous-anything that I noticed. Q. Did you receive medicines in what you considered proper quantity and num- ber of times? A. Of course, I was not able to judge that. If they left anything for me, I got it at the stated intervals that the nurse was directed to give it to me. Q. Please state whether the medical officers and nurses appeared to be interested in the patients. A. They were, as far as I know. All of them in my ward got all the attention they asked; if they wanted to see the doctor about anything, he was sent for. Q. Did you have any sheets and pillowcases? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were there bedpans and other paraphernalia of that kind in the hospital? A. There was. Q. How was the hospital for cleanliness the time you were there? A. There were no floors in the tents at that time, and I think the ward that I was in was not swept out at all while I was there. Q. What condition was it in? A. It was not clean; just the same as it would be on a ground occupied by any- one; the numbers that were in the ward. There was no refuse lying around, food or anything of that kind. Q. Was it policed, what you would call policed? A. Outside the tent picked up a little paper; something of that kind; that is all. Q. Was it policed inside? A. I say it was not swept. They picked up the paper lying around in the mid- dle of the tent. Q. How many patients were there in the hospital where you were? A. In this ward where I was there were six of us. Q. What time did you go back to your regiment? A. I went back when I left the hospital, after I had been there for a week, to my quarters. Q. Were you on duty all the time after that? A. No, I was not for two weeks afterwards. Q. You were sick in quarters? A. Yes, sir. Q. After that were you on duty? A. Well, it was rather broken. I would be sick two or three days at a time, and a few days I would be around, but did not go to the division hospital again. Q. How well contented were your men there? A. I can not say that they were contented at all; rather uneasy, dissatisfied. Q. With what were they dissatisfied, mostly? A. I do not know as I am able to state more than the monotony of lying around, nothing particularly to do only to drill. Q. How much drilling did you do? A. I was not obliged to drill. Q. The company? A. Drilled twice a day. Q. What effect did that drill have upon them; increase their discontent or otherwise? A. Yes, sir. 1602 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I do not think so. Q. Did they consider they were overdrilled? A. I do not know as I ever heard them complain of it. Q. Do you know anything about the water supply the regiment received? A. Something of it. Q. Did you ever go to the sources of the water supply? A. Yes, sir; excepting the last one. Q. Did you go down to the intake of Chickamauga Creek? A. I did not. Q. How well satisfied were the men of your company with the medical corps of your regiment? A. Used to hear a great deal of complaint about it. Q. What complaint was made? A. They thought they were not shown proper attention when they reported their condition to the surgeon. Q. Did you go with the men at any time at sick call?. A. Yes, sir. Q. Please state as to the treatment they received the times you were there. A. This time I have reference to that I went with them was while we were on detached service at the paymaster's camp; most of the cases at that time were sore arms from vaccination. They all received proper attention then. Q. What surgeon; one of your own surgeons? A. No, sir; the headquarters surgeon. Q. I had reference more particularly to your own surgeons; whether you knew anything in regard to the manner in which they treated the men? A. I never went with the men to the regimental hospital only when I went for my own benefit; I always received some attention, I don't know whether it was what I ought to have had or not; did not receive much benefit from it in any way. Q. Was there any complaint among the men of your company as to their treat- ment by the medical officers of your regiment? A. Yes, there was. Q. What complaint did they make? A. Did not think they received proper attention from the surgeon. Q. Did they give the reasons why they thought they were not given proper attention? A. 1 do not know as they specified in particular, only it was a general dissatis- faction. Q. Did you or the men in your company experience more privations while there at Chickamauga than you expected to when you went into the United States service? A. I do not know that we did. I think we all expected rather better fare than we got in the line of rations and the water supply. Q. Do you attribute any portion of the dissatisfaction of the rations to the fact that the men were unused to army rations? A. Yes; I think so. Q. What time did you return to Vermont? A. Twenty-first day of August. Q. What train were you on? A. On the first division following the hospital train. Q. Did you have a surgeon on board? A. No, sir. Q. Hospital steward? A. I can not say whether there was a steward aboard: there were two that were with the Hospital Corps. Q. Any medicines on board? FRANK A. BAILEY. 1603 A. Not that I know of. Q. Anyone sick on board-taken sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many, and who? A. Well, I was myself, and Captain Brownell: I do not knowhow many others. Q. Were you or any of the others very ill? A. I do not suppose I was dangerously ill. I was not able to look after my duties; had another man to act for me. Q. Was Captain Brownell very ill? A. He was so considered. On arriving here at Burlington I understand he was taken to the hospital. Q. What care did you or Captain Brownell receive en route? A. Did not receive any attention only what I gave myself. I do not know what he received. Q. Have you been ill since you came home? A. Yes, sir; had ten days' sick leave on the following Monday after arriving in camp. Arrived on Sunday; Monday I was given ten days' leave of absence, on sick leave. Burlington, Vt., November 9, 1898. TESTIMONY OF FRANK A. BAILEY. Frank A. Bailey, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly- sworn, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. What is your occupation? A. Lawyer. Q. Have you had occasion to visit Chickamagua Park, Ga., during the last summer? A. I have. Q. What was the occasion of your visit, and how long did you remain there? A. The occasion of my visit was the sickness of my brother, Luther J. Bailey, who was a private in Company E, First Vermont, being sick with typhoid fever. Q. What time did you visit the park? A. I went from here the 17th day of August, and left the park, returning home, the 26th day of September. Q. What time did you arrive at the park? A. Arrived at the park the morning of the 19th day of August. Q. Where did you find your brother when you arrived there? A. Found my brother in ward 7 of the Sternberg Hospital. Q. Where was the Sternberg Hospital located in the park? A. Located near what is known as Grant's Memorial, I believe. Q. What was the character of the ground upon which the hospital was located? A. Rising. Q. Sloping? A. Yes; on a little knoll. Q. How large was the hospital at the time you went there-that is, whether very large or otherwise? A. The hospital had been in operation-I reached there Friday-since Tuesday, I believe, or Monday; been open and patients were coming in very rapidly, but only about 150 or such a matter were in there at that time. Q. Was there preparation made for a great many more patients than there were there? A. I have. 1604 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; being made. Q. It was a tent hospital, was it? A. At that time, all tent hospital, I believe. Q. Were the tents floored? A. The tents were floored; yes, sir. Q. Were there cots in the tents? A. Cots in some of the tents, those that were being used. Q. How many cots in a tent? A. At the time I arrived there, four cots in each tent. Shortly after two more cots were put in and remained a part of the time-that is, in the division in which I was. Q. What kind of cots were they? A. Some of them were iron bedsteads, single bedsteads, while those that were put in the center, making six in a tent, were, as I understood it, ordinary army wood cots with a canvas. Q. What kind of springs were on these iron bedsteads? A. Woven wire springs. Q. What kind of mattresses, if any? A. I can not say; I think hair mattresses, but I am not positive about that. Q. Were there pillows? A. Yes, sir. Q. Sheets and pillowcases? A. Some sheets; yes, sir. Q. How many patients in the ward where you found your brother? A. The tent was full, if I remember correctly, being four in a tent. Q. Were there any more in the tent thereafter? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many more? A. Two more at one time. Of course, they were going and coming. Q. How much of the time while your brother was in that ward were there six cots in his tent? A. I could not say positively; I should say two-thirds of the time; might not be exact; wouldn't expect it to be. Q. Were the nurses male or female? A. Female nurses. Q. Did they have the assistance of men-orderlies? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the character of these female nurses for efficiency? A. I considered the efficiency of the female nurses, on an average, medium. Q. What kind of medical attendance and care did your brother receive there? A. Well, medical attendance was the same as all others received. The doctor came in once or twice a day, usually twice a day, occasionally omitting one of the visits. He was given his medicine according to a chart, by myself, usually, I receiv- ing it from the nurse having charge of that and one or two other tents. Q. Were you allowed to be there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is that usual? A. I know nothing in reference to that. I was advised to go by the colonel of the regiment, saying that that would be considered proper. Q. What have you to say, if anything, in regard to his care there-anything in criticism; if so, what? A. His care, aside from what I gave him-which, of course, was very close attention, although I knew nothing about nursing-was very slight. Q. Do you think it would have been more if you had not been there? FRANK A. BAILEY. 1605 A. Judging from the care the others received, I should say no. Q. What neglect, if any, did you notice in the care of the other patients? A. From the beginning of my being there up until the last two weeks, speaking approximately, there were, at times, deficiencies in sheeting, so that patients would be obliged to lay for hours in foul beds; and times when sheets were not at hand, I have seen nightshirts put in under the boys to partially cover up the foul- ness, if anyone called for it, which I did, not only for my brother, but for other patients in the tent; tried to make myself not in the way, but to help generally, which, I think, most of the nurses considered I did. I have known, especially during the first week and a half of my stay there, patients to be compelled to have movements in their beds after having repeatedly called for bedpans. Q. To what do you attribute the cause of their request not being granted? A. Lack of orderlies on some occasions, and on others the inattention of order- lies, and the lack of appliances the first, say, ten days. Q. Lack of bedpans? A. Lack of bedpans and lack of urinals. Q. How was it after the ten days? A. After that it was better, although occasionally, through some means or other, they would get dwindled down so they did not have enough bedpans. Q. Did most of the patients there have typhoid fever? A. Most of the cases were diagnosed typhoid; few malaria. Q. Most of them, then, were liable to have evacuations of the bowels at any time, and sometimes suddenly? A. No, can not say most of them; occasionally there would be one, but most of them called for the bedpan when they wished it. Q. How many times, in all the time that you were there, have you known patients to soil their beds because they could not have the bedpans furnished them in a reasonable time? A. I kept no memorandum, of course, of that matter, but I have known it in two or three tents, which came closely under my observation, to occur many times. Q. How many should you say-once a day or once a week? A. Once a day would be a low estimate. Q. How many patients came under your observation? A. I was through the w'ards after the first ten days; I was through the wards quite a little, occasionally, but those that came more closely under my observa- tion would be the tent in which my brother was and the tent each side of it, above and below, making about eighteen when they were all full. Q. What was the general character of nurses as to willingness? A. The female nurses were generally very willing. Q. How about the orderlies? A. The orderlies were very unwilling. Q. What did they say or do to show their unwillingness? A. Well, curse and swear and disobey the wishes of the nurses; half do their work in cleaning out the bedpans and urinals, and so on. Of course, there were exceptions; one or two of the orderlies were excellent help. Q. Do you know what means were used for cleansing the bedpans? A. Water. There were different means, some of the time, especially for the first week or two weeks, hardly any provision was made for it; they would take it to a sink dug between the hospital proper and the mess tent, pour it out, and some of the time there would be a pail of water there, and other times there would not. Q. Do you mean to say that the bedpans were not always cleansed? A. Not always cleansed; yes, sir. Q. Do you know anything about the provisions for disinfecting the bedpans with bichloride? 1606 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. There were pails of bichloride in the ward in which I was the latter part of the time. The first-I'll put it ten days, that may be a little long-I am quite positive there was no disinfectant used excepting a little lime one or two days. Q. Did you hear the nurses complain of any lack of material? A. I did; yes. Q. Who had charge of the hospital? A. Maj. R. Emmett Giffin. Q. How often did he visit the hospital? A. I have seen him in our ward, I should set it, at the outside, half a dozen times. Q. Who had charge of your ward? A. Charlotte Wilson. Q. I mean the medical officer. A. The first ten days or little longer-I have not the exact time-it was Dr. Stutter or Strutter. I am not sure of the name. Q. How attentive was he to his duties? A. He was fairly attentive. He showed, to my mind, inefficiency. Q. What reason did you have for thinking he was inefficient? A. Remarks that I heard him make and some actions. Q. What were they? A. One action, principally-or lack of action, was his neglect to lance boils, not only on my brother, but on two or three of the other patients. Q. What did he say? A. I asked him several times to lance a boil coming upon my brother which had come to a head, very nearly. First asked him if it wasn't proper to lance it; wouldn't it be better. He said, " Yes," but he had not got his lance with him; he could not do it, but he would bring it the next time. The next time he came I would repeat the request; he did not have his lance with him. That run along for four or five days. At last he took hold of one of the boils on my brother's hip with both hands and was going to break it: did not have his lance; said it would do just as well. I objected to it, and he did not do it; but I saw it done, not on him, but another person, I think by the name of Bailey, from Ohio, a boil broken without the use of a lance, causing a great deal of pain as a result. While Dr. Strutter (whatever his name was) had charge of that division, six or seven, and perhaps more, boils broke on my brother, making very large sores, which were obliged to be dressed all of the time he remained in the hospital, and one or two of them I dress to-day, are not healed. He was replaced after-I will set it, ten days; I would not swear to that-by Dr. Norris, who began to lance boils; as they came, the boils, they were lanced at the proper time and healed almost immediately, without having to be poulticed or anything of the kind; in fact, healed before we left the hospital. Q. How good a physician was he, or surgeon? A. Dr. Norris, in my opinion, was a very faithful man. His experience had not been large; in fact, he had been, according to his story, second or third superin- tendent in an insane asylum in Baltimore, Md., having had but very little general practice. I have not told all that I could in reference to Dr. Strutter. I had no ill feeling against him, or anyone, in fact, for that matter, except as to their ineffi- ciency, which I considered unpardonable. Q. Please state as to the cleanliness of the hospital. A. The last half, I might state, of my stay there, the hospital floors of each ward were swept and mopped out about every day; also, the floor under the fly between the different tents. I have no criticism to make on the cleanliness of the last half. The first half was otherwise; although, excepting for the foulness of the beds, unnecessary occasionally, I have no particular criticism. FRANK A. BAILEY. 1607 Q. Have you any knowledge of any incidents of neglect or ill treatment of patients there other than what you have named? A. Yes, 1 have knowledge of what I consider to be neglect; that is what I mean to be understood. While Dr. Strutter was in charge of our ward, a patient-I have an impression from Pennsylvania, but I may be mistaken; his name was Debbie, I think-was very sick. One of the nurses, who was more faithful than any other nurse, you might say-her name was Jennie S. Edmunds, from Syracuse, N. Y., formerly having connections in this State-attended to him very strictly, seeing that he needed it. I heard Dr. Strutter say to her, in his presence- when the man Debbie was conscious, "There is no use in puttering with him; he can't live; let him go; confine your attention to some other patient." We talked the matter over-she did with me, because she showed a particular inter- est in my brother and myself-and she was very angry about the matter, and did not conform to the doctor's instructions in that regard. I personally talked with Debbie after this occurred and learned from him that he heard the remark. He died, although Miss Edmunds did pay the same attention to him after that. Q. What other cases, if any? A. I heard this same doctor make a remark which I considered showed either lack of judgment or lack of feeling. Consultation was being held over one patient-I am not sure of the name or regiment; he was in a tent above us. His stomach had been bothering him, and the surgeon who was sent to consult with the doctor suggested washing out the sick man's stomach. I heard Dr. Strutter make the remark, "Let's wait until to-morrow; he may be dead before that," or "He may die before that." What he meant by it I don't know. Q. What other cases, if any? A. I heard the same doctor make a remark in reference to a man by the name of Potts, in the tent below me, tent No. 65, same division-heard him order ice baths for this Potts, who had not only typhoid fever, but congestion of the lungs. I am not sure of his diagnosis, but that was the common talk that he had conges- tion of the lungs with typhoid fever. Ice baths were ordered, and the day nurse complained very bitterly about it. The day nurse's name was Miss Zinkey. She refused to give the ice baths, although she made her records as though she gave him the baths, but did not do it. The night nurse would not do that, but gave the baths as instructed, and when Miss Zinkey complained to the doctor about the ice baths, on account of his dislike of them-they seemed to hurt him-the doctor said, "Nevei' mind"-wouldn't give his words exactly-but, "Never mind, continue the ice baths; they will fix him," or words to that effect. 1 have not the words exactly in mind; did not impress me favorably at the time. Q. What was the result of that to the patient? A. The patient died. Q. Do you know why Dr. Strutter was removed? A. I do not. Q. Were any complaints made to Major Giffin in regard to him? A. I complained to Major Giffin; whether others did or not, I do not know. Q. What was your opinion at the time whethei' these complaints that were made to Dr. Giffin resulted in his displacement? A. I did not think that they did, for this reason: That he was made sort of a superintendent of the orderlies; what they call it, I don't know, or whether it was a higher or a lower office, I do not know that. But he had charge of the order- lies-looked after them after that time. Q. What was the treatment of the patients by Major Giffin, when he was about? A. I never saw him pay any attention to any of the patients. Q. What did he do when he came into the wards? 1608 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Pass right through; occasionally speak to a nurse. Q. Give directions as to anything? A. I never heard him give any. Q. On the whole, did you consider the hospital cleanly or otherwise? A. I should say the hospital proper was fairly clean. Q. What about the supply of food? A. The supply of food, the first half of my being there, was somewhat defi- cient-not in quantity, perhaps, but in quality. Q. What did they have? A. Had plenty of milk most of the time; occasionally there would be days they did not have it. Q. Soups, broths, etc.? A. Not very much; I do not know that I saw broths. Q. Plenty of milk? A. Usually. Q. What did your brother eat? A. He was ordered to have-after he got through with milk-ordered to have milk toast for six or eight days. During the six or eight days he got milk toast twice. I complained to the head nurse in reference to the matter, and she said she would do the best she could, but she could not do anything. There seemed to be a lack of control in that regard; she could not get it; did not get it. Q. How many patients were there in the hospital? A. I have no accurate knowledge; six or seven hundred was the common talk. Q. Medical supplies all right, were they? A. As far as I know. Q. What was your treatment by Major Giffin or others? A. I have no fault to find with my treatment. Q. Where did you board while you were there? A. The first ten days or about there my brother had active delirium, and I did not leave him only long enough for meal time and three or four hours' sleep at night, along toward morning; I boarded at the mess tent for the first ten days. Q. Where did you board after that? A. After that I went to Lytle, in a hotel. Q. Did they make any charge for your board in the mess tent? A. No, sir; the steward, with whom I became acquainted, sent me to the mess tent? Q. What complaint have you to make as to your treatment or the treatment of your brother while he was in the hospital, if any? A. I have no complaint to make in regard to my treatment. Q. How about the treatment of your brother? A. The treatment of my brother, with the exception of that already named, I think I haven't any complaint to make. Q. You mean the matter of opening the boil and the matter of the milk toast; is that what you mean? A. That is about all; yes, sir. I was not satisfied with the medicines that he was getting the first ten days. I went to Major Giffin in reference to the matter; tried to have him send someone else instead of Dr. Strutter to attend my brother, or consult with him. Q. What medicines was he receiving? A. Some of the time he was receiving nothing but whisky. Q. Are you enough of a medical man to know whether he ought to have had anything else or not for medicines? A. I am not, so far as that is concerned, but I have had talks with other physi- cians, and did at that time-a physician in Chattanooga; later, at my request, he was given salol; after that he was given-all the patients after a while were given FRANK A. BAILEY. 1609 salol; no glycerin was used on his tongue; his tongue was so thick for the first three or four days after I arrived there that he could say nothing, and the doctor thought-in fact, he asked me, if he ever talked plain-that kind of a thing. By the advice of one of the nurses I procured glycerin; they were putting something on his tongue, didn't do any good; I procured glycerin and used it, and three or four days after that the hospital began, generally, to use glycerin. Q. Was a physician accustomed to come around at night? A. The times of the physicians varied; there were times when a physician came around at 9 o'clock at night, and other times their last visit would be about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, or 5. Q. From your experience there, what is your judgment, as to whether Major Giffin and the other medical officers, with the exception of this Dr. Strutter you speak of-and the nurses-what is your judgment as to whether they were inter- ested in their patients or not, and did all they could to alleviate their sufferings? A. You include the nurses? Q. Yes. A. I think the nurses generally did all they could. Q. How about the physicians, except Dr. Strutter? A. I do not know what they could do, but my opinion is that they did not do what should be done-did not show the attention that should be shown; did not seem to show much regard, for they would come in laughing and talking, and push around with the lady nurses if there happened to be one that liked a little fun, regardless of whether there was a sick man, right at death's door, right in the next tent or not. Q. Would you expect that a physician would show the same attention, that is spend so long a time in a hospital of that character, as he would in private prac- tice? Would they have the time to do that, considering the number of patients that were given to their charge? A. I do not know how many patients each physician had charge of, and as you put the question, I do not believe I could answer it. Q. You do not know whether it would be expected they would spend so much time? A. No; I do not know. Q. How much interest did Major Giffin appear to show in the care of the hospital? A. The impression I got was that he did not, with the exception of outside show, care much about it. That might have been a wrong impression, although I heard him say once to an orderly who complained that he had worked eighteen hours and his temperature was 103^, and he wished to get off for a half a day to rest, I heard Major Giffin make the remark to him that he had got to work until he dropped, and then, he says, " We will take care of you." Whether that was through interest or some other feeling I do not know. Q. Have you anything else you would like to say in regard to the hospital except what you have said? A. I understand that Major Giffin in his testimony characterizes my statements as an absolute lie in reference to both the sheeting and the sinks; and I wish to reaffirm what I said with reference to the sheeting, and also state that there was a sink within about 6 rods of the hospital, the use of which had been discon- tinued for some little time, the door of which was closed by a cleat being nailed across it; that was left for about a week without any dirt being thrown over it or any disinfectant. Q. Anything else you think of? A. And also to characterize as an absolute falsehood Dr. Giffin's statement that I said I would get even with him. I never said it; never had the feeling. 1610 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you ever complain to Dr. Giffin? We took his testimony there, and he says you never complained to him. A. That is untrue; I complained to him twice. Q. He says he allowed you to stay in the ward with your brother, "which was contrary to my usual rules." A. Well, in what cases he exercised that rule I can not say. There -were four or five, and I do not know but more, different patients who had relatives who stayed with them, the same as I did, in my individual ward. Q. He says you asked him to furlough your brother; is that so? A. No, sir; I asked him to allow me to take him to Lookout Mountain. Q. He says that you asked him to furlough your brother. When he would not, you said you would get even with him. A. That is a falsehood. I never had any hard words with Major Giffin, with the exception when I asked him to either send another physician or allow me to get a physician from Chattanooga, which he refused to do. I told him I had a brother's interest there, which I considered to be of a different character' from his interest as surgeon-in-chief, and he refused to listen to such talk. He was perhaps so unap- proachable as chief surgeon. I was a little wrought up, but I insisted and reiter- ated. We had a little set-to, but I never had any ill-feeling or told him I would get even with him. Q. In your letter you say, " General Boynton, in his report, said every precaution is taken as to the sinks and all utensils pertaining thereto, while at that time there stood a sink within 6 rods of the hospital which had not been used for six weeks and had no cover of dirt or any disinfectants in it." We asked that question of Dr. Giffin, and he says in his answer, " That is an absolute lie. These sinks were dug under my direction, and they were 12 feet deep, and when I abandoned them 1 put in three barrels of lime and then covered them." In your letter you say, "At that time there had been no disinfectant used in our ward, except for washing hands, for a period of three days." Then Major Giffin was asked, "Do you know of any such occasion?" and hesaid, " There never had been a period of five minutes when there had not been a disinfectant in that ward, and every floor had been washed with a carbolic solution of 1-2000 strength." And then we asked him, " You were never without a disinfectant for washing hands?" He answered, " We never were without that. If we didn't have the carbolic, we had the bichloride. We had plenty of it-barrels of it." A. I think there was never a time in our ward but that we had plenty of car- bolic, but there were times of two or three days when there were no other disin- fectants in the ward, and the head nurse, at the time of my complaint to her in reference to the condition of the bedpans and so on, said she could not help it. Q. You say in your letter (this was the question put to Major Giffin), "Talk about investigating at the time Governor Black was about to pass through the hospital, Major Giffin, the chief surgeon, sent word to have everything put in order and every instrument sterilized." What do you know of that? Do ym know of any such thing? A. That is not the exact wording of my letter as I remember it. Q. Do you know of anything of that kind? A. I know of word being sent out that time-being brought, I think, by Dr. Greenhalge-to tell Miss Edmunds to get the hospital in order; that was done on one or two other occasions. Q. That who was coming-anybody? A. I can not say that anything was said who was coming, but to get it in order. It was the same day that Governor Black made his appearance. Q. The answer is, " I didn't know that Governor Black was coming until almost the time of his inspection." FRANK A. BAILEY. 1611 A. Then he did not read the papers; everybody knew it. Q. Then he says, in regard to lancing these boils, " Do you know any occasion where a surgeon was not supplied with proper surgical instruments for opening a boil?-A. No, sir; because I have 45 surgical cases, 1 for each ward." A. I think I made no allegation but that they were supplied, but that the doc- tor did not have his lance with him; gave that as an excuse. In reference to the major's knowing whether there was a disinfectant in the ward, I do not know how he can swear to it. He was not in the ward that I was in more than five or six times while I was there. Q. He says it is utterly false in regard to the surgeon's advising the nurse not to pay attention to a patient that was going to die, and he also says that he should have heard of anything of that kind. Then we asked him, 11 Did you at any time while you were surgeon in charge of the hospital inquire of nurses as to whether the medicine was properly given?-A. Yes; I have visited every ward of that hos- pital every day, at all hours of night and day, until as late as 2 or 3 o'clock." A. I could not say that he never did visit there; I say I never saw him there exceeding six times. Q. Then he was asked, "Have you had any occasion to watch the attending physicians to know what they were doing, and how they were doing it?-A. I did, and examined their prescriptions time and again." Then you stated in your letter to the paper, "At the present moment every ward in the hospital is out of toilet paper, and has been for a period of three days." A. That is incorrect; the letter is not to that effect; I will read you the letter, that part of it, if you wish. [Witness produces letter and reads as follows:] "At the present moment, ward 7, in which my brother lies, is out of toilet paper and has been for a period of three days. " I procured toilet papei' myself for my brother, and others were using common, ordinary paper-orderlies were. Q. Did they use anything else besides toilet paper and other paper for typhoid patients? A. Not that I saw. Q. His answer is, "I never allowed them to use toilet paper. I gave them the carbolated gauze. We don't use paper at all; we were never at any time without toilet paper. " They didn't use that on typhoid patients? A. Well, they used it in our ward, positively, and nothing else; used it in other wards, the ward next to us, because I have been to the other ward and got it, as many as three or four times-got it of the head nurse. Q. You say in your letter, "I have known, time after time, of patients having movements in bed, after calling for the proper appliances again and again, and having no attention paid to them, because they hadn't sufficient facilities on hand." His answer to that is, " I have had bedpans for every patient that needed them, and I have, probably, fifty bedpans that have never been taken out of our stores." Then we asked, " Were these bedpans distributed through the wards, so that no man need to be without a bedpan?-A. They were, because every tent was supplied with four bedpans." A. That is an absolute falsehood. Q. Then he was asked, "Was any report made to you that a patient could not get a bedpan to prevent his soiling his bed?" And to that he answered, "That was never reported to me, although many times patients soil their beds, as men with typhoid fever will, and no ordinary attention can prevent that." A. The rule there was, as I observed it, that no typhoid patient soiled his bed without calling for a bedpan unless he was delirious, and there were not more than three or four in the ward that were delirious-not so but that they called; and as for there being four bedpans in every tent, there wasn't a time when all six tents had more than six bedpans, and there were times when we did not have 1612 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. more than three. I went to Major Giffin myself in reference to bedpans, and did not find him; that is, I went to his tent, along the first-after I had been there three or four days-but I found Major Ewing. I think, and 1 did not know that he was a major, anything of that kind, didn't care particularly, and I complained very bitterly to him in reference to the matter. 1 told him I understood there were bedpans in a box there-I was told so by the nurse-and I wanted to get one, and he said there wasn't any, and couldn't get any till they got a requisition to Washington, and we were to get along with them, and we did with the results as I have stated. The efficiency of the hospital the last two weeks was probably a hundred per cent better than at any other time, and was, 1 presume, as good as any field hospital could be expected. I have no complaints to make in reference to that. The Chattanooga papers made serious charges against everybody and every- thing, and whether for that cause or some other, I don't know, things seemed to come around differently. Q. Do you think of anything else you would like to say in regard to anything? A. I don't know of anything. Burlington, Vt., November 9 1898. Frank A. Bailey-Recalled. Q. Please state whether or not you ever expressed to Major Giffin your satisfac- tion of the treatment which your brother received there at the hospital. A. I never did. Q. We asked him this question, "Did the brother, while he was visiting the patient, complain to you of ill treatment of the patient? ' His answer was. "No, sir; no complaint at all. He said he was well pleased and was glad his brother was so well taken care of, and time and again I spoke to him and he said he was well pleased; the nurse had given him every attention on earth." A. That is absolutely false. Never had any such talk with him. I had another brother there, who came there a part of the time, but I think he never met Major Giffin. My complaints in reference to my brother were not of a very bad nature, because I was there to take care of him. I didn't expect everything would be done by others, probably because 1 was doing it myself. I never complained to him, only about the specific things which I have mentioned. Q. He says you never complained to him at all. A. I did, twice. Burlington, Vt., November 9,1898. TESTIMONY OF LUTHER J. BAILEY. Luther J. Bailey, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Did you go with your regiment to Camp Thomas, Chickamauga Park? A. Yes, sir. Q. Are you in the service now? A. No, sir. Q. When were you mustered out? A. The 27th of last month. Q. About what time did you arrive at Camp Thomas? A. I do not know as I can tell the date. Q. Did you leave Vermont with your regiment and arrive there with your regiment? LUTHER J. BAILEY. 1613 A. Yes; 1 went with the regiment. Q. Were you sick when you were at Camp Thomas? A. I was. Q. When were you taken sick? A. I went to the regimental hospital the 8th of August. Q. How long did you remain there? A. One night. Q. Where did you go from there? A. The division hospital. Q. What division hospital was that: what division were you in? A. Third Division, I believe it was, Q. It was not the Third Division; you were in the Third Corps? A. Third Corps. Q. Who had charge of the hospital where you went? A. I do not remember the name. Q. It was the division hospital your regiment was in; the hospital of the divi- sion your regiment was in? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did you remain there? A. Nine or ten days; I am not positive which. Q. What can you say as to the care and treatment you received while there; or were you not conscious? A. I was delirious most of the time that I was in that hospital. Q. Then you would not hardly hazard any opinion if you were delirious? A. No; I couldn't. Q. Where did you go from there? A. I was taken to the Sternberg Hospital. Q. About what time? A. I think I arrived there about the 18th of August; 18th or 19th. Q. How many patients were there in the tent where you were? A. I think there were seven or eight at that time. Q. What kind of a bed did you have to lie on? A. They were cot beds. Q. Iron bedsteads? A. I think so. Q. Mattresses? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of a mattress? A. I do not know as to that. Q. Was it a thick or a thin mattress? A. Rather thin, I should call it. Q. Was it a good bed? A. Nothing extra. Q. Did you have sheets, pillowcases, and pillow? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was your condition as to delirium when you arrived at the Sternberg Hospital and for the subsequent time? A. When I arrived there-I didn't know anything about that, when I did arrive. Q. You have no remembrance, then, of arriving there? A. No, sir. Q. About what time did you become conscious, so that you knew what was going on about you? A. Well; it was nearly a week after I arrived there. Q. Along the last of August, then? A. Yes, sir; must have been. 1614 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. When you came to consciousness how did you find yourself situated? Did you find anybody there that you knew at that time? A. I found my brother. Q. What have you to say in regard to the care and treatment that you received while you were in the hospital? A. By the nurses, I was treated very well. The doctors' treatment, some of it, I couldn't like very well. Q. What was there of their treatment that did not suit you? A. There was one thing that was done there. Instead of using a lance to lance boils, the doctor pinched one enough to break it. Q. Upon you? A. Yes, sir; upon myself. Q. Was that very painful? A. It was. Q. What doctor did that? A. I can not tell his name. Q. Do that more than once? A. Not that I was conscious of. Q. What else, if anything, of which you have reason to complain, under all the circumstances? A. At times they were short of sheets. Q. State what you know as to the shortage of sheets, in your own case or others. A. I know they used a night robe in one case instead of a sheet for me. Q. Because you had soiled your sheet? A. Yes, sir; at times had to get along without any change for quite awhile after they had been soiled. Q. How long did you have to wait? A. I do not know as to that. Q. Give your best judgment how often it occurred, if more than once? A. I can not tell how often, though I know it occurred more than once. Q. To what did you attribute the delay in changing your sheets? A. Partially to not having enough there that they could use. Q. What made you form that opinion? A. Because they didn't seem to bring them when called for. Q. Did any of the nurses say that they were short? A. Yes. Q. Were there a great many sheets used there, a great many being soiled by the patients? A. Yes; quite a considerable number. Q. So that a large quantity were needed in the hospital, I suppose? Did the nurse appear to desire to change the sheets when they were soiled? A. Yes, sir; I think so. Q. What have you to say in regard to your treatment by the medical officers there in the hospital? A. I don't think-they didn't act as though they cared very much. Q. Did they prescribe medicines for you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Have your temperature taken? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there a record kept at the head of your bed? A. There was. Q. Please state whether you considered that you were neglected by the medical officers. A. Well, there in the hospital I don't know as they neglected matters very much, though they don't go through the tents but twice a day-night and morning. LUTHER J. BAILEY. 1615 Q. Was there a medical officer on duty there at night? A. He might have been, though it was not common that he came around-went through the tents only in the fore part of the evening and in the morning. Q. Were there any calls for him during the night that were not answered? A. I don't know as to that. Q. Were the nurses on duty all night? A. Some of them; night nurses and day nurses, I suppose. Q. Male or female nurses? A. Both. There were some male and female nurses. Q. How kind were they? A. I don't know as I have any reason to find any fault with those-either of them. Q. On the whole, considering the number of patients who were there and that being a general hospital of tents, did you or did you not receive such treatment as you could reasonably expect? A. Well, I was taken care of a good share of the time by my brother, and that saved a good deal for the nurses. Q. That is all right; but answer the question, please. A. Please ask the question once more. Q. Considering the large number of patients who were there and the demands that were made upon the medical and hospital force, and considering that that was a general hospital in the field, did you or did you not receive such treatment as you could reasonably expect? A. I think the treatment there might be as well as you might expect-most of it. Q. What cases of neglect of patients-what you considered neglect of patients- other than yourself did you notice, if any? A. I have known of some of the patients calling for a nurse or orderly and it being some time before they would answer. Q. Would you consider that strange or not under the conditions? A. I don't know as it would be, under the circumstances, as I don't think there were hardly enough of the nurses. They may have done as well as they could. Q. Judging from your own feelings and experience when sick, isn't it one of the characteristics of patients that they are impatient to be served, and the time seems very long to them when they are not served? A. That might be. There are cases when delay might mean considerable. Q. How much, if any, complaint was made by the patients, to your knowledge, in regard to not being served properly? A. I do not know much about the complaints that were made. Q. Then there were no complaints made in your hearing? A. No, sir. Q. What was the supply of food that you received there while you were a patient? A. I called that pretty good, considering. Q. What did you have to eat? A. We had some potatoes and bread and meat. Q. Did you have milk? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you notice particularly in regard to the cleanliness of the tent or ward in which you were? A. I didn't notice that very much. Q. Would you have noticed it if it had not been reasonably clean? A. I might at the last part of my sickness; yes. Q. How often were the sheets on your bed changed, unless they were soiled by a movement of the bowels? 1616 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I don't know how often they were; I don't remember. Q. Did you consider that they were changed often enough for cleanliness? A. I don't know but they were; they had to be changed very often, anyway. Q. Did you see or talk with Major Giffin? A. No, sir; I think I never saw him. Q. Did you ever see him in the ward where you were? A. I don't remember of ever seeing him in there. Q. Did you know him by sight? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know of any cases of abusive language to patients while you were there, by the medical officer or nurses? A. I don't remember of any. Q. How did the Sternberg Hospital compare with the First Division hospital, or were you not in a condition to compare the two? A. I don't remember very much about the division hospital. Q. What time did you leave the Sternberg Hospital? A. I think it was the 25th of September. Q. Did you get a furlough as soon as you requested it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did your brother return with you? A. He did. Q. Did you express yourself as pleased with your treatment there to anyone-to the hospital nurses or medical corps? A. I don't know as I did. Q. Did you express any dissatisfaction of your treatment there to any of them? A. I don't know as I did, either. Burlington, Vt., November 9, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. C. M. BONETTE. Maj. C. M. Bonette, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly- sworn, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. What time were you mustered into the service? A. Sixteenth day of May, 1898. Q. When did you leave the State? A. Twenty-first day of May. Q. Where did you go to? A. Went to Chickamauga Park, Ga. Q. Went into camp there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did you go into camp? A. Went into camp near the Alexander road. Q. In the woods, or open? A. In the woods. Q. What was the character of the soil upon which you encamped? A. I should say it was red clay. It was hard-very hard and very stony. Q. Any difficulty in driving stakes and tent pins? A. Yes, sir; as a general thing, on account of the rocks. Q. Did your regiment have the full room, as laid down by the regulations? A. No, sir; it did not. Q. How much cramped for room was it, if any? MAJ. C. M. BONETTE. 1617 A. I could not say just how much, but when we first went into camp the com- pany streets and tents were closer than they should have been, quite a little. Q. Do you remember how wide the streets were? A. I don't remember how wide; they were very irregular. When we went into camp, it was late in the afternoon, and they were hastily set up and very irregular. Q. Did you subsequently, and at what time, get your full room? A. We did. I think it was June 2 or 3 that the camp was laid out. Q. By whom were you showm to your place of camping? Do you remember the staff officer who designated your place? A. I think Colonel Carpenter, or General Carpenter, he was, at that time, I think; I can not say what position he did hold. He went with Colonel Clark and showed him the ground and designated the positions. Q. Did you have any difficulty while there of digging the sinks the proper depth? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the difficulty? A. Rocks appeared. Q. How deep were the sinks dug on an average, and name the shallowest and the deepest? A. Well, I should say, although I did not see every one, I should think the shallowest one was not over 2 feet and the deepest one 4 feet or 4|; along there. Q. Did you have to dig a great many? A. Quite a number; yes, sir. Q. What was the character of the soil in which the sinks were dug, as to holding water? A. It would hold water. The soil was so hard that the water did not seem to- it did not seem to absorb the water very much. Q. Did the sinks ever overflow? A. I never saw one overflow, but I should think perhaps they might. Q. Were they filled with water? After having water once get into them, did the water always remain? A. 1 can not say that it remained always, but it would be quite a while before it would soak out. Q. What measures were taken to care for the sinks? A. They were covered with earth every morning, and I can not tell just the time, but I think it was some time in July, we received lime to put in the sinks. Q. To what extent did the men of your regiment use the woods for defecating instead of the sinks? A. At first they did considerably, but afterwards I do not think they did but very little. Q. Were the woods much polluted, so that in going through them the air was impure? A. It was in places. Q. How far removed were the sinks from the quarters of the men? A. From the officers, it was inside of 100 yards: and the men, I should not say it was over 100 yards from their kitchens. Q. Did you have bed sacks and straw for your beds, or boards in the tents? A. Some of them had floors for the tents; we had no bed sacks. At first we drew straw, and they put it down in the tents and put blankets over it for a bed. Q. Have straw most of the time you were there? A. No, sir. I think we did not have any straw, or but very little, after we extended the camp. Q. Did you have any duties to perform in the extension of the camp -sinks or anything? A. No, sir. Q. Was it your duty to see that your battalion camp was well policed? 1618 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. It was not required of me by the regimental commander, but I looked after it as well as I could. Q. What was the condition of the camp of your regiment as to cleanliness? A. I think it was kept very clean, as a general rule. Q. Who was your brigade commander? A. When we first went into camp Colonel Clark was appointed temporary brigade commander, and I think he served until June 29. After that General Colby was our brigade commander. Q. Did one or both of them visit your camp frequently? A. Quite frequently. Colonel Clark visited our camp frequently. General Colby-well, he visited it, I should say, perhaps half a dozen times, possibly more. I do not remember as to that. Q. Did they look through the camp to see the condition of the camp? A. They did at times, but I do not know as they did every time they came into the camp. Q. What inspection of the camp, sinks, etc., did the surgeons of your regiment make? A. I can not say as for that how often the surgeons did inspect. Q. Do you know whether they inspected the sinks and the mess tents? A. Yes; they inspected the mess tents, I think, every Saturday, but whether they did the sinks or not, I can not say as for that. Q. Was it required by your regimental commander that some officer of each company should be present at each meal? A. No, sir. Q. Inspect the mess tents? A. No, sir; I think not. I never knew that it was. Q. Do you know whether there are any regulations to that effect or not? A. There is, I think. Q. But you do not think it was required? A. I do not know that it was required while we were there. Q. Do you know that the officers of the companies of your battalion did not make that a rule? A. I do not think they did, as a rule. Q. Did you know of their inspecting meals there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Please state as to the quality and quantity of rations that your troops received while at Chickamauga. A. As for the quality, there were times when the bacon was bad, but it was con- demned, as a general thing, and they received new for it. Q. You could always get it condemned if it was bad, could you not? A. Yes, sir. Q. Otherwise? A. And the quantity they received-when we first went into camp we received the travel ration. We had no vegetables or soft bread, but after they got the Govern- ment bakery to going, which started about the 1st of June-I can not state the exact date-we had soft bread, and had fresh meat and vegetables-potatoes-and the quantity was sufficient to feed the men. They did not draw their bread ration-all of it-and at times they would receive meat commutation, which they did not draw. I do not know as every company did, but some of them did. Q. What did they use their savings for? A. Most of them would buy other food with the savings-other food which they did not draw. Q. On the whole, then, the rations were satisfactory? A. I think they were suffcient to feed the men. Q. How was the quality? MAJ. C. M. BONETTE. 1619 A. The quality was all right as far as I know. Q. Did you have any difficulty with cooks-that is, having good cooks? A. Some of them did. I think if every company had had a good cook when we went into camp there would not have been so much complaint and there would not have been so much sickness. Q. How much food, or fruit, or other supplies did the men of your regiment buy and eat, outside their rations? A. I could not say as to the quantity. They did more than was good for them, I think. Q. Was there any effort made to restrain them in that line? A. Yes, sir. At one time the regimental commander called the officers up there and told them to instruct their quartermaster-sergeants to buy fruit for the men, and not let the men buy it promiscuously, but buy it through the quartermaster- sergeant. Q. How much of the sickness with which youi' regiment was afflicted do you attribute to the use of food purchased outside the rations? A. Well, of course, I can not say as to that. Q. I did not know but you might approximate, knowing the habits of the different men. Did you have a regimental hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. How much was that used? A. It was used all of the time we were there. The patients were sent there if they showed symptoms of malarial fever, or if they were going to be sick any length of time they were sent to the division hospital. Q. Did you visit the regimental hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. What condition did you find it in? A. As a general thing it was in good condition, as far as a field hospital could be. Q. Have cots for the men? A. Yes, sir; after we got started. Q. At what time did you have cots? A. I can not say as to that, but I should say it was early in June. Q. Who had charge of the hospital? A. Dr. Hamilton. Major Lee was appointed on the brigade staff, and then Dr. Hamilton had the regimental hospital. Q. Where was Dr. Jackson? A. Dr. Jackson was there part of the time, and part of the time at the division hospital. Q. Did you have occasion to go to the division hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what condition did you find that? A. The day that I was there-I was there twice, and the first day that I was there, it was in very fair condition; it was a rainy day; it was muddy outside the tents, but inside-I went all through it, and I should say it was in fair condition. Q. That was one visit, what was the other? A. The other was later; it did notrain the second visit I made, and at that time I did not go all through it; I called to see some of the men from ray battalion; just went in one or two tents, but those tents were in fair condition: the men had cots; they had cots the first visit I inade. Q. Do you know of any case of neglect or ill-treatment of men in that hospital? A. No, sir; not from personal observation; I do not. Q. Did you ever have any complaints from the men of your battalion or regi- ment as to the neglect or ill-treatment there? A. I had one or two men come to me and say they did not have sufficient food while they were there; they had the army ration and they could not eat it. 1620 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What disease did they have? A. One of them had diphtheria and another had typhoid fever. Q. Do you know whether or not it is a universal complaint of typhoid-fever patients, at a certain stage of the disease, to think they do not have enough to eat-they are starving? A. I should presume likely enough it would be. I know when they are conva- lescent, as a usual thing, they want to eat all they can; think they are starving if they do not get it. Q. What have you to say, if anything, in regard to the medical treatment which the men of your battalion or regiment received at the hands of your regimental surgeons? A. Well, I think the men received-I do not know what medicines they had, of course-that treatment a man should receive; but it seemed to me that they might have, if it were possible-perhaps it was not possible, but in some cases they would give the same medicine for different complaints, possibly what they should have taken; but as a general thing I think they did as well as they could. During our last stay in the camp, there were many sick, and I think they gave them as good treatment as they could under the circumstances. Q. Did your- medical officers appear to be energetic and good workers, or other- wise? A. I think they were good workers, as far as my observation went. Q. What was the general feeling of the men in regard to their medical treat- ment-a feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction? A. Some of them were satisfied and some of them were not. Q. What was the general feeling, if there was any difference in the number of satisfied and dissatisfied? A. From what I heard, I should say the general feeling was that they were not fully satisfied. Q. Do you know anything about the water supply of your regiment, particu- larly? A. Nothing particularly, only I know it came from Chickamauga Creek, pipe line, and we had spring water drawn in from outside. Q. Did you ever visit the intake of the pipe line? A. Yes, sir. Q. What time did you visit this intake? A. I could not state the date, but it was shortly after it was put in. Q. Do you know whether the canal had been dug and a dam built to stop up the regular channel of the little creek that came in near the intake? A. I do not, sir. Q. You did not notice whether there was any canal up there or not? A. No, sir. Q. Then you did not go out to the intake? A. I went to the end of the pipe-is that what you mean? Q. Yes. A. No, I did not. I went to the pumping station. I did not look. Q. Did not look out to it, where the intake was? A. No, sir. I did not notice anything in particular-anything about that; sim- ply went to the pumping station. Q. How satisfactory was the water you received from the pipe line? A. It was not satisfactory. Q. Was it clear or muddy? A. It was muddy. At times it was very muddy. Q. Do you know what per cent of sediment would settle from it? A. No, I do not. Q. Was the water allowed to settle before it was used, so as to make it clearer? MAJ. C. M. BONETTE. 1621 A. As a general thing it was not. They would bring it in pails before they piped it into our regiment, and then of course it had a chance to settle more or less before using. Q. Did you remain in the woods all the time you were in camp there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was any effort made to move your regiment into the open field? A. Before we came away we got orders to move our camp into the open field. I do not know whether there was any special effort made at that time or not, but I understood there was a requisition put in to move our regiment a short time after we went in there, but I understood it was turned down. Q. Was there a desire on the part of the officers and men to move their camp into the open field? A. Some of them wanted to move into the opening and some did not favor it. Q. What was the feeling of the men, one of contentment or discontentment? A. Rather of discontentment, after we had been on that ground a month or so. Q. What time did you return home? A. We started from Chickamauga the 19th of August. Q. Did you come with the hospital train or with the other train? A. I came with the last section of the train. Q. Was there any medical officer on your section? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who? A. Dr. Knickerbocker-Lieutenant Knickerbocker. Q. Was he a graduate of a medical college? A. I think so. Q. Did he have any medical supplies with him? A. He did not until we got to Charlottesville; along there somewhere we made a stop, and I sent an officer out and bought what supplies he wanted. Q. Did you have some sick on your train? A. Yes, sir; very few. They were feverish and temperatures were high, and we thought we had better. When we started from Chickamauga we had no medicine. Q. Was there any effort made to get medicines for your train, do you know? A. I do not, because I supposed the Medical Department had made provision for that; but they had not on oui' train. Q. Was Captain Brownell on your section? A. No, sir; he was on the first troop section. Q. How many men did you lose by death while you were at Chickamauga- your regiment? A. Eight, I think. Q. How many since then, or the total deaths up to date? A. Twenty-seven, I think. Q. Of what diseases did they largely die? A. I think typhoid fever was the preeminent disease they died with. Q. Do you think of anything else you want to add to what you have said? A. No. sir; only I think we should not have camped on the same ground as long as we did. I think we should have moved at least once in thirty days. I think we should have camped in the opening instead of in the woods. Q. Was the ground of such a character in the opening that you could have dug your sinks deeper? A. Where we had orders to go, it was; it was very good digging. We had started to and was laying out the camp when we received orders to come back to Vermont. It was a very good location, and the ground was good digging-easy as far as we had started, and we could have gone to the proper depth. 1622 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Burlington, Vt., November I), 1898. TESTIMONY OF HARRIS HARD WALKER. Harris Hard Walker, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please give your full name and state the rank and regiment in which you served during the war with Spain. A. Harris Hard Walker; I served as an acting steward in the division hospital, First Division, Third Corps. Q. With what regiment did you leave Vermont? A. First Vermont. Q. What connection did you have with that regiment? A. Member of the hospital corps. Q. Are you still in the service? A. I am not. Q. You went from here to what place? A. Chickamauga Park. Q. How long after arriving there before you were assigned to duty in the divi- sion hospital? A. Sixteenth of June. Q. Previous to that time, where were you? A. In the regimental hospital. Q. Did you have many sick in the regimental hospital? A. We had not over ten or twelve at any time, I believe-that is, confined to the hospital; good many were sick in quarters. Q. You mean ten or twelve at any one time, or all the time? A. At any one time. Q. How many hospital tents did you have? A. Three. Q. How were those tents fitted up for the convenience of the sick? A. One used for a dispensary, one used for a ward, and one for a corps tent. We also had a smaller tent we used for a bath and refrigerator. Q. How many patients did you have in one hospital tent at any one time? A. We could accommodate, I think, after we moved, six in each tent. Q. You said you had sometimes ten or twelve? A. They slept in the corps tents. At the end of the time, just before I went to the division hospital, they slept in the corps tent. Q. You mean the hospital-corps tent? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have cots? A. Yes, sir. Q. From the first? A. No, sir. Q. How many patients did you have before you had cots? A. Not more than eight or ten. Q. How long after you established your hospital before you had cots? A. I should say a week or ten days; I am not certain. Q. Did you have bed pans and other conveniences? A. No, sir; not at the first. Q. How long before? A. Must have been ten to twelve days. Q. What was your stock of medicine? HARRIS HARD WALKER. 1623 A. We ran out of some things and had some little delay in getting them, but I think, generally speaking, we had plenty of medicine. Q. What food did you have for your patients in the regimental hospital? A. During the first of our being there in camp, we used the regular mess food that we could get from the company mess; whatever we could get out of that that seemed all right for them to eat. Q. Did the patients in the hospital have such food as was suitable for them? A. Yes, sir; generally speaking. Q. Please state whether or not you had sufficient nurses for the care of the sick in the regimental hospital. A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any deaths in the regimental hospital? A. One. Q. Who was that? A. Musician Spafford. Q. Of what disease did he die? A. Cerebro-spinal meningitis. Q. Did he have suitable care? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was the attending physician? A. Major Lee, Captain Hamilton; Colonel Hoff was over also to see him. Q. At what time did you go to the division hospital? A. Sixteenth of June. Q. Who had charge of that hospital at that time? A. Major Hoover. Q. What condition did you find that hospital in when you went there as to effi- ciency, and as to cots and medical supplies, etc.? A. It was before they began to be crowded with typhoid and other infectious diseases. I think they were all right at that time. Q. How many patients in a tent? A. Eight. Q. What is the usual number? A. We kept that same number through. Q. Please state whether or not that is considered more than is desirable in a tent. A. I should say not-very large tent; we can get eight cots, two small stands for medicine in without inconvenience. Q. How large are those tents? A. I can not say. Q. How well supplied with cots? A. Well supplied then. Q. How about subsequently? A. We used to have some delay in getting cots. I have known of patients having to lie on the ground two or three days before we could obtain cots for them. Q. What did they have under them? A. Blankets. Q. Any mattress or anything? A. No, sir. Q. What disease were they afflicted with? A. Generally malaria, or typhoid, or intestinal troubles. Q. Were the typhoid and other severer cases left on the ground? A. No, sir; it was very hard at first, when the typhoid cases began to come in, to tell the difference: the typhoid and malarial symptoms are very similar; where 1624 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. a man was known to have typhoid he was taken good care of as soon as he came in Q. Did you have floors in the hospital tents? A. We did later; not at that time. Q. How late? A. After Major1 Drake took charge. Q. What opinion did you form of the medical corps there as to efficiency and energy? A. The division hospital was very good. Q. What can you say of the men who were detailed as nurses there? A. There were a great many inefficient men detailed there; a good many of them were transferred to the ambulance corps; generally speaking, the nurses were efficient. Q. Please state whether any cases of neglect or cruelty to the patients came to your notice. A. No; never did. Q. Please state whether or not much complaint was made by the patients as to their treatment. A. No, sir. Q. Please state whether the food supply was sufficient and of proper kind for the patients. A. The food issued by the commissary department was sufficient, but we had a very poor cook, and the food issued to the hospital men was not very good at times, not owing to the lack of food from the commissary department, but owing to the poor care it was given after it got to the hospital. The latter part of June we established a diet kitchen and we gave the patients special diet. Q. Did you have ice and milk? A. Yes, sir; eggs and chicken. Q. How was the supply of hospital furniture-bedpans, thermometers, etc.? A. Had plenty; didn't have quite enough thermometers. Q. Was the reason of that because there were so many broken? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you send and get a proper supply of thermometers? A. Yes; later they did. Q. Did you have sheets and pillowcases? A. Plenty of them. Q. Towels? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any female nurses at all? A. We did not. Q. How often did Major Drake visit the division hospital? A. He lived there. Q. Lived in there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was the division surgeon? A. I can not say. Q. You do not know who the division surgeon was? A. No, sir; Major Drake was the commander of the division hospital. Q. How often was he through the wards? A. He was on duty all day; he never made the rounds; other surgeons made the rounds night and morning. Q. Were there a great many men furloughed from your hospital, on sick leave, during the time you were there? A. Not until the order was issued for the men to have thirty days. Q. Were there a good many issued after that? A. I think a good many were. HARRIS HARD WALKER. 1625 Q. Do you know particularly whether these men were always in condition to travel or not? A. I do not know. Q. Were you sick at all? A. I was. Q. Where were you taken sick, and where were you treated? A. I had malarial fever, two attacks; the first along the 1st of July. I was taken first-I was treated in the division hospital. Q. How long were you off duty? A. About four weeks in all. Q. Both times? A. Two weeks each time. Q. From what you saw of the division hospital, have you anything to say in criticism of it, particularly? If so, what? A. No, sir; only as soon as the diseases began to spread we had a large number of patients; the corps was very much overworked, unable to do their duties as they should; good many of the corps were taken sick. Q. What remedy might have been applied to that condition of things, if any? A. More men detailed from the regiments. Q. Was that effort made? A. I do not know. Q. How much, if any, did the patients suffer on account of want of sufficient nurses? A. I do not think the patients suffered very much; they did not get quite as good care as they would if there had been more men; but they wore the corps out, so they were not as efficient-couldn't give the good care that they should. Q. The corps suffered, then, as much as the patients? A. Yes, sir; perhaps more. Q. Do you know anything in particular about the water supply there? A. The water supply at the hospital was good. Q. Did you have occasion to visit the source of the water supply at Chicka- mauga Creek? A. No, sir; Blue Rock Spring was the only place where they got water that I visited. Q. What time did you return to Vermont? A. About the 20th of August. Q. On what train did you come? A. Hospital train. Q. How many were on that train? A. Two hundred and fourteen patients. Q. Did you have a physician with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who? A. Dr. Jackson. Q. What did you have for medical supplies? A. The regimental medical chest. Q. Did you have sufficient medical supplies? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did the men stand the journey? A. Very well, all things considered. Q. How many nurses were there on the train? A. Generally one and sometimes two to each car. Q. Do you know how many deaths there were in the regiment while at Chick- amauga? A. No, sir; there was one on the hospital train. 1626 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Of what disease did he die? A. Cerebro-spinal meningitis. Q. Do you know how many deaths in all there were in the regiment? A. I believe, 27. Q. Of what disease did they principally die? A. Majority died of typhoid, I think. Q. What cause of complaint, if any, have you of your treatment while in the service? A. I have none. The work was very, very hard and very wearing, due to the large number that were sick and the small number in the hospital corps. Chicago, III., November 9, 1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE FRANK B. REYNOLDS. Private Frank B. Reynolds, having no objection to being sworn, was there- upon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name. A. Frank B. Reynolds. Q. Your occupation? A. Clerk. Q. What position did you have in the war with Spain? A. I was private, Company C, First Illinois Volunteers. Q. Where were you mustered in? A. At Springfield. Q. From there where did you go? A. Chickamauga. Q. How long did you remain in Chickamauga? A. From the 19th of May to the 2d of June. Q. How was your company supplied there with quartermaster and commissary stores? A. The first few days we had very little. In regard to supplies, we had no ponchos. Q. How long before your company was furnished with quartermaster stores and camp and garrison equipage? A. We received some about four or five days before we left Chickamauga. Q. How were you equipped when you reached there? A. We were short on canteens. Q. When you left there you were fully supplied, were you? A. Yes, sir; with most everything. Q. When you got to Tampa where did you go into camp? A. At Port Tampa City. Q. Where were you taken sick? A. At Port Tampa, on the 31st of May. Q. Did you go into the hospital at Tampa? A. The regimental hospital. Q. Who was your doctor? A. Dr. Roberts was waiting on me most of the time. Q. How long did you remain in the regimental hospital? A. From Monday morning until Thursday night; I believe it was Friday morning. PRIVATE FRANK B. REYNOLDS. 1627 Q. From there you went to the division hospital? A. They sent me back to the company. Q. Weren't you in the division hospital at all in Tampa? A. No, sir. Q. How long did you remain in Tampa after the regiment went on? A. On account of the condition I was in, the surgeon made application for my discharge. Q. How long did you remain in Tampa before you obtained your discharge? A. I was there fourteen days. The order of discharge was dated June 30, but we did not receive it until the engineering corps left; we remained with them. Q. Where did you stay then? A. I went over to Tampa and stayed five days. Q. Where did you receive your discharge? A. I have not received it yet. Q. That order was left, but we were to protect orders as best we could. Just give us the facts of the matter as they occurred in your own judgment. A. In the beginning of it I spoke to Captain Bailey. My kidneys bothered me, and I was in constant pain and could not rest. I told him I would like to be exam- ined and find out what the trouble was. He spoke to Major Willard and he said he would see what was the matter. The captain said when I went to him that an application had been made out for my discharge and it would probably go through, but I was to remain with the company until they heard. I stayed with the com- pany until they sailed. About an hour before they went on an orderly came with word that all those men who had made application to be discharged were to report to Captain Brown, of the Engineer Corps, on the island. I had to go on to get my knapsack, so I reported to Captain Brown, and he tried to get our papers the best he could, but failed. Q. Give us Captain Brown's company and regiment. A. He was detailed from the First Illinois as captain of the First Illinois Engi- neer Corps. He was captain of Company A: he gave us papers to fill out; the final statement papers were filled out, as we were directed to take them up to head- quarters. They said they could not do anything for us, and we had to get around the best we could. We were living on our own money and had no allowance or anything. We telegraphed to Chickamauga for relief from the Army and Navy League, and then telegraphed to Washington, and we received no help up to Thursday, I think it was, we left there. Two of us concluded we would strike out and go home and take it up from there, so some of the railroad men helped us out the best they could. Q. Did you see the quartermaster at the depot? A. Mr. Heiney and Mr. Smith. Q. Didn't they turn you over to the Engineer Corps? A. They told us to report to the Engineer Corps. Q. To Captain Brown? A. Yes, sir. Q. You said he went on the transport? A. Yes, sir; after they left there. Q. And there was no officer left in charge of you? A. No, sir. Q. No officer of the Engineer Corps? A. No, sir. Q. When you got here, what did you do? A. I wrote to Captain Bailey, of my company, to find out whether he had received my papers, and after the regiment returned Lieutenant Peckham took it up. I believe the papers are here in the city. 1628 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Your papers were all sent to Cuba, were they? A. I believe they were. It seemed to me Captain Bailey received the papers in Cuba. By Colonel Sexton: Q. What did they do with them? A. The order read, "Discharged with disability created prior to the day of enlistment." I told some of the boys, " I do not know what I am up here for." TESTIMONY OF MAJ. STEPHEN BAKER. Chicago, III., November 9, 1898. Maj. Stephen Baker then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name, rank, regiment, and what duty you have performed during the war with Spain. A. Stephen Baker; major, Fourth Infantry; I was on duty with them in Cuba. Q. Where was your regiment located when war was declared? A. I went from Fort Sheridan to Tampa. Q. How long did it remain at Tampa? A. I think about six weeks; I am not positive about that. Q. Your regiment, I suppose, was fully armed and equipped, being a regular regiment? A. Yes, sir; we had everything. Q. What transport did you go to Cuba upon? A. The Concho. Q. What was the condition of the transport and what arrangement did you have for taking care of the men on the trip? A. They had rough bunks thrown together. I think there were three tiers, one quite low and one in the center and one on up higher, and it was a very bad arrangement. It was crowded, and after we started there was some, I think, taken out. Q. To give more air space? A. Yes, sir, and to take them away from boilers. Q. Then they could go on deck? A. Yes, sir; to get every possible opportunity for air. They were crowded down below. I think we had a battalion of the Second Massachusetts at first and they put them on another transport. Q. Were you made more comfortable after that? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did your men suffer any special discomfort from the trip? A. No, sir; I do not think they did. Q. Did you land immediately when you reached Cuba? A. We landed in a couple of days. We were the first ones that landed. Q. Upon your landing, where did you go? A. At Daiquiri. My battalion was the first one to get off. My commanding officer told me to go ahead, and we went about 3 miles and camped. Q. In what direction-toward Siboney? A. Yes, sir. MAJ. STEPHEN BAKER. 1629 Q. What brigade did you belong to? A. The Second Brigade, Second Division, Fifth Corps. Q. Who was the brigade commander? A. Colonel Miles. Q. Then you proceeded up to El Caney? A. The next day we went to Siboney; there the colonel joined us and took com- mand of the regiment. Q. From there you went where? A. From there we went up by easy stages until, I think, we got to Sevilla, until one night we got orders to start out, and went, I think, to El Poso. We bivouacked there in tall, wet grass. Of course it could not be helped. The next morning we started toward the Santa Cruz house, I believe. Colonel Miles said a shot would be fired pretty soon and that would be the signal for the battle. We went into rest at Dacrot house. It was a mere skirmish; we stayed there until we were given our orders to take our place in the line, and we went into the battle. Q. What was the loss of the regiment? A. -1 think 43. Q. Where did you go then? A. We were ordered back to the left, to the El Poso house. From there we went along the lines until we got to the extreme right, and we were placed in position on the extreme right and remained there for a day or so, and then moved on again to the right. Q. And you remained there how long? A. Until the surrender. Q. Then where did you go into camp? A. We were ordered to pick out camps and move frequently, if necessary, and I moved around in two or three places to get clean and see if we could not get some breeze, if possible. I was in command, as Colonel Bainbridge had gone home. Q. When? A. The day of the surrender. Q. You got a permanent camp? A. Yes, sir; with one battalion on one hill and one on another hill. Q. While in Cuba how were you supplied with commissary stores? A. Well, up to the time we left Daiquiri until the surrender we were supplied every week. That is, they would bring commissary stores, canned goods, etc., and the men could not carry it, and they would throw it away. The next ration you could not tell whether it would be a day late or not, and some of the men would be without breakfast or dinner. Of course some provided themselves, but I do not think there was any suffering. What rations were given were all right; some were short. Q. What was the condition of the roads reached from Siboney? A. Very bad. Q. Were they such as teams could travel on or drills? A. Just drills. The road was wide enough for one wagon after we fixed it. Our roads are only trails. Q. You were supplied with pack trains? A. Yes, sir; from Santiago. Q. What time did you get tents? A. Very early; very soon after the surrender. The Concho was brought up very soon and unloaded, and the first thing we got was our tents. Q. Did your men, up to the time of the surrender or up to the time you got your tents, have shelter tents? A. Yes, sir; shelter tents. Q. Was that any protection to you? A. Oh, yes, indeed; I was anxious to get one or two myself, but could not. 1630 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. The rains were very severe? A. Yes, sir; I should say about every day. Q. How many doctors did you start out with? A. Only Dr. Stephenson. Q. Of the Regular Army? A. Yes, sir. He left us about the time we started for Cuba. Q. Was he detailed? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was he sick? A. No, sir. Q. Who took his place? A. Dr. Stafford, of the Seventy-first New York. Q. How long did he stay with you? A. He was detailed on the boat at the time we started and stayed until the latter part of July, the 25th or 26th. Q. Where did he go then? A. Back to his regiment. Q. Who did you then have? A. There was a good deal of trouble getting doctors. There was a doctor de- tailed for a day or so from the Twenty-fifth Infantry, and then there was a doc- tor of the Second Massachusetts; I think his name was Sweetzer. Q. How long did he stay? A. Three or four days, I think. Q. Then who next? A. Then a doctor of the Twenty-fifth for a while, and finally, -I think, General McKibbin made a special offer to get a doctor for us, and he got Dr. Boss. Q. How long did he stay with you? A. Until we got to Montauk. He got ill and was put in the hospital; then we had some trouble. We borrowed a doctor from some regiment until he was mus- tered out; then we had Dr. Pearson, and he is with us yet. Q. What was the strength of your command when you left Tampa? A. Something over 400, I think. Q. You had about one dozen doctors with you from the time you left until you got home? A. We had several; yes, sir. Q. Where was the doctor that was at Fort Sheridan? A. He went to Tampa, but was detailed away the evening before we started. Q. Have you no knowledge why there was no doctor assigned to you perma- nently? A. I have none, except they were not there; they did not have them, and we had made constant efforts to get debtors. We always got them, though. We had medical attendance during the day sometimes. Q. Did you have the Seventy-first New York on the transport or in the brigade with you? A. No, sir; they were on our right some of the time. Q. What boat did you return on? A. The Seneca. Q. What was her condition? A. She was a clean and excellent boat, and the accommodations were excellent. Q. Was proper preparation made to feed the men and also for medical supplies? A. It was the usual condition of these transports-the men cooked their own meals and got water from the vessel. Q. Did you have supplies for sick men? A. Oh, yes, sir. After a while we got a good deal from the Red Cross, and we MAJ. STEPHEN BAKER. 1631 got all the Government allowed us-every commissary article that the Government allowed-and meat after the surrender. Q. Did you have everything that the Government allowed in its medical supplies for your sick men? A. The medicines were always there. Q. How about soups and such things? A. The doctors were always reporting that they were always short-they could not get quinine and they could not get a sufficient amount of the soups. Q. Did you go into the detention camp at Montauk when you arrived? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were the preparations there? A. The fact of the matter is, from the moment we struck Montauk until we left it we had everything in profusion. We saw fresh beef issued, and it was from the Government, but I found afterwards it was not. From the moment we got there until we left it was abundant. Q. How many of your command were there who went through the Santiago campaign and were not sick? Were there any? A. That is pretty hard. I think there was not a man there, if he had any chance, who was not sick. Q. Were you sick? A. Yes, sir. • Q. Did you go to the hospital? A. No, sir; I was just sick for a day, and then a week afterwards. Q. Has the sickness ever returned? A. Yes, sir; a little. Q. Taking everything into consideration, have you any report to make as to the way you were transported and supplied with commissary and medical supplies, or was there any neglect, in your opinion, in the staff department that could be avoided? A. As far as the commissary is concerned, everything was supplied and of excellent character. We were short on several occasions, but there was no suffer- ing then. It was only, perhaps, sometimes for breakfast the rations might be bad, but they would not get up until the next day. So far as Commissary and Quarter- master's Departments are concerned, 1 do not think there was any dereliction; they did the best they could, and they succeeded in feeding us. Q. Well, how about the Medical Department? A. Well, I think it would have been better if they had been allowed to leave more men with the regiment. They would disable the regiment and take the medical officers and supplies away, and leave the regiment absolutely stripped. Immediately after the surrender the sick report jumped up from 40 and 50 to 60 and 70, until it got up to 150. Then we had one doctor; said he was sick. I was short of medicines and reported how badly off I was, and that we could not get any; then we got another doctor. We were constantly in trouble about doctors and medicines. Q. It does seem as though they ought to have furnished them doctors. A. Yes, sir; that was our great trouble. Those who were there worked very hard. They were called up during the night, and were very much distressed on account of the shortage of medical supplies. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Well, there was an unusual demand for medical supplies? A. Yes, sir; there was. Q. Did you ever in your life know of such a demand as there was there? A. No, sir; I never did.* 1632 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did yon realize that you were going to the southern part of Cuba in July, and did you realize that there would be an excessive amount of sickness? A. I felt certain there would be. Q. Were there any men in the Army that did not know there would be any amount of sickness there? A. I do not see why they should not; I know we were rushed through on every occasion for fear we would be sick. Q. Does it not indicate that the Medical Department should have had men and supplies there? A. I think the Medical Department should have had medicines and men to administer them. Q. Do you know anything about the work of the Quartermaster's Department there? • A. Of course, we never see that at the front, except as to bringing rations. Q. If the Medical Department had furnished medical supplies in abundance for 100,000 men, if those were on transports and could not be unloaded, would you not be just as much out of medical supplies as you were? A. Why, yes, sir. Q. The Medical Department is charged with neglect of the men. I think we shall find, if we have not already, that there were plenty of medical supplies on board the boats, but were carried back into the hold of the ship and were there; they were not transported to the front, and could not be. A. Well, I do not know about that; but a very small amount would have relieved the suffering. Q. Did your medical officers carry any medical supplies? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he transport all he could, and his orderly also? A. I think he had special means of carrying medicines, and I think he had one or two of these square boxes, and they were taken away from him by the superior officers. Q. Who took them away? A. Dr. Stafford. Q. Did Dr. Stephenson go with you? A. He left and went to Chickamauga. Q. Did he attend to his duty during the time he was with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Faithfully? A. Yes, sir; very. Q. Did you see any neglect on the part of any medical officer or the Hospital Corps? A. I never saw any on the part of any. I do not know what I would have done without the Hospital Corps. The doctor and all the medical corps worked with their soul in their work. Q. They did all they possibly could? A. All they possibly could. Q. Was the transport on the Seneca before or after the one that caused so much trouble? A. After. Q. Then a ship had been provided after you got ready to sail? A. They said the most of that was manufactured-that sentiment about the first trip of the Seneca. I think one and possibly two trips. Q. Now, we have an official report of the court of inquiry about that. While there was some exaggeration there was much that was not. COL. AUGUSTUS H. BAINBRIDGE. 1633 A. We had it cleaned and kept it clean. We had our own men. Q. What medical officer went up with you? A. Dr. Boss. Chicago, III., November 9, 1898. TESTIMONY OF COL. AUGUSTUS H. BAINBRIDGE. Col. Augustus H. Bainbridge then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and command. A. Augustus H. Bainbridge, lieutenant-colonel Fourth U. S. Infantry. Q. What command did you hold during the war with Spain? A. I was in command from the 27th of May until the 14th of July Q. What regiment? A. Fourth United States Infantry. Q. Give us the movement of your regiment up to that time. A. We left Fort Sheridan on the 19th of April and proceeded to Tampa, Fla., and arrived at Tampa on the 22d of April; remained in camp at the same place until the 7th of June, when we took the train to Port Tampa, about 9 miles from there. We went aboard the transport Concho about 11 o'clock and remained until the 14th, when we started for Cuba, where we arrived on the morning of the 20th of June. The regiment disembarked on the 22d and 23d-the first battalion on the evening of the 22d-and I went off with the last company of that battalion. All except the second battalion disembarked the same evening, but it did not until the next morning about 10 o'clock. I remained at Daiquiri, where we had disem- barked, until the second battalion was disembarked. We proceeded toward Siboney, and found the First in camp near Siboney, about a half a mile from that place. That was on the 23d. On the morning of the 24th of June, about half past 9 o'clock, the Second Brigade, Second Division, Fifth Corps, was ordered to proceed around and try to strike the Spanish on the left flank, where the Rough Riders were and the cavalry at La Guasimas, about 3 miles from Siboney. We marched up so as to come down on the mountain side, where we were told we could find a road that would go right there. We went up, but there was no road, and then came back about halfway. About sunset we came to where the fight had been, but too late, of course. We remained there a short time and went down to Siboney and drew rations that we had left that morning. On the morning of the 25th we started again to march about 6 or 7 miles, I should say, and camped on the road to Santiago for about two days. We started again and marched about 2 miles farther, and camped there until the afternoon of the 30th of June. That afternoon about 4 o'clock we broke camp and marched to this place, El Poso, where we bivouaced for the night, and, traveling before daylight, we left our bivouac and marched over in the direction of El Caney. We arrived at the Dacrot house, about miles from El Caney, at 10 o'clock. We were held in reserve to keep the Spaniards from coming to Santiago. About 12 o'clock we got orders to proceed to Caney, and went into position there. Our brigade was the center of the whole line-Chaffee's brigade on the right and Ludlow's on the left. After burying our dead and taking care of our wounded and the men got coffee, we proceeded to a point along this road from Santiago to Caney within a 1634 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. mile and a half of Santiago, as I remember. We remained there and drew rations that night and slept on the road until the morning of the 2d of July, when we proceeded back to El Poso. We were sent around until we got on to the extreme right of the army, and remained there until that night. On the morning of the 3d we moved a little to the right and remained in reserve until about 1 or 2 o'clock on the morning of the 4th, when we went forward and took our position on the extreme right of the army and began intrenching. We remained there a day or two, when we moved to the extreme right again and stayed there a few days and then moved to the extreme left. Q. Did that bring you to the bay? A. General Ludlow took position that afternoon on the left of us, and his left was on the bay. We were about 1,500 or 1,800 yards from the enemy's first intrenchment. We remained there until the 14th day of July, when we returned to the States. I had applied for retirement on account of forty years' service. I was very ill and unable to mount my horse without assistance. I was nearly 62 years old, and the climate did not agree with me very well. Q. What transport did you go back on? A. On the Hudson, to Fortress Monroe. Q. Were there many passengers on her? A. Yes, sir; a good many went; two or three field officers of the Tenth Infantry, which I served as major under, and a good many other wounded officers, some very ill. Q. What were the arrangements for taking care of the wounded? A. Most excellent, I thought. There was a young doctor in charge-I have for- gotten his name-and I was impressed with the state of affairs on board that ship and the satisfactory manner in which everything was carried on. Q. You had plenty of medical supplies? A. Yes, sir, and delicacies for the sick; and this doctor was very energetic, and there was everything that could be desired. Q. Now, Colonel, during this campaign, up to the time you returned, will you please state as to how you were supplied as to quartermaster's, commissary, and medical supplies, whether in a sufficient quantity under the circumstances, and make any suggestions in relation to them that you think proper? A. So far as the commissary supplies were concerned, I thought they were as good as could be expected under the circumstances, especially after we landed. As Major Baker has said, I don't think there was any real suffering; that there were times when the men were short, and the officers were short several times. The regiment didn't have enough for breakfast, as none was brought up. The only way we got our supplies after landing was through this pack train. Of course there was a large force to supply. It rained almost constantly, and the ruts were almost knee-deep in the mud. So far as the quartermaster's depart- ment was concerned, I saw very little of that except the pack train, and I believe they were doing everything they could. So far as the medical supplies were con- cerned, they were constantly short. This Dr. Stafford that the Major speaks of reported to me for duty on board this Concho. Q. Was he a contract doctor? A. No, sir; he was one of the surgeons of the Seventy-first New York, and he reported to me the morning after Dr. Stevenson left. He had left just the night before. I didn't let Dr. Stephenson go until just as the ship was ready to sail. Dr. Stephenson I found to be a very efficient man and a good worker. He understood his business thoroughly. He was very satisfactory to myself and everybody in the regiment, and he worked very hard, and especially so in taking care of the wounded at El Caney. I know that from personal knowledge. Q. Your wounded were properly taken care of? A. Yes, sir. The band of my regiment I did not allow to take instruments from COL. AUGUSTUS H. BAINBRIDGE. 1635 the vessel. They were litter bearers, and instructed as such before leaving Tampa. I thought there was not very much chance for mistake, and in using them for litter bearers I thought they would do the most good. Q. Were they very efficient? A. Yes, sir; very efficient. I don't know what we would have done without the band as litter bearers. It was very difficult to get the wounded back as it was, but they certainly helped us wonderfully. The medical supplies, as I think I have said, were short very often. Q. Doctors and supplies? A. Yes, sir. By Colonel Sexton: Q. And yet the men were supplied and got enough? A. I don't really think I heard a word of complaint in the Fourth Infantry about anything. Q. The officers had the same rations as the men, did they? A. Yes, sir; on two or three occasions, I think, we got a few canned things. I sent my quartermaster down to Siboney. I think he succeeded on three occasions in getting a few canned things for the officers. He brought these things on his own horse on every occasion and a mule that he had. Q. How many days' rations did your men take with them when they went there? A. Three days. Q. And they kept them with them without any difficulty? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. You were speaking of the effective service of your litter bearers. Were they able to get up to the fighting line? A. Not right on the fighting line, but right close to it-within 100 or 150 yards. Q. So they could get at the wounded and carry them off? A. Yes, sir. Q. In a position, say, 600 or 800 yards behind the fighting line was the shot not flying so thick that it was really dangerous? A. It was very dangerous for nearly a mile in the rear. Q. Were any of your litter bearers struck? A. No, sir; I think not. Most of the wounded were brought back to Santiago in the rear, about 250 yards. It would have been exceedingly dangerous to move them away from there until after 5 or 5.30 in the evening. Q. Was this fight large enough to form an opinion as to the view entertained very widely at that time that owing to the change in weapons and the small bullet that the wounded have got to lie where they are wounded, or, in other words, that litter bearers can not reach the wounded men while the fight was in progress? A. Yes, sir; I think that is the case. It is almost certain death to move the wounded when close to the fighting line. Q. That covers a range of 500 or 600 yards? A. Yes, sir; easily. But the majority of the people in the Fourth Infantry were moved across this road. Q. They were protected because of this Santiago road? A. Yes, sir. Q. If it had been an open field, would it have been possible to shelter them; do you think they could have been taken back to the first dressing station? A. In my opinion, not. We would obtain most in war. Q. Did you find these first-aid packages of use to the wounded? A. Yes, sir: I think they were myself. I think they saved a great many people. I saw many used myself. 1636 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Is it a matter of great difficulty to teach the ordinary soldier what is to be done in such a case? A. No, sir; I think not. In the majority of cases a man was not wounded too much to apply them himself. In a very few cases they were applied by the litter bearers. Q. Were these packages generally in the hands of the men? A. Every officer and every soldier had one. I carried mine and no other. Q. Do you think it might have been possible in the exercise of more force and care that those medical supplies might have been got up to the front, or was it such that food and shot were the only things that could be gotten up there? A. I am hardly able to give an answer to that question. I do not know what means they had. I do, in a way, know that there was plenty of transportation sent to Cuba; I do know, by good authority, that there was 114 of these muled teams sent aboard before the troops. Q. Were they landed? A. I could not say. Q. Did you see any considerable number? A. I did after a few days. Q. A week or ten days? A. No; not so much as that. One thing that impressed me was there were so many Red Cross wagons and ambulances. I saw in many cases the seriously wounded being taken to the rear in these wagons. Q. Were there any of these army ambulances? A. Some, but I do not remember seeing any sick in them. Q. Was the ground in such a condition that the ambulances could have been used if there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Could the pack mules be employed to carry the sick? A. I didn't see anything of the kind. As I said, I did see a great many of these sick and wounded taken to the rear in army wagons. Q. They could not use pack horses for that purpose in that country? A. I could not use them. I do not think the material was there for making trap horses as we did in the West. Q. There is no timber there to cut down and make poles? A. The most of the timber there was not good for that purpose. It was not long enough. It was mostly short and scrubby. Q. When you landed at that point, Fortress Monroe, did you go into the hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Did you visit the hospital? A. Oh, yes. Q. What condition did you find it in? A. I visited it the next morning, the 26th or 27th of July, and I saw there two field officers of the Tenth Infantry and a great many army officers wounded, and they were all being taken care of in excellent condition. Chicago, III., November 9, 1898. George Chipman, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. What service did you perforin during the war with Spain? A. I was on the gunboat Wilmington as an ordinary seaman. TESTIMONY OF GEORGE CHIPMAN. GEORGE CHIPMAN. 1637 Q. Under what organization-the National Reserve? A. The Naval Reserve of Illinois. Q. When did yon enter service as such? A. On May 26, I believe. Q. Where did you report? A. In Chicago. Q. Where did you go? A. To Tampa, and from there to Key West on the receiving ship Lancaster. Q. Then where? A. We were transferred to the Wilmington about a month after. Q. How long did you serve there? A. From the 3d of July to the 6th of September. Q. What service did you see? A. The first thing we convoyed these troop ships to Siboney. Q. Was that the first service you saw? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you got to Siboney after convoying the ships there, what service did you do then? A. I was in one of the boat crews. There were four men and a cockswain in each boat, and we landed these troops. We had 16 men on each trip. Q. Were you on a cutter? A. Yes, sir. Q. Tell us how you took them off. A. We would go up to these transports and get 16 men and take them ashore. They seemed to have an extra quantity of provisions that they gave to us, and during the day we accumulated so much that we threw it overboard. When we got to the ship we had two or three dozen cans of meat and such as that, besides what we had eaten during the day. Each of the boats that came had food. We had four boats, and each had as much as we did. Q. How was that ration put up? A. In tins. Q. How much would it weigh? A. I believe they were 1-pound tins. Q. How much would a soldier have? A. Six tins; I believe three days' rations. Q. Then the soldiers gave them to you instead of taking them ashore? A. Each soldier had a pack; I don't know but more than that. Q. What were in those tins? A. Some had roast beef and some corned beef, and then I think they got a couple of cans of peaches and canned salmon. Q. Did the soldiers have hard-tack also? A. I didn't see it: they probably did. We had hard-tack ourselves. They didn't give us any hard-tack. Q. How many days were you unloading that ship? A. Two days. Q. What regiment was it? A. I believe the First Illinois, because some of the boys in the boat with me knew some of the fellows and spoke to them. Q. The First Illinois Infantry? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it difficult to unload in the surf there? A. There was a little sea, but there were several transports there, and they sort of protected us, and we had no trouble in landing. Q. You landed rapidly? A. Yes, sir; pretty rapidly. 1638 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How many trips during the day did your launch make? A. Eight or nine. Q. How many did your boat tow? A. We just had our own boat. Q. A cutter? A. Yes, sir. Q. You just took them on board? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have a steamer launch? A. No, sir; just a rowboat. Q. You made eight trips? A. Yes, sir; going back to the steamer, and we would catch onto the rear of the launch and it wTould tow us out. Q. You had four men and a cockswain on board? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you took 16 men ashore? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many soldiers, in your opinion, left their rations with you? A. I believe about one-half of them. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Now, how many of the First Illinois did you unload? A. I could not tell which were the Illinois men. I did not pay any attention to them, but I think all we landed were Illinois men. Q. What boat was it that you took your passengers from? A. I don't know; the Gate City, I believe; I am not sure. Q. Did you take soldiers from all of the transports or only one? A. Only one. I am not sure if that is the one, but that is the only one 1 saw the name on. Q. Is there anything else you can tell us in relation to the landing? A. I don't believe there is. Chicago, III., November 9,1898. TESTIMONY OF COREL. EDWARD G. STANTON. Corpl. Edward G. Stanton, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge : Q. Please give us your full name and residence A. Edward G. Stanton, 433 Warren avenue, Chicago. Q. What regiment did you belong to? A. The Second Volunteer Engineers. Q. Where did you serve? A. Camp Wikoff; Fort Sheridan a part of the time. Q. You went from Fort Sheridan to Camp Wikoff? A. Yes, sir. Q. What time did you arrive there? A. The 14th of August. Q. What duties did you perform at Camp Wikoff? A. I was corporal, and my duties were to oversee the men building water pipes and roads and pumping stations and general labor work. Q. What is your trade? A, Locomotive engineer. CORPL. EDWARD G. STANTON. 1639 Q. What road have you been on? A. Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul. Q. When you arrived at Camp Wikoff, you started to put up camps, did you? A. Yes, sir; we were the first regiment, I think, on the ground. The First Cav- alry, I think, were there in advance of us. I don't know where they came from. Q. You came next? A. Yes, sir. Q. Tell us in your own way the duties you performed. A. We were put in charge of a detail erecting tents. That was our principal occupation, directing-erecting tents for soldiers. Q. What was the first one, the detention camp? A. I did not have charge of that. Only six companies of our regiment arrived there. We were some days erecting tents, and others fixing roads and laying pipes. I did not have charge of any pipe laying. We had most everything to do in the line of labor. Q. Did you have these tents up before the transports arrived? A. Oh, yes, sir; always, and the sinks dug and everything ready for them. Q. There was nothing for them to do except to go into the tents? A. Of course we didn't do much of the ditching around the tents. Q. Did you put floors in the tents? A. No, not all; but we got them in as fast as we could. I think they were in practically all of them before we got away. We had such a few men. We didn't have ovei' 550 men in our regiment and we did all the work. Q. What is your observation as to how they were taken care of? A. Of course we could not observe the whole camp. They were sent to the detention hospital at first. They were all in a sickly condition, more or less, but they got the best possible care that could be given them in such a place as that. I think if some had been sent to the hospital it would have been better. Q. They were all sick, were they? A. Some were sick with malaria, and some said the change from the warm to the cool climate affected them. A great many had dysentery. By Dr. Conner: Q. Please tell me whether or not the general hospital was erected at the time you arrived. A. Yes, sir. Q. How much had been done towards receiving patients? A. That I don't know. Q. Did you see it at all? A. Yes, sir; I saw it several times. I had charge of the policing at the detention camp for about a month. Q. Was the work done as rapidly as possible under the circumstances? A. It was done very rapidly. Q. How about the expedition of the Quartermaster's Department furnishing lumber? A. It was furnished very expeditiously. Q. Did they at any time have a sufficient amount of lumber for the floors? A. I don't know. Q. In the detention camp would those tents be floored in advance of the arrival of the sick? A. They were; of course at times it was a little crowded. Q. Did your duties take you to the detention hospital? A. Not until about three weeks after we went there, I suppose. Q. Before the transports came or afterwards? A. Afterwards. 1640 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you see any men lying outside? A. At no time. Q. Did all have proper beds that you saw? A. Some I think were lying on the floors, but all had sufficient blankets. Q. How long a time do you suppose they were lying on the floor? A. Not over a day. Q. Did your duties carry you down to the station? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you observe at any time the sick men lying around the platforms waiting for the cars? A. Yes,-sir; I saw men going away on furloughs, I suppose. Q. Did you see any men sick there who had been waiting for any length of time? A. I saw sick men. I don't know how long they had waited. The transporta- tion facilities of that road were not very good. Q. What do you mean? A. They didn't run trains enough. Q. Would it be possible to increase the number of trains with the facilities they had? A. Yes, sir; I think so. Q. Of course, you don't know; you had nothing to do with that road? A. No, sir. Q. As a locomotive engineer, what condition did you consider that roadbed in? A. Very good. Of course it is hilly and around curves, but it is very good. Q. What condition were the engines and cars in? A. Fairly good condition. I rode on one of the engines. It answered the pur- pose, but of course it might have been in better shape. It was a light engine. Q. It could have been in better shape? A. It was not steaming properly. Q. Was that the fault of the engineer or the fireman? A. I don't know; of course I could not tell. It takes more than one trip to find out. Q. Did you see any of the sick going away from Montauk on transports? A. No, sir; I did not. Our camp was too far away. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Is there anything special that you want to say? A. Why, I have heard a good many complaints of the policing of the detention camps; I have seen a good many reports about. Q. Do you think it was well policed? A. I do. I had a good gang of laborers sent up from New York, or somewhere, and we worked and burned up and cleaned up every day. I took up all the cloth- ing and. sheets and linen and the crumbs of the men that were thrown away; I had strict orders to see that it was burned. I think some of it was stolen away by these men. It was almost impossible to watch them close enough, but I had orders to have them arrested if they stole anything. Q. The bed clothes were burned up? A. They were sent to the fumigating plant and afterwards sent to the laundry. Q. Was the fumigating plant there when the troops began to arrive? A. No, sir. . Q. Was it erected afterwards? A. Yes, sir. Q. At what time afterwards? A. I don't know. My duty required me to go in and look all around the wards and see that no bedpans were emptied between the wards. Q. What condition were the sinks in? CORPL. EDWARD G. STANTON. 1641 A. In good condition. They were covered with lime and earth, and no offensive smell arose from them whatever. Q. Were they boarded up? A. Yes, sir. Q. And covered up? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. While you were around the detention hospital did you notice the attention that the sick got from the doctors and nurses, and did you talk with the men? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they satisfied? A. They were satisfied in this way: It was all right, but they wanted furloughs. The doctors and nurses did everything in their power. Of course it was impossible to do everything. Q. Did they furlough a good many men before they should have gone away? A. I don't know. Q. How were they taken to the train when they were furloughed? A. In an ambulance. Q. Who accompanied them? A. Generally a nurse; sometimes they were alone, when in that physical con- dition that warranted them in going alone. For the very ill they had a hospital car and sleeping-car arrangements where they had to go far. I do not know how long that hospital car ran. Q. Were they provided with sleeping-car and transportation tickets? A. Yes, sir; all I conversed with. Q. Before they left the hospital? A. I don't know; they got it somewhere. Q. Was there any complaint among the soldiers about there being no proper attention given to getting them away? A. Some thought that they should have got theirs at first, of course. Q. After they got furloughed, was there any complaint as to waiting for trans- portation or commutation of rations? A. No, but of course some laid around and thought they didn't get them as soon as they should. Q. Was there a continual pressure on that hospital car, going and coming. A. Well, you might say, during the last few weeks of the camp, it was pretty heavy. Q. Did a good deal of provision go into that hospital? A. They were supplied with everything. I took my meals up there foi' a long time, and I lived as well as, or better, than ever before. I don't think they wanted for supplies and provisions. Q. You think they got all they wanted. A. I don't know how it was at first, but while I was there I gained in flesh. I never felt better than while I was working around among the sick there. Q. You saw nothing, as a soldier or private there, that you had cause to com- plain of? A. No, sir; none whatever. The men were all sick when they came there. Of course some complained, but that was natural for men in their position. I know I had friends and relatives who wrote to me in regard to the terrible state of affairs that they saw in the papers. I wrote back immediately that they need have no fear. The New York Journal was responsible for a good deal. Q. Did any of those newspaper men come to you to talk? A. No, sir; I do not know where they got their information. Q. Are you mustered out? A. Discharged. 1642 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Chicago, III., November 9, 1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE WILLIAM G. DOLAN. Private William G. Dolan, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name, company, and regiment. A. William Gordon Dolan, Company F, Second United States Volunteer Engi- neers. Q. Tell us what duty you performed. A. I was a first-class private. Q. What is your trade? A. Locomotive engineer on the same road-C., M. and St. P. Q. How long have you been running? A. About six months. I was just promoted before I left. Q. Were you from the shops? A. No, sir; I was firing. Q. Go on. A. My experience has been about the same as his. I was in the detention camp about a month, and I was orderly for Lieutenant Jackson. He was looking after the policing and he had charge of a gang of laborers from New York. He burned up the old clothing left in the camps. Q. Was Lieutenant Jackson a staff officer? A. He was not a staff officer; he was from the Second Engineers. Q. You were under him? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were on duty one month at the detention hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. What other duty did you have? A. Putting up tents, and with the regimental commissary for a week or two. Q. Tell us what occurred around there? A. I kept tally of the tents and tent poles and pins and cots and things of that kind. At no time were we short of tents. They had 20 or 30 teams bringing stuff there every day. Q. You had plenty of tents? A. Tents and poles. Q. And commissary supplies? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many cars were standing there on the track on an average to unload? How often could you clean up the tracks there -every day? A. With 20 or 30 men we unloaded 8 or 10 cars a day. Q. Wasn't there a large number of cars standing there every day? A. Yes, sir; in fact, they didn't have switch room enough. Q. How many cars were standing on those tracks? A. I should say 80 or 90. I know the switch engine was working day and night. Q. She ran two crews, did she? A. Yes, sir.. Q. And worked all the time taking out empties and switching in loads? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did they run those loads? A. I suppose back to Long Island City. I don't know. Q. Were there a great many men going on furlough? PRIVATE WILLIAM G. DOLAN. 1643 A. Yes, sir. The office was right at the end of the building, and I saw men going. Q. How did they go, alone or with somebody? A. Alone. Q. They had to get their own transportation and commutation of rations? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many were waiting usually? A. Sometimes 20, 30 or 40. Sometimes they had to wait six or seven hours. I think they had five or six clerks there. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Did they have to wait for furloughs or the train? A. Both. By Dr. Conner: Q. During all this time that you speak of did they have to wait to get furloughs and transportation and commutation money? A. On account of there being such a crowd 1 suppose they had to wait so long, five or six hours, some of them. Q. Did they have to wait for the trains or transportation to get on these trains? A. For transportation. Q. They had to wait six or seven hours before they could get off if a dozen trains went? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they have regular trains to go on? A. I know of passenger trains that were three hours late. Q. Why should men go down there five or six hours before train time? A. I don't know, but I have seen them there. Q. Didn't they go there in order to be sure and get their commutations and transportation? A. Probably that was it. Q. At any time were there so many there waiting for transportation that they were compelled to wait six, seven, or eight hours? A. It might not have been eight hours, but five or six hours. By General Dodge: Q. Were they able to stand up alone, or were they sitting down? A. They were sitting down. Q. Were they under cover? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. W ere the names called out in turn? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. They put in their furloughs, and as fast as their names were called they walked up and got it and then went to the depot? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see many boys lying around there that were not able to travel, in your opinion? A. Yes, sir. I will say I have seen several I thought were unable to travel. Q. They got furloughs to go? A. Yes, sir. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Were parents and friends with them? 1644 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Some had them. Q. Those that were the most sick? A. They had nurses around there for the worst cases and had a hospital car attached to the train. By General Dodge: Q. They were taken on that? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know the nature of the sickness of most of the men furloughed? Did the men have diarrhea? A. Diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, and typhoid were the most of the diseases. Q. Were you sick there at all? A. No, sir; I think I gained 5 or 10 pounds. Q. You lived pretty well? A. Yes, sir; it is an ideal spot. There were two fresh-water lakes there and fish and all kinds of game there. By Dr. Conner: Q. You thought it was a nice place for a camp? A. I enjoyed it very much; in fact, it was a summer vacation to me. Q. You stayed there about two months? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see anything like negligence on the part of the doctor and nurses? A. No, sir. Q. Did you see any men left without proper shelter for any length of time? A. No, sir; they were all in tents, or, at least, built barracks. Q. Were all the tents floored? A. No, sir. Q. Was any man lying out for half an hour or hour in the sun? A. I didn't see any. Q. Were the nurses competent? A. They did excellent work. Q. Rapid work or pretty slow? A. I met one who said she had been on her feet thirty hours. They seemed to enjoy it, and liked it. Q. Were the nurses all the time there at the depot? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they furnished coffee? A. Yes, sir; and milk. Q. Did you hear any of the men complain that the nurses did not take care of them? A. No, sir; I heard no complaints. Q. Did you hear the men talking freely there? A. No, sir; I did not pay much attention to them. Q. Did you see enough to know what they said? A. Yes, sir. I talked with several, and they were very much pleased with the treatment they received. By General Dodge: Q. The boys, I suppose, were anxious to get off on their furloughs? A. Yes, sir. I think homesickness was the most serious of the diseases. Q. As much that as anything? A. They claim it brings on these diseases. CAPT. GEORGE ALLEN DODD 1645 Burlington, Vt., November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. GEORGE ALLEN DODD. Capt. George Allen Dodd then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him tne instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Where were you stationed at the outbreak of the war with Spain? A. Fort Ethan Allen, Vt. Q. Please state your movements up to the time you landed in Cuba. A. Left here about the 21st of April. Q. Where did you go from here? A. Went from here to Chickamauga Park. Q. How long did you remain there? A. I can give you the exact dates, I think, if I have the right book. Q. You went with your regiment, did you? A. I moved with my regiment to Chickamauga Park. Q. Did you go with your regiment from there to Tampa? A. I went from there to Tampa, and from there to Cuba. Q. What have you to say relative to your camp in Chickamauga and Tampa? A. At Chickamauga had a very good camp. Q. At Tampa what kind of a camp did you have? A. Fair camp there. It was dusty; was not as clean a camp as it was in Chick- amauga Park. Q. What time did you leave Tampa for Cuba and on what transport? A. Left on the Rio Grande. Left Tampa on the morning of the 8th of June; left Port Tampa on the 14th, or about the 14th; that is, we considered that was about the time that we left. Q. What troops were there on the Rio Grande with you? A. There were eight troops of the Third Cavalry and eight of the Sixth, and a band of each regiment. Q. Please state how well the Rio Grande was fitted up for the accommodation of troops on her, and in what manner. A. The troops were located on three decks of the Rio Grande. The two upper decks were very fair in good weather; down below, between decks, above the hold, it was very bad. Q. Hot? A. Very hot; very stifling. We resorted to every means possible for getting aii- in. Q. Quite uncomfortable, I should judge? A. Very uncomfortable. That was one phase of the trip. Q. Was there quite a considerable complaint among the men? A. No complaint among the men, but I visited the between-deck a number of times. The condition of the men spoke for itself. The men had no business to complain. They did not complain. Q. How well supplied with rations were you on that trip? A. We were fairly well supplied. We had during a portion of the time the regular travel ration. The time of our landing was somewhat delayed, and we were obliged to cook rations-that is, cook bacon and whatever we had. Q. The travel ration, if I understand right, is a ration intended to be eaten without cooking? Q. Hot? 1646 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; with the exception of coffee. Q. How about the water on the Rio Grande as to quality and quantity? A. The water was fairly good until the latter portion of the voyage. Q. What time did you land? A. Landed on the 24th of June-that is, the final landing of the cavalry division took place on the 24th of June. Q. What means were used in landing you? A. Small launches, small rowboats secured from the navy. Q. How long did it require to land the troops from the Rio Grande? A. A portion disembarked on the 23d, and a rather heavy gale set in that pre- vented our completing the landing. Q. And the rest were landed the next day? A. Yes, sir. Q. What stores did you have on the Rio Grande-quartermaster, commissary, or medical stores-and how much of those were landed, if any? A. I am unable to tell you about that. We had some forage, a goodly supply of forage, on the Rio Grande. I understood, although I did not know it of my own knowledge, that the brigade had a good supply of medical stores, but I know nothing of that; of course we had some commissary supplies, quite enough to see us through. Q. Did you have any wagons or ambulances on board your ship? A. Not that I know of, unless they were knocked down and put in the hold. Q. Was there some considerable difficulty in landing? A. On account of the surf there was some. Q. You landed at what place? A. It is known by three different names-one Daiquiri, the other Baiquiri and Altares. Daiquiri is the proper name. Q. How long did you remain in that place? A. Remained there about three days. Q. How were you supplied with rations while there? In what manner and whether sufficient? A. We camped on a hill not over a mile from the landing-a very short mile from the landing-and the extra rations that we used while in camp there were carried by the men. Q. Was there a commissary depot established at Daiquiri? A. There was a temporary one. Q. Where did you go from your first camping place? A. We went to a place near Sevilla. The exact spot I could not say without reference to the map. I could show you precisely where it is, but it was the point of concentration before our final move. Q. In what manner and how well supplied were you with commissary stores at that point? A. We had the regular Government ration at that point. Q. How were they obtained, delivered to you? A. They were brought by pack mules and by wagon. I would like to put in one thing about this-a thing that has been misrepresented-before you pass over this one point. Q. Certainly; anything you think of. A. When we camped at Daiquiri, it was not ovei- a mile from our camp to the landing place. It would have been impossible to have hauled anything much more than half that distance; the rest had to go up the side of the hill-had the camp there for health; that was the object in going up on this hill-and every thing had to be carried there. I have carried more supplies in Arizona than any man in my troop carried there. Q. At best, you would have had to carry it half way? CAPT. GEORGE ALLEN DODD. 1647 A. Pretty near. I mention this because I think you ought to know it; that point has been overstretched altogether; nobody hurt themselves carrying rations from that landing up there at all. Q. What tentage did you have? A. We had our regular shelter tents. Q. What medical officer did you have with you, and how well was medical attendance given your men? A. We had this Dr. Newgarden with our regiment; the supplies did not seem to be very extensive, although, as I say, when we started out with him, Dr. Winter had laid in a supply for the ship; it was supposed we were pretty well supplied then. Q. But there was some difficulty about getting them ashore? A. I presume so; either that or transportation. Q. How much need of medical supplies more than you obtained was there, if any? A. At that particular time, I don't know. It was never brought to my notice that there was any particular need for any more supplies than they had. The command was in a healthy condition at that time? Q. From Sevilla where did you move, and what time? A. We moved on the night of the 30th of June-made the march preparatory to making an attack on the 1st of July. Q. Were you mounted or dismounted? A. Dismounted. Q. What rations did you take with you on that march? A. If I remember rightly, each man carried three days' rations. Q. Of travel rations? A. No; a portion; you know they combine those; that is, where it is possible to cook bacon, they are given uncooked bacon. Bacon was issued and some corned beef, some roast beef, some tomatoes, some canned beans, and hard-tack. Q. Please state whether or not you thought at the time that the regiment was sufficiently supplied with rations to make the march. A. I thought it was; in fact, I know it was. Q. When you arrived at the vicinity of what was to be the battlefield A. El Poso is the place you have reference to; that is the hill from which the battery first fired. Q. Were you near there? A. Yes; our squadron camped right where the battery was planted afterwards. We got out of there before daylight in the morning. Q. Where did you go to from there? A. We marched directly toward San Juan. Q. Were you wounded? A. Yes, slightly; just stunned; knocked out for a little. Q. At what time were you wounded? A. I was wounded at 11 o'clock. Q. Is there anything you have not recited, up to the time you were wounded, that you desire to say? A. Yes; there are a good many things. Going back to the camps (I was looking over my record at Chickamauga)-my percentage of sick never exceeding 14 per cent; that is way below the normal; at Tampa, most of the time, the percentage of sick did not exceed 2 per cent. On one occasion it increased-the percentage increased-and on investigation I found that the cause of the sickness was the men eating stuff that was sold them by hucksters and peddlers going through the camp. For instance, after coming in warm from a drill, they would eat a lot of ice cream that was impure; they would drink a lot of lemonade, stuff of that kind; that increased the percentage of my sickness materially. I prohibited that altogether, and it came down to about 1| per cent. The water there at Tampa 1648 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. while it was warm, was rather pure, and by buying a little ice, paying for it from the troop fund, I was able to furnish my men with good drinking water. So much for that camp. Q. Have you anything to say in regard to the loading of the troops on the Rio Grande, or the transport itself, than what you have said in answer to my inquiries? A. No more than I don't see how it would be possible to transport troops on such vessels without incurring a certain amount of suffering; that is necessary. Q. The climatic conditions had very much to do with it? A. Very much, indeed. We were kept on there probably longer than we would have been kept under ordinary circumstances had everything been known; but everything was not known. You know, they had a spook fleet running around there that was going to gobble us up. We would not have been kept on board the transport so long had it not been for that, I imagine. Q. Anything more you would like to say in connection with the landing at Daiquiri until you were wounded, as to the march and the disposition of matters, the order or want of order-anything of that kind? A. Everything seemed to be orderly, so far as that goes. As to the original plans, you understand, Governor, that it is out of the question for the commanding general to anticipate everything. He was going to land on a coast that he knew nothing about; he was supposed to land in the face of an enemy; and it is all right to talk about it afterwards. You can make your arrangements afterwards in very good shape, but to foresee things, there were a good many things that might have been done had he known everything and had we known everything. Q. Then you think hindsight is better than foresight? A. You can adjust hindsight. That is the way we adjusted the sight of our Krags, you know. Q. I did not intend to inquire particularly into the strategy of the movement. It is more the matter of the medical, quartermaster, and commissary supplies, and whether or not things might have been different than they were, and ought to have been different under the circumstances, or whether, considering all conditions of things, those departments were administered as well as could reasonably be expected. That is what we are endeavoring to ascertain. A. I understand that, and I think in the light of the experience that I have had in the Quartermaster's Department, Commissary Department, that things were pretty well arranged, very well arranged; the trouble of it is right here; they expected to go down there, have war, and have nobody hurt and nobody get sick. If they can do that, then it is a new problem to be solved. Q. You say "they; " who do you mean? A. I mean most of the bureaus most of the Departments. One thing I believe- take the Quartermaster's Department-I believe the Quartermaster's Department was hampered very much. They had men in there, majors, lieutenant-colonels, and colonels appointed as quartermasters that they had to detail-absolutely detail-lieutenants to instruct; those were men of position and responsibility. There were second lieutenants in the Regulai' Army who knew infinitely more than they did about their business; but still they would do-they did the best they could, so far as I could see. Q. Isn't that really a severe criticism upon the Quartermaster's Department if there were inefficient officers there? A. Well, I don't know; I wouldn't say that. I would put it right in this light. Of course, I don't like to be reported as saying these things. Here is a big hotel right here, say; you are running the hotel or I am running the hotel. I put my 8-year-old boy in as bookkeeper; I put my 12-year-old girl in in charge of the waiters; you may have the best system in the world. About the system of the CAPT. GEORGE ALLEN DODD. 1649 Quartermaster's Department-our Quartermaster's Department is founded on a good system; it is admired by the world all over, but whatever system you would have, it would knock things all to pieces, and I believe that that led to what hap- pened in the Quartermaster's Department in this war. I know that a man can not jump into the position of quartermaster, major, lieutenant-colonel, or colonel in the Quartermaster's Department and know his business unless he has followed it up. I think that the Department has been hampered in that regard. Q. How much better service, in your judgment, could have been rendered in that expedition to Cuba while en route and after landing there than was rendered if thoroughly experienced officers had had charge of the Quartermaster's Depart- ment? A. I could net tell just exactly the precise degree to which it could have been benefited, but I think it would have been better. There must be some value to experience. Q. Please state whether or not you think that the material which went with the expedition could have been better distributed among the troops if such offi- cers as you mention had been in charge. A. I believe had experienced officers been in charge that they would have known how to secure things, how to handle them, and how to transport them. Q. What do you know, Captain Dodd, of the personnel of the Quartermaster's Department in Cuba, as to whether they were experienced or not? A. There were some of them whom I know were not experienced. Q. How was it about the chief of the quartermasters and some superintendents; were they experienced? A. I know the chief of the Quartermaster's Department there is a very able man, as is also a great many of his assistants. Q. What is his name? A. Humphrey was the head man. Q. Is he a regular officer? A. Yes, sir. Q. A man of efficiency? A. Yes; I thought so. We have always looked upon him as such. Q. What did you have for a quartermaster for your regiment, an efficient officer? A. We had one of our own regimental officers. Yes; he was efficient. Q. Who was the depot quartermaster? A. Jacobs was part of the time. Q. Was he a regular officer? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know and can you name the officers in the Quartermaster's Depart- ment that were inefficient? A. No; I would not go into that. I would not go into naming anyone, because I would be thrown in contact with them. I just simply gave that as my opinion. Q. You were talking on general principles? A. Yes; I was talking on general principles. Q. You say that you were wounded about 11 o'clock in the day? A. Yes, sir. Q. What knowledge have you of transactions immediately after that? A. I have no knowledge whatever' of anything that was going on-no distinct knowledge for about, as nearly as I can tell, three hours or three hours and a half afterwards. Q. Where were you taken after you were wounded? A. Back to what is known as the division hospital. Q. Who had charge of that hospital? A. Dr. Wood. 1650 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Where were you wounded? A. A projectile struck me on the forehead and a piece of shrapnel on the top of the head. Q. What is your recollection of the hospital as to its condition when you were able to observe it; of what did it consist and what facilities had they there for caring for the wounded, and how many wounded were there there when you arrived? A. I could not tell the number that was there, because they kept coming in and going out all the time; be impossible to answer that question directly. They had nothing but a few tents and tent flies when I got back to the hospital; that was along toward the evening of the 1st. Q. Did they have operating tables? A. They had afterwards, yes. Q. And medical supplies? A. Yes. They had operating tables. Q. How many tents did they have up to that time? A. When I first went there they had, I think, not over three or four tents. Q. Were they filled full that time? A. They were filled, yes; and they had some flies and paulins put up. Q. Did they have any cots? A. Had some cots. Q. Were you on a cot? A. I wasn't badly enough wounded for that; I was suffering more from the concussion than anything else. Q. What means of transportation were used in getting you back to the hospital? A. Spanish mule; somebody stole from me afterwards. There was no trans- portation. Q. How far from the place you were wounded was it to the division hospital? A. I think it was about 2 miles. Q. How long did you remain in the division hospital? A. I really left there officially on the morning of the 5th. Q. Were there a large number of wounded brought in there during your stay there? A. A great many. Q. Did you see them? A. I saw a great many of them. Q. How many, if any, were obliged to lie out of doors for any length of time? A. They put up booths, covering them with those big palm leaves, and put them under there. There were none lying out of doors, really, any great length of time. Q. How long did the wounded have to wait before they were cared for; that is, how sufficient was the medical force? A. It was not sufficient. Q. And they waited for how long a time? A. Well, some of them had to wait a number of hours. It was not the fault, however, of the people who were there, because they worked until they could scarcely stand up; they worked hard. Q. Did Dr. Wood speak of his inability to obtain more tents? A. I never heard him mention it; they got tentage on the 2d; the tentage was brought in just as rapidly as possible. Q. How rapidly was that? A. Just as soon as possible-as it could be brought up. They had a great num- ber of tents there a few days afterwards. Q. Do you know anything about the hospital supplies, soups, etc.? A. I know nothing of that. CAPT. GEORGE ALLEN DODD. 1651 Q. Were you properly nourished while you were there? A. I had a man cook my regular grub forme. They didn't have a kitchen, any- thing of that kind, the first day. Q. Do you know at what time that division hospital was established-whether that day or the day before? A. I think it was established the day before; I am not'sure; I think the location was selected the day before. Q. Did you hear Dr. Wood or any other medical officer say they were short of medicines and appliances? A. I did not hear anything of that kind. Q. How much suffering, apparently, did the men endure because of insufficient medical force? A. Well, I did not hear any complaint, although I knew that the men might have been cared for more promptly had they had more of a force. Q. What did they have for nurses there? A. They had a regular hospital corps of nurses. Q. Sufficient or insufficient? A. They were pretty well worked. Q. What means were used to convey the wounded from the field back there, so far as you observed? A. They had a few ambulances-I don't know what number-and the balance were brought back in wagons. Q. Did you understand that that was the only hospital that was established in the rear of the whole battle line, El Caney and all? A. I understood it so at that time, that that was the principal hospital, although they established what they called "dressing stations" at other points. Q. Did you receive any attention at the dressing station? A. Yes, sir. I was kept there until I was able to be moved back. Q. You being wounded when you were, you know nothing from your own knowledge as to the supply of rations to the men? A. Oh, yes; I went back on the firing line. 1 started back on the 4th. I was with the entire command up to the time I came back to Fort Ethan Allen, after the morning of the 5th. Q. You went back to the line after being wounded? A. Right in those trenches from that time on. Q. What have you to say in regard to the condition of the men on the firing line, as to rations, etc.? A. There were times when portions of the rations were short. Q. Was that unexpected or unnecessary? A. I thought probably it couldn't be helped. Things were rather in a congested condition. The roads were bad, very bad-the worst I ever saw-and everybody was pretty badly worked. Q. Had the men retained their haversacks with three days' rations, or had they thrown them oft? A. My men all had their haversacks and had their rations. Q. Is there anything particular you would like to say in regard to the time you were in the trenches-as to anything that transpired? A. No, sir; anymore than I have suffered more in Arizona and New Mexico than I have up in those trenches, and I had a greater percentage of my men knocked out, as I see-I was looking over the old records to-day. I find in six weeks I had 45 per cent of my men disabled in the Indian Territory, and the highest that I had in those trenches-that is, on account of sickness, of course, and everything-I think something like 22 per cent. Besides that, Governor, we didn't have any- body to tell us we were sick, either, out West; nobody knew anything about it- 1652 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. no Red Cross people there. There is a good deal of "hocus-pocus " business about that. Q. Were the deprivations and the sufferings of the campaign in Cuba, consider- ing the climate, any more than you could reasonably expect? A. No, sir: I don't think so. I don't agree with all the arrangements made from a strategical and tactical standpoint. I think that the suffering was really reduced to a minimum. Q. Please state whethei- you consider the life of a soldier one of sacrifice and deprivation; that he must reasonably expect that during a campaign. A. Yes; what we are paid for; that is what we are educated to, and that is what we must expect, and we must not complain about it, either. Q. Upon what transport did you return to the United States? A. On the Miami. Q. What date? A. We got back on the 14th; we left on the 8th. Q. How was the Miami fitted up compared with the Rio Grande? A. The men were more comfortable on the Miami than on the Rio Grande. Q. Did you lose any men in killed or wounded? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many? A. Five in all. Q. Five killed or wounded? A. Didn't have any killed; they died afterwards. Q. How many died of wounds? A. I didn't have any die of wounds. Q. Did you lose any by death from disease in Cuba? A. Yes; I lost two of yellow fever-reported to be yellow fever. Q. When you landed at Montauk Point, into what camp did you go there? A. Into the detention camp. Q. Did you find any preparations made for your reception in the way of tents? A. Yes; tents were comfortably put up. Everything was arranged in very good shape. Q. What was the physical condition of the men when you arrived at Montauk? A. Well, the men were very much reduced physically. Q. In a weak condition? A. They were weak. Q. How many were able to march to the camp? A. I think all, with the exception of one or two, were able to march to the camp. Q. What means of transportation was there at the dock to take those who were not able to march? A. I think there were ambulances sent for. They remained back while a man went for ambulances. Q. How did you fare as to rations, etc., at the camp? A. We had our regulation rations aside from extra issues; fared very well. Q. How long did you remain there? A. Remained there about five days. Q. Then where did you go? . A. Then we moved over into the regular division camp-regular cavalry camp. Q. What have you to say in regard to your rations there? A. Excellent; never saw soldiers live better. Q. Did you have anything to do with any of the hospitals while you were there? A. I was at the general hospital, and also the regimental hospital and brigade hospital two or three times. Q. What impression did you receive of these hospitals, naming them in their order? CAPT. GEORGE ALLEN DODD. 1653 A. Well, I thought they were all very well arranged. Took some little time, probably, to straighten out at first, but I never saw a better general hospital; the arrangement was good. Of course, when a man becomes very sick-if he is not very sick, keep him in the regimental hospital or brigade hospital; sometimes keep him around in the tent rather than to send him to the hospital, but excuse him from all duty. But all the hospitals, it struck me, were very well conducted. Q. What is your opinion of Montauk Point as a camp ground during the season of the year you were there? A. I thought it was a typical one. Q. What opinion did you form of the officers in command in the various sta- tions as to their being energetic and desiring to make the troops there comforta- ble, at Montauk Point, generally? A. I don't believe there has ever been, in the history of the world, greater exertion made tending toward making the men comfortable than there was right there at Montauk Point, by everybody that I know anything about. I have been in the service for a good many years, and it is the first time that I have ever seen tents floored for soldiers. Besides that, they had extra things, milk, ice-things that were unheard of. Q. Did you read in the public press while at Montauk Point the criticisms that were made upon that place? A. Yes, sir. Q. Please state whether, in your opinion, those were just or unjust. A. I suppose you refer to this thing of men starving and going around lantern- jawed, not enough to eat, begging for something to eat-absolutely false. It is false-everything of that kind. Those stories were gotten up by a lot of sensa- tionalists. I don't know who they are or what they belong to, but there seemed to be an organized band of them there. They would come around and look at a man's tongue and ask him if he didn't feel badly-try to convince a man that he was sick, and all that. There was no suffering of that kind there. I have been over every inch of it time and again, in different places. The men themselves would laugh at those stories when they came out. Q. How long have you been in the service? A. I have been in the service, counting my cadet service, going on twenty-seven years; in active service between twenty-two and twenty-three years. Q. Have you been engaged at any time during your term of service in Indian warfare? A. I have; yes, sir. I served for twelve years, and my service was west of the Missouri River, and I never crossed it. Q. I don't know but you may have stated, I think you possibly have, before in your testimony, but I will ask you the question again: Please state the compara- tive deprivation and suffering in some of the Indian campaigns in which you have been engaged and the campaign in Cuba during the war with Spain. A. I stated, I think, something with regard to the percentage of sick that I had. I have suffered very much more in Indian campaigns than in Cuba; men have suffered more; enlisted men then had less to eat and not so well provided for in other respects. Q. What time did you leave Montauk Point for* Vermont? A. I have forgotten just what date. Q. You returned with your regiment? A. I returned when the regiment came back; yes. Q. Do you think of anything of which you have not spoken that transpired that would be of value to us in our investigation? A. I do not think that I do. No more than I would like to put myself on record that this howling business has not originated with the regular troops. 1654 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Please state whether or not you think for the Tropics the established ration should be changed in any respect; and if so, in what way. A. I think that it will be necessary to change the ration somewhat-more vege- table and less meat. With regard to the ration, I think that it would be advisable to change the ration, putting in more vegetable and taking out some of the meat. And the canned meat that they have-that roast beef is very unsatisfactory. I made a special report about that. It was largely experimental. At any rate, we were called upon for an expression of opinion. Q. It has been almost a universal condemnation of that meat? A. That was not good. Q. You attribute that to want of experience in the Department as to its value, rather than anything else, I suppose-that is, it was experimental, as you say? A. I believe it was, largely. Of course there was a good deal of talk about transportation, but it is out of the question to have the same facilities there that we would have here. Those roads are horrible. They were just like channels cut through a deep, dense chaparral, on either side of which you could not go- just channels cut through. Q. Like a dry canyon in some places? A. Very much, except I never saw them dry. Where we suffered the most, I think, was after we moved up into Camp Hamilton. That was the head of the harbor. They moved us up -by the way, they agitated the question of sending us up in the mountains to avoid yellow fever-they moved us up far enough to get what you might call the shower line-I don't know as there is such a thing- where those showers travel along the mountains, and it just took us in. Every afternoon it would shower, and everything would get soaked. I think that we suffered there more than any other' place. Had it been either up farther or down lower, it would have been better. I should have preferred getting down to the sea. I think our Government did something that was never known in the history of the world when it raised an army of a quarter of a million, equipped it, and put it into the field in a length of time that is perfectly incredible. Burlington, Vt., November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. Cornelius M. Brownell, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon ilv sworn, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. State whether you were in the United States service during the war with Spain; and if so, in what capacity. A. I was enrolled on the 4th day of May, 1898, and on the 16th day was sworn in and was captain of infantry; commanded Company M, of the First Vermont Regiment. Q. Are you in the service now? A. I was discharged the 7th day of this month. Q. What time did you leave the State and where did you go? A. The exact date I do not just remember; it was after the 20th of May-some- where about the 20th of May we left Camp Olympia, at Fort Ethan Allen, and went to Chickamauga Park, Ga. Q. Had you had any previous military experience before you entered the United States service? If so, what? A. I had had about eleven years' service, part of which was in an independent company, serving in all grades to the rank of company commander, and after- CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. 1655 wards in the National Guard-continuous service this was-and in the National Guard to the time of my mustering into the United States service. Q. How many years in the National Guard? A. It will be five years the 19th of next February. Q. About what time did you arrive at Chickamauga Park-about what date? A. It was somewhere about the 23d or 24th of May; I don't just remember the exact date. Q. Did your regiment go into camp? A. We did; yes, sir. Q. Out in the open or in the woods? A. It was in the woods all the time-the regiment. Q. What was the character of the soil? A. The soil was very stony and very unfit for a camp ground; it was almost impossible, some parts of the camp ground, to properly stake down the tents. Q. Did you have any difficulty in digging the sinks to the proper depth? If so, what? A. The kitchen sinks, according to the regulation, should not be used after they become filled within 18 inches of the surface, but I do not remember that it was ever possible to have a kitchen sink deeper than from 12 to 18 inches; it was practically impossible to dig down because of the ledge. In digging the sinks we had the same difficulty; they were never very deep. Q. How deep? A. They varied always with the different location, from 18 inches to-I think, perhaps, I may have seen some that were 3 feet and a little over; however, they were exceptional. Q. Do you know how often you were obliged to dig sinks for the regiment? A. The sinks were dug quite frequently; in fact, it was a matter of comment in the regiment that the principal duty was sink digging. That was a matter of comment; the new officer of the day was, by the commanding officer's instruc- tions, chief sink digger. Q. You mean superintendence of the digging of the sinks? A. He had the superintendence; also superintended taking care of the old ones. Q. What care was bestowed upon the old sinks? A. It varied with the officers of the day. Some of them were properly cov- ered, and some of them, having become full of surface water, were in such a con- dition that they could not be covered, and those sinks were banked up by the commanding officer's orders, and the water allowed to evaporate. Q. How banked up? What do you mean? A. With earth on the side toward the declivity where they would overflow; they were banked up so as to keep the contents of the sink within the sink. Q. And then what? A. They were allowed to evaporate and finally would be filled, perhaps; and other times different treatment was resorted to, and they were covered with light matter-leaves and other matter that would float-then sprinkled as much earth as that covering would keep on top-would sustain. Q. How much lime was used? A. I am unable to say, sir, about that. There were orders issued by the com- manding officer of the regiment regarding its use. It seemed to be used in varying quantities at different times. It was not used at all at first. Q. Do you know why-whether on account of not being able to obtain it or for other reasons? A. Whether it was possible to obtain it or not I am not informed. It was not obtained. Q. What was the appearance around the sinks for cleanliness and what was the atmosphere for sweetness of odor, etc.? 1656 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. The camp was unfortunate in its location. On the one side, with kitchen sinks and the principal sinks, which were most always very disagreeable both in appearance and in the matter of odor arising from that source, and on the other sides were the canteen, and mule corral, and the officer's sink, and the officer's club, so that it was frequently remarked that our camp seemed to be surrounded with odors. Whenever there was the slightest breeze it was offensive, very offensive. This, of course, you will understand, was not necessarily all the time. There wt re days when it was much worse than others. Q. How much did the men of your company or regiment use the woods for defecating instead of the sinks; to any great extent? A. Well, there were times when it was almost impossible to compel the men to go to the sinks; that is, especially at night. The orders were very strict about it, however, and in the daytime it was not so noticeable, of course, but it was car- ried on to a great degree at first; along the last, it was prohibited pretty thor- oughly; other regiments were even worse than ours. Q. Were the woods policed after a while to get rid of the excretions that had been deposited there? A. There seemed to be no definite plan or programme about that matter; the officer of the day, if he were conscientious, ordered his fatigue party to police about the camp; that is, outside the guard line, especially, I had reference to. Q. In what degree of cleanliness was the camp kept while you were there; general police of the camp? A. I should say that the camp was unusually clean most of the time, especially the company streets. The company commanders, as a rule, were very careful about that point; they had the streets in good condition, and sometimes the camp itself was especially neat; it generally was. Q. Did you have room for the proper erection of the tents? A. No, sir; the camp was crowded; the tents were crowded also. In that cli- mate it is not healthful for six men to live in a wall tent, 9 by 9. In Vermont, in our musters, we would have four in a tent. Q. How often were your tents aired? A. It was the purpose of our officers to have our tents aired daily. That refers only to our own company; I know nothing about that. Q. How often were they moved? A. They were never moved, except when detailed on special duty. Q. Did you occupy all of the space that was allowed you-did the regiment occupy all of the space that was allowed it? A. The company took all they could get, and I allowed the men to put up their dog tents, as they are called, in order to diminish the number of men sleeping in the street; but they were ordered down by the commanding officer of the regiment. Q. How many days' rations did you take when you went from Fort Ethan Allen? A. I can not make a positive statement. I believe, generally, we took travel rations-three days', I believe; I can not tell you without referring to my records. Q. Please state in general whether or not during the time you were at Chicka- mauga Park the rations were sufficient in quantity and good in quality, accord- ing to the Army Regulations. A. After about ten days, the rations were, as a whole, satisfactory, I think; we received the full Government ration after things became adjusted somewhat. The rations were deficient in vegetables, and the command was rationed with canned tomatoes, the full vegetable ration Q. Did you have all you wanted of canned tomatoes? A. Thank you, I did, for the present. They were not of a particularly good quality, either-so that we were unable to obtain potatoes for some time. I pur- CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. 1657 chased some before they were issued, and those issued seemed to be of a very poor quality; we drew them in ten days' lots. Q. Couldn't you have drawn them once in five days? A. I never tried; they were issued in ten days' quantities to the companies, without any orders. Q. The reason I ask that, in some places we found they drew vegetables once in five days-did so in Jacksonville. A. The reason, I think, why we could not was because we did not have any place to keep them, and they were very anxious to have us go up after our rations as soon as we could get them. Q. Were these new or old? A. These were old and bad. One day we drew ten days', out of which we got two days' good rations; the rest had to be thrown away and buried. Q. Is it very strange that potatoes in such a hot climate and in such a season of the year should be poor? A. I think not. I don't think potatoes would have kept in large quantities like that any length of time, and I think if they had been issued in smaller quantities, more frequently, they would have reached us in good condition. Q. These potatoes, probably, had been transported some distance? A. They came from Michigan. Those I purchased at the store at Chattanooga were in good condition. They had unlimited quantities, and we could buy all we wished. Q. Did you make savings? A. We did; yes. Q. On what? A. The bacon seemed to be totally unsuited for that hot climate; the coffee was such-the quality-that the men would not drink it. Q. How did you draw your coffee-ground, roasted, or raw? A. I believe we drew it both ways, roasted and raw; most always we drew it roasted. Q. Which was the better coffee? A. Well, I think that the coffee that was issued as roasted perhaps gave us the best satisfaction, because there were no conveniences for properly roasting it. Q. Did you have any roasters? A. No, sir; we used the large pans of oui' cooking outfit. Of course it requires a skillful hand to properly roast coffee, but the berry itself was of an inferior quality, that was the trouble; it wasn't the roasting so much. We tried to sell that at the stores, and the most we could get was 6| cents a pound, taking it out in trade. Q. Was that on account of being large offerings? A. I think not, because they gave us full price of the bacon; the bacon was of good quality with one or two exceptions, when it was issued with worms. Q. Might there have been large offerings of coffee in the market and not large offerings in bacon? We found in Jacksonville that bacon was sold there for 3 cents a pound because the market was overstocked. I did not know but that might be the case with coffee. A. Mr. Dewes, the grocer, told me he did not care for it. Q. Do you know of any coffee that sold as low as 6 cents a pound? A. I never knew; not at that time. Q. Was this Rio coffee? A. I am unable to state; it seemed to have an insipid taste which the men did not like. Q. Was that in the preparation or the coffee itself? A. I think it was the coffee, because we had it prepared by the same man at Fort Ethan Allen and there was no complaint whatever. 1658 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Please state whether or not, on the whole, the rations as issued were satis- factory; and if not, why not. A. In so far as the Government ration is a success, they were satisfactory so far as I noticed. Still, that bacon is not suitable food for a hot climate in the sum- mer time, and I think in time-I think from what I can learn-that the ration will be changed and more vegetable matter will be added for such climates. In fact, I think there is a movement on foot to do that very thing. However, as the ration is, I think that the regiment fared very well after about the first two weeks. Q. Please state what difficulty you had, if any, in getting clothing for the men. A. The clothing we wore-those men who enlisted and had no uniforms were told to wear their old clothes and shoes. Those men who wore uniforms, almost without exception, wore those they received when they first enlisted in the National Guard-all of them quite old or nearly ragged. When we reached Chickamauga the regiment, as a whole, was in a ragged condition. Perhaps that is a little strong. They were not "ragged," but the clothing was much worn and we did not receive shoes until perhaps a third of the regiment were barefoot. Q. Do you mean barefoot, absolutely? A. They were in such a condition that they were not allowed to do any duty. And blouses came in small numbers about the 5th of June, if I remember correctly. All our clothing was issued by piecemeal; we had great difficulty in getting sizes; requisitions would be made for sizes to fit the men, and we were oftentimes obliged to accept what we could get, and the men wore clothing much too large or too small for them, and thirty-five men-I believe at least that number in my com- pany-never drew any blue trousers from the Government. Q. Did they get their pay for them? A. They did, yes, sir; as soon as the regiment was ordered home we drew canvas uniforms, and there seemed to be no difficulty in getting all we wanted and get- ting them right off. Q. What reason was assigned for the nonissue of clothing to your company? A. Because our requisitions were not in. Regiments came into the park after we did, and got their requisitions in correctly and got them filled. Later on we were told that the Government had no trousers and other articles of clothing. Q. Please state whether or not, considering the number of men that were sud- denly put into the service, and the supposed condition of the Quartermaster's Department relative to the clothing at that time, and in consideration that other troops who had been ordered to the front were being clothed, it was anything strange that your regiment did not receive its supply of clothing promptly. A. So far as the Government is concerned, I think not. I think, however, the regiment could have been clothed much sooner than it was. Q. In what way? A. Other regiments in our brigade were clothed before we were; other regi- ments in our vicinity were clothed. Q. In what way could they have been clothed sooner? Was it from a lack of knowledge on the part of your commanding officer, or of your quartermaster, that they were not clothed as quickly as regiments similarly situated? A. I think if our requisitions had been in, properly made out and approved, as soon as we got there, we would have received our clothing. Q. Then you consider it is rathei' the inexperience of some of the officers of your regiment that you were not more promptly clothed than any deficiency in the Quartermaster's Department? A. Yes, sir; so far as I know, it was. Q. Was there any suffering among your men on account of nonissue of clothing? A. Yes, sir, indirectly. There was great inconvenience, of course, to those who lacked the clothing, but they were excused from duty. The suffering came more CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. 1659 on those who had to do extra duty. The guard was kept at a great strength- mounted a guard of about 70 men each morning; our police details were very large; our fatigues were very large, and no man was allowed to appear on guard mounting not properly clothed. If he were sent out he would be sent back, so that those men who were properly equipped and clothed did most of the work of the regiment. Q. Did they suffer on that account? A. Could hardly be termed, perhaps, suffering; it was Q. It was not enjoyable? A. It was not enjoyable; it was even stronger than that. They had come from a very cold camp into a very hot one, at the hottest time of the year, and it was very hard on them. I remember now one man fainting on guard duty; this is only a sample; but it came very hard on the men themselves. Those men who had no shoes suffered a hardship from not being able to get about, of course. Q. Do you mean they actually had nothing on their feet? A. They were all worn out, so they were all to pieces. Q. How did their dress compare with the habitues of that country? A. There were different degrees of wealth down there, and the clothing showed to which class the inhabitants belonged; some of them were pretty ragged; our regiment was as ragged as some of them. It was remarked that if our regiment had not kept such a good-looking guard we would have been equipped sooner. Anybody seeing our guard supposed we were all uniformed and equipped. Q. Please state whether or not the men who were without uniforms enjoyed themselves as well as though they had uniforms, on account of their being exempt from duty. A. I think not; I can hardly imagine anything much harder on a man than to have to remain in the street, and I am very positive that those men who were not uniformed felt as badly about it as those who were. Q. Depends somewhat, I suppose, upon the make-up of the man? A. It did to a certain degree; but we were recently in the service. Every man was anxious to do something, and I did not notice any desire on the part of a con- siderable number to shirk. Q. Please state as to the medical department of your regiment, whether or not the men in your company received proper medical care; and if not, in what respects. A. The major of our regiment was Maj. Henry H. Lee, a man who had been in the National Guard service for some time, and who was very much liked by the rank and file. He was soon taken to brigade headquarters, and we were deprived of his services; and very soon or about that time Dr. Jackson, one of the assistant surgeons, was detailed at the division hospital, leaving us Captain Hamilton as our only surgeon. I have no doubt Captain Hamilton had a good deal of work to do. My relations with him were of a very cordial nature. However, he did not seem to satisfy the enlisted men. I am not prepared to state just why; whether it was in his method of treating them medically or in his conversation with them when they came to answer sick call. Being the only surgeon there, he of course had quite a good deal of clerical work to do and was oftentimes very busy; and when there was a large sick report he was sometimes obliged to call for the sick- est. A good many times that worked to the disadvantage of the men, who went back to the street and who should have received attention at that time. He seemed to be faithful in his duties while present in camp; but, as I said before, for some reason or other the enlisted men and some of the officers did not quite feel satisfied. Dr. Jackson was an enlisted man when we were enrolled, having enlisted in Com- pany E, and the regiment did not know very much about him. Those that were treated by him did not seem to have any particular complaint to make, but they 1660 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. seemed to desire to be treated by Major Lee or go without treatment; and a good many of the men suffered because they would not answer sick call; they did not want to go up; said it didn't do any good and they were not treated right. How- ever, Dr. Hamilton always attended a patient when I made a personal request. Q. What was the health of your company while there? A. I think the health of the company averaged fairly well; all the companies were sick more or less; Company F, right next to us, suffered much more than we did. Q. Did you attribute any of the sickness which you had in your regiment to the habits of the men, as to eating stuff outside the rations? A. To what degree I am unable to state sickness was caused by indiscretion in eating. However, I think, as a rule, those men in my company who were the sickest took the best care of themselves. I do not mean by that that was the rea- son for it, but it happened so; and you will also note that the officers of the regi- ment were almost without exception ill, and I certainly have no reason to think that it was owing to any indiscretion on their part; but the enlisted men, as a rule, in my company stuck closely to the army rations or other necessaries. I saw very little evidence, in fact, and discredited all I did see, very little evidence of eating fruit or other things; there was not very much opportunity to buy those things. Q. You had a canteen, you say? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was sold there in the way of drinks? A. All of the usual small drinks, as they are called, and lager beer. Q. How much was that patronized for drinks-very largely or otherwise? A. At first, as our water supply was very limited, it was patronized quite liber- ally. However, there was a large per cent of the men who did not patronize it. Q. What effect did it have upon the health or morals of the men, selling beer there, in your judgment? A. In my best judgment, I have become convinced that it was a good thing for both. The men were suffering for want of something to drink, and the very regi- ment nearest us had beer that was of an inferior quality, and having got over to an adjoining canteen, they would be liable to drink more than they did at our canteen, where the number of drinks was limited. Q. How much punishment, if any, were you obliged to inflict upon the men of your company on account of drunkenness? A. I never was obliged to inflict any; in fact, I never saw a man in the whole regiment who was under the influence of liquor on account of the canteen. There may have been such, but it did not come to my notice. Q. Was there very much on other accounts, on account of drinking outside of the regiment? A. No, sir. I think as a regiment that the First Vermont had less drunkenness than any I know. Q. Did you have any deaths in your company? A. I had one after we returned. Q. But none there? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have any men in the division hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many? A. I am unable to state; had a large number at different times. Q. Did you visit the division hospital? A. I did so far as my duties would allow me. It was sometimes very difficult to get away. Q. But did you Visit it? CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. 1661 A. I did; yes. Q. How many times, probably? A. I am unable to state; quite a number of times. Q. What condition did you find it in when you went there? A. I noticed a marked improvement after a change in the officer in charge. When it was first established it was not run so well as it was later by a man-I can't just remember the doctor's name-who came from the Second Division, under Major Jenne, and assumed command and established a diet kitchen. Q. Dr. Drake? A. Dr. Drake. Dr. Drake, in my judgment, was a splendid officer, and conscien- tious. He tried to make his hospital a success. Men suffered greatly before he came for the want of delicacies, there was nothing for food. They had the regu- lar rations, and that was not palatable to a sick man and could not be made so. Q. What complaints, if any, did you have from men in your command of neg- lect at the division hospital? A. We had very little, except, as I stated, in the line of food. At first the com- plaints were more numerous than later. Upon investigation I most always found the men were telling the truth, and food was taken to them by members of the company. Q. What time did you return home to Vermont? A. We left about the 16th of August. Q. How many sections did your regiment have? A. The troops were in three sections, and there was also a section for a hospital and one for horses and bedding. Q. Did you have any physician on your train? A. No, sir; nor no one who was connected in any manner with the Hospital Corps, except Pier Johnson, a man who had recently been a private in my com- pany and was transferred to the Hospital Corps, and who had left the hospital train to purchase something and the train left before he returned, and he, of course, came on the first section of troops, which was my battalion. Q. Were you ill at all while you were at Chickamauga? A. I was; yes, sir. Q. Where did you go for treatment? A. I was not treated very much while there. 1 was taken ill about the 20th of July with fever, and it continued for some time. It continued until, at the chap- lain's suggestion, I went on ten days' sick leave to Chattanooga, where I was joined by my wife. I returned at the end of my relief somewhat improved, but still had the fever. Q. Malarial fever? A. It subsequently proved to be a very serious case of typhoid fever, but I kept command of my company-command of the First Battalion-in which capacity I led them to Bronxville when they were to embark for home. As soon as I turned over the command to Major Fillmore, who relieved me at the next station, I became unconscious and remained so until I became convalescent in the Mary Fletcher Hospital. Q. You were taken unconscious on the train? A. Yes, sir; I remember nothing after turning over the command to Major Fill- more. I was very sick and had been for some time, but I remained in command. I was taken from the train at Burlington without my knowledge and was taken to the hospital, stopping one night at my own home. There was no one on the train to help me, as I said, except Johnson, and to him I owe my life, without any ques- tion whatever. My fever was 106 then. That was general in all the sections, I think, with the exception of one. One of the officers in one battalion was a doc- tor, Lieutenant Knickerbocker, of St. Albans. The hospital train was sent on ahead, so it was impossible to move me into it. The train was running special and 1662 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. was not stopping so as to get medical attendance, and the only time I succeeded was at Charlottesville, Va., and at Rutland, Vt. There were some other cases of illness on the section 1 was on. Q. To what did you attribute the cause of neglect to have medical officers on board the train; who is responsible, if any one, in your judgment? A. The commanding officer of the regiment should have, without doubt, pro- vided at least hospital stewards on each train. There was this reason,probably, for not doing it, there was the hospital train where sick people were supposed to go, but there were a large number of the men who did not want to or could not go on that train-for instance, I could not; and there were enough in the Hospital Corps and their ambulance company, which returned with us-all details to the ambulance company and Hospital Corps returned with us-there were enough with the chaplain's help to have spared at least a hospital steward for each section. Q. With medicines? A. Yes. On the section which Lieutenant Knickerbocker was on there would have been no need of one; that would have left three sections to be provided for. We had no medicine, no one to attend us. Major Fillmore was ill, and several others. Q. Who was the commanding officer of your regiment most of the time? A. Lieut. Col. John H. Minims. Q. What was your idea before entering the United States service, as to the life of a soldier, whether it was one of sacrifice and privation, usually, or otherwise? A. I knew from what little experience I had had and from all that I had read, from my earliest days up, that it was a great privation, and the life we led down there was not so severe as I expected-those privations that could not, of neces- sity, be avoided were not so severe as I expected. Q. The weather was extremely warm, I suppose, and uncomfortable? A. It was especially so at first, followed later by the rainy season, when the temperature was not so high, but just as disagreeable. Q. Is there anything in connection with your term of service that you have not recited that you would like to mention? A. If you will allow me, I will show you a picture I brought down, representing our camp when we were on detached service; we were chosen to guard the pay- masters for the June payment. We were in this camp two weeks. During that time I had but one case of illness (except from vaccination, which had been done previously), and that man was one who had typhoid fever which he had contracted before we came there. Q. What is your judgment as to the comparative healthfulness of camps in the woods or in the open? A. There is no question in my mind, and never has been, that a camp in the open is far preferable to one in the woods, and that was sufficiently demonstrated to be true by our company's experience. They were obliged to be on guard every third day. It was the most arduous duty we did while we were gone. In spite of that, the men remained well and were very happy and satisfied. Q. Do you know whether or not any application was made for the transfer of youi* regiment from the woods to the open? A. I was informed by a staff officer at the division headquarters, after a good deal of discussion had been going on for some weeks about our moving, that no such application had ever been received there. I am not able, of course, to state positively whether that is so or not; but I do know that other regiments in our division and on all sides of us moved into the opening. Q. That was in August when they moved? A. The First Mississippi moved long before that. The Sixth Immunes came in one day and were assigned a camp ground, and moved within forty-eight hours to another one which they chose themselves. Other regiments moved their camps. CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. 1663 Q. To what do you attribute your nonmoving; was that the expressed desire of the officers frequently? A. It seemed to be-those with whom I talked. Q. Do you know whether your commanding officer took any means to bring it about? A. It was reported that he desired to move. He had one idea which he wished to carry out, which was to move the tents over to the space between the tents. In the pitching of a tent there is room enough between each tent to pitch one, were it not for the guy ropes, and his idea was to move them all over just one space. That was never done, however, and those dog tents which I had up were ordered down. Frequent requisitions were made also, and attempts made also, to get permission to make practice marches and remain over night. Never was allowed. Q. This endeavor was made by whom-by the commanding officer of your regi- ment? A. No, sir. Q. Or by the officers or the commanding officer? A. The wish was expressed by every company commander, I think, at some time, or desire, to move. Q. What answer was made to that request by the commanding officer of your regiment, if any? A. I am not able to state just what answer was returned. I remember once that the First Battalion was not allowed to go out. Q. Do you know Maj. James M. Jenne? A. Very well: yes, sir. Q. Were you familiar with any of his work there at Chickamauga? A. Yes, sir. He was medical inspector during the first of his service; later, had charge of the Second Division hospital in our corps. • Q. What do you know of his work there? A. He, in my judgment, was one of the hardest-working medical officers in the army stationed at that point. The hospital, to my certain knowledge, when he assumed command of it, was in a very demoralized and inefficient state. He labored constantly and faithfully to bring it up to the standard, but, from an out- sider's standpoint, he never should have accepted that appointment, because the hospital had a bad name before he took it. He never would have been able to satisfy the troops in his division. Q. You mean the Second Division of the Third Corps? A. Second Division, Third Corps. The hospital had a bad name and it did not make any difference what he did, it seemed to be criticised just the same. Q. Did it improve under his administration? A. It certainly did; yes, sir. Q. Do you think of anything else you would like to say about any matter you have not referred to? A. I think there was an honest desire on the part of the officers and men to main- tain a high degree of efficiency and discipline. There was a lack of harmony in the administration of the regiment which, to a large degree, prevented that. Q. What was that lack of harmony? A. There seemed to be among both officers and men dissatisfaction with the way the regiment was commanded. Q. You mean by Lieutenant-Colonel Mimms? A. Yes, sir. Q. What cause was there for such dissatisfaction? A. The company commanders felt that he was not a soldier, and, of course, to be a successful leader of a regiment a man must primarily be a soldier. That is the first qualification, as everybody knows. 1664 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How did he show his unsoldierly qualities? A. In various ways. He did not seem to have any well-laid plans as to how the work should go on. He would have lots of schemes; they didn't seem to be car- ried out. Q. Sort of erratic, you mean? A. Seemed to be very erratic. He would oftentimes do things which were demoralizing to discipline. For instance, I have seen him take a piece from a man marching back and forth at his post in front of his quarters and send the man on an errand, on more than one occasion; and on one particular occasion I remember he was not properly attired, and held conversation of a light character with men in the rear of Captain Dyer's quarters, and finally charged upon them-charged bayonets-and practically made a farce of guard duty on that occasion. Q. How was he attired? A. If that is to be a matter of record I should prefer not to have it down. I should prefer not to have it stated just what kind of clothing he had on. But the point I wish to bring out-he did not mean to make a farce of guard duty, prob- ably, but that is one example of what the enlisted men and the officers looked upon in him as not having proper soldierly qualities to command a regiment. Other times, when we were out on sham fights, his ability to properly handle his regi- ment was questioned. Q. At the time he took the gun away from this sentinel, did he assume to take the place of the sentinel? A; Yes; and did it in a spirit of levity. He made a farce of the whole thing, assuming to march up and down the post, doing it in a very undignified manner. Q. What was his condition as to sobriety at that time? A. I am unable to state. Q. Was he addicted to the immoderate use of liquors during his command of the regiment, so far as you know? A. I never saw him use liquor to excess. He would also-in answer to your question in what manner-he would also issue orders instead of sending them through proper channels-issue orders over the heads of battalion commanders or company commanders. I remember distinctly having called to my attention, when I returned, about the time I was on leave, he detailed a sergeant from my company without any knowledge whatever of the lieutenant who was in com- mand, ordered him to report before reveille next morning. Only for the fact that the man reported the thing to the company commander would he have known any- thing about it-before the regular roll call came he reported it. That was a sample; orders were always issued that way. Battalion commanders never* knew what was going on, and the company commanders did not. Q. How much of the time, if any, did Colonel Clark have command of the regiment? A. Very little. Several times in periods of one or two days; but he was in com- mand of the regiment at practically no time. He was there several times for a few days. Q. Then he was not with the regiment enough to exercise any influence over it? A. Of course, when he was with the regiment, he had full power and exercised his authority. Q. Yes; but with how much effect, if any, to change any conditions that were existing? A. Once I remember he reduced the size of the guard. The guard was enor- mous and it worked to our disadvantage, having men ill, as I have stated before, and on other duties. There were two points in the guard line which were open. The sentinels had instructions to allow men to pass to the sinks,'so that the guard was practically of no value whatever, because the guard line was open. All a CORNELIUS M. BROWNELL. 1665 man had to say was he had been to the sink; he could come in. So he reduced the size of the guard. Q. Please state whether Colonel Clark was with the regiment enough to effect its morale at all. A. I hardly think so; could hardly effect it very much in the time he was there, because Colonel Mimms immediately assumed command after we got there, and he would come for a day or two, two or three times. He could hardly effect the morale of the regiment very much. He never commanded the regiment on any occasion that I recall to mind now while down there. Whenever the regiment appeared it appeared under the command of some officer, usually the lieutenant- colonel. The regiment was never drilled in regimental formation while my com- pany was there, that I remember of, hut once, and that was a farce. It was so improperly handled that the enlisted men fairly laughed all the time during the drill and looked upon it as a perfect farce. Q. Then your regiment, in your opinion, suffered severely for the want of a proper commanding officer during your absence from the State? A. Without any question. Then the fact that every commissioned officer pres- ent for duty at Fort Ethan Allen signed a petition requesting the governor to prevent him from assuming any command in a reorganized National Guard Q. Prevent who? A. The lieutenant-colonel from ever assuming any command whatever in the newly organized National Guard would show something of the condition of affairs- by every officer present; I did not sign that petition; I was not present. Q. What was the cause of the continued absence of Colonel Clark from the regiment-cause or causes? A. The first cause of absence was assuming command of the Third Brigade, First Division, Third Corps-temporary command, until General Colby was appointed. Q. How long was he commanding officei- of that brigade? A. Several weeks. Q. About what time did General Colby arrive there? A. Without reference to my notes I could not tell you. Q. Before the 1st of August? A. Oh, yes. Q. Middle of July? A. I should think that Colonel Clark was in command of the three regiments about six weeks. Q. That would bring it about the 10th of July. A. I can not just remember, because I.have not thought anything about it. Q. Where was he the balance of the time? A. He first obtained a leave and went to Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga; had an extension, and later got an extension to that and returned to Vermont. After that we did not see him. He was, while waiting for leave and previous to getting the first one-I believe he was-there in command of the regiment a short period. Q. What reason was assigned for his having these leaves? A. Illness. Q. Do you know with what disease he was afflicted? A. I have been told malaria. Q. Do you know whether or not any of these absences of his were caused on account of his habits? A. I am unable to state. Q. What was the opinion of the'officers of the regiment in regard to that? A. I have heard such statements; I never saw anything to justify them, personally. 1666 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you hear from any authoritative source that during his leaves of absence on Lookout Mountain or elsewhere that he was using liquor to any considerable extent? A. I do not recollect hearing anything that would come under that head. Q. Did you hear anything of that kind? A. Yes; I stated, in answer to a previous question, I had heard such remarks; yes, sir. Q. But, so far as you saw yourself, there is no justification of such rumors? A. No, sir. I never saw Colonel Clark under the influence of liquor while we were away; but, of course, while he was on leave, I know nothing of his habits, Q. Please state whether or not, in your judgment, whatever the causes may have been, whether from assignment to other duties or leaves of absence, he was, during the term of service that you were out of the State, of any particular service to the regiment. A. He, of course, exerted some little oversight to the regiment; in that way was a help. He had charge of Dr. Webb's fund most of the time; aside from that, he was not. Q. In your judgment, state whether or not the regiment would have been in a better condition and been better cared for during its absence from the State and the men been better contented if they had had a competent commanding officer. A. Without any question whatever. The men were eager, as well as the officers, to do their duty, but there was a great deal of dissatisfaction which was notice- able. The subject was commented on at both brigade and division headquarters; even at corps headquarters it was well known. In conversation at all three of those headquarters remarks were made to me which lead me to believe they knew all that was going on there, while, of course, I said nothing which would make me liable and did not open up the conversation at any of the three places. Q. Please state whether or not the want of a different commanding officer was a source of mortification and chagrin to the officers and men of the regiment. A. It was. No regiment likes to be out on division review and made a fool of; and the officers and men both felt that very keenly. We were once drilled-at the time I before mentioned-in the presence of another regiment, who spent all their time, while resting, laughing at us; and it was a matter of regret to us, of course. Detroit, Mich., November 10,1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. A. W. CORLISS. Maj. A. W. Corliss then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and regiment, and where you have been serving in this war. A. A. W. Corliss, major Seventh Infantry. I was with the army of occupation until I was wounded. Q. Where was your regiment stationed? A. Fort Logan, Colo. We were ordered to New Orleans and went as far as Guthrie, and we turned back and went to Chickamauga. Q. How long were you there? MAJ. A. W. CORLISS. 1667 A. About two weeks. Q. From there where? A. To Tampa, Fla. Q. How long were you there? A. Possibly two more weeks. Q. Youi- regiment was fully equipped with quartermaster's and ordnance sup- plies? A. In every way. Q. What transport did you go to Cuba on? A. The Iroquois. Q. How was that prepared to take care of you? A. The men were in bunks, very poorly made and very rough. Q. Were any of them taken sick on the voyage over? A. Nothing more than seasickness. Q. Nothing more than discomfort? A. It was discomfort. Q. Where did you land? A. Daiquiri. Q. Where did you move from there? A. Up the valley toward Santiago. Q. How far did you go the first day? A. About 2 miles. Q. The next day? A. Three or 4, maybe 5. Q. Where were you on the 1st of July? A. In the fight. Q. What place? A. El Caney. Q. What position did you have in the fight? A. On the right in Chaffee's brigade, Lawton's division. Q. How many men did you lose in that fight? A. We had killed 1 officer and 5 noncommissioned officers and 21 privates; 4 officers, 14 noncommissioned officers, and 77 privates wounded. Q. After the El Caney fight where were you stationed? A. I was shot there and sent back. Q. Who was your colonel? A. Colonel Benham. Q. Who was in command at Montauk? A. Maj. Charles A. Coolidge was from the 26th of August until the 8th 'of Sep- tember, when I returned. Q. Where is he? A. In this city. He is at 30 State street. Q. While your command was in Santiago how were you supplied with commis- sary supplies? A. I didn't go to Santiago. Q. You were wounded at El Caney. How were you supplied up to that time? A. By pack trains. Q. Did your men have rations? A. They had something. Q. Did they have sufficient rations to support them? A. Oh, they had enough. Of course they growled, but they all fared alike, offi- cers and men. Q. Where were you wounded? A. At El Caney. Through both shoulders. 1668 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What attention did you receive? A. I was carried back under cover by some of the soldiers and officers, and then taken to the dressing station. Q. From there where? A. To-the brigade and then division hospital, and from there to Siboney. Q. How did you fare in all of those hospitals? A. Very well. Q. What transport did you come over on? A. The Seneca. Q. Were you on her first trip from there to the United States? A. That I don't know. The Seneca left Siboney on the 14th of July. Q. How was that ship provided with medical stores, surgeons, and food fit for the sick? A. Very poorly. Q. Will you tell us in your own language just what you know about that? A. We had no surgeon until the day before we sailed. Two surgeons then came on board. Dr. Bird was one, the other one-I can't think just now what his name was; and they said they had no medical supplies. By Dr. Conner: Q. Was there one named Hicks? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Go on. A. He said they had a very insufficient supply of medicines, and Dr. Hicks got a boat and went over to the Relief, which was anchored near by us, and got a few supplies, and 1 think they got a little ice, but they could not get what they wanted. They could not get any thermometers or niceties for the sick, except a little malted milk and cereals. Q. Were there any nurses aboard the ship? A. Only Miss Jennings. By Dr. Conner: Q. What date did you leave Siboney? A. I think the 14th. Q. Do you know how long before that it was known that the sick and conva lescent were to be sent on this ship? A. I heard it myself about two days before. Q. Is it likely that the medical officers to be sent on there would receive notifi- cation as soon as you did? A. I would think so. Q. Do you know whether any effort was made to get supplies except by going to the Relief? A. I don't. Q. Do you know or not whether it was possible to receive any supplies? A. I do not. Q. How soon was it discovered after you left that there were no medicines? A. Before we left. Q. Then the' Relief was asked to furnish some of the delicacies? A. Yes, sir: and dressings. Q. How many sick and wounded were there on board? A. As near as I can recollect, I think about 25 officers and probably 50 men. Q. Seventy-five seriously ill and wounded on board? A. Sick and quite a number wounded. Q. What provision was made for them? MAJ. A. W. CORLISS. 1669 A. The wounded soldiers were given a lower cabin, and some who were not so badly wounded were put on lounges around the edge of the cabin and some on the floor on mattresses. Q. How were the officers provided for, in staterooms? A. Some were and some were outside in the cabin. Q. Had the Seneca been used as an ordinary seagoing passenger vessel? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were these officers and attendants faithful and attentive to duty? A. Yes, sir; except one, Dr. Bird. Q. And the other young men did the best they could? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were there any nurses belonging to what was called the Hospital Corps on board? A. None at all that I remember of seeing. Q. Is it a fact that the men who were put on, .^oth sick and wounded, were thought to be sufficiently recovered to be put on travel rations and take care of themselves? A. I don't see why they should be. Some were sick with fever and some suf- fering with wounds. Q, A man of ordinary conception would understand that? A. Yes, sir. Q. It didn't require a doctor to determine that? A. No. sir. Q. There was a load of ice on board, as I understand? A. Yes sir; but it gave out before we got to Fortress Monroe. Q. Was there a sufficient amount of it to last to within twenty-four hours of your arrival there? A. No, sir. Q. Were there any nurses on board the boat? A. Only Miss Jennings. Q. What time did these supplies from the Red Cross come on board-just the day before? A. Yes, sir; I think Miss Jennings brought these with her. Q. Was she going north as a sick woman? A. I don't know; I know she was sick, but she worked all the time. Q. Did you land your sick and wounded at Old Point, or come on to New York? A. No, sir; they would not let us land. Q. How long did you stay there? A. We got in, I think, about 2 o clock in the evening and left the next afternoon for New York. Q. Was there any controversy between the medical officers on board and the ship's officers about staying at Old Point? A. Yes. sir, there was. The surgeon in charge had to telegraph to the Surgeon- General that they were detained at Fortress Monroe on account of yellow fever, that we might have it; and the officer told him the Surgeon-General had given orders to sail, but the captain would not go, and we stayed there until he got orders from the Quartermaster's Department. Q. What excuse did he give for that? A. Simply that he was under the quartermaster's employ. Q. How did that quarrel finally end? A. In his getting orders from the quartermaster to go. Q. Was it or not given the captain to understand that if he didn't go he would be punished? A. I don't know. Q. Where did you go? r7OOO K n 1670 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. To New York. Q. In what condition were the sick when you reached there? A. I don't think any worse than when we started, except perhaps two or three cases. I made it a point to go around and see the men, especially of my regiment, every day. Q. Then, so far as you know, all these men were well taken care of, notwith- standing the limited supplies? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not there were enough supplies at Siboney to per- mit giving the officers of this transport enough supplies? A. I don't know. Q. What was the condition of the water on board the Seneca? A. Very poor. Q. In what respect? A. It was dirty, dusty, and stagnant. Q. Would there have been any difficulty in getting fresh water at Siboney? A. I don't believe they could get it. Q. They would have to rely on what they could get? A. They would have to rely on springs and have barrels to get it in, and there were none there. Q. What amount of Red Cross supplies were put on the ship? Have you any idea? A. None at all. Q. Did this seem to be those relied on coming up? A. So far as I know, except those who ate the traveling ration. Wounded men were fed on cereals and malted milk. Q. Was the water drinkable? A. Just because we had to; I would not have drunk it if I could have got any- thing else. Q. Had it been kept in iron or wood? A. In iron. Q. A good deal of rust dust in it, was there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the color marked much by the iron? A. Toward the latter part of the voyage it was dark. Q. After you reached New York, where were you placed-the sick and wounded? A. When we got to Fort Wadsworth, the health officers took charge of us and picked out all those suspected of having yellow fever, and the wounded were all disinfected and taken into Bellevue Hospital. Q. You had some foreign officers on board, did you. A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they make any particular fuss about the condition of things? A. Not that I know of; they talked in their own language. By General Dodge: Q. Do you know a contract surgeon that was with the Seventh at Montauk Point-Dr. Hall; was he on duty while you were there? A. Yes, sir; for a few days. Q. What was his ability as a surgeon? A. I have no occasion to know, personally, but Dr. Hallock told me he was very poor. Q. He was of the regular service? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long had he been with the regiment? A. I don't know; when I got there I found Hall, Hallock, and Genella. MAJ. A. W. CORLISS. 1671 Q. Did Dr. Genella report Dr. Hall to you? A. He did not make out proper prescriptions, and very soon after he was sent to the Tenth Cavalry. Q. Do you know anything about Private Jolly, of Company A, who on the evening of the 20th took poison by accident? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he recover? A. Yes, sir. Q. Private Hamlin was acting assistant surgeon, formerly hospital steward. Did you know him? A. No, sir. Q. Did you know a man by the name of Barney in the Hospital Corps? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know Acting Assistant Hospital Steward Ambrose Quigley? A. No, sir; I do not. Q. You don't remember him? A. No, sir. Q. He was promoted from a position in the ambulance train to assistant hos- pital steward. Do you know Private C. H. Woods? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was he a competent man? A. I thought he was very competent. Q. What would you say to this statement: " While I can not show absolute proof, yet I have seen and heard things that make me know that the heads of the privates (noncommissioned officers) monthly defraud the Government out of enor- mous sums, and also defraud the companies out of a great share of their company funds. " Is that possible? A. No, sir; I would say it was a lie. „ Q. What would you say to this: " The promotion to corporal is regularly obtained by giving a stipulated price." A. It is a lie. Q. Are you acquainted with Dr. Genella, the contract surgeon? A. Yes, sir. Q. What have you to say about him? Did he make any complaints to you while you were in command about matters in the Seventh Infantry? A. No, nothing especial that I remember. Q. Did you know of his making any complaints to others? A. I think he did make some complaints to some of the medical officers in the general hospital. By Dr. Conner: Q. What general hospital? A. At Montauk. By General Dodge: Q. What was his ability as a doctor? A. I thought it very poor. Q. Did you recommend his being relieved? A. I did. Q. And he was relieved on your recommendation? A. I don't know about that; he was relieved. Q. What were your reasons? A. Because he was very young and could never have had a sufficient practice to take care of the soldiers, and his manner with the men was too familiar entirely, and he was too boyish. I think he was an honest man and tried his best. 1672 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do yon know whether the care of the sick, while you were in command, was good; in other words, whether the sick had good care under him? A. The rule was, if a man was sick, so as to be confined to his tent, he was imme- diately sent to the general hospital. Q. Was that always done? A. So far as I know. Q. Therefore his cases were cases requiring no particular care. A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he come north with your command-was he attached to your regiment in Cuba? A. Not while I was there. I left on the 1st of July Q. Do you know anything about his conduct while a medical officer at Montauk? A. Nothing more than what I have said. Q. Were you with the command at Montauk any length of time? A. From the 14th of September until the 8th of October. Q. What time before you left was Dr. Genella relieved. A. I should say three or four days, possibly a week. Q. And he was relieved at your request? A. I think at my request. Q. Was he assigned to duty there afterwards, or do you know about that? A. No, sir; his contract was annulled. Q. From what you say of him would you think he was competent to take charge of a ward in the hospital at Montauk? A. No, sir. By General Dodge: Q. The two questions I asked you in relation to the Seventh that you said were lies were statements made to the investigating committee by Dr. Genella. A. They are lies, both of them. Q. Do you remember the statement in relation to Private Frank Ficks? A. I saw that in the papers, but I have no personal knowledge of it. Q. Do you remember any lady by the name of Mrs. Louise Hogan coming to your camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. Please tell us what you know in relation to that. A. I think it was the day I got to Montauk, the 8th of September; Mrs. Hogan came into the camp and introduced herself to me and showed me a lot of papers that she had from people in Washington that related to the use of the regimental dietary kitchens. 1 had just then taken command of the regiment, and she asked me if I would not allow her to start a diet kitchen. 1 simply read from her papers and saw she had authority to experiment, and told her I would do all I could. She sent off and got a hospital tent and the engineers put it up. I had another small one put up for her. She had a German lady, a Mrs. Von Wagner, and afterwards two or three other ladies with her. They established this kitchen and did lots of excellent work. At first it was a little crude, but the men thought it was a good chance to get something to eat, but I soon got on to that and had the doctors give them a list of those wTho could go there. Q. Did she provide good food for them? A. Yes, sir. Q. And her services were of value to the men? A. They certainly were. Q. Did you find her one to be relied upon in her statements? A. So far as I know; yes, sir. Q. Was she enthusiastic to a degree? MAJ. A. W. CORLISS. 1673 A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you know about Lieutenant Lafferty's case? A. Yes, sir. Q. Tell us about it. A. He was wounded the same day I was and in the hospital. I became very much attached to the boy. He was sent back to the regiment, as his wound healed up; and when I got to Montauk he was in the hospital there, and I imme- diately went over to see him, and they would not let me see him. His case was considered delicate, and they would not let anybody see him. A day or two after- wards his mother came to me and asked if I would give her a man to assist the nurse in taking care of the boy. I sent one, but through some misunderstanding he was sent back and told not to come again. She sent for me, and I gave her another man, who stayed until the boy died. Q. You did not see him at all yourself? A. A few days before he died. Q. What was the name of this detail? Do you know? A. I think it was Maguire, of Company I. Q. Is he here? A. I suppose he is. His company is here. Q. I want the one that stayed with him. A. That is the one. Q. Did you see or hear anything that led you to believe that this lieutenant was not properly treated? A. No, sir. Q. Or that he did not receive any care and attention? A. 1 did not hear of it. Q. Do you know anything about what his mother's opinion was, both at that time and afterwards? A. I think she complained to my nurse about the noise. She said that the work of arranging the pavilions was too noisy. They did make a good deal of noise. I did not see how it could be helped. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you see anything that led you to believe that the boy was neglected and absolutely died of neglect? A. No, sir. I do not believe it. By General Dodge: Q. He was in the general hospital, was he? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the condition of that hospital? You visited it? A. Yes, sir. The condition of the hospital, as far as I could see, was excellent; neat, well kept, and plenty of nurses. Of course, they were not very pleasant to visit, there being too many sick men in it; but I should think it was in good shape. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know anything about the case of one Peter Cramer, of Company F, your regiment? A. No, sir. I do not know the name even. By General Dodge: Q. While you were at Montauk, how was your regiment supplied with rations? Were they well supplied? A. Oh, yes; we had the regular ration. Of course there was a little difficulty sometimes in getting everything promptly with only one line of railroad, but nothing to amount to anything. 1674 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you have a full supply of water? A. Yes, sir; plenty. Q. Were any of your men obliged to lie outdoors while you were there, with- out tents or anything of that kind? A. No, sir; not while I was there. Q. Major, are there any matters connected with the Seventh Regiment or any complaints that we have not asked you about that you can give us any opinion upon? A. No, sir; I think not? By Colonel Sexton: Q. Have you seen the complaints in the papers that have been made against the Seventh? A. I have seen some of them. Q. Are they truthful or untruthful complaints? A. What I have seen are exaggerated. I have seen no complaints against the regiment. I have seen some complaints in general. Q. From the men-what complaints have you heard from the men? A. I have never heard of any myself. I was speaking of what was in the papers. Q. You have never heard any complaint from the men of their treatment, lack of food, water, or of lying out on the ground? A. No, sir. Q. Or about their treatment in the hospital? A. No, sir. Q. If there had been any such complaint would you be likely to know? A. I would. Q. How do you account for these complaints in the papers? A. They just want to appear in print, I guess. Q. So far as you saw, was there any truth in them? A. Not a particle. TESTIMONY OF LIEUT. O. B. ROSENBAUM. Detroit, Mich. , November 10,1898. Lieut. O. B. Rosenbaum then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name, rank, and regiment. A. O. B. Rosenbaum, first lieutenant and quartermaster of the Seventh Infantry. I was on duty with the regiment from the time it left until the 22d of August, when it arrived at Montauk. Q. In what capacity were you acting? A. As regimental quartermaster. Q. Where were you on duty from the time you left Fort Logan to the time you arrived at Tampa? A. I was with the regiment when I left Fort Logan until I arrived at Chicka- mauga; from there I was sent to Denver. I was recalled to be regimental quarter- master on the 30th of May, and arrived at Tampa on the 6th of June, the day before we embarked. Q. You were with it up to the time it reached Montauk? Where were you after that? LIEUT. O. B. ROSENBAUM. 1675 A.. At Denver. I was taken sick and ordered to Denver to recruit again. Q. Please state whether the regiment was well supplied or poorly supplied with rations, and whether the rations were good or bad during the time you were com- missary and regimental quartermaster. A. Well, the regiment was supplied at all times while in Cuba. There were some days that it did not have a full ration, but I think the men had about all they could eat. There were some of the men that did not have uniforms; they were recruits that had just joined the regiment and had not been equipped before leaving; more joined while we were on the transports. We had clothing for the regiment, but it was on another boat. Five companies were on the Iroquois, three on the D. H. Miller, and one on the Comal. The clothing we had was on the D. H. Miller and was never given them, though I do not think they ever suffered. Q. When did you issue the clothing to them? A. About the 1st of August, the new uniforms-khaki uniforms. Q. What transport did you go to Cuba on? A. The Iroquois. Q. Did your men suffer on board the Iroquois on account of poor accommoda- tions? A. No, sir; the accommodations were not as good as could be desired, but they were allowed to go on deck, and a great number slept on deck, so the decks below were not uncomfortably crowded. Q. Were you present at the landing of the regiment at Daiquiri? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you take any part in the landing of it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Your men went off with three days' rations, did they? A. Yes, sir; I think it was three. Q. How soon after they landed before you joined them? A. The second day. Q. In that time you got off none of your supplies? A. No, sir. Q. Who was your surgeon? A. Dr. Hallock. Q. Did he get off his supplies? A. No, sir; not that time. The regiment was all off on the 23d, and I came back to Siboney and got some necessary things-a few tent flies and Dr. Hallock's medicine chest-and took them to the front to General Shafter's headquarters. Q. Where was Dr. Hallock during the battle? A. He was on duty with the regiment. Q. He did not have his chest with him? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know how your regiment was supplied with medical supplies while you were at the front? A. When Dr. Hallock landed he took his hospital attendants and carried all they could. 1 got the medical chest to the front about the 27th or 28th of June. He intended to take the medical chest to the front on the evening of the 30th of June, the day before the battle, but had no means of doing it, so I had the attendants take necessary medicines, such as they could carry, from the chest, and during the battle Dr. Hallock had hiS hospital established, I suppose, about 700 yards in the rear of the final firing lines. Of course it was very close to the firing linec at first, but the regiment gained a great deal of ground. It was 2,000 yards from the final position, and there the men were carried who were seriously wounded and c ?uld not walk. Q. You returned with the regiment to New York? A. Yes, sir. 1676 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. On what transport? A. The Yucatan. Q. What were the conditions on that boat, and what were the preparations made for the men? A. The boat was in very good condition. It had been examined, I understand, by a board of examiners, and the number it could comfortably accomodate desig- nated, and that number only allowed to get on her. That number included five or six companies, perhaps 500 men. The boat seemed to have all provisions except ice. I inquired of the captain about ice and he said he had a certain quantity on hand when they left New York. I asked how much he had at that time, and he said he did not know, but not enough. I asked the steward and he said he bad enough for his needs. I immediately reported this to the commanding officer, and he said he had notified the captain of the Yucatan about having a sufficient quantity of ice. We got about 12 tons and had plenty of ice, medicines, and food on our way back. Q. Were you yourself sick on the way back? A. Yes, sir; I was taken ill on the 11th day of July: I had the measles and I had lost a good deal, but I felt all right, although at the time I was weak. Q. You were given immediate leave as soon as you landed at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. You landed with your regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the preparations for receiving? A. As good as could have been, I think. Q. How long were you quarantined? A. We were quarantined for twenty-four hours and a little longer than that before we got off; quite a number of vessels had arrived and we had to take our turn. Q. Where did they place you-at the detention camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the preparations there? A. I was there a short time, but the preparations seemed to have been as com- plete as could have been. Q. You went back to Denver, as I understand you, every week? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you know anything about the sickness of Lieutenant Lafferty? A. Nothing, except to see him when I left Santiago, and he appeared to be about as bright and well as any of the officers. His company was to remain behind, and, of course, he remained. Q. He came on the Prairie? A. I think he came on the second day before it arrived; however, before we did. Q. It was run ashore? A. Yes, sir; but it arrived the morning before we did. Q. Did you see it there when you came in? A. No, sir. Q. You don't know whether it was sent in that night or remained out? A. No, sir; 1 don't. Q. Was this Dr. Genella with you in Cuba, or did you ever see him? A. I never saw him. Q. Have you any information-you have seen a great many of the statements in relation to the Seventh Regiment-have you any facts in relation to them that we have not touched upon, or have you any statement of your own that you desire to make? A. No, sir; except in regard to the transports. I think there should have been, as we know now, more surf boats or lighters. CAPT. CHARLES A. BOOTH. 1677 Q. Do you know that there were lighters started with you from Tampa which were lost on the way? A. Yes, sir. There were three, I think, started, and we landed with one. I saw two start, I think, and I am not positive about the third. Q. If you had had the three lighters and they had arrived, would they have been sufficient for landing all the stores? A. They would have been for Daiquiri, where we started to land, but after we started in at Siboney we could have used more. Q. In your opinion, could they have landed all the supplies needed for the army at Santiago? A. Yes, sir, I think they could. Q. Was that on account of the failure to have lighters there? A. Yes, sir, in connection with the transports. One thing that seemed improper was that no one seemed to have control over the transports. The captains, when they had a chance, would pull away out to sea 3 or 4 miles, and it was a very difficult matter to get one of them when you wanted to get anything off. Q. What is your opinion, from what you have seen-should they be under the control of the Navy or subject to the orders of the quartermaster; should the embarking and disembarking be under the control of the Navy? A. I think, due to the experience of the two branches, we would have more efficiency to have it under the control of the Navy. Q. You were there only two days, I understand, after you landed? A. Two days. They were to have commenced about 11 o'clock on the same day Daiquiri was bombarded, but they didn't commence until about 1 o'clock, and about half the regiment landed that afternoon and the balance the next morning. Q. Did you hear of some steam tugs or lighters returning to Tampa after having left Tampa? A. No, sir; I did not. Detroit, Mich., November 10.1898. Capt. Charles A. Booth then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and regiment, and what service you were assigned to during the war with Spain. A. Charles A. Booth; captain, Seventh Infantry. I was on duty with my regi- ment in the campaign at Santiago. Q. Were you in command of your company? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was your company as comfortable as could be expected going over? A. Of course there was more or less discomfort, as they were crowded together, but under the circumstances not very much complaint was made. They were allowed to go on deck to sleep, and those below were relieved to that extent. Q. How was your company supplied with rations while in Cuba? A. I don't know of any time when there was not what we needed to eat. There was one time we were practically out, but rations were up in a few hours and that shortage was relieved. Q. You were depending on pack trains entirely? • TESTIMONY OF CAPT. CHARLES A. BOOTH. A. Yes, sir. 1678 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. The rations would be brought to the brigade headquarters and the men .would have to go up there and get them on their backs, which under that hot sun was a pretty hard thing to do. Q. Did they have any wagons there? A. The only thing I know about the use of wagons was, on the night of the 1st or 2d of July, while we were near the stone bridge, we drew ammunition from wagons on the road. We had gone back to bivouac and more wagons came up with more ammunition. Q. Where was that? A. That was between El Caney and Santiago. Q. How far was that from Siboney; 8 or 9 miles? A. It must have been fully that, I should judge. We started from Caney in the evening and moved until it was so dark we could not see anything at all in the direction of the stone bridge; so it was very dark when this ammunition was issued. Q. What transport did you return upon? A. The Prairie. Q. What force was on that? A. The companies of the Seventh. Q. How was that ship fitted for taking care of you or your regiment? A. She was fitted with nothing for the use of troops at all. She was simply an auxiliary cruiser in the Navy, and we secured permission to go back on her. Q. Were there many sick aboard of her? A. Our regiment was brought in from Cavites on board the cars and marched to the dock, expecting to go on board the Yucatan, but before orders to embark came the Yucatan left. They were Companies D, F, and A. While we were wait- ing the Prairie came, and one of the officers came up to report and he was author- ized to embark the companies on her. A good many of the sick had gone on the Yucatan. There were not many sick on board of the Prairie. Q. What preparations were on board the Prairie for the care of the sick? A. She had simply the preparations of a cruiser. There were no preparations for troops. Those most seriously ill were placed in the staterooms reserved for them. Q. Were there doctors aboard? A. Yes, sir. Q. And nurses? A. Well, men detailed as nurses. Q. What doctor did you have? A. Dr. Jones and Dr. Genella. I know Jones was one, and my impression is Genella was another. Q. On your return did the Prairie run ashore? A. Yes, sir; on the Promised Land bars. Q. What was the reason of it? A. Foggy, I think, and the mistakes of the quartermaster in sounding. Q. Please tell us what arrangements were made for troops that were taken off and how they were taken off, and what arrangements were provided for them after they got ashore. A. Well, about half past 4 in the morning we were directed to go ashore in the ship's boats and boats from the life-saving station. There was no necessity for us wetting our feet. The life-saving-station men and sailors took us up and carried us ashore, but some of the men jumped out and waded ashore for the fun of the thing, although there was no necessity for it. Q. What was your condition when you landed? Were most of them sick? A. A great many of them were in a debilitated condition. I do not know exactly how to describe it. They were neither sick nor well, so far as you could judge from the outward appearance. The malarial poison was getting in its work. At CAPT. CHARLES A. BOOTH. 1679 least 40 men were lying out under shelter, and the people there at Narragansett brought down all kinds of delicacies as soon as they found out-ice, sandwiches, and cookies. They had all they could possibly use and a great deal more. Q. How did you reach Montauk? A. We marched back half a mile, and those not able to march were carried in wagons. There were quite a number of carriages placed at our disposal. The train was ordered to be stopped at a crossing and held until loaded, and we were taken from there to Montauk Point. Q. Where did you go? A. The sick were taken in ambulances and the rest of us marched out to deten- tion camp. Q. Where did you go then? A. Into tents. Q. I have a statement here from persons stating that your command was obliged to sleep out on the ground on account of a want of tents? A. I can not imagine who made that statement; it certainly was not so there. The First District of Columbia Regiment came in right alongside of us and tents were pitched for them also. Q. So, in your opinion, there were no cases of negligence or suffering of the troops on account of the disaster to the ship? A. No, sir. Q. You would not feel neglected if you had to pitch your own tents? A. I have often pitched tents later than that at night, though I doubt whether I would have done it that night or not. Q. They were very much exhausted when they arrived? A. Yes, sir. Q. But they had plenty to eat and drink? A. Yes, sir; there were sandwiches, coffee, and other things to eat there at the station. Q. Did you remain there at Montauk until you left for this place? A. No, sir; I left on the 20th of September on sick leave. Q. What were the conditions there at Montauk up to the 20th, as far as you observed? A. I never saw so much of a peculiar nature of sickness in my life. Q. Everybody was sick? A. I don't think there was a real well man in our command. They were all suf- fering more or less from this malarial poison. In some it would take one form and in others another. Q. What care did you receive under the circumstances, and what were the arrangements provided for taking care of you, taking into consideration the fact that the whole command was sick? A. We were supplied with the proper food. Q. During your stay there? A. During our stay there there was any quantity of food provided. Q. Were they Government supplies? A. The Government supplied large quantities of milk. I am not certain how ice came there, but the men were in very peculiar conditions, and while there were quantities of food the men were in such conditions their stomachs would not retain it. Q. It developed there after living in Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was your medical staff there? A. Comparatively young men. I doubt whether some of them had had much experience. It seemed to be beyond their capacity to handle such a large sick list. Q. Did you know Genella and Dr. Jones? A. No, sir. 1680 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. How did you consider them as surgeons-competent to take care of you? A. Well, Dr. Genella acted a little strange. I have not much confidence in his work. Dr. Jones was a man of greater experience and military executive ability. Q. Was he chief? A. He was chief while there until Dr. Hallock returned. He had been sick with yellow fever. Q. What would you think of such a statement as this: ' While I can not show absolute proof, yet I have seen and heard things that make me know that the heads of the privates (noncommissioned officers) monthly defraud the Government out of numerous sums, and also defraud the companies out of a great share of their company funds? " A. It is too absurd to be considered. I can not imagine any such condition of affairs. Q. Did you ever know in your experience of corporals being promoted for a stipulated price? A. That is even worse. Q. Did you ever hear of it? A. No, sir; I can not conceive of anybody's making such a statement who have theii' senses. Q. Now, Captain, you say at Montauk you saw the statement in the press in relation to the Seventh Infantry and in relation to its neglect, and the complaints came apparently from its men. We have had a good many letters in relation to it. I would like to ask you if you knew of any of the facts, and what they were? A. I did not see such a great number of statements coming from the Seventh; in fact, rather less from that than from anywhere else. Q. The statement made a great impression upon the country? A. Those who read them here paid more attention to them than those who were on the ground and knew the facts. Q. Did you know Tecumseh Sherman? A. I have met him; he came there several times and brought us supplies with some of the men. Now, I will say these supplies at Montauk-that is, army rations-were in such a state that the men could not use them. The men would sometimes eat these delicacies and go out and throw them up. It was a question of what the men could eat. The supplies, of course, were not on the Government supply list. There was no possibility to foresee this situation. Q. How long after you reached there before these supplies commenced to come in? A. While in the detention camp. Q. Did you have plenty of supplies and ice and milk? A. During the latter part of the time all the milk we could use. During the first part it sometimes ran short. We had some difficulty in getting transporta- tion to bring the milk out. Q. How about ice? A. Well supplied. Q. There is no truth in the statement that this battalion slept upon the ground or not after you landed? A. They were never out from under shelter. There were no tent floors, but there was no reason why men should have slept out that night at all. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you or do you not know how long Lieutenant Lafferty laid upon the beach, unprotected, uncared for by medical officers? A. We were on the beach-let's see. We landed about 5 o'clock in the morn- ing, and it must have been about noon when we left. We had shelter. I took a part of my blouse to make shelter. MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1681 Q. As far as you know, was Lieutenant Lafferty's condition made worse after he landed by lying there awaiting transportation to the hospital? A. No, sir; I do not think it was. Lafferty seemed to get on as well as anybody until left behind at Santiago, and then he seemed to lose heart. I was off by myself, and the captain gave me a berth in his stateroom. Everything was done for him that could be, and he seemed to be cheerful enough, but seemed to lack heart. Q. Did he and the others on board have proper medical attention? A. Every medical attention you could imagine the men were receiving under those circumstances. Not only the doctors we had, but the ship doctors. Q. Who were your doctors? A. Jones and Genella and the ship's doctors. The ship's doctors and all others seemed to take an unusual interest in Lafferty, and do all they could for him. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. Detroit, Mich., November 10,1898. Maj. Charles B. Nancrede then appeared, before the commission, and the pres- ident thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By Dr. Conner: Q. Please give us your full name and rank. A. Charles B. Nancrede; late major and chief surgeon, United States Volunteers. Q. With what commands were you on duty; at what places? A. I was appointed major and surgeon of the Thirty-third Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and I was mustered in May 11 and went on duty May 9 at Camp Eaton, on Lake Michigan. I was there with the regiment, and, if I remember rightly, left on the 28th day of May to go to Camp Alger. I would say that all my desk papers and data were lost in Cuba, and I may miss the dates. I arrived on the 30th of May at Camp Alger, and left, I think, on June 23 for Cuba, via Alexandria and Fortress Monroe. I sailed on the auxiliary cruiser Yale and arrived at Siboney June 27; landed that evening and was ordered home July 8 in charge of the trans- port City of Washington, with 224 sick and wounded, which I left at the post hospital, Fortress Monroe, Va., and was ordered by telegraph to report to the Surgeon-General at Washington. I was granted leave of absence for one month from July 18, and was ordered on August 5 to report at the conclusion of my leave to the officer in charge of the general hospital at Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point. I reported there on the evening of the 18th of August, at the expiration of my leave. I was there on duty at the general hospital until the afternoon of the 24th of September, whenl was permitted to leave by Major Heizmann, surgeon in charge, my resignation having been accepted, to take effect on the 28th of September. At Camp Alger I was chief surgeon of the Third Division, Second Army Corps, my commission dating May 20, and I accepted the commission, legally qualifying on June 1. Q. Now, will you be kind enough to tell us, in your own way and in as few words as practicable, in what condition you found Camp Alger and what your opinion of it was as a suitable site for large bodies of troops; what the medical provisions were and what care was taken of the sick? In a word, give me your medical opinion of Camp Alger. A. I went down with the Thirty-third Michigan, and when I. arrived there I 1682 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. found complaint about the difficulty of obtaining water. The nearest source was about half a mile from the location assigned to the Thirty-third Michigan, and above it was a pig pen, the drainage of which probably contaminated the well. I directed that they should be diverted as soon as possible, which was done. The next day I found a spring about half a mile in another direction, and had the res- ervoir enlarged and a cover placed over it, and the most of the drinking water was secured from there. Later on barrels were secured by the regimental quarter- master and the water was brought from this spring, and also, I was informed, from Dunn-Loring, for the use of the regiment. The regimental line officers dug one or more wells in a low-lying portion of the camp. These were used for wash- ing clothing and cooking utensils. After my remonstrance against that and urging that this water should not be used for drinking purposes, I think that was stopped. It is questionable, however, whether the men did not drink that water occasionally, into which, of course, all the surface water of the camp was likely to drain, and then the kitchen and private sinks could not have been more than 50 yards from these wells. I do not think some of the line officers appreciated the importance of some of the objections I made. Q. Do you mean the regimental line officers? A. Yes, sir. I believe they yielded, however, to my representation. From the outset I urged that driven wells be used. Later some of the Michigan Senators were out there and I urged upon them the importance of securing driven wells for the use of the Thirty-second and Thirty-fourth. I was assured every effort would be made to have these wells driven, and just before I left one well was driven and another one started, especially for the Michigan regiment, but it was not completed when we left for Cuba. Q. Was the water good, what you got of it? A. Generally what we got, after these restrictions were put on it, was good. Q. Was there a proper water supply for a camp that was expected to contain as large a number of men as Camp Alger? A. Not unless driven wells were supplied; more than while we were there. Q. Do you know whether it was intended for a permanent camp, or only a ren- dezvous for troops? A. I do not know, sir. I was the first division surgeon on the ground, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Girard, of the Regular Army, being the corps surgeon. I can not remember exactly how long I was there. I was nominally in charge of the Third Division for between one and two days. The First Division had a hospital. The Second Division had not been started when I reached there. Dr. Girard acted as medical officer in charge, and nominally I was supposed to be there for a very short time. There was a temporary difficulty at times in securing cots, but this was promptly attended to. There was also a temporary difficulty about securing cooking or mess outfits, but very soon remedied that. Majors Cook and Almy, I think, arrived within forty-eight hours of my qualifying as division surgeon. Major Cook took charge of the division hospital, and everything went smoothly there. Dr. Hubbard, I think, a surgeon of one of the branches of the Red Cross from Pennsylvania, came and complained of the lack of delicacies and provisions and offered delicacies for the First Division hospital, and with those that he for- warded and the Government supply and what the doctor got from a special fund given by the Surgeon-General, I was informed that the same Dr. Hubbard, within forty-eight hours, expressed himself as entirely satisfied with the conditions of the First Division hospital. The Second Division hospital was put in running order, with all the necessary requisites, so far as I know, by Major Almy. Q. Was there a Third Division hospital organized while you were there? A. I was directed finally to organize that, and I secured all that was necessary. I had Major Rafferty assigned as my executive officer, and the tentage and hos- pital clothing and all that was requisite was secured and stored. I was informed MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1683 that 18 ambulances were ready for delivery to me, and a few tents were put up, and I was informed that medical and surgical supplies were ready for me, but on the night of the day that I was to start the hospital orders were given to me to go to Cuba, and I was instructed to turn over everything again to Colonel Grirard, and if possible it would be forwarded to me later on in Cuba. Q. How did it happen that as division surgeon you had charge of the Third Division hospital? A. Only temporarily until others arrived. It was merely nominal, because the Second and Third Division hospitals had not been organized. Q. Did your duties include the inspection of the hospital? A. The regimental hospitals were simply regimental dispensaries, consisting of two beds in which patients were permitted to remain for twenty-four hours before being transferred to the division hospital. Q. Was that a sufficient supply for a hospital for the proper care of the sick? A. They had not a sufficient amount of utensils. The remedies were short, but that was remedied quickly. I do not think any patients, up to the time I left, suffered. Q. Were your hospital tents floored? A. I can not recollect, because I was nominally in charge only. Q. Do you know of any man having been compelled to lie out in the open on account of no hospital tents or flies at the division hospital? A. Not during my time. Q. During the time you were there in the camp? A. Not to my knowledge. There was a great deal of talk, but no official report. Q. You didn't yourself see any? A. No, sir. Q. Were the regimental officers competent or not? A. I should say competent as a class. Q. Were there notable exceptions? A. There was one instance of an assistant surgeon that I do not think was com- petent. Q. What became of him? A. He was left behind at Camp Alger in charge of recruits. Q. Did he remain in the service or not? A. I do not know. Q. Were the regimental hospital supplies, such as carried from the States, taken away from the regiments and sent to the division hospitals, or retained by the regimental officials? A. The hospital couches. At first all cots, and later all except two were ordered turned in. Q. Was the order obeyed? A. In the Third Division it was complied with, so far as I know. Q. As to the fitness of Camp Alger for a camp site, taking everything into con- sideration and looking at it from a medical standpoint and not a military stand- point, what is your opinion? A. As far as I am competent to judge, if the water supply had been adequate, I think that for such a large body of troops it was probably as good as you could expect to find. Q. Now, as to the division surgeons-did the requisitions from the regimental surgeons-did those come to the division hospital or not? A. They made from the division hospital, and the regimental surgeons made requisitions and had them approved by the division surgeons, and the corps sur- geons ordered the supplies. Q. Did the requisitions for medical supplies go through your hands? A. I simply had nominal charge of the division hospitals for a short time. 1684 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did all of the requisitions go through you to him or direct to him? A. All requisitions went through the division surgeon of the division, and he was directed to see that they complied with the supply table and then approved of them, and they were taken up every morning by him and handed to Colonel Girard. Q. Do you know of an instance where requisitions were turned down? A. My hospital not having been organized, I never had the opportunity of judging. Q. You never had charge of the First Division hospital? A. No, sir; only some little over twenty-four hours when I had my nominal charge. Q. Do you know whether it was common talk that requisitions from the division hospitals were ever turned down? A. I know nothing about it. Q. As you observed, was the surgeon of the corps an efficient surgeon? A. A most efficient surgeon and worked morning, noon, and night. Q. Was he a man whose opinion you would respect? A. I think so. Q. Was he a man who was inclined to deal justly with all? A. I should say he was a just man. Q. Do you or do you not know that Dr. Girard was absolutely incompetent to perform his duties as a physician at Camp Alger? A. I should say that was an absurd statement. Q. Now, leaving Camp Alger and going to Cuba, as you went down, what was the condition of the transport as respects its fitness for taking troops? A. It was an auxiliary cruiser, the Yale, and no special provisions were made, of course, for troops. Q. She had an abundance of room? A. Deck room. Q. Were the hold or storage parts of the vessel locked up? A. They were not used. I do not know about that. General Duffield can tell you more than I. Q. Was there any sick going down? A. Several hundred, having been vaccinated, were ailing, and a few cases of measles. Q. You spoke of a great number of sore arms from vaccination; were they sorer than the same number would be in private practice? A. No, sir; I think not. Q. Was there any evidence of improper vaccine being used? A. I was not regimental surgeon at that time. Q. Did you hear of that probability? A. I saw a number of very sore arms, looking as if it was secondary infection. A good many of these men had been working in water, putting up wharves down in Siboney, and had been working hard building roads and other hard manual labor, and were constantly in water, and I suppose that secondary infection came from that. I vaccinated myself and a number of the officers with the same virus and heard of no complaints. Q. Do you mean syphilitic infection when you speak of secondary infection? A. No, sir. Q. Upon arriving at Siboney were you able to land your tents of your command? A. Nothing but the shelter tents. Q. Did you proceed at once to the front or remain at Siboney? A. The regiments were marched a short distance (the exact distance General Duffield can tell you) and camped. I was ordered to report to General Shafter on MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1685 board the Seguranga, but was unable to get aboard. But I finally reported to him and Colonel Pope on shore, where they happened to be. Q. When you reported to Dr. Pope to what service were you assigned? A. I was informed that my status would remain unchanged, which at that time was that of chief surgeon with General Duffield. Q. What was the date of your arrival? A. The 22d. Q. Did your final duties take you to the front at the time of the fight on the 1st and 2d of July? A. I was informed that the Thirty-third Michigan would make a demonstration against the extreme left on the 31st, and finding there had been no provisions made for emergencies, I endeavored to get a Red Cross flag, none of which I could secure from the Government at that time. I finally secured one about 10 or 11 o'clock that night; pending that, we had manufactured one. I went to Major La Garde and informed him that owing to the baggage and some of our medical supplies being landed at Siboney instead of Daiquiri, we were short of the first-aid dressings, and that I had nothing except aromatic spirits of ammonia. I had no field instruments. Dr. La Garde supplied me with stimulants and field operating case and what I considered to be a sufficient number of first-aid packages; and I went up to camp with the Thirty-third Michigan that night and saw various surgeons and their orderlies, and took a proper supply of first-aid packages and stimulants. I had no field tourniquet. I made disposition for the next day's fight, arranging to have a sufficient number of first-aid packages furnished to those of the Thirty- third Michigan men and officers who had not had them, quite a number having been distributed on board the ship. Q. Was it possible for you to use at this time a base hospital? A. That was being done and had been done by Major La Garde at Siboney. Q. That was some 8 or 9 miles away? A. I don't know the distance. I should think about 4 or 5 miles. Q. When the fighting was actually going on were you with the troops? A. I was; yes, sir. Q. You established a temporary hospital. A. We went down by a turn and we put the dead on one of the platform cars, and we used a large close-covered freight car for the hospital. Q. How many wounded came under your care at that time? A. I think about half a dozen; that is all. They were all shell wounds or the result of shell wounds; no bullet wounds at all. Q. How far was it from the fighting line to your temporary hospital? A. Owing to the difficulty of getting to where the regiments were in the dense chaparral, we were temporarily out of the way, and when we got around to where the wounded were there had been some temporary dressings applied by, I believe, a Cuban surgeon, and I first saw them by the water tower on the railroad track. I then dressed them and took them down to this corps hospital. Q. Did it come under your provision-the litter bearers during this fight-or somebody else's? A. It would have belonged to me, and I would have made disposition as soon as possible, but going with the last train and before I could ascertain where the firing was, the first part of it had happened, and then I directed where the wounded should be taken. The first place I selected was under the water tower, and General Duffield informed me that as he was going to signal from that point, it would probably be shelled, and I moved them to the car; shortly afterwards a shell landed there. Q. After this, what were your duties? A. I brought the wounded down on the first section of the train that returned 1686 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. to the First Division hospital at Siboney, and attended to them the best I could, aided by the surgeon there. That evening I received orders from Major La Garde to go to the front, and I prepared to do so, but Major La Garde said it would be impossible for him to attend to the wounded at Siboney, and I sent up, if I remem- ber rightly, Lieutenant Fauntleroy to represent this to Colonel Pope, and before I started, just as I was about to mount, I was informed that I was to remain with the hospital at Siboney under Major La Garde's orders. Q. You did so remain? A. Yes, sir; until I was ordered, I think, on the morning of the 8th, it may have been the 7th. I remained there during that time as operating surgeon most of the time. Q. Were there other hospitals at Siboney? A. There w6re not at that time. They had established a temporary hospital, then abandoned it; but another fever hospital, where fever cases were attended by Dr. Guiteras, and another hospital was kept by the Red Cross; some of the wounded, at his request, were taken there. I remember Colonel Mills, superin- tendent of West Point now, was one taken. Q. What part of the 1,600 or 1,800 wounded during that time came in your hospital? A. All, practically, that came in there up to the time I left; I don't know whether any positive records were secured of the number. Q. Were the wounded gathered there or scattered at other points? A. We understood Major Wood had the only division hospital at the front, and we also understood that most of the patients brought there passed through our hands later on before they were transported. Q. So that, practically, you knew the condition of the wounded? A. Yes, sir. Q. Tell us what you yourself observed and what you were told by reliable med- ical parties of the character of the nursing after that Santiago fight. Was it good or otherwise? A. I have heard again and again, on reliable evidence, of the care of medical officers at the risk of their lives who went forward under fire, and that everything that could be done under the circumstances by the Medical Department was done. Q. What was the character of the wounds? A. Of course I can only speak of that at Siboney. We had a limited number of hospital corps men, the majority of whom we received as transfers from the volunteers. We had a few-I can not say how many-hospital stewards attached to Dr. La Garde's hospital corps. There were some Thirty-third Michigan hospital stewards that did service there occasionally. There were a number of hospital corps men originally belonging to the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Michigan who did duty there. The band men. including the bandmaster, and the majority of the Thirty-third Michigan did remarkably efficient work there. Q. Was it not a fact that the wounded and sick in that general hospital at Siboney suffered serious injury in consequence of want of proper medicine? A. I should say not. Q. Did you know anything about the establishment of this little Red Cross hos- pital under the care of Dr. Lesser? A. I was told and I saw men lying out on cots. I understand Colonel Mills was there. Q. Do you know whether the military department declined to receive the serv- ices of the Red Cross surgeons at that time? A. Dr. Lesser, with four nurses, 1 think one of whom was his wife, worked as long as he chose to work. He had his own nurses there in his own tent. I have assisted Dr. Lesser on several occasions. MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1687 Q. And the sick were turned over to him by the orders of whom? A. That I do not know. Q. Were they properly cared for, in your observation? A. I only saw them pass up and down 5 or G yards away. Q. Did he prove himself quite a competent surgeon? A. Certainly above the average of medical service rendered in the Army. Q. Was it above the average of service rendered in that army with which you were connected? A. No; I don't think above the average of that. Q. Do you know of any army in which the surgical service was not as good as Dr. Lesser's, or is that a general statement? A. Just a general statement. Q. Would it have been practical or possible to have all the work done by the doctor done in a general hospital by yourselves? A. I don't think any operating was done up there., Q. I thought you said you assisted him? A. At the general hospital. Q. Did he do any operating up at the Red Cross? A. No, sir. Q. Was the work that was done up there by the officers of the Army work that could have been done as well and as promptly and as satisfactorily by the medical officers of the Army? A. Just exactly as well. Q. And as promptly? A. Yes, sir. Q. And as efficiently? A. Yes, sir. Of course the men worked at night and were physically incapaci- tated, and it was an immense relief when the surgeon and assistant surgeon from the Fifth New York came down for limited periods, and once or twice the Cuban surgeon, who helped us out; but as a matter of operative skill I could state that some of the assistance in critical cases was more than the assistance in some cases rendered by Dr. Lesser. Q. So far as you saw, did the medical officers refuse the services of Dr. Lesser and his whole force? A. How could it have refused them when the operating table was under charge of Dr. Lesser himself? Q. Do you know whether Dr. Pope declined to receive the services of these men when free? A. I know nothing about that. Q. Did you hear of it at all? A. I have no recollection. Q. Do you know whether the aid of Miss Clara Barton was rejected by the chief medical officer or any medical officer? A. I know nothing about that, as I was not there. I expect Major La Garde, in charge of the division hospital, would accept all that was offered, and very gladly. Q. Was there a very great lack of medicines and medical supplies while you were at Santiago? A. At Siboney we had, up to the time I left, all we wanted. It was somewhat augmented, I understand, notably in August, by the Red Cross supply. Q. Do you know whether they had on hand a sufficient amount of medical sup- plies? Do you know what efforts were made to get them? A. From the moment I landed I was practically assigned to duty as a simple regimental surgeon, or assistant surgeon, for that matter. I was told that I could remain on General Duffield's staff and make myself useful. I had no division. Q. How many medical officers, think you, were there at that time? 1688 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I know that when General Duffield's brigade arrived I had with me 3 in the Thirty-fourth Michigan, 3 in the Eighth Massachusetts, and 2 medical officers of the Thirty-third Michigan. That made 8. The ninth one was left with the recruits of the Thirty-third Michigan at Camp Alger. Q. Do you think that if an accomplished surgeon, such as yourself-and there is no more accomplished in the United States over-do you think it was proper to assign you to regimental duty or something approximate thereto? A. I know nothing about that. Q. You simply obeyed orders. Who was your chief medical officer? A. Dr. Pope. Q. Who did you receive your order from''1 A. I never received a written order from the time I left Camp Alger in refer- ence to that matter. I have received nothing but verbal orders to remain with the troops under General Duffield. Q. I note that you afterwards acted at the general hospital at Siboney. A. I met Colonel Pope for a few moments, Q. Was there any necessity for an experienced, competent surgeon going any nearer to the front than you were at Siboney? A. From what I heard of the conditions at the front, I don't believe much could be done there, and I was doing as good service as possible at Siboney. Q. As well as if sent forward? A. I think so. Q. You had no occasion to observe the manner in which Dr. Pope discharged his duties as chief medical officer? A. I never saw him before the evening I reported to him, and 1 think on a sec- ond occasion a few moments. Q. Did he ever inspect the hospital at Siboney? A. Not that I know of. Q. Did any one of the chief medical officers or the commanding general or any- one of proper rank inspect the hospital while you were there? A. Not to my knowledge. General Duffield may have done so, probably. Gen- eral Bates and Duffield I have seen in the hospital. He was the only officer at the rear in command since Bates went to the front. Q. Would it have been, in your judgment, a proper place for female nurses in the front there? A. I hardly know how to answer that. Of course any assistance would have been valuable that we could get. Whether we could have provided for them I don't know, but any help would be welcome, if feasible. Q. Do you or do you not advise the sending out of trained female nurses to the hospitals in the immediate rear of the fighting line? A. I think not. Q. I will change the question a little. I mean the sending of the nurses of the hospitals where the earlier operations had to be done and the men had to be kept for a certain length of time until they could be transported elsewhere; was it any place for them in Dr. Wood's hospital, for instance? A. I was never up there. I should say not; but after seeing things managed at Montauk, I should.say very well, if they were provided for. Q. Can they be well provided for in the immediate scene of battle? A. I think not; certainly not, if an advancing army. In a moment like that they could not be cared for. Q. You came over on what transport? A. The City of Washington. Q. Was that properly prepared for transporting soldiers? A. She was in the condition, I was informed, that she was when she brought MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1689 flown the Twenty-fourth Regulars, with the standing board bunks with some remains of old bedding in them. Q. Were the senior medical officers on board? A. I was. Q. As such, you were the senior medical officer in charge of the sick? A. Under orders to report to Major Appel of the Regular Army, who was in charge. He arranged for the transportation for the wounded and sick. Q. Was Dr. Appel responsible for the number of supplies and medicines on the ship when you started north? A. Dr. Appel sent on board the rations for the men, not the officers, of course, and informed me that a sufficient supply had been put on. I asked whether I had not better go on board beforehand and look around, and he assented and took me on board. I saw the captain of the vessel, and went down and inspected the bunks, and at my request his carpenter improved the bunks somewhat, owing to the fact that we would not have to carry as many as we thought. I arranged for wind sails for ventilation. I found the quartermaster of one of the regiments, and my hospital steward, under my orders, took that man down and agreed as to the esti- mate, as I was doubtful whether we had enough rations for the number and kind I was informed would be put on board. Q. Were those ordinary army rations? A. Field rations-bacon, hard-tack, coffee, beans, sugar, and salt. Q. Any special rations put on, such as would be required by the sick and wounded men? A. No traveling rations; nothing but what I have stated. Q. Were there any hospital supplies-that is, did they have a sufficient amount of liquid food? A. I am coming to that. I restricted my answer to rations. Q. Go ahead. A. When the quartermaster-sergeant informed me there was quite enough rations to make up any deficiency that could be used, although they did not belong to us, I investigated the quality and quantity of the water, and the ship steward informed me that they had good water. We were certainly never restricted as to the water. 1 said to Major Appel, according to the estimate of the quartermaster- sergeant, I did not know whether the amount was sufficientor not. ft was doubtful whether we had enough rations for the men for five days, and I requested that more should be supplied, and I was informed that there was an abundance. I wish to say that I have no records. We signed transfer slips, and had to make them up as fast as we could. I believe I had 18 officers. Of course no special provision was made for them, though sick and wounded. At my request Colonel Wilson, of the Regular Army, and brevet brigadier-general of the late war, who was going back with us, secured, although reduced at first, a sufficient number of traveling rations for these officers. Then on the evening we left the local officer assigned to me, Captain Winter, of the regular service, at my orders, took me back over to the City of Washington and went to the Relief and secured a small quan- tity of ice, some canned soups and delicacies for the sick, a little wine and malted milk, and things fit for the ills of my patients. Q. I want to know whether the amount secured was enough, in your judgment as a medical man, for traveling for five days? A. For the most ill. 1 don't think any of those most ill suffered. Q. Did those not most ill suffer? A. They had to put up with the field rations. Q. Were those supplies fit, in your judgment, for any traveling portion of your wounded? A. The majority of the wounds were singularly slight, and there is little suffer- 1690 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. ing from these modern wounds. They were not fever cases, and it was singular the way they behaved. They had some complaints, but I do not think there was any reason. Q. Did they suiter detriment to their health? A. I think not, because for the bad cases there was a sufficiency of these delica- cies. Q. Whose business was it, yours or Dr. Appel's, to put the hospital supplies proper on the ship? A. I didn't know whose duty it was, sir; but I went on board and found two medical chests, No. 1 and No. 2, on board with more or less stores. I found quite a large number of first-aid packages, chiefly relied upon to dress wounds, and I sent the hospital steward there, a very competent medical man, and asked for more dressings, stimulants, and utensils, plates, dishes, and cups. They sent me an additional gauze, some medical supplies, and the dressings were more than we needed, because 1 had found a large number of supplies on board. I was told they had no stimulants they could furnish. I had ascertained from the steward of the ship that I could have two bottles of rum. I bought them myself, and I took a little whisky that had been in my flask that I had been using in hospitals for patients. I had an abundance of medical supplies. Probably Dr. Appel would have seen to it if I had not. Q. But he didn't? A. Possibly because I did. I was informed that they could give me no utensils that I called for-plates and cups, etc. I found when I examined the men that very few of them had a kit, and they informed me they had thrown them away when they went into the fight. I had used a number of tin cans, and I requested my steward to bring a supply of old tin cans. I secured very few. I managed to get enough to serve coffee and soup around. I went on shore and asked if I might have two men whom I knew to be cooks, the drum major, his brother, and chief musician of the Thirty-third Regiment band, also. They were very efficient nurses, and they were sent to me. Some had been in the regular service. I had two hospital corps men, both of whom I had put off duty on account of illness. There were a number of newspaper men who wished passage home, and I was authorized to take them on board if I could, because they had been examined by Dr. Guiteras and declared to be free from yellow fever. Q. Now, in regard to the medical supplies? A. Owing to the fact that I found these medical chests on board and the sur- gical chests, with what I was supplied I had an abundance; as I said when I sent this boat to the Relief, we got some Rhine wine and a little ice and these delicacies. Q. Did you have a sufficient quantity of condensed milk? A. I had some malted milk or condensed milk, I don't recollect which, which was gotten from the Relief. Q. Did you ask the Red Cross for stores? A. I didn't have an opportunity. Q. Would you if you had had the opportunity? A. I think it is very probable. Q. Is there anything in the trip north that would concern us? A. Nothing at all; we came in with a clean bill of health. We had a few cases of measles develop among the regulars on board. Q. Where did you land? A. Fortress Monroe. Q. Were all your sick and wounded disembarked there? A. Yes, sir. Q. So far as your own observation went, did Dr. Appel diligently attend to his duties? MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE 1691 A. From my standpoint, no. Q. In what respect was there a deficiency? A. I think there was great delay on at least two occasions in transferring the sick and wounded from the wharves to the ships or transports. Q. Was that under the charge of the quartermaster or his charge? A. I am informed it was under his charge-that is, the sick and wounded. Q. What else? A. That when I came to report, it was difficult to find him when the transfer of the sick and wounded took place. He was on board the Olivette and she was in the offing. Q. What was he doing on the Olivette? A. In charge of her and the hospital ship. Q. He also had charge of the forces on land? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you arrived at Montauk, in what condition, speaking generally, did you find the camp? A. I can not tell you. I went right to the general hospital. Q. What duty was assigned to you in the general hospital? A. I arrived there on the evening of the 18th of August and I was put in charge of the officers' ward. There were only a few patients at that time. 1 think the hospital was opened on the 12th for the reception of patients, and this was on the 18th. Q. To what extent had preparations been made for the reception of any consid- erable number of sick? A. I can not remember the number of beds, but it was a matter of some hun- dreds, and they were constantly adding to the number. Q. Was there a sufficient number of tents and beds up there at the time you got there for the number of patients that came in? A. I understand there were. Q. Do you at anytime know that the hospital tents were lacking, that men were compelled to lie under the protection of flies, or to lie outside of hospital tents on the ground, not under shelter, for any length of time? A. I know of no case in the general hospital. I will tell you why. The first step was to lay platforms and then erect canvas over them. Q. On any occasion was there a scarcity of tents, duly put up in the way that you have indicated, for the reception of the sick? A. I have known of the so-called wards being built while the patients were brought there, and on several occasions we were terribly overcrowded. One night we had 1,669 patients in that hospital. Q. What number was it intended for at that time? A. I could not say, sir. I was only a ward surgeon, but I know we had that number. Q. If 1,600 were put into a hospital intended for 600 it certainly would have been enormously overcrowded. A. I could not tell you what the intention was. Q. How much was it overcrowded as you observed it? A. I could not tell you. I never had an opportunity of observing; my time was fully occupied. Q. What was the maximum number of any hospital tent in your ward? A. I think that the largest number I ever had was 33, but that was a ward cal- culated to hold about that number. Q. Take a hospital tent; what was the number that a tent is supposed to hold? A. We can get in 5 very comfortably; sometimes we had 6. Q. Did you ever have in excess of 6 there? A. Well, it is possible, but I think not. 1692 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Would you regard 6 in a hospital tent as evidence of overcrowding? A. I think we had several times 6. Q. Would you regard 6 men in a hospital tent as evidence of overcrowding from the ordinary standpoint of army beds and camps? A. It was not intended for more, and it made it hard to get around when it was crowded. Q. Did you ever see a hospital tent that could by any possibility be occupied by 11 men? A. I never saw it done, sir. Q. Do you think it possible, even if lying flat on blankets on the floor? A. I don't see how it is possible. Q. Two tents put together with the flaps turned up between them would prac- tically make one tent. Do you think it is possible to put 32 men in there-16 in a tent? A. I don't think so. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Do you know how many cots a tent was intended to hold? A. With the tents provided for us we could have put in three sidewise and two lengthwise and have space to pass through. Q. A hospital tent is 14 by 15? A. The original intention was that the tent should hold 10. Those were not cots we had. We had bedsteads there, and wire mattresses, mostly. Q. Did you, Doctor, at any time you were in that hospital, observe any lack of bedpans, spit cups, or hot-water bottles? A. There were temporary deficiencies of those things, when there were being turned in 300 or 400 patients sometimes, but we procured them as soon as prac- ticable. Q. Was that time represented by hours or days? A. By hours. I happened to be, with the exception of Major Heizmann, the sen- ior medical officer present, and I was exceedingly cautious of what I did. I was only speaking for my own ward. Q. Were you lacking these articles for any length of time? A. Absolutely lacking? Q. Yes, sir. A. No. Q. Did you have enough for the patients? A. With management; and, latterly, more than I needed. Q. Did you have occasion to make formal demand for these supplies? A. The only thing that I personally asked for was some rubber rings, hard rings. Q. Did you see, at any time, hospital slops and refuse emptied outside of tents? A. No, sir; I never saw it personally. Q. Did you hear of such things? A. I did. Q. How often were such things said to have occurred? A. I only heard it on two occasions. Q. It was an occasion there when the receptacles-by the way, were they wood or iron? A. Galvanized iron. Q. Did you see any of these receptacles standing outside of the tents open? A. I never noticed that. I would say that 1 have seen wooden buckets, used lor kitchen garbage, outside at first. Q. How often was the kitchen garbage taken away? A. I don't know, but I understand twice a day. Q. What was the character of the nursing force at this hospital? MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1693 A. At the beginning, of course, we were short of nurses, hospital corps men, and orderlies. During the middle and latter period we had an abundance of good nurses. We were always rather short of orderlies. Q. And the duty of an orderly was to wait upon the female nurses, was it not? A. Yes, sir, practically; the nurses did pretty nearly everything. Q. Did the nurses, as a rule, do the bathing? A. It depended upon the necessity and work; generally both would do it. Q. Were you ever short of such medicines and medical supplies as you needed? A. I was, on several occasions, short of liquid solutions of quinine to use hypo- dermically, also strychnine; but I was able to get it by inquiring around in the wards. Nobody ever suffered. Q. What was the reason you didn't have a supply of thermometers? A. I don't know. Q. Did you ever get a supply of thermometers? A. Personally I had all I wanted. Q. Was that hospital properly administered, properly organized, properly sup- plied, and properly run? A. It was not properly officered for some time after I was there. Q. You mean not of the right kind, or that they did not have enough? A. We had officers who were expected, at least two of them, to do the duties of three or four; second, when one duty was being attended to others had to remain undone. Q. Did the patients suffer from this? A. I think they did in the early part of the time, chiefly in regard to transporta- tion and other minor details. Q. Think you they could have been supplied with all the doctors needed? There was enough in the United States. A. Abundant; it was not the lack of officers so much as the proper assignments to duty. Q. That was rather a lack of management? A. If you have the conference of the surgeons, that would fix the date. Until that we had a surgeon in charge who was working day and night as executive officer. There had never been until that day a medical officer of the day, and there never had been a man in charge of the ambulances and responsible for them. There had been a solely executive officer, but no officer in charge of the records; second, there was nobody who had positive authority over the ambu- lances, and they could not be sent here or there. There was no way of carrying on discipline. There was a good deal of noise in the ward, owing to the fact at first that anyone could pass in. I remonstrated, owing to the fact that some of the officers and men spent a great deal of time there. I thought it was prejudicial to their cases, and after a great deal of trouble I got sentries stationed, so that none could go in without a pass. Again we fell short, owing to the multiplicity of duties of the executive and medical officers. Parties wanted to see such and such persons, and we either had to refuse all or admit all. If that had been prevented, and if we had had an executive officer doing duty solely as executive officer, instead of being in charge of ambulances and one or two other duties, in charge of camps, etc., it would have been a great improvement. Q. What was Dr. Heizmann? A. Doing what the surgeon in charge should do-supervising in general. He had to attend to the furloughs, sign them, and maybe make out and pass on all applications of leave, and attend to the hospital funds, and do a great deal of clerical work in the early part of the time I was there. Q. Do you know whether or not offers of services were refused by Dr. Heizmann? A. From whom? Q. Medical men outside of the service. 1694 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I doubt it, because Dr. Francis Delafield, who was not even an assistant surgeon, and Dr. Ward, of Boston, were there alone, but they accepted positions as contract surgeons, and I think there were some other instances. In fact, I think a gentleman from Philadelphia had once or twice taken a hospital ship to New York. I think he also went once or twice over to New Haven with the sick. Q. Do you know Dr. Thompson; were you there at the time of his visit? A. I suppose I was. Q. Did the two senior officers, Drs. Heizmann and Brown, thoroughly and faith- fully and properly discharge their duties? A. They worked until I professionally urged one of them to stop if he didn't want to kill himself. They were attempting to do, both of them, what was phys- ically impossible. Q. Many a man works himself all to pieces and accomplishes very little. A. I think they accomplished all that was possible. Q. Were you officially brought in contact with Dr. For wood? A. I saw him on many occasions. Q. What were his duties? A. He was in charge of all the medical forces, as I understand. He was the responsible head. Q. Did you ever hear what his duties were? A. I never did until I declined to do anything further on verbal orders. I never saw written orders except my orders to report there, and 1 don't know what his duties were. Q. While there did you see any medical officers in a condition that unfitted them for business on account of their habits? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether that condition was removed and the party expedi- tiously relieved? A. No, sir; it was not. Not when I represented the propriety of his being expe- ditiously relieved from duty. Q. I want to know from you as a long-time physician and professor of surgery, and as one familiar with the hopitals and their management, and one having expe- rience in this world, what changes you would suggest in the Medical Department of the United States Army? A. The difficulty, I believe, with the division-hospital system and the regimental- hospital system was due generally to the fact, first, that the line officers and the medical officers did not understand what was meant; and the next was that the division hospital was ranged on the supposition that the amount of illness was not to be above the normal. Of course nurses were found to be in the regular troops. Now, at Camp Alger there was an enormous quantity, at first, of intestinal troubles. There was, in fact, diarrhea and various dyspeptic ailments to use up ten times the field allowance of the regular troops; and that was the result of eating large quantities of food permitted in the camp there, and that accounted partly for the lack of medical supplies and for the overwork of the division hos- pital and the overcrowding. I am sure, because I had occasion to remonstrate about these various booths, etc. The lemonade was said to be made from some of this contaminated spring water. If we had a regimental dispensary and a division hospital, that would be all sufficient with the regulars, but with the volunteers you will have to supply a special set of men. Q. What would you do with the brigade surgeons? A. The instructions that I received when I went to Camp Alger were to organize a division hospital, and that in rotation we would have one of the surgeons and assistant surgeons and two of the hospital stewards on duty at the division hos- pital. The brigade surgeons were presumably to be the more experienced men and formed the consulting staff, medically and surgically. No important opera- MAJ. CHARLES B NANCREDE. 1695 tions in surgery should be done without consulting that staff. The brigade sur- geon was responsible for the hygiene, of the regimental camps. Q. Are they not responsible for that? A. But when away on duty he could not be responsible. Then there is certain paper work that has to go through the brigade surgeon, but they were supposed to form a consulting staff, and the original intention was that this brigade surgeon should be appointed just as the division surgeons were appointed, because they were supposed to be responsible surgeons. It didn't work so; for instance, if I didn't happen to be a brigade surgeon I might be under a man whose diploma I had signed about four years before, butthen the idea is that each one of these division hospitals formed brigade hospitals, and I was directed that into hospital wagons each brigade hospital should be packed separately, and then in case of an engage- ment, if I thought one was sufficient, or two, or three, or the whole division hos- pital, it could be set up. I understand it is a movement of the German hospital. I think some injustice has been done the Medical Department by complaint of the inefficiencies of the medical corps men on account of the lack of numbers. Now, I had a great deal of experience, unfortunately, in trying to get a hospital corps formed for the Third Division and Second Corps. Normally we are expected to have 200 men and 200 in reserve. It was almost impossible to procure transfers. The difficulty was partly because the men didn't understand, and afterwards because the officers did not obey. They did not want their companies weakened. They didn't want to get an intelligent man to leave the ranks and go into a hospital corps. There was so much talk about it that these men were accused of being cowards by their comrades, not their officers. So it was almost impossible to fill up the number. I personally went around to see the officers and men and did the orderly's work and everything else besides my duties, and only then, at the end of weeks, could I secure 60 or 70 instead of 200. One of the men said to me, "It has passed through all of the subordinates, but I am not going to let you have these men. I am not going to assign them because I do not choose to have my command weakened." The only way we could do it was to offer special inducements; that if those men were trans- ferred to the Hospital Corps at the close of the war they could be discharged on their own'request and not to be asked to enlist for any special time, and if the term of the original enlistment expired they should be allowed to go. Colonel Girard moved heaven and earth, and I know the others did, to get these men. I do not think we always got the best men, though we had some very admirable men. By General Dodge: Q. Why didn't you obtain female nurses? A. Well, I obeyed orders. Q. Did you make application for them? A. No, sir; for 1 had no need for them at that time. By Dr. Conner: Q. A great deal of complaint is made that the medical supplies were short. We have been looking into it and find the great majority of articles mostly needed were on hand, but some unusual articles were not supplied. Take, for instance, a man complained very bitterly because he had no arsenite of copper. Is it neces- sary that a medical man should have all of these medicines? A. No, sir. Q. Another complaint is that they didn't have pepsin. Is that necessary, in your opinion? A. No, sir. Q. If a man has an abundance of camphor, morphia, quinine, calomel, sulphate of magnesia, would he be able usually to take care of the men that came under him? 1696 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; one of my duties was to see that all the medical supplies of the regi- ment should be according to the supply table, and the requisition be in by a certain time, so that the transportation could be provided for them. It was almost impos- sible, although 1 supplied them with printed supply tables and told them they could not have anything they wanted or any quantities except by special arrange- ment-it was almost impossible to get it done. Q. In your judgment as a medical man of twenty-five years' experience, or more, does a supply table cover the great majority of drugs that are required for prac- ticing medicine? A. I can get along with it, with one exception, I believe. That is a soluble preparation of quinine for a hypodermic. Q. Give me the history of the Lafferty case. A. Lieutenant Lafferty came in a very ill man. He was put in the main officers' ward, and was isolated so far as possible by screens. Major-General Wheeler's daughter was in a general way head nurse. He had two of the best trained nurses I ever had to deal with. The ward orderly was an excellent man and Mrs. Lafferty was very anxious about her son, and frequently made complaint about what he had or had not. As a matter of fact, both Dr. Walker, who was my assistant, and later Dr. Delafield, and I took very particular care of that young man. I asked for special orderlies, and there was a special orderly looked after him. Now, Mrs. Laf- ferty didn't know how often the special orderly saw her son. It was sometimes 12 o'clock at night. I suppose he was seen on an average one-half dozen times a day. He was always seen morning and night, but she was excited and anxious he should be moved. After a few hours of my declination he had a tremendous hemorrhage. Now, you see how wise it was. He was a very ill boy. I had occasion to be away two or three days, leaving the wards in charge of Dr. Walker, and during the latter part of that time Lafferty constantly developed some pulmonary symptoms; what they were I do not know, but Dr. Delafield saw him in consultation. He died from a complication of typhoid. Mrs. Lafferty was exceedingly hard to please, and I think her interest led her to look at things with a slightly distorted vision. Q. Was she a woman of education? A. It is hard to say. She was very much excited and terribly worried. You know what a mother would be under the circumstances-utterly unjust to the medical men, I think, there concerned. His medical attention was twice or thrice as often as in private. I don't think that if my own son was there he could have been taken any more care of. Q. If it had been your own son, would not more have been done? A. I don't think so; in essentials of course. By General Dodge: Q. Did you receive him when he landed? A. No, sir; we were about 3 miles from there. I never saw a man unless I was told. I would oftentimes go out with an attendant and stimulants or something of that kind, and when told there was a new officer in the ward I would go in and see him. The doctors we had were far above the average of medical intelligence, and were the hardest working set of men I ever saw. Because he is a contract doctor he is no better or worse. Q. You saw the unusual complaint from the people in the press of New York about Montauk and the way the above hospital was run, naturally, did you not? A. Yes, sir; I saw a good deal of it. Q. What explanation can you give for that? A. I was informed by a Boston reporter that the New York reporters were to roast everything. Q. Were those his instructions? MAJ. CHARLES B. NANCREDE. 1697 A. No; I don't think the Boston papers roasted them so much, but he told me this voluntarily; I don't know whether reliable or not. Q. How much foundation, in your opinion, was there for all this clamor and stories of suffering and neglect at Montauk? A. No neglect came under my observation. There were temporary inconven- iences and lack of drugs. • Q. And some discomfort? A. Undoubtedly discomforts; but they practically arose from the fact that we had provision for 500 beds, when we knew there were 2,000 sick at Santiago. We would sometimes have three trips a day, and it was a physical impossibility to take care of them in the best possible shape at once. Q. You were there from the 18th of August? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were there as long as it existed? A. No, sir; up to the afternoon of the 24th of September. Q. And during that time you saw no neglect that would give cause for com- plaint? A. I think there were inconveniences and temporary discomforts, but nothing serious that I am aware of. I know nothing about what happened down at the docks. Q. What was the result of the conference at General Wheeler's headquarters? A. General Ames had been requesting General Wheeler to investigate such cases as you have heard, and the question was chiefly whether that camp was going to become dangerous for troops if they remained there any length of time, according to the assertions of Major Senn. General Ames investigated, and those actjng as chief surgeons of the division of the Fifth Corps and Major Senn and I were ordered to appear with Colonel Forwood and General Ames and some other line officers, and state what we thought. Q. What was the result of that conference? A. The conclusions were that it would be wise to recommend the removal of the troops as soon as possible-to discontinue the use of the hospital as soon as possible with safety. That was the opinion expressed by Dr. Senn and myself. We thought typhoid would increase with time. That was about the sum of it. I forgot to state, in my duties, that somebody-just before Dr. Greenleaf took charge there- by telegraphic orders there was a board appointed of three medical officers to examine all patients to be transferred from the general hospital to others to see if physically fit for transportation. I served on that. By Dr. Conner: Q. They kept up that supervision as long as you were there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Before that time did you notice any men furloughed that were not fit to fur- lough? A. I can not say that I saw them of my own knowledge. I did not have the opportunity of seeing them. The interference of friends and relatives was inces- sant until we actually got orders from the War Department. In one case when the surgeons thought they were unfit for transfer they were transferred, and it was not always the medical men that let them go. Other things were brought to bear. The State's authorities would come down. I did not follow the cases, but that was my personal experience. Q. Wasn't it the effort of everybody going there to get them and take them out to the surrounding towns? A. I was beset morning, noon, and night, not by one or two nor half a dozen, and I think everything will bear me out in my statement that many men were 1698 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. transferred that must have suffered. There was no proper medical supervision while they were transferred in many cases. Q. Don't you think that a great deal of the attention and food sent down to that camp, while it may have been beneficial in some cases, was objectionable? Don't you think it should have been turned over to the Army and let them distribute it? A. Unquestionably, and we had to interfere. Q. Give us the facts. A. Well, I was informed by persons who had had severe intestinal hemorrhages that they were fed by visitors with solid food. I had to insist that the delicacies and food should be turned over to the head nurse and the doctor in charge of that ward, and pointed out to them the impropriety of going into the ward and giving the patients food that might be improper. I am sure I was told that it had occurred on a number of occasions, but it never occurred in my ward. Q. Is it true that Major Heizmann was manifestly unfit to control affairs? A. I noticed no such. Q. You didn't think him so? A. No, sir; I thought he was required to do so much he couldn't do it well. Q. [Reads] "I saw Major Heizmann. If you can get Major Heizmann removed and leave Major Brown in absolute charge, then we may hope to save every life of those left, or nearly all, but it must be done quickly if at all." Do you know why this man was so unfit for duty? A. I can not understand. Q. Did you happen to meet a Mrs. Hogan? A. I met so many kmd-hearted ladies that I could not say. Q. After this conference at General Wheeler's headquarters, was the organiza- tion of the hospital changed on account of General Ames's report? A. I can only say that after that a young medical officer was appointed for the first time. There was an assistant executive officer appointed and an officer in charge of the ambulances soon after, I can not say whether on account of that or not. Detroit, Mioh., November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF THEODORE W. WHITTIER. Theodore W. Whittier, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. What is your full name, company, and regiment? A. Theodore W. Whittier; private, Company F, Seventh Infantry. Q. How long have you been in the regiment? A. I enlisted in Boston, Mass., June 10, six years ago. Q. Were you with the regiment in Santiago? A. No, sir; I shipped from Boston to Fortress Monroe and we stayed there until August 6, I think; then moved from there to Lithia Springs, and from there, on September 3, we moved over to Montauk Point. I got there September 6, and that morning I was transferred to Company F. Q. Were you detailed to the hospital? A. Yes, sir; the morning of Lieutenant Lafferty's death. I had only been in the hospital about half an hour when one of the orderlies told me to go down in the kitchen and report to Miss Muir, the head nurse, and I did so. Q. Were you with Lieutenant Lafferty when he died? A. No, sir; I was in the kitchen. The only thing I did was to fan him with a handkerchief to keep the flies off. DR. LAWRENCE D. KNOWLES. 1699 Q. How long did you do that? A. Only about five minutes, when I was relieved by McGuire. Q. Then you have no knowledge of Lieutenant Lafferty only of his death? A. I believe I asked Miss Muir if Lieutenant Lafferty was dead, and she said, " Yes; he died at 1.45." Q. Was he dead when you found him? A. I thought so; he was unconscious. Q. Were there attendants around him? A. Yes, sir. Q. He was attended to, you think? A. I thought pretty good, what I know. Q. How do you like the service? A. Pretty good. Q. Any complaint to make? A. No, sir; no complaint. Detroit, Mich. , November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. LAWRENCE D. KNOWLES. Dr. Lawrence D. Knowles, having no objection to being sworn, was there- upon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Will you please give us your name and residence? A. Lawrence D. Knowles; Three Rivers, Mich. Q. Your profession? A. Physician. By Dr. Conner: Q. You were acting as chief surgeon at Fernandina? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the condition of things at Fernandina when you arrived, and while you remained there, and when you left, in the way of medical matters and supplies on hand? A. I was major surgeon of the Thirty-second Michigan. I was connected with them but a short time, when I was made brigade surgeon at Tampa. Q. Then give us what you saw at Tampa. A. We reached Tampa about the 23d of May and were encamped on Palmetto Beach. It is a sandy soil with palmetto roots, which we had to dig up around the camp. In the short time I remained with the regiment we had very little sickness, and that was mostly on account of change of climate, and the improper use of milk shakes and such things as venders sold outside the camps. I organ- ized the Third Division hospital at Tampa, under Maj. E. C. Davis, who was act- ing chief of the Second Division, Fourth Corps. That was on the 2d of July, and we moved away the 28th day of July. Q. Looking at it from a medical standpoint, what sort of a camp site was Tampa? A. I can only speak of that portion with which I am familiar, and that is Pal- metto Beach; I think that is not a good site. Q. For what reason? A. First, the necessity of tearing up the soil to get the roots out, which is a violation of the board of health laws of Florida. Q. That says, " On all occasions, the opening of ground between the 1st of May and the 1st of November is regarded as detrimental to the best interests of the community." 1700 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the next reason? A. The necessarily shallow sinks at Tampa. Q. What was the reason for that? A. We would reach water at 3 feet, and a peculiar condition there was that the more earth you threw in, the more it would cause the excrement to flow out. Q. Your regiment was encamped there how long? A. The regiment left there, I would say, about the 18th of July. I remained with the division hospital. Q. It had been there from the 23d of May, practically two months? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the general health of your command there? A. I knew very little of the regiment after I left it. Q. When did you leave there? A. I was brigaded June 19. Q. Therefore, for a month you knew what the condition was? A. We were beginning to have diarrhea when I left the regiment. Q. Did you attribute that malarial fever to the opening up of the fresh soil, or to the fact that the men were in a hot country and eating and drinking different things? A. I saw some cases that I diagnosed as positive malaria diarrheas, and a good deal more were due to infection. Q. When you organized this hospital, how large a capacity did you provide for? A. About 100. Q. Were you able to supply the hospital with the necessary hospital furniture? A. Everything was all organized and the cots in ready to receive patients. Q. Did you have the tents floored? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have good soil on which to place the cots and beds? A. We thought we did until the rains came. Q. You were in good condition, were you? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were you supplied with medical supplies? A. I would like to say in regard to the tentage, we never were able to get tents for the Hospital Corps. The requisitions were made, but they never came. Q. What excuses were made? A. They didn't have them. Q. Was there any great difficulty, think you, in getting them? A. We did not get them. Q. Did you use such tents as you could get? A. Yes, sir; we put the patients in any place we could find. Q. They all managed to get shelter, did they? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you always get what you required? A. Not always. Q. What was the excuse given for nonfulfillment of requisitions? A. They didn't have them. Q. What were the articles wanted? A. Principally abdominal antiseptics. Q. What do you mean by that? A. Carbonate of magnesia, salol, and such articles as that. Q. Were such articles on the supply table? A. No; they were not. Q. Do you know whether any effort was made by the medical profession to pur- chase them? DR. LAWRENCE D. KNOWLES. 1701 A. I can not answer that question. Q. All you know is you did not get them? A. I did not get them. Q. Did you send requisitions over to Dr. O'Reilly? A. Yes, sir. Q. Let me ask whether Dr. O'Reilly appeared to be honest in his work? A. Yes, sir; most methodical. Q. Have you any unfavorable opinion of him? A. No, sir; I found him a genial and able gentleman. Q. You found him in every way qualified? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were in that hospital about a month? A. About a month. Q. The hospital was divided, and one-third remained there with the Second Division at Tampa? A. And I took two-thirds of it and went to Fernandina. Q. Had the camp at Fernandina been established when you got there? A. Yes, sir; for ten days. Q. How did you find it? A. I had not much reason to frequent it, except the hospital. There had been a second division hospital, and I took up two-thirds and established a third division hospital there. Q. You established a second hospital, not a second division hospital? A. Yes, sir; they were afterwards combined. Q. Were they close together? A. No, sir; at least 2 miles apart. Q. After combining, were they put on the same site? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have occasion to see anything of the ground at Fernandina occupied by the camp before you went upon it? A. I thought it was a charming place. Q. Was it or was it not a tropical jungle? A. No, it was not. Q. Was it or was it not a fact that men had to labor three or four days in the broiling sun, from early morning until late at night, clearing away this jungle to fit it for camp purposes? A. Well, I have never seen anybody toiling that long. Q. Did you see any of the regiment clearing the ground, working like slaves under the lash? A. I have seen soldiers doing their duty. I have not seen any such thing as you describe. Q. Did you or did you not see any evidences of abuse in the clearing up of this tropical jungle? A. No, sir; I did not. Q. Did you see any with their backs blistered by the sun through the long hours? A. I never saw such, nor were any received in the hospital for care. Q. Was the site a proper one for the hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you able to procure lumber for tents? A. Not at first; and I want to say right here, I did not flooi' my tents., Q. Well, tell us why not? A. There were no suitable means for carrying off the excrement of our patients; we had 5 bedpans for 12 wards and 156 patients. Q. Why didn't you have more? A. I made requisition for them, but I did not get them. 1702 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Through, what channel? A. Through the proper channels, sir. Q. Tell me who the proper persons were? A. Dr. F. W. Hendley, acting division surgeon. Q. Did he approve it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then to whom did it go? A. I can not tell you. Q. To Dr. Maus or Dr. O'Reilly? A. I can not tell you. Q. What word did you get about these supplies? A. The reply was favorable; that they would be obtained just as quickly as possible (from Major Hendley); that the Government was making every effort possible to supply us. Q. Do you know whether, prior to that time, a full equipment for a 200-bed hos- pital was on its way there? A. Yes, sir. I have an official notice with me, if you wish to see it. Q. Do you know whether or not that fully-equipped hospital ever got there? A. It had not arrived when I left. Q. Did you know whether or not it ever materialized? A. I can not tell you. It was not a thoroughly equipped 200-bed hospital when I left there, the 30th of August. Q. How long before you got an additional supply to that stock of 5 bedpans? A. The addition I received came from ladies in Day ton, Ohio. Q. Did they send you bedpans? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many? A. I do not know. We had one for each ward, afterwards. Q. How many beds were in each ward? A. There were 156 patients. Q. How many beds in each ward? A. I can not tell. My tents were six. Q. Your wards had two and three tents? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you averaged from 9 to 16 in a ward? A. It depended on what we had. We were capable of more than that. Q. You had a normal equipment of tents? A. We had an abundance of tents when I left, but not the other things. Q. You did not want any floors, I understand? A. No, sir; I didn't. Q. If any fault is to be found with that it rests on you? A. Yes, sir; I am the man. There were walks throughout the tents and they were opened out and thoroughly cleaned. The cots were on sand, and the sand was taken out and taken to the sinks, which I think is better than an infected board. Q. How often was this material removed? A. The orders were, immediately. Q. In what percentage of the cases was this order obeyed? A. I am unable to answer. Q. Did you yourself see any evidence of fecal matter lying about? A. No, sir. Q. Did you notice any when you were going to visit the wards? A. No, sir. Q. You never saw any fecal matter? A. I have seen them in the act of moving it and putting dry sand back. DR. LAWRENCE D. KNOWLES. 1703 Q. Now, you had, then, as you look at it, a sufficient number of bedpans for all purposes? A. We had, finally. Q. When a sufficient number of bedpans arrived? A. Yes, sir. The orders were, and I think they were obeyed, to put a sufficient amount of chloride of lime in them when they were left standing. We could not leave them standing long. They were taken out after being used and put in the sinks and dirt thrown over them. Q. How far were the sinks? A. About 150 yards. Q. What was the water supply? A. From artesian wells, and very largely impregnated with sulphuret of hydrogen. Q. Did that seriously interfere with the action of the bowels, in your opinion? A. I thought not. The first effect I thought was to increase the action, but I could not say whether it injured anyone. Q. Does it not usually increase the action? A. It constipates; they ought to have been benefited. Q. Did you have an abundant supply of milk? A. No, sir; we did not. Q. Where did you get the milk? A. The milk was purchased of the dealers, and most of them, one in particular, had a number of cows, and I went and inspected his stables and found them clean and nice; but the milk at Tampa and Fernandina was not of a rich quality. Q. Is that confined to these two points, or does that apply to that whole South- ern country? A. That pertains all through the Southern States. Q. Did you get as much as you wanted? A. There wrere times when we did not get as much as we would like. Q. Do you think your patients suffered, or did not recover as rapidly, from not having milk? A. That is a hard question to answer, for the reason that when not having milk we used malted milk and other substitutes. Q. How did you like that? A. I relied on beef bouillon, which was made from bones and fresh meat there, of which we had an abundance all the time. Q. How about the malted milk? A. Some of that was positively injurious. Q. Which one of these two articles, malted milk or condensed milk, was the most beneficial to the patients? A. I would not like to answer that question. Q. If the choice lies between malted and condensed milk, which would you take? A. I don't know. Q. What was the percentage of typhoid in your hospital? A. I can not be exact, but my impression was at least 60 per cent of the sickness. Q. What was the general character of the typhoid that you observed; was it of grave character or comparatively mild? A. Well, the majority of cases were of a mild type, and they were not the cases of typhoid fever that we meet in the North. Q. Did you see a large number of cases complicated with bowel hemorrhages and disturbances? A. Yes, sir. Q. What proportion? A. Possibly 10 per cent of the whole number of typhoids Q. What was your average? 1704 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Of the whole number of cases received for the month of August, 1,024, we had 18 deaths. A good many typhoids in the early part of the month were sent away on hospital trains. Q. Where to? A. Atlanta and Fort Thomas. Q. How many typhoid deaths did you have? A. I would say 12. Q. Were your nurses hospital-corps men or trained nurses from outside? A. We had a detail at Tampa-the usual number of hospital-corps men; I think 36 from each regiment. Some of them were good and some bad. The majority of them were ordinary individuals; and we did not have but 3 trained nurses in our whole hospital corps. Q. They were men? A. There were 12 nurses came the day previous to the one I was relieved from duty. Q. Were they sufficient, so that the cases did not suffer for want of nursing? A. I wish to pay my regards to Colonel Kennon, of the Fifth Ohio. Through his kindness and the kindness of his officers, particularly the chaplain of his regi- ment, we were furnished with volunteer nurses from that regiment, and we would have suffered otherwise. Q. But they did good work? A. Yes, sir; fairly well cared for. Q. How many doctors did you have? A. I had 2; and 4, including the ambulance doctors. Q. Yourself and two assistants? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did those assistants discharge their duties faithfully? A. Yes, sir. Q. You have no reason to complain of their incompetency? A. I know they were not. Q. Do you know of any complaints having been made? A. Yes, sir. Q. Please state what it was. A. A second lieutenant sent up reports that two of his men had been permitted to lie on the ground for twenty-four hours without either being washed or their clothing changed, and without medicine or food. Q. What did they do about it? A. I investigated it and found it untrue. Q. How much foundation was there for the truth of the story? A. They were placed when they came in under a fly; it was a terrible, windy, blowing time. We had no cots for them whatever; but they were prescribed for and given food. The men were under the flies, I would think, about twelve hours, when they were given cots and nightshirts put on, given baths, and taken care of as well as we could. Q. That was the sum and substance of it, was it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Now, August 18,1898, at Fernandina, would you be familiar with the condi- tions of your hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you remember of any inspection being made of your hospital at that time? A. Yes, sir; two. Q. What were they? A. One by the brigade surgeon; I can not recollect his name. One recommenda- DR. LAWRENCE D. KNOWLES. 1705 tion was because I didn't have any floors in the tent, and he also requested that I should have motoi' fans; otherwise I don't remember. Q. That was a third division of the Fourth Corps? A. Yes, sir. Q. What means did you take to have the soiled linen cleaned, so it could be used again? A. The clothing was carried outside of the ward and thrown in little piles, and gathered up three times a day and boiled in a solution of carbolic acid, and then sent to colored people who did the laundry work, who returned it to the supply tent, and it was issued again. Q. Is it not a fact that these articles are simply sprinkled with a solution of chloride of lime? A. No, sir; it is not so. Q. Was the soiled linen left around the wards as complained by this committee? A. In a certain sense, yes, sir. They recommended barrels. We had them in piles, and a wagon took them about half a mile, where they were boiled. They were also sprinkled with a solution of bichloride of lime and mercury. Q. Now, in reference to those stools, what did you do with those stools? The sand being properly taken care of, you could take it out? A. They were thrown in the sinks. Q. They were all treated with a solution of lime? A. We used it as it came to us; we used carbolic acid when we could get it and also bichloride of mercury. Q. Is this a fact that the tents are not properly disinfected in cases where the linen is soiled? A. I think that is a little too strongly drawn. Q. Were the sheets changed? A. Yes, sir; just as soon as we could get to them. Q. " The number of nurses which at present are on duty is entirely inadequate. " Did you make every effort to increase them? A. Yes, sir. Q. Somebody stopped those communications. Where were they stopped? Do you know? A. I can not tell you. Q. Have you any idea? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you make any effort to find out? A. No; not specially. I made my requisitions through the chief surgeon of the division and General Carpenter in command of the division. That is as far as I had authority to go. Q. When they were stopped at Dr. Hendley, did you go further? A. No, sir; I could not go further. Q. Did you have the right or power to send direct to the Surgeon-General of the Army? A. My opinion is that he was well informed. Q. That is not the case. I asked you whether you have the right to appeal to the Surgeon-General. A. I never wrote to the Surgeon-General about the nurses. He was well aware of the fact that we were compelled to use volunteer nurses. Q. Could not you have appealed to him? A. If we did not get any more satisfaction than when we asked for lime for the sinks at Tampa when they were overflowing. Q. Did you have anything to do with the sinks at Fernandina? A. No, sir; but I did at Tampa. I wish to go on record about the sinks. I have 1706 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. seen the fecal matter flow over the sinks of the Thirty-second Michigan and drift through their kitchen sinks halfway up to their tents. Q. Was it practicable to use earth closets at that time or was it better than to attempt to dig sinks? A. Yes, sir; it was. Q. Did anybody make such a request? A. I do not know that they did. Q. Would it not have been wiser for somebody to have suggested an earth-closet system? A. Possibly. Q. Did your medical director take notice of this? A. His attention was called to it. Q. What did he do? A. Nothing that 1 know of. Q. Everybody saw it, yet nobody paid any attention to it? A. Yes, sir; when the rainy season set in, a dry earth closet or anything else would have been of no use. Q. That is a sandy soil there, is it not? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there or was there not any reason, in your judgment, why your hospital should not have been completely supplied with all medicines, stores, and furni- ture? A. Inasmuch as I was ordered to remove the hospital to Fernandina at least one week before I reached there, there ought to have been a supply of everything, in my judgment. Q. You had made the necessary requisitions in every hospital? A. I was ordered to take two-thirds of the hospital to Fernandina. I was informed that everything would be-furnished. Q. The responsibility rests upon whom, then? A. I can not place it unless I place it upon the corps surgeon. Q. Was he or was he not a thoroughly efficient officer? A. I think he was a thoroughly efficient officer. Q. Why didn't he accomplish more? A. I can not tell you. Q. Where did you go from there? A. I returned to my regiment at Huntsville. Q. Was it as difficult to get nurses at Huntsville as there? A. They were well supplied. Detroit, Mich. , November 10,1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. CHARLES A. BOOTH-Recalled. By General Dodge: Q. Please make a statement in relation to Private Frank Fickes, Company F, Seventh Infantry. A. I can not tell you exactly the dates. Fickes was detailed to go as an attend- ant in the general hospital, but while there he was taken sick, and was fur- loughed without my being notified. They would give a man in the hospital a sick furlough, and I suppose they didn't have time to notify me. I received a telegram asking where he was, and I said the last information I had he was in the hospital. Q. Have you had any report in relation to him since? A. Nothing but a newspaper account of his death. MRS. LUCY WELDON. 1707 Q. Any report from the hospital as to his furlough? A. No, sir; nothing. I can ascertain whether an extension of his furlough has been sent, but at the time the dispatch was received I had nothing to indicate he was not an attendant in the hospital. Q. So far as you know, you have received no notice of his death? A. Well, I was on sick leave myself. I saw a notice of his death in the papers, but whether or not notice had been received I can not say. I dropped the matter as dead, although he was on sick furlough. Q. When he went to the hospital he was in good health? A. As good as any of them. Q. Can you tell from the records at your post whether there has been any notice given of his death? A. Yes, sir; from the company records. Q. When you go to the post, please look the case up and make a written state- ment to us of the information you have, which we will attach to your testimony. A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know Private Peter Kramer, who enlisted in Denver and was attached to Company F? A. He was a recruit and joined just before we went to Cuba. There were so many of them I can not distinguish between them. I could not state anything definitely regarding him now without more to identify him. He was one of the recruits who joined the company and my attention was not called particularly to him. He was assigned just before we left Tampa, and there was no chance to learn their faces, etc. I recommended a sick furlough to every one of my men who seemed out of condition. Those I thought a change would benefit I recom- mended for a sick furlough. Q. When they took these furloughs was it possible to get their descriptive lists? A. They went to the hospital and got their furlough there without my knowing about it. Note.-Extract from letter of Captain Booth to General Dodge: " Private Fickes had been sick in Cuba and was partially recovered when we returned to Montauk. He was detailed in the hospital and after that I knew nothing about him except from the papers, but judge when he made the state- ments that were credited to him in Denver he was affected in his mind. All the officers of the Seventh who went to Denver were affected in their minds on account of the altitude there; especially was this the case with Captain Worden and Lieu- tenant Rosenbaum. They were flighty when they reached there, and he was in the same condition or he would not have made the statement it is stated he made." Detroit, Mich. , November 10,1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. LUCY WELDON. Mrs. Lucy Weldon, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified follows: By General Dodge: Q. Please state in your own way what you have to say to us. A. Norman E. Weldon was taken sick on September 15, although not well for some time previous. He had received treatment at the hospital. He was troubled with malaria contracted at Chickamauga. While he was in his tent he was vis- ited by the different surgeons and by the captain of his company, Charles Baxter, 1708 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. of Company L, Thirty-first Michigan. None of them considered him seriously ill; his condition while he laid in his tent was such that he was obliged to use a catheter owing to the inflammation of the kidneys. The bowels became partially paralyzed, the condition of both organs producing a paralysis of the lower limbs. Intense suffering caused delirium. His tent mates and friends in Company L cared for him and they made strenuous efforts to have him removed to the hospi- tal. for they realized the critical state he was in. Captain Baxter was appealed to twice, but claimed he could do nothing. Dr. Haze was repeatedly urged by the boys to place him in the hospital; his reply was, " There is no room in the hospital tent and there are boys in the regiment in a worse condition than Wel- don, who should be there." Finally, through the efforts of Major Harris, con- sent was given, if a cot could be obtained. He was taken on Tuesday, September 20. On Thursday, September 22, Captain Baxter engaged a room in the city and wired Mr. Weldon as follows: " Norman is sick with nervous prostration. Should go home. Will take him into the city to-night. Will you come for him?" On Thursday it rained, and owing to that and his low condition Dr. Haze would not allow him to be removed, and the boy was not taken until late Friday afternoon. September 23 he arrived at the house in an ambulance in a dying condition, accompanied by a nurse, but no medical attention provided or no provision for such made. Mrs. Jones, of whom the house was rented, was alarmed, and, recog- nizing the seriousness of the case, called a physician, Dr. Boies, of Knoxville. He, seeing the critical condition of the patient, would not undertake the case without consultation. The doctors and nurse worked over him for hours; three pints of water were drawn from the bladder, an accumulation of thirty-six hours, show- ing incompetency and neglect. For any further information I will refer you to Dr. Boies, Dr. Harper, and Dr. McCrary, of Knoxville, Tenn., who do not hesitate to say my son's death was caused by neglect. On the day before Norman was taken sick, the hospital car of Governor Pingree was at Camp Poland. If the sick had been sent home when there was not room in the regimental hospital, or if accommodation could not be given there, why was he not sent to the division hos- pital? Skill and good nursing prolonged his life until October 6, when death ended his dreadful sufferings. His death was due to incompetency, carelessness, and neglect, and I feel that an investigation should be made and the responsibility fixed where it belongs. If my son was in a condition to take a journey of twenty- four hours length, why was he not left in the hospital under the doctor's care until his father got there, a few hours later? He was in the service of the Gov- ernment, entitled to its protection and care; not on a furlough, as that is dated September 27, and not given to us until September 28, and the room was engaged September 22; was removed September 23. Q. Have you had any communication with the colonel of his regiment or his captain? A. I wrote the colonel. He has been away, I understand, and did not get back to Knoxville until last Sunday. I stated the case to him. The captain under- stands it, and knows how we felt. That is all; he said nothing. I sent for him to see me, but he didn't come. I had a conversation with Dr. Haze in Knoxville, and he said no blame could rest on those who attended him in the tent. The boy was very ill from the beginning-seriously ill. He dictated a letter to his father, speaking of his condition. He was not able to write, but they did not consider him seriously ill. The letter reads: Knoxville, Tenn. , September 20,1898. Dear Father: Your letter was received yesterday with inclosures, but it will be impossible for me to deliver them. They will be delivered by Sergeant Mower. They are to move me to the hospital to-day. I have been and am now sick with a bad case of inflammation of the kidneys and am in a very bad condition at pres- MRS. LUCY WELDON. 1709 ent, but I hope by the change and better treatment at the hospital to soon be all right again. My urine and urinary organs are not in proper condition. The urine has to be drawn from me by artificial means. I will let you know what progress. Your loving son, Norman Weldon. per Fred. W. Slater. Q. Who sent the boy to the hospital? A. Dr. Haze says at the suggestion of the captain he was sent. Q. Who is Dr. Haze? A. The doctor of the regiment. Here are some billswepaid: Dr. William Boies, Knoxville, $100, for attendance on Norman; Dr. W. E. Harper, for medical serv- ices, $30, and Dr. W. L. McCrary, $55, for medical services; which is not nearly all of the expense we were put to. Q. Did you say you have not heard from the colonel? A. No, sir. Q. Did you ask him to have this investigated? A. I did, and put the case before him as I have testified here. The evidence came to me that the boys took care of him in the tent. Q. What we will have to do is to try and get hold of these men and get them on the stand or get their sworn statements. A. The corporal who was active in getting him into the hospital is named Fiske. He is the one who gave me the evidence, and whose word I can rely on. A young- man named Faling is now home on sick furlough. I asked him to call on me, but he has not been well, and I presume that is the reason he did not come. Of course the doctors' bills were a small item of the expense we were put to in Knoxville. His furlough reads, " N. E. Weldon, private, Company L, Thirty-first Michigan, period September 27 to October 26,1898; " signed by Frederick Shubel, lieutenant- colonel Thirty-first Michigan; recommended by C. S. Baxter, captain Company L, Thirty-first Michigan. He was furloughed on General Orders 114 and 121, Adjutant-General's Office. He did not get out the furlough until after he was sick. My husband saw Secretary Alger, and he promised to see the boy when he got to Knoxville, but the boy was too ill to see him and sent his papers to the Sec- retary; but it was too late for the Secretary to do anything. The furlough was brought to him on September 28. September 20 is the date of the letter dictated by Norman to his father. Note.-There does not appear to be a surgeon's certificate, and he appears to be furloughed as a well man. Q. What is the date of his death? A. He died October 6. Q. What date did he leave for home? A. He was never able to leave Knoxville. We buried him in Indiana. He never used his furlough. Q. I want to know why he was not sent to the hospital and why he was sent to a private residence. A. When they found he was dying they sent him to the city. He was in the hospital four days. When he was brought into the city he was in such a condition that it took hours to relieve him and remove the pressure on the heart. He died from causes brought on by neglect. They claimed they did not take him to the hospital before because the hospital was full, but only the day before he was taken sick the governor's hospital train was there, and the hospitals were supposed to be emptied of the sick. They took him in at 5 in the evening, and his father arrived at 9 o'clock. My father was a member of the Army of the Tennessee. He was Colonel Eddy, of the Forty-eighth Indiana. 1710 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Detroit, Mich., November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF HELEN STUART RICHINGS. Helen Stuart Etchings, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. What is your residence, please? A. Parker House, Boston, Mass. Q. Did your duties take you to Chickamauga this summer? A. My desire to see if I could be of use. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us in your own way with reference to what you saw of the Second Division hospital, and afterwards tell us about the other part of the camp and hospitals? A. I would mention the general dirt and disorder and the lack of quiet, the poisonous air outside, and the terrible stench that I never failed to notice, especially in the Second Division, Third Corps hospital, and the lack of what seemed to me the sanitation and lack of drinking vessels. Everyone would drink from the same buckets; they were placed between the tents, and one or two cups were put there and used indiscriminately by the sick and the well. The expectoration on the floor, and the patients were frequently filthy from their own excrement, which was one of the reasons of the stench. I could not be certain of that, and also that they were not bathed, I am not able to say how often, and there would be a high fever and no provision made for bathing, even for sponging the faces and necks of patients. They were in a high fever, with a temperature ranging from 100 to 109, and they would lie during the heated hours of the day against the hot walls of the tents, and when I would almost implore some nurse to turn their head they would always say, ' ' I can not do it without orders, " or something of that kind; ' ' the sun will go down by and by." I was afraid of overstepping my privileges; I was afraid of having the privileges which I did enjoy withdrawn by General Brooke, and consequently I did what I could in the quietest possible way. I think per- haps that covers the main ground. Q. Was there any case of marked neglect? A. I would say even more than one. I would speak of the cases which did not come under my observation until taken to the train to go to Chattanooga. A young man in a Nebraska regiment, who had been ill, so the lieutenant told me, and had been in the hospital twenty-one days, and had not had a bath or water upon his body at all. Finally his lieutenant got permission to remove him to a private hospital; and that information I had from himself and his lieutenant. Q. That was when he was in transit you saw him? A. Yes, sir; and afterwards I saw him at the hospital. I have not the names; I did not anticipate this; but I have a very vivid remembrance of going up to a man and seeing his eyes, nose, and mouth full of the most horrible green-looking flies. Q. Did you observe any small mosquito netting? A. Yes, sir; in a large majority of cases. It would be lying all over him, per- haps, and he could not reach it, and it would be utter neglect about putting it down. Q. You say that the nurses were inefficient? A. That was my opinion. I do not mean to say there were no exceptions, how- ever. Q. Remembering that the nurses were drawn largely from the ranks of the enlisted men, are you greatly surprised at it? A. If the men are drawn from the ranks, I am not surprised, Doctor, at all. Q. Will you tell me about what time you were there, please? CAPT. GEORGE S. YOUNG. 1711 A. My actual service took place from about the 9th of June until the 4th of August. Q. Occupied practically a period of two months? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did I understand you were there all the time? A. I was there part of the time; I stayed at Chattanooga during the month of June. Q. Were you represented in clerical organization? A. I am a minister, but I was acting entirely on my own account. Q. Did you observe any evidences of neglect on the part of any doctor? A. I could not give any special instance. Q. Did the doctors seem to be hard at work, doing all they could? A. The fact of it, I saw very little of them; sometimes they would go hurriedly through the tent; I would not consider myself competent to say. Q. Is there anything else that you desire to say that is not included in your statement? A. No; 1 think I have covered the ground. Detroit, Mich., November 10,1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. GEORGE S. YOUNG. Capt. George S. Young then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By Dr. Conner-. Q. Please give us your full name and rank. A. George S. Young, captain of the Seventh Infantry, commanding Company H at Santiago. By Colonel Sexton: Q. When did you land in Cuba? A. We were lightered from our transport, the D. H. Miller, on the 23d at Daiquiri. Q. What were the accommodations on the transport? A. I had three companies of my regiment and 300 mules. Q. What were the accommodations for them? A. They were pretty well crowded, not to my mind overcrowded. The men were all comfortably located, the objection to my transport was the excessive heat. There was no arrangement by which the boat could be aired. It was necessary to keep the ports closed all the time, on account of the fear of a storm, and the ani- mals were the principal sufferers. Q. Did the men have sufficient rations? A. Yes, sir; ample rations. The water gave out about the time we left the boat and for about one day they were short of water. Q. How were you landed? A. In small boats towed by the steam launches from the navy, about 25 men to a boat. Q. Where did you go? A. We landed about noon, and were put into a temporary camp 11 miles from the dock, and there we remained until such time as we could draw some rations. 1712 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. We left our boat without rations, but a small amount was issued by the sub- sistence department, I think enough for one day. About 4 or 5 o'clock we were ordered to move, and moved about a mile and a half and made our first camp on the side of the road. On the morning of the 24th we started early and marched a short distance and went into bivouac for the purpose of breakfast. It had rained so the night before in the camp that we could not cook anything. In this camp we heard the firing of the 1st of July and we were ordered to get out and move very hurriedly. Q. Were you separated from your regiment? A. No, sir; the whole country was full of troops; during the night a good many had passed us. There was a brigade formation, and General Chaffee was in command. He put us in this cocoanut grove, and he ordered us forward to the vicinity of the fight when we heard this firing, then we again halted for a short time, and then moved to where the Spaniards had been, and took that posi- tion and made a temporary camp, remaining there about two hours. After that we moved on about a mile and a half farther and went into camp for the night. Q. How were you supplied with rations? A. Up to that time there had been ample. Of course everything had to be carried on the person at this time. It was. of course, very hard for the officers, for we could not get any rations if we wanted them. What I got I secured from, my company, as they had ample rations. By Dr. Conner: Q. What time did you return to this country? A. I left Siboney on the 23d of July on the Concho. Q. Did she take the sick and the wounded or the well? A. One hundred and seventy-five sick men. Q. What condition was she in for the sick men? A. Why, the same conditions existed for caring for the sick as for carrying over the troops-ordinary bunks. There was no difference that I saw. Q. Was the air space sufficient for the number of sick and wounded on board? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was any medical officer detailed to go with you? A. No, sir; we had a medical officer, and I understood he volunteered for the trip. He was a doctor of the Red Cross. Q. What was his name? A. Dr. Lesser. Q. Did you see on this ship any such condition that would make you think that it was not in a condition for soldiers in transit? A. They had enough on the boat of the ordinary ration. Q. Do you know whether they were able to secure anything else? A. No, sir; I do not. I was sick myself, and I know they did not have such food as sick people should get. In my own case, for instance, I did not have anything to eat. Q. What did you do? A. I had some soup made from the ordinary soup on the vessel. The steward strained some of it for me. Q. As I understand, no medical officer came with you? A. No regular officer. What was the status of this Dr. Lesser, I don't know. Q. No other officer came so far as you know, or was ordered to come? A. No, sir. Q. Did the sick on board require much medical care and attention? A. Yes, sir; they worked for them night and day. Q. Were there hospital stewards on board? CAPT. GEORGE S. YOUNG. 1713 A. No, sir; this Dr. Lesser had a steward of his own and eight Red Cross women nurses. Q. Did you understand that there was an understanding that he should be attached to the boat coming from Cuba?. A. I heard that he agreed to take care of the sick on the way over. Q. Where did you land? A. At Old Point Comfort, Hampton Roads. There was some delay about our landing, and we were there, I think, two days, as the Quartermaster-General's Office did not get orders to the captains of the fleet. Q. Was General Egbert on board your boat then? A. No, sir. Q. You were kept on board these two days for the quartermaster and doctor to settle what was to be done with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then, really, did you lose any time, as you would be quarantined five days anyway? A. I understand so. Q. I presume they considered the two days occupied there as a part of the quar- antine service. Where did you go from there? A. I could not say, but finally we landed in New York. Q. You were quarantined at New York how long? A. I think we got into New York Saturday, and we laid off until Sunday evening. Q. So practically you didn't lose anything from being kept in Hampton Roads? A. No; I know we didn't, because we got everything necessary for the sick and a supply of water and ice. Q. You carried everybody to New York? A. Yes, sir; I was going to say we took one man off there. At quarantine, there at Hampton Roads, we ran out to sea and buried him there. Q. Are you familiar with the case of Mr. Lafferty, of your regiment? A. To a certain extent. Q. Please state what. A. I went to the hospital-I don't know the date, but I think about the middle of September-and simply inquired for Lieutenant Lafferty. There I found his mother in a great state of mind, and she said that he was extremely ill and she didn't know what was going to happen. I asked if there was anything I could do for her and told her if there was anything happened to send for me. That was all. I went out then and asked the doctor about him, and he said he was very sick and could not live through the day. The next morning she sent for me, and when I got there the young man was dead. She had a great deal to say about the cause of his death. I did not take any stock in it, but I went to see the doctors about it, and I discovered that Lieutenant Lafferty had the best treatment he could have had under the circumstances, and the doctor told me if he had had $1,000,000 and been in New York, he could not have been treated better. By General Dodge: Q. Is there anything else that we have not asked you, that you want to say? A. There has been a great deal said about our supplies. I think if we have occasion to do it over again it should go direct and not go through so many hands. There were ample supplies, I think, always on hand. Our men had to carry it sometimes on their backs. I want to mention the fact that the water supply on the Concho was very bad, rusty, and stale. When we got to where supplies could be had, they were gotten for us quickly and in ample quantity. Q. How were you supplied at Montauk when you got there? 1714 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Everything in profusion. Q. Did you have any difficulty in getting supplies? A. I want to modify my statement, because I had yellow fever and was sick from 13th of July, when I went to the hospital and was sent to the isolation hospital, out in the mountains, and I didn't get back again until the 23d of July, and then I was sent on sick leave and ordered to Denver on the arrival of my boat. I didn't get back there until the 1st of September, and I found everything all right. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know anything about Dr. Genella? A. He was a man of no ability whatever, as far as his profession was concerned. He came to me and said there was one of my men had appendicitis, and I must have him sent away at once and operated upon or he would die. I had just seen the man and thought it was a very strange case. I went over and said to him, "The doctor says you have appendicitis and must go away." So an ambulance was sent around and he was sent to the general hospital. I followed the case up and found the doctor there; asked him if he had any pain, and he said, "No; not at all. " He said, ' ' Haven't you any pain in the stomach at all?" He said, ' ' No; but I have a very bad sore throat." Q. Was this man an efficient medical officer? A. No, sir; I don't think he knows as much about it as I do, and I don't know anything at all. Q. Do you think it would have been judicious to put him in charge of a hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Did you see Mrs. Hogan about the hospital? A. Yes, sir. She seemed to be a sort of commanding officer around there; she would go about to companies and bring up an ambulance and take off my men or anybody else's. I would say, "Where are these men," and the answer would be, " Mrs. Hogan has got them. " She would go to the kitchen and order anything she pleased. But I will admit, in her line of work, when she established a kitchen the men went there and Mrs. Hogan did very nicely for them, which was natural enough, but if a man wanted some milk or a cup of tea he could go over there and get it. Mrs. Hogan was a kind of nuisance. Q. Why didn't you ask her not to be a nuisance about your camp? A. I had nothing to say. Q. Who had? A. Major Corliss was in command. She used to say when she came around, "If you don't do so-and-so I will go over and telegraph to the Secretary of War," so she had everybody scared up. I could take care of mine; that is all. She would take your men and you would never hear from them again. Q. Do you know of her attempting to effect a change of organization in any one of the hospitals there? A. I never saw much of anything that she didn't try to organize. Q. Did you know anything of her having the hospital changed? A. I heard her say there was a site selected there and she was going to have it changed. Q. How about this man that Dr. Genella gave poison to, named Jolly? A. The doctor borrowed my watch, and he was still holding the watch over this man when I went back after it. I know he worked on this man a long time. I asked him what was the matter, and he said he had given this man some tablets to dissolve in water to rub on his leg for rheumatism and the fellow had swallowed it. Q. That charge he made about any noncommissioned officer paying for his pro- motion; how was that? A. It is absolutely false. Q. How about the statement he makes about selling the rations; I suppose they were sold for the benefit of the company? MAJ. WILLIAM G. LATIMER. 1715 A. No, sir; I do not think they were sold there. My opinion about Dr. Genella is that he is crazy. He is one of these fellows that walks around in the night in his sleep. They found him down on the beach one night howling and whining around. I don't think there is any man but that thinks he is out of his mind. Q. Privates and noncommissioned officers never have anything to do with company funds? A. No, sir; it is always in the hand of the captain, if he is the commander of the company. Q. It is always accounted for? A. Yes, sir; he has to account for it. Detroit, Mich., November 10,1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. WILLIAM G. LATIMER. Maj. William G. Latimer then appeared, before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and. replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and regiment. A. William G. Latimer, major, Thirty-fourth Michigan. Q. Where did you serve? A. At Camp Eaton, Mich., and next at Camp Alger. Q. At what date? A. From about the first week in June, perhaps the 9th or 10th, and leaving Camp Alger on the 26th of June, I believe, for Cuba. Q. How long did you serve in Cuba? A. I was there until the 28th of July, I think, and came home, sick, on the Comal. Q. You left your regiment there? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you reached Camp Alger how was your regiment supplied with quar- termaster and ordnance supplies? A. So far as I know, quartermaster supplies were satisfactorily provided. Ord- nance supplies I do not know so much about. Q. Were you armed? A. We were armed on about the 20th with the Springfield rifle. Q. You had your arms and equipments with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the strength of your regiment? A. We recruited up to 86 men, I think, when we left here-a full quota at that time. Q. How was your regiment supplied with commissary as to quality and quan- tity? A. Fairly well. We had a little bad bread or something of that kind, but it was condemned; and so far as my observation, the supplies were satisfactory as to quantity and quality also. Perhaps it was not quite as suitable as to amount at that time. It was a pretty extensive break and rather objectionable, but, on the whole, I guess satisfactory. Q. What kind of cooks did you have? A. Well, I think in one or two instances the cooking was done by company 1716 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. cooks, except at Camp Alger. Then they had men detailed for that purpose, or perhaps they volunteered. Q. Do you know whether the cooks were changed often, or were they perma- nent? A. 1 think the cooks themselves were generally permanent, detailed, unless some- body outside. Q. Did you have sickness at Camp Alger? A. Not a great deal; a little, I believe. One man died, I do not remember just what with. There was quite a little diarrhea, but not any sickness of gravity. Q. Who is your colonel? A. John Peterman. Q. Had he seen service? A. Only in the National Guard. Q. When your regiment entered upon its work, did you have schools in your regiment to teach the line officers? A. Yes, sir; at Camp Eaton. I spoke of it myself, and I know they all do at Camp Alger. Q. What did you teach them? A. Anticipating the possibility of getting into a fight, we went into an outpost duty, picket, etc. . Q. Did you have any schools as to the method of keeping records and keeping rolls and things of that kind? A. It is my impression that the orderly sergeants were instructed in that. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Did you have commissary and quartermaster sergeants both in your regi- ment? A. No; I guess not. Q. Did some of the regiments have both? A. I was speaking of the company sergeants. Q. You shipped from Tampa for Cuba? A. No, sir; from Newport News. Q. What day? A. I think Sunday, the 27th of June; I can not pretend to give dates correctly. Q. What boat did you go aboard of? A. The Harvard. Q. One of the big liners? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the accommodations for taking care of you? A. The men were compelled to sleep on the decks. The Ninth Massachusetts and two battalions of our regiment were on that boat, and it made too many men- more than they had ever carried on there before-and so they were crowded. Two steerage rooms were put to our service, I believe, one being for our men and one company of the Massachusetts. The rest of the men we compelled to sleep on the decks. The officers were provided with staterooms, and the men were required to use the traveling rations. The officers were provided with mess by the steward. Q. How was the weather going over? A. A delightful run, I think, in one sense. The men did not suffer from the weather. The decks were hard to sleep on, that is all. I think the majority of the men were permitted to sleep down in the steerage or hold, but some slept on the deck in preference. Q. Where did you land? A. AtSiboney. Q. The Harvard landed you, did it, with her small boats? A. Yes, sir. MAJ. WILLIAM G. LATIMER. 1717 Q. From Siboney where did you go? A. We pitched our camp that evening, and probably we were all through, this Ninth Massachusetts and our own, by 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and then about 6.30 or 7 o'clock we got orders to go to the front at once. Three days' traveling rations were issued to us and 100 rounds of ammunition. Q. Where did you march to? A. Up to the front on San Juan Hill. This was on the 2d of July. Q. Did you go up to the trenches? A. We were held in support. Q. Of the San Juan lines? A. We were at one time back of the Twenty-fourth Colored Infantry. We were just about in the center of a horseshoe. We shifted once or twice, but were there most of the time the fighting was going on. That was the action of the 3d. Q. Then where were you posted? A. Well, it was on the 3d or 4th-I guess the afternoon of the 3d-I was directed to take my battalion, which was made up of lumbermen from the upper peninsula, and go back down on the road and do some bridge building and widen the roads, etc. W e went back about half a mile and pitched our camp on a little stream near the ridge. We were there for a few days and we then moved down to Sevilla. We were back of General Shafter's headquarters about 2 miles. We did no work at first; we were ordered almost at once to establish pickets on a drill which led off toward Aguadores. Then we did a little work on the roads later on; we did more work on the roads and materially cut down the strength of our outposts. Q. What was the nature of the road widening? A. A corduroying and cutting of the brush out. Q. Where did you go from there? A. On the afternoon of the 15th we were ordered up comparatively to the trenches. We went up there after dark, stumbled up, and got there at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. We got tangled up in the woods, but finally got there. We were there three or four days. We were not in the trenches, but near there. Q. Who was in command there? A. General Ames had charge of the brigade. These companies were brigaded with the Ninth and Thirteenth Regulars in General Ames's division. Q. Then where were you from that time on up to the 25th as long as you remained there? A. We marched on the 19th on up toward Santiago; it doesn't seem to me we went on the main road, but went north before going perhaps within a mile and a half of the city. They changed the camp afterwards, perhaps with a view to bet- ter sanitary conditions, and we went up a little closer to the city. Q. Then you left? A. Yes, sir. Q. While you were in Cuba how were your men supplied with commissary supplies? A. Well, there were a good many times when we were very short of food; part of the time perhaps it might be attributed to ourselves for the first few days. We were given three days' field rations when we started up there. Perhaps we passed 500 wounded men, and we were on our feet all the time and getting gradually weaker, and the weaker ones would throw away their packs and everything they had except canteens. They were without most everything except 100 rounds of ammunition and the canteens. Of course we had drawn three days' rations, and we were hungry for a day or two; we could not get more. Q. Did you try? A. Oh, yes, sir. A mail train came out there and the men got some from it. We managed to get through, but were hungry sometimes. While it was practical to get to the front and carry food with them, yet they did not feel it was the fault 1718 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. or negligence of anybody that they did not get it. I speak of the six companies with me. There were times when we were pretty short of food. My impression was that there was not enough transportation to enable them to get the food up there. It was a good ways to haul it. Q. Did you get food by wagon? A. Partly and partly by pack trains. Q. While your men did not get all they wanted, there were sometimes when you did not have anything? A. There were a good many times when we did not get anything, but I made it a point to see that they got something; I would send men in both directions, up to Shafter's headquarters and down to Siboney. Of course there was suffering from hunger, but I do not believe it hurt them any. Perhaps it broke down the health of some. It was rather warm weather to eat pork and hard-tack. Q. When did your men commence to get sick? A. About the 10th, or possibly the 7th or 8th. We had a couple of cases of measles at first, then they would commence to go down with this slow fever. When we left Sevilla, we had 35 or 40 sick men, perhaps 50, that were not able to march to the front, but they got there the next day. When we left the trenches in front of Santiago, I presume we had 100 men out of 436 sick. When I left I had 204 men out of 436 in my command. This is the statement from Dr. Pope, who was surgeon of the six companies I had with me, and he states in it that there were 204 on the sick list unfit for duty out of 436; that was on the 25th of July. Q. Was sickness what caused you to leave? A. Yes, sir; I was taken down with a very malignant type of this fever. 1 was on my back four days. Q. What time? A. About the 25th of July. Q. What boat did you go back on? A. The Comal. Q. What kind of boat was she? A. She was one of the first that came out of the harbor of Santiago. Q. How many people were there aboard? A. I can not tell exactly; I was so very sick myself that I could not pay atten- tion, but I know quite a good many, and no provision was made for taking care of them. No fresh meat on board and no medicines. Q. No doctor on board? A. No, sir; except one who was on sick leave. I do not know whether he would do anything if he could. Q. Who took care of you? A. An army steward. There was a man on board, a son of the head doctor of the Red Cross; but I had no medicines. Q. Have you any idea how many sick were on? A. No, sir; I have not; I was sick myself. Q. Were you able to walk on "board? A. I can not say. Q. You were sick? A. Yes, sir; very sick. Q. You had no medical officer on? A. No, sir; only one on sick leave, recently appointed from the Regular Army and a very young man. Q. Who ordered this man on board this boat? A. I suppose it was General Shafter's order. Q. These were all soldiers going home sick? A. Yes, sir. MAJ. WILLIAM G. LATIMER. 1719 Q. All were sick? A. Well, yes; I suppose so. There were some correspondents of papers, and there was one woman, I think a correspondent, too, on board; but most, I guess, were going home sick. I hardly left my bed at any time, except when I went to the closet. We went on off Egmont, at Tampa, and lay there eight days without any attention. We were not quarantined or fumigated. They did nothing, and after the eight days we were transferred to the Seguranga, which was splendidly provisioned and equipped in every way, and they had splendid surgeons; and then we came to New York. This boat was provisioned by Dr. Vaughn. Q. No effort was made while you were lying there to supply this medical defi- ciency? A. I believe none at all. My impression is a physician came on board the last day-a young man-and he went around among the sick and helped us a great deal. Q. You do not know who this doctor was who came to you? A. He was a surgeon from Mobile. He was a very efficient surgeon, and did all he could. Q. After that you came on to New Yor and landed? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Did you return to your regiment again? A. Our regiment came through and landed at Camp Wikoff, part of it within ten days, perhaps, from the time I landed, and then they were dismissed and went to their homes, so that the regiment is scattered all over Michigan, and I had no opportunity to rejoin them. Q. Do you know whether, virtually, all of your regiment got sick? A. The exceptions were rare. Q. Nearly every man? A. Yes, sir; almost every man was sick. Q. Do you know ordinarily the condition of the men now? A. I understand from correspondents that the officers, more particularly of my battalion, are getting along pretty well. They have not recovered entirely from the malaria. I feel it myself. Q. Do you have relapses? A. Yes, sir; I have felt it myself. We had a good many die. In all, I think there were about 100 died. This is not positive knowledge, but I was informed only a little while ago that we had lost 100. Q. Where did they die mostly? A. They died in Cuba, but more on board. Dr. Pope died on board the Olivette. Some died at Camp Wikoff and some at New York, and I think 11 died on the road-that is what I heard-in the two trains of the Thirty-third and Thirty- fourth Michigan.' A great many have died here in the hospitals. By Dr. Conner: Q. You speak of coming on from New York. Were hospital trains sent for them? A. No cars were provided for the sick. Physicians were provided. Q. Eleven died on the train, you say? A. Yes, sir; that is what I heard. I do not know. There was one sleeping car, I think, on each section; so that if a man was taken sick he went into the sleeper. Q. The seriously sick were taken in Pullman cars? A. Yes, sir; I understand so. I do not know myself. Q. This is the heaviest loss we have heard of. A. I think you will find the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Michigan lost more than anybody else. 1720 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Have you any reasons for that? A. Yes, sir. In the first place the majority of the men were from the extreme northern part of Michigan. It is very cold up there. Now here (Detroit) we get it as hot as in Cuba. In Cuba it averaged 92; never got above that; but it was a radical change for these men from the north, where it was always cool on the shores of Lake Superior. Then they were put on the road, but they say down in Cuba if you turn the soil you turn up this malaria, and if this is true that accounts for it. I think the mortality was greater in this half of the regiment that worked on the roads than the other half. I talked with Captain Bates, of the Ironwood Company, and he said he would send four men out and dig graves when a man died. The next day the other four men would be sick. After that they hired Cubans to dig the graves. Q. In yellow-fever districts this is well known. Did many of your men have yellow fever? A. No, sir. It is pretty difficult to tell whether a man has yellow fever; it is very similar, I am told. I may have had yellow fever, but I understand this is a characteristic of the fever. You hardly know until it is at a vital stage. Q. What treatment did they give you? A. Quinine and quinine and quinine; that is about all. Q. What hospital were you treated in down there? A. Oh, I was not in any hospital at all. I had a couple of boards out under a tree; we were very short of tents. Our officers were put ashore from the Harvard without our baggage, but our hammocks and tents and the various supplies we had arranged to make us as comfortable as possible. Q. Did you get your horses? A. They were at Tampa; they stayed there all summer. They were sent back to Camp Wikoff after the campaign was over. I have no doubt that contributed to the poor health of the men. Q. Did you have shelter tents? A. We started with them, but threw them away. The officers did not have them, so that none of the officers had shelter of any kind. Q. Do you know when they got their tents off from the Harvard? A. Well, of course all the trunks were taken off at Siboney; I do not know when the tents were taken off. I would not be surprised if they were taken off at Camp Wikoff. We never saw them at all, but later on they were put with the regiment somewhere; I do not think in Cuba. Q. Who was the surgeon who came home with you? A. Well, the surgeons all came home except Dr. Pope, and he died on the way. It is said Dr. Pope died of a congestive chill, but I am not certain. We had hos- pital stewards who were surgeons, but I guess they did not suffer for want of physicians. Q. Did you hear any statement from the regiment as to their treatment at Montauk? A. No, sir; I do not know. I think they had no complaint or I should have heard it. Q. We have asked you what questions we can think of. Is there anything you would like to state yourself? A. I find, of course, very many things that were not entirely as they should have been there, but it was probably due to the conditions. Q. How long had you been in the National Guard before you enlisted? A. I have been in the National Guard, off and on, since 1883. I had been colonel of the Fourth Regiment here in Detroit just about four months before the war broke out, when my term expired and I went back into the Thirty-third as major. We anticipated all these things and did not look exactly upon it as a holiday. ASST. SURG. O. B. WEED. 1721 Q. Do you believe any troops can go there without suffering from sickness?' A. Not without considerable sickness, because, you see, the Cubans get sick themselves-the natives there. I had a Cuban servant while I was there, and he was a splendid fellow, and, I guess, the only good Cuban on the island-a very strong, healthy, robust man, but he was not proof against disease. He got sick before I did. They do not die, but they are all sick. Another one got sick and disappeared; we never knew what became of him. The men are bound to get those fevers, I think. Perhaps they would not get them in so severe a form as we got them, because we were sleeping on the ground, and because of the poor quality of the food, etc., but still, I think, men exposed to that climate in the rainy season would get malarial fever. You see, the rainy season does not close there until about the present time. Q. The immune regiment show about as much sickness, but they have stayed there and got well, although all have been sick. A. We had one man, that is a quartermaster who later on served with General Lawton, who was an immune. He had lived in Texas, but he was about the sickest man in the lot. He was frightfully sick. The doctors worked over him for weeks, but he came home and had another attack. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Don't they get well and are then taken sick again? A. We have had men die who were perfectly well when they got home. We had a lieutenant of Company G, who was appointed captain in the Thirty-fifth, who left Cuba along about the 23d of July to accept an appointment as captain. He had never seen a sick day. Their boat lay off Egmont Key for a few days. During that time he was sick a little, but he got up again perfectly well. I think it was a week ago last Friday that Captain Scranton was taken with malaria fever of a most malignant type. I think it is doubtful if he gets over it. I had a telephone message to-day, and they said it was doubtful if he got well. I think they are sicker than those men who are taken sick there. Detroit, Mich., November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF ASST. SURG. O. B. WEED. Asst. Surg. O. B. Weed then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and regiment, and where you served in the Spanish war. A. O. B. Weed, assistant surgeon, Thirty-second Michigan Infantry, stationed at Tampa, later at Fernandina, and then at Huntsville. From there we returned to Island Lake. By Dr. Conner: Q. What was the condition of things at Tampa, Doctor, when you arrived there, from a medical standpoint? A. Very pleasant indeed. When there was no rain we considered ourselves very fortunate. Q. Where was your camp? A. At Palmetto Beach. 1722 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. After the rainy season set in, what happened? A. We were inundated. We had no drainage. Q. Was any drainage possible? A. No, sir. Q. Could you fill in the sinks? A. No, sir. The water would rise to the surface as fast as it was done. Q. Had you much sickness at Palmetto Beach? A. Well, we had considerable during our last week at Tampa, quite a good deal during the rainy season. Q. How many were sick there? A. I could not answer that. I had very little to do with the records. The other assistant surgeon directed that. Q. You had the immediate care of the sick in quarters? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you properly supplied with medicines? A. No, sir; we were not at first. It was utterly impossible for us to get medi- cines. Q. Now., please explain to us what you mean by that. There were certain drugs you did have? A. We carried with us a Senn case. We knew of no methods, of course, to pursue and we made inquiries and found out what we had to do with requisitions, and I went personally to Major Appel and Colcnel Pope. The requisitions were properly signed, but the medicines were not there, we were informed, and it was impossible to furnish them. Q. What date was this? A. Probably the 20th of May. We must have arrived there about that time. We made requisitions for thirty days, but they could not be given us. We asked for a less amount. We were glad to get anything. Q. What excuse was given for not having them? A. They said the medicines were en route, but had not arrived, and we should have them just as soon as they arrived. By General Dodge: Q. What date was this? A. Perhaps from the 20th of May to the 21st of June. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did these gentlemen, Doctors Pope and Appel, seem to be exercising all care to get things? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did they seem to be doing to get them? A. They simply manifested interest in this particular, that they listened to our appeal and looked ovei' our lists and approved them readily, and even sent person- ally to know all he could of the facts, and if they were in actual need of them. Q. Who was in charge? A. Dr. Gandy. Q. He simply didn't have them? A. Yes, sir;- he said he didn't. Q. What drugs was it that you desired to have? A. We asked for castor oil, for quinine, for tincture of opium, and remedies along in that line that we needed for immediate use, and we could not get any of them. Q. Could you get opium in pill form? A. Not at that time, but very soon after. Q. Did you have plenty of calomel? ASST. SURG. O. B. WEED. 1723 A. Yes, sir; we could get calomel. We got all the remedies at about the same time. Q. At first you didn't succeed in getting anything? A. No, sir. Still we wanted these things on our first arrival. It was not because we had a patient. Of course we had no sickness to speak of, and for a few days we were not in immediate need for any particular case, but we wanted them on hand. Q. When the time came that you did want them, were you supplied? A. Nearly all. Q. So that practically your men did not suffer for want of medicines? A. No, sir. Q. You were moved from Tampa to Fernandina about what date? A. I can not tell you the date. I can not remember dates. I think it was about the middle of July. Q. Wasn't it the 1st of August? A. No, sir; I think it was about the middle of July. Q. Did you find the camp prepared for you or did you have to prepare it? A. We had to prepare it. Q. What sort of a camp site were you assigned to? A. It was rolling, but covered with underbrush, which had to be grubbed out. Q. How thick was this? A. Very close. Q. Did you use your men for the purpose of grubbing? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long were they at work before you could get the camp established? A. Only a few days. Q. How many, think you? A. Five or six days perhaps. Q. Were your men overworked during this time? A. Oh. I think not. Q. Did you see any man actually suffering on account of overwork or by the heat? A. Oh, yes, sir; of course I saw men overcome by the heat. It was not hilly, but rolling. It was dry heat, and they had no sunstroke, but were overcome by the heat. Q. Were you near the water? A. No, sir; it was a mile and a half or 2 miles from the beach. Q. If I were to ask you whether or not that was a tropical jungle, what answer would you give me? A. I would think it was not. Q. If I would ask you if they blistered their backs there, grubbing out the roots, what answer should you give me? A. I would answer in the negative. I will explain: Of course a good many of our men were from stores and offices, and were not used to manual work, and they must necessarily have suffered some from exhaustion and fatigue, but I do not know of any serious results arising from overwork by the men. Q. How long before serious illness commenced to appear in the camp? A. Very soon after. Q. What sort of sickness? A. Typhoid and malaria fevers. Q. Where did you get the typhoid? A. I am unable to say. There might have been five or six cases, but I think no more. Q. How long after you arrived from Tampa did typhoid begin to get decidedly severe? 1724 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. It must have been three or four weeks; perhaps a month Q. Were you able to care for the sick; did you have preparations for taking proper care of them? A. I think we did. Q. Was there nothing in the world to account for the typhoid? A. Only this: An investigating committee visited us and went this far: They recommended that all fecal matter should be covered by the individual going to the sink; heretofore we had covered the sinks perhaps three or four times a day, but after the visit of this committee it was thought advisable that it be covered of tener, and this was carried out. Q. You made each individual cover his own dejecta? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have a guard to enforce that? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did the men defecate all over the ground? A. No, sir; we stopped that. Of course a good many men were troubled with an acute attack of diarrhea, verging on dysentery, and perhaps would have to go away to the other side of the camp, and perhaps some of the men in the night might not reach the other side in time, but those cases were very rare. Q. Were those policed promptly? A. Yes, sir. Q. How about the heat; did that have an effect on the men? A. Yes, sir; of course; but I guess the pies sold to the boys had a great deal to do with that. Q. How much sickness did that cause? A. I can't tell you, but some, evidently. Q. What per cent? A. I don't know. Q. You were in the Third Division of the Fourth Army Corps? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were in Fernandina on the 18th of August? A. Yes, sir, Q. Is this a true statement of the condition of things, speaking of the company sinks: "These, as a rule, were found to be in an indescribable condition;" was that true? A. No, sir; not to my knowledge. Q. How often did you have occasion to inspect the sinks? A. Every day. Q. This was the Thirty-second Michigan-" This remark would apply especially to the Thirty-second Michigan." Was this a true statement or not? A. I am very glad to contradict it. I know this, that our sinks were looked after very carefully. Q. This was the report of an investigating committee; do you remember them? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have occasion to go around with them? A. Yes, sir. Q. You didn't find what they made a report about? A. I do not remember any such condition of affairs for the reason that I looked after that every day personally. Q. Did you or did you not regard Fernandina as a good camping place? A. Yes, sir; I should say that Fernandina was a good camping place, except they tell us about the State laws there in regard to disturbing the soil; but as far as the water was concerned it was most excellent. But it was extremely warm at Fernandina; hotter than at Tampa. Q, Do you think it possible to find a cooler place than at Fernandina? MAJ. THOMAS H. REYNOLDS. 1725 A. No, sir; I think not. Q. Were your men treated in the regimental hospital or division hospital or the general hospital? A. Principally in the regimental hospital. Q. Did you have good nurses? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were able to keep up the regimental hospital? A. Well, yes, sir. Q. Did the nurses perform their duties faithfully, as well as they could? A. Yes, sir; we had some who had been in different institutions, some experi- enced men and two graduate physicians. Q. Were they employed in the care of the sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. How about your supply of medicines at Fernandina? A. Good. Occasionally there was something we could not get. Q. If you could not get pills you would take salts,, and if you could not get salts you would take pills? A. There is another thing we could not get-salts. Q. Do you know of any such thing as the requisition being made for two gallons of castor oil and getting a half pint? A. No, sir. Q. You got what you asked for, did you? A. Yes, sir; we were taught we should ask for all we wanted, and we would take what we could get and ask for more the next day. Q. Do you know anything about the excuses given for the want of medicine- that large supplies had been shipped and had not arrived? A. No, sir. Detroit, Mich., November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. THOMAS H. REYNOLDS. Maj. Thomas H. Reynolds then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and regiment. A. Thomas H. Reynolds; major, Thirty-second Michigan. Q. What time was your regiment mustered in? A. I think about the 14th of May. I am not sure of the date. Q. Where did you rendezvous? A. At Island Lake, Mich. Q. When did you leave there? A. On the 19th of May. Q. You went to Tampa, Fla., did you? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did you remain there? A. I have forgotten the date. • Q. When your arrived at Tampa, Fla., how was your regiment supplied with quartermaster and ordnance supplies? A. It was fairly well supplied. I didn't hear of any kick. 1726 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you have a full supply of quartermaster stores or camp and garrison equipage? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were you armed with? A. The Springfield rifle. Q. Now, you stayed at Tampa until the middle of July, did you? A. Some time in July. Q. During your stay how was your regiment supplied with commissary stores? A. I think very good. Q. What kind of a camp did you have at Tampa? A. Very fine, we thought, until the rainy season set in. Q. Then you were drowned out? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did you move to? A. To Fernandina. Q. What kind of a camp did you have there? A. Very good. Q. What was the ground covered with? A. Brush. Q. How thick was the brush? A. Very thick. Q. How high? A. That high [indicating]. Q. How long did it take you to clean it up? A. About a week. I think we had a thorough camp in a week. Q. Was it hard work for the men? A. Yes, sir. We had one drill the first Saturday we were there, and we had some sickness. Q. How long did you remain at Fernandina? A. I have not the dates with me. We stayed in Huntsville ten or twelve days after leaving Fernandina before we started for home. Q. When did you go home? A. About the 20th of October. Q. You left Fernandina about the 10th of October? A. Yes, sir; about that. Q. When you were at Fernandina, how were you supplied with commissary stores? A. Very good. Q. Who was colonel of your regiment? A. William T. McDerrin. Q. When you first went in did you have schools for quartermaster-sergeants and orderly sergeants for the purpose of teaching them their duties? A. No; not when we first went in. Q. When did you commence? A. At Fernandina. We had a school for noncommissioned officers every day there. Q. When did you have a school for the officers? A. We used to have " officers'call " every day and talk matters over, but no school. Questions might arise as to this duty and that duty and they were talked over. Q. Didn't you take up the Army Regulations and discuss them? A. Sometimes. Q. And the tactics, and discuss them? A. As I told you, at certain meetings, when a question would arise. CAPT. F. W. COWLEY. 1727 Q. Did you take up the system and method of keeping your accounts and books, muster-out rolls, etc.? A. That was done later on. Q. Where was that done? A. Well, after we could see that we knew we were going out of the service then we commenced to pick up on that. Q. Are you out of service now? A. Yes, sir. Q. When were you mustered out? A. My battalion is being mustered out now. It is not all out yet. Q. Were your company officers able to make out the must<. r rolls properly? A. Yes, sir; with the instructions of some of the other officers of the Army. Q. Your health was pretty good at Fernandina, your doctor says? A. Yes, sir. Q. Have you ever been in the service before? A. No, sir; only in the State service. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did any of the Thirty-second go to Cuba? A. No, sir. Q. What Michigan regiments went? A. The Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth. Q. Were you or were you not aware of any cases of neglect on the part of your medical officers or any other medical officers? A. No, sir. Q. No complaints were made to you? A. Only little trifling complaints sometimes after we got to Tampa. Complaint was made that medicine was not on hand. Q. Did you hear any of your men complain that they were neglected by any of the doctors or any division hospital? A. Not at all. It was our own regimental doctors at Tampa, from the fact, as I said, that they didn't have proper medicines. Q. After reaching Fernandina you didn't hear any complaint? A. No, sir. A. No, sir. Detroit, Mich. , November 10, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. F. W. COWLEY. Capt. F. W. Cowley then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objection to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and regiment. A. F. W. Cowley, captain Company M, Thirty-third Michigan. Q. When did you entei- the service? A. On the 16th of May last. Q. Where were you mustered? A. Island Lake. Q. From there where did you go? A. To Camp Alger. 1728 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How long did you remain there? A. I remained there until June 8, when I was sent to Detroit on recruiting service. I think the regiment remained there until the 25th of June-around there. Q. When you reached the camp, how was your regiment supplied with quarter- master and ordnance supplies? A. We had a perfect supply of tents, which we took with us from Michigan. I think there was no trouble in the location of Camp Alger, except the water. We had to carry it fully 2 miles. Q. Were your men well clothed at Camp Alger? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were you supplied with commissary supplies? A. There was no fault that I know of. Q. You were away from there from the 8th of June to the 25th of June? A. From the 8th of June until the 1st of July. I joined the regiment in Cuba. Q. What time did you go to Cuba? A. If I am not mistaken, I left on the 20th or 22d and got there about the 28th or 29th. Q. About the same time as the Thirty-fourth Michigan? A. No, sir; they arrived there on the 31st. Q. What transport did your regiment go on? A. My regiment went on the Yale. Q. When you arrived in Cuba, where was your regiment? A. My regiment was on the firing line at Aguadores, engagement of the 1st. Q. How was your regiment then as to its heal th? A. Sound. They had only been there a couple of days and we were a very hardy regiment. Q. After Aguadores where did you move to then? A. The regiment made an attack, and then just as my battalion went down to open fire in the morning we were ordered back to make a breastwork from the Santiago trail down to the shore, and I was there until July 16, two days after the surrender, and the rest of the regiment was at Siboney building a dock and on general garrison duty at Siboney. Company M, my company, and K and L were left at this intrenchment. Q. To look after the Spaniards at Aguadores? A. Yes, sir; we found we could not drive them out and they said it was cheaper to keep them there. Q. What did you do after the surrender? A. We carried in a flag of truce on the 15th, and they said they would let us know in the morning, or something of that kind, and the final disposition was they surrendered and went to Santiago. Q. You say the rest of your regiment was at Siboney building a dock? Did you see the dock afterwards? A. Yes, sir. Q. That ships could come to or only lighters? A. Only lighters; so trains could go down on the docks. They had an old engine there that the Spaniards had destroyed, but our engineers fixed it up, building one out of three that they had destroyed. Q. What was the dock made of? A. It looked like ties of a railroad. Q. Was it ties? A. No, sir; but it was very solid. Q. How long did that dock have to be? A. Out beyond the line of the surf; I should presume 20 or 30 yards. CAPT. F. W. COWLEY. 1729 Q. Now, from there where did your regiment move to? A. We were ordered back. Several stayed there for two days and then went down right in front of Aguadores. That was picked out because they thought it a healthy place. We found it covered with underbrush, which we had to remove. It was only fairly cleared out when we left. Q. When your regiment was in Santiago how was it supplied with commissary stores? A. At first very poor. On the second day at Aguadores we had nothing, and on the third very little. I think we had half a hard-tack. I think we got down to a side of sow belly. Now, I think it was this trouble: The strain of being up both nights and in the hot sun to which we were subjected, and no sleep for two nights, and then this hard work, I think this is what broke us down. Q. Did you have shelter1 tents with you? A. We could not erect them. Q. Why not? A. General Duffield left orders to master the position and to cut brush at night and throw it around, and so the major did not wish us to put up any tents. Q. How did the rest of your regiment that was down at Siboney get supplied? A. I do not know. Q. Your companies up there didn't have many supplies? A. That was only for about a week. We didn't look for anything else. We went down expecting hardships. Q. Where did the rest of your regiment move to then? A. Down to Sardonaris, a little beyond our breastwork. Q. Did you draw your supplies from Siboney all the time? A. Yes, sir. Q. You didn't draw them from Santiago? A. No, sir; the commissary was moved, I think, about the time we were moved. We might have drawn them for a day, but I don't think we did. Q. What time did you leave Cuba? A. At the end of August. Q. What ship did you go on? A. The Harvard. Q. How many men were sick? A. The regiment was very much run down. I had 38 sick in my company. Q. The whole regiment was virtually sick or has been since? A. Yes, sir; just from exposure to the sun. Q. You came to Montauk, did you? A. Yes, sir. Q. What preparations did you find there for you? A. We had tents erected, and as soon as we got in they brought us extra blan- kets. In fact they did everything to make it comfortable for us. Q. Did you have everything necessary in the way of food? A. We had milk and apples and everything. I guess the Michigan people sent some things. Q. Did apples and milk go well together? A. We didn't mind. A little variety tasted good. Q. You had everything you wanted at Montauk? A. Yes, sir; I didn't notice any lack. Q. You arrived there on what date? A. September 4. Q. How did you leave Montauk-by the railroad? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any trouble in your transportation? 1730 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; there was a little trouble in getting supplies. We were all put on trains and told our baggage would follow us and the rations would go on the train from Jersey City, but owing to some hitch the baggage never reached us nor the supplies. Q. How did you get something to eat? A. People along the line fed us. The colonel called us up and said, "You can do as you like-wait for your baggage or go on;" and we all voted to go on. Q. You got your baggage afterwards-at home? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you get all that you wanted to eat along at the stations? A. Yes, sir; sandwiches, etc. Q. And coffee? A. Yes, sir; the colonel got that for us himself. Q. On the 1st and 2d of July, were your medical officers efficient in the care of the wounded? A. Dr. Conger was taken ill and Dr. Vaughn looked after us. Dr. Peas had been left with the troops at Camp Alger. Dr. Seville enlisted as a private. I don't know what we should have done without him. He saved a good deal of suffering on the 1st of July. Q. How many men did you lose? A. Two killed and seven wounded, by two shells, both in quick succession, before we could get away. But after that the musketry firing was altogether too high. I think they began to fire when we moved up, and the trajectory was too high after that and they missed us. During the 2d Dr. Sutherland was with us. Q. Did any man in your command complain of the medical attention in those days? A. No, sir; it seems there was a quarantine placed around the hospital, and the regiment could not go to Siboney. After we moved another good man came to us. The men had a great abhorrence of the hospital. I was taken with yellow fever and was taken to Siboney. I was well taken care of and saw a great deal of the hospital. Q. Was it well administered? A. So far as I saw, yes, sir. There were two of our men placed in a ward where nobody but colored men were. As soon as I heard of it, I spoke to the surgeon and the men were removed. We were, each and every one of us, properly cared for, except in the case of one private, John Reardon. Q. What became of him? A. I sent him to the hospital on Dr. Sutherland's order with a sore throat. He looked well, but of course he could not be cured sleeping on the ground. He didn't need much medicine. The next I heard of him, one of the men came to me and said maggots were running from his mouth and nose. The man claims he was neglected until in this condition, and then the doctors removed him to die. He claims he was left twenty-four hours in this condition, until found by a colored woman. Q. Was this neglect of the man while in the general hospital, or where? A. So I understand, sir; the general hospital. Q. Do you know what his name was? A. No, sir; I could not take the man's name because he was out of his head. Q. How about this maggot business? A. I think that is so. His pallate is sloughed away. Q. Had he anything except sore throat? A. No, sir; that is all. Q. Had he reported at sick call to your doctor? A. Yes, sir; several days, but we had no possible way of taking care of him. Q. Did your surgeon tell you what was the matter with him? LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. 1731 A. No, sir; the man is home, and it seems that he breaks out with ulcers all over his body. Q. And his soft pallet is sloughed all away? A. Yes, sir. Q. At Montauk were your men properly cared for? A. Yes, sir. Q. In all instances so far as you know? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see any evidences of neglect at Montauk? A. No, sir; I got General Wheeler's permission and I went to see my men in the detention hospital. Q. Were they well cared for there? A. Yes, sir. Washington, D. C., November 1^, 1898. TESTIMONY OF LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. Lieut. Col. Rush S. Huidekoper, upon request, appeared before the commis- sion and was read the scope of the inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Doctor, will you be kind enough to state your name, rank, and date of com- mission, and places at which you have served? A. My full name is Rush S. Huidekoper; appointed lieutenant-colonel and chief surgeon, United States Volunteers, in May; reported to General Brooke at Chicka- mauga May 26, and served in the First Army Corps until we left Chickamauga, on the 23d of July; went to Newport News, and went to Porto Rico and remained there during August. On the 3d day of September General Brooke went with his headquarters to Rio Piedros. On the 15th of September General Brooke, with the officers of the First Corps staff as the officers of his new staff, was commanding the United States troops in Porto Rico. I served there until the 18th of October. Q. Then returned A. To Washington and reported to the Surgeon-General. Q. You were assigned to duty as chief surgeon of the First Army Corps? A. Yes, sir. Q. General Brooke was not only the commanding general of the First Army Corps during the entire period of Camp Thomas, but was also in command of the Department of the Gulf ? A. Yes, sir; he had two staffs. Q. What were your duties as chief surgeon of the corps? A. I received three circular letters of instructions and two general army orders from the Surgeon-General, the two general orders, Nos. 58 and 76, indicating the organization of the medical department. My duties then were the organization of the medical department and looking after the hygienic condition of the First Corps. Q. What division hospitals were under your direct charge, and who were the division surgeons? A. When I first arrived in Chickamauga, there was in the First Division a hos- pital which had been established while the regular troops were there, by Deputy Surgeon-General Hartsuff. That was used as a general hospital, receiving the sick from the artillery and from the cavalry and from other sources besides the First Corps. Then I organized, early in June, the Second Division, First Corps, hospital, and the Third Division, First Corps, hospital, and a reserve ambulance 1732 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. company which was attached to headquarters. Then the 1st of July I organized the three ambulance companies for the three divisions. That and the reserve hospital were directly under my charge. The division surgeons were Maj. J. H. Hysell, division surgeon of the Second Division; Maj. J. D. Griffith, from Missouri, the division surgeon of the Third Division; and, in the First Division, Division Surgeon Parkhill, of Colorado. He did not report until the first of the month. In addition, there were two medical officers, Colonel Senn, of the Sixth Corps, and Major Woodbury, of New York, division surgeon appointed to the Sixth Corps, and he had three medical officers on his staff, which more than completed the medical service of that division. Q. When you became surgeon in the First Army Corps, was there a distribution of hospitals, regimental and others, with reference to amount of medical supplies on hand? A. When I first arrived there, there was a division hospital in the First Divi- sion. The regiments of that division also had small regimental hospitals. In the other two divisions, each of the regiments had more or less a regimental hospital. There was no medical officer at that time between the regimental surgeons and myself. None of the Presidential appointments had yet reported. The supply varied considerably. Some regiments-for instance, a Wisconsin regiment and some Western and one or two Pennsylvania regiments-had considerable supplies which were personal or State property. There was practically little or no Gov- ernment property issued up to that time except medicines which they were draw- ing, and medicines which they were drawing in small quantities from day to day from the medical purveyor- on an irregular form-a slip of paper-for what they needed, depending upon what could be found at the supply depot. Q. What was the condition of the supply depot at the time you reported or within a few days after you reported for duty? A. There was a large quantity of some articles and an absolute deficiency of others; that is, in the shape of medicines. Q. What, for example? A. Among the ordinary medicines there were enormous quantities of castor oil, opium pills, quinine, etc., used. They would run out for a day or two and then supplied again in small quantities. Q. Did that condition remain during the entire time you were at Chickamauga? A. No, sir. At the outset, when I arrived there, all requisitions were made through the chief surgeon of Camp George H. Thomas, Deputy Surgeon-General Hartsuff. When I arrived there the medical officers of the First Corps came to me for approval of papers and I was obliged to send all papers through the deputy surgeon-general for his approval or to be cut down in quantities or disapproved, as the case might be. Q. Did any overseeing of the requisitions-did any of that duty fall on you at any time? A. Yes, sir. I commenced at once to put the form of requisition into some system and to equalize the quantities distributed. We went on rapidly after the division surgeons of the Second and Third divisions came, when I was issued a letter by the deputy surgeon-general, requiring that everything should be drawn on a three-months supply basis, according to the medical supply table, and issued from the division hospital instead of direct from the purveyor. That was impossible to be carried out in the First Division, but was issued at a time when the First and Second Division hospitals were in the course of construction, when they had not their personnel of officers who could distribute, and for some time I approved requisitions daily which were disapproved as to the issue of medicines direct to the regiments. Q. Who disapproved them? A. The deputy surgeon-general-Hartsuff. I appealed to General Brooke, call- LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. 1733 ing his attention to the condition of things. The supply was irregular. Articles were on the supply table which did not exist, or, when they did come, would be quickly used up. The deputy surgeon-general insisted upon passing the supplies on the medical supply table, which was not adequate for the troops of green men coming in, having troubles of diarrhea and things of that sort. They required a greater use of drugs than is necessary at garrison posts. Q. Do you know that the necessary medical supplies were at the depot at Lytle in proper quantity to supply the proper requisitions made, based on the field sup- ply table? A. No, sir; they were not. Q. What articles in particular were wanting? A. Well, at the outset supplies such as desks, the means of the medical officers for making proper' requisitions on blanks, the medical chests to hold the medi- cines, because, excepting in a few States that had their own chests, they had no means to take care of them. Q. I mean medical supplies proper-medicines, not the chests, litters, cots, or anything of that sort. A. The medical supplies proper formed the preparations of opium and quinine, salol. Quinine constantly ran short. Q. Do you or not know whether a statement that "at no time were the medi- cines lacking at the supply depot at Lytle " is true or not? A. Such statement is not correct. Q. As your division hospitals were organized, it was not expected that they would supply medicines to various regiments of their own division? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the requisitions that were put in-even the informal ones-honored as fast as ordered? A. They frequently were not. Q. Was it possible at any time during the time you were chief meaical officer of that corps to fill all proper requisitions sent in there, either regimental or division hospital? A. It was not possible. Q. Whose fault was it? A. I can not say. Q. Did you make any representations in writing to either the chief medical officer of the camp or the Surgeon-General of this fact? A. On the 10th day of June I sent a communication in writing to Washington, to the Surgeon-General, the receipt of which was acknowledged, and I made daily representations to the deputy surgeon-general. Q. What was the result? A. Sometimes I would get an increase in quantities. I was told constantly and showed telegrams that articles were on their way, but they were frequently slow in coming. Finally, on application to General Brooke in June, he telegraphed to Washington to get the entire supply. I have a copy of the communication sent to the Surgeon-General at that time. Q. Will you allow me to see it, please? (Paper handed Dr. Conner.) Q. Did or did not the officers in charge of the several division hospitals make requisition in ample time for such medical supplies, including medicines and hos- pital furniture, that were needed, or did they fail to make requisitions? A. They made the proper requisitions. Q. The proper time? A. There were times at the beginning when I knew these supplies did not exist. I would make visits to the storehouse-and the division surgeons did also-and found what it contained, and we still made informal requisitions for what we 1734 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. could get; but before the end of June they made complete requisitions for the full quantity approved by me and sent to the Surgeon-General. Q. Were they honored? A. In full, no, sir. Q. Did you or not, at any time, turn down requisitions sent in to you from offi- cers in charge of the division hospitals? A. I never did, with the exception of one case. I stated, in consultation with the division surgeon himself-I showed him what could be drawn, and if we sent an entire requisition it was simply useless. Q. In what respect? A. Because we knew the supplies were not there. At the same time they had sent in one complete set of requisitions, saying what they needed. Q. Did the requisitions for tentage and flooring go through you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they in all cases approved by you? A. For tentage, always; for flooring, at one time in the Third Division hospital, I disapproved the amount of flooring wanted, because at that time General Brooke intended to move the division, within a day or two, to another locality. Q. And therefore you did not think it wise? A. Did not think it wise to use the time of our men. We needed them. Q. Now, as respects tentage-were you supplied in full in accordance with your requisitions for tents? A. Yes, sir. We did not draw them all at once. Q. But every tent sent for was sooner or later supplied? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know why they were not supplied properly? A. There was rarely more than a few days' delay in securing tentage. The quartermaster in each case would tell me that he would have tentage in a few days, which he did. We did not draw full quantities, because we did not have sufficient men. Q. Did you or not at certain times have an insufficient amount of tentage, so that men who were brought to the division hospitals were compelled to lie out in the open? A. At our hospitals? No, sir. Q. In any one of the hospitals under your command, are you prepared to say that no man was without shelter for any length of time? A. No, sir; they were not. Q. Were you able to furnish flies in sufficient quantity for the men? A. With the exception of one or two small issues, we got the proper fly with the tent. Q. Did you make use of the flies as substitutes for tents? A. No, sir; not as substitutes for tents. We built some hospitals by using flies between the tents in order to give air space. Q. Were any of these intermediate spaces, as you observed them, filled with sick? A. Not filled. There were times when a few sick had to be put in them. Q. Were those intermediate spaces floored at any time? A. In the Second Division hospital they were all floored. The main center and wing on the right-hand side in the Third Division hospital was only partially floored. Q. So it might have happened that men were of necessity put under flies, in cots or stretchers, and kept for weeks, perhaps? A. No, sir; not for weeks. Q. For a week? A. No, sir; not for .a week. LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. 1735 Q. Did you yourself frequently have occasion to visit the hospitals? A. Always every two or three days. Q. In what condition did you find them? A. The Second and Third Division hospitals were always clean and well kept. Q. Who were the chief surgeons of these hospitals? A. In the Third Division Major Griffith was the surgeon, and Clark, from Min- nesota, the immediate surgeon; but Major Griffith spent a lot of time there. Major Hysell was in the Second Division, and Major Shorten, of the One hun- dred and fifty-eighth Indiana, was the surgeon in charge, but possibly changed within a week before I left to Major Badgeley or some one else, I am not sure who. Q. In the First Division? A. When I arrived there Captain Wakeman, U. S. Army, was in charge. The detail of officers was rather informal. Major Woodbury, division surgeon, assigned to the Sixth Corps, reported direct to Major Wilson, and arrived before the division surgeon, Parkhill, and he acted as division surgeon and supervised the hospital himself. Q. Tell us what you yourself observed as respects the policing of the hospitals, the care of the sick, the amount of nursing rendered, the efficiency of the nurses, fitness of the doctors, and everything. A. In the Second and Third Division hospitals-in both cases they were exceed- ingly well-arranged hospitals, well built, well drained, and well taken care of, but they suffered from the lack of proper attendance-of the proper number of hospital-corps men to act as nurses. The First Division hospital never had the same system or finish that the other two had, because in that case I was waiting for the division surgeon himself to come, and just as I got it organized an order came to move; and the orders were constantly changed. There was no discipline or system. At the same time the hygienic conditions were constantly in good order, but not in as good order as in the other two divisions. Q. In the other two divisions were the conditions of the sinks-kitchen and privy sinks-such as they ought to have been? A. Yes, sir; such as they ought to have been, with the proviso that we never had a sufficient number of hospital-corps men as nurses and attendants. Q. Did you yourself make a report to any authority above you of those facts? A. Yes, sir. Q. How often? A. In the communication I handed to you-I called attention to it about the 20th of June. It was when the officers were ordered home to recruit the Third Battalion; I think that was on the 20th or 25th of June. I telegraphed to the Surgeon-General requesting permission to allow those recruiting officers to recruit for hospital-corps men at home, as I was sure I could get a number. Then, again, the 1st of July, when General Brooke (however, there was opposition at that time) came to Washington, early in July, probably about the 10th. Before he went he gave me an order to take arbitrarily 100 men, which was increased to 163 men through General Sheridan's permission. At that time I sent another communi- cation to the Surgeon-General, which covered those points-the urgency of secur- ing other hospital-corps men, and in which I covered these points [paper handed to Dr. Conner]. This covers the very points just given you. Q. Were your communications either to Dr. Hartsuff or the Surgeon-General responded to; in other words, were any special efforts made by the surgeon of the corps or the Army to help you out? A. I was promised that the articles would be ordered and sent. Q. I mean nurses. A. Presumably through the Surgeon-General, the United States recruiting stations sent me some men. After the 1st of July I received 118 United States recruits, in addition to transfer men during the first ten days of July, making 213. 1736 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Two hundred and thirteen regular hospital-corps men were in your hospital? A. Recruited by the United States recruiting officers; new men. They sent 50 from Texas and from Jefferson Barracks in detachments of 8 to 15 men at a time. Q. Did the addition of these 213 men give you a sufficient nursing force? A. No, sir. As fast as I had new men I was establishing the hospitals to the proper size and an ambulance division. Q. The hospital tents had 200 beds? A. Yes, sir. Q. How soon did you find, instead of having 200 beds, you were compelled to have six or seven hundred? A. That never occurred before I left Chickamauga. Q. What was the highest number in the hospitals? A. On the 20th of July in the three division hospitals there were 449 men. I then left. I furnished the three brigades of the First Division with a hospital and carried a reserve hospital to Porto Rico. I approved the requisitions before I left for a reserve hospital. Q. How long before you left Camp Thomas was the reserve hospital organized completely? A. The reserve never had patients in it. It was complete-with the exception of a few men-it was complete by the end of the second week in July. When the brigades of the First Division were ordered away I made arrangements with the chief quartermaster to allow tentage to the First Division to stand, which was to be turned over to Colonel Hoff. I then arranged with the quartermaster to allow that to stand. I took my reserve-hospital tentage and wagons and ambulances and packed the hospital in four sections for the headquarters of the three brigades of the First Division, and then I drew fresh wagons and new tentage, which proved not to be new. It proved to be old tentage. Baltimore tentage. I drew entire hos- pital tentage for the reserve hospital. Q. That reserve hospital, did it or not, during a period of a number of weeks, have a supply of hospital tents before you left? A. It had a complete set of hospital tents, 40 hospital tents. Q. At the same time there was never less than 5 and up to 36 or 40 hospital tents, were there, and not used for any purpose at the time? Men in other divisions and other corps were left on the ground without shelter. Hospital tents were asked for again and again and again, and could not be furnished. Is that so? A. No, sir. Q. Will you please tell me in what respect this is not a fact? A. Because I saw the tentage drawn. Q. Do you know of your own knowledge that these tents were drawn for this reserve hospital and given to other hospitals? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was in charge of that reserve hospital? A. Major Smith. Q. Who was under him? A. Well, during part of the time it was Major Johnson's ambulance company. He drew all tentage originally. In the hospital, Major Smith, Major Bain, and Captain Chalmers; they had a quartermaster appointed early in July. Q. The reason I ask you the question is, we have testimony that at the very time the conditions were as I represent it, the reserve hospital was having this tentage, never less than 5 tents and as high as 3G. They were simply held in reserve and carried off to Porto Rico. A. They were constantly being issued to the divisions. Q. You might draw over 5 tents to-day and draw 10 tents to-morrow, that would only make it the same thing. There were some tents unoccupied at all times in the reserve hospital? LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. 1737 A. Always some after the 1st of July. Q. And during that time-the three weeks before the camp was broken up? A. Yes, sir. Q. During those three weeks were any of those tents absolutely unoccupied? A. Yes, sir. Q. Now, in regard to the condition of the camps of your corps. Did you have occasion to inspect them? A. Yes. sir. Q. How often? A. At the beginning I went over each regiment with a regimental surgeon. I was through the camps completely about twice a week. It required from three to four days to go through the entire camp. Q. In what condition did you find those camps as respects the presence or absence of excrement in and about the tents of the men and in close proximity? A. Some were exceptionally filthy, notwithstanding complaint was made day after day, and others were remarkably clean. Q. After these complaints were made and no attention was paid to them, what was done? A. When I found a camp in that condition I would call the attention of the division surgeon and would visit it again in a day or two, and if not cleaned I would call the attention of the line or commanding officer to it, and in the mean- time I always reported any filthy condition to General Brooke, and he in turn would frequently call my attention to things which he saw. Q. What was the result of this observing and mutual consideration of the filthy condition; were the camps cleaned or otherwise? A. Some were never cleaned as they should be. Q. Whose fault was that? A. The officers of the regiment. Q. That being the case, what should the commanding general of the corps have done? A. The commanding officers frequently would find fault directly and there would be a cleaning of them. Q. What was the duty of the higher officers in case the other officers failed? A. Their functions stop at recommendation. Q. I am asking you, as chief surgeon of the corps, whether or not the whole duty of those in authority did end with the change of orders? A. No, sir; by persistence I got my.place cleaned up as I wanted it. Q. I am not asking you with reference to yours. You could not punish; you can only suggest; but others had the power to order and punish? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there ever an instance in that camp of any colonel or brigade officer or any division commander being called to account by the chief officer of the corps for the neglects going on there? A. That I can not tell. Q. You did not know-nothing has come to your knowledge? A. I know from verbal conversations. How far any orders were given, I do not know. Q. We have been hearing for six weeks that orders were given again and again and again, and that conditions remained j ust the same. It seems to me that after the orders had been issued about two or three hundred times it was time that somebody should have been brought up to time. I want to know whether charges at any time were preferred against any officer for repeated neglects of these sanitary conditions? A. Not as I remember, at Chickamauga. Q. Did it require, when requisitions were sent to you, in order that they might 1738 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. be properly approved and sent on and filled, that the officers should previously consult with you on the subject? A. No, sir. Q. Was it necessary, in order to get anything, that the men had to go to head- quarters and persist in their demands to get anything? Was that the condition of things in that corps? You were the chief surgeon. A. I had to go to headquarters. Q. I am speaking of you. A. No, sir; they never had to. Q. Did you or not know of your own knowledge that medicines which were needed for the sick, and hospital supplies, tentage, etc., required for the sick at Camp Thomas, were taken away or were not furnished, because it was necessary- because those supplies should be all turned into your corps preparatory for leav- ing for Porto Rico? Was any such order as that issued? A. No, sir. Q. Was it the general understanding that that should be done? A. No, sir. Q. Did the quartermasters and medical purveyors and chief surgeons of the camp all insist upon it that everything that there was there should go to the prep- aration of your corps preparatory for leaving for Porto Rico and let the others shift for themselves until you got off? A. With the exception of ordnance, I got more than the other corps did. Q. How did you get more? A. By getting up early in the morning and getting in requisitions early in the morning. Q. Could any man have equally done so? A. I think so. Q. Do you then give us to understand, in order that requisitions might be filled and supplies furnished, that it was absolutely necessary that the chief surgeon of the corps or division surgeon should personally go to Lytle early in the morning to grab for what was there? A. I had to go time and again. Q. Would the others have had to do the same? A. They would have gotten their share. As soon as the new ambulances came- I was in Colonel Lee's presence when a telegram was received stating that they were coming, and I got new ambulances by going to the station before they arrived and waiting until they came. Q. You got your requisitions by being promptly on hand and taking what came in as it came in? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any system adopted? A. They were running in a very parsimonious way. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell me something more about that-how was it run? A. It was run directly under the deputy surgeon- general's dictation. I think the purveyor, if he had ten things to give out, he would rather give out one a day than the ten things at once, even if you were entitled to it. Q. Was it his natural disposition or was it under orders? A. I think so. There was one person he was afraid of-General Brooke. Q. And other times he did not distribute if he could help it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Please go on. A. Now, thermometers. The deputy surgeon-general stated that he had run a hospital so many years at a certain place and they broke so many a year, and LIEUT. COL. BUSH S. HUIDEKOPEK. 1739 therefore we should only break so many a year. He did not seem to understand that green hospital-corps men were less expert and were more liable to break more. Q. Did you or not have thermometers there? A. We got them; sometimes there was a delay about it. Q. Did you have them in sufficient quantities? A. Just to get along with. Q. Please go on about this depot. A. I had to keep track myself of the cars that came in, and fortunately had a friend in the quartermaster's depot, who would let me know what cars came in " for the medical department." Q. Were the inquisitions filled in the order of receipt, do you know, or haphaz- ardly? A. Generally in the order of receipt, excepting if they had a couple of wagons there blocking the door. Q. If an article was there, would the first requisition be filled in full and the second requisition left without anything, or divided? A. Frequently divided. Q. Was that the system, to divide, under the circumstances, or the system to issue in full. A. To divide evenly, with the promise that in two or three days there would be more supplies. Q. Do you or not say there was a great scarcity of exceedingly important drugs? A. There was, sir. Q. Quinine, for example? A. Yes, sir. Q. Calomel? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you inquire why those things were not there? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the answer? A. That they were coming. I reported every afternoon at 4 o'clock to the deputy surgeon-general of the daily wants, and his reports were supposed to come to Washington in the evening telegram at 6 o'clock. Q. Were those articles that you mention lacking on the supply table for many days at a time? A. Some were constantly lacking; yes, sir. Q. Were they constantly lacking because the requisitions were not filled, or taken up as fast as they came in, so that frequently there was nothing left after the first hour or two? A. Both. They came in such quantities, with the exception of a few things, that immediate demands would eat up what there was in the depot, and they did not come there in sufficient quantities to supply the entire requisitions. Q. Were they such articles that could be secured only with difficulty, and there- fore had to be supplied in small quantities, or could they be supplied in abundant quantities? A. No, sir; regimental surgeons and others were able to purchase them else- where, and did so at their own expense, Q. When you went to Porto Rico, will you be kind enough to tell me-you were the chief surgeon at Porto Rico? A. Yes, sir. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell me something about the medical organiza- tion on the island? A. When we had supplied all brigade sections, General Wheeler's-I had given them a complete outfit of transportation, medical chests, medical and surgical chests, medicines 1740 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Where did you get those supplies? A. At Lytle. At each town we had a promise of a large quantity coming in then. I then had requisitions from the chief surgeons of the Second and Third Divisions for their complete supplies, and I had my own requisition, or the requi- sition of the surgeon in charge of my reserve, for his full set. It was understood that the articles would be there in a day or two before we left. A very large quantity of supplies did come, sufficient for me to complete the outfit of the First Division, and what was immediately needed in the Second and Third Divisions, and then I commenced to furnish the reserve. I then found-however, I was told everything was there-when I put in my whole requisition, I found-no, it was Major Hysell-he came to me, and I went to General Brooke and gave my reasons as to why I considered that we needed more than we were being allowed, and General Brooke then indorsed his approval over the deputy surgeon-general's disap- proval, stating that it was his prerogative as to what they should issue. It was at that moment that Major Hysell took his approved requisition for an entire outfit, and accidentally, instead of taking it right down to the depot, he stopped at the deputy surgeon-general's tent, and the deputy surgeon-general disapproved it; articles were marked off [paper handed to Dr. Conner]. I took that paper down and told the supply depot what I wanted; that I had to take myself. When I got the majority of those things-that telegram will show you the list of drugs which were supposed to be there, but which were not there-I then had to telegraph to the Surgeon-General. I got a good supply, but there were two carloads of cots and medicines and quartermaster supplies, 12 extra cooking stoves, and crutches. However, we were not ready to load. They were promised me by a later train at Newport News. I never found them until a month ago. They never reached us. They loaded one-half the transportation on the Seneca and the othei' on the City of Washington. We had hospital wagons, with tentage supplies and ambu- lances, horses, and hospital-corps men. I had 12 officers and 213 hospital-corps men. The animals for the wagons were put on the Massachusetts. We landed at Arroyo, and we had the Third Illinois on our boat, and the St. Paid came in with General Hains with the Fourth Ohio, and Fourth Pennsylvania was divided into two battalions on the Seneca and Roumanian, which had supplies. Each regiment had their officers returned to them after the journey. I had one officer who had gotten on the Seneca by accident. When we unloaded, I had the entire outfit to look after with 1 officer and 16 men, and we lost a certain amount. Some got back and some never got back. However, we had quite enough to put up supplies. We had to use them, as our animals were down at Ponce. We had a hospital then of 120 beds, with quite enough supplies. Later we got others before moving at Coamo. We had quite enough for the hospital during the rest of the summer. Q. You had plenty of supplies for your sick? A. There may have been a shortage of some things, but not important, and I then purchased what was needed at the drug stores at Coamo. Q. Did you at any time have female nurses? A. No, sir. When I took charge of the other part of the island, Colonel Green- leaf left a number of female nurses. Q. Did you observe any lack of attention on the part of any doctor on that island? A. In the hospital ambulance company I had very good discipline. I had to watch people and make them work, but you could not make them work. But in the regiments I did have trouble. Q. What regiment? A. Third Illinois. Q. What was the matter? A. They had a surgeon who persistently at Chickamauga had reestablished a LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUTDEKOPER. 1741 email hospital and had sick in tents in the command. He could break the spirit without breaking the letter of the law in anything, both in cleaning up his sinks and everything else. When we got to Newport News and instructed all brigade surgeons to go through all the regiments and eliminate men not fit for transpor- tation and getting sick and send them to the general hospital at Newport News, which was supposed to have been done. On the St. Louis, on which we were, I had one report every morning. The first day there were 3; the next day there were 6; the next day there were 16 or 19-2 or 3 typhoid-fever cases that had been sick for two or three days. Q. That was in the Illinois regiment? A. Yes, sir. At Coamo it was the same thing. Other regiments took buildings in that town and started small hospitals, which, for several reasons, they had orders to run, a general hospital to keep the troops from and unimpeded by sick men. In addition to that the troops were being thrown out from Coamo onto the mountains, outposts of one company, and often these little hospitals prevented the surgeons from accompanying the regiments to the front, and I called attention to it and sent down an ambulance one afternoon and got word back that their patients should not be sent. I went back myself then. It was nearly dark, and I found the colonel of the Third Illinois and Fourth Ohio, and he stated they would not. I reported the matter to General Brooke, and finally orders were given-that was too late at night to move then-and we had to move them the next morning. Q. Were any charges preferred by you against these men? A. No, sir. Q. Was it or not your duty as chief surgeon, having this absolute violation of orders, was it not your duty to prefer charges? A. I beg pardon, the charges were preferred by me. Through an error of mine, I included two subjects in the same communication, which the Adjutant-General returned to be corrected. One communication I had corrected and forwarded with the other. Q. Was that regiment in a healthy condition all the way through, or otherwise? A. It came from Illinois-Chicago-and left 14 sick at Chattanooga. They never had a clean camp, and if you would clean it up one afternoon it would be dirty the next afternoon. Q. Do you know whether or not these three medical officers of your command made requisitions for medical supplies? A. Major Stephenson, brigade surgeon, made purchases, which, if they had been proper, they would be properly approved, but the form of the bill was one of the things in my charges. The paper had been indorsed by Major Seaman, and it was claimed part of these materials had been furnished. Q. Do you know whether or not this gentleman made any requisition at any time for the articles on the supply table? A. They had at Chickamauga. Q. Did they make requisitions for special preparations in the way of high dilu- tions? A. Yes, sir; and German alkaloids. Q. Did they call for drugs according to their faith, or according to the supply table of the United States Army? A. Well, that I can not say. Q. Was your attention called at all to that fact? A. Yes, sir. Q. As I understand you to say, General Brooke stated he had authority to order things to be supplied as his prerogative? A. Yes, sir. Q. Why, then, during all this time, were these things not furnished, when men 1742 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. claimed to practice medicine? Why was not some representation made to him which would have induced him to exercise that prerogative and secure the proper supplies at that place? If he could have done it at this place, could he not have done it at the others? A. I suppose so. By General Beaver: Q. Doctor, will you please tell the commission of your education as a physician and your previous experience in the military service? A. I studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated there in 1877. After a few months in the summer abroad, I returned and was assistant to Dr. D. Hayes Agnew; held position in University Hospital, Children's Hospital, and did work in the poor district for several years, in addition to which I was assistant demonstrator at the university and was in charge of the " quiz''class for students in 1880. I was then appointed on the staff of the National Guard of Pennsylvania. I then went abroad, on the advice of Dr. Agnew, who wanted to found a school in Pennsylvania. I studied in Paris and received a diploma from the French Government; went to work in Germany, working in a laboratory at Heidelberg, and worked four months in Chaveau, at the time of the discovery of bacillus tuberculosis. I came back to Philadelphia and organized a school and taught anatomy and hygiene. 1 was then coroner's physician at Philadelphia, and I went to New York to lecture on comparative anatomy, and did laboratory work on special hygiene. I was interested in the work of the board of health and from that time during the past four years the only work I did was a matter of poor charity. I had a number of people I treated constantly gratuitously. I go a little fully into this because I have seen what the newspapers have stated. I was brigade surgeon of the National Guard of Pennsylvania, and up to the death of General Hartranft, when I was division surgeon-at the time of the Home- stead trouble-and I had experience in helping General Hastings to clean up the valley after the flood at Johnstown, which required hygienic work. In my suc- cessive trips to Europe I kept up the study of the question of military medicines and general hygiene, and during two winters I gave lectures to the National Guard of Pennsylvania on the hospital service, on the drill of the hospital corps, and camp duties and hospital service. Q. How long were you in the National Guard of Pennsylvania, Doctor? A. From 1884 to 1893, the year of the Homestead strike. Q. When did you organize your reserve hospital in the First Corps? A. In July, just before leaving. Q. What was the object of the organization of that reserve hospital, Doctor? A. It was to have been, and if there had been a necessity for it, would have become a general hospital. The idea of the reserve ambulance was to have a force which could either go ahead with the movement, leaving a force belonging to the divisions to stay with them and make an advance arrangement, or, in case of the troops moving first, the reserve could be left to look after the sick and be the last to move. Q. Did you ever put your reserve hospital into actual operation? A. Not at Chickamauga. I used it merely as a training school; and in drawing large quantities of stores, for instance, I had trouble with the deputy surgeon- general in regard to the number of desks, medical chests, surgical chests, and cooking outfit required. I wanted four to every hospital ambulance, and he objected. He said I wanted too much. The hospital test never came into actual use, although I had-at the outset I had twelve instead of six, using them as I later established the three division ambulance companies; and I took three officers and sent them back to organize their own division, having had some experience. The issue of the ambulances was a thing almost entirely new. With every section LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. 1743 ambulance we had a small wagon with tentage that they could put up on the field. Q. You spoke of your hygienic inspections and of certain camps being specially filthy and certain camps being specially clean. Were those the same-were the camps that were filthy, filthy still, and the camps that were clean, clean still? A. Yes, sir. Q. What would be the indication of that? A. It would be the general carelessness of not watching company cooks, not keeping the trenches covered. The constant answer you would get was they have had to drill and these men are recruits and these men can not be as good as experi- enced men. Q. Had general orders, so far as you know, Doctor, been issued as to the way in which the camps should be policed and the garbage disposed of? Do you know of any general order for Camp Thomas directing the cremation, for instance, of the garbage? . A. No; I do not know of any orders. There was an order directing the burning of everything that was possible from the kitchens. In Porto Rico I had a furnace there, in which we burned everything. Q. Can you recall any of the camps that were specially filthy as to the regi- ments, and the division in which they were found? A. Yes, sir; the three dirtiest were the Third Illinois, One hundred and fifty- eighth Indiana, and the Twelfth New York. Some of the Western regiments were the cleanest; they kept everything clean. Q. Was the character of the soil the same throughout Camp Thomas? Was it possible in all places to get the same depth of sink? A. It could be dug if wanted to. The Second Division was on a slope, and it was very healthy. There was an objection to clay basins, which held the water. The same thing occurred over in the Third Division, back of the Fifth Pennsyl- vania, the Twelfth Minnesota, and one battalion of the Ninth Pennsylvania, and those were the three that had the principal amount of clay. Q. Was the character of the subsoil and the stratification of the rock the same throughout the entire camp, or did it vary? For instance, did the rock run hori- zontally continuously, or did it change? A. It changed somewhat. There was a place up above the First New Hamp- shire where it was almost as flat as the bed of a river; it was up at the edge of that that they had the clay bed. Q. Were there other parts where the rock was vertical? Did the strata of the rock change? A. There were some places where they were at a considerable angle. Q. Was it not possible in some parts to have drainage through the stratification? A. Yes, sir. Q. One place it held the water? A. Yes, sir. In most of the slate parts it had good drainage; it was only in these large basins of clay that they had not. Q. To what extent did you furnish disinfectants to the troops at Camp Thomas, Doctor? A. Scarcely at all. That was forbidden by the deputy surgeon-general at the outbreak, the 30th day of June. I have the paper in my desk. One of the brigade surgeons (Stephenson) made application for a quantity, and when I took the requisition to Colonel Hartsuff he indorsed them back. It is Army Regulations 1462, I think, which forbids its use. That was another matter which had to be taken to General Brooke, and he stated we would have to have lime, and then came a carload about the 8th or 10th (I lost the papers). The first requisitions that came from the Third Division followed directly on the report. Here is a paper I would like to hand you [paper handed to General Beaver]. I have seen 1744 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. in newspapers they talk about an enormous quantity of illness in Chickamauga. These figures are the Adjutant-General's, made trimonthly up to the time I left. The highest sick report, including men in quarters, was on the 20th of July (sec- ond trimonthly), when we had a force of thirty-six thousand five hundred and odd men, including 3,000 sent to Charleston-our total sick was 1,419. Our sick in hospital the 20th of June was 1,349. Where the papers have published an enor- mous amount of sickness at Chickamauga it certainly was not in the First Corps. Q. According to these reports, Doctor, what was the maximum number of sick in the First Corps during the time that you were the surgeon? A. On the 20th day of July, when there were a littAover 1,400, all the Pennsyl- vania regiments came in with their extra four companies. Their regiments had filled up to their maximum. There were 30,000 at the end of June that we had filled up with over 6,000 new men, all green recruits, and who ran up the sick list very much with measles, diarrhea, etc., which were not serious cases. On the 30th of June, including suspect cases, there were 124. I think of these only 60 cases were diagnosed as typhoid fever, and that followed the first outbreak. It increased somewhat between that time and the time I left, but not in the First Corps to any great extent. By Dr. Conner: Q. You were speaking about the incline strata. Do you or not know whether or not any surface drainage could, because of this inclination of the strata, find its way into any of the driven wells in the park? A. In that report you will find one case of one battalion of the Ninth Pennsyl- vania in which we traced the typhoid fever to the overflowing of the sinks in that battalion, and the same with another regiment that used the same well. There were half a dozen cases, and that well was immediately closed up. These two battalions used the same wells, and one battalion that used from another well had no sickness. Q. In your judgment was or not the water supplied by the driven wells and pipe lines at Chickamauga good water? A. It was good water unless contaminated. Q. Was it likely to be contaminated? A. In this case the well was. Q. How was that determined? A. It was simply a chemical determination. Q. No mineralogical or bacteriological determination? A. No, sir. By General Beaver: Q. In private practice, if you find a family using a well and they have typhoid fever, and there is another- family next door using a well and do not have typhoid fever, you would infer that the first well was contaminated? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there a sufficient number of nurses? A. There was a deficiency of nurses when 1 went to Chickamauga. I visited the regiments to get men, and had trouble in getting them. I asked the adjutant- general to transfer them from the regiments. It happened that there was a con- stant opposition among the doctors to act. Men who wanted to be hospital corps nurses, who had more or less training, made application on the adjutant-general's form. Finally, in July, I had to have more men for the service, and I sent to Gen- eral Brooke and told him, and he gave me arbitrary authority to take them. I had a list of names, and I took that list and took men arbitrarily. I used every courtesy that was possible. Then, when it was found that I had authority to take a number of men arbitrarily, in came commanding officers and volunteered a list, LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. 1745 and I simply added them on. General Brooke told me to take 100. The way I got 163 men, the adjutant-general issued the order. One regiment gave me an epileptic and another had a drunkard. That class of men were given to nurse their own sick, and then they complained of the want of service. Then the same men who made the greatest objection to furnishing hospital corps men were the men that would come around in the morning and demand an ambulance to take them on rifle practice, and in one case a colonel called his men up who were being trans- ferred and told them he was ashamed of them; that the only reason they made application to become nurses was because they were cowards. By General Wilson: Q. Name the colonel, please. A. Colonel Case, Fourth Pennsylvania. I made charges in this case, which I never heard of afterwards, but that was the difficulty I had in getting the men. By General Beaver: Q. The colonels were anxious to get rid of the poor men and keep the good men for more important service? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. Were they the first men to complain when the men were not properly cared for? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. What section of the Regulations did you refer to about the disinfectant? A. 1462. By General Beaver: Q. Colonel, what is your idea as to the manner in which the troops were encamped at Camp Thomas? Did they have sufficient ground for your regiment? A. The Second Division did. The others were somewhat crowded in July. I had been instructed by General Brooke to call on General Sanger and go with him to select new ground that had originally been reserved for the Sixth Corps, when telegrams came that the entire corps would be moved. That was before we left. Q. Do you know why it was that troops were put under the trees and the open ground all left, practically? A. Well, they were not put under very heavy trees. Q. They were put under the trees that were there? A. At the time-I know they were under the trees when I arrived at Chicka- mauga. However, it was intensely hot and the ground was perfectly dry then where they were established. Q. Were the floors lifted and the tents exposed to the sun? A. Not as it should have been. By Dr. Conner: Q. Was the medical attention given in Porto Rico such as it should have been to the sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. The very sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you, as the chief surgeon, observe any instances of neglect or investigate any incompetency among the medical men? A. No, sir; with one exception of a regimental surgeon; they had to hurry up their work. Q. They were trying to do it? 1746 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; they had their officers over them. Q. At Porto Rico was any complaint made to you as chief surgeon of the corps that men were being neglected? A. No, sir. Q. You had no occasion to report on a matter of this sort to any officer about it? A. No, sir. Complaint was made of men by Colonel Hartsuff in the middle of July. Colonel Hartsuff came and complained of tho condition of the First Division hospital, of which I was perfectly afware. The reason of it is. not that the men were neglected, but the general system was wrong. Papers had disappeared when the chief surgeon of that division left Chickamauga. He took the clerk of the hospital with him to Charleston and took practically all the good clerks with him and everything, and they all disappeared one afternoon, and the hospital was in a very demoralized condition for a few days, because I had to utilize everyone. Q. Was that when Dr. Hartsuff took charge of the hospital and run it himself a while? A. He did not run it himself. Q. He reports that practically when he was in charge running it. A. I think his communication is lying on my desk with my indorsement to him, in which he offers to take charge of it, and I declined absolutely, and I went there and saw'to it myself, and the man w'ho took charge was Major Birmingham, of the Third Division. He did offei' to take charge, but he did not go further than an offer on paper, for General Brooke would have stopped him immediately. By General Dodge: Q. Was the sickness in Porto Rico on account of the climate? A. Yes, sir; there was a great deal of climatic fever in some form of malaria. I think the first intermittents we had were brought with us. Then the new type that developed there was a low type of remittent fever, or a simple fever running five or six days. The greatest depression was after the protocol was signed. Q. How was the condition of the sick when you left there? A. Very much improved. The height of the illness had been reached, and there had been a decided decrease within the last ten days. Q. Were there any applications or reports made to you at Chickamauga recom- mending moving the camps from the groves they occupied by the regiments before you left there? A. That was under consultation. I had a talk with General Sanger. I sent to General Sanger and he said the division is going to move in a few days. At chat time we were receiving telegrams from Washington that the whole corps would go. By Dr. Conner: Q. At any time that you were there were there any tents standing during the entire time? Were they struck so far as you know? A. That I can not say positively, but I believe there were. Q. Were any efforts made to secure a proper change of the camp-taking down and putting up the tents again? A. That was frequently done, but I could not say-that is. taking them right in rows. That was frequently done here and there, but whether it was done system- atically in the entire camp I can not say. By General Dodge: Q. Was there a general order furnished all the troops there as to the general sanitation of the camps? A. Yes, sir; there was an order issued before I came to Chickamauga, which I have not a copy of. Q. Who wks that order issued by? A. General Brooke. 1747 LIEUT. COL. RUSH S. HUIDEKOPER. Q. Going into full details? A. That was issued, but the First Corps existed practically as a corps. I have seen it, but it covered tentage and many othei* things; but I have not a copy of it. By General Wilson: Q. Was that order carried out? A. I don't believe any more than here and there. The only trouble was, you could not be several places at once. By General Dodge: Q. Was not there an order of the Surgeon-General issued that covered these questions? A. Yes, sir. Q. That order was furnished all the troops? A. Yes, sir. Q. In your opinion, Doctor, what was the cause of this great prevalence of typhoid fever at Chickamauga? A. Well, beyond, just as I say, that up to the time I left the source was the center of the First Division and localized spots of the Third Division. It was not a long time after I heard it had spread. It must have continued in the same camps. I did not know the Charleston troops had a great deal. They went into a swampy camp for ten days. Q. Do you or not know of the issuing of licenses to an immense number of hucksters going through the camps. A. That was kept down a great deal; that is, they were required to have licenses and a knowledge of what they could sell. If we found them selling anything which they should not, we took the licenses away from them. Q. But still licenses were given to them for traveling through the camps all the time? A. More or less. Q. Was any objection made by the medical officers? A. Occasionally, noting some particular thing they were selling that they should not sell. Q. Don't you think it was a mistake to allow them to sell everything? A. Yes, sir; but still the boxes the soldiers got from home were just as bad. They got boxes from home with pies four days old and spoiled; and they were just as bad as what they bought. By Dr. Conner: Q. Don't you think 50 per cent of the sickness in your command would have been prevented if the men had been prevented from going outside the limits of the camp? A. I think that is too large a percentage, because if you take measles and mumps, that will take off a big percentage. I think measles and mumps (of course venereal diseases were gotten outside the camp)-but I think these three diseases will cover 25 per cent. Q. It has been stated that 50 per cent, indirectly or directly, was consequential upon the men leaving the camp. A. There is no question a large proportion was. Q. Do you know at whose request and upon whose authority the order was issued which increased from two to six the number of passes allowed each com- pany a day for the men to go to Chattanooga? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know that such orders were issued? A. No, sir; I never knew that there were more than two. 1748 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Washington, D. C., November 14, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. THOMAS T. KNOX. Maj. Thomas T. Knox, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of the inquiry, and, having no objection, was thereupon sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Will you kindly give us your full name? A. Thomas T. Knox, major, inspector-general, United States Army. Q. What was your rank and regiment previous to your late appointment as major in the Inspector-General's Department? A. Captain, United States First Cavalry. Q. Where have you served since the declaration of the war with Spain? A. Several days before the declaration, I think the 19th of April, I left with the command for Fort Riley, Kans. I went from there to Chickamauga Park and left there the 14th of May for Florida, I think, and we were encamped at Lake- land, Fla., 1 think, until the 11th of June, when we went to Port Tampa, and were loaded there on a transport and sailed with the expedition with General Shafter on the 14th of June. Q. Did you have any unusual experience; and if so, what, before going aboard the transports? A. No, sir. Q. How long were you aboard the transport before sailing for Cuba? A. Six days. Q. When did you land at Cuba and at what point did you disembark? A. The 23d of June; at Daiquiri. Q. What facilities did you have for disembarking? A. My regiment had a lighter called the Laura, which was there, and which we used. Q. Did you have your horses with you? A. No, sir; they were left in Florida. Q. Did the officers have their horses? A. Only some of them had-the field officers. Q. At what time did you disembark, in reference to the other troops; were you the first? A. No, sir. We disembarked on the second day. Q. What troops had landed before you did, then? A. I think it was General Lawton's division. Q. There was no opposition to your landing, I suppose? A. None whatever. Q. How long did you remain at Daiquiri? A. From about 9 o'clock as we moved out from Daiquiri; probably three-quarters of a mile, and there we halted to go into camp. We remained there until about 4 o'clock that afternoon and were given orders to break camp and move out at once. Q. Now, will you go on, if you please, and in your own way, in narrative form, give us a general idea of that entire campaign, day after day, including engage- ments, and, taking it for granted that you were wounded, which we heard in the newspapers, give us your experience as a wounded officer after the fight? A. I could not give it for the company entirely, as I was wounded in the first campaign. The next day, as I remarked a few moments ago, we started on march at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and marched until 9 that evening, the 23d of June, and there we bivouacked for the night. We had reveille at 3 o'clock in the morn- ing, and the command had orders to be at Siboney at 5 o'clock in the morning to unite with a squadron of the Tenth Cavalry. W e were there at 5 and remained A. No, sir. MAJ. THOMAS T. KNOX. 1749 only a short time. The other squadron joined us-a staff officer of General Young's was there and showed us which road to take. We moved on the lower road or right hand. The other regiment-the Rough Riders-was out on the hill. • About 8 o'clock we halted for a little while and then were put on march again, and moved out to a point about 4 miles from Siboney and formed a line there. My own troop was on that day's march; that's the rear one of the squadron. As my troop came out we were shown which position we were to occupy, and it so hap- pened that that was in the open. My own troop was put into position by me (I was designated where to move) and within a very few minutes there was a heavy fire opened with smokeless powder, and it took us some little while to locate that fire. We made heavy losses there; there were five men killed in a few minutes. Q. Had there been any indications of the enemy previous to that? A. 1 was the rear squadron. The leading troop was probably deployed, and Generals Wheeler and Young had information that the enemy was there and they evidently had a view in putting us in position at that point. Then when the fire became heavy I changed to the front and got the men better covered. We were afraid that our fire would strike the other men. After this change of position we got into a sunken road and the men were better under cover; about three quarters of an hour, as well as I could judge-I did not look at my watch-I was wounded at that time-I being the only officer of the troop, I remained with the command some little time and giving instructions that no ground was to be given up; that they were to remain there until some officer joined them. Then I went back probably 150 yards to the surgeon, who dressed my wounds. Q What did he find? A. He stated the "jig was up." He found I was shot through the body and had lost a great deal of blood and was very weak. Q. Describe your wound. A. Being the only officer, I was up and down the line. 1 had a number of new men, and under fire I noticed their nervousness-nothing more. I was up and down the line observing this, and as I returned from one end of the line I was struck in the small of the back, and the doctor said I was shot through the kid- ney, the liver, and lung, and two ribs were broken, and then remaining on the line as long as I did and walking back I lost considerable blood, and they said I would die, and some say now I should be dead, rather than living. Q. Was that all done by a single ball? A. Yes, sir. By Colonel Denby: Q. Did the ball go through you? A. Yes, sir. By General Beaver: Q. Was there any assistance for the wounded other than this dressing station to which you went, 150 yards to the rear? A. Yes, sir. When the first man was hurt, I called for my Hospital Corps near by, and two, I think, came out, and the doctor who was there. Q. On the firing line? A. Yes, sir; they were under heavy fire, and he dressed these men's wounds. It was a very courageous thing to do. The men received attention. Q. Give us his name. A. Dr. Dellaguado. Q. Where is he from? A. Born in Cuba, I think, but lived a great many years in New York. I think he is an American citizen. He was a contract doctor in this campaign. Q. How did it come that you were compelled to walk 150 yards to receive assistance? 1750 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Well, I did not see any one at that particular time of the Hospital Corps. Knowing the hospital was a short distance back, and not wishing to take any men from the firing line-one or two men came out and I said I could go back myself, and I went back, knowing that at the field hospital there were some of the doctors there. I walked back. Q. Did the surgeons at this field hospital have facilities for caring for the wounded? A. Such facilities as the field hospital would render, I suppose. I do not think they had any surgical instruments. They had bandages and some medicines. They gave me some morphine. Q. Did they have a table upon which to place you? A. No, sir. Q. What did they do for your wound-simply bandage it? A. Yes, sir; that's all. Q. Where did you go from that point? A. 1 remained there until the fight was over, and when the wounded were all collected from there, I was taken on a litter into Siboney, and after waiting there until the Olivette came, I was placed on the Olivette that evening at 8 o'clock. Q. Had you any surgical assistance in the meantime? A. No, sir; my wounds had all been dressed and they thought nothing more was to be done. By General Wilson: Q. Will you please state what the doctor said to you when he saw you in the morning? A. Yes, sir. I was put on the Olivette. I was carried up into the saloon and placed on the dressing table, and there all the clothing was cut off me and the wounds examined and redressed, and then I was carried into a stateroom and put in there. The doctor went into Colonel Bell's stateroom and said I could not live but a few hours and was very sorry they could not do anything for me, I was beyond all help; and the next morning the doctor came in and saw me. Previous to that he gave me an injection of strychnine and brandy, I think, and several more were given in the night, and the next morning the doctoi- came in and saw me and walked off. I wanted nourishment, and he gave me beef tea. For several days the doctors thought my condition critical. They thought every hour I would die, and it was three or four days they thought I had no chance of recovery. Q. What kind of attention did you have on the Olivette? A. Very good. Q. Who were the physicians in charge of the wounded on that vessel? A. When I was first put in. I think Dr. Pope-or Colonel Pope-was the senior medical officer, and Captain Munson was there, and Dr. Parker, of New Orleans, had charge of me. He was a skillful man. He objected to any operation in cut- ting me open for the intestines to be removed. Q. No operation of that kind was performed? A. No, sir; no operation at any time. The wound was simply dressed. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you have any discharge from your wounds at any time? A. I don't know. Q. Dressings were dry, as far as you know? A. I think there was a little, from the remarks I heard them make. Q. How long was it before you were able to walk about? A. About two months. Q. How long before you were able to sit up? A. About three weeks. Q. Was Dr. Appel in charge at that time? A. No, sir. MAJ. THOMAS T. KNOX. 1751 A. Coining up from Siboney the ship put into an old port for the purpose of landing, and there we were told that the other ships that preceded us occupied all the hospital room. Q. Where did you go when you arrived? A. Fort Wadsworth. Q. Was the care and attention received there good and proper? A. Yes, sir. Q. It has been charged that there was gross neglect to patients there. Did you see anything of that? A. None, as far as I know. Q. Who was in charge? A. Dr. John Hall Q. And every care and attention, as far as you know, was extended to the sick and wounded? A. Yes, sir. By General Wilson: Q. How long were you at Tampa? A. At Tampa proper, only a few hours. Q. At Port Tampa? A. We stopped at Lakeland, 30 miles east of Tampa. Q. How long were you at that camp? A. I think from the 16th or 17th of May until the 7th of June. Q. While you were there did your command receive from the several depart- ments all that was necessary and all that you asked for? A. Yes, sir; sometimes we might have to wait several days. Q. Did your men suffer for having to wait? A. No, sir. Q. Was the camp in which you were located a good one or otherwise? A. Excellent. Q. When you landed at Cuba, you moved forward from Siboney? A. From Daiquiri at first. Q. Had you in mind or had you heard of any definite plan as to where you were going, or were you following the march of others? A. At that time we landed the second day, and we were placed in camp near Daiquiri. The other camp, which arrived the day before, were carried out to the interior, and when we moved we followed that same road which they took until we reached the leading camp in the direction of Santiago. Q. The direct question I asked was, whether you had heard of any definite plan of campaign or whether you were moving forward? A. Only moving forward, as far as I know. By General Beaver: Q. During the campaign after leaving Tampa, state whether or not your men were supplied properly with food on transport and after landing up to the time you left there. A. There were such rations as we can generally draw; only the travel rations. Q. You had full travel rations? A. Yes, sir. Q. After landing, did they give you a field ration or travel ration? A. Travel ration up to the time I left. Q. You had not received your coffee after landing at Daiquiri? A. We took that with us. Q. So your men had coffee after landing? A. The field rations were not landed at that time. 1752 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. You became engaged as soon as you got there; so there was no opportunity for rations to come to you? A. Yes, sir; I don't know anything of the campaign beyond that point. Q. In what condition did you regard your men when you landed for an aggres- sive campaign? Were they in good condition or otherwise? A. The worst I ever saw them, and reported so. Q. What was the cause of that? A. Sixteen days shutdown in the hold of the ship without exercise, and the men were in splendid condition when we left Florida. Q. Did they have any opportunity for fresh air at all? A. Oh, yes; they came out on deck when they liked, and they were required to come out part of the time, but still it was not enough for men in that condition. Q. What boat were you on? A. The Leona. Q. How many men were aboard her? A. Fourteen troops. There were originally 16, and two were taken off, being too crowded. Q. What facilities for disembarking went with you upon the vessel upon which you went? A. We had a tow with our ship, an open flatboat-lighter. Q. Did you carry it there with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it used? A. I do not know, sir. The day before we landed a message came to turn it over to another ship, from General Ludlow, and we turned it over. Q. Of the Quartermaster's Department? A. No, sir; the chief engineer. By General McCook: Q. Did you see that ship loaded? A. Yes, sir. Q. What system had you for taking care of the rations and everything? A. The tentage and heavy articles were put in the hold of the ship. The field rations were stored on the deck, and the travel rations were taken with the men. By Colonel Denby: Q. What was the name of the fight in which you were engaged? A. La Guasimas. Q. Did you know you were going into it? A. Nothing more than the men would know under those circumstances-the purpose of our being there, and having heard the day before that the Spanish were in that vicinity. Q. Any notice given by the general commanding to the surgeons to get ready for the fight? A. I don't know anything about that. Q. Were there any ambulances? A. No, sir; there were none taken with the expedition that I saw. Q. Were there any litters; did you take them with you? A. I don't know; I did not see them. Q. Did you see them used for the wounded? A. One was used for me. Q. How many were there? A. There was another officer, Colonel Bell, wounded after I was. He used one. Q. You saw two, then? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many did you have? Was your whole regiment there? MAJ. THOMAS T. KNOX. 1753 A. No, sir. Two squadrons went down, but only one moved out for this fight. Q. A squadron has how many companies? A. Four. Q. You call them troops in the cavalry? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many men? A. Seventy men in mine. The others had 65, I suppose. Q. How many surgeons did you have? A. Two with the regiment. Q. How many did you have in that field? A. One with the four troops. Q. Is that enough going into an engagement? A. It depends on how much work they have to do. Q. You anticipate when you go into an engagement that somebody is going to get hurt? A. It would have been better to have had more. Q. This hospital you went to, what kind was it, the field hospital? You stated you went back to some place after you were hurt. A. It was nothing at all, except that is where the doctors were. It is a place for dressing wounds. It was no building or tent; it was simply out of the fire. Q. It was simply a kind of a hole in the ground? A. No, sir. It was protected from fire; it was on the side of a hill, so the fire would not strike the men. Q. How many of a hospital corps did you have with you? A. Well, I do not know, sir. Q. Were any preparations made at all for the fight? If so, tell us what they were. A. I was in a position not to tell much about the preparations. Q. How was that, your regiment was starting off? A. What orders were given them I don't know, except I was told to march out. I received orders from my immediate superior officer. Q. Were you brigaded or fighting as a company, or what? A. We started down as a brigade. Q. What brigade? A. Second Brigade Cavalry-General Young's brigade. When we got there they took just half of the men of the two regiments in camp there. Q. Both regulars? A. Yes, sir. Q. Both cavalry? A. Yes, sir. Q. And they left the other two at Siboney? A. No, sir; one in Florida. We have three squadrons to cavalry in the regi- ment; one was left behind to look after the horses. The other squadrons went down there. One went out on the firing line and the other went to Daiquiri. Q. Were you brigaded when you went out or went alone? A. The brigade commander was alone. He took only eight troops of those two regiments. Q. Were they in this same fight? A. Yes, sir; General Wheeler's and Young's were with us part of the time, I think all. Q. What part did General Young command? A. All the troops that went out there. Q. What did General Wheeler have command of? A. That brigade and the other brigade. He was in command, but not exercis- ing immediate command. 1754 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. General Shafter was not in command? A. Yes, sir; but he was not in this fight. Q. Where was he? A. He was on the transport. Q. I would like to find out whether, in your opinion as a military man, there was proper care to provide for contingencies? A. I think that with the material they had every provision was made that could be made. Q. Why didn't they have more material? A. You spoke about the doctors-I said they should have had some. I suppose they could not get any more. Q. You simply suppose or do you know? A. I know it. Q. Why couldn't they get more doctors? A. Because the orders gave them that number, and the order was based on the law. Q. That order was made before they left Tampa? A. Each regiment was to take two surgeons. Q. I suppose it is pretty well understood that two surgeons are not enough for a regiment going into battle? A. I don't think that is enough. Q. Then somebody is to blame? A. Well. I don't know who it is, I am sure; maybe it is the law. The law gives us so many, and that is all they can have. Q. Do you imagine there is any law to prevent a government from sending enough surgeons with troops in the field? A. Yes, sir; the law provides for so many. Q. That is for peace, isn't it? A. No, sir. Q. Oughtn't they to have had ambulances? A. Under ordinary circumstances, yes, sir; but we had to have our horses also, but the situation was that they wanted to get every man on that expedition that it was possible to take, and for that reason we had to leave our horses. Every foot of available space had to be utilized to make room for the men. Q. I don't presume to criticise the military operations. I don't know whether that is in the purview of this commission or not, but it is within the purview of our duty to find out whether proper efforts were made to take care of the men and provide for them in every possible manner that could be done. A. This was a hastily organized expedition, which at the time was extremely important, and great haste was made in getting that expedition started, and, after we landed, in getting it to move, and had we had more material and time, there might have been more conveniences and comfort. Q. Would there have been more, in your opinion? A. I think so. Q. Ought there to have been more? A. I don't think-I said ' ' care. " There was all the care under the circumstances. Q. Ought there to have been more ambulances and more litters? A. It would have been better to have them, I think. Q. Ought there to have been a hospital tent or some tent for the wounded? A. I don't think that was necessary, because the wounded were there only tem- porarily. To have their wounds dressed, they could be sent to the hospital or hospital ship. Q. How far did they have to take the wounded? A. Four miles. MAJ. THOMAS T. KNOX. 1755 Q. And then was there a hospital tent? A. Yes, sir; there was a building used as a hospital and also a hospital ship. By General Wilson: Q. Did you know how seriously you were wounded when you were shot? A. I knew being shot through the body was pretty serious. Q. How long did you remain on the firing line? A. Ten minutes. Q. Why? A. In the excitement of the fire I rather forgot myself, and knowing that the position was an extremely important one to hold-we were under very heavy fire-if we had ever given way, they could break through our line. General Wilson. That's exactly what I want to get at. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you have with your command the two troops of cavalry that you took from Tampa-the ambulances allowed to two troops of cavalry? A. Two squadrons you mean. I do not know. I did not see any myself. Q. Do you know whether or not there was as many as, or more than, four ambu- lances with it? A. I do not know. I did not see any. Q. Didn't hear of any? A. Not at that time. Q. You were speaking of the necessities of rapidly leaving the country. You were seven or nine days on transports within 20 or 40 miles of land at Tampa? A. We were held there six days. Q. During that time wasn't there ample provision for supplying you with every- thing you needed? A. I don't know, sir. Q. Wasn't there time enough? A. Yes, sir; but the transports were so crowded with men, and that was con- sidered the desideratum or very essential element in the matter. Q. But was it absolutely necessary that ambulances should be left behind and medical stores should be packed in the bottom of the ships, or if twenty more trans- ports bad been furnished-you had twenty or thirty transports? A. We had thirty-five. Q. If you had put one additional medical officer on each transport would it have added materially to the crowding? A. No, sir. Q. Was there any reason why the men should be short of doctors? A. I don't know. Q. Did your chief medical officer (Dr. Pope, I believe)-do you know what efforts he made to secure propei- medicines and supplies for that expedition? A. I do not know, sir. My time was occupied with my own duties. Q. Will you tell how long you were at Lakeland? A. From the 16th or 17th of May until the 7th of June. Q. Three weeks? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it or not true that Lakeland camp was a frightful hole? A. I think it is an excellent camp. Q. Do you know anything about the food there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Good or otherwise? A. Good. Q. Was the meat bad and water bad and food unfit to eat? 1756 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. The water was good. The meat on one or two occasions had to be con- demned. It was sent from Chicago in refrigerator cars, but generally speaking it was good. Q. Up to the time you left there, had there been any condemnation of the water as unfit for drinking? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. Did you regard it as unfit? A. I drank it constantly and always thought it good. Q. Would you say, judging from Lakeland, it was an awful place? A. I regard it as an excellent place for Florida. Q. Will you tell us about your inspection of Camp Myer prior to the 29th of September? Did you make that inspection? A. Yes, sir. Q. Will you please tell us something about it? A. A paper was referred to me for investigation. The Acting Secretary of War told me some complaints had been made about the hospital at Fort Myer and asked me to go and make an investigation. I went there and called on the gen- eral surgeon and told him the object of my visit and asked him a number of ques- tions, all of which he answered satisfactorily, and he showed me through the different hospitals, the wards, kitchens, and dining room at Fort Myer. The Acting Secretary told me to see a Mrs. Greene-I think it was-who had charge of the diet kitchen; that some complaints came from her. I saw her and listened to her complaints, and after this talk- one of her objections or grievances against the administration was that her nurses, the Red Cross, or whatever they may be, had been compelled to eat in a room with the male nurses and, I think, some of the negroes there, and that they also had been compelled to eat off the plates that had been used by the typhoid-fever patients. There was a vacant building there adjoining this very large hospital, which was formerly a riding hall, which was not occupied. The post surgeon said that the reason he had not had it occupied was that he was waiting to see if the number of patients would increase, and if so, he would then need that hospital for the convalescents. Finding that was really the basis of the most of the feeling from Mrs. Greene and her assistants, I recommended in my report that they be given the use of that second building for the purpose of messing there; and there were other complaints of a serious character, but it was against orders and it was exceptional and I thought it was not likely to occur again. In one case the excreta of a typhoid-fever patient was thrown out. Of course a great number of flies were there, and that would, they supposed, lead to the spread of the disease; but as far as I could learn, it occurred only once, and I mention it as being an exceptional thing and contrary to orders and not likely to occur again. Q. Did you find any good reasons for the complaint existing other than that? A. No, sir. Q. Find the hospital in good order? A. Yes, sir. Q. You found nothing else to take exception to? A. Nothing. Q. Your recommendations were acted upon? A. I think so, but am not certain. Q. Do you know whether any further complaints were made by anybody? A. I do not think so. Q. Was the medical officer in charge any more responsible foi' the fact that the excreta had been thrown out than an officer of your regiment would be if men defecated in the camps? A. No, sir. Q. (Reading from report.) What was the condition? You say, " I am convinced MAJ. THOMAS T. KNOX. 1757 that a lack of harmony exists between the medical department at the post and the Red Cross persons there." What was the occasion for that trouble? Was it confined to Fort Myer? A. That which is referred to in that report. Q. I mean, have you heard of any similar conditions elsewhere? A. No, sir; there was no friction. Q. Was the occasion of friction there that already stated? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any particular reason why the women nurses should be compelled to eat with negroes and male nurses? It is claimed all female nurses had to eat at the same table with the male nurses and negroes. Was there any reason for that sort of thing existing there? A. I presume there was no other place for them to eat. Q. Were there no facilities for giving a proper dining place to female nurses at that time? A. Not unless this vacant building could be used. Q. Was there no other room that could be used? A. There might have been, but it was very remote from the kitchen, as far as my observation went. I did not look into that point particularly. I did not think of it; but as far as the administration building was concerned, every room was fully occupied. Q. Wasn't there an open attic of considerable size that could be used for that purpose, or a cellar? A. I did not see either of them. Q. There was no further friction after this time? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. No complaints made? A. Not that I know of. Q. Did you, as inspector, observe the condition of the men in the wards? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they well cared for? A. Yes, sir. Q. Everybody attentive? A. Yes, sir. Q. Sufficiency of nurses? A. As far as I could judge. I saw a number there. Q. Did they have any complaints to make to you? A. No, sir. Q. Did you ask any of them if they did? A. No, sir. I asked Mrs. Greene to ask, and she said there was none. By General Beaver: Q. Were there any complaints made by the female nurses as to any lack of privacy in their separate lodgings? A. That was not referred to. It was only the question of food and where they were to eat. The following letter was submitted: War Department, Inspector-General's Office, Washington, September 29, 1898. The Assistant Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. Sir: I have the honor to report that I made the inspection of the general hos- pital at Fort Myer, Va., as directed, and found it to consist of 22 wards, with a capacity of 544 patients. At present there are 260 patients there. I found the 1758 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. wards, bath rooms, closets, kitchens, kitchen utensils, storerooms, mess rooms, and furniture to be in good condition. There have been 30 deaths there since August 11, 1898, 27 of these dying from typhoid fever. The police was very good; also the diet. There are 40 female nurses, 12 contract male nurses, and 10 men of the Hospital Corps on this duty. I found Mrs. Dr. Greene there, but not Dr. Booth, he being absent. As to the amount of funds accruing from General Order No. 116, Adjutant- General's Office, 1898, the post surgeon informed me that $2,700 had been supplied by the Subsistence Department, all of which except $20.38 had been used in pay- ment of the August bills. He could not tell me the amount that would be used in September, as the bills had not yet been presented for this month. He stated that he was purchasing everything which in his judgment was necessary for the sick; that all delicacies and all other articles of food which they could possibly use were being purchased for them. He was devoting a large part of this fund for the diet kitchen, and had assumed the payment of all bills contracted there to the extent of the amount of his funds. Four of the nurses had contracted fever. In regard to the attendants being careless in disposing of the excrement of the patients, only two cases were men- tioned-these being exceptions and not likely to occur again, as instructions from the surgeon, when carried out, will prevent this. If the dishes used by the nurses were washed in the kitchen where those used by the typhoid patients were washed, this was an exception and in violation of the orders of the post surgeon. The post surgeon informed me that the large kitchen which is not used was reserved by him for the use of the convalescents from the riding hall hospital in case more patients were received, and Fort Myer was to be retained as a general hospital for typhoid cases. In conclusion, I will say that I am convinced that a lack of harmony exists between the Medical Department at the post and the Red Cross persons there, although both are working to the same purpose-the proper treatment of the sick. I think some of the friction would be removed if the large, unoccupied kitchen and the adjoining dining room were given to the Red Cross nurses for their use and a proper amount of dishes be purchased for them, of a different pattern from those in use by the Medical Department, but of the same quality and value. I respectfully recommend that this be done. Respectfully submitted. Thos. T. Knox, Major. Inspector-General. Washington, D. C., November 7J, 1898. TESTIMONY OF GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. Gen. Joseph C. Breckinridge, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by Gen- eral Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. General, will you kindly give us your name and rank in the volunteer service, and your rank in the regular establishment before you entered into the volunteer service? A. Joseph C. Breckinridge, major-general volunteers; brigadier-general, Inspec- tor-General of the Army. Q. When did you assume command under your appointment as major-general of volunteers? A. On August 2. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1759 Q. Who was left as the head of the Inspector-General's Department when you took command of the troops? A. I do not know. I had been away on a tour between the time I was made major-general and the time I assumed command. General Sanger was left in charge of the office when I left. Q. What was your first command, General Breckinridge, as major-general? A. Of a separate army that was left at Camp George H. Thomas. Q. What was the date of your assuming command of it, and how long did you remain in command of it? A. I assumed command on August 2 and remained in command until it was disintegrated. Q. That was what time? A. That oozed out gradually until the middle of September. Q. How many troops were in Camp Thomas at the time you assumed command? A. Nearly 45,000. Q. What was their condition? A. I had inspected them in May, and they were in a very much improved condi- tion in military training. Their equipment and armament was not yet complete. Q. What was their condition as to health? A. They seemed to be just on the beginning of an epidemic of camp fevers. Q. Did that condition improve or grow worse during your command of the camp? A. It continually grew worse until the camp was abandoned. Q. What was the condition of the camp, General, at the time you assumed command, as to their sanitary arrangements? A. While they were fair, they differed in the different organizations. The tend- ency in so large a camp, with so many inexperienced troops, was, of course, generally not to improve with time, and there was a great deal needed remedying when I assumed command. Q. You say the camps differed very materially in the different organizations. Upon whom does the final responsibility for the regimental camp rest-that is, as to the details of the regimental camp? A. Well, I should say the condition of the regimental camp rests upon its colonel. Q. Then the difference in the different regimental camps was due to the effi- ciency of the colonels of the several regiments? A. Of course, not absolutely, because you might have a poor colonel and a lot of good captains, who would keep it straight; but generally that is so in the regular camps. The meanest regimental camp in one command might be better than the best in another, but as to the same command the matter must be considered regimental. Q. Do you know what precautions had been taken before you reached Camp Thomas by the commanding officer of the camp to instruct the regimental officers in regard to their duties as to sanitation? A. I think that all the usual steps had been taken. Orders had been issued. In some divisions more than ordinary steps. Q. At the time of your inspection in May did you find the field officers well instructed in their duties as such, so far as related to the healthfulness of the camp? A. I should say quite to the contrary; they were very much better when I got there in August, but very strong steps were taken, especially by such men as General Wilson, to see that they were. Q. What effort had been made to instruct field officers of the volunteers as to their duties as to the details of camp sanitation? A. Anyone passing through the camp could see the difference between those 1760 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. that had prior experience and those which had not, if they turned their attention to this matter at all. There were many officers there who had served in the mili- tary camps with their organization united, and it immediately showed in the care of their camp-as, for instance, General Hulings. who has since been made a brigadier-general. He knew how to take care of a camp. Right alongside of him was an Indiana regiment, which I do not like to name, which showed it had seldom or never served and camped together, although they had a name. Q. General, was there anything in the general conditions surrounding that camp as to the ground which made it unusually difficult to observe the ordinary rules of camp sanitation? And if there were, state what. A. I recollect but two. It was a clay soil, which is always objectionable, and there was questionable, and at first a scarcity of water. Of course no one likes to make a camp where you have to boil your water. Q. Do you know the conditions upon which that ground had been originally recommended for a camp? A. No, sir. I do not believe I would hesitate to have recommended it myself. Q. It appears from the testimony of General Davis, which was taken at Harris- burg, that he recommended that as a camp on the condition that the water from Crawfish Springs should be piped throughout the entire camp. If that had been done, would the conditions-at least one of the conditions of which you have spoken-been remedied, in your judgment? A. Well, I should say it would be decidedly improved, although I am in doubt as to whether Crawfish is the best. I suppose Crawfish Springs would have seemed a little bit better to General Davis when he investigated it than it would have been after the Leiter Hospital was built right on it. Q. To what do you attribute the lack of water for drinking purposes? A. Well, from mere camp rumor, as far as I know. The trouble was, they insisted upon getting it upon the reservation. Q. Were there other sources of supply available? A. You would have had to pay something for them. Q. But by paying a reasonable amount could the water supply have been improved? A. So I understood. We had to haul it at a much greater expense than to have gotten it from pipes. Q. Did you personally look into the question of water supply as it was provided at the time you went to the camp? A. Somewhat. It is an ordinary part of the inspection. Q. Was the water supply improved to any appreciable extent during your administration of the camp? A. Not at all. All we did was to guard against its dangers. Q. Why was that, General? Why was no effort made to improve the water supply? A. Because I believed the command was already so infected that the proper thing to do was to disintegrate the command. Q. Did you recommend the disintegration of the command or a change of the camp? What was the first date, do you remember? A. No, sir. I may trace it down to the date. When I arrived there, there was a board from the War Department investigating the sanitation. Q. General Sanger's board? A. No, sir; I organized that. Q. Who was at the head of that? A. I don't know. I can tell you how to-I have a poor memory for names and dates, but I can give you the name. Major Hopkins was there on one board and Dr. Reed was on one board. Now, what I look upon as somewhat confidential GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1761 occurred in my tent afterwards. I said, " I believe the best thing to be done is to return the regiments to where they came from and muster them out, if peace is declared. If everybody works together with the utmost energy we ought to be able to restore their health in time. You can not restore the health of typhoid- fever patients in a little time. The best we can do is to arrest the progress or spreading of the disease in two weeks, and in a month it might be much better checked."' That was early in August. Q. When did you organize the Sanger board? A. I can give you the order. It was early in August. Q. Were the findings of the Sanger board communicated by you to the War Department as soon as received? A. No, sir; I think not. I organized it for my own guidance, and its report was made separately for the hospital and camps, but were forwarded together. Q. Were your communications to the War Department in reference to disin- tegrating camp made after the report of the Sanger board to you or before it? A. The first verbal report was before it, I think. Q. That was at the time you assumed command? A. Very nearly; and from then on my whole action was in the direction of get- ting the men, as much as possible, from under those trees. I tried to get some divisions to small towns, about like Knoxville, Huntsville, and Lexington, and get whatever were left out on target practice and marching practice, and remove the depression of feelings they had. Q. In your judgment, General Breckinridge, was the best ground in that park selected for the actual habitat for the men, or would it have been better to have occupied the open part and let the shade have occasional occupancy-that is, by the men during the hot season? A. I have great confidence in the judgment of the general who went before me, but of course I had to act on my own, and I moved them into the sun. There is this point: When the weather is moist it is particularly objectionable to be under the shade. Now, when I got there it was of that type. As I understand, while I was away it had been dusty and dry, and the danger had been from sunstrokes and things of that kind, and I understood what was done was done advisedly, although it is different from what is laid down in the books, and when I was there it is quite evident that the books were right. Q. After you went there, General, was the season wet or otherwise? A. Wet. Q. Do you remember the date of the first recommendation you made to the War Department, in writing, in regard to the camp and its sanitary conditions? A. No, sir; those things now seem years away. I should say it was toward the 20th of August. I think I had given them my views prior to my receiving the report of General Sanger's board. Q. That was on the 12th of August-that is, it is dated on the 12th. You for- warded it to the Adjutant-General's Office on the 3d of September? A. That of August 12 referred specially to hospitals. The complete report was later. By General Dodge: Q. What time did the troops commence moving away from there to the new camps; do you remember? A. I was trying to make out my annual report, and I may have that here. No, sir; I do not know. That, I suppose, must be a report on the hospitals (referring to paper held by General Beaver). By General Beaver: Q. Do you know the date of the report of the entire camp? 1762 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; I do not recollect that. Q. There was a report of that kind? A. Yes, sir. At the time I was beginning out there I had no idea the other camps were having such difficulty and this was going to become of such importance. It was a local matter for me to handle. There wei e three steps I took in getting information. One was to order that board of general officers-that sanitary board of generals, viz, General Sanger, commanding a division; General Roe, a West Pointer, and General Mattocks - excellent officers; then I directed that the inspector-general of the headquarters should assemble all the other inspectors- general and have coherent inspection of the entire force, so that not only sanita- tion but all matters should come to me; and the third, a board of staff officers, was employed, of which Dr. Hoff and Colonel Lee were prominent members, to go ahead and accomplish what ought to be done without waiting. Q. Did you get a formal report from this board of inspectors? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that forwarded to the War Department? A. Yes, sir; to my own bureau. It was an inspection, you see. I don't know whether the inspector-general in charge took any action or not. It was very slow in coming. Q. Can you recollect the general finding of that inspectors' board? What was the general result at which they arrived-their conclusions? A. I don't believe I can separate each board. Q. When did the first troops leave Camp Thomas for other localities? A. I would not like to trust my memory with dates. If you will give me a list of them I can get them for you. When I inspected General Frank's hospital, August 3,1 began speaking about getting out of camp by marches, etc. Of course it was our duty to face disease as creditably as any other danger. By General Dodge: Q. Didn't General Frank's division move first? A. No, sir; last. Q. His movement was August 28, the date of orders? A. Well, we moved nearly 20,000 men the first week, and his came very slowly; so they must have begun somewhere along the 17th. By General Beaver: Q. Do you remember to what point-did the first troops go to Lexington or Anniston? A. They went simultaneously to Knoxville and Lexington, alternating. Q. Then subsequently to Huntsville and Anniston? A. Pretty much all went to Anniston. We had Huntsville in our mind, and sent down there to examine it; but it was assigned for the troops farther south. Q. What was the means of intercourse between your camp and the city of Chattanooga? What facilities had the men for going into the city? A. There is a railroad. Q. Was there a trolley line-anything but the one line of road? A. No, sir. Q. To what extent were they allowed to go into the city? A. When I got there there were two passes pei' company allowed. Afterwards I allowed six, being about what was necessary to let the old guard go, which is what is customary in the Regular Army; not exactly, but very close to it. Q. What was the object? A. The same idea I was telling you. I wanted to relieve their minds of what seemed to me a depression and their bodies of what seemed to be a very disastrous condition. I saw there that it was coming to be a question as to how to find some relief. 1763 GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. Q. And this was regarded as a let-up physically and mentally? A. Yes; when I went over to Chattanooga and saw the men were going anyhow, I did not consider it good discipline to encourage them to run it. In other words, the worst men were going and the best men remained in camp getting sick. Q. What was the result of that change, good or bad? A. I think it was good. My notion of military discipline is to make a man do his duty for all he is worth and let him have the fun for all he deserves. Q. Did you make any personal examinations of the hospitals in your command? A. Yes, sir. always. Q. What did you find their condition as compared-I suppose you inspected them when you made your inspection in May? A. They had not been organized. Q. What is your judgment as to the condition of the division hospitals of the command at Camp Thomas, the general condition? And then if there were differ- ences, state what, and the reasons for them, if you can. A. It strikes me they were very objectionable; particularly being overcrowded and the nursing poor. I think that anyone who saw one of those quondam di vision hospitals on August 2-any one of them-take General Sanger's, for instance, and then afterwards saw, in the sunlight, General Sanger's division hospital as it was when rehabilitated on the top of that hill, and in the dry, open sunlight instead of the dank, drear woods, would know a hospital as it should have been and as it should not have been. The patients were the same, but how changed every- thing else. Q. Then there were recognizable differences at the hospital? A. Yes, sir; but all bad about August 1, it seemed. Q. What other difficulty, outside of the crowding, was observable? A. Well, the lack of skill of the people who ran them. Q. As to their medical or administrative capacity? A. Administrative and nursing-not in all cases, not intentionally. Q. To what was the crowded condition of the hospitals due? A. I should suppose to the people getting sick faster than expected. Q. There was ground enough there? A. Plenty. Q. Tents enough? A. Yes, sir. Q. Boards enough? A. No; not until I got there. Q. There was a lack, then, of floors for the hospitals until you reached there? A. The first hospital I saw did not have floors, and I ordered them to have them at once. Q. You know what hospital that was? A. General Frank's. Q. No floor in any of the tents? A. Some, and a great many of them paid for by private subscription. There were some subscriptions on almost every line. It was not that there were abso- lutely none of almost any greatly needed article that money could buy. Q. Whose duty was it, General, to keep up with the demand? If people got sick faster than anticipated, whose duty was it to anticipate it and whose duty was it when the sickness came to overtake it? A. I don't know anybody connected with that service whose duty it was not. Q. Did all quartermasters come up to what was expected of them? A. I think that is one of the questions in which there is a difference of judgment. Q. What is your judgment? A. I thought not. A. Plenty. 1764 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did the Medical Department size up to its duty in anticipating, or if it could not anticipate, then in overtaking the difficulty as to the matter of beds, bed linen, personal clothing, medicines, and medical supplies for the several hospitals? A. Well, they recognized it, but they didn't catch up. I don't know how to make it clear, but we were confronted with two sources, either one of which could cause it. One was our extremely narrow Regular Army experience, the other was the equally narrow civil experience. There was no one who had experience just at that sort of business. I may state that I happened to have been assigned, after the battle of Mill Springs, to the charge of a hospital; so 1 knew something about how much could be done where you had mighty little to do it with. At Chicka- mauga, now, there was no battle; we were at a base of supplies, and the trouble I found, as commanding officer, was to instill the others with the feeling that the thing had to be done. Now, as soon as Colonel Hoff, for instance, got that notion- that I was with him up to the limit of my authority-why nobody could complain of the Sternberg and Sanger hospitals. Why he did not do it before I never asked, but in my conversation Q. But the fact is, it had not been done? A. No; but I think Colonel Hoff was just as desirous of doing it always as he is to-day. Q. But did not feel sure of his backing? A. I don't know what it was. I did not have any conversation with him, as I say. I did not think anybody could ask for a better hospital in all its departments than the Sternberg Hospital under his supervision, which was a godsend. You can not say enough or too strong for it. What caused the unhealthy condition I do not know. That was not my business. The question was how to remedy it, and that was not easy, but we did it. Some danger may have been apparent in May; it was a present evil in August. Q. Was it by reason of the defects which you noticed and which were apparent that you organized this board to make a special report in regard to the hospital? A. Yes, sir; and General Sanger used to be an assistant in my office, and 1 thought he would make a thorough inspection and a good one. General Roe was a good man, a graduate from West Point, and General Mattocks was an excellent man. By Dr. Conner; Q. As I understand you, at the time you arrived there, early in August, you rec- ognized the fact that the hospital was overcrowded. Was it brought to your offi- cial notice that this overcrowding was due to lack of tentage? A. No, sir. Q. Did anyone report to you there was no such lack? A. No, sir. Q. Did you know whether or not there was at the time you arrived an abun- dance of hospital tents at quartermaster depot at Chickamauga? A. I did not know that there was an abundance, but I think the quartermaster told me he had 40 there, and could obtain enough. Q. Supposing it is a fact that the quartermaster's department had an ample supply at all times, do you know any reason why those tents should not be sup- plied to the hospitals that were overcrowded? A. I can hardly imagine any adequate reason. Q. Do you know that they were not furnished to the hospital? A. Certainly they were not there. Q. These hospitals were maladministered, poorly administered? A. Not successfully administered. Q. Who was the senior medical officer of the command? A. When I got'there, Colonel Hoff, GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1765 Q. Who was his predecessor-Hartsuff? A. I think Dr. Hartsuff was there when I was there in May. I think there was some one between them. Wasn't it Colonel Huidekoper? Dr. Conner. No. Q. Was there any reason why Dr. Hoff or Dr. Hartsuff should not have secured others, or the commanding officer should have? That might be all the tents required for these hospitals at any time? A. Doctor, you know better than I. Was there any necessity? Q. Was there a necessity? As things are, yes, sir. Nineteen-twentieths would have been avoided. A. What is the trouble with making pavilions? Q. The quartermaster's department said they could not get lumber. A. I had no trouble. They said they could not get lumber near Chattanooga, and I said, " If necessary, send to Chicago for it." Q. These hospitals-was any formal report made to you by any brigade surgeon, division surgeon, chief surgeon, or corps surgeon that these hospitals were being badly administered because of the want of proper tents, etc.? A. When I inspected them, they would make these excuses and afterwards both remarks and reports showed this condition. Q. Is it not a fact that they did not have a sufficient number of tents to answ'er their purpose? A. Certainly. Q. If that is a fact and men are overcrowded, isn't it impossible to properly manage a hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. An overcrowded hospital can not be well managed? A. Yes, sir; an overcrowded hospital is ill run. Q. Dr. Hartsuff had been there since early in April, had he not? A. He was there when I got there in May. Q. Was he not, as an old officer of the Army, familiar with hospitals-camp hos- pitals? Was it not his business to see that the hospitals had plenty of supplies of all sorts? A. It was his business to try to. Q. And if he did not succeed was it not his business to go to the commanding general? A. I suppose he would appeal to his own chief, the Surgeon-General. Q. He could appeal either way-through either source? A. Yes, sir. Q. If General Brooke had authority, as he stated he had authority, to order supplies on his own authority, didn't he have authority to order tents? A. That is a matter of expert judgment. Q. I am asking whether a commanding general who assumes to have the power, who says he has the power, to order medical supplies of his own will and pleasure, hasn't he as much control over the quartmaster's department as the medical purveyor's department? A. More, if anything. Q. That camp, up to the time you got there, was in a very bad condition? A. Yes, sir. Q. It would be expected that a man put in command of the hospitals would be familiar with the thousands of details? A. No, sir. Q. Was it not the duty of the regular officers there to see that these men were instructed as to what they had to do? A. Clearly. I never saw a man work harder than Colonel Hoff. 1766 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Wasn't it often the case of jumping up and lighting down in the same place? A. He is an unusual man. Q. As senior surgeon of that command, he had allowed this overcrowding in this camp for months-this condition had gone on-these men were absolutely unprovided for in many cases as regards proper shelter, don't you say so? A. Yes, sir; adequate shelter. But Colonel Hoff was senior surgeon of that command only from the time General Wade assumed command. Q. They were absolutely unprovided with proper nursing? A. Clearly. That, I suppose, was somewhat the trouble of the law, Q. These men had so long been running in the groove of the post hospital that it seemed to be impossible to look over that groove to see what was needed. Now. if there were difficulties there existing at that time, of which you have spoken, didn't the fault ultimately rest with the senioi' officer of the command, and, beyond him, the senior officer in command of the camp? A. I confess I have never gone into determining whose fault it was. Q. We are asking you to find out. A. I was not there to find out. If a man did not succeed in it, I only think he did not pound in as many pounds of steam to the square inch as I did. Almost above all other things the law should adequately provide for the care of the sick and wounded in war. War is deliberately declared; its curse is suffering, which should be guarded against and provided for. Q. When the dynamite was put in and charged there was some lifting of what was over it? A. Yes, sir; it took a good deal of it. Q. These men were unprovided with medicines and medical supplies. Was that report made to you by your senior medical officer? A. No, sir; he was emphatic as to the serious condition and threatening situa- tion; and doubtless referred to supplies. Q. You attention was never called to that fact by him? A. No, sir; my impression is that the lack of supplies were especially referred to by the subordinate commands in August through, headquarters and all men- tioned it in May. Q. You had nothing to do with it? A. Yes, sir; I only had to see it of my own knowledge, and hear those who did not get, or purchased from private funds, what they desired. Q. Did you ask your chief medical officer why these things were so? A. I put him on that board to see how it should be remedied. I do not remem- ber if I asked why it was so: I wanted it stopped. They told me they had plenty of stores down at the depot, and wanted another storeroom built. Q. Everybody was crying out that they could not get supplies. Was it because there was too much, or was it because the Quartermaster's Department was defi- cient in furnishing transportation, or was it that the hospital officers, the division officers, and corps officers-was it because they did not move, each and every one, as they should? A. That is a large question. This is a mere question of thinking instead of a question of facts. We all recognize that the conditions were abnormal and the problem was how to meet it. There may have been a lack of stores in the posses- sion of the Government to take care of that unexpected number of sick. I can not believe there was a lack of stores in the United States to care for every sick man in the United States; so the whole problem was to get what was needed to the men that needed it. It sounds simple enough, but everybody about that sick man was in a novel situation. There was no one who wanted the patient's mouth to be made a nest of flies; yet they were noticeably so. There was no one who wanted eight, and among them delirious men, to be where fewer ought to be; yet that was the case. There was a lot of trying incidents crowded into these hospitals, GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1767 and apparently it was because the people who had charge of the hospital were not all familiar with the duties, and the people who had to supply and take care of them were not numerous or skillful enough for such overcrowded hospitals. If matters at any time were not as they ought to have been any beneficial change was based upon the simple proposition that we will make the care of the sick the first military duty, and all will step up and meet it. On the other hand, usually the training of the soldier is, if his comrade-his best friend-is killed he must leave him in battle. So a detailed soldier is not certain to be the best conceivable nurse, though many of them do well. The nation has trained nurses as well as trained doctors, and just as patriotic. Q. Do you suppose that an energetic man would have let these hospitals go on there months without straightening out things? A. I would not have thought it. You have your regimental and division hos- pital. How many men ought to be there is perfectly evident. It took time to get it into the minds of higher authorities that regimental and division hospitals had often ceased to be so, except in name, and the necessary thing to be done was to recognize that they had become general hospitals. Q. They became general hospitals almost the day they were down? A. Hardly that; but they became so very soon. Q. Instead of 200 patients, they were 700? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you suppose that a man who was through the civil war and in service from then to now could have corrected all those things? A. That was my condition. But I was not a medical officer, and I found it took all the responsibility I could assume to accomplish it. Q. Couldn't he have done that? A. How could he get nurses? Q. If he represented to the Medical Department that it was absolutely neces- sary, don't you suppose he could have gotten them? A. I don't think he would. I know I was trying to do everything I could. The trouble was to get the thing allowed. Q. There were a number offering their services to the Government. This was reported as the condition of things at the front, and the front was no place for them. That was not at the front? A. No, sir. I was there inspecting when Leiter Hospital was established. Gen- eral Brooke was in command. Apparently it had to be a private benefaction. Dr. Senn and General Wilson displayed great interest in it. In order to get an American sick soldier some things you had, perhaps, to get an American citizen to do it then. Q. Wasn't there an ample fund which could be drawn upon for the supplying of nice things? A. The education here had to be conducted as well as there-the question of appropriations and how to handle them. Q. Hadn't they been studying all these years for these problems? Were they not familiar with all these things? A. They didn't expect people to suffer in anything like the numbers they did. The sick at Chickamagua were increasing some 25 per cent per week when I assumed command. Q. In the first year of the civil war was it not known that sickness raged? A. I think so. Q. Was there any reason why it should not take place now? A. It seems so. Q. When commanding officers were called upon for men to serve as hospital corps men, was it their effort to get good men or to detail the most worthless men they had-the least efficient? 1768 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. All sorts. Q. What would you think if a set of men had been selected for the Hospital Corps under an order of a colonel speaking to them, saying they were a set of cow- ards and had gone into it because they were cowards? A. I think that would ruin anything like efficiency. Q. Is that all you would think about it? A. That is not all. Q. We have a positive statement that that statement was made in Chickamauga camp by the colonel of a regiment. Now these hospitals were exceedingly unfor- tunate. Do you think that a thorough stirring movement on the part of the higher officers of the Medical Department would not have secured a great improve- ment long before they did improve it? Couldn't General Brooke have done it two months before? A. I don't think he had the sick two months before. Q. In the latter part of June typhoid fever had commenced to manifest itself and in the middle of July it had become considerable? A. It was there in May. Q. You were speaking about the benefit derived about the numbef of passes. If a very considerable proportion of those men were rendered sick by going to Chattanooga, do you think their welfare would be subserved by their going? A. Not unless more men were made well by it. Q. Was there not a condition in Chattanooga which may be plainly stated as a wide open city, beer saloons without number, houses of ill-fame in great numbers, and everything to destroy the morals and health of the men? A. A number of them. Q. If it is so that 50 per cent of the sickness was consequently due to the visits to Chattanooga, wouldn't it have been well to put a guard around that camp and hem them in? A. I don't think you can make a prison pen out of a camp. Q. Couldn't you have done something at Chattanooga? A. We did do something. Q. Couldn't you put a patrol force in Chattanooga? A. We did. Q. Did it accomplish anything? A. It accomplished good enough order to satisfy the mayor. Q. He was one of the ones that wanted the city wide open? A. Those soldiers that you spoke of there, running the places wide open, urness an improvised army have a better guard than you expect them, are going to be there at any rate; and when you put unreasonable limitations on passes it only makes the men break through and disregard good discipline. Soldiers are but men, and deserve to be treated as self-respecting men. Q. You would keep hundreds of men from running, not the old soldiers, who have been through all the wars around, but the young fellows, who would dissi- pate in great number; and I ask whether it would not have been well to restrict rather than enlarge the limit? A. Well, General Brooke restricted it. to two. The disease of the men when there were two per company was great. Q. But not in such numbers as when there was six? A. No; the thing continually grew worse. But you don't exactly think that giving the old guard a pass gave them typhoid fever? Q. They got all sorts of truck in Chattanooga that might have given them typhoid fever. I have no doubt that a great deal of typhoid fever did arise in Chattanooga. A. You are the best judge. But as a matter of discipline, I confess I am a believer in the old-guard pass system, which may be wrong. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1769 Q. If you. restrict them to the old guard, all right. A. We restrict them to less than the old guard. General Dodge. You are speaking of the guard off of duty? Dr. Conner. I am speaking of the men who have been thoroughly seasoned. A. We had none of those. By Governor Woodbury: Q. I would like to ask you if the death rate in those hospitals in Chickamauga indicated they were ill kept or well kept? A. Well kept. The death rate was very much less than in the civil war, I think. In fact, that was the only thing that made it endurable. The men did not seem to die from the discomfort. There was 8 per cent, as I understood, of deaths, and in the civil war, I think, it was 25 oi" 27 from some epidemics of typhoid. Q. The death rate in the second division hospital was less than one-half per cent. Now, if the result of the sickness there was favorable, is not the criticism of those hospitals to a large extent unjust? A. It may be. By Dr. Conner: Q. On that principle, if they had not been attended to at all, had no nurses, nor doctors, and left on the ground, there probably would not be any mortality at all? What I mean is, apparently, the conditions simply result in discomforts rather than mortality? A. That seemed to be the case. The way I thought of it for my own men was that simply being out in the open, with the sides of those tents up, these men were practically getting an air bath every minute of the twenty-four hours, and though they were so overcrowded and so ill attended still the benefit of the fresh air was good enough to redeem great evils. I have understood hospital tents were good for typhoid. Q. Have you visited the intake at the Chickamauga pumping station? A. Yes, sir. Q. When? A. When it was originally founded and afterwards. Q. Did you or not notice whether the canal was dug which diverted the waters from Cave Creek before the pumping commenced, or subsequently? A. I know it was agreed on in advance. Q. Did you notice that this new canal had been dug when you went there? A. No, sir; that's my impression now. Q. How long after the pumping commenced before the canal was dug? A. I was not there. It was done between when I left and when I came back. Q. When did you visit it? A. About the 12th. Q. Was the canal dug at that time? A. I thought so. Q. Then you don't know? A. No, sir; I do not know. By General Dodge: Q. You spoke of the difficulties of obtaining these supplies at Chickamauga. Now every officer in command of that camp there, surgeons, generals, and all, were all men who had had experience in the civil war. Why couldn't they have obtained supplies just as quickly and taken care of their hospitals as well as they did in the civil war? Can you tell us that? A. Don't you think they did? Q. That's the question. From what I understand you to say, they did not. You said the hospitals were bad and ill prepared to take care of the sick and could not 1770 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. get their supplies or did not get their supplies. We certainly in the civil war, if there were supplies within reach we got them immediately the moment they came on the ground. The testimony before us is, from the supply departments, there was plenty of supplies at Chickamauga. You say yourself you went there and found plenty and just as soon as you made a movement you got them, but it was impossible for the subordinate staff departments and the surgeons to obtain these supplies. Now what I want to ascertain is, where was the difficulty in obtaining these supplies? A. Well, it is very hard to say where there was a difficulty. I had a conversa- tion with Colonel Lee. I said to him, " Colonel, I want you to see to it that these hospitals have floors." He said, " I have filled every requisition, and they have to build their own," and he could not go through and see that everyone builds his floors. Evidently there is somebody who must see that the sick are taken care of; and I said they must have floors, and he thought it was out of his duty; but they were given enough people to do it. By Dr. Conner: Q. Whose duty was it? A. The men detailed in the hospital seem expected to do such work. By General Dodge: Q. Were the division commanders of that camp responsible? A. I think that was one of the lines of confusion or contention struck. I under- stood when I got there they were not: but I held them responsible. In fact, when I was there, in May, I went to the First Division, First Corps hospital, of which General Wilson was commander. A wagon was standing in front of the hospital with a patient, and apparently bad been there "several hours." General Wilson took action, so the patient was admitted. There was a little difficulty about get- ting ice, so the Doctoi- asked, "Where is it to come from? " but that also was set- tled. As I gathered then, the word " division hospital" was simply a designation by which the gradual growth of the hospital from the regimental to the general was indicated without necessarily insuring any authority with the division com- mander. General Sternberg told me afterwards that he considered that division commanders had authority over division hospitals. Q. Do you or not know that an order was issued under General Brooke that division commanders had no control over them? A. I heard so. Q. Did the division commanders have any control over division hospitals? A. I didn't know that until I got to Lexington. I may say in that connection that all the files of the First Corps were taken to Porto Rico. Q. Was there any reason why the same effort to obtain tents and floors for the Sternberg Hospital could not have been made and with the same success in the division hospital? By Dr. Conner: Q. At the same time the Sternberg Hospital was being organized these hospi- tals were greatly overcrowded. Instead of admitting them, would not it have been well to send some of them to the division hospital and relieved the congestion there? A. I don't know why the two things were not going on together. Q. There were tents enough in the United States to fit out Sternberg Hospital and at the same time supply tents for the division hospital? A. Yes, sir; I think the difficulty was here. They were ready to give us things, but at the same time there was none. By General Dodge: Q. Supposing every chief of the different departments at Chickamauga should GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1771 have stated that they did not ask for anything but what it was given them, and when they did not have it they had authority to go out and buy it? A. That left them absolutely without excuse. Q. Was there any lack of supplies while you were in Chickamauga? A. Only the lack of promptness in them. Q. Did the staff departments have on hand while you were in Chickamauga all the supplies? A. Everything that I thought was necessary for that command. Q. And the staff department had it to issue out to them? A. They got it if they did not have it. The country had it. By General Wilson: Q. When you went to assume command, I judge, from what we have heard and seen, that you were able to overcome a good many of the troubles that occurred previously and instituted reforms of every kind. Couldn't your predecessor have done that, do you know? A. I have no doubt he could have done it if aroused as I was by the feeling of necessity. I considered when I arrived there, there were indications of conditions that my predecessor had not any adequate reason to believe existed. Q. Was there an interregnum between Brooke and you? A. I say he had not the reason to do it. Q. I understand your reply is that your predecessor did not realize the condi- tions, and if he had done so he could have overcome them as you did? A. I don't think he had as much reason to realize it as I did. By General Dodge: Q. Did you relieve anyone in command? A. There was no one there. The last general commanding was there but a short time-General Wade. By Colonel Denby: Q. You are inspector-general? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you inspector-general when the war broke out? A. Yes, sir. Q. What are the duties of the inspector-general? A. To examine into all matters of the military activity and to see that the orders are enforced. Q. Who do you report to? A. Whoever issues the order for inspection. Q. You have subordinate inspectors-general in the corps, do you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who have you above him? A. The office here. Q. The Inspector-General here? A. In this new law there is no recognized volunteer inspector-general of a sepa- rate army nor brigades, but only for corps and divisions. Q. The business of the inspector-general is to go around among the camps? A. Yes, sir. Q. If he sees anything wrong in the camp, what ought he to do? A. To call attention to it of the proper person on the spot or his own superior and commanding officer, so that it may be corrected. Q. If there was anything wrong at Camp Alger here who ought to have found it out? A. The inspector-general, among others, should have known it. Q. As I understand you, the inspector-general is a man who inspects? 1772 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. He goes all around to find out things that are wrong? A. Yes, sir; and commends things that are right to his commander. His expres- sions of opinion are strictly limited, and he is not authorized to gossip. Q. And he reports to his superior officer, and so on, until it comes here to the office in Washington? A. That is how it was until the war broke out. Q. I want to find out how it happened that the office of inspector-general became worthless; that is what I gather. Nobody seems to have reported existing condi- tions to it. Whose business was it to report it? I understand you were inspector- general. A. Yes, sir. Q. And you were taken away from the inspector-generalship? A. Yes, sir. Q. And made major-general of volunteers, and then you ceased to be inspector- general? A. Not immediately. I continued to act as an inspector-general until August 2. Q. And then you were to discharge the duties of major-general? A. Yes, sir. All six of the department commanders were made major-generals. Field and company officers of the line were, by the score, made general and staff officers of volunteers. Q. And you took command of a corps? A. An army there; part of two corps .and separate brigades of cavalry and artillery. Q. Then after you went away from here, who took your place as inspector- general? A. I don't know who was in charge continuously, but understood there were several successive officers. Q. Was there anybody in charge? A. There must doubtless have been somebody in the office. Q. Was there any inspector-general named? A. Undei- the law the next one takes it. General Sanger, who was under me, also took a division. Colonel Garlington joined General Wheeler's division while at Santiago de Cuba. Q. How was it they took men away from the Inspector-General's Office and did not put anybody in his place? A. It is like General Wilson here on this board. Q. I am asking for information. It seems to me if there were inspectors they ought to inspect. I want to know if I am right or wrong. A. They are supposed to inspect; but there may be duties more immediately pressing and important than the ordinary routine duties. What percentage of colonels or captains were in immediate command of their regiments and com- panies of regulars? By Colonel Sexton: Q. At the same time, if an inspector-general is supposed to inspect, isn't it the duty also of the brigade commander, the division commander, and the surgeon; isn't it their duty to inspect? A. All those. By Colonel Denby: Q. Does not the inspector-general inspect those very officers? A. Yes, sir. Q. But, as I understand it, the inspector-general inspects everything? A. Yes, sir. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE 1773 Q. To whom do the inspectors report? A. To their respective commanders. Q. The corps inspector generally reports to the A. To the corps general. Q. Who inspects the inspector-general? A. Nobody. Q. I say there is a wrong somewhere, or, as far as I can see, it is in the very fact, as you stated; if, as you say, the thing stops with the general, it never gets to W ashington at all. By Governor Woodbury: Q. The fact of your leaving left your office of very little value during the time you have been gone? A. I can hardly say this. It may seem like criticising somebody else, but accord- ing to my humble notions the office had become of very little value before I ever left it. By Colonel Denby: Q. Will you explain that? A. You can see I am treading on rather sensitive ground. It is rather a ques- tion of policy. That is the trouble about explaining any of this. But to go back as a matter of chronology, we had a system of inspection by which everything over the country was under a central supervision and was reported to Washington to the highest authority. This was called the district system of inspections. Just as the war was breaking out, as all the troops were leaving the departments, these officers were removed from the districts and assigned to the departments. There was not anybody there to inspect, and they were told to address their reports to the Adjutant-General of the Army. Now the bureau office of the Inspector-Gen- era,! of the Army, from that moment, ceased to have much weight. This disinte- gration of the inspection service has been tried before and naturally weakens or destroys effective unity of action and gives opportunity for public scandals by disorganizing the Inspection Bureau of the War Department. It is a question in which there is a difference of opinion. Now as to the individuals or the Inspector- General himself, having thus had the electrical connection between his subordi- nates and himself entirely cut, what could he do? He was apparently of no service to his country at an office desk this early in wartime. You can not inspect a thing until it is in existence. You can not inspect a battle except as it goes on. So, apparently, the only possible opening of any utility was to get field service to inspect or a command; and, as you will see, he was inspecting these-the volunteer camps, beginning with the 35,000 or 40,000 men at Chickamauga-and made his reports by telegram or otherwise. Such reports could not come in any hotter and quicker. He went with the most impor- tant command there was at Santiago, and reported either by telegram or other- wise. So that the reports of at least one person who was in that office have been full and directly connected with the scene of activity of the troops themselves. Other individual officers were doing admirable work who could be mentioned by the dozen. Inspectors were inspecting. If something more was needed, say something like the part General Miles proposed of the Hull bill last April, to make their work united, uniform, and more beneficial, that, evidently, was a good time to authorize it. Q. Was't the Inspector-General's Department run in this war the same as in the civil war? A. Pretty much the same thing. In its mobilization, a well-chosen and super- vised corps of inspectors could, perhaps, have increased the comfort and improved the prompt training and guarded against the ill results of inexperience through- 1774 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. out the volunteers, and something of this, it is believed, was duly accomplished. And it is not doubted that we should have now a better organized bureau and system of inspection than we had in the civil war; in fact, we should have as good as Alexander Hamilton proposed at the beginning of the century, when he was in the Army; for inspections never hurt the public service nor well-disposed people and often benefit both and help to insure economy and efficiency. Washington, D. C., November 15, 1898. Gen. Joseph C. Breckinridge resumed. By General Beaver: Q. You mentioned incidentally yesterday that you had inspected Camp Thomas about the 20th of May; what did you do subsequently to that? A. On the 3d of June I got a telegram from General Miles, saying that I would report at once for Tampa. I quit the inspection at the closing end, and such of us as could left that day; the others came on after us. The inspection " to be" was broken up. Q. Will you please give us in narrative form what you saw of the camp in Cuba from the time you left Tampa until the time you left Cuba to return? General Wilson. I would suggest that from the time he saw the troops put on board. General Beaver. Yes, sir; including the embarkation and disembarkation, and the condition at sea, and what he saw of the campaign at sea. I would like you to be as full as possible. A. I have printed that; it is pretty long. By Colonel Denby: Q. As Inspector-General or major-general, or what? A. As Inspector-General. By General Dodge: Q. Is that in print? A. It was printed by the army papers and New York papers in full. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Where is that now? A.. I suppose in the Army records. By General Beaver: Q. There are a few specific questions I would like to ask. What time did you reach Tampa? A. On the 5th of June, I think. Q. Had any troops embarked at the time you reached there? A. No, sir. Q. Did you inspect the troops before they embarked? A. No, sir. Q. Did you make any inspection of the troops? A. No, sir. Q. Did you observe what provision had been made, if any, for the disembarka- tion of the troops? A. Only casually. Q. What did that casual observation disclose? A. It seemed to be quite inadequate. I did not so report, though. General Miles himself was on the ground and there was nothing for me to report. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1775 Q. So far as your observation went, what provision was made for the disem- barkation of the troops? A. Well, there was one lighter. I don't recollect but one. There was another one, called the Uncle Sam, that they told to follow them, but it didn't. The engi- neers took their material. There were two scows being built on the wharf, and General Shafter, at the suggestion of General Miles, purchased them, and one of them got over there. General Ludlow suggested it to General Miles in my pres- ence. I happened to be there. Q. Was there any adequate provision made for landing an army in the face of a hostile foe? A. I should say not, except as the Navy supplied it. Q. As a matter of fact, did the Navy have the facilities for making a landing of that sort? A. The landing of the troops-they landed us satisfactorily. Q. But they landed you with no opposition practically? A. It would have been the same if there had been. It would have been a ques- tion only of how many died. Q. Would there have been boats enough to land the army and make a rush and drive the foe away? A. 1 think they had all that landing place would stand. Q. Do you know whether any arrangements had been made with the Navy for performing that duty before leaving Tampa? A. No, sir. I only saw that the Army and Navy were acting in apparent con- cert. In fact, that our movement was at the suggestion of the Navy. Q. One of the scows, you say, that was purchased by General Miles at the sug- gestion of General Ludlow, did not reach there? A. One of them was lost. Q. Were there any other boats there that you know of? A. No, sir. Q. Then the entire provision for landing that army, on the part of the Army, was two lighters and two scows? A. I can't say that positively; that is only what I noticed. And the small boats of the transports and Navy and what the engineers provided. Q. That is so far as your observation went? A. Yes, sir. Q. To what extent were they able to land transportation and ambulances at the time the disembarkation was made? A. That came in very slow and after I had left the beach. Q. Was that because of the lack of facilities for landing? A. Greatly, and the difficulties of the spot taken for landing, and somewhat by the masters of the transports themselves failing to help to effect the landing adequately. Q. What department assumed the charge of the transports-that is, who com- manded the commanders of the transports? A. I should suppose General Shafter, through Colonel Humphrey. Q. Of the Quartermaster's Department? A. Yes, sir. Q. As a matter of fact, as we understand it, the masters or captains of the trans- ports ran the thing themselves, didn't they, so far as casual observation went? A. They did not respond very readily to the people who were running it; they were not running anything. Q. They seemed to run their transports as far away from the shore as they pleased? A. Hardly that; but there was constant trouble though to get them up close enough. Colonel Humphrey is a man of very unusual firmness, but he could not 1776 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. stand individually over each man, but every time he got hold of one he held onto him. The loss of ground tackle, etc., as it was, was considerable, and their dread of that shore was. something difficult to appreciate unless you could see them. As careful mariners, they felt they were taking very great risks, and under their contract the marine risks were theirs. Q. Commercially, it was a bad thing to do to go near the shore? A. Yes, sir. Q. Would there have been any improvement in that respect, General, in your opinion, if the transports had been under the command of officers of the Navy? A. I should not think there could have been arrangements that would not have been an improvement on what was. The indefiniteness between the Army and Navy, I think, was one of the troubles. I think General Shafter felt that he was greatly under the control of the Navy until he struck the other shore, and the Navy didn't feel that they had that control of the Army that General Shafter felt. That is, however, a mere supposition. Q. That is the old story? A. They had a naval cadet on every one of these boats, but he had no author- ity; but if there had been some man (navy or other) aboard that could have dis- ciplined the sea captains and talked with the army, and so become the connection between the two, I should say it would have made a decided improvement; or if a quartermaster (as it was a question of transportation larger than a wagon train) had been aboard each ship and responded promptly to the call of his chief, it would have been an improvement. What they wanted was prompt communica- tion and absolute efficiency. And speaking of transportation, the young officers who plowed with pack trains through rain and heat on shore, to supply the army in front afterwards, had a far from enviable task, which was very faithfully per- formed. Q. After all the difficulties, you landed in good time? A. I thought we made a very pretty landing, mixed at its close, but effective, though risky throughout. Q. So far as the Navy was concerned? A. So far as the Army was concerned also; it was an admirable army. Q. Was the transportation accommodations for the army, in view of its going into immediate action-ambulance train and all that-was all that landed in such a way as should have been under the circumstances? A. " Under the circumstances " covers the whole problem. That is the ques- tion. I am only an outsider; I do not know any of the inner secrets. I arrived just in time to go with them, but I suppose when cavalry was stripped of its horses and artillery not prepared for siege that they were sent on some desperate venture and that ordinary risks were not considered, and they were supposed to go there and seize those ironclads with their hands or die in the attempt or by dis- ease. Of all things it was a success. It was a question whether to go with 10,000 men or wait for 16,000. All those men were on the line, without a man in reserve, when the thing was over. Q. So everything was sacrificed to the putting the men aboard of those ships and landing them, whether they got anything to eat or not, or to bringing them off when wounded. Is that the proposition? A. Hardly that. Of course they had to have something to eat, but everything was strained to get fighting men on the front line. I am only giving my opinion, of course; I did not hear anything; I am only saying what it looked like. Q. Do you know anything of the balance of the campaign? Was that com- municated to you in any way? A. Not at all, sir, Q. Was there a plan, so far as you know-anything definite? GEN JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE 1777 A. I have no doubt there was. Q. Did it look like it? A. I had a conversation with General Miles just before I left, and, perhaps with- out adequate or definite reason, believed that he had certain plans of his own. Q. Of course the terminus ad quid, as railroad men say, was Santiago? A. Yes, sir. It was published so loudly in the newspapers that on board a great many did not think it could be true. Q. As you observed after the landing was made, with the intelligence and per- severance, with the plan that you suppose existed in the minds of somebody, what would it seem to indicate? A. I think if I had written the history of the campaign before it occurred I would have written it very much as it has happened, taking into consideration the individuals composing it, and that it was going to do just about what it did do. Q. So the result was consistent with the plan? A. Yes, sir; and with those that run it. I think it would have been very dif- ferent if General Miles had run it. Q. In what respect. A. I consider General Miles a very dashing officer. I think he has the spark of genius for command. By General Wilson: Q. Just in that connection. You stated you believed it was done under General Miles's plan? A. I think he had a plan, but I do not know whether this was carried out as he intended. It was carried out very much as I thought it would be-as I thought the limitations and excellence of those upon the scene suggested. By Governor Woodbury: Q. With those limitations of the commander, if the battle was fought and the victory gained in about eight days, what would you say? A. I should say exactly when the victory was won was when Toral's nerve gave out. We finished the fight, though, on July 2 practically; after that the contest was diplomatic or with disease. Probably this is the war of all others that the United States has ever fought where early success was best won, and there has been none when the cost paid has been less in ratio to the great results. By General Beaver: Q. You thought that was because the Lord was on our side instead of good generalship? A. I always thought it was the Lord's war; and I do not criticise, much less condemn, the generalship. Q. Will you please state whether the time from the 22d of June to the time the victory was won was small or great to achieve a great victory in your opinion? A. That is a very fine question, you can see. It is simple enough, too. The distance between that battlefield and Siboney or the distance between Santiago and Cabanas is something like half a day's march. Now, how long it ought to take you to whip an enemy a half a day's march from you is the question. Cer- tainly the time it was done in was short enough. Q. In view of the result, would you presume to criticise the time occupied? A. I think the results were marvelous and commendable, but I do not believe any soldier ought to be exempt from the criticism of any military venture so it could be improved upon afterwards. I do not wish to say anything that would detract for a moment from that army's glory. It is the finest army that America has ever seen. There was no call made upon it or could have been that was not met. It was a very small, compact army. No man ever got anywhere but that 1778 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. he knew at once who was on his right or left; so no matter how he got tangled up it went to victory always and everybody knew it would. In fact, when asked on board the boat why there was such confidence in the result, Lord Beresford was quoted, who said, " I have led you into a devil of a fix, and now you must fight like hell to get out." By General Dodge: Q. In your experience in the last war or this campaign have you ever known of any battle or campaign that was free from criticism? A. Such criticism is almost always expressed. You can not have a big adven- ture but that there are some flyspecks that can be magnified. By General Wilson: Q. Will you tell us what your duty was during the short time you were at Tampa. You say you did not inspect the transports? A. I reported to General Miles. I had already been ordered to report to him as a member of his staff. Q. And your duties were what? A. He never assigned me; my orders were to inspect the camps of volunteers. The General told me that when the expedition was formed I was to go with it. Q. What duty did you have in the Santiago campaign when General Shafter was in command? A. I was simply directed to go with it. Q. What duty did he assign to you? A. I was not under his orders; I was still a staff officer of General Miles. Q. You were entirely independent if General Miles was not there? A. Yes, sir; entirely so. Q. What duty did you perform? A. None with him; just observed the situation and give my report to General Miles. Q. Then you were there to observe? A. Yes, sir; simply as an inspector. Q. You said you were at the disembarkation of the army. Do I understand that the disembarkation was under the control of the navy. A. I said I thought they organized it, not only the disembarkation, but, as I understand it, they asked that the army should come there. Q. Then your reply was intended to be that the command going from Tampa to Santiago was at the suggestion of the navy, and that this immediate disembarka- tion was under their control? A. Yes, sir. Of course, you understand I mean the disembarkation of the men; as affected by General Shafter's orders and as far as the army was concerned, the chief quartermaster having charge of the small boats of the transports. By Governor Woodbury: Q. How about the fitting up of the transports? A. I don't know whether that is in my report or not; I think it is. I just now asked at the office for those old telegrams, and one of them was on the subject of that transportation. Perhaps some of these might accompany your record of proceedings, as they may indicate something of an inspector's duties as performed at that time, about which you inquired. (See Appendix.) [Looks through papers. J I do not find it here, but the idea of it was that as we started there was a scare about the Spanish ships which brought us back to the wharves, and so we were on board a longer time; and I had always felt that there was a risk in overcrowding. In the meantime I had spoken to the chief quartermaster, chief surgeon, and General Shafter. The chief surgeon seemed to be quite convinced that there was definite danger of typhus, so when we came back I telegraphed to General Miles, GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1779 as some of the responsibility seemed to be placed upon him for this overcrowding and lack of ventilation, and I think, independently, probably of my telegram- the board of which General Lawton was a member (he is a member of my corps, one who some seemed to think ought to be at the office desk instead of in the field)-and they examined the transports and six more steamers were added, which I think was a very decided reiief as to the overcrowding. Q. Please state whether those transports were fitted up as well as could reason- ably be expected in the limited time? A. You know how objectionable transports are apt to be for soldiers. They were not in the best condition. Q Yes; that is very true. But were they fitted up as well as could be expected, considering the time allotted for the work? A. I have no doubt that they were doing their very best; but I did feel and I think yet that the Government ought to have done better for its soldiers than that first crowding. The steamers were not just transports, they were made for other purposes. Q Could other steamers have been procured? A. Well, I thought so, as my telegram of June 11,1898. indicates; but of course I don't know. I certainly sympathize with the feeling that it was necessary to send the proper number of men for a battle rather to limit the number. Q, That it was better to send men in crowded transports than not to have them there? A. Yes, sir. There was a chance of having bright weather, as we did. And the men slept thick upon the decks. By General Wilson. Q. General Lawton commended you in very high terms for distinguished serv- ices and gallantry where he was, and I was anxious to draw this out; but you say you had no power or command, but were there simply as Inspector-General? A. I think that is all. You know General Lawton and myself had a kindly relationship. I preferred to be with our comrades and share their dangers. I fancied General Shafter also relied greatly upon General Lawton. I hurried up at La Guasimas battlefield, and afterwards met with Lawton's division, which had the right. General Lawton was kind enough to solicit my judgment, but it was only voluntary, and I suppose anything that ought to be said about it I would still have to leave to General Lawton. There are some very striking scenes there that I could tell that no doubt would be interesting to the board, merely sociably or individually. By Colonel Denby. Q. You mean by " emasculated " that the bureau was reduced to inefficiency, I suppose? A. The efficiency, I think, could have been very vastly improved under an organization adopted definitely in the interest and for the purpose of benefiting the efficiency of this branch of the public service. And if there was any man in the Army that could do it properly under any system or management, why there was the desk free. When I left I understood the Secretary of War was going to assign General Sanger to running the bureau and make him a brigadier-general of volunteers, though then a major; he could do it just as well. There is a ques- tion of men as well as of members, and the confidence felt in them. For instance, authority goes out through the Adjutant-General's Department. Information should come in through the Inspector-General's Department, and when received it should be analyzed, condensed, submitted to, and supervised by the central bureau, or otherwise vitality and united effort is destroyed. If two bureaus with such different functions are run by one dominating, or the functions of one are 1780 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. strangulated or diverted, the injury to the public service may perhaps be fairly anticipated, even if not immediately and clearly illustrated. Q. General Sanger did not stay there? A. When I came back General Sanger was commanding a division at Chicka- mauga, and Major Heyl, who had been transferred from the Adjutant-General's Department, seemed to be in charge of the bureau during Colonel Burton's illness. Q. Who was there here to go out to Camp Alger and report on these deficiencies, if they existed? A. They have several inspectors here, and several detached from commands. There are some admirable officers, appointed as volunteers, who could do exactly right. That inspectors-general should generally do the inspecting, and do it under the effective supervision of the chief of bureau, appointed with the advice of the Senate, may appear reasonable; but the investigations and inspections which properly pertain to this Department, but were made and are still being made by those not under its supervision, have a special interest, even if by chance they occasionally seem to serve their purpose well enough; and perhaps it is claimed there was no means by which the central authorities could get that information so satisfactorily. By Colonel Sexton: Q. If the central authority did get it, what good would it do? A. Well, of course, if they didn't pay any attention to it, it was of no value. Q. The central authority would not have any power to order anybody to do anything? A. The Secretary of War would. Q. I have no doubt the facts were presented in other ways? A. That may be; of course I do not know. All I do know is that when I got back I asked for some matter to make my annual report with, and there were some camps and supply depots as to which there was comparatively little in the office to show; though as to others the same points are reported last May this commis- sion is giving attention to now. By Dr. Conner: Q. You were at Chickamauga when that camp was broken up? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the order in reference to cleaning up the camp? A. That they should restore it as nearly as possible to its original condition. (See Appendix; General Orders No. 31, headquarters Camp George H. Thomas.) Q. It is told us that 3,175 sinks were filled up after the army left. Do you know whether your orders were carried out or not? A. I asked the War Department to give me $1,500 to clean up the camp, and they sent it; but it was directed to be turned over to General Boynton, and I sup- pose he did it. The order about the sinks was perfectly definite, and you can see that as each regiment left there might have been some relaxation of this order, but a great many of the regiments cleaned up about as well as the regulars would be expected to do it. I appointed a sanitary officer, whose business it was to see, among other things, that every one of these camps and sinks, when abandoned, was all right. But where a man was trying to slip out he might get left. Toward the end it may have got worse and worse with some regiments, but prob- ably not with all. Even when they were being mustered out the self-respect of some induced creditable cleanliness, and wholesale reflections do not seem just. The War Department doubtless considered the question of trying the other kind of regimental commander. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Approximately, how many different organizations were in camp there during the existence of that camp-how many regiments? GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1781 A. I should say something like 70; it would be only approximately. There were about 35 in August. Q. It seems almost incredible that so many sinks were left uncovered? A. Yes, sir; I have noticed that piece of arithmetic; but doubtless it is founded upon careful data and is properly explicable. By Dr. Conner: Q. That includes kitchen sinks, I suppose, and officers' sinks? A. One of the instructions about filling the sinks was that they should be filled higher, so as to leave room for sinking. Q. Did it not fill up and overflow the surface? A. Oh, no; if you fill them up with clay the water comes out. Q. It does not absorb? A. Oh, that is a very poor absorbent. But the best way was not satisfactory. Now, all of these efforts that we made I think bore fruit, and when you went to the new camps I think you must have found those in a satisfactory condition. I certainly think our Lexington camp was as clean as I could imagine inexpe- rienced men would keep it. Of course in the first three weeks it would not be as clean as later. It took a tremendous amount of teaching. That is one trouble, I think-the insufficient number of the volunteer inspectors-general, and lack of strict attention to their specialty under the press of other duties imposed. The Seventh Army Corps detailed a lot of officers as brigade inspectors, and I have no doubt it was a great benefit to them. I tried to get them to pass a bill so that all brigades should have inspectors-general. There is so much from grand guards to ration returns an ever present inspector could encourage and help instruct a new regiment in. It is not a question of reports, but of every-day housekeeping. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Were not the brigade and division surgeons intended to inspect the sanitary condition of the camp? A. That is a part of theii- duty. By Governor Beaver: Q. If the doctors take care of the sick, they are doing their duties? A. There is a distinction, though. The Inspector-General also, the regulations say, shall inspect the sanitary conditions; it is mentioned definitely. Now, the inspection by the Inspector-General and the inspection by the medical officers did not accomplish the result as fully as needed. Now, are you going to let the men get sick and die because the site was not right and ready? What you want is a man with force and will to have all that is necessary actually done. I don't wish to reflect on the medical officers. If you do not modify your general regulations in such a way as to meet the ever-present exigencies you may meet the wall. Merely reporting what it appears ought or ought not to exist is a poor place to stop. Remedial action is necessary, or a weak and impotent conclusion. By Dr. Conner: Q. Isn't that the case with many of the troops, too much regulation and too little enforcement? A. Well, I can not say that. You never had better men and better results, and when you investigate this you will see we did not have enough of two things. We did not have enough fighting to overtop the diseases. We did not have as much disease as in the civil war. You have such diseases in all armies. You have got to get camp fevers with camp experience just as much as a child gets teeth. There are no seasoned men among the volunteers to tell them not to do this and to do this. So you have the evils magnified to the very limits of your microscope; and everybody sees not only that there was suffering, but sees it in an exaggerated degree, and you have got to stand it. If there is something reprehensible in this 1782 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. situation, it is largely the fault of the American nation. We make insufficient military preparations for war, and the faults fall every time on the volunteers. It seems that the regular may have possibly adapted himself to such a system, but being less experienced, can the raw levies do so immediately without feeling it? Can we not in some measure minimize these evils and learn the full meaning of the modern word " mobilize? " Of course we did not have 250,000 stands of modern arms or suits of uniform or twice that many underclothes. If our citizens vote for Representatives who will not appropriate in peace for liberal military practice and supplies, and afterwards a call to arms arouses military ardor, why, then, the men who come in and enlist to fight may catch every possible discomfort and trial. Every civilized nation has vastly improved in this century the methods and care of the individuals in expanding their armies, and such as have not have got to suffer to a limited degree. But we never were so well prepared. For many years General Wingate, in New York, and others everywhere have tried to teach the young army what to do; and for the most part in the present mobilization we have volunteer forces seasoned with a certain amount of definite knowledge, whether from past experience in the militia or elsewhere. So there was not so much suffering this time, I think, as in the earlier months of '61. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Then you think, considering the system, that the Government has done as well for its volunteer soldiers as could reasonably be expected. A. I think they have done far better than anyone had a right to expect, but not quite as well as they ought to do, if all branches of the Government, includ- ing the legislative, devoted due attention to perfecting our system of training and caring for volunteers in the first stages of war. Q. Considering the state of affairs? A. Yes, sir. For instance, a cavalry organization was getting its carbines when it was nearly ready to go out of service. Q. Wasn't that the best we could do? A. If it is, it is; but it is not the best this nation can do. The 8,000 regulars in 1861 were absolutely swamped in that huge mass, and all they could do was to guide the fighting force; and the organized militia and military schools seemed very limited; but ever since that time the effort of the 25,000 soldiers, the National Guard and agricultural and other military colleges, has been directed with a definite purpose to try and instruct the whole nation; and so they are a good deal better instructed and better able to take care of themselves and better prepared than in 1861. By General Beaver: Q. Have you noticed any beneficial results arising from instructions given by regular officers in our State universities and colleges in accordance with the law passed by Congress? A. Very little. I think the reason is very plain. Q. Please give it to us. A. There never was a finer school in the United States than Leavenworth, but the benefits in this war from it were comparatively little for the same reason, i. e., the graduates had not got to the top. This war was fought out by the men who were sixty-onesters. The time was too short for the others to come to the front; the demand was very limited; others had stepped into place and had the first call, and these schools have not yet borne their full and perfect fruit. But they were of marked service everywhere they appeared upon the scene. By General Dodge: Q. Do not you consider the assignment of these officers to the military schools as a good system? GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1783 A. It is of the very highest importance to a country like ours, that intends to rely upon its organized militia for its army and security. Q. We did not get the benefit of it because the wax- was not long enough? A, Yes, sir; we all know that this war down at Santiago was led by the old officers, almost too old to go through forced campaigns for four consecutive years, such as were experienced in the sixties. By General Beaver: Q. I know of captains in these schools who could not be appointed even cor- porals in the volunteers. A. All military instruction is of the first importance. It seems well to have all the national military forces, in peace or war, in close and effective touch through- out and uniformly excellent. In some cases perhaps this can in some measure be aided or initiated under the instruction of competent and distinguished regular officers. State lines practically and patriotically can doubtless be brought to aid success as far as properly approved and sustained by mutual consent, as was done for target practice, and thus get a united and coherent force. The Secretary of War once designated an officer for every State in the Union to be ready to report to the governor. I do not remember the figures, but say the first year 3 gov- ernors accepted an officer, the second 17, and the next 30, and so the status con- tinued as it is now. Q. What has been the effect of the efforts of the War Department to obtain laws that would fit the Army for a campaign? A. Of course we have felt our slow improvement. This talk around the board shows the state of affairs. 1 do not think we have reached anything like the same degree of excellence in rapid and complete mobilization that other civilized nations have. I think as far as preparation goes, we ought to take the lead, because we have under our system an extremely small force, and so we must have great expansion, and it takes time, with only a little leaven to leaven the whole loaf. But no time is given you and we must not be deceived by recent experience nor consider it a model of what a short, sharp, and decisive war can in this day of infinite painstaking be made. We ought to be the most ready of any civilized nation, and the force you have should be of all the nations the best existing; and pray pardon the modesty of a soldier. I think it did. I don't think you ever had a better force than you sent to Santiago, and as far as I could see and hear, there was no military attache there that had ever seen soldiers of the line that unques- tionably excelled it. 1 do not mean only private soldiers, but regimental organi- zations. The burden that they bore and the miscellaneous duties they performed were a new demonstration of the marvelous adaptability of the American soldier. The regular regiment commanded by a colonel must have appeared exceptional. Q. Is it expedient, in your judgment, to increase the curriculum of study in our civil institutions in which we have military details so as to include a knowledge of the duties in the commissary and quartermaster's departments as well as in tactics and the elements of strategy? A. I am not only convinced that it is quite feasible, but it would also be extremely popular. Mobility is the first essential of soldiery. It can only be acquired by experience. The only way to learn it is to go at it. It requires effort and a small expense. But our youths love open-air life, and such experience is fundamental to national security. By General McCook: Q. Did you have any personal interviews with General Shafter when he was ill in the rear of the line at Santiago? A. Oh, yes, sir; I was almost always there. I was always in his headquarters when not in front. 1784 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. It has been published in the newspapers that he offered to turn over the command to you? A. 1 would not like to say. As testified earlier about the remarks made by officers in Cuba, I would prefer to have them do the telling. Ask General Lawton if he asked me to take any command. Ask General Shafter if he asked me. Q. It was so published in the papers. A. What difference could it possibly make in the future how General Shafter was considering things. What he did is all that is required. If he reported any such conversation to you, there might arise some consideration why I ought to. I saw it in the public prints, but I did not desire to give it to the public prints. Q. I saw a denial also: I suppose you didn't give that? A. Yes, sir; I said "all I desired to publish then about the Santiago campaign was over my own signature, and if anything was said otherwise it was not at my desire.-' By General Beaver: Q. As a matter of fact, he did not turn the command over to you? A. As a matter of fact, I don't think he could-I will go that far. Q. You have spoken of your report to the Secretary of War-are you willing that that should be considered as a part of your testimony before us? A. Yes, sir; in this sense, that there is a good deal in there that I didn't see; I could not be in two places at once, and I told one of my staff to go with the center and see what he could, and another to go to the extreme left, and each one was to make reports to me. Q. So that part would be based upon their reports? A. Yes, sir. Q. But what is in the reports, that is of your own knowledge, you are willing to have us take as testimony? A. Quite so. Q. Have you documents with you that you would like to make a part of the testimony, or have you any statement to make concerning matters which have not been brought out by our interrogatories? If so, please give them to us-we want you to feel entirely free to make any statements within the scope of our inquiry and to submit any papers you may choose to. A. I do not believe that I remember anything that I would voluntarily state. If I had had my preference, I would not have appeared at all; it is bordering, you know, almost all the time on a question of how your comrades did, or your supe- riors are performing their duties, and I do not wish to appear as if differing from any of them. My opinion is, the utmost enthusiasm has prevailed everywhere and everyone I have seen is doing his duty up to the absolute limit of his ability, and a great many of them I would have been glad to equal or emulate; and there were a good many more of that sort than those 1 would criticise. Q. In your opinion, is the office of Inspector-General of as much value during such an emergency through which we have just passed as in time of peace? A. Well, you can see that that depends almost entirely upon how it is used; the possibilities of the office of Inspector-General are hardly realized by the soldiers of our day. It is utterly incredible, now, that anybody should make a reputation like Baron Steuben, and I suppose very few of us know that when the command of the Army was offered to Washington in anticipation of trouble at the begin- ning of this century, the one thing he insisted on was that Alexander Hamilton should be his Inspector-General; in other words, those who used the office to its full capacity, and make it a field office, get the full benefit of it. To be sure, Hamilton was practically chief of staff. The ability he displayed was phenomenal, GEN. JOSEPH 0. BRECKINRIDGE. 1785 as usual; but the war did not come, and Washington did not take actual com- mand, and therefore much that he had prepared didn't come into use. Q. I am speaking of its administrative use. A. The way General Miles was using the office would have been very effective, if the inspection favorably affected the instruction of that command and if the points called attention to received the emphatic attention they deserved, for no staff corps was more earnestly attending to its duties. The Inspector-General's Department is of no consequence, and the Acting Inspector-General of the Army is of no consequence, unless possessing the confidence and support of the highest authority. But it does not make any difference what the rank is of an acting chief of bureau if he has the ability and is sustained by the highest authorities. In the civil war General Townsend was not the senior, though Acting Adjutant- General. Our long-established system of inspection is inherently American and essentially additional to the hierarchy of command, and if it has the support of the supreme authority and is done with discretion, it is most powerful for good and is never injurious to the public service, and in this Spanish war its officers have devoted their attention specially to field service with the expeditions and camps, which seemed, under the circumstances and at the time, the proper place for soldiers, and if it had been possible to do still more, doubtless they would have been more than glad to. May 22, 1898.-Telegram to Commanding-General, mentioning lack of general officers and inspectors, deficiencies in ordnance and medical supplies, unhandy water, etc. May 24, 1898.-Telegram to Commanding-General, mentioning inadequacy of hospital personnel and supplies, and poor water. May 29, 189S.-TAQgxaxn. to Commanding-General, mentioning lack of instruc- tion, need of regular officers, advisability of increasing the weaker regiments, general congested condition, lack of arms, clothing, and fresh meat, need of test- ing water and facilitating mail. June 4-, 1898.-Telegram to Commanding-General, mentioning need of general and staff officers, of arms and instruction, suffering from want of fresh meat and medical supplies, shortage of potable water due to inadequate transportation, need of brigade inspectors. June 11, 1898.-Telegram to Commanding-General, calling attention to ill- adapted transports and suggesting other ships available. July 4, 1898.-Telegram to Commanding-General, mentioning shortage of ammunition, food, and medical supplies on the battlefield and news of the fight. August 4, 1898.-Telegram to Adjutant-General, giving summary of inspection of General Frank's division hospital and measures taken to improve situation, and requesting authority for limited expenditures in practice marches. August 5,1898.-Telegram from Adjutant-General, authorizing moving of camps from time to time to unoccupied ground in Chickamauga Park. August 8, 1898.-Telegram to Adjutant-General, suggesting practice marches and asking for clerks and staff officers. August 9,1898.-Telegram from Adjutant-General, authorizing practice marches. August 10,1898.-Telegram from Adjutant-General, ordering vacation of Chick- amauga Park. August 17,1898.-Telegram to Adjutant-General, recommending moving of Gen- eral McKee's division to Knoxville. Appendix A. 1786 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. August 17, 1898.-Telegram from Adjutant-General, approving that General McKee's division be moved to Knoxville. General Order 31, headquarters Camp George H. Thomas, August 19, 1898. [Telegram.] Chattanooga, Tenn., May 32, 1898-3.50p. m. General Commanding the Army, Washington. D. G.: First day's inspection was limited principally to First Division, admirably com- manded by General Wilson, which was composed entirely of Northern regiments, those in each brigade being from different States, and was found in better shape than was anticipated, though quite short of brigadier-generals. We were greatly delayed in beginning the inspection by fatal railroad collision with First Missouri train. My son Ethelbert, despite the bleeding from contusions received, rendered special and continuous assistance to the desperately injured. The deficiencies arising from organizing and drilling regiments of recruits representing various States, such as men of certain organizations of infantry, artillery, and cavalry, being without arms, horses, or cannon, are doubtless well known, and the medical department said to be without some of the simplest supplies. Though subsistence supplies are abundant, filling large warehouses in Chattanooga, perhaps from the inexperience of the colonels, some difficulties and delay appear experienced in reaching the men. Handier water and experienced subordinate general and staff officers, particularly capable inspectors, seem needed. Colonels Burton and Vroom might be ordered to report to me now for this tour, and then be assigned for field service. The equipment and instruction in close order of the First Divi- sion may be considered fairly good, and are spoken of as rather better than the average. This inspection would be expedited and made more effective if we encamped with command. Please order necessary tentage, equipage, temporary transportation, and camp guard, if it meets with your approval. Breckinridge, Major-General of Volunteers, Inspector-General. Breckinridge, [Official telegram.! General Miles, War Department, Washington, D. C.: In relation to hospital supplies at this camp, some cars are being unpacked. Heretofore some regiments came partially supplied, and some of their supplies are exhausted. A large number came unsupplied. Only one field division hospital, because of inferior and inadequate tentage. Only pocket case and no surgical case, such as needed for amputation of upper leg. Five cots and less than a dozen of each kind of hospital furniture, including panniers for this command of over 30,000 men, and less than a dozen patients in the two hospitals (division and head- quarters) inspected, though others now in regimental hospitals would seem more properly in division hospitals. More than a dozen cases are said to be sent to the city hospitals at Chattanooga, some of the cases in division hospital being appen- dicitis, measles, pneumonia, purulent ophthalmia, and typhoid fever, and some lying on straw. Books and blanks hardly adequate for another month. Surgical dressings and simple accessories for surgical operations necessarily borrowed or purchased. Some hospital water looked milky. The introduction of water and Chattanooga, Tenn., May 24,1898. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1787 standpipes is proceeding with remarkable energy and promises speedy improve- ments. The medical corps feel the need of larger organization and adequate per- sonnel, both by enlistment in Regular Army Hospital Corps and reestablishment of National Guard Regimental Hospital Corps, which were not mustered in. More regular medical officers seem needed. Dr. Hoff has arrived, and others may be expected. The situation changes so rapidly that present status is represented immediately, and the same or greater energy prevails in the medical department as seemed generally displayed here, and some matters deserving immediate remedy receive it. Breckinridge, Major-General Volunteers, Inspector-General. [Night message. Official telegram.] General, Commanding the Army, Washington, D. C.: Conditions stated in telegram of 22d still hold approximately. We will stay this week in camp, though an absence of camping facilities was reported when I wrote from Washington. Inspection of First and Second Division, First Army Corps, nearly completed. Both divisions reviewed and held battle exercises. Noticeably good body of men, but not yet well in hand nor instructed in the first practical requirements of cam- paign and battle, such as marksmanship or extended order. In some regiments guard duty performed in slovenly manner, and in some regiments manual of arms not taught in conformity with drill regulations. In First Division over 30 per cent are raw recruits, and over 20 per cent more, while not absolutely raw, have seen less than one year's service in militia, and over 50 per cent have had no target practice. Target range and practice seem much needed, and any regular officers belonging to this command, especially line, should join at once. Difference in enlisted strength of regiments varies over 300, and all are 200 or more below the full complement. The economy and efficiency of strong military organizations are so strongly recognized that the advisability of increasing the weak ones of the command to the full complement allowed bj law is submitted for consideration of the Department. All of the best commanders to whom I have spoken agree to and earnestly desire this, and it seems practicable under the second call for troops. The First Division, First Corps, seems in better condition than the other two. Much of the equipment comes from the States, and the earlier battalions some- times are noticeably better equipped, but the worst from some States better equipped than the best from others, and they are apt to know how to continue to get things. The struggle and delay in supplies is still apparent, and the more inexperienced suffer. Perhaps the centralized system of supplies and inferior railroad facilities and lack of experienced officers of the several supply depart- ments with subordinate generals may have increased this congested state. In Second Division two regiments without arms, and some other regiments have none for 30 to 40 per cent of men, and guards walk posts with wands. Many rifles, especially older models, even if not already unserviceable, can hardly be expected to last through a campaign. An issuing arsenal and repair shop seem needed. Lack of uniform, especially underclothing, noted nearly everywhere, and many companies in mixed and some wholly civilian dress; and individuals purchasing stores for public purposes, from stationery and light-weight clothing to provisions and medical supplies, is one phase of situation here. Regiments have complained that sizes of clothing issued, from hats to leggings, sometimes do not fit, and the quartermaster will not exchange. Many men are overcome by Chattanooga, Tenn.. May 29, 1898. 1788 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. heat; in tropical climate a cheap ventilator seems needed for hat under sweat leather. Fresh-meat issues have been small, and trouble experienced with present commissary blanks, and return to simpler ones like those used in last war recom- mended. It is said a million pounds of flour is accumulating, but hard bread largely eaten heretofore, and contract for soft bread made at about 5 cents a loaf. As some question of the quality of water now piped has been raised, it might be well to test samples in Washington. Can not the European system for military post-offices and delivery be adopted, and men familiar with the organizations accompany them, instead of- establishing postal facilities anew at each place the army moves to? My party at Chattanooga has been compelled to go daily to and from camp to conduct inspection, so I directed transportation requests furnished. Is it approved? Breckinridge, Major-General, Volunteers, Inspector-General. [Official telegram.] General Miles, Commanding the Army, Tampa, Fla.: After inspecting over 30,000 men at Camp Thomas, it seems demonstrated that brigade and division commanders, rather under than over 45 (alert, vigorous, and experienced, but not stale), are specially needed for instruction and leading an improvised army to promptly and successfully meet the requirements of the modern battle lines; and well-instructed staff officers for these subordinate com- mands, even if not so young, are also needed. There are almost none with the brigades. Having brigades and divisions so soon under volunteer colonels makes the regiment suffer from absenteeism at the formative period and necessitates undue slowness in essential, but not showy, instruction. Is not the importance recognized of training the individual in such matters as musketry? Whole regi- ments and parts of regiments arrive unarmed, and yet no rifles are on hand for them when they arrive, and none have had target practice here, not even gallery practice. Similarly the training of the tactical unit, which may be accepted as the battalion, under the present legal organization, needs to be specially expe- dited in an improvised army which may be on the battle line before being proficient in mere military incidentals. The way Major Parker, of the Twelfth New York (captain of the Fourth Cavalry), holds his battalion in hand and is training it in extended order is a favorable illustration, and Colonel Gardi- ner's training of the Thirty-first Michigan, though unarmed, deserves similar notice. Apparently, from the benefits of attention paid by the States to the National Guard, the regiments which represented the States having the best National Guard appear better prepared for present contingencies than those from some of the others, even though the requirements of battle line are somewhat ignored. In staff work during such a press it is evident how papers, property, disbursements, or transport naturally demand the first attention, while the green men must almost take care of themselves, though needing the utmost care; and through their uttei* inexperience of every relation of military life and adminis- tration the men suffer for days for the want of even fresh beef or medical sup- plies. When no harness came with the mules and wagons it made the shortage of potable water more severely felt. To obtain direct knowledge of the indi- vidual soldiers and note their deficiencies and aid their supply are the special duties of the inspectors, but then* duties seem to be inadequately provided for and designated. There are no brigade inspectors-general authorized by law, though there, should be. It can hardly be considered that the sufferings of the En Route to Tampa, Fla., June 4, 1898. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKINRIDGE. 1789 men will be equally well guarded against and their wants equally promptly provided for without the energetic and well-directed and faithful assistance of inspectors, but surely there has been a decided deficiency somewhere, which is now being partially remedied since the presence of such officers on inspection duty as Majors Thomas and Slocum, and of staff officers of other departments joining about the same time. The excessive labor and constant attention required of those in the higher positions in charge of this concentration of troops, especially in the highly centralized method in which it is conducted, deserves favorable notice and considerate attention, and, if possible, some relief, both by adding to the staff force employed and, possibly, by changing the methods somewhat as the organization becomes more complete. Breckinridge, Major-General, Volunteers, Inspector-General. Breckinridge, [Official telegram.] General Miles, Commanding the Army, Tampa Bay Hotel, Tampa, Fla.: There was probably one at first, but now again there is to be a board of officers, and doubtless your attention has already been given to the carefully considered opinion of the medical officers as to the present condition and inevitable results under the delay and slow traveling for consecutive days, which may lead to suf- fering or the enervation of the troops on what they consider the worse-arranged or ill-adapted transports, especially if overcrowding continues and so militates against landing the force in the best fighting condition. There has been some mention of other ships within reach, and among them some prizes now at Key West, which the public prints say the Government intends to use. The Concho. Miami. San Diego, and Cherokee are among those I have heard mentioned in this connection as in objectionable condition. Not knowing how fully the matter has already been presented to you, it seemed best to transmit it immediately. Breckinridge, Major-General Volunteers, Inspector-General. Port Tampa, Fla., June 11, 1898. [Official telegram.] Santiago de Cuba, July 4, 1898. General Miles, Washington, D. C.: Chief of artillery telephones the following required: Eight hundred percussion shell; 1,GOD shrapnel; 2,400 cartridges; 4,000 primers; 4 bow-spring brakes; 1 breech- block complete; 12 fuse punches and 100 points. In answer to other questions, food seems to be shorter than ammunition at the front, but every effort being made to supply it and apparently somewhat more successful. Medical supplies were gruesomely inadequate. The test of the defensive strength of secondary Spanish blockhouses, rifle pits, and smokeless musketry, both at Caney, by Law- ton's command, and near Fort Sanjuan, by Generals Wheeler, Kent, and Sumner, made everything drive for the fights with energy and kept teams and everybody busy night and day, with results and costs that have doubtless been reported by others. Our artillery is in small proportion here to the force, and although dis- tinctly useful and life saving, it was not dominating even under the earnest efforts of Capron's battery at Caney and the three batteries under Dillenback near San Juan, and more and heavier seems generally desired at the front. The invisibility and inaccessibility of the opposing force and the natural advan- tages of its defensive positions, even without artillery, or in insignificant numbers, 1790 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and the semipermanent works everywhere that have been created during the years of war with the insurgents, necessitated assaults, and gave it power to inflict greater losses than might have been anticipated in the feeble abandonment of the simpler works at Daiquiri and Siboney, where possibly the naval ordnance domi- natea the enemy. There was a good double play by Lawton and Bates, who at the very moment of victorious assault at Caney started by a night march to strengthen the right and left, respectively, of the lines under Wheeler as advanced within a few hundred yards of the enemy's extensive rifle pits near Fort San Juan. The firing on the 2d was not as continuously severe as on the 1st, and the losses correspondingly diminished. The gallantry with which the assaults were conducted seems sufficiently attested by their successes and the losses sustained by the various organizations. The turning movement by General Chaffee, termi- nating in an assault, and the tenacity of General Ludlow were possibly the features of the movements at Caney under General Lawton, where the artillery ultimately was brought up to within 500 yards, as it was also at San Juan, where Colonel Wood, who commanded the First Volunteer Cavalry at the Sevilla fight, was commanding a brigade, and his command here as before experienced some of the fiercest fighting, and the charge of General Hawkins and the conduct of General Kent's division displayed gallantry equal to that of the cavalry. You are well aware of the reputation and skill of the corps and division commanders. At night- fall of the 1st there was a decided strain at some points of the military position. It is most unusual that officers and men in so large a command so cheerfully and utterly disregard their personal comfort as has seemed necessary on this expedi- tion; and the tropical rainy season adds very much to the strain imposed. The actions of the fleets of both nations and the correspondence between the commanders of the opposing land forces have been doubtless reported to you, and you are kept informed of the rapid changes in the situation. I hope to ride at least a part of the lines to-day, if my horse can stand the trip. General Shafter's energy was, as usual, phenomenal, though far from well and almost confined to his cot, and General Wheeler's cheerful presence on the scene, though he was also far from well, was characteristic. General Young, having too high a fever for duty at the front, had been assigned to command at Siboney. The latest news we have is that Pando has passed Garcia and entered Santiago with between 5,000 and 10,000 men. Breckinridge, Major-General Volunteers. [Telegram.] Adjutant-General United States Army, Chickamauga National Park, Ga., August 4, 1898. Washington, D. C.: Inspected, hospital of General Frank's division yesterday. Found tentage and flooring inadequate and unsuitable. This said to be fair sample of such hospitals. Only 24 square feet of floor space per patient available. The park commissioners and others are said to have donated some of the flooring, lime, and other necessary articles. Vigorous measures are in progress to improve the situation both in camp and hospitals. It appears that the whole condition has always been and still is largely in the control of those in power. I hope within a fortnight (if sustained in the proper measures) to interest the soldiers, improve their surroundings, and check an abnormal increase in disease and deaths. The conditions are apt to be exaggerated now in fear of what may occur rather than in contemplation of what has occurred. The change of regimental camps to more healthful sitesis already in progress. Adequate means and proper care of the sick have been ordered. GEN. JOSEPH C. BRECKENRIDGE. 1791 Careful hygiene and thorough inspection have been provided for. Authority is requested for limited expenditures in practice marches of small commands, to vary monotony of camp life, also for such games and contests as are encouraged in the Regular Army. As Surgeon Woodhull and now Major Hopkins and Reed are investigating these questions and immediate action seemed needed and is being taken here, this view of the case is succinctly submitted. Armies have existed in camp in proper healthfulness, and doubtless can exist here if proper means are adopted and steadfastly adhered to. Breckinridge, Major-General, Commanding. (For the Inspector-General, U. S. Army.) Adjutant-General's Office, Commanding General United States Forces, Washington, August 5, 1898. Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga Park, Ga.: In view of report received here that there is abundance of unoccupied ground in Chickamauga Park well suited for camps, to which regiments in your com- mand may be moved, the Secretary War authorizes you to move camps from time to time, as you may deem expedient. H. C. Corbin, Adjutant-General. [Official telegram.] Chickamauga National Park, Ga., Augusts, 1898. Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.: It is very gratifying to acknowledge the satisfaction expressed by the Secretary of War with the efforts immediately instituted to check the abnormal death and sick rate found existing among these troops. It is hoped that inexpensive practice marches, limited to a week or fortnight, of some of the subdivisions most needing an outing, as recommended by the medical authorities here, will also meet his approval. Such little outings will evidently arouse the interest of the soldiers, give them periodically fresh and therefore better surroundings, and improve their seri- ously threatened health. It is hoped that capable staff officers and clerks will be authorized in adequate numbers under this emergency work. Can not Captain Judson, of the engineers, and Captain Hobbs, of the ordnance, Major Heistand, assistant adjutant-general, Captain West or Wilson, of the subsistence, be given adequate rank and ordered to report to me for duty with this army upon my staff, so as to partially make good the comparatively great depletion in staff officers which has recently occurred in the First and Third corps? If these can not, I will be glad to name others if sach assignments can be favorably considered. Breckinridge, Major-General. [Official telegram.] Adjutant-General's Office, Major-General Breckinridge, Chickamauga Park, Ga.: The Secretary of War authorizes practice marches. The question of further assignment of staff officers is having consideration. H. C. Corbin, Adjutant-General. Washington, August 9,1898. 1792 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. [Telegram.] Major-General Breckinridge, Chickamauga Park, Ga.: As indicated in telegram to you day before yesterday, the Secretary of War has determined, by reason of the sickness among troops of your command, to reduce the force at Chickamauga Park by two divisions, sending one to Lexington, Ky., and the other to Knoxville, Tenn. Both these divisions will be the First Corps. This done, it is expected the Third Corps will be so distributed that they will have sufficient space for air, drill, and exercise and that it will not be necessary to move them, at least for the time being. In going to Knoxville would it not be well for the division to go there by easy marches? It is desired that you consult with the division and brigade commanders and submit report by telegraph as to whether it would be better for the troops to march to Knoxville or to be sent there by rail. H. C. Corbin, Adjutant-General. True copy: G. R. Cecil, Assistant Adjutant- General. Washington, D. C., August 10, 1898. [Telegram.] Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.: General McKee recommends, and I concur therein, that his division be moved to Knoxville by rail, several days' notice being necessary to allow piping to be done and platforms built for unloading cars, and he reports as the result of his inspec- tion of the grounds offered for encampment of a division at Knoxville and Johnson City, Tenn.; the grounds near Knoxville are generally high and rolling, well drained, free of timber, of sufficient extent to allow ample drill grounds for each brigade. The soil is a mixture of clay and gravel; city water is offered free, and will be pumped direct to camps. The water is from the Tennessee River, carefully filtered; railroad communications are good. Storehouse for subsistence offered free, and excellent market is offered for purchase of fuel and forage. The grounds at Johnson City are not suitable, being too scattered. The water offered is of excellent quality, but will be charged for. Breckinridge, Major-General, U. S. Volunteers. Chickamauga, Ga., August 17, 1898. [Telegram. ] Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, August 17, 1898. Major-General Breckinridge, Chickamauga Park, Ga.: Your telegram of this date, recommending that General McKee's division be moved to Knoxville by rail, is approved by the Secretary of War, and division will be moved as soon as possible. H. C. Corbin, Adjutant-General. General Orders, No. 31. Headquarters Camp George H. Thomas, Ga., August 19, 1898. Upon vacating camps regimental commanders will be held responsible that the ground occupied by the regiment be restored as far as possible to its former con- dition, and the next superior commander will have the abandoned camps carefully inspected and reported upon. CAPT. ROBERT W. DOWDY. 1793 All litter and refuse, all lumber, boards, boxes, and barrels, and brush shelters left by the regiment will be burned. Posts and tent pins will be withdrawn from the ground. Wire and rope improperly placed on the trees will be carefully removed. Open holes, underground cellars, and root houses will be filled in, and all heaps of earth, stone fireplaces, etc., leveled. Great care will be taken that latrines are left in proper condition. The fecal matter should be covered with a thick layer of quicklime before filling in. Suffi- cient earth should be heaped on the site to raise the level a foot above the sur- rounding ground. In case cord wood, forage, or other quartermaster's property has to be left behind, the chief quartermaster should be notified. Before the march is taken up the regimental commander, accompanied by the inspector of the division, will make a close inspection of the ground to see that these orders are enforced, and report through military channels what further action, if any, is needed. The foregoing orders apply to those regiments that have recently moved to new sites in the park as well as to those to move hereafter. Commanding officers of regiments which have recently moved will make a care- ful inspection of their former camps to see if the terms of this order have been completely carried out, and if not, at once take such steps looking toward their proper policing as are necessary. To police the abandoned camps of regiments not now in the park, and for gen- eral police, details will be made by orders from these headquarters from day to day, from divisions in rotation, to report to the sanitary officer. By command of Major-General Breckinridge: G. R. Cecil, Assistant Adjutant-General. Washington, D. C., November 15,189S. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. ROBERT W. DOWDY. Capt. Robert W. Dowdy then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn by General Wilson. By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your name, rank, and service in the war with Spain. A. Robert W. Dowdy; captain, U. S. Army, retired. I served as first lieuten- ant in the Seventeenth Infantry in the Santiago campaign and have since served as master of transportation at Camp Wikoff, N. Y. Q. What date did you go to Montauk? A. On the 5th of August. Q. When did you leave there? A. On Saturday last, the 12th. By General Beaver: Q. Just go on, Captain, and tell us, if you please, in what condition you found things when you went to Montauk, and what you did in your department in con- nection with it. A. When I arrived at Montauk on August 5 there was nothing whatever there. 1794 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. General Young and Colonel Miller had just arrived and we stopped at a house three and a half miles away as a matter of necessity, as it was the only habita- tion available. After the ground was looked over, men were sent at once to pre- pare the water supply and requisitions were immediately forwarded by telegraph for water supplies. These supplies began to arrive, I think, by the Sth of August. On that day I pitched the first tent that was pitched at the camp; and all sup- plies rapidly arrived, of various kinds, of course; and those who were there were exceedingly busy making requisitions to supply anticipated wants. I think it was the 12th that I was taken out of the quartermaster's office, where I had been serv- ing, and put in charge of the wagon transportation. That was then exceedingly inadequate. They had about 20 wagons and 96 mules, but it was greatly increased from time to time, until we had 286 wagons and some 1,245 mules. In addition to that the demands for transportation were such that a large number of teams were employed from outsiders-something like 275 horses and about 60 or 70 wagons-so that by the 1st of September there was ample transportation. Until that time there was considerable complaint that there was not enough. Q. By what time did you say? A. By the 1st of September, perhaps the 20th of August; but between the 20th and the 1st of September there was ample transportation. The hauling, of course, was considerable-the enormous supplies sent there; the flooring and tents. The hospitals and buildings took a great quantity of lumber, and all the supplies hauled were something enormous. The hospitals were something like 2 miles from the station and the camps to 4 miles away. A great quantity of supplies was also sent there by the relief associations, all of which the quartermaster's department had to haul. Q. Had you anything to do with the preparation of the camp for the troops returning from Santiago? A. Nothing more than to assist the quartermaster in making requisitions for supplies. Q. How soon were the requisitions made responded to? A. Generally they were responded to the same day by telegraph, saying, "Your telegram of such a date received and such and such goods are ordered from such points." Q. How long did it require to receive goods from New York? A. That varied. Sometimes they came in one day, and sometimes not for a week, owing to various causes, I suppose, along the railroad. Some cars were laid out and might be forgotten. I suppose that was the cause. Q. At stations before arriving at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. What facilities had the railroad at Montauk for handling cars? A. At first they had none, but they went to work and rapidly put in eight side tracks, and while great complaints have been made of the railroads, 1 think they did very good work. Q. Did they put side tracks in opposite the storehouses so you could unload right into the warehouses? A. One was so placed, but the others, of course, had to be placed farther away, and that track would rapidly get filled up so fast, and then the loading had to be over across to the other track. Q. And hauled to the camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. To what extent were the tracks congested? How long did the cars remain there, so far as you know? A. Some were unloaded at once and some others not called for might stand a week or ten days. CAPT. ROBERT W DOWDY. 1795 Q. To that extent interfering, of course, with the working of the railroad? A. There is no place, of course, to put them, and still the addition was full, wholly full clear up to the rafters. Q. How soon after the troops arrived did they begin to floor the tents? A. The flooring was done on them about the 15th of August. I think the First Cavalry came on the 8th or 9th. Q. How soon did the first troops arrive from Cuba? A. About the 15th. Q. You had some lumber received before the arrival of the first troops from Cuba? A. Yes, sir; I wrote some requisitions there on the 6th or 7th of August. Q. For lumber for flooring? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the flooring of the camps ever contemplated from the first? A. Yes, sir. Q. The first consignment came in before the arrival of the first troops from Cuba? A. Yes. sir. Captain Knight, who was chief quartermaster, directed me to order some lumber, and I asked what it was for and he says, " I am going to floor thetents." Isaid, " The hospital, or all of them." He says, "All of the tents in the camp," and I wrote a requisition for 100,000 feet of boards and, I think, 10,000 pieces of 2 by 4. The captain says " That won't be enough;'' but it was thought that was as much as we could handle at one time. " If more cars come than we can handle they will accumulate and you can handle them then." He told me to keep on ordering until we got a sufficient amount. Q. The proposition for flooring all the tents was rather a novel one to soldiers, wasn't it? A. I never dreamed of such a thing. It struck me rather queer Q. W as the camp ready when they came? A. No, sir. Q. Were the tents up? A. No, sir. Q. I mean on the arrival of the first regiment from Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. I suppose I ought to have distinguished from the troops from Tampa; they came about nine days before the troops from Santiago? A. I don't know; I was busy. Q. How many came, then; just one regiment? A. No, sir; four troops of two different regiments which had been left in Tampa; one battalion of each regiment. Q. Did they pitch their own tents when they came? A. Yes, sir; the Tampa troops did, so far as I know. Q. State whether those troops arriving from Cuba found the tents already erected for them. A. The tents were pitched by the Engineer Corps, and while I could not state positively, but generally speaking, the tents were pitched before they got there. Q. Had you any difficulties in the way of preparing the camps by reason of water or labor troubles or anything of that kind? A. Not any reason due to water. There was a great deal of trouble with the laborers. Q. That is, contract labor? A. Yes, sir. Q. What, for example? A In the first place, the carpenters quit work because there was no house to live in and no satisfactory mess facilities, which was quite true; and that caused 1796 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. a great deal of delay in arranging and preparing hospitals and in making floors. The laborers were employed through a firm in New York, and they were about the hardest set of men I think I ever saw-worthless tramps picked up around the corners and barrooms and sent up there in a hurry. I marched two or three off the ground. They got better, for later in the season we discharged them and better men were employed. Q. Did you mean by carpenters quitting that you had a strike or they just quit? A. Yes, sir; it was a strike, because they were trying to get 50 cents a day more than they had been getting. That was the real motive, I believe. Q. How did you fix it? A. We finally gave them 50 cents a day more. Q. You submitted in order to get the work done; money didn't stand in the way? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did that strike continue, Captain? A. I think about four or five days. Q. Did that seriously interfere with the preparation of the hospital and camp? A. No, sir; not with the camp, I don't think, but it did with the hospital. Q. But for that strike and the delay consequent upon it would you have been ready for the reception of the sick men as soon as they arrived? A. I think not altogether. They arrived in such vast quantities and came so rapidly that by the time one of the transport loads was properly taken care of and before we could go on and arrange for the next the next would be there. Q. As a matter of fact the sick men did crowd you beyond the capacity of Hie hospital when they came? A. Yes, sir; very much. By Dr. Conner: Q. Does that apply to the detention hospital or the general hospital, or both? A. Both. By General Beaver: Q. What was the character of the contract transportation you had-contract teams-efficient or otherwise? A. They were very difficult to handle, but in the course of a week they became efficient. Q. From what depot did you draw your army supplies: that is. vour field trans- portation? A. St. Asaph. Q. Where is that? A. In the neighborhood of Washington. Q. Is that the general depot for mule and wagon trains? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did they come to New York, by boat or rail? A. By rail. Q. When did you receive your first Government consignment of mules and wagons? A. About the 7th or 8th of August. Q. Were they disciplined teams or in the rough? A. Exceedingly in the rough. Q. So while you had to discipline the drivers you also had to discipline the mules? A. Yes, sir; decidedly. They caused considerable trouble at first. We had some 600 mules there, and we finally got them broke in. Q. How did you get drivers for Government teams? Were they obliged to enlist, or did you get them outside, or did they come with the trains? A. St. Asaph. CAPT. ROBERT W. DOWDY 1797 A. We had to pick them up where we could get them. There was none thereat all. I would frequently write to Captain Parsons here, and write to New York, and in fact I sent out men twice to employ drivers. Q. Who was Captain Parsons-in charge of transportation here? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was he at Montauk? A. He came up with the first wagons and was there a few days. Q. Were you able, with the transportation you received and hired, to supply all the transportation that was needed for the camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. When did it become so? A. About the 20th of August. Q. The troops had not all arrived at that time, had they? A. No, sir. Q. So that your transportation kept ahead of the troops? A. After that time. Q. Up to that time you were behind? A. Yes, sir. Q. To what extent? A. Well, that would be difficult to answer. I can only say frequently requisi- tions would be made for wagons which could not be supplied at that hour. They would have to wait two or three hours and sometimes have to wait until the next day, but I don't think ever longer than the next day. Q. What is your rule, in furnishing transportation, as to the kind of supplies that should have precedence? A. The hospital first and commissary next. Q. If delays were caused, then, they were not caused at the expense of the sick men, as I understand it? A. Oh, by no means. If sick men were deprived of supplies it was not the fault of the wagon transportation, so far as I know. Of course, in distributing the wagons, you generally would supply the requests in the order in which they came in, but whenever hospital supplies were ordered every other wagon would have to stop and go to the hospital. Q. Was there any demand for transportation for the hospital that was delayed until the next day, so far as you know? A. I can not recollect an instance. I can recollect when it was delayed for two or three hours, but not until the next day. It may possibly have been so, but I can not recollect it. There were always three wagons which remained at the hospital ail the time. Q. Over which the hospital authorities had absolute control? A. Altogether, from 5 to 10 wagons were sent there every morning and then from the stand, as the surgeon in charge of the hauling called for them, they would be turned over to him. I was always on the stand at 7 o'clock in the morning and the surgeon would come down generally about half past 7 and say he wanted four, five, or six wagons, or whatever, for that day. They would be turned over to him and he would take them to the cars and haul up such supplies as he saw proper. Q. Was there any lack at any time, so far as you know, of any transportation for commissary stores for the troops as they arrived? A. No, sir. In the very beginning I expect they did have some trouble. They were sending supplies from the commissary direct to these transport ships and at that time I only had charge of turning out the wagons out of the corrals, but when I assumed also, in addition to other duties, the assignment of the teams, the com- missary complained and these contract teams were employed, and from that time on teams were stationed at the commissary department every morning. I think he had eight, and they were gradually cut down as the necessity passed away. 1798 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. You had nothing to do with the preparation of the camp, as I understand it. You were devoted exclusively to the matter of transportation? A. Yes, sir; at first, as I said, I was in the quartermaster's office and assisted in making requisitions. Q. Yes, sir; but after you assumed charge of the transportation you had no time for anything else, I take it? A. No, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Do you remember any time that a complaint was made to you by Colonel Forwood that he was unable to get lumber to the hospitals for flooring the tents? A. Not in that way. Well, 1 can say positively to that: By no means. But Colonel Forwood did frequently send word down that he was out of lumber at the hospital, and wagons would be immediately sent to the cars and loaded up. It occasionally happened that there would be no lumber there, but it would come in the next day, but I can not remember that there would be any serious delay in furnishing lumber. He would frequently say, "We have got to have lumber;" then every energy would be bent to send lumber to the hospital. Now and then there would be times that the supply would be exhausted and it would be some ten to twenty-four hours before the next invoice would come in. Q. Have you any idea of the amount brought to that camp and used? A. No, sir; it is something immense. It is piled up down there now as high as this building-old tent floors. By General Beaver: Q. Do you mean lumber never used? A. No, sir; the old floors. But the quantity of lumber was something very great. There could have been any quantity there, of course, but you could not handle it. All other cars had to be unloaded, too, and it was not simply a ques- tion of getting lumber, but of unloading and handling it. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Did you have anything to do with the ambulances there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have a sufficient number for use in the hospital and other places? A. We had 50 at one time, and in the rush when the troops were arriving there were, I think, about 25. They had to work very hard. I think 25 more could have been used to advantage. Q. Did they use any common army wagons in their place unnecessary for trans- porting the sick from the ship to the detention camp? A. No, sir; not in that capacity. Of course, as wagons would take baggage up from the ships the captains or commanders of regiments would allow men to get on there and ride. Q. Were you able to furnish transportation of some kind to all those not able to travel? A. Yes, sir; but sometimes they would have to make more than one trip. Q. How much were ambulances used by officers and their friends to the detri- ment of the sick? A. I could state positively not at all, so far as came under my observation. The rumors that the newspapers circulated about that are mostly simple stories out of whole cloth. When ambulances were coming from the hospital back to the corral, which was near the station, no doubt many officers would ride down. I think it may be possible when out around the camp that drivers would take a fee from visitors, either going from one point to another, but, of course, I saw the ambulances more than anyone else, and I can honestly state that I never saw them used for purposes not intended. DR. GEORGE L. MAGRUDER. 1799 Q. You speak of the hospital not being adequate to receive the large number of sick who arrived too rapidly. What disposition was made of the sick? A. Well, they were laid on the floor of the hospital. Q. Then you mean that you had tentage enough for them? A Well, I presume, but I can not state whether there was any time that the hospital needed more tents than it had. However, I was never there very much, but when I was there I went up to the ambulance train several times; there were a good many lying out. Q. Well, you gave the wrong impression to me, at least. Now, I understand that the want of preparation you name was the want of cots for just the time being. By Dr. Conner: Q. You put up floors and the stays first and the tents afterwards? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know of men lying on these floors without covering for any consid- erable length of time? A. I do not. Q. Would you have known it if such had been a fact? A. Not necessarily. By General McCook: Q. Suppose the water transportation had been used from New York; how much would it have facilitated your business there in making preparations? A. A very great deal. Washington, D. C., November 15, 1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. GEORGE L. MAGRUDER. Dr. George L. Magruder then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objection to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn by General Wilson. By Dr. Conner: Q. Your name, please, profession, and length of time in practice, and your present residence. A. I have been practicing medicine since 1870 in this city; my residence, 815 Vermont avenue. Q. Did you have occasion, at any time, to visit Camp Alger? A. Yes, sir. Q. On how many occasions? A. On June 5, June 26, and September 4, and Dunn-Loring on September 2. Q. Will you tell us, in your own way, what the condition was at each of your visits, what you observed, and what was lacking, and anything else that you may care to? A. 1 went there on the evening of June 5, with my family, and drove through the camp, entering it by the road on the upper portion near the headquarters and near the camp of the New York cavalry company. At that time I was struck by the large number of booths, around which were many soldiers, eating and drinking many things on sale-pies, cakes, bananas, and fruits, lemonades, some taken right from the buckets, and some drinks were sold from the bottles. I no- ticed great dust there. It was several inches deep, owing to the character of the A. Yes, sir. 1800 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. soil and the great amount of traffic over the same. We were frequently cautioned to drive slowly, and my horse walked, owing to the clouds of dust. I then drove through the camp, passing a number of regiments. I found some of them very close together. Company streets were narrow, and I found the company sinks very near to the kitchens. Q. How near? A. In some cases 20 yards, and in some cases not protected by screens. I had my wife with me, and I had to attract her attention to some other part of the camp so as to avoid her seeing the men using the sinks. In crossing over from the neigh- borhood of the Sixty-fifth New York, which was at that time at the extreme end of the camp, we crossed a very narrow stream, which was very muddy and very shallow, and the men were washing their faces and clothes in this stream. It was very much disturbed by the passage to and fro of the people and horses and the use the men were making of it. Those were the observations made at the first visit on the 5th of June. When 1 went back again on the 25th of June 1 found the conditions prevailing as before. I noticed on the 5th of June they were driv- ing artesian wells, and the same on the 25th of June. There were three Pennsyl- vania regiments, I think, had their camps so close to the New Jersey regiments that you could readily see the sinks and the kitchens and sometimes they were almost against them. There was a very narrow space between them. There was a disagreeable odor from some of the sinks. I passed so close to them that I got out of the vehicle and walked around and left my wife with the children. That was very perceptible. I noticed the odor in close proximity to the kitchens them- selves. When I went to Dunn-Loring, on the 2d of September there were only three or four regiments there, and they were preparing for home-in fact did take the train while I was there. The regiments seemed to have more space at that time, and were scattered over more ground. One regiment had been on the ground where they were for a month, and had to haul their water several miles. They had no pump on the regimental ground at all. I spent some time there discussing the camp with the doctors. They had been there, I think, since about the 4th of June, probably longer than most any other regiment at Camp Alger, proba- bly about three months. They had the same tents they had in the beginning, and during the three visits I made I found the men had made no provision to get sleep- ing accommodations off the ground. They were using the conical wall tents, and were very dirty and their clothes were very dirty. Many of the men on the 2d of September were walking around with trousers on and no undershirts at all, Those that did have undershirts were very dirty, and the officers explained that the water was so limited that they had to go without drinking water. One officer remarked to me that he had gone days very thirsty; that it all had to be hauled. I visited the First Division hospital the day that I went down to Dunn-Loring, and there I was met by Major Phillips, who took me through the hospital from end to end. I think there was no part that I didn't go through with him. Of course they were breaking it up then, and there was ample room, but they had been assigned four men to a tent. They were being nursed by sisters of charity. We stopped and asked the sisters attending the patients if they wanted anything. Every answer was that they wanted nothing-that they had everything necessary-and the men expressed satisfaction and contentment. I examined the commodes, I think, in every ward, and but one did I find dirty. The attendant had evidently overlooked taking care of it. A solution of corrosive sublimate of one to one thousand was used and the vessels were washed out and the contents put in barrels. They had no trouble getting meat, ice, butter, and all the ordinary requirements. I visited the special diet kitchen and found it with ample facilities for making such things DR. GEORGE L. MAGRUDER. 1801 as are required for patients. The 60 cents a day per man was more than enough to furnish those supplies. Q. Had you known anything about the condition of Dunn-Loring previous to this? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have occasion to inspect the hospitals previously at Camp Alger proper? A. No, sir. Q. Had you any previous military experience which enabled you to judge with a fairly critical eye what you saw? A. No, sir. I was connected with the Georgetown Medical College several years as dean, and for a number of years we have taught military surgery and hygiene, and of course as dean the line of work comes under my knowledge, and that is the reason why I noticed, probably, a little closer than I would. Q. Were such observations of a character to enable you to determine who was responsible for the conditions you observed? A. I think the commanding officers. Q. Of the companies or who? A I think from the companies right up. Q. The conditions then, outside of Dunn-Loring, were not such as you, as a medical man, thought they ought to have been? A. Undoubtedly not. Q. Did you think the conditions you observed were, in any considerable degree, responsible for the pool' health of the men in their camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you think that had the ordinary precautions been observed and enforced in that camp it would have been better? A. Ido. Q. Do you know whether or not the sick rate was high? A. There were many sick. I suppose you are all aware that I wrote an article on Camp Alger at the request of the New York World. I got the tabulated state- ments from the Department, because there had been statements made that the Departments were opposed to giving out official documents. Q. Did you learn the nature of the diseases mostly? A. No, sir. In the early part of the time I understand it was diarrheal diseases very largely. 1 spoke to a doctor in Falls Church-Dr. Talbot-who is also a druggist there, and I spoke to two or three surgeons in the regiment. They said that after a big dinner sometimes they would have diarrheal trouble with every man in the company, but they would not go off duty for it. Q. How did men come to have big dinners that would give them diarrhea? A. Buy it outside. Q. Were these hucksters in the camp or outside? A. I saw men in the camp, but the majority were outside of the camp. Q. Did you know what the proportion of mortality was at Camp Alger? A. Very small up to the 18th of August; exceedingly small. Q. Did it become very large after that date? A. I did not look at any records after the August record. At the time I made the investigation of the August reports the others were not in. There had been but 18 deaths all told, 12 from typhoid fever: and so the mortality was exceedingly small for the large number of men there. Q. You regard the list of typhoid deaths as not high at all? A. No, sir; not at that time. Q. What was the condition of the water supply-was it proper drinking water? A. The surface water was, of course, not good, and the wells were very shallow in the neighborhood, and the few springs there were, from what I was told, neg- 1802 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. lected, and the springs ran very shallow during the summer on account of the extraordinary climatic conditions. It was a very dry summer and a very hot summer. The Signal Service shows it was abnormal during the year. The result was those springs were shallow, and, of course, fed by surface drainage, and I was told by good authority that the men used neighboring cornfields and pine groves instead of using the sinks. I remember that when one regiment moved the surgeon told me it took him several days with a large number of men to clean up the woods. Of course that contaminated the water. Q. What would you say about the deep wells? A. From the information I received I considered the deep wells good and free from contamination. Q. Did they furnish a good supply? A. That I can not tell. Q. You have been thoroughly acquainted with the neighborhood of Washington for considerably more than twenty years? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether that region of Camp Alger has been regarded as healthy or otherwise? A. I have not heard anything against it. Q. It has been reported to us that it has been known for years to be unhealthy; so much so that the mortality was more, rather than less, than Washington. Do you know anything about that? A. I asked Dr. Talbot on my last visit. He has practiced there a number of years. They told me the average number was 45 or 46 cases of typhoid, and some of those came back after a trip and took sick at home. Q. Is that an unusual number, compared with Washington? A. I do not think so. We have them in this county, Montgomery County, con- stantly. We unfortunately have more than we ought to. Q. What do you attribute that to? A. Unfiltered water and the three or four hundred pumps in the vicinity of Washington. Q. Do you think they were supplied with as good water as this in camp in the city of Washington? A. Yes, sir; I think those artesian wells better than any Washington ever had. The Potomac water we are not proud of. Those of us that can afford it use filtered, and we recommend patients to boil the water. Q. Is it a question of chemical or pathological germs? A. I think pathogermic germs. Another thing, the regiments were frequently sent on outpost duty. When a regiment was sent to the Aqueduct Bridge the greater part of the water those men used was taken from the Potomac right under the Aqueduct pier. That is right directly opposite Georgetown. If you go down to the depot at Falls Church you will see a large barrel that is fed by a pipe. That dips into the river immediately under the pier. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What is the tendency as to disease where there is a great aggregation of men like there was at Camp Alger, even under the best conditions-is there more disease than if segregated? A. Undoubtedly; because if the men come close together they are careless about the surroundings. Q. If you had not visited Camp Alger and had simply got reports of the sick- ness there, what judgment would you have formed? A. I think about'the same-that they were careless about the sanitary measures. Q. Then you say that the sickness that occurred there was indicative of an unsatisfactory condition? A. Yes. sir. DR, GEORGE L. MAGRUDER. 1803 Q. What do you say in regard to mortality? A. That the mortality was limited; that eventually the diseases were not as serious as the great number of cases seemed to appear. There were a great num- ber of cases of sickness but not a great mortality. The mortality proved that. Q. Then, if you take the mortality alone without regard to the number of cases of sickness there, and you had not visited the camp there, what would you have then said? A. And had heard of the great amount of sickness? Q. No, sir; and had not heard of the sickness. A. I would have said it was not so bad as the reports were. Q. If you had not had any reports at all of the number of men there, considering the climate and the season of the year, what would you have said? A. Very fortunate. Q. Would you have said it was a very good or very pool' camp? A. I do not know as important to quality whether it was a good or poor camp, but very fortunate. By Colonel Sexton: Q. What, in your opinion, gives the most sickness; the food or the water, or pies and things purchased from the hucksters? A. I think the food first, and the crowding together and the carelessness with the sinks and want of cleanliness; of course in that way they contaminated each other. They ate food without washing their hands. They had no facilities for washing. It is well known that typhoid will contaminate food every time you eat. Q. We had testimony of men there who dug their own wells and had very little sickness, although the regiments around had all the men sick in quarters, and they had only two or three in the hospital? A. Still using well water when they left there? Q. Yes, sir; they had an abundance of water. They dug their own wells. By Dr. Conner: Q. Would that water, in all likelihood, be contaminated? A. I should not think, unless several feet deep, it could go without many days. Q. If 30 feet? A. I should think if in a clay soil, where the water would stand on top of the clay and where you could almost get the clay out solid like a brick, if you had it like that, there would be no chance for the water to go through it. Q. Was there any place within 50 miles of Washington better adapted for camp- ing purposes that you know of? A. I don't know of any; they might have got nearer the river. It would have been better in that respect, but they would have soon fouled the river. By Colonel Sexton: Q. One of the doctors says he thinks 50 per cent of the diseases were caused by the hucksters? A. I think that doctor is about right. Q. Did you notice any hucksters there in camp or any guard about those huck- sters who were there? A. I did not. I made the second visit on the 26th of June. I did notice at Del- 'rosa a guard was over the spring, and 100 yards away was a booth selling lemonade made from that spring. Q. So you understood? A. Two officers from the Commissary Department told me that the water they made the lemonade from was taken from the spring; that was where I saw the guard standing: that was on the 2d of September. 1804 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Washington, D. C., November 15,1898. TESTIMONY OF ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. Asst. Surg. William G. Weaver, upon request, appeared before the commis- sion, and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Doctor, will you kindly give us your name, residence, and rank? A. My name is William G. Weaver; physician: residence, Wilkesbarre, Pa. My rank during the war was assistant surgeon and acting surgeon, Ninth Penn- sylvania V olunteers. Q. As such, where were you stationed? A. At first at Mount Gretna, three weeks, after which we were taken-I left there May 17, arriving at Chattanooga the 19th of May. On the 20th of May we were in camp at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga Park. Q. What corps and division were you assigned to? A. The Third Army Corps, Third Division, Third Brigade. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us what the sanitary condition of the camp and medical condition of your men were during the time you were there; were you on hospital duty in Chickamauga? A. Only with the regiment. Q. You were with the regiment all the time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us those things? A. After the first four weeks we had very little sickness other than diarrheal ailments, and about the 18th or 20th of June, which was one month exactly after we arrived there, typhoid fever began to break out in our regiment and it con- tinued to increase steadily until we left, on the 24th or 25th of August. We had at that time nearly 600 cases of typhoid fever in our regiment. There were 28 or 30 deaths, I am not sure-surely 28, probably 30-from this disease. Of four captains from our town three died of this disease. Q. During the months that you speak of, between the 20th of May and the 20th of August, what was the sanitary condition of your camp? A. Well, the sanitary condition, judging from outward appearances, was good; judging from the results, it was bad. Q. Were your company streets clean, your tents kept clean, your sinks in good order, your kitchens well cared for, your kitchen sinks properly attended to? A. Yes, sir; as well as could be under the conditions present. The sinks were bad. Q. In what respect? A. We were on very bad soil. It was impossible to sink them deep enough, more than 3 or 4 feet without blasting. Of course we were not prepared for that. The soil was bad. There was a foot or foot and a half of top soil, and then we would strike-even this was more or less stony-then we would strike a bed of hard clay, which held the water just like a barrel, and the sinks were located in a way that a great deal of water would pour in there in spite of all efforts. We ditched and banked and did everything. We had a great deal of rain after the first three weeks. The first three weeks we had no rain. It was dry and dusty, and afterwards we had hard rains, frequent, and some terrific rains, and the water would percolate through the soil in spite of all efforts. Q. How close were the sinks to the company quarters? A. I think at one time they were not more than 40 or 50 feet away. Q. Was it possible, by going a reasonable distance, to find low ground on which to dig your sinks deeper? ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1805 A. Yes, sir. Q. Why was not that done? A. Because when we entered the camp we were told by the commanding officer (this, of course, is hearsay)-at that time Major Stewart was the surgeon of the regiment, but almost immediately he was taken off to act as brigade surgeon with Colonel Dougherty, who was acting as brigade commander, and he told me-I got my orders from Major Stewart-he told me that he had his orders from General Bates, who was then commanding, I think, that we were not to go across the road, that we were given space between the Second Missouri and the First Illinois, and we were not to go beyond the road, so it was impossible to get any distance away at first. However, we were not so near, as we were a two-battalion regi- ment when we entered Chickamauga Park. Afterwards they made the regiment a three-battalion regiment and the ground was not increased, and it necessitated making the camp deeper and wider, so it came up close to the Second Missouri, and while we moved our regimental headquarters up the hill as far as we could go it was necessary to move the camp-the regimental streets farther down-and that brought the regiment still nearer to the sinks. Q. What measures did you adopt to disinfect those sinks? A. We made requisitions for disinfectants, for the reason that I could never keep them as we wished. The orders were to cover them with earth twice a day at first, but when the rains came they would fill up and you could not cover them with earth. Everything would flood right out, and would percolate through the soil. Q. Did you make requisitions for disinfectants? A. Yes, sir. Q. For what? A. Chloride of lime and lime. Q. To whom did you send those requisitions? A. Through the regular channels. Q. With you, what were the regular channels? A. With us it would be the brigade surgeon, who was at one time Major Stewart, and, later on, Major Dodge. Q. And your division surgeon was who? A. Major Griffith. Q. And your corps surgeon A. Was at first Colonel Hartsuff and af terw'ards Lieutenant-Colonel Huidekoper. Q. Now, when you made these requisitions, were they disapproved or approved, and sent everywhere, and you failed to get the supplies? A. This much I know, not directly, but I was told-the day that the order was given by the hospital steward-that Colonel Huidekoper had told him we were to use earth; it was the best disinfectant we had, and they did not issue the chloride of lime. Q. Did you still see anyone in authority above you-the brigade surgeon, or the division surgeon, or the corps surgeon-in regard to this matter? A. I am not sure about that. My impression is I talked it over with them. I certainly called their attention to the bad sinks. Q. Were your men in the habit of defecating in and about the camp as well as in the sinks? A. No, sir; not after they were once instructed. At first we had no sinks. Q. Do you know whether or not in any of the camps in your immediate vicinity that this was true, or otherwise? A. It was not true, as far as I know. I acted as brigade officer of the day a good many times and never saw any of them. Q. Never saw any deposit of fecal matter in and about the woods instead of in the sinks? 1806 INVESTIGATION OP CONDUCT OP WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir. Q. What was done with your kitchen refuse? A. What could be burned was burned, and what was not susceptible to such disposition was thrown into the sinks and covered over. Q. How soon after your arrival did your first case of typhoid fever show itself? A. About a month. Q. Had you brought typhoid fever with you from Mount Gretna? A. No, sir. Q. There was typhoid fever at Gretna? A. No, sir; not when I was there. Q. Were any of them cases for a considerable length of time that had malarial fever that you afterwards thought were typhoid? A. They never were by me, but at the division hospital there was a dispute as to this. Q. How large a percentage do you think under your own care was malaria as compared with typhoid? A. Twenty per cent. Q. Twenty per cent malaria and 80 per cent typhoid? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you take any medical supplies with you from Pennsylvania? A. We started with medical supplies, but everything burned up on the way; the car burned up. Q. When you reached Chickamauga did you make requisition, or was your sur- geon with you at that time? A. He made the requisitions. Q. Did he get what he made requisition for? A. Well, the supply was very poor for some time. Q. You mean what? A. I mean insufficient. Q. In what respect? A. In quantity, and only a few drugs issued. Q. What were the drugs that you were able to secure in ample quantities? A. I can not say that we ever received drugs in ample quantity. Q. Was there any time you were lacking in the necessary amount of quinine? A. Yes, sir. Q. How often? A. Well, I can not say. We got 100,000 pills from home in one lot and a good many afterwards, and I think we used them all up. Q. How soon after you reached there was a divisional hospital organization effected, or was it in operation when you got there? A. It was established almost immediately. Q. "Was it or not a fact that the regimental surgeons were expected to get their supplies from the division hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you make application there for necessary drugs? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you get them? A. Sometimes, and sometimes we did not. Q. Was there any special failure to supply you with the more essential drugs, such as quinine? You stated you got 103,000 pills-calomel, morphine, and various preparations used by.the Government-was there any difficulty in getting these drugs at any time? A. Yes, sir; at times. Q. How often? ASST. SURD. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1807 A. I can not say as to that. Q A few or many times? A. I think a good many times. Q. Half a dozen, or six times half a dozen? A. 1 don't know exactly as to the drugs you inquire about, but we made requisi- tion for a great many drugs we thought were needed. Q. Will you kindly try to remember as to those drugs I mentioned? A. I am not very clear as to those drugs. Q. Are you thoroughly certain you did not have those drugs in sufficient quan- tity at all times? A. Well. I don't think we did at all times; no, sir. Q. What were the drugs you were especially lacking in? A. We often lacked in the preparations of bismuth-astringents used in diarrheal complaint. As I say, we got a large quantity of quinine from home. I know there was a time we could not get quinine. Q. As respects the astringent remedies you speak of, do you know? A. Preparations such as salol and suphonal were lacking. Q. How long have you been in the practice of medicine? A. Twenty years. Q. Did you find any particular difficulty twenty years ago in treating typhoid fever without salol or suphonal? A. We treated them, but I don't think we treated them equally with the success we do now. Q. Do you know whether you had the camphor and opium pills? A. We did later on. We got camphor and opium in sufficient quantities. Q. Did you have difficulty in getting those things in the beginning? A. In the beginning there was difficulty. Q. How much difficulty? A. Well, we did not get them in sufficient quantities. Sometimes we would send over and get a requisition honored in part and sometimes not honored at all. Q. When honored in part, would there be a sufficient amount to last you three or four days? A. Sometimes it would not last more than a day, and we would make a requisi- tion for the next day. Q. What excuse was given you at the division hospital for not supplying you with drugs? A. That they did not have them. Q. Under the orders establishing division hospitals, was it expected you would have any seriously ill men in your camp? A. No, sir. Q. Why did you need much medicine in the treatment of those cases? A. The division hospital was not able to accommodate them and we had to estab- lish a hospital. Q. At what time did you have to establish a hospital? A. If you will excuse me, I will refer to the records. .1 Q. You had two or three assistants? A. Two. Q. Did you three gentlemen enter heart and soul into the organization and try to effect the best possible result out of the division hospital organization, or were you constantly in opposition to it? A. We were never in opposition to it. Q. Do you know of any other regiment in your command in which they acted in that way? A. I can not speak for them. 1808 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you not hear it; as a mattei- of fact, wasn't it common conversation that the division-hospital arrangement was a bad one? A. I think that was the general talk, but not to the extent of opposition to the system. They would prefer to have regimental hospitals. Q. Did you take a hospital corps with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. How soon was that taken away from you? A. Well. I can not say exactly; it was right after Colonel Huidekoper came. Q. Very soon after your arrival? A. Colonel Hartsuit was there some time. It was Huidekoper who issued the order. Q. How many hospital nurses and stewards were left to you in a regiment? A. One hospital steward; that's all we took with us, and we took a corps of 12 men. These were, I think, 5 or 6 young physicians-5, I believe-druggists, and men who were trained. Q. They were all transferred to the division hospital? A. All but one. Q. How long did you keep sick men in regimental hospital-the extemporized hospital? A. We kept them all the way through after the division hospital was crowded. Q. Beginning with the first of your work? A. That depended on circumstances. We kept them long enough to determine the nature of the disease. Q. What was the maximum time? A. Three days, I think. Q. Not to exceed that? A. There may possibly have been times a little longer. Q. You were the only medical officer? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were any of the men kept by you in that hospital so that their condition was critical before they were transferred to the division hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Not at all? A. I would like to say at some times they would come in the hospital in a crit- ical condition. Q. Men reporting at sick call? A. No, sir. I remember a man who died the third day after he reported. Q. What was the matter with him? A. Typhoid fever. Q. It was one of those walking cases of typhoid fever? A. Yes, sir. The records show he died on the 12th of August. He was at the dispensary on the 3d with a normal temperature, and the 6th with a normal temperature, and brought to the hospital on the 9th, the case not having been reported to the surgeon, and he died on the 12th. Q. Would you consider it an evidence of neglect on your part to a man in your command reporting on the 9th and dying on the 12th? A. No, sir; I would not. Q. Is it fair to say that every man received late in the hospital under medical care who dies early it is the fault of the medical officer having charge of him? A. Not at all. My records show he was very sick when he came in the hospital. I saw him perhaps an hour after he came in and found him very sick, and pre- dicted that he would die early. Q. Why didn't you transfer him at once? A. At that time there was no place at all. We had 60 typhoid cases in our own hospital, and they were not taking any cases in the division hospital. ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1809 Q. Who had charge of that hospital? A. Major Clark. Q. At that time, as I understand you to say, the hospital facilities were such that 60 seriously ill men had to be cared for by you in the regimental hospital? A. I think, to be precise, there were 56, and we had 56 beds, but there were a great many sick in beds that were Q. Do you think your command represented the average of the commands of that division at that time? A. I don't think so. I thought they stood high on the list, if not the highest. Q. In other words, you had a greater sick list than the majority of the regiments? A. Yes, sir; heavier than the average. Q. To what did you attribute that? A. First, to bad water; second, to the faulty sinks, to which attention had been called by me repeatedly; the bad location of the sinks, and with reference to their near proximity to the mess tents; the bad character of the soil, which prevented having good sinks; and I attribute the sickness largely to the overwork of the men. Q. In what respect? A. The routine of duties. Q. You mean by that the excessive drills? A. Yes, sir; and excessive duties. Q. Had they any other particular duties, excepting keeping the camp clean and drilling? A. I will present you the routine of their daily duties, if you wish to look at it, and I think you can judge from that yourself. Q. Will you be kind enough to read that? A. Reveille sounded at 4.30, first call; reveille at 4.40; assembly, 4.45; mess, 5 o'clock; fatigue, 5.30; sick call, 5.45 (that was afterwards cut down to 5.20); inspection company tents, grounds, etc., 6.15; drill, 6.30 a. m.; roll call, 8.40; Sun- day inspection, first call, 7.45; assembly, 8 o'clock; monthly inspection of the reg- iment, first call, 7.45; assembly, 8 o'clock; guard mount, 9.20; first sergeants, 11.30; mess, 12 o'clock; fatigue, 1 o'clock; school, 1.20; recall from fatigue, 2.30; drill, 3.30; recall, 5 o'clock (we had very hot weather down there); parade, dress parade, 6.15. By General Beaver: Q. What order is that-regimental, brigade, division, or corps, or camp? Do you know? A. I think it is division. By General McCook: Q. Who gave the orders to get up-reveille at 4.30? A. It is an order for the division, I see. Q. Who is your division commander? A. Well, at that time I suppose it was General Sanger. By Dr. Conner: Q. As I understand you, you spoke first of the water, then the condition of the sinks, then the overwork of the men. Now, are there any other reasons? A. Weil, growing out of the sinks, I think, the chief source was from the flies. There were innumerable hordes of flies, and if you could not protect the sinks from these flies it stands to reason they were a constant source of infection. Q. Do you think you had any more flies in your command than in the others? A. I can not answer as to that, but we were closer to them. Q. Do you think your men performed more work than the regiments in your neighborhood ? A. I don't know as to that. I presume they had the same duties. 1810 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you think your water supply was any worse than your commands about you? A. I don't know as to that. Q. Then, why should you have a greater amount of sickness than your neigh- bors ? A. I have explained one reason; I think the chief reason. Q. The nearness of the sinks ? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you make representations to your commanding officer as regards that? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did he do? A. He called attention to it. 1 personally went to General Andrews, command- ing the brigade, and he issued an order to have them removed, and this was coun- termanded by General Sanger. There is the order: Headquarters Third Brigade, Third Division, First Army Corps, Camp George H. Thomas, July 11. The Commanding Officer, Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Sir: The commanding general directs that you have the sinks at the back of your regiment removed to the far side of the road and the ground cleared, policed, and put in good sanitary condition. Respectfully Walter L. Bouve, Assistant Adjutant-General. The same date an order from General Andrews prohibiting further bathing in the river; but there is an order of the 24th of July of General Sanger reconsider- ing his prohibition. I had had a conversation with him on the day preceding and pointed out the menace this condition was to the health and the general condition of the camp as to sinks, and he on the following day-I think July 24-ordered the sinks removed to the field. Q. That was in accordance with the orders given two weeks before? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did General Andrews forbid the order you first issued? A. Yes, sir; in pursuance with the order the work of locating the sinks was in progress when General Sanger rode up and stopped it. Q. When was that-how many days after you left? A. I presume the 11th or 12th. Q. Then you continued the use of your sinks as before? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then two weeks later, lacking a day, you were ordered by General Sanger to go across the road and get into the open field? A. Yes, sir. Q. What objection did General Sanger make? A. I didn't hear him say anything about it. I can tell you the reason General Sanger gave to me afterwards when I called his attention to it. He said it was offensive to the sight where the people could see them. As a matter of fact they were much farther from the road when we moved in the field than where they were located. Q. Did you have occasion at any time to visit the hospital of your division? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what condition did you find it generally? Give any specific evidence of neglect, carelessness, or inefficiency that may have been seen by you. A. I never saw any carelessness or inefficiency. Q. What did you find? ASST. SUEG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1811 A. I thought the hospital was as well conducted as it could be under the con- ditions. Q. What conditions were those? A. No hospital that I saw conducted at Chickamauga was conducted like a modern hospital. Q. In what respect? A. Nursing. Q. What next? A. Another criticism I can make was the crowded condition. They had not room enough. They were too crowded; huddled together. Q. Was that huddling more or less at your hospital with 60 men? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many men did you have? A. We had a mess tent 55 feet long and 21 feet wide. The ordinary hospital tent is about 14 feet square. I had this large tent, 55 feet long and 21 feet wide, and 4 additional hospital tents, the ordinary Government tents, and we were not crowded; for instance, in this sense we were not crowded. We had to put the beds as closely as possible, but the tent was so much wider; we had a hall 3 feet wide-a hall at either end 3 feet wide. The height was greater and the wall higher. There was no such crowding when you consider the air space as in the division hospital. Q. If you had your choice of space, what amount of the floor would you take? A. If I had my choice, I wouldn't put more than four beds in a hospital tent. Q. How many were there in your tent? A. I think in the division hospital there were usually eight and sometimes ten. Q. Did you yourself ever see ten beds in that tent in the division hospital? A. I would not want to swear I did, but my impression is that I did. I only want to say what I am positive of. Q. In your regimental hospital you were compelled to rely on the men in your hospital. Did you have any men who were good nurses? A. Well, no. Q. Did you give them any special instructions as to what they ought to do and how to do it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they carry out their instructions? A. As well as uneducated men could do. Q. Were they not men who were capable of learning what you had occasion to teach them? A. They would in time. This came all at once. We had to go down to the companies and pick out men. Q. In the division hospital, you spoke of insufficiency of the nurses and unfit- ness. Where did they come from? A. They were taken from the different commands-different regiments. Q. Were they drawn from different companies by order of the general detailing a certain number of men out of a regiment? A. No, sir; not originally, as I understand it. In our regiment they drafted our hospital corps, although they did that with all regiments. Q. That was 12? A. Twelve, and they took 11. Some had a larger corps, and they did the same thing with them. Then when there was so much sickness, when they didn't have force enough, it was a common thing for the nurses to come down sick with typhoid fever there, and the number of cases increased there, so that afterwards they would ask for a detail from the regiment and the captains would send such men as they thought fit. Q. As a rule, what was the character of the men selected? 1812 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I can not answer as to that, not even as to our own command, because that didn't come directly under my observation, and I don't know what kind of men we sent. Q. Didn't you see enough of the command all these weeks to know? A. This drafting only took place the latter part of the time we were at Chick- amauga. We were so busy I did not know anything about the division hospital. I should judge, as far as they went from our command, they would be up to the average. Q. Did you inspect these men? A. No, sir; I never saw anything about them unless it was only by accident. Q. Did you hear your colonel or company officer or any field officer charge men with cowardice because they were selected and went to the division hospital out of the command? A. No, sir; I never heard any conversation on the subject. One I know, as a matter of fact, because some men did go. Some came back sick. Q. You had a large number of typhoid-fever cases, as I understand it. What was the mortality under your own care? A. It was low. Q. What was the percentage? A. I think we had in all about 600 cases from first to last, and there were less than 30 deaths, or about 30-28 or 30. Q. Is that a high or low mortality for typhoid fever? A. Low. Q. If you had 600 cases of typhoid fever during any period in Pennsylvania, would you expect to lose as many as 30 or more than 30? A. I would expect to lose that many. Q. You would be very well satisfied to compound on a mortality of 30 out of 600? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did it happen that with all this overcrowding, these bad nurses, with all this friction that existed between regimental and division hospitals, with all this limited supply of medicines, that yet the mortality was less than in any ordinary mortality in any well-organized, civilized country? A. I think it is a well-established fact that men do better with typhoid fever when lying in the open than in the house. Q. That is very true; and yet at the same time doesn't nursing have a vast deal to do with the probable mortality with serious cases of typhoid? A. Undoubtedly; and undoubtedly lives were lost there because they were not properly nursed. Q. Have you any evidence bearing on that? When you say "probably," "undoubtedly," etc., do you know of any single case to which the deaths can be attributed to the overcrowding rather than the negligence in nursing? A. Not of my own knowledge. Q. And yet you had a considerable opportunity to observe these cases? A. In the regiment. Q. Did you see the division hospital frequently? A. But I was not there enough to see whether anybody died of neglect. Q. In all cases was bad water-where did it come from? A. Well, I never was personally to the intake of those pipes, but I have been informed from what I consider reliable information that it came from a point that was likely to be polluted. Q. Have you any evidence of any kind of bacteriological examination or any other that indicates to your mind without question that that water was not fit to drink? A. No, sir; I have never made more than a casual examination. It didn't look fit to bathe in or swim in. ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1813 Q. Are you familiar with the waters in the western country, alluvial lands? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you or not think that muddy water is necessarily unwholesome water? A. Oh, no, sir; I do not think it is necessarily unwholesome. Q. After you left Chickamauga-what was the date of your leaving? A. I don't want to get away from the water question. I don't judge the water from its color or appearance alone, but from my own information, and I always supposed it was correct; I thought it was taken from the point at which it was likely to be contaminated. Q. Supposing you were told that a very careful examination made by expert men had shown, as a rule, no pathological germs in the water, and never knew typhoid germs, would you still be of the same opinion? A. Yes, sir. Q. Why? A. Because at Philadelphia, when they had a big epidemic, they tested that over and over and rarely found the typhoid bacillus at all. It is hard to find. Q. Did the typhoid develop very extensively at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. As extensively as at Chickamauga while you were there, proportionate to the population? A. Oh, no; I would not say that. Q. Would you feel yourself justified in saying that no man in Philadelphia should drink the Schuylkill water* that is furnished there? A. At that time I would say so. Q. Is it regarded as an evidence of neglect on the part of the authorities by the citizens who drink that water? A. Ido not know as to that. By General Beaver: Q. Doctor, would it depend a little on the time the water so submitted for exam- ination was taken from the stream? A. Oh, yes. By Dr. Conner: Q. In which condition-granting that the stream is polluted with typhoid germs-in which condition is the water most likely to be loaded with them, when the water is high and muddy or low and clear? A. It would be more polluted when there is a large quantity of water. Q. Therefore it is safer to drink the muddy water when the stream is banked full than when there is clear water and little in the stream? A. When you have a high stream you have to wash in this excreta. All things alike, I would say the larger quantity of water is less dangerous than a small quantity. 1 would not say when a stream is swollen with rain it would be. Q. Supposing the stream is swollen and the water was taken at points above the highest stream that drained the area infected on its way, what would you say? It comes from the region in which there is no contamination. A. I do not understand your question. Q. It comes from the region in which there is no contamination, and that con- tamination is below the intake. Does it make any material difference whether these tributarial streams are infected or not, the water being drawn from the points above? A. If it is drawn above the infected area, of course. Q. Do you know whether that was a fact? A. All the information I got-and I got a number of inquiries-was that there were many sources of possible contamination above the intake; for instance, Iwas told that the intake was below the point where troops were stationed, somewhere 1814 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. about Cave Springs; there certainly were troops there, and I remember a conver- sation, on this very question, taking place between Colonel Hoff and Colonel Hart- suff, where they were determining to bring the water. Q. Did you hear what that resulted in-what conclusion they came to? A. Only what Colonel Hartsuff told Colonel Hoff what they proposed to do. Q. Was this in your hearing? A. Yes, sir; Colonel Hoff asked where he was going to take the water, and he told him they were going to bring it from the Chickamauga Creek, and he said, Colonel Hoff wanted to know, why they did not go to Crawfish Springs, and Colonel Hoff said it involved too large an expense for piping, and he said, "To hell with the expense; Spain has to pay it anyway." Colonel Hoff knew the sit- uation, and it was not a safe point. Q. On the 24th of August, where did you go then? A. Lexington, Ky. Q. You found conditions good there? A. I was taken sick on the way from Chickamauga to Lexington and never saw my command again. By General Beaver: Q. Doctor, are you acquainted with the fact that the intake was above the out- let of the Cave Spring Run? A. I am not. I asked Major McKee about that last night, and he was quite positive it was not. Q. Do you know when the canal which made the outflow of Cave Spring Run below the intake was made? A. No, sir; I do not know, though there was an order issued preventing us from using the pipe water. Q. Do you know how nature made the outlet? A. No, sir; 1 never investigated that. Q. How is the typhoid germ usually taken into the system? A. It is taken in by something either eaten or drunk. Q. What is the ordinary way? A. More commonly water. Q. If you have a regiment of 1,200 men and you have 600 with typhoid fever, what would be the natural, practical, and inevitable conclusion of the sources of it? A. We would naturally look to the drinking water. Q. Is not that the first thing? A. Yes, sir. Q. If you are called in to a family, don't you examine the well to see where the water comes from? A. Yes, sir; as far as our command was concerned, we abandoned this pipe water very early; there was an order issued prohibiting the use of it. I person- ally prohibited it very early. By Dr. Conner: Q. When did you get that water; how many days after you came into the park? A. I did not have the water for some time; at first we got water wherever we could. Q. Within what number of days after you had the pipe water distributed to you did you forbid its use? A. I should think within a week. Q. How long a period was that preceding the outbreak of typhoid in your camp? A. I can not say as to that. Q. Was it two, three, four, or six weeks? A. I am not clear as to the time that pipe water was put in. It seems it was quite a time after we got there. ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1815 By General Beaver: Q. That being the case, where did you get your supply of drinking water from? A. It was hauled from Blue Springs, 3 miles distant. Q. In wagons? A. Yes, sir; barrels. Q. What kind of barrels; barrels headed both ends or open? A. Open. Q. For what distance? A. Three miles. Q. That is, it took G miles to a drive to bring how many barrels of water? A. I think each wagon could bring five barrels. Q. How much water did you bring into camp at the end of that drive? A. The most of it. Q. Was the road a good, smooth road? A. It was originally, but by hauling over and over it again it cut it up. Q. The barrels were pretty full? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many barrels of water did you use to the company per day? A. I would not want to say positively. Q. What is the average amount of water allowed to an inhabitant in the ordi- nary community? A. That was only drinking water. I am inclined to think-I think there were four barrels to a company. Q. For cooking and drinking? A. Yes, sir. Q. And a company had 100 men? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did the barrels come in three-quarters full when they landed? A. Yes, sir. Q. More than that? A. Sometimes a little more, it seemed to me. Q. How many trips did these wagons make in a day? A. They made a number of trips; I don't know just how many. Q. Four? A. I should say so. Q. Were yon ab'e to get wagons sufficient to bring the water necessary for your regiment to do the hauling of the water? A. Wagons; yes, sir. Q. There was no trouble about transportation? A. No, sir. Q. Where did the men get the water for the other necessary purposes of the camp-for the washing of their clothes, their bathing, and things of that sort? A. From the pipe line? Q. Had you any sunk wells in the neighborhood of your camp? A. None that was ever used-well, there was one used a few days by one com- pany, but I had that filled up. I got an order from the colonel. Q. Was that a well they dug themselves? A. Yes, sir. Q. What distance did they go to get the water at that point? A. Perhaps 1,000 to 1,500 feet. Q. I mean deep. A. About 18 feet. Q. Was that below the tenacious clay of which you have spoken? A. Well, I did not watch the digging; I am not quite sure about that. 1816 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Was it exposed to danger from the surface drainage? A. Not particularly. It was really never used to any extent. It was used per- haps three or four days by one company, and we had it filled up right away. Q. Because of the dangei- of contamination? A. Yes, sir; but they did use the other wells. The Government had wells bored. Q. Did you ever examine those wells carefully, Doctor? A. No, sir; I condemned them from the start, and there was an order issued by Colonel Dougherty prohibiting the use of that water, and afterwards that com- mand was general. Q. On what ground was that condemned? A. On the ground it was liable to become contaminated. Q. And the wells that were put down by the Government were first prohibited by the colonel of your regiment? A. Yes, sir. There was one in close proximity to our regiment. Q. And afterwards there was a prohibition from the headquarters of the corps or camp, or what? A. Surely from the division-I think, over the whole camp. I never' saw the order, but I know this. I have seen the wells guarded every day to 9 o'clock at night. I rode up there and watered my horse and always found a guard there. That was in the month of August. Q. Was there any guard there at night? A. Up to 9 o'clock. Q. Do you know of any other wells put down by the Park Commission or the Government that were condemned? A. No, sir-Oh, yes, more than one well. Q. How many wells put down by the Park Commission or the Government were condemned? A. I remember seeing guards over three of them. Q. And all above the ground from possible contamination from surface drain- age? A. Yes, sir. Q. Doctor, do you know to what extent they kept the pumps-wells which were contaminated-going, as to time; do you know of their being used or not, and men standing there until 5 o'clock in the morning to get water? A. I don't know about that. They were used for drinking purposes for the horses, and the guard would stand over them during the day up to 9 o'clock at night. Q. That is, those that were condemned? A. My impression is they were all condemned. I do know of three wells, for I used to pass them, and they were a good distance apart, you know-half to three- quarters of a mile apart-and I assumed the rest were condemned. I do not know as a matter of fact. Q. I think you have the maximum, as a matter of fact. How many men who died there from typhoid fever came from your city, Doctor? A. That I don't know; quite a large number of them; three of the four captains who went out from Wilkesbarre. Of course, they were from other places-Tona- wanda, and as far as Bethlehem. Q. As many as 18 from your own town? A. Well, if there were 30, there were about half, I should say. I never followed that up. Q. You have stated you had GOO cases of typhoid fever in your regiment? A. I believe there were that many. Q. Not at one time? - A. No, sir. A. Yes. sir. ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1817 Q. Do you know what was the maximum mumber of sick at any given time? A. I think-here is one report. That is, a report made by Colonel Dougherty, August 1, which is as follows: In general hospital 27 Third Division hospital 26 Regimental hospital 30 Sick in quarters with fever 67 Sick with diarrhea and minor ailments.. ... 50 Making _. 200 Q. You mean to say that you had 67 men in your company tents with fever that could not get into any hospital? A. I mean to say there were that many that probably had typhoid fever that could not get into the hospital. Q. Could not get accommodations in any hospital-regimental, division, general, or any other kind, A. Yes, sir; I am sorry to say that is a fact. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you make any special effort to get them into any of these hospitals? A. Yes, sir. Q. What efforts? A. What one had the right to get them into division hospital. I did get some through Colonel Hoff. I think we got 14 direct to the Sternberg. I went to him to get the order, but the regulations provided that they be sent to the division hospital, and at that time they could not be sent to the division hospital for the reason that they had not room. Q. How often did you apply for the admittance of your seriously ill cases to the division hospital? A. Let me just set myself straight on this by documentary evidence. Imade such an effort as to at one time make me defend myself for the effort. I will show you what effort I did make in this particular and how it came out. Copy of letter written me on July 28, 1898, by Col. C. B. Dougherty, commanding the Ninth Pennsylvania men: "I have the honor to request that a request be made for another hospital tent for the sick in our regiment. We are very much over- crowded and there is not sufficient room in our hospital to accommodate our sick. These men should have been removed yesterday, but there was no other accom- modation at the division hospital for them. "I have a number of men lying in our quarters who ought to be in hospital. If we had another hospital we could care for them in our own regiment, as the division hospital is overcrowded and unable to accommodate us." Colonel Dougherty took that to General Sanger and had a requisition approved. He then got the requisition to the quartermaster of the regiment and took it to the chief quartermaster, Lee, and he declined to grant any more tentage. Then one of the captains (Captain Myers, who afterwards died from the fever), came to me and told me there was a mess tent, the private property of Company E, of the National Guard of Pennsylvania, stored by mistake in the Government warehouse at Chattanooga, and he thought we could get that, and it would make a fine hos- pital. I went to the colonel about it, and he sent the quartermaster-sergeant on a detail in a large Government wagon to bring this. The keeper of the warehouse allowed him to go in, and he found it and was just about to remove it when he was told he must get an order from Colonel Lee. He went to Colonel Lee, and he declined to let him have it. Colonel Dougherty came to me that evening and said he wanted me to go with him early in the morning and see Colonel Lee. I told 1818 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. him that this was impossible. Our sick call lasted from 5 o'clock in the morning till 11 o'clock, to do our very best. That is the time consumed in our morning sick call, and we had an evening sick call also. We were treating such a great number of fevers every day that we could not keep track of them if we did not have an evening call; and we exceeded the regulations of the Army in that par- ticular. When I got through that morning I went with Colonel Dougherty to see Colonel Lee, and he declined to let us have our own property; and I will call atten- tion to a report made by Colonel Dougherty on this subject later on to Captain Peabody; but I spoke very warmly about this, but not disrespectful. 1 showed Colonel Lee the necessity of this; that men were lying uncared for in the regiment; and, somewhat to my surprise, not altogether, I think the following morning, when I was very busy with my work in that dispensary, Major Stewart came down from the division hospital and brought me a letter and asked me if I knew anything about it. It was a complaint from Colonel Lee, which I have here, to Colonel Hoff, chief medical officer. " Lieut. Col. John R. Van Hoff, Camp Thomas. " Sir: Circumstances took place in my office this morning of a nature that it seems to me that you, as chief medical officer of this command, should be advised of, in order that necessary steps should be taken. The assistant surgeon from the Ninth Pennsylvania Regiment stated that the medical department was absolutely incom- petent to take care of the sick in the Third Division, First Army Corps. "Maj. J. D. Griffith, "Chief Stir geon, Third Division, First Army Corps." I would take no notice of this if it did not bring out the fact that we never got the tentage and care for our sick, and our records will show-as I wish you to look at them-to the extent of which I stated. We were without possible accommoda- tion. In reply to the accusation made by Col. J. G. C. Lee in his communication of August 2, 1898, in which he says that an officer in the uniform of assistant sur- geon, and who announced that he was the only surgeon, stated in my presence that the Medical Department was incompetent to take care of the sick of the Third Division, First Army Corps, I have the honor to state that I was properly intro- duced by name to Colonel Lee as the acting regimental surgeon of the Ninth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry by my commanding officer Col. C. B. Dougherty, who was present at the interview between me and Colonel Lee. The subject dis- cussed by me with Colonel Lee was the matter of insufficient hospital accommoda- tions for the sick in our regiments. Previous to my interview with Colonel Lee I called attention to the pressing need of accommodation in the inclosed letter to my commanding officer, Col. C. B. Dougherty. In this letter will be seen no criti- cism of the medical department of this army was made, only a respectful request that we might temporarily meet the demands of our regiment. My conversation dealt wholly with this state of affairs. It was a discussion of the condition, and not of the officers. I am pleased to say that I regard the medical officers of the Third Division, the only ones with whom I have personal acquaintance, as highly efficient and consci- entious. These men were high in their profession at home, and many had military experience in the various corps, and very many -were sincerely and conscientiously hard at work. They worked as they never worked before, and, with all due respect to the Regular Army, I think that the medical volunteer officers did their work just as thoroughly as the regular army officers. As far as I know, there was no ground for criticism of them, and not the slightest criticism of these officers was intended by my remarks. They referred entirely to the insufficient hospital accommodations, which I did not then believe, and do not now believe, the med- ical officers are responsible for. Reverting to the original phase of this request for ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1819 increased hospital facilities, I would say that the commanding officer of this regi- ment waited upon General Sanger and pointed out the need for further hospital arrangements and received his approval to the request for more canvas for the hospitals. This requisition was given to the regimental quartermaster, Lieuten- ant Carpenter, but was not approved, I am informed, by the chief quartermaster, and request was then made to the keeper of the Government storehouse at Chat- tanooga to deliver over to the regiment a mess tent which was the private prop- erty in the use of one of the companies. The quartermaster-sergeant went to Chattanooga for the purpose of bringing this canvas back to the regiment for use as a hospital tent. Colonel Lee, as chief quartermaster, I am told, declined to deliver the tent, whereupon Colonel Dougherty requested me to accompany him to see Colonel Lee in an effort to secure its delivery. In this conversation, grow- ing out of this circumstance, 1 made a strong statement of the facts and what 1 said applied entirely to the inability of the division hospital to take care of our sick, owing to this crowded condition. No such construction of the language imputed to me by Colonel Lee was intended. The word "incompetency " quoted related to the insufficient accommodations, which words would have better expressed my meaning, and the Third Division was not singled out and made a part of my conversation. Q. Doctor, did you get that subsequently? A. Never did. Q. What reason did Colonel Lee give f or refusing to give you your own property? A. Well, he said that was put in there-he said he was a soldier and believed in military methods-that property was put in there for storage, and there it would have to stay until it was gotten out in the regular way, which W'e never found out how to get it. He said in addition to that, anyhow, if it was private property, he had no right to issue it. Whereupon I said to him-and I handed him the muster- we then had nearly 200 cots which were paid for by the citizens of our State, many of those in the tents, too. I suppose, according to his theory, they ought to be thrown out. Q. Was it a fact that the citizens of your State had sent you 200 cots for the use of your sick? A. Yes; we bought them. They sent us the money. We had nearly 200 altogether. 1 will say here we had beds for 56 patients, and I will explain about the large mess tent of which I spoke. I then telegraphed to Wilkesbarre to get the mess tent of Company D and use that, and we had 56 well-equipped beds in the hos- pital. besides those distributed around and in quarters. Whenever we found a man pretty sick we gave him a cot and did the best we could for him. Q. And you had 56 men with typhoid fever in their quarters with a mess tent belonging to one of your companies in the storehouse at Chattanooga, which the quartermaster refused to give you? A. We had two or three tents. We took our own officers' mess tent and then we had four tents and the fly, then afterwards we got the big tent, and that made five altogether; after we surrendered these two tents-the colonel's tent and the officers' mess tent-then wTe sent and got the large tent, and then we had 56, and, I think, at times wTe had more than that, but I know there were more than 56. I know I disposed of 56. Q. That were in their quarters? A. No; in the hospital. I will give you an idea of what we had in the dispen- sary. Here is the dispensary record for one morning. (Memorandum book handed to Dr. Conner.) Dr. Conner. Nineteen men should be laid up. The evening temperature says 103.8. These men should be in hospital. 1820 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By General Beaver: Q. What is the date of that letter to Colonel Lee? A. August 2. Q. You had 90 dispensary patients on the 3d of August, the day after Colonel Lee was writing letters about your conduct, when you were trying to get accom- modations for your men? A. General, I don't know how I got before this committee. I have tried to lay very low. I have been taking By Dr. Conner: Q. I want to ask you a question. The water supply was put in barrels. How often were those barrels cleaned? A. They were cleaned and burned out frequently; I can not say exactly. Q. Speaking in a general way, how often? A. I think two or three times a week. Q. The cloths that you put over them, were they clean or otherwise? A. Well, they were supposed to be clean; they were ordered to be w'ashed and kept clean. Q. Did you ever see those cloths brought in? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they clean at that time? A. Yes, sir; they were water-soaked, of course. Q. I asked you the question because it has been charged that these barrels were covered with very dirty cloths. A. I have seen them frequently and have superintended the unloading to find out what was done. Q. Will you please tell us, Doctor, what is the reason your regiment had so much more sickness than the regiments lying alongside of you? A. Well, now, sir, I am not sure that that was a fact. Q. I understood you to say it was. A. No; I spoke of the average. It was above the average. I am not sure we were very much ahead of the Second Missouri, which was next to us. Then we were above the Second Missouri-up just beyond; we laid to the right, the Second Missouri was next, and the third regiment of the brigade was the First New York, and I think they vied with us in having a higher sick list. The Twelfth Minne- sota was not far north of us, and all the information I have concerning that regi- ment is that they had more sick than we had. By General Wilson: Q. Doctor, in your line, did you visit the hospital to which the men of your regiment were sent; did you ever go to the Leiter Hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you recall the case of the young man by the name of Moore? A. I remember Moore, and remember his being taken from our regimental hos- pital direct to Leiter, which was an unusual proceeding. His brother was the captain of Company M, and he came over one morning and said he was going to take his brother over to Leiter. I said to him, " I will be glad to give you all the assistance possible if you have made up your mind to do so, but you are making a mistake." The men at that time were doing well. We only lost two men treated in the regiment. I said to him, " I think you are making a mistake to take him; " but he said, "We have made arrangements," and he had a friend over there who was a trained nurse; and so we assisted in putting him in the ambulance, and he was driven over to the Leiter hospital. I never saw him afterwards. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Was there plenty of room where your hospital was located for more tentage? A. Yes, sir. ASST. SURG. WILLIAM G. WEAVER. 1821 Q. Would it have been practicable for you to have taken some of the tents from the different companies and aggregate them around your hospital quarters and put your typhoid patients in there, rather than to have left them in quarters with the other men? Did that occur to you? A. Well, those tents really were not suitable for hospital accommodations. Q. I know; but it is bettei' they should be segregated from the other men than to leave them in quarters. Would it not have been better for them? A. It might have been, bnt it would not be better for the men. Q. It would be better for those who did not have typhoid fever, would it not? You had so many sick in the division hospital and so many at Sternberg Hospital. A. There would not have been very much room if you would undertake to do that. You could extend the hospital by using hospital tents, but when you come to grab those other tents there would not be much room for that. You might have gotten, for instance, half a dozen. Q. It occurred to me where you had 60 typhoid-fever patients in quarters it would be perfectly practicable to take some of those tents and put them some- where outside of the regular camp. A. Well, we had not control of those things as surgeons. Those tents are placed there and we do not have any right to move them. One surgeon had to see 200 sick men each day and began work at 5.20 in the morning. By Dr. Conner: Q. How many officers' tents could have been taken, if necessary? A. I don't know that any of them could be taken if they were in use. Q. I know they were in use. Couldn't they, by incommoding themselves, do so? A. The colonel did. Q. If the colonel did it, could not some of the others do it? A. He had a large tent like a hospital tent. The others did not have such tents. Q. They had the ordinary wall tents? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many in your tent? A. Only myself, in just the ordinary wall tent. Q. Was each officer supplied with one wall tent? A. Most of the officers were. Q. Would it not be possible for you to have gotten in the neighborhood of twenty tents by doubling it? A. There was half the time when there were ten officers sick in their own tents. Q. Couldn't you put two men in a tent? A. It would not be commodious. Q. How many surgeons did you have? A. They were away at the ambulance corps and the other at the division hospital. Q. And you were the only surgeon in attendance? A. Yes, sir. Q. You think one surgeon was enough? A. I have been on duty forty-two hours, without any sleep, continuously. Q. Did you make any representations as to that? A. It was known all through how the regimental surgeons were worked. I never complained of my own work. Q. You were the chief surgeon? A. No, sir; I was assistant and acting surgeon. The major surgeon was first, the acting brigade surgeon, and afterwards assigned to duty to the division hospital. Q. Did you never have but one surgeon? A. At first we had-nearly to the 1st of July; but we did not have much sick- ness then. 1822 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How was it with the other regiments? A. The same, I think, generally. Q. Was that improper to have so few surgeons? A. It certainly was not enough. Q. What was the percentage of the sick in your regiment? A. Here is one dated August 1; the colonel makes report of 15.8 per cent. Q. And that would be how many men? A. Two hundred men. That does not include the minor ailments-just the fever cases. Q. How many were there at one time? A. Over 300 at a time. Q. And one man had to take care of them? A. No, sir; not all of them; part of them were at the division hospital. For instance, 250 men; there are 27 and 26-27 at the general hospital and 26 at the division hospital-making 53 away, and the rest are with the regiment. Now, I want to say in explanation, everything that constituted this hospital, accommo- dating about 60 men, and they were well accommodated too, as to bedding, cots, etc., there was not one thing supplied by the Government-not a bed or blanket, nor sheet; all the food that was used, all the ice that was supplied, all the milk that was used, was the property of citizens of Pennsylvania, mostly from my own city. By Governor Woodbury: Q. It was the theory that they could be taken care of at the division hospital? A. That was the theory. By General Beaver: Q. How did you come out of this business? A. I came out with a very serious sickness. By Colonel Denby: Q. Although the Government did not supply what it should have supplied, you got supplies from charitable people? A. Yes, sir. Q. I want to ask you, as a practical officer, whether, in your opinion, you deem it desirable that the Government should furnish everything, or whether it should allow delicacies and all that kind of thing to be furnished by individual or cor- porate societies? A. I think there is no possible objection on the part of the Government in allowing the aid that the citizens wish to extend. It cultivates a feeling of patri- otism and I see no objection to it whatever, butit does seem to me that the hospital facilities ought to be provided by the Government. By Dr. Conner: Q. Does it not happen when you get supplies from outside that the people at home think the United States Government is derelict in not providing you with those things they are called upon to provide? A. I think there was somewhat that feeling, although the people were glad to contribute. We must have expended more than $2,000 in our hospital in that short time; I happen to have a bill with me which shows you. That question was asked about medicine, whether we always got what we wanted. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Let us have it. A. This does not cover the whole ground. I find up to the 1st of July we ex- pended for medicine $38.30; on July 7, $15; July 8, $5.25; July 16, $19.40; July 26, $25.65. MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1823 Q. Was that because you could not get it from the Government or that it was easier to take the money from the citizens and buy the medicines? A. We got what they happened to have. By Dr. Conner: Q. Are the articles specified in that bill? A. No, sir; it is simply a memorandum of expenses. Q. It does not show what the amount of money was expended for? A. We have the bills, but this is a statement to show the amount of money we expended. By Colonel Sexton: Q. To whom did you have to account for that? A. We did not have to account to anybody; but we wanted to account to the people at home. Colonel Dougherty had a fund and Major Stewart had a fund, and I had $400 sent to me. This is accounting for that money I had. Headquarters Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Camp George H. Thomas, Ga., July 28, 1898. Col. C. B. Dougherty, Commanding Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. Sir: I have the honor to request that a requisition be made for another hospital tent for the use of the sick in our regiment. We are very much overcrowded, and there does not seem to be sufficient room in the division hospital to accom- modate our sick men. Six men should have been removed yesterday, but there was no accommodation at the division hospital for them. We have a number of men now lying sick in quarters without nursing and care who ought to be in the hospital. If we had another hospital tent, we could care for them in our own regiment during such periods as the division hospital may be overcrowded and unable to accommodate us. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. G. Weaver, Acting Regimental Surgeon. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. Washington, D. C., November 15. 1898. Maj. Louis A. La G-arde, upon request, appeared before the commission, and was read the scope of the inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to give your name, and rank, and positions you have held since the outbreak of the Spanish war, and the positions you held before the war with Spain? A. My name is Louis A. La Garde, major and surgeon, U. S. Army. I left Fort Robinson, Nebr., with the Ninth Cavalry as a regimental surgeon on the 21st of April, 1898, and proceeded to Chickamauga Park, where we established a regimental hospital of the Ninth Corps. I then proceeded, about the 1st of May, with the Ninth Cavalry to Port Tampa; and about the 2d or 3d of May I was ordered to organize the field hospital in the vicinity of Port Tampa. This com- prised all the light batteries of artillery and the Ninth Cavalry and two companies of the Engineer Corps. I was detached from the Ninth Cavalry and placed in charge 1824 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. of this hospital. As the time wore away I was informed at the hospital which I was then conducting, which formed the First Division hospital of the Fifth Corps, that the army was about to invad e Cuba. I then organized this hospital by calling in all the personnel, supplies and tentage, etc., that had been brought on the ground by the various organizations since we had received definite instructions from the corps surgeons concerning the fact that this would be one of the four divisional hospitals of the Fifth Corps. I proceeded to organize an ambulance train and to provide mounts for the Hospital Corps, and to put the hospital on a working basis for about 200 men. The command received orders to embark at Port Tampa about the 6th of June, I think. At that time I had a completely equipped ambu- lance train of 10 ambulances. The most of them were those double-decker ambu- lances; say 10 ambulances would have a carrying capacity of 15 ordinary ambulances. I had 56 mounts for the Hospital Corps, although the Hospital Corps who were originally at Port Tampa had been taken away from the ground, so I did not have that many men. In fact, I had very few men from the 69 men that I found on the ground and that I had received afterwards. At the time of embarkation 1 only had 17, and at the last moment I was told that I could not take the ambulance train. We left it at Port Tampa in camp. I made a request to the corps surgeon of the Fourth Corps (I think it was General Coppinger's corps) to please let the train remain at Port Tampa and not to disintegrate it, as 1 was sure later on we could get the train over, and I left the ambulance chief of the divisional hospital in charge of it. We embarked the hospital on the steamship Saratoga on the 8th. We did as I stated, and followed our official hospital, which would in our esti- mation at that time have only accommodated 200 men, and we thought on this estimate that we had done very well, and that we had provided ourselves with probably more than we would have occasion to use, and we went across on the steam- ship Saratoga. We were altogether about eighteen or nineteen days on the trans- port. The condition of overcrowding on the transport was mentioned to the corps surgeon, Colonel Pope, and he took steps to have it remedied. From the inspec lion I made I found what was a great deal of overcrowding, and two companies of the Twenty-first Infantry that composed the troops going across or about to cross were taken away, so that the overcrowding was somewhat relieved. Notwith- standing this, there was still overcrowding to such an extent that the inspectors going across found the air in a fetid condition and in the apartments used by the men between decks, where the tiers of bunks had been erected by them, the con- dition of the air was very close and hot. We had 13 cases of fevei1 develop going across. Through some misunderstanding, I was told-I do not know exactly about that-the transport I was on and two others were left with the men-of-war in front of Morro Castle on arrival opposite Morro, while the rest of the army was unloaded at Daiquiri, and we remained there four or five days, and I am explaining that was why it was that we were longer on the transports than the rest of the troops. While the others were disembarking on the 22d, we were in front of Morro until about the 26th, along there. We were ordered finally to dis- embark at Siboney, where we reached on the 26th and disembarked on the 27th. The troops disembarked on the 26th. I think the hospital disembarked on the 27th. I was ordered to disembark at Siboney on the 27th, which I did, with this hospital, and set it up on shore between that time and the 1st of July. Q. Leaving that out of consideration at the present time, I understand you had to leave your ambulance train behind? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have a sufficient quantity of hospital supplies for a 200-bed hospital? A. We considered we had a sufficient quantity of hospital supplies with the exception of stores. We had plenty of liquors and some milk and some beef tea, MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1825 but we did not have a sufficient amount, and rather depended on the commissary- department for those. Q. What was the reason you did not have a sufficient amount at Tampa? A. We could not get these and had gotten the other things, but could not get those, and I will not say we could not get them at Tampa. My recollection is that we would depend for those things upon the commissary. Q. Did you make requisition for those things before you sailed, those medical supplies? A. I do not remember that I did. I can say that I made requisition repeatedly for supplies; that we never commenced to get any of those supplies until the sup- ply depot was established at Tampa, and then we commenced to get pretty much everything we wanted, and my impression is that those supplies were not in the supply depot at Tampa or we would have gotten them. Q. Did you make any effort while on the transport while waiting there several days to secure those articles that you knew you did not have? A. There was no way to communicate with anybody. We were not in commu- nication with the supply department, and if we had been I should think they could not have supplied us. They were loaded also. Q. Did you have sufficient amount of medicines when you landed at Siboney, the ordinary surgical appliances, to answer the demand for a 200-bed hospital? A. With the exception of supplies. Q. Did you have tents? A. We had canvas enough to provide cover for many men, Q. Was the canvas landed? A. Yes, sir. Q. How soon after you yourself landed? A. It was landed on the 27th. Q. How soon afterwards were you able to get up your tents and get your hos- pital organized? A. I think on the night of the 30th of June we were ready. Q. When was the time that Dr. Eberhardt took possession of the house and put the wounded in there, before or- after you arrived? A. Before we arrived. Q. After you landed you were in condition to take 200 patients and properly care for them? A. Yes, sir; with the exception of stores-and personnel, I should have added. Q. How many officers had you? A. Two. Q. Who were they? A. Capt. M. W. Ireland, assistant surgeon, and Lieut. P. C. Fauntleroy, assistant. Q. Did these men remain with you? A. Yes. sir. Q. What had you in the way of nurses? A. I had one steward, one acting steward, and I think about 15 men as a hospi- tal corps. Q. In the regular service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had they been in the hospital service some time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you get every one to the front at all? A. No. sir; never left Siboney. Q. How soon did you begin to get patients? A. My first patients came into the hospitals from the attack made by the Thirty- third and Thirty-fourth Michigan in Aguadores, the afternoon of the 1st. 1826 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you get that same day any more from the San Juan field or El Caney field? A. I think a few came in late that afternoon or night. Q. Did you find that the wounded as they were brought in to you had received the proper first aid? A. Yes, sir; in nearly every instance they had dressings that had been properly applied. Q. Was there any indication, judging from what you saw, that these men had not been properly cared for at the front? A. Such instances did come under my notice, but very rarely. Some of the men said they had applied the first aid themselves. In this instance they were slight wounds, where the men had undertaken to dress themselves without consulting the surgeon. Q. Were those men brought in on the 1st and 2d of July on litters or did they walk in, or were they carried in on stretchers, or were any of those methods used? A. Some walked in. All the methods were employed, but the most of them came in in army wagons. The plan at the front was to send them by wagon trains. Eight, ten, and eleven wagonloads came at one time. Q. How many patients did you have in your hospital on the 4th of July? A. I must have had close on to four or five hundred men. Q. Your 200-bed hospital had been overflooded? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did you dispense with the overflow? A. We got orders early in the month to dispose of the surplus by shipments north. Q. What was the date of your first shipment? A. I think it was the 1st of July. We loaded the Iroquois, and on the 5th we sent the Cherokee with several hundred. Q. What was the character of those sent on those transports-wounded or sick, or both? A. Both, but mostly wounded. Q. Were their wounds in such condition that they could be safely left to themselves? A. The orders were to send only those who could take care of themselves, and the severely wounded ones were to remain at Siboney. Q. Had you at that time, or was there at that time, at Siboney proper hospital stores for the care of the sick and wounded to be taken on transports north? A. There was not probably a sufficiency to our satisfaction. Q. What was the trouble in securing them? A. The transports containing the regimental stores for the Fifth Corps were not unloading all their medical supplies in all instances, and I know myself that on the ship Saratoga the stores of the Thirteenth Infantry was left on board when we unloaded the hospital on shore, and I am told that this was the case with a great many transports. Even the regimental supplies were not unloaded, and the shortage in medicines, to a large extent, was attributed to this. Q. Did you make efforts to secure such an amount of medical supplies as were needed and proper for these sick and wounded that were sent north? A. I did. I provided them with everything we could possibly spare, and we felt that, as we were sending them north, we were doing the best we could for them, and that the danger they were running on transports, short qf supplies and short of propei' attendance, was not nearly so great as the danger of remaining at Siboney to be cared for during this overflow. I have reference to infection, which was beginning to show itself early in the month-infection of the yellow fever. Q. Were your wounded doing well? MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1827 A. Yes, sir. The worst cases were left there for later shipment. Q. Were you able to send any medical officers with these shipments of the 3d, 4th, or 5th of July? A. I was in charge of medical officers. I remember the volunteer aid that we had. Dr. Roseberry, of the Royal Swedish Navy, was on the Cherokee. Somebody was sent with it. I don't remember who it was. Q. Were there any nurses provided for these men, or did they have to take care of themselves? A. The orders were all the time that nobody should be sent north in the early part of the month, except those who could take care of themselves, for the reason that we were short of nurses. We tried to select those cases that could take care of themselves. There were a great many volunteers with the army-I suppose you could call them waiters and officers of the service-who wanted to go back, and we used to select those to go back, and we used to select those to go along to report to the surgeon in charge and make themselves generally useful, and we would endeavor to spare a few trained men. Q. Did anyone ever go to inspect those transports, the Iroquois and Cherokee, as to their fitness as transports? A. The preparation of these transports in the early part of the month had been made by their officers; I think Major Appel and Captain Munson. Q. Did they examine the transports? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether anyone saw to it that the earliest transports were provided with ice? A. I don't know that they were provided with ice. I don't know what prepara- tion was made on them. Q. Did the seeing to that devolve upon you, or Dr. Appel, or Dr. Munson? A. I think Dr. Appel or Dr. Munson had orders to look after that, but I am not sure. Q. Was Dr. Appel at Siboney or in the stream? A. On the Olivette. Q. Did he make his headquarters on the Olivette? A. Yes, sir. Q. Spent most of his time there? A. He spent part of his time there and part on shore. Q. Was there any particular reason why he should be on the Olivette, 3 or 5 miles from shore, when he was the man who every man had occasion to see for what they needed? A. I do not know as to that. Q. Did he not spend a great deal of time out there, and could only be reached with difficulty? A. I think my dispatch book will show some dispatches sent to the corps sur- geon in which I explained that the Olivette, which was designated to proceed north as soon as loaded, could not be seen for a day or so; that is, that I had had a con- ference with Appel the day before about the loading of the Olivette; that she should be loaded in order to relieve the congestion, and that he wanted it that afternoon, and I think I was reading a dispatch to-day which states, after my conversation with him the day before, 1 had not seen him since. The idea was to let the Oli- vette, the Cherokee, and the Iroquois, with anything we could get in the way of transportation for shipments north, to be loaded and sent. Q. Was not the Olivette also a supply ship? A. I never understood that it was. Q. Did she or not have on board her the supplies that should be drawn upon at Siboney? 1828 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Not that I know of. Q. Who was in charge of the supplies at Siboney? A. There was a surgeon by the name of Rafferty who had charge of all of the supplies that were landed on the beach, and we looked to him for the safe-keeping and distribution of everything that was taken off the transports. Captain Mun- son. of the medical department, was busy in the early part of the month-the 2d, 3d, and 4th--unloading these supplies from the different transports as they could be gotten out. Q. Did you draw your hospital supplies from the supply depot at Siboney under Dr. Rafferty's charge? A. I unloaded all the supplies I had, and as the necessity arose for getting more things I went around and sent men around and we seized everything in sight we could get, and in that way provided ourselves as well asjwe could until the arrival of the supply ships. Q. Did you or not have occasion to largely draw upon the supplies of the Red Cross? A. I did. Q. Did you get what you wanted from them? A. I got everything they could spare that was of value. Q. Did you get it willingly or grudgingly? A. No, sir; they granted me everything I asked for and were sorry they could not give more. Q. Were your requisitions at any time denied because the supplies were wanted for the reconcentrados? A. No, sir. On the contrary, on the 30th of the month I addressed a letter to Miss Barton, in which I told her that I was informed by the corps surgeon that I was to apply to her in case of need of any supplies she had on the State of Texas. The corps surgeon informed me then that Miss Barton made apologies for the char- acter of the supplies; if she had known she would be called upon to furnish supplies in the event of battle she would have provided us with help and proper supplies; that she had come there to furnish supplies to the reconcentrados. I addressed her a letter on the 30th, stating that this hospital that you spoke about a while ago, that Dr. Havard had in one of the buildings, and which had been turned over to me, had 90 cases of sick and -wounded; that I had not the personnel to place in charge of this hospital, and I would like very much to have her furnish me her nurses and some medical men, etc.; and I think I asked for supplies then, and she very promptly sent people there to take charge of this hospital while we were putting up a municipal hospital. She sent various things, and they relieved us of the necessity of taking care of this place, which we thought was infected at that time, although we could not tell positively; yet they took care of this hospital, and on the 1st-I think it was on the 1st-I addressed to Miss Barton a letter, in which I asked her for such supplies as she could spare, and she apologized then, stating what supplies she had were mainly for the reconcentrados, but whatever she had on the State of Texas the soldiers should get first. That was my understanding all the time. Q. Was this hospital, formerly in charge of Dr. Havard, the one taken charge of by Dr. Lesser? A. No, sir; that was not the one that he took charge of formerly for the Gov- ernment. The one he took charge of formerly for the Government was the one I had turned over to him about the 6th of July. Q. You turned it over to him because you were short of medical officers, or why? A. Dr. Lesser was anxious to work his force independently if I would allow him. He was perfectly willing to work with us, and he worked with us from the MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1829 3d until the 4th or 5th, and then when the rush of the wounded had passed by we had nothing more for him and his nurses to do in the operating room and he said they would like to take charge of the little hospital. I was willing that they should. I went around and talked with the yellow-fever expert about this build- ing; he assured me it was all right; he had inquired into the history of this building and it would be perfectly safe to establish hospitals in them, so I established one hospital in this little cottage that I turned over to the Red Cross people. Q. Was the doctor a competent man? A. Yes, sir. Q. In all respects ? A. Yes, sir. Q. As an operator as well? A. He operated with Dr. Fauntleroy, who is one of our best operating surgeons, and he complimented his work highly. Q. I want to ask you whether or not you were acquainted with the circum- stances under which Dr. Lesser's residence was emptied of its inhabitants and he turned out without any protection? A. They took care of this hospital for the Government very efficiently, furnish- ing the supplies largely-the cots, bedding, etc.-until about the middle of July, at which time Dr. Lesser and all of the nurses were taken -with yellow fever and they had to be transferred to the yellow-fever hospital like the rest of the infected individuals, and that was the way in which they vacated the hospital, and then I emptied the hospital and had it burned up. Q. Was there any objection to leaving Dr. Lessei' and the nurses and the sub- jects of yellow fever in this building until they recovered or died, as the case might be, and then burn the building? A. Yes, sir, there would, for the reason that we wanted to limit the sources of infection about us as much as possible, and every time a case developed in this camp at Siboney it was transferred to the yellow-fever hospital. Q. Might this not-having been made an extempore hospital, might it not as well have been made a yellow-fever hospital? A. It was too close to us. It was across the road, and we had orders at that time-it was earlier than the middle of the month; it was about the 10th or 12th-that the Lessers had to go to the hospital at that time. Q. Was there any objection made by the doctor, or his wife, or any of his asso- ciated nurses to being moved at that time? A. They did not like to leave, but at the same time they yielded, and after they had gone to the yellow-fever hospital in the hills they were satisfied. Q. Did they or anybody else suffer from being sent up from Siboney to the yellow-fever hospital? A. No, sir; not to my knowledge. Q. As to your own hospital, what was the largest capacity of it? A. The whole hospital, including the division camp? Q. No; simply the one we spoke of that you first organized? A. I should say it held about 600 beds toward the last. Q. How many doctors did you have; as many as you needed? A. Yes, sir; 1 had a sufficient number of doctors from the beginning by obtain- ing the assistance of three or four surgeons from the Navy, two surgeons from the Cuban army, and Dr. Lesser, of the Red Cross. Dr. Roseberry was with us two days. Excepting for these, we would have been short of doctors, but as soon as I saw the necessity for increasing the medical aid 1 telegraphed to the corps surgeon and he sent me men as fast as he could spare them, but if these men had not been present I do not think 1 could have saved men from the front. All I asked for-I know he sent me men as fast as I asked him for them, and as far as the doctors were concerned we had enough doctors, including these volunteers. 1830 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Was the medical attention given such as a man should have had? A. It was given to the best of our ability under the circumstances. Q. Were all the doctors there competent, skillful men? A. They were. Q. As respects your nurses, what did you do with the nurses? A. We had these 17 members of the Hospital Corps, as I stated before. As the necessity for more relief-corps people arose, I made requisitions on the corps sur- geon by telegram, and he ordered the nurses of different organizations that could be spared from the front to go to the rear, and the relief corps of the Thirty-third Michigan were ordered to report to me in a body. I remember there must have been 18 or 20 of them. Even then, with this great number of wounded, we were short of nurses, and we had to depend upon details from the line. Q. Did you get such details as enabled you to tide over? A. I did; with few exceptions I got all the men as I asked for them. There were instances where men had to be taken away from me. I remember one night, after one company of infantry had been posted in the different wards to look after the sick during the night, a sergeant came and he had orders from the commanding officer to get these men. He did not consult anybody, but took these men, and before we realized it they were gone. Q. Were you able to supply nurses in the places of those taken away? A. The doctors had been on duty during the day, and all the nurses had to sit up the rest of the night. Q. You were speaking of the supplies you got from the Red Cross. Was it not more difficult for the Red Cross to get them and have them on hand than it would have been for the United States Government? A. Not a particle. Q. Why, then, did not the United States Government have a State of Texas or some other " State" and all of the necessary supplies? A. I believe that if the United States had anticipated for a moment that we were going to have such a battle as we had we would have had a number of States of Texas. I doubt if anybody anticipated such an attack. Q. Was it expected that 17,000 men hurried down to capture Santiago was ex- pected to capture it without any fight at all? A. Judging from the lack of hospital ships, it seemed so. Q. Did it not seem from the condition of the medical department-did it not seem they expected to land without opposition and march into Santiago and cap- ture all there was there and even a little more? A. I believe the medical department, with the exception of the personnel and probably the medical officers, was equipped for the emergency, if the supplies that the medical department had on those various transports had been unloaded on the beach of Siboney and facilities for the transportation of those supplies been given to take them to the front. Q. Why were they not landed, in the first place, and why not transported, in the second place? A. They were not landed, as I understand, because they had no lighters or no launches to tow the small boats with. The medical department was not considered at all when it came for lighters and launches for landing. The supply officers invariably told us, and it seemed that they were right about it, that the military situation was such that they had to use what lighters they had to unload ammuni- tion. Q. Making no provision at all for unloading the medical stores; is that it? A. It was with the greatest difficulty that I obtained a lighter for the hospital I had charge of. Q. Is it, or not, a fact that medical stores were put in the bottom of the hold MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1831 and the forage and everything else put on top of it, so it couid not be gotten out for a week after you got there? A. I do not know about that. I know my hospital had been loaded on the steamship Saratoga. It was placed in the hold. Four companies of the Twenty- first Infantry were ordered to put their baggage on board, and they loaded all their baggage on top of my hospital, and I had a great deal of difficulty to get at my things, and some of my things I could never get at. Q. Did you have charge of the loading, or was it in charge of the Quarter- master's Department? A. My men loaded it. I was told I was to go with the Fifth Corps with this hospital. I got to Port Tampa, and I asked those who were there loading the quartermaster's supplies what ship I was going on and they said they did not know. Finally I ran across Major Jacobs; I had known him before. I asked him, and he said he did not know. He said he did not suppose it made any difference. I said, "Can I load on that ship there, the Saratoga?" He said " Yes;" so I pro- ceeded with my men and some other assistance Colonel Worth gave me and we put it in the hold. I wanted to put it above, but they told me it would have to go in the hold. Q. Who? A. I think it was the quartermaster of the Thirteenth Infantry. By General Dodge : Q. Was that Major Jacobs in charge of the loading there ? A. I think so ; I know he answered my question. By Dr. Conner : Q. After you had this first fight and you were sending men north, did you know whether proper medical attendance was secured for these men in the trans- ports, and proper provision made for them while they were on the ship ? A. I think the medical attendants that were furnished were always competent. I do not know of any instance where it was otherwise. Q. Do you know of a ship sent north without any medical officers ? A. I know one ship-the Concho. It left Siboney the 23d with Dr. Lesser and eight, I think, of the Red Cross sisters. They had also on that ship-and I read to-day by Dr. Lesser's report to me of the trip of the Concho that a doctor by the name of Foster, who was evidently a hospital corps man belonging to the Thirty- third Michigan, was there. I did not know that until to-day when I was reading that report. Q. Do you know anything about the conditions on board the Seneca, when Miss Jennings was the only person on board able to render service? A. I detailed two men to go on the Seneca, Drs. Bird and Hicks, and there is something about the loading of the Seneca I want to explain, because I had noth- ing to do with it. After I had put the patients on the Seneca that I thought she could carry or that I could give her, and outfitted her, I think there were a great many patients put on her from the steamship Relief, and how that was done or why I do not know. Q. Do you know whether or not any provision was made for nursing on board the Seneca on that trip ? A. I can not remember definitely. I remember that Dr. Lesser came to me and asked me if Miss Jennings could go on the Seneca. He said she was on the State of Texas sick, and she wanted to return north, and would make herself generally useful on the ship if I would allow her to go; and I told him it was all right, she could go. With reference to the nurses that were furnished, I presume they fol- lowed the same rule that we had followed before that of sending such men of the Hospital Corps as we could spare and such help as we could spare, and I placed, 1832 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. as I remember, on the Seneca, those individuals who could take care of them- selves. The severer cases we had loaded on the Relief. Q. There were on that transport a good many men who were not in a condition to travel, except under proper medical care-on the Seneca? A. If they were placed on there, I am under the impression they were put on there from the Relief people. Q. Who was in charge of the Relief? A. Dr. Torney. Our aim was always to put people on those transports who could take care of themselves, and that the bed-ridden individuals that required special attention should be reserved for the regular hospital ships. Q. It is reported on examination, "I-that is, Dr. Hicks-found no medical or surgical supplies on board, so I made verbal request to Major La Garde, who told me to go to the drug department and see the steward in charge, who would furnish the supplies, medical and surgical." Is that correct? A. Yes. sir. Q. "I found he could not furnish me with thermometers, hypodermic syringes, etc. There was none to supply." Is that correct? A. I presume it is. Ireland could answer that better than I. He gave Hicks everything he could spare. He had charge of the supplies. Q. About the ice-who had charge of the ice? A. I do not know, sir. Q. Do you know in what condition the men you sent from your hospital were as respects their clothing? A. Do you mean on all the transports? Q. No; on the Seneca. A. I presume they had only the clothes they wore. Everybody seemed to have but one suit of clothes in Cuba. Q. Did you have any supplies in the hospital of extra clothing of any kind? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have any ice? A. No, sir; none to spare to the transports. I do not know who did. Q. Did you have any ice for your own use? A. The Relief gave us ice on the 7th, and we had ice from various sources. The gentlemen of the press gave us some ice. Q. As respects the two gentlemen on the ship, the two medical officers on the ship, were they contract surgeons without military experience? Is that true? A. I do not know what their experience had been. They were strangers to me. They came very recently. Q. There was a deficiency of surgical appliances and ice. Do you know any- thing more about that than you have already stated? A. I do not know what I stated. Q. Is it a fact that nurses, stewards, and corps men were put on the Seneca? A. I do not remember about the hospital men. As I stated before, we did not have hospital men to spare to put on those transports. We selected those cases who could take care of themselves, and it was not necessary, in our estimation, that we should send the best help that we had to those transports; and, as far as the other was concerned-the stewards-I am sure there was no steward to go. We were ourselves short of stewards. Q. As respects the men received from the hospital ship Relief, why did it not carry the men herself north? Was she not thoroughly supplied with material? A. I do not know. General Shafter asked me that in a telegram after the Seneca sailed and I could not explain it. I do not know anything about that. Q. Now, there were no camp followers and officers of tne service on board the Seneca that you know of? MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1833 A. Possibly there were. I can not remember. Q. Were there wounded officers on board? A. I imagine there was. These things were occurring so rapidly that it was impossible to remember all the details. There may have been some officers. Q. Do you remember any foreign attaches on the Seneca? A. They did not come there by our order. I had nothing to do with it if they did. Q. Was the yellow-fever hospital at Siboney in your charge, as well as the others? A. Yes, sir. 1 had Dr. McCreery. He died on the transport I came back on. Q. Do you know whether or not all the men on that hospital list as hospital corps men were present, either sick or on duty-present at the hospital-were they there, or were the rolls larger than the facts warranted? A. I do not understand you. Q. I can hardly understand myself. I am simply asking from a letter I have. The letter gives me to understand. I do not believe any hospital had 50 per cent of its quota of men." A. As far as the quota of men belonging to that division hospital-do you mean the number I had, I should have had? Q. I am asking you with regard to the muster rolls, and I presume from the tone of the letter that the muster rolls had names upon it that had no existence upon it as muster men. It is a question so badly stated to me that I must state it badly to you. I want to find out if there was any stuffing of these hospital rolls? A. I do not think so. I think the men who reported to me were noncommis- sioned officers of the Hospital Corps belonging to the various volunteer organiza- tions. They reported so many men and we put them to work, and I never knew of a man stating he was a hospital corps man when he was not. Q. Did you have a roll or roster of the men? A. Of my hospital? When I landed, I did. We kept a list of the men that were placed on duty. Q. Did you have any roll call in the morning for those men? A. No, sir; we did not have time enough to assemble them. They were relieved and went to bed. Q. Isn't it a fact that at one time during the yellow fever there were 8 hospital corps men to take care of and cook for 127 patients ill with yellow fever? A. That might have happened at the yellow-fevei' camp. I remember we always had great difficulty in providing the hospital with nurses. We had to call for volunteers, and such a thing might have happened up there. It was not until the Twenty-fourth Infantry came late in July or about the middle of July, that we had enough men for the hospital, and then when the immunes came, we, of course, had all that we wanted in the way of nurses. Q. You had plenty? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they really of service to you? A. Of great service. Q. Were they actually immunes? A. None of them, to my knowledge, contracted yellow fever, excepting two surgeons, who were with me in the yellow-fevei1 hospital. They stated they thought they were immunes. Q. Do you know whether or not there was great complaint made of the care of the men in the hospital at Siboney? A. I do not remember just now that there was. I do not remember any instances. Q. How did it happen that the yellow-fever experts-that it took them so long to find out there was yellow fever there? 1834 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I do not think it took them long. Dr. Guiteras, the expert of the Fifth Corps, came to me on the 5th or 6th of July and stated that Major Bell, of the Thirty-fourth Michigan, was sick at Aguadores with what was suspected to be yellow fever, and about the 9th it was determined it was yellow fever, and then we commenced to recognize the presence of yellow fever in different localities. When the people commenced to come in from the Sixth Illinois on the 8th or 9th we had quite a number of cases that turned out by the 9th as yellow fever. Q. Is it not a fact that the doctors advised strongly against the occupation of Siboney, and advised that it should be burned as soon as you arrived there or shortly afterwards? A. I went on there with the corps surgeon and surgeon of Admiral Samp- son's fleet on the 26th. We looked the ground over for the location of the hospital I was about to land, and the fleet surgeon thought it best all of these houses composing the town of Siboney-that the majority of them, with the town, should be burned, and he said that the navy had burned some buildings adjacent to their camp, where they landed at Guantanamo, and it struck me as being the easiest thing to do at the time, and I know in conversation I repeatedly spoke about the necessity of burning this little town. First, for the reason that it might be a source of danger; and, second, because there was no ground in the vicinity of Siboney for the establishment of a hospital except the site Siboney was located on, and we wanted the space. We did not have enough space, and by burning the town down we could have had the space and avoided the danger of infection. Q. What action was taken on your recommendation? A. This was simply an opinion of my own, based on the experience of the navy as stated by the fleet surgeon, and I was addressing my conversation to the corps surgeon, Dr. Pope. I did not make any formal request to have the town burned until later. Q. Was he of the opinion that the town should be burned? A. Dr. Pope was misled by the Cuban population in the same way Dr. Guiteras was misled. They assured him there had been no yellow fever in the town at any time and that the buildings were safe. Dr. Guiteras, who was a Cuban and had studied habitations in Cuba, was influenced by their judgment, and he asked me to establish those two hospitals, the Clara Barton Hospital and the fever hos- pital, in the Garcia headquarters. They assured us there was no yellow fever there, and I remember Dr. Guiteras looking around and saying, " I am sure there is no yellow fever here, because it does not look like a yellow-fever locality." It was very hilly and well drained with the exception of the slough where the little creek entered. Washington, D. C., November 16, 1898. Maj. Louis A. La Garde recalled. Q. Will you please tell us of the condition of the yellow-fever hospital or hospi- tals at Siboney, so far as you have knowledge of the same? A. The yellow-fever hospital was located on the road to Fremacer, about 2 miles, and I visited it only a very few times. I was so very busy at Siboney answering dispatches and attending to other administrative details that I had to allow the administration of the hospital to be conducted by Major McCreery and Major Gorgas, of the Medical Corps. I can not say definitely about their arrangements for conducting that hospital. I was not an immune, and although I didn't stay away from there on that account, at the same time I felt that my presence was not Dr. Conner: MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1835 absolutely necessary there every day, and I visited it several times in connection with supplies. The executive officer from my hospital at Siboney visited it almost daily, and I got reports from him as to what was transpiring there, and I was satisfied from his reports that everything was all right. Q. So far as you know, officially, the hospital was well carried out? A. It was, as well as it was possible, with the means at command. Q. So far as regards the amount of medical supplies and the number and char- acter of nurses, the men were well cared for? A. They were. The hospital was established after the arrival of the hospital ship Relief, and so far as supplies went, they had nothing to complain of. There might have been certain things that they didn't have, but, upon the whole, there could be no complaint of lack of supplies. Q. What was the mortality of the yellow-fever cases in the yellow-fever hospital? A. I am away from the records; they have not reached here yet. I think we could safely say that the mortality did not go beyond 8 per cent. Q. When those men were sent north, were they sent on hospital ships or trans- ports? A. They were sent on transports. Do you mean the yellow-fever patients? Q. Yes, sir. A. They were all sent on transports. Q. Was a medical officer or were medical officers detailed for service on these transports, or did the men come north without medical care? A. No instance of a transport's leaving Siboney at any time occurred without having medical attendants, I would say. Dr. Lesser was the only one not belong- ing to the service who was placed in charge of a transport. Dr. Lesser had been associated with us at Siboney. He had had the fever. He was an immune, and the nurses with him were immunes. He had rendered competent service. I felt that I could not make a better selection. He was selected because we could not spare medical officers on the ground. Q. The results were entirely satisfactory? A. Absolutely. I thought that I had done the best thing under the circum- stances. and I was advised that all complaints should have been made afterwards. Q. So far as you know these expectations were realized? A. They were; and I have Dr. Lesser's report here. It is full and candid on the subject, and it is satisfactory to me and should be to everybody. Q. Can you leave that with us? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there anything lacking in the care of yellow-fever patients or in the treatment of yellow-fever patients that ought to have been supplied? A. I dare say there was a lack of medicines at times, and a lack of competent attendance. We gave them the best that we could give them under the circum- stances. Q. Was there sufficient time after the yellow fever manifested itself within which men could have been secured from the North that were immunes, and able to render proper attendance to the yellow-fever patients, supplementing what was done by your own force? A. If we had known in the early part of J uly that we were going to have such a large sick list from yellow fever, we could have made requisitions for immunes in ample time, and they could have gotten there; but this thing gradually came upon us, and the cases multiplied day by day, and when we realized what was about us it was time the immunes should have been there. Q. Do you know whether or not, by your chief surgeon there, any request was made that some medical officers capable of dealing with the yellow fever should be sent there? 1836 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I can not remember exactly, but that is my impression-that at a certain time the situation was detailed to the War Department at Washington, and it must have been, but at what time I can not say. I know we did get immunes in the way of nurses and medical officers later on in sufficient numbers. Q. In your judgment, should the chief medical officer, before leaving Tampa, have known that in all human probability yellow fever was going to break out among these troops going to Cuba in midsummer? A. He should have known; everybody should have known. It was generally believed that we were going to a country infected with yellow fever. The words of the Surgeon-General of the Army read like prophecy on the subject to-day. Anybody who reads his testimony, and of his ideas, will see that the condition was such that we must anticipate yellow fever. Q. These words were written how long beforehand-one month, two months, three months beforehand? A. I can not remember. Qc Was it sufficiently long beforehand so that everybody understood what his views were on the subject? A. Yes, sir. Q. Under these circumstances can you give us any reason why proper provision was not made when that expedition went to Santiago for the meeting of what everybody expected would have to be met? A. I can not understand why provision should not have been made. I do not know whether it was made or not, that is, that requisitions were not made; I am not sure that provision was not made sufficiently. We seemed to depend entirely on this yellow-fever expert that we had with us to tell us whether we had yellow fever. If is possible that the corps surgeon asked for medicines and surgeons and didn't get them; I don't know. Q. As respects the wounded in your care, they were numerous, I believe? A. Yes, sir. We had. I should estimate, about 1,300 or 1,400 wounded. Q. Was every care and attention that could reasonably be expected given by the doctors to these cases of wounded? A. Yes, sir. In addition to the doctors that I mentioned yesterday who were there voluntarily, we had a number of volunteer surgeons, some of the best sur- geons in the United States, whose names should have been mentioned yesterday We had Dr. Vaughn, of the University of Michigan; Dr. Nancrede, of the same institution. They were both majors and surgeons in the volunteers; and Dr. Parker, of New Orleans, who was an expert in gunshot injuries of the abdomen. He was an acting assistant surgeon. Lieutenant Smith and Captain Winters and Major McCreary, of the Medical Corps, were also there in the operating room, giving assistance to all of these people. We had tables in the operating room, and it required all of these surgeons, and would have required more if we had them, and we would have kept them occupied all the time. Q. The medical attendance was such as might reasonably be expected if the men had been in any well-organized hospital in our country? A. I think it was, with the exception that the six tables were probably not enough to enable them to attend to the wounded as rapidly as they came in. They came in so rapidly that sometimes forty or fifty men were sitting outside under flies waiting to be dressed. Q. Is it or is it not a fact that the wounded received such attention as they could have received in very few hospitals in the United States, without regard to the tables? A. I think it is probable. I have never heard anything to the contrary. Q. Do you know what the proportionate mortality of your wounded was? A. It was very, very small. If I remember correctly, we did not have more than a dozen men die. MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1837 Q. Out of how many? A. Probably 1,400; 1,300 or 1,400. The register for July showed 2,300 admis- sions in that hospital for all causes, and the list of wounded that I have aggre- gates close on to 1,200; and there were men who went on transports in the early part of July whose names could not be gotten from the fact that the clerical force was so busy that they had to do first-aid work. Q. Of the wounded that came to the hospital the mortality was extraordinarily low? A. Very. It was a subject of general comment. Q. Did you find that operations had to be performed in any considerable por- tions of the cases-bad operations and amputations, excisions, etc.? A. In a very few instances. With the new arm we found it not necessary, and the particular operations were very few. Q. Was the mortality high or low under these operations? A. It was, I should say, rather high, for the reason that we operated on a num- ber of brain cases that afforded very little promise, and yet it seemed that some- thing should be done. In those brain cases blood poisoning had set in Q. Before the operation? A. Before the operation; and they were transmitted to us from the front in that condition. There was one instance of a man who had gangrene on the lower limb, and amputation was followed by death in his case. It was said that he would die anyway, but the surgeons undertook to save his life and limb. By Colonel Denby: Q. Was the gangrene a result of a wound? A. It was the result of a wound and of dirt or skin having got in there in some way. Q. You are familiar with military surgery, its records, and its practice. Is there anything on record in the statement that you have given to us-that is to say, has it ever happened before in the history of military surgery where bodily wounds have been attended to with so little danger to life and been recovered from in so large a proportion of cases? A. No; for the reason that no battle was ever fought between two armies armed with the modern weapon. The danger of gunshot injuries inflicted by the new arm is generally said to be less than the old; our methods to-day of render- ing assistance on the field, with clean methods, obviate the dangers of blood poisoning to a material extent; and for those two reasons our mortality list in this campaign was less probably than heretofore, and it will always be so as long as casualties are inflicted by the reduced-caliber bullet. Q. Were the first aid packets of service? A. They were; they were liberally used, and we attribute the almost entire absence of blood poisoning to the fact that these first aid packets had been liberally distributed and liberally applied to the gunshot injuries at the front. Q. Did you find that your experimental observations were confined in practice? A. They were. Q. In all respects? A. In all respects I should say. I failed to find any so-called explosive effects of a small-caliber bullet, which was attributable to the fact that the wounds generally were inflicted outside of the zone of explosive effects. Q. Which is about 600 or 800 yards? A. It may extend to four or five hundred yards with the new bullet, and the tissues that might have given explosive effects were those in the brain and internal organs. In those circumstances we failed to see the explosive effects, for the rea- son that the existence of wounds in those regions was probably to be found among the dead on the field. I was told by Dr. Calhoun, who was an acting assistant 1838 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. surgeon from New Orleans, that nine men were buried in one trench, belonging to the Ninth Infantry or the brigade that the Ninth was associated with, and all of these men were shot through the intestines. I believe that in those instances post-mortem examination would have shown the explosive effects of bullets, but we had no opportunity of seeing these cases on the beds, and we never saw evi- dences of explosive effects, for the reason that the tissues that were penetrated in our experience did not show explosive effects. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What do you mean by explosive effects; there was no actual explosion? A. No, sir. I have reference to explosive effects in the tissues. It is difficult to give a definition of an explosive effect. The best way is to describe the condition that is found. When we found explosive effects in a gunshot injury, for instance, of a thigh bone, we found a wound of entrance, which is in caliber about the size of the projectile that causes it. There is very little difference between the wound of entrance and the projectile. The point of impact upon the bone shows immense destructive effect of the bone itself. The bony tissues are pulverized, and the bone up and down shows fissures and loose fragments-fragments that are driven into the muscles that are no longer attached to the shaft of the bone, and what corre- sponds to the wound of exit is really a funnel with the base of the funnel toward the surface. There seems to be a bursting forth of all the tissues, due absolutely to the fact that the tissues have not time to roll back as the projectile goes through and the force of the bullet sends forth fragments of bone that act as secondary projectiles, and the whole thing tends to cause destructive effects. If the bullet goes into fragments it comes out in various pieces, which are secondary projectiles, each in itself. The bony fragments shoot forth, and they are second- ary projectiles to cause destructive effects. Q. If the methods of treatment of wounds had been the same in this Santiago campaign as they were in the civil war what would have been the comparative death rate in your judgment; that is, before any antiseptic treatment? A. If the battle had still been fought with the new arm? Q. Just the same. A. I should say that, if the gunshot injuries of the bones where fractures took place were included, the mortality would have been 20 per cent more, maybe. By Colonel Denby: Q. Twenty per cent more? A. Yes. I would have expected erysipelas to set in if precautions had not been observed. Hospital statistics show that at least one-half of the cases of bone fractures occurring before the antiseptic era developed blood poisoning and died, and it would have been the same with gunshot injuries causing fracture, and it seems to me more so, especially on the field. By Governor Woodbury: Q. A number of years ago, perhaps, when these arms were first invented, it was said that they were going to be of such efficacy that war would be impossible; that the destruction would be so great with these new firearms. This battle is a refutation of that prophecy, is it not? A. Well, there is no doubt about the fact that the reduced-caliber bullet is highly destructive, provided that battle tactics are the same as prevailed, say, half a century ago; but the battle tactics have changed very much. With the improvement in the new arm the tactician has extended the order of battle, and he has tried to prevent the full deadliness of the weapon by changing the tactics, and in that way apparently the arm is not deadly; but if a battle were fought by advancing masses the deadliness of the weapon would show itself just as it did before. MAJ. LOUIS A. LA GARDE. 1839 By General Beaver: Q. That is, one bullet would kill two or three men? A. Yes, sir. Q. The tactician has overcome the increased deadly effects of the weapon? A. Yes. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You said, in answer to a question of Dr. Conner, that the Surgeon-General had declared that yellow fever might be expected during that season of the year. Well, now, hadn't he the authority, without requisition from Colonel Pope or the commanding officer, to have made the necessary provision for the expected yellow- fever epidemic? A. Well, the Surgeon-General has not authority, as I understand it, to order troops. He might have made recommendations to meet the expected yellow fever. The Surgeon-General stated, as I remember, that if we invaded Cuba between certain months and went into the habitations of the Cubans, we might expect yellow fever; we might expect a certain percentage of the troops to have yellow fever and to die from it. Q. Do you know whether or not he recommended that an increased medical force should accompany that expedition on account of yellow fever? A. No, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know whether he recommended that the expedition should not go on account of the yellow fever? A. I read in the Medical Journal that he said it would be disastrous if the expe- dition went before November. I know that those were his convictions. Q. The result of his observation is that the principle laid down is a true one, that the small-caliber bullet leaves him were he is struck on the field, or else he gets well? A. That is probably true. If a man is knocked out so that he can not assist himself very much, the chances are, of course, that he will be disabled. It depends to a large extent where a man may be struck by a bullet, and the range; in other words, the velocity and the location. By Colonel Denby: Q. Is this a round bullet, Doctor? A. No, sir; it is a bullet four times the length of the caliber; the caliber is about .29 or .30. Q. In its passage through the body does it break into pieces? A. No, sir; that is provided for by placing a steel jacket around it, and the steel jacket is so unyielding that it does not deform, and that is one reason why we have so little destructive effect. The sectional area of the bullet slips through the body without increasing, as the old one did, which, with a larger area in the begin- ning, also flattened. Q. When you speak of the work done by the tactician, you mean they have a lop ted open order? A. Yes, sir. Q. They are not held elbow to elbow as they were? A. No, sir. Q. They are in single ranks now, are they, Doctor? A. They deploy in lines of skirmishers. I think they are deployed in line of skir- mishers, and those skirmishers are separated from another line, and there is another line by way of reserve. They advance in three lines instead of, as formerly, in masses. 1840 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By General Dodge: Q. Did I understand you to say that the Surgeon-General recommended that this expedition to Santiago should not sail on account of danger from yellow fever? A. I do not know that the Surgeon-General recommended that the expedition be stopped on that account, but I know that he was very much averse to the Government's sending troops to the field before the danger of yellow fever had passed. If he has been correctly reported in the medical journals, and from a conversation I had with him after I came back from Cuba, I understood that to be his idea. Q. That is, no general plan of campaign should be made? A. Yes, sir. Q. It did not apply to such an emergency as the Santiago campaign, did it? A. Exactly. We understood that the military necessity was such that the expedition had to go. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know whether he advised that the army should go before the middle of May or not until the last of October, until the danger was over? A. I don't know definitely about that. By General Beaver: Q. You state that the loss of wounded in your field hospital was a little less than 1 per cent? A. I am giving you, of course, what I remember about it. I doubt if it would be as large as 1 per cent. Q. About 12 out of 1,400? A. Yes, sir; something like that. Q. What was the average loss of wounded in our field hospitals during the civil war; do you remember? A. I don't remember that; I have read the statistics, but I could not remember them so as to give an opinion now. Q. Was there any great discrepancy between the two? A. Very much; a great deal. By General Dodge: Q. Do you know what the comparative loss by sickness was in Santiago as com- pared with what it was in the United States here in camps? A. I think it was very much less. Q. In Santiago? A. Yes; from sickness. Q. Was there, really, essentially as much danger in sending men to Cuba as there was in holding them in camps? A. As it turned out, we got so that we dreaded typhoid a great deal more than we did yellow fever at Siboney. The yellow fever we encountered was of very low mortality, and we preferred to see a man sick of yellow fever for the reason that he was more likely to get well. Yellow fever meant a sickness of about a week, whereas typhoid meant a sickness of weeks. We didn't have the necessary nurses, the delicacies, the diets, such as fresh eggs and milk especially. By Colonel Denby: Q. Do they have yellow fever all the year round in that part of Cuba? A. I think not; they have very little, if any, after November in Santiago so 1 am told. By General Dodge: Q. Still, notwithstanding all the lack of delicacies andeverything, the actual LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1841 loss in the Santiago campaign from death was less than the losses in any of these camps in the United States? A. It was, I think. I have not specially studied the mortality of these camps, but my impression is that it certainly was very small, but at Santiago it was probably smaller. By General Beaver: Q. You were dealing with experienced troops in Santiago, and with raw ones in the camp; doesn't that make a considerable difference? A. It does; a remarkable difference. By General McCook: Q. Suppose that the necessary camp equipage had been landed and issued to these troops there in Santiago, what effect would it have had on their health? A. It would have diminished the sick list to have had the men supplied with their equipment, tentage, etc. I think the most of the sickness occurred from their lying out in the open and the men getting wet. By Colonel Denby: Q. You could not well have tents on the line of trenches, Doctor, could you? A. No; I suppose that at that particular time they could not have had them. Q. The men had to do without tents while they were living in the trenches, didn't they? A. Yes, sir; they didn't get their tents, and there were times when they might have resorted to their tents. I think, although I am not competent to answer that question definitely, from the fact that I never was at the front. Washington, D. C., November 1G, 1898. TESTIMONY OF LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. Lieut. Col. J. W. Jacobs then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn by General Wilson. By Colonel Sexton: Q. The stenographer wants to get your name and rank. A. Lieut. Col. J. W. Jacobs, Quartermaster's Department. * By General Beaver: Q. Will you please give us your places of service after the declaration of war with Spain-where did you serve? A. I was chief quartermastei- of the Department of Columbia, Washington. Q. How long did you remain there after the declaration of war? A. I left there the latter part of April; I don't remember the date. Q. Tell us, if you please, where you proceeded then and what your services were thereafter. A. I proceeded to New Orleans and reported to General Shafter for duty. When 1 got there the headquarters were under orders to proceed to Tampa. We left there the same day at night for Tampa, Fla. Q. How long did you remain at Tampa? A. Until the 14th of June. Q. What particular part of the Quartermaster's Department did you supervise? Did you have the general oversight of the entire department in the Fifth Corps? 1842 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I was first assigned as assistant to General Humphrey. Afterwards I became chief quartermaster of the Fifth Corps, of the troops in the vicinity of Tampa. Q. How were you served as to transportation by the railroad company or com- panies centering at Tampa? A. Well, everything was congested on both roads. It was very difficult to get hold of cars and unload them. Q. Did the cars come in with a manifest or list of the articles contained in them, or were you compelled to examine the cars to find out what was in them? A. Of that I have no knowledge. That information should be obtained through the depot quartermaster. Q. Who was the depot quartermaster? A. When I arrived, Colonel Pope. For a short time, while General Wade was in command, General Humphrey assumed command of everything in the depot, and he in turn was relieved by Colonel Bellinger. Q. Were the operations of the quartermaster's department retarded to any con- siderable extent by the conditions of which you have spoken? A. Yes, sir; undoubtedly. Q. What was the occasion of the congestion, the lack of men to unload the cars? A. No. I don't think it was the fault of the railroads, which were doing all they could. It was simply beyond their capacity. They had facilities for handling a certain amount of business, and this was away beyond that. Q. If they got the cars there, that was all they had to do, wasn't it? A. They could not get them there; that is, where they could be unloaded. Q. That is, the platform or station facilities were not equal to the demand of the business? A. They could not get the cars in there. They lacked facilities in that respect. They didn't have warehouses, and the Government didn't have places to unload when you got to them. Q. Had you land transportation-wagons, mules, and transportation of that kind-that would have enabled you to unload the cars into wagons and get at the contents of the cars? A. You could not get at cars anywhere on the railroad with wagons; you could not get up to them. If you had had thousands of teams, you could not have got at them. You have to get at them at certain places. You could not get at them on a grade. Q. Of course not, or over a cut; but you don't have much of that sort of rail- road in Florida? A. You don't have very high embankments, but still there are obstacles to pre- vent unloading into wagons. We went several miles out of town, where a wagon road crossed the railroad, and we unloaded there. Q. Did you have enough men to make crossings wherever you pleased-that is, to bring the railroad track and the army wagon even? A. We had men enough, but whether they did the unloading properly is for somebody else to say. If the men had been turned loose as laborers they probably could have done it. Q. That was not within your jurisdiction, anyhow? A. No, sir. Q. Who had charge of the loading of the transportation which composed the expedition to Santiago? A. Colonel Humphrey had exclusive control of that, except the loading of the wagon transportation, which I had. Q. W as there any specific programme mapped out as to the transports upon which the several organizations were to embark? A. None whatever; at least I never saw one. LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1843 Q. How did an organization-take the First Infantry, for instance-how did the colonel of the First Infantry know upon what transports his troops were to embark? A. That regiment was camped near Tampa, and they possibly knew when they left Tampa either to go on the Seguranga or another boat. You just happened to mention that particular regiment, and I think they marched from camp with the understanding where they were to go. Q. Was that understanding general throughout the corps? A. No; I am quite sure it was not. Q. It was a sort of a haphazard embarkation? A. I should say so; very decidedly, sir. Q. Had the transports upon which the troops embarked been previously in- spected? A. Yes, sir; by General Lawton, Colonel Dorst, and myself; we made one in- spection. Q. Were the transports, so far as you know, suitable for the carrying of troops on such an expedition? A. Yes; they were very good. Q. What was the condition of them as to crowding; everything was carried that it could carry, I suppose? A. I don't think there was any particular overcrowding, considering the short distance they had to go. There was no very great suffering, although there was a good deal of apprehension. Q. Was there any overcrowding to the danger point, in your judgment, either to the health or to the safety of the men for a sea voyage? A. I don't think I can answer' that; they were too thick in some cases, but just what would constitute the danger line, the dead line, I don't know. Q. Did you observe the embarkation of the troops and the loading of your sup- plies, Colonel? A. Yes; I was there. Q. To what extent were the troops accompanied on the same vessel by their camp and garrison equipage, and by rations and subsistence? A. Rations and subsistence had been loaded on the boats for days and days pre- vious to the order for the movement of the troops. Q. Rations were loaded on every vessel? A. Yes; I think General Shafter's order was that every vessel should be loaded with part of the ration, and as far as practicable the whole ration, so that if that boat became detached, they would have subsistence. I think that was observed quite strictly. Q. Was that carried out as to medical supplies and medicines and everything of that sort, so that each boat would be independent in condition? A. I won't say that medical supplies were loaded throughout the fleet to any extent. I don't think they were, but they were not loaded on one vessel. The artillery complained about the ammunition being loaded on another vessel. Q. The artillery complained that their ammunition was separated from their guns? A. Yes; they would have preferred to have kept it more compact. I think that was also carried out in regard to ammunition, and, as far as I know, with the med- ical supplies. Q. Did you accompany the expedition to Santiago? A. Yes. Q. What provision had been made, Colonel, by the Quartermaster's Department for necessary lighters and surfboats and scows for the disembarking of men, ani- mals, and supplies? A. I think in that respect they were quite deficient. There were two barges taken along and one was lost. We arrived at Daiquiri with only one. 1844 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How many vessels composed this expeditionary corps-how many transports? A. Thirty-six or 37. Q. Had there been any effort to provide surfboats for the landing of the men other than those contained on the transports? A. As General Humphrey had exclusive control over that, he would know. Q. You can not say whether he made any effort or not? A. No. Q. If any effort was made, did any considerable success attend it? A. They were not there. Q. As to barges, you took two and lost one on the way? A. Yes; of surf boats there were not any. They depended upon the boats on each vessel; each vessel had its own number of small boats, but outside of those I presume you refer to. Q. Yes; outside of what each vessel was required by navigation to have. Were you present at the disembarkation at Daiquiri? A. Yes; my special duties were to see after the wagon transportation on the boat. I put it on and took it off and sent it to the front. Q. What date did the first troops land at Daiquiri? A. The 22d of June. Q. What time in relation to that did you get your wagon transportation ashore? A. The next day. Q. How many wagons did you land on the 23d? A. I could not tell you in detail. I could not swear that we got off any on the 23d, but very soon we commenced to get wagons off and to fit them up and load them and send them to the front. Q. Can you recall the day on which you first rigged up a wagon and sent it to the front with supplies of any kind? A. No; I might ascertain that day through a memorandum I have got. I think we got off some wagons on the 23d. Q. How many wagons became available for the transportation of supplies to the men at the front while you remained at Daiquiri? A. Between 140 and 150. I loaded on the transports 114 six-mule teams, and then there was an independent brigade under General Bates. The Third Infantry had either 21 or 23 teams themselves. They came from Mobile. They were very well fitted out with transportation. There was a mounted battalion of the Second Cavalry; they also had some teams, and I don't remember just how many, but that with what I had loaded would make between 140 and 150. Q. Some of these, you think, became available for actual use on the 23d. When did the last of them become available, Colonel? A. We were unloading wagons aftei' the capture of Santiago. Q. So that the entire 140 didn't become available until after that? A. A large majority of them did; they were nearly all unloaded. I will have to get you a memorandum to answer that question accurately. Q. In general, were the majority of them unloaded by the 28th of June, do you think? Did it take five days? A. Longer than that. We had such poor facilities for getting them off-only one barge; and until a man tries to pack up a 6-mule wagon and set it up, he hasn't any idea what labor it is. By Governor Woodbury: Q. How many were in use before the 28th of June taking supplies to the front- 10, 20, or 30? A. More than that; we increased the number sent forward within a few days. Q. Did you have these supplies to the front before the fight? A. I will have to get my memorandum. LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1845 Q. Did you. have 20 or 25 wagons? A. I think I could satisfy myself by a little investigation of a memorandum. By General Beaver: Q. Had you charge of the pack mules? A. Lieutenant Cabaniss had independent charge. By General Dodge: Q. Of what regiment? A. The Twenty-fourth Infantry, I think. Q. Do you know where he is now? A. No; he left Santiago very early. Q. Did the pack train become available for transporting supplies immediately after the landing of the troops? A. Quite so. Q. Did you observe the condition of the roads for wagon transportion, Colonel? A. No; not especially. Q. You didn't follow that up; your business was simply to get the wagons carried? A. I can not speak intelligently upon that point. Q. Did you land all the wagons and mules that were aboard the transport before they put back to Tampa or to any other port for other supplies? A. Unload all? Q. Yes, sir. A. Yes; except three wagons on the Iroquois. Q. We have understood upon competent evidence that the Navy assisted you on making the landing-that is, they furnished you some launches and boats, to a certain extent. A. For the troops. Q. Did the Navy render any assistance to your department in landing your transportation facilities? A. Not at Daiquiri. Q. Do you know whether any arrangements had been made with the Navy prior to your leaving Tampa for rendering this assistance in the unloading of the troops? A. I don't know; that would be a matter for Colonel Humphrey, and I would not have knowledge of that. Q. Where is Colonel Humphrey now; do you know? A. In Cuba, I understand. Q. In what part of Cuba? A. In Havana. Chief quartermaster. Q. Had you, with the expedition which sailed from Tampa, sufficient trans- portation, in your judgment, for any army such as you took to Cuba, in the field? A. No. I was ordered to load only 50 six-mule wagon teams. That was doubled by General Miles when he came down. He doubled it at once, and on account of some detachment there were 14 more added; starting at 50, it rested at 114. Q. Then, this brigade having the twenty-odd, it ran you up to 140? A. Yes; between 140 and 150. Q. What would have constituted, in your judgment, based upon your experi- ence, a sufficient wagon-train transportation for the number of troops that you had at Santiago? A. Well, 1 think that each regiment ought to have had a minimum of five or six wagons to it, and great use could have been made, besides, of a train organ- ized under the Quartermaster's Department. Q. How many regiments were there altogether? 1846 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I can not answer that question. I am answering that subsequent to the event, knowing what the army did down there. To have asked me that question then I would have answered it differently, but five or six wagons to a regiment, or even three, would have been of immense value to the regiment itself. All this transportation was held back. Q. Answering from what you thought at Tampa, what would have been a suffi- cient amount of transportation? A. To each troop or company one wagon, besides the wagon for headquarters, as a minimum. By Colonel Denby: Q. How many for headquarters? A. Three, at least. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What reason was given for not having more transportation? A. I never heard any except want of transports. Q. Was it the want of transportation? A. The want of water transportation; there were no facilities for carrying it over. By General Beaver: Q. That is, that the main consideration was to get the men there? A. I don't know about that. Q. Whatever the reason was, the fact was that the expedition seemed to think the getting of the men to Cuba was its chief office: and if it had to determine between the men and the mules, it took the men rather than the mules? A. I don't know that that was very apparent: they had so many men that they put them on boats, and they loaded the boats to their capacity with draft mules and wagons. Q. Was not it understood that the army going to Cuba should consist of so many men? A. I don't know as to that: the number of men to go was variously estimated at different times. By General Dodge: Q. How many pack mules were taken? A. There were six trains sent over, and they were well organized. They had about 75 packs to the train. I could tell you exactly the number of pack mules that went over from memorandum. Q. Would not it have been better to assign pack animals rather than wagons? A. If they had a few pack mules and a wagon apiece they would have done remarkably good work by giving it into the hands of the regiment itself. I think keeping that transportation back was a mistake. By General Beaver: Q. Was there any complaint during the progress of this campaign, from the time the troops landed on the 22d of June until the fight which resulted in the army securing the trenches overlooking Santiago-was there any complaint of lack of transportation for the essentials upon which the troops depended for their efficiency-that is, subsistence and ammunition? A. No special complaint reached me. Q. Was the amount of transportation, pack mules, and wagons, which became available sufficient, in your judgment, to supply an army of that size at the front with the subsistence and ammunition necessary for their efficiency as a fighting force? LIEPT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1847 A. No; 1 think it would have been a great deal better if we had had more trans- portation. Q. How long did you remain at Santiago or in that neighborhood? A. I left there about the middle of October. Q. Where have you been since that? A. Been trying to recuperate a little between here and New York City. Q. Governor Woodbury wishes to know if the transportation which you had on board these transports had been landed at once, would or would it not have been sufficient for the needs of the army-not all immediately, but within a few days; if you had had the facilities for landing which you think you ought to have nad, would you have had sufficient transportation for the important needs of the army? A. There was a limit to the means of transportation, because we only had one road. I think good use could have been made of more transportation. I don't think it would have fully met the necessities. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Was that road in such condition that yon could have used other transports than the 450 mules and the 114 wagons? A. Yes, sir; that road was first adjudged impassable for wagon transportation; that proved not to be so. Then there was something said that when trains started they would have to wait at the other end; that they could not pass each other on the road; but there were passing places, and they did pass each other. The road was first-rate to Siboney; after that it was not so good. Q. Please state, as a matter of fact, whether you used wagon transportation before the 30th of June over' that road. A. I could not answer that. Q. What is your opinion about using half the wagons and half the pack mules too? Did you have half in use? A. Yes; I think we had more than half. Q. How many more than half? What percentage did you have in use before the 30th of June? A. I could not answer that. Q. Did you have GO per cent, in your judgment? A. I will let it rest at 50. Q. How about the pack trains? A. The five pack trains went off very promptly. They were off and loaded promptly. Q. They were of use, were they? A. Yes. By General Beaver: Q. Colonel, did you supervise the disembarkation of every wagon and deter- mine what should go upon it when it went to the front, or did you turn over wagons, so many to the subsistence department and so many to the medical? A. No; I had general orders, first to load with rations and a small amount of forage, because they said there was good grazing at the front. Then, afterwards, as the grazing became scarcer the forage was increased. I loaded all trains myself. Q. Were there medical supplies unloaded from the transports awaiting trans- portation to the front? A. I sent very few medical supplies to Daiquiri; most of them were unloaded at Siboney. Q. Did you know of medical supplies unloaded from the transports which were not sent to the front at Daiquiri? 1848 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No. Q. If that did occur, it didn't occur under your jurisdiction at Daiquiri-it must have been at Siboney? A. No. By General McCook: Q. What was done with the transportation that was landed? A. It was all sent to the front just as fast as it could be unloaded and fitted up and loaded with supplies. Q. Was there any reason why camp kettles and cooking utensils should not have been sent to the front? A. Not any more than General Shafter's orders. Q. Did he forbid that? A. Most positively; nothing but forage and rations to go. By Governor Woodbury: Q. And medical supplies? A. Yes; forage and rations and afterwards ammunition and medical supplies. By Dr. Conner: Q. In point of fact, did the Quartermaster's Department send medical supplies to the front? A. I sent some; they didn't get any particular supplies from Daiquiri. Q. Did they from anywhere? A. I don't know. Q. Do you know anything about the shipment of these supplies at Tampa? Were you in charge there? A. Not of the loading. Q. They took how many ambulances down? A. None. Q. There were three taken and carried io the front? A. From where? Q. From Tampa to Siboney? A. You mean with Shafter's command proper? Q. Yes. A. No, sir. Q. Would you have had knowledge of it? A. I was ordered to ship the transportation at Tampa, and was ordered to load 50; but they were knocked off by Shafter. Q. Do you know whether or not orders were given to leave behind the equip- ment of the three division hospitals that had been organized? A. That is my impression; that they were knocked out. Q. Do you know by whose orders? A. Shafter's; that is, the ambulances were. Q. Not only the ambulances, but the whole equipment of three division hospitals? A. I think they all fell together. Q. They were all left behind at Tampa? A. I know the ambulances were. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Was that a public order or verbal? A. Verbal. By General Dodge: Q. Who from? A. General Shafter. LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1849 By Dr. Conner: Q. Was it expected that there would be any engagement when they went from Tampa to Santiago? A. I think they went down there to fight. Q. How did you expect your wounded to be cared for if you had no medical supplies or quartermaster supplies? . • A. I don't know that I gave any special thought to that. Q. But I ask you to give it thought. A. They ought to have been carried along. Q. There was nothing taken down there, and the medical department was left in the air. The question is, Who is responsible for that? A. They are not responsible. Q. They didn't take them? A. They did as they were ordered. Q. Have you anything to show to that effect? A. I will swear that Shafter did tell me not to take the ambulances. Q. But beyond the ambulances? A. There was a full equipment-a list which included a full equipment for field hospitals and ambulances. Q. You were ordered to leave the whole thing behind? A. I don't know in distinct words, but I was told to leave out the ambulances. Q. In these matters the quartermaster did not transport three thoroughly equipped hospitals that were there as division hospitals, and the medical depart- ment was sent into the field with practically nothing? A. That is a responsibility that didn't rest with the quartermaster's department. Where does it rest? You say you got the order from General Shafter not to send the ambulances; did you get orders not to send medical supplies? A. No; I didn't. Q. Were they presented for transportation? A. They would not have been presented to me, but to General Humphrey. He had exclusive control of the water transportation and the loading. By Colonel Denby: Q. Did you send cooked rations to the front? A. Oh, yes; all that was provided for. Travel rations. Q. This cooking apparatus that you were ordered not to take, were they not necessary? A. They were not necessary for a few days. Q. After a few days what became of them; were they sent? A. No; neither cooking utensils nor camp equipage was brought from Daiquiri; positive orders against it. Q. How long a time did those orders exist? A. Until I left there. Q. When did you leave? A. A month after I landed. Q. Do you know whether these articles were sent from Siboney? A. My impression is that they were not. I am clearly of that impression. Q. Was that a verbal order also to you not to send them-cooking utensils-to the front? A. I had a written order of what to send and was told by General Shafter not to allow anything else to go. Everything was excluded from the wagons except the supplies themselves. Q. You could have sent those things if you had had transportation enough? A. We could have tied a lot of camp kettles and things of that kind on wagons. 1850 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. They were on the transports, but he would not allow the camp equipage to be un- loaded from the transports. Some volunteer regiments did unload their mess chests, but they were left there and afterwards shipped somewhere else. By Governor Woodbury: Q. If all the camp equipment had been unloaded, would it not have produced considerable confusion? A. Yes; because they had more than they really ought to have had. One regi- ment, as I said, did unload some stuff there. Q. Considering the amount of transportation that you had for use and the abso- lutely necessary uses to which it must be put, was it in your judgment wise or unwise that the camp equipage was not unloaded? A. I don't think that the troops should have had all that they carried from Tampa, because they carried an almost unlimited quantity, but they ought to have had more facilities for carrying the stuff. Q. Could you have handled it had it been unloaded? A. Yes; put it on a few wagons at a time. Q. Could you have handled it before or after the battle? A. Just as long as each wagon went to the front. By Colonel Denby: Q. Did you have a written order of what you were to send to the front; and will you let us have a copy of what you were to send? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Colonel, did you have charge of the loading of the troops at Tampa? A. No, sir. Q. Who had charge of that? A. General Humphrey. Q. Did he do that directly himself or did he have an officer under him who had charge of it? A. He was there in person every day; gave it his personal attention day and night. Q. Do you know about how many cars there were at Tampa at the time this expedition was fitted out, say, from the 30th of May until the 6th of June? A. I have not any idea-that was beyond me-that went through the depot quartermaster's office; of course, they were going and coming. I could not answer that at all. Q. When you examined these transports-General Altman, Colonel Dorst, and yourself-did you determine the number of troops to go on each transport? A. Yes. Q. You marked for each ship the number to go on it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Of course, transportation in the field is determined by the length of the route, isn't it? A. Yes, sir. Q. With the distance that this army had to be supplied, do you consider that the 500 mules and 114 wagons were sufficient to furnish that army with the field ration, the ammunition, and the medical supplies? A. For the distance it had to go? Q. Yes, sir. A. No; I think not. They ought to have had more, but not as much as was assigned per order to the troops in the field at Tampa-as much as 25 wagons to a regiment. There is a general order like that. I don't think we needed that many. LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1851 Q. Do you not understand that order to be to take care of a regiment and its camp equipment, and, in addition, to carry thirty days' rations and the ammu- nition? A. Certainly; that is always included. Anything in addition to that the supply train was to carry. Q. We have been unable to ascertain that fact before. It is not stated in the order. A. If that ordei' had been carried out and each regiment had been supplied with that number of wagons, they would have had to carry that. Q. If each regiment handled its own transportation, there would have been a great deal that could not have been supplied as well as by one single head? A. I think it would have been a great deal better to have assigned wagons to each of the regiments, or some transportation, such as pack animals. Q. I am speaking of the 27 wagons, allowing each regiment to handle its own wagons? A. That transportation would have been of no use down there; that would have been too much. Q. What proportion of your teamsters and your packers were taken sick there? A. At one time at Daiquiri they were all sick, pretty near; they fell like a lot of brick, all at once. Q. What time was that? A. That was after Q. After the fall of Santiago? A. No; just before. Q. Had you any means of replacing them? A. No. Q. About the time that your men got sick-packers and teamsters-just before that fall of Santiago, was the base changed to Santiago proper? A. We didn't leave there until after Santiago was taken. Q. You said that your sick came just before the fall of Santiago; the base of supplies was immediately changed to Santiago? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they move your transportation and pack mules to Santiago? A. It all came from Daiquiri. Q. From Daiquiri? A. Yes. Q. What time did you leave there? A. I left there, to a day, a month after I went there. Q. The 22d of July? A. The 22d of July. By Captain Howell: Q. How long were you at Tampa; about how long? A. About a month and a half. Q. During the time you were there, you spoke of the congestion of the trains. I want to ask you, couldn't that congestion have been relieved by proper manage- ment? A. No, sir; I don't think it could. Q. Suppose the cars had been unloaded as rapidly as they arrived? A. I think they were unloaded as rapidly as they arrived, but facilities were lacking for transporting the supplies. Q. The road was blocked there for at least a month? A. It was like attempting to do field work in a back yard. There were two railroads running in there and a single line from Tampa to Port Tampa., the 1852 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Florida Central and the Plant System, and a single line to Port Tampa, and it was impossible to handle the volume of business thrown into theii' hands. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Do you know anything about the cost of transportation between Tampa and Port Tampa per car? A. No; I don't know. By General McCook: Q. Were there any contention going on between these two lines of railroad? A. Oh, very sharp. Q. Didn't that retard the military business there, that condition of affairs? A. I think possibly it did, and yet I think both roads were willing to serve the Government as well as they could. Q. They charged $60 a car from Tampa down to Port Tampa? A. I don't know as to that. By Dr. Conner: Q. There were two roads to Tampa and one from Tampa to Port Tampa. A. Yes. Q. And only one had the right to transport supplies from Tampa to Port Tampa? A. Yes, sir. Q. Does that fact explain the congestion? A. The congestion was at Tampa as well as at Port Tampa. Q. You spoke of sharp rivalry between these systems. Did the Plant System, which owned the road to Port Tampa, transport their own cars and keep the cars of the other road waiting until they got their own out of the way? A. That was charged repeatedly. Q. Wasn't it commonly observed? A. Not to my knowledge; my observation, and I think it -was from an impartial view point, was that they did whatever they could. The Plant System, I think, did whatever they could. Q. They had their own business to transact first? A. I suppose they acted like human beings. Q. Did the Quartermaster's Department suffer on that account? A. They suffered from the congestion for which they were not responsible. Q. Were you, as quartermaster, and the other quartermasters, from chief to the last sub, delayed, so that the transportation over the last 9 miles of the railroad was a potent factor in delaying the getting of supplies: did you observe that it interfered with the bringing in of all goods shipped by the other systems to Tampa? A. I don't know exactly. Q. Two roads are going into one point: one road goes 9 miles from there, and I want to know whether you gentlemen of the Quartermaster's Department say that because that last 9 miles were controlled by one railroad the goods shipped by the other road were delayed? A. The Plant System did everything they could to get goods down. Q. Without regard to what railroad they came by? A. That 1 don't know. Q. It might be most important, because very necessary goods might come by the other railroad and be delayed? A. There was sharp rivalry between the two railroads, and it was unfortunate that there was only one line. By General Dodge: Q. Didn't you, as quartermaster, absolutely control the cars at Port Tampa? When you ordered those cars to Port Tampa were they hauled promptly? LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1853 A. That was the business of the depot quartermaster. Q. Is it your observation that they did haul them promptly, or did they discrim- inate against the other road? A. I think the cars went down there about as fast as they could over a single line of railroad. There was complaint that they did not, but it seemed to me that these railroads did about as well as they possibly could with their facilities. By Dr. Conner: Q. I want to ask you the distinct question, wdiether or not they did discriminate against the other road in favor of their own? A. There was undoubtedly a very sharp rivalry, and that would naturally follow. Q. That is not the question. Answer yes or no. Did you yourself observe this discrimination? A. No; because the depot quartermaster was the man who had charge of that. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Do you know what the Plant System charged to carry a carload of goods from Tampa to Port Tampa for the other- railroad? A. I don't know. Q. We had testimony that they charged §60? A. I do not know. By Colonel Denby: Q. Whose business is it to furnish litters? A. The Medical Department. Q. Does it come under the purview of your duty to knowhow many litters went with that army to the front? A. I should say not. We take what is turned over by the Medical Department. Q. Whom does the Medical Department make requisitions upon? A. On their own department. Q. Then the Quartermaster's Department has nothing to do with It? A. No; except to transport it. Q. Do you know how many litters were transported? A. No. Q. Did you see any litters? A. No. Q. Ordinarily, how many litters are in a regiment? A. I don't know whether I could answer that. It is outside of my department. Q. As a military man. when an army goes to fight ought litters to be taken or not? A. Yes; undoubtedly. Q. How many litters ought to be taken to each regiment? A. That depends upon circumstances. Q. Are these litters carried by the hospital corps, or are they put on your wagons and taken to the front? A. Well, the Medical Department would probably have wagons regularly assigned on a regular campaign. We would have to work regularly, marching and camping. They would have their own wagons. Q. You tell us there were no ambulances? A. Yes. Q. Then the next thing to be furnished would have been litters? A. In lieu, yes. Q. Do you know whether any were furnished or not? A. No. Q. Did you see any? 1854 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. That is, a small litter, and, added, perhaps, would not have taken up any room. Q. You would know whether any were transported by your department? A. No, sir. Q. In point of fact, you don't know anything about that question? A. General Humphrey would know about that. Q. I mean, transported to the front? A. If you are talking from Daiquiri, there was none transported. Q. That army went into that fight without ambulances and.without litters? A. Yes. Q. Did they have any pack mules? A. Certainly. There were five trains to the front. Q. Could these pack mules be utilized for transporting the wounded? A. Yes. A pack mule is a first-rate animal to carry a wounded man on. Q. Do you know whether they were utilized in that manner? A. No, sir; they were not. Q. Was any order made by the Quartermaster's Department to take pack mules for that purpose? A. No. Q. Could you load a wounded man on a pack mule? A. You could put him on that and get him off the field. Q. It depends very largely upon where he is wounded. Can you fix a man with a broken thigh so that he can be carried, without danger to himself, on a pack mule? A. I think so. Q. Is there any proper apparatus for carrying the wounded on pack mules? A. They have travois. Q. I am not talking about that. A. I never heard of anything else. By General Dodge: Q. Litters are part of a regiment's equipage and would go aboard with that? A. I don't know, General; but I think the Medical Department have taken these things into their own hands. By Dr. Conner: Q. Has the Medical Department any means of transportation for anything? A. Especially set aside? Q. Yes. A. They have Red Cross ambulances. Q. Of which you took none. Therefore, they had none down there to transport their supplies, litters, cots, tentage. Every part of their hospital matter that they wanted carried they were compelled to call upon the Quartermaster's Depart- ment to transport? A. Certainly. Q. Therefore, if those things are not transported, it is the fault of the Quarter- master's Department or because of its inability? A. No, sir. Q. Why not? A. Because they must obey orders like anybody else. They can not transport anything that is turned over to them, but must be ordered to do it. Q. But if any transportation is to be effected at all it had to be through your department? A. Yes, sir. Q. Well, when they applied to you for transportation and you refused it, that ends it, does it not? LIEUT. COL. J. W. JACOBS. 1855 A. If we have no orders, we can not do it. Q. If you do not take them either with orders or without orders, is there any way of their being carried? A. If a man refused arbitrarily, of course, they can not get them off. Q. The question is, is this the system? A. Everything is transported through the Quartermaster's Department. Q. And if the Quartermaster's Department does not transport it it is not trans- ported? A. Yes; but I do not see that any responsibility rests with us for that. Q. I ask about the fact. Do you know whether requisition was made upon the department at Tampa for the transportation of medical supplies that were in cars? A. Yes. Q. And it was refused? A. No: not refused; left per order. Q. That is practically a refusal? A. I don't know; my mind is a good deal different from yours. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Do you know the rate you paid per carload from Chicago or St. Louis, or any of the receiving quartermasters at that end, to Tampa? A. No; I don't know. I had nothing especially to do with that during the war; it is just a mere matter of statistics. Q. Assuming that they charged $5 to transfer a car at Tampa from the other road to the Plant System, and §60 was charged to Port Tampa, would you con- sider that extortionate? A. I don't know. By General Beaver: Q. I think there is probably a misunderstanding here. You have spoken exclu- sively of what occurred at Daiquiri? A. Yes, sir. Q. You know nothing of what occurred at Siboney? A. Nothing whatever. Q. If there were any ambulances taken they went from Siboney, and the med- ical supplies went from there? A. There were no ambulances on the transports that went with General Shaf- ter's expedition proper. Q. Wasn't there some other side expedition? A. That was unloaded at Daiquiri. I will not say they didn't have two or three ambulances. Q. I knew you were speaking of one place and we of another. A. Yes; in speaking of ambulances, there were three or four shipped, which came down afterwards with troops and supplies. The Specialist was one; that would locate the group of vessels. Off one of those vessels I unloaded ten ambu- lances and sent them to the front. I unloaded them. When I said no ambulances were there, I said with Shafter's expedition proper. I loaded the wheel transpor- tation. By Dr. Conner: Q. You loaded all this transportation at Tampa for General Shafter's expedi- tion, and there were no ambulances there, and yet at the time of the battle on the 1st of July there were three ambulances at the front. Were they made between Tampa and the front? A. There was an independent expedition on which they were sent. 1856 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. JONATHAN M. PATTON. Capt. Jonathan M. Patton, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Captain, will you kindly give us your name and rank and your date of muster into the service, and the places at which you have served since you were mustered in? A. My full name is Jonathan M. Patton; captain and assistant quartermaster, U. S. Volunteers; commission dated May 28 of this year; accepted on June 25, I think. I was assigned to duty in the latter' part of July. Q. Commissioned as what? A. Captain and assistant quartermaster. Q. Where did you serve? A. At Montauk and Camp Wikoff. Q. When did you report for duty at Camp Wikoff? A. I left here on the evening of the 2d day of August and reached Camp Wikoff on the afternoon of the 3d of August, in company with Dr. Forwood and Quarter- master Smith, and then came back to New York and made contracts for machinery and lumber and materials for the construction of buildings and camps, and returned there on Sunday, I believe, the 7th of August; work in the meantime had commenced on the 5th or 6th. Q. What was your business previous to your appointment as captain and assist- ant quartermaster in the volunteer service? A. I was in the business of coal mining and in the employ of some of the coal companies of the West-St. Louis and in the State of Iowa-and in business for myself immediately preceding. Q. What had been done in the way of establishing Camp Wikoff for the recep- tion of troops returning from Cuba at the time you reached there? A. There had been nothing done. Q. Had any quartermaster supplies of any kind been landed there previous to your going there? A. They had not. Q. You arrived there when it was an open place? A. Yes, sir. Q. What contracts had been made, if any, in the matter of transportation or as to the ground that was to be occupied for the camp before you arrived? Have you any knowledge on that subject? A. I understood that the contract for the leasing of Montauk property land had been made with them, but I had not seen that contract. Q. You made no contract for the land itself? A. No; Gillis made it, I think. Q. Had there been any contract for the transportation of supplies from New York and elsewhere to the camp made at the time that you were there? A. Not unless they were embraced in this contract with the Long Island Rail- road Company for the leasing of that land. Q. Was the Long Island Railroad Company the owner of the Montauk land? A. The land was owned by the Montauk Land Company, and I think that was the Long Island Railroad Company. Q. The two corporations were practically under the same management? A. That is my understanding. Q. Do you know that to be a fact? A. I don't know, General: I so understood it. CAPT. JONATHAN M. PATTON. 1857 Q. What were the first contracts which yon made with reference to the prepara tion of this camp? A. I made contracts for the construction of a building for storing commissary stores and for the construction of a building for quartermaster's stores and for machinery to supply the camp with water and for lumber to floor the tents, and fixed up the grounds for the reception of the troops. Q. When were those contracts made? A. I think they were made on the 4th or 5th of August, and probably finished on the 6th. By General McCook: Q. Did you make those contracts? A. Yes, sir. By Genera' Beaver: Q. How soon did the persons with whom you made the contract begin the con- struction of the storehouses for quartermaster's and commissary supplies? A. Saturday, the 6th of August. Q. The day after your contracts were completed? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the supplies for the construction of these buildings on the ground on the 6th? A. I did not get back there until the morning of the 6th. The lumber had evi- dently reached there and work was in progress when I got there. Q. Then thirty-six hours after your contracts were completed the contractors were at work? A. Yes, sir, and the building started. They were to be finished, I think, in eight days. Q. How soon did the commissary department begin to ship commissary supplies to Camp Wikoff, or what became Camp Wikoff subsequently? A. I don't think I could answer that exactly, but it was about the 9th or 10th of August, or perhaps a day or two later than that. 1 know that we had to go to the surrounding towns and buy provisions for some of our men who were at work in the quartermaster's department before the commissary got anything there; but they commenced getting in stores before the building was ready. Q. Did they begin to get stores before there was a roof over their heads? A. Yes, sir; but the roof was put ovei their heads very quickly, and very soon after they commenced getting stores in. Q. Was this contract made for the finished building, or was it with lumber by the thousand and labor by the day? A. They were to finish the building for so much money. Q. Did you make any contracts for lumber for flooring the tents for the hos- pitals and quarters for the men? A. I furnished most of that lumber. Q. What did you pay for it per thousand, delivered? A. Sixteen dollars. Q. What was the character of the lumber? A. A rather low grade; a good deal of yellow-pine lumber, 8 and 10 inches wide, dressed on one side and tongued and grooved. Q. Southern pine? A. N orth Carolina pine. Q. Planed and tongued and grooved? A. Yes, sir. Q. How much? A. Sixteen dollars, delivered on the ground. 1858 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What did you pay for labor, for carpenters' labor, used for laying these floors? A. The labor was under the charge of the chief quartermaster, and the bills for that were paid by him, I think. By General Dodge: Q. Who was that? A. Capt. John T. Knight. Q. Where is he now? A. In Santiago. By Captain Howell: Q. He is on General Young's staff? A. I think so, sir. By General Dodge: Q. The camp was pretty well established at that point? A. Yes, sir. By General Beaver: Q. Captain, do you know of any difficulty with your general labor or carpenters during the erection of Camp Wikoff? A. None that came under my personal knowledge. Q. Did you know of any strike? A. I don't remember; the work seemed to go on very smoothly and quite rapidly. Q. Were you ready for the reception of the troops arriving from Santiago at the time at which they arrived? A. Hardly; they commenced coming in about the 13th of August, and the tents were not up for all of them. The detention camp was put up in good shape and pretty well floored, but I was told when they went out of the detention camp to their quarters they were not as well prepared as they should have been. Q. What was the cause of the lack of preparation? A. I think it was lack of time. Q. Was there any detention caused by the weather; did you have any bad weather? A. A great deal of very bad weather; one week it rained almost all the time. Q. I was going to ask you about the strike. A. I don't remember of any strike; it seems to me I heard something about a misunderstanding about wages. Q. 'Yes; they had to go up 50 cents. A. Yes; I think I remember that when you speak about it. Q. What particular part of the quartermaster's department did you have charge of after making these contracts, Captain? A. I had charge of the stores, clothing transportation; that is, the issue of trans- portation for parties going away who were sick, and the wagon transportation and all property belonging to the quartermaster's department. The money part of it was attended to by the chief quartermaster. Q. Were you depot quartermaster? A. That was what they called me; that was the duty that I performed. Q. To what extent were you able to secure the supplies for your depot? A. We were always well supplied with supplies. Q. You were ahead of the demands of the troops, were you? A. At all times. Q. Were there any requisitions made upon you as depot quartermaster at any time during the continuance of the camp or your duty there that you were unable to fill? CAPT. JONATHAN M. PATTON. 1859 A. I don't think there was any, unless it was a very trivial matter, but never for any clothing. By General Dodge: Q. How about bed sacks? A. I think we were a little scarce of bed sacks and used mattress covers as a substitute. I think I have on my table some 25,000 bed sacks issued down there. Q. Did you have the straw to fill them? A. Plenty of straw. By General Beaver: Q. You did issue bed sacks and straw to all the troops? A. To all that called for them. Q. As soon as they called for them? A. In most cases. Q. If the bed sacks were short, were you able to give mattress covers and straw to fill them in lieu of bed sacks? A. Within twenty-four hours. I think there was one time that we were out of both, maybe, for perhaps a day. I had general instructions to advise the Quarter- master-General of any scarcity of anything of that kind, arid I did. and he pushed them down very rapidly. Q. Did you have any previous military experience, Captain? A. I was about four years in the civil war. Q. What was the character of the camp in general as to the comforts which it afforded? A. I think it was one of the best camps that I ever saw. Q. Was it arranged with reference to men who were debilitated and more sick than well? Did it have that appearance to a soldier? A. I was not through the camp very much; I was kept very busy at our ware- rooms. It had a military appearance and looked well and was well arranged, squarely constructed, and with nice streets and passageways; looked as though it was gotten up in good, shipshape manner. Q. And the tents for the men who were in hospital, did you say that they were arranged with planed floors, tongued and grooved? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that ever known in war before? A. I never knew it before. Q. This camp was arranged with especial reference to men exhausted by the campaign? A. Yes, sir. Q. And they were put into what soldiers would call luxurious quarters? A. Yes; I think it was carried out well. Q. You had no charge of the transportation of commissary stores; you simply issued the transportation? A. That is all. Q. So that you know nothing as to the character and quantity of commissary stores that were transported from the depot by the quartermaster's department? A. Nothing further than the bills of lading that went through my office would show. Q. With reference to that, state whether or not the commissary department was up to and in advance of all demands made upon it at all times. A. So far as I know, it was. Q. What was the character of the depot-the commissary depot erected there-^- was it large? A. It was 450 feet long and 24 feet wide. 1860 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How high? A. About 14 or 16 feet. Q. That was erected with reference to a large demand upon the commissary department? A. Yes, sir; we first built it 300 feet long and thought that would be sufficient, but it was not, and we added 150 feet to it. Q. Did you provide in your contracts for the erection of a medical depot? A. I think not: I think that was attended to by Colonel Forwood. Q. Was there one erected? A. I think Colonel Forwood had one erected at the general hospital. Q. Do you know anything as to the transportation facilities afforded to the medical department? Did you issue the ambulances and the animals connected with that? A. I had not immediate charge of that; it was done under the direction of the chief quartermaster. Q. So that you have no special knowledge on the subject? A. I have none; I have a general knowledge in the main of the wagon trans- portation that was there, but I did not handle it. Q. Did you issue the beds and bedding connected with the hospital, or were they issued from the medical department? A. They were issued through the medical department as far as they had them. They occasionally came down for beds, and I furnished them a large number of army blankets in addition to their own. Q. Were the tents for the hospitals issued from your depot? A. Yes, sir. Q. State whether or not your ability to supply the requisitions for hospital tents was equal to the demands made upon them. A. It was at all times equal to the demand. There was one time that they thought they were going to need an additional amount of hospital sheets, and I wired for a hundred to be sent by express. I telegraphed one evening and got them the next, and they were delivered as soon as they were needed. Q. Then you were ahead of the demand, generally? A. Nearly all the time, excepting that one instance, and we were not behind it then. Q. Did you anticipate the demand, materially, so that your tents were all used immediately? A. They were all used as soon as they could put them in shape. The order came from General Young, who said that the hospitals would probably need 100 extra tents, and I had them shipped by express. We didn't ship the poles, only the canvas. Q. Was there subsequently to that time any lack of hospital tents that you know of? A. I think not. Q. How about the flooring? A. They had all they wanted; everything was made subservient to the hospital; if they wanted lumber, they always got it before anything else was had. Q. Do you know how much lumber was shipped there during the continuance of that camp? A. There was I think about 2,000,000 feet. I was looking at that the other day, and it is not far from 2,000,000 of feet of lumber. Q. Exclusive of what went into the storehouse? A. Yes, sir. Q. What you speak of was what was ordered for the use of the troops? A. It went into the camp for the use of the hospitals and camps. I did have a 1861 CAPT. JONATHAN M. PATTON. statement of the amount of lumber that was used by the different organizations, but I don't know what it was. I can furnish it if thought desirable. Q. Captain, in general was there anything needed by the troops there from the quartermaster's department which you could not furnish-that was not furnished? A. I don't know of a single, solitary thing that was ever asked for that was not furnished without a particle of hesitation, or without even waiting for a receipt for it; it was sent when it was asked for. By General Dodge: Q. You had charge of the transportation for all furloughed men? A. Yes, sir. Q. And all transportation of the men of all kinds? A. Yes, sir. Q. Tell us in your own way how you handled that transportation. A. Well, the men when they were able to do it would come to my office with their furloughs, and on that I would issue them transportation requisitions to their homes. Where they were not able to present them to the office, a surgeon or officer in charge of the hospital would send them down in ambulances with the assistant surgeon or hospital steward, and they would issue the transportation for wherever they were going. A great many of them went to hospitals in New York and Long Island, and went away in large numbers, and we issued transportation to them in that way. Then, again, there would be some men unable to find their way to our hospital, that a hospital steward or some friend would accompany and get their transportation for them. We issued a large amount during the last half of August and all of September. I think the transportation ran as high as 250 a day during the last half of August, and possibly more than that in September. It kept three men constantly writing transportation for those sick men on fur- lough; they did not do anything else, and would write transportation until mid- night getting caught up. Q. Don't you think it would have been better to have furnished that transporta- tion to those men at the hospitals, instead of having them come to your place; was not there a great deal of suffering while they were waiting in line to get that transportation? A. They had to go down there to take the train, and they would go a little ahead of train time. It might have been better, and General Young issued an order at one time regulating the time they should come to the trains and the trains they were to have transportation on. I think it might have been better if that transportation had been issued at the hospital itself, but they had to go to the commissary to get their commutation of rations to live on. Q. They could not get them at the hospital? A. These things were taken into account, and I think General Young thought as they had to come to the train anyway that it would be perhaps better for us to put up tents there and put seats in those tents for these men to wait in, in addition to the waiting room that was prepared by the railroad company. Then, right across, 20 feet from our transportation room the Red Cross had put a series of tents with cots in them. These men would go in there and wait, sitting or lying down. Q. Was that arranged from the beginning? A. Not quite from the beginning. Q. As quick as you commenced furloughing men? A. As soon as we saw the importance and necessity for it and the number of men to be furloughed; the first were only a few, and then they came more rapidly, and I had to telegraph to Washington for a transportation clerk; then these arrangements were made during the latter part of August; these tents and seats 1862 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and cots and things were ordered and an officer detailed to take care of these sick men when they came down there. Q. Didn't you see among the correspondents of the daily papers that were there in Montauk a very severe criticism as to the treatment of those men who came there? A. I think there was a great deal of injustice in those statements. Q. Did you see any suffering at the station? A. I didn't see anything more than the necessary discomfort of moving a sick man. It must necessarily be an uncomfortable process to move sick men, and the length of time they had to wait for their transportation added materially to their discomfort. Q. Were most of these men that you gave transportation to men that could walk? A. Most of them could walk, but some had to be helped. Where they were not able to walk they were brought down in ambulances and put into the cars and the transportation was delivered to them in the cars. Q. Was there always somebody there to take care of a man unable to take care of himself? A. So far as I know, there was. Q. When you went to Montauk, had there been any arrangements made by the railroad company as to putting in additional sidings or anything of that kind? A. There had been no work on the sidings, but they showed me the plan in their office at Long Island City, and they were finally put in, according to their plans-I think they put in 10 side tracks. Q. Did they have plenty of side tracks to accommodate the business? A. They had sidings enough to side track 300 cars, which was ample. Q. How did they perform their duties? A. I think, for a single line, admirably. Q. But they only had a single line a short distance? A. For 10 miles. We were short of lumber during the whole period that I looked after that part of the work, and that was possibly on account of the rail- road not appreciating the situation; but we got it the next morning. Q. Was there any time during your time there that there was any deficiency or any delay on account of the railroads not performing its duties as a transportation company there? A. I think not materially. There was some little annoyance; that always occurs with railroads, but nothing of any material degree. I thought they per- formed their services very well. Q. Did they always meet promptly every demand you made upon them? A. I think they did very promptly. Q. You have a knowledge of that railroad; do you know whether it had plenty of equipment for its passenger and freight business? A. They had an immense amount of passenger equipment, but they were short perhaps in box cars and things of that kind. Q. There were no transfers? A. There was some delay in moving some of the regiments out there. They were bringing cars down from Long Island City, but I do not know of any mate- rial delay in the delivery of property there. Q. Do you know whether that delay was because they were not notified of the movement? A. I am not able to state about that, but I don't think that was very serious. I remember one regiment waiting six or eight hours. Q. For six or eight hours; how long is the run there? A. They make the run in about seven hours with a freight train and four hours for a passenger train. CAPT. JONATHAN M. PATTON. 1863 By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you or did you not observe men waiting at that station from four to eight hours? A. Sick men? Q. Yes, sir; sent out of the hospital. A. Well, really I don't know how long they might have to wait there; the trains ran in the fore part of the day and in the after part of the day; they might go down a little too late for the 10 o'clock train and have to wait for the 2 o'clock train. Q. Did you observe men waiting in line for several hours in order to get their necessary papers from the department? A. I never saw anything like that. Q. It has been stated that men were kept waiting for hours, trying to work their way through the commissary and quartermaster's clerks, who were issuing trans- portation facilities and commutations of rations. A. I have no knowledge of it. Q. Would you have had any knowledge of it had it occurred? A. I ought to have had. We had our office in the transportation building, so that men would have to go only to one place. I have seen perhaps thirty or forty men waiting, but not in line. Q. Would it have been possible to have provided a sufficient number of clerks to have given out necessary orders for transportation and the necessary commuta- tion money? A. I don't know about commutation money. We had three clerks, and at one time four, and there were only a few days that they were not entirely sufficient to meet the necessities promptly. Usually they had to wait for the men to come. There were two or three days that these three or four men were very busy and worked sometimes in the evening. Q. And in the meantime the men were waiting? A. I didn't understand it so. They would leave their papers and come to the next train. Q. Could they go back to the hospital after that; after they brought the neces- sary papers could they go back to the hospital and rest? A. I think so. Q. Do you know whether they did or did not go back? A. I do not. Q. Did the hospital send down their furloughs or did the men bring them? A. Generally the men brought them-the men would bring them themselves. Q. Do you remember the date at which these papers were given out at the hos- pital to these men? A. I don't remember that. Q. I think I have an order, dated the 7th of September, that the transportation was to be delivered at all hospitals to the men-a general order? A. I never received it. Q. You had charge, as I understand you, of the transportation to and from the depot to the hospitals and the hospitals to the depot? A. No; that was under the charge of the chief quartermaster. Q. You had charge of the carpenter work there in the building of hospitals, did you? A. I furnished the lumber and the carpenters, and the paying for the same was done by the chief quartermaster. Q. Do you know anything about the speed with which accommodation was given to the hospital? A. The hospital was given the preference. 1864 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. On the 16th of August there were 750 beds in the depot; carpenters working hard to make tents ready: material abundant; the only difficulty has been lack of transportation? A. Transportation was very scarce at the beginning, but it was run in very rapidly. Q. Do you know whether or not on the 16th of August there were tons of sup- plies at the station that could not be had? A. I don't know about that; the chief quartermaster had charge of it. Q. On the 18th of August was it or was it not true that transportation was still there? A. I don't remember about those dates, but in the early part of August trans- portation was scarce. Q. But this was after the middle of August. A. I think I remember, sir, that there were two trains-mules and wagons- shipped on the 17th of August, and probably received on the 19th or 20th. Q. Was there a lack of sufficient lumber? A. No, sir. There never was but one time afterwards when there was not an abundance of lumber for all purposes. Q. " Had to sit around waiting for lumber, owing to lack of transportation." Do you know anything about that? A. I don't know anything about it. Q. Would you have heard about it? A. I ought to have heard of it. Q. Dr. Forwood makes that report on that date-on the 27th of August-in writ- ing, of waiting for lumber. Do you know anything about that? A. I know of no' necessity for it, sir. Q. One load came to the general hospital, but not until fifteen minutes of 4 o'clock. A. I don't know, sir. Q. Ought you to have known it, had it occurred? A. Yes, sir. I might explain that General Young, I think it was, said that there had been complaints about the hospital not getting lumber promptly, and that he would put the distribution of the lumber in the hands of Colonel Young, of the Engineer Corps, and hold him responsible for the delivery of it, and he did that. That order was issued. General Young came to my place and told me not to make any order or distribute any lumber, but to say to men who wanted lumber that they must go to Col. Willard Young for it; that he had instructions to see that the hospitals had all the lumber they could use in preference to every other want. Q. "On this same date I got a positive order to have 20 loads sent to the deten- tion hospital; three loads only came; 25 carpenters were there to use it; long trains of lumber were seen going to other parts of the camp. In the meantime, the ambulances poured in all day with the sick." A. I have no knowledge of that. By General Dodge: Q. Was that an order of General Young? A. Yes; I don't remember the date; that would be General Young's order. By Dr. Conner: Q. Those were the special questions I wanted to ask you with respect to letters from Dr. Forwood and the Surgeon-Gen er al; there was evidently a great difficulty in getting lumber? A. There never was a day during the whole history of that camp when lumber was not available for all purposes, except on one occasion afterwards that I men- tioned. CAPT. JONATHAN M. PATTON. 1865 Q. Whose fault is it, then, that the lumber was not used for the hospitals, which were more pressing in their needs than the camps? A. That I can not very well answer, because I don't know. The order issued by General Young was for the purpose of remedying that evil. He put the order for issuing that lumber into the hands of Colonel Young, who detailed an officer to do nothing else but follow that up. Q. Who was he? A. Captain Geary, Q. Do you know where he is? A. With the engineering corps. General Wilson. He belongs to the Third Regiment of Volunteer Engineers. Q. There evidently were times at which the lumber was not being delivered promptly? A. I heard a complaint, and to arrange that General Young issued this order. By General Dodge: Q. These complaints are long after General Young was there. (No answer.) By Dr. Conner: Q. These complaints range from the 16th to the 28th of August? A. There was no occasion for them. There never was a time when there was not an abundance of lumber and transportation. Q. There are repeated complaints coming to us that the hospital tents were not floored; that the hospitals did not have sufficient tentage to accommodate the sick; that there was great overcrowding, while there was an abundance of tents and lumber at the supply depot, 3 miles away. A. I don't think there was any scarcity of either at any time, except perhaps for two or three hours one afternoon. By General McCook: Q. In the making of contracts, have you ever been dictated to or interfered with in any way by any superior or any authority connected with the War Department? A. No, sir; I have not. Q. From whom did you get instructions? A. General Ludington. By General Wilson: Q. I believe you were there from the first to last. Did you observe any act of maladministration on the part of any staff department? A. I don't know that I did. Q. Did you observe any case of gross neglect where any man suffered from the act of any staff department? A. No, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Did you observe any case of discomfort or suffering, that you must have seen, that daily came out in the press of New York, as to the conditions of the camp? A. I had very little opportunity to see anything of that kind. If any suffering occurred at the depots it would not come under my view. Q. Did you hear of it? A. I heard these newspaper reports. Q. Outside of that? A. No; I had no knowledge of it. 1866 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Washington, D. C., November 16, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. M. W. IRELAND. Capt. M. W. Ireland, upon request, appeared, before the commission, and hav- ing no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. State your name, your rank, and the places at which you have been in serv- ice since the beginning of the war. A. M. W. Ireland; captain and assistant surgeon. I was ordered to Chicka- mauga Park with Light Battery C, Third Artillery. After remaining there, I was ordered to Port Tampa, arriving there on the 1st of May. I remained there until the 8th of June, and embarked on the Saratoga for Cuba on the 30th of June. I was ordered to the division hospital. Q. When were you ordered to Cuba? A. On the 8th of June. Q. What service were you occupied with in Cuba? A. I was executive officer at the Third Division hospital. Q. Where? A. At Siboney. Q. Up to what date? A. On the 15th of August. Q. After that? A. I came home on the Iroquois with the convalescent patients. Q. Did you have occasion to observe the water at Chickamauga? A. No, sir; not particularly. We were there thirty-six hours. Q. When you went to Tampa, how did you find the place as a camp site? A. It was very poor, I think. Q. In what respect? A. It was situated in a low place. It was extremely dusty, and the men's tents and the men were covered with dust from morning to night in the place where we were situated. Q. Was that condition remediable, so far as you know? A. I don't know whether it was or not. Q. If the men stayed there, that condition necessarily had to continue? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you make any representations upon the subject to the chief surgeon of the corps? A. No, sir. Q. What transport were you put on? A. The Saratoga. Q. How long were you on her? A. From the 8th to the 27th of June. Q. At what date did you leave Tampa? A. On the 14th of June. Q. During these six days what were you occupied with? A. We were just anchored in the stream. Q. You were still connected with the artillery battalion? A. No, sir; on the 30th or 31st of May I was transferred to the reserve division hospital. Q. Were you able to get on board the boat the medical supplies and equipage of your hospital? A. All they allowed us to take; yes, sir. Q. What did they allow you to take? CAPT. M. W. IRELAND. 1867 A. The tents and the supplies of the hospital, but not our wagon trains or ambulances or horses. Q. Your reserve division hospital then went to Cuba comparatively complete except as regards transportation? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you arrived at Siboney, how long were you there before you were able to land? A. We arrived off the Morro on the morning of the 21st, and we disembarked on the 27th. Q. During those six days do you know why you were detained on board the transport? A. No, sir. Q. Were you able to get your supplies fully on shore? A. Yes, sir; finally. Q. By that you mean how many hours or days? A. We began unloading about 8 o'clock in the morning, and the supplies were taken off the lighter about 8 o'clock that night. Q. So that your supplies were completely brought on shore? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did you do after landing; did you proceed to the establishment of the hospital? A. Yes, sir; we did the next day. Q. Did you erect your tents, or what was done? A. We erected our tents. Q. How many tents did you have? A. About 30. Q. You expected 30 hospital tents to accommodate how many patients? A. About 200; there may have been a few more than 30. Q. Had you full supplies for that 200 in the way of medicines? A. My supply was not full; we had all the supplies we could get. Q. What were you able to get? A. In establishing the hospital we obtained extra medicines from the light battery and the light cavalry. We were generally able to get some supplies from Port Tampa. Q. Were you supplied as fully as was necessary for the care of 200 men when you landed? A. I think we could have taken care of 200 men. Q. Were you without any essential drugs or supplies that were wanted at that time? A. I don't know; I will say that we did not have cots for 200 men. Q. How many did you have? A. I don't think to exceed 50. Q. How soon was your hospital in receipt of patients? In the first place, what date was it you had your hospital erected? A. On the 27th. 1 think they had all the tents up by the 1st of July. Q. How many cots did you have? A. I don't think to exceed 50. Q. The rest of the 200 men, how were you able to accommodate them as recpects their bedding? A. We had to put the blankets upon the ground; we had some bed sacks we were going to fill with straw or hay. Q. How soon did you get them full? A. I don't know; we were ready in one week. Q. Were they ready in two weeks? 1868 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I think they must have been ready in two weeks; but I will say that during the first week of July I was kept in the operating room and I did not have an oppor- tunity to go through there. Q. Were your men sufficiently supplied with bed sacks? A. When the Relief came on the 2d, that brought about 1,000 cots. Q. You got your fail' share of them? A. Yes, sir; but they were brought to the yellow-fever hospitals and some sent to the front. Q. What was the date? A. The Relief came on the 7th. Q. You had ample cots for all the men you had in the hospital aftei' that? A. Yes, sir. Q. Your tents, of course, were not floored? A. No, sir. Q. How soon did you begin to receive the patients? A. On the 1st of July. Q. How large a number on the night of the 2d were in your hospital? A. I can not give the number. Q. Approximately. Was the hospital full? A. I think so. Q. Were they all wounded or sick? A. Wounded; practically all of them. There might have been a very few sick. Q. Were any of the wounded compelled to lay on the ground without shelter? A. I think they were all put under shelter. Q. How large a medical staff did you have as soon as the wounded began com- ing in? A. Drs. Fauntleroy, Nancrede, Vaughn, and some doctor from the Olivette, and a couple of Cuban doctors. Q. Did you have a sufficient number of medical men to take care of the wounded that were brought to your hospital? A. We had enough medical men to occupy the two operating tables. Q. Did you have enough to properly care for the wounded from the start? A. Well, I think if we had had more that the medical officers on duty would not have had to work so many hours. Q. That is true; but by working longer they were able to make up for the deficiency? A. I think they were. Q. But no man suffered in consequence of the want of medical attention? A. No, sir. Q. What was the nursing force you put on? A. When we landed we had about 18 men altogether in the hospital corps. Q. Eighteen men to look after 200? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many wounded did come in in the course of the next three or four days? A. Twelve to fourteen hundred. Q. How many nurses were you able to secure up to that time? A. We got them by detail. Q. How many? A. I don't know. Q. Did you get a sufficient number to answer your purposes? A. They were not sufficient to answer the purpose. Q. In what respect? A. They had no experience and no training. Q. After the surgeons had got through with their work, dressing, etc., did the men require any especial attention? CAPT. M. W. IRELAND. 1869 A. They had to have food brought to them. Q. Did you have enough to bring the food and take care of the pans, etc.? A. Yes, sir. Q. The men had all the attention they absolutely needed, did they? A. The attention that they got was not by trained men at all. Q. Is any special training required for the care of a man who has been wounded after the first dressing or the second dressing has been made? A. Not any particular care. Q Could not, under ordinary circumstances, men in that condition be cared for by almost anyone who can bring the food and carry away the excreta? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they have beds? A. Not all had beds. Q. How large a proportion had proper bedclothing? A. I think we had bedclothing for about the number of cots to start with. Q. Fifty or 60? A. Yes, sir; we got the cots from the Relief. Q. Did you get a sufficient number from the Relief to answer your purposes? A. Yes, sir; of clothes and cots from the Red Cross ship in the meantime. Q. Was any particular damage done as respects the wounded by the fact that the men had to lie in their clothing until they could get other things? A. Not that I know of. Q. As a rule, does a man who has been wounded need any particular care after his wounds have been properly first dressed? A. No, sir; not if the wounds are properly dressed the first time. Q. Did you find the wounds properly dressed? A. Yes, sir; as a general thing. Q. Was it in accordance with modern methods, so that no particular care was needed? A. Yes, sir; with nearly all of them. Q. Do you know whether or not thermometric tests were satisfactory? A. I think they were. Q. What is the rule with regard to the treatment of a wounded man provided his temperature is practically normal? A. He is to be let alone as far as possible. Q. Therefore, he does not require very much care after the first dressing? A. He does not require very much redressing. Q. He requires care as respects his other bodily wants? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the doctors on duty at the hospital capable, efficient, and competent men? A. Very. Q. Could a smaller number of wounded, or any considerable number of wounded, have been more carefully attended-I speak with reference to the surgical care- could they have been more properly attended to in any hospital in the United States; I am speaking about actual surgical care of the wounded? A. 1 think it was better. Q. Better there than in any ordinary hospital in the country? A. No, sir; not better. Q. It was as good then, practically, was it? A. Yes, sir. Q. You had on your staff some of the most competent men in the United States? A. Yes, sir. Q. And they rendered efficient service all the way through? A. Yes, sir. 1870 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you know any reason why complaints should have been made in the care of the wounded and sick in that hospital while you were there? A. No, sir. Q. Were such complaints made? A. They were not made to us. Q. Were they made to anybody that you know of? A. Only when we got papers once in a while did we know of these complaints. Q. You had to hear from the North before you could find out that things were wrong there? A. To a considerable extent; yes, sir. Q. To what extent did you call upon the Red Cross for assistance? A. I don't know to what extent. I saw the most of what they supplied. I think it was something like 75 or 100 cots. Q. They rendered you positive assistance? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the Red Cross doctors or the Red Cross nurses of value to you in the care of the wounded? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have to ask for their assistance, or did they volunteer their assist- ance? A. I am not competent to say as to that. Dr. La Garde can tell you about that. Q. As respects things furnished by the Red Cross, was there any reason why the Red Cross could get there with supplies and the United States transports could not? A. I am not competent to answer that. Q. How did it look to you? A. It looks as though we ought to have been supplied. Q. And as though the Government should have gotten there as early as the Red Cross? A. I do not know any reason why they should not. Q. Are you aware as to what was done at Tampa with respect to the medical supplies; were they taken or left behind? A. All the supplies we had were taken. Q. Do you know with respect to the other divisional hospital supplies? A. No, sir. Q. Those supplies included all things needed for the proper care of the wounded? A. To a great extent, yes, sir. Q. In what respects were the supplies wanting? A. We had plenty of doctors to go down there to dress all the wounded that came there; we didn't have all the conveniences. Q. By that you mean what, Captain? A. For instance, we sawed barrels in two and made tubs of them. We made glass jars out of demijohns. Q. Didn't they hold fluid material as well? A. Yes, sir; they were not the supplies you would find in a city hospital. Q. You had all the science necessary? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many wounded men were there under your care, first and last? A. I think between twelve and fifteen hundred. Q. What was the result of the care taken of the twelve or fifteen hundred, as respects theii' recovery from wounds? A. The immediate result was excellent; they were all removed from the hos- pital on the 11th of July. Q. Have you any idea as to what became of these men after they started North? A. I have no personal knowledge. CAPT. M. W. IRELAND. 1871 Q. Has it been reported to you that the mortality was heavy, or otherwise? A. I have heard it said it was very light. Q. Did you have anything to do with preparing the transports that took these wounded men North? A. Only to furnish rations. Q. By rations, you mean what? A. The Government rations. Q. Were the sick and wounded that were sent North supplied properly with such medical and hospital stores as might be necessary for the care of the sick and debilitated individuals? A. I think sometimes we were short of delicacies for the sick, such as soups and milk. Q. Do you know whether any rations-were there any requisitions made for these articles that were disapproved? A. No, sir. Q. None that were not filled? A. No, sir; we did not make requisitions, but requests that we wanted such things. Q. Who did you make requests of ? A. The commissary officer. I only rationed two or three of the last transports that were brought North. Q. What were their names? A. The Concho, and I think the Santiago. Q. Did you supply the Concho with medical and hospital stores at the time of her famous trip to the North? A. I supplied her with rations and with what stores we had. Q. What reason was there for sending that transport north with no adequate supply of hospital stores? A. We supplied them with what we had there. Q. You gave them all you could? A. Yes, sir. Q. Why didn't you have more? A. We didn't have it. Q. Did you endeavor to receive from the chief medical officer such articles as you needed, or from the chief purveyor such articles, or from the hospital ship Relief? A. The hospital ship Relief was gone, and it had been unloaded at Siboney hos- pital, and it had been distributed between the yellow-fever hospital and the hospital at Siboney and sent to the front. Q. Did you report to anybody, your chief or other person, that the Concho was not properly supplied to carry sick and wounded men? A. No, sir; I don't know that she was not properly supplied. Q. Was she properly supplied? A. I think she was; I put 1,000 rations on the ship; I sent them condensed milk and beef tea, and I took some soups; they didn't send back for more soups. Q. Who were the medical officers that were detailed to come here? A. Dr. Lesser. Q. And nurses were there with him? A. Yes, sir. Q. You relied upon them to take care of the sick in transit? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were there or not Red Cross supplies put on? A. I don't know. Q. Was it possible to supply that ship with a larger amount of medicines and medical stores than you had given her? 1872 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I don't think it was at that time; it was just after the time that the Relief had gone. Q. Was the Olivette still there? A. I think she had gone. Q. Who was in charge of the medical matters in Siboney? A. Dr. La Garde, sir. Q. And above him, who? A. Colonel Pope? Q. Where did Dr. Appel come in? A. I think he had charge of the Olivette; he had gone north with the Olivette. Q. Do you know anything about what he was doing when he was there on the Olivette before she sailed? A. He received the wounded. Q. Did Dr. Appel receive these wounded on the Olivette? R. I can't say that. Q. What was he doing at the time he was not receiving the wounded? He was acting chief medical purveyor, was he not? A. I never knew it. Q. Did not all requisitions for supplies have to go to him? A. No, sir. Q. Would you have known it if such was the fact? A. I don't know. Q. Was he on shore or out at sea during the time that he was lying apparently in the harbor? A. 1 think he was on the ship; I saw him ashore quite frequently. Q. Do you know anything about the Santiago; did you have anything to do with fitting her up when she came north? A. No, sir. Q. Did you put any sick or wounded on board of her? A. I don't know about the Santiago's sailing; one of the doctors on the Santiago became somewhat disturbed toward the last at the insolence of the crew. Q. Before he sailed? A. Yes, sir; and he came ashore to get a revolver, and Dr. Fauntleroy referred him to me. I didn't know of any revolver, and I told him where there was a rifle. Q. What disturbed him with respect to the crew? A. I think they were insolent. Q. Didn't do as he told them? A. Yes, sir. Q. Under whose command was the ship? A. I don't know. Q. When did you begin to have the sick in large numbers? A. I should say about the 8th or 9th. Q. Of July? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the character of the diseases in the early part of the campaign? A. They had fevers and diarrheal troubles. Q. Was there any considerable amount of yellow fever at that time? A. I think yellow fever was suspected about the 6th of July at Daiquiri. I think Dr. La Garde diagnosed his first three cases on the morning of the 7th or 8th. Q. Do you know anything about the yellow-fever hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. They made demands upon you for what medical supplies they needed? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you able to comply with all the requirements? A. Yes, sir. CAPT. M. W. IRELAND. 1873 Q. Do you know of any instance coming under your observation of neglect on the part of anybody connected with the yellow-fever hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have occasion to visit this hospital? A. Every day. Q. Did you find it in proper order so far as a hospital should be? A. Yes, sir; they were pretty much crowded before they could get their tents, at first. Q. How soon was that after the hospital was organized? A. I should think this rush lasted for several days; not more than a week. Q. By that time they were ready to take care of any patients that came in? A. They were prepared to take care of the number that came in. Q. As the men came in was the hospital ready to take care of them? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is that true, with the exception of the early days? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they properly cared for and nursed? A. I think they were. The first few days they were short of nurses, and 65 men from the Twenty-fourth Infantry went up to help them out. Q. Did any of these men-of the 65 that were sent up-contract the yellow fever? A. I think the greater part of them came down with yellow fever. Q. How soon did you think it wise to send the yellow-fevei' patients north? A. After theii' convalescence, Q. After they had been taken down, how soon did you think it wise to send them north? A. As soon as they were able to take a fair diet. As soon as they were able to travel they could be given different clothing and sent north. Q. How long is it ordinarily expected that the yellow-fever convalescent shall be kept quiet before being allowed to travel? A. I don't know, sir. He is supposed to be kept quiet until aftei' his tempera- ture has almost entirely subsided. Q. Does that end the period of danger? A. As a general thing it does, provided there is not some complication. Q. The men there were exposed a great deal to malaria, and, being kept in yellow-fever camps, they came down with malaria. A. While convalescing from yellow fever? Q. While convalescing from malaria did they come down readily with yellow fever? A. I did not notice that so much. Q. Not so much as the other way? A. Not so much as the other way. Q. Did you have charge of the sending of these yellow-fever patients north? A. A great many of them. Q. Were they properly supplied as respects accommodations, etc., to go north? A. I think they were properly provided. The ships that we had were not hos- pital ships; they were sent north on transports; the boats were built below in tiers. I can not say that that was the proper place for a sick man. Q. Were they supplied with diet proper for convalescing or with ordinary travel rations? A. We always gave them a lighter diet. Q. Did you ever know of a transport going north from Siboney without a medical attendant on her? A. No, sir. Q. But such cases occurred? A. I don't think they did. 1874 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you know that any came north without any nurses accompanying them? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know that in all cases medical officers and nurses were sent with the convalescing patients shipped to the north? A. I am perfectly sure medical officers were sent; and, as far as nurses were concerned, the men as a general thing were not sick enough. Unless they were able to walk down to the landing and go to the ship, they were not sent. Q. So that they would be expected to look out for themselves? A. To a great extent; yes, sir. Q. Do you know of complaints having been made that things were badly administered at the yellow-fever hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Was Dr. Echeverria there at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. What sort of a man was he? A. An excellent, devoted man. Q. He rendered excellent service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether any statement he might make should be accepted as the truth? A. So far as I know. Q. When did you break up your hospital, or did you leave before it was broken up? A. I left before it was broken up. Q. Was it in good running order then? A. Yes, sir. Q. There had been no men wounded after the 1st and 2d of July? A. No, sir. Of course they all did not get down by the 1st or 2d, by any means. Q. How long was it before they got to the hospital at Siboney? A. I don't know. We got all the wounded away on the 11th of July. Q. Where were those cared for that were not sent in? A. At the front. Q. Who was in charge of that hospital at the front? A. 1 think Dr. Wood. Q. Did all the wounded go through his hands before they came to you? A. I am not competent to say positively about that. Q. So far as you observed, the results of the treatment were very satisfactory? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was the doctor that was disturbed at the conduct of the crew? A. I think Dr. Hicks and Dr. Bird came north on the Santiago; I think it was Dr. Hicks. By General Dodge: Q. To what division did your hospital belong? A. We were a reserve hospital and did not belong to the division hospital. Q. Was Dr. Wood's hospital a division hospital? A. I believe it was. Q. Do you know whether he had a field hospital at the time in his division? A. I don't know. Q. Do you know whether General Lawton's division was a division hospital? A. No, sir. Q. When you provided rations and supplies for those on board of the Concho, were your orders simply to provide rations for the wounded that went on board that ship? A. Yes, sir. CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1875 Q. And for no others? A. They were not wounded particularly. The Concho sailed on the 23d of July. We had no wounded to speak of. Q. Those that went on board the Concho were sick? A. No, sir; they were nearly all convalescent. I remember, for instance, that 15 officers were brought down from the yellow-fever hospital and put on board; quite a few went aboard from our hospital. Q. Do you know the number of men going aboard her? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not there were any others besides those designated that went aboard? A. We were ordered to put on 175, and I think we put on 177. There was a little narrow pier that the men had to go to to get on the boat. I had a steward who took the names of the men. I think it was 2 over; and rather than make them walk back I let them go. Q. But others got aboard as passengers going north besides that? A. Not that I know of. 1 understood that there were two or three Red Cross nurses on board-members of the Red Cross. I don't know of anybody else? Q. Do you know anything of the attaches that went aboard? A. No, sir. The boat came from Santiago. I have an idea they went aboard there? Q. I think the Concho left from Santiago. That was her second trip. A. I don't know. Major Romeyn went on that ship. Q. I am speaking of the boat that went there after the battle on the 25th of June. What boat was that? A. I don't know, sir. I think the Olivette took the wounded of the Rough Riders. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did the Concho have supplies on board of her sufficient for the care of the sick that you put on her? A. I believe she did. Q. Did you take charge of that business? A. I sent the rations aboard. 1 have no note of how much condensed milk, but I sent those things on board. He didn't send back for more, and I took it for granted that he had enough. Q. Did she bring anything over from Santiago? A. Not that I know of. Q. She took all the sick and wounded? A. Yes, sir. Washington, D. C., November 16, 1898. Capt. Edward L. Munson, upon request, appeared before the commission, and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Will you please give us your full name and rank and where you have been on duty during the war with Spain? A. Edward L. Munson; captain and assistant surgeon, U. S. Army. Q. Where have you been on duty during the war with Spain? A. I was on duty at Chickamauga, with Battery F, Second Artillery, for about TESTIMONY OF CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1876 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. one week, from the 23d of April to the 1st of May, if I remember rightly; at Port Tampa, Fla., with the same battery during the month of May; on duty in the chief surgeon's office, Fifth Army Corps, as executive officer from that date. I was never formally detached from that office: I was separated temporarily. I was temporarily detached for duty on the Olivette after arriving at Daiquiri, June 24; assigned for duty in outfitting the transport Iroquois June 26, and on duty in outfitting the hospital transports from that time until I left Siboney on the Break- water, I think on the 9th or 10th of July. I was at Fort Monroe from about the 14th to the 21st of July, on duty as executive officer at the general hospital; from the 23d of July I was commanding the third ambulance company, Fourth Army Corps, at Tampa and later at Huntsville, being assigned for duty in the Surgeon- General's Office August, if I remember rightly. Since that time I have been on duty at Washington. Q. You were with Dr. Pope? A. From the 1st of June. Q. What was the difficulty in obtaining medical supplies at Tampa? There are many reports that it was exceedingly difficult to get medicines and medical sup- plies at Tampa. A. I understood it was due to delay in transportation. Q. Were requisitions duly put in? A. Yes, sir; they were. Q. Were they duly approved? A. Yes, sir; I think they were. Q. In all cases? A. As far as I know. Q. Were they duly forwarded? A. That I can not tell you. Q. That would be Dr. Pope's business? A. That would be Dr. Pope's business; but the requisitions must have been in during the time that I was in his office for the outfitting. Q. Would you know whether these requisitions were sent forward? A. Not in all cases. Q. Would he have known in all cases whether they were sent forward or not? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you hear complaints of the want of medicines and medical supplies and hospital cots and tents while you were in Tampa? A. Nothing serious. Q. You remained there until the expedition sailed for Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the orders given as to the amount of medical supplies that should be taken with that expedition? A. There were no orders given. By whom? Q. By anybody. I want to find out what medical supplies you were authorized to take to Cuba and what were ordered to be left, so far as you know. A. The troops forming the expedition were expected to take practically every- thing belonging to the outfitting. The squadrons of the cavalry which went to Cuba took nearly all the supplies for the entire regiment. Q. Were these various regiments, detachments, squadrons, cavalry, properly supplied with medicines and medical stores when you embarked for Port Tampa? A. They were properly supplied for the time during which it was expected tnat no supplies would be received. I saw a telegram from the Surgeon-General that the Relief would be ordered to Santiago at an early date. We had every reason to believe that plenty of supplies would come on the Relief, and would be on the Relief, and that a certain number of our wounded would be received by the Solace. CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1877 Q. Do you know whether orders were given leaving behind the hospital organi- zation in the division hospital? A. No, sir. The ambulances were ordered to be left behind. Q. Were the medical stores ordered to be left behind? A. No, sir. Everything belonging to the organization that could be taken was taken, so tar as I know, and the medical storehouse in Tampa was deprived of half its contents. Q. Who had charge of that? A. Dr. Caney. Q. Did you land at Siboney or Daiquiri? A. Both places. Q. Were the medical supplies landed? A. I don't know that any were landed at Daiquiri. Q. Were they landed at Siboney? A. Yes, sir; ultimately; they were being put on shore on the 26th day of June, when Dr. La Garde's hospital went on shore, to the 10th day of July, when I left. Q. Was there any time during that period when a sufficient amount of medicines and medical stores were landed? A. Do you mean on the shore? Q. Yes, sir. A. I understood there was not. I do not see how there could have been, but there was enough for all temporary purposes. Q. What medicines were especially wanting? A. There was a lack of nearly everything. There was a shortage of nearly everything. There was not a necessity for anything. Q. Let us understand it a little more definitely. Every essential article, as I understand you, was on hand? A. Went with the fleet; yes, sir. Q. Was it landed? A. It was not all landed when I left. Q. When you left on the 10th of July? A. It was not all landed. Q. What was the reason? A. We could get no transports from the quartermaster's department. Q. Did you make application? A. I did, twice, personally. Q. Did Dr. Pope make application? A. I don't know; I was his representative. I was told by Dr. Pope that he made application at Daiquiri. Q. And could not get anything? A. Yes, sir. The only transportation that was given us was one small rowboat, which was turned over to Dr. Pope and by him used for the collection of medical supplies from the transports. This boat was taken away after accomplishing nothing. It was directed to return immediately to the ship, as the boat was needed for other purposes. Q. So that you were left without supplies? A. Yes, sir; the troops on shore, I understood, had no supplies. Q. Did you yourself make application for transportation? A. It was made by the chief surgeon. Q. What was the answer? A. As I remember, he was told that they had no one available. Subsequently two days later, he was given a small four-oared boat. Q. And that only for one day? A. It made one trip ashore. 1878 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. That was the only transportation furnished to the medical department while you were in Cuba? A. So far as I know officially. I understood, however, that the hospital of Dr. La Garde received a certain proportion of transportation; that is, one trip of the lighter Laura with hospital supplies. Q. When the transports containing medical supplies arrived at Siboney, the debarkation of troops was in progress? A. I would like to qualify that statement to the effect that when the ambulance train arrived at Tampa it must have received transportation to the shore. Q. How large a train was that? A Ten ambulances. Q. Are you sure that that came there as early as the 1st? A. I remember seeing the wounded in the hospital. I was told by Colonel O'Reilly, who was chief surgeon of the Fourth Corps and who loaded a certain number of those transports at Mobile-the Breakwater, the Stillwater, and the Matteawan-that he had put three ambulances on board one of these transports, and they were the only ones that went. Q. When your ships were partially unloaded, were those containing medical and hospital supplies ordered out to sea? A. They were ordered out to sea. Q. What was the reserve hospital; was that Dr. La Garde's? A. That was Dr. La Garde's. Q. That laid five days off the Morro? A. So I understood. I remember Dr. La Garde making that remark about the time he landed. Q. When the surgeon in charge applied for a pack train, was his request favor- ably acted upon or not? A. He received a written order from the Adjutant-General, which he turned over to me, authorizing the transportation of medical supplies to the front-trans- portation not to exceed one four-mule team. Q. For all the medical supplies? A. For all the medical supplies. Q. Do you know whether or not the medical department was unable to get transportation to the shore? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the occasion for that? A. The boats were used for other purposes. Q. Were those other purposes so much more necessary for the welfare of the troops that they could not be spared to the medical department? A. That is more of a military question than a medical question. It certainly appeared that a certain proportion of the medical supplies should have gone with those troops. Q. When you were furnished with a boat to carry medical supplies to the front, when you got those supplies, were you or were you not asked to take officers of one sort or another ashore? A. Yes, sir. Q. Besides your supplies? A. Yes, sir. Q. Would not the boat have permitted the carrying of more medical supplies had these officers stayed on the transports? A. The object of this boat was not to remove passeng rs from the Seguranqa as much as to get medicines and forward them to their various regiments. Q. If these men had kept out of the boat, wouldn't there have been more room for medical supplies? A. We had no more supplies to take from the Seguranqa. CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1879 Q. That boat was partially filled up with officers wanting to go ashore? A. There were four of them. Q. Did these four men take up room that ought to have been occupied on the boat with medical supplies? A. Yes, sir; they frustrated the purpose of the trip, because they required themselves to be put bn shore by General Shafter's authority instead of allowing this boat to go from ship to ship. Q. Did you decline to take these several officers on board? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the commanding general personally appealed to? A. Lieutenant Noble requested to be put on shore. I told him I would not do it, whereupon he saw General Shafter himself-he was up in the tower house- and General Shafter, leaning over the side of the boat, personally revoked the order. Q. Took the boat away from you? A. Took the boat away and directed me to proceed to the shore with those officers at once. Q. After this boat had been taken away the chief surgeon was without any means of communicating with the medical officer? A. That is true. Q. Or of finding out their negligence? A. That is true. Q. How long did that condition of things remain? A. The medical officers who had gone on shore were entirely out of communica- tion with the chief surgeon's office. Q. For how long a period was that? A. I believe one medical officer came on board up to the time I left, which was on the 24th. Q. The 24th of what?. A. Of June. Q. That is only one day? A. Two days. By Dr. Conner: Q. Were you able afterwards to get hospital supplies ashore? A. We got a good many ashore. Q. Aside from the articles that you were able to get from perhaps a third of the transports, was any other regimental property unloaded up to the time of your departure? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. Would you have been likely to know it? A. I was supposed to be in charge of that work. Q. Did you at any time ask for the use of a lighter or anything else to collect the supplies? A. I did. Q. What was the answer given you? A. That the lighter was being used for the purpose of getting rations. Q. Who did you make your request to? A. I requested once of Colonel Humphrey and once of the major who was quar- termaster. Q. Jacobs? A. Jacobs, who was at Daiquiri. Q. And neither of them gave you any transportation for medical supplies? A. No, sir. Q. Were you told that the Medical Department had to rely on its own energy and improvise its own transportation? Was that a fact? 1880 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. " Large amounts of medical supplies, urgently needed on shore, still remained on the ship? " A. Yes, sir. Q. Was this a fact? A. I was more in a position to know than anybody else. Q. So far as you know, that was a fact? A. That was a fact. Q. Supposing the Medical Department had carried down twice the amount of supplies, what difference would it have made? A. I don't see how it could have been brought on shore, because there was no transportation other than the two boats controlled by the Medical Department, the Olivette and another. Q. Were the medical supplies on board the transports of any more value than if they had been at Port Tampa? A. If a certain ship came in and you happened to have a boat you could get some supplies off. Q. Did the Medical Department have a boat? A. I used the Iroquois's boats while I was in charge of her. Q. Were they given to you by the Quartermaster's Department? A. I took it. I was commanding officer of the ship. They were properly assigned hospital ships. Q. Were you at all familial' with the outfitting of transports for the bringing north of sick and wounded? A. I had never done it before. Q. You became familiar with it at that time? A. I became very much more familiar with each transport than I had been. Q. Did you have the general supervision of this work down there? A. Yes, sir; for the first three boats. Q. They were what? A. The Iroquois, the Cherokee, and the Breakwater. Q. Were you able to supply them with medical stores, attendants, and nurses? A. I returned on board with whatever medical supplies I was able to get, send- ing the rest ashore. The nurses I was obliged to get as 1 could, by detail from the Olivette or from Major La Garde's hospital on shore. These supplies I was fortu- nate enough to get by being assigned to convert the Iroquois as the first ship. She contained a large quantity of officers' stores, and I stored the staterooms full of milk, soups, oatmeal, tobacco, and a number of luxuries. From these 1 out- fitted the Olivette, the Iroquois, and partially the Cherokee; that is, with extra articles of diet, lime juice, etc. Q. The only way that you could get these things was to take them vi et armis? A. I subsequently obtained a limited amount from the commissary, Colonel Weston, who did everything in his power to assist me. Q. Were these stores under the charge of the Medical Department or the Com- missary Department? A. They belonged to the Commissary Department and were left on board the Iroquois. I seized what the Olivette needed, with a small surplus. Q. Did you ever have any occasion to give receipt for the property seized? A. I gave a statement that they had been seized for the use of the sick and wounded. Q. You have never been called upon to account for them? A. No, sir. Q. Were there any difficulties in the way of equipping the hospital ships, or at least the transports, or sending them north, on the part of subordinates? A. There was considerable difficulty. CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1881 Q. Would not the captains obey your orders or the crew the captain's orders? A. In one instance, in outfitting the Breakwater, I went on shore to get an order for coal and water from Admiral Sampson, through his executive officer. Captain Chadwick. An order was obtained, and on attempting to return to the Break- water, which had been ordered to remain offshore about a mile and a half, I saw her five miles at sea. . I subsequently was able to get the press boat and reach the Breakwater, and told the captain that he would be put on shore if he ever did that again. Q. What did he say? A. Nothing. I went to Guantanamo and found no way of getting coal. On calling for volunteers from the crew they refused to go. I called for volunteers from the men of the Third Infantry who were on board; ordered the four men of the hospital corps to turn in, and ordered the captain to order eight of his crew to assist me in coaling the ship. He said they would not obey, and I told him if he would give the order and then come back and report that he had a mutiny I would help him settle it. Q. How was it settled? A. The men worked. Q. Do you know whether1 or not a Red Cross vessel was invited to accompany your expedition to Santiago? A. The Red Cross representative told Dr. Pope, the chief surgeon, in my pres- ence, that he had been directed by the Red Cross authorities in Tampa to turn over the Red Cross ship State of Texas to him, Dr. Pope, to be subject to his orders. Dr. Pope told this representative that he had no orders to give, excepting that he wished the State of Texas to accompany the expedition to its ultimate destination. Then the representative of the Red Cross asked Dr. Pope if there was anything that he wanted. Colonel Pope said yes; that he would like the Red Cross to outfit two hospital ships as soon as they could. The Red Cross representative said that he would telegraph to New York headquarters and report. We never heard anything subsequently. Q. Did the State of Texas go with you? A. She did not. Q. Were there any of the Red Cross representatives on the ground at Siboney, or anywhere? A. Yes, sir; they came in, I think, on the morning of the 26th. Q. Of June? A. Of June; I think on the morning of the 26th. Q. Did they render good service while they were there? A. Excellent service. Q. They were of decided advantage to the Medical Department? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any more reason why the Red Cross could have supplies at San- tiago and Siboney and the United States Government could not? A. They had 1 surgeon and 4 or 5 nurses. The Army and Navy Department had, including volunteers, regulars, and contract surgeons, I think, 71. The Red Cross had 4 or 5 nurses; the Government had, approximately, 340. Q. So-called nurses? A. So-called nurses; some of them were good. Q. What proportion, Doctor? A. I would like to say Q. Were 10 per cent of the hospital corps men good nurses? A. Yes, sir. Q. Twenty? A. Yes, sir. Q. Thirty? 1882 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; I should say that probably two-thirds had been members.of the Hospital Corps, with more or less training. Q. What did that include? A. Nursing in the wards. Q. For what time had they been trained in the wards? A. We had men who had been trained in the wards for five or ten years. Each man was given a systematic course of instruction. Q. In proper nursing? A. In proper nursing. Q. At how many posts was it possible to give proper instruction to hospital corps men? A. I should say in posts with a garrison of five or six companies. Q. How many such posts were there? A. I don't know. Q. Were there twenty? A. I think more than that. The course of instruction for a hospital corps man includes ward work, in which he has exactly the same duties as the female nurses have in a city hospital. Q. For what is this clinical instruction given? A. They are assigned to ward duty for perhaps three months; then other duty in connection with the kitchen, and duty in the dispensary for three months. Q. Take the Hospital Corps as it existed on the 1st day of June; how many men in the Hospital Corps of the Army were capable of properly nursing any serious illness? A. That I can not say. There were a great many men transferred during the month of May from the line to the Hospital Corps. Such men were necessarily green. Q. Your Hospital Corps numbered not to exceed 800. A. About that. Q. Of those 800, how many would you accept as nurses for cases of typhoid fever? A. Probably two-thirds to three-fourths. Q. Were fully competent? A. Were fully competent. Q. I am glad to hear you say so. A. This applies to the Hospital Corps of the Regular Army. Q. I am asking about the 700 or 800 men that belonged to the Hospital Corps and had belonged for two or three years. A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it a fact that in the army before Santiago the conditions that prevailed were lamentable? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what respects were they so? A. There was not sufficient tentage. Q. Was there any? A. Yes, sir; a great deal after about the 1st of July. Q. What else? A. I suppose after the fight of July 1 we didn't have shelter for much more than half the men who applied for treatment. Q. Take it all in all, the men who were sick and wounded in the early days of the siege of Santiago were in a pretty hard condition, weren't they? A. The cases which reached Siboney were mild cases, and, while they suffered discomfort, I do not think they suffered from neglect or from want. Q. I am not charging neglect, but I want to find out about the lamentable con- CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1883 ditions that allowed them to suffer. Is it or is it not a fact that military necessity threw troops on shore, away from the possibility of supply, without dressings or hospital stores of any kind? A. Yes, sir; that is a fact. Q. Your operations were carried on when your medical department was with- out medical supplies, instruments, or dressings? A. We had supplies after the Guasimas fight. The Olivette ran inshore and received the wounded. Q. Were these supplies sufficient to supply the wants of 17,000 men? A. Subsequently supplies were landed; the first two or three days there were practically no supplies on shore. Q. On the 29th of July you expressed an opinion to this effect: "In conclusion, it is desired to emphasize the fact that the lamentable condition prevailing in the army before Santiago was due to the military necessity. We were away from the possibility of supply of medicines, hospital stores of any kind." A. Yes, sir. Q. And that condition lasted only until after the fight of the 28th? A. It lasted a few days, supplies being got off from time to time. Q. Was there ever a time after the 1st of July that that army was properly supplied? A. It was sufficiently supplied as far as Siboney was concerned. Q. Was there a lack of foresight on the part of any department, especially the Quartermaster's, particularly as regards temporary wharfage? A. No, sir: they had only two big scows, which were lost. The other was anchored and used as a floating dock at Daiquiri. Q. Is the same thing true of lighters, tugs, and dispatch boats, and did you have an adequate number of stevedores? A. There was one lighter that accompanied the expedition. There was not a dispatch boat that belonged to the Army. Q. So far as you yourself observed, was every proper effort made by the Quar- termaster's Department to supply your wants? A. They made no effort, as far as I was able to determine, to assist the Medical Department. Their transportation was entirely taken up by the Commissary and other departments. Q. Was the Quartermaster's Department, in your judgment, entirely unable to carry out the severe burdens placed upon it? A. They had no way of transporting supplies from the ships to the shore. Q. As the result of it all, an army of 17,000 men was sent into a foreign country absolutely unprepared with the proper means of taking care of its sick and wounded? A. They were sent on shore. Q. In a foreign country A. Yes, sir. Q. Without proper means of caring for any sick or wounded? A. They might have had supplies within 300 yards and been entirely unable to get them. Q. Why? A. Because of no means of communication with the ships, and absolutely no means of getting to them personally, and no way of transferring things on shore, except in the ship's boats. Q. Was it possible for the Quartermaster's Department to beg, borrow, or steal boats enough to land a small quantity of medical supplies? A. They had but one boat. Q. Was that the Laura? 1884 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it possible to get for a day or two some of the numerous launches of the Navy? A. The Medical Department succeeded, through Major Appel, in getting the use of one launch on several occasions, which enabled us to load wounded on board the ship. Q. If it had not been for that launch, could you have gotten these wounded on board? A. No; could not have gotten them on. We would have been compelled to row them out. Q. As I understand it, the supplies were defective, the transportation was want- ing, and the medical officers were left to their own devices? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was the medical officer that you reported to at Santiago? A. I was temporarily detached from the chief surgeon's office to operate on the Olivette under Major Appel. I was then detached two days later to outfit the Iroquois. After having outfitted the Iroquois, I telegraphed to Dr. Pope and asked what I should do. The wire being down, I received no answer. I then was told by Major Appel to proceed with the outfitting of the Cherokee, which I did. Q. Who was the officer, the chief medical officer, of the Fifth Corps? A. Colonel Pope. Q. Where was he from the time you arrived there until the 1st of July? A. From the 22d to the 24th he was on the headquarters' boat. On the 24th he was able to go to the Olivette, taking me with him. He remained there until the following morning, leaving me there; went back to the Seguranga, and, I believe, landed on the 28th or 29th. I never saw him again in Cuba. Q. You say the Olivette was a hospital ship that was there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any reason why her boats could not have been used to land the supplies of those other ships-the Iroquois or the Breakwater? A. The boats were in use during the first two days removing wounded and sick to the other transports which were around Daiquiri; she had no boats for general use. Q. That is, the Olivette? A. Yes, sir. Q. How about the Iroquois? A. Her boats were used after the landing party was put on board of her. Q. When was that? A. I went on board the 26th of June. Q. Her boats were used to land supplies? A. To transport supplies on shore, and the boats of the Cherokee and Breakwater subsequently. Q. Was a representation made to Colonel Pope, your chief, that a launch was needed? A. Colonel Pope appreciated that fact and he told me on the 22d day of June that he applied for it and had been refused. Q. By his chief? A. By General Shafter. Q. If General Shafter had applied to the Navy, launches would have been fur- nished you? A. They furnished one launch afterwards to Major Appel. Q. Upon his personal application? A. Yes, sir. Q. Would they not have furnished them to Colonel Pope on his personal appli- cation? CAPT. EDWARD L. MUNSON. 1885 A. He had no way of making personal application. Q. Wasn't there any boats on board the Seguranga? A. They were constantly in use by other parties; they could not spare enough to land more than two boats at a time. Q. From the 26th, after you got the use of the boats of the Iroquois, how fast were you able to land the medical stores from these three ships? I understand medical stores were on board the Olivette, the Iroquois, and what other vessel? A. They were on a good many. Q. The Cherokee? A. Yes; also from the Louisiana; some from the lighter which came alongside when taking them from the San Marcos. Some I found on the dock at Daiquiri abandoned and some I took from a steamer whose name I did not see. Q. Did you have anything to do with loading these stores on board the ships at Tampa? A. No, sir; not in loading them. Q. Did you have any list with you of what ships stores were open? A. Each regiment had its own supply. Q. These stores were regimental stores? A. The hospital had their supply. Q. How many hospitals were there with that expedition? A. There were three hospitals. Q. Were they all landed? A. Parts of them were landed. I think nearly all of Dr. La Garde's hospital, nearly all the tentage and supplies of Major Appel's hospital, and a portion of Major Wood's hospital were landed. Q. Where were the hospital supplies that belonged to the depot supply at San- tiago-on what ships were they? A. They had been divided among the hospitals, and just before we sailed we were given, I understand, 300 packages, large boxes which were in the storehouse at Tampa. They were taken out by Colonel Pope one night aftei- midnight. Q. What transport? A. The transport Seguranga. Subsequently Captain Gandy sent down 150 more, making 300 in all. They were put on some transport. Q. They were landed? A. I think they were landed with that hospital. Q. How long did it take you to fit out the Iroquois'} What was the name of the other vessel? A. The Cherokee. Q. How long did it take you before you had all these vessels ready as hospital ships? A. About nine days for the Iroquois, five days for the Cherokee, and three days for the Breakwater. Q. Did they sail as fast as you had them fitted out? A. Yes, sir. Q. For the north? A. Yes, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Were these transports suitably fitted up for the accommodation of the wounded that went out? A. I think they were crowded, and they lacked a great many comforts, but I think they had the necessities. Q. Do you know whether or not the medical supplies that belonged to the regi- ment were landed? A. I think they were ultimately landed. 1886 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How long after the regiments were landed? A. I think they began to be put on shore two or three days after. The troops that debarked at Daiquiri had no medical supplies; at Siboney, I understand, they had medical supplies. Q. As the result of your heroic efforts in landing medical supplies the necessary wants of the army were supplied, so that suffering did not ensue on account of nonlanding of the supplies? A. The work which I did was entirely supplemental to the work which had been done by the officers in charge of hospitals in getting their hospitals on shore. My supplies were entirely regimental; they were possibly of value. Q. I want to get at whether, in your judgment, there were sufficient medical supplies landed there to supply the necessities of that army, so that suffering did not ensue in consequence of nonlanding; and, if suffering did ensue, to what extent. A. I think that the troops had sufficient dressings, sufficient medicines, sufficient instruments; that there was a lack of tentage, of cots; that there was not any diet such as would be required by seriously sick patients. There was very little in the Commissary Department; there was none provided by the Medical Department. I think the necessities were supplied. Q. By the Medical Department? A. By the Medical Department. By Dr. Conner: Q. If instead of the active engagements ceasing on the 2d of July there had been a continuance day by day up to the time of the surrender, do you think that the Medical Department could have handled the wounded that would have been brought under its care? A. No, sir; I do not, until the time of the arrival of the Relief, I think on the 8th of July. She brought a large quantity of nurses, surgeons, and medical sup- plies. Q. There were about 2,000 wounded as the result of the Guasimas fight, the 1st and 2d of July fight? A. I think about 1,600. Q. If that fighting had continued, as there was good reason to expect that it might, for five or six days more, and you had some thousand of wounded to take care of, could you have had the supplies to care for the wounded? A. No, sir. Q. The expedition went expecting a fight? A. That I can not say. Q. There was no proper provision of medicines or medical supplies, or of doctors, for a force of 17,000 men likely to be engaged in active combat? A. There was a telegram received by the chief surgeon to the effect that the Solace, the naval hospital boat, could be relied upon to receive a portion of our wounded and give a certain amount of assistance. Q. That would have taken 300 at the outside? A. Yes, sir; but there was no knowing how much medical supply she had on board. By General Dodge: Q. Didn't you have supplies sufficient on board your transport to take care of the number that Dr. Conner speaks of? A. Not at the rate of a thousand a day up to the 8th of July. I would like to make a statement. Q. Make any statement you please. A. I would like to say that every effort was made by the chief surgeon to get COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1887 not only sufficient supplies, and he formally protested by letter against the expe- dition sailing a day earlier than had been set, on the ground that medical supplies on the way from New York had been on the way for several days. He said that the Medical Department was not sufficiently provided with medicines. Q. Don't you think the Medical Department had plenty of time to get supplies down to Tampa? They had been there since the 21st of April. A. The supplies had been shipped from that time five days. Q. These supplies reached there before you sailed? A. Some of them. Q. And those you got on board the vessel? A. Those we got on board the vessel. Q. We had evidence that the purveyor had half as much left as you took, so that if you had taken the other half you would have had sufficient? A. It would not have been sufficient indefinitely. Q. Why could not medical supplies have been shipped as easily as commissary supplies? A. I don't think they are as easily obtainable in the markets. I understand some of the large manufacturing houses in New York could not accept contracts in view of the pressure of Government work. By General Beaver: Q. The Army orders a peculiar kind of medical supplies, especially made for the Army? A. They are especially prepared and put up in a special way. Washington, D. C., November 16, 1898. TESTIMONY OF COL. W. H. FORWOOD. Col. W. H. Forwood, upon request, appeared before the commission, and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you please give us your name, rank, and the command you have held in the service since the 1st day of April last? A. W. H. Forwood; colonel and assistant surgeon-general. Since the 1st of April 1 have been surgeon in charge of the hospital and soldiers' home; a member of the army medical school. On the 31st of July I was up to Montauk Point to locate the position of wells and camps and act as sanitary expert. Q. What were your instructions when you were sent to Montauk Point? A. The order states that I went there to construct a hospital of 500 beds, to locate wells and camps, and to act generally as a sanitary expert. Q. Does that include all the orders? A. Yes; that includes all the orders. I received a telegraphic order to increase the size of the hospital, but that is all. Q. Is this the instruction that you received from the surgeon-general: "I expect you to act as chief surgeon of the camp and to regulate everything ? " A. That is one of the telegrams, I think. Q. Undei' that you had entire charge of the whole medical business at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. In every respect? A. Well, I had, as the chief. 1888 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Yon were the senior medical officer and the commanding officer at Montank so far as the Medical Department was concerned? A. Yes, sir. Q. Your regular instructions were to put up a 500-bed hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. How soon were you directed to double the capacity of that hospital? A. I think about the 12th-perhaps the 10th or 12th of August. Q. Was this your order: "You should have tents upon the ground and beds ready to put up in the hospital, of the same size, on short notice?" A. Yes, sir. Q. That was on the 12th? A. Yes. Q. You. were directed to keep a surplus of tents and beds ready to put up at a moment's notice. Was that order complied with? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you at all times have a surplus of beds and tents ready to put up at a moment's notice? A. I think so. Q. At the general and detention hospitals? A. I think so. Q. How was it, then, that it was reported that beds were not ready; that men could not be accommodated in the hospital? A. Those reports are not always correct. Q. Is it not a fact that such was the case upon more occasions than one? A. No, sir; I think not. Q. " Seven hundred and fifty beds set up in the depot; carpenters working hard; material abundant; the one difficulty is lack of transportation." Does that mean that because of the want of transportation you could not strictly comply with the orders given? A. Well, I don't know that the orders given were not strictly complied with. There was lack of transportation, which made considerable difficulty in getting on. As we expected patients to arrive, we wanted to get ready for them. We were constantly anticipating that patients would get there before we would be ready. Q. At what time was your 500-bed hospital ready? A. I don't remember the date exactly. I telegraphed that fact to the Surgeon- General, I think, along about the 13th. 14th, or 15th. Q. Did you or did you not ever say that on the 16th of August all the supplies that you needed for your hospital and everything were ready for the reception of patients occupying 750 beds? A. Yes, sir; I think so. Q. How was it, then, as respects tons of supplies at the station that you were trying to get out? A. That is right. Q. You had all you needed there at that time? A. There was a large amount of business done at a very small station, and there was difficulty sometimes in getting room on the platform for all the wagons that had to go there each day. They went in sometimes two or three or four lines, and the station was limited at which they could load, and the medical officer there had to have his wagons in the line and come up and take his turn. When he got a load he sent it up to the hospital. Sometimes he wanted certain boxes that were not at hand, and he had to take the first thing that came as a rule. The loads were miscellaneous sometimes; bedsteads and boxes of medicines and disin- fectants came up in the same wagon. COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1889 Q. Is it or is it hot a fact, Doctor, that at any time after the 15th of August to the 15th of September the general hospital and the detention hospital had sufficient accommodations for all patients that were put in the hospital? A. It had accommodations, but there was a time when it was a little crowded. Q. If all the tents and beds and all supplies were there, how could there be an overcrowding? Your directions were to anticipate the needs, were they not? A. Oh, yes; the detention hospital especially was a little overcrowded; that is to say, there were more patients there than we would have had ordinarily at certain times, and that only for perhaps a few hours. An infected steamer would come in, and we had to put all of those patients in the detention hospital. We could not distribute them to the general hospital, although there were plenty of beds there. As soon as these patients were looked over and started out, and the convalescents able to go to their tents and camps, then we found we were abundantly able to accommodate all the others. Q. Isn't it a fact that at both the general and detention hospitals the overcrowd- ing was great on more than one occasion, and it was impossible to put in the tents patients that were brought in? A. No, sir. Q. For how many hours were the patients left out without being put under shelter? A. Not for a minute. Q. If evidence was presented as to those conditions, what would you say? A. I should like to see it. Q. The detention hospital, as I understand it, was always ready for all the sick there could be put in it? A. No; it was not ready for all the sick that could be brought to Montauk Point. Q. No; but that were brought? A. For those that were brought, it was ready. Q. Was there a day while you were there, Doctor, that there was an insuffi- ciency of beds in either the general or detention hospital for the sick landed from transports? A. Sometimes the cots were not at hand, because it required a certain length of time to get them up from the station and put them in place; but the patients never came into the ward without having their hair mattresses. Sometimes as the car- penters walked out at one end the patients came in at the other. The hair mat- tresses were new ones; the blankets were new and clean; the pillows were hair. There was an abundance of nurses there, and then they commenced to hunt up the bedsteads and put the mattresses on them, as they could do so. Q. Was there or was there not at any time such a want of accommodations at the general hospital that very sick men were compelled to remain in their tents in the camp at large? A. That is very doubtful; I think not; but I will tell you how that might have occurred. The pressure from the camps to get into the general hospital was very great. It was in the general hospital that they got all the delicacies and all the nice attentions; that was one inducement; but the greater one was that at the general hospitals they could get the furloughs which carried them back home. Every man was struggling to get into the general hospital to get these furloughs. It sometimes happened that men who were comparatively well succeeded in get- ting into the hospitals when sick men with more modesty did not get in. Q. Is it or is it not a fact that at the general hospital when application was made by a regimental acting assistant surgeon for the admission of six patients, and he was refused on the ground that there was no room for the patients in the hospital, he was compelled to take these patients back to the camp, and one died before morning? A. I don't know anything about it. 1890 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Who would know about it? A. The surgeon in charge of the hospital or his executive officer. Q. Are you prepared, as the surgeon having entire control over everything, to say that no such condition could have existed while you were there? A. Oh, no; I don't know anything about it. Q. Then are you prepared to say that there was not a time at which all necessary provision had not been made for the sick? A. It doesn't necessarily involve that. Q. Yes; I think it does. The question is one simply of fact whether or not under the orders issued by you full provision was made for every sick man that there was in that camp under the Hospital Corps. A. I think so. Q. But do you know? A. Yes; as near as a man can know those things. Q. How often did you have occasion to inspect the general hospital, and how often the detention hospital? A. Every day; but I was not in charge of either of those hospitals. My inspec- tion was one that included those details over which I had supervision. I didn't attempt to take supervision; and when these patients were brought from the camps application was made for admission. They were, in all probability, brought through the officer of the day or the executive officer of the hospital, and decision was made by him: even the surgeon in charge may not have known about it. I don't know anything about it. Q. As having charge of everything there, as being the chief medical officer, did you receive reports as to the amount of tentage that could be used at any time- day by day or week by week? A. Dr. Conner, we didn't do a great deal of business up there with the pen. You are to understand that in order to accomplish tasks that were set for us, we had to work under what is known as rush orders, and emergency methods were adopted. All manner of red tape was laid aside. We never used a pen; we mounted our horses and dashed into the fight and superintended these things per- sonally. We sent representatives who had force and vim to carry out our orders. Q. Was it not necessary that that camp should have been provided with all the necessary tentage and hospital supplies? A. It certainly was. Q. There were occasions, however, when, beyond any question, your hospitals were overcrowded, when you had more than you could properly accommodate with the tentage that you had. I simply ask what steps were taken to prevent that by you, you having the entire supervision of the camp? A. The steps that were taken was to increase the number of the carpenters, and we would if possible have increased the time; but that we could not do; we had no control over that. We increased and redoubled our own personal exertions. We worked late at night, all day Sunday, and through the rain and in fair weather alike. Those are the things that we did. Q. I am not questioning what you did. I am not disparaging anything that you did. I simply wanted to know why orders had not been given in the early days of August, before the 6th of August, to have the 1.000-bed hospital and the 500-bed hospital prepared at once. There was still in the latter days of August a scarcity of tentage. I want to know whether it was the fault of those in charge of the hospital, or the quartermaster's department, or the carpenters, or the well diggers, or whose fault it was. Somebody was at fault. A. No; you have not made a case yet. Five hundred beds was the number in the hospital and then 500 afterwards were ordered. At the time you mention we not only had the two 500-bed hospitals, but 2,000 patients under treatment. We had not only the 1,000 beds, but we had doubled it. COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1891 Q. And yet there was even then not a sufficient amount of tentage? A. There was not a sufficient amount to cover the whole earth; that is, all that we were ordered to cover. Q. Were you not ordered to provide for all the sick that came to Montauk? A. Not specifically. There is no such specific wording of the order. Q. Wasn't that the intent of the order? A. Yes; that is what we were doing and what we did do. Q. Up to the 20th of August you seemed apparently to have had tents enough. When the sick came in in large numbers as they did upon you, did you keep ahead of the wants of these sick? A. We certainly did up to just before I left. I asked the quartermaster for cer- tain hospital tents that I desired to send to one of the camps. I was informed he had ordered more tents by telegraph, but for the moment they were short. This was discovered afterwards not to be the case, and that, although they could not get them, they were there, and we did get them the next day; but this was simply to send a few tents on request out to one camp. We had plenty of tents; never was a moment when we didn't have more tents than we had to put up. We had them there ready to put up. Q. How does it happen, then, that six seriously ill men, one so sick that he died before morning, were turned away from the detention hospital because there was no room? A. That I do not know anything about. Q. That illustrates the fact that the tentage was not sufficient? A. Not necessarily. Q. Please explain it. A. These patients were simply brought there to the medical officei- of the day or the executive officer, and one of them decided the case, and probably his judgment was that they were not sick enough for hospital treatment and they ought to remain in camp, and very likely he was right. Q. Scarcely, when a man died before morning. A. That might have been one of his mistakes. Q. Who was this executive officer? A. That I do not know; I never heard of the case. Q. The report being made, the medical officer being informed that the hospital was so crowded that he could not receive the patients, they were taken away? A. I don't think there ever was a time when he could not have taken in six patients. Q. Why didn't he do it? A. I can say positively that there never was a time at the detention hospital that they could not have taken in six more patients during its existence. Q. Was there ever a time in which the detention hospital was so crowded that sick men had to be attended to in the detention camp outside the detention hos- pital altogether? A. Not necessarily; but a large number of men were attended to in the camps, not only in the detention camps, but in all the camps, and that was understood. Q. Seriously ill? A. Well, ill enough to be in quarters in floored tents under medical officers with plenty of supplies. Q. What was the object of erecting the detention-camp hospital and the general hospital if it were not to furnish shelter and proper medical care to all the seri- ously ill? A. That is what it was for. Q. Did it accomplish its object? A. It certainly did. Q. In all cases? 1892 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. It would be very hard to say of very sick men who were not brought there when they ought to have been brought. I would not be surprised if there were a few cases in the detention camp and in several of the camps that ought to have been brought into the hospital sooner, because there were some deaths in camp, and it always seemed to me when I heard of a death in the camp that there had been a mistake made unless it was for some sudden cause, such as heart failure. It always seemed to me that somebody had made a mistake in not bringing this man to the hospital. Q. As senior medical officer, you had control over all the subordinate medical officers at the point, had you not? A. Yes, sir. Q. They were all subject to your orders? A. Yes sir. Q. Did you give them any orders? A. Yes, indeed. Q. What orders did you give them? A. I gave orders at various times to various medical officers, and made and filed contracts and assigned contract doctors right and left. Q. Was it your province to correct what were thought to be errors when they were observed? A. Oh, certainly. Q. What steps were taken to secure an ample supply of proper attendance for your hospital? A. The Surgeon-General was called upon to furnish hospital corps men and nurses, and when he gave me authority to make contracts myself then I hired a considerable number of nurses and cooks: and previous to that I called for them by telegraph. Q. You organized a 500-bed hospital to begin with? A. Yes, sir. Q: How large a number of hospital corps men did you have sent to you at the beginning? A. I didn't order them all at once, but in lots, from time to time as they were needed. I think the first lot contained a hospital steward and ten men. They reported before we had any patients. After that they came in lots from time to time. Q. All the time you had your 500-bed hospital, how many attendants did you have? A. I don't remember. Q. Did you have any female nurses? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many? A. The total number amounted to 305 or 308. Q. When your 500-bed hospital was full? A. I don't remember. Q. Have you any idea? A. No, sir. Q. Were there any at that time? A. That may be. I don't know. Washington, D. C., November 17,1898. Col. W. H. Forwood resumed. By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us at what time you reached Montauk? A. I got there on Wednesday, the 3d day of August. COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1893 Q. Was there or was there not at that time any preparations for the reception of either well or sick patients? A. None that I know of. Q. You went there, under the general order, to superintend the fitting out of the camp, did you? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you were given entire control of all matters? A. Yes, sir; my authority, of course, was not autocratic. There were other officers there-line officers, staff officers, general officers, and medical officers. All had their own duties to perform, but in a general way I had full charge of the medical part as chief surgeon. Q. You had every authority necessary? A. I certainly had every authority necessary. Q. At what time did the troops begin to arrive? A. Late in the night of the 7th of August. Q. Were you at that time prepared in the hospital to receive the sick? A. We had not yet received the boards, nor tents, nor anything to commence the building of hospitals or camps with. Q. Were you compelled to extemporize accommodations for them? A. Yes, sir. The troops arriving were the Sixth United States Cavalry; they came in there late in the night of the 7th and began to land on the morning of the 8th. We put up eight hospital tents that night and took in the sick during the day. We received the tents on that day, the 8th. Q. Did you or did you not receive tentage and lumber for flooring in advance of the requirements for all cases? A. Not at all. Q. Were you compelled to continue these extemporized arrangements at differ- ent intervals while you were there? A. We had to continue them until tent wards could be erected. The first nail was driven on the 12th of August. With the first carpenters and lumber we built first the kitchen. It was necessary for cooking for the men. We had extempo- rized cooking the day before. Then the lumber arrived in smaller quantities. Carpenters were obtained as we could get them; at first we had some difficulty on this point; they were afraid to go to the hospital for fear of being quarantined, and they wanted to go home at night. It took some persuasion to induce them to go there, but after some time they did. Then, when they saw that we were going to undertaken, large amount of work and that a large numbei' of men would be required, they took advantage of that and struck to get higher wages, and that delayed us for a day at least on or about the 9th or 10th. On the 10th only two men reported to me. That was soon settled when they were given $3 a day for work, and we had no trouble. Q. What time did the sick commence to arrive' A. On the 13th of August. Q. How many arrived at that time? A. I don't know how many there were on the Gate City, which arrived on the 13th. I think they didn't land until the next morning. Q. You were compelled to have hospital accommodations for how many men? A. Well, we had accommodations for a great many more than arrived at that time. Q. Had the detention camp been opened at that time? A. Yes, sir. We began building at the detention hospital and general hospital simultaneously, and we were well ahead with vacant beds and vacant tents for a long time. Q. When these earlier troops came on the transports, were they put in the detention camp or sent to the general hospital? A. Yes, sir. 1894 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. That would depend upon whether the ships were infected or not. I don't remember. Q. Were there any infected at that time or not? A. I think we had none until the St. Paul arrived and the Grande Duchesse. These, I think, were the first infected ships. I may be mistaken about that. It seems to me now that about 50 patients came to the detention hospital earlier than that, though patients from infected ships went to the detention hospital and patients from clean ships to the general hospital. Q. From the 15th of August had you or not sufficient quantity of properly equipped hospital tents to receive all the sick that arrived? A. All that arrived. There was no time from the first opening of the general hospital until the close of that hospital that we did not have from 50 to 500 vacant beds. Q. Do 1 understand that from the beginning to the end of that hospital you never were without vacant beds? A. Yes, sir. You may require a little explanation on that point: When the two ships, the St. Paid or the St. Louis, whichever it was, and the Grande Duchesse, came in, a large number of patients were infected, and it was necessary to put all of these patients in the detention hospital: but, at the same time, we had about 250 beds vacant in the general hospital, but we could not put these patients in the general hospital because we had to keep them separate. They brought up a large number of men not subject to hospital treatment, and we were not acquainted with those men, and we took them in. Upon examination we sent about one-third or one-half to the camps. They admitted themselves they didn't desire to come to the hospital, but they were simply put in ambulances because it was a con- venient way to bring them up the hill; and as fast as we could select them we sent them to the camps-that is, those that didn't require hospital treatment-and then we had plenty of room, and the report probably got out that they were over- crowded and the men didn't have proper accommodations on that account. Q. On the 16th of August it was reported, as I saw, that 400 came in by the Campagnia and 600 by the Olivette. A. Yes, sir. Q. What preparations were made for receiving all of those? A. We had plenty of accommodations; we continued the building and construc- tion of the hospitals until the last transport arrived. We continued day after day, working after hours and Sundays, to construct hospitals. We never slack- ened our efforts for a moment in that direction, and there was no time when we did more than at others. Q. There was no time when you were directed to pitch tents for more men, so as to accommodate them? A. No, sir. Q. And then if these men had come in upon you, without infection, you would have been without accommodations? A. Possibly. Q. Now, is it a fact that you had accommodations so ample that you could have accommodated those men in the detention camp and general hospital? A. I think that telegram was only a casual one. We were not always notified, but we were prepared, just the same. Q. Why was it that, having ample accommodations at that time, you were directed to send some as soon as possible to New York? A. Because it was necessary to send away the sick to other hospitals for two reasons; first, that it enabled us to accommodate better those that were on hand, and it gave a comfortable place for those who were able to be transported to other hospitals in their wards. We extended our hospitals at Montauk to the surround- ing cities, where they were already in a position to receive patients, and the people were clamoring to get them. COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1895 Q. What character of patients were sent to New York, New London, and Boston at the time of this clamor? A. Well, it was thought best by some of the sanitary officers, especially the health officer of New York City, Dr. Doty, and others, that typhoid-fever patients should not be allowed to remain with the rest, and they were sent away to neighboring cities as fast as able to travel, and that class of patients were designated to go. Q. Is it not a fact that typhoid-fever patients, properly cared for, do better in tent hospitals than in buildings? A. You will find in one of my telegrams that I said they do well in tents, and they did remarkably well in tents we had there. Q. Is it wise to transfer men with typhoid fever during the first to the fourth week if it can be avoided? A. I think not, except in mild cases. Q. Is there any risk in this? A. There is on account of going into inexperienced hands and being overfed. Q. Not only that, but unforeseen circumstances may arise? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it in order to clear the way to empty youi* beds in the hospital that you felt it necessary to send sick by the hundreds to New York, New Haven, and else- where, or was it because the people in these cities were so anxious for their share of the sick that it was to gratify their desire? A. Both of these. You will readily see the necessity of sending away every possible case when I say that in the first thirty days we treated no less than 9,000 patients. They came in from the camps in ships. There was a Constant stream of patients coming in, and there must be some outlet because the time was not sufficient, for the amount of lumber required could not be hauled up there in that time. There was not time enough, not carpenters enough, not transports enough. We had to have an outlet. It was convenient and was acceptable, and we sent them out as fast as we found them able to be transported. We also sent out a large number under the order to furlough. Q. Did you have, during the time you were speaking of, up to the 1st of August, a sufficient nursing force to properly take care of the sick? A. I think we had at all times. I will tell you how I found that out. I was on the ground and I went over it as hospital commander of the day with the differ- ent surgeons in charge and the head nurse and stewards, and I called for nurses as they seemed to be needed. There was plenty of medical officers and nurses ready to respond at a moment's notice, and we called for them as we needed them, and we had at all times large numbers from the very start. Q. Leaving out of consideration the volunteers, were the male nurses compe- tent to take care of the sick there? A. The male nurses were of the Hospital Corps. These men were enlisted from civil life. They were drug clerks; some were not even that. They had some slight knowledge of medicine. They studied as students; some were first-course students. They were young men directly from civil life. They had no especial military training and no especial training as nurses. Q. Could these take care of the large numbers you had and the seriously ill? A. Certainly not without some guidance and assistance. They were not all of that character. We had, in addition, some well-trained hospital corps men and stewards. Q. Were the hospital corps men in the Army before the war broke out? Had they any especial training as nurses or simply as litter bearers? A. They had been trained in the post hospitals. Q. Think you in the ordinary post hospitals it is possible to give one or two or three men anything like a proper training in nursing? A. Certainly not; as in the late war they did not have gunshot wounds or cases 1896 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. of any sufficient number to train them, but so far as they could be trained they were trained by the surgeon in charge. Q. Could they by any possibility during the last ten years be properly trained? A. Their numbers certainly were limited. Q. They were better than those having no training, but not so good as you would like to have them; is that so? A. Yes, sir. Q. What time did you get the first female nurses? A. The date is given in my report, but you must understand that there must be some preparation made for their reception and care. They can not live loose like men and allowed to bunk here and there and everywhere. As soon as it was pos- sible to build quarters, and as soon as this was done they came and arrived on the very day the quarters were completed. Q. About what time? a. You will find that in my report. I think they began to build on the 8th and finished about the 12th. Q. You had accommodations for a limited number of female nurses, did you? . A. We had accommodations for about 50 at that time. I have sent out for blue prints of the ground plans of these houses, which I suppose you have here. Q. We will see about that later. A. Pavilions were put up 15 by 42. By General McCook: Q. Is this the paper? A. Yes, sir [describes]. One, two, or three of these were put u,p as needed. It was very readily done. A sentinel walked up and down in front of these quarters. There were about 200 female trained nurses, and this hospital over here [indica- ting] was managed by the Sisters. There were 103 of them. Q. About what date was it possible to have that annex hospital in thorough running order? A. This addition was to accommodate 100 patients, and I think that by the 15th or 16th of the month they were completed; I could not say. The two hospitals together would hold 1,500 patients. Q. Was that distribution under your orders or the surgeon in charge? A. By the surgeon in charge. Q. You had just got through with the building at the time you speak of ? A. The tents were there and the carpenters were there, and we were ready to go on and extend them to any amount. The detention hospital had the same amount of room, and in fact when the last transport arrived we had room for 500 patients. Q. Why were you directed to keep the sick on the Olivette until you had ample accommodation on the shore ? A. That was a telegram from the Surgeon-General, who had no idea of what accommodations we had. We could have taken those on and then had plenty of room. Q. You have said you added five more tents every day ? A. I felt confident I had ample room as fast as they came in. Q. Was there any considerable amount of pressure upon the hospital capacity you had ? A. There would have been if we had provided no outlet. Q. Was there with all your preparations? A. No, sir; absolutely no. Q. The reason I ask is that in your telegram of the 22d you asked that a division hospital should be organized, and you say this would relieve the pressure at the general hospital, indicating you were pushed. COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1897 A. The pressure was this: The men came to the hospital for the purpose of getting furloughed; many were not very sick, but they1 wanted to go on furlough at the Government's expense. This put a great deal of work on the surgeons in charge. Of course I did not do that, but the surgeons in the hospital did. I asked that the division hospitals be organized as rapidly as possible, and did everything I could to get them organized as rapidly as possible, in order that there might be other places from which they could get these furloughs and could be treated, in case of a large number of sick, as we did not know from day to day what number would come on a transport or what number would apply for admission to the camp, and it was necessary for us to look in every direction for an outlet for the accommodation of the sick. Q. The pressure you wanted to be relieved of then. I understand, was of the convalescents and not the seriously ill? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it after this time that the surgeons predicted a serious epidemic of typhoid? A. I never thought anything of that kind would be possible. It has been the experience of military surgeons in other countries, as well as this, that when green troops arrived, after three or four weeks, with sinks on top of the ground and with no sewerage, that typhoid fever will break out. It has been universally experienced in all parts of the world, and we expected that typhoid would sooner or later appeal1 at Montauk, but we did not expect that camp would be there long enough for that. Q. You had none of local origin? A. I am doubtful if any of it was of local origin. Q. Did you have a sufficient force of female nurses to make up for the deficiency of the so-called hospital corps? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know, of your own. knowledge, of any men being neglected by the doctor or the steward or attendant or anybody? A. No, sir; I do not. Q. Would such information have come to you from either the general hospital or detention hospital had the case occurred? A. Possibly it would not. However, I think it would, because Iwas there con- stantly. I was through the hospital and in communication with the surgeons in charge and especially with the chief nurse, Mrs. Quintard, now of St. Luke's Hos- pital, New York, a very able woman. She reported to me every day and some- times several times a day, and I always inquired of her in regard to these things. Q. Was there a sufficient amount of medical supplies there? A. A wasteful abundance of medical supplies. Fifty-four carloads were brought up and delivered under my supervision. Q. How many carloads were medical supplies proper? A. That, of course, did not include tents and such things, but medical supplies. Q. Were there complaints to you that there were not a sufficient amount of medical supplies? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were they? A. Requests for unusual articles of medicine, proprietary quack medicines, and I ordered these from Colonel Brown, medical purveyor, New York. Some of them he would tell you he had to have made to order; they did not exist. The various proprietary medicines, some with hard names, which the physicians in the country had been used to using in their practice, and when they called for them and did not find them on hand they immediately made a complaint. Q. And it was a lack of medical supplies? 1898 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. One doctor called for peptal maguam. When they did not find these things they wanted, I immediately telegraphed for them. Q. Were not these complaints confined to the quack doctors who wanted pro- prietary medicines? A. I do not know. I did not know the doctors. Q. Did any officer of the Regular Army complain of the want of supplies? A. No, sir; not that I know of. It might have been so at the detention hospital. There was one Q. Who w'as that, please? A. There were two or three at different times. Q. Whom do you mean? A. Dr. Ebert. I do not mean to complain of the doctoi' at all. He would say, "I have not this, and that, and the other," and I would say, "Why don't you send wagons to the general hospital and get it?" The supplies would come in cars and go up to the general hospital, as we could not divide them at the cars. Now Dr. Ebert had wagons enough and plenty of officers, and he could get them carried over without any requisition. We made no requisitions. They were not compelled to sign a receipt. I did not make one while I was there. We did our business by telegraph. The medicines -came up in vast quantities in boxes, and all the doctor had to do was to send there and haul over some of the boxes, and get all he wanted. He was a little slow on one occasion in doing that, and he made a complaint at that time. He was a regular officer. Q. [Reads paper.] "Having been informed by Colonel Forwood that he has no authority as chief surgeon, that there is no senior here, I have the honor to state to the Surgeon-General that there is a deplorable want of medical supplies here, etc.," signed, " M. W. Wood." A. That is a medical officer who was among the few that landed from Cuba in a sound state of health. He admitted afterwards that his division was very short of medical officers and short of medical supplies- and everything when he arrived, and he had not recuperated the supply; at the same time he applied for a leave of absence to go away, not on account of sickness, but simply on account of his own convenience, and General Wheeler very properly refused to give him leave, on the ground that his services were needed there. From that time on this medical officer did a good deal of kicking and bucking. Q. Was he a regular? A. Yes, sir. He was very much disgruntled and showed it all the way through. He was very disloyal and did a great many things to make it apparent; for instance, he told a great many around the camp the water was very bad in the well and he would not take a drink out of it for $5, and also that he could not get medicine. You will find General Wheeler investigated that and his complaint was unfounded and he could get all the medicine he wanted. Q. Did he ever send a requisition to you for anything? A. No, sir; he was not required. This thought is where people are mistaken. There was no requisition required. All he had to do was to send a messenger or come himself, even if he didn't have a pencil list, but for the convenience of the clerks it was expected that he would write out what he wanted with a pencil at least, but doctors could and did get frequently large quantities of medical supplies without. Q. The supplies were at the depot hospital for distribution? A. Yes, sir. Q. [Reads telegram from General Wheeler and also telegram from Dr. Forwood.] Then was there no more in the other complaints for want of medicines than in this of Dr. Wood? As respects the water at that camp, it has been complained that the wells were exceedingly close to a pond that was not good. COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1899 A. There is nothing in that whatever. The complaint against the water was chiefly made by men who had distillation plants to put up, or who had mineral waters to sell, and who had filter apparatuses to put in. I am sorry to say that the filter-plant man succeeded in getting in his work at a cost of $7,000 just before the camp was broken up. None acquainted with the geology of the Atlan- tic coast but. knows that there are some beds there, as there are all the way to Savannah. They consist of clay, gravel, and sand, and this formation is needed for producing splendid water. As soon as we get beyond the Allegheny ridge we find soluble mineral matter that contaminates the water. Clay, gravel, and sand are not soluble. This clay is what produces the beautiful Philadelphia burnt brick. Now, at Montauk, we had the same layer, except around the light-house; there is a mass of bowlder drift deposited on the top, and through this it is a diffi- cult matter to drive wells, so that the well has to be dug, but just as soon as you pass the bowlder drift, you come to the top of the clay and you gothrough that 8 or 9 feet; then you come to the sand. It is very thick. Now, all the water has to filter through this. The whole place at Montauk is covered over with this mass, and the depressions are filled with rain, and the water stands there and is only relieved by evaporation, until it rains again. For weeks and weeks these ponds remain full and none of the water seeps away below because the bottom of these ponds is this thick compact of clay and it is almost as impervious as cement. They are really like cisterns. They overflow when it rains, and then there is no escape except by evaporation. The well was 4G feet deep, and it went through clay, gravel, and sand and through another strata of clay and into a second one of sand. Everyone ought to know that the supply of water dries up when it stops rain- ing. The water that comes from the best wells in the country is from the sur- face. It may be from the bottom of the privy vault or a dead and decayed animal. It then starts down through the different layers and is filtered and purified; and when we pump it back we find pure water. Now, the amount of sand through which the water in these pumps which I speak of would have to filter is several thousand yards before it would reach the point where it is pumped up from. In Savannah they use the artesian-well water and they pass through one layer of the clay into the sand into a depth of three to five hundred feet, and over that the water flows and they have the finest and purest water, and they pride themselves upon it, and I think have pools and gutters. The water that falls on the surface there must fall into that, but three or four or five hundred feet is sufficient. At Montauk it was not possible to get any water from that well that had not filtered through at least 1,000 yards of sand. Q. Yet the water supply was ample? A. The water was the same as in other parts of the island, so noted for its pure water, as Jamaica, Long Island City, Brooklyn, and other places. The water is noted for purity. Q. There was enough of it at Montauk? A. We had out of that well a little over 500,000 gallons a day. Q. Do you know of any reason why men who were so sick that they could scarcely stand, and that only with assistance, were compelled to walk from the wharf to the detention camp and the detention hospital? In the first place, do you know of any such thing occurring? A. No, sir; I do not. There were many questions coming up about how to get the men from the transports up to the camps, and we met it in the best way we could. We brought them in ambulances and in army wagons, and some pre- ferred to walk. Q. Did the Quartermaster's Department furnish you the amount of transpor- tation you required as promptly as you needed it? A. I am sorry to say that we did not have it. 1900 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. If you requested it, of course requisition had to go to the Quartermaster's Department; if it was not given, the fault was not with you. A. Yes, sir; the trouble was that we didn't get ambulances and wagons as fast as we needed them. We had to hire from the country around, and when ambu- lances came they sometimes were not complete. The mud was very deep and sticky, and two animals could not pull them. I have seen an unloaded ambulance in the mud stick fast and could not get out. Now, the ambulances came up at one time without the singletrees for the front animals, and then again the ambu- lances frequently got broken by being turned over. I counted, at one time, 18 ambulances in the corral. We were absolutely in need of them at that time. I do not know whether on account of the quartermaster's failure or on account of exigencies of warfare. Q. Was your attention officially called to cases of neglect of the sick men in the hospital? A. Not at all. Q. Was your attention at any time officially called to the unfitness of medical officers? A. Oh, yes, sir; I had to annul the contract to two or three, and I did it very promptly; some of them on my own account, as soon as I found they were not suitable. Q. Was this difficulty confined entirely to contract surgeons? A. Yes, sir; so far as I know. Q. Did you or not have complaints from the relatives of patients in regard to the care that was taken of those patients? A. Why, yes, sir; I think so. I remember to have investigated one of those cases that came from the detention hospital. As soon as I heard it I picked up one of my friends, that came from the staff of one of the newspapers, and said to him, "We will go over to the detention hospital and investigate that." We drove through and I called the medical officer in charge of the place and the nurses, and everybody that went through this place where the case had been treated, and thor- oughly investigated it. We found there was not the slightest foundation for the charge, and these young men were satisfied with that. Q. What is the name of this party who complained? A. I do not remember the name, but it was one of the cases printed in the New York papers, who said he died without any attention at all. Q. Was it the Dobson case? A. No, sir; I don't think I heard of that case until after he got to the hospital. I don't think it was referred to me at the time. If it was I surely would have inquired into it. Q. Did you find the want of attention or the failure on the part of any doctor or nurse that would seriously compromise the life of the patient? A. No, sir; I think not. Q. Do you know anything about the typhoid or kitchen tubs-of their being set outside close to the tents, and observed to be full of maggots at the general hospital? A. We had these zinc cans with a cover. They are made for refuse. We had large numbers of these, hundreds of them. They were placed at various points for the reception of refuse, and it was the duty of the police to remove these twice a day, and whether it was neglected or not I do not know. Q. Did Dr. Thompson, of New York, ever call your attention to any neglect? A. I do not know him. Q. A professor of the University of New York. A. I do not remember ever meeting him. Q. I think he made a complaint of that character? A. There were complaints made by men sent up there. They were hired by COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1901 newspapers to come up there and write articles for newspapers for the stipulated sum of $50,1 think, usually, and they came up and wrote their articles. Q. Newspaper men or doctors? A. Doctors. Dr. Lee, of New York, was one, and being a very personal friend of mine, he came to me first, and I told him I wanted him to look around and into every hole and corner and criticise everything he could find, because criticism was valuable and we were not infallible, and we wanted to see ourselves as others saw us. I told him I wanted him to do it. He went around to look at things, and he made it flattering in some respects; but when it was printed he was very much disgusted because they left all the favorable parts out. Q. Did he get his $50? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see Dr. Edson? A. Yes, sir; but I did not see the article he wrote; but I understand he predicted we were to have typhenus-that it was the experience of the old people in that locality. Q. Did you have any? A. No, sir; not that I know of. We didn't have any wounds. Another thing I believe he predicted was an outbreak of typhoid fever. Q. Did Dr. Senn's prediction materialize? A. No, sir. Q. Why not? A. Because I think the camp was not there long enough. I think that perhaps if the camp had been there a few weeks longer we would have had a few cases. Another doctor came there, and he wrote a very scurrilous article. He said a great many things that were not true. He said the men were lying on the ground. Q. Do you remember the name of that doctor? A. I believe it was Stimpson. He said''dirt" kitchens, and it went out and it was published " dirty" kitchens. This did us a great deal of injustice. He came up there, he said, to inform the public, and he should have told the truth. He should have told the public the truth, but should have told them that those kitch- ens were presided over by the finest chefs that could be found in New York and Boston. They were provided by Miss Helen Gould, who came up there and offered me an unlimited amount of assistance. Each cook had an assistant, and we put them in the detention hospital and general hospital and the annex, and they pre- sided over these kitchens during the whole history of the hospital. They gave their services to the benefit of preparing a diet. One of those men I interviewed, and I found that for three years and six months he had been private cook for W. H. Vanderbilt. He had been on that yacht that was sunk in the harbor. He was loaned-so were others-by the richest people in New York City. Instead of doling out Government rations prepared by army cooks, the army ration was scarcely considered. We had bread and meat and flour, of course, but the army rations were supplemented by everything you could find in the larder of the Wal- dorf in New York. Q. Does that account for the sickness, think you? A. When the Surgeon-General came up there the cook was pushing up on a table a pan full of roast turkey, pheasants, and squabs. We had lamb, sheep, pigs, hung up in one of our camps. Mrs. W. offered to give me 12 dozen squabs to take to our house. I was with General Young. I says, " I may take one-half dozen, but I can not take so many." She had 12 dozen squabs in a box, so the patients were fed upon this. Now, the kitchen you see here [indicating], they had three fine chefs and three assistants, and they had several large ranges, and they prepared special diet that was given to the sick. We received all the mineral waters, the finest champagnes, 1902 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and all the liquors of every description. When a nurse came for a bottle they gave her a case. They wanted to get rid of it. These storerooms were not only full, but it was piled up on the outside. A man came up there from New York and brought with him a bottle of very fine old brandy. He said he had heard through the newspapers about the suffering and he thought this must be good for the sick. I took him to the storeroom and showed him 8 barrels of brandy, 10 barrels of whisky, and large quantities of cases of wines that happened to be on hand at that moment. He looked over the kitchens and storerooms and went back and took his bottle of brandy with him. Q. I would like you to state what newspapers paid men to criticise the camps and what papers left out the favorable conditions. A. I think Dr. Lee wrote for the World, but I am not sure. I gave him a copy of the article, but he was very much disgusted because it was not favorable. I wish to say one word if you will allow me. Q. Certainly; anything you want to say. A. For the newspapers present I will say, you understand that we had to do this work under the eye of the public not only, but prominent people who came there to see that camp, and men and women with very critical eyes, but wehad to doit under the constant watch of about twenty or thirty newspapers. Reporters behaved like gentlemen; at the same 1 ime they never hesitated to criticise whenever anything was observed. I told them on many occasions not to spare us, but to criticise as much as they felt disposed to do, and I note that on two occasions they received orders from New York to roast everything in sight, and I note they were fair, but when they did write complimentary things it was cut out. I know one man said he had some pleasant things to say about me in the next day's papers, and he would show it to me, but it never appeared. I have laughed about that many times. Q. Do you know what newspapers those were? A. I would say that these reports were not always true. Now, if you will look over the newspapers of the 24th of August you will see an interview with Surgeon- General Sternberg, at New York, in which the General is said to have said that the camp surpassed his views on several things, and he said he was delighted with the various arrangements and the amount of work that had been done, but it was not at Montauk at all, but in his office at Washington. By Captain Howell: Q. I suppose they did roast you, didn't they? A. There was not much to roast, as I saw. By General McCook: Q. How about the care, after death, in the hospital? A. I know we had a great deal of trouble about clothing. There was a silly rumor about men not being buried in clothing, but every man was clothed and had a military funeral, and the coffin was a neat pine coffin. They were washed and their clothing was changed and they were carried to the grave in military style. Q. We have testimony to the effect that a body was received at Chicago by mother and sister, and the body was absolutely nude and had not been washed in any way. In this case the brother went on to Montauk after the body. They took him to the grave and dug up the body, and the doctors had held an autopsy and had not stitched up the wound, and the body had not a stitch of clothing on it. A. Did they say which hospital it was-the detention or what? Q. No; we have not got to that. His name was Betts. A. We had some difficulty in the beginning to get a place-a burial place. We consulted with the president of the Long Island Railroad, thinking he might have a choice as to the place he wanted to bury the dead. The place he selected was COL. W. H. FORWOOD. 1903 too far out and we could not reach it, and we selected one ourselves near the hos- pital. The next difficulty was to get the regular burial system going. The sur- geon notifies the quartermaster of the death, and the quartermaster provides for the burial and attends to it. This they did not understand at first, and there was some slowness about it and the bodies were kept, and I was called in to straighten the matter out. The outcome was we finally got the system to working so that the dead were buried with reasonable promptness, but not quite so much so as should have been done; but surely the stewards in the hospital and the soldiers have always respect for the dead. The work was done by other soldiers, and one would hardly allow a comrade to be buried in that way. By Colonel Sexton: Q. This body, I understand, arrived in Chicago that way? A. Some of the deaths came while they were unconscious. In one instance the patient did not regain consciousness. I know the intense respect the soldiers have for their companions. It is intense: I have noticed it in all the Army. I never go into a room for a post-mortem examination with a cigar in my mouth or a hat on. I hang my hat up and put on a black apron and go about it with the greatest respect-no trifling and joking, but with the greatest solemnity, out of respect for the living, because I know that respect. The board should interrogate Major Brown on that subject. By General Dodge: Q. I have a communication from Robert Roosevelt, who was secretary for the committee for protection of soldiers, in which he states the remarkable fact that nurses were required to pledge themselves in writing not to divulge any of the facts connected with the hospital. A. I made all the contracts. Q. Please tell us how it is about that. A. I can solemnly say that that is not true. No application is required from any nurse on entering the service or afterwards. Q. Do you know anything about the arrival of the Yale with the Sixth Massa- chusetts on board? A. I do not remember that particular transport. I remember seeing the Yale in the harbor, but not the facts about its arrival. Q. A complaint is made that the men were literally starved. They were given a cup of coffee and 20 small beans each, while the officers and sailors were well fed. A. No, sir. It is a well-known fact that the men that arrived on transports were hungry, and perhaps because the cooking and rations of the transports were not as good as after landing. For what reason I do not know, but it was a generel under- standing that when the transports, came in the men needed rations, and General Young frequently sent out rations to them, and when they came to the shore it was a common thing to send them to the hospital kitchens to get a meal. For instance, if they came in the afternoon, they would be sent to the hospital to get supper, and it was a common thing to send 50 to 100 men for a meal. We were always provided with any amount of stuff we could feed them. Gave them hot coffee, soup, chicken, turkey, or anything they wanted. Q. Did you ever have any complaint from Mr. Vane about difficulties in getting supplies after they were sent to the camp? A. I never received any complaint. Q. From Rev. H. B. Bryan, Mr. Julian Hawthorne, Mrs. Shroder, and Mr. Howard Townsend? A. Townsend was there all the time as the agent of a relief society. Q. Do you know Townsend? 1904 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know Mrs. Shroder? A. Yes, sir. By Captain Howell: Q. What about Julian Hawthorne? Do you know anything of him-the corre- spondent? A. No, sir; not by name. There was a correspondent in the hospital for a time who was relieved as soon as the time was up. Q, This was not the correspondent, but the son of the correspondent, the soldier they refer to? A. I remembei- calling the surgeon in charge and the surgeon in charge of the ward, and the surgeon explained that he was not able to travel and they wanted to take him, but the doctor said he was not able to travel and he could not give his consent to his going. Then we furnished these people quarters in which to stay, so they could be with their friends and superintend the treatment, and we kept him a little longer. I remember that case. There were a number of ques- tions of that kind. The friends wanted to get people away when they were not quite ready to go. Q. Do you know anything about the case of Lieutenant Tiffany, of the Rough Riders, who died, in Boston? A. I do not know. Was he in the hospital at Montauk or did he go on the Olivette? Q. I think he went on the Olivette. A. Then he didn't land. He was carried right on. The people in Boston wanted these people to come there. Q. What was the matter with these Massachusetts men? The report was they were sent for and could not be gotten. Then they were sent to New London and Providence, and I don't know where. A. That matter was attended to by Dr. Greenleaf. He came on the 10th of September, I think, and on the 11th he was ordered to load all Massachusetts men on the Sliinnecock, to hold them and send them on to Boston; and the surgeon in charge went to New York to do that, and when the transports came over from New London I had turned the matter over to Dr. Greenleaf, being disabled with a sore foot, and had to go home. He was new to the business, and in some way the transports went off and the men were left somewhere. However, they were sent over to New London as soon as possible. It was an oversight in some way or other that was probably not avoidable. I wish to say that I had heard of it, as the time had come for the transport to leave, and I saw the doctor had overlooked these men, and I telephoned to have ambulances take them and rush to the wharf as fast as they could, but it had gone. Q. Do you know, of your own knowledge, of men standing there at the depot, sometimes for hours, in a line, in ordei- to have their tickets properly made out- men who were exceedingly weak, to say the least? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the cause of it? * A. That matter was brought to the attention of General Young, and we devised a plan to try to remedy it. The plan we suggested was this: As most of the men went off at 9 o'clock in the morning, that he issue no furlough after 12 o'clock. Then the furloughs could be collected and sent in to the quartermaster in the afternoon, so that he would have time to prepare them, so that the next morning when the men went there should be no waiting. That plan was devised to avoid this waiting. The men were weak, and would come in and ask for transportation and furloughs when they were pretty sick. The doctor would examine them, but they were feeling pretty dizzy. They would be pretty well tired out by the time surgeon-general's report. 1905 they got to the depot. They were supposed to go and wait in the hospital and go down the next morning. The plan worked fairly well after it was devised. After it was devised there was not much trouble. Q. Why were not the officers or men of the Quartermaster's Department, either one or both, stationed at the hospital to do all this work and save trouble? A. That was one of the plans suggested. I think it was my suggestion that they should send up a clerk to the hospital to make out the transportation and furlough at the same time and put it into the hands of the men there, but for some reason they did not find it practicable. Q. I want to ask you, as one of the oldest officers in the Army, whether or not the medical officers are not burdened with a large amount of work that could be just as well attended to by the second lieutenant of the line? A. I suppose I am one of the poorest paper men in the whole Army. Dr. Green- leaf is the paper man. I think he is especially expert as a paper man, probably the best of the Medical Corps. Q. Is it advisable to have the doctors sign the furloughs and things of that kind? It takes up an enormous amount of medical officers' time? A. It took up a great deal of valuable time of these officers in charge at Montauk. They spent a large portion of the day, of the best part of the day, signing their names to furloughs. The surgeon could not get away sometimes. It was a burden. Q. Was there any necessity for that burden? A. No; it seems to me, and still he seemed to be the only man who could legally do it. By General Dodge: Q. Could you use a rubber stamp? Is there any law against it? A. I don't know, but it might be done by the executive officer. We now only had to sign furloughs, but there is an order in effect that the surgeon in charge shall inspect the man and see if he is able to travel, and not only that, but give advice as to his diet on the trip. Q. There is a charge made here in this report that many of these men literally starved to death for the want of nourishment? A. It ought to be said by somebody-attention ought to be called to the fact that a large number of patients were taken in charge by their friends and died shortly afterwards from the kindness they received. It was well-intended kind- ness, but when under treatment for these tropical fevers they must be very cautious in regard to the amount of food the patient has. Only a liquid diet, and that only in small quantities, should be given, and the more reliable experts on these tropical and yellow fevers are very particular on diet. [For dispatches referred to see Appendices M8. ] SUMMARY OF SURGEON-GENERAL'S REPORT. The Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. Sir: I have the honor to submit the following as a summary of my report for the year ended June 30,1898: FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS. Medical and hospital department, 1898: Appropriated by act approved March 2,1897 $135,200.00 Refunded during the year 768. 07 Total to be accounted for 135,968.07 Washington, D. C., October -. 1898. 1906 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Medical and hospital department, 1898-Continued. Disbursed during the year- Expenses of purveying depots $77.20 Medical supplies 70,693.06 Pay of employees 34,255.09 Expenses of recruiting 3,257.95 Medical attendance and medicines 14,415.27 Washing at post hospitals 1,296.91 Pay of nurses 1,037.26 Miscellaneous expenses 98. 99 $125,131.73 Balance to be accounted for June 30,1898 10,836.34 In United States Treasury $31.22 In the hands of disbursing officers- New York „.. 418.19 St. Louis Washington 386.93 With Philippine expedition 10,000.00 10,836.34 The above balance of $10,836.34 remaining on hand July 1, 1898, has since been all expended. Medical and hospital department, 1897: Balance on hand July 1, 1897, act of March 6, 1896 $54,417.24 Refunded during the year 48.54 Total to be accounted for 54,465.76 Disbursed during the year- Medical supplies. $21,281.68 Pay of employees 100.00 Medical attendance and medicines 3,190.38 Washing at post hospitals 162.28 Miscellaneous expenses 244.22 24,978.56 Balance on hand to be accounted for June 30, 1898 29,487. 22 In United States Treasury $24,841.56 In hands of disbursing officers- New York 956.53 St Louis 2,672.85 W ashington 1,016.28 San Francisco 29,487.22 Medical and Hospital Department, 1896: Balance on hand July 1, 1897, act of February 12, 1895 62,344.96 Disbursed during the year $50.00 Transferred to surplus fund ... 62,294.96 62,344.96 Medical and Hospital Department, January 1,1899: Appropriated by act approved May 4,1898 ... 50,000.00 Appropriated by act approved June 8, 1898 .. 50,000.00 Total to be accounted for .... 100,000.00 surgeon-general's report. 1907 Medical and Hospital Department, January 1,1899-Continued. Disbursed- Medical supplies $49,344.30 Pay of employees 356.65 Expenses of recruiting _. 5,975.63 Medical attendance and medicines 1,270.80 Washing at post hospitals 47.44 Miscellaneous expenses 49.18 $57,044.00 Balance on hand to be accounted for June 30,1898 42,956.00 In hands of disbursing officers- New York.. $21,269.88 St. Louis 13,418.30 W ashington 1,473.42 San Francisco 1,794.40 With Major Torney, hospital ship Relief 5,000.00 42,956.00 National defense (war), act of March 9, 1898: Allotment of the President, April 16, 1898 20,000.00 Disbursed for medical supplies $19,964.39 Balance on hand June 30,1898 35.61 20,000.00 It is estimated that about $120,000 of the amounts, reported in the above state- ment as expended up to and including June 30, 1898, has been used for extraordi- nary war expenses. Since July 1 the following sums have been appropriated for war expenses on account of the Medical Department of the Army, namely: By deficiency act, July 7,1898 $504,000. 00 National defense (war), September 8, 1898, by- Allotment of the President 500,000.00 Allotment of the President October 6,1898 500,000.00 1,504,000.00 Of this sum there are at this date (November 1, 1898) available $395,000, all of which will be required for the payment of claims and accounts on account of war expenses now in this office and to be presented before December 31 of this year. In addition to these sums there were also appropriated by the act approved March 15, 1898, $115,000, being the regular annual appropriation for the Medical and Hospital Department for the fiscal year 1899. Of this appropriation it is esti- mated that $50,000 have now been expended for war measures. Artificial limbs, 1898: Appropriated by act approved June 4, 1897 $183,000.00 Disbursed during the year 159,775.27 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 23,224.73 Artificial limbs, 1897, act approved June 11, 1896: Balance July 1, 1897 22,145.54 Disbursed during the year 12,270.34 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 9,875.20 Artificial limbs, 1896, act approved March 2, 1895: Balance July 1, 1897 .19 Transferred to surplus fund .19 1908 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Artificial limbs, certified claims, 1896: Appropriated by deficiency act approved July 19, 1897 $171.73 Disbursed 171. 73 Appliances for disabled soldiers, 1898: Appropriated by act approved June 4, 1897 2,000.00 Disbursed during the year 1,282.21 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 717.79 Appliances for disabled soldiers, 1897, act approved June 11, 1896: Balance July 1, 1897 954.73 Disbursed during the year 169.71 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 785.02 Appliances for disabled soldiers, 1896, act approved May 2, 1895: Balance July 1, 1897 v 671.35 Transferred to surplus fund 371.35 Army Medical Museum, 1898: Appropriated by act approved March 2, 1897 5,000.00 Disbursed during the year .... 930.72 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 69.28 Army Medical Museum, 1897, act approved March 16,1896: Balance July 1, 1897 117.24 Disbursed during the year 117.24 Army Medical Museum, 1896, act approved February 12, 1895: Balance July 1, 1897 .47 Transferred to surplus fund .47 Library, Surgeon-General's Office, 1898: Appropriated by act approved March 2, 1897 10,000.00 Disbursed during the year 9,746.79 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 253.21 Library, Surgeon-General's Office, 1896, act approved February 12,1895: Balance July 1, 1897 11.10 Transferred to surplus fund t 11.10 Furnishing and fitting trusses for disabled soldiers, sections 1176,1178. Revised Statutes, act of March 3, 1879: Expended during the year 9,032.66 Providence Hospital: Appropriated by act approved June 4, 1897 19,000.00 Expended during the year 19,000.00 Appropriated by act approved March 2,1897, for construction and repair of hospitals 75,000.00 Disbursed during the year 74,816.84 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 183.16 Appropriated by act approved March 2, 1897, for construction and repair of quarters for hospital stewards 7,000.00 Disbursed during the year 6,957.12 Balance on hand June 30, 1898 42.88 SURGEON-GENERAL'S REPORT. 1909 Artificial limbs and their commutation.-Under the provisions of law relating to artificial limbs, there were furnished during the fiscal year ended June 30,1898,32 artificial legs, 2 feet, and 1 apparatus for exsection, and commutation certificates were issued for 145 cases of amputated leg, 106 arms, 8 feet, and in 2,909 cases of loss of use of a limb, involving an expenditure of $172,217.59 from the available appropriations. The cases of benefits recurring under the laws relating to artificial limbs during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900, are those last paid in the year ended June 30, 1897. These benefits recur every three years. To cover those of the last-men- tioned year the sum of $575,000 was appropriated by the act approved June 11, 1896, and nearly the whole of this has been expended. It is considered that the sum of $547,275 will suffice to pay all commutations and the cost of artificial limbs and of the transportation to procure them during the year ending June 30, 1900. Appliances for disabled soldiers.-The number of appliances issued to disabled soldiers during the year was 197, for which was disbursed the sum of $145,192. Trusses.-The number of trusses issued and fitted during the year was 1,280. Providence Hospital, Washington, D. C.-The act of Congress approved June 4, 1897, appropriated $19,000 for the support and medical treatment of destitute patients in the city of Washington, D. C., under a contract to be made with the Providence Hospital by the Surgeon-General of the Army. The amount of relief afforded under this appropriation was as follows: Patients in hospital July 1,1897 118 Admitted during the year 1,282 Total number treated 1,400 Number remaining in hospital June 30,1898 119 Total number days' treatment afforded 40,625 Average number of patients treated per day 111 Army and Navy General Hospital, Hot Springs, Ark.-Thirty-one officers were treated during the calendar year, of whom 23 recovered sufficiently to resume their duties or were much improved by an average treatment of forty-eight days. In the enlisted men's division, 119 cases were completed-89 by return to duty, 25 by discharge for disability, 4 by discharge on account of expiration of term of service, and 1 by death. The number treated for rheumatism was 81, of whom 63 were returned to duty, and six months after these men were so returned 55 of them were found to be doing full duty with their companies, 1 had been discharged on account of expiration of term, and 7 had been discharged on account of a recur- rence of their rheumatism. Thirty-seven honorably discharged soldiers and sailors of the Regular and Volunteer Army and Navy were admitted under the provisions of General Orders, No. 26, Adjutant-General's Office May 25, 1897. 17 of whom were remaining under treatment December 31, 1897. Construction of hospitals and hospital stewards' quarters.-During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898, the new hospitals at Fort Hamilton, N. Y., and Fort Monroe, Va., were completed and occupied; an additional ward for 12 beds was added to the hospital at Fort Wayne, Mich., and the interior arrangements of the administration building were increased. A third ward for 12 beds was pro- vided in the hospital at Washington Barracks by completing the third floor under the mansard roof, and the hospitals at the Presidio of San Francisco and other places were placed in thorough condition. Buildings were also fitted up for tem- porary hospital purposes at Fort Washington, Md., Sullivans Island, S. C., and Fort Delaware, Del., and funds were used in providing for general and other hospitals rendered necessary by the war with Spain. Army Medical Museum.-The total number of specimens in the Museum at the end of the fiscal year was 35,025. Manv specimens 12,299), mostlv anatomical, were 1910 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and to colleges; 427 new specimens were added to the collection during the year. Library of the Surgeon-General's Office.-Volumes on hand June 30, 1897, 123,924; added during the year 4,014, of which 467 were presented to the library; on hand June 30, 1898, 127,938; pamphlets on hand June 30, 1897, 210,152; added during the year 7,599; on hand June 30, 1898, 216,839. Volume III, second series, of the Index-Catalogue, including the letter C, and forming a volume of 1,100 pages, will be ready for distribution at the usual time. The appropriation for Volume IV, second series, has been made and the manu- script is in course of preparation for the printer. Medical officers -During the year ended June 30, _898, there were 124 medical officers, United States Army, and 60 contract surgeons on duty in the field. Appointments.-Nineteen assistant surgeons with the rank of first lieutenants. Promotions.-Three surgeons with rank of major to be deputy surgeons-general with the rank of lieutenant-colonel; 6 assistant surgeons with the rank of captain to be surgeons with the rank of major; 10 assistant surgeons with the rank of first lieutenant to be assistant surgeons with the rank of captain. Deaths.-One surgeon with the rank of major; 1 assistant surgeon with the rank of captain. Retirements.-Two deputy surgeons-general with the rank of lieutenant; 2 surgeons with the rank of major; 1 assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieu- tenant. Resigned.-One assistant surgeon with the rank of captain; 1 assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieutenant. A board was convened in Washington, D. C., September 27, 1897, to examine candidates for admission into the Army Medical Department. Of 45 candidates who were authorized to appear before the board, 34 presented themselves for examination, and of these only 6 were accepted; 7 were rejected on account of physical defects. Before another board convened in the same city May 2, 1898, 136 candidates were authorized to appear. Of 97 who presented themselves for examination, 13 were accepted; 16 were rejected on account of physical defects. Hospital Corps.-On June 30, 1897, there were in service 98 hospital stewards, 99 acting hospital stewards, and 513 privates, a total of 710 men. During the period July 1, 1897, to March 31,1898, the gains and losses nearly balanced each other. To fill vacancies in the grades of steward and acting steward, and to pro- vide an eligible list from which to meet emergencies, examinations were held in November and December, 1897. Thirty-two candidates passed the examination for the position of steward and 22 for that of acting steward, all of whom were appointed by the end of May, 1898. To provide for any increase of hospital stew- ards required by the establishment of a number of military posts and the organ- ization of expeditions to Alaska, I recommended an increase to 115, this being thought to be the lowest number that would meet the then existing conditions of peace. It does not seem advisable at the close of the fiscal year to recommend any additional legislation. Should any material defects be developed during the present war needing the attention of Congress, prompt action will be taken in bringing them to the attention of the Secretary of War. Army Medical School.-The fourth session of this school began November 10, 1897, and ended April 1,1898. The main courses of instruction were given as laid down in the order establishing the school in 1893, namely, duties of medical offi- cers, military surgery, military medicine, military hygiene, sanitary chemistry, clinical and sanitary microscopy, and Hospital Corps drill and first aid. Under authority of the War Department and direction of Colonel Sumner, command- ing, instruction in riding was given at Fort Myer, Va., every Saturday morning by Lieut. H. A. White, Sixth Cavalry. A practical course in operative surgery was conducted by the professor of military surgery, as was done last year, and surgeon-general's report. 1911 the student officers attended surgical clinics at Barnes Hospital, Soldiers' Home. Auxiliary lectures were delivered as follows: On military law, by Lieutenant- Colonel Davis, deputy judge-advocate-general; on mental diseases at the Govern- ment Hospital for the Insane, under the direction of the superintendent, by Dr. George W. Foster, assistant; on the Army medical library, by Dr. Robert Fletcher, F. R. C. S.; on parasites in man, by Prof. C. W. Stiles, Ph. D., of the Agricul- tural Department, and a didactic course on optometry, by Capt. George D. De Shon, assistant surgeon, United States Army, with practical instruction at the Episcopal Eye. Ear, and Throat Hospital, by Dr. W. N. Suter, late assistant sur- geon, United States Army, who kindly offered his services. In accordance with the recommendation of the faculty the session of the school was extended to April 1 by General Orders, No. 43, Adj utant-Gener al's Office, July 6,1897. The additional time was profitably employed in amplifying the courses of instruction. The closing exercises of the school were held April 1 in the library hall of the Museum building. The address to the class was delivered by Dr. P. S. Conner, of Cincinnati, Ohio, his subject being ' ' The contributions of the army medical staff to medical service. " This was treated in a scholarly and interesting manner, and was not only gratifying as a record of the scientific achievement of the corps, but stim- ulating to the new members at the beginning of their active career. The Alexander H. Hoff gold medal, founded by Maj. John Van R. Hoff, surgeon, United States Army, was awarded to Asst. Surg. B. S. Higley, he having attained the highest standing in the course then concluded. The faculty of the school continues to be gratified by the good reports of the efficiency and high standing of the young medical officers who have passed from their instruction. Recruiting.-The total number of men examined for enlistment during the year 1897 was 13,139, of whom 12,131 were white and 1,008 were colored. The number accepted was 9,226, or 702.19 out of every thousand examined. The physique of the colored candidates was apparently of a higher order than that of the white men, as their ratio of accepted men was 786.71 per thousand, as compared with 695.16 among the white candidates. White men to the number of 33.30 and col- ored men to that of 16.86 per thousand declined enlistment. The rate of rejections on primary examinations was 271.54 among the white and 196.43 among the colored candidates, giving a mean of 265.77 rejections per thousand of those examined. This shows an improvement in the character of the candidates, for in 1896 the ratio of rejections was 371.65; in 1895, 473.45, and in 1894, 508.50. The care taken in the examination of recruits has not in any way been relaxed during recent years. Of every thousand candidates examined 90.19 were rejected on account of imper- fect physique, under weight, under height, etc.; 37.14 for diseases of the eye; 27.55 for diseases of the circulatory system; 23.52 for diseases of the genito-urinary sys- tem; 12.48 for diseases of the digestive system; 10.80 for venereal diseases, while 10.73 were rejected on account of bad or doubtful character or unsatisfactory ref- erences, 7.15 as generally unfit or undesirable, and only 2.43 on account of illiter- acy, imperfect knowledge of the English language, or mental insufficiency. Of every thousand of the accepted men 742.47 were natives of the United States, 80.53 were born in Germany, 77.28 in Ireland, 23.20 in England, 13.98 in Sweden, 13.22 in Canada, 7.48 in Denmark, and 7.05 in Austria, the remainder in various other countries. Identification of deserters.-During the calendar year 1897, 68 identifications were effected by means of the outline figure cards; during the period January 1 to June 30, 1898, 86 identifications, and during the period July 1 to October 20. 1898, 123 identifications. The report gives a review of the work of this branch of of the office, which shows that its influence in checking desertion and keeping undesirable men out of the ranks of the Army has been felt in the most marked and satisfactory way. 1912 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. HEALTH OF THE ARMY. The health of the Army during the calendar year 1897 was excellent, as may be seen from the following statement of its sick rates. The admissions for disease and injury during the year amounted to 1,186.61 per thousand of the strength present, as compared with 1,110.39 in the previous year, with 1,258.89 the average annual rate of the previous decade, and with 1,089.73 the lowest rate of our Army, recordedin the year 1894. The rate for disease was 896.53, the lowest rate, recorded in 1896, having been 830.65. The number constantly sick or the rate of nonefficiency was 35.85 per thousand of strength, as compared with 33.97 during the previous year, with 40.26 the average annual rate of the previous decade, and with 33.89 in 1895, the lowest recorded rate. The average number of days lost on account of sickness for each man of the Army was 13.08, as compared with 12.43 in 1896, and with 14.64. the average annual rate of the previous decade. The rate of discharge on account of disability was 9.61, the lowest recorded rate, as compared with 10.15 in 1896, and with 19.78, the annual rate of the previous decade. The total death rate for the year, 5.11, and the death rate from disease, 3.14, were also lower than the lowest rates heretofore recorded, 5.1 for disease and injury in 1895 and 3.83 for disease alone in 1896. The admission rate of the white troops for the past year was 1,180.84, for the col- ored troops 1,248.61, while the rates of nonefficiency were respectively 35.72 and 37.24 per thousand of strength. In my last annual report I noted the gradual improvement in the health of the colored troops, which in 1896 culminated in rates of admission and nonefficiency considerably lower than those of the white com- mands. The increased rates of the past years were mainly due to venereal affec- tions, rheumatism and myalgia, bronchitis, and disorders of the digestive system. The total number of discharges for disability was 263, of which 208 resulted from disease and 55 from injuries. The deaths numbered 140-86 from disease and 54 from injuries. Gunshot wounds occasioned 19 deaths; typhoid fever, consumption, and disease of the heart, 9 each. Health of the military departments.-The admission rate in the military depart- ments varied from 784.44 per thousand of strength in the Department of the Colum- bia to 1,522.14 in the Department of Texas and the rate of nonefficiency from 25.85 to 39.65 in these same departments; the discharge rate from 4.59 in the Depart- ment of the Platte to 13.93 in the Department of the Colorado and the death rate from 3.15 in the Department of California to 7.27 in the Department of the Platte. The report here discusses the rates in the various military departments, showing the posts in each which had unusually high rates and the diseases which occasioned them. PREVALENCE OE SPECIAL DISEASES. Scarlet fever.-Six cases of this disease occurred among enlisted men of the Army during the calendar year 1897, 3 at Fort Adams, R. I., and 1 each at 3 other posts. Cases occurred among children at a number of posts, but strict isolation and dis- infection suppressed the disease in all these instances. Measles.-This disease was reported during the calendar year as affecting the troops at 32 military posts. Fort Monroe, Va. had the largest number of cases, 52; Vancouver Barracks, Wash., had 25; Fort Leavenworth, Kans., 21; and Fort Keogh, Mont., 14. In all, 227 cases were reported. At 9 posts the disease was not permitted to spread from the man first affected. The prevalence of measles at Fort Monroe was prolonged into the present calendar year and from this post the disease was propagated by transfer of troops to Sheridan's Point, Va., Fort Wash- ington, Md., Fort Caswell, N. C., and Camp Graham, Tybee Island, Ga. Corre- spondingly on the Pacific coast the prevalence of the infection at Vancouver Bar- racKs gave origin to cases at Fort Canby, Wash. The existence of the disease in surgeon-general's report. 1913 many parts of the country and in certain army posts in the early months of the present year led to the invasion of some of our war camps and garrisons by this infection. Special reports from Camp Black, Long Island, Camp Alger, Va., Camp Thomas, Ga., Camp Northen, Griffin, Ga., Columbia, S. C., Key West Barracks, Fla., and Camp Merritt, Cal., indicated presence of the infection and the active measures taken for its suppression. Smallpox.-Only one case of this disease occurred among the troops during the calendar year. The case was reported from Madison Barracks, N. Y. In March, April, and May, 1898, reports of the occurrence of the disease among negro laborers at Forts Barrancas and Pickens, Fla., and of its prevalence in Columbia, S. C., led to the careful vaccination of volunteer troops at the time of their muster into the service of the United States, and no doubt prevented the anxiety and alarm that would have been caused by the occurrence of sporadic cases in the large national camps of the war period. Diphtheria.-Only 11 cases of diphtheria were reported among enlisted men of the Army during the calendar year. These were scattered at nine different posts. The only post at which the disease prevailed in an epidemic form was Vancouver Barracks, Wash. Only one enlisted man was affected, but over twenty children and civilian attaches of the command suffered from the disease, which appears to have been propagated from a convent school and orphanage in the city of Vancouver. Yellow fever.-During the prevalence of this disease at Ocean Springs. Miss., New Orleans, La., and other places in the Southern States in September and October, 1897, the troops were withdrawn from Jackson Barracks, La., to Chicka- mauga, Ga. Two cases, one fatal, occurred among the enlisted men and two in the family of the hospital steward left at the post. Late in the season, Novem- ber 9, the disease appeared among troopsat Fort Barrancas, Fla. Five cases were reported, two of which were fatal. Typhoid fever.-One hundred and fifty-nine cases occurred during the year, only nine of which were fatal. Samples of blood from these cases were forwarded by medical officers to this office for a determination of the action of the serum on pure cultures of typhoid bacilli as an aid in diagnosis, the work of the previous year as summarized on pages 68-73 of my last annual report having established a feeling of confidence in the Widal test as an evidence of the presence of typhoid infection. Malarial diseases.-The rate of admission for malarial diseases was 78.88 per thousand of strength, as compared with 83.08 in the previous year, and 92.82 the average annual rate of the previous decade. The rate of the white troops was 85.79, and for the colored troops only 4.62. The latter rate is unusually low; in 1896 it was 16.63, but the annual rate for the previous ten years, 64.50, was only slightly lower than the rate of the white troops. Washington Barracks, D. C., and Fort Myer, Va., continue to rank as the posts having the largest prevalence of malarial fevers. The former had 576.27, the latter 537.37 admissions per thou- sand strength. Rheumatic affections.-The admission rate for these affections was 65.12 and the constant sickness 2.63, as compared with 59.68 and 2.50 during the previous year and 76.94 and 3.71 during the years of the previous decade. The colored men suf- fered more than the white troops, their rates for the year being 100.74 and 3.46, as compared with 61.80 and 2.55 among the white soldiers. Diarrheal diseases.-The admission rate for the year was 73.77 per thousand of strength, as against 80.02 in the previous year and 113.65, the average of the years of the preceding decade. Venereal diseases.-1The admissions for venereal diseases during the year were equivalent to 84.59 cases in every thousand of the strength present, as compared with 78.08 in 1896 and with 76.32, the average of the preceding decade. The rate of constant sickness, 5.65 per thousand men, also was slightly in excess of tl^e 1914 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. usual rate. The annual rate for 1896 and the average annual rate for the ten years preceding were identical, 5.26 per thousand of strength. The rates for the colored troops, 114.60 admissions, with 6.88 of nonefficiency, were higher than the average rate of the Army as stated above, in this differing very considerably from the rates of the previous year, 56.53 admissions, with 3.18 of nonefficiency. Alcoholism.-The admission rate caused by alcoholism during the year 1897 was 27.86, an improvement over the rate, 29.06, of the previous year and notably so over 38.69, the average annual rate of the previous ten years. Two men died during the year from the direct effects of alcoholic excesses, as compared with seven fatalities of the kind in 1896. Injuries.-The admission rate for injuries was 290.08 per thousand of strength, with 9.12 of constant disability. This is a slight increase over the average annual rate of the previous decade, 252.67, with 8.64 of nonefficiency. Accidents in the gymnasium and in athletic contests are believed to be the cause of this increase in the relative number of admissions. Contusions and sprains caused 151.41 of the 290.08 admissions for injury, wounds not gunshot 49.69, and gunshot wounds only 2.44. Fifty-four deaths and 55 discharges for disability were occasioned by injuries during the year. Ten cases of suicide were reported as compared with 19 during the previous year. Civilians attached to the Army.-The average number present during the year was: Adult males, 2,178; adult females, 5,710; children, 5,968; total, 13,856. The total number of deaths among these was 99-males, 10; females, 35; children, 54. SANITARY CONDITIONS. Quarters.-Defective ventilation of barracks has been reported from a number of posts, notably Forts Logan, Douglas, Warren, and Russell; but in several instances this condition resulted from the occlusion, through accident or design, of the existing openings for ventilation. At several of these posts an unusually high percentage of sickness from tonsilitis and respiratory catarrhs induced a careful investigation of the sanitary conditions and an immediate decrease in the number of cases of these diseases followed the institution of proper ventilation. Drainage and sewerage.-Improvements have been made during the year in the drainage and in the methods of disposing of solid and liquid wastes ac many of the posts. In July, 1897, a new drainage system at Fort Niagara, N. Y., was tested by a rainfall of over 7 inches. No detriment to the health of the men nor serious inconvenience to travel was experienced during this exceptionally heavy rainfall. In the same month earth closets were substituted at Fort Keogh, Mont., for the privy pits that had been so long in use at this post. At Fort Assinniboine, Mont., galvanized iron boxes were recommended for the earth closets as being less absorb- ent of liquid excreta and more easily cleaned and handled than the wooden boxes in use. Local obstructions and local faults in sewerage systems were occasionally noted. Then at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., it was found necessary to lay open por- tions of the sewer for the removal of obstructions. At Fort Baker the wastes from a bath and wash room discharged on the ground, and was imperfectly drained from the side of the barrack building by a surface ditch, and a leak in a kitchen drain permitted waste water to soak into the ground beneath the building. Faults of this character were promptly remedied by the action of the local author- ities. At Fort Leavenworth, Kans., a crematory for the disposal of garbage, etc., began operations during the month of February, 1898. The disposal of the sew- age at Fort Logan, Colo., continues in an unsatisfactory condition. Water supply.-Many improvements in the water supply of military posts were effected during the year. The pipe line at Fort Myer, Va., was extended 1,000 feet above the old intake from the Potomac River. Filters were supplied to the quarters at Fort Columbus, N, Y. The post of Fort Custer was abandoned on surgeon-general's report. 1915 account of insanitary conditions, chief among which was the difficulty of obtain- ing a pure water supply. Improvements were reported from Jefferson Barracks, Mo., Fort Ringgold, Tex., and many other posts. Food.- The food issued to the men was reported from all the posts as being ample in quantity and of excellent quality. Clothing.-The clothing was reported of good quality and suitable to the require- ments of the climate at all the posts during the calendar year. At Fort Yellow- stone an exception was made in the case of a few men who were much exposed on detached service at winter stations in the park. These stations are six in num- ber, with a noncommissioned officer and four men at each. Their duties are arduous, as they are required to make long, exhausting trips on skees, the only means of getting about because of the deep snow. Facilities for bathing.-Few references were made during the year to bathing facilities for the troops, from which it may be inferred that these are satisfactory. The spray bath seems to be better adapted for military use than the bath tub. Spray baths were introduced at Columbus Barracks, Ohio, in January, 1898. They consist of open stalls of galvanized iron, with pipes, through the perforations of which water, at a desired temperature, is delivered in the form of a fine spray on the person of the bather. It is an adoption of the spray or rain bath now in use in the free public establishments of the cities of New York, Boston, and Chicago, and in the baths of the quarantine stations, where large numbers of immigrants are cleansed before being admitted into our ports. This system should be extended in preference to the iron bath tub, which is so difficult to keep clean and so costly to maintain. Habits.-The habits of the men have been reported as generally good. At one post the surgeon considered that the men had too many idle hours, and that they would be better off with more time spent in physical exercise in the gymnasium, if inclement weather' prevented exercise in the open air. Statistical tables.-1The formal annual report closes with twenty statistical tables, giving in detail the data on which the statements of the report are based, with eight tables on the forms adopted some years ago by the international con- vention on medico-military statistics. Medical officers.-The number of medical officers (192) allowed by law to the Army is inadequate in time of peace. This number includes the additional 15 assistant surgeons authorized by the act approved May 12, 1898. Later in May there were 13 vacancies; 6 officers were engaged in administrative duties in the office of the Surgeon-General and in the superintendence of the Library and Army Medical Museum, 11 were on duty at medical supply depots and as chief surgeons of military departments, 1 at the United States Soldiers' Home, Washington, D. C., 56 at general hospitals and at garrisoned posts, 1 as colonel of a volunteer regi- ment, while 4 were disabled. One hundred officers were thus left for field service, 5 of whom were placed on duty as chief surgeons of army corps, 36 as brigade surgeons of volunteers, and 59 as regimental surgeons and assistants with the regular troops. The insufficiency of the last-mentioned number was made up by the assignment of medical men under contract. All volunteer regiments had 3 medical officers appointed by the governors of States. Volunteer surgeons to fill the staff positions authorized by the act approved April 22, 1898, were appointed by the President: Eight corps surgeons with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and 110 division and brigade surgeons with the rank of major; 5 of the former and 36 of the latter positions were filled, as indicated above, by the appointment of officers of the Army Medical Department. The President also appointed 3 medical officers for each of the regiments of THE WORK OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT DURING THE SPANISH WAR. 1916 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. United States volunteer infantry, cavalry, and engineers. The very small pro- portion of medical officers having experience of a military character impaired the efficiency of the Department at the outset, but many of the staff surgeons from civil life showed great aptitude for the service and speedily became of value as administrative and sanitary officers. The large number of sick which had to be cared for during the progress of the war in regimental, division, and general hospitals rendered imperative the employ- ment of additional medical assistance. Under the provisions of the act approved May 12, 1898, the services of over 650 contract surgeons were engaged. Most of these doctors from civil life did good service. Many of them were thoroughly well equipped physicians and surgeons, with ample hospital experience; but it was impossible to make a careful selection, owing to the great pressure of business in this office. Since it was impracticable to have the qualifications of each passed upon by an examining board, I endeavored as far as possible to obtain satisfactory professional indorsement before authorizing the contract. Hospital Corps.-On April 25, 1898, in connection with the call of the President of the United States for 125,000 volunteers, I recommended that the law restricting the number of hospital stewards to 100 be changed, and that for each regiment of volunteer infantry or cavalry there should be enlisted 1 hospital steward, 1 acting hospital steward, and 25 privates; for each battery of artillery 1 hospital steward and 5 privates, and for each division of the Army 1 hospital steward, 1 acting hospital steward, and 50 privates, to serve under the direction of the chief surgeon of the division. These recommendations were acted upon so far favorably that by the act approved June 2, 1898, Congress suspended during the existing war all provisions of law limiting the numbei' of hospital stewards at any one time to 100 and requiring that a person to be appointed a hospital steward shall first demon- strate his fitness therefor by actual service of not less than twelve months as acting hospital steward, provided that the increase of hospital stewards under this act shall not exceed 100. In addition to the 200 stewards thus authorized, each volunteer organization received into the service was allowed 1 hospital steward for each battalion (act approved April 26, 1898). There was, however, no pro- vision made for Hospital Corps men for the volunteer troops except that which empowered the Secretary of War (act March 1,1897) to enlist as many privates of the Hospital Corps as the service may require. To provide this corps with the necessary number of men, recruiting officers were urged to secure suitable men and medical officers to effect the transfer of men from the line of the Army. Letters were sent to superintendents of training schools for male nurses in the prominent cities, advising them of the need for desir- able men and asking their assistance in securing unemployed nurses. A number of medical students, pharmacists, and young graduates in medicine enlisted in the Hospital Corps for service during the war, and it is believed that the efficiency of the corps was thereby raised considerably. Recommendation was made May 14, 1898, that mustering officers be instructed to enlist desirable men approved by medical officers at the rate of five for each bat- talion, and subsequently that these be permitted to accompany the regiments on their future service. This recommendation was reiterated on June 18 in a com- munication to the Adjutant-General. Meanwhile General Orders, No. 58, Head- quarters of the Army, Adjutant-General's Office, May 31, 1898, authorized the transfer of men from the line of the volunteers to the Hospital Corps of the Reg- ular Army upon the recommendation of the chief surgeon, and suspended the pro- visions of Army Regulations governing the Hospital Corps so far as they were inapplicable in time, of war and with troops in the field. Commanders of corps and of independent divisions and brigades were charged with the full control of the transfer froin the line, the enlistment and discharge of members of the Hos- pital Corps, the detail of acting hospital stewards, and the appointment of stew- SURGEON-GENERAL'S REPORT. 1917 ards, the last limited by subsequent orders to 10 stewards for an army corps in addition to those authorized for the volunteer regiments. Authority for imme- diate enlistments, without reference to this office except in cases where slight defects existed, was also given to a number of chief surgeons. The number of men enlisted and transferred during the war was approximately 6,000. Contract nurses.-The want of a sufficient body of trained Hospital Corps men necessitated the detail of enlisted men from the regiments for hospital duty in several of the camps and the employment of trained nurses at the general hospi- tals. Foreseeing the necessity for a large force of the latter, I applied to Congress April 28, 1898, for authority to employ by contract as many nurses as might be required during the war at the rate of $30 per month and a ration, the pay proper to be paid from the appropriation for the Medical and Hospital Department. This was promptly granted. About the same time the National Society of the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution offered its services as an examining board for female nurses, and a committee, of which Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee was chair- man, was designated to take charge of the work. Thereafter most of the female nurses employed were selected by this committee, with the exception of those immune to yellow fever, who were recruited in New Orleans and other Southern cities, and a few who were enrolled at Montauk Point, Long Island, and Jackson- ville. Fla., by the chief surgeons at these places. A number of patriotic societies offered to provide the hospitals with nurses, but the committee referred to answered its purpose so well that I did not feel the need of additional assistance, and was relieved from what would otherwise have been a serious responsibility. Over 1,700 female nurses have been employed, at first at the general hospitals and later at the field division hospitals when it became evident that the field serv- ice purposes for which the latter* had been organized would have to give place to the imperative need of caring for the many sick men coming from the regimental camps. These hospitals ceased to be ambulance hospitals, and their character of fixed field hospitals was promptly recognized by assigning contract surgeons and nurses to duty with them and providing them with articles of equipment which can not be carried in the hospital wagons of a marching command. Female nurses were not sent to these field hospitals until their original function as an essential adjunct to a command mobilized for active service became lost in the current of immediate necessities. Many of the trained nurses were Sisters of Charity, whose services were highly appreciated by medical officers in charge as well as by the individual sick men who benefited by their ministrations. Others were obtained through the kind assistance of the Red Cross Society for the Maintenance of Trained Nurses, Auxiliary No. 3, and I desire to express my high appreciation of the valuable services rendered to the Medical Department by this organization. Medical and hospital supplies.-Up to the time that war was declared it was not practicable to take any immediate steps to obtain supplies, as it was not known until that date that the troops would actually be called out, nor were there funds available from which to make purchases. But already, before April 1, in view of the possibility of future needs, orders were given to have the field medical outfits, medical and surgical chests, instruments, etc., at the supply depots put in order for issue in case of need, and early in March the preparation of new pattern med- ical and surgical chests was begun so as to have them ready for manufacture should the necessity arise. Immediately upon the declaration of war, April 21, steps were taken to obtain medical supplies for the new Volunteer Army. For the more important articles and those of highest cost bids were invited at short notice, such, for instance, as medical and surgical chests, litters and slings, field operating cases, pocket cases, orderly and hospital corps pouches, etc. Orders were given and the manufacture expedited with the utmost dispatch. Requests for proposals for the usual spring 1918 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. purchases had been made in March, but to obtain medicines and other additional supplies in view of a state of war advantage was taken of the authority granted by act of Congress and purchases were made in open market, the interests of the Government being guarded by obtaining informal bids when the amount was large and time permitted. On May 3, foreseeing that it would be impossible to have ready for issue to the volunteer regiments as soon as they were mustered in the medical and surgical chests above referred to, as well as other articles of field equipment, although their preparation was pushed with the utmost dispatch, I telegraphed the gov- ernors of the several States for authority to use the medical equipment of the National Guard in the service of the State volunteers until our army medical sup- plies were ready for issue. Most of the governors of States who had field equipment responded promptly and satisfactorily, but, unfortunately, many of the State medical departments had no such equipment. These deficiencies were supplied by the issue of the advance field regimental outfits referred to hereafter. Most of the State field medical equipment so loaned has been or probably will be eventually paid for by the United States. Meanwhile the officers in charge of the medical supply depots in New York and St. Louis were directed to make arrangements so that supplies could be immedi- ately obtained for 100,000 men for six months. As the supply table published in 1896 was prepared for garrison use in time of peace and was inappropriate for the use of troops in the field, a field supply table was prepared and approved by the Secretary of War May 9, 1898. This supply table specifies the contents of the medical and surgical chests, of the hospital corps and orderly pouches, field operating, surgeons field and pocket cases, mess chest, food chest, and field desk, and gives the allowance of medicines and disinfectants, hospital stores, stationery, furniture, bedding, clothing, and miscellaneous articles for field hospitals and ambulance trains. It was intended to provide for the needs of commands in active service where only a limited supply of articles could be carried owing to the necessity of restricting transportation. But as soon as it was evident that the troops were likely to be retained in camps of instruction, notification was given that articles on the regular supply table could also be obtained. On August 12, in circular N o. 6 from this office, I again called attention to this subject, directing chief surgeons of army corps, of divisions, and of smaller commands to make timely requisition for supplies, by telegraph if necessary, and to see that field hospitals in which typhoid fever and other serious cases were treated were liberally supplied with all articles necessary for the treatment and comfort of the sick. The patterns of the new medical and surgical chests were prepared in this office under my immediate supervision and the chests for issue were put up at the Army Medical Museum in this city. This was done to insure satisfactory workmanship and prompt delivery. New patterns for the field operating case had been already fixed upon in the fall of 1897. New forms of surgical dressings, especially designed for field use, composed of sterilized, sublimated, and iodoform gauze, sterilized gauze bandages, absorbent cotton, catgut, and silk, sterilized and packed in convenient envelopes, tow, com- pressed cotton sponges and plaster-of-paris bandages, were also prepared under the immediate supervision of this office. Samples of these were sent to the three supply depots-New York, St. Louis, and San Francisco-and all issues directed to be in conformity therewith. Forty boxes of these specially prepared dressings were put up at the temporary supply depot, Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C., and sent to Tampa, Fla., for the use of the army about to sail for Cuba. To provide temporarily for volunteer regiments organized and ordered to camps surgeon-general's report. 1919 before the new medical and surgical chests were ready for issue, supplies of medi- cines, instruments, hospital stores, stationery, and miscellaneous articles, accord- ing to a prescribed list and packed in convenient boxes, were prepared at the supply depots. An important article to be provided was the first-aid packet, containing anti- septic dressings for immediate use in emergencies and intended to be carried by each individual soldier. These were promptly and liberally supplied. Whenever notice was received from the Adjutant-General's Office that commands were to be moved or camps formed, I endeavored to anticipate the wants of the troops by telegraphing to the officer in charge of the nearest supply depot to for- ward supplies for the stated number of men, according to the field supply table. Requests from medical officers for supplies and orders based thereon transmitted to the supply depots were largely by telegraph; and orders were given that when the supplies were needed promptly they should be forwarded by express to their destination. When a medical officer desired to purchase medical and other sup- plies for use in emergencies, authority to do so was always granted. Extensive purchases of medical supplies were made direct from this office from dealers in Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, to provide for the immediate wants of the troops at Camp Alger, Va., and the general hospitals at Fort Myer, Va., Washington Barracks, D. C., and Fort Monroe, Va. This was done not only to meet with promptness the urgent needs of troops and hospitals in this vicinity, but to relieve somewhat the great pressure upon the supply depot at New York. In addition to the field supply table, issued May 9, 1898, a revised edition of the Manual for the Medical Department was published. These, together with 2,400 copies of a revised edition of Lieutenant-Colonel Smart's Handbook for the Hos- pital Corps, were freely distributed throughout the Army, so that medical officers might become acquainted with the proper mode of obtaining supplies and their many other important duties. It is impossible to give a full list of the medical supplies that were provided, no complete report of purchases having as yet been received from the medical supply depots, but the following will give an idea of the amounts of the principal articles: First-aid packets number.. 272,000 Hospital-corps pouches do 5,797 Orderly pouches do _ _. _ 509 Pocket cases do.... 962 Surgeon's field cases do 369 Field-operating cases do 328 Medical and surgical chests .... do.... 1,204 Litters do 2,259 Litter slings do 7,600 Cots and bedsteads, with bedding .. do 18,185 Blankets, gray do 23,950 Field desks do.... 440 Quinine pills... . do 7,500,000 Chloroform and ether.. bottles.. 13,220 Gauze, sublimated, 1-meter packages packages.. 100,625 Gauze bandages, 3 sizes number.. 331,776 The medical supply depot in New York, Lieut. Col. J. M. Brown in charge, sup- plied the posts in New England, the Middle States, and along the Atlantic coast, including Florida, and the troops that have been sent to and are now serving in Cuba and Porto Rico. Ordinarily requisitions received from officers serving in the localities mentioned were acted on and sent by the next mail to the depot for issue, but as already stated, the telegraph and express companies were brought into use where the necessity called for prompt action, 1920 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. The pressure on this depot was at times extremely great in supplying the troops sent to Cuba and Porto Rico and the large camps at Falls Church, Va,, Middle- town, Pa., Hempstead and Montauk Point, N. Y., and Jacksonville, Fernandina, and Miami, Fla. On account of the urgency attending the establishment of Camp Wikoff, the officer in charge of the New York supply depot was directed to honoi' all requisi- tions made by the chief surgeon at Montauk Point without referring them for the approval of this office. The medical supply depot at St. Louis, Mo., under the charge of Col. J. P. Wright, assistant surgeon-general, U. S. Army, supplied the States of the Missis- sippi Valley and the region east of the Rocky Mountains, including Texas. The large camp at Chickamauga was supplied entirely from this depot, together with the camps formed at Knoxville, Tenn., Lexington, Ky., Anniston, Huntsville, and Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, La. Many articles were sent from this depot to the supply officer at San Francisco, Cal., for the use of the Philippine expeditions. To provide for the large aggregation of'troops at Camp Geo. H. Thomas, Chicka- mauga, Ga., a subdepot, drawing its supplies from St. Louis, was organized and put under the charge of Maj. E. T. Comegys, surgeon, U. S. Army. This sub- depot was discontinued on the departure of the troops from Camp Thomas. Owing to the distance of the camps at Lexington, Knoxville, Huntsville, and Anniston from this city, the chief surgeons of these several camps were authorized to draw upon the depot at St. Louis for any articles on the supply table without submitting requisitions in advance to this office. The officers in charge of the depots at New York and St. Louis were directed July 8 to keep in stock 1,000 iron beds or cots, with a full supply of bedding, ready for immediate issue. The responsibility of supplying the posts on the Pacific coast and of outfitting the troops leaving for the Philippine Islands was placed upon Lieut. Col. J. V. D. Middleton, deputy surgeon-general, U. S. Army, in charge of the supply depot at San Francisco, Cal. As much delay and expense of transportation would have been incurred by sending supplies from eastern depots to San Francisco, Colonel Middleton was authorized to purchase at discretion all necessary medicines, hos- pital stores, instruments, and miscellaneous supplies of every kind needed for the troops going to Manila. Articles of special manufacture, such as medical and surgical chests, litters, and litter slings, hospital corps and orderly pouches, and the specially prepared field dressings, already referred to, were shipped to San Francisco from St. Louis, not being obtainable on the Pacific coast. The distance of San Francisco from the center of the Government was so considerable that the officer in charge of that depot was necessarily given large discretion in the pur- chase of supplies and the expenditure of funds. Lieutenant-Colonel Middleton deserves great credit for the efficient service rendered by him both as medical supply officer and as chief surgeon of the Department of California. Railroad ambulance train.-A railroad ambulance train was, in my opinion, essential to the well-being of the sick and wounded during transportation from Tampa, Fla., the probable base of operations against Cuba, to general hospitals in the interior. Accordingly, on May 30, 1898, I recommended the equipment of a train, to consist of 10 tourist sleepers and a dining car. This was approved, and on June 16 I was informed that a train of 10 Pullman sleepers, a dining car, a private car, and a combination car was ready for service. The train was inspected by Maj. Charles Richard, surgeon, U. S. Army, who was placed in command. One assistant surgeon, 2 stewards, 20 privates of the Hospital Corps, and 3 civilian employees were assigned to him'for service. The train was amply provided with all the medicines, hospital stores, and comforts required for the patients to be transported. The first trip was made from Washington, D. C., to Tampa, Fla., for the purpose of transporting the sick from the latter place to the general surgeon-general's report. 1921 hospital, Fort McPherson, Ga. Tampa was reached June 19 and Fort McPherson June 22. Here the Pullman cars were exchanged for the tourist sleepers originally requested. The latter were much better adapted for hospital purposes on account of their general arrangement, better ventilation, and convenience for cleanliness and the handling of patients. They had 134 lower and 136 upper berths, giving a total carrying capacity of 270. It was impracticable, however, to use the upper berths for severe cases on account of the impossibility of giving proper care and attention to such patients occupying them. Several trips were made between Tampa and Atlanta, on each of which great delay, involving inconvenience and anxiety to all concerned and discomfort and even harm to the sick, was occasioned by the difficulty of obtaining a prompt response from local quartermasters to requisitions for the necessary transporta- tion. On one occasion, after a delay of twenty-four hours, telegraphic communi- cation with Washington had to be established before a movement was made. However, on July 4 Capt. H. R. Stiles, assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, on duty with the train, was appointed acting assistant quartermaster, with authority to issue transportation requests. Thereafter no delay of this kind was experienced. During the latter part of July excessive heat and dust rendered a trip from Tampa to Newport, Ky., extremely trying to the sick and largely contributed to the fatal ending of two cases en route. A large proportion of the total number of cases transported were of typhoid fever, usually in the first week of the disease. Under certain circumstances the loading of the train at night was necessary, and in one instance loading was completed during a severe rain storm. Up to August 31 the hospital train had run about 17,500 miles and had transported 1,935 patients, with only 4 deaths. Notwithstanding the large number of typhoid cases transported and the diffi- culty of handling such cases on this train, disinfection was so efficiently carried out that no case of this disease occurred among the personnel of the train. The utmost care was given to the disinfection of excreta to prevent any danger of the dissemination of the disease during the transportation of the sick. The hospital ship Relief.-On April 15, 1898, I applied for a ship to be used as a hospital ship. After an inspection had been made of various ships offered, I rec- ommended, April 23, the purchase of the steamship John Englis, as well adapted for the purpose in view, a floating hospital for the care of the sick and wounded at any point on the Cuban coast and for their transportation to any point on our own coast, and to act at the same time as a depot of reserve medical supplies for troops in the field. This recommendation was not approved at the time, and various other ships were inspected, but none found to be suitable. On May 18, by direc- tion of the President, the John Englis was purchased, and the Quartermaster's Department took charge of her to prepare her for the special service required. Maj. George H. Torney, surgeon, United States Army, was directed to make rec- ommendations with reference to necessary alterations and apparatus, and was subsequently placed in command of the ship. The necessary work upon the vessel required much more time than was anticipated. Specific instructions were sent to Major Torney to provide everything needful, so that there might be no delay attributable to the Medical Department, and these instructions were com- plied with to the letter. The Relief, however, was unable to sail from New York until July 2. She arrived at Siboney on the 7th, where she received many of the wounded from the attack on Santiago. She left Siboney July 19 with 254 sick and wounded, and arrived at New York on the 23d. She sailed for Ponce, Porto Rico, August 3, and returned to New York on the 19th with 255 sick and wounded. The vessel made another trip to Ponce, Porto Rico, returning with sick, September 8, to HOSPITAL SHIPS. 1922 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Philadelphia, whence she went to Montauk Point to transport sick to hospitals in Boston, Mass., and Philadelphia, Pa. Another trip to Porto Rico was then made, the vessel returning October 11 to Fort Monroe, Va. The hospital ship Missouri.-On July 1, 1898, Mr. B. N. Baker, president of the Atlantic Transport Line, Baltimore, Md., tendered the steamship Missouri, with her captain and crew, to the Government as a hospital ship. This generous and patriotic offer was accepted by the Secretary of War, and Maj. W. H. Arthur, surgeon, United States Volunteers (assistant surgeon, United States Army), was ordered to take charge of her preparation for service and subsequently to com- mand her. It was recognized that considerable refitting would be required before the vessel could be utilized. Ten days or two weeks was the period estimated as needful to permit of making the necessary alterations and providing the vessel with a steam laundry, steam sterilizing apparatus, and ice and carbonating plants, but it was not until August 23 that the ship was reported ready to sail, and even then a good deal of work had to be done on board during a stormy pas- sage to Santiago. She returned from Cuba with 256 sick men, who were landed at Montauk Point. Her second voyage was to Porto Rico, whence she brought 270 patients to the Josiah Simpson Hospital, Fort Monroe, Va., on October 6. The hospital ship Olivette.-This vessel was a steamship which had been doing service as a water boat for the fleet of transports, when Lieutenant-Colonel Pope, chief surgeon of the Fifth Army Corps, selected her for use as a hospital ship during the voyage from Tampa, Fla., to Santiago, Cuba. The equipment of one of the field division hospitals of the corps was used in outfitting her for this work. On the arrival of the fleet at Daiquiri she relieved the transports of their sick, many of whom were later transferred to the steamer Iroquois, so that room was made on the improvised hospital boat for the wounded expected from the impend- ing battle. The Olivette answered her extemporized purpose excellently. She left Santiago July 9 with 279 wounded officers and men, and reached New York on the 16th. She returned to Santiago with medical supplies for the troops, and on August 15 sailed with 203 sick men, who were distributed in Boston city hos- pitals. The Olivette sailed August 25 from Boston, under orders to Fernandina, Fla., for the purpose of bringing sick to the general hospital at Fort Monroe, Va. On August 31, while coaling in stormy weather off quarantine at Fernandina, she listed heavily to one side, filled with water, and sank in 20 feet of water. No loss of life occurred. THE HEALTH OF THE TROOPS. Promptly following the declaration of war, arrangements were made by the War Department to recruit the Regular Army to its war strength and to muster in the volunteer troops called out by the proclamations of the President. The Regular Army at that time consisted of well-developed men. sound in physique, and well drilled and disciplined. In its ranks were only about 40 boys under 21 years of age, enlisted as musicians; but when recruiting was begun the minimum age for enlistment in the regulars was reduced to 18 years, and boys of this age were accepted for the volunteers. In my opinion, this reduction of the age limit had a notable influence in increasing the prevalence of disease among the troops. All military experience shows that young men under 21 years break down readily under the strain of war service; and every regiment had many of these youths in its ranks. I am of the opinion also that the haste with which the volunteer regiments were organized and mustered into the service was responsible for much of the sickness which was reported in the early days of their camp life. Medical exam- iners were appointed to testify to the physical qualifications of each man before acceptance, but, notwithstanding this, which at the time was characterized in the press as a very rigorous procedure, so many men were afterwards found on the surgeon-general's report. 1923 sick lists of the camps unfit for service, from causes existing prior to enlistment, that special arrangements had to be made for their discharge. Soon after the newly raised levies were aggregated in large camps sickness began to increase progressively from causes that were so general in their opera- tion that scarcely a regiment escaped from their harmful influence. These causes may all be referred to ignorance on the part of officers of the elementary princi- ples of camp sanitation and of their duties and responsibilities as regards the wel- fare of the enlisted men in their commands. Officers who were responsible for the clothing and equipment of their men, for their shelter, drill, discipline, and personal cleanliness, in fact for their comfort, well-being, and sound physical con- dition, were to a large extent ignorant of how to act in order to sustain their responsibilities, and others were even ignorant that these responsibilities rested on them. Medical officers, as a rule, were also without experience in the sanita- tion of camps and the prevention of disease among troops. The few who knew what should be done were insufficient to < ontrol the sanitary situation in the large aggregations of men hastily gathered together. As a result officers and men appeared to me to have regarded the deplorably insanitary conditions under which they lived in their camps of organization as the inevitable conditions of camp life preparatory for field service, and to have accepted them without ques- tion until general attention was attracted to them by an outbreak of typhoid fever. Officers and men in these camps were rife for war, and drill, parades, practice marches, and military camp duties occupied the whole of their time and energies. Considerations of domestic economy and sanitation in the companies and regiments were not given proper consideration, and men who were being taught to meet the enemy in battle succumbed to the hardships and insanitary conditions of life in their camps of instruction. The sites of certain of the camps have been instanced in the newspapers as the cause of the sickness that was developed in them. It is true that in some locali- ties the sinks could not be made of the proper depth on account of the underlying rock; in others a substratum of impermeable clay, and in others again a high level of the subsoil water interfered with a satisfactory condition of the sinks. At Miami, Fla., the water supply was generally regarded as not good, and at Camp Merritt, Cal., the climatic conditions were such as to lead to its speedy abandon- ment. But these were local conditions, while the sickness which invaded the camps was general in its onset. A review of the whole situation shows that it was not the site, but the manner of its occupation, which must be held responsible for the general spread of disease among the troops. The primary evil was overcrowding of the site. The aggregation of the troops was effected hastily. On his arrival at Camp Alger* the medical officer, assigned to duty as chief surgeon, found a number of regiments already in camp; "troops were arriving with every train, generally without previous announcement, and these camped where they saw fit." As a general hygienic, as well as a military principle, troops in the field should encamp in rear of their color line. The area occupied as a camping ground should be as wide as the color line is long. This gives wide streets, ample space for the separation of tents, and a front which affords room for the needful sink accommodation. But no principle of this kind was manifest in the regimental camps of the newly organized commands. On the contrary, the idea seemed to prevail that the troops should be compacted as much as possible. Both at Alger and Chickamauga the companies of a regiment were crowded on an area insufficient for those of a battalion, and brigades were packed together with scarcely an interval between the regiments. Lieutenant-Colonel Smart, in his inspection of Camp Alger, found company streets hardly wider than the intervals between adjacent companies should have been, and tents of the same company in contact with each other on the sides and in contact on the ends with 1924 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. those of the adjoining company, so that the double row of tents between the nar- row company streets made a continuous covering-canvas covering-70 to 80 feet long and 16 feet wide, under which a hundred men had to find shelter. Even when space was allowed between the tents of the same and adjacent companies, it was wholly insufficient for proper trenching, ventilation, and passageway. With streets reduced in some instances to a width of only 13 feet, the natural surface of the ground with its matting of grass roots is speedily eroded and the camp surface converted into a layer of dust or mud, according to the character of the weather. This constituted a serious evil; but the great sanitary objection to crowding the area in this way is that the slops and garbage of the kitchens and the excreta of the sinks are too near to the quarters of the men. Fecal odors were perceptible in many of the camp streets, and of certain regimental camps it is reported that their odors were in themselves a veritable nuisance. The contracted front of the camp gave no room for a sink of the proper size for each company. A battalion of troops had to use a sink insufficient to accommodate a company. It was impossible to keep these pits in good condition when used by so many men. Covering the excreta at regular intervals was unsatisfactory, as fresh deposits were made while the police party was at work. Efforts were made to remedy this by requiring the individual men to cover the deposits as soon as made. There was no room for the only effi- cient remedy-a sufficient number of properly constructed and well-cared-for sinks 150 yards in front of the color line, or at a corresponding distance on the flanks of the camp. These small sinks had the further disadvantage, that they were filled up almost as soon as dug and had to be replaced by freshly dug pits, so that in a short time the whole of the contracted front of the camp was converted into sink surfaces. On April 25, 1898, foreseeing the likelihood of insanitary conditions in the camps of our newly raised troops and with the view of preventing them, I issued Circular No. 1 from this office, impressing upon medical officers their responsibility in sanitary matters and the necessity for a strict sanitary police, particularly in the care of the sinks and in the preservation of the camp area from contamination. But the density of the military population on the area of these contracted camps prevented the possibility of a good sanitary condition. Camps of this character may be occupied for a week or two at a time without serious results, as in the case of national guardsmen out for ten days' field practice dur- ing the summer, but their continued occupation will inevitably result in the break- ing down of the command by diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid fever. Not only was the area crowded by the tentage but the individual tents were overcrowded. Four to seven men were crowded into the small w'edge wall tent, which covers an area of only 7 by 8 feet. Some company or regimental command- ers encouraged their men to build sleeping bunks, or rather low platforms, for the area under canvas would not permit of a separate bunk for each man; others directed the men to carpet the floor of their tents with pine twigs or a layer of bark. Others again had straw littered on the floor, but most of the commands lay for weeks upon the ground, their blankets soiled and matted with dust, and their clothes even to their change of underclothing soiled and dusty, for it was impossible to preserve anything clean under such primitive camp conditions. Facilities for bathing were rarely found in the camps, and laundry and lavatory facilities were not always readily available. These troops were subjected to most of the discomforts, hardships, and climatic exposures inevitable to an active campaign wffiile nominally enjoying the comforts of a fixed camp of instruction. Only on active service in front of an enemy should it be allowable to have men sleep on the ground for weeks at a time under insuffi- cient shelter and with inadequate facilities for personal cleanliness. On active service many of the insanitary features of their surroundings would have been removed. While campaigning they would have changed camp sites from time to time and would have been freed from the harmful influence of accumulated filth, surgeon-general's report. 1925 while opportunities for bathing would have been presented occasionally in passing or camping near streams. The only explanation that can be given is that the offi- cers, military and medical, having no experience of military life in the field, assumed that the deplorable condition in which they were living was the usual mode of life of soldiers situated as they were, and that their duty as true soldiers was to endure not only without complaint, but with a certain pride, the hardships of their camp life. Practically nothing was done to make the men comfortable or to remedy the insanitary conditions until those were brought to the attention of the Secretary of War by inspectors sent out by special orders from the War Department. Then the camps held for so long were abandoned, but not before the manifestations of typhoid infection were rife in them; new sites were carefully selected, regimental camps were expanded, company tentage increased, and board flooring provided. Then, for the first time, the troops went into camps suitable for the occasion. An increased prevalence of diarrheal diseases was the first manifestation of dan- ger in the early camps. Much of this was no doubt due to chill to the surface in cooling off after the perspirations attending drills in hot weather, much to same- ness of diet and bad cookery, much in overindulgence in fruit of doubtful quality, pies, etc., purchased from peddlers of food and soft drinks, who were established in business in or around most of the camps, and much to similar indiscretions fol- lowing the arrival of boxes of dainties from friends at home. Chill to the surface was aggravated by the ignorance or recklessness of the men, few of whom appre- ciated its danger. The sameness of diet led to criticism of a ration which is not only more liberal than that of any foreign military service, but more liberal than that which sustained the volunteers of the civil war during their arduous campaigns. Regimental commissaries and company commanders require experience which few of our volunteer officers possessed. The annual outings of the National Guard, with a caterer to provide special diet for the men, gave no opportunity for line officers to learn how to use a fixed ration to the best advantage or to exercise the needful supervision over cooks of doubtful qualifications. But notwithstanding the disadvantages arising from this ignorance, medical officers generally report the so-called delicacies purchased by individuals or sent by sympathizing friends was the cause of more sickness than the sameness of the Government's ration aggra- vated by bad camp cookery. It is hardly needful to cite reports to sustain these statements. Many medical officers noted each of these causes and cautioned com- manding officers against them. Testimony of a similar kind comes from Porto Rico and the Philippines. General Brooke attributed the diarrheal troubles which affected his command to the excessive indulgence of the men in the fruits of the island, and the chief surgeon of the Department of the Pacific, in referring to the prevalence of diarrhea and dysentery, attributes these diseases to the diffi- culty experienced in restraining the men from eating and drinking unwholesome articles. One prominent cause of the increase of sickness in the early camps has been commented upon by only a few of our medical officers. These cite the prevalence of drunkenness and of venereal disease, due to the facilities and temptations afforded by the proximity of cities to the large camps. They hold that if the sys- tems of the men had not been weakened by dissipation they would not have suc- cumbed so readily to the other influences which affected them. Malarial fevers added to the sick lists of camps in Florida and of southern regi- ments in the camps in Georgia and Virginia. It was, however, typhoid fever which broke down the strength of the commands generally, the outbreak becoming distinctly manifest in July. Sporadic cases appeared in m'ost of the regiments in May and June, these cases having been brought in many instances from the State camps. In fact, some regiments, as the Fifteenth Minnesota, suffered more from this disease at their State rendezvous 1926 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. than any of the regiments in the large Federal camps. A few of the regimental commands in the latter may be said to have escaped visitation. The sanitary con- ditions affecting the commands in the various camps have been studied in con- nection with the prevalence of typhoid fever among the men by a board of medi- cal officers, consisting of Majors Reed, Vaughan, and Shakespeare, but the results of the investigations of this board have not as yet been reported in full. It appears to me, however, from a general review of the sanitary reports already filed, that the prevalence of the disease was proportioned to the insanitary camp conditions which I have described above. My circular No. 1, already cited, was intended to bring the danger from this fever to the notice of medical officers with the view of obviating it. The probability of its communication to soldiers in camp through the agency of flies was pointed out as a reason for insisting on a sanitary police of the strictest character. At the time of the outbreak and rapid spread of the disease all the camps were suffering from what many reports characterized as the "plague of flies." Clouds of those insects swarmed about fecal matter and filth of all kinds deposited on the ground or in cesspools or sinks, and conveyed foul and infectious matter thence to the food exposed while in preparation in the company kitchens or while being served to the men. It is well known to the medical profession that this fever is propagated by a contaminated water supply, and it is now recognized that the great prevalence of this disease in an aggravated form in the camps of the civil war was due to the use of surface and shallow well waters infected by typhoid excreta. To prevent transmission by the watei' supply, I recommended the use of boiled and filtered water when a pure spring supply could not be obtained and to enable an efficient filtration of suspected waters to be made. Field filters of approved construction were issued on my recommendation by the Quartermaster's Department. Cir- cular No. 4, of May 31,1898, was issued from my office, that medical and company officers might have a thorough understanding of the intention and action of these filters and that the full benefit of their use might be secured to the troops. Chief surgeons were instructed to forward samples of water to this office for analysis whenever a doubt existed as to its quality, and the water supply of sev- eral of the camps was thereafter kept under analytical observation. This care exercised in the exclusion of typhoid infection from the water did much to retard the epidemic progress of the disease. Regiments camped near each other and using water from the same sources were not equally affected, thus showing that the cause was disseminated in other ways than by the water supply. The disease was slow in its development at Jacksonville, Fla., which had a water supply from artesian wells. But the infection once introduced into a camp from State ren- dezvous, or by sporadic infection from the neighborhood, began slowly to spread on account of the close contact of the men through overcrowding and the bad condition of the sinks. Undoubtedly the very dust of the camp site became a medium for the transmission of the disease from the drying up of deposits of filth on the neighboring surface and from the breaking up of the dried soil over disused sinks. At Tampa, Fla., many of the sinks were shallow, and heavy rains flushed their contents over the surface of the ground to become afterwards dried and pulverized, and at Jacksonville, where barrels were used instead of privy pits, it is reported that there was much carelessness in the handling of the tubs, and that during their transportation through the camps the contents were fre- quently spilled. Troops camped on the leeward side of the line of transportation suffered heavily from typhoid fever. The prevalence of typhoid fever was lessened in some instances by leaving the infected locality and exercising greater care in the arrangement and sanitary administration of the new camps. This was illustrated by the record of the Sec- ond Army Corps after its removal from Camp Alger, Va., to Camp Meade, Pa. The infection was carried by the Fifth Army Corps from Tampa to Santiago, surgeon-general's report. 1927 where, under the unfavorable conditions affecting the troops in the trenches, its rapid spread, together with the occurrence of yellow fever and the general preva- lence of malignant malarial fevers, occasioned the utter breakdown of the health of that command. The infection was carried also to Porto Rico, but its spread, so far as I can learn from the reports that have been rendered, has not been as rapid as in the home camps, probably on account of the movement of the troops from place to place in the advance from Guanica. The disease prevailed to a considerable extent among the regiments aggregated at Camps Merriam and Merritt, San Francisco, Cal., for embarkation to the Philip- pine Islands, but according to the latest advices from the chief surgeon at Manila, it has not reappeared to any extent in the command there. This is probably to be attributed to the use of distilled water during the long voyage and the flushing of the latrines on board ship by a constant stream of sea water. All men notably sick were left behind at the division hospital at the Presidio; and it must be assumed that the cases embarked in the incubatory stage were prevented from infecting the command by virtue of the excellent sink arrangements. Only 14 deaths from typhoid fever were reported from the expeditionary force of 18,000 men from May 25, when the first vessel sailed, to August 31, the date of the last report received. The care of the sick and wounded.-Each regiment of the Volunteer Army was authorized by law to have one surgeon, two assistant surgeons, and three hospital stewards. Inasmuch as at the time of its muster into the service of the United States it was of necessity a separate organization, the sick had to be cared for by the regimental medical staff, assisted, in the absence of Hospital Corps men other' than the stewards, by enlisted men of the line detailed for duty as hospital attend- ants by the regimental commander. Each regiment of the Regular Army had one medical officer, and its quota of Hospital Corps men detached from the military stations at which the companies of the regiments had been stationed prior to the outbreak of the war; and each had an ample provision of medical supplies derived from the same sources. Some of the regiments of the Volunteer Army were pro- vided by the State authorities with more or less of the equipment needful to estab- lish a regimental hospital,.but the majority had little or nothing in the way of medical supplies. I have already stated (page -) the measures adopted by me to supply the necessities of these regiments. As soon as the regiments were organized into brigades and divisions preparatory to active service, it became the duty of each chief surgeon of an army corps to see that the medical department of his command was organized to meet the casualties of battle. The object of the concentration of the troops was to accustom the regi- ments to operations in which they constituted the units of a higher organization. The experience of the civil war demonstrated that for efficient service in an active campaign the medical department also required a higher' organization. Circular No. 3, from this office, dated May 18, 1898, in specifying the duties of the various medical officers in an army corps, indicated the character of the organization to be adopted. The seriously sick were to be treated in division field hospitals (unless their transfer to a general hospital was advisable) under the care of the most experienced physicians and able surgeons on duty with each division. Medical officers left on duty with their regiments were to exercise sanitary supervision over the well men and to determine whether a soldier reporting himself sick should be sent to hospital or remain as a trivial case under treatment in quarters. This consolidation of the medical force by divisions, implying, as it did, the breaking up of the regimental hospitals, met with a strong opposition from regimental medical officers, particularly from those who were not detailed for special service at the division hospitals. Regimental commanders also were in many instances opposed to it, forgetful that the object of the medical department, as of the line, was to get into training for field service. Similar objections were raised in 1862 1928 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and 1863 to the establishment of field hospitals and the practical disestablishment of the regimental institutions, but the civil war lasted long enough to demonstrate the efficiency of the system. The Fifth Army Corps.-The organization of the division hospitals of the Fifth Army Corps was begun May 3 at Tampa, Fla. Long before the corps embarked for Cuba its field hospitals were in condition for efficient service, and although its ambulance companies were not filled up to their intended strength nor fully equipped with ambulances, wagons, horses, and harness, such sections of them as had their equipment completed were well drilled in hospital-corps work and ready for active service. Each hospital had about eight 6-mule wagons to haul its tentage and supplies. The equipment of the Second Division hospital was completed at any early date. It contained 85 cots, with a sufficiency of furniture and necessary fixtures; and, as the demand for extra accommodations increased, the capacity of the hospital was augmented to 150 beds. The operating tent was provided with enameled-steel folding operating tables, steam sterilizers, and water heaters, bath tubs, and other necessary appliances. The hospitals of the First and Third divisions and of the Cavalry Division were similarly outfitted. In addition to these hospitals certain medical supplies, with one acting steward, one private, one hospital, and one common tent, one ambulance wagon and the necessary ani- mals fully equipped were retained as a minimum allowance with each regiment. (General Orders, No. 14, Headquarters Fifth Army Corps, June 6, 1898.) Subsequent events, however, rendered valueless these preparations of the medi- cal department for active service in Cuba. When the command embarked on the transport vessels, the baggage wagons and mules were left behind "and were nevei' seen again by the medical department of the Fifth Army Corps. " The ambulance trains of all the divisions, with a large part of the outfit of each of the hospitals, were also left behind. Three ambulance wagons were taken apart and stored on one of the vessels. These did excellent service at San Juan and El Caney, and showed how efficient the ambulance companies would have been had they not been deprived of their equipment. Ten of the ambulances of the Third or Reserve divisional hospital were subsequently shipped to Cuba, where they arrived July 2, and were of value in moving the sick and wounded to the hospital at Siboney and to the hospital ships and transports. The ambulance service of the division hospitals of this command was thus practically destroyed by these failures to embark or disembark its wagons, harness, horses, and mules. Part of the tentage and prop- erty of the hospitals was left at Tampa with the sick left there. Of the property and supplies carried to Cuba a portion was not available for service at the time it was most needed, to wit, on July 1, 2, and 3, when the wounded from El Caney and San Juan were coming from the front for care and treatment. This was because, in general, no opportunity was afforded to land the medical property, because there was no transportation on shore for such articles as might be landed, and because the masters of transports took their vessels out to sea after the debar- kation of the troops because of their fear of wreck by collision with each other or by drifting on the rocks. Earnest efforts were made by medical officers to have supplies at the front with the troops; some, having succeeded in getting their medicine chests and other articles of medical property ashore, had these carried forward on litters by hospital corps men to the camps near Sevilla, while others turned their private mounts into pack horses for this purpose. A reserve supply of medicines shipped on the Seguran^a from the purveying depot at Tampa was landed June 27. These, issued to regimental medical officers, materially relieved the stress caused by the failure to land theii- regimental medicine chests. The tents and property of the First Division hospital were landed by the efforts of the Hospital Corps men under the direction of Maj. M. W. Wood, surgeon, United States Army. The hospital outfit was carried to the front by hand and on litters used as handbarrows by the nurses and attendants. surgeon-general's report. 1929 The second field hospital landed was that of the cavalry division under Major McCreery; but the transport put to sea before the whole of the property was re- moved from her. This with the immediate incoming of the wounded from the fight at Guasimas led Major Havard, the chief surgeon of the division, to look for assistance from the Red Cross Society. Assistance was freely given them, and afterwards, but a misunderstanding, the particulars of which have been specially reported by Major Havard, gave origin to many press accounts of the refusal of Red Cross assistance by medical officers. Both Major Havard and Lieutenant- Colonel Pope, the chief surgeon of the Fifth Army Corps, have testified to the value of the field supplies received from the State of Texas, the Red Cross supply ship, and to the earnest and untiring work .of Miss Barton and her assistants in caring for the wounded. The Third Division hospital, which was landed from the Saratoga after many delays, afterwards became the base hospital at Siboney. To this was sent all the medical supplies recovered from the transports or landed from the hospital ship Relief. The Fourth Divisional hospital of the corps was retained on the steamer Olivette, which was thus extemporized into a hospital ship. The tents and camp outfit of this hospital were landed for service at Siboney. During and after the battles at El Caney and San Juan there was an insufficiency of tents, cots, bedding, and medi- cines due to the causes already stated, but all the hospitals were well equipped for surgical work. Early in the second week of July a few cases of yellow fever appeared among per- sons who had occupied the huts at Siboney, and day by day thereafter a steady and rapid increase of the disease was observed. This necessitated the establishment of a yellow-fever hospital and of a detention hospital in which cases of a suspi- cious character coming from the camps were held pending a decision as to their nature. The want of shelter was seriously felt at these hospitals, and was, under the circumstances, corrected but slowly when tents could be spared from the base hospital at Siboney, and from the First Divisional hospital as its wounded were removed for transportation from Cuba. After the capitulation of Santiago the troops at the front broke down rapidly under the fatigues they had undergone and the malarial influences to which they were exposed. Remittent and typhoid cases became exceedingly common. By this time an ample supply of tents, furniture, bedding, clothing, and med- ical stores had reached Siboney. together with a corps of trained nurses and a force of surgeons, those sent to duty at the yellow-fever hospital being immune to that disease. Meanwhile, to relieve the pressure on the field hospitals, such convales- cents and sick as could bear the journey home were sent to the United States on transport vessels. This was an emergency measure to relieve the hospitals at Siboney and permit of the transfer to them of the men who were sick in regimental camps. It should have been carried out under the supervision of the military authorities at Santi- ago, who alone were cognizant of the necessity and of the means available for effecting the transfer. My circular of July 18, 1898, defining the duties of army medical officers, requires that the chief surgeon of a corps " should supervise the movement of sick and wounded to the base or general hospitals, providing trans- portation and detailing medical officers and attendants for their care. " The lack of surgeons and nurses on these vessels was probably unavoidable; this lack, because of sickness and other causes, being one that pertained to all the hospitals of the corps at that time, and to many regimental organizations also. Furthermore, the convalescents were supposed to be practically well men, and at least able to care for themselves, except during such illness as might break out during the voy- age, and for this contingency provision, supposed to be reasonable, was made by the presence of one or more medical officers and the supply of some of the most necessary medical stores. 1930 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. The transfer of troops from Santiago to Montauk Point, N. Y., was also an emergency measure; but it was conducted under proper supervision by the mili- tary authorities concerned. The great responsibility of excluding yellow-fever infection from every transport rested on the medical officers who had charge of the embarkation. Had they failed in this duty, the effect would have been dis- astrous during the voyage to the men confined on shipboard and the risk of importing the disease into this country would have been greatly increased. Fortu- nately the delicate task was accomplished without the occurrence of any such outbreak of disease among the troops as was anticipated by many medical men and others who could appreciate the deadly character of the risks involved. In view of the necessity for the return of the troops of the Fifth Army Corps from Santiago, Cuba, preparations were made for encamping them at Montauk Point, L. I. These included the establishment of temporary tent hospitals, not only for the treatment of the large number of sick brought by each command from Cuba, but for the isolation and treatment of those from transports lying under the suspicion of yellow-fever infection. The detention hospital received its first cases on August 15. At that time it consisted of separately pitched hospital tents, but as the cases received from the transports increased in number framed and floored tent pavilions were erected, consisting of six tents pitched end on to each other, with a fly inserted in the mid- dle length of the pavilion to promote ventilation. On August 31, 14 of these pavilion wards were in use, with 40 tents pitched singly for convalescents. At this time there were 15 medical men on duty at the hospital. At first the corps of nurses comprised only 41 members of the Hospital Corpsand 4 volunteer Red Cross nurses. Policing was done by hired laborers. A temporary detail of men from the Two hundred and third New York was obtained to increase the hospital force until the arrival of trained female nurses. Sixty of those were employed at the hospital. The patients were provided with cots, bed linen, and blankets, and the limit to 5 patients to each tent was seldom exceeded. This hospital had about 500 beds. Civilian cooks were employed. Milk and eggs were always plentiful for special diet. Medicines were drawn from the Montauk Point hospital, which was but a few hundred yards distant. The difficulties in the way of administering the affairs of this establishment were very great, owing to the rapidity with which the transports followed each other in their arrival. As many as four reached the Point on some days from August 13 to 31, most of them bringing sick requiring deten- tion for medical observation. The obviously temporary nature of the establish- ment prevented efforts to provide it with fixtures or furniture when the purpose could be effected by extemporizations. Thus, in the tents used as offices, dispen- sary, and storehouses, empty packing boxes were utilized as desks, washstands, etc. This, no doubt, created an impression of discomfort and privation in the minds of superficial observers, but the sick men were as well cared for and as com- fortable in their cots here as afterwards, when transferred to the general hospital at Montauk Point. There was an excellent steam disinfecting plant on the grounds with a formaldehyde chamber attached. The laundry work was done at a steam laundry neai' the hospital. The temporary tent hospital which was locally known as the general hospital, Montauk Point, consisted of 18 pavilions similar to those of the detention hospital. A central corridor, running east and west, had 9 of these pavilions opening on it on each side. An annex had speedily to be constructed to accommodate the large number of sick arriving on the transports, transferred from the detention hospital, or received from the regimental camps of the Fifth Army Corps. This annex consisted of 14 tent pavilions, arranged 7 on each side of a central corridor. Other tent pavilions were added in parallel rows as an extension of the accommodations became necessaiy. Tent pavilions were used as dining rooms, but frame buildings SURGEON-GENERAL's REPORT. 1931 were erected for use as kitchens. The capacity of this hospital was 1,600 beds. Its personnel consisted of 40 medical men, 8 stewards, 10 acting stewards, 100 privates of the Hospital Corps, 15 cooks, and 50 male nurses, and an average of about 200 female nurses, one-half of whom were Sisters of Charity. Supplies of all kinds were amply provided on timely requisitions. Emergency calls were met by direct purchase in New York City. Large supplies of milk, eggs, chicken, canned arti- cles, and other material for special diets were always on hand. Provision for special diet was made not only by the hospital, but by the Massachusetts Volun- teer Aid Association, the Red Cross Society, and the Woman's Wai- Relief Asso- ciation. Cooks and helpers were kept on duty night and day to meet emergencies in special cases. In one or two instances inquiry has been made as to the treatment of the body in case of soldiers who died at these or other military hospitals. As a rule, imme- diately after death the body was washed, the jaws bandaged, and the rectum closed. When cold the body was dressed in uniform and placed in a coffin. If the relatives of the dead soldier desired his body to be sent home for burial, an undertaker removed it to his establishment, where he embalmed it and expressed it to its destination in a hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin. If no communica- tion was received from the relatives it was buried in a suitable place twenty-four hours or more after death, unless hot weather rendered an earlier burial necessary. The grave was properly marked for identification. The Medical Department has been criticised adversely for granting furloughs to go to their homes from this camp and its hospitals to men who, it is claimed, were obviously unfit for travel, and cases were cited in the newspapers to sustain this criticism, cases of men who had fainted by the way and had to be cared for by the Red Cross agents or sympathizing strangers. To correct this abuse and prevent a recurrence of such cases, it was not the carelessness or recklessness of the army doctors which had to be restrained, but their sympathy with the patient and with the desire of the patient's friends to be intrusted with his care in view of a speedier recovery in the atmosphere of home. As a matter of fact, the officers charged with the duty of furloughing the sick men were kindly and sympa- thetic, and such mistakes as were made were attributable to the great pressure brought to bear on this side of their nature. It is needless to refer at this time to the complaints of starvation which appeared almost daily in the newspapers during the occupation of Camp Wikoff, for it is now generally understood that the weakness, prostration, anaemia, and emacia- tion of so many of the troops were the results of malarial, typhoid, and yellow fever, from which the Army suffered as a consequence of its exposure to the climatic influences and local infections of Santiago and its neighborhood pending and subsequent to the surrender of the city. The Medical Department has been criticised also for moving typhoid cases from the camp to hospitals in various cities, with the attending risk of propagating this dangerous disease not only in these cities, but throughout the country while en route to them. The movement was made to have those cases of prolonged duration carefully sheltered before the oncoming of the chilly and stormy weather which is usually expected on that coast about the equinoctial period, but as it was effected by steamship the spread of the disease by cases en route was prevented, and as thecity hospitals to which the sick men were transferred had all the needful facilities for disposing of infected material without danger to the community, it is seen that there was no basis for the criticism cited. Troops in the home camps.-The method of hospital organization in these camps was practically the same, and there was much similarity in the conditions affect- ing them and correspondingly in their history. Regiments reported, as already stated, provided in but few instances with the material and supplies for their 1932 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. medical cai'e, and in no instance with that liberality which by consolidation or concentration of regimental supplies would permit of the formation of a well- equipped hospital for a division. But they brought sick men with them, and these required immediate care. Provision had to be made for division hospitals in view of future field service and for regimental hospitals in view of the immediate neces- sity. The difficulties in the way of the contemporaneous accomplishment of these two objects were great, and they were greatly augmented by some of the very men who should have aided in overcoming them. The inexperience of a majority of the regimental medical officers and of many of the chief surgeons prevented them from seeing beyond the immediate necessity. The sick had to be cared for, and to this end medicines and other things had to be procured. Relief societies offered assistance, and this was eagerly accepted by many of these medical officers, not alone for delicacies or luxuries not otherwise provided for, but for "supply table" articles which could have been had from the medical purveyors in their camps or by telegraphic requisition on the Surgeon-General. It was easier to accept what was so freely offered than to learn how to obtain the articles from the proper source. The aid given by the relief societies did harm indirectly by demonstrating this fact. To explain their prompt acceptance of this assistance these officers referred to the red tape of the War Department methods, and the insinuation that the said methods were beyond the comprehension of the ordinary intellect was accepted by the sensational press as an explanation in full. In these early days of the camps the exuberance of the patriotic spirit of the people which led them to aid the sick soldiers did much good, but, as I have implied, it also did much harm. Meanwhile, chief surgeons of corps and divisions began the organization and equipment of their field division hospitals and ambulance companies, but they were met at the outset by the apparent impossibility of securing men for service as cooks, nurses, litter bearers, ambulance drivers, teamsters, etc. The hospital corps of the Regular' Army could not supply these men, because recruiting for this corps progressed slowly. The popular tendency to volunteer led men away from the regular recruiting offices. In the regimental hospitals the sick were cared for by details from the companies, but when transfers from the volunteer regiments to the regular Hospital Corps were authorized, these men did not care to leave their local connections for service in the Army at large as regular soldiers. Concessions were made to them, among others, that when their former regiment became attached to another corps, camp, or duty, they also would be detached to accompany it; but notwithstanding these the Hospital Corps was recruited so slowly that had the military necessity required one or more army corps to take the field their medical service could have been perfected only by drafting men from the incomplete hospital organizations of those corps that remained in the home camps of organization and instruction. It may be mentioned also as a well- recognized fact that the transfers so much desired by the Medical Department to enable it to complete its organization were not regarded favorably by line officers, for although every line officer will probably acknowledge as a general principle that only the most intelligent and capable men should be employed to care for the sick and wounded, he is not likely to act on this general principle when it is a question of withdrawing for such service the most intelligent and capable men of his own company or regiment. The division hospitals of the First and Third Corps, at Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga, Ga., and of the Second Corps, at Camp Russell A. Alger, Falls Church, Va., were usually established in the immediate neighborhood of the regi= mental camps of the divisions. They consisted of two or three hospital tents, pitched end on to each other as pavilion wards, or of four or five tents, two or three end on to each other at each end of an intervening fly, the latter inserted to break the continuity of the wall and thus to promote ventilation. The pavilions surgeon-general's report. 1933 were arranged in various ways, according to the configuration of the area avail- able as a site; but in general there was a tendency to crowd the area. In none of the camp hospitals were the pavilions separated from each other by a space equal to twice their width, a distance which is necessary to give restful quiet to the inmates, free ventilation, and good policing, and to lessen the danger from fire. Surgeons in charge recognized that a tent should not be occupied by more than 6 patients, but sometimes this number was exceeded temporarily while waiting an increase of tentage. The intention of chief surgeons was to have each hospital equipped for 200 patients, but in some the number of beds had, in July, to be increased to 250. In some, when first established, there were not enough cots for all the patients, the convalescents or lighter cases sleeping on bed sacks on the ground; but this was promptly remedied when observed by chief surgeons or reported to them. As a rule, the hospitals were kept in campaigning condition; that is, the tents were neither framed nor floored until the increased prevalence of typhoid fever attracted attention to their crowded condition, when the object of their existence became suddenly changed from a school for field service to a hos- pital for the treatment of a local outbreak of disease. The pavilions and other tent shelters of the hospitals were usually well trenched and the camp surface well policed. A small pavilion did duty as an office and dispensary. A surgical ward was connected with an operating tent suitably fitted for antiseptic work. Bath tubs were provided to insure a cleanly condition of the patient before admis- sion to the wards and for the subsequent treatment of cases requiring them. In most of the hospitals there was also a special ward for venereal cases, and isolation wards for cases of measles and mumps. Commodes and bedpans were used in the wards with disinfectants; and the preliminary reports of the medical board which investigated the propagation of typhoid fever in the camps show that the medical officers on duty in these hospitals realized the importance of the use of disinfectants in limiting the spread of the disease; but it was difficult for them to have efficient service in this regard with untrained Hospital Corps men and details from the line with even less experience. Sinks were dug for convalescents and attendants, but at first these were like those in the regimental camps, not far enough removed from the occupied tents and not cared for with that strict atten- tion which their importance demanded. Special efforts were made in all the hos- pitals to have good cooks. Seldom, however, was that knowledge on the part of the medical officers which enabled them to accumulate a hospital fund for the purchase of special articles of diet for the sick; but this did not operate to the det- riment of the patients, as special diet kitchens, under the management of capable individuals, were opened at most of the hospitals. Money for this purpose was sent to them by me from funds contributed and placed at my disposal. Money was also sent directly by individuals and by representatives of aid societies; and the Red Cross committees supplied quantities of ice and milk, chicken, eggs, lemons, etc. Pajamas, night shirts, and other articles of hospital clothing were also provided by the Red Cross and other aid societies. Subsequently the order authorizing the commutation of the sick soldier's ration at 60 cents rendered these hospitals wholly independent of outside assistance. The division hospitals of the Seventh Army Corps at Jacksonville and Miami, Fla., consisted of six tent-pavilion wards of five tents each, with a fly between the second and third tents of each ward. The pavilions formed a semicircle of radii from a central point at which was established the office, dispensary, etc., of the hospital. Two pavilions were to be regarded, under ordinary conditions, as the allowance of accommodation for each brigade; and the attempt was made to keep men of the same regiment together to satisfy the desire of the volunteer troops to preserve the regimental organization in the medical service of the corps. The prevalence of measles and mumps necessitated the pitching of extensive isolation wards in connection with the formally planned pavilions. 1934 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. In August preparations were made at the First Division Hospital at Jacksonville to give a better shelter than that afforded by the tents. The proposition to build frame pavilions, each for 60 beds, was approved, and building was begun under contract. Concerning the hospitals of this corps a board of medical officers, con- vened by Special Order 194, Adjutant-General's Office, August 1, 1898, reported favorably. The board considered the equipment ample as to tentage, cots, bed- ding, etc., and was well pleased with the care and treatment given to the patients. The cots and bedding were sent from the supply depot in New York City. A rapid increase of sickness in the Second Division at Miami as compared with the First Division at Jacksonville led to a thorough investigation as to its causes. The tents were pitched a short distance from the town, on a rough tract of ground of coralline formation. The troops were fairly well supplied with tentage arid cooking utensils, and the camp was well policed. Sinks were not generally used, as it was difficult to make them of the proper depth. Metallic troughs or latrines flushed into the ocean by a constant stream of water were used in the First Brig- ade, while the Second Brigade was provided with galvanized-iron tubs, which were taken away twice daily to be disposed of in the ocean. Garbage was col- lected and carried to the municipal dumping ground. Water was delivered by pipe lines from the supply of the town. It was derived from a pond or lake in the Everglades, and was reported as being warm and having a disagreeable taste and odor, on account of which the men used that from wells. These wells were regarded by many as contaminated with surface drainage. In fact, the opinion that the water supply was the cause of the prevailing sickness was generally enter- tained. Samples analyzed at the laboratory of this office gave results confirma- tory of this opinion. The division hospital was established on a vacant lot in the center of the town, an unsuitable and insanitary location. On account of insuf- ficient area, cases of measles, many of which were under treatment, could not be properly isolated. Sinks and garbage emitting an offensive odor surrounded the lot. The hospital was fairly well provided with tents, folding cots, medicines, and other needful supplies to care ordinarily for the sick of a division. Early in August the troops were moved to Camp Cuba Libre, at Jacksonville, Fla. The Fourth Army Corps.-A few regular and volunteer regiments concentrated at Mobile Ala., formed the nucleus of the Fourth Army Corps and of the cavalry division. A division hospital of 200 beds was established here, but shortly after- wards the corps moved to Tampa and Fernandina, Fla. Tent hospitals were established and an excellent reserve ambulance company was manned and equipped for service with troops expected to operate in Cuba or Porto Rico. The sanitary conditions in the camps at Tampa were not good. Malarial fevers became prevalent and typhoid fever common. The division hospital had to be relieved by moving serious cases in the hospital train of the Medical Department (see page -) to the general hospital at Fort McPherson, Ga. About August 1 an overflow hos- pital was organized in a school building at West Tampa. The spread of disease among troops remaining in Tampa after the departure of the Porto Rican expedition led to the removal of many of the regiments to the neighborhood of Fernandina. The hospital of one division was pitched on the beach about 3 miles from Fernandina. A convent in the city was also used for hospital purposes. About July 20 the troops for the invasion of Porto Rico embarked and sailed. The field hospital accommodation with this expeditionary force was ample and the supplies abundant. The chief surgeon of the Fourth Army Corps urged the ship- ment of the reserve ambulance company with this expedition, but General Brooke considered this to be unnecessary. A short time after the arrival of the troops at Ponce, malarial fevers appeared among them, and typhoid infection, brought from Chickamauga, Ga., and Tampa, Fla., manifested its presence in the corps. Some of these cases were sent home on SURGEON-GENERAL'S REPORT. 1935 returning transports, but as the voyage was found to be very trying to severe cases of typhoid fever, I telegraphed Colonel Greenleaf, chief surgeon, to establish a general hospital at Ponce for such cases. Tent wards were considered to be prefer- able to the use of any of the buildings in the city. Two hundred hospital tents were sent by the Concho on August 13, and furniture, supplies, medical officers, and nurses on the Relief, Obdam, and other vessels. Colonel Greenleaf was also well supplied with funds to provide everything necessary for the well-being of the sick. No special report of the condition of this hospital has yet been received. Troops on the Pacific coast.-The troops on the Pacific coast were concentrated mostly at San Francisco, Cal. Camp Merriam came first into existence on the Presidio reservation, near the Lombard street entrance. Nearly 10,000 men were encamped here; but when it was understood that the expeditionary force to the Philippines was to be increased to 20,000 men a new camp had to be established. The site selected was near the northern boundary of the Golden Gate Park, including the sand dunes in its vicinity. This was Camp Merritt, at which 18,000 troops rendezvoused for shipment to Manila. Much sickness occurred among the regiments in this camp. Some of the commands brought with them the infection of measles, and this disease spread rapidly. The cases were in many instances complicated with bronchitis and pneumonia on account of exposure to the cold, raw winds which blew constantly over the site, a site selected without consulta- tion with any representative of the Medical Department. Cases of typhoid fever also appeared, with a few cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis. Camp Merritt was therefore abandoned and the troops of the independent division of the Eighth Army Corps were removed to the grounds of the military reservation at the Presidio. Eighteen thousand of the troops from Camp Merriam and from Camp Merritt were dispatched to the Philippine Islands. They were carried on twenty trans- port steamers, the first expedition sailing on May 25. Each steamship, before being accepted by the Government, was inspected by a board of medical officers, and in each instance the vessel was thoroughly disinfected before the troops went on board. Two or three medical officers, as many hopital stewards, and ten to fifteen privates of the Hospital Corps, fully equipped for field service, were assigned to each ship. With each expedition was a large quantity of medical supplies to provide the troops for six months and to equip suitable hospitals at Manila. These supplies included medicines, surgical instruments, dressings, hos- pital furniture, beds and bedding, and all the miscellaneous articles required for the proper treatment and care of the sick. Many articles believed to be necessary in the treatment of the diseases incident to the climate of the Philippine Islands were largely in excess of the allowance of the supply table. Large reserve sup- plies were sent on the Arizona and the Scandia, which sailed late in August, to replenish the stores already sent; an additional supply was also placed on both ships in case they should be required to make the return voyage in the capacity of hospital ships. The precautions taken to secure a good sanitary condition of the vessels prior to embarkation and the sanitary supervision exercised over the men during their long voyage must be credited with the excellent condition in which the troops arrived at Manila, for if any notable sickness had occurred on these vessels its presence would certainly have been announced in the press dispatches. I have received but few reports as yet from medical officers who accompanied this expe- ditionary force, but those which have come to hand give a most gratifying view of the conditions affecting the men while on board the transports. During the attack on the Spanish lines at Manila, August 13, the field hospitals were estab- lished at Camp Dewey. 4 miles from the scene of action. All the wounded, 45 in number, were in hospital and comfortably cared for by 7 p. m. of that day. 1936 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. The service of the division field hospital, Presidio of San Francisco, Cal., began June 2, 1898, at Camp Merritt, with tents for 48 patients. At this time serious cases, mostly complications of measles, were treated in various civil hos- pitals in San Francisco. The site of this camp was, as stated above, unsuitable. Its surface was a cold, damp sand, continually exposed to chilly winds and heavy fogs which saturated the tents, clothing, and bedding of the men with moisture. On July 21 the hospital was moved to the Presidio, where two large brick barrack buildings and a few hospital tents constituted the accommodations. The ventila- tion was poor, water had to be carried from the lavatory, and the sewerage sys- tem, if not faulty, was at least inconvenient for hospital purposes. All necessary supplies and furnishings were promptly furnished by the chief surgeon of the department. A separate special diet kitchen which gave satisfaction was main- tained. After the departure of the last Philippine troops on the Scandia, August 26, the hospital force consisted of 5 hospital stewards, 7 acting stewards, 78 privates of the Hospital Corps, 33 female nurses, and 10 Sisters of Charity, the capacity of the hospital at the time being 320 beds. To complete this general review of the camp hospitals a further reference is needful to the history of the regimental hospitals. At first, when regimental commands ceased to be separate commands in becoming the constituent units of brigades and divisions, preparatory to operation against the enemy, the regimental hospitals were disestablished to consolidate the working force of the Medical Department and Hospital Corps into division hospitals and ambulance companies. The objects in view were, first, to complete the field organization of the Depart- ment, and, second, to instruct untrained officers and men in their respective duties, so that when field service was undertaken the Medical Department would be effi- cient in rear* of a marching or fighting command. The want of Hospital Corps men was the main cause of the failure of chief sur- geons to accomplish their purpose promptly. Instead of organizing for field service, their time was occupied and their energies spent in endeavoring to pro- cure the necessary men by enlistment or transfer. Instead of instructing for field service they had to instruct untrained men in caring for the ordinary per- centage of sick in a healthy command. But after a time, when sickness invaded the camps and the division hospitals became filled, operations for field service had to give place to the immediate necessity of caring for the sick. The division hos- pitals became expanded, as at Siboney and Tampa, into base hospitals, with increased needs and increased responsibilities. To these I sent with the utmost dispatch physicians and surgeons under contract to relieve the strain on the med- ical officers attached to the troops, and trained nurses to relieve the details from the regiments who were temporarily acting as Hospital Corps men. At Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga Park, Ga., the expansions of the division hos- pitals, under the conditions brought about by the typhoid invasion of the camps, became officially recognized as general hospitals and were promptly provided by me with the best available medical service, with trained nurses, with all permis- sible medical and hospital supplies, and with funds for special purchases. The altered conditions under which the division hospitals were operating were immediately recognized by the chief surgeon of the Fifth Army Corps, at Santiago, on the breakdown of that corps after the surrender of the city, and every effort on the part of his medical officers to care for their sick locally was encouraged by giving them every available facility. The effect of this was seen in the camps at Montauk Point, Long Island, where regimental medical officers cared for many sick under hospital or line canvas with details by the regimental commander as hospital attendants. . Similarly in other camps, regimental hospitals were in many instances equipped to meet the necessities of the occasion. In view of the insidious progress of typhoid fever in infected individuals, febrile cases in the regimental camps required such surgeon-general's report. 1937 close attention as could not be given when the men were scattered in quarters, and this called for hospital shelter and supplies. There were, therefore, in some of the camps, regimental hospitals in which very serious cases were treated and in which deaths occurred, but these latter were few in number, as a transfer to the division hospitals was usually effected when the dangerous character of the disease became manifest. GENERAL HOSPITALS. Up to September 30 eleven general hospitals were established and fully manned and equipped. These had a capacity of nearly 7,000 beds. At the same time cer- tain post hospitals having good accommodations were used for the treatment of Army cases generally, without alteration of their official status as post hospitals. Those, for instance, at Forts Columbus, Hamilton, and Wadsworth, N. Y., in the East, and at the Presidio of San Francisco, Cal., and Vancouver Barracks, Wash., on the Pacific coast, were expanded in this manner. The vacant beds in the hospitals of the Marine-Hospital Service of the Treasury Department were placed at my disposal and the civil hospitals of the country were ready on call to receive and care for sick and wounded soldiers. These offers of hospital accom- modations and medical care were accepted by me in many instances, particularly in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Providence to relieve the tent hospitals at Montauk Point when crowded by the rapid transfer of sick from Santiago. (1) The Leiter General Hospital, Chickamaxtga, Ga.-The building occupied was a summer hotel converted to hospital uses. It is a modern and apparently well-constructed building, well furnished throughout, heated by steam, and lighted by electricity. It is situated in 5 acres of ornamental grounds near Crawfish Springs, on a railroad direct from Chattanooga to Camp George H. Thomas. It was estimated to accommodate 175 patients, but cots for 30 conva- lescents were placed in the verandas, and two wards of 16 tents in all, with an occupancy of 80, were established in the grounds. Total capacity, 285 beds. The water supply is pumped from Crawfish Springs into a distributing tank. The personnel of this hospital consisted of 14 medical officers, 38 members of the Hos- pital Corps, 34 female nurses. Its kitchens, including special diet, are reported as excellent. The hospital was established June 6, 1898. (2) General hospital, Key West, Fla.-On April 20, 1898, the convent and two school buildingsand grounds of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, Key West, Fla., were turned over by agreement to the Medical Department of the Army for use as a hospital during the war. Cots with bedding for 500 patients were immedi- ately forwarded, and the surgeon in command was instructed to call for such sup- plies as were needful. The post hospital at Key West Barracks afforded many desirable facilities for the establishment of the general hospital at this place. Frame buildings were erected on the convent grounds for use as isolation wards, earth closets, etc. A pesthouse for the treatment of yellow fever and smallpox cases was established in connection with the general hospital. The personnel consisted of 7 medical officers, 34 members of the Hospital Corps, 9 contract nurses, 23 sisters of the convent, and 29 employees, cooks, laborers, teamsters, etc. (3) General hospital, Fort McPherson, Ga.-This hospital may be said to have been established May 14, 1898, when a train load of patients from Tampa, Fla., was received for treatment. Certain of the barrack buildings of the post were used in connection with the wards and offices of the post hospital. On June 20 the accommodations were extended by the use of 35 hospital tents, and shortly afterwards 100 more tents were pitched on frames and floors for use. The number of available beds is 922. The general mess hall of the post is used as a dining hall for convalescents, Hospital Corps men, trained nurses, and employees. There are also 4 special diet kitchens, which suffice for the needs of those seriously sick. The personnel consists of 14 medical officers, 3 stewards, 5 acting stewards, and 1938 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. 112 privates of the Hospital Corps, with 2 hospital matrons, 71 female nurses, and. 92 other civilian employees, cooks, waiters, and laborers. The patients were mostly derived from the camps at Tampa, Fla., but one train load was received from Chickamauga, Ga., and two from Fernandina, Fla., with a number of cases from the large body of recruits (2,000 to 3,800 men) aggregated at the post. (4) The general hospital at Fort Monroe, Va.-Orders were issued June 26 for the establishment of this hospital in connection with the post hospital of the fort. One hundred hospital tents with cots and bedding for 500 patients were furnished by the Quartermaster's Department, and the surgeon in charge was directed to make requisition for other necessary supplies. The tents were pitched end on to each other in threes and fours, forming pavilion wards with streets between. They were raised from 1 to 2 feet above the surface of the ground, floored, framed and raftered to give them stability, and connected with other parts of the hospital camp by a board walk. A frame building was erected for use as a kitchen and dining hall, the latter capable of seating 250 persons. Other buildings were con- structed for use as water closets and bath houses, the latter furnished with hot and cold water. Water from the post supply was conducted to all parts of the camp and a condensing plant provided a sufficient supply of distilled water for drinking. All sewage was delivered by sewers into the mains of the sewerage system of the post. This hospital was strengthened by the conveniences of the post hospital, including, besides its wards, an operating room, laboratory, dispen- sary, X-ray room, offices, special-diet kitchen, and storage rooms. The first pa- tients were received July 13, 244 officers and men from the City of Washington, a transport from Santiago, Cuba. These were accommodated in the tent pavil- ions, but as the kitchen and mess hall building was yet unfinished, Buzzacott ovens under tent flies were used until July 18, when the hospital buildings were completed. This hospital received sick and wounded from the transports City of Washington, Breakwater, Solace, Hudson, Obdam, and Lampasas, and from the camp at Newport News, Va. The medical force attached to the hospital con- sisted of 15 officers, 2 stewards, 4 acting stewards, and 94 privates of the Hospital Corps, and 43 female and 11 male contract nurses. (5) General hospital at Fort Myer, Va.-On May 13, 1898, the Secretary of War approved my request to utilize the vacant barrack buildings of Fort Myer, Va., in connection with the post hospital at that place as a general hospital. The buildings were speedily fitted up and the hospital provided with all needful sup- plies. One building had to be erected as a dead house. The riding hall of the post was floored and converted into a ward for 175 patients. At each end of the riding hall, but detached from it, two water closets were constructed for the disinfection and disposal of typhoid excreta. Water was brought into this hall, with two fau- cets at each end of the building, for use in filling tubs for baths. The hospital kitchens were supplemented by a Red Cross special-diet kitchen. The capacity of this hospital is 544. Most of the cases were derived from the Second Army Corps at Camp Alger, Va. The personnel consisted of 18 medical men, 2 stewards, 9 acting stewards, 67 privates of the Hospital Corps, 49 female and 12 male con- tract nurses, and 28 laborers. (6) General hospital, Fort Thomas, Ky.-On April 27 I requested authority to make use of the vacant barrack buildings at Fort Thomas, Ky., as a general hos- pital. This was granted, and I immediately sent 200 beds and bedding with instructions to the surgeon in command to make use of the quartermaster's bed- steads in the barracks and to make requisition for the necessary personnel and supplies for active service in his hospital. The proposed establishment was intended as a reserve hospital and patients were not sent to it until July 7. The number of available beds was 416. Ten medical men were on duty at this hos- pital, 1 steward, 8 acting stewards, 67 privates of the Hospital Corps, 33 female and 3 male contract nurses. surgeon-general's report. 1939 (7) The general hospital, Washington Barracks, D. C.-This consisted of a tent hospital expansion of the hospital accommodations of the post. The tents were framed and floored; the boards of the flooring were waxed slightly before the cots were put in. Four medical officers were on duty at this hospital with two stewards. No female nurses were employed, as the surgeon in command had a Hospital Corps company of instruction to draw upon according to his needs. (8) The Josiah Simpson Hospital, Fort Monroe, Va.-This is a frame pavilion hospital of 1,000 beds, arranged in echelon on the plan which gave the best satis- faction during the civil war, with an administration building, quarters for medi- cal officers, Hospital Corps men, male and female nurses, etc., and buildings for kitchens, dining rooms, storerooms, laundry, chapel, crematory, workshops, etc., all connected by covered board walks and lighted by electricity. Authority for the building and equipping of this establishment was granted by the Secretary of War on my application of July 12, 1898. It was opened for the reception of patients in September. The Sternberg and Sanger general hospitals in Chickamauga Park, Ga., and the Ponce general hospital, Porto Rico, have already been briefly described. The post hospitals which did duty as general hospitals during the war period were chiefly six, although many others cared occasionally for sick and wounded men not members of the local garrison. The hospital building at each of these posts is in excellent condition. It formed the administration building of the extended hospital and provided commodious wards for cases of grave sickness. Fifty or more tents with cots, bedding, etc., for 250 or more patients were sent to the surgeon in charge of each with orders to get in readiness for immediate serv- ice. These movements were instituted July 17-28. The tents were floored, framed, and pitched in pavilion wards, and prior to the reception of the sick the personnel of the establishment was increased to meet the necessities of the case. At Fort Hamilton, for instance, there were assigned to duty 5 medical men under contract, I steward, 6 acting stewards, 24 Hospitals Corps privates, and 4 male and 15 female contract nurses. Details made by the commanding officei' from the troops in the garrison did the policing and other heavy work of the extemporized hospital. THE MEDICAL STATISTICS OE THE WAR. The work of gathering up the records of sickness of the various commands in service during the war has been one of great difficulty. Volunteer medical officers were ignorant of the methods of keeping their records, and many failed to appre- ciate the importance of what was frequently regarded as "mere paper work," which had no practical bearing on the welfare of their men. Notwithstanding repeated calls from this office and from chief surgeons, many regimental surgeons failed to report concerning their commands, even up to the time when the order was issued for their muster out. War Department instructions to mustering offi- cers have recently succeeded in bringing in many records of sick and wounded that would otherwise have probably never been rendered. The work, however, of volunteer surgeons in this regard must be considered as satisfactory when compared with that of the volunteer medical officers of the war of the rebellion. In August, 1862, over four months after the President's call for 75,000 volunteers and five weeks after his call for 500,000 men, the medical reports represented a strength of only 109,054; in September, 162,217, and in October, 252,037, whereas in May, 1898, while many of the 275,000 men authorized as the war strength of the country had not yet been enlisted, medical reports rep- resenting 151,685 men were rendered. It is to be noted, also, that the reports sent in during the recent war give a com- plete record of the individual cases, whereas the reports called for during the civil war were merely numerical and specified the names of the affected soldiers only in cases of death, discharge for disability, transfer to general hospital, etc. Thus, 1940 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. where a regimental surgeon of the civil war reported 15 cases of diarrhea, all ending in return to duty, the regimental surgeon of the present time reports of each case the name, rank, company, regiment, date of admission to sick report, complications, etc., and date of return to duty. Our present reports are there- fore of much greater value for Pension Office purposes than were those of the civil war. My report presents tabulations compiled from monthly reports of sick and wounded rendered from May to September, inclusive, and representing a strength present of 167,168 men. These give full particulars of 1,715 deaths,* of which num- ber 640 were occasioned by typhoid fever. 97 by malarial fevers, and 393 by diar- rhea and dysentery. The death rates for May and June, 0.46 and 0.70, were not in excess of those of the Army in time of peace. In July the rate became somewhat higher than that of most well-cared-for cities, 2.15 for the month, or the equiva- lent of an annual rate of 25.80 per thousand living. In August it became excess- ive, 4.08 for the month, equal to an annual rate of 48.96 per thousand. In Sep- tember the influence of the energetic measures taken in July and August to improve the health of the Army becomes manifest in the falling of the death rate to 2.45, or the equivalent of an annual rate of 29.40. The same progression to an acme in August, with a sudden fall in September, is seen in the various ratios given under the specific titles-typhoid fever, malarial fever, and diarrheal dis- eases. This is exceedingly gratifying and must be credited, as stated, to the sani- tary measures adopted, for our experience in the civil war demonstates that in the absence of these measures the high ratio of August would have been continued for many months to come. This is shown by a comparison of the records of the Spanish war with statistics tabulated from the medical and surgical history of the war of the rebellion. Attention is invited, in the first place, to the relatively large number of admis- sions from all causes reported monthly during the civil war, and secondly to the high death rates. Even in May, June, and July, when the Army consisted only of the 75,000 volunteers called out by the proclamation of April 15, 1861, the death rates were higher than during the first three months of our recent aggregation of more than three times as many raw troops. And these high death rates continued month after month, becoming higher as the new levies under the 500,000 call were gradually enrolled and became exposed to the insanitary conditions of the camps of that period. In November, 1861, the death rate was higher than that of the month of August last, which so alarmed the country and virtually broke up the Army as a fighting machine. December, 1861, and January and February, 1862, had equally high rates. Disease increased its ravages in March to 6.08, and in April, 1862, it reached its acme with 3,331 deaths during the month out of a force of 395,703 men, or 8.42 deaths out of every thousand men as compared with 4.08, the maximum monthly rate of the Spanish-American war. Similar remarks might be made concerning the relative prevalence and mortal- ity of typhoid and malarial fevers and diarrhea and dysentery, but what I have already said will suffice to direct attention to the points of interest in the tables submitted in my report. I submit also tables of absolute numbers and of ratios by which the incidence of sickness and mortality of the regular and volunteer troops may be contrasted. From these it will be seen that the exposures of the regular troops during the Santiago campaign gave them from June to September a higher death rate than the volunteers, and that the rate of the latter during August, the month of maximum mortality, was 3.62 as compared with 5.89 among the regular troops. * Reports to the Adjutant-General to September 30, 1898, show 280 killed in battle, 65 died of wounds, and 2,485 died of disease in an average strength of about 275,000 men. SURGEON-GENERAL'S REPORT. 1941 My attitude toward relief organizations is shown by an indorsement dated May 5 upon a letter addressed by Rev. Henry C. McCook, of Philadelphia, to the Presi- dent, and referred to me for remark: "May 5, 1898. " Respectfully returned to the Adjutant-General of the Army. " The plan proposed for the organization of a relief association appears to have been well considered and the object in view will commend itself to every patriotic citizen. But it is a question whether the President should give special privileges to any particular organization. Other prominent individuals in different parts of the country may be organized for the same purpose. One such proposition has come to me from Chicago. While I approve in a general way of organization for the relief work proposed, it appears to me that it will be best not to give in advance exclusive privileges to any one particular organization. In case of need assistance should be accepted from any organization prepared to give it. " This has been my guiding principle throughout, that relief when needed should be promptly accepted without reference to the source from which it comes. The relief afforded by the National Red Cross at Siboney was promptly accepted by the surgeons on the spot, but it is evident that it was entirely inadequate to meet the emergency. A committee of the American National Red Cross Association called upon me in my office in Washington some time in advance of the landing of our troops in Santiago, making an offer of assistance. I received them most courteously and advised them to use their resources in fitting up a hospital ship, telling them that a hospital ship was now being fitted up for the use of the Medical Department, but that it was not at all improbable that an emergency would arise which would overtax our resources, and that in such an event a hospital ship properly equipped, having on board a corps of doctors and nurses, would be a most valuable auxiliary. The American National Red Cross Association has had full authority to send agents and supplies to all of our camps since June 9, 1898. The following letter was sent by me to every chief surgeon of a department or independent army in the field on June 9, 1898: "The Secretary of War has approved of the following proposition made by the American National Red Cross Association, and the chief surgeons of army corps and divisions will cooperate with the authorized agents of this association for the purpose indicated: " 'We can put any desired amount of hospital supplies-ice, malted milk, con- densed milk, Mellin's food, etc.-into any of the volunteer camps in a few hours. Will you be kind enough to bring this letter to the attention of Secretary Alger and ask him if there is any objection to our appointing a Red Cross representative to report to the commanding officer and chief surgeons in every camp, confer with them as to their immediate needs, and, if anything of any kind is wanting, open there a Red Cross station and send in the supplies. We can do this, not in a few weeks or a few days, but in a few hours, and can furnish any quantity of any desired luxury or delicacy for hospital use. We hereby tender our aid and put our organization at the War Department's service for cooperation in this field.'" In accordance with their promise, the American National Red Cross Association has had agents in all of our principal camps and has contributed supplies of various kinds in a most liberal manner for the use of our field hospitals. The value of the assistance rendered by them has been highly appreciated by medical officers gen- erally. Other organizations which have rendered very valuable services are the National Relief Commission, having its headquarters in Philadelphia, and the Mas- sachusetts Volunteer Aid Association, with headquarters in Boston. Both of these organizations fitted out hospital ships, which were placed at my service for the transportation of our sick from Porto Rico, and I take pleasure in testifying to VOLUNTEER RELIEF WORK. 1942 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. the valuable services rendered by the yacht May, of the National Relief Com- mission, and the hospital ship Bay State, of the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid Association. Sums of money varying from 33 cents, sent by Master Oliver S. Whitaker, of Detroit, Mich., to $5,000, by Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge, chairman of the supply com- mittee, National Red Cross Society, have been sent to me, to be used according to my discretion, for the benefit of our sick and wounded soldiers. In all I have received $24,244.94. The largest contributors have been: The Colonial Dames of America, through the treasurer, Miss E. B. Nicholas, of Washington, D. C., $3,500; the Red Cross Society, through Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge, chairman supply com- mittee, $5,000; the Red Cross Auxiliary No. 3, through Mrs. Winthrop Cowdin. of New York. $2,000; the Women's War Relief Association, through Mrs. Victoria Raymond, treasurer (contributed for hospital ship Relief), $2,275; the Colonial Dames of New York State, through Mrs. Mary J. Chauncey, secretary, $500; the War Emergency Relief Board, Cleveland, Ohio, through Mrs. K. V. Painter, $600; the Blue Anchor Society, of New York, through Miss Alice Sanford, $250; the Rhode Island Sanitary Relief Association, of Newport, $500; the Society of " Spin- ners," through Mrs. Harriet T. Thorne, Bridgeport, Conn., $300; the Woman's Aid Society of Rhode Island, through Mrs. William M. Greene, $600; the Brook- lawn Country Club, through Mr. Charles Sherwood, of Bridgeport, Conn., $110.50; the ladies of Jersey City, through Mrs. James H. Noe, $600; Mrs. Jona- than Thorne, of Bridgeport, Conn., $300; the General Council of Colonial Wars, of Philadelphia, $1,200; the Daughters of the Revolution, of Wheeling, W. Va., through Mrs. R. M. Baird, $60; the Martha Washington Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, New York City, $335; theSpanish and Portuguese Con- gregation and Sisterhood of Shearitch Israel, of New York City, through Mr. Albert J. Elias, $494; Women's Relief Corps, Yankton, S. Dak., through Mrs. S. Nevada Hereford, $50; the Ohio National Women's Relief Corps, through Mrs. I. T. Bag- ley, of Zanesville, $700; Mrs. Robert Patterson, Chicago, Ill., $100; Mrs. Court- land Hoppin, Pomfret Center, Conn., $125; Dr. Annie H. Pierce, Perry, N. Y., $125; sale of bale of cotton at New York, Boston, Chicago. St. Louis, and Kansas City, $2,261; W. J. A. Bliss, Lynton, England, $100; Mr. I. I. Bargen, Mountain Lake, Minn., $76.41; Mrs. Kate A. Wolf, Bordentown, N. J., $60; Mrs. Paula Bron- son, Summit, N. J., $76.14; Mrs. Imogene Granbery, Lotus Lodge, Essex County, N. Y., $100; Miss-Louise Hoppin, $380. This money has been sent by me principally to general hospitals, to chief sur- geons Of army corps in the field, and to commanding officers of hospital ships, for use in the purchase of delicacies for the sick. SPECIAL FUNDS. THE MEDICAL CORPS. Before concluding my report of the operations of the Medical Department dur- ing our short and glorious war with Spain, I feel it my duty to call special atten- tion to the efficient services rendered by the medical officers of the Army in the various responsible positions which the exigencies of the service have made it nec- essary for them to fill. The inadequacy in the number of trained and experienced medical officers has been a source of great embarrassment to me in my efforts to meet the demands of the service, but, as a rule, our medical officers have performed the duties imposed upon them in a most loyal, intelligent, and zealous manner. They have shared with line officers the dangers of battle, and they have encoun- tered with unflinching courage the more difficult and protracted combat with the infectious diseases which have invaded our camps and filled our hospitals. Many of them have suffered attacks of typhoid and malarial fevers, and at one time no less than 15 per cent of the corps was disabled by sickness. Of those who accom- SURGEON-GENERAL'S REPORT. 1943 panied General Shafter's army to Santiago very few escaped serious sickness, and two of those who distinguished themselves for their devotion to duty lost their lives as a result of exposure to the malign influences which in so short a time sapped the vitality of the flower of the American Army during the operations in the vicinity of Santiago. But credit is due not alone to those in the field. The labors of those on duty as chief surgeons of military departments and in charge of medical supply depots have been enormously increased, and it has required unremitting efforts to meet the exigencies of the war. One officer, Lieut. Col. J. V. D. Middleton, deputy surgeon-general, has been called upon to do the double duty of chief surgeon of the Department of California and medical supply officer at San Francisco. He has had the responsible duty of supplying the troops going to Manila and has acquitted himself to my entire satisfaction and as was to have been expected of an officer ot his intelligence and experience. Col. Charles H. Alden, assistant surgeon-general, has been next to me in responsibility, as he is in rank in the Medical Department. During the five years that he has been my principal assistant he has distinguished himself by his inde- fatigable industry, familiarity with all that pertains to the administration of the Medical Department, and conscientious devotion to duty. During the greater part of the war, as previously, he has had general charge of two of the most important divisions in my office-that pertaining to the purchase and issues of supplies and the Hospital Corps division. The sanitary division has been for many years under the charge of Lieut. Col. Charles Smart, deputy surgeon-general, who is a recognized authority upon hygiene, sanitary chemistry, and army sanitary statistics. I can not speak too highly of his zealous and intelligent performance of the responsible duties con- nected with this branch of the medical service. But in addition to this he has acted as a disbursing officer, as a sanitary inspector on several occasions, and has been charged with various other important duties. Col. Joseph P. Wright who has been in charge of the medical supply depot in St. Louis, and Lieut. Col. J. M. Brown, deputy surgeon-general, of that in New York. The demands upon these supply depots have called for the most unremit- ting labor, and the results accomplished under the most difficult conditions entitle these officers to special commendation. The medical officers selected to take charge of our general hospitals and hospital ships have all distinguished themselves by their intelligent devotion to their responsible duties. The duties imposed upon Maj. Charles Richard, who has had charge of the hos- pital train, have been especially important and arduous, and have been performed in a manner most creditable to him and to the Medical Corps. Although nearly 3,000 cases have been taken by this train from field hospitals in the camps to our general hospitals, not a word of complaint from any source has reached me with reference to this transportation service. The chief surgeon of the Army in the field, Col. Charles R. Greenleaf, assistant surgeon-general, United States Army, and the chief surgeons of the several army corps, have been unremitting in their efforts to organize an efficient Medical Department for active military operations; but, as was to have been expected, this proved to be a task requiring both time and patience. The result has, however, been all that could reasonably have been expected when the difficulties encoun- tered are taken fully into consideration. The amount of sickness from diseases classed by sanitarians as "preventable" has been excessive, but the conditions which have led to the wide prevalence of these diseases in our camps of instruction have been, to a large extent, beyond the control of the Medical Department, which has, nevertheless, heroically and successfully met the difficult task of caring for a large number of seriously sick soldiers in field hospitals. The care of the sick in the field and in hospital and the administration of medical affairs in our 1944 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. camps have been to a large extent in the hands of the enlarged Medical Department resulting from the organization of a Volunteer Army. Many of the division and brigade surgeons appointed by the President upon my recommendation and a con- siderable proportion of the regimental surgeons have proved themselves to be well qualified for the important duties devolving upon them, and after a few months' experience in camp have acquired a satisfactory knowledge of matters pertaining to army administration, camp sanitation, etc., which fora medical officer are quite as important as his professional qualifications. Before closing this report, I desire to call attention to the patriotic devotion to duty of the clerical force of the Surgeon-General's Office, and especially to the effi- cient services rendered by Mr. George A. Jones, chief clerk, and other clerks in charge of the principal divisions in my office. The enormous increase in the amount of work to be done as a result of the war, and the want of experience on the part of clerks temporarily employed to meet the emergency, have made it nec- essary for a considerable number of our most experienced clerks to remain at theii* desks until long after office hours, and often to return to their work in the evening. This they have done cheerfully and without complaint, and as a result the work of my office has not at any time fallen behind to any considerable extent. RECOMMENDATIONS. The increase of the enlisted strength of the Army to a total of 60,000, and the large number of new stations to be garrisoned in the islands acquired and occu- pied by the United States, make an increase in the Medical Corps absolutely essential. I therefore recommend an addition to the number of medical officers now allowed by law of 2 assistant surgeons-general with the rank of colonel, 6 deputy surgeons-general with the rank of lieutenant-colonel 30 surgeons with the rank of major, and 50 assistant surgeons with the rank of first lieutenant. This recommendation is based upon the present organization of the Army. Any increase made by Congress during the coming session will necessitate a further increase of the Medical Corps. Very respectfully, Geo. M. Sternberg, Surgeon-General U. S. Army. Washington, D. C., November 17, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. RICHARD A. PYLES. Maj. Richard A. Pyles then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objection to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn by General Wilson. By General Wilson: Q. Please give us your full name, rank, and where you have served in this war with Spain. A. Richard A. Pyles, major and surgeon of the First District of Columbia Vol- unteers. We were encamped first at Alger, next at Chickamauga, and next at Tampa. We were afterwards at San Juan Hill and Montauk. Q. Will you be kind enough to give us the condition of Camp Alger? A. We were the first regiment there, and the ground was new and clean. We stayed there four days, perhaps. Q. Were the conditions entirely to suit you? A. Entirely so. MAJ. RICHARD A. PYLES. 1945 Q. You arrived at Chickamauga when? A. On the 23d of June. Q. Please give us the conditions of the camp there. A. It was perfectly clean, new ground; perhaps too much shade, but perfectly clean. Q. How was the water supply? A. Not proper. Q. Where did it come from? A. From the creek. Q. From which creek? A. I do not know; I think Chickamauga Creek. Q. Was it brought to you in pipes? A. No, sir; we sent and got it. We made every effort to get wells, but we found the water-apparently spring water-was only surface drainage. We attempted to dig wells, but had to stop using it. Q. Did you use it at all? A. For a few days. Q. What effect did it have upon the men? A. It had no effect. Q. How long did you remain there? A. Ten days. Q. What are the general conditions at Chickamauga? A. Satisfactory. Q. From there you went to Tampa? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the conditions there? A. The ground had been used there, and was not thoroughly clean. The space allotted us was entirely too small for a brigade of men. The men slept in shelter tents, on the ground, of course. Our sinks there were too close to the camp, but there was no other space available. Q. How was the water supply? A. Good. Q. Was the general character and condition of the command good while there? A. At that point the men were suffering from diarrhea to some extent. Q. To what do you charge that? A. Not seasoned; they had been out only a short time. Q. What was the character of the rations? A. As an army ration, very good; I think there should have been more vegeta- bles. Q. Did the boys purchase things outside? A. It was not allowed. Q. You went from Tampa when? A. On the 2d of July, on a transport. Q. Was there any sickness on board the transport? A. Two patients were put off at Key West. One corporal had yellow fever, in my opinion. Q. You arrived at Santiago when? A. On the 10th of July. Q. You went into camp at once? A. The first night our colonel went ashore and landed there were 30 cases of yellow fever at Siboney. At the time I told him I didn't think we ought to stay there a moment, and we formed in companies and marched to La Guasimas. I think I stayed the first night on the battle ground of the Rough Riders. Q. How long did you remain there? A. Until the 18th or 19th. 1946 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Then where did yon go? A. To San Juan hills. Q. How long were you there? A. We went away on the 23d of August. Q. Tell us about the care of the camp there and the health and condition of the men? A. The ground was very hilly; it was a malarial district, and a swamp just back of us. It was not, in my opinion, as suitable camp for men as they had at El Caney Heights. As soon as we could get quinine, I ordered from six to ten grains administered to every man in the regiment, and while other regiments were fail- ing ours was up. I thought possibly it was because we came later and not to the use of quinine. Q. The comparative health was what? A. Good; but after we had been there five days the sick list went up from 8 to 189. Q. What was the death rate? A. I think, 25. Q. Out of how many? A. One thousand. Q. What was the water supply there? A. It was very bad; it was from San Juan River, which had been passed by thousands. Q. What transport did you go over on? A. The Catania. • Q. How was it coming back? A. There was no fault found coming back. Q. How was the food supplied on the boat? A. The regular army ration. Q. Did you have any delicacies coming back? A. Nothing, except what was supplied by the Medical Department. Q. Did you have soups, condensed milk, etc.? A. Yes, sir; soups for the sick, but no condensed milk; but we had malted milk. By Colonel Denby: Q. Did you know, in your command, a young man by the name of Henry A. Dobson? A. Yes, sir. By General Wilson: Q. It has been stated that the sick were not properly cared for in the hospital? A. I was not connected with any hospital at any time, and I do not know that I could criticise it at all. Q. Were complaints made to you by your men? A. They did not like the hospitals; they claimed they got better treatment in their own regiment. Q. They were more at home, I suppose? A. Yes, sir; I suppose so. Q. Were the complaints made of such a character that you examined and inves- tigated them? A. At first, at San Juan, the conditions were not good. The men were forced to sleep on the ground, and the hospital had not been organized. Later they had what I consider a magnificent hospital. By Colonel Denby: Q. You knew Henry A. Dobson? A. Yes. sir. MAJ. RICHARD A. PYLES. 1947 Q. What position did he hold in the regiment? A. First sergeant, Company D. Q. Did you know about his being taken sick? A. At the beginning I did not; he came up with the first section of the regiment on the transport Hudson; I left five days later with the transport Minnewaska; I was taken sick afterwards. Q. You didn't go on the same transport he did? A. No, sir. Q. Then, if you were taken sick on the transport, you didn't know anything about it? A. No, sir. Q. Did you see him at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long after you arrived? A. Three days. Q. He was in one of the camps? A. We were in the detention camp three days or more. Then the assistant sur- geon reported to me he was ill. He was a boy I took a great interest in; socially and personally, I liked him; he had come to me to get advice before that. Q. What day did you go to see him? A. On the day he was reported sick, and on September 5 I ordered him to the hospital. Q. When did you see him between the 3d and the 5th? A. I can not recollect. Q. It is stated he was not removed until the afternoon of the 6th. A. I can not remember about that. Q. It was stated he remained 10 days in his tent before he was sent to the hospital. A. My impression is he was not sick 10 days. Q. What day did you go to see him? A. As I say, between the 3d and 5th. Q. At that time he was not in the hospital? A. No, sir; in his camp. Q. What condition did you find him at that time? A. He had a fever, the doctor thought typhoid fever. When he said that I immediately went to see him. My opinion agreed with Dr. Cox's. He said he ought to go to the hospital, but Dobson said he did not want to go. I said, " That makes no difference." I went to see him. He plead with me to let him stay with the men. He was a nervous and hysterical boy. He was a boy that never should have been permitted to go to war. I talked with him pleasantly, and it must have been the 4th, as near as I can recollect, and I said, " I will see what can be done with you." I said, " Be a man and don't give way." I saw him again the next morning. Q. At the same place? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then you saw him twice in camp? A. Oh, yes, sir; more than twice, because I dropped in to see him every day as I went by. Q. He was sent to the hospital on the afternoon of September 6? A. The ambulance, then, was ordered on the 5th, if he went on the 6th, for I know the ambulance was ordered on the day preceding the day he went. Q. What accommodations were in the tents and what care did he receive there? A. He received treatment for typhoid fever, and he had beef tea, milk, and the light diet suitable, as far as we could obtain it for him. 1948 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What attention did he get while there at the Key? A. There were no cots. We slept on the ground. Q. Do you know anything about it-they state that the road by which the ambulance went was very rough and was driven very rapidly, and it almost killed him in getting there-do you know anything about the roads from the camp to the hospital? A. The road was not rough. Q. Do you know anything about him after he left the hospital? A. No, sir. Q. He says there was no attention given to him at all until he had been there a day. A. I do not know anything about that. Q. Who was Dr. Hancock? A. I do not know. I don't think I ever heard of him. Q. You do not know anything of what became of him? A. Except that the newspapers said he died after being transferred from one hospital to another several times. Q. He was transported on the steamer Shinnecock. Do you know nothing about that? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know a Dr. Ebert? A. He was acting assistant surgeon. Q. Do you know where he is now? A. No, sir; I think probably at Atlanta. He was on the first section on the Hudson from Cuba to Montauk. Q. Has the father of this young man ever called on you or spoken to you about his son? A. No, sir; I have never seen him. The reason of that one day's delay was at his own request and because I knew the boy and knew it would be a shock and 1 thought it necessary to do this. At Tampa he was one of the boys we had whose nervous system gave away. He was first sergeant, and a good deal depended upon first sergeants. He would go to sick call and answer for them. I told him to stop that. He came up one day on the bridge, and he was hysterical. I told him nothing was the matter-that he had an attack of the blues; and about two hours later he was brought in in a thorough state of hysteria. Q. Whose duty was it to look after him at camp? A. Dr. Cox was the ranking surgeon at the detention camp. Q. Dr. Ebert-he was there at one time, was he? A. He was with him. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What effect upon his ultimate recovery did his retention in camp have? A. None in the slightest. By General Wilson: Q. While at Montauk, what was the condition of the camp and character of the treatment and the supplies received there? A. I brought with me from Cuba nearly all the medicines desired. I had no difficulty in obtaining medicines at Montauk. We did not receive milk except when it was sour, and I think what we did get was bought with a private fund. We had no floors to our tents. I think the first section had floors after a while. Q. What was the health of the men' A. Not good; a great many contracted rheumatism. Q. You had no trouble in getting supplies? A. No, sir. MAJ. RICHARD A. PYLES. 1949 Q. You had the army ration? A. Yes, sir. Q. Without any additions whatever? A. Yes, sir; we had eggs and vegetables-a vast improvement on Cuba. Q. But you did not get milk? A. It was sour nearly all the time. Q. What was the general health of the men at Montauk? A. I do not think it was improved. Q. You think the men were injured? A. I think a great many went back with disease. Q. That is the history of malaria, is it not? A. Yes, sir; history would bring that result. Ido not condemn Montauk at all. Q. Your opinion of Montauk is what, as a camp? A. A healthy point. Q. Have you anything further to say in regard to that? A. I have no criticisms to make. My opinion is that the Administration should receive great credit for what it has done. I have no patience with those who criti- cise it. By General Beaver: Q. You saw young Dobson lay on the ground: did he have a bed sack under him? A. No, sir. Q. Was he injured, in your judgment, by lying on the ground? A. I do not know; he had his woolen blanket; his comrades gave him attention, and he says, "If you will let me stay I will be well in two or three days." As soon as I saw him the next day I took the responsibility of moving him to the hospital. Q. You were speaking of his hysterical condition? A. He was brought in a semiconscious condition; immediately I saw he was more hysterical than when he went out. I had a hospital tent. I took him there and he remained there; he required no medicine. Next morning I called him to me and told him, "You are now another boy; you have enlisted in the Army and on the eve of going to Cuba." I says, " It is necessary to be a man; do not break down; you have been thinking of leaving home." He told me that talk did him more good than anything else, and when I went to the tent and told him he had to go to the hospital it had an effect on him. Q. Then you treated him as a friend as well as a soldier? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then he had every attention he could have received under the circumstances, had he? A. I think so, without a doubt. I think our regiment had too many young men; our death record will show that the boys died. We lost but three in Cuba; I think we did remarkably well. Four days after that we received fresh beef. We had eighty or ninety cases of dysentery, and I told the colonel I could not control it. I ordered the balance of the fresh beef to be buried and that no fresh beef be issued. The commissary said it would be necessary to take it the next day, and he would have to give it to us. I said, " Then bury it." From that day on our dysentery lessened. Q. You just gave them bacon and pork? A. Yes, sir. 1950 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Washington, D. C., November 17,1898. Gen. Samuel B. M. Young, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of the inquiry, and having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson. By General Beaver : Q. General Young, will you kindly give us your name and rank in the regular establishment, and points at which you have served in the war with Spain? A. Samuel B. M. Young, major-general volunteers, colonel Third United States Cavalry, serving at Fort Ethan Allen when war was declared. Was ordered the 21st of April to Chickamauga Park with a detachment of my regiment, meeting the other portion of my regiment there as it arrived from Jefferson Barracks on the line at Chickamauga, and commanded my regiment until the 4th of May, when I was appointed brigadier-general volunteers. I then left there and was assigned to the command of a cavalry brigade consisting of the First and Tenth Regular Cavalry. I left there about the 14th of May for Tampa, Fla., but received orders to switch off at Lakeland, about 30 miles from Tampa. There I remained until the 6th of June, and 1 was ordered to Tampa to embark on transport. I embarked about the 7th and arrived-I have forgotten the exact date-at Santiago and debarked there and served in the Santiago campaign until I was taken sick and sent back to this country on the 5th of July. On the 5th of August I arrived at Montauk Point in the evening and served there in command until the arrival of General Wheeler, I think about the 17th, and just served with General Wheeler until the 8th of September. I arrived and assumed my duties at Camp Meade about the 15th of September, and have been there since that time. Q. Did you have anything unusual in your experiences up to the time you went on board the transport at Tampa, or did you have the ordinary camp experience up to that time? A. I should say the ordinary camp experience. Q. How long were you at Tampa before you went on board the transport? A. No time; I went from the cars right aboard. Q. You had no opportunity, then, to examine the conditions of the several depart- ments at Tampa; the Quartermaster's, the Commissary, etc.? A. No, sir. Q. When and where did you land on the island of Cuba? A. At a place called Daiquiri; I landed there-I have it in a memorandum book-[referring to book] June 21. Q. Did your command at the time you landed at Daiquiri consist of the same troops as when you were encamped at Lakeland with the First and Tenth Cavalry? A. In addition, I had the First Volunteer Cavalry, Colonel Wood's, commonly known as the " Rough Riders." At Lakeland I had for the time being-only for camp discipline, assigned to my brigade-the Seventy-first New York and Second Minnesota troops for ten days, but they were not part and parcel of the brigade. Q. Had any troops landed when you had arrived there, that you know of, at Daiquiri? A. No, sir. Q. What were the first troops to land? A. Lawton's brigade. I have a copy of the order right here. "Memorandum of landing. Order received-General Order Ne. 18, Fifth Corps, dated the 20th, received at 7.30 a. m. Order of debarkation: First, Lawton's brigade; second, Bates's brigade; third, dismounted cavalry division, Wheeler's; fourth, Kent's division; fifth, Rafferty's squadron, Second Cavalry." Q. Your command was part of Wheeler's division, was it? A. Yes, sir. TESTIMONY OF GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. 1951 Q. Was the order indicated in that general order you have read observed in the debarkation? A. Well, not so far as I was concerned; no, sir. The debarkation was very slow and I flagged to General Wheeler asking permission to debark my brigade with the small boats attached to the command I was on. I landed a few men that way, but the sea was so rough we lost two men drowned. I borrowed the only lighter, that had just arrived, and debarked with that. I was one brigade. I was debarked before Sumner's brigade, who was to go before me, and after that Bates's brigade. I did this because the movement was so slow. Q. The lighter to which you refer, was it the Laura? A. Yes, sir. Q. It had not been available for the landing of the troops until you took it when you first arrived? A. I understood it had just arrived after delivering some supplies at Guanta- namo. It came up that day. Q. What conveniences for landing troops were there before this lighter arrived? A. The small boats of the navy. Q. Were those available for your landing, or were they engaged in landing the other troops who preceded you? A. The other troops. Q. And it was so slow that you thought it could be improved on, and you improvised these A. Yes, sir. Q. You landed on what day, General, the 22d? A. (Referring to memorandum book.) I landed myself on the 22d. I landed Wood's regiment, part of it, the Tenth, on that evening. It was too dark then, and we landed the others the next morning. Q. So, during the morning of the 23d. your entire brigade was landed? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did you remain at Daiquiri? The Witness. After landing there? General Beaver. Yes, sir. A. I remained there until 4 o'clock in the evening. Q. Well, just go on and give us in narrative form an account of that campaignl so far as you were connected with it, and so far as it came under your persona, observation. A. Well, I think I can read from here the most. [Referring to memorandum book.] Q. In this narrative confine yourself to your own movements; we simply want the facts. A. I sent my aid to General Wheeler for orders, reporting I was on shore; that it was no place for troops to encamp; the water was not fit to drink. He said to move 4 or 5 miles on farther and find a good camp. These were the orders on which I moved out. I found the only ground that I saw fit to encamp on was already occupied. Bates had landed that morning and had already moved out, under what orders I do not know; but I moved in rear of him and Rafferty's squadron, and finding no ground after going out about 5 miles I found it was only a couple of miles to Siboney, and learned that General Wheeler was there. I moved on through and got there about 7.30 and met General Wheeler, who had been out to the front. He said they licked the Spaniards two or three miles out; that they had left Siboney with the insurgents. The Cubans had followed them; they had a lively skirmish, eight or nine wounded and one killed, and I asked him where to get camping ground. He said it was occupied by the Spaniards. I said, "General Wheeler, give me permission to go out there; I would like to locate at 1952 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. that camping ground and get it for ourselves." At that time the steamers were coming into Siboney. There was nothing at the front except Cubans. He said he had no objection to my going there in the morning, and he introduced me to General Castillio. I had a talk with him and gave him from memory a description of the country, and by aid of a little tallow candle I sketched off a sketch, which I have in this book, and I showed it to General Castillio, and he said that was pretty near right, making a little alteration here and there; but he said he thought the Spaniards would retreat into Santiago. If they did not they would be rein- forced, and I would find 3,000 soldiers there. I asked him how many he had. He said quite a number-I have forgotten-about 1,200. I asked him how many men he could depend on-fighting men. He said he could depend on 500, he was sure. I asked him if I would go out on a reconnoissance would he support me with these 500 men, and he said he was expecting General Garcia and he could not go himself, but would send his men, and he gave a staff officer who could speak their language, in order that he could convey my orders to his men. I went back to General Wheeler, who was lying on the gallery of this building, almost asleep, and told him of this talk with General Castillio, and that he had promised me this support in case there was an enemy there; that he would ride out himself in the morning, but had to return to meet General Garcia, and he also gave me other guides. I said, " General Wheeler, if you have no objection, I will move out in the morning at 5 o'clock and see what there is there. This ground is not fit to encamp on here. " And he said, ' ' I will be glad if you will go. " 1 had a consultation with my squadron commanders and decided on my plan. In the morning at 5 o'clock I sent for General Castillio and he was not up. There was a guard at his door and he could not be seen. After waiting a while I started, and it was carried out as reported. I sent the regular troops on the main road, and with them and three Hotchkiss guns, the volunteers, up over the trail and on higher ground, under command of Colonels Wood and Roosevelt; but with them I sent both my personal aides, it being a new regiment. Colonel Wood thoroughly understood my plan and instructions where his right and my left were to meet. I can give you a little idea of that road in here. [Showing book and explaining- sketch.] Their line was long enough to cover both ways. Q. You did not lap their flank? A. No, sir. Two troops I had sent out the Guantanamo road, which was off to the right, and finding there was nothing there, I lapped the left flank with these two troops. Q. You knew you were in the presence of the enemy and knew where the enemy was located before you started? A. Yes, sir; we saw the enemy, reconnoitered them for half an hour, and they were lying close to the ground with several officers. Q. Did they attack you or you attack them? A. I attacked them the first signal. All my officers were deployed, they were waiting for the signal of the Hotchkiss gun, and two guns was the signal to attack. Q. There was no attack upon you or ambuscade or any luring you into a defile or anything of that sort? A. No, sir; not a word of truth in it. Q. You had your line deployed and prepared for attack and got your signal and met it in the regular way? A. Yes, sir. General Wheeler was present and came up before my fire was opened. I asked if he had any orders to give. He called my attention to the fact that I had divided my command, and I told him I took that responsibility and was satisfied it was all right. Q. Was your line a continuous one or was there a space? A. Quite a space, but I covered that with Captain Galbraith. He could see the right of Woods and the left of mine. GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. 1953 Q. So you guarded against any surprise in having an enemy come between your two wings? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did it continue? A. The very hot part of it continued about an hour and a quarter. Then about twenty minutes' firing, they were on the run. Q. Did you occupy the ground which they had occupied the same day? A. Oh, yes; we drove them several miles, and found it an elegant camping ground. That was my object in going up there. Of course, incidentally, I would like to have a little fight. Q. Well, where did you encamp that night? A. My troops encamped right where they stopped. They were so tired. They marched that morning-part of my troops did not get up until 3 o'clock that morn- ing. I ordered them to stop where they were, and the balance of my brigade caught up to where the fight opened, and they stopped there to take care of the wounded, and they took them back to Siboney. Wood got out with his and Chaffee came up and went away a mile beyond. Q. What were your losses? A. I had 8 men killed on the right and 8 on the left, and the wounded were about even-16 men killed and fifty odd wounded. Q. How were the wounded distributed as between your two divisions or flanks? A. I think the Rough Riders had a few more. There was only one colored man killed. The First Cavalry was in front, and the Tenth was supporting it. Q. The Tenth was a colored cavalry? A. Yes, sir. Q. I want to know as to whether the Rough Riders were unusually handled, or whether they took the ordinary casualties and risks of a fight of that kind. A. I think it was only the ordinary risk. They were, of course-they were a regiment-you would scarcely raise another regim nt like it in the country. Q. You probably did not know it in Cuba, but we had great accounts of an ambuscade into which they were led and slaughtered, and for that reason I have been asking you rather particularly as to the character of the fight, the way in which it was brought on. A. That was brought forth by the demoralized reporters and the demoralized adjutant of the Rough Riders, who left the service shortly afterwards. Q. Then the casualties in the volunteer regiment were not greater, considering the position they occupied, than the casualties of the regular troops? A. No, sir; they had a few more men than the regular troops. Q. Then the percentage of the loss was not to any extent greater. A. Not so great in killed, and a little greater in wounded. Q. What were your facilities for taking care of your wounded? Had you sur- geons with you? A. Yes, sir; and we had the first aid to the wounded. Many of the men dressed comrades' wounds, and I had these men carried back-it was only a couple of miles to Siboney-on stretchers. Q. You had stretchers with you? A. Some-and then improvised some. Q. Do you know what the medical staffs amounted to in numbers? How many doctors were with you at the front? A. I think six. There were three on the right flank, and I think Colonel Wood had three surgeons in his regiment. Q. A surgeon and two assistants? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they sufficient for the emergency? 1954 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; if there had been a field hospital to take them into. I considered myself very well supplied with medical aid under the circumstances. There were six surgeons for 950 men, where you generally supply three surgeons for 1,000 or 1,200 men. Q. You had no ambulances? A. Oh, no, sir; or no horses. Q. Had the general officers horses? Had you a horse? A. No, sir. Q. Then the entire outfit was on foot? A. No, sir; I had a mule. The balance of the outfit was. My baggage consisted of slippers and a pair of pajamas rolled up, and a tooth brush, and the other offi- cers the same thing. Q. To what extent were your men supplied with field rations? A. I had three days. I had the day's we landed and three days in addition. Q. So there was no suffering so far as food was concerned-that is, if the men took their rations? A. Some of them had taken their rolls to go into the fight. They found a good many of their things gone. A good many Cubans who would not support me came up and looted those things. After the fight was over, before Lawton's division caught up, a regiment of Cubans came up-a battalion commanded by what seemed to me a Frenchman. He was dressed very neatly and saluted with his saber in a very tragic manner. I said, "Where are you going? " He said, " Sir, I am ordered by General Castillio to follow the enemy and fight him wherever I may find him." I did use a few English adjectives to turn around and go back. They were a lot of cowards, and I would not have them in my brigade. I ordered them back and would not allow them to be with me any time. Q. Were the Cubans of any use to you during the fight? A. The ones I had disappeared the first fight. I did not see any more Cubans. I passed them in marching up. I stopped at several battalions on the chaparral and explained to them that Castillio ordered them to obey my orders, and they would not do anything without his orders. They were of no use to me whatever. They refused to assist in carrying the wounded back. Q. What was your next active service? A. The next few days were employed by myself with the staff and some of the officers detailed, that were afterwards detailed on what you would call officer's patrol duty, going out to the front with one or two men and getting a sketch of the ground and going as far as they could, and putting the sketches together, and on the 27th, having arrived at the conclusion about Caney, 1 went to General Wheeler and told him what I had done and that I was perfectly confident I could take Caney with my brigade that night if he would give me two pieces of artillery to take up there with my own at the dawn of day. I was satisfied I could take it. He immediately wrote a note that General Shafter said no orders would be given to advance without orders from him. This was the last I heard of it, except what I have heard since I came back here (that would be hearsay). I was then work- ing since the 24th. My fever ran from 101| to 103, but I still remained on duty until it got up to 105. Q. When did you leave the front; what day? A. On the 1st of July, but I was not responsible for myself on the night of the 30th; I did not know there was any fight going on, and did not know of anything. I was in a raging fever, and was carried down the next day, by orders of General Shafter, to Siboney. Q. Then the La Guasimas fight was the only one in which you took active part, except as you sketched the country for the advance of the next engagement? A. That's correct. GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. 1955 Q. When did you come North, General? A. 1 was put aboard the Cherokee on the 5th of July, and arrived in this coun- try, I think, the 9th or 10th. Q. Where? A. Tampa. Q. You did not reach Montauk? A. At Tampa, I was given two months' leave without asking for it; of course, sick leave; and about the 2d of August, or the latter part of July, being up at Evansburg, I reported I was able to do any light duty there was, and came on to Washington and asked if there was anything I could do. I felt that everybody should do what they could, and on the 3d there was a talk about Montauk; on the 4th I was ordered to Montauk, and left that evening on the 4 o'clock train and got down to Montauk the next afternoon, the evening of the 5th. Q. General, were you in the hospital at Siboney at all? A. I had my own tent there-right by the side of the hospital tent. Q. How long did you remain there? A. From the 1st to the 5th. Q. Had you any opportunity of learning anything of the manner in which the wounded from your fight had been cared for? A. They had been put aboard the steamer before that time; the wounded from the fight of the 1st were coming in the same day I was. Q. Had you any difficulty in getting your wounded from the Las Guasimas fight to Siboney? A. They were carried there on stretchers by the men. Q. About 2 miles? A. Yes, sir. Q. Of a total number of 55, how many could walk, do you suppose-half of them? A. I think more than that. Q. So it practically left somewhere from 15 to 20 men to be carried? A. Yes, sir; I should say so. Q. Had you enough stretchers or litters to carry that number of men? A. No, sir; we have two litters to a squadron. They improvised litters with blankets and bolts, and some of them walked down. Those that could not walk very well put their arms around the necks of others. Q. All that is a well-understood way of taking care of the wounded in active service? A. Yes, sir. I had more facilities there than we ever had in Indian fights. Q. How many Hospital Corps men had you when you needed men? A. I think 16. Q. Sixteen all told, in volunteers and regulars? A. Yes, sir; about eight in each. Q. Were they trained men to any extent? A. Probably half of them were. The Hospital Corps was increased and we had opportunities for instructing them at Lakeland. We were there nearly three weeks. You might say they were fairly trained. Q. Were your surgeons supplied with surgical instruments and with medicines in case of sickness; do you know anything as to that? A. Yes, sir; but they did not have their medical chests there. Q. Did they have nothing but their little hand cases? A. That was all. Q. They were not provided, then, for any capital operation, or anything of that sort? A. No, sir. 1956 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you know whether your surgeons improvised the dressing station between your line and Siboney? A. No, sir; it was right on the line-it was a little piece of a church wall there off the road. When men were wounded they would be dressed right there within 100 yards-50 yards. There was a little declivity there. Q. After that dressing, they were taken to Siboney? A. Yes, sir; carried in the afternoon. Q. Did you get your men to Siboney before night? A. Oh, yes, sir. Q. There was none left over night? A. Not in the camps. Q. Do you know anything as to the care they received at Siboney? A. No, sir. Q. I suppose not. You were not there, and when you came they were gone? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had you any opportunities of observing the manner in which the wounded from the 1st of July fight were taken care of in the hospital or were you confined to your own tent, so you had no opportunity of observation? A. I was appealed to by the surgeon there to take command and give some orders whereby they could get some of these men to help unload the wounded. I told them he would have to telephone to General Shafter, that I was not seeking the command. I was not able to be up, but I was able to give necessary orders that could be carried out, and if carried out it would be better. He telephoned to Shafter and he ordered me to take command. I ordered the men to be ready there to unload men when they came. These doctors were doing it, but they were not in condition, after being heated up and nervous, to operate. Q. They were coming in in wagons from the front? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know how many wagons there were transporting the wounded from the 1st of July fight? A. I do not know, sir. Q. Were the appliances at Siboney equal to the demand made on them for the wounded? A. I think they were a little congested to start with, but there were many appli- ances that were not put in operation. Q. So that the medical supplies and hospital supplies were there to be utilized as soon as they could be secured, that is, as soon as they could be used effectively? A. Well, I could not answer that directly. I can say that was my impression and I believed it to be the case. Q. General, what did you find at Montauk when you went there on the 5th of August. A. I found a little bit of a red station house that was used as a telegraph station, which was at the end of the line. I found a marsh all around the place except one end, that reached out to the main line of Montauk, and then a road used by people who owned cottages there. That was all I found. Q. No supplies of any kind had been landed? A. Nothing whatever. Q. Had the preliminary arrangements been made for the camp, had the contract been made for the land that was to be occupied? A. I don't know anything about that. I never saw the contract. I had orders to go there and establish a camp. [Referring to paper.] There was a well man, Lockwood, who was driving a well or starting one right down close to the water. He had some operator there for that purpose. GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. 1957 Q. Was the ground upon which the camp was to be established designated in any way? A. I presumed the whole of Montauk, except that which was fenced in and had gates on, and a portion about which I understood arrangements were made with that Montauk Boat Company to be used, I supposed that the whole of the Mon- tauk property was given to me. I was shown a line where it was cut off, what is called the third house, all east of that I had nothing to do with. Q. What was the area of the ground assigned for camp? A. Twenty or 25 square miles. A portion of it was islands and swamps. Q. Was it washed by the ocean on one side and the Sound on the other? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the width of the isthmus or peninsula? A. I should say 5 miles-34 to 4 miles by 5 miles. Q. And this Montauk Point was separated from the balance of the island by a little marsh over which there was a causeway? A. A little marsh which was connected with what is called Fork Pond. There is another neck between this point and the ocean again, but the station is right on the Sound side. Q. Then Montauk Point is practically an island cut off from the main part of Long Island? A. Yes, sir; that is what it is practically. Q. What was done after you arrived before preparing that camp? A. I looked over the ground and decided the dry wells could not be used. That same night I ordered these men-ordered engine pumps-and changed the place for digging this well from down close to the pond back up on the slope farther. The next day some officers arrived. Colonel Forwood came that same evening that I did, and nothing was practically done that day, because we did not get over the ground until dark. The next morning I made an inspection of the ground with a view of locating the camps and wells. The next day I put the officers to work who had arrived in the meantime and I sent to Camp Black and asked for an officer to come down to stake off the ground. In the meantime orders were received to build, in addition to the camp, five detention camps capable of holding 1,000 men each, and a hospital in each one capable of bolding 100 beds. The quartermaster ordered men to come down from New York and anywhere we could get them. Efforts were made to get wagons; there were twenty sent from Washington, but were delayed on the road somewhere. In the meantime all the wagons that were available on Long Island were procured, but that takes time. The railroad employees were put to work getting a road up the hill, finishing a road that they had commenced. Telegraphic requisitions were made for all supplies, not waiting for the formal requisitions; but telegraphic requisitions were made on the 8th; then troops began to arrive from Florida. Q. Had the camp been assigned for them, or was that an afterthought? A. I think it was designed for these cavalry troops. I must tell you that there was one squadron of cavalry left back in charge of the horses, and they were ordered up and recruits for other regiments that had been accumulating, but through the change-when you ship trains (that is, cavalry), the wagon train is always shipped to go ahead, being part and parcel of the train that the men are in, so you will have them to use for camping purposes-but through the change of the trains probably they were too heavily loaded. These first troops arrived there without transportation or tents and simply with their travel ration. That was on the 8th, and that gave rise to a great deal of scandal. They simply enjoyed sleeping out there, but that gave rise to a great deal of scandal. The newspapers came up there. They could have slept in the cars just as well, but they did not want to. Rations had been ordered from New York. We did not 1958 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. expect troops at that time. I sent for certain rations, supplies, flour and bread and meat, and such articles as we purchased. There was no suffering, however. They all enjoyed it. They seemed to enjoy it very much. By Governor Woodbury: Q. They were supposed to have their tents and rations when they arrived there? A. Yes, sir; but their train did not arrive for twenty-four hours. Q. The camp was there to be prepared especially for the troops who had been in Cuba, as I understood it? A. Yes, sir. Q. The troops who came from Tampa were expected to come as troops usually travel, with their tents and transportation, as troops usually come into camp? A. Yes, sir. I gave no thought to them. They were all regular troops and knew what to expect and what to do. Q. Did they receive their transportation and tents later; and if so, how long after they arrived there? A. Within twenty-four hours. The others I checked, because the trains coming over the roads-the facilities for unloading there would interfere with my arrange- ments for getting tentage and lumber out. We had but this one causeway and a new road had to be built. It takes time to do things. Q. That causeway is a new thing to me. A. That had to be widened. The new causeway was around these tracks across this swamp. Q. How many sidings were there at the time you reached Montauk? A. One very short one. Q. How many did the railroads subsequently supply? A. A dozen or more. We got them in rapidly. They had the sidings before our storehouses were finished. Q. Then the railroad company kept up with the demands in providing terminal facilities? A. I think so. Q. Now, as to preparations for supplies, what was done to provide shelter for your commissary and quartermaster supplies? A. Houses were contracted for and contracts agreed to on the day after my arrival there, which was Saturday. A large number of workmen were brought down on Saturday and refused to work the next day because it was Sunday, so I fired them out at once and got some more men from New York. Q. Were your storehouses built with sufficient rapidity to afford shelter to the stores, commissary and quartermaster's stores, as they arrived? A. Yes, sir. Q. State, General, whether or not you were ready for the reception of troops who came from Cuba at the time of their arrival. A. I was, but I will qualify that-that I had to make two camps for everybody. I was ready with one camp and could have had every camp in the finest condi- tion for them, but I had to make two camps-a detention camp and a regular camp-until we got sufficient, until the last ones came; but for every organization that came I had to make two camps, and of course I could not get floors. Q. Well, the thing was to provide floors in the camps-the division camp and the regular camp-to which they were to be finally assigned? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that finally done? A. Yes, sir. Q. To what extent were you unable to do it; how many troops went into their regular camp without finding then' tents up and floors in them? 1959 GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. A. That I can not answer; but when they came in with such a rush I turned the lumber over to them and gave them tools and nails and told them to act like soldiers; we were treating them too much like babies. Q. How necessary were the floors in the tents at Montauk Point? A. In my opinion, the soil was as fine as I ever camped on, and I don't think floors were necessary. By General Beaver: Q. Either for health or comfort? A. No, sir. I would prefer the grass, which was nice soil. I prefer it every time. Q. Were the troops supplied with rations as fast as they arrived insufficient quantity and of good quality? A. The rations were there, and a great majority of them were supplied in many cases. The officers sat down and supposed that I myself or some of my staff offi- cers should take these rations in and deal them out to them. They would not come down to the storehouse to get them. There was any amount of rations there. There was more food destroyed there daily by the surplus that came in from the States and the good people of this country than would feed 1,500 men. It rotted, and was thrown away. Q. It was not a question, then, of feeding the men, but one of getting rid of the surplus? A. That was a great nuisance to me, because General Wheeler would give them wagons-wagons that I had ordered for other work that came in, and there were cross orders. We would not let them have the wagons. Q. To bring in the extra stuff? A. That is, I gave them wagons after I would get through with the other work, and then the teamsters, after they got through in the night, would leave their teams. I have had 15 teamsters to desert us at the end of a day on account of overwork. They were civilians. Q. Did you have any opportunity to make close observation of the hospitals in Montauk. A. I inspected them every day. Q. What, in your opinion, was the character of the provision made for the sick, both as to accommodations in the hospital and as to the food, clothing, and general accommodations for the sick? A. The best that I have ever seen. The Witness. When you speak about clothing, do you refer to when they came into the hospital? General Beaver. Nightshirts, and things of that kind. A. There were wagonloads of it. The Red Cross issued right there in the hos- pital. Dr. Townsend asked me who to give it to. I gave him the names and he said, " Tell anybody to come up here and get anything they want." They all got loads of things. Q. Have you either personal or official knowledge of any cases in which men suffered, either from the lack of attention on the part of the medical corps, or from lack of provisions, such as was needed for them in their condition, sick or well? A. I do not know of anything from lack of attention. I will modify what I said about inspecting hospitals every day. From my cottage, where I stayed at night, I rode through the hospitals in the morning going down, taking a casual glance, and generally came back through them. That was the amount of my inspection. Afterwards, when I found that the details which were made to police the hospitals were not doing satisfactorily, I went over and took command myself 1960 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and cleaned them up and gave them an idea of what policing was. In regard to the supplies of clothing, I say that was plentiful: and the attendance of the physi- cians, that I can not answer. I don't know of any case; nothing was ever reported to me. I went through the wards and walked with the various physicians-not with any particular one, any one I could find-and I walked with the steward sometimes; but as to supplies, there was plenty of supplies; there could not have been any lack of supplies. Q. What was the character of the nurses in the hospital-what kind of nurses had they? A. Male nurses at first. Of course my prejudice is in favor of female nurses, although I did not know how they were going to do before they came there, but we built tents and put them off by themselves, and there was no man allowed to go near those tents unless a nurse wanted him. That part was all satisfactorily arranged-what I mean by that, very often supplies had to be taken in there. Nobody with supplies to sell was allowed to go up there. Q. We had testimony from Dr. Arnold all about the organization and nurses and all that. I don't think we need to go into that at length. Taking the locality of Montauk Point generally, and its surroundings and what was done by the Gov- ernment to provide for the men from Santiago, state, in your judgment, whether there was a better place to be had and whether there was anything left undone that could be done to perfect the restoration of the sick and the comfort of the well? A. As to that place, I am not acquainted with the topography and geography of these points in the New England States. Montauk was selected with a view to quarantine on account of its advantages, and. I established a very strict quaran- tine there, having little boats of the Government to prevent boats of the navy to land, even. Q. Was that regarded as necessary because they came from supposed infected regions? A. That was the object. In case of infectious diseases they were to be isolated entirely from the others. The same thing with the ships. No man was allowed to land or nobody to go on board the ship until the quarantine surgeon inspected every man on it, and they had to go through what they call the fumigation, or the process of eradicating any diseases that might be in theii- clothes, and it took from two to three days to unload--to debark. All that time supplies were sent to them, both from the Red Cross and from the commissary departments, stores such as are kept for sale and not issued, such as lime juice, canned milk, and those articles. They were supplied with all they wanted, and they got fresh milk. I supplied all the ships with lime juice, for which I am charged now in the Com- missary Department and for which I don't propose to pay. The camp was one of the finest up until just before the equinoctial storm. I learned afterwards they are always sure of a storm there about the 10th of August. It is one of the most healthful points-I was a very weak man when I first went there, but notwithstanding my work I have gained much there. I think I deserve a great deal more credit for Montauk than I do for La Guasimas. I feel proud of it. I don't think as much could be done again in the same time. I am satis- fied that more could not be done. There you had general officers Randall, Wilson, and myself working till 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock in the morning getting those poor devils out of the rain storm. They were wet when you got theii' clothes off. There were three barges. They go on with a certain number of men and they take their clothes off and pass them from that into the middle barge where they are to be fumigated, and then they pass into the third barge where new clothes were given them. They could do somewhere along about 25 or 30 men-it takes a long time to go through 800 or 1,000 people. Those poor devils, as soon as they GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. 1961 got new clothes on, they had to run them through. We got 50, 60, or 80 of them and it took all the wagons we had to get hold of them. The storms w'ere so fierce that the mules could not go. We had to get negro soldiers. It was 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning before we got them into camp. They were not the heroes, they were the regulars, and nothing was heard about it. Of course if we had had time, had had ten days or two weeks' time, we would have had a very pretty camp. We tried to make a model camp of it, but it was impossible. These troops came in so quick. Q. Well, as to the provision that was made f or their sustenance and accommoda- tion after they got there, was there anything left undone that could be done to provide for their comfort? A. think, sir, a great deal more was done than should have been done. I had the full ration of the soldier, which you will understand. In addition to what we had in our war, a pound of vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, and onions-we had in addition to that all the milk we could drink. They would not go for it. We had oranges-well, we had everything, you might say. I say in that way there was enough provisions left daily, spoiled and thrown away, to feed 1.500 men. Q. General, do you know anything, especially of the Seventh Regiment? A. I do not. Q. How long did you remain at Montauk? A. Until September 8. Q. Then you went to Camp Meade? A. Yes, sir Q. What is your impression as to Camp Meade, as to its character for health- fulness? A. I think it is a very charming camp-splendid camp. By Governor Woodbury: Q. General, what was your opinion of the suitability and knowledge of the medical corps at Montauk Point, beginning with the medical officer in charge and others, so far as you know? A. I think that that was the finest corps of men there I have ever seen in the medical department, beginning with Colonel Forwood-I had only known him by reputation before, but several of the other surgeons served with me in the field. I know they were studious; I know they were ambitious, and I would trust my life with them any time with reference to their ability. Dr. Ireland served with me both in Cuba and out on the plains. A dozen of them have served with me out there. There was Dr. Nancrede and Dr. Senn, from Chicago, and there was a corps of surgeons there I think equal in ability to any you will find in the United States. Q. Did you receive visits from friends or relatives of men in camp who made complaints to you as to their treatment? A. No. I received one or two letters asking me if such things could be so, not with reference to their own people; letters from ladies asking me if such things could be so. Q. Did you have any experience or correspondence with the New York news- papers while you were there? A. No, sir. Q. You have been through one or more Indian campaigns, have you not, in your army experience? A. Yes, sir. Q. Please state what the comparative provisions in the Indian campaign was with the campaign in Cuba, so far as you have knowledge of it from personal experience or as a matter of judgment. 1962 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. You could hardly make a comparison. The Indian campaigns I have been out in. where the boots of my men was an issue that was kept from the last war, the soles came off my own. The officers wore those boots out on the rough mountains. We were in snow three days where the snow was such that it would clog on the feet of the horses in the shoe and it was dangerous in the mountains and we had to go on foot leading our horses. There was not an officer or man on that march for three days that had not the soles of his boots tied to the uppers with saddle stirrups. We had one blanket. We had no pound of vegetables. We only had pork, not bacon-pork and hard bread-but that was not in the papers. Nothing was said about that. I had several experiences-that is but one. I remember that in particular. We had an Indian fight, and I think we would have another if we had another Indian fight. But speaking of hardships, General McCook knows about it, where they ate horse meat, but in this campaign where I was caught in the snow storm I ate burro's meat. I never got through the mountains for two days, and we took some corn we had for feed and parched it and lived on that. We seemed to enjoy it. Q. Now, General, looking back from the campaign of the war with Spain and using your judgment as an officer of the Army, please state whether or not, in your opinion, a man engaged in that campaign, or the friends or relatives of the men who were engaged in that campaign, have any reason to find fault with the Government of their treatment. A. I am firmly of the opinion that they have no ground for finding fault with the Government. There were mistakes and errors made, but on the whole, if you compare this war with the one of 1861-1865, it was a model in regard to supplies furnished and the treatment of the sick and wounded. By Colonel Sexton : Q. As a matter of fact, did the men complain? A. As a matter of fact, not at Montauk. Now, answering the question the General asked me, "Did I have anything to do with newspaper correspondents," it was told me and shown to me, instructions that newspaper correspondents received at Montauk, that he must write on these subjects commencing with A, enumerating down to M. This gentleman (I honor him for it) informed his papers that they had made a mistake in the man; they would have to send another writer there. That man 1 spoke to and asked him-of course, 1 can not give his name. By General Beaver: Q. Can you give the name of the paper? A. That would be giving the thing away, too. By Colonel Sexton: Q. I think the people ought to have that. A. The World. He said, " Yes; but it would cost me my place." I said, " No; they will not discharge you on that; you have too good a hold." They did send other people there, and they wrote things purporting to be letters and complaints from men that we have investigated, and there was not a word of truth in it. By Governor Woodbury: Q. They were manufactured letters? A. Yes, sir; manufactured letters; names were not given half the time, but where they were given we found it was not true. I did not investigate, but told officers to investigate. By General Dodge: Q. Did you ever see in your life such efforts made from the time that camp was started until its finish on the part of all the officers and all the employees and everyone connected with it? GEN. SAMUEL B. M. YOUNG. 1963 A. No, sir; I have said that often. I have never seen its equal. I hope never to be called upon to make such efforts again. The country looked upon us to do this, and we were going to make a success of it, and I think we did make a success of it. Q. There has been a great deal of criticism in the papers in relation to that camp. Wasn't everything from the time it started there moved with great regu- larity right along in all parts of that camp, everything that was connected with it. going from daylight to dark and a good many until midnight? A. I never had occasion to find fault with a single officer except one, who told me he did not know how to do so, and I said he had better go back to Washington or wherever he came from. He was a young man. He proved to be an energetic man, but soon got sick and went off. He said he did not know. He was a junior in Harvard College. Q. You saw these reports in regard to that camp generally in the newspapers. Do you think there was any great proportion of these reports that really had any foundation in truth? A. I must confess I did not read a paper there for two or three weeks. I didn't have the time. I would get up at 6 or 6.30 in the morning and go home to dinner at 9 o'clock at night, very often without luncheon. There was no place to sleep at the station, and I was afterwards offered a cottage by a man at the " three-and- a-half-mile house." Q. Did you have any knowledge of these reports? A. Only when my attention was called by these letters and information was brought to me by my staff officer, and he told me he thought I ought to inquire into them. The reporters were, as a rule, all that came up there. I gave them a line of tents and put them over where the Signal Corps was. I said, I will give you every telegram I can, but don't bother me. Don't come up for my opinion unless there is something important occurs. If you will designate one of your number to see me I will give him all the news I know; and I was not bothered with them at all, and they behaved nicely, and I had no fault to find with them. It was the other reporters sent specially that gave these reports. Q. What was the class of these complaints? A. A great many were from women who had never seen men in tents. A great many were from soldiers that pretended to be sick to get things. There was plenty of them that way. Q. Old soldiers? A. Old soldiers. I think they played it on me. I know my own cavalry did. By General Beaver: Q. Then they brought on all this complaint? A. They got onto that part of it. A great many officers complained to me of the men being ruined; they would not eat the ordinary rations now. They wanted eggs for breakfast and hams and sirloins. People had brought meat down, although we had as good meat there as the market could afford. They begged ladies to get meat for them. The.camp was full of food. This occurred in my own regiment. Some of my officers came over to tell me about it. They said they put men in the guardhouse for it. Some ladies said men were starved. I said, "Don't you believe it. Don't let them fool you.'' That was a common thing. You know, they like to make babies of themselves. By General McCook: Q. Did they demoralize men there by bringing liquors down? A. They brought in wines, which I prohibited being issued to them. I sent it up to the hospitals. There were wagonloads to be issued to the State troops and to the regulars also afterwards. I did not see much drunkenness there then. 1964 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. There was some employees that lived at Amagansett who would come down in the morning and bring their bottle with them. I never saw a drunken soldier at Montauk. There may have been some. I never saw them. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you ever see a drunken medical officer at Montauk? A. No, sir. There was one medical officer who I thought was intoxicated one day, but I found it was only his way. The man-I sent for him to find out. He was a contract doctor and he was frightened, but he acted as if he was drunk to me. Q. Was it a regular habit? A. No, sir; it was not. He was an excellent officer. He took care of me at Santiago when I was sick for a while. That is the one I spoke to General Wheeler about. I said, "I hope no action will be taken; if he would send him to me I could guarantee that nothing further of that kind would occur." New York, November 18,1898. TESTIMONY OF COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. Col. Charles R. Greenleaf, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. CONNER: Q. Will you please give us your name, your rank, and the various places that you have been stationed at, or positions you have occupied, since the outbreak of the war with Spain? A. My name is Charles R. Greenleaf; my rank is that of colonel and assistant surgeon-general. My official connection with the Army is chief surgeon with the troops in the field. I reported for duty with the Army in Washington about the 1st of May, and have been on General Miles's staff and with him up to the present time. Q. At what particular points? A. At Washington and at Tampa. I have been at all the camps and inspected them two or three times-at Siboney, in Cuba, and at Porto Rico. Q. Tell us what your observations were as respects the fitness for a camp on the site of Camp Alger. A. Well, in many respects I think it was a good camp for a small body of troops. There was an insufficient water supply. It was in a region of the country that we know to be highly malarious. Q. When the camp was selected-the site was selected-was it intended to main- tain there any large body of troops for any considerable length of time? A. I don't know anything about the selection of that site. Q. So far as you know, were the troops properly supplied with nurses, medicines, and hospital attendance for the sick at Camp Alger? A. There was a deficiency of privates in the Hospital Corpsand of medical officers, and at certain times of medical supplies. Q. Did that deficiency amount to so much as to seriously impair the best interests of the sick? A. I think not, sir; it embarrassed the movements of the Medical Department. Q. Would you have known, either by actual observation or by official reports, of any cases of incompetency, of neglect or abusive treatment, or anything of the sort, as respects the patients in the hospital there? A. No, sir. 1965 COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. Q. Yon observed nothing yourself? A. No, sir. Q. As I understand it, you went from Washington to Tampa? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the camp site at Tampa a proper one for troops in your opinion as a medical man? A. For a small number of troops, and under certain conditions, I think it was. Q. Was there an abundance of water supply? A. No, sir; the water supply was not as abundant as it should have been. Q. The water supply, as I understand, was defective and deficient in quantity? A. Well, comparatively so. Q. How was it as respects that? A. The quality was very good. Q. Did you have occasion to examine with reference to that matter? A. No, sir. Q. Was Tampa, after the rainy season set in, a proper place for the keeping of troops? A. I was not there. Q. Do you know anything as to the condition of the several division hospitals there? A. Not after their original establishment. Q. When originally established, did they have a sufficient number of physicians and nurses to take care of the men that were likely to occupy the tents? A. In the inspection of the camp all those things were more or less defective under the circumstances, but I don't think enough so to cause any particular suf- fering. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us, in your own way, all that you know about the selection of Miami as a site for a camp? A. I was a member of the board that examined thatsite, and reported favorably on it as a camp of refuge for the troops in the event of the appearance of yel- low fever, and recommended also that at no time should there be over a thousand people there. Q. How many? A. A thousand. We were threatened with yellow fever at the time; it had made its appearance in Mississippi, and the point to consider was the protection of that army against its introduction. My view, after consulting with Dr. Gui- teras and Dr. Porter, the health officer of Florida, was that the proper places for refuge camps would be those least accessible by railways, and we were afraid of the site at Jacksonville, and thought that Miami and Fernandina, being the easiest controlled, would be the places to select; but it was with that understand- ing that it should be only a camp of refuge. Q. Was it intended by you, at the time that you recommended this site, that it should be used as a place of embarkation for any considerable number of the troops then in Florida? A. Only for that number at a time. Q. A thousand at a time? A. Yes, sir. By Captain Howell: Q. What locality are you testifying about? A. Miami. By Dr. Conner: Q. Was it, think you, a proper site for a full division or two divisions? A. No, sir; by no means. 1966 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. For what reasons? A. Well, the space was very limited; the space that was offered was not large enough to accommodate more than a thousand men at the most: then the soil is a rocky one; there is no opportunity to dig sinks; it is difficult to put in tent pins; there is a good deal of undergrowth. Q. Do you know whether it was intended that a large division hospital should be established at that point when you made your recommendation? A. It was not. Q. Do you know anything of your own observation of the condition of that division hospital down there? A. I never saw it. Q. Was its condition brought to your notice as chief surgeon in the field? A. No, sir; I was in Porto Rico at that time. Q. It could not then very well be said that the site of Miami was selected with the concurrence of Dr. Greenleaf, chief surgeon of the Army? A. No, sir; not for a permanent camp at all. Q. Now, Doctor, how soon after- the first expedition had sailed from Tampa did you yourself go to Santiago, to Daiquiri, or wherever it may be? A. I forget the exact date, but I left Charleston with General Miles. Q. When you had arrived there, had the fighting that occurred taken place or was it in progress? A. We reached there the last day of the bombardment, which was going on as we arrived at Siboney. Q. That was after the fight of the 1st and 2d of July? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what condition did you find medical matters there when you landed? A. The yellow fever had made its appearance, and there was a good deal of con- fusion at Siboney. I found the building destroyed which I had recommended should be destroyed. General Miles had approved my recommendation. Q. How long before your arrival did you recommend the destruction of this building? A. Some little time before the troops left Tampa. Q. You advised before they left Tampa that no building should be left stand- ing to be occupied by the sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. Or the well there? A. Yes, sir; by nobody. My recommendations were to the effect that no per- son belonging to our army should be permitted to enter any building in Cuba that had previously been occupied, but that those buildings should be first destroyed by fire. Q. On your arrival you found the buildings were there. Were those buildings occupied for hospital purposes? A. One of them was. Q. Which was that? A. I think it was the house known as Garcia's residence. Q. By whom was it occupied? A. By yellow-fever patients; another building which had been occupied was at the time in flames; they had then commenced to destroy buildings, but Major La Garde told me that the orders were very vague. He did not know exactly what to do. I had full authority from General Miles to do what I thought best, and I immediately ordered the destruction of every building, just as I had originally contemplated. Q. There was a building at that time occupied by Dr. Lesser, his wife, and some Red Cross people? A. I think there was. COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. 1967 Q. All of them having at the time yellow fever? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it, in your judgment, necessary that that building should be destroyed, after these people had been moved to the yellow-fever hospital, or do you think it would have been just as well to have left that building until the patients in it, to wit, Dr. Lesser and his family, had recovered? A. I think it was better to destroy the building. Q. Was the transfer of these patients connected with the Red Cross detrimental to their best interests? A. I think not, sir. Q. In what condition did you find the hospitals as respects administration; were they being properly carried on, or were things at haphazard? A. They were as well carried on as could be. Dr. La Garde was a most efficient man; in fact, one of the most efficient I ever saw. Q. Dr. La Garde was in charge of the Siboney hospitals? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the nursing as good as could be had with troops in the field? A. Yes, sir; it was as good as could be had. Q. Were the results of the treatment satisfactory to the medical officers of the department as respects recoveries, etc.? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know anything of the amount of medical supplies and hospital stores present there? A. There was on shore some medical stores, but the supplies were limited. The Relief was lying offshore at the time we arrived there; she had been there two or three days; I don't remember exactly how long, and Major Torney reported to me that he could not get the stores. Q. Did he have any boats? A. He had a steam launch, but it was too light to stand the surf for any other purpose than simply landing individuals; to load it would be to destroy it. Q. Did anyone apply up to that time to the Navy for assistance in landing medical supplies? A. I don't know, and I can only state hearsay. He told me he had. Q. With what result? A. I think without result; he could not land his stores. Q. Did they refuse to give him launches necessary for landing? A. I can not answer that. Q. Where is Dr. Torney now, sir? A. I think he is at Fort Leavenworth. I unloaded the ship the next day. Q. How were you able to unload it when he had not been able to do it for two days? A. General Miles had given me authority to do whatever was necessary; I kept some pontoons that were on the steamer lying near us; I took half a dozen pon- toons off the ship and we unloaded supplies in about eighteen hours. Q. If you could accomplish that result in about twenty-four or thirty-six hours, is there any reason why Dr. Pope could not have accomplished the same result days before that? A. He was at the front and some distance off and very much occupied with the wounded; a large number of wounded were thrown upon his hands. Q. What date was it when you landed supplies; do you remember? A. I declare I can't remember the date; my impression is that it was about the 12th. Q. You say Dr. Pope was very much occupied in the care of the wounded; did he take care of one solitary wounded man on that field? A. I can not say. 1968 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN Q. What was the common report? A. I don't think I heard anything of it. Q. Would he have been likely to do so as chief medical officer? A. To have taken individual care of any sick man? Q. Yes, sir. A. No, sir. Q. Therefore his duty with the wounded did not so occupy him that he could not have gotten an order from the commanding general to secure the necessary landing of medical supplies long before, if he had applied for it and the command- ing general had been willing to give it? A. I don't know. Q. There is universal testimony that there were no medical supplies landed; the Quartermaster's Department did not transfer the medical supplies. For two days your hospital ship was kept lying off in the stream, and nothing was landed; the men were without their proper medical supplies, except such as were furnished by outside organizations. Now, somebody in that country was personally at fault; who was it? If you can aid us in placing the blame, I beg you will do so. A. I can not do it; the conditions were such Q. They had not what they ought to have had, or anything near it; they were pretty nearly without supplies at all; will you aid us in finding who is responsible for all that leaving of medical supplies behind? A. I think it would be extremely difficult to fix any responsibility there; the conditions were such that it would be impossible for me to know. Q. Was it or was it not expected that there was going to be a fight there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it not expected when a fight is imminent that there will be some wounded? A. Certainly. Q. Is it not a fact that these wounded will have to be cared for? A. Yes, sir. Q. Has it not been the custom to provide for that care before any fight was entered on? A. Yes, sir. Q. Well, here is an expedition of 17,000 strong, that was expected to have a good deal of fighting and a good deal of wounded, the medical supplies of which were carried in the pockets of the doctors and packed on their individual horses, when they happened to have any; which were not carried by the proper quartermaster's department, except very limited amounts-what were they thinking about? Didn't they care whether the wounded were attended to or not? A. The original expedition took down a large amount of supplies; those undoubtedly were exhausted during the fight and after the fight. Q. Let me interrupt you one moment. You say those were exhausted. Do you know that any of those were taken up to the front? A. No, sir; I don't know that they were. Q. Do you know or not that these medical supplies were stored on board trans- ports and brought back to the States without the packages ever having been landed or opened? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know that such was not the fact? A. No, sir. Q. Will medicines in the hold of a ship off Siboney do the sick or the wounded any more good than if they were left in the storehouse in New York City? A. Not at all. Q. If you could get these stores landed within twenty-four hours, that for two days nothing had been done with, why could not Dr. Pope have effected the land- ing of his medical supplies in the same time and in a proper quantity? 1969 COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. A. If he had been at Siboney, I think, no doubt he could, but it took me prac- tically part of the day to find out that I would have to take the law into my own hands. Q. But he had been there two. weeks. Was not that time enough for him to find out that he would have to take the law into his own hands? A. He had all the sick and wounded at the front. The yellow fever had made its appearance there and he had his hands pretty full. Dr. La Garde was at Siboney. Q. But could Dr. La Garde, a subordinate officer, accomplish as much as Dr. Pope, the senior medical officer on the staff of the general commanding? A. No, sir. Q. Then, if things were not secured, the next question is as to the efforts made by Dr. Pope to secure them. You know nothing about that? A. No, sir. I assume he did everything in his power. Q. We all assume that; but the fact of the mattei' is, that the things did not get out there, all the same, and you were able in twenty-four hours to start some things, at any rate. A. That was by General Miles's authority. Q. Had not General Shafter authority to accomplish the same purpose before General Miles arrived there? A. I suppose so. Q. Did you, while in Porto Rico, observe any evidence of neglect, incompe- tency, or carelessness on the part of any medical officer? A. No, sir. Q. Were the medical supplies in sufficient quantity at Porto Rico? A. Yes, sir. The first day or two, in the confusion of landing, there was a shortage; but I gave orders, in fact, brought myself everything, to make up that deficiency. Q. You were promptly able to land all the medical stores that you took over? A. Yes, sir; with reasonable promptness. Q. And you did so land them? A. Yes, sir. Q. None came back to the United States upon the transports upon which they were put? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. With respect to the articles of diet necess.ary for the extremely ill, especially the typhoid cases, were the supplies necessary for the typhoid patients at hand at Porto Rico, where the disease was prevailing? A. If not, they were purchased. Q. Did the patients have those articles of diet that you, as a medical man, know were necessary for the proper care of typhoid fever cases? A. Yes, sir; they did. Q. These articles of diet are few and simple? A. Yes, sir. Q. And they were in sufficient quantity? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you hear of any complaints of starvation in the hospitals at Porto Rico? A. Never heard of one. Q. Would you have heard of it; if there had been any general starvation, would you have known of it? A. Certainly. Q. Did you find them properly administered? A. Yes, sir. Q. As respects transportation of sick and convalescents back to the United 1970 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. States from Porto Rico, did you know anything about the transportation of wounded from Santiago or Siboney? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know anything about the transportation of the sick and wounded from Porto Rico? A. Yes, sir; I superintended that myself. Q. Did any transport come out from Porto Rico without proper provision being made for the care of the sick on board? A. No, sir. Q. The transport Obdam came over, bringing, if I remember, 167 quite ill men. Do you know whether or not that vessel was provided with the proper articles of diet and the proper medicines for the care of the decidedly sick people? A. Yes, sir; I am not so sure about milk; that is the only thing about that I did not see to; the others 1 saw put aboard myself. Q. How long before she sailed were these things put on? A. The last of the articles went on board about daybreak; I think.she sailed at midnight. Q. Are you speaking of that trip of the Obdam which was made at the time that Dr. Seaman was in medical charge of the sick? A. Oh, no; that was the first trip. Q. Do you know anything about the Seaman-Obdam trip. A. No, sir. I was in this country at the time. Q. So far as you have observed in Porto Rico, were proper provisions being made for the care of the sick there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Hospitals being organized? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they organized? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there a sufficient number of beds for the accommodation of the sick that were there when you left? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were these beds on the ground under canvas or in woods or in barracks? A. I had one large hospital at Ponce, a large stone building with an annex for the accommodation of about 600 patients under canvas. Then I had organized field hospitals at the various headquarters along the line, and had tentage and flooring, and also cots. The reports that I had from the medical officers up to the time that I left was that everything was going on very satisfactorily. Q. What was the date of your leaving, Doctor? A. We left Porto Rico about the 3d of September. Q. What vessel did you come on? A. On the Obdam. Q. Was she a proper ship for the transportation of sick? A. Yes, sir. • Q. Properly provided in her way? A. Yes, sir. Q. How was the water supply? A. First rate; there were some few little sanitary sins on board. I called the attention of the quartermaster to the plumbing. Q. Was that corrected? A. I don't know; I left the ship for Washington. Q. You have reference to the flushing of water-closets? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the failure to have proper plumbing on the ship in any degree injurious to the sick? 1971 COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. A. No, sir; we had all the plumbing put in as good order as we could with the means in hand at Ponce, and this recommendation that I made was to have per- manent repairs made. Q. At what time were you ordered to Montauk? A. Again I forget; but it was about the next day after I arrived in Washington from Porto Rico; it was about the 12th of September. Q. You were ordered to relieve Dr. Forwood? A. Yes, sir. Q. And relieved him without delay? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what condition did you find medical matters there at the time you took charge? A. The general hospital was the finest of its kind I have ever seen anywhere; all the hospitals were the same. My mission was to expedite the transfer of the sick from there. Q. The breaking up of the camp? A. The breaking up of the camp. Q. You found things were in good order? A. Yes, sir. Q Was there any considerable number of sick still left in the hospital? A. When I got there, probably in the neighborhood of 1,200 or 1,500. Q. Was the policing of the hospitals and the immediate surroundings as they should have been? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you observe evidence of carelessness or negligence on the part of the nurses and attendants and slop cleaners, etc.? A. No, sir. Q. You saw no evidence of slops or fecal matter thrown upon the ground in close proximity to the sinks, or left in open vessels? A. No, sir; that was very carefully attended to. Q. Was there or was there not, at the time you arrived, any particular diffi- culty in getting all the medicines required? A. There was a superabundance of everything. Q. A superabundance was at hand? A. Yes, sir. In the storeroom of the general hospital. Q. Was it possible to provide the sick with every article of diet that would con- tribute to their early convalescence? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they have all those articles? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they use those articles? A. So far as I saw. Q. Was it officially reported to you, or did it come under your immediate observation, that any medical officer was negligent or unfit for duty from any cause whatsoever? A. No, sir. Q. As respects Montauk as a site for a large camp, was it, in your judgment, a good camping ground or a bad one? A. I think it was a very good one. Q. For what reasons? A. It was free from underbrush, the ground was rolling, the water supply was good, and the air was pure and invigorating. Q. Was it possible to transfer to and from that point whatever was needed rap- idly, readily? A. I think so. I believe there was only one line of road, but there was water. 1972 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Could the water line be used? A. Yes, sir; it was while I was there. Q. What sources of transportation were allowed to carry freight and passen- gers while you were there? A. I know nothing as to the freight, it was only passengers. I saw a number of transports in the water and at the pier. Q. They were Government transports? A. I think they were. Q. Was it permitted for vessels, other than those belonging for the time being, at least, to land there? A. I don't know, sir. Q. There has been a great complaint of the condition of things at Montauk. Do you, of your own knowledge, know anything about those conditions at the time those complaints were being made, or was it before you arrived there? A. It was before I arrived there. Q. Did any complaints come to you, either directly or indirectly, officially or otherwise, while you were in charge of the camp? A. No, sir; there was a complaint made by a lady that some of the men were suffering inconvenience in passing from their camp to the railroad station. I investigated it in person and found that she was mistaken; that there was noth- ing of the kind. Q. What sort of difficulty was she complaining of-the length of the ride or the obstacles? A. No, sir; she told me they were allowed to walk from their camp to the station and that they fell by the wayside. I found they were sent in an ambulance to the station and were at the station at the time I investigated. Q. Do you know of any man actually attempting to walk to the station falling by the wayside? A. No, sir. Q. Have you known of men required to wait in line at the station there in order to get their furlough papers, transportation orders, and receive commutation money? A. No, sir; there was a statement made to me that men were suffering delays at the station, and I gave orders for the establishment of a hospital there at once, but I found some relief societies. Probably the Red Cross had anticipated me in that, and there were tents and cots and everything of that sort for the care and com- fort of the men. Q. Why would not it have been just as well or decidedly better to have had a quartermaster and commissary officer to do the papei' work and complete those arrangements before the men were moved from the wards at all? A. It would have been undoubtedly better. Q. Why was it not done? A. I can not say. Q. At any time were men compelled to wait sometimes for hours at the station to get their furlough papers and their ration money, all of which could have been attended to, as you yourself say, just as well at the hospital as at the station? A. These things, of course, occurred to us after the event. As I understand it, there was a tremendous job there, and it was not possible that all the little points could be thought of. Q. You mean that there was a considerable amount to be done? A. Yes, sir; a considerable amount to be done and a great many things to think of. Q. Is it true in the Medical Department to-day that the medical officers are buried under a mass of details, reports, and requisitions, and things of that sort, which are in every respect nonmedical? As one of the oldest officers in the serv- COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. 1973 ice, do you not think it advisable that a part of this work should be done by a line officer, who could sign his name to forloughs? A. You mean to do this part of the work of the Medical Department? Q. Yes. A. I do, decidedly. Q. Why has it not been done, instead of burdening the" Medical Department, year by year, more and more; why don't they get line officers to do the purely paper work? It has been said that the medical officer is the only one to say whether a furlough has been granted. In all our large hospitals men applying for furloughs are examined by a board, are they not? A. That is true. Q. Therefore, the medical officer knows nothing about it and die line officer might sign the order just as well himself? A. Yes, sir. Q. Would not that very materially lessen the duties of the doctors, which are nonmedical entirely? A. Decidedly." Q. Is it necessary that a man should be an accomplished man, or should be an accomplished physician and surgeon? A. I don't think you can separate those two in medical-military administration. They naturally dovetail. I may say in respect to this whole matter, while we get along very well in time of peace, I think the civil war and this war have dem- onstrated the necessity for such reorganization as may bring into our service the line aid that you speak of, not only with reference to papers but matters of dis- cipline, etc. Q. As respects the Hospital Corps, as organized under existing laws, is it possible for it to be a proper nursing force in time of war when any considerable demand is made upon them? A. I think, with proper preparation, it is. Q. Can you have that proper preparation? A. I think we can have it. We did not have it because there was no provision made whatever for providing a hospital corps for the entire volunteer army. Q. As respects the hospital corps men of the army, how much training as nurses can be had at an ordinary post? A. Little or none; but with new conditions a part of the administration of the hospital corps should be a training school, and an attempt was made to do that. Q. Where? A. At Fort Riley. Q. A training school? A. A training school for members of the Hospital Corps. Q. To train them in the duties of nursing proper or as litter bearers and work of that sort? A. In both. Q. Was it not chiefly the latter? A. Yes, sir. Q. Therefore, practically, your nursing ability was increased but a trifle by the training? A. That is in the past; I am speaking now of the future. Q. I am considering what has been. There is a constant complaint of the infe- riority of the nursing force? A. Yes, sir. Q. Looking back, instead of forward, would it not have been as well on the 1st day of May to have called to the aid of the Medical Department of the Army a very large number of trained female nurses? 1974 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I hardly think we were in condition to have taken them exactly at that time. They did immense service afterwards. Q. If they had been at Camp Thomas from the 1st day of May, do you or do you not think that a vast deal of complaint that had been made of the condition of things in the various division hospitals would have been made? A. Hardly from the first. The hospitals did not become ready until long after the original organization. Q. Typhoid fever was there from the beginning? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it possible for a typhoid-fever patient to be nursed by a hospital corps man? A. I think so, if he is well trained. Q. But is he well trained? A. Not as a rule. Q. Therefore, he can not be properly nursed, and that being the case, would not it have been well to put in somebody who could nurse him? A. I was looking only at the accommodations for caring for the women. Q. Was there any yellow fever at Siboney at the time you went'there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any particular difficulty in controlling its spread while you were there? A. Yes, sir. I recommended to General Miles, after consultation with Dr. Guiteras, that the troops should be moved, if only a hundred yards, to get on to uninfected ground, and then a second time moved, and if that second move failed, that they should be taken out of Cuba and sent to some point on the New England coast. Q. Was that suggestion acted upon? A. So far as General Miles could do it. He gave the orders. Q. Were the orders carried out? A. I know they were carried out while we were in Porto Rico. Q. What was the difficulty while you were in Montauk in getting men sent to the various States, as they were called for, particularly to the States of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which were close at hand? A. I don't recollect any difficulty, except with ref erence to one shipment of men to Massachusetts. Q. Will you tell us something about that, because it caused a good deal of trouble? A. The shipment was ordered; the men were selected; every preparation was made; and at the last hour, just as they were about to go aboard the ship, orders came from the general in command that none but Massachusetts men were to go. This was a general shipment, and the picking and selecting of these men made some little confusion. We afterwards had to send them in small detachments. I sent one lot up by rail, and I sent another lot by boat-I think the Relief- and a third lot I do not remember exactly how. Q. But a very considerable number of these troops got to the depot to take the steamer and found the steamer gone? A. Not that I know of. Do you mean at Montauk? Q. With reference to these Massachusetts men sent home at that time. Did that occur? A. I don't remember it. Q. The ship that was to carry them sailed without them; and it has been stated that the men went to the dock, but too late to catch the steamer, which had already gone. Do you remember anything about it? A. I don't remember anything about it. COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. 1975 By General Wilson: Q. You state that that order was given by the general in command; who was that? A. General Bates. Q. Of course, a general officer nevei' gives any reason for a thing of that kind, but was the reason known for that sort of thing? A. I understood that his action was based upon the request of the State of Mas- sachusetts, in my talk with him. By Dr. Conner: Q. You had no particular difficulty in getting your convalescents away from there? A. No, sir. Q. Tell us about the condition in which, as a rule, the convalescents were when they left Camp Wikoff, and specify any occasion on which the men starting were found to be unable to travel. A. The condition of the men from the time I arrived was determined by a board of medical officers, composed of Dr. Senn, Dr. Nancrede, of Michigan, and Dr. Delafield, of New York. They made an inspection all through the general hos- pital and determined what men were to go. My instructions were that no man was to go whose life or condition would be at all imperiled by the journey, and no man should be allowed to go who really ought to stay at Montauk. They determined the whole thing. Q. Do you know whether or not some of the men who were selected and per- mitted to go away fell by the wayside? A. No, sir. Q. Who were seriously ill, and in some cases died? A. No, sir. Q. Is or is it not a fact that it at times happens that an individual is apparently far advanced in typhoid fever, and yet, under the influence of excitement, or a single indiscretion in eating, the jolting of the wagon or the train, that he is taken seriously ill and dies within a few hours? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it not a fact that that is a condition which has to be kept in mind, and a chance that has to be taken? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it fair to charge a medical officer with a condition that may be developed after the convalescent reaches home, or while he is on the train? A. I don't think it is fair. Q. Were there many requests being made for the furloughing of men in hospitals while you were at Montauk? A. Well, it had become a system, so to speak. It was generally understood that any man who wished a furlough to go home would get it, provided he could pass the board. Q. Do you know whether or not the influences of friends or State officials were brought to bear on members of the board to allow individuals to go whose con- dition they did not think warranted the shipment? A. Yes; I do know it. Q. Did they yield to that sort of thing? A. Not to my knowledge; they referred some cases to me. Q. If a convalescent is permitted to go away by the surgeon in charge, and he is taken seriously ill on the way and has to be removed to a hospital, or he reaches home and dies within a few hours, is that medical officer likely, or otherwise, to be charged with not having exercised proper discretion for allowing the man to go home in that condition? A. Not necessarily. 1976 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. But is he? A. Yes. Q. Then, if an individual for whom a furlough is asked is in such a condition that the medical officer does not think he should go and absolutely refuses to let him go, and the man dies, is it not likely that the surgeon will be charged with inhumanity, and the statement made that if the boy had been allowed to go to his mother or sister, as the case may be, he would not have died? A. I think that is a very common charge, unjust. Q. The medical officer must use his own judgment without regard to influence? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they do it fin all cases? A. I think they did, so far as men could. Q. At what time did you break up the hospital? A. I left there before it was broken up entirely. There were about 300 very ill people there. Q. Who broke it up? A. Dr. Heizmann. Q. As far as you have yourself observed, have the officers-regular, volunteers, and contract -who have been concerned with the care of the sick discharged their duties faithfully, honestly,' and conscientiously during this late war? A. They have done magnificently. Q. Do you know of any instance in which a man has willfully, intentionally, acted otherwise than as he should? A. No, sir. Q. You have known something of the personnel of the Army through the various sections, have you not? A. I have, sir. By General Wilson: Q. I have but one question to ask. You announced that you were enabled to unload the hospital ship near Siboney after the failure of others, and that your action was based upon the general authority given you by the commanding gen- eral of the Army. Am I correct? A. Yes. Q. Will you tell us how far that authority went? A. He simply told me to do what I thought necessary in the best interests of the sick; to act in his name. By General Beaver: Q. Is it usual to take sick men to the battle line? A. To take sick men to the battle line? Q. Yes, sir. A. No, sir. Q. You didn t need the medical supplies at the battle line? A. Yes, sir, we needed them; men got sick. Q. Did you send them to the medicine, or take the medicine to them? A. Both; each hospital corps man is supplied with a bag that contains a few medicines that may be needed on the firing line, and then there is back of that line medicines for men who will naturally get sick. Q. When the necessity for medical attendance becomes urgent, if possible, you send men to the hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. So that a commander would not stop a battle because the medical supplies were not up? A- By no means, COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. 1977 Q. As to the system of furloughing at Montauk-how many hospitals were there? A. There was a general hospital, a detention hospital, and four division field hospitals? Q. That is in all? A. That is in all, I think. Q. Were men furloughed from all of them? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many men at a place? A. I can not answer that, General. I have not those statistics. Q. Would you have thought it a good bit of administration to have had these quartermasters and those different persons filling out furloughs at those different hospitals? A. Under those conditions; yes, sir. I think so. Everybody wanted to go home, and it was desirable to get them home, whether they were physically sick, or homesick, or mentally sick. Q. As a matter of fact, they granted all the transportation that was needed and the commutation of rations from one office, did they not? A. I think they did. Q. With the pressure that was made upon all the several departments for work in all different parts of the Army and its administration, were there commissaries and quartermasters enough available for doing that work? A. Yes, sir. The custom of the Army is to detail officers to do that; lieutenants could easily have been spared. Q. Detailed from the line of the regiments that were there? A. Yes, sir; detailed for temporary service and made commissaries. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Was that plan thought of? A. Yes, indeed. We talked it over, but it was rather late then to put it in force. By Dr. Conner: Q. It was after you went there that the talk was had? A. Yes, sir; after I got to Montauk. I didn't know anything about it before. Q. You spoke of taking medicines to the battle line. Is it or is it not advisable for an army to go into a country that is a hotbed of malaria, and perhaps a home of yellow fever, and to be sent forward to be kept without tents or covering in the rain, with only a single medical officer to a regiment and frequently not that, and without any medicines except such as could be carried in the pockets or ponchos or on the horses once in a while of the medical officers? Is that a proper way to look after the medical interests of the Army? A. No, sir; it is not. With reference to the medical officers, it was almost a matter of necessity to limit them one to a regiment, for the reason that there was no provision by law for medical officers to attend the hospitals; they were pro- vided for the regiments and they were provided for the staff duty, but there was no provision made for the very important intermediate duties. Q. Is it not expected, when troops move on a military expedition, that some medical transportation shall be present with them? A. Yes, sir; always. Q. Is it not a fact that the troops that moved from Tampa to Santiago did not have any medical transportation? A. Yes, sir; not any. They had a few ambulances. Q. Is it or is it not a fact that all the hospital trains were ordered to be left behind? A. Of my personal knowledge, I don't know. I heard it stated. 1978 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you know, or not, whether the ambulances that were there in the first few days of the expedition were ambulances that had been brought from Mobile, three in number, perhaps four, that had never been kept in Tampa, but were in the possession of troops that came from Mobile? A. I don't know anything about it. Q. Do you know that such was not the fact? A. No, sir. Q. Did you observe the condition of things in front of Santiago? A. No, sir; I didn't get to the front at all. By Captain Howell: Q. You testified to the location at Camp Alger; I want to know from you as an expert whether you consider that a proper camp ground there for a temporary or permanent camp? A. No, sir. Q. For neither? A. No, sir. Q. What do you think of Miami? A. Miami is a quarantine camp for a small number of people, for the reason that there is only one railroad there. Q. It was not selected as a camp for quarantine? A. Yes, sir; that was the idea; it was not recommended for a permanent camp at all. Q. I know; but, still, do you think it was a proper camp to put 10,000 people in to send to Cuba? A. No, sir. Q. Or even 5,000? A. Under certain conditions 5,000 might have been put there for the purpose of quick embarkation in light-draft vessels, but only with the understanding that they should stay there a few days. Q. In regard to communication between the Army and the Navy you had no right as a medical officer to request the Navy to furnish you with transportation to unload the transports? A. No, sir. Q. How was that done? A. I did not make any request of that kind. Q. General Miles told you, as I understand, to use his name? A. Yes, sir; with reference to army matters. Q. How would you have done it? A. I should have addressed a letter in charge of the nearest war ship. Q. You would first get the permission of the general? A. I would have acted on the permission he had previously given me. Q. If any general officer had wanted transportation, he would have had to act in the same way? A. Certainly. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Dr. Conner put you a hypothetical question, asking you if you thought it was proper to put an army into the field without any shelter or medicine; you said, " No. " Please state whether or not the army in front of Santiago was entirely without shelter. A. Not to my knowledge; it certainly was not, for there were tents there at Siboney. Q. After they left Siboney, what tentage did they have then? A. That I know nothing about. All I know is. that the quartermaster informed me that there were no tents other than the ones that were pitched. COL CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. 1979 Q. Please state whether or not the troops were supplied with shelter, or- dog, tents. A. I think they were. Those tents that I saw at Siboney and San Juan, I saw up the road, probably a couple of miles. Q. Please state, as nearly as you can, the time at which female nurses were employed in the hospital. A. They were employed during my absence in Cuba and Porto Rico. The first female nurses that I saw came down on the steamer Lampasas and joined us at Guantanamo Bay. They belonged, I think, to the Red Cross Association. Q. I mean, employed by the United States Government other than this associa- tion. A. I found them employed when I came back from Porto Rico. Q. Please state whether there was any demand made upon the Surgeon-General, or the War Department, for female nurses, except shortly before the time they were employed. A. Not that I know of. Q. Please state whether any recommendation had been made by yourself and your other officers of experience to the Surgeon-General that he ought to employ female nurses. A. Not officially, certainly. Q. Please state whether there was any public demand, any public clamor, for female nurses to be employed in the hospital before the time they were employed. A. Up to the time I left this country I had seen some newspaper articles and some pretty severe criticism of the Department for not employing them. Q. Please state whether, in youi' judgment, the Department is open to criticism for not employing female nurses before that date. A. I hardly could answer that; though certainly, for troops operating in the field under the conditions existing during the month of May, I could not have advised the employment of female nurses with the troops. We were expecting to go into the field at any moment, and I am free to say that I do not think a woman's place is on the firing line, or with troops absolutely engaged in the field. For base hospitals or general hospitals her services are indispensable. Q. The reason 1 ask this question is to show whether proper foresight was given, or whether this matter about the female nurses is not rather a matter of hindsight, and now we can see what might have been done, but whether under all the circumstances everything was not done that could have been done in that line or should have been done in that line; that is, whethei' the Department was laggard, or whether it was doing what it could. A. I know that General Sternberg gave that matter very careful thought, and he had arranged for the employment of female nurses in the general hospitals; but he thought as I did, that the front was not the place for them. I think he had studied the matter pretty well. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Does the Army Regulations permit the employment of female nurses? A. Yes, sir; as contract nurses; there is provision for the employment of con- tract nurses; it does not specify male or female. By Dr. Conner: Q. Was it or not a fact, Doctor, that the division hospitals assumed an impor- tance that was not expected, anticipated, or provided for; in other words, that they became almost general hospitals from the time they were opened? A. The conditions changed so rapidly that they did. The raison d'etre is to afford a temporary shelter for the sick in the field so they can be moved back to the base. No division hospital should ever, in time of active service, be allowed 1980 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. to reach its maximum except in the face of a general engagement; bnt the condi- tions change so quickly that on active service the division hospitals become over- crowded. By General Dodge: Q. I understood you to say that you recommended Miami and Fernandina for camps? A. Yes, sir. Q. In that recommendation did you recommend them both for yellow-fever camps? A. Not in the formal report, but to General Miles, to whom I reported imme- diately after having visited Miami, and to the Surgeon-General by telegram I made that specification; that was in mind at the time the camp was selected. Q. I understand the recommendation was made on the theory that yellow fever having started at Mobile it might invade our army. Did you state the number of troops you thought they should accommodate? A. That is stated in the general report somewhere, but more specifically in the telegram to the Surgeon-General. If my recollection is right, the report stated that 5,000 could be camped temporarily. Q. At Miami? A. At Miami, yes; the understanding being that they were there for the pur- poses of shelter and quick embarkation. Q. Did you put any limit on the number that should go to Fernandina? A. No, sir; none at all. Q. If I recollect right, you were at Tampa at the starting of the Santiago expe- dition? A. Yes, sir. Q. Upon General Miles's staff, were you not? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the particular duties that you were upon there; was it to see that that expedition was properly fitted out when it sailed? A. No, sir; I was merely joining General Miles from this tour of duty, examin- ing sights, and it was there that I learned of the absolute outbreak of yellow fever at McHenry, Miss., and therefore my immediate duty was the protection of the army against the invasion of this disease. Q. Then you were there for the purpose of advising General Miles with respect to the different camps of the country? A. Yes, sir. Q. But not as to the Santiago campaign? A. No, sir; incidentally, as the chief surgeon, I went on board the transports to see their condition; but that matter was entirely out of my hands. Q. Have you testified fully as to the sailing of that expedition? A. No, sir. Q. As you say, that expedition was, in your opinion, under the circumstances, as well provided as could be? A. Yes, sir; fairly well. The only great sanitary sin--the principal sanitary sin-was the overcrowding of the ships; they were dreadfully overcrowded. The general surgeon reported to me that he had not a sufficient amount of supplies, and I sent two extra wagonloads down to him before the transports sailed, which were put aboard the Olivette. Q. As these ships arrived there, do you know anything about the number of men that the owners of these ships represented their vessels as being competent to carry? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not, after they were loaded, changes had to be made in them on account of the numbers? A. Yes, sir; some of them had to be unloaded partially. COL. CHARLES R. GREENLEAF. 1981 By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please state whether or not it was a military necessity to put that number of men on these transports. A. From the standpoint of a sanitarian no such necessity could exist. Q. From the standpoint of getting the whole number of men on that went? A. Personally, I think not. Q. Were there other transports that could have been used? A. I think all were used that were at Tampa. Q. Were too many men sent to accomplish its object? A. That I can not answer. Q. Were there any deaths en route on account of the overcrowding? A. I think not. Q. Was there not, then, a military necessity that all these men should be put on these transports, even though they were overcrowded? A. I can never admit that any military necessity would justify the imperiling of the health or lives of men. I certainly never could give my assent to any such thing whatever the military people might do. Q Was not the health of that expedition on board the transports and the pres- ervation of their lives provided for; did they not land in perfectly good shape? A. I think they did; that does not militate against the sanitary evil of over- crowding. By General Beaver: Q. In other words, Doctor, fewer men carried on sanitary principles will do more good when they get there than more men crowded on vessels contrary to sanitary principles? A. Yes, sir; you state it exactly. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Did those men arrive in as good condition, so far as you know, as if there had been two-thirds of that number? A. I can only give you my opinion as a sanitarian, because I was not there. By General Dodge: Q. Any statement that you desire to make, or any information you could give us in relation to these matters, we should be glad to hear. A. I don't know of anything. Q. Have you any suggestions to make from your past experience of what would be of benefit to the service? A. No, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. I would suggest that the Doctor, at his convenience, send to the commission his views as to the changes that are necessary in the Medical Department. A. 1 should be very happy to do that. Headquarters of the Army, Office Chief Surgeon, Washington, D. C., November 29, 1898. Gen. G. M. Dodge, President War Investigating Committee. Sir : In compliance with your verbal request, I have the honor to submit here- with a statement of my views regarding methods that should be recommended for increasing the future efficiency of the Medical Department of the Army. The experience of the civil war demonstrated the fact, which has been confirmed by the more recent experience of our war with Spain, that the number of medical officers and enlisted men necessary to care for the sick and wounded and to admin- ister the affairs of the Medical Department bears a fixed ratio to the aggregate 1982 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. combatant force in service of 0.06 per cent for commissioned officers and 5 per cent for enlisted men. We did not have more than one-sixth of that force when the troops took the field, as no legal provision had been made for the muster in of any privates of the Hospital Corps for the volunteer troops, or for the appointment of any medical officers of volunteers to serve in the field and general hospitals, railway trains, hospital ships, etc. The aggregate force of medical officers required for the army of 200,000 men was 1,200 surgeons and 10,000 hospital corps men. There was available, 776 medi- cal officers and 1,272 hospital corps men, viz, 192 medical officers and 792 enlisted hospital corps men in the Regular Army, and 582 medical officers and 480 enlisted men (hospital stewards) in the Volunteer Army, leaving a deficit of 423 medical officers and 8,728 hospital corps men, which was made up by the employment of civilian physicians under contract, and by the transfer of enlisted men from the volunteer regiments to the Hospital Corps of the Regular Army. I should say by attempted transfer of enlisted men, since the method employed (and it was the only legal one) met with so much opposition that not more than one-half of the men required were obtained, and a large number of those obtained were worth- less, while all were ignorant of their duties. The department was thus seriously crippled at the outset and worked at a disadvantage in consequence throughout the war. This should be corrected by authorizing the appointment of officers and the enlistment of men in the ratios I have indicated to the aggregate combatant force in service. In order that this force may be properly instructed in the performance of its duties schools for officers and enlisted men should be established and properly equipped and officered. The success that has attended the work in this direction at the army medical school in Washington and at the Hospital Corps schools at Fort Riley and Washington Barracksis proof of its necessity. For purposes of military administration, the enlisted force should be organized into companies officered by details from the line for that purpose, as was done in the ambulance corps during the civil war, and these officers should be available for duty in hos- pitals, ships, and railway trains as quartermasters and commissaries. The entire organization should be under the control and direction of the Medical Depart- ment, the general military direction being vested in the general commanding an army. Under present army regulations the transportation of medical and hospital supplies is conducted by the Quartermaster's Department. When supplies are called for, the medical issuing officer transfers the articles, after properly pack- ing and marking them, to the accredited agent of the Quartermaster's Depart- ment. They pass completely out of the possession or control of the Medical Department, which knows nothing of them or their whereabouts, nor can it ascer- tain anything about them without tedious correspondence until its representa- tive, the medical receiving officer, receives them from the Quartermaster's Department. This transfer to another department has been a serious embarrassment to the Medical Department through delays en route, etc. Stores may remain in ware- houses waiting convenient time for shipment; may be shipped in cars or trans- ports mixed with stores from other departments and delayed in unloading; may be delayed by the system of reshipments followed by the Quartermaster's Depart- ment; may be missent, and in many other ways retarded in delivery. There is no good reason why the Medical Department should not conduct the transportation of its own property; its officers should make their own contracts with railways and express or ship companies, and thus keep a watchful care and interest over it from the time of purchase to the time of delivery to the officer PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1983 who is to use it. I therefore recommend that this course be authorized; also that the department be authorized to construct its own hospitals, buy or hire and equip its own hospital ships and railway trains, since in this way only can it expeditiously and efficiently provide for the sick and wounded under its care. As a matter of fact, there are instances during the war with Spain when this course was pursued through the stress of necessity, responsibilities being thrust upon medical officers which they were never expected to take under the law. In the matter of food supply, our methods are complicated and cumbersome. To comply literally with the requirements of law, every hospital in the Army, even the little 10-bed regimental hospital, must keep at least two separate kitchens in operation, and two separate accounts of money and property, and in large general hospitals there must be three, since the food for the sick must be pur- chased from what is known as the 60-cent-a-day fund, while the food for Hospital Corps men and nurses is issued as a ration: the nurse is not allowed to consume the milk, butter, meats, etc., bought for the sick, nor can the sick be fed from the ration of the Hospital Corps men. From obvious reasons the female nurses in large general hospitals must have a different diet from the men, and therefore a separate fund, account, etc. This can be easily rectified, the service simplified, and the comfort of everybody enhanced by fixing a per diem rate for all persons in hos- pitals, except the officers. The 60-cent rate is extravagant and is never wholly used; in fact it can not be wholly used in the sole purchase of food and delica- cies. A rate of 40 cents for all would furnish an ample fund for the purchase of food for everybody in a hospital, large or small, and do away with the preparation of vexatious vouchers and complicated accounts, while increasing vastly the effi- ciency of the food supply of a hospital. Finally, there should be authorized a corps of sanitary inspectors of high rank, to be selected for known fitness, whose duties should be to make frequent visits to hospitals, garrisons, camps, and troops in the field, with a view of determining their general health conditions; they should have authority to carry out, within reasonable limits, the measures deemed necessary for the correction of existing evils, and keep the Surgeon-General informed as to the sanitary condition of the troops and their surroundings. Very respectfully, Chas. R. Greenleaf, Colonel, Assistant Surgeon-General, U. S. A., Chief Surgeon Army in the Field. New York, November 18, 1898. Private David J. Goss, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Please give us your full name. A. David J. Goss. Q. Your regiment? A. Seventy-first New York. Q. Your company? A. K. Q. Where have you served during the war with Spain? A. Cuba-Santiago. Q. Before you went to Cuba? A. Camp Black. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1984 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. From there where? A. Lakeland. Q. From there where? A. Tampa. Q. From there? A. On the transports. Q. To? A. Cuba and back again. Q. From Cuba? A. To the general hospital at Camp Wikoff; sent home from there. Q. Are you still in the service? A. No, sir; mustered out the day before yesterday. By General Beaver: Q. What was your regular position in the service? A. Private, sir. Q. How long had you served in the regiment before you went to Camp Black? A. I joined on April 30 and left on May 2. Q. You had never served before? A. No, sir. Q. Had you any military experience before you enlisted? A. A little, with the Eighth Regiment. Q. How old are you? A. Twenty-three last October, the 16th. Q. How long were you at Camp Black? A. From May 2 to May 12. Q. Had your regiment been in camp at Camp Black before you joined? A. I went with it. Q. From the city? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any sick men at Camp Black? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many in your company? A. One. Q. What was the matter with him? A. They claimed he had pneumonia; they sent him to the Nassau Hospital and sent him back to the regiment and left him on the transports. We landed at Siboney. Q. How were you fed at Camp Black; were the rations cooked by the company cooks? A. No, sir; they were issued by the company. I was one of the company cooks. Q. I take it you got all you wanted? A. I was not used to the food, and I had sent down from home what I wanted. Q. What did they issue to you at Camp Black: what kind of rations, as to meat, for example? A. We had a hind quarter of beef, cut up into steaks and fried over the regular army stoves. We had bread and potatoes, and a little salt pork and good bacon. Q. That enabled you to get enough fat to fry the meat, 1 suppose. A. Yes, sir. Q. Coffee? A. Yes, sir. Q. Sugar? A. Yes, sir. Q. Vinegar? A. Yes, sir. Q. Salt, butter, candles, soap? PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1985 A. Yes, sir; condensed milk. Q. What other vegetables did you get besides potatoes? A. Onions. Q. Get any rice? A. No, sir; we did not have any rice? Q. Army beans? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had you ever had any experience in cooking? A. No, sir; just had a little knowledge of it, and I volunteered to do it; then we hired a man afterwards. Q. Did you have a copy of the commissary cookbook? A. No, sir. Q. Did you get one at any time during the service? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether any company cookbook was issued by the Commissary Department to your regiment? A. I never saw one. Q. Did you have any school for company cooks? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether there was any school in your regiment for training commissary sergeants? A. William H. Card was our quartermaster-sergeant. I do not believe there was any school of that kind. Q. Who was the colonel of your regiment? A. Francis V. Greene: now major-general. Q. How long did he serve with your regiment? A. He went through to Lakeland and left for the Philippines. Q. After he left who commanded? A. Col. Wallace A. Downes. Q. Was he with you during your New York service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was the commissary of your regiment? A. Captain Stephens; at least he was regimental quartermaster. Q. Who was the captain and acting commissary? A. Lieutenant Blauvelt. Q. Who was the captain of your company? A. Elias A. Selfridge. Q. Did the captain supervise the meals furnished to the men? A. He would come down and look it over. Q. In furnishing the fresh meat to your men did you fry it or did you boil it in your camp kettles? A. Most always fried it. We didn't have enough experience at that time to make soup. Q. Do you know, Goss, that that was the worst thing you could do? A. No, sir; nobody ever told me that. Q. That, I guess, was one of your troubles. What did you do with the bones? A. We generally threw them away-buried them. At that time at Camp Black we had camp police to take care of them. Q. Never boiled the marrow out of them? A. No, sir. Q. Did you during the entire time? A. Yes, sir; we learned that from the regulars at Lakeland. We learned to make biscuits down there. I went over to the First Cavalry at Lakeland and got my first knowledge of baking bread there. 1986 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How Jong bad you been in the service before you got into the company of the regulars down at Lakeland; a month or more? A. We left there on May 12 and got to Lakeland about May 15. We were there about a week and a half, and we heard about the bread, and we thought we would see how it was, and they showed us how it worked, and we got along finely. We didn't know anything about making an oven by turning one part of the stove on top of the other. Q. Do you know whether your commissary sergeant got the regular amount of rations at Camp Black? A. Yes, sir; there was always plenty. Q. How was it at Lakeland? A. We had plenty there. Q. Were your rations issued to you every day or did you draw a number of days at a time? A. We drew fresh beef every day and other times we would go over there, per- haps every two days, for potatoes and things like that. Q. As to the component parts of the rations that you could keep, coffee, sugar, etc., how often did you draw those? A. Every two days. Q. Do you know what proportion of fresh meat and what proportion of bacon were issued to you, say in ten days? A. No, sir; I could not give you the least idea of that. Q. You did get bacon occasionally? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you get any canned salmon? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether your quartermaster made requisition for canned salmon? A. Never heard of it being down there. Q. You did not? A. Never saw any of it in the whole of the camp, and I was well known. Q. The rule is in ten days to issue six days' of fresh meat, and one of canned salmon, and three of bacon. That is the ordinary way, so as to have fish every Friday, you know? A. We never had a bit of canned salmon. Q. You don't know whether they made request for it or not? A. Never heard of it. Q. What transport did you get on at Tampa? A. On the Vigilancia, I think it was. Q. Any other troops on it but your regiment? A. No, sir. Q. The whole regiment on it? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of rations were issued for the trip? A. Travel rations. Q. Of what did they consist? A. Canned beans, hardtack, canned beef, or canned corn beef. By General McCook: Q. Did you get coffee? A. Yes, sir; we got coffee. By General Beaver: Q. How many days were issued before you left? A. I don't know, sir; the commissary had charge of that. PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1987 Q. Did the rations last you until you got to Cuba? A. No, sir; we had to travel on our field rations. Q. You had field rations; they had been issued to you, had they? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many days? A. Fifteen days' travel and ten days' field. Q. So that you started from Tampa with twenty-five days ahead of you? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were you fixed as to quarters on this vessel; were you comfortable or crowded? A. Well, we had bunks, three tiers, you know, and two this way [indicating]. You could lie comfortably in the bunk; didn't have any room to spare, but if a man looked out he had plenty of room; he would put his shelter tent under him. I was very comfortable only for the foul air; the ventilation was not good. Q. Were you allowed to come out on the decks in the daytime? A. Yes, sir; all day long. Q. Was there deck room on the vessel for your men, so that they were not required to keep down in the hold during the day? A. Yes. sir. Q. So that the time of which you speak of the foul air was during the night? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had you liberty to go out? A. There was an order that they didn't want us to sleep on deck on account of the fever, the dew, and the men had to sleep downstairs. Q. Of the two evils, the foul air or the dew, the foul air was considered the better of the two? A. I slept on deck two nights, and I think I caught cold, and then I went downstairs. Q. Where did your regiment land? A. At Siboney. Q. Do you remember the day? A. I think the morning that the Rough Riders had their fr-st fighting, June 24. Q. How did you get ashore? A. W ent ashore on the boats of the St. Louis, which were towed by the launches of the war ships; went into the surf line and jumped. Q. What did you carry with you ashore? A. Our blanket roll, shelter tent, haversack, and canteen of coffee. Q. How much grub had you in your haversack? A. I think one day's rations. Q. Did your men all get ashore; did you run into any landing? A. No, sir. Q. After landing what did you do? A. We built large fires to dry our clothes and warm our coffee, and we had breakfast there. We went from there to the machine shop of the Iron Works, and we got orders to get under way on the day that Roosevelt went under fire at La Guasimas. Then we went back and we had to cook our own food, and there were some lazy men who didn't like to do it. Q. You made your coffee-every fellow in his own tin cup-and cooked your meat? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that the first instruction you had in which you got any knowledge of how every fellow must care for himself? A. That was the first chance we had. Q. You had had no instruction about that? 1988 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; the othei- days it was a company mess. Q. Had you ever been taught by anybody else as to what you should do under those circumstances? A. No, sir; we picked it up by going around to different camps. Q. You caught on by looking at other fellows? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did the thing act? A. The boys found it hard at first. We went theie, but not with a feather bed; we knew we had to take it as it came. Q. You went as a soldier and wanted to take what came to a soldier? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any lack of what makes a full ration when you landed at Siboney, for instance A. The first day they gave us a 1-pound can of corned beef and three days' hard-tack, and the corned beef and sugar- and beef, coffee, and beans. That was the only thing we got. Q. Cooked beans or raw? A. Raw; there was one can of cooked beans given to every four men. Q. When did you get your next rations? A. The following morning after we landed; at least that evening they gave us it. The next morning we had a new issue. Q. How far did you march the day you went out to support the Rough Riders? A. It was not an awfully long march; it was over a hilly country. Q. Was it 2 miles? A. More than that. Q. More than 3? A. About 3|. Q. Then you marched out 3| miles and back the same day? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did you have in the'way of shelter? A. We had our haversacks, magazine belts Q. How did you fix yourself that night? A. In a machine shop; some went outside, but there were good quarters in there on the board floor. Q. Did you have your blankets with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you carry your blanket bag or did you simply have a roll? A. We had a roll. Q. This roll and your haversack and your canteen and your cartridge belt con- stituted your entire equipment? A. Yes, sir. Q. You had no shelter tent in your roll? A. Yes, sir; we rolled our shelter tent around our blanket. Q. Then when you came back you had your shelter tent? A. We left that in a roundhouse. Q. Did you still stick to that roll and that equipment all through the campaign? A. No, sir; we gave up our blouse and towels and underwear and our shelter tents; we left our blankets at a roundhouse; that was at the suggestion of our officers. Q. When did you start from Siboney on your campaign? A. It was somewhere around the 27th or 28th. Q. Then you were in Siboney for about three days? A. For about three days. Q. How did you get along in the meantime; did you have anything to eat? A. Yes, sir. PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1989 Q. How many days' rations were issued to you when you started on your cam- paign? A. Three days. Q. That you carried on your person? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any extra cartridges besides what you had in your belt? A. We had 44 in our belts; we had 150 rounds altogether. Q. What march did you make when you left Siboney the second time? A. We went to a place called Camp Hungry; the regular name was Camp Sevilla. Q. I infer from that that there was some trouble there? A. Yes, sir. Q. If you had three days' rations in your haversack, how did it come that you suffered from hunger? A. The three days' rations was not enough. Q. It took you more than one day to make the march? A. We left about half past 5 in the morning, at daybreak, and got there about half past 4 in the afternoon. Q. The hunger came later? A. Yes, sir; while we were at Camp Sevilla. Q. When did your rations run out? A. I believe we got one day's rations at the camp and three days' on the 1st, when we got in the mix up. Q. What was the length of the march from Siboney to Camp Hungry? A. I believe 8 miles. Q. How long did it take you to make it? A. About twelve hours. Q. What was the character of the road? A. Very rough. Q. Did you go through the brush? A. No, sir. It had been used as a road. Q. Had you any pioneer corps ahead of you cutting off the brush ? A. No, sir. Other regiments had gone through ahead of us. Q. You did not make the first effort? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether there had been any pioneer corps or any engineer corps going ahead of you opening it up? A. On the day of the battle I saw the first engineers; they were making a bridge. That was the day they went into battle. The Old Guard was made into a pioneer corps under the command of Lieutenant True. Q. You took three days' rations with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you had one issued to you after that? A. Yes, sir. Q. You left on the 27th or the 28th? A. I believe on the 27th. Q. That brings you down to the 1st of July? A. Yes, sir. Q. When did you have any rations issued to you after that? A. On the morning of the 1st of July. We were up all that night getting up rations. About 2 o'clock the guard was dismissed, and we came in to get our rations. Q. What kind of weather was it? A. Very warm. Q. Did the fellows stick to their haversacks? 1990 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; some threw them away. Some threw their canteens away and then stole others. We had onr shelter tents and ponchos. Q. How did these fellows who threw their haversacks away and had nothing to eat get anything to eat? A. They went grubbing it from one to the other, and we would give it to them, of course. Q. How many days' rations did you get on the 1st of July? A. Three days' rations. Q. By the time those rations were issued on the 1st of July there were some fel- lows pretty hungry? A. Yes, sir; very hungry. Some of us made apple sauce out of mangoes-that is, we called it apple sauce. Q. Had your hardtack and the other component parts of the field ration been entirely exhausted? A. As far as our company was concerned, yes, sir. Q. To what extent had those of you that held on to your haversacks been com- pelled to divide with the fellows that threw them away? A. We were not compelled. Q. Through motives of comradeship? A. Until he was not hungry-we were all hungry. Q. How many of the men in your company threw their haversacks away? A. I believe four of them. Q. You had just four paupers on your hands, then? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many men did you have sick? A. Every man except one, Green, who had dysentery. Q. When you landed in Cuba you had a full company fit for duty? A. Yes, sir; except a few on board the ship. One was left as a guard on board the transport to guard the supplies. Q. When were you called on make your next move from Camp Sevilla? A. On the morning of the 1st we had orders to move at 3 o'clock in the morn- ing. I had been on guard all the night before. Q. Did you move in the morning? A. Yes, sir; 3 o'clock. Q. How far? A. Until we got into the fight. Q. Do you know about how far that was? A. I guess about 6 miles, I should think. Q. What time did you get up to the battle line? A. I was not there; I was in the rear of the regiment with a sick man, Green. The surgeon ordered him to come up, and he had been sick with bloody dysentery. Q. So they left the old guard to bring up the sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you near enough to see how you went into the fight? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you deploy as a skirmish line? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did the men have knowledge that they were getting on to the enemy before they got there? A. Yes, sir; they heard the firing. Q. Do you knowhow far you skirmished? A. All day long. Q. They skirmished in front of you? A. Yes, sir. PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1991 Q. They retiring and your fellows going out? . A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you march by the flank? A. Right straight ahead. Q. Just in column? '..A. Yes, sir. Q. When did you deploy your column into line? A. About half-past nine in the morning. We were able to get under cover in the bushes, which were thick in the neighborhood and in some places it was just impassible from barb-wire fence and the thick cactus. Q. Had they had time, after retiring, to put up their barb wire? A. Yes. They had been years stringing it, I suppose. Q. How did they get over it? A. They got over-I don't knowhow; most of them were in the trees. Q. They had the sharpshooters in the trees? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see many of them after they were brought down? A. No, sir. Q. Were they painted? A. No, sir; a regular Spaniard, copper colored. Q. Some of them had been painted green? A. I didn't see that; I saw a couple of cavalry men fill them full of lead after they were brought down. They would shoot hospital corps men. Q. Did you get on the firing line? A. No, sir; I was sent back by the doctor to get some Dover's powders for Green, and we got them at Dr. Bell's personal suggestion, and then Dr. Bell put him in the wagon to send him back to the division hospital. Q. How far was this dressing station in the rear of your line? A. It was moved on as the line moved ahead until they would come to a brook. Q. How far had you traveled from your line of passage until you reached Dr. Bell's dressing station? A. I don't believe more than a quarter of a mile. Q. So, the doctor was pretty well up to you? A. Yes, sir; he was always there. Q. What did you do with your companion? A. They put him in the wagon and sent him back to the division hospital. Q. Anybody with him? A. Nobody except the wounded. Q. What kind of a wagon was it? A. A regular army wagon. Q. How far were you by this time from the general hospital; was that at Siboney? A. No, sir; it was midway, about halfway between Sevilla and Grimes's Hill; I should think about miles. Q. Did you see Green afterwards? A. Yes, sir. Q. When? A. After the surrender; the next time. He was sent to the company almost dying. He stayed there two days. The boys did the best they could. We car- ried him to the regimental hospital, and I didn't see him again until the time he was mustered out. Q. He is living, is he? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they send him up from this general hospital as a convalescent? 1992 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. How far did lie have to travel before he got to you? A. From the general hospital it was 8 or 9 miles. Q. The march was too much for him? A. Yes, sir; it was almost too much for a well man. Q. Did he march up to the hospital? A. Yes, sir; by the aid of a Cuban boy, who carried his gun and equipment. Q. How is he now? A. In pretty good shape. Q. Did you get sick while you were down there? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was your trouble? A. Same as everybody else's-breakbone fever; they claim now it was a slight attack of yellow fever. Q. As one of the doctors said, if you died it was yellow fever, and if you didn't, it was not? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you in the general hospital? A. No, sir; in the company hospital. Q. In quarters? A. They sent up two tents for the company hospital-two big wall tents-and the captain and lieutenants took one of the wall tents and had a bed put in there and took the other wall tent and the fly from their tent for the sick men. At one time, I believe, there were only eight men of our company fit for duty. Q. How many sick men could you get into this wall tent and fly under cover? A. Altogether, in the fly and all, I believe there were fourteen. Q. What kind of medical attendance had you when you had this improvised company hospital? A. The quartermaster, a very good young man, spent money out of his own pocket to buy medicines. At one time they could not get a certain kind of medi- cine and he got it from a man named Barrett, a Y. M. C. A. man. Q. Were there doctors with the regiment? A. They were with the regiment. Major Bell was always with us. Dr. James Stafford was detailed, I believe, to the Fourth Infantry. That left us two sur- geons, Capt. Harry Stafford and Major Bell. Q. Did they continue with the regiment after the fight? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did they visit you in your company hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know how the sick of other companies were cared for? A. The worst cases were taken down to the regimental hospital. Q. Didn't the doctors have medicine? A. Not at that time; no, sir. Q. Do you know why? A, No, sir. Q. What is Major Bell's first name? A. William, I believe. Q. Where does he live? A. I could not tell you. He is in New York here. He was captain then in a regiment; he has been there for a number of years. Q. Where is Dr. Stafford? A. He is in New York; has an office at the Polyclinic, Thirty-fourth street. Q. How many men were fit for duty at the time your sickness was the greatest? A. Eight, I think. PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1993 Q. Out of how many; a full company? A. One killed, 3 wounded. I think there were about 79 men of the regular company. Q. Was the man of whom you speak killed in action? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that the San Juan Hill fight? A. Yes, sir. Q. You had 1 man killed and 3 wounded in your company? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know how many you lost in the company all told? A. I believe there were 16 killed; I believe eighty-odd wounded. Q. After the San Juan Hill fight, did you occupy the trenches? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you put up your shelter tents? A. After a couple of days; yes, sir. Q. You were allowed to do that? A. Yes, sir. Q. Didn't that draw the fire of the other fellows? A. The hill was so situated that they could not see the tents. Q. How did you get along as to making coffee and cooking your rations? Did you have fires? A. Yes; we made fires at the bottom of the hill. Q. You permitted every man to make his own coffee? A. Yes, sir. Q. In his own tin cup? A. Yes, sir. Q. If you could have had your camp kettles and mess pans would you have been allowed to make camp fires? A. No, sir; I believe it would have been too big. Q. It would draw the fire of the enemy. So that your making your coffee, each man for himself, was a sort of military necessity? A. Yes, sir; it was a good idea, because there was a lot of men in the company who didn't want to do it, and they would eat the cooking of othei- men. Q. Did you get sick enough in your hospital to be brought home on a, relief ship, or a sick ship, or did you come with your regiment? A. I came away with my company; we came on the St. Louis. Q. Did you get better while you were there? A. I was feeling-first class the day I went aboard the St. Louis, and the follow- ing morning I was sick again, and was taken to the general hospital at Montauk. Q. How many days were you sick at your company hospital? A. About a week and a half. Q. Did your doctoi- see you every day? A. Yes, sir; twice a day. Dr. Stafford, when he was detailed back to our regi- ment, was up in the middle of the night. Q. Were you sick enough to require a nurse? A. No, sir. A couple of men from the company helped us out. Q. Were many men of your company actually bedridden, so that they could not help themselves? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many? A. Charlie Gumbert, who died, and Ralph Taylor, who got better, and Robert Schoenemann. Q. Did he recover? A. Yes, sir. Although he is in very bad shape. 1994 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How many men did you lose by death besides the one who was killed? A. They didn't die until after we left. We left 10 men there, and I believe 5 died in Santiago and 3 at Montauk. Q. That is 8, and 1 killed. A. There were 13 altogether that died after they came home in the different hospitals in New York. Q. What was the strength of your company when you went? A. Eighty-four men. Q. It was not a full company, 1 judge You say you came from Santiago. Were you sick at the time of the surrender? A. No, sir; nobody sick. Q. They kept up under the excitement until the thing was over? A. Yes, sir. Q. This was a pretty bad trip? A. Yes, sir. I was one of the last ones they took out. Q. What date did you get into Santiago to come north; do you remember? A. August 15; I should think it was about the 14th or 15th of August. Q. Then you had been in camp nearly a month after the surrender? A. Yes, sir; we were moved on the 5th of July and were around to the right. We were a little over a month in that one place. Q. You came on the St. Louis? A. Yes, sir. Q. Two companies? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of accommodations did you have? A. Regular steerage accommodations. Q. Had you plenty of room there? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of food did you get coming north? A. Terrible; we had beef that could walk up and down the deck; the hard-tack was better and the coffee was better than we had going on the other transport- the beef was not fit to eat. Q. Was it canned beef? A. Fresh beef that had been boiled. Q. That is, cold storage beef? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did you have besides hard-tack and coffee and beef? A. Beans, soup; the soup was the best of any. Q. Canned soup? A. No, sir. Q. The soup made in the galleys? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of soup? A. Barley soup and a little vegetables in it; it was very good indeed. Q. How often did you get that soup? A. Mostly every day; one fresh basin for each meal. Q. How many hard-tack? A. As many as you wanted. Q. Did the ship's cooks make your coffee for you or did you do it for yourselves? A. They made it for us. Q. Had you plenty of coffee? A. Yes, sir; a quart cup with each meal. Q. Was there any lack of these provisions, such as they were during your voyage? PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1995 A. No, sir; we always had plenty to eat coming up. Q. Did you suffer at any time for lack of food, except when you were in Camp Hungry? A. We did going down to Cuba. The food we got going down we could not eat-on the Vigilancia. Q. What was the trouble with it? A. It was not gcod. Q. Was the hard-tack bad? A. No, sir. We had two kinds of hard-tack-soda crackers and the regular hard-tack. We preferred the regular hard-tack; there was more nutriment in it; but the canned roast beef it was impossible to eat. Q. Had the can burst? A. No, sir. Q. A good can? A. Yes, sir; I opened it myself. Q. When opened it was bad? A. Decomposed; yes, sir. Q. Was that noticeable from the outside? A. No, sir. Q. You could not tell anything about it? A. No, sir; we could not tell it until we saw it. Q. No bulging of the can? A. No, sir. Q. What did you have besides your hard-tack; coffee? A. Yes, sir; the water that they made the coffee with was filthy. I suppose the water had been in the casks about eight or ten weeks; if you opened the bung hole you could not go near it: it was impossible to drink the water. Q. How was it coming north? A. We had distilled salt water; that gave everybody the diarrhea. Q. When you went to Montauk were you sick? A. I was in bad shape; they put me in an ambulance and said that they would take me to my own company. They sent me, .John Huyler, and Jack McDonald, to the general hospital. McDonald got well and Huyler died. Q. What was the matter? A. Sickness; he had been sick in Cuba. He was bedridden down there, and had inflammation of the bowels, and he died two days afterwards. We had the best of care there; at the time I was there we had the best of everything. By Captain Howell: Q. At Wikoff? A. Yes, sir. By General Beaver: Q. First in the detention and then in the general hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did the doctors look after the sick coming up? A. If a man was too sick to come up he would look at him; otherwise he would feel your pulse and give you quinine. Q. The sick call was upon the deck? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many sick men did you have on the vessel out of the two companies not able to come up on deck? A. Mclvor, he died; Schroeder, Rice, Jansen, and myself; I should think about ten or twelve. Q. Out of those two companies? 1996 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Out of our company alone. Q. You were confined in your quarters, were you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did the doctor prescribe your diet; did he tell you what you must eat, or did you eat whatever you pleased? A. We took what was coming to us; we had to eat the regular rations. Q. What was the matter with you at Montauk; what did they say the trouble was, or did they tell you? A. Starvation; Miss Graves said it was starvation, and when I got back the doctor told me that the intestines were closed up for want of proper food. Q. What doctor? A. Dr. Webb and Dr. Cooke, two of them. Q. You had coffee and soup and hard-tack, all you could eat; how could a man starve on that? A. We could not eat it-too sick to eat it. Q. Then it was a lack of proper diet? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you taste the soup at all? A. I generally tried to get half a cupful down. I knew if I didn't I would not go back. Q. They had no other kind of diet on board the ship? A. I didn't see any. Q. What would you have liked to have had? A. I would have liked to have had milk. Q. They had no cows aboard? A. No; they had no condensed milk either. Q. Any malted milk? A. No, sir; we had malted milk at Cuba, though. Q. What were your accommodations on the St. Louis? A. Regular steerage accommodations without bunks. Q. You had to lie on the floor? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was the air as bad as it was on the Vigilancia going down? A. Yes, sir. I slept under a ventilator; I suppose I got pretty good air, but in some parts it was pretty bad. Q. Was the St. Louis crowded? A. No, sir; we had plenty of room. Q. The water was distilled salt water? A. Yes, sir; and it gave us diarrhea. Q. Was there an opportunity for exercise on the St. Louis for the men who could take exercise? A. Yes, sir; the first day I was on deck and was up at 9 o'clock; we had a sort of concert, and the next morning it was impossible for me to move around. Q. Were you seasick? A. No, sir. By General McCook: Q. The water was very smooth. A. I have been to sea-my father is a sea captain-so that would not be any bother to me, as I have had experience on board ship. Q. What did they give you at Montauk to eat? A. Nothing the first night; the next morning we went over to the Tenth Infan- try. We had nothing to eat and they invited us to have breakfast with them. Q. You went to the general hospital? A. Yes, sir. PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 1997 Q. What did they give you there? A. Oatmeal and milk. Q. Were you allowed anything else? A. No, sir; not for a couple of days; then I was given chicken and chicken broth. Q. What kind of medical attention did you have at the hospital? A. First class. Q. What kind of nursing? A. First class. Q. What kind of nurses? A. Men and women; the women gave us our medicines and the men took care of the other things. Q. Of making your stools and things of that kind? A. Yes, sir. Q. You had no oatmeal or anything of that sort on the St. Louis? A. No, sir. Q. You don't know to what extent the doctors had loaded up your ship with supplies for the sick? A. No, sir. Q. You only know what you got or what you did not get? A. Yes, sir; we didn't get very much there; there were things sent to us that we never got; they were kept aboard the transports and sent back again; things that were not unloaded. Q. Sent from New York? A. Yes, sir; the relief corps of the'Seventy-first Regiment sent big packages of things, such as malted milk, beef tea, etc., that would have been of great use to us, but it was never unloaded. Q. Do you know what vessel they were on? A. Some on the St, Paul and some on the hospital ship Relief. Q. You know only what they told you at home? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was at the head of it? A. Colonel Downes's wife, I believe. I believe our late major-surgeon's wife is president now. Q. Did they look after the shipping of these supplies, do you know? A. Yes, sir. Q. As to the date they were shipped you only have it from what somebody told you? A. Yes, sir. Q. I have been asking you only the things you know, you see? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was your worst experience through your whole term of service? A. It was altogether pretty hard. The day we left Camp Black we had it pretty good. We looked after ourselves, but it we made any move at all the incom- petency of somebody was at fault. We never got things right. We struck our tents at midday. We got to Long Island City in the middle of the night. We lay in the car sheds all night; up all night, one of the most terrible nights. Q. What did you think you were going to get? A. I thought we would have hardships, but I thought I would be able to bear it. Q. How much do you weigh now? A. I am shy about 5 pounds. Q. Picked up? A. Yes; coming round; at great expense. I drew $152, and yesterday I paid out $56 for doctor's bills. 1998 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Since you came home? A. Yes, sir. Q. That was pretty rough. What do you consider the worst part of your experience? A. The time we laid upon the hill. Q. At San Juan? A. Yes, sir. Q. While you were in the trenches? A. Yes, sir. Q. That was the fault of the weather, was it? A. Yes, sir. We had to let that go. Q. You could not have had anything more in the way of what you could eat, could you-that is, out of the army ration; you could not have cooked it differ- ently from what you did, could you? A. No, sir. Q. It would not have done to have had big fires? A. After the surrender it would. Q. Did your cooking methods improve after that? A. No, sir; each man cooked for himself from the day we landed until we left. Q. You never brought up your camp kettles? A. No, sir, not one, except one of the officers brought a wash boiler from Santi- ago; this boiler was used to make soup out of the bones. Q. Fair soup, was it? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did he put in it? A. Beans, rice-whatever we could get. Q. How was your fresh meat issued to you there, each man his piece? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you cooked it in your little frying pan? A. Yes, sir. Q. Not what you call a meat can? A. Yes, sir. By General Beaver: Q. From the time you went into the trenches, you were in the hospital how many days? A. About a week and a half. Q. Nine or ten days? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were in the trenches, before you sailed, how many days; twenty or thirty? A. We lived right alongside the trenches a little over a month. Q. Did they move your camp at all? A. No, sir. Just moved our tents every day. Q. You did not occupy the same piece of ground three days in succession? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did you arrange your shelter tents-four together? A. No, sir. Q. Two together? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you shut them up front and back? A. Could not; only the back? Q. You could if you had had four? A. No, sir; ,1 don't think four could sleep in it. I had only half my body under it. Q. How long is your shelter tent? 1999 PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. A. A yard and a quarter long. You have your stick and from there down [indicating] you are out in the open. Q. If you put four pieces together and dovetailed them; that is, two heads at each end, then your feet interlacing, you could get along and have your whole body covered? A. Yes, sir; it is quite a hard thing to do that on account of the sticks being in the center. Several of the boys tried it, but they were always kicking; one would have his foot on the other fellow. Q. You preferred to have the lower end out? A. Yes, sir; we got them wet during the day, so the dew didn't hurt them. Q. The shelter tents nowadays have a triangular piece which buttons together, so that the ends are close together? A. Yes, sir; I would lay in there and from here down [indicating] would be out in the open. Q. You were furnished sticks; did you carry the sticks along? A. Yes, sir. Q. That is two pieces of wood that you put together in a piece of tin that was round the end of one of them? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did your cooking methods improve as you went along in the service, do you think? A. Yes, sir; we always made new dishes; made pancakes out of hard-tack. Q. Ever make pudding; hard-tack pudding? A. Yes, sir; with mangoes in it. Q. You never saw a commissary cookbook? A. No, sir; never saw one. Q. Do you know that the Commissary Department issued a cookbook? A. No, sir; never heard of it. I was detailed as a cook at Camp Black, and most of the time at Lakeland until I was taken sick with bladder trouble, and while at Tampa, too, I never seen one of them. I was one of the steady cooks; there were three of us. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You think now that the life of a soldier is one of sacrifice and privation? A. Yes, sir. Q. You think so now. Did you think in the beginning that it was a life of privation and sacrifice? A. In time of war; yes, sir. Q. How much have you gained in weight since you landed at Wikoff? A. 1 weighed 119 on the 10thof August. I weigh now about 156; gained 30 odd pounds. Q. Is there any other period of your service where you did not get what you thought you ought to have had, or might have had, except when you came home on the St. Louis? A. Not exactly. Q. That is about the only time you have reason to complain of, under all the circumstances? A. Yes, sir; because, when we went into the battle we threw away our packs, and went back after them on the 1st and 3d; we were ordered to throw down our packs, and the Cubans got them. Q. That time on the St. Louis is the only time you have reason to find fault with? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many days were you on the St. Louis? A. Four days. 2000 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you really think, Goss, as a soldier, that the four days of short rations on the St. Louis ought to have put you in a condition of starvation? A. I don't think it was the four days on the St. Louis; it was during the whole time; we did not get the proper nourishment. Q. I thought you have just stated that you don't find any fault? A. In that way; we did not get the proper nourishment. There was a young man named Taylor, and his mother asked me to see after him. He was taken sick. I went down to the regimental hospital to look after him. They gave him a cup of Indian meal that had not been cooked. It looked like sand and water. I carried it to the captain and showed it to him and said I would not have Tayloi' fed with such stuff. We had him brought back to the company and looked after him our- selves. By Captain Howell: Q. Mr. Goss, you have been interviewed in the papers about your experience down there? A. No, sir. Q. No paper has published your statement? A. No, sir. Q. You stated a while ago that your men were entirely inexperienced about cooking rations? A. Yes, sir; entirely. Q. Did you notice how the regulars prepared their food? A. That is where we got our experience. Q. Did they suffer to the same extent as the volunteers? A. Yes, sir. Q. Didn't get enough? A. Didn't get enough rations. Q. During the battle? A. While we were in Cuba. Q. There was a deficiency of rations? A. There was a deficiency; yes, sir. Q. You think they suffered as much as the volunteers? A. Yes, sir; except that they could get something more out of what they were given than we could; we could not make things go as far as they could; they bad the experience and we didn't. Q. How long were you without tents while you were in Cuba? A. I did not have a tent at first. There was a man taken sick and sent away to one of the division hospitals, and I got his. I slept out in the rain ten or twelve days. Q. Exposed to the rain? A. Always. Q. Were all the men in the same condition? A. Some of them were that didn't get their shelter tents. Q. You mentioned the fact that your officers took the tents? A. They took the hospital tents. Q. The officers of each company took one? A. Yes, sir. Q. The sick had to use the other tent? A. Yes; they took the fly off the tent and some sick men were under that fly. Q. What were those tents furnished for, the sick or the officers? A. For the sick. Q. Well, the officers of your company took them? A. Every officer in the regiment, of every company. They were sent there for hospital tents; they were our own tents that we had from Camp Black. Q. Your tents were sent from Tampa? PRIVATE DAVID J. GOSS. 2001 A. Yes, sir. Q. But never landed? A. Yes, sir; only two. Q. That was intended for the sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. And your officers A. The officers took them; three men went into one tent. Q. Did the colonel order them to do it? A. The surgeon-major had charge of it. I was one of those detailed to carry them up for the sick. Q. And the officers took one? A. Yes, sir. Q. By whose authority did the officers take the tents, do you know? A. No, sir; the orders were to take the tents for hospital purposes, and we took them up. Q. What was the surgeon's name? A. Major Bell. Q. Who were the officers that took these tents? A. ■ A captain, first lieutenant, and second lieutenant. Q. What were their names? A. Captain Selfridge, Lieutenant Thompson. Q. Who else? A. Lieutenant Blauvelt. Q. Where are they now? A. Somewhere in New York. Lieutenant Thompson is in St. Luke's Hospital expected to die. Q. Where is Captain Selfridge? A. All the regiment lives here. By Colonel Sexton: Q. You say that the regulars were suffering from lack of food as much as you were? A. We asked them and they said yes. Q. What would you say to the fact that we have had evidence from privates, surgeons, and officers of nearly all the regiments and not one complaint of not being properly fed, even during the battle? A. I went down to the division hospital-I believe where Roosevelt's regiment was. They claim they are regulars. The Twenty-f< urth had nothing to spare. Q. Is it not a fact that in the Seventy-first the officers and men were always in trouble, and accusing each other and quarreling, and are still carrying it on? A. I think that is right. The privates get along first rate. We were all liked. Q. Who? A. The privates. Q. Weren't they quarreling and bickering? A. No, sir; not among the enlisted men. By General Dodge: Q. Who was the quartermaster of your regiment? A. Captain Stephens. Q. What is his first name? A. I believe Amos. He took charge of our clothing. Lieutenant Blauvelt had charge of our commissary department. Q. Who is your chaplain? A. Dr. Vandewater. Q. Is he the one lately accused of cowardice by your regiment? A. Yes, sir. 2002 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 18, 1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE HENRY HAUCK. Private Henry Hauck, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. What is your rank, company, and regiment? A. Private; Company L, Seventy-first Regiment, New York. Q. Have you served with the regiment during the entire war with Spain? A. Yes, sir. Q. What time? A. I left the day after the regiment; Company L left the day following that the regiment left. Q. And from that time ever since? A. From that time until mustered out the day before yesterday. By General Beaver: Q. What did you say your position was? A. I am a private in Company L, a lieutenant in the fire department. Q. I supposed that you had that rank in the Army. A. No, sir; I am not lucky enough for that. Q. Were you at Camp Black? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long? A. From the time we came there until we left. Q. About a week or more? A. From the time the regiment arrived there until we left. We arrived the day after the regiment, one day less than the time the regiment was there. Q. Your regiment was a 10-company regiment before the war, and then increased to 12? A. I am a recruit in Company L. Q. Never served in it before the war? A. No, sir; just a volunteer. Q. Who was the captain of your company? A. Captain Austin. Q. What was his first name? A. Elmer, or something like that. Q. Does he live in town here? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who was the commissary of your company? A. Quartermaster-sergeant? Q. Yes. A. Frank Alden, who died in Cuba. Q. Who took his place? A. George Cowen. I helped around. Q. In the commissary department? A. Yes, sir. Q. When did you begin to help in the commissary department? A. About two days after I arrived at Camp Black. Q. Did you help in drawing the rations? A. Once in a while I would go with the detail when the sergeant would not be there; that was at Camp Black. Q. Had you anything to do with the issue of the rations to the company-to the men? PRIVATE HENRY HAUCK. 2003 A. Yes, I always assisted; I dished out the coffee and the hard-tack, while the others would be dishing out salt pork and beef. Q. Who did the cooking? A. Frank Lenoy. Q. Had you only one company cook? Did one man do all the cooking for your company? A. Yes, sir; but as a rule each one would help; if he wanted it, there would be a detail every day to help him. Q. Had he any previous experience as a cook? A. He claimed he had cooked out on the road for a circus and different things, so he said. Q. Did he understand handling the army rations? A. Well, he did make a mess of it; had the rice or the beans burned. Q. How did he cook the rations? Did lie boil the beef or allow it to be fried? A. At Camp Black there was a man by the name of Schneider who did all the cooking. He cooked pretty fair. Then Lenoy commenced to cook after he was rejected. Q. Why was Schneider rejected, because of physical disability or because he could not cook? A. Because of physical disability. Q. Did you get soup to any extent at the first? Did you boil your beef and get the good of the bones? A. At Camp Black, we did. Q. How was it afterwards? A. We were treated very nicely in Lakeland. At Tampa Heights the meals were excellent-we had plenty of spuds. The only time I heard any complaint about the meals was in Cuba; that was from the time we reached Siboney, there was complaint about the meals. Q. That was when every man had to shift for himself? A. Yes; had to do their own cooking, and the volunteers were not able to do that. Q. Why did you abandon the company cooking system and have each man shift for himself? Was that because of a military necessity? A. They had not the facilities to do the cooking? Q. Were you allowed to build company fires on the battle line? A. We had to. Q. Foi' companies? A. No; for each man. Q. You cooked your coffee in a little can? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you ever hear of an army in which they did anything else? A. No. sir. Q. Your hardships were during the time every man was depending upon him- self for the cooking? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you always have something to cook? A. We always did, but for only three days at the San Juan-I believe, July 1, 2, and 3. We had our rations before we went up the hill. Each man received very near as much hard-tack as usual, his coffee, and a can of tomatoes for every four or five men. We opened oui' tomatoes; I unfortunately didn't get any. We had to carry 145 rounds of ammunition. Q. How many in your belt? A. Forty-five, and 100 in our haversack, so that we could get at them. We had to carry them in oui- haversack and pack our provisions into packs. At the time 2004 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. the firing commenced we were ordered to drop our packs, and they were left, and that is the reason we were short of grub. Q. Did you leave any guard with them? A. A man by the name of Cunningham, who was shot through the lung. Q. Did you have any rations issued to you in lieu of those, to make up for those taken out of your haversacks? A. No, sir; we received just enough to get along with after the rations came up in the wagon train. Q. They issued just enough to tide you over until the regular issue? A. Yes, sir. Q. Cunningham had been left with your packs; what became of him? A. He was shot through the lung. The captain asked me to stay at the rear at first, and I was a little bit put out, and Cunningham was asked to stay and I pro- ceeded with my company. Q. You preferred the firing line? A. I was required to go. Q. You don't know who took the stuff out of your packs? A. I do not. Q. How long did that condition of things last-of scarcity? A. About three days. I was taken a little bit sick. I would say four or five days. Q. What was issued during that time to make up for what was stolen or dis- appeared from your pack? A. Hard-tack. One kind was like soda crackers; there was more nutriment in the real hard-tack. We received coffee after we left the San Juan Hill and apiece of pork and canned roast beef, which the men would not eat. Q. What was your observation in regard to the roast beef? Were the cans per- fect? A. Yes, sir; because we had hard work to open them. Q. When you opened them, what was the condition of the beef? A. It was as if soup had been made.out of it, without substance, and put into cans. Q. Because it had no taste, or because it was spoiled? A. It looked as if it had been cooked, and it was very fat. Q. Was it not cooked and put there for the purpose of eating without cooking? A. Yes; but the men would warm it and put a little salt with it; some declined to eat it. Q. So far as your experience goes, canned roast beef was a failure? A. No, sir; I don't say that. Q. If they would not eat it, it was a failure? A. Some ate it; those that were too lazy to build a fire did not probably eat it: there was a. good deal of fat among it which would make you sick. Q. Was it spoiled or was it good of its kind? A. Good of its kind. Q. Were there any directions on the labels as to how you should use it? A. No. sir. Q. You were about the company kitchen a good deal? A. Yes, sir; considerably. Q. Did you have a commissary cookbook there? A. No. sir; there was one in Camp Black, when Sergeant Alden was there, but afterwards I never saw one. George Cowen was really acting quartermaster-ser- geant; I never saw him with a book. Q. There was none issued to your company? A. Not that I know of. PRIVATE HENRY HAUCK. 2005 Q. None given to the cooks for their use that you know of? A. I don't know; there was a cookbook issued at Tampa heights, but the quar- termaster-sergeant received the book, The Army Instructions in Regard to Cooking. Q. I was wondering how your regiment would skip the cookbook. A. I remember them speaking about the cookbook, " Do you want to learn to cook?" Q. Did you have any organized school for teaching the men how to use this book and the army ration, that you know of? A. No, sir; nobody ever received any instructions. They received the ration and were left to shift for themselves. On the transports all was cooked, and we bought a little oatmeal and stuff before we went aboard. Q. Were you on the Vigilancia going down? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did you fare on it? A. We had plenty of roast and corned beef and salt pork. I wrote a story about the Vigilancia. There was an article about us having been starved ana I denied it. I sent to one of the newspaper boats and I contradicted the story. We bought oatmeal. The men received oatmeal, and corned beef, and plenty of hard-tack. The water was in bad condition. Q. After it was cooked with the coffee could you drink it? A. You could taste that bad water. Q. How many days were you aboard the transport. A. From the time we left until we landed. Q. How many days was that? A. Thirteen or nineteen days. I kept a diary, but I lost it. Q. After landing at Siboney what rations were issued to you? A. They were in what they called the railroad depot. They received tomatoes; plenty of beans were issued to them; they never made use of them. Every two days Lenoy cooked a stew out of the salt pork, hard-tack, etc. We received our coffee; we received ground coffee at Siboney, and sugar and a little rice. Q. After you left Siboney, your company arrangement for cooking, as I under- stand it, was practically abandoned? A. Yes, sir. Q. Every man cooked for himself? A. Yes, sir. Q. What had been issued to you after that, up to the time you left? Did you get the regular army ration? A. We received plenty of rations while in Siboney-the regular hard-tack, salt pork, and roast beef; we received no beef at Sevilla, and we had to grind the coffee. Q. Was there any time during your service in Cuba that you failed to receive your quota of rations? A. Not exactly; we received three days' rations, and then gradually there would be rations issued while we were under the hill; there was plenty of shooting and men did not think so much of rations then. Q. It was difficult to receive them under these circumstances? A. It was difficult because if a man showed his head Q. Were you in the hospital while you were there? A. Yes, one night; about the 17th of July I went down to Sevilla for medicines. Q. Were you in the hospital as a patient? A. Only for one night. Q. Where was that? A. At San Juan Hill. 2006 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What sort of a hospital was it? A. I was not in the hospital; I was taken sick going from Siboney, and they put me in a shelter tent; I went back to the company next morning. Q. Did you have a company hospital in your company? A. No, sir. Q. Was there a regimental hospital for the Seventy-first while you were in the trenches? A. I am not certain, but I believe there was. Q. You did not see it? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know anything about the condition of the patients? A. No, sir. I never went into the hospital. Q. Were you unfit for duty at any time except this one day? A. Yes; I had the fever and was in a pretty bad state; I would get a little qui- nine and go back to the company. Q. And brave it out? A. Yes. Q. You came on what vessel north. A. The Grande Duchesse. Q. How many of your regiments were on it? A. I am not certain; Company L and part of the Third; I can not say how many men. Q. You know your company was on it? A. Yes; with the exception of some sick that we left. Q. How many of your company were sick? A. Pretty nearly all. Q. What medical officer had you to attend you? A. Dr. Bell. Q. Your own surgeon? A. Yes, sir; and his assistants. Q. Were they all on the Grande Duchesse? A. Dr. Stafford, I believe, was; there was another Dr. Stafford left behind. Q. Coming north, did you have enough physicians aboard to attend to the sick? A. As far as I was concerned, I saw none that were at hand, because I had the fever coming north. Q. How were you fed coming north? . A. The men fed themselves-canned milk, ham, sardines. The ship was loaded, and we helped ourselves. Q. You didn't suffer any especial hardships? A. No, sir. I think a good many of us ate too much canned stuff. Q. Where did you land at Montauk? A. Montauk Point. Q. How long were you there? A. I don't know; I was pretty sick, but I held out until I received a furlough, and went home. Q. What kind of a camp was that for a soldier? A. A good camp-the best I have been in. Q. How were the sick provided for there? A. I received boxes from home with chicken, and I didn't bother about any- thing else. I had the fever pretty bad. Q. What hospital were you in? A. I didn't go into any hospital. Q. You just stuck it out? PRIVATE HENRY HAUCK. 2007 A. I stuck it out as far as I could. I have a little chill once in a while, but I reported for duty yesterday. Q. Did you have an alarm last night? A. Oh, yes; we have them every night. Q. What did you lose in weight during the campaign? A. I weighed about 120 coming back. Q. What is your normal weight? A. One hundred and sixty-five pounds. Q. How nearly are you up to normal? A. I am there now. Two weeks ago I collapsed in the armory and had to go home. 1 had a slight attack of chills and fever and lost about 10 pounds, but I think I have gained it again. Q. Do you know, Lieutenant, during your sickness, of any lack of care and attention on the part of your medical officers? A. No, sir. Q. Were they capable men? A. Yes, sir; very willing; did all they could for us. Q. Was there any willful lack of attention on the part of your company offi- cers, so far as you know? A. No, sir; they went around among the men and tried to do what they could. Q. Did your captain look after your company? A. Yes, sir. Q. Looked after the sick? A. Yes, sir; ordered them properly taken care of. By General Dodge: Q. Who was your captain? A. Captain Austin. He used to send down for something to eat, and I surmised that he was trying the cooking. Q. Was there any suffering in the hospitals, so far as you know, that could have been avoided? A. No, sir; the reason I say that is that I volunteered to go to Siboney on Colonel Downs's horse, and the roads were in a frightful condition; the roads were blocked, horses lying down, and we had all we could do to get back with the horses. We brought oats and medical supplies, which we received at Siboney, and Lieutenant Blauvelt purchased some of Armour's sliced bacon. Q. Did you get the medicines you went for? A. Yes, sir; Colonel Downs's horse had the heaviest load, and I put the small bottles in among the oats, so they would not be broken Q. Did you get these at the medical depot at Siboney? A. They were in the case that had been sent from here, and Dr. Vandewater was in charge of them. Quartermaster Stephens was there. Q. Do you know whether you got them from the army medical depot, or it was a supply that had been sent from here? A. No, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What complaint, if any, have you to make of your treatment as a soldier while you have been in the United States service? A. I have no complaint at all. 1 By Dr. Conner: Q. Have you any complaint to make of the treatment of anyone else who was with you? A. No. sir. 2008 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 18, 1898. TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM HAMILTON HENRY. Mr. William Hamilton Henry, upon request, appeared, before the commission, and, having no objection, was duly sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Mr. Henry, will you kindly give us your full name and residence? A. William Hamilton Henry, No. 734 East One hundred and fortieth street, New York City. Q. We have been informed that you had a son in the Seventy-first Regiment; is that correct? A. Yes, sir; I brought him with me; he is outside the door. Q. He is living, then? A. Oh, yes. Q. I thought he was starved to death. Probably he is the one to give the testimony? A. I suppose I am here to testify to the condition I found him in at Wikoff. Q. When did you find him there? A. The day the Secretary of War was there. Q. Do you remember the date? A. My son recollects the date. I have no recollection of the date. It was last August some time. Incidentally I learned from a boy-he told me my son was very sick. He said he is in the hospital. I immediately the next day went down there and went direct to General Wheeler's headquarters, and there I happened to meet the Secretary of War at Camp Wikoff, and the General introduced me to the Secretary of War. I stated that I was in search of my son, who was here, but had heard nothing from him. He said he could probably find out where he was. I said he was in the detention hospital; I was told by a companion. A young captain went ovei' with me and told the guard and made inquiries, and he said he had been reported as having been discharged from the hospital the day before and had gone to New York, whereupon I felt very much disheartened. I knew he had not come to New York and I started back to the depot, and for- tunately I met a member of his regiment, who told me he had just met my son. He said, " He is lying over in the Seventy-first camp, very ill, and the quicker you can get him out the better; " so I went over to the camp and there I found him, lying on the ground. I know I passed him several times. He was so emaciated I did not know him. He was lying on a half blanket, and I hallooed to him and he recognized my voice. He said, " Don't you know me?" I hardly knew him. I recognized him right away. He said, "For God's sake try and get me home right away. I have been lying here all night." It was just such a day as to-day, and I went to the office. The captain and first lieutenant was not there, and the second lieutenant had no authority, and I went to the major of the command, and he said, "We are going to march up Broadway to-morrow and you had better keep him here." I saw the boy was hardly able to stand on his feet and I walked back and put him on his feet and took him over to General Wheeler's, and the general had not been in his quarters, but I caught him down at the depot and I showed him the young man, and he asked if he had been discharged from the hospital, and he issued it to him, and he got a furlough and transportation for him, and he was immediately taken home and put under a physician's care, and he has been, off and on, sick ever since. Q. How is he now? A. He is here. You can see him. At that time he was a very sick boy. and I believe if he had not been taken away-he can probably tell you his story best how he was turned away from his regiment. A. Oh, yes. 2009 WILLIAM HAMILTON HENRY. Q. Did you see any medical officers there? A. None at all. Q. Did not see Dr. Bell, nor the assistant surgeon? A. Didn't see any of them. Q. He was in the tent or lying on the ground? A. In a tent, on a blanket. Q. Was the tent floored? A. No, sir; the officers' tents were floored. He was lying on damp ground, and the officers were in tents with board floors. Q. Damp ground? A. It was moist and damp. Q. Were the tents intrenched? A. Not as I have seen them at Camp Black. Q. I would like you to fix this date, because I would like to pursue this further. A. I can get the date home. I think my son has a memorandum of it. Q, Were they putting floors in the tents? A. iN'o, sir; excepting in the officers' tents (lieutenants and captains), and the privates had none. Q. Had they started to put the floors in the tents for the men? A. No, sir; I saw none. Q. Were you ever back at Camp Wikoff? A. No, sir. Q. The testimony is that every tent in the camp was floored finally. A. I do not know about that; I was not there. Q. What were you going to say about the officers? A. I say I felt convinced in mind, from what I heard from the boys, they were heartless. They laid the blame on the officers of his regiment. They never inquired how he was or anything about it. I felt convinced if I hadn't found him he would have died. Q. You gathered that from what the boys said? A. I made inquiry of the officers,*and they were away in the division hospital, from what I heard. He was there eight days. He was there three days and felt well enough to go out and started for his camp with 27 of his regiment, and was turned out to be fumigated, and then they had to walk back to the wharf, where the fumigating vessel was. Q. Were you in the division hospital at all? A. No, sir; they would not allow anybody there. Q. Were you in any hospital? A. No, sir. Q. They were making preparations for them? A. Yes, sir. By General Wilson: Q. You said when your boy was lying so ill in the tent you spoke to one of the officers, and he said they would march up Broadway the next day. Did you con- clude that he expected to have your son march up in that condition? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that an officer of his own regiment? A. That was the major of the command. Q. Do you remember his name? A. Major Kemp. I made the appeal, but I was referred to him by the second lieutenant. The captain and the first lieutenant were away. He said, "I have no power; they have been given only a three days' furlough, and I have nothing to do with it." 2010 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT ON WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 18,1898. Private Richard M. Henry, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was duly sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Give the stenographer your full name and your company and regiment. A. Richard M. Henry; Company B, Seventy-first Regiment, New York City. Q. What position had you in your company? A. Private. Q. Did you serve in it before the war with Spain? A. No, sir. Q. When were you enlisted? A. I think the last part of April, just about a week before we went to Camp Black. Q. Were you in Camp Black? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you follow the regiment to Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. And came home on what vessel? A. On the Grande Duchesse. Q. Where did you land? A. Montauk Point. Q. What day? A. I think it was the 16th or 17th of August. Q. Were you among the early arrivals at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did you go on your arrival? A. I was sent to the division hospital. Q. How long did you stay there? A. Three or four days, and then we were told that any men who were strong enough to go back to their companies would have permission to go. I went back to my company with about 27, and when we got back there we were told we would have to go back again to the fumigating vessel. That made a double walk back. Q. What was the distance? A. I should judge nearly 3 miles. It was up and down hill. Q. Who told you at the regiment you must be fumigated? A. The first sergeant and the lieutenant of the day-Lawson that day. When we got back there, I believe there was no fumigating ship there, and we stayed there a little while, and we were told we would have to go back to the hospital, and they were going to take us back there when a captain in the Ninth Cavalry said the men should not be marched back; that they were not able to stand it. He ordered the ambulances, and I stayed at the hospital three or four days more, eight days in all I was there. I was told that we would have to go and take a bath and change clothes and go back to the company and get a furlough and go home. Q. Who told you that? A. The doctor. Q. Do you know his name? A. That I could not say. He was a new doctor, because the other doctor was a major doctor, not a captain, and was sent back to Washington the day before and these were new doctors. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE RICHARD M. HENRY. PRIVATE RICHARD M. HENRY. 2011 Q. Had you been sick in Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long? A. Well, the first day was after the surrender on the 17th of July. Q. A good many of you got sick that day? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many in your company? A. I could not say how many that day, but there were times when there was hardly a man for duty. Q. What was the disease from which you were suffering in Cuba, the ordinary fevers? A. Yes, sir; and diarrhea. Q. Had you been in the hospital in Cuba? A. No, sir; we had none. Q. You mean no regimental hospitals? A. We had no such thing as a hospital. We had a Hospital Corps, and they had a tent where the worst ones were. Q. That is, no hospital that you know of? A. No, sir. Q. You didn't go down to Siboney to see whether or not there was one there? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have any quarters in your company for the sick of the company? A. Yes, sir; at the head of the street there were two tents given us, big ^A" tents. There were two of these placed on the top of the hill for the benefit of the men who were sick to go up there during the day and night. Q. Did you occupy a place in one of these tents? A. I did for a while. They got so full I thought it was better in my own tent, for I had a good tentmate to look after me. Q. What had you for shelter? A. Dog tents. Q. Two of you buttoned your pieces together and made a shelter tent out of it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have ponchos? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any blankets? A. We had half blankets when we left Siboney. We were given orders to lighten our pack as much as possible, because we would have a heavy march, and each of the boys cut their blankets in half. Q. The double blankets were cut in two. You don't mean the single blankets were cut in half? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then you had a single blanket one-half the width? A. Yes, sir. Q. One-half the width or length? A. According to how we cut them. It was our first experience. We were told to do that by the regulars. Instead of cutting them lengthwise we cut them in the middle. It made plenty of length, but not enough width, but if they had been cut halfway across it would have made more to lie on. Q. What kind of soil had you there at Cuba, sand or clay? A. No, sir; black mud; very nasty mud. Q. Very black? A. Yes, sir; and when you stepped in it it was a case of slide all over. After the rain was over you would slide all around it. Q. How was it in the tents; did the dampness communicate with the soil in it? 2012 INVESTIGATION OF CONDOCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have your tents ditched? A. Yes, sir; on account of being on the side of a hill we ditched our tents so the water would run off. Q. Were you treated for your fever when you were in Cuba? A. Well, in this way, we were given a pill every day or two. Q. Do you know what kind? A. Quinine. Q. That was the standard remedy, was it? A. Yes, sir; two pills for fever and three for a broken arm. That was the word in the Army. Q. It was a bone-break fever I suppose? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you came north, Henry, were you able to march to the steamship- the transport? A. Well, I was hardly able to march, but I did it, because I did not want to stay there. We went before the surgeon and he examined each one. He looked very closely at them, and I didn't want to be one of them to stay behind. I marched to get aboard the vessel; I think it was 3 miles. I marched from our trenches to Santiago and it rained all the way in. Q. What kind of accommodations had you on the transport? A. Five men to a stateroom on deck. There was only room for three to sleep, two in the lower and one in the upper bunks, but they slept two in the upper and I slept on the floor. Q. Was the stateroom carpeted? A. No, sir. Q. What had you in the way of coverings for yourself-still have your half blanket? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had you gotten any other covering? A. No, sir. Q. And your baggage, did you have that? A. Yes, sir. Q. And your shelter tents; had you brought that with you? A. No, sir; we left them all behind, standing. Q. It was raining when you left? A. No; it didn't rain until just when we started. It rained all the way into the city. Q. Were you able during your voyage to go up on deck? A. I was right on deck. Q. Then you had good air? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you able to leave your state room during the voyage? A. I had to leave it to go to the closet, which was at the rear of the vessel. I bad the diarrhea very badly. Q. You had diarrhea at the time? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of diarrhea, chronic? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were you allowed in the way of food coming north? A. We had cold canned tomatoes, and cold canned corn, and cold corned beef, and roast beef, and hard-tack and coffee. Q. Any soups of any kind? A. There was two or three days on the trip up that our major, Surgeon Bell, 2013 PRIVATE RICHARD M. HENRY. gave us stale soups, soups that were in the hold of the vessel that came up. There were lots of stores left over from the previous expedition, and they found these soups and they gave them to some of the sick men. Q. Did you get any? A. I did one day. Q. Any other supplies on board? Any condensed milk or malted milk or any- thing of that sort? A. I did not see any malted milk or condensed milk. Q. Any other supplies on board? A. No eating supplies. Q. How was your water? A. The water coming up was very good. Going down it was terrible. Q. ifou were on the Vigilancia going down? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many companies of your regiment was on the La Grande Duchesse com- ing up? A. Half came up on the St. Louis and the other half came on the Grande Duchesse. Q. What kind of diet did you have at Montauk? A. We got there in the afternoon, and they gave us a little soup. One ambu- lance came along with a lot of soup, and we laid on the ground, too played out to do anything, and a couple of orderlies came along and gave us some soup; and we did not get anything that night, because we were put in new tents, and they overlooked us, and it was 9 or 10 o'clock the next morning before they came around there with rice-and it was generally burned-and coffee. That was about all we got there. Q. No bread or hard-tack? A. Yes, sir; we got bread-a piece of bread. Q. Was that in the detention hospital or camp? A. Hospital. Q. Were there nurses there? A. Men nurses; yes, sir. Q. Did you see any female nurses? A. No, sir. Q. Were there any nurses in the new tents in which you were placed at the time you were placed there? A. No, sir. Q. When did the nurses first discover you? A. The next morning. Q. Do you know what time in the morning? A. Just after they had their breakfast they came along the line. Q. When did the surgeon or a surgeon of the hospital force see you? A. The next morning-he came in the morning. Q. Do you mean the second morning? A. No. The morning after we got in he came around and felt my pulse. Q. Look at your tongue? A. No, sir. Q. Take your temperature? A. No, sir. Q. Look in your eyes? A. Of course, I could not say as to that. He came around and he was with another surgeon; he wrote something down and said the medicine would be around in a little while, but it did not come until late that night. Q. How many troops landed that day? A. I think the Seventy-first was the only vessel that landed there. 2014 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Were you fumigated before you went to the detention hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Marched from the vessel to the detention hospital? A. No, sir; they put us in the ambulances-this captain of theNinth Cavalry- and he had us put in ambulances. Q. Then, when you went back to be fumigated they did the same thing-they put you in ambulances the second time? A. Yes, sir. We landed on the 17th or 16th-I think it is the 17th. We were then put in ambulances-those that were not able to walk-and taken to the deten- tion hospital. Q. Do you know how many ambulances there were there? A. That I could not say. Q. In what shape was this rice furnished to you? In the shape of soup or boiled rice? A. Boiled rice. Q. Then you got boiled rice and bread and coffee? A. Yes, sir; and after we had been there three or four days, after I came off the second time, milk came in and men with canned milk. Q. What was your complexion; had you grown sallow or yellow? A. Yes, sir. Q. How much flesh had you lost? A. About 50 pounds. Q. How much have you picked up since? A. I weigh 170 now, and I weighed 186 before I went away. Q. Are you gaining now or losing? A. I have not been weighed within a week and a half or two weeks. I think I am gaining slowly. Q. How is your general health; improving? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you have any chills now? A. Oh, yes; I have them every week, two weeks, or three weeks. As soon as I get them, it is a case of going to bed that day and stay in the house the next day. Q. Do these periodical chills come in that way, or are they irregular? A. No; not regular intervals. Sometimes it is one week, and it may pass on to three weeks. Q. Is the period between them increasing or decreasing? A. It seems to be decreasing now. It is getting better all the time. A day like this is the kind of a day that brings on the fever, but I have not had any to-day. Q. Coming from Cuba, on the Grande Duchesse, did you suffer to any extent from the lighter food? A. No, sir; I had this in my stateroom. There were five of us in there. There were seven men allowed to a can of tomatoes or corn-five, I think, to a can of corn; it is smaller. They served the corn and stuff out to the men. Instead of that, I got a can and took it to the barrels where they boiled the coffee and took a rope and tied it to the cans and put them in, and heated them. I could not stand eat- ing it cold. In that way we managed to get a little better than the rest probably. Q. Did you improvise a mess in your stateroom and eat there? A. Yes, sir. Q. If a can of tomatoes was allowed to seven men, would you get a whole can or would they take your share out? A. I would wait until they got their share and then I would tie a rope around it and hold it down.until it was warm. Q. Did the cooks let you use the galleys? PRIVATE RICHARD M. HENRY. 2015 A. Yes; the cooks on the Grande Duchesse, I can say, were very good to us. Q. They made the coffee for the men? A. No, sir; the quartermaster-sergeant of each company did. They put it in a barrel where there was steam pipes, and the steam pipes were put in the barrel that we boiled the water in. Q. What was the quality of the coffee? A. Slops. Q. When it was served? A. I did not care very much for it. I had a package sent to me by a society where I lived, the Borough of the Bronx. They sent coffee and tea to me that month to last until I got on the transport, and we had that. Q. Tea made in that way tastes rather better than coffee made in that way? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was your appetite such as enabled you to eat hard-tack? A. No, sir. Q. You subsisted largely upon corn, tomatoes, and the soup you got-you got it once, you say? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any supply of fruit or anything of that sort aboard? A. There were canned peaches and canned pears. We bought those. Q. From whom? A. From the crew-that is, one of the young fellows in the stateroom had some money left and he bought some. Q. Made his contribution to the mess in that way? A. Yes, sir. Q. Well, at the time you landed at Montauk, were you suffering from a lack of food? A. No, sir. Q. Why did you leave the detention hospital, Henry? A. Why, to get home. I considered myself a great deal better off at home than in the hospital. Q. But you didn't go home; you went back to the camp. A. I went back for my furlough, but they would not give it to me. They said it was impossible to give it to me that day. The acting captain told me there was so many men selected. They told me in the division hospital-the doctor said I should have a furlough. I could not get a furlough, and they said they would give me a seven days' furlough. He said, ' ' I guess it will be all right. " He would "do as much as he could for me. " My father happened to come out that day, and he saw General Wheeler, and General Wheeler promised to get me a thirty-day furlough if he could find me. My father had a great deal of trouble finding me, as they said I had gone home from the detention hospital, supposing I had my furlough. Up to 5 o'clock I had no word of my seven-days' furlough, and the second lieutenant said they were coming back the next day, and I could not get my furlough. Q. Hadn't they commenced to grant furloughs at that time? A. Yes, sir. General Alger was there the day before, and a good many of the boys spoke to him and asked for furloughs, and he gave them furloughs. Q. Hadn't the surgeons at the detention camp at that time any? A. They could not give them. They said they could not give any furloughs there until General Wheeler ordered it. Q. You came home with your father the day he went out and have been home ever since? 2016 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. You have been in the doctor's care? A. Yes, sir. Q. Has he dismissed you? A. Yes, sir; now. Q. How old were you when you enlisted? A. Twenty-two. By General Wilson: Q. Were you able to walk when you came home, or did they have to carry you? A. I was able to walk with assistance. I was not so bad as to be carried? By Dr. Conner: Q. After being sent down to the fumigating ship and not being fumigated, you were transferred to the detention hospital; that was a fact, was it? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did you remain in the detention hospital then-the second time? A. I think four days. It all amounted to about eight days. Q. And that was the time you went there in order to get your furlough; you were told you would have to get it in the regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did you remain in your tent in the camp of the Seventy-first New York? A. One night. Q. And your father found you the next day? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was your tent floored? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have a cot? A. In the detention hospital, but not there. Q. Was it expected that cots should be furnished men in the regiment? A. No, sir. Q. And while you were lying on the ground was it wet or dry? A. It was not wet, but pretty dry. Q. Had it been raining before within a day or two? A. It had rained a few days before that and had blown very heavy. It blew my tent over, and I was in a heavy sweat that night. Q. And the ground did not get dry? A. No, sir. Q. And you were in there overnight and your father found you the next day? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you able to walk from the detention hospital to your tent the day before you left Montauk? A. Yes, sir. I met a gentleman friend of my father"s, whose son was my com- panion, and he helped me over. Q. Of course, while you were in your tent you were supplied with the ordinary rations of the camp, were you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you or not regarded as a sick man any more than the rest of your company? A. I was regarded as sick. I was excused from duty. Q. But you were not reported as one requiring hospital treatment at that time? A. No, sir. Q. Were you in such condition that a friend would be likely to pass you by without recognizing you? PRIVATE RICHARD M. HENRY. 2017 A. I think so. Q. Why-because of loss of flesh? A. I was much discouraged not getting my furlough, and my color, and my hair had grown pretty long at that time. Q. It was a pretty uncomfortable night and morning waiting for your furlough? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were much depressed in not getting your furlough as soon as expected? A. Yes, sir. Q. The day you left camp there it was raining or otherwise? A. No, sir; it was clear. Q. Now, were your men at that time examined by the doctor, except those who reported for sick call, when you went back to your camp and stayed overnight? Was it expected that men in that regiment who did not report at sick call would be seen by the doctor? A. Yes, sir. Those that were not able to answer sick call, the doctor was sup- posed to call at their tent. Q. If you were known to be sick in your tent? A. Yes, sir. Q. But if you came in in the afternoon, might it not have happened that you were not reported as being sick in camp? A. They all knew I was back in camp. Q. Did the first sergeant report the fact of your being sick in quarters to the surgeon the next morning? A. I do not think he did. Q. If he did not, in what way was the surgeon likely to know that you were sick in quarters? A. That was the duty of the first sergeant. Q. But you say you do not think he did it. A. I do not think he did it. Q. Where the men are supposed to be thoroughly well, does the surgeon go through every tent every morning and see if there is anybody sick at all? A. No, sir. Q. But takes the reports that the first sergeant brings him? A. Yes, sir. Q. When the men are marched up to the sick call, if they can not march up the fact is reported? A. Yes, sir. Q. And, as far as you know, no report was made? A. Yes, sir. Q. Under these circumstances, is the surgeon or any medical officer responsible for not having seen you-how did he know you were there? A. I do not know anything about that. Q. Could he know you were there if the first sergeant did not report it? A. That was the first sergeant's duty. Q. But if he did not, how could the medical officer know it? A. He would not know it. Q. When your father took you away from that tent, were you able to go up to the station or did you ride? A. Rode. Q. He had a carriage for himself and you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any special difficulty in getting home on the train? A. No, sir. 2018 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. And you reached home about as comfortably or even more so than when you left the camp? A. In a happier frame of mind. Q. And for that reason your body felt better? A. I do not know about that; not when I got home. In fact, I had diarrhea all of the way in on the train. Q. You had diarrhea for some time? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did it last you after you got home? A. It lasted from the time I had it to the end, a month and eight days. Q. Do you know that a considerable portion of your tent mates suffered from the same sort of diarrhea? A. My tent mate had it a little while. Q. It was the disease in Cuba when you went there? A. Yes, sir. Q. After you got home you had a seven days' furlough? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it extended? A. The regiment got a furlough of sixty days. I came home ahead of the regi- ment and they extended mine to sixty days. Q. You were mustered out then? A. No, sir; we were only mustered out two or three days ago. Q. You were ordered to be mustered out? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were at your home? A. Yes, sir. Q. You did not have to report anywhere? A. Except at the armory. Q. Every day? A. Some days we would report and then would not have to report for three or four days. Q. During the time you were in the detention hospital were you kindly and properly treated by the medical officers? A. Well, I think I was. Q. Do you know who your medical officer was? A. Dr. La something. It is a French name. Q. Was it Genella? A. No, sir; Dr. La something. He was a very young man, probably not more than 24 or 25 years. Q. He looked after you with reasonable promptness? A. He only called to see me twice. Q. You were how many days in there? A. Three or four days the first time and four days the second time. Q. Did he pass through your tent every day? A. He would just ask how you felt to-day. If you felt better you would say, " I feel a little better to-day," and he would pass on. Sometimes he would skip your tent if he thought you did not require him. Q. What kind of food did you have in your detention camp? Who attended to your diet there? A. The steward. Q. Of the detention camp? A. Yes, sir. ASST. SURG. FRANK DONALDSON, 2019 New York, November 18, 1898. TESTIMONY OF ASST. SURG. FRANK DONALDSON. Asst. Surg. Frank Donaldson, upon request, appeared before the commis- sion, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you kindly state your full name, profession, how long you have been practicing, and where you reside. A. My name is Frank Donaldson; I have been practicing medicine since 1883; 1 graduated at Harvard University and was at Johns Hopkins, and was nine years abroad. Q. How long have you been back-since you returned to this country? A. Three and a half years ago. Q. Where have you been since? A. Practically in New York all the time. Q. Did you hold any position in the Medical Department of the United States during the war with Spain? A. Yes, sir. I was appointed to an acting assistant surgeonship, and asked, as a special favor, to be allowed to join Colonel Roosevelt's regiment. That was granted, and I joined it in the early part of July. Q. Did you go to Cuba with them? A. No, sir; I joined them there. Q. About what date? A. I think it was about the 8th. Q. After the fighting was over? A. Just after the battle. Q. To what duty were you assigned there-camp or hospital duty? A. I was placed on duty, camp duty, with Colonel Roosevelt. Q. Did you remain on that duty while you were in Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you come north with that regiment? A. No, sir; I was taken sick with yellow fever on the 20th of July, and I met them after they came out of the detention camp. Q. Were you sent to the yellow-fever hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long were you in that hospital? A. Just eight days, I think. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us in what condition you found the hospital in which the wounded of your regiment were, or did you visit it? A. I saw the wounded of our regiment in the division hospital at Siboney. Q. What was the condition of these hospitals as respects their cleanliness, sup- plies, the number of doctors, the number of nurses, the means of caring for the sick-in a word, what was the condition of the hospital? A. In anything I say I do not want to criticise Dr. La Garde. The truth of the matter is that they were swamped, and there was an insufficient supply of nurses and hospital stewards, and those they did have seemed to me far from desirable, and that was my experience afterwards at Montauk. The hospital stewards, especially in the volunteer service, were not what they might have been, and the Lord knows how they were gotten hold of and why they were put in those positions. Q. Now, continuing the subject of the Cuban hospitals, did you make visits before you were taken sick to either the hospital Dr. Wood was in charge of at Siboney, where the wounded were, or were they sent away? 2020 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. They were all there while I was there. While I was out in the front I was very active in getting supplies and medicines, and I spent, after working all day, half the night in going into Siboney and getting all the supplies I could, and I was there considerably. I was in the hospitals at Siboney a great deal. Q. Were you able to get such medicines and medical stores as you required? A. We were. In my own experience, on the 15th of July they succeeded in getting things. Q. Do you know whether or not there was supplies and medical stores on shore? A. There were supplies, but there was a terrible shortage of them. Q. And when you got them during this time, was it necessary to make requi- sition and ask that they be sent-to call upon the quartermaster's department or go for them yourself? A. The reason we fared so well was because we hustled for ourselves when I found there was a shortage. When I went to Dr. La Garde he would give them to me, and that was my experience straight through. The reason we got things was because we hustled for them. Q. In your visits, prior to being a patient-in your visits to the hospital A. (Interrupting.) Excuse me. Iwas at the hospital in the mountains when sick with the fevei; not at Siboney. Q. The Siboney hospital-did it seem to you, as a professional man, that the men were receiving good care and attention? A. No, sir. Q. In what respect were they not? A. Chiefly in the lack of proper medical attention from the nurses. Q. As far as the doctors themselves were concerned, were they doing their part of the work? A. Absolutely; efficiently and devotedly. They went there one morning to the next without any let up. Q. Was there any possibility of securing any more nurses or any different class of nurses at the time than they had at Siboney? A. No, sir. Q. Therefore if you can not get what you want you must take what you can get? A. Down there, but there was no excuse for sending them there without suffi- cient hospital supplies. Q. Do you know that they did? A. They must have vanished into Cuba Libre. We did not have them. Q. The nurses were largely inefficient, were they not? A. Yes, sir. Q. They were taken from the so-called hospital corps, were they not? A. There were a great many taken ill, and they had to send men from the regi- ments to nurse-men who had no experience. Q. How were those men who were detailed from the regiments for these pur- poses; did you know what sort of men were likely to be detailed? A. No, sir; I know up in the hospital in which I was, the reason we had such good attention, I attributed it to the fact that we had 20 men taken from the Ninth Cavalry, the negro cavalry, and they were as faithful and efficient as any- body could be. Q. Do you know whether any of the few volunteer regiments, yours among the rest, were called upon for nurses? A. No, sir. Q. You do know? A. I know they were; the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Michigan. I have been trying to find out the name of the First Illinois man who looked for me, and he told me there was a number from his regiment. ASST. SURG. FRANK DONALDSON. 2021 Q. Were they fitted for the work? A. I should say not. Q. Was your own regiment called upon for a detail for hospital purposes? A. Not to my knowledge; in fact I can say they were not. Q. Did you have occasion to observe the hospital in charge of Dr. Wood? A. Not as thoroughly as the hospital in Siboney. My impression of that hospital was that it was very good. Q. You were speaking of Dr. La Garde. Do you think it would have been in any way possible for him to secure a different class of nurses from what he had there? A. No, sir. Q. Before you were taken sick and taken to the yellow-fever hospital in the hills, Dr. La Garde had a yellow-fever hospital at Siboney? A. Yes, sir. Q. You went out on the hill, how far away? A. A mile and a quarter. Q. Who was in charge? A. Dr. George McCreery and R. Echeverria. Q. Dr. McCreery died on his return? A. Yes, sir. Q. Of yellow fever? A. He died of the immediate consequences of dysentery. Q. He had yellow fever? A. Yes, sir. Q. Dr. Echeverria, of whom you speak, was he a competent man? A. I had the pleasure of writing for a Philadelphia medical journal that we owed our lives to the treatment of these men, and if the supplies had been landed in proper time the medical corps could have looked after the patients. We had in that hospital everything I could think of. We had the tenderest care during the day and night, and the best proof of it was we lost only 6| per cent. Q. The nurses, as I understand you, were chiefly from the negro regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. And it is to those negroes that you attribute the praise for the kind treat- ment you received and the careful nursing that was given? A. Yes, sir; I don't "mean to say that there were nothing but negro nurses there, but there were 20 of them, and their efficiency was very great. Q. Were there any female nurses there? A. No, sir; there were nurses with a man named Lesser, chief surgeon of the Red Cross, who was sick in the same tent with him. Q. Were they where you were, or at Siboney? A. Where I was. Q. He had this little hospital up there? A. No, sir; Dr. Lesser-to show the knowledge he had of yellow fever, he immediately established what was called a yellow-fever hospital in a Cuban's home. Q. Had they not been assured by the medical authorities that' the place they were in was not infected and had not been? A. I asked Dr. Lesser why he did it, professing to be a yellow-fever expert, and he said he was told such was the case. My reply was that he knew that whole part of Cuba was infected; it was utterly impossible that any such place should not have the yellow-fever infection, and I believe if we could get at the loss of the people who went into that upper hospital we would find that a lot had yellow fever as a consequence. Q. Do you, or not, of your own knowledge, know of complaints made by Dr. 2022 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Lesser and his nurses of being turned out of their house, and their house being burned over their heads? A. I did, sir, and am glad to have the chance to say that whether Dr. Lesser knew he had yellow fever or not, I do not know, but I am inclined to believe he did not. I do not think he knew. He was there, and it was reported there was yellow fever, and Dr. Senn very wisely turned them out. Lesser and the whole crew cried, and then they were sent up to the hospital, where they received efficient and careful treatment. Q. Do you, or not, think it would have been wise to have left that building, in which Dr. Lesser and his nurses were-left it as it was, and left them until they were convalescent? A. Never. Q. Was or was not that place a constant menace to the health and welfare of the troops? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were laid up about eight days in the yellow-fever hospital; was there a sufficient supply of medical stores for the care of the yellow-fever patients while you were there? A. Entirely, sir; of course, we were not allowed to take but a small amount of the nourishment, but there was not only what we needed, but a great many things we did not need. Q. Were they supplied by the United States, or the Red Cross? A. Through Dr. La Garde, from Siboney, except some aerated water which Lesser had there, and over which he made a great deal ado. Q. Then the major part of the supplies were supplied from the Medical Depart- ment of the United States Army? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you had occasion to come north, did you come on the transport? A. I am glad to have a chance to say that the Concho-Dr. Lesser had charge of the Concho, and he came up home and said things about the Surgeon-General, and Dr. La Garde told him in my presence that he could have all the supplies and stores he wanted to. If he did not have them on the Concho it was not the Gov- ernment's fault. Q. As I understand, Dr. La Garde told him he had the supplies and all he had to do was to request them? A. Yes, sir. Q. And if he did not have the supplies on board it was nobody's fault but his own? A. Nobody's but Lesser's. Q. Do you, or not, know, of your own knowledge, the terms upon which Dr. Lesser was sent north upon that transport? A. Well, there were six or seven of his physicians ill. I wanted to stay, but could not. Parker had yellow fever, and Fauntleroy had, and Dr. La Garde was there once with only two men and they could not be spared. Q. And was Dr. Lesser detailed at his own request, do you know, to come with the Concho? A. Dr. Lesser wished to come away from Cuba and he was coming up on the Concho, and he said he was an efficient man, and Dr. La Garde put him in charge. Q. And Dr. Lesser accepted the charge? A. So I understood. Q. And brought his nurses with him? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many sick were on that vessel? A. I have forgotten. ASST. SURG. FRANK DONALDSON. 2023 Q. Were you on it? A. No. Q. Was there such a number sick on board as that Dr. Lesser and his nurses, four in number A. (Interrupting.) His nurses, all but one, had yellow fever. Q. And they were sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether the men-any of them-were in condition to look after themselves on board the Concho? A. I suppose a certain number of them were, but at that time-I was told the other day it was not a question of their dying on board ship, but the question was, they were sure to die if we kept them at Siboney, and we had to send them north under any condition. Q. They could not do any more than die if they were not sent north? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you had to get them away? A. Yes, sir. Q. And as I understand, the number of medical officers there that could possibly be sent on a tour of this sort was so small that possibly they could not detach any man from the duty he was already on? A. It was not possible to do so. Q. On what vessel did you come? A. I came with Drs. Vaughn and Guiteras in charge of 176 men, Instead of sending us to Fortress Monroe, they sent us to Fort Egmont Key. Q. How long were you there? A. One day before we landed, and then there ten days. Q. In what condition was it as to supplies for convalescents and sick? The Witness. May I speak of the Santiago? Dr. Conner. Yes, sir. The Witness. Dr. Vaughn and I took the amount of supplies we thought we would need, and the captain had a fairly good amount of grub, and I understand one of the New York papers (the Times) made it a case of an editorial the fact that we had everything on board that was good for the men to eat and had three doctors. Among these were, chiefly, ice and beef tea. We had plenty of them. I did not have any ice; it was too late for that. We got to Egmont Key and Dr. Gettings had to go to Tampa, and he got down early the next morning and we took 86 men comfortably to shore in three hours. They were comfortably attended to and every man looked after, and we found a fine cook. We found every possible thing that money could buy, and I finally drew up a statement which was pub- lished in the London Lancet and the Philadelphia Medical Journal, and it was heartily indorsed by Duval to us that Dr. Gettings was faithful and attentive and that the service was everything that could be expected. Q. At what day were you at Egmont Key? A. The 9th or 10th of August. Q. You came from there where? A. I had charge of the sick officers and brought them from Tampa to Wash- ington. Q. Referring to Egmont, do you suppose its character changed much from the time you saw it to a month later? A. I think I know what you are referring to. It was cool in the morning and night and it was hot in the day. It is an ideal place. Q. Is it, or not, true that the soil at Egmont Camp was on a piece of barren ground 400 feet square and surrounded by a barb-wire fence 8 feet high? A. Egmont Key is not different from the other keys. You can not raise a 2024 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. large crop. It had plenty of trees; they had a wire fence, I suppose, three or four feet high-you must remember the Government was doing special work there and had 150 men at work and when they heard the yellow-fever crowd was coming they wanted to quit, and they put that thing up in order to keep any possible sick patients who might have been infected from wandering out, and we had some very tough characters there and often they got out (there were women on the island and they had a place where they were selling liquors); it was the proper thing to do. Q. Was it a terrible place? A. We had a delightful time. Q. Is it true, or not, that there was half an acre of stagnant water? A. No, sir. There was a pool that filled up when it rained, but it scattered out. There was a place underneath the kitchen, and they were filling that up when I left. Q. Is it, or not, a fact that individuals were there breathing the stagnant atmos- phere day and night, and within 30 feet of the barb-wire fence was one of the most beautiful sand beaches in the world surrounding the camp? A. The coast does not surround the camp. They used to allow men to bathe every day, practically, that they could. Q. Every day the doctors made their rounds. Is that true? A. Dr. Gettings made his round not only twice a day, but he was going ever- lastingly. Q. Is he of the marine service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was, or not, his round a farce? A. I was pretty sick, but I did all I could to help him, and I have been with him when there was not any farce about it. I have seen him go back to get liquor, when he thought a man needed it, with his own hands. Q. Do you or not know it was true "that guards with pistols in their hands drove us into our tents? " A. Never. Q. Then the doctor would come along and look with a grin and say, " I see you are all here," and pass on? A. Never. Q. "Nobody in the camp was allowed to go to the beach"-you have already explained all that. Then you went to Washington? A. Yes, sir; and came to Montauk. Q. How long were you at Montauk? A. Five weeks. Q. On what duty? A. I was acting then as assistant surgeon of the Rough Riders, but I had prac- tically charge, because Dr. Church was ill, and had charge of the regimental hospital. Q. Was the regimental hospital-could you, in that hospital, take proper care of your sick? A. Yes, sir; I have mentioned that a little in different things I have been writ- ing. I think it is one of the greatest mistakes of the war, doing away with the regimental hospital. Q. You could and did take care of the sick in the regimental hospital at Mon- tauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have plenty of medical supplies? A. Plenty. Q. Could you get the necessary drugs that you needed to take care of the sick? 2025 ASST. SURG. FRANK DONALDSON. A. You had to go and take the trouble to do it. I was talking with an officer of the volunteer regiment. He said he saw the condition of the men and he said, "I can not get those things over at the hospital." I said, " It was extraordinary; we can get not only what we need, but more. " Q. Why could he not get them? A. Because he did not take the time, I suppose. Q. Had you occasion to visit the hospital frequently? A. Every day. Q. In what way was it run, speaking generally-properly or otherwise? A. I consider that the hospital, after my experience abroad many years, was absolutely excellently run, except in the first week or ten days, when they got their clerks. They had a good deal of trouble with their clerk hire and they got their records muddled up, as Colonel For wood will tell you, and the soldiers poured in constantly and they had no tag on them and nobody knew who they were. Q. How many men, as a rule, were put in a tent in that hospital-in the general hospital? A. I don't think there was any undue crowding. Q. How many men have you ever seen in these tents yourself? A. Well, I would not like to say. Q. Ten? The Witness. You mean in one of those big tents? Dr. Conner. Yes, sir. A. I don't think I ever saw more than-I don't think I ever saw more than four on a side. Q. That would be eight? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the medical officers at that hospital men of experience, of good judg- ment, and competent to take care of the sick and disposed to use their ability for the best interests of the sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. Without exception? A. Without exception. There was one exception, but he was not there long. Q. He left? A. I suppose so. Q. Did you ever see the hospital refuse matter-the dirt and peelings and typhoid excreta and urine and everything else-standing outside of the tent, exposed to the air, open to anyone's view that passed along? A. Well, I have seen the closets inside-I mean actually by the bedside that had not been immediately emptied-but that was only occasionally and only for a few minutes. It was where the men had gotten back before the nurse came, and they did not have a chance. Q. Was there a sufficient number of bedpans in that hospital to answer all the needs of the men? A. Yes, sir. Q. Have you or not observed on any of your visits there kitchen refuse standing close by, the top open and the refuse material covered with flies and maggots? A. In the general hospital? Q. Yes, sir. A. Why, no. Q. If such a thing occurred, do you think from your own observation of the place that it was a frequent or infrequent occurrence? A. Infrequent. Q. A custom or accident? 2026 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I should say in that case they were put out and the man who was to take them away had not had time to come along. Q. Was the nursing at Montauk satisfactory in all respects? A. I considered it so. We sent comparatively few men to the general hospital, because we preferred to take care of them ourselves. One I saw there had typhoid fever, and I sent him over there, and I watched them carefully, I watched them twice a day. We were very devoted to them. I think we only lost one man from our own regiment. Q. Were there many female nurses there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they competent? A. The ones I saw were. Q. Did they seem to be interested in their work as well as capable of doing it? A. Absolutely devoted. Q. Have you, as a result of your observation, any criticism to pass upon the policing or medical supplies or medical attention to the sick in the hospital? A. No, sir. The only criticism I have to make is in the early part of it; in keeping the records and possibly in not being quite careful enough to see that they were sent away with proper records to know where the men were going. Q. Do you know anything of what was done with the dead there, the manner of cleaning them, etc.? A. Yes, sir; I do. Q. Will you tell us? A. I took the trouble to go over one day on my own hook and I found them treated with entire respect and thought they were given a decent burial, and 1 should have been glad to have been put away in such good shape. Q. Do you or not think it probable that many a man was buried there in a pine coffin in an absolutely nude condition? A. I can not say that, but I don't believe it. Q. From what you have seen, would you think it probable such a thing would happen? A. No, sir. By General Wilson: Q. Have you ever heard of the case of A. C. Worden, of the Seventh Infantry, who came up from Santiago and was at Egmont Key? A. I was with him. Q. It has been stated that he died of starvation, and that he was stated to have been quarantined there and for several days lived on nothing but lemon balls that he picked up. Can you say anything about that? A. I had the pleasure of attending him on board the Santiago, where he was very ill. I had the pleasure of looking after him, helping Dr. Gettings, not every day, but almost every hour. He had every delicacy that the men could have. I have many a time made him a sherry and egg, and port wine, and hot beef tea, and jelly which I made myself; and, to make a long story short, when he left Egmont Key he got a great deal better, so he was up and about, but very, very nervous; and when we got away from Egmont Key he got on board the tram; and he was very sick coming up on the boat and had a high fever, and I watched him a great part of the night; and then he got on the train, and I think he went on to Cincinnati and Denver. Q. And then the statements I have seen in the press are what? A. Absolute lies. Q. I want to ask you if you can tell us anything about the case of Mr. Tiffany, in your regiment, who died? A. I can not, because I was at that time on my way out and I did not see him. PRIVATE JAMES S. SOWERS. 2027 Q. You did not see him? A. No, sir. Q. You never saw him after he left Cuba? A. Never saw him after I was taken ill. By Captain Howell: Q. We have a complaint here from Mr. Francis Newton, a volunteer nurse at Camp Wikoff. I want to ask you-he says the clothing from the men who were there had been befouled by diarrhea and hemorrhages from the bowels, and was stripped off and thrown in piles near the camp. A. They were taken out there to the hill and burned. Q. They were not permitted to lay in camp? A. Oh, no, sir. 1 was only at the general hospital over there. I went over there every day to get some supplies, and saw the few sick men we had there. I was pretty familiar with it, but I do not want you to get the idea I was detached there. Q. You were there to look after your men? A. To see how they were getting along. Q. If anything of that kind existed about that hospital, you would have seen it? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of furnishings were there for that hospital proper-did they have pans to wash their faces in and a separate pan to vomit in? A. Certainly they did. Q. There was no occasion for a man to wash his face in a pan he had vomited in? A. Not unless he chose to do it. Q. There was no necessity for that? A. No, sir. Q. Do you consider that hospital yourself equipped as it should be? A. I do not see how it could have been improved. We had a great many friends and everything money could buy. By Colonel Sexton: Q. You state you have written an article about the trip on the Santiago? A. They are in different medical journals. There is one at Camp Wikoff. [Witness handed Dr. Conner three medical journals to be filed with testimony.] New York, November 18, 1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE JAMES S. SOWERS. Private James S. Sowers, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Mr. Sowers, what is your name, and where have you served in the war with Spain? A. James S. Sowers. Q. Company and regiment? A. Seventy-first Regiment, Company K. Q. Your residence? A. No. 9 West One hundred and seventh street, New York City. Q. Rank? A. Private. Q. Did you go out with your regiment? 2028 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; to Camp Black with them. Q. Went from there to Lakeland' A. Yes, sir. Q. Lakeland to Tampa? A. Yes, sir. Q. Through the campaign? A. Yes, sir. Q. Back on what vessel? A. On the St. Louis. Two companies came back on the St. Louis-Companies K and E. Q. Were you in the same company with Goss? A. I was, sir. Q. How old are you, Mr. Sowers? A. Twenty-six, last birthday. Q. Were you sick in Santiago? A. I was not. Q. Were you fit for duty all the time? A. Certainly. Q. Come home ready for duty, did you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you or not in the hospital after coming home? A. I was not. Q. You were at the battle of San Juan Hill? A. Yes, sir. Q. In the trenches afterwards? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were you fed during the campaign-did you get the regular army ration? A. We did not. Q. What did you fail to get? A. Well, after we left Siboney we encamped at a camp called Starvation-the name given to it by the boys-and there we received three days' rations, and this was the 28th or 29th or the 1st of July. We went on the hill and we did not receive anything more until the 5th. We went five days on three days' rations. Q. Then Goss was mistaken when he said there was nothing issued on the 1st of July? A. If there was, I did not receive anything. Goss was not with us on the 1st day of July. He was detailed with the sick men. I don't know whether he told you that or not. Q. You had nothing except three days' rations from the 28th or 29th of June until the 5th of July? A. Correct. Q. Did you lose any of your rations in your company prior to the fight? A. Many of the boys did; I did not. Q. Do you know how many of your company threw away their rations? A. I do not. There were six ate out of my haversack the 1st of July. Q. It would not take three days' rations long to disappear at that rate? A. No, indeed. Q. Who was your company quartermaster-sergeant and acting commissary- sergeant ? A. Sergeant Hines. Q. Is he in the city? A. He lives in Brooklyn. I have his papers home. Q. Will you send that down please? 2029 PRIVATE JAMES S. SOWERS. A. I will, if you. desire. I can have him here to-morrow morning, if you wish. Q. Were you short of rations at any time other than when you mentioned? A. We were short of rations from that time until-I can not say the date-in the neighborhood of the 16th or 18th. We had some, but not enough; not the regular army allowance. Q. Was it deficient in amount, in component parts, or quality? A. In the amount. Q. What was issued to you? A. I believe I would be unable to say just what was issued. Q. You do not know what was issued to your commissary-sergeant. You are speaking of what came to you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know how much was issued to a company; do you know whether it got the regulation amount? A. Several did not. I was acting quartermaster myself at the time, and I was first assistant all the time. Q. Did you draw from your regimental or acting commissary, or from the brigade commissary? A. This is the way it was: The wagon drove up and emptied it out, and all the quartermasters came and then divided equally among the different quartermasters of the companies. Q. That was done under the authority of your regimental or brigade commis- sary? A. I could not say that? By General Dodge: Q. Who was your regimental commissary-Dubell? A. I don't think he was our regular acting quartermaster. He was acting all the time I know; I remember him there. By General Beaver: Q. Did you have hard-tack all the time you were in the trenches after the battle? A. Well, not any amount to speak of all the time. I should say not. Q. Fix the date when you hadn't any? A. After the 5th, do you mean? Q. Any time. What date during your service? A. The 4th and 5th of July. Q. You had none at all? A. We had a supply about the 6th, and that lasted us for a day or so. Q. Was there any issue made to you between the 1st and 5th, of the rations that your men had thrown away? A. Well, no; the Cubans got all that. Q. That is, they got what you men left? A. That is what I understood you to say. Q. Was there any issued in place of them? A. No, sir. Q. If there had been such an issue, you did not get your share? A. No, sir; I did not get any of it. Q. What did you live on during the two days when you had no hard bread at all as you say? A. I went out to get some of those wild cherries and some mangoes and ate those, but they were very bad for dysentery? Q. Did you have any coffee those days? A. Did not. 2030 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. You had nothing to eat, then, whatever, except the wild cherries and mangoes? A. That I picked up. Q. How many men of your company were in the same predicament, so far as you actually know. A. I can not speak for anybody but myself. I know they asked me several times for something. Q. Did you get anything from the regulars? A. No, sir; I did not. There was some few things exchanged later on; that was about the 18th or 20th. Q. Were you in the camp of the regulars on the days immediately succeeding the fight? A. We were transferred there direct back of the blockhouses, way around to the right, a distance, I should judge, of 2 or 3 miles, and that brought us to the camp of the Sixth and Sixteenth, if I remember correctly. We were able to pick up something there. Q. Did they have things to eat? A. I could not say. They were living, however. Q. When you say "pick up," you mean you picked up with their consent or without their consent? A. Well, I don't know; we got it. Q. They had something for you to get whether you divided it or not? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know who the commissary of the brigade to which you were attached was? A. I do not. We were in the First Brigade. By General Dodge: Q. You were brigaded with the Sixth and Sixteenth? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did they bring the rations up to you, do you know? You spoke of wagons coming to you and dumping out what was to go to your regiment, and then each company came around to get its share. Do you know where those wagons came from? A. Yes, sir; they came from Santiago. That was after the surrender, but prior to that it was all carried up by mules. Q. From where? A. Siboney. By General Beaver: Q. Now let me get my chronology right. You had three days' rations issued on the 28th or 29th, you don't know which? A. Yes, sir. Q. If it was the 28th, was that to include the 28th, or did it begin the next day? A. It included that day. Q. Then your three days' rations would have been for the 28th, 29th and 30th, and you got nothing after that date until the 5th or 6th of July that you know of? A. Yes, sir; that's right. The regulars had potatoes during this time. Q. Did you get any potatoes? A. No, sir; only what we picked up. Q. After the 6th of July what was the next date when you were short? How many days were issued to you on the 6th of July? A. I could not say. I am sorry I have not my diary with me. I kept a diary. I could answer these dates better if I had it here. Q. You kept a diary? 2031 PRIVATE JAMES S. SOWERS. A. I did. Q. After the surrender you were supplied first from what point-Santiago? A. Santiago. Q. How were the supplies after that date-better than before or not so good, or about the same? A. After the surrender we had quite a sufficiency of such as it was. Q. Well, when you say " such as it was," was not the quality good? A. No, sir. Q. What was the trouble with it? A. Coffee probably 10 cents per pound. It was rank. Q. Do you mean the United States Government issued to its troops coffee for 10 cents per pound? A. 1 do not know, but I can buy coffee in New York City for 10 cents per pound. Q. Where? A. Any store; just as good as that. By Colonel Sexton: Q. How was it issued, green or roasted? A. We had some green coffee in Cuba; most of it was brown. I believe three days we received brown coffee. By General Beaver: Q. Did you have any coffee roaster, or brown it in the pan? A. In a little frying pan. Q. Did you have any coffee mills? A. No, sir; we pounded it with a knife handle. Q. What else was deficient in quality besides the coffee? A. The rice was not good. Very few boys ate their rice. Q. What else? A. I think that was all. Q. Did you have the coffee and rice condemned? A. We did not. Q. Did you call the attention of the captain of your company to the deficient quality of the coffee and rice? A. With the coffee we did. Q. What action did he take? A. He said he had nothing to do with it. Q. Was that coffee issued to you by your regimental commissary or brigade commissary? A. It came through the brigade commissary to our camp. Q. Do you know from what point it came? Was that after the surrender or before? A. I don't remember it ever getting better. Q. You don't remember ever getting any better? A. Not in Cuba. Q. Did you make yourself coffee in your tin cup while you were in the trenches? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that roasted and ground, or simply roasted and not ground, or green? A. It was roasted- what we received in the trenches-but was not ground. Q. Was there any difference in the quality of the coffee issued to you green and what was issued to you roasted? A. We did not use the green coffee at all, or at least I did not; most of the boys were told they had better throw it away. Q. Why? 2032 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. We had no way of roasting it. Q. Did you not have any meat pans? A. We had a pan, but a man had better do without eating than to sit out in the sun. Q. Was the sun shining twenty-four hours? A. It is difficult to roast coffee in the evening. Q. Then you did not use the green coffee, which was the best. They did not try to use it? A. Yes, sir; several of us tried to brown the coffee. We would brown it on one side Q. You did not know how to take care of yourselves? A. I did not mean to state that. I don't think you understand me. Q. Don't you know the United States Government issued green coffee, in order that it may give you the best in the world? A. Certainly; but they have the facilities to brown it. Q. Did you expect that you would have a coffee roaster up in the trenches on the firing line? A. No; but we should have had our pans there. Q. Don't you know you would have had your heads blown off if you had? A. The Sixth and Sixteenth carried their pans. Q. And built their fires on the firing lines, so the Spaniards would see them? A. They had them there on the 5th and 6th of July. Q. Why didn't you A. They were on the top of the hills. Q. Then there was a difference between the regulars and volunteers? A. Yes, sir. Q. What made that difference? A. It was in the officers. Q. What officers? A. In charge of the volunteers and regulars. Q. That is, the regular officers knew what to do for their men and the volunteers did not know what to do for you? A. 1 think I can substantiate that statement. Q. Do you know the object of the Government in issuing green coffee? Was that explained to you in any way? A. It was not. Q. Why was there-you say you were the assistant to the quartermaster-ser- geant. Did you use the commissary cookbook, which tells you how to prepare and use your rations? A. I did not know there was such a thing. I never used one. Q. Then, if there was such a thing, and it was issued to the regiment, and one issued to your company, what do you suppose became of it? A. I could not answer that. Q. Were you familiar with the quartermaster-sergeant's tent? A. In Cuba I was. I had access to everything he had. Q. And you never saw the commissary cookbook about your quarters? A. I did not. Q. Did you ever see the commissary manual? A. I did not. Q. And you did not know there was such a thing as a commissary cookbook and commissary manual? A. I did not. Q. When you came home on board the St. Paul, how many days' rations were issued to you? PRIVATE JAMES S. SOWERS. 2033 A. We were fed by the crew-not exactly by the crew, but the boat fed us. They furnished the provisions coming home. We would go downstairs and get a large can of beef and bread, and we had very good food coming home. Q. Cooked in the ship's galley? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you landed at Montauk, state whether you found the camp prepared for you in any way. A. The tents were up. That was the preparation. Q. How long did you remain in the camp? A. I do not know. I came up two days before the regiment left. Q. Do you know whether the camp tents were floored afterwards? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. Were the tents generally throughout the camp floored? A. None that I have seen. Q. Not up to the time you left? A. No, sir. Q. You came on the 17th or 16th; which? A. 16th or 17th; I do not remember. Q. Do you remember the day you left the camp? A. The regiment left the 27th. I left two days before-the 25th. Q. What kind of food did you get at Montauk? A. Well, we had a sad experience there. We started to land in the morning and were fumigated, which began at 8 o'clock. We had a biscuit and a piece of meat at 12 o'clock, and nothing more until 10 o'clock the next day; while the Fifth Infantry, alongside of us, had a lot of meat and bread when they marched out in the evening. Q. That is, their commissary had been ahead of yours and hustled for what he got? A. Somebody was not afraid to use his brains a little. Q. Do you know where your commissary was while you were landing? A. Our regiment was split up into three different divisions. Q. Did you have any quartermaster-sergeant with your two companies? A. The company quartermaster. Q. Where were they while you were landing? A. They did not figure any more than a private then. Q. After the second day did your regiment get together? A. No, sir; we were never together-I think three or four days before we left camp-until we moved away across next to the farther stand, entirely away from the rest. Q. You did not get your commissary provisions in your tents there? A. The Tenth had large hearts, and they gave us a breakfast and we relished that. I remember eating three or four large potatoes, and, then, sometime in the afternoon, say 4 o'clock, we got some rations issued to us. Q. Through whose intervention was that? A. I do not know. 1 think it was through the kicking of the men. I do not think we had any officers to go after it for us. Q. Do you know who issued it? A. No; I do not. I do not know who went for it. By General Dodge: Q. Who is the major? A. Major Keck; but they were not with us. We only had a company and a half-half of Company K and all of Company E. We had Lieutenant-Colonel Smith. 2034 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By Captain Howell: Q. From your knowledge, what was the difficulty in the supply of food in the five days you testified about at Siboney? On account of want of provisions fur- nished by the Government or the volunteer officers not getting them? A. I should say it was the latter. Q. Other regiments did get more rations than your regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. And they could have gotten more if they had been properly schooled and had experience and knew how to do it? A. Decidedly. Q. You think that is the reason you did not get more supplies? A. Yes, sir; I do. By General Dodge: Q. At the time you spoke of not having rations were you right alongside the Sixth and Sixteenth Infantry? A. Do you mean the 1st of July? Q. Yes. A. We were not. We marched around and got with them. Where they were encamped at this time I do not know, but on our right was the Sixteenth and on our left was the Sixth. Q. You were not a brigade? A. We were; but not the 1st of July, during the starvation. We were mixed up with the Twenty-fourth-the colored fellows. Q. You were away from your brigade? A. Yes, sir. By Captain Howell: Q. You know the Sixth and Sixteenth got better rations than you did? A. Yes, sir. Previous to this time, I would say the 27th or 28th up to the 5th, I do not remember asking any members. Q. You did not have any lack of them yourselves except what you lost when you threw away your haversacks? Your starving came afterwards? A. Yes, sir. Q. And that was while you were detached from your brigade? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. You were with the Twenty-fourth when you swung to the left of the hill? A. Yes, sir. Q. And the Sixth and Sixteenth was on the right? A. "Y es, sir. Q. Did the Twenty-fourth have rations? A. They did. Q. All the time? A. They had potatoes, beans, rice-a haversack full-and they were told not to throw down :heir haversacks, but we were told to do so. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You were ordered to throw down your haversacks, and you threw them away? A. No; I kept mine. Q. Others threw theirs away? A. Yes, sir. Q. Are you confident it was the 28th instead of the 30th you had your three days' rations issued to you? MRS. MARY MANSON. 2035 A. No; I could not swear it was the 28th. I tried to make it plain. It was the 27th or 28th; it might be the 29th. Q. Might it not be the 30th? A. I do not think our rations were issued the 30th. It might have been. Q. Did you notice on the firing line in the trenches that day whether the mem- bers of your company were eating hard-tack or not? A. They were not, because there was very few of them had their haversacks. Q. Please state whether there was any food left in the haversacks behind. A. They were well supplied with food. Most of them were well supplied with hard-tack and roast beef. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Were you near on the firing line-how far were the Sixth? A. I could not say. Q. The officers and men of your company swear that they had food all the way through-a sufficiency, although not a full ration. A. We met them somewhere on the side of the hill around by the blockhouse- we met them and then got our brigade together. Previous to that I do not know where they were. We might have been a mile or 2 miles from them. Q. I saw a statement that the volunteer officers looked after themselves and the regulars looked after their men. A. I think there is a lot of truth in that. Q. You think there is? A. I think there is. I saw one colonel around the commissary department looking out for the interests of his men. Q. Regular or volunteer? A. That happened to be a regular. By General Dodge: Q. Who was it? A. I think it was the Sixteenth. Q. Wikoff? A. I do not know his name; only knew him by his shoulder strap. New York, November 18, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. MARY MANSON. Mrs. Mary Manson, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Please give us your full name and residence. A. My full name is Mary Manson; No. 21 West Fifty-first street is where I reside. May I ask if you have my report, General? By General Dodge: Q. Yes, ma'am. A. That would facilitate my testimony very much. By General Beaver: Q. You were interested in the soldiers who returned from Cuba, Mrs. Manson? A. I was interested. While at first I thought the reports were exaggerated I did not go. I thought the only way was to go and find out for myself, and I did go and found out. 2036 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. When did you make your visit to Camp Wikoff? A. About the 20th-I am not sure-it was the 19th or 20th of August. Q. What portion of the camp did you visit? A. Well, at first I turned through the First and Second Infantry division, mak- ing very close examination of the men I saw there. You understand, of course, that the tents were pleasant to look at and the surroundings were pleasant to look at. While many of the men looked feeble, still that did not give any idea of the condition of the sick, which was very great. When I found how many sick there were, as that report tells you, we instituted a very hurried relief corps, and a number of women went there every day for a month and until the 1st of October, and General Wheeler gave us a tent, and we had supplies driven from East Hampton every day, 20 miles, and 7 of it was over a beach where the horses had to walk; it was clay, but we insisted on doing that. At first we took our supplies from the wagons, but afterwards, when General Wheeler gave us the tent, we had that as a base of supplies. We had eggs and milk and broths, which were taken to the sick, and that was organized, and I took the Third Infantry and the other workers and had them report to me about the conditions of the other regiments. What I saw was a fair specimen of the other regiments, but in telling you anything about it, my personal observation was limited to the Third Infantry. Q. Of course that is all we will ask you to say anything about. A. And as to the condition of the men in the camps, that was quite as much as I had time for. Q. What was the condition of the camp, Mrs. Manson; what kind of tents were they? A. They were tents which held four men, as a rule. Some held four; they usu- ally held four. They asked the sick men to move aside in order to reach the head man, in order to give him assistance. Q. How had they been prepared, if at all, for the reception of the troops? A. Apparently no provision whatever. Q. No tents up? A. That I do not know. I think you mean from the beginning when they first came. Q. Ordinarily a soldier when he first comes into camp puts up his tent. A. I was not present at that time. Q. When you went there you found the tents up? A. Yes, sir. Q. Any comforts about them? A. Not such comforts as I should consider comforts. Of course I am speaking of and using the standards of ordinary suffering. I should like to have that understood. Q. Were there floors in the tents? A. Not that I saw. In my report I stated the floors of the Twenty-second Infantry were being laid the day before they left. The soldiers were occupied in packing their various effects and some were putting down the floors. There were none in so many regiments it would take too much time to tell. Q. In your regiment, the Third? A. There were no floors. Q. What was the character of the ground, wet or dry? A. It was damp at night, and a very sharp contrast between day and night. Montauk is a severe climate, inasmuch as there are frequent fogs, and the nights, even though the days are hot, the nights are cold and damp, and the men did not have any straw for their mattress bags for some time. Q. Did they have mattress bags? A. They did not have these in the Third for some time. MRS. MARY MANSON. 2037 Q. Did they have their ponchos? A. Yes, sir; and one single army blanket that for a sick man who was depleted with fever and depleted for want of nourishment was very inefficient clothing when you consider, as a rule, he had no other clothing. He laid in his tent on his rubber blanket cover in the day with his army blanket. Therefore at night he had no extra clothing. He passed long nights, even in August, that were damp. Q. Did they have their ordinary clothing on-underwear, shirt, and trousers? A. Yes, sir; but the majority of them had no underclothing at all, and finally they were given some short-sleeved underclothing which was very thin, such as they should have had in Cuba. It was not sufficient; until the 1st of October it was all that they received. We gave away about 3,000 suits of warmer under- clothing. These men were sick, you understand. There were a large number of sick men in the Third Infantry. I think there is no question that they suffered from a variety of diseases-dysentery, fevers, and oftentimes typhoid and pneu- monia, and lung trouble. Q. Did they have any medical attendants? A. They had a young contract surgeon, Dr. Harris. He was young. I knew nothing of him as to his capacity as a physician. He was anxious to do all he could. He was very much overworked. He did not look strong. I never heard him say he was ill. Q. Had he any assistants? A. He had one hospital steward. Q. How many hospital corps men? A. I never saw but one. When I went to the regiment in the morning I went to the doctor and took his sick list, either from him or the hospital steward, and then went first to those men. He would say, " They will not eat. I can not get them to eat. Perhaps you could." The food they had in the beginning was the army rations, and later on they had an abundance of food, but the men I referred to-the sick men-were not able to eat solid food at all. They were not able to retain that. There is no question about that. If they could have been taken to the hospital and cared for in that way they probably would not have been so ill as they were later on. Q. Do you know how many typhoid-fever cases, for instance, were kept in quar- ters instead of being taken to the hospital? A. I could not tell you the exact number; I know there was some; I think it would be very difficult to estimate that, because their condition was so slightly investigated. I know they had very high temperatures, 104°, 105°, and 106°, those in their tents. Q. How many men were in that condition at that time? A. There were 100 men on the sick list when I first went there, but that did not represent the number of sick. The men were in such condition that many of them, as the doctor told me, would not report on the sick list-in that case they had no atten- tion-but they were not able to walk to the doctor's tent. The principal difficulty I found was the difficulty to assimilate food; it had been going on for some time. I do not think they had had proper food for some time, and this period of exhaus- tion, you could detect it at a moment's glance. Q. Occasioned by what, their service in the tropical climate? A. That I could not state positively; I should say disease in the first place and those drugs, either improper or taken improperly. They would take quinine- large pills of quinine-by the handfuls; this would render them perfectly deaf, so that any question about their condition, to be answered by them, was really futile. I do not think that was intended at all. Now, that amount of drugging would injure their digestion. Q. There seems to have been no lack of quinine pills, at all events. A. Certainly not in the Third Infantry, but as far as my own personal observa- 2038 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. tions went, that was the only medicine administered for colds, pneumonia, and all diseases they suffered from. Q. Do you know by whom these pills had been prescribed in such quantities, or how they were furnished to the individual men? A. I think by the doctors, with instructions to be taken during twenty-four hours at various periods, and then they could not hear any further instructions. They were often delirious from the effects of the quinine. Q. Is the quinine treatment, in your judgment, proper at any time? A. 1 am not a physician. I could not decide that question. Q. I did not know. I thought perhaps your views on that subject might have influenced your judgment. A. No, sir; I have not any knowledge of medicine except limited. We were anxious not to antagonize the doctors, but to be of aid to those who appealed to us, and we were careful not to give anything in antagonizing the drugs. Q. Or antagonizing the treatment they were receiving? A. Yes, sir; we would occasionally ask the doctor if a soldier could have Jamaica ginger, or something of that kind. Q. To what were your administrations confined; food and clothing? A. Yes, sir; and a small quantity of some food which could be retained, and if it failed, we would try others. We found some who could only retain malted milk preparations. These men should, of course, have been in the hospital. Q. Do you know why they were not in the hospital? A. Because the hospital was full, I believe. In the beginning that was undoubt- edly so. If you will look at my report, I went there to find that out. In the beginning there was confusion in the hospital. There was apparently no system anywhere to be found. The divisional hospitals when they were opened relieved the situation, but they were opened very late. It was a surprise to me that they were closed. They had such a brief existence. Q. They were not organized until about the time of breaking up? A. Yes. sir; about the time we sent two trained nurses, but the Second. Division hospital was a great relief to the Third Infantry. There were 30 or 40 men abso- lutely unable to stand on their feet when they were expected to leave. Q. Did you make any effort to provide nurses for the men in your quarters at all? Was that a part of your scheme? A. We had a few trained nurses to assist us and who were paid, as we found them useful. Our great difficulty was in finding the proper kind of assistance. We had sufficient money and supplies. We got cool-headed women who were used to sickness and found the trained nurses did not understand their business. We had a few who were invaluable. We had a few who were not accustomed to their work, and we had to do that work ourselves. Q. Who was the officer in command of the Third Infantry? A. Captain Hannay. He was a very humane man, and he was very courteous to me always, and seemed very much depressed about the condition of the men. Q. Did you come into contact with the officers in command? A. No, sir; I did not. I saw Captain Hannay nearly every day, and the ser- geant. General Ludlow was very kind to us. He was a brigade commander, I think, and Colonel Harper. Q. Did you give us the name of the surgeon to whom you referred? A. Dr. Harris. He was in that Indian trouble, and Major Wilkenson, who died in Minnesota. By General Dodge: Q. He was in the regular service? A. He was a contract soldier. He went with them, but was recommended for bravery in his service in the Indian trouble. MRS. MARY MANSON. 2039 Q. Did you, in your investigations of the hospital, meet Colonel Forwood, who was in charge of the general hospital? A. No, sir; I had an interview with Major Surgeon Brown, who was there, and he was the only person in charge. Q. In charge of what hospital? A. The general hospital. I only made one visit there to see if some men, who had been for some two days upon the ground, in the Twenty-second, could be admitted, and then there were twenty ambulances waiting outside the general hospital. The men had come, I presume, from the transport. They had no attendants, except a volunteer doctor. His aid said the doctor had been up sev- enty-two hours. These men were barely able to sit up, some of them. They were arranged in two tiers. It was very, very hot. They were there for hours, while I was trying to see if the men of the Twenty-second could be admitted, and Major- Brown said there was a blockade at that time. Q. Do you remember what day that was? A. I am sorry I can not say what day that was. It was about the first part of September, the instance referred to there in the Seventh Infantry about men being turned down from the general hospital was a curious one. I told Dr. Greenleaf about it, and he said he would investigate it, and he said he could not discover any- one in the hospital who knew anything about it. He said although it was a few days it was ancient history, and it had better be dropped. The condition of the sick, the lack of hospital room, or the inability of the men being placed in the hos- pital was very serious. It undoubtedly caused a great deal of sickness that could have been prevented, because the slight assistance we gave them-it was remarkable how much they improved. Of course, everyone in the regiment thought they would improve. We lived on that hope and many got well. Q. Did the conditions improve? A. Except that the regiments left. That, of course, might be considered an improvement. Q. Didn't the number of sick increase during the entire time? A. To some extent; but those that had been well became sick-those that had become comparatively well had become sick. Q. That is, the malaria developed? A. Yes, sir; they seemed poisoned. It would perhaps be a big statement to say " all," but it would not be far- from the truth to say it. Q. You don't know whethei' or not that is a usual consequence in a fever coun- try when you come into a proper atmosphere? A. I should think it was so, but I think preparations should have been made. Q. Do you know how to make preparations for preventing the development of malaria when you have it in your system? A. On the 13th of August there were a number of soldiers arrived, and there were only 5 hospital tents at the hospital, and they held about 85 sick men, and there was no room for others, and there was apparently no preparation for others, and yet remaining troops were coming. Q. Were there any troops from Cuba in Camp Wikoff ? A. I think so; I think there were several; I don't know which regiment, but I think there were several. I was not there personally at that time, but I was told so. Q. Had they not arrived from Tampa? Were they not the troops that came from Tampa? A. Possibly; but that could be easily determined. Q. The evidence before us is that the first troops arrived on the 16th or 17th; that is, the first from Cuba. A. They needed warmer underclothing on account of their depleted and ill condition. 2040 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Was the dampness of that atmosphere so dense as to permeate the floors of those tents? A. There were no floors. Q. The bottom of the tents? A. Yon mean the rubber blanket on the soil? Q. The ground itself. A. The dews are very heavy. They are all the way along on Long Island, and the grounds were frequently very damp and soggy when the sun was shining. Q. Under the shelter of the tents? A. Yes, sir. That is a well-known fact to Long Islanders. I have lived a number of summers on Long Island, and that condition exists all along; but they were fortunate in that they did not have the tremendous storms that usually come at that season. It drove the cattle one night from the point into the sea. I doubt myself whether the general hospital would have stood it at all. That was our great apprehension, that this storm would come, and I think that is the reason the troops were finally moved and the sick taken to the city hospitals. Q. To avoid the equinoctial storms? A. But this year there was no storm that could be termed the equinoctial. Q. What time did you get your relief organization perfected? How soon after you went there? A. It was never very perfect, but it was in running order about the 1st of Sep- tember. Q. That is, three weeks after the troops came from Cuba? A. Yes. When I make that statement, I mean that the tent was there and that it was an established organization as much as it ever was. Previous to that time we depended upon wagonloads of material and placed them in company kitchens, and carried things from there to the sick. Q. The regular army ration, so far as it was consumed, was quite a rarity among the men later on. You practically supplied them with the food they needed? A. We only had what would be considered sick food, broths and milk largely, and various sick foods, not solid foods of any kind. There seemed to be a great deal of provision of various kinds to be had, but the sick were not able to eat it or go for it to the company kitchen, and they were dependent on their camp mates to bring it, and even had they had it, they could not retain it. Q. How many sick in the Third Regiment, of which you had charge, were taken to the general hospital? A. I could not tell you the exact number. Q. About what number? A. I really could not tell you. Sometimes there would be 5 or 6, sometimes 2 or 3, sometimes on certain days none at all, but there must have been, I should imagine, 40 or 50 men, probably. Q. Taken at different times? A. Taken at different times. That may be very incorrect. There may have been very many more. Q. Were there any typhoid-fever patients left in their quarters after the disease had been definitely diagnosed or fixed as typhoid? A. That I could not say, with the exception of one case we took to East Hamp- ton-12 soldiers, and one of them had what the physicians in charge considered a relapse of typhoid. That case must have had typhoid fever in his tent. I made no diagnosis. I took the temperatures. My efforts were to reach as many men as I could and then return to discover whether what I had given them had agreed with them and leave something more for the following day. In every case, the men that I was able to reach were helped. Q. How many men of the Third Regiment died in the Third Infantry? MRS. MARY MANSON. 2041 A. That I could not tell you. One man collapsed in the tent and was given a hypodermic injection, and was carried on a stretcher to the hospital which was some distance away. I thought he died, but 1 do not know whether he did or not. Q. Did you follow his history-do you know what became of him? A. I heard he died before he reached the hospital, but I only heard that. Q. Do you know of any cases of deaths in quarters? A. The case of Hugh Parrott. That was in the Ninth. Q. I mean in your regiment? A. No; there were no deaths in quarters during the time I was there. Q. Parrott's case was the one for the treatment of which Dr. Tabor was dis- charged? A. Yes, sir; the men when they came nearly to the point of death, or collapsed, which was the next thing, were then sent to the hospital. In my regiment, and in most of the regiments, and in the Twentieth, Dr. Abbey didn't send the man because he said if he did he would die before he reached there. He said he would probably die anyway. The only chance he has is to be left quietly, and if anyone could help him during the night, he might live. So one of our women stayed with him all night and gave him stimulants every ten minutes, and he lived and came through and was able to be taken to the hospital the next morning. I doubt if very many died in quarters. Q. Do you know of any deaths in the Third Regiment in quarters? A. No, sir; I do not. Q. Do you know how many of the Third Regiment died in the hospital? A. No, sir; I do not know that. Q. Do you know whether the percentage of deaths in your regiment was larger or smaller than the average? A. No; I do not know when they left the tents; I do not know. Q. You didn't follow them? A. I doubt if anybody did-the doctors or the officers. Q. The doctor would seem to have his hands pretty full at home? A. He did indeed. Q. As well as the rest of you? A. Yes, sir. They suffered very much from lumbago and rheumatism, which I thought was due to lying on the ground and to the dampness. Q. Did you distribute underclothing to all the men in camp, so that all were supplied? A. No, sir; only to the sick. We had not a sufficient number. We gave them to those that wanted them the most. We never had any difficulty in that way. We were told they were declined by the others for the sake of those who needed them more. We could make that distribution when a commanding officer could not. He would have to have enough for the entire command. There were things sent by private individuals that were not of service, because they were not of sufficient quantity to cover the regiment. We could take them and give them without causing any feeling among the men at all. Q. Mrs. Manson, your ministrations were gratefully received by them and their officers? A. They were, indeed. They were so grateful that it would compensate us for all our efforts. Q. I am sure the country feels the same way. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Mrs. Manson, were you aware of the fact, at the time you visited the camps there, the 20th of August to the 1st of September, that there were in the store- houses at Wikoff 30,000 blankets? A. Oh. no; I was not. 2042 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. An abundance of underclothing, and uniforms of all kinds-enough to give underclothes to every man in that army? A. When we were waiting to receive our tents from Captain Patton, I think someone in the Department told us a sufficient quantity of underclothing was there, and we hesitated buying it ourselves, thinking that when we received a large quantity it would be distributed by the Government; but, as far as 1 know, it never was distributed-certainly, not in the Third. Another thing I should like to relate: I was not subjected to any quarantine at all. I went everywhere. Some of our corps went to the detention camp, and there seemed to be no quaran- tine of any kind. Q. General Wheeler, 1 will state for your information, stated that he had 30.000 blankets there from the 17th of August, and an abundant supply of all kinds of clothing; that requisitions were not needed, simply some kind of a receipt. Any- one connected with the regiment could have gone and gotten them; and as to food, although that does not come within your testimony, probably, but there were hundreds and thousands of pounds of this, and 12,000 dozen eggs at that time. A. Were there means of transportation for those supplies? Q. Yes, there was. They had 25 at first and 50 afterwards. The quartermaster testified for the first few days there was transportation to distribute them properly if they had been required. A. In regard to the Seventh Infantry, you have had some testimony in regard to their condition-the distance they were from the water. That was a serious matter. By General Dodge: Q. We have had a great many officers and privates of the Seventh Infantry testify that there was nothing wanted that they could not get. We had all these complaints before them and read them to the Seventh Regiment. A. That is not true. I saw it myself. We took them water three-quarters of a mile. There were so many of these men ill it seemed difficult for them-of course, I can not tell. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Mrs. Manson, pardon me if I inquire. Did you ever see soldiers in tents before? A. No, sir. I prefaced my testimony by saying in so giving my testimony that I took the ordinary standards of suffering. I am not here to criticise. I am here to tell you the things which came under my observation. Q. Don't you think the Government ought to do better? A. I think every Government should do the best they can, and I think they all do so. By Captain Howell: Q. Ninety per cent of them when they got there were sick? A. I think that is fairly within the limits; and I think my testimony is in regard to the condition of the men in their tents as I saw them: and they suffered, undoubtedly. Governor Woodbury. I have no doubt that such persons as you and other patriotic ladies have done very much to relieve the suffering of the men and adding much to their comfort, and the people of this country are grateful for such attention. MRS. EDMUND C. ALLIS. 2043 New York, November 19, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. EDMUND C. ALLIS Mrs. Edmund C. Allis, upon request, appeared before the commission, and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Mrs. Allis, please give your full name and residence. A. Mrs. Edmund C. Allis, 29 East Twenty-first street. Q. Did you have occasion to visit Camp Wikoff? A. I did. Q. During the summer while the soldiers were there? A. I did, sir. Q. Please state, in your own way, what you saw there, giving the dates of your visits as nearly as possible. A. I went there on the 9th, Friday, the 9th of September. Q. The 9th of September? A. Yes. sir; I reached there about 2 o'clock in the afternooon and do you wish me to go into minute details in regard to my first impression? Q. Give it in your own way as briefly as you can, but to include everything you wish to state. A. I went down as a volunteer worker, of course not knowing what work I was able to do or would be allowed to do; but within a short time after I reached there a man came to the tent where I was, apparently very ill with cramps, begging us to do something for him. I gave him a small portion of blackberry brandy, as he seemed to be in very great pain, and he was apparently growing worse each moment. I went over to headquarters and asked if they could not send a doctor there, as the man did not seem to be able to stand up. Q. What tent were you in? A. The independent tent. Q. What headquarters did you go to? A. Our tent was right opposite the dispensary. Q. What headquarters did you go to? A. The medical headquarters. Q. Of what? A. Of the general hospital. The first question asked by one of the surgeons that I saw there was. "Is he drunk?" I said I didn't think so. I went back to our tent, not knowing whether a physician would follow or not. When I got there I found that in my absence a woman nurse came there, and she was inject- ing morphine into the man's arm. She didn't know anything about the case, but she simply stepped up and asked what was the matter. I said that the man was in pain, and she gave him this morphine. Somebody suggested that we give him mustard and hot water. So we succeeded in getting some after a great deal of difficulty, and the man took one glass and begged not to be compelled to take any more. Finally I saw one of the physicians standing about 20 feet from where the man was, and I asked him to do something for the man. He seemed to be suffer- ing very much. We had been rubbing his arms and back, and one of the men who was with us had been rubbing his chest and stomach with whisky. When I spoke to the doctor,he said, "Thatis a case of silly drunk." We finally succeeded in getting the man to vomit; and when he saw this yellow water that he vomited- we had given him mustard water-he said again, "The man is silly drunk." We put the man on a cot, and after the pain had subsided he fell asleep from the effects of the morphine. We covered him up and put him inside the tent, and 2044 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. about an hour afterwards, when we went and looked at that man, we found him in a terrible chill. We succeeded in getting him into a hospital ward in the even- ing. Next morning his temperature was 103, and that man had been accused the night before of being silly drunk. That was the first case I saw. The next morn- ing I saw soldiers arriving from the transport Missouri, which came in on the 10th, and ambulances were coming up. One ambulance had about 10 men in it. Four of them were not able-I am perfectly sure, were not in condition-to sit up during that 2 or 3 mile drive from the transport landing to the hospital, and they were begging to be taken out and put into bed, as they wTere suffering so from the ride. One man in the ambulance, after we arrived there, died. Q. They begged you to take them out? A. They were begging people from the outside to take them out of the ambu- lance. Q. Did you hear that? A. Yes, sir. The first man, George Frawley, of Company C, of the Seventy- first, a man who was afterwards very ill. He said he was convalescing when he was taken off. Q. That was the 10th of September? A. The 10th; yes, sir. The next day-these men arrived on Saturday, the 10th- the majority of them were taken back again to the transport, the afternoon of the 11th. Many of them were carried out on stretchers, as they were not able to sit or raise up on their elbows. I rode to the transport myself in an ambulance with three typhoid-fever patients and one dysentery patient, and they were taken out on stretchers and had to shove themselves from the stretchers on to the seat of the ambulance. They were not able to sit up; they just had to drag themselves. Q. What did they go there for-to the transports? A. To be sent to a hospital in New York; that was before they had been twenty- four hours landed from their journey from Cuba. I was principally impressed with the crowded condition of the wards belonging to the annex hospital. That day, I think, out of Ward No. 1, there were some fifteen or twenty men taken away on the transports, which left the ward half empty. Next day Dr. Holmes was in charge of that ward, a man that the soldiers were very fond of, and his patients were taken from that ward and distributed into the other wards, and that ward would be closed, and the pay nurses sent away. That was done through the whole of the following week, as fast as beds in one ward would be empty the men would be brought from other wards and put into those partially empty wards, so I believe the space between the beds was scarcely wide enough for a person to stand between. Q. How many beds were in each tent? A. I think between thirty-five and forty. Q. How many tents were there in a ward? A. I don't know, but at one time, I thinkit was about the 14th, I counted seven empty wards with the beds closed up. Q. Did you notice how many beds there were in each tent? These wards were made up of separate tents, were they not? A. Yes, sir; there were six. During that week the weather was very foggy and rainy; it was a rainy week and the men nearest the openings of the tent were lying so close to the edge of the flap of the tent that the damp canvas as it flapped back and forth struck their bodies, and those tents were filled with some of the worst typhoid-fever patients in the hospital. I know in one ward, where I attended a young man who afterwards died, there were five delirious typhoid-fever patients there, who needed the constant attention of the orderlies as well as the nurses. Q. Couldn't those tent ends have been fastened down? A. I presume so, but the beds were so close to the openings that even then they MRS. EDMUND C. ALLIS. 2045 would get the dampness and the wind. Of course they were flapping to such an extent that it would strike the beds. Q. Two men would be thus exposed in each ward? A. Yes, sir. One especially where the beds were parallel with the passage going into the tent. The beds were four to the right as you go in, so that the patients would be with their feet toward the center; then, to the left there were two run- ning parallel with the passageway into the tent, and it was the men who lay with their heads toward the edge of the tent, or their feet to the opening, that suffered most from the dampness. Q. You may continue, if you please. A. Well, this boy who died, one week before that he was expecting to be taken away from the hospital because he was convalescent, and he had a new suit of clothes which he had never before used. Q. What was his name? A. Benjamin Badgley, in the Fourth Infantry. His home is in Indiana. He was removed during the damp weather from Ward No. 1 to Ward No. 2 while the fever was still on him, and he had a relapse almost immediately after he was moved-I think, on Tuesday-and he died Saturday night. I had been in com- munication with his family, as I had with several others, as I felt that he had-he told me he was an only son, and I felt I would like to know what the family would like to do with regard to the disposition of his body. I telegraphed to them on Saturday night. I didn't receive an answer until Monday; but on Sunday I went down to tell them that I didn't want the body buried. I found that the body was in the box. I didn't know where the box was, but that was the notion that the man gave me. I said, "Will you please mark that box so that it will be known, as I have authority from Major Brown to hold the body until to-morrow. I have a new suit-his uniform-which I want put on him whether he is buried here or sent on, and I wish to have him embalmed and sent home." This was the instruction I gave the man. He said, "There is no use putting that uniform on him now, because if he is to be embalmed it will be taken off again." I said, " Very well; leave it until you get instructions from me." On Monday, about 12 o'clock, I received a telegram from the boy's parents asking to send the body home. I gave it into the hands of an undertaker, but he found the body in such a badly decomposed condition that embalming was almost useless. That was only thirty-six hours after his death. He had been put into the box with only the nightshirt on, which he had on when he died; no other clothing. Q. Where was his uniform you speak of during that time? A. His uniform was in the ward where he died. I took charge of it; it was perfectly new-a new suit-and I took charge of it. I thought if possible I would have it put on him since it belonged to the man. and he was expecting to go home and wear it, and I thought I would do so. So when the body was taken in charge by the undertaker it was not so clothed. Q. Was it left with that clothing, without the uniform, in anticipation that it was to be embalmed? A. No; not at all. In the first place, I went to the ward about 6 o'clock that morning to see if his bed had been searched, and the body was then lying on the bed; I said nothing about embalming then; I waited for instructions. At the time I met Mrs. Glenn; she was one of the matrons, I believe, for one of the regi- ments, and she said, " If you are interested in the man and if there is any possible chance that his parents will send for him you want to see Mr. Ruloff. He told me he was embalming any of the bodies that were to be sent for, and any patient that I was interested in he would embalm, trusting to have it paid for when the body was sent for." I couldn't find him: there was nobody on the ground to embalm the bodies that day; no undertaker. 2046 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Was the body ordered for burial at that time or waiting .for orders? A. No; I had said nothing before that about embalming it; then the body had been put into a box and prepared for burial at Camp Wykoff; they knew nothing about my plans about the disposition of the body then. Q. Do you know whether or not, Mrs. Allis, the body would not have been clothed in the uniform if it was prepared for burial at Camp Wikoff? A. I don't know, except that it was placed in the box ready for burial and would have been buried on that day had there been a funeral and I hadn't claimed it. but the funerals on that day were postponed until Monday. There was no undertaker on the ground. Q. What was your observation at Camp Wikoff as to the sympathy of one soldier for another, whether in sickness or in death? Did they have respect for each other and sympathy for each other? A. Yes; I think they did. I think there was a great deal of lack of sympathy from some of the orderlies and some of the men who were at work in the wards; still, I thought it was because they were worn out. The night I speak of. when this boy died, the wards were in such frightful condition for need of orderlies. There were two Sisters of Charity and two orderlies where there were five very delirious fever patients and several dysentery patients. They were simply crying out for the need of orderlies. I went to Major Brown and I asked if it was possible to get any more orderlies up there that night, so two more orderlies were sent. One was so ill he could scarcely sit up. He said he had been out of bed for two nights. Q. Who was Major Brown? A. Dr, Brown; the one that had charge. I never went to Major Brown for anything but what was granted in the kindest way possible, and I can't believe he made the statements which were attributed to him in the papers at Camp Wikoff unless he thought they were true. He came out in a public statement and said every body was embalmed and clothed in a new suit of underclothes, a new suit, new uniform, and religious services read over every body. I know that to be untrue. I don't believe Major Brown said it unless he thought it was true. Q. You think he gave orders for such disposition of the bodies? A. Yes, sir. Major Brown was particularly courteous to all the volunteer workers, as lie was to the pay workers. After I had been there several days, after they knew what my work was, I had no trouble at all in getting anything at all if they had it, but there were a great many times when they didn't have it. I spent half a day once in going over the camp hunting everywhere for blackberry brandy for a man who needed it. There wasn't a drop to be had. I went to the Government supply department and the Red Cross and private supplies. Q. Did they have plenty of other kinds of liquors? A. Not always. I never saw any of the Waldorf-Astoria bill of fare that I have seen spoken of, I ate at a table that I thought then was very common and very filthy, but I ate there all the while I was there. The kitchen supplying the annex hospital was within, I should say, 20 feet probably-might be 30 feet, but I don't believe more than 30 feet-from the worst typhoid-fever ward in the hospital, and the flies accumulated in the kitchen and went back and forth from the typhoid patients to the kitchen, and you couldn't sit down at the table and see what the food was for the flies; the meat would be simply covered with flies, and if you went into the next ward the patients would be covered with flies. I have picked the flies out of the noses, eyes, and mouths of the men who lay there delirious and unable to help themselves. You couldn't brush them off with a fan. I cut, myself, some 40 or 50 squares of mosquito netting to cover the faces of the men. Q. Did they prefer to have the mosquito netting over their faces, or did they throw it off? A. Some of them did; of course they were very delirious, and it was thrown off in their tossing about. MRS. EDMUND C. ALLIS. 2047 Q. How was the food in the diet kitchen? A. Very poor; there was a great deal of it, but horribly cooked, and as dirty as anybody could imagine. Q. What did the food consist of? A. Well, it was very poor; bread very poor, butter very poor, and the coffee also; they had potatoes, and they had a great variety, but it was very badly prepared. Q. What kind of food did they give the typhoid patients? A. I don't know; I think their food was given through the instruction of physi- cians. Q. Do you know whether that food was cooked in this ordinary way which you speak of? Was the diet of the typhoid-fever patients prepared that way or not? A. I do not know-I am speaking of the annex now-I don't know much about the general hospital; we were not allowed to go in there, or at least made to feel very unwelcome, some of us. I know the diet sent to the hospital was sent from Miss Helen Gould's and Mrs. Walworth's kitchen; that wasn't from the Govern- ment kitchens. Q. Do you know whether typhoid-fever patients received much of anything else besides milk? A. I do not; I am not speaking specially of the diet, because I was in other wards when they were fed. Q. You can proceed, Mrs. Allis, with anything more you think of. A. We were particularly interested in the condition of the Twelfth Infantry, regulars; they arrived there on the 9th. Q. Ninth of what month? A. Ninth of September; and the 10th and 11th were cold, cold days with some rain; they had nothing to sleep on except the ground until about the 12th; then I spoke to General Bates about the condition of the camp, and he sent word immedi- ately in my presence that straw and ticks be furnished to those men. I was told by members of that regiment of their experience in getting to camp; I think they were ten hours between Jersey City and Wikoff. When they reached there they were in such a condition, physically, that they were hardly able tomarch to camp, but they did. Some of the men reached there on Sunday noon. They reached Camp Wikoff Friday noon and reached their own camp Sunday, some of them having fallen by the way side and were picked up by other regiments. Q. Didn't their quartermaster have transportation for the sick? A. I was told by Dr. Donnor-I think that is the name-of that regiment, that on Saturday he sent down to the general hospital for ambulances to take some of his patients down there, but that the ambulances didn't arrive until Monday. That doctor was the surgeon of the Twelfth Infantry. This was the volunteer contingent of that regiment; I believe they were not with the regulars. There was one boy in that company that I became specially interested in. He had just received a telegram stating that his father was expected to die. He was partially ill himself, and I tried through his colonel, through his major, and through his captain and other officers to get him a furlough, but they said it was impossible to give it. I then went to General Bates, and General Bates gave him the fur- lough. I received a letter from him afterwards, and it seems after he had been away he became ill, and he wasn't able to go back; he was simply keeping away from the hospital there. On the other hand, I saw a statement in the papers that the hospitals were so full of men who wanted furloughs, and who pretended to be sick in order to get them; but I made a good many friends of that kind, and I found the men shunned the hospitals as a rule; they didn't want to go into them. Q. Do you know whether or not that is the natural instinct of a soldier, not to go into the hospital? A. Yes; I found it to be so; they came to us for temporary assistance and took that way of keeping out of them; they didn't want to go to the hospital, they said. 2048 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and wouldn't go to the hospital until they were picked up and carried there. I saw a statement two or three days ago that the men were provided with seats and cots when they were transported; there were some seats and some cots, but I know there were hundreds of men who lay on the floor of the station and on the floor of the platform and on the ground, when they reached their destination, too exhausted to wait until their trains were ready to take them away. Q. You mean they lay down on account of exhaustion? A. Yes, sir; they fell fainting. There was a lady in attendance at the station who stayed there seven weeks, a volunteer, who brought her own supplies and gave her time to assisting those men, and she is perfectly willing to come and tes- tify to that effect. She knows something that I don't know anything at all about- the horrors at the station. I saw one day a man brought up by two of his com- rades, and he was seated on a bench on the pavilion between the wards waiting until they could find out where to put him, and he remained on the bench seated in the rain. Q. He was in the rain? A. Yes, sir. Q. Wasn't there any shelter at hand? A. There was shelter inside, but he was told to be seated on the outside of the tents. The way it is, there are rows of tents and there is this wooden pavilion or bench between with no covering over it, as there is at the general hospital; this was at the annex. This man was seated there waiting until they could find a bed for him, and he had such a hard chill that the bench rattled. Q. Was that the fault of his comrades who left him there? A. No; I think it was the fault of one of the officials; I don't know who it was. Q. Did you see any official who directed him to keep out in the rain? A. Yes, sir; I saw-he didn't tell him to keep out in the rain, but he told him to be seated there, and I watched it for, I should judge, about fifteen minutes before the man was taken into the ward. Q. Was it raining at the time he came there? A. It was one of those heavy mists where you could go without an umbrella or with one-weather of that kind here in New York people would wear gossamers and carry umbrellas. The night of the 10th it grew very cold. I had two Gov- ernment blankets on my cot and I had a double heavy woolen comfortable that belonged to our tent-belonged to private parties-a heavy eiderdown wrapper, with my clothing, and I suffered from the cold. The next morning I went into the wards and I found patients with one blanket on them. I asked them if they were cold, and they said, " We had so much quinine last night we couldn't tell whether it was cold or not." I had one man who told me he had been thrown off a Government wagon coming from the station over to his camp and was kicked by a mule in the stomach. He didn't pay much attention to it until the next day, when the soreness became unbearable. He went to the surgeon and asked him for something, and he gave him a dose of castor oil. I found in most cases where men went for prescriptions, for medical advice, that at first quinine, morphine, and castor oil were the things that were usually prescribed. The men in the ward during one time said they were so deaf from quinine that they didn't mind when the wind blew, because they couldn't hear it. Q. Have you enough familiarity with medicine to know that these prescriptions you have mentioned are not proper? A. No, sir; not when they are not given indiscriminately, I think if a woman nurse can carry morphine about her person and give it to a man, as was given to the man who was in front of our tent, without any knowledge of his symptoms and without authority from anybody else-I think that was improper and an indis- criminate use of medicine. MRS. EDMUND C. ALLIS. 2049 Q. Did she know the man had been in severe pain? A. Yes, sir; but she didn't know how long he had been there or know anything about his symptoms. When this physician came up he was going to give him a hypodermic injection of morphine, and I said that he had had one already. He said, "Who gave it to him?" and I told him that the nurse had. He then turned to her and asked her how much, and then he put his needle away. Probably, if we hadn't informed him about the other dose, he would have given another injec- tion. Q. Did the physician announce that the first dose was a proper one to give? A. He didn't say that. Q. But he was going to give him one? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is there anything else you think of? A. Another thing I was very much interested in was a man from Oklahoma Territory. He was a young man, who had been sitting up in a chair up to the time when he was moved from this ward to the next ward. That man had a relapse, and when I left was hardly expected to live. Finally he got better and started for home. I heard from him since, and he stated that when taken from the ward his clothing and all his papers and everything else was taken away and he had never been able to get any trace of them afterwards. Q. There was a great deal of confusion there, no doubt? A. Yes, sir. I might also mention the case of Lieutenant Gillow, of the Ninth Massachusetts. When he went into the ward his watch and sword were taken away from him and he never got any trace of them afterwards. Q. Who was that, Captain Gillow? A. Lieutenant Gillow, Ninth Massachusetts; his home is in Lowell. We were awakened two or three nights in succession by screams on the ground outside the hospital from typhoid-fever patients who had escaped out of their wards. That was in the wards where I believe there were only two nurses and two orderlies at night to take care of them. One man escaped one night, and was not found by the nurses or orderlies of his own ward, and wasn't found until he turned up a day or two afterwards in a strange ward; but I simply speak of that to show there was not enough people to take care of the delirious patients. Delirious patients were left in the same wards with convalescent patients. We had one man espe- cially that one of our party was interested in. He was supposed to be convalescent, but he said he was unable to sleep, unable to rest at any time on account of the very delirious patients next to him; that man was left there until he died. Q. What other disposition could have been made of the delirious patients? A. It seems to me the sickest patients could be kept in one ward, not quite so crowded as the convalescent wards were, with more attendants. This ward I speak of in the annex, there were several convalescing patients there who complained to me it was impossible to sleep on account of the ravings of the delirious patients. The recovery of those men were retarded by the want of rest; if they were placed where they could see the last hours of a dying man it was very depressing on their spirits. Q. Had you had experience in hospital work at all before that? A. No, sir; only in personal care. In speaking of this man who died, I would say that I have seen bodies after death, patients who died from typhoid fever, four days after death, who were not in the condition that this man was after thirty-six hours. I attribute it to the fact that the man was placed where there was not the proper care. He was not protected from the outside air; his body was not properly taken care of. Q. Mrs. Allis, do you know whether a tent is a more suitable place for a typhoid- fever patient than a closed house? 2050 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I should think it would be. Q. Then the air which you speak of wouldn't be detrimental to a patient; wouldn't it be a benefit, the fresh air? A. When it was so foul that a sick person could hardly stand to go into it I should think it would be detrimental. Q. What do you mean by foul? A. The bad odors arising from neglect of patients. There was one man, who has died since I left there, who had his whole back almost a mass of bedsores, a man by the name of Dewey. His name ought to give him a little more attention than anything else; he was in a frightful condition. That man was in a cot next to a man off of whom I had to pick flies from his nose with my fingers, out of his mouth; you couldn't brush them off with a fan, you had to pick them off. Q. Do you understand it is anything unusual for a man who has had a long- continued illness of that kind and who has become emaciated to be afflicted with bedsores? A. No, I do not. Q. Simply one of the horrible circumstances attendant upon his case? A. Well, I couldn't find out that there was anything done for these bedsores. The few cases that came under my attention T failed to find out that there was anything special done to relieve them. Q. There might have been without your knowledge? A. There might have been. (^. If there is anything else, Mrs. Allis, that you can think of that will be help- ful to us we will be very glad to hear it. A. I want it understood I didn't go down to the camp there to find fault, as has been intimated by different people. I went down to do what I could to relieve the sick. We have been charged with going down for the purpose of finding fault and picking flaws. If I had intended to do that, I should have taken the names of a great many men who wore shoulder straps, but I am sorry to say I haven't their names, and there is no use of giving instances unless you can give the names. This case I spoke of, where the man was accused of being silly drunk, the surgeon who said that was one of the men who went through the ward and examined the men to see if they were in condition to be sent away; therefore I would have taken his name had I gone there with the expectation of finding fault, as has been stated. From Colonel Greenleaf and Major Brown I received nothing but cour- tesy, and they evinced a willingness to do anything they could to relieve special cases. Q. We have no doubt that you and the other ladies who went there were actu- ated by the very best of motives and that you rendered great assistance in going there. A. I also saw a statement from one of the generals that the soldiers were treated too much like babies. I found in many instances that a little sympathy did a great deal toward getting a man out of the hospital, and that sympathy they got from some of the physicians, too. I heard little expressions of sympathy and kindly interest. To the Honorable President and Members of the War Investigation Committee: I desire to supplement my testimony with a few facts I failed to recall when before you November 19. My ability to judge of the treatment of patients has been inadvertently questioned by you in the report given out to the press to the effect that I ' ' was not a nurse and knew nothing of hospital life. " I am not a nurse and did not go to Camp Wikoff in that capacity. I volun- teered to do any work that would relieve mental or physical distress. I only know of hospital life what I learned by being a regular visitor at hospitals for three MRS. EDMUND C. ALLIS. 2051 years under philanthropic work, enough to know, at least, whether patients are suffering or comfortable, convalescent or dying, neglected or cared for. Dr. Elmer Lee has testified, giving his opinion that there was " no evidence of medical neglect at Camp Wikoff," and that women who went there to administer to the sick " were responsible for men being furloughed who were not fit to leave the hospitals." It was what relief women and nurses considered Dr. Elmer Lee's neglect that made them go to headquarters and refuse to work under him, and it was this same feeling that made us plead for a furlough for Corpl. Dwight B. Lawton, Company K, Twelfth Regular Infantry, in the first stages of his illness, so he could be sent home under the care of a friend, and so save him from the results that we had watched in other cases in Dr. Lee's wards. It was this feeling that made us weep over the death of Private Fitzgerald, Company E, Seventy-first New York, who, his nurses said, could have been saved had he been given stimulants or nourishment twenty-four hours before his death. I have been one of many who have publicly condemned Colonel Forwood for appointing this physician, on the ground that he practiced a "fad"-the "water cure"-for all diseases: a glass of ice water every two hours for fever, dysentery, jaundice, and starvation. We judged that Colonel Forwood knew this, for it was advertised that they were friends. I am forced to ask why such an experiment should have been tried there, when homeopathy is excluded from all hospitals except those of its own school? Why the distinction in favor of a new fad against an old established practice? Another evidence of neglect was the exposure of soiled clothing and bedding, thrown on the ground outside the wards and left lying too long in full view of peo- ple who were constantly passing, and dangerous to their health, because of the infection within them. I have seen tramps, who came to camp, raking over these piles of clothing and picking out portions of uniforms that had been taken off sick soldiers. They stuffed these into bags and carried them off over the hills without any protest being made. These uniforms would doubtless do service in the future as an outfit for professional tramps to travel over the land with pitiful war tales as a means of livelihood, and any atrocity these uniformed tramps should commit would be accredited to "the privates." Then, too, they carry with them the seeds of disease. I brought the matter to the attention of Colonel Greenleaf, but that was when the camp was about to close and the worst had been done. I have spoken of sick soldiers not being properly provided with blankets for the cold nights. I want also to speak of the half-sick men who were placed on senti- nel duty those cold nights in the rain and high winds, clothed only in linen suits and summer underwear, without either poncho, overcoat, or blanket to protect them; and these men were more than half sick, judging from the terrible cough- ing, which kept us awake in our tents. There were no overcoats to be had, and men had to go without. I assisted one patient who started home without an over- coat to travel in, and left his requisition with me to draw it and forward when I could, which was a week afterward. To return to the improper treatment of the dead. I saw one morning, while in the morgue giving directions for the preparation of a body, the form of a soldier- lying on the bed, turned on his side, with knees drawn up, just as he had died the night before. What operation was necessary to place that form, after the rigor of death had set in, into one of these rude wooden boxes, I leave to your imagina- tion. Mrs. E. C. Allis, 29 East Twenty-first street, New York City. November 25,1898. 2052 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 19, 1S98. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. EDWARD H. PLUMMER. Capt. Edward H. Plummer, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Give your name, rank, and the length of service, and the duties you have performed since the declaration of the war with Spain. A. Edward H. Plummer, captain, Tenth Infantry. I entered the Military Acad- emy in 1873 and graduated in 1877; served with the Tenth Infantry since that time. I was stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., when the troops were moved from there in anticipation of war. I left there on the 18th of April as battalion adjutant of the Tenth Infantry Battalion, being under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Kellogg. I went from Fort Sill to Mobile, where we remained in camp for a week. From Mobile we went to Tampa, arriving there on the 1st of May. On the 4th of May I was detailed as brigade quartermaster. Q. What brigade was that? A. It was the Second Infantry Brigade at that time-second brigade of the vol- unteer division at that time. Q. Commanded by whom? A. Colonel Cochran, of the Sixth Infantry. General Kent afterwards came into command of the brigade. I was brigade quartermaster, and after the promotion of General Kent to commander of the division I was detailed again as brigade quartermaster by Colonel Pearson, of the Tenth Infantry, so that 1 was continued on duty as brigade quartermaster from the time I was appointed. Q. Up to when? A. Up to the 3d of July. On the afternoon of the 3d of July General Shafter sent for me and told me he wished me to take charge of the quartermaster's depart- ment at that point. Q. At what point? A. That is where his headquarters were-headquarters of the Fifth Corps-his camp. Q. You mean near Santiago? A. Yes, sir. Q. And from thence on? A. From that time until the 18th of August I was in charge of the wagons and pack mules-the general transportation of the corps. The 18th of August I was detailed as aid-de-camp to General Shafter, and am still on that duty. Q. Captain, while at Mobile and Tampa, and before the departure of the com- mands from Tampa for Santiago, as brigade quartermaster, were you able to obtain the quartermaster's material and supplies necessary, or which would have been supplied under ordinary circumstances to troops about to enter a campaign? A. Well, I gradually accumulated about all that was necessary. It took a little time, but at the time we moved from Tampa I had a brigade train of about thirty- eight wagons, I think-blacksmith, wheelwright, saddler, horseshoer-and the train was fairly well equipped, and this preparation was going on at the time. We were still completing the transportation, as far as we could. Q. You went from Tampa-sailed from Tampa for Santiago-when? A. I don't remember the dates. We left about the Sth or 9th of June, and left Tampa, Port Tampa, about the 14th of June. Q. You sailed on the 14th? A. Yes, sir; we were aboard ship some time. Q. At that time were you brigade or division quartermaster? CAPT. EDWARD H. PLUMMER. 2053 A. Brigade quartermaster. Q. Did you take with you for your brigade all the transportation and mules you had gathered together at Tampa? A. No, sir. Just before starting I was ordered to turn over 11 6-mule teams, wagons, etc., complete, to the chief quartermaster, and we got an order about half-past 10, I think it was one night, that we must be on board the transports by daylight the next morning, and all the rest of my brigade equipment was left at Tampa. We were only to take supplies for the officers and such things we could carry, cutting down our baggage to the lowest possible limit. Q. What, if any, transportation did you take with you? A. I didn't take any but what had gone before. Q. Your transportation had gone before? A. Yes, sir; part of it; 11 6-mule teams. Q. On what vessel did you sail for Santiago? A. On the Alamo. Q. Who was in command of the troops who sailed on the Alamo? A. Colonel Pearson. Q. What were the accomm'odations for the troops on the Alamo? A. When we went on board there was a battalion of the Tenth Infantry and two companies of the engineers battalion. These troops had bunks put up for them. Afterwards two troops of the Tenth Cavalry were put aboard just before the time we sailed; that crowded us a little. One of those companies went into the hold and the other one bivouacked on the deck. A great many of the men who had bunks down below slept up on deck; they put up shelters with such canvas as they had; they preferred that to sleeping below. These troops of the Tenth Cav- alry were given their choice, and one chose the upper deck outside and the other one the hold. Q. How many men, if you can recollect, went on the Alamo from Tampa, approximately? A. In the neighborhood of 600, between 600 and 700, I should say. Q. How was the water supply of the Alamo? A. Very good, sir. Q. Sufficient food and rations for the men and officers? A. There was sufficient food until the latter part of the time. After we arrived off Santiago the Tenth Cavalry had very short rations; they run out of rations because they had taken only a limited supply, ten days. The other troops had field rations and they managed to get along until we went ashore. Q. How many days did the Alamo lay in Port Tampa after you got aboard before she started? A. I think it was a week. Q. When you reached Santiago, how long did you lay off before you landed? A. Three days, I think. Q. Where did you land? A. At Daiquiri. Q. How were you landed? A. We were landed by the steam lighter Laura; she took us from the Alamo to the wharf. Q. She belonged to the Quartermaster's Department? A. Yes, sir. Q. And the Alamo was landed, as far as the troops were concerned, by the Army and not by the Navy? A. Yes; that is, the battalion of the Tenth Infantry went off on the Laura; I am not sure about the others, but I think they were also landed that way. Q. Where did you first land? A. Daiquiri. 2054 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. And when you landed there, what was the first duty the command of which you were quartermaster undertook? A. We went into camp there until next morning, and then General Pearson moved the battalion up to join the rest of General Kent's Division, which was supposed to be in the neighborhood of Siboney. Q. Will you, in a narrative way, give the services you performed from that time until the 3d of July? A. The day after I landed I spent the day getting horses as they came on the beach. I was ordered to remain at Daiquiri and take charge of the brigade and division horses as they were put ashore from the transports, and worked all day at that, and in the afternoon went up to Siboney, where I found the headquarters of the brigade, and I believe the rest of the brigade were there. At that time Gen- eral Kent's headquarters were also there. I believe we remained there all the next day. My duties were principally those of aide-de-camp; there was nothing particular on hand under the quartermaster's department. I carried messages for General Pearson and General Kent during the day, and then we moved up the road. Q. What date was that? A. That was the 25th or 26th, I believe. The 26th we moved up. We camped at Sevilla. 1 believe we remained there one day and two nights. Then we moved on to near where the headquarters of the Fifth Corps was during the fight; we were about half a mile from there. I had that day been sent out to bring out some wagons. We had some rations, commissary stores for the brigade. I didn't get into camp for some time after the brigade had gone into camp, and I understood after' I got in it was expected there would be an engagement the next day. I didn't get to bed until after everybody else had had their supper and gone to bed. On the following morning I was directed by the brigade commander to go back and bring up some subsistence stores that had been left at Sevilla and join the brigade. Q. And did you bring them up? A. I found some empty wagons on the road, and I got four wagons, loaded up these stores, and then came back to camp. I gathered up what had been left at headquarters-the property, the cooking utensils, etc., that belonged to the brigade headquarters-and started to join the brigade. The last regiment of the brigade had just then moved out into the road. I got in behind the brigade, but as I passed. General Shafter's headquarters I was told that no wagons would be allowed to go up to the front, as they expected a fight, and, in fact, the cannonading had commenced at that time. Q. What date was that? A. That was the 1st of July. I was directed to pull my wagons out of the road, and I drew out on one side and remained there during the day, waiting for an opportunity to go with them after the firing had stopped. In fact, I went to General Shafter and asked him if I might go up with my wagons, if an opportu- nity presented itself, and he told me I could go right in behind the ammunition train. My wagons were first behind the ammunition train that went in in the afternoon. I started at 6 o'clock, but it wasn't until half past 8 that the road was clear; they were bringing down the wounded, and I had to wait. Q. That was the evening of July 1? A. Yes, sir. I met Colonel Pearson on the road, who was looking for something to eat-I believe he hadn't had anything to eat since early breakfast-and he told me he would go ahead with me and show me where he wanted me to place the wagons near where his brigade was, and I rode on with him up on the line where the troops had halted after the fight, and I found it was impossible to get the wagons up there. This was a place where it was narrow and marshy, and I recom- mended that the wagons be unloaded at the flat at the foot of the hill, and General Pearson went back and laid down under a tree. I went back to my wagons, three CAPT. EDWARD H. PLUMMER. 2055 of them. It was at half past 1 when I got the last wagon up. At that time General Bates was moving up his brigade, up to the left of the line. The next morn- ing I was ordered to take the empty wagons back and take down such wounded as I could carry. I went down with those wagons and picked up the wounded along the way and I reported to General Shafter at his headquarters, and I reported the condition of the road. There were several places at these crossings where slight repairs would make the road passable. He sent for Captain Burr of the engineers and directed me to go with him and show him where the places were and make such suggestions as I thought proper. I started, and Captain Burr's battalion was made up, but an officer brought me a message from Colonel Pearson, telling me to go back and get all the ammunition I could and bring it back as soon as possible. I showed him the first crossing, which was near El Poso, and went back and reported to General Shafter again, and told him what message I had received from Colonel Pearson. He gave me a pack train, had it loaded with ammunition, and I went back with it and reported to Colonel Pearson. I remained with him a short time. He was then up on the line, right in the rear of the trenches where the officers and men came out to get a little rest under the trees. The heat was terrible that afternoon. It was impossible to get the ammunition train up on the line at that time and we unloaded it where his headquarters were at the foot of the hill. Q. Colonel Pearson's headquarters? A. Yes, sir. I went back and remained with him that night. The next morning I was directed to go to headquarters and try and get up more rations. I took a pack train and went to General Shafter's headquarters. They were then establishing a commissary depot there, and I spent the day there drawing rations and getting up the train-getting ready to go back. In the afternoon about 4 o'clock General Shafter told me he wished me to take charge of the quartermaster's department at that point. Q. This brings you up to the 2d of July? A. No; the 3d. Q. We have got now to the time when you were taking charge of the pack train? A. Yes, sir. Q. As I understand you, your brigade landed from the Alamo and left on the Alamo the battalion of engineers and a battalion of cavalry? A. No, sir; the battalion of cavalry went off early in the morning. It is my recollection they went ashore on the Laura with some of the first cavalry. Q. Can you tell us to what extent the brigade of infantry of which you were quartermaster was rationed on the 30th of June? What I want to get at is, Did they draw rations on the 30th of June for three days or had they sufficient for three days at that time? A. I don't know. Q. That would not have come under your observation? A. No, sir. Q. The 3d day of July, after the battle, you assumed charge of the quartermas- ter's department up in the vicinity of the trenches of Santiago? A. Yes, sir. Q. What transportation was under your command at that time? A. All the wagons and pack trains that were ashore at the time. Q. Can you state approximately how many wagons were there with the horses or mules necessary for those wagons? A. It is my impression there were about 60 at that time. There were 100 after they got in working order. They were coming ashore and being set up from day to day, and the number was being increased. Q. With the mules necessary? A. Yes, sir. 2056 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. And how many mules of the pack train were at your command? A. There were eight pack trains altogether. Seven of them were used for the transportation of rations, and one was used for the transportation of ammunition. Q. Will you please tell us what the exact orders were which you received in regard to the use of those wagons and the pack trains from your commanding general when you assumed charge? A. The only order that I received was to allow no wagons to go beyond that point. The wagons were to be used between Siboney and that point, and the pack trains were distributing the rations from that point along the line. That was practically the only order of that kind relating to the transportation that I ever received from General Shafter. I communicated with him from time to time where any special case came up. At times I recommended that wagons be used when there was no firing going on or if we really needed them. Q. The wagons and pack trains were under your absolute control, with the one exception, that you could not send them beyond the point you have indicated? A. Yes, sir; without a special order from General Shafter; that was the under- standing. Of course where there was a special case I communicated with General Shafter. Q. Did you receive any special orders which would interfere with the control of the wagons and pack trains from General Shafter, other than the general order you received in regard to not going beyond a certain point? A. I don't know that I understand that. He gave me special instructions from time to time for wagons to go on, and at times I would go to him and represent that there were rations to be moved and that I could use the wagons on the road, as there was no firing going on. Q. Governor Woodbury would like to know, as a matter of record, how many mules were in the pack trains. A. They averaged about 60 mules to the train, without including the packs and mules for the packers. There was an officer immediately in charge of the pack trains, so I didn't come in contact with that part of it. I would simply order out the trains as they were needed. Q. Now, Captain, please go back to the line that I was on. Your specific orders, except in an exceptional case-the cases to which you referred-were not to go beyond a certain point. Between that point, the trenches at Santiago and Siboney and Daiquiri, wherever it might be, for what purpose did you use the wagons and pack trains? Please state what they were for-what purpose. A. Getting rations up to this commissary depot and distributing the supply from there, and for hauling the wounded from the hospital down to Siboney, with instructions to load empty wagons going back to Siboney whenever the doctor required them. I would go to the hospital and ask him how many wagons they would need that day, and I would order so many wagons to report to the hospital. Q. Did you move ammunition? A. That was moved whenever necessary, but that was in charge of Colonel Brook, and there was one pack train reserved for that, which they called the ammu- nition train. There was very little ammunition moved to the front after the 3d of July; they had ample up there. Q. It has been stated officially that at times when empty wagons were waiting for improvements of roads, that their use was refused for the purpose of moving up material for those engaged in the work, and that they were compelled to walk back and bring up what things they needed by hand. Was that ever brought to your notice? A. No, sir. Q. You get at what I mean, do you? A. Yes, sir. CAPT. EDWARD H. PLUMMER. 2057 Q. So far as you were concerned, will you kindly state whether the transporta- tion which was under your command was sufficient and its work successfully accomplished in providing for the men in the trenches the necessary medical sup- plies, etc., that would be required under the circumstances? A. Well, I could not judge very well whether more could have been used or not; it seemed to me at times we could have used more wagons, but at the same time I understood from conversation with the commissary officers, with those coming from Siboney at the time, that there was not enough supplies ashore, and owing to the limited facilities of loading the wagons at times only one wagon could be loaded at a time, so that the wagons were held a long time waiting to be loaded. Q. At Siboney? A. Yes, sir; and owing to the condition of the roads, the roads being so narrow, I don't know that more transportation could be used, but there were times when the transportation had to be used all night, but whether there were times that we could have used more, I don't know. That was owing to the condition of the roads and the facilities for loading a number of wagons at a time at Siboney. The condition of the roads toward the front was such that I am doubtful if we could have used more transportation. I am sure that the transportation we had there was used to the best advantage. Q. Was it brought to your attention officially that the troops at the front at any time were suffering for the want of rations, medical supplies, etc., from the lack of transportation going to the front? A. Well, there were times when we got orders to hurry up, that they were in need of rations, that they would be out, and we always endeavored to move these supplies just as rapidly as possible, and it was only a short time before they began to have a little bit ahead. I know at one time the chief commissary of General Kent's division told me he had a whole day's rations ahead; that was between the 3d of July and the time of the surrender. By Dr. Conner: Q. At any time was any practical effort made to get medical supplies from Sib- oney to the troops and over to the hospital? A. I can't say about that, because my orders were to turn the empty wagons back to Siboney. The officers there had charge of the loading of the wagons there. Q. It is charged in reference to that question that your department absolutely refused, not once, but several times, to furnish transportation that was on hand, or to allow it to be used for the transportation of medical supplies. Is that true? A. That must have occurred at Siboney, sir, because, as I say, I had charge only of sending these wagons back to Siboney to be loaded. I had no discretion as to what was put on them at Siboney. By General Wilson: Q. Was any request made to you, as quartermaster, or, so far as you are aware, to anyone under your immediate orders, to transport rations or medical supplies to the front and such request refused? A. No, sir. I will add that it may not have been possible to move the supplies at the moment. They were always moved as soon as transportation could be made available. We would frequently turn a pack train back before they had time to take the saddles off. We endeavored every day to clear up everything we had at the camp. Q. It has been asserted very frequently that when our troops moved forward, and when the fight began in the trenches, that the army medical supplies in charge of the medical officers were seldom taken along unless these medical officers used their own horses for their transportation. Do you know anything about that? 2058 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I don't know what medical supplies were with the brigade. I remember hearing a doctor say that what he got he had packed on his own horse. He was, I think, with the Twenty-fourth Infantry. Q. Up to the 3d of July, when the fight occurred-the 1st, 2d, and 3d-do you know how many wagons, with the necessary mules therefor, and pack trains had been landed at Siboney to move forward the supplies? A. There were eight pack trains; how many wagons, I don't know. Q. Those eight pack trains, at that time, do you know what they were used for? A. For moving ammunition, supplies, and rations. Q. Do you know of your own knowledge, from having been up at the front after the 3d of July, of any serious distress arising among the troops for lack of supplies? A. I didn't get up along the trenches from the 3d of July until after headquar- ters moved into Santiago. I was about 2 miles from the front. I will say, on the night of the 1st of July, when I got up with this wagon train, I saw some men of my own regiment and asked them if they needed anything and told them that I had brought rations up. They said they had plenty; they had gone back and had gotten their haversacks and had their supper. Q. That was the night of the 1st of July? A. Yes, sir. Q. It was testified to before us in reference to that, at Huntsville, I think, that when they went into the fight they had full rations for the 1st, 2d and 3d, but the men had thrown away their haversacks when they went into action, and when they went back for them the great majority could not be found, and the period that they were out of full rations was from the afternoon of one day until the afternoon of the next, and then they had only part rations to distribute among themselves? A. Yes. By General Dodge: Q. Captain, you said, I think, that Colonel Kent's division commissary informed you that from the 3d of A. (Interrupting.) No, sir; there was one time between the 3d and the 17th that he told me his division was about a day ahead; that he had gradually increased and accumulated supplies, a little from day to day, until he had about a day's supply ahead, so in case of rain or anything that would make the roads impassable his brigade could get though the day without having to go short. Q. Who was that? A. Captain Taggart of the Sixth Infantry. Q. Did you hear any complaint from that division? You delivered them rations, didn't you. to the different brigades? A. The brigade quartermasters and commissaries, as they came in and asked for transportation, I would furnish them transportation to take their rations to the brigades and divisions. Q. Did you hear any complaint as to the rations of the Seventy-first New York, their being three days there without any rations? A. No, sir. Q. If that had happened, if that had been the case, would you have been likely to know it? A. Yes, sir. Q. No complaint of that kind came to you? A. I remember hearing Major Gallagher speak of some volunteer regiment who had thrown their rations away and came back and tried to draw rations for the same day, but I don't know whether that was the Seventy-first or not. Those complaints always went to the commissary, and such complaints might have been made and it wouldn't have come to my knowledge at all. CAPT. EDWARD H. PLUMMER. 2059 Q. Were they or were they not in the habit there of issuing rations to anybody who asked for them? A. Yes, sir; anybody and everybody. Q. No matter whether they had drawn rations and thrown them away or not? A. Yes, sir. Q. All they had to do was to apply for the rations and get them? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who did you deliver your rations to in General Lawton's division? A. Lieutenant Holley and Lieutenant Farnsworth. Lieutenant Holley was chief commissary and Lieutenant Farnsworth was assistant quartermaster, and they took turns; one got them out one day and the other the next day. Q. Did you hear from them or have any application in relation to the First Illi- nois as to their being three days without rations and being unable to get any? A. No, sir. From what I saw of the work of Lieutenant Farnsworth and Lieu- tenant Holley I don't think it is so. They worked day and night in striving to get rations out. Q. You had no complaint from them that they were unable to get their rations? A. No, sir. Q. Lieutenant Holley, do you say? A. Yes, sir; he was Lieutenant, now Captain, Holley, of the Fourth Infantry, I believe. Q. And the other was Captain-who? A. Lieutenant Farnsworth. Captain Taggart and Lieutenant Holley and Lieu- tenant Farnsworth handled most of the rations taken out for Kent's division; they attended to all that-drawing supplies and getting them out. Q. As I understand you, supposing a regiment had drawn its supplies on the 1st day of July and had drawn three days' rations, and then on account of a battle had lost those rations, were you ready to deliver to them supplies for those three days again if they applied for them? A. Well, I would have you understand I don't have charge of issuing the rations, but I was living right with the commissary-messed with him, talked with him all the time-and I know cases of that kind were immediately attended to, and they were given rations. There was no question of anybody being denied rations on that account, even where they had thrown them away unnecessarily. They were given supplies when they asked for them. Q. You stated that the wagons are not allowed to go beyond the depot there. That commissary depot? A. Yes, sir. Q. And in your conversation you occasionally suggested or asked that wagons be allowed to go beyond that point? A. Yes, sir. Q. When you suggested or asked that they be allowed to go, were they allowed to go? A. Yes, sir; always. By General Wilson: Q. I understand-of course we all know about the roads-that they were in wretched condition; what efforts were made to improve them? A. Troops were kept working on them from time to time, and it was only im- mediately after a very heavy rain that the mud was very deep. The principal trouble was at the crossing of those streams going toward the front, between the commissary depot and the intrenchments. There were three crossings, and all were steep and bad at times-that is, when it was wet and slippery they were very bad, and it was very difficult to get a wagon down without upsetting it, or to get 2060 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. them out coming back empty; otherwise the road to the front was pretty good after it had been traveled over. Q. What efforts were made to improve them? A. Troops were kept at work from time to time. Q. Under whose charge? A. The Engineer Battalion was the first one I knew had been sent out. Q. What was the result of those engineers' work? A. They improved the road very much; afterwards it became very bad again from additional rain. At times when we were on the march several battalions were turned out to work on the road; that was when we were at Sevilla, I think, somewhere around there. I remember at one time there were some thousands of men put to work, and at different times I understand the volunteer regiments were working on them. Q. Any bridges constructed? A. I think there was one constructed over the San Juan. By Captain Howell: Q. When you left Tampa did you receive any general order to embark the troops or the order in which they should be embarked; was there any order issued by the general in command? A. Leaving Tampa or Port Tampa? Q. Either place. A. In my work of going back or forth I was in the chief quartermaster's office every day, generally twice a day, and I saw from time to time a memorandum as to what troops were to go on the different transports. I know early in May as the transports were bought and assigned there was a paper kept in the chief quartermaster's office assigning the troops to go or expected to go on these trans- ports. I saw that paper several times. Q. You know that order was issued by the general in command? A. I don't know whether it was incorporated in an order or not. Q. You got notice at half past 10 o'clock to sail at daylight, you say? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was that an order or what was it? A. It was an order General Shafter sent to our camp through the depot quarter- master, and I was directed to furnish what transportation he needed to move General Kent's division to the cars. There was a written letter. Q. Your transportation had been already forwarded; all you could take? A. Yes, sir; all we were to take. Q. When you got to Santiago were there any general orders issued, or was there any regularity about your disembarking? A. Yes, sir; there were instructions sent around as to how the troops should disembark, which should disembark, whatever it was-the order of disembarka- tion. Q. Designating the brigades and divisions? A. Divisions and brigades. I don't know that regiments were specially men- tioned. Q. Who had charge of the unloading of the transportation, wagons, etc. ? A. Major Jacobs at Daiquiri. I don't know who at Siboney. I think Colonel Humphrey was there. Q. Were there any ambulances unloaded? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many? A. I don't know how many. Q. Did you see any ambulances at the fight up to the 3d of July? CAPT. EDWARD H. PLUMMER. 2061 A_. Up to the 2d of July I met several ambulances on the road going up to bring back the wounded. I understand there were four or five used between the station and general hospital. Q. Were those ambulances shipped from Tampa? A. I presume so; either from Tampa or Mobile. By General McCook: Q. Do you know how the Tenth Infantry got aboard the transport, the Alamo, down there? Do you know anything about that? A. Yes, sir. When we got to Port Tampa the battalion commanders were given notice that one battalion was to go on the Saratoga, I believe, and another on the Alamo, and Colonel Kellogg was to go on the Alamo. Q. Were there regular orders of transportation on those transports, or were they told if they didn't get aboard they would be left behind? Did you hear about any orders of that kind? A. There was some such message or kind of rumor around the camp that if we didn't get aboard by daylight we would be left behind. That was one of the camp stories that floats around just as that kind of rumor will. Q. Did you have any conversation with the regimental quartermaster about it? A. During that night? Q. Yes. A. I don't know that I had any conversation with him. It was talked around the camp and laughed over, as we naturally would about such a thing as that, that it would be terrible to be left behind, or something like that. Q. Was there any indecent haste in regard to hurrying and rushing to get aboard those transports-any unmilitary haste? A. No, sir; all the loading I saw was very deliberate. We rushed everything we could that night; we sent an officer down to the depot to look out for cars and hold them and get everything in readiness, looked out for our baggage that was sent down, and every effort was made to break up camp and get to the cars as soon as possible, and we got down a little after daylight in the morning. It was afternoon of that day before we got aboard the transports. Q. You laid there on the dock all day? A. No, sir; we were a long time getting down there. We got down to Tampa City quite promptly, but from that time until we unloaded at Port Tampa was a long time. There were several regiments going aboard the cars, and they were blocked, and it was along toward 4 or half past 4 before we got off the cars, and we got on board the transports about sundown. Q. Did the Tenth Infantry arrive at Port Tampa in the daytime or night? A. In the daytime. We left Tampa about 7 or half past 7 in the morning, and we got off the cars at Port Tampa about 4 o'clock. Q. Were there any quartermasters stationed there at Port Tampa to superintend this embarkation? A. There was Colonel Humphrey, Major Jacobs, and Captain Quigg. I think they were all there on duty. Q. Colonel Bellinger? A. He was at Tampa; he was depot quartermaster at that time. By Captain Howell: Q. The bridge you spoke about, was that over the San Juan River or one of the tributaries of that river? A. I don't know exactly. Q. How long did that bridge remain intact after it was built? A. I don't know; I didn't know for some time that it had been constructed. I heard wagonmasters and officers speak of it afterwards. 2062 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. You don't know that it was finally washed away? A. I do; it was finally washed away, but when I don't know. Q. You didn't see it? A. No; I didn't see it at all. New York, November 19, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MAJ. GEORGE T. LORIGAN. Maj. George T. Lorigan, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Major, will you please give your rank, regiment, and when you were mus- tered into the service? A. George T. Lorigan. I was major of the Ninth New York Volunteer Infantry. I went to Comp Townsend on the 3d of May, and was mustered into service about the 23d, I think. Q. Where did your regiment move to from Camp Townsend? A. Chickamauga. Q. When you reached Chickamauga, how were you equipped with quartermas- ter supplies? A. Fairly well, sir. Q. How long did you remain at Chickamauga? A. I remained until the 16th of July. Q. How long did the regiment remain there? A. I don't remember the date, sir; I think it was about the middle of August. Q. Whilst you were at Chickamauga, please state how you were supplied with commissary supplies. A. Well, as far as I know, we were about as well supplied as we could expect to be supplied under the circumstances. Q. When you arrived at Chickamauga, what measures were taken, if any, to instruct your officers as to their duties in the army; I mean your staff officers and line officers? A. There were none at Chickamauga. We had regular army officers, who gave us some instructions at Camp Townsend. Q. And none after you left? A. No, sir. Q. What kind of ground were you camped upon in Chickamauga? A. In the woods; the; ground was very hard clay. I know it was, because we found great difficulty in driving tent stakes. It was covered with a fine layer of topsoil about an inch thick, probably decayed vegetable matter on top. Q. What was your brigade and division? A. First Brigade, Second Division, and Third Corps. Q. And who was your commander? A. General Wade. Q. And your brigade commander? A. When I was there, General Grant, and Colonel Chandler temporarily. Q. And when you arrived at Chickamauga what sanitary measures were taken by your regiment for its health? A. When we first arrived there? Q. Yes. A. None. Q. Did you dig sinks? MAJ. GEORGE T. LO RIGAN. 2063 A. There were no sinks dug for, I think, ten days after we arrived there. Q. Who was the surgeon of your regiment? A. Dr. Hubbard. Q. What were the reasons, if any, why sinks were not dug on your arrival there? A. I don't know. Q. Who was colonel of your regiment? A. Colonel Greene. Q. How many days do you say it was before sanitary arrangements were made? A. I think it was about ten days before any sinks were dug. Q. What are the initials of Colonel Greene? A. J. G. Greene. Q. What was the health of your men while you were at Chickamauga? A. When we first got there it was pretty fair, but the men of course used the ground around there to excrete upon, and that excrement was absorbed by that light soil I have described, as soon as it rained. There were orders for the men to dig trenches around the tents, which they did, but these trenches were not con- nected one with each other, and the consequence was when it rained it washed the surface matter into these trenches and there it remained; it got to be a scum half an inch to an inch in thickness. Q. W ere you in command of the battalion at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you make preparations then to dig the sinks? A. The colonel said we had an ordnance officer who would attend to all such matters as that. Q. Did you or any of your company officers make any protest to the colonel or to the surgeon in reference to not making proper arrangements for the sanitary condition of your camp? A. I spoke about the trenches, and also about a main trench to carry off this surface matter which was washed into these trenches. General Grant asked me to go around with him one Sunday morning for inspection and he discovered this, and the first thing he ordered was a main trench dug right down the officers' street, and it was done, but I don't know what the misunderstanding was between him and the colonel. According to the newspapers there was a misunderstanding between General Grant and Colonel Greene; but anyway it was left, and it was there as long as I was there. Q. At the time General Grant visited your camp, didn't he observe that there had been no sinks dug? A. He was not in command then. Colonel Chandler was in command. There were sinks dug within about 10 feet of the company kitchens, inside the pipe line. Q. When General Grant was there he was not in command? A. He was in command of the brigade, certainly. Q. Had the sinks been dug when he came there on inspection? A. Yes, sir; he had reference particularly to this accumulation of matter that had washed into the trenches. Q. How was your regiment supplied with water there? A. Well, there was a pipe line that brought water from Chickamauga Creek, and it was used for washing purposes, and we were told not to drink that, but of course it was very hot and the other water was brought from the spring, 3 to 5 miles away, in barrels, and it got there late in the day and it was quickly used up, so about half of the men used that pipe-line water; I know I did myself. When you want a drink, you want it. Q. Do you know any reason why they were ordered not to use the pipe-line water? Was any reason given to you? A. It was generally understood it was not considered that the water was fit to 2064 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. drink, and, another thing, that pipe line was on the surface, and it remained there for a long time. While I was in command of the regiment I noticed it and I reported' it to Colonel Chandler, and he sent word over that it must be fixed at once, and I turned out the entire regiment and had it put down in an hour or two. Q. Had it put under ground? A. Yes, sir. By General Wilson: Q. It rested right on the ground? A. It was resting right on the ground. By General Dodge: Q. There have been several complaints in regard to this regiment doctor. Gov- ernor Woodbury has read them, and will ask about them. A. Yes, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Were you in the service during the civil war? A. Yes, sir. Q. What regiment? A. The Eighth New York. Q. What was your rank in that regiment? A. I was a 16-year-old private. Q. Did you have the full army ration issued to you at Chickamauga? A. Well, I don't know, exactly. The captains, of course, are the ones to look out for that sort of thing; but I presume they were. Right here I would like to say that I think the rations that were issued were good enough for practical pur- poses; but of course, unfortunately, the National Guard of the State of New York, when we go into camp, which we do once in two years, have a restaurant up there where the meals are served, and when we were turned out where we had to do the cooking in camp we had to pick out the best men in the company to do the cook- ing. If he happened to be a waiter somewhere he was thought to be good enough for a cook. The rations I saw there I think if they were properly cooked there would be no fault to find. Q. They were good in quality and sufficient in quantity? A. I think so. The quartermasters were not quite as well posted as they might be; for instance, they would start in early in the morning and go for their sup- plies. They would have to get in line and wait for their turn and take two or three orders, and then they would have requisitions for something that wasn't there. Of course, there were other things there which they could get, and they had to write out new requisitions for what there was there and get it, and so there was a great deal of confusion on that account. Q. Were you camped in the woods or in the open? A. In the woods. Q. Was it thick woods or open woods? A. They were large trees, but I should call them thick woods. Q. Were the trees near together? A. I think they would average 10 feet apart. Q. You could drive through them with a wagon anywhere? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Was it very dry when you were there, or wet? A. At first very dry; we had no rain at all for four weeks. Q. Was your coffee issued green, or otherwise? A. There was some complaint about some green coffee issued. Q. Why was the complaint made? MAJ. GEORGE T. LORIGAN. 2065 A. Because they had no mills to grind it or means to roast it. Q. How much green coffee-that is, what proportion was issued, as far as your knowledge extends? A. I couldn't tell; I heard the captains complain that they had green coffee, but I didn't think very much of it. Q. How did they roast that coffee when they had it? A. Well, put it on these pans used for roasting meat, and they generally half roasted it or burned it in all sorts of ways. Some of them did better than others. It was according to how smart the man was. Q. Was it because they didn't have facilities for roasting it, or because the men didn't know how? A. They didn't have facilities at the time I speak of. Q. Did they subsequently? A. They may have had after the middle of July. Q. What vegetables did you have, Major? A. They had onions and potatoes, I know. Q. Rice? A. And they had rice; yes, sir. Q. Canned tomatoes? A. Yes, sir. Q. They had beans, too, didn't they? A. Yes, sir; speaking of beans I would have liked a dish myself; they had better than I had, because the officers had to furnish their own mess and we had no place to buy anything. There were no very good grocery stores. Q. They had the regular' army ration? A. Yes, sir; I would have liked to have had some of those roasted beans. Q. Did you hear any complaint while there about wormy meat? A. Yes, sir; there was one day I saw General Grant looking at some that was wormy. Q. Was that wormy meat replaced with good meat? A. I think it was, some of it; but I believe some was thrown away. Q. Might it not have been replaced with good? A. I think so. Q. Is that according to army regulations, that it can be condemned and replaced? A. I believe it is; I think a certain committee was appointed that did condemn some there. Q. What work, if any, besides drilling were your men required to do there? A. Well, the usual police work around a camp; keeping clean, cutting away stumps. Do you mean in a military way? Q. No; in any other way, just the line you are pursuing. A. They learned how to dig trenches, etc.; had instructions in it. Q. Digging trenches around the tents? A. No, sir; rifle pits; of course they dug trenches around the tents, as I have described. Q. How much work of that kind were they required to do; more than they were able to do, digging trenches? A. No, sir. Q. Was the work they did there in that line of work really for their benefit, or was it to their detriment that they did this work? A. I don't think there was any man had to do any work there that was to his detriment. Occasionally a sick man, one that may not have been feeling well, and of course they couldn't report to the doctor until the next day and were not excused, incidental cases now and then would happen; but as a rule I don't think there was anything in the work to their detriment. Q. How attentive and efficient were the physicians of your regiment? 2066 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Well, personally, so far as I know and came in contact with Dr. Preston- and I did-he was very attentive. I heard a great many complaints about Dr. Hubbard; 1 don't know anything about him. Q. Know anything of his ability as a physician? A. I don't; no, sir. Q. What complaints were made in regard to Dr. Hubbard? A. Well, you mean the talk of the camp and talk among the men? Q. Yes; you might say common rumor, that is, statements that you heard, com- plaints that the men made against him? A. The statements and complaints against him were about a sergeant, I think, of Company K, who fell in getting on the train at the depot at Chattanooga, and either cut his leg off or injured it so that it was necessary to amputate it, and several doctors who were there said he ought to be taken to the hospital in Chat- tanooga; and Dr. Hubbard sent one of his men and said he wouldn't allow it; that he had to be taken back to camp, about 12 miles; and the man died on the way. Q. That was the man Frank? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether that statement is correct or not? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether there was such a shortage of meat in any of the com- panies in your regiment that the men had nothing but oatmeal to eat for break- fast? A. Well, sir; those things sometimes occur. Perhaps there was, occasionally, a time when they didn't happen to get their meat in some way or another and had to eat oatmeal, but they usually had bacon in the quartermaster's tent all the time. Q. And always had hard bread? A. Yes, sir. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Always had coffee? A. Yes, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Do you know anything about Captain Morris having refused the men proper water to cook their coffee in? A. I don't know anything about that; no, sir. Q. Please state whether or not the sickness in your regiment was caused by lack of proper food. A. In my opinion, I don't think it was, sir. I stated what I thought was the root of the sickness there in the first place. By Captain Howell: Q. The want of proper sanitary regulations and the water? A. Yes, sir; this light soil I spoke about absorbed the excrement and held it as it would until the rain came and washed it into the trench. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Was your regiment moved from the woods into the open while you were there? A. Yes, sir; after I left. Q. Was any effort made to have it moved before it was? A. Not that I know of. Q. How much, if any, did the men of your regiment indulge in eating things outside of the rations, like pies, fruit, watermelons, etc.? A. Well, when we first went there it was done to a certain extent; I don't think MAJ. GEORGE T. LORIGAN. 2067 very much, because the men didn't have any money to buy them with, and then again they were prohibited from coming into the camp afterwards. Q. Did they come? A. After being prohibited? Q. Yes. A. I didn't see any. Q. Did you have a canteen in your regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was sold there at your canteen? A. Beer and all the soft drinks-soda water, lemonade, ginger ale, what they usually call soft drinks-and cigars. Q. What was the average quantity of beer sold from your canteen every day, so far as you know? A. So far as I know-I was not the canteen officer-the end of the first month the canteen paid a profit of about $80 to each company; that would be about $1,200 profit. Q. What profit, if any, upon the health of the men did the drinking of beer have? A. Well, I was thirsty once or twice and I took some of the beer, and I didn't want any more of it. I should think such beer as they had there would have a very bad effect. Q. What effect, if any, did the drinking of beer have upon the morals of the men? A. As a whole, there is always in a large number of men like that-1,200-men that take too much to drink, and of course it would have a bad effect, but I don't think they had enough of it to be effective in that way. The morals of the men appeared to be all right. Q. How many men were allowed to go to Chattanooga from each company? A. I believe two, sir, were allowed to go. Q. Did more go? A. I have no doubt about that. Q. Please state whether or not benefit was derived by the men in going to Chat- tanooga as to their health and their contentment. A. Well, I think those that went for proper purposes were benefited very much- to get a bath and, as they used to call it, to get a square meal, clean up, and one thing and another. I think it would have been beneficial to all of them to have gone there once a week. By Dr. Conner : Q. You speak of Dr. Hubbard; did you have any complaints from your men of lack of attention from him ? A. Oh, I did; yes sir. Q. Attention where-at the hospital or in the camp? A. At the hospital and camp both. Q. How soon was he detached from your camp? A. He was sent over to the division hospital in about two weeks. Q. After two weeks he was at division hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the character of those complaints; that he didn't take care of them or that he simply talked to them too harshly? A. That he didn't take care of them; they complained very bitterly. I don't know about it, but every man I saw in the regiment complained of him every- where. Q. Complained of his conduct or his professional care? A. Yes, sir; always. Understand me, I don't know that this is so; I am simply telling what I heard. 2068 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you know if he was a man of brusque manner-rough? A. Yes, sir; I think he is rather that kind of a man. By General McCook: Q. How was he with the officers themselves at the officers' mess; did he behave himself there? A. Oh, with the officers he appeared to behave himself all right. By General Dodge: Q. There was a statement made that a great many complaints were made, copies sent to us; you saw them all, didn't you? A. Yes, sir; I presume I did. Q. Will you tell us in a general way how much truth there was in those state- ments, whether they were true or not, as far as you investigated them. Did you investigate those complaints? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether they were investigated by the regiment? A. I do not; no, sir. Q. Did you have any knowledge of them yourself? A. No, sir. Q. You saw them? A. Saw what? Q. These complaints that were written to the different New York papers. A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they true or false? A. You mean with regard to rations? Q. In regard to everything. For instance, I will read one of them: "Two of the men denounced as fakirs that died, one of them, T. E. Lynch, a mechanical engineer and a graduate of Yale. He reported sick Monday morning and was told he was a fakir. He was sent back to duty, although suffering severely from diarrhea." And anothei- one who it is alleged was allowed to die with myriads of flies crawling in and out of his mouth and eyes. A. Is that Captain Morris's statement? Q. No. A. Well, I saw that, sir. That is something that occurred over at the hospital; I don't know anything about it. Q. He was denounced in your regiment as a fakir: but according to that he got to the hospital, because after he got to the hospital he was in their charge. You don't know about that case? A. No, sir. By Captain Howell: Q. Did anything of that kind occur when you were there? A. No, sir; not that I know of. Q. If it had, you would have known it? A. Yes, sir; that might have occurred after I left; I left there on the 16th of July, and saw it since my return. By Governor Woodbury: Q. If it occurred at all it was after you left? A. Yes, sir; I mean if it occurred at all. By Captain Howell: Q. Now, this Dr. Hubbard was there for ten days and didn't have any sinks dug, was he? A. Yes, sir. 2069 MAJ. GEORGE T. LORIGAN. Q. Did he make any effort to have sinks there; did he say anything to the offi- cers about it? A. No, sir; I spoke about it, as I said before, and I was informed that there was an ordnance officer to attend to those things. Q. And when they did dig sinks it was within 10 feet of the mess table? A. I don't think it was any more than that; it was between the pipe line and the kitchens, and we laid the pipe line as near to the kitchens as possible. Q. Were the flies very bad there? A. Everything covered with flies-myriads of them all over. Q. This filth that the men deposited was washed all over the camp? A. Yes, sir; the ground that was mostly used was higher ground than that the camp was on. Q. Did you have any inspecting officer from the commanding officer's head- quarters to go through your camp and inspect it? A. The officer of the day was supposed to do that. Q. But was there a camp inspector from the brigade or division headquarters? A. They may have had one, for all I know; they changed two or three times. Q. Nobody called attention to the fact? A. No, sir; not to me. Q. And this thing went on for ten days? A. About ten days. Q. And then sickness commenced in your camp? A. Sickness didn't commence then; it didn't commence for a month after that. Q. Now I want you to inform us of this fact: Was the want of proper food for the soldiers of your regiment due to the fault of the Government or the inexperi- ence of the men in handling the rations? A. I think it was owing to the inexperience of the men; I think it was the inex- perience of the quartermasters in drawing them. Q. And the men in preparing them? A. And the men in preparing them, principally. Q. Did you get hold of a cookbook that was furnished by the commissary? A. The captains each get one; yes, sir. Q. Did they instruct the men how to prepare these rations? A. I think they did, sir. Q. You think it grows out of the fact that in the National Guard money was given instead of rations? A. They have a regular restaurant up there. Q. Your soldiers thought that when they were in the Army they would go on in the same way? A. I don't know whether they thought that. They were not prepared to cook their own food, as they don't get that experience in the National Guard like they give them in Pennsylvania. Q. They have Government rations issued to them? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Do you know, when your regiment was enlisted, if there was any effort made to enlist cooks? A. I think there was; but a man who had probably been a waiter or a bartender in some restaurant would have to pass as a cook. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Who commanded the brigade? A. Colonel Chandler, of an Arkansas regiment. 2070 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By General Dodge: Q. After you got settled at Chickamauga, did you see any improvement in your cooking and in the distribution of the rations? A. Why, certainly; they were learning all the time. Q. So when you left there they got along pretty well? A. Yes, sir; if they had been there another time it would have been all right. Q. So that they could cook them as well as any green men ordinarily could? A. Oh, yes; they did better than some other city regiments would, because a numbei' of the men had had some experience. Q. With the experience you had there, and everything surrounding the camp, have you any suggestion or any complaint to make as to the way your regiment was treated by the Government or as to the lack of supplies or anything? A. No, sir; Mr. Alger and Mr. McKinley are not responsible for the sickness that should have been avoided, certainly not. Q. That was a matter of detail? A. I did suggest that I thought it would be a good idea to have shovels there and have the men cover up this matter right away, and I would have done it- any of the ground that the men had used. Q. Don't you know that was the case generally with the other regiments around Chickamauga? A. No, sir. By Captain Howell; Q. You didn't know that that was one of the regulations in regard to the matter? A. I knew it. Q. You didn't enforce it? A. No, sir. Q. You had the regular regulations there that were issued by the commander of the camp and the Surgeon-General? A. Yes, sir; common sense didn't require it to be told; any animal knows enough to do that. By General McCook: Q. During the time you were there in camp at Chickamauga, were your tents ever struck, and the ground on which the tents were pitched or the flooring sun dried? A. We had no floor, but General Grant ordered it done once up to the 16th of July-once. By Colonel Sexton: Q. How long did General Grant remain in command of the brigade there? A. Three or four weeks. Q. And during that time your tents were struck once? A. Yes, sir. New York, November 19, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MARGARET H. GARRARD. Margaret H. Garrard, upon request, appeared before the commission, and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Will you please state your name and place of residence? A. Margaret H. Garrard, Morristown, N. J., but my letters were written from Belleport, Long Island, where I am living at present. MARGARET H. GARRARD. 2071 Q. Please state whether you had occasion, during last season, while the troops were at Montauk Point, to visit that place. A. I did. Q. Please state the times. A. I first visited Montauk Point before the troops arrived, after the place had been selected as a locality for a camp. It was selected on the 25th of July, and I visited it on the 2d day of August, and at that time there was absolutely no sign of preparation for a camp, absolutely nothing done. Q. And the next time you visited the place was when? A. The next time I visited Montauk Point was on the 16th day of September. Q. Please state the conditions that you found at that time-what you actually saw yourself, or had knowledge of. A. At that time, of course, the great congestion was over; the hospitals were not overcrowded at that time, however; there were said to be-of course I am not sure of my statistics, I simply estimate-people there I saw examined into it- there was said to be between 600 and 700 people there at that time, and the nurses and war surgeons were doing their work nobly; everybody was working to the very greatest extent possible, and the conditions were, of course, fairly good then; but the flies were something beyond words; every horrible detail that has been told with regard to the flies can be repeated. They were something that would not be tolerated in a private community; the wards were literally covered with them; they were everywhere, and we had to fight them with every mouthful; and, as far as I know, absolutely no effort was made to get rid of them. The very weakest men had a piece of mosquito netting running over their cots and down over their faces, but the conditions were, as I have said, something horrible. I have sat many a time writing a letter for a dying man with one hand, and brush- ing the flies from his face with the other. Q. What could have been done? A. Such things as fly paper and fly poison could have been provided and mos- quito bars, which could have been brought there and placed ovex- the beds; they could have been ordered from New York and brought there within twenty-four hours. Q. Would the arsenic paper or the fly paper have diminished the flies to any appreciable extent? A. Certainly it would have; they were awful. Q. Was the comparative number of flies there greater than you usually find about ordinary dwellings or hospitals? A. There were thousands more. It was a condition that nobody would have allowed for an hour with anyone they had any care for-that they would prevent from suffering. Q. Wouldn't it have been more practical to have done something to protect the men from flies rather than to destroy the flies? A. Yes, sir. I should have thought that could have been done with the great- est ease. There was no effort to make any headway against the flies. Q. The flies multiplied rapidly? A. Yes, sir. There were a quantity of horses there. The place was largely occupied by cavalry stables. There were all sorts of transport wagons and things of that kind, and it was natural there should have been a great many there. Q. You have recited only one of the evils. Did you observe any others? A. The worst evils I have observed were before I went to Montauk, and that was the condition of the men on the trains. Before I went there we were taking care of the men on the trains that ran on the line of railroad. Their condition was terrible. Everybody who lived on the line of the Long Island Railroad knows that it is a one-horse affair, barely able to carry out its own work in normal times. Particularly from the 1st of July to the 1st of September it was blocked 2072 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. by their own traffic, and the men's trains were side-tracked for everything else. I was on one train and we had to wait four and a half hours-we took four and one-half hours going to Montauk Point from Belleport. Q. Do you remember that time? A. That was the 16th day of September. That was not the worst of it. During the worst time we went every afternoon and waited at the station every day about four hours to go down, so that we might go on to feed these men who had left meantime from the hospital. Some men were eight hours on a train, when they should not have been three. Q. Please tell what you did and what you saw. A. We saw men in the worst stages of typhoid convalescence; some of them, almost all, in a state of great sickness, and they were absolutely without food; they not only didn't have proper food, but they had no food at all. They should have been fed and made comfortable with all the things necessary for people in that condition, and with every train I went in I inquired whether there was a nurse or a doctor aboard, and the answer I received was always no. Q. Do you know, Miss Garrard, when a convalescent receives a furlough, that he receives commutation for his rations, so much money, so that he can purchase food A. (Interrupting.) There was no possibility of purchasing any food there. No; I know nothing about that. I didn't know that at all. The work on the Long- Island City Railway-it was started by Miss Hammond-was started on finding the men lying unconscious in the streets of Long Island City. She had them carried in a house and we gave them nourishment, milk and beef tea, etc., and from that this large emergency hospital grew up in Long Island City, where the men arrived in such condition that the men, 50 to 100, would have to be brought into the house on litters and wheel chairs. Q. Do you know whether these convalescents that you saw on the train had been examined by a board of physicians and it was determined to furlough them by the advice of this board? A. I don't know anything about that. Q. Do you know whether they were able to leave Montauk Point, in the opinion of this board of physicians? A. No; I didn't know that at all. I only know the condition in which they came 58 miles and the condition in which they arrived in Long Island City. Q. Do you know whether it is customary for convalescents who are supposed to be fit to be granted furloughs A. (Interrupting.) I only know that after the hospital corps were put on by private enterprise-by the Red Cross, Dr. Webb, and others-that there was always a hospital attendant on the cars and a trained nurse. Q. What other conditions did you find on the train? A. I found great filth, as, of course, would be the case on a thing of that kind. These men were packed on in these ordinary cars. There was no attempt to give them a place to lie down, such as was done afterwards when the private enterprise was instituted. They had no comforts at all in coming back; they were simply in the ordinary cars and packed into the seats and were absolutely uncomfortable. Q. In the daytime? A. In the daytime. The two weeks I worked at Long Island City the train-one train-came in at half past 8 and the next at quarter to 10. The only means of helping anyone at the station at Montauk Point who was too ill to travel when they got them to the station was the Red Cross emergency tent, where a nurse was in constant attendance. In many cases they were too ill to travel when they reached the station at Long Island City. If a man got to the station five minutes too late for this train, if it had not been for that hospital tent he would have been MARGARET H. GARRARD. 2073 taken back 2 miles. This [exhibiting] is the death certificate of a man who died at the county poorhouse in the village next to us. He was taken off the train on his way from Montauk. Q. Mrs. Garrard, do you know anything about the importunity of friends, or the soldiers themselves, to obtain furloughs? A. I know there was great desire on the part of most of the men who had any homes to get to them. It was natural. They were certainly uncomfortable there. There were no possible preparations for any convalescents; no attempt at any. When the men were sought for, if their friends came there to find them, they had to search for them. What the people have said about the constant complaint of the soldiers, I nevei- heard. I was working there amongst them, and I never heard any complaints whatever. They were absolutely brave. Of course they were unsatisfied; they didn't complain; they were just as brave there as they were in the fight. Q. How do you know they were not satisfied? A» Well, could I see them and not know they were unsatisfied? They were all anxious to get from the place. Everyone sought to get from the hospital. They didn't complain. There was none of this baby business. After all the efforts you made about volunteers and examinations for service, I saw men-boys-absolutely unfit for service. I saw twenty-five or thirty boys under 18, and one under 16 who was fit to be whipped and sent to bed. They should not have been permitted to enter the Army. Q. Didn't they have boys in the civil war? A. Yes; but after the men were killed they sent boys to fight. Q. Do you know whether these boys enlisted with the declaration that they were but 16? A. I don't know that they did. One had but to look at these boys to know they were under age. Q. Do all boys show their age? A. These boys were no more fit to go to Cuba than I was; slight boys who ought never to have been enlisted. They were in the depths of despair. Everybody who has had anything to do with malarial fever knows what it is and how it affects people Q. What other conditions did you notice besides those you have recited? A. Of course there were very few means of transportation of any sort. Things were better at the time I was there, but there was great difficulty in getting any- thing carried up from the station. People sent things for their friends and they laid there at the station. The express was utterly inadequate and that was con- gested. The place I was in was the division hospital, and as to their having quaran- tine there it was a perfect farce. I walked down to the hospital and sat there talking to a diphtheria patient and came out again without the slightest question. The time I went up to the general hospital I went to the Red Cross tent and I said: "Mr. Brown, I know you have men in the Red Cross Hospital who need attention and relief and I want to do anything that a woman can do." He said, " Go ahead," and I went in there and I found that excursion parties walked in and out of the place just as they pleased. Boys sold newspapers and chewing gum and cigarettes through these wards every day. I bought my morning paper from one of the boys in the ward every day with fever patients on all sides. There was no attempt at quarantine whatever. Q. How many times were you there? A. I was there ten days. Q. In the division hospital? A. General hospital for typhoid patients. Every other man had either malarial fever or typhoid fever. That was almost without exception. 2074 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What have you to say in regard to the care of the patients in the ward? A. The nursing was excellent, of course. They had the best trained nurses from all over the country by that time. Q. And proper food? A. As far as I know, they did. I know nothing about that; that was not in my province at all. I think that the moving of patients constantly was certainly a very serious evil-moving them from ward to ward. They were moved all the time. That case of Harrison Dewey that I wrote you about. The man was on a water bed in a raging delirium the last time he was moved from one ward to another. Q. How far was he moved? A. I suppose the wards were about as far apart as across this room. Q. The whole thing taken out? A. Everything the man owned was piled on top of him. Gen erally the men's belongings were piled up on top and moved with him. Of course they knew nothing about it; they were in a delirium. Q. How did they please to do it? A. I saw them, of course, being bumped about a great deal Q. Bumped against what? A. You had to go a couple of steps, low steps, to get to the walk between the wards. This man was getting better and was convalescing, and there was a man in a raging delirium, and Dewey was put down beside him in the next ward. His mother had been with him for ten days and he was almost able to get out, and the doctor had put him beside this delirious man who screamed all night, and the next day he was unable to go. Q. Where was he moved? A. 1 don't know, and I never asked any questions. Q. Did you notice that injury resulted from the moving of these men? A. I know this man died in three days, just as the orderly told me he would. The orderly said if he moved Dewey he will die, and in three days he died. Whether it was the effect of the moving I can't say, but he was a very sick man. There seemed to be a feeling of antagonism toward the men and toward their friends by the higher officials, not in the ward surgeons Q. (Interrupting.) Whom do you mean by that? A. I don't know who they were. I mean the authorities. These young men had nothing to do but carry out the orders they received, but every effort made to get at the roots of things was frustrated by some one in authority. I can't tell you who did it. Q. What were you frustrated in trying to do? A. I was not frustrated in anything, because I never asked favors. Q. Who asked favors? A. The friends of these men. They could get no satisfaction, and they tried to find out when people were to be moved. They would say a man was to be moved the next morning, and they would dress him and he would lie there all day, expecting to go, and toward evening they would tell his mother or his friends or sister that he was not going. Q. To go where? A. Away; wherever he was to go. Q. Did they allow fever patients to be moved? A. Certainly; all the men we saw on the trains were fever patients. Q. They allowed them to go without regard to whether they had fever or not? A. I don't know that. At the town nearest us, Quogue, a number of people were employed to look out for these men, and they say they found almost every patient had a temperature at 102° or 103°. MARGARET H. GARRARD. 2075 By Dr. Conner: Q. Was it or was it not a fact that every possible influence was being exerted to get the men out of the hospital and get them on the trains and get them started for home? A. I don't know that at all. Q. Was it not apparent that the men were most anxious to go? The friends who came there were exceedingly anxious to take them away. Was it not a fact, at least by common rumor, that governors and Senators, and influential persons of all sorts were telegraphing and writing and insisting upon it that these men should be allowed to go? A. I dare say it was; I don't know anything about that. I do know that a great many of these men sent away had no one interested in them at all; that they had no place to go. Q. Now, at the time you speak of, when so much influence was being exerted, is it or is it not a fact that so much influence was being exerted that every effort was being made to send every man away who could by any possibility be supposed to bear the journey, so that he could get home? A. But a great many of these people had no home; they didn't know where they were going; I saw hundreds who had no idea where they were going. Q. If they applied for furloughs, they certainly must have applied for furloughs to go somewhere; their papers were issued and their ration money was delivered to them for a definite place and for a definite number of days. Now, the men that I wanted to ask you of, was it not a fact, without any doubt, that many of these men were sent away who would have been a great deal better off to have stayed in the hospital; was it not a fact that these men, that if these men had stayed in the hospital and anything had happened to them, and they were liable to die- patients of that condition are in an exceedingly uncertain state-if anything had happened to them at Montauk Hospital, or any of the hospitals at Montauk, would it not have been declared that if they could have been sent home and cared for by mother and sister that they would not have died, and would certainly have recov- ered? A. Yes, I think that is likely. Q. Now, on the other hand, did yielding to the importunities do the men good? Everybody wanted to take care of him. He starts home and is taken sick on the road; he gets home, perhaps a corpse, and perhaps in such a condition that he lives a little while and then dies; wouldn't it have been declared that if he had been kept in the hospital that he wouldn't have died, but would have gotten well? A. I think that is likely. Q. I think, from what you have observed, that you must have seen that the diffi- culties of making selection on the one hand of those who were to go home and refusing on the other hand was a matter of great difficulty? A. That would have been obviated by a convalescent hospital at Montauk Point. Q. They would not leave them, would they? A. They would have been glad to leave them if they were in a comfortable place. Q. A hospital can be made comfortable only to a limited extent, can't it? A. There were possibilities for a most excellent hospital at Montauk. We had one in Morristown. The people opened their country houses for the convalescents and took the men in. Q. Were there any conveniences at Montauk for these men? A. Only lying in bed. Q. Isn't that the best place for a convalescent to be? A. No, sir; I should think the best place for a convalescent to be would be to sit outdoors and get the fresh air. There were many places where all this could have 2076 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. been obtained, which they might have had for a song, and made into a permanent place for these convalescents. Q. Did they not use a part of the hospital for the convalescents? A. I saw everybody sandwiched in together. Q. The very sick and well put together? A. Yes, sir; a man dressed ready to start and a man dying in the next cot; and a great majority of the men who went out of that place, as far as I could see, were men who had no place to which they could go. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Do you know whether these men were examined by a board of physicians? A. I don't know at all. I never knew any of the physicians there except the ward doctors. I never saw any of the other doctors. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you see him as often as you thought he ought to have been there? A. There were dozens there. I think they had any quantity of medical atten- tion after the 16th of September. Q. And if every man had been kept there and not a man allowed to go away, do you think the conditions would have been better? A. I think there would have been some lives saved that were lost, certainly. I didn't see every man who went away, but I saw hundreds of men go who had no place to go to and nobody to care whether they lived or died, and they were taken in by this emergency hospital at Long Island City and cared for. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What reason have you for supposing that there was any antipathy to these soldiers, as you suggested? A. Perhaps I am wrong about these sick soldiers, but there certainly was a feel- ing about the families. These people came from all over the country. They had no idea where they were going to, and they had an extremely uncomfortable time of it Q. And in many cases as in the case of Dewey? A. I don't know that the man would have lived. Q. He was delirious at that time? A. He was delirious. Q. He had no knowledge of being moved? A. I do not think so, at least; but his mother had a good knowledge of it. They were moved indiscriminately. Q. Do you know what the natural instincts of one soldier are to another, one officer to a soldier, whether it is of antipathy or comradeship? A. I should think comradeship. All I have ever seen was so. This was a big place, of course. It was not like an ordinary camp. It was purely and simply a hospital camp. Nine-tenths of the men who came up were ill, and there certainly was not any active preparation. Q. Do you know what preparation was made for them there-what purchases were made for their comfort? A. No, I don't know, but I know that the outside help was what was given in the largest extent. Q. General Wheeler testified before us that the purchases that he made outside of the regular rations, and outside of all the great help that was given by the societies-that he purchased, among other things, 21,000 pounds of halibut, 48,000 pounds of lima beans, 21,000 pounds of evaporated apricots, 14,000 cans of green corn, 1,000 pounds of cocoa, 4,000 pounds of crackers, 21,000 pounds of sugar-cured hams, 29,000 pounds of evaporated cream, 23,000 pounds of oatmeal, 15,000 pounds of peaches, 18,000 pounds of evaporated peaches, 12,000 pounds of prunes, 20,000 MARGARET H. GARRARD. 2077 cans of soup, 5,000 cans of pickles, 300 boxes of oranges, 453,000 dozen eggs, 250 pounds of tea, and 28,000 gallons of milk. A. I do not doubt it. When General Wheeler went there, he made a very nice camp. Q. He arrived the 13th of August, I think? A. The camp was opened on the 7th; that was ten days without any camp, prac- tically. No troops arrived until the 13th of August. Q. There was certainly troops there before that. They came from Tampa with their tents? A. Yes, that may be; but there were a good many sick. Q. He also testified that they received during that time the following clothing: Four thousand duck trousers, 20,000 pairs of leggings, 20,000 blouses, 40,000 sum- mer drawers, 20,000 campaign hats, 9,000 overcoats, 20,000 D. B. shirts, 43,000 undershirts, 20,000 shoes (calf), 40,000 pairs of stockings, 2,000 trousers (cavalry), 13,000 trousers (infantry), 10,000 ponchos (rubber), 30,000 woolen blankets, 5,000 sky-blue trousers, 10,000 common tents, 850 hospital tents, 700 hospital flies, 1,000 wall flies, 1,000 wall tents, 500 mattress covers, 20,000 bed sacks, 390 horses', 632 mules, 118 escort wagons, 12 water wagons, 6 Dougherty wagons, 5 carriages, 1 buckboard, and 33 ambulances. A. Yes; I have no doubt that was all there after it could be got there, but he doesn't say when these things arrived. Q. They arrived right along, all the time. He said there was no time but what they had plenty of blankets there and all the food that could be eaten. A. Yes; but a very large quantity of that food was supplied from outside sources. They had an inexpressibly hot time there. Day after day the milk would be soured by the heat because there was not sufficient ice, and private enter- prise did an enormous work, and when they got the things over there, it was neces- sary for the men from Southampton and Newport to get the things up to the camp. Q. How much complaint, if any, did you hear from the soldiers? A. I heard no complaint at all about the food. Q. What experience in camps or hospitals have you had before? A. Never had any experience in camps before. I have seen a great deal of the English hospital service at Bermuda. They have a good deal of typhoid there, and I have seen more or less hospital practice in the cities. I have visited many of the poor people, and I think the crying evils, as far as I saw, at Montauk was this absolute want of red tape to keep the general public from traveling in and out of the hospitals-that was the most frightful thing-and the noise and the confusion by day and night; everybody was insistent, the record office was abso- lutely worthless-you could find absolutely nothing about anybody in the place- the record office could not tell you anything about anybody. Q. Large numbers of persons filled the hospitals, didn't they? A. People went up in excursions and walked right all over the place, and people who came there with the idea of finding anybody there-a trained nurse who went there to find her brother-she was told that the only way of finding him was to make a ward-to-ward hunt and cot-to-cot search for him; so she spent the whole day in the endeavor to find him, and then discovered that he had been sent away the day before. That happened every day. A girl came on from the West to look for her brother, and taey simply said, "He is gone; he went two days ago." She had no more idea where to look for that man than if he had been translated or had disappeared from Montauk, and there their responsibility ended. They cared nothing more about it. I spent three days trying to find him, and finally when I went back the next week he was found by an orderly. Q. Where was he? In the hospital? 2078 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. When I saw him first, when I went up again, the ward he was in had been entirely dismantled, and there was no doctor, nurse, or attendant who had been there three days before when the man had disappeared. Q. They were swamped with business, or didn't know how to do it? A. Didn't know how to do it. Q. It would have been very easy to have done the business? A. Perfectly simple, but it was not done, and if this thing had happened in a time of terrible carnage we would have borne it willingly. There was a carpen- ter who went up there who offered his services, a carpenter from Belleport, when it was reported the carpenters were on a strike and he was turned off. Q. Most any man of ordinary ability could have straightened things out in a few days? A. Certainly. There was not a doctor in active hospital service who could not have run that hospital better than it was run. Q. Who was in charge? A. I don't know; I went there to work among the enlisted men and 1 don't know who was in charge, and I didn't ask. By Dr. Conner: Q. Who were the doctors? A. I don't know who the doctors who had charge were at all. The only two I saw at all were Dr. Gould and Dr. Prescott and some young fellows. Q. Do you know their names and residence? A. No, I don't know anything about them. I simply saw them there con- stantly. Dr. Prescott went there from Massachusetts. He was perfectly devoted to the men under his care. He was a contract surgeon, I think. He would go down to the stations with the men and help carry the litters and carry the men. Afterwards the cars were better; they had taken baggage cars and lined them with oilcloth and fixed them up. All that could have been done in twenty-four hours. Undoubtedly hundreds and thousands of people might have been saved if they had had that at the beginning-there was that magnificent harbor, but everything must be brought there by the Long Island Railroad and side tracked for days and days-men, materials, and everything. By Governor Woodbury: Q. How did you gain that knowledge that everything had to be brought by the Long Island Railroad? A. Because it was not done the other way; that is all. It was simply horrible. One large transport would have taken the materials that took weeks to get up on the Long Island Railroad. I saw trains all over the Long Island Railroad that were side tracked. Q. Do you know whether the material did not arrive there in season to take care of the sick? A. I only know by report. I was only there on the 2d day of August, when nothing had been done; but I heard from my friends that no preparation had been made when the first men arrived. Q. It was testified before us that before anybody arrived on the transports that there were tents erected there for 10,000 men and in the detention camp for 12,000 men who arrived from Cuba. A. I don't know; I was not there; I only judge from what I saw when I was there. I judge the detention hospital must have been a hell on earth. It was bad enough when I went there. On the 23d of September one miserable wooden build- ing-it was a wintery day Q. Did they use wooden buildings? A. When they pulled the tents down they used wooden buildings. It was MARGARET H. GARRARD. 2079 a bitter day, a very bitter day; it was very windy and cold, considerably colder Q. Did they have any stoves? A. In this wooden building, except that it was overcrowded, it was very com- fortable. They had diphtheria patients and fever patients there all together. Q. Do you know whether the death rate was large or small? A. I don't know anything about that. Then there was a tent which was very cold. There was one officer whom 1 saw; he was in a tent by himself, but he was not any more comfortable than any others; he was in bed with all his clothes on. The soldiers were in this tent that I saw had a fly in the side. The wind was so strong that I had to crawl on my hands and knees. It was very cold and the wind rushed through, and they were, of course, as uncomfortable as they could be. There was no reason for it. This was weeks after the detention hospital was opened. Q. What could have been done? A. Have wooden buildings. They must have known that the Mexico was coming. Q. Are wooden buildings preferable to tents in August and September? A. Certainly at Montauk Point after the middle of September; it was exceed- ingly cold. Q. Is there anything else that you can think of that would be of interest to us? A. No, I don't think so; I don't remember anything else particularly. I think that the subordinates up there were certainly doing very good work. I never saw any case where they did not. They were very devoted in their attention to the men. This constant moving of the men about must have come from higher authority than the ward surgeons and I should think that was the same way with the others. The fact that they arrived at Long Island City in such a weak state- they were utterly unable to walk across the street from the station to the emer- gency hospital, right across the street, just across the street from the Long Island Railroad, and arrived in such a stage that they could not walk across the street there and we had to carry them on litters and wheel chairs and they were put to bed when they got there. Q. Might not a man in a hospital, under the stimulus that he was going home, brace up so that the doctors in charge might think he was able to make the jour- ney, and after he started he would collapse? A. I should think that was hardly so in typhoid or malarial cases. I do not think men with typhoid or malaria have enough backbone to brace up like that. Q. Why did they start? A. They were sent. You are talking about people anxious to get home; I am talking about people who had no homes to go to. Q. These men were told to get out of camp? A. I presume so; they had no idea until they reached Long Island City Q. (Interrupting.) They were simply turned out of camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. They were told, "We have enough of you; go away now?" A. That is exactly what I mean. There were hundreds of cases, and there is one story that was told-which I would not vouch for-of a man who had been a week in a Long Island Railroad station Q. (Interrupting.) We don't care about anything you heard. A. As far as I know, that is all. The condition of these men when they reached us was a very dreadful one. Q. Do you know whether that is the custom in the United States Army, that after a soldier has been through a campaign and done his duty, when he is ill in hospital and helpless, to say to him, "We have got enough of you; now get out?" A. I have always heard of the ingratitude of republics, and I suppose this is simply a shining example of it. I never imagined that it would be possible. I 2080 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. do not think that anybody who did not see Montauk Hospital could conceive of the conditions up there or on the train. I do not think it is possible to conceive it. Q. Did you see any exhibition of ill feeling toward these men that would indi- cate to you that the men were cruel enough to send them out of camp when they were ill and unable to go? A. I didn't see anything except the facts. I saw them go when they were too ill to go; I saw them on the trains when they were too ill to go. Q. Did they tell you that they had been thrown out by the Government? A. They simply told me they did not know where they were going. Q. Did they tell you they did not want to go? A. No; they said nothing about it at all. By General Dodge: Q. Do you know whether these men that left there could have gone back to their companies or regiments after they left there if they had wanted to? A. In many cases their regiments had gone. That was one thing that worried the men so. At the time I got there a great part of the men had gone. They had no idea where their regiments were. Again and again I have gone to look where a regiment was for men who had worried themselves sick. Sometimes I could find them and sometimes I could not find them. The record office was certainly the most confused and inadequate thing I ever saw in my life. They didn't seem to have any idea where anything was or what we wanted to know. What the reason was I don't know. The friends who came on to see these men were nat- urally anxious to find out where these men were, but in very many cases they could not do so. New York, November 19, 1898. TESTIMONY OF LIEUT. CHARLES EDWARDS. Lieut. Charles Edwards, upon request, appeared before the commission and was read the scope of inquiry, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Will you please give your full name, rank, and regiment, and where you served in the war with Spain? A. Second Lieut. Charles Edwards; Company H, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers. Now, for the first of all I just want to say in regard to the service on the transport on which we went to Cuba. Now, the transport that we went on was the Vigilancia. We went on it at Tampa. It was nothing more than two planks, and these planks were got close together for the men to lie on. There was a distance between the beds of that distance [indicating], about 10 inches. These planks were fitted up on top of one another. Between-there was nothing whatever on these planks, no mattresses or nothing. You could not even put your rifle in because if you laid it on the side it would fall down; the boards being laid on and the distance between the boards was that [indicating], and the air was something disgraceful. It was foul. I went first as a private in Company I, but was promoted on the field as a second lieutenant, and was transferred to Company H, and I thought I could be of service in both ways, both to the Government and the men, and as I say the air was foul and the food was disgraceful. Of course we had what they call a company fund that we had collected before we went, with the result that we were able to take on board some rice and some prunes and different things that we bought out of our own money, but the Government rations that we got were canned beef, beans, and coffee that was boiled in its green LIEUT. CHARLES EDWARDS. 2081 state without milk or sugar. Sometimes it was ground and sometimes it was whole. By Captain Howell: Q. Boiled green, you say? A. Yes, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Any hard-tack? A. Yes, sir; we had hard-tack. We had hard-tack and canned roast beef. By General Dodge: Q. Corned beef ? A. No, sir; nothing but canned roast beef, and we had beans; these canned beans. By Captain Howell: Q Any bacon? A. No, sir. By General Dodge: Q. How long were you on the transport? A. Eighteen days, I believe, sir. When we went at that time I was a private, and when we landed in Cuba. After the bombardment of Siboney we were the second or third in the line and of course we made our way to Santiago. Well, before we went into the battle on the 1st we got three days' provisions; plenty of bacon, plenty of beans, plenty of coffee, and plenty of hard-tack for three days. Q. What day was that issued to you? A. This was issued to us on the last day of June. Q. The 30th? A. Yes, sir; very early. I think it was on the morning of the 1st. We had no sleep that night before we went into battle. Well, the officers said as we were making our way to the firing line to take off our haversacks. In each of these haversacks was three days' provisions, but owing to the fact of going on the firing line they would have hampered us, so we put them in a pile and went on to the battle. By Captain Howell: Q. Did you put anybody in charge? A. I believe there was one man left on guard. They said one man was left on guard, and, of course, when we went down for these things, when we got down there was nothing there; there was not a thing, that is why we were without food. I myself went without food for two days; that is how it comes about that some of us were without food for two days. We had the food, but could not take it on the firing line for two days, and it was put down that the Cubans stole it, because as we passed where we put it there was a lot of them sitting down by the side of the road. Q. One of your men testified that the man that was put there to guard was killed. A. We put it in one pile. Each company put it where they thought was a nice place. We did. We put ours all in a pile. Q. And put a man to guard it? A. I believe we put a man to guard it. I was told afterwards that a man was put there to guard it. I went back there on the evening of the 2d, but there was nothing there, nothing but a pile of empty haversacks. Then I went to the rear and I saw the men that were shot and bleeding to death on that hill without medi- cal attendance. Now, I had served some years both in the medical department 2082 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and in surgery. First Sergeant Youngs of my company was shot. He carried a medical bag with bandages, etc., and I took it from him and did up his wounds in the head, and then I asked the captain's permission to go ahead and take care of these men who were shot and wounded, and on the center of San Juan Hill I stayed for three days taking care of the wounded and those who were sick. There were neither ambulances nor medical men. Q. Where were your medical officers? A. Some said they were around on the right; others said that they were down in the divisional hospital. They were not where I was. Q. They were not on the line? A. They were not on the center of the hill where I was, and I can prove that I had from 35 to 40 men a day in my hospital. It was before that I was promoted to second lieutenant. I crossed the firing line again and again and took wounded men out, and if it had not been that the regulars carried these first-aid bandages I would have been useless. Q. Didn't your regiment have these first-aid bandages? A. No, sir; not one of them. Q. They were not issued? A. No, sir: it was the first-aid packages that I had that I got from the regulars- and I don't want to boast about what I have done, but the first-aid packages were the means of saving hundreds of lives. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Did you care for others? A. Besides those I cared for General Hawkins himself, and he could say what I say is the truth; for the 1st and 2d of July this man, shot, laid on the field with- out a medical officer coming to his aid. He himself laid there and I attended to his foot, and he went to the rear and first stopped over where my hospital was. Q. Was not the first-aid station backed up by a creek? A. The wounded men could not see it, and it was too far away for men shot in the head or leg to walk down, and for three days I had no sleep, and I poured water over my head. General Hawkins and his entire staff was near where I was, and I can bring men to prove that my own captain detailed me to attend, to these men. Q. It was mighty lucky you were there. A. The Government recognized it in a way that I did not suppose, and that is why I have been promoted. By General Dodge: Q. Anything else? A. Coming home I got the yellow fever and sunstroke myself, and I was taken from my hospital in an ambulance, and that ambulance took me from Santiago about a mile and it stopped, and then I was thrown out there into a wagon -a mule wagon-with colored men that had all sorts of diseases. I was thrown in amongst them, and that wagon traveled for a day and a night. Q. Didn't they have separate wagons for colored and white men? A. No, sir; and not even a cover on the wagon, and it rained in torrents. And the next day the sun came out and gave me the sunstroke while I had the yellow fever, and I was taken down to Siboney without any medical attendance, and when we got there they looked at me and said, " Send him to the mountains;" and I was placed upon a car among some more men and taken into the mountains, where I remember no more for ten days. Q. You had yellow fever there? A. Yellow fever and sunstroke. Q. You had good care? 2083 LIEUT. CHARLES EDWARDS. A. Yes, sir; I had good care-one doctor among a multitude; he came out once a day. For yellow fever, you know, starvation is the best. By Dr. Conner: Q. As I understand you, you were delirious for ten days? A. Yes, sir. Q. Well, then, how do you know you had good care if you were delirious? A. Because the men at that time who were convalescents told me that all the care was taken of them while I was delirious. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Are you an M. D.? A. No, sir. Q. What is your profession? A. I am a nurse; and, as I say, starvation is the best, for I starved for a matter of four weeks. I had nothing to eat; but it was the best for that sort of a case. Q. Did you have any milk? A. No, sir, not until about the sixth week; then I had Borden's condensed milk and water mixed. Q. You have no complaint to make of your treatment? A. No, sir; I have no complaint to make in regard to this hospital, except I want to say the men that died died partly of their own neglect. Now, when I was discharged from the hospital the doctor plainly told me, he said, "You for ten days if you eat you die." He was a Cuban. "You have nothing but milk and water and beef tea for ten days." and I saw men go out of that hospital the first day and go down to the cook tent and get a big plate of beef and potatoes and beans, or whatever was there, and that night they would groan and the next day be dead, and yet they hold the Government responsible, when it should not be held responsible. But, at the same time, I myself say they should have had a man at this cook tent to stop these men and not allow them to get this food. There was one colored man who came out, and the first day they had what are called " flapjacks" that weighed about half a pound apiece, and he got three of them, and I myself stole them from him and threw them away, and others went and ate them and died, and yet they want to hold the Government responsible for all the lives that were lost. By Captain Howell: Q. What ship did you come home on? A. I went down on the Vigilancia and came back on the Berkshire. Q. What was the condition of that boat? A. It was bad; though, as I say, the doctor, who was Dr. Winter, of the Thir- teenth Infantry, had kindly treated me on his boat. He gave me some nour- ishing food, but the food of these men who could not get these little extras that I got was not fit for the fellows to eat. Pork and beans is not a fit diet to give in such a time; and until we got to Montauk we had nothing but pork and beans, that was not fit for the men in such a condition. Q. What kind of water did you have on the Vigilancia and Berkshire? A. Myself-the water was pretty good. We could not complain of the water going over and the water coming back. Of course, I took the water that was for the officers. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What time was that? A. I think-I wouldn't swear to the time. I was myself a convalescent; but the Berkshire came in after my own regiment had been here and sent on a furlough. Q. You might have made more than one trip, possibly? 2084 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I think I could find out by looking over some of my little books that I have at home. Q. Middle of August or after? A. No; I think it was about the 28th of August, but I wouldn't swear. By Captain Howell: Q. Did you have one kind of water for the officers and another kind for the men? A. The men had big barrels, with no ice in it, to dip water from, and we had- the officers had ice water. Sometimes they would come in in a body and take the water that was put out for the officers, and you can no doubt come to the con- clusion what kind of water the men had and what the officers had. Q. The officers of the ship? A. I refer to our own officers. I never came home with my own regiment, but I came home with officers, such as Dr. Winter, of the Thirteenth Infantry, and other officers. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Where were you educated as a nurse? A. In London. By Dr. Conner: Q. What hospital? A. St. Bartholomew's. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You were promoted for your services on the field? A. Yes, sir; for unremitting care of the wounded and sick, and I can bring documents to prove this. Q. We take your word for it. We simply wanted it placed on the record. By General Dodge: Q. What company were you in? A. A private in Company I. Q. I mean what company a lieutenant? A. Company H. And then again, of course, I was also at Camp Wikoff. Now, these volunteer nurses-these ladies that volunteered their services did this Government more harm than good. Now, take these sick young men that came over on the boat with me. I was able to get a little nourishment where they could not, and the result was that some of them were deathly sick when they got off that boat at Camp Wikoff. They were directed into a hospital; and I saw these volunteer nurses--they had everything in this hospital-they had chicken, lemon- ade, ginger ale, soda water, and the devil knows what they didn't have, with the result than when a sick man would come in that should not have been allowed to eat, they would go up to him and say, "Is there anything I can do for you-would you like a little chicken," and of course the man would say " Chicken! why yes," and he would be served two or three pieces of chicken between two or three pieces of buttered bread, and they would give him some sarsaparilla and ginger ale, and things of that kind, and the next day he would be dead. What killed him? These nurses didn't know what should have been done, and being experienced, I was able to see what did it. Why, it stands to reason that when a man has had nothing to eat for six weeks his stomach is swollen and he is not fit to eat chicken, he is not fit to eat ice cream, that we had there-that is why so many graves mark that point there. Q. How many graves are there? A. I can't say. Q. General Wheeler testified only 263, including those that died on the vessels and were buried there. 2085 MRS. JOSIE M. DOBSON. A. I saw numbers of them die there from giving them nice things to eat that they should not have had. Q. Do you think that could have been prevented? A. If they had had proper trained nurses and doctors that knew their business, and not a lot of people who wanted to do something good-the people were all right; the people thought they were doing a charitable act, but they were killing the soldiers. Q. Now, as 1 understand your testimony, you blame the Government for not having better transports and proper food on the Vigilancia? A. Not so much as I do coming home. The convalescents should have come home on a respectable boat, either on a hospital boat or a boat that was fitted up. Q. Do you know whether that boat was inspected before you left Siboney? A. I could not say. Q. What was the order for you to embark on that boat-did you just have a general order or j ust scramble for it? A. Just scrambled for it. The first fellow that got a cot or bunk was lucky, and hundreds slept on deck or little places where you could hardly crawl in. Some got a mattress and others were not lucky enough. Washington, D. C., November 19,1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. JOSIE M. DOBSON. Mrs. Josie M. Dobson, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly- sworn, and testified as follows: By Colonel Denby: Q. Will you state your name and residence? A. Mrs. Josie M. Dobson, 100 Eleventh street, Washington, D. C. Q. You are the mother of Henry A, Dobson? A. Yes, sir. Q. He enlisted in the regiment from the District, did he not? A. Yes, sir. Q. About what time? A. I think he went away from here May 21. Q. Do you know where he went? A. He was here at Camp Alger for a while, and then he went on to Chickamauga and Tampa, and on to Key West. Q. Did he go to Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. When did you see him after he came back? A, I started from here on the 5th of September and got to Montauk on the after- noon of the Gth. I hunted through the hospital until half past 4. The Star paper said he was in the general hospital. I started from here Monday night and got there at 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, and I hunted through the general hospital about two hours with one of the soldiers in his regiment whom I knew, Mr. Bliss. He would go through one side and I through the other, and in each tent we looked at every man's face and didn't find him. I ordered a little carriage and they drove me to his tent, and there I met Captain Hodges. Q. Who is he? A. Captain of Company D. Q. He was his own captain? A. Yes,sir; he told me he was just down to the hospital. There were other parties 2086 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. that wanted to ride in the carriage, so I was delayed a half hour, but I was not more than fifteen minutes finding him after he got back. Q. Where did you find him? A. In ward E of the general hospital, I went in and found him. They had just carried him in. He was put on a cot; had his clothes on; he told me he had not been able to take his clothes off since he came from the transport. Q. State just what you know. A. Yes, sir; that is what he told me. Q. Well, state what he told you. A. He told me they had ridden very rapidly in going from his tent; he told me it was a mile and a half or two miles, and they had ridden over those stony roads very rapidly. Q. He was in an ambulance? A. Yes, sir. As soon as the others were through bathing, I had him put into a cold bath and bathed him myself. He says, "This is the first time I have been undressed since 1 started for Cuba." He says, "You see my limbs." He.said he didn't realize that he had had any fever, and he looked so comfortable when he got back on his cot in his pajamas. Q. Did the hospital furnish pajamas? A. The hospital furnished light gingham pajamas. He told me to keep his hat, that they would burn it up if they got it; so I rolled it up and put it in my satchel. I was told by one of the women that the night nurse did not allow anyone to sit with the men, but I could stay in a tent for the ladies. I went to the mothers' tent and passed the night, and as early as allowed to the next morning I went to my son. At 8 o'clock my son told me he had passed a very bad night; had been to the sink eight times. He had had up to that time not one particle of attention from anybody. Q. Had he the diarrhea? A. Yes, sir; he had to go a great distance every time. Q. How far? Do you know? A. I think 80 yards. He had to have somebody support him. Q. Who was that? A. Holborn, I think; one of his comrades. He said he had gone eight times that night. I insisted on his trying to be waited on at the bed, but he said his back hurt him so he could not, so he was allowed to go every time. I tried to get his temperature in the morning, so I could send to his father. The nurse said they had taken his temperature and recorded it. Q. Had you any experience as a nurse? A. I had, because I had carried one son through typhoid fever at home, and also did our nursing so far as possible all that time. She showed me the names, and I said, " There is no Dobson here." She said it must have got mixed up, somehow. I could not find out his temperature, to telegraph home, and I went to a physician, Hancock by name, and asked him two or three times to come and see him, and he said, "As soon as I can get round. I will." Q. Was he a contract doctor or regular surgeon? A. I don't know. Q. You knew him and saw him? A. Yes, sir; I saw him several times. He was a very calm, placid man, that didn't hurry at all. It was about 11 o'clock before I got him to go at all, and then I could not get the temperature. He said it had been taken. He pressed on his bowels very deep and asked him if it hurt. He shook his head. I thought at the time it hurt. He said at the time, " I think he has malaria." He said he had got to go, because there were others more sick, and he would have to go to New York. He says, "I have got to do my duty." The clothing came around, and I helped to pick out the sizes for my son. MRS. JOSIE M. DOBSON. 2087 Q. Was this new or old clothing? A. Oh, no, sir; new. He had saved his blouse, because it was pretty nearly new. Q. Underclothes and socks? A. Yes, sir; and undershirts, even to leggings. They said they had to burn the old ones. We had to wait for the ambulances, and during the time we were wait- ing I brought him some milk, but he would shake his head and said, " That is con- densed milk." One lady went out and got two gallons of what seemed to be good milk, and I got him to take one drink of that. He got one tablespoonful of ice cream. He ate it ravenously. He said, " If I could get that all the time, I know I would get well." Q. He had nothing else to eat? A. No; this condensed milk he would not eat. One of the women brought a bowl full of white of egg. She said it was beaten up with sugar. I tasted it, and it was beaten up with salt. It was as salty as it could be, and that is the only thing that he ate. Q. You got sugar finally, did you? A. He didn't want it, so I didn't try to have any more mixed up. I tried all the while to get milk, and I could not do it. I saw it hurt him to be put on the stretcher to take the ambulance to go to the transport. We got the ambulance about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He was put in the ambulance with three others, two above and two below. I sat on the front seat with the driver, and I would twist around and hold his pillow steady, because he said it hurt his head. It was very rough driving to the transport. It was a heavy pair of mules they were driving, and I said, " Don't drive so fast, drive slow. " He turned around once and said, " Who's driving these mules?" I saw I was on the wrong scent, and so I talked to him about his mules, and said, " You have a very fine pair of mules." They gave him a pillow and laid a blanket on the bottom of the ambulance. When we got to the transport, they would not let me in. I had a part of his cloth- ing, the part that was taken off. I had to show his hat and leggings and told them-I said, " I have my boy's things and I must go on." Q. What was your son's age? A. Twenty in June. Well, I went on the transport. They allowed me to step in on the lower part of the deck. They found this paper on the lower part of his coat saying "malaria." They booked that on the boat, and then they called out to the upper part of the boat, and they made me wait there for the one in charge of the boat, I think "Major," they said. They didn't think I would be allowed to go to New York. I stayed there fifteen minutes, and I said I must go upstairs and quiet him. I saw how anxious he looked; so I went up to his cot, and he said, "You stay right here until the boat starts, and they won't put you off." He seemed to be so anxious for me to go. Two very kind appearing ladies were on the boat. I don't know as he received any attention at their hands. Q. Do you know the name of the transport? A. The Shinnecock. One of the ladies stated she lived at Twelfth and F streets, in Washington, and that if I had any message to send home she would take it; so I did give her a letter to post when she got here. She wished to go that evening They told them where to lay these men as they came up, but otherwise 1 did not see as they did anything. They were very polite and ladylike, but about 9 or 10 o'clock they went into a stateroom. Q. What time did you leave Montauk? A. About 7 o'clock in the evening. Q. What time did you get into New York? A. Seven or 8 o'clock the next morning. It was a very quiet trip. My son seemed so much better in the morning. These nurses went into their stateroom at 9 o'clock and gave no help to the sick at all. One other mother was there. Her 2088 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. son had blood poisoning, and he was just bellowing with pain all night long. The staterooms had all been taken by others. This mother was trying to wait on her son all along, and those nurses never came out of their stateroom all night long. They let me hang my things up in here. It was very comfortable looking, but they never came out during the night. One of these men asked her in the mora- ing, "Did you rest?" and she says, "I could not, because that poor devil was howling all night." I could hardly stand it. Although they were nicely behaved and spoke pleasantly, they rendered no assistance. I covered up several during the night, and when they went to the closet and came back they could not find their cots, and I helped several of them back to them: and they would kick their feet out of the blankets. I had safety pins, and it was very cool on the water, but such a night; no help but these two hospital corps men. They were very nice. One brought my son back one time from the closet, and picked him up in his arms. Q. You don't know their names? A. No, sir; they were fine men. The surgeon in charge of the boat never came near my son, and never gave him medicine at all, except one of those brown tab- lets that one of the hospital corps brought, and said he told him to give it to my son. Q. Do you know how many sick were on the boat? A. They said 400. Q. How many surgeons? A. One that was dressed in his white clothes came up, but I did not see him do anything. He was a sandy complexioned man, and seemed to be very cross with one of these nurses. When he came up and saw this boy with the blood poison- ing, he yelled at them and scolded them fiercely. He said, " What are you doing here, with that mother struggling," and one of them started promptly. Q. What did you do at New York? A. We stopped at different piers, and sent them to the different hospitals, and at 2 o'clock got back to Brooklyn. They put him in an ambulance and let me get up on the seat. We drove over two squares of cobblestones. Q. Where was he taken? A. To St. Peter's Hospital. Brooklyn. It is a Catholic institution. Q. Who was it kept by? A. I don't know; German Catholics I should think. The sisters took care of him. I was allowed to ride up in the elevator. Then there was a screen thrown around him and two workmen went in, I supposed to wash him. I expected the doctor. I didn't see any nurse, but just one who came down into the hall, and just these two rough-looking men. They told me there were 160 soldiers being taken care of there. There was no nurse to be seen. I went to the kitchen to see if I could get some ice water or chopped ice for my son, but they told me to go to the water tank in the hall and draw the water. It was not very cold, but I took him that; but the next cot to him they furnished with ice, and I got some of that. They let me stay there from 2 o'clock to 4 o'clock and then told me I must leave. That was the first idea I had that I could not stay all night. They said it was against the rules, and I asked them if it was impossible to break from the rules. Q. Who said that? A. This sister in charge, the only one that I saw on that floor. She told me it was impossible for me to stay there all night. I told her " If I can not stay with my son, I shall have to have him removed." She said " Very well," so I stooped over to get my hat, which I had thrown under the bed, and I raised up, and he said "Why, auntie, when did you come?" He had forgotten his mother that instant. I said " It is mamma, not auntie." Then he put his hand on the side of my face and kissed me, as if he had just met me. Then he called to me and said "Mamma, hurry back." I went right out the door. It was too late to find the doctor. I wanted to find the one that had examined him. MRS. JOSIE M. DOBSON. 2089 Q. He was not there then? A. They said he had been there, but I had not seen him. I said I was within a few feet of the bed, but during that time they said the doctor had examined him. It was not more than ten minutes. Then I got in a car and went to find this doctor. I got his residence from this sister, and he had gone into the country and I could not see him. It was too late that night, so I went to friends in Brooklyn and told them about it, and went and got a room right near the hospital so I could be there in the morning. I had a room with a woman that was watching her son in the hospital, a woman from Pennsylvania, and we became acquainted; and they had allowed her to stay all the day before with her son, because he was violent and threw the cover off. I asked them the next morning when I went in how he was, and they said "not so very bad." "The fever was only 102°." I was not allowed to see him at first, but I got to him at 10 o'clock and saw him ten minutes. I went over and saw Major Appel, and he wrote an order that I was to remain with my boy all I wanted, or the boy would be removed. The major read it to me and I took it to the sister, and she read it and put it in her pocket, and said, " Our rules can not be broken for anything." I went to see him just ten minutes that morning, and he called to me and said " hurry back." The woman that I had roomed with told me that my boy got up and put on his clothes and said, "Which way is it? " They got his clothes off and put him back to bed. That was Thursday night. The next morning she told me. He wanted me to hurry back, but I could not get men and stretchers. I told Major Appel what they said. He says, "That order stands." He says, "You go to Long Island College Hospital and find out if they have got room; " so I went and found they had room. I went to his uncle-the one he was named after. I got three strong men and stretcher poles. I went in and demanded my boy. They would not let me go in. They took those men up and kept me in the parlor. They took these men in at the elevator. They took him down to the basement and made them carry him out that way and made me go out the front door. I had to meet him on the street. I could not meet him any more in that house. He was not apparently in much pain from being carried. I saw his face wince twice with pain a little as they carried him, before we reached this last hospital. Friday night I sat up and fanned him all night. That is the only night I was allowed to take care of him, and I got there Tuesday. Wednesday night we were on the transport and Thursday night we went into St. Peter's Hospital and Friday about 4 o'clock got into Long Island College Hospital. That Friday night was the only night I was allowed to take care of him as I wanted. Q. How was he that night? A. He was terribly feverish and did not know anybody about him only for a moment. Q. He had typhoid? A. So they told me that night for the first time. Then I telegraphed for his father. That was the only decent treatment he had. There was not one nurse in that whole Catholic hospital that I could see. I went into the kitchen there and all over, up and down the hospital. Q. How long did he live then? « A. He died Sunday morning. His father' and I were with him Saturday night. Q. Was he conscious? » A. Part of the time Saturday night; Saturday all day he was not. Q. You say you have no fault to find with what was done at this Long Island hospital? A. Yes, sir; they allowed us to stay with him; they did all they could. They urged me to go out and take refreshment. They put a cot there for me to lie on. Q. What time did he die? A. Half past 9 Sunday morning. 2090 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Is there anything more you want to state? A. I don't know of anything more. Q. Did you know just what was the matter with your son previous to the time you got to Long Island hospital? A. I did not know. I was afraid it was typhoid. Dr. Hancock said it was malaria. Q. Did you state to any physician that it was typhoid, you thought? A. Only this first one, Dr. Hancock. Q. You told him that it was typhoid. What did he say? A. He said, " It is malaria; no symptoms of typhoid." Q. Had he any delirium? A. Not up to the time he was moved; he was out a little once or twice. Q. That would indicate typhoid? A. But they said they had delirium with other fevers. Q. Was your son's health good before he went into the army? A. He was quite a healthy boy. He never knew what sickness was from the time he was about five or six years old, when he had diphtheria. Q. If you have anything more to say, say it. A. These things at Montauk should not be allowed. His captain told me there were gallons of milk stood out there and soured, and they were not allowed to get it. Washington, D. C., November 19,1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. H. A. DOBSON. Dr. H. A. Dobson, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Colonel Denby: Q. Please give us your full name. A. H. A. Dobson. Q. Residence? A. 100 Eleventh street NE. Q. Occupation? A. Physician and clerk. Q. How long have you lived in Washington? A. Since the battle of the Wilderness, 1864, most of the time-I have been absent a year or so. Q. Were you ever in the military service? A. Yes, sir. Q. When. A. In the war of the rebellion; I was in the service a year. Q. Is that where you lost your leg? A. No, sir; I lost that before I enlisted. I was the only man ever enlisted with one Jeg. Q. In what capacity did you enlist? A. Private and commissary-sergeant. Q. Were you a physician? A. Yes, sir; in '76, in Washington. Q. Are you the father of Henry A. Dobson, deceased? A. Yes, sir. Q. Will you tell me what you know about his case? A. The most of it has been well told; he was a well boy; he was examined for DR, H. A. DOBSON. 2091 life insurance by Dr. Boyden after entering the service. He was well in Cuba, and was taken sick, according to his statement, on the transport Hudson coming up. I have a little extract from his letter. He says, " On board the trans- port Hudson; have had chills and am very weak. " This was dated August 26, Montauk. " The grub is horrible for weak, worn-out men; the hard-tack is fit for no one; I have not eaten any for five days. Have been living for four days on ' hand-outs ' from the pantry, but have managed to exist." August 31: " Malaria has left me very thin. Don't have mamma forget to have ice cream; ice cream would make the boys well. To tell the truth, diarrhea has me now; I am very weak. There is no food here for the sick, so they sent me to the hospital to get strong. As soon as I get there will get well right off." I have here a copy of the record of those who attended him. From August 27 to September 2, he was attended the same as other men by Dr. A. P. Ebert. On September 3, Dr. Cox, and September 4 and 5 by Dr. Cox. On September 5 Dr. Cox ordered him to the hospital. Q. Was he the assistant surgeon? A. Yes, sir; of the regiment. Q. Who was the chief surgeon? A. Major Pyles. Q. Did Pyles have charge of your son's case? A. I never heard of it; not that I know of. The captain showed me this trans- cript of the company records, showing that Dr. Cox bad charge of it. Q. Where is Dr. Cox? A. He is here in the city. I have asked him to come here. Q. That is, while your son was sick in camp and before moving to the hospital, Dr. Cox had charge of him? A. From the 3d of September only. Q. He was the man who had the right to say that he should be moved to the hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Dr. Cox, then, is the. man we want to examine? A. Yes, sir; I think so. I did not hear from him; I just sent him a note, and asked if he would come. You see it was only three days before he suspected typhoid fever. On the 3d it is charged and on the 4th, and then on the 5th, and he sus- pected typhoid and ordered him to the hospital, and it was twenty-four hours before the ambulance got there. Q. Then, if any error was committed in regard to your son, it lay with Dr. Ebert and Dr. Cox? A. Yes, sir; I should say so. Q. Pyles had nothing to do with it? A. I know nothing about that. This I asked for officially to prove up his life insurance; they required me to show they had jurisdiction over him during these dates, and the captain gave me this. Q. Do you want to add anything to the testimony of Mrs. Dobson? A. When I first saw him, it was Saturday afternoon about 6 o'clock. Q. You had been wired? A. Yes, sir, and took the train. I go around in a light cart pushed by my daughter, and I hired a boy to take me to the depot. I went to Brooklyn, and while up to the hospital there I met the surgeon in charge, and he says to me, "This is a very sick boy." Q. Who was he? A. Dr. Jewett. He says, his temperature is high, and his stomach retains everything. Q. Did he say how long he had had typhoid? 2092 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. He remarked, he must have had it about two weeks. Q. Where is he now? A. In the hospital now at Long Island. Jewett was the man in charge; he might not have been the man in charge of Henry's case. Q. Stating the facts as you know them, how long in your opinion had he had typhoid? A. I should say it was about the thirteenth day of the disease. Q. At what period can you determine typhoid? A. Almost as soon as taken, by their temperature and other indications. Q. Then, in your opinion, they ought to have found out thirteen days before he died he had typhoid? A. I will not say so soon as that, but at least ten days. Q. At the time, where was he? A. In his tent. Q. He arrived at Montauk what day? A. The 27th day of August they went ashore. Q. And he left Montauk the 6th? A. The 7th; he was unable to walk when he went ashore. Q. He was ten days in the camp? A. Yes, sir; lying on the ground in the camp. sick. Q. Is there anything else you want to state? A. Yes, sir; this surgeon in Brooklyn said this boy never should have been moved there from Montauk. He says it is that terrible jolting that has put his heart out of balance; there is no help for him; his heart failed him; we could not keep it up, and we did everything possible. I only want to say, Colonel, just this, I have no personal feeling in the matter. I have no malice. If there has been a mistake in this case, I don't want anybody punished or anybody court-martialed. It is my hope that this will be prevented in the future medical conduct of the Army. I think if I could have had him home I could have saved him. Washington, D. C., November 19, 1898. Private Lawrence J. Woolridge, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Colonel Denby: Q. Please give us your full name. A. Lawrence J, Woolridge. Q. How long have you been in Washington? A. About eleven years. Q. Were you in the army? A. Yes, sir. Q. What regiment? A. The First District of Columbia. Q. What company? A. Company D. Q. Did you know Henry A. Dobson? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long have you known him? A. From May 13, when we started out. Q. He enlisted at the same time you did? A. Yes, sir. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE LAWRENCE J. WOOLRIDGE. PRIVATE LAWRENCE J. WOOLRIDGE. 2093 Q. What was his position in the company? A. First sergeant. Q. What was his general health? A. Going out? Q. Yes, and afterwards. A. Well, his health was good. He had a little sickness at Tampa. Q. What was it? A. I do not remember. I knew at the time. I was detailed away from the company at that time. Q. Then you went away from him? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did you go? A. I was detailed as regimental clerk. 1 Q. You remained with the regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. You saw Dobson from time to time? A. Yes, sir. Q. From Tampa where did you go? A. From there we went to Key West, and then to Siboney. Q. Did you see him in Cuba? A. Yes, sir; I went back to the company at that time. Q. How was his health then? A. It was good. Q. How long did you stay in Cuba? A. I think six weeks. I don't remember. Q. Were you in any fight? A. No, sir. Q. You stayed there how long, you say? A. We landed about the 10th of July and left about the 20th of August. Q. What transport did you come back on? A. On the Hudson. Q. And you came where? A. To Montauk. Q. He was aboard the same transport with you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see him on the trip? A. Yes, sir; I was detailed assisting hospital steward, and at our request he was up in the captain's social room, because he could get better sleeping accommoda- tions. Q. Was he sick then? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the matter with him? A. Fever and chills. Q. How long were you aboard the transport? A. Landed about the 26th, I think. Q. What did you do at Montauk? A. I had charge of the packing of the hospital stores and seeing about getting off some of our own stores, but the night before we landed I did not see Dobson at all, because my duties were such as packing medicine, etc. Q. Did you go into camp there? A. Yes, sir. Q. In the regular camp or detention camp? A. Detention camp. Q. Did you see him in the detention camp? A. I think the second day. 2094 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. You got in the 27th of August; what day did you see him? A. About the 28th, probably; I don't remember at that time that he was very sick. I know it was brought to my attention that he was sick. Some of the boys mentioned it. Q. He was in his tent? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who with him? A. The first sergeant has a tent alone. He might have had somebody. Q. You don't know whether he did or not? A. No, sir. Q. You stayed there from the 27th of August to the 6th of September? A. No, sir; we stayed there only two days; then we moved to a permanent camp. He was brought up to the hospital one morning with two men. He was very weak then. Q. They just assisted him up? A. Yes, sir; he walked. Q. Who was the doctor? A. Dr. Ebert. Q. Did he examine him? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were there when he examined him? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know what Dr. Ebert said in his case in your presence? A. No, sir; I do not know. Q. Then, he was examined and went back to his own tent, did he? A. Yes, sir. Q. You say he had a tent to himself? A. Yes, sir. Q. What kind of a tent? A. The ordinary wall tent. Q. Did he have a cot? A. No, sir. Q. Did anybody have one? A. The officers might, but not the men. Q. Did you see Dobson in his tent? A. Yes, sir. Q. When? A. About two or three days before he left. Q. Can you state yourself when he left? A. No, sir; I can not. Q. Then, from the 27th of August to the 6th of September he was in Montauk in camp, and you saw him how often? A. Well, in the permanent camp I saw him two or three times. He was a very sick boy. Q. Did you talk to him? A. Yes, sir. He says, "I am very sick, but I want to stay here; there is some work to be done." Q. What work was it? A. Some company work. Q. Did he mention that he wanted to stay in camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he give any reason for it? A. No, sir; except he thought it was his duty to do it. Q. Did he say anything about the care taken of him by his comrades? 2095 CORPL. SAMUEL PHELAN. A. No, sir. I asked if there was anything I could do. His face was flushed, and I know I can tell fever, and he had fever. Q. How often did you see him? A. Well, I didn't see him very often. I saw him two or three times a day, as I took medicine up to some of the boys. Q. He always looked flushed? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you see him on going to the hospital? A. Yes, sir; I did. Q. What did he say to that? A. He said he thought he would get along just to stay there. Q. Did he say anything about the care being given him? A. No sir; if I would say anything to him, he would say he was getting along. Q. He was popular with his comrades? A. Yes, sir. Q. And naturally would be taken care of by the comrades? A. Yes. sir. Q. Did you know he had typhoid? A. No, sir. Q. What did you think he had? A. Intermittent or malaria, or something of that kind. My knowledge is limited. Q. This Dr. Ebert is a contract surgeon? A. Yes, sir; from Atlanta, Ga. He was, I think, in the division hospital in Cuba before the firing line. Q. Was there a Dr. Hancock there? A. No, sir; I did not meet him. Q. Who was there? A. Dr. Pyles, Dr. Ebert, and Dr. Cox. Dr. Pyles did not come with us. He was on the Minnewaska. Q. You don't know anything about this young man after he left? A. No, sir; after I saw him in the stateroom. Washington, D. C., November 19, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CORPL. SAMUEL PHELAN. Corpl. Samuel Phelan, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly- sworn, and testified as follows: By Colonel Denby: Q. Please give us your full name. A. Samuel Phelan. Q. Residence. A. 117 Eleventh street, NE., Washington, D. C. Q. How long have you been here? A. About eight years. Q. What occupation? A. I have been in school up to last year; I am now with Manning & Co. Q. Were you in the war? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what capacity? A. A corporal of Company D. 2096 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you know Henry A. Dobson before the war? A. I had met him; I did not know him well. Q. He got to be sergeant of your company? A. First sergeant. Q. Elected by the men, were they? A. No, sir; I do not know; I think appointed by the captain. Q. What position was yours? A. Corporal. Q. First corporal? A. No, sir; I think probably fourth. Q. You went to Tampa and from there to Santiago or Siboney? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you came back with the regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. During all that time did you see Fobson? A. He was with us all the time. Q. Then you saw him, didn't you? A. Yes, sir. Q. What time did he get sick? A. He got sick coming back from Cuba. Q. What was the matter with him? A. I noticed when he was up in his room in the medical dispensary he had fever, and I asked him if he was sick, and he said he was not well. I have under- stood he had chills and fever. I do not know about the chills, but I think he had fever. Q. You were about six or seven days going to Montauk? A. Six. Q. How long did you stay there? A. I think probably three days in the first camp. Q. Did you see Dobson? A. Yes, sir. Q. How was he then? A. Sick. Q. Did you talk with him about his condition? A. He was at his tent every day we were there. Q. Did you have a tent? A. Yes, sir. Q. How did he sleep? A. With his blanket on the board floor. Q. He had a board floor? A. Yes, sir; at the first tent, at the other he didn't. Q. Then you had a poncho and blanket? A. Yes, sir. Some had both. Q. You don't know whether he had a rubber blanket or not? A. I think most probably he did. Q. You saw him at the detention camp and talked with him? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you say anything about going to the hospital? A. 1 remember saying he should go to the hospital; that he ought to. Q. What did he say? A. At that time-in the first camp-he didn't think it was necessary to go, and that was about all there was to it. Every time I saw him I said I thought it was necessary. Q. Did you have any particular experiences with diseases by which you could judge of his condition? 2097 CORPL. SAMUEL PHELAN. A. Nothing more than his appearance; when he would go to the sink he was sick enough to have two men go with him, one on each side. Q. Why didn't he go to the hospital? A. I don't know. Q. Did he give any reason? A. No, sir. I presume he thought if he went to the hospital he would not go home with the regiment. I don't know that he ever said that to me. Q. You think anybody who saw him would think he was sick enough to go to the hospital? A. I think so. Q. Do you know why the doctor did not order him to go to the hospital? A. No, sir. Q. He left there on the 6th, and you saw him up to that time every day? A. I do not remember what day he went to the hospital, but I was there all the time with him. Q. The rule there was to keep the troops in the detention camp? . A. We were not allowed to go out of the companies. Q. Then those very sick were sent to the hospital and those not very sick were sent to New York; is that the rule? A. Some were carried away by people who came for them-mothers and fathers; some were sick that were not sent to the hospital, I know. Q. Do you know why they were not sent to the hospital? A. I do not. Q. You had no floors at the permanent camps? A. No, sir. Q. You were supposed to be well if you went to that camp? A. I do not know what was supposed; many were not well. I was sick myself; I came home and was sick and liked to have died. Corpl. Samuel Phelan recalled: By Colonel Denby: Q. I want to ask you in regard to what food Dobson got there and what medi- cines he received? A. I was acting quartermaster-sergeant. Q. As the quartermaster-sergeant you furnished commissary supplies? A. I got it; yes, sir. Q. Just state what food he got and what medicines. A. There was very little food he could eat, and the milk-I don't know why, but it was nearly all sour. Q. Where did you get that from? A. From the commissary. I believe we got ours with Company K, and a good many times it had to be thrown out. Q. How about medicines? A. I don't know about the medicines. Q. Was there anything else he ate? A. There was nothing else he could eat. There was some fruit there, but he could not eat fruit. Pears and peaches were about all I know of. Not many cans of those. There was dried apples, prunes, and bakers' bread. Q. He had the diarrhea and could not eat fruit, could he? A. He did not do it. He told me he could not. I had to go up for the milk for him. I went to the doctor and he sent me to the colonel, and he succeeded in getting three cans of condensed milk for the sick men. Q. That isn't as good as milk? 2098 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; it is apt to give you diarrhea. It does me. Q. Do you know anything about the milk when it came? Was it sour because they were not allowed to come and get it? A. I know it sat there several hours at a time before it was given out. You could not get it at the time you needed it. Q. What time was it given out? A. Sometimes afternoons and sometimes forenoons. Q. In what quantities was it brought to your regiment? A. There were several cans of milk, as well as I can remember; I think from 8 to 10 cans. I am not sure of the number of gallons which each company got; probably somewhere from 6 to 10 gallons. Washington, D. C., November 19,1898. Arthur L. Kitchen, having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Colonel Denby: Q. What is your name? A. Arthur L. Kitchen. Q. Where do you live? A. 1246 Maryland avenue NE. Q. How long have you been living here? A. About six years, I think. Q. What is your occupation? A. Bicycle repairer. Q. Were you in the Army in the late war? A. I was in the volunteer regiment of the District of Columbia. Q. What company? A. Company D. Q. Did you know Henry A. Dobson? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had you known him before he went into the Army? A. Not personally, but I knew of him. One of my brothers was well acquainted with him, and I knew his name very well. Q. Was he a healthy man? Did he have that appearance? A. I could not say. He looked right healthy to me, but I could not say. Q. He was first sergeant of your company? A. Company D; yes, sir. Q. You saw him every day, didn't you? A. Yes, sir. Q. You saw him in the transport coming from Cuba to New York? A. I saw him once, I think. Q. What was his condition? A. I could not say; he came down on the gangway and rolled up his roll; that is about all I saw of him on the ship. Q. You didn't talk to him? A. No, sir; I do not think so. Q. You saw him at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. You saw him at the detention camp? A. Yes, sir. TESTIMONY OF ARTHUR L. KITCHEN. ARTHUR L. KITCHEN. 2099 Q. What was his condition as to health? A. He was not feeling well, I know. Q. Was he on duty in the detention camp? A. I think he was. Q. He was not on the sick list? A. I think he was taking medicine, but whether on the book or not I don't know. He was feeling bad. Q. Did you have any conversation with him about his condition in the first camp? A. No, sir. I don't remember anything about talking about his condition at all. Q. All you know, he had the appearance of being sick? A. Yes, sir; and complained of not feeling well. Q. You moved to another camp from that? A. Yes, sir; about a mile from there. Q. Were any of the tents floored in the second camp? A. No, sir. Q. How did you sleep? A. We had what are called shelter tents; and we first laid a rubber blanket on the ground under a shelter tent and rolled up our blanket on that. Q. Did you sleep well, or not? A. I slept well, personally, because I was healthy and feeling good. Q. Did you see Dobson in that camp? A. Yes; sir; I had the next tent to him. He was first and I was next. Q. How often did you see him? A. I could not say. Off and on. Q. Did you talk to him? A. I think every day I was there. Q. What did he say about his health? A. He was awfully weak and complained of dysentery, especially. Q. Why didn't he go to the hospital? A. I don't know; I think because he hated to have the record put against him. He had not been in there before. Q. Did he say so? A. No, sir; I don't think so. Q. What did he say? A. I don't remember that he said anything especially, only I know he didn't wish to go to the hospital at first, until later on, when the doctor ordered him, he was very anxious to go. Q. Do you know what care he got there? According to the proof he left on the 6th of September; do you know what care he had from his comrades or anybody else while he was in that second camp? A. Of course, you know, when he asked the boys to do anything they did it, but they didn't pay much attention to him, of course. The most of them were feeling bad themselves, and naturally they didn't care to carry him around; but any request he made they usually complied with it, if they could. Q. Did you see him walk around supported? A. I have carried him myself probably as much as anybody else. Q. When he went to the sink? A. Yes, sir; or anywhere else. Q. Then he was a pretty sick man, was he? A. Yes, sir; he was. Q. You helped put him in the ambulance? A. Yes, sir. Q. At that time he was pretty weak, of course? A. Yes, sir. 2100 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What do you know about the road that the ambulance went over-whether rough or smooth? A. There were some stones in the road, I know, for I went over part of that road in the army wagons, and there appeared to be a good many. It seemed rough to me. The ambulances usually went slow, and I think, if driven carefully they would have got there as well as could be expected. New York, November 21, 1898. Maj. F. J. Ives, upon request, appeared before the commission, and having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Will you give your name, please; your present address and your position, if you held any, in Cuba or in the United States or elsewhere during the war with Spain? A. F. J. Ives, major, brigade surgeon of volunteers and captain in the regular Medical Department of the Army, and during the war I was the brigade surgeon of the independent brigade, and later on the chief surgeon of what is known as the provisional division of the Fifth Army Corps during the Santiago campaign. Q. What did the independent brigade consist of ? A. It consisted of the Third and Twentieth Infantry and one mounted squad- ron of cavalry. Q. And the provisional division of the Fifth Army Corps, what did it consist of? A. This independent brigade and later on a number of volunteer regiments, the Ninth Massachusetts, the First Illinois, the First D. C. Volunteers-that is, the First District of Columbia Volunteers-and the Thirty-fourth Michigan. The Thirty- third Michigan and the Eighth Ohio had orders, but they didn't turn out Q. Where during the war with Spain did you commence your active service? A. I was first ordered to Chickamauga. Q. How long did you remain there ? A. About two or three weeks. I was surgeon of the Second Cavalry. Q. What was the condition of the camp of the Second Cavalry in Chickamauga while you were there? A. Good. Q. Was it located in the woods or in the open? A. In the open. Q. What was the character of the water supply? A. The water supply was ample, as far as I know. Q. Do you know from whence it was derived? A. From wells. Q. Those wells which were sunk there in the park? A. Yes, sir; and there was also a spring there. Q. Which spring did you use? There were two springs-Cave Spring and Craw- fish Spring. A. I forget the name of the spring; it was a large one, not far from Snodgrass. Q. The well from which you derived your water-did you ever analyze the water? A. No. sir. Q. Do you know whether or not it was possible that surface drainage could get into that well? A. I thought not, sir; but I am not prepared to answer it. Q. From camp there where did you go to? TESTIMONY OF MAJ. F. J. IVES. MAJ. F. J. IVES. 2101 A. Mobile. Q. How long did you remain at Mobile? A. About three weeks. Q. What was the character of the camp there? A. Excellent. Q. What was the character of the water supply there? A. Excellent. Q. What difficulties, if any, did you encounter in getting quartermaster and commissary supplies? A. None at all. Q. Were you able to get your supplies both at Chickamauga and Mobile with- out difficulty? A. On reaching Chickamauga there were a few days before the medical supplies came along. W e were then ordered to prepare wagons-I should say the regi- mental hospitals. Our requisitions were in for such things, and we were in a fair way to be equipped when we were ordered to Mobile. Q. What, if any, distress occurred at Chickamauga from the lack of proper medical supplies? A. None. Q. What at Mobile? A. None. Q. How long did you remain at Mobile? A. About three weeks. Q. From that camp you went where? A. To Tampa. Q. How long did you remain there? A. Only two or three days. Q. During the time you were in Tampa was a board organized to your knowl- edge, and if so, by what authority, to inspect transports? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. Did you have anything to do with inspecting transports? A. I did for the army coming from Santiago to Montauk. Q. You didn't have anything to do with that board of inspection of transports leaving Tampa? A. No, sir. Q. You left Tampa for Santiago when? A. We embarked June 8, and we left on the 14th. Q. On what vessel did you embark? A. The Stillwater. Q. How many troops went on board that transport? A. Only one troop of cavalry went on board. Q. Who was in command of the troops on that transport? A. Captain Lewis of the Second Cavalry. Q. W ere you surgeon of the Second Cavalry? A. I was surgeon, but after the troops embarked-I wasn't assigned to that ves- sel for the trip to Santiago. Q. What was the condition of that transport on which you went from Tampa? A. In fairly good condition; we were not overcrowded; but it was not particu- larly well adapted for the transportation of horses. Q. Did your troop take their horses with them? A. Yes, sir; there was one mounted squadron of the Second Cavalry. Q. Were the horses placed over or under the men? A. Under the men. Q. When did you arrive at Santiago? A. You mean in Cuba? 2102 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Yes. A. The 23d of June. Q. How long did you remain on board after you arrived there before you disem- barked? A. We arrived there, I think, on the 21st of June, and we disembarked on the 23d of June. Q. Your first immediate service there was what? A. We disembarked on the 23d and marched to Siboney. We disembarked at Daiquiri. Q. Now, Major, in a narrative way, please state your experience from that time up to the time you got to Santiago. A. We marched witli the brigade to Siboney, after disembarking on the 23d, and camped near there. The next morning we went into Siboney, and at that time the mounted squadron to which I was attached was detached from the brigade by order of General Shafter, from the headquarters of the army, and I was ordered to the headquarters of General Bates as surgeon. The following morning this battle occurred, and I was the principal medical officei' in the town, and General Bates ordered me to prepare for the reception of the wounded. So, with the assistance of Major Baxter of my corps, we cleaned out a little building there, made it as comfortable as we could, and prepared to receive the wounded of Young's brigade. Q. What medical supplies and instruments did you have with you at that time? A. We simply had what we could carry on our persons at that time, but I sent down to the transport and got a large box of supplies belonging to the Rough Riders, the First Volunteer Cavalry, which we had in this little hospital. Q. What surgical instruments did you have with you? A. 1 had my pocket case, or rather I had my field case. Q. They were not sufficient for amputation or anything like that, were they? A. Oh, I had sufficient for amputation on my person. We remained there until June 30, at which time we were ordered to the front, and we left at 9 o'clock on the night of June 30 and marched until midnight, when we got near General Shafter's headquarters, and we remained there until 10 o'clock the following morn- ing, when we went into the fight at El Caney. We took part in that fight, in the capture and occupation of that stone fort, and when the battle was over we marched up, proceeded to the extreme left of the line, and took up a position on the left flank, where we remained during the remaining two days of the fight, from there on to the surrender. Q. During that fight were your men able to act as cavalry? Did they remain mounted and fight as mounted men? A. No. I said before, you will remember, that the mounted squadron was detached from our brigade; so we were only infantry. Q. What was the condition of the wounded that were brought to you? A. During this fight we had practically no medical supplies except the " first- aid" package which each man was supplied with. We had only two regiments in the brigade, and the other surgeon and myself kept on the firing line, and there we treated our wounded. This " first-aid " package answered the purpose admira- bly. I cautioned the men to keep their canteens full of water, so that we could wash the wounded, not to drink the water-that is, not excessively-and I found for the ordinary medical requirements on the battlefield, it couldn't be improved upon. When we reached this stone fort at El Caney a great many were shot in taking that fort and the hill, and I established my dressing station immediately behind the crest of it, so as not to be in the immediate line of fire, and there treated them. When the battle was over-of course, the wounded, when first treated, were put in some sheltered place and left there, properly protected, of course- when the battle was over they were taken to the nearest regular dressing station. MAJ. F. J. IVES. 2103 We sent them back and continued doing that until, ultimately, of course, they were all sent to the rear. Q. You have seen service in the field in Indian campaigns, Doctor, have you not? A. Yes, sir; I served during the Victoria campaign-part of it-in 1880, and I served in the Geronimo campaign in 1885 and 1886, and I served during the Sioux campaign of 1890. Q. As an accomplished officer of the service-as we know you are, from your experience in Indian campaigns, your reading, historical knowledge generally- what conclusions did you draw as to the general condition of the wounded in the actions in which you have been recently in comparison to what they have been elsewhere under similar circumstances? A. I thought the condition of them was as good as could be expected, under the circumstances. Q. Was anything neglected, to your knowledge, that could have been done? A. In what way? Q. In the care of the wounded? A. Not in the care of the wounded on the battlefield. Q. Was there any neglect anywhere in connection with the wounded on or off the battlefield? A. No, sir, Q. Was there anything that could have been done that was not done? A. The general impression was there should have been more ambulances; there were only three, which were taken down with my brigade. Q. What I am trying to draw out is the exact facts and conditions as you knew them, and your experience as a physician will enable you to answer my questions more fully than I can ask them. What we want is the exact facts, all that might have been done under the circumstances and was not done there. A. I don't know anything about that, what might have been done there. Q. When did you leave Santiago? A. August 26. Q. Previous to that time, between the surrender and the time of your leaving, upon what duties were you engaged? A. After the surrender I was ordered to organize and establish a division hos- pital for this provisional division, which I did. Q. Where? A. It was located just behind the San Juan blockhouse on some elevated ground there. Q. State what, in the way of tentage, if anything, you had there. A. It consisted of sufficient tentage for the accommodation of about 150 cots. Q. Had you the cots? A. I had the cots nearly all the time. I didn't get them all at once in the begin- ning, but as I could I got them, so that finally the hospital was fully equipped. Q. What is the date of that? A. The division hospital was established on July 18, but I didn't begin to get my regular supplies until about the 20th. In the meantime I merely erected tem- porary shelters-used wall-tent flies to protect the men-and on about the 25th the ship Resolute came in with an abundance of hospital supplies, and I went to work and established the division hospital. Q. Between the establishment of this hospital-this division hospital-and the arrival of those supplies how did you get along? What were actually the condi- tions? State the facts so if we were there we would know what you know to-day about it. A. The conditions were unquestionably deplorable to a certain extent, as we had an immense number of sick men who needed hospital accommodations which we didn't have for them. I erected temporary shelters, and the men were lying on 2104 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. the ground beneath these shelters. I had gotten up some messing arrangements, cooking utensils, etc., and had a sufficient number of attendants to look after these men as best we could, and I had succeeded in obtaining some few stores from the Red Cross Society, and had had a certain amount of medicines to give them. In other words, we gave them what we could, but, as I say, the condition was more or less deplorable, but it was unavoidable. Q. Why was it unavoidable? A. Because I discovered that there was a yellow-fever epidemic, I believe, at Siboney, where our base of supplies was and where the general hospital was. I never considered that we had an epidemic of yellow fever on the firing line. I think there was a certain number of sporadic cases there, but no epidemic; conse- quently I determined not to send our patients to Siboney, but preferred to have them under my immediate observation on the firing line. Q. If you could get supplies from the Red Cross and assistance at that time to help you in that hospital, why couldn't you get them from the Medical Department of the Army? A. At that time there were no hospital supplies to be obtained from the Medical Department for the establishment of a separate hospital. Q. Was there any reason for that? A. They were all in use in Siboney. Q. There was not sufficient to go beyond the general hospital? A. Not sufficient to equip another hospital at that time. You must remember I am speaking now of the hospital I established there. Q. What I was trying to get at was why, up there beyond the firing line near the blockhouse, if you could establish a hospital and get assistance from an out- side association-the Red Cross, or whatever it was-why you couldn't get it from your own department? A. I can explain that. I think at that time they were simply establishing their commissary depots in Santiago, getting their things together and sending their supplies, as I understood, from Siboney around into the harbor. The first depots were for the purpose of rations, so as to issue the rations for the well men, and the depots for the other supplies had not been established at that time. Q. Not possible, did you understand, to organize depots for taking care of the sick and wounded, as well as those that were well? A. Oh, in the rush of the work I thought it was necessary-I suppose they also found it so-to establish the depots first for the regular rations. Q. What number, if you can recall, of deaths resulted during the time between the establishment of the temporary hospital and receipt of supplies that would not have occurred had you had all the supplies you received at a later day? A. None at all, sir. I have in my overcoat pocket the record of deaths in my division from the time this hospital was established until we broke it up on the 25th of August, and there were only 31 deaths, and we treated 967 cases. Q. I would like to ask you this: I don't like to ask you a leading question, but my understanding of it is that you wish to convey the idea that the absence of these supplies did not result in the death of any man during that temporary period? A. Not that I am aware of. Q. How long did you continue in that hospital? A. Until the 25th of August, when I embarked. Q. When you got all your supplies, what was the condition of the hospital then? A. It was good. Q. Did you have plenty of assistants? A. Yes, sir; I had a number of acting assistant surgeons and civilian nurses; I was offered female nurses at that time and I was rather opposed to the use of female nurses, but I will confess to the fact that on the contrary they did excel- lent service. MAJ. F. J. IVES. 2105 Q. On the 25th of August you left; previously to that time you left Santiago to go where? A. Previous to the 25th? Q. On the 25th of August you left Santiago to go where? A. To Montauk. Q. And at that time was there any order issued detailing a board to inspect transports? A. Yes, sir. Q. By whom was that order issued? A. The order was issued by General Shafter's headquarters, detailing Colonel Humphrey, myself, and Lieutenant Pershing-I give them in the order of rank- Lieutenant Pershing, of the Tenth Cavalry. Our orders were to inspect all trans- ports leaving Santiago for the purpose of carrying the Army to Montauk, or North, as to their cleanliness, their sanitary condition, their accommodations, and sup- plies. Q. How many of those transports did you inspect? A. I inspected all of them. Q. Well, was there one or ten? A. I really can hardly remember; I think there was about thirty. Q. The reason I said that was I wanted to get the figures on the record. A. Lieutenant Pershing was taken sick; had to leave on one of the early ones. Colonel Humphrey was extremely busy with the duties of his office, so the active part of this inspection devolved upon me. Q. Will you give us in a narrative form a general description of one or more of those transports, taking generally those which were in the better condition and particularly dwelling upon those which you found to be in what you might call a reprehensible condition? A. Well, when it was reported to me a transport was in the harbor ready for inspection, I went aboard with the captain-when she was unoccupied, of course- and examined the boat thoroughly as to cleanliness. If she was not thoroughly clean I had it cleaned, had it ventilated and put in a perfectly sanitary condition. I simply told the captain to put it in such a condition and I would make another inspection. I was too busy to fool with it myself. The captain was questioned during the inspection as to the utmost quantity of ice he could carry, the utmost quantity of water, what facilities he had for messing the officers, what accommo- tions he had for the officers, what facilities he had in the way of hammocks for the men, what water-closets there were, what accommodations for making coffee for the men, and whether there was any possibility of cooking a hot meal a day for the men. Those were the main points upon which I investigated. Until I was satisfied on those points, until they were entirely satisfactory, the vessel didn't leave. The next point was the accommodations. I obtained from the cap- tain and the quartermaster the capacity of the vessel, what the utmost capacity was for carrying troops, and as a rule that was cut down about in the proportion of 1,000 to 600; that is to say, if the vessel's utmost capacity was 1,0001 would cut it down to 500 or 600, a little over one-half, certainly not more than a third. Then I devoted myself to the supplies. I found out who would be the com- missary officer on board, and I saw him personally to see that he had drawn rations for these men. Then I found out who would be the chief medical officer on board each ship and discovered how many medical assistants he would have, and if there were not enough I informed the chief surgeon of the corps, who would designate other officers to go on that ship. The medical supplies were then examined. The officer in charge of the medical supply depot would receive orders to put up a large box of medicines; the amount would be graduated in the same ratio to the number of men; there was a fixed schedule made out at the office of the surgeon of the corps. Also a large amount of food supplies-soups, condensed milk, and 2106 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. such things were put up and under my personal supervision; these were put on the ship. I didn't leave that to anybody, because in the confusion and excitement I was afraid they would be left behind, and in two cases 1 held the ship because that thing had happened, and I took a tugboat and went down and put them on. That was the extent of my duties on that board, and in connection I would like to state that I don't think a transport left that place that wasn't in a thorough sani- tary condition and wasn't thoroughly equipped with supplies, with medical offi- cers, and everything that could be thought of for the care of the sick. In a great many cases I instructed the surgeons to put in requisitions for cots and mattresses, which were taken for the use of the sick. Q. Do you recall the time when the Concho left? A. No, sir. Q. You didn't inspect the Concho? A. The Concho left, I know, along the early part of July; that was after the battle; that was long before I took charge. Q. With what vessel did you return? A. On the Berlin. Q. What were the exact conditions on the Berlin, the number of men it could have carried and the number of men it actually brought out. A. As I remember, it could have carried-I don't recollect; it brought up, though, I should say, about 1,100 men. Q. Did you indicate the number of men who were to come on the Berlin? A. I did. Q. Then I ask you if, according to your previous ratio, you reduced it probably one-third or more from what it could have carried, as I understand it? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the amount of sickness on the Berlin coming up? A. There was no sickness produced by the trip. Of course, we brought all of our sick men. I would like to state, in that connection, that my own division, instead of leaving the sick in Santiago and sending them to the hospitals, I only left the very grave cases, thinking it would be better for them to be put on the transports and brought home, rather than left in Santiago. Q. With those 1,100 men on board the Berlin, how many assistants did you have to assist you? A. We had about eight or nine surgeons on the Berlin, but there was an unusual number on that ship. To start with, we had three regimental surgeons, the First Illinois; that regiment came up on the ship, and then my headquarters came also. I was there as chief surgeon of the department and there were two others who came as passengers, and as I recollect it there must have been about eight on that trip. Q. Were there any hospital attendants of any kind? A. Yes, sir; hospital attendants belonging to the First Illinois Regiment. Q. How were the men quartered on board? A. They had hammocks; excellently quartered. Q. Where were those hammocks swung? A. They were hung between decks. Q. Were any of the men obliged to go into the hold below at all? A. No, sir. Q. Did you bring any animals with you? A. No, sir. Q. What was the character of the food supply that the men were furnished with as they came up? A. The men on duty with the regiments had their travel ration-what they call their travel ration-and the sick had special rations. MAJ. F. J. IVES. 2107 Q. How long did it take you to come from Santiago to Montauk Point? A. A little over four days. Q. Was there any material distress arising from any cause which you could have controlled, from the time you left Santiago until your arrival at Montauk? A. No, sir. Q. How long were you detained at Montauk Point? A. Twenty-four hours. Q. Your men were placed where? A. In the detention camp. Q. What were the conditions there which you as a surgeon would recognize? A. It seemed to me they were comfortable. Q. How long were you kept there? A. Three days. Q. Then they remained, so far as you know, how long at Montauk Point? A. Well, the division then began to be dissolved. My division were mostly volunteers. They were sent home first, so really they began to leave immediately after they left the detention camp. Q. As a surgeon, well up in your profession, as we know you to be, please state if there were any points in your department from the time you commenced your service until you got through that could have been improved upon. A. Well, there was a lack of ambulances during the campaign and a lack of experienced hospital stewards to assist the medical officers in their executive work of the administrative part of their offices. That was a very important defect, and the character of a good many of the acting assistant surgeons-their medical attainments-were not generally up to the standard, although some of them were just as good as any medical officers that could be obtained. Q. Can you imagine-for this isn't a question of professional ability-why all the hospital stewards needed could not have been obtained? Excuse me for ask- ing, but was there any rule in your department prohibiting men from entering that department so far as age is concerned that you know of? A. No, sir. Q. There is a letter, I believe, from a man who was an apothecary, who applied for such a position, and he was rejected on account of his age. A. Oh, yes, there was an age limit; there was at that time. Q. Do you know of any reason why we couldn't have obtained all the hospital stewards we wanted? A. Only, according to law, we are only allowed 100 hospital stewards in the Army, and of course they were on certain duties and they couldn't be sent away. Q. Couldn't we have appointed all the acting hospital stewards that were neces- sary in the campaign under the law? A. Yes, sir; you could have appointed all the acting stewards, but what we wanted was experienced administrative men. Q. For stewards? A. Yes, sir; men who could control their subordinates, and who could assist the surgeons in their administrative work. Q. Your impression is that what are commonly known as pharmacists and apothecaries, many of whom would have been ready and willing to come, could not have performed the duties which you speak of? A. They could have performed all their professional duties certainly, but what we needed was experienced executive men. For instance, in my division I was the only surgeon of the Regular Army. I didn't have any assistants in the way of hos- pital stewards to assist me in my executive and administrative work, which was very extensive in my division. I had to perform my clerical duties with regard to my records and in getting supplies, which only experienced men could have done. 2108 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Would it have been advantageous to you if all the acting hospital stewards who were ready to come into the service from the professions I speak of, had they been appointed freely, would it have assisted you to any extent or would it have embarrassed you? A. It would have assisted me at that time only in so far as the actual nursing and taking care of the sick is concerned. Q. During the time you were at Montauk-how long were you there? A. Only about a week or ten days. Q. The conditions, so far as you saw them in connection with the hospital accommodations at Montauk Point, were what? A. I thought the conditions were excellent. I was practically not on duty at Mon- tauk Point, because my division was dissolving. It was only a question of a few days when I would be appointed elsewhere, so I simply, you might say, was there as a visitor. Q. To sum up your testimony, so far as my examination is concerned, the inter- esting part which I wanted to get from you particularly was about the transports. Am I to understand that you inspected all the transports that left Santiago for Montauk Point, and that your testimony was to the extent that you found them before they departed, or that you had given the proper instructions, that they all left in good condition and properly supplied? A. Yes. sir. I would like to state, in regard to two of those transports gen- erally, that there was some adverse criticism, and 1 devoted particular attention to those two ships, the Mobile and the Allegheny; that the Mobile was a so-called cattle ship, and there were rather grewsome pictures drawn of the conditions on those ships. I inspected the Mobile several days before she left, and she was in a perfectly clean and healthy condition. She had been transporting cattle, but she was thoroughly policed and whitewashed. Her capacity was 3,000, and I cut the number going on board down to 1,600, which was about the proportion pre- viously spoken of, and she was., in my opinion, not overcrowded. I paid particular attention to that vessel. The Allegheny was reported on her arrival as in a deplor- able condition, and there were reports in the press that Dr. McGruder, who was the health officer, had stated she was in this condition and had made many adverse statements in regard to her. I went and saw him personally, and in the presence of those gentlemen who had written this he denied having made any of the state- ments about the Allegheny attributed to him. In other words, he told me she was in very good condition when she arrived, but he was quoted as having stated she was in this bad condition. I went to the captain, who was Captain Sullivan, of the Ninth Massachusetts. He was the line officer of the command, and he told me he had nothing to complain of on the Allegheny. As a matter of fact, she was one of the best transports that left Santiago. Not only was there ample accom- modations for the men, but after the officers were provided with cabins, there were accommodations for 60 of theii' sick men in the first-class staterooms, which were utilized by the surgeon, of course, for his sick. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you have anything to do with the examination of either the Concho or Seneca? A. No, sir. Q. Consequently you knew nothing about them? A. No, sir. Q. Were they fitted out at Santiago or Siboney? A. At Siboney. Q. Were they inspected at Santiago before going to Siboney? A. They never got to Santiago-the Concho and the Seneca; they left after the battle. MAJ. F. J. IVES. 2109 Q. But the famous trip of the Concho was made pretty late in July; it was after the surrender; it must have been; I thought, for that reason, you might know about it. General Dodge. It was stated she left Santiago with some officers and went to Siboney. The Witness. I knew nothing about it. Q. If she had been fitted out at Santiago you would have known about her con- dition, of course? A. If she had been fitted out between August 4 and 26 I would; it was only during that time that I was in charge there. Q. As the General asked you in conclusion, the conditions were perfectly satis- factory to you at the time each of these vessels left which you inspected? A. Yes, sir; I held them until they were. Q. Where did you get your medical supplies from for these ships; from the Army, or the Red Cross, or both? A. From the Army. Q. Entirely? A. Entirely. If the Red Cross gave supplies, they may have done so without my knowledge, of course. Q. Do you know anything about the preparation of the vessel upon which Dr. Lesser and his nurses sailed for the North? A. No, sir. By General Dodge: Q. Did you have anything to do with the placing of the troops or provisioning the St. Louis, on which the Sixth Massachusetts came up? A. If I knew what time she left I might answer that question. If I am not mis- taken, two of our regiments came up on that ship. Q. She was one of the regular liners? A. Yes, I know; and if I am not mistaken, two of our regiments came north on the St. Louis, the Third and the Twentieth. Q. The Third Infantry and the Twentieth Infantry? A. I think so. By General McCook: Q. Were the upper decks of the Mobile cleared all away, where they stored the animals; the upper decks? A. Yes, sir. Q. You had a clean sweep for the hammocks on those boats? A. Yes, sir. I was going to say my experience with the Mobile was that that type of cattle ship made excellent transports, for the reason they were perfectly steady in the water. Q. They are bilge-keeled boats? A. Yes, sir. Q. That is to prevent their rolling? A. Yes, sir. When they are cleaned up they are all right; it is like sleeping in a clean stable, and I would rather sleep in a clean stable than in an ill-ventilated palace. I thought it made an excellent troop ship. Q. There are plenty of ventilators extending clean down to the hold? A. Yes, sir; and these side ventilators also. By General Dodge: Q. I find I am mistaken about the St. Louis. It was the Yale that the Sixth Massachusetts came on; did you have anything to do with the ordering of the troops on the Yale? 2110 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. If you can tell me the date I will tell you. This complaint was made: " The Sixth Massachusetts was literally starving on the transport Yale." A. I know nothing about the Sixth Massachusetts; they were not in the Santiago army. Governor Woodbury. No, they were on the Yale; she went to Porto Rico. The Witness. I know, 1 think at least that the St. Louis brought two of our regiments up, and they fed them all right. Q. Who were the parties who made the complaint of the Mobile that you brought before Dr. McGruder? A. About the Allegheny, you mean? Q. Yes. A. I don't know, sir; it was simply this: I took the matter up because it was in the press. I read those accounts and naturally I felt interested. Q. You stated the parties were present? A. Oh, there were some of the correspondents of the newspapers-newspaper men; I didn't know them personally. Q. Was the statement rectified? A. No, sir, not to my knowledge; I never saw any rectification of it. By General Wilson: Q. Have you given us all the information you can afford us that will be of assist- ance to us in the duties which have been assigned to the commission? Our object is to find out everything we can, anything that would throw any light on the sub- ject; any lack of proper supplies or inactivity in any branch of the Government. A. I think I have given you all the information I can. My personal opinion is that under the circumstances the army was well supplied down there, as far as the commissary was concerned. I thought that department did excellently during the active campaign. There was at times a lack of medicine, but there was some difficulty at first in getting out to the front on account of the lack of transportation. Q. Was that lack of supplies-excuse my asking a direct question-was that lack of medical supplies due to the fact of their not having been furnished to the medical department, or a lack of transportation in the quartermaster's department? A. I don't know; but I know this: With the exception of the two days above mentioned, there were always some medicines to be obtained, but it was necessary for the surgeons to " hustle " in order to secure them. I found that in order to get medical supplies for my division I had to get on my horse and go and get them, and finally I bought some in the town, but of course with the consent of the chief surgeon of the corps. New York, November 21, 1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. Dr. Lewis A. Stimpson, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to state your name, profession, and the time you have been practicing your profession? A. Lewis A. Stimpson. I am a physician, and have been in practice for twenty- five or thirty years, twenty-five and some odd years. I reside in the city of New York, at No. 34 East Thirty-third street. Q. Be kind enough to tell us whether or not during the summer you had occa- sion to visit Camp Wikoff. A. I visited it on two occasions DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2111 Q. At what dates; do you remember? A. I think it was the 2d and the 4th of September. Q. Won't you be kind enough to tell us about what part of the camp your attention was especially directed to, whether to the camp at large, the detention hospital, the hospital in each camp, or the general hospital, or whether your inves- tigations covered the ground of all three? A. The first visit was made solely to the general hospital with a view of investi- gating one particular subject. Q. And the second? A. The second to the camps. Q. Did you have occasion to visit the detention camp and detention hospital as well? A. I did not. Q. Therefore you may leave that part out of consideration. Will you be kind enough to tell us what the result of your observations was, your observations made at the general hospital? A. Do you wish me to describe the things in detail or simply the things I thought were at fault? Q. I want you to give us your professional judgment, formed at the time, of the hospital as respects its fitness for the purpose to which it was intended to be devoted-the care of the sick? A. Of course my knowledge of that is limited necessarily, as my visit covered only an hour or two, two or three hours. I went to the hospital with one particu- lar object. Stories were current of lack of care in regard to typhoid infection. I went there particularly to investigate that, to see if anything could be done to further proper disinfection. So far as the hospital was concerned, I think the site was an ideal one. I think the patients were under very good conditions so far as space and air were concerned. The only thing I could judge of, there seemed to be an abundant supply of nurses, in fact the principal nurse told me she had a sufficiency of female nurses, but according to the reports of the physician in charge, and according to what I saw, I should say there was a great deficiency of male attendants, and so far as the cleanliness of the stools was concerned, I think there was very much to be desired. . Q. Will you be kind enough in some detail to state what you observed with ref- erence to that matter to which you refer and what steps you found were being taken to disinfect the discharges of typhoid patients? What, in your judgment, was lacking in the conditions as you observed them? A. At the very first-I think the first-pavilion tent of the general hospital I went to there were standing beside the tent large galvanized-iron receptacles, which were provided for the taking away of soiled clothing and things of that sort, as I understood-I was told so, at least-also fragments of food, but not, however, stools- everything except the discharges from these patients. In some of those I saw diarrheal discharges from the patients standing 2 and 3 inches deep. Q. Did I understand you aright, that these galvanized-iron receptacles were not for the reception of those discharges? A. Not for the reception of the discharges; no, sir. Q. You observed that there were such discharges in those receptacles? A. I observed those discharges standing in them 2 or 3 inches deep and simply swarming with flies. Q. Were these receptacles closed or open? A. They were open. Inside the tents I saw the open commodes provided for the care of the patients filled to the brim. This was at 11 o'clock in the morning, and they were swarming with flies, uncovered, with no disinfectant in them or near them. The theory of the attendants was that those things were to be carried to the sinks behind the pavilion, distant a few feet, across a little depression, and 2112 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. emptied into the sinks; and there was some chloride of lime, which had been placed there for the purpose of disinfection; but the physician in charge, when I spoke to him about this thing and one other particular method I recommended-I want to say that I came to New York, and before going down there to the camp I went to experts to ascertain the most ready and efficient means of disinfecting, in order that I might be able to advise in case anybody wanted any advice on the subject, and I was very pleasantly and courteously received and they were all very willing to hear anything I said. Everybody I saw treated me as well as any- body could ask to be treated. Their interest in the matter was apparently very kind, but they said they couldn't have the help to do what was necessary. The physician in charge of one of the two divisions of that hospital told me-he used these words: "If I want anything done here, I have to take a man by the ear and hold him until it is done." Q. Won't you be kind enough to give his name? A. He was the surgeon in charge of what was' known as the annex-surgeon somebody. Q. Was it Brown? A. No, sir; he was at the head of the department. The name has slipped my memory. Q. He told you if he wanted anything done he had to adopt those measures that you stated? A. When I spoke about that he said, " How am I going to do it?" "There is no great trouble about having a bottle of it standing beside the commode," I said; ' ' and the nurse can pour some in. " He said, ' 1 I will tell you how it is. I get word in the meantime to send out of here 150 men and receive 150 more, and conse- quently for three or four hours every person in this place is too busy, so that they can't attend to the patients." Q. This was on the 2d of September? A. Yes. He said, " Last night at 6 o'clock there were 150 vacant beds, and at midnight those were full, and I had the floor covered with patients. That is the reason these things couldn't be done." Q. Do you know what rules appertaining to the disinfecting of typhoid excreta were in force there at the hospital? A. I don't know. Q. Did you ask anybody as to what was the rule? A. I don't know, but I think all they were doing-they said they used chloride of lime in the sinks. Q. And that was all? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many of those receptacles did you see in your investigation the 2d? A. Commodes? Q. I am speaking of the receptacles outside; those galvanized-iron receptacles which were open and in the condition spoken of. . A. I can recollect now only perhaps three of those; I didn't go through all the pavilions. Q. Did you walk along by all of the typhoid hospital tents? A. These were standing outside of the first pavilion; they were in plain sight when I came up to them. Q. Did you have occasion to pass along by the other pavilions and other sections of the hospital, tents appropriate for the use of typhoid patients? A. You couldn't pass between them; they were close together; right close up, with the fly and rope flapping together. I saw nothing of that kind there. Q. In your various walks about there you saw, perhaps, three of those recep- tacles in the condition you have mentioned? DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2113 A. There were three or four of those at the first pavilion; I don't recall any others. Q. You recall none at any of the other pavilions? A. No, sir; I don't think I saw any others; I didn't notice any others. Q. There were how many pavilions there; do you think there were 30? A. Well, the first division had a pavilion on each side of the main corridor; I can't tell you now; at the time I knew, but I should say there was probably 10 on a side, 20 in that division of the hospital and possibly 20 in the other division; there must have been somewhere between 25 and 40, anyway. Q. And only in connection with one, and to the extent of three or four of those receptacles, was your attention called to this fault? A. Yes, sir. Q. There is no question about the fault business there; at least I have none: but under the circumstances do you think that there was quite full occasion for cen- sure of the hospital by reason of discovering in one out of 10 or 20 or 30, whatever was the number, of the hospital tents, sections, these conditions which were altogether unsanitary? A. I think that question ought to be made, or the answer at least made, to state that the other pavilions were not visited or examined in the same detail. Q. Between the tents there couldn't have been any? A. No, sir. Q. And as you walked along you didn't see any? A. I didn't go back of any of the other pavilions where they would have been if there were any. I will say further that the statement made by the nurses was that it was impossible for them to have these receptacles returned to them in propei- order. One of the nurses pointed to another one of these receptacles and said, " Here is a jar that has just been brought back to us by the orderly. It was his duty to make that thing clean." The only cleaning that had been done in it was simply dumping out what would fall from it. The bottom was still covered with the remains of what had been put into it. Q. How long had the typhoid patients been assembled there in any considerable numbers at the time of your visit? A. I don't know. This was the 2d of September. Q. Did you observe any other evidences of the lack of cleanliness or proper sani- tation on the part of the hospital employees? A. I did not; no, sir. I will say that I think the chloride of lime was not used in the sinks to anything like the extent that is designated by Army Regulations. Q. Do you know anything as to the conditions under which those male nurses and orderlies were secured? A. I do not. Q. Do you know whether or not a great many of them were hired in the city of New York? A. I know nothing about it. Q. Do you know whether oi- not a great many of those who were hired in the city of New York went up there in the afternoon, stayed there less than twenty- four hours, and returned, rendering practically no service whatever? A. I do not. Q. It was almost impossible, as we have positive testimony to that effect-it was almost impossible to secure any good male nurses. There were female nurses in any number, but male nurses were not to be secured, and those who were employed were eithei- drunk or disorderly and worthless and left in a very short time. Have you any considerable number of available male nurses in the city of New York, properly trained nurses, that could be gotten? A. I don't think skilled labor was required for that work. 2114 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. I don't think skilled labor was, but a certain amount of skill would have been an advantage, would it not? A. Yes. sir. Q. Male nurses of any kind or character are exceptionally scarce, are they not? A. Yes, sir; but male orderlies you can get. Q. Oh, yes; you can get sewer diggers and street cleaners, but are they likely, are men of that class likely, to pay proper attention to duties of that kind? Those duties are repulsive in character to most men, are they not? A. The men who do that work in our hospital are men who are paid probably $20 a month. Q. Do you have accasion to change them frequently? A. I don't know about that. Q. The rest of the men, aside from such male nurses as it was possible to hire- those nurses we know a little something about by the testimony; the rest of the nursing was done by details from the regiments. As you observed the regiments, were the men, any considerable portion of them, in condition to do manual labor to any extent? A. I should think very few of them were. Q. The great majority of them were themselves invalids, were they not; and pretty sick ones at that? A. Pretty sick men. Q. Ninety per cent, as has been told us, were disabled since they landed from the transports? A. I don't know about that, but a large number needed attention themselves. Q. When you consider that fact-the impossibility of getting details from the regiments, because of the condition of the regiments themselves, and the impossi- bility of hiring men reliable enough to stay and do the work there was for them to do-think you it might not occur, without any great lack of order or system in the regulations of the hospital, that two or three or four receptacles of the kind you have mentioned might not be in the condition you describe? A. I would go a step further than that and say that I think they might be-a very large number of them might be in that condition. The officers in charge of the hospital were powerless to prevent it. I don't blame the officers of the hos- pital at all. Q. It either rests with the system or the administrative officers, or it rests with the disciplinary officers who were charged with the duty of compelling the men to do their duty? A. That is a mere detail. Q.' Your second visit-which I understand was on the 4th, two days later, was it not? A. Two days later; yes, sir. Q. Your second visit was made to the camps and not to the hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. And it was made for what specific purpose? A. Well, I got the idea that there were a great many sick in camp, men who were in need of food; and I went to the camp, carrying food, and visited several regiments of regulars only. Q. And in what condition did you find those regiments-the men of those regi- ments? A. I found them very ill and very miserable. Q. Did you find them starving? A. Well, I found men who had been without food for twenty-four hours, per- haps. Q. And the evidence of that was their own statement? A. Of course; that is all the evidence I have. DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2115 Q. Now, by food, did they mean when they told you, or did you inquire of them to ascertain, when they told you they had had no food for twenty-four hours-do you know what that meant; whether it meant absolutely no food, or had they had what they used to term as "slops" and refused to eat it? A. It meant that they had not had anything they could eat. They could have had all they wanted of the regular army ration. Q. Could they not have had on the 4th day of September, when you were there- could they not only have had army rations, but all the food almost that they could mention? Weren't they able to get any of the food which the good people of the neighborhood were providing for them in such large quantities? A. My answer to that I will make in this way: I went to the tent of one of the relief organizations and asked them if they could indicate any quarter where the help that I brought was needed. The lady in charge said, " Here is a list I have made of the different regiments that need food. In such and such regiment they have 40 men on a milk diet, and they haven't any milk; if you have any milk give it to them, and I will scratch them off my list." I went to that regiment and asked the commanding officer-I don't mean the commanding officer-but the officer who was at the moment in command; it may have been the adjutant. He called up the physician. and he asked him if he needed any milk. He said yes: that he had 40 men on a milk diet and he had no milk. I gave him milk: and the same thing happened in another regiment. Q. Do you remember what regiments those were and what doctors those were? A. I don't know their names, but every regiment I went to I asked for the phy- sician in every case. I will say that they had the same thing in other regiments, if you wish me to state it; do you want me to tell about that? Q. We want everything you know about it. A. I went to the officer, and he was standing beside a great pile of stores, and I asked him if he needed anything, and he said, "You are very kind; if you had been here yesterday I would have said yes, but I have now received these goods. There is the doctor, and you can talk with him." He called him up, and I asked him if he needed any milk, and he answered, "We would be very glad to have some milk; we haven't had any for twenty-four hours. He called an orderly up and said, "How long since we have had any milk? " And the orderly replied, " We haven't had any for twenty-four hours. " I gave him 40 quarts. Q. Can you give us any information, so we can in any way find out who that indi- vidual was and what that regiment was? A. It was one of the colored cavalry regiments. The other was an infantry reg- iment. I don't remember what regiment, but I think it was the Eighth. I am not sure. Q. As regards the food, those men were convalescing from Cuban fevers, were they not? A. I don't know whether they were convalescing. They were men who had been ill. Many of them were still ill. Q. Is it not a fact that in the treatment of the severe fevers of Southern coun- tries a very light diet is a necessity in the treatment of the case? A. Well, I have had no experience with those tropical fevers. Q. Is not that certainly true of typhoid, with which you have had experience, that the convalescent of typhoid has to be fed with extreme care, otherwise a relapse is likely to occur or incidental complications? A. They have to be fed with extreme care in the selection of the food; yes. Q. Has it not occurred to you in your own practice again and again that you have heard your patients complain of starvation, simply because you were putting them on a proper regimen for their diseased condition at the time? A. They would complain of a lack of variety very often. 2116 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Haven't you heard children, and grown persons even, telling you that they were starving; that they couldn't get anything to eat? A. I have heard them say they couldn't get anything they would like to eat. Q. Haven't you heard children say, "Mother. I didn't think you could treat me in this way; let me starve like this"? A. You must remember my practice is almost entirely surgical. Q. But you know something about typhoid treatments or you wouldn't have been inspecting those camps? A. I was only inspecting in regard to disinfection. Q. Even then, Doctor, no one knows better than I your surgical position and practice; but, like some of the rest of us, you must have been at some time in a position where you had to treat what you could get and not what you wanted to. A. I grant that. I think we can come to an understanding very easily. There were men lying around there who were exhausted and didn't have food. I don't mean that food was kept from them, but the men were lying there and, as they said, they couldn't eat the food that was given them. I have one other statement to make: They would take a glass of milk very often if I gave it to them, and they would refuse milk and whisky if offered to them. Often they would pay for the milk; very often some of them offered pay for it. Q. And then they would throw it away? A. Oh, no, sir; drink it down. Q. Very often sick men take milk and then throw it off their stomachs immedi- ately. Isn't that so? A. Oh, yes; many of them said that "I had better not take that, for if I do I will throw it up again." Q. Isn't it a fact, or is it not a fact, that this so-called starvation came from the condition the men were in, which rendered the stomach unfit to retain food and a rest was absolutely necessary? A. Undoubtedly. Another thing I will mention, a case I examined, an officer of one of the regiments told me-he was the man who distributed the milk to the men, to these men who received the milk, and I asked him how much he gave them. He said he gave a cup of milk a day. Q. To all of the men? A. I don't remember whether that was so, but the ration given was a cup of milk in twenty-four hours. Q. We have had it stated by a number of parties that food of various kinds was given to the men; that the doctors were calling for food, the proper diet for the sick and convalescent, and that they could get nothing from the Government; do you know of your own knowledge whether any provision was made by the Gov- ernment officers there to get what was wanted? A. I don't, and I don't want to make any charge that there was any failure to give these men what food they wanted. I don't mean to say that the officers of the regiment didn't give the men the food they needed. All I say is that I saw a lot of men, apparently very ill, lying there in the camp. Q. In fact, could you not go one step further and say that a well man was almost unknown there? A. Pretty nearly; you would see a few men driving or riding around, princi- pally negroes, who looked very well and happy, but otherwise they looked very miserable. Q. Do ywu know anything about the condition of the men received in New York from the South, either from Tampa, Cuba, Porto Rico, or any of the other southern camps, who were admitted into the New York and other hospitals? A. Yes, sir; I have seen a good many of them. Q. Under what circumstances were those men sent to the various hospitals of New York City and those in its vicinity? Was it upon application of the authori- DK. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2117 ties, or the statement that they would gladly furnish accommodation for so many, or was it after the information came through its medical department, that it had been asked how many could be accommodated and would be received? A. My answer to that would be hearsay. I can tell you what the governors of my own hospital did, from conversation. Q. Well, tell us that. A. One of the governors of the New York Hospital, one of the prominent ones, told me he had heard of the arrival of a large number of sick on a vessel, a certain specified number, which I have forgotten, but I think it was, if my recollection serves me, about 170; I may be wrong; however, he heard about their arrival. All the information he got was from the newspapers. As I remember, a state- ment was made that there was no provision for them. He busied himself with the matter, and in an hour or so he had arranged with three hospitals in the city to care for those men. He telegraphed to the official-I don't know who it was- offering to take care of those men at once. He received a reply that his offer would be considered, or something of that sort. Some six or eight hours after- wards he was told his offer would not be accepted; that othei- measures would be taken; but I understand the next day, after the men had spent a night on the ship, the next day the men were distributed among the hospitals in Brooklyn; that is all I know. Q. Did you personally have the care of any of these sick? A. Well, I had 74 of them at the Hudson Street Hospital, at which I am surgeon in chief. Q. Did you have direct personal care of any of those sick? A. I was only incidentally in charge of them personally down there in the absence of the medical attendant. Q. Am I to understand that was an administrative care or a professional care of them? A. Professional care of them. Q. In what condition did you find those men as they presented themselves? You say at the Hudson Street Hospital; you mean the old Chambers Street Hospital? A. Yes, sir; we have a new building now. Q. That was an emergency hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Had you occasion to see where those patients came from? A. Twenty-one in one load came from Wikoff. I have a list. I had it pre- pared at the hospital, but communication between my house and the hospital failed this morning, so I haven't it with me. Q. Were they sent direct to the Chambers Street Hospital, or were they picked up on a train, or in the stations, or on the street? A. Many of these men were picked up on the streets by our ambulances. Q. They were found, in other words, to be in a condition necessitating some medical care? A. Some were brought from the medical department, and 105 or 106-I forget just the number-were picked up in the street. Q. They came from Camp Wikoff? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were they or were they not all furloughed men? A. Those picked up in the street were, I think, furloughed men. Q. Do you know under what conditions the furloughs were being granted at that time? A. 1 do not. Q. Did you hear anything in regard to the special pressure that was being exerted upon the medical officers there to allow men to go home? 2118 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN, A. No, sir; I knew what I saw in the paper. Q. Was it not common talk all through this section of the country-in fact, all through the whole country, the whole North, at any rate-that those men-that every influence was being brought to bear to secure their early furlough, so they might go home to mothers and wives and sweethearts and sisters and friends, and all that sort of thing? A. I have no doubt of it. Q. Do you know of any special influence being brought to bear to secure any man a furlough? A. I do not. Q. These men that arrived in New York, evidently in no condition to be in transit to their homes, men with temperatures of 105 or 106, have no business to be traveling, have they? A. Of course not. Q. Is it or is it not a fact, from your professional knowledge, that not infre- quently an individual who has been for some days comparatively in a form of convalescence, his temperature running not above, we will assume, 99| at any hour during the day-has it not happened that such an individual has, in conse- quenceof a trip, even of four or five hours' duration, had his temperature increased at the end of that time to 103 or 104 or 105? A. I think it is quite possible. These men had no temperature like that when they arrived. Q. We are compelled to ask you gentlemen who are familiar with all these diseases about this. What we want to arrive at is whether the fact of finding a man in the city of New York with a temperature of 105, or finding a man in New York who had dropped unconscious, or finding a man in such a condition that it was impossible for him even to sit up, who tried to sit up on the curbstone and fell ovei' backwards, whether that condition necessarily or even very probably means that he was an unfit man to be sent away from Camp Wikoff for six or eight hours before, as it may have been. A. Well, I can answer that question in this way: That in any individual case a physician might easily have made such an error of judgment. My criticism in that respect would be directed against the system of permitting a man to go away before he was certainly cured. Q. In that connection, a hospital, we will assume, exists at Montauk Point- one of a thousand beds; it doesn't make any difference how many beds. We will suppose it can take care of the patients it has there, but mothers and wives and sisters and uncles and Senators and Representatives and business men by the hundreds are thronging the place and insisting upon furloughs being granted to the men; that the men be sent home, sent on trains, sent on ships or carriages, sent on everything and anything to take them away. Now, under those circum- stances, would you say-and I think you will say, and if you do I will agree with you fully-that the officer in charge of the hospital should have had backbone enough to have declared to anybody and everybody-Senators, Representatives, governors, mothers, or wives, and what not-when they wanted Jones or Brown or Smith, " You can't have him; he isn't fit to travel; he shan't go;" but is it prob- able that one man in a thousand would have taken that position under those cir- cumstances, even the doctors who know-the better doctors, too? A. That may well be, but the United States Government had a great deal of money invested in those men. Q. Weare not discussing the United States Government now. A. I was only discussing the value of this investment. Q. I want to know, from your knowledge of men and doctors, extending over a period of thirty years, whether you do not believe that nine men out of ten would have yielded to that pressure and let the men go. DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2119 A. Yes, sir; but the great majority of those furloughed men were not in con- dition to travel; I have no doubt about that. Q. Under those circumstances-the men being furloughed and dropping by the wayside, and their having very severe relapses, and possibly, as many did do, dying-extreme censure falls upon the man who lets them go, just as you cen- sured the system which allows a man in the hospital to be furloughed when not in proper condition; and yet, on the other hand, if the surgeon in charge says, "You shan't go," and the man, as many do under the circumstances, dies, will not the community at large-the newspapers, preachers, women, doctors, etc.-will they not declare that if that doctor had had any sense-if he had let this pool' boy be taken home by his relatives or by his mother-that he wouldn't have died, but would have gotten well? A. A great many men will say that. Q. Well, then, you put the medical officer there in charge of the hospital "be- tween the devil and the deep.sea," do you not? Do what he may, one way or the other, and he is censured. I simply want to ask you a professional question in this matter, and then I am done with that part of it. It is this: Whether or not the finding of a man in the condition you found many of them there is, to your mind, clear proof that the man was not in condition to leave the hospital when he left Montauk? A. No; it is not in any individual case. Q. It happened again and again, perhaps, but in no special case, I am sure, would you or I or any other man declare and say that the fact of finding a man in the streets of New York in the condition you speak of was evidence that he had no business to be furloughed twelve hours before. A. Well, that fact is true, but it does not prevent the truth of another one-that many of those men might have been unfit to go when they were allowed to go. They might have been dismissed without furlough. I can make a statement which has a bearing upon the matter-that is, if you want it. Q. Certainly. We want everything you can give us which bears upon the matter. A. When I was over here in the Hudson street hospital I happened to notice a man from one of the regiments which I had visited three days before. He came in with a temperature of 10G. I asked him how he was when he left. He said the day before, I think, he had left camp. I asked him how he was before he left, and he said he was on the sick list. I asked him if he remembered my visiting him a few days previous, and he said he remembered it very well indeed, because, he said, it was the only food he had had that day, what I had given him-something of that sort. I asked him what was the condition of his regiment, how it was in the matter of sickness, and he said that more than half of them were sick-"the way I am." Of course, there were a great many more who were, as he said, real sick; that was the way with the men generally. In that case some two days before he left on furlough he had taken no food except milk. Of course, he got well; he lived. I don't understand it means that all these men are going to die because they were ill; very few did die. Q. Do you think they didn't die because of the care that was taken of them after, when they got here, or was it due in some measure to the care taken of them before they started for here? A. 1 don't know what that care was. I have no doubt they were properly taken care of. Q. You are, of course, perfectly familiar with the ordinary rate of mortality on account of typhoid fever among young adults, excluding children. Is or is not a mortality of 5 to 10 per cent a heavy one among individuals between the ages of 18 and 31? 2120 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I don't think it is. 1 don't know, of course, but I should think that about an average mortality would be fully as high as 10; I may be mistaken about it. Q. You will find, when the mortality statistics of this war are published, that the typhoid mortality is lower than any, I think, that is known. A. I will say that, in my judgment, other things being equal, I think a typhoid patient would be more likely to get well at a camp than in the city. What I don't understand is why cases of this kind-these fever cases-why they transported them on railroads and on ships on journeys which took even thirty-six hours in order* to get them in a hospital here. When we have those cases in our hospital we don't allow them even to raise their arm or move in any way. Q. I agree with you. I can't understand why your New York hospitals and New Haven hospitals and the others were given any of these patients at all. A. I can't understand why a single man was sent. Q. Is it or is it not a fact that requests were made to the authorities at Wash- ington for them to send many of those patients to those hospitals by the authori- ties of the hospital? A. If such requests were made, I think it was simply because people made them believe that they were not properly cared for where they were. Q. Do you know, or do you not know, anything about such requests being made? A. No, sir; I do not. Q. The facts are that such requests were made before the individuals were landed from the transports, in some cases? A. All I know, so far as my own hospitals were concerned, we turned the hos- pital upside down in caring for these men, and our regular work was sadly inter- fered with in order to take care of those patients. Q. Is it not a fact, because you were turned upside down in your hospital work, that a very marked degree of complaint and censure has been made of the Medical Department of the Army by medical gentlemen in New York City? A. Oh, I think not. I shouldn't think that would be a cause of complaint. At the New York Hospital we cut down our surgical wards one-quarter in order to give space to these men. Q. Yet the fact remains that a very large number of complaints in writing and in print have been sent out by the gentlemen of New York in regard to the man- agement and care of the patients at Camp Wikoff. Take your own censure of the hospital, or criticism of the hospital, for what you observed in one out of a considerable number of tents? A. Yes, sir. Q. Would it not have been more just, think you, to the medical officer in charge of the hospital, before you reported upon what you saw and gave it to the public press, would it not have been better to have examined every ward in order to have found out what the condition was, and whether there were 3 or 300 in that condi- tion? A. As I understand it, the jars to which I referred, the cans of which I spoke, were not the cans of an individual pavilion beside which I saw them, but the cans of probably a large section of the hospital; that is what I understand. Q. The hospital was duly organized, and the cans duly distributed over the hos- pital that I visited? A. Fifty beds would not require three or four of those cans, each two feet in diameter and two feet high. Q. And yet I have seen that in connection with every five tents in a hospital? A. Or every five tents, then. Q. Every five tents means 30 patients, not to exceed 40 at the outside. I beg you to excuse me for asking you so many questions, but your own position, the impor- tant position that is occupied by you and some of your colleagues in this city makes DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2121 it desirable that you should be examined at some considerable length. The specific points concerning which you can testify are first the lack of proper cleanliness and disinfectants, and the reasons for that charge you have already given? A. Yes, sir. Q. The lack of proper care of many sick in the regimental camps? A. That point you have not touched upon as yet. Q. You saw, as I understand it, two regiments or three in one day? A. Oh, several. Q. Can you remember how many? A. I think I went in detail through the company streets, four regulai' regiments. Q. And you found the men largely lying in then- tents? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you personally examine any of those men to determine the ailments they were suffering from, or the degree of the illness they then had? A. Only in connection with the regimental surgeon. I took pains not to inter- fere in that way. Q. You therefore do not, of your own ^knowledge, know anything about the condition of any of those men, except that you saw them lying in the tents? A. With reference to one or two, one man I saw who had been visited by a physician from another place, who had just taken his temperature; he told me the man's temperature was 104. Q. Do you know what the trouble was with the man? A. I don't know. Q. If it was a case of recurrent southern malarial fever would a temperature of 104 be unusual? A. I think it was a case of very high fever, as I remember it. Q. It was one of those cases, I suppose, of that form of fever so common in Cuba, and corresponds, does it not, with our ordinary remittent fever? A. I don't know. Q. So you are not prepared to say the temperature of 104 amounted to much or not? A. Not in itself-not as a single fact. Q. Is it or is it not a fact, as you have yourself observed, that not infrequently in these malarial attacks-you used to have some malaria in New York; I don't know whether you do now or not; these Harlem Flats may be purified by this time-is it a fact or not that a temperature of 104 might exist and yet the individ- ual be able to be about and attend to business? A. No; I should say if a man has a temperature of 104 to-day, if he was normal yesterday, he needs medical care. Q. But he can attend to his business? A. I don't think he could. Q. I have been at my desk with a temperature of 104. A. Yes; you might walkabout the street with that temperature, but you shouldn't have been there and perhaps you should have stayed away from your desk. Q. What was the degree of what we may call "congestion" as you saw it at Montauk; were the tents overcrowded or not? A. They were generally made up for four beds in a tent, I think. Q. Isn't four beds in a space of 14 or 14| by 15 feet sufficient? A. They weren't 14 by 15 feet or anything like it; those beds would lay side by side, just like your four fingers. Q. Were they hospital tents? A. I am talking about the camp now. Q. I mean the hospital. A. In the main hospital the beds were so you could walk between them. 2122 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How many were there? A. I don't know; the tents were built up, sometimes two or three tents right along; some of those tents were 50 feet long. Q. Were the tents used there in this respect put end to end; the ends turned up so there might be four or five dozen, if you please, in the hospital? A. I don't think the overcrowding amounted to anything there; I made no charge about that. Q. Did the hospital accommodations, at the time you were there on the 2d of September, seem to be ample for what patients there were there? A. Patients for the hospital wards? Q. Yes. A. I think they could be properly cared for as they were there. Q. All those you saw on your second visit two days afterwards, in their tents, you think they would have been materially better off in the hospital than they were in their tents? A. I would answer that in this way: I would think that about half of them should have been under hospital care. Q. By that you mean not only medical care, but a special diet? A. Oh, yes; a special diet. Q. The regimental surgeon was not able to get a special diet for these sick men; he couldn't or didn't get it? A. The men didn't get it, from their own statements; that is all I know. The regimental surgeons there were very much interested in their men; I think the surgeons did all they could. Q. You are familiar with the soldiers, are you not? A. That is a long time ago, thirty-five years; one can forget a good deal in thirty-five years. Q. And yet you can remember a good deal over thirty-five years of that sort of experience. Is it or is it not a fact that soldiers are always glad to be aided by those who will aid them? A. I think that is true of most people. Q. I am speaking more particularly of soldiers. If anybody has got anything to give the soldier, isn't the soldier pretty ready to receive it? A. I don't think he is any more than other average men; I have never known the soldier in that way. Q. The point I want to get at in asking the question is simply whether or not those men after having been in Cuba and having nothing were not very glad and anxious to get all they could; did not hesitate to throw a long bait on occasions to get it? A. Oh, no; I wouldn't say that. Some of those men were clearly malingerers; some of them were beats, but very few. Q. Of those who were so dangerously ill, what proportion of the men who were so dangerously ill that they needed to have accommodations in the hospital-was there 25 per cent, think you? A. I wouldn't say dangerously ill; many of the men who were not dangerously ill needed attention. Q. Seriously ill, I will say. A. 1 will say 50 per cent of those men, if they had been regularly treated in the hospital for a week would have been well and there would have been an efficient army; as it stood it was practically worthless. Q. Will you or will you not say that a case of malarial fever that is apparently recovering is likely to have recurrences from very slight causes? A. I have no doubt about that. Q. If those men had been turned out in a week as you say, perfectly well, the first DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. 2123 drop in the temperature would it not or would it have brought a great many of them down on their knees again? A. Some it would, but the fever would have come down if they had been treated in the way I suggest, on a regular special diet in a hospital. Q. Do you suppose-with all the money and all the conveniences and everything else which it was possible to obtain in the space of time which they had-do you suppose that a New York hospital or a Roosevelt hospital could be established there at Montauk? A. I don't think it could; no, sir; I don't think it was necessary to do anything of the kind; but they could send hospital tents there; it wouldn't have cost any more to feed those men in the hospital tent than it would have in the regimental tent. Q. Do you know whether it was possible to get enough hospital tents there in time? A. I don't know anything about that. Your own witnesses have said-I believe, one said that he couldn't cover the whole earth with tents, but he could put up all the hospital tents he wanted. Q. He was a mighty long time doing it, though? A. Yes, sir; indeed he was a long time doing it. Q. Do you remember, when you saw it the 2d day of September or the 4th day of September, that the camp tents had been on the premises three weeks? A. The first people got there about the 13th, I believe. Q. They had gone upon the understanding of having, as they supposed they would have, 10 per cent or possibly 15 of the 17,000 men in Cuba on the sick list, and they found 90 per cent of the 17,000 men sick? A. Why did they expect 15 per cent when it was reported through the newspapers that there would be 90 per cent sick; according to the newspapers that was the con- dition of affairs. Q. That may be true, but if it wasn't any more true than other statements made in the papers I don't blame them for not acting upon it. A. They had plenty of time to have hospital tents and nurses and men in there. Q. The tents that they were in in the camps might have been used foi' that pur- pose, if they were not: I don't know whether they were or not, but do you know anything about the efforts that were made by the professional gentlemen or any of them in New York City to make as much of a disturbance as possible in reference to that hospital up there? A. I haven't heard; do you mean objections to its existence? Q. To its existence and still more to its management, and finding fault in every possible way and with every possible detail. A. I know of some men who criticised it, criticised more seriously in some respects than I think the circumstances deserve. But in regard to one point you asked about the camp, the number of sick men brought there; there were a num- ber of sick men sent away to the outlying cities, not taken from the general hos- pital, but taken right out of the camps. Q. And vastly the greater number were taken from die transports without being in the camp at all? A. I don't know anything about that. By Colonel Sexton: Q. How many times did you visit the camp? A. Twice. Q. Were you employed by anybody to make that visit? A. No, sir. I will tell you how I came to go there if you wish to know. Q. I would like to know it? A. I was living, spending the summer, in the neighborhood. I saw more or less 2124 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. in the newspapers about it, read about it, and I was spoken to one day by an officer of the Long Island Railroad, who suggested I should go down there and see if I could do anything to help. I had an acquaintance who was an officer in com mand of troops in the camp, and I wrote him a letter and said if I could be of any assistance I would be very glad to place myself at his disposal. He replied, asking me to come down. Q. Did you write an account of it for the paper? A. I did; I wrote an account of it on my return. Q. Were you paid for that? A. No, sir; pay was never offered or asked, or even thought of. By General Dodge: Q. Can you furnish the name of the company and regiment of the furloughed men who were picked up here in the streets and who went to the hospital which you spoke of, which you were in charge of? I think you said you had a list of the names? A. Yes; but I haven't it with me. Q. Can you send it to us? A. Yes, sir; I can send it. I think it gives the regiments. Q. Will you please furnish us with that? A. Yes, sir. By Colonel Sexton: Q. You said that the disinfectants used were not such as were prescribed by the Army Regulations? A. I said I understood the use of disinfectants; they were not used to the extent which was prescribed by the Surgeon-General's rules; that I judged only from newspaper reports. I have seen a statement of Surgeon-General Sternberg's orders. General Sternberg said it was the rule of the War Department that such and such things were to be done, and those things were not done there. By Governor Woodbury: Q. We have testimony, I believe, that there were from 17,000 to 20,000 men landed at Montauk inside of three weeks. A. Yes, sir; I so understand; I don't know, though. Q. You found a large number of troops there, didn't you? A. Yes, sir. Q. That camp wasn't commenced, as we have evidenced, until the 6th of August, and the first troops arrived there the 13th. Now, from your knowledge of the time required to establish a great camp like that, and considering the condition of the men and all the circumstances, what more could have been done in the three weeks by yourself, we will say, if you had had charge of it than was done? A. Well, I think the conception of the camp, so far as its use was concerned, was radically wrong. I think the whole thing should have been termed a camp for sick people-a hospital camp. No other duties were concerned at all; they had no drills there to speak of, as I understand it; they were there simply to get well. Q. The name wouldn't have changed it at all; that wouldn't have improved matters. I am asking, under these conditions, what more could you have done in the three weeks' time? A. As I said a moment ago, while I have no pretense of knowing or presuming to say what could or could not have been done under the circumstances, yet I think the burden of proof lies with others to show that it couldn't have been done. I think a very much larger number of attendants should have been ordered there. Whether or not it could or could not have been done I don't know. Q. Did you observe any want of desire to do for these men-to do for these men what could be done? 2125 DR. LEWIS A. STIMPSON. A. I came in contact with none; but, as I say, I never did have anything to do with that part of it. Q. What did you observe as to the feelings of the medical officers toward those men or the well soldiers toward those who were ill, whether it was a regard for them, a solicitude for them, or otherwise? A. I think all the medical men with whom I came in contact seemed anxious to do their full duty, and the soldiers were sincerely interested in one another. I know that one was sufficiently interested to go about with me and point out the ones who were in need of help-point out the sickest men there through the com- pany street. Q. Was there any lack of effort upon the part of anyone you saw to minister to the wants of those who needed attention? A. I have no way of judging that. Q. What you saw, I mean? A. I saw nothing that would indicate either one way or the other, Q. It would be hardly possible for one to go there without knowing there was some attention paid to these men or not-some evident desire to alleviate their ills-or whether there was apparent indifference or neglect. A. I don't know. I don't think I could answer that question otherwise than I have. I have no means of knowing whether the regimental surgeons had visited all the men in the camp that day or not. I have no means of knowing that at all. Q. What complaints from the men, if any, did you hear? A. Nothing at all; I never asked them. Q. Did they make any complaints of their treatment to you? A. No, sir. Q. All those men who were in the hospital over which you had some control- did they make any complaints? A. I never asked the men anything about that. Q. I asked you did they make any. A. I know of none. By Colonel Sexton: Q. We had cases, Doctor, testimony where patients were asked if they had any- thing to eat in the hospital, and they said they hadn't anything to eat for twenty- four or thirty-six hours, and when asked if they had had any milk or soup they said they had, simply meaning that they hadn't had any solid food. Do you think it might not have been the case with the few you asked? A. In the camps? Q. Yes. A. No; that was a point I guarded against; I knew the difficulty of that. Army patients received at House of Relief, Hudson Street Hospital, New York, July to September, 1898. Place of call. Albert Ireland, private, Battery C. Admitted July 26; call 10, Greenwich street. Diag. intest, colic. Discharged cured July 28. Carl Tolbert, Eighth Ohio. Fract. neck of femur; injured at San Juan. From Bellevue August 6, sent home August 28; able to walk. Chas. Ambrose, Eighth Ohio. Fract. patella; August 11; op. No particular case. Jas. Baker, Eighth Ohio. Appendicitis, acute; August 11. No particular case. Died. Lawson Baker, colored, Eighth Ohio. Pier 15, North River; August 11. Typhoid fever. Discharged cured September 10. Sam'l Rudd, Eighth Ohio. Pier 15, North River; August 11. Acute artic rheum. Discharged improved August 13. 2126 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. F. W. Johnson, nurse. Pier 20, East River; August 13-August 15. Discharged improved. Fred Long, nurse. Med. student; August 13. Destitute. Two days. Scullen, Twenty-fourth Infantry. Walked in; August 22; three days. Bronch. and tonsilitis. Clarke, Twenty-fourth Infantry. Liberty and Washington streets; August 23- September 5. B. Malaria. Vinnicomb, Seventh Artillery. Walked in; August 26-August 31. Prostr. and malaria. Snyder, Thirty-fourth Michigan. Walked in; August 27. General debility; few hours, waiting for train west. Homesicker, Thirty-fourth Michigan. Walked in; August 27. General debility; few hours, waiting for train west. Clowes, Fourteenth New York. August 29. Desbrosses Street Ferry. Had been discharged from Chickamauga as convalescent: emaciation extreme; in third week typhoid. Discharged September 21. Malloy, Thirty-third Michigan. August 29-September 1. Whitehall and Water streets. Malaria. Mack, Seventy-first New York. August 29-September 7. Malaria. In Bellevue ambulance. Madison, Two hundred and third New York. August 30-Sepember 1. Malaria. 209 Fulton. Schauck, Eighth New York. August 30-September 9. Malaria. Whitehall and Bridge. O'Rourke, Eighth New York. August 20-September 20. Typhoid. Grand Central. Ernst, Eighth New York. August 30-September 17. Typhoid. Grand Central. Collins, Thirty-third Michigan. August 31-September 8. Malaria. 39 Whitehall. Taylor, Thirty-third Michigan. August 31-September 10. Malaria. 19 Whitehall. Reade, Thirty-fourth Michigan. August 31-September 8. Malaria. Franklin and West Broadway. Coyne, Seventh Infantry, and 21 others, shipped from Wikoff. September 1-19 Malaria. In shipment from Wikoff 3 died, being in second or third week of typhoid. All others cured or improved. Rickenaur, Second Infantry. September 7-17. Malaria. 39 Whitehall. Raun, Sixteenth Infantry. September 7-14. Malaria. 5 Water street. Karpp, Fourth Infantry. September 8-13. Malaria. 39 Whitehall. McCormack, Second Infantry. September 9-20. Malaria. 199 Washington street. Lieutenant Murphy, Thirty-third Michigan. September 10-14. Malaria. Shipped from Wikoff. Lieutenant Raibourn. Tenth Infantry. September 10-29. Typhoid (?). Shipped from Wikoff. Fannin, Fourth Artillery. September 10-11. Malaria and gastritis. Walked in. Silvay, First Illinois. September 12-13. Malaria. Walked in. Moon, Sixteenth Infantry. September 13-19. Malaria. Third precinct. Mathews, Twenty-fifth Infantry. September 14-19. Malaria. 155 Washington. Etzel, Third Cavalry. September 16-22. Malaria. 27 Broadway. Winfield, Second Infantry. September 16-22. Malaria. Walked in. Brillinger, Second Cavalry. September 16-17. Malaria and intoxication. Park Row and Centre. Young, Two hundred and first New York. Septembei- 17-21. Malaria. Walked in. 2127 ROBERT B. ROOSEVELT. Greene, Sixteenth Infantry. September 17-22. Malaria. 39 Whitehall. George, Thirty-third Michigan. September 20-October 24. Typhoid. Army Building. Clarke, Second Infantry. September 20-27. Malaria. Army Building. Williams, Eighth Ohio. September 21-21. Delirium tremens. First precinct. English, Seventy-first New York. September 22-November 5. Typhoid. Pier 40, East River. Jamieson, Seventy-first New York. September 22-28. Malaria. Pier 40, East River. Devine. September 30-October 7. Malaria. Walked in. Dalton, "discharged soldier." October 1-9. Rheumatism. By Gouverneur Hospital ambulance. Hassemann, nurse, Fourth Corps. October 2-12. Typhoid. 233 William street. Died. Humzicker, Twelfth Cavalry. September 1-9. Malaria. Direct from Wikoff. Forrest, Two hundred and first New York. October 4-15. Hemorrhoids. Walked in. Fay, First Louisiana. October 10-15. Malaria. Walked in. Brennan, hospital corps, Second Division. October 20-22. Laryngitis. Third precinct. Four cases. No bearing on subject. Total number of patients admitted, 79; deaths, 4; total hospital days, 883; aver- age, 11 +. New York, November 21,1898. STATEMENT OF ROBERT B. ROOSEVELT. Robert B. Roosevelt appeared at the request of the commission and made the following statement: By General Dodge: Q. Do you wish to be sworn, Mr. Roosevelt? A. Well, I have no objection; but I can't give any testimony of my own knowledge. All I have heard is purely hearsay. I can probably supply you with the names of additional witnesses if you want some witnesses; but personally I have no testimony. As I told the gentleman at the door, I have no knowledge. I wasn't in the war at all. My nephew, Colonel Roosevelt, was in the war. Q. Have you any more witnesses besides those you furnished us? A. I can probably give the others if it is desirable. Q. Are there any more you think it is inecessary for us to examine outside of those which you have given us-any that will have additional knowledge? A. I only sent the names of the witnesses as to those matters which we had presented in our statement to the President. Outside of that there was a vast field on which we could probably furnish a number of witnesses. We have a meeting of our committee to-morrow. Will you gentlemen be here through the week? Q. Yes. A. Then I will submit a list of additional witnesses. Q. When you submit the witnesses won't you be kind enough to state as to what they will be examined so we will know what line to take? A. Yes. New York, November 26, 1898. To the Presidential Commission of Inquiry. Gentlemen : I have noticed in the morning's press that one of your members criticises the witnesses who have testified at the request of the committee formed 2128 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. in this city to protect the soldiers on the ground that these witnesses, while estab- lishing the fact that much needless and inexcusable suffering was inflicted on the Army, do not fix the responsibility nor show who is to blame. If the views of your commission are correctly reported, there seems to be a misunderstanding between us. We supposed that all the witnesses had to do was to prove the facts, and that your commission would fix the responsibility-indeed, was appointed for the express purpose of fixing the responsibility-and that it would have been a presumption, might be even a case of cruel injustice, if any witness had under- taken to express his opinion on a condition in which he was of necessity only partly informed. The meh who are guilty of the illtreatment of our soldiers will be execrated in this community. No one knows better than myself how deep this feeling is, and any party or person who trifles with it will regret doing so, and any person who through ignorance or prejudice directs it into an erroneous channel is doing a great wrong. Nor will it do to take refuge behind the errors of the civil war. Then we were wholly taken by surprise at the North. No one here could believe in the possibility of so hideous a folly. There followed blunder after blunder, disaster after disaster, disgrace after disgrace. There was no intentional cruelty, such as seems to have so often prevailed in this war; but do you forget the rumors of peculation, the paper shoes, the shoddy clothing, the demurrage on transports? The men were not starved, the sick were treated with all possible attention and kindness, water was not sold to fever-racked sufferers at 10 cents a glass, food was not sold to starving men at 25 cents for a sandwich, and dainties for the dying were not eaten by the officers. But suppose matters had been a thousandfold worse in the civil war, would that be any reason now that our men should be sent with arms out of date, that there should be no ambu- lances, no pack trains or transportation to carry food to the front, not half suffi- cient medicines or doctors, no proper hospitals, and that men with freshly treated wounds should be left to lie in the mud-on a blanket if they had one, without if they had none-nor even why midwinter underclothing should be sent to Cuba and midsummer gauze undersuits to Montauk in company with the seige guns intended for Santiago. It is true that some, I might perhaps say many, of those who might be witnesses have failed to appear before you. There are good reasons for this-reasons which should only stimulate your commission to greater earnestness if that were possible. The uncomplaining endurance of our men has simply been heroic; they bore wounds, sickness, privations, to death even, without a word. It was only neglect, starvation in fact, and abuse in the hospitals which called forth letters and then only home to their families-letters which were sent to me by broken-hearted mothers in pitiful appeals to try to help their sons. I wish your commission could have read them; but as many of them were transmitted to me confidentially I can not even quote from them. The witnesses have established monstrous incapacity, even greater negligence and indifference and political interference. That they have not had full confi- dence in the power of your commission, no matter how good its will to meet all the requirements the public demand of it, is only echoing your own doubts; but, in spite of that, they seem to have done their share, and it would seem that it only remains for you to do your best, even if that best is not quite satisfactory to yourselves. If done in good faith it will teach the soldiers that, at last, there is a power which has honestly endeavored to do them justice, has endeavored to revive that patriotism which was so grandly flourishing five months ago, but has been nipped by the. frost of brutality and neglect. You can direct your inquiries in the first place to the food supply. Find out who gets the difference between the liberal ration allowed by the Government and the meager hard tack, bacon, and green coffee served to the soldiers. The witnesses are the books and rolls in the public departments, to which you have full access. Find out who left the MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2129 medicines, the two fully equipped hospitals, and the ambulances, at Tampa, when there was abundant time to ship them on the transports which were delayed for a week by the rumors of the Spanish fleet; why General Miles's intelligent directions to make a list of everything which was stowed on board, and where, so that each article could be easily got at, and to put a variety on each ship, were not followed. How can any witnesses within our reach give you this informa- tion? We have furnished you the facts; shown you brutality, cruelty, neglect, indifference; how men whom the Government was under every obligation to protect, and who were especially helpless because they had a right to rely on such protection, were starved even in a land of plenty, were uncared for when sick, left without attention when wounded, were abused, maltreated, in some cases practically murdered; and we have shown you an indifference to and belittling of human sufferings which continues even now. If this nation is to become a warlike one, if we are to have an army which shall be efficient and to be relied on, these crimes and blunders must be corrected, and your commission must correct them. It is not for you to make the feeble excuse that our com- mittee, a mere voluntary association with no legal power, no legal existence even, shall shoulder this responsibility for you. In saying this I do not mean in the least to express a doubt of either your ability or desire to do so, for the whole country urges upon you the necessity to succeed. Yours, respectfully, . Robert B. Roosevelt, Secretary Committee for the Protection of the Soldiers. New York, November 21,1898. TESTIMONY OF MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. Miss Julia Halstead Chadwick, upon request, appeared before the com- mission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Miss Chadwick, will you please give your name and residence? A. My name is Julia Halstead Chadwick; 215 West Fifty-fourth street. Q. Have you had occasion to visit Montauk Point during the time the troops were there this summer? A. I went there first the 13th of August. From the 20th of August I was there nearly every day until the 1st of October. Q. In what capacity were you there? A. I went first on my own impulse, seeing the emergency, to do what I could among the men of the regulars in the infantry divisions, and was afterwards associated with Mrs. Thomas Manson and Mrs. Woodhouse, and other ladies who formed the East Hampton Relief Corps. Q. Had you previous to that time been engaged in work of like character-in relief work in the city? A. None among the soldiers; I have done a good deal of charitable work. Q. In what condition did you find those whom you visited? A. On my first visit, on the 13th, I saw only a portion of the general hospital, of which I submitted a photograph, and in the general state of lack of preparation it struck me there was very little there-very little to be seen. Q. How large was the hospital at that time? A. There were at that time, when I saw it, five hospital tents of the usual size, such as were afterwards put two end to end; but there was then only two on either side of a long board walk, with a long dining tent crossing it at the bot- 2130 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. tom. Afterwards I saw five more had been erected; in the meantime the car- penters had been working on the floor. Q. And this flooring was in the form of a walk ? A. That was already laid; that was the first thing laid; they were working on the flooring of the next tents. Q. Any patients in there ? A. I was told there were eight of the tents. As far as I could see they seemed to be full. Q. Anything you desire to say in regard to that visit except that? A. Nothing, except that you have read my statement which I submitted. May I ask if you have ? Q. I just glanced over it this morning in a general way. A. Well, I have nothing to say, except generally, that there wasn't the prepara- tion and the apparent-although I was told then and there that so many were expected on Monday on the transports, and they were due on Monday, and I was given to understand that there was an apparent assurance that everything would be all right and all prepared. Q. Do you know how long the camp had been in preparation ? A. No, sir ; I have no knowledge of that. I know only the first troops began to pass through East Hampton-the corps from Tampa,the engineers. Q. Was it a busy place ; a great many people at work? A. At Montauk ? Q. Yes. A. Not so very many up at the hospital part. Q. Nor at the general camp? A. I saw the camp of the colored troops, the Ninth, where the tents were up, and about one-third of the tents were of wet canvas; the others had been erected that morning and were dry, and I drove by the very few tents of the Rough Riders that were there; there were very few of them at that time. Q. Did you see Colonel Forwood at that time? A. I spoke with him and I asked him what use could we make of the small sum of money that had been intrusted to me. Q. What relief you could afford? A. Yes; and he assured me that nothing would be needed, with a great deal of flippancy; as it struck me that they would have such quantities of jam and pajamas and port wine and bad whisky and such things that they would have to build a storehouse as large as Montauk Point to contain them all; nothing would be needed, but that the children could give a great deal of pleasure by subscribing to a number of newspapers and magazines and addressing them to the general hospital. Q. At that time was it possible to foresee the necessities of the camp as they eventually manifested themselves? A. In view of the fact of the published representations of the great amount of illness in Cuba in the newspapers I should have supposed it would be. Q. Have you anything more to say with regard to your visit at that time? A. On that date? Q. Yes. A. No. Q. When did you next visit the camp? A. The following Saturday, the 20th of August. Q. What did you find the condition of things to be there at that time? What changes did you notice? A. In the meantime, instead of the very few of the tents of the Ninth Cavalry (colored) and the First Volunteer Cavalry, there was a large number of tents in the volunteer camp on the great plain. In driving over from East Hampton we drove MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2131 on the southern side of the peninsula, arriving directly at the camps of the infan- try divisions. The first camp which was on that date there was occupied by the Seventy-first, and subsequently it was occupied by the various other volunteer regiments as they arrived at the camp. They were always put in that camp. We met as we drove on the grounds of the point two men who looked so frightfully ill and emaciated that I stopped my driver, who was a Mr. Mulford, a farmer of East Hampton, and who had contributed to our stores, and we had some milk and we offered it to these two men. We stopped and spoke to them. They had been out to what they called the " second house." There are three houses only at Mon- tauk Point, and this was what they called the "second house." They had been out there gathering a few blackberries, and we offered them milk. I ascertained that they were from the Sixth Infantry Regulars, and were from either the State of Illinois or Michigan. At that time it was very shocking to us to see men in that condition there, and we couldn't see how it was possible for men so ill to walk so far. One of them was compelled to sit down while he ate and drank, and the other one took the milk in his tin cup, or rather in a glass that we gave him, but his hands shook so that he spilled a great deal of it. And three other men came up afterwards; two came who seemed to be almost equally as ill, very thinly clad, clothed in shabby uniforms. They were from the Seventy-first; and five other men, who seemed to be in a little bit better health, were so ravenous, and there was really only one who was able to eat the bread we gave, and the rest drank the milk, but there was only one who ate and drank heartily. The others ate and drank a portion that we gave them with difficulty. Q. You may, if you please, Miss Chadwick, proceed, as briefly and at the same time comprehensively as possible, to relate your experience there at Montauk Point, giving dates and names of regiments, etc., as well as you can. A. You will allow me to refer to my notes for the dates, will you not? Q. Certainly. A. On this date, the 20th, after meeting these men, we drove on to the first camp. Being then entirely without experience, of course it was for us to find out in what way we were to proceed. Our idea was, and we had been informed, that some of the men needed food, and as soon as it was seen that we had anything to eat, especially milk, the men would come to the wagon, and they came around the wagon in crowds, coming up to the side of the wagon, and many of them asking if we had anything to sell. I said no; that we had nothing to sell, but we had some delicacies for those that had been sick. We found that those who were well were always willing to pass on and would speak cheerfully to us. To many of the men whom I saw that would pass away from the wheel of the wagon I would say " Surely you have been ill," because long experience with illness has accustomed me to the look of an ill person, and added to this was this very grayish, yellowish, and at times greenish pallor which I noticed in many cases, caused by the fever, and the extraordinary emaciation which caused their eyes to have such a big, hollow, wild, eager, famished stare, and their hands were actually like those of a skeleton, the knuckles fairly coming out of the flesh. We fed these men with what we had that was delicate and suitable for them. We had taken a few things for personal friends of ours in the Rough Riders, which were in the nature of del- icacies, such as cheese and other eatables, cigarettes, and we also took some tobacco for the colored troops, as we understood that they wanted it and couldn't get any. We distributed them at the end of the Seventy-first and Sixth camps. I drove up one of the company streets and at the end of the two camps we distrib- uted a great deal of what we had in the wagon, and we visited our friends in the Rough Riders, and with a very little left in my wagon we drove home past the station, going around the point and down to the station and driving across the peninsula, and I then saw the landing of the Eighth and Twenty-second Infantry Regulars and Second Massachusetts from the transport Mobile. We first met 2132 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. two ambulances filled with men, not lying down, but sitting propped up in it, and as I had a few bottles of milk and ginger ale and cold tea and fresh spring water which was left over from our lunch, I stopped the ambulances. They stopped instantly when I held up my hand, and I passed these things to the men in the ambulances-boxes of cocoa and some delicate crackers which we brought. Then we drove on to the Bluff and saw the men landing from the Mobile and walking over through the sand in front of the station to the dock. From the transport that would be possibly as far as Madison Square from the station over to the edge of the bay, and we saw the troops lining up in the deep sand there. I asked what regiment they were and why those men who looked so ill, many of whom were unable to stand up, had not ambulances to transport them to camp. They told me that the sick men had been all landed the day before, and that these were the well men of those three regiments, and they were on the way to the detention camp, which was a half mile or more up the hill, the first quarter of a mile through the deep and much churned-up sand. As I stated, there was nothing, no board walk built from the dock; there was never any shelter con- structed for the men during the time I was there. The men landed from the transports were kept there in the sun, except occasionally a piece of canvas might be raised over a very ill man, and the walk, the track through this deep sand there was always the same. That visit impressed me and my mother so very intensely with the need of help and the emergency of the men that I talked to the people of East Hampton in the Presbyterian Church, and I said I would willingly go over there as long as they would supply me with teams and other supplies. It seemed that milk was the principal necessity of the men, who couldn't retain any- thing else on their stomachs. I began on the following Tuesday to go over in this way with that sort of supplies. On Tuesday I visited the camps of the Fifteenth Regulars. I visited one man whom I had been requested to see on the 21st, a man who was very ill in his tent. His three tent mates had gone away very ill, were taken away on furlough, one from the general hospital and the other two direct from the camp, and he was in his tent lying on something spread on the grass, and it had been very rainy weather and the grass was very wet, the whole ground wherever you walk swaled under foot. I took him some delicacies which I was asked to take him, and I was so alarmed at his condition that I requested one of the surgeons-asked him if he would come and look at him. The young man in the tent next to his said he had heard him groaning. At that time there was no milk to be had. I saw him again in the tent precisely in the same condition, except by then he was nearly unconscious; that was on the 25th, Thursday, the 25th. He was after that finally removed to the hospital. Q. Do you know whether he recovered or not-this gentleman? A. I believe he has recovered. Q. Do you know his name? A. Frederick Parsons, A Company, of the Seventy-first. I visited the Sixteenth Infantry. We drove to the end of the encampment of the Seventy-first. The sen- tinel made the men come in line with the wheel of the wagon while we were giving out the milk. They were very anxious to get it, though we provided a very small quantity for each, just a little milk in a glass, about that much [indicating], because long experience had taught us that sick people can not stand very much on their stomachs, so we gave it in small quantities, and then we gave the men small bottles of milk-pint bottles-which were wrapped in a rag, a damp cloth, so that they would have it the next day. That was before the East Hampton relief tent was established; after that was established we had other means of distributing our things. While I was giving this milk out another man came to the other side of the wagon, and pulling me by the arm said, " I have men in my company who are too ill to come to the wagon; for God's sake come with me to their tents and give them something." He kept repeating that, "You must come with me; you must MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2133 come with me." That was the first sergeant^ I Company, of the Sixteenth Regi- ment. I said, " That is what I am here for," for I wanted to see the sick men, and I said I would gladly go. We drove the wagon to the end of the company street, to the Sixteenth Regiment. In the meantime another sergeant of the Sixteenth Regulars had come to the wheel of the wagon with the same request as the other man, who asked for something for his men in the tents, and I gave him some. He said he had about a dozen, and I gave him what he could carry. This was before the second one came. Then I drove to the end of the company's street and went into the various streets of the company. I think there were in that company at least twelve men who were unable to retain anything on their stomachs. There were three in particular whom I remember, one of whom had not been able to keep anything on his stomach for six or seven days. He had a very high fever and a very bad cold. I made an onion poultice for him and gave him a little nourish- ment, and I visited him again later to see if he could keep what 1 had given him down. I always made that a practice. Where a man could not keep nourishment on his stomach, I would give him a little, and then I went back after making my rounds to see if he had retained that. Sometimes they could retain a little iced clam broth; sometimes they could retain a little chicken broth, very hot, or milk diluted with lime water. Sometimes I would notice that they could swallow a raw egg and I would give it. I went through all of the company's streets. I saw a man by the name of Waldimeer Wolf. He was, as all of the men were, on the ground in their tents with a blanket over them. He had a high fever when I saw him, and I saw him again on the 25th, and he was still very ill. I took him a pil- low that day. He was crawling about camp. A week later, which would be about the 27th, I found him in the general hospital with typhoid fever; and Sep- tember 26 or 27 I was anxious to take him to our hospital, but as the doctor said he was in the second week of typhoid we were not allowed to take him. We were not allowed to take typhoid patients to our East Hampton hospital. Dr. Bell, our physician, was the physician of the board of health there, and the doctor refused him to us on the ground he had typhoid fever; and on the 26th or 27th he was sent up to New York, and I was in New York on the 29th and went to Fort Wads- worth, and he had been furloughed the folio-wing day and had gone home in the third week of typhoid fever. Q. I notice in your statement, Miss Chadwick-I will interrupt you long enough to ask you a question-you spoke about the deficiency of clothing. Was there a deficiency, or what did you notice in regard to the clothing? A. I noticed there was a deficiency in underclothing almost at once. That was brought to our notice, as the men in their light uniforms were huddling up from the cold and wind. On the 25th, I think, we learned that the men had very little underclothing. Q. What did they say in regard to this about their clothing-underclothing? A. It was very hard to get anything from a regular at all. No regulars volun- teered any complaints. It was their appearance that I noticed. In response to a great deal of delicate and tactful questioning only were we able to get from them an acknowledgment of their condition. Their invariable answer was, "We are all right; we will get on; we are only just a little exhausted." I would say, "But your clothing; you haven't any warm underclothing." " Well, we will get on all right. If we only had our pay I would ask you to buy some for me." That was repeated to us a great many times. Q. Do you know, Miss Chadwick, that the soldier is entitled to clothing, and that it has no reference to his pay? A. Yes, sir; that I know. Q. That if there is clothing on hand he can draw the clothing without money? Do you know anything about the stock of clothing that was there? A. I think there was an immense amount of clothing, but it was not issued 2134 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. until very late; even what was then issued, and I saw it constantly from the men coming to our tent, I saw what they had received, and they were short-sleeved gauze undershirts and no drawers. Q. Do you know whether or not they had their choice of shirts, of undershirts, whether more than one kind could be obtained ? A. There was only one kind issued at Montauk. No man who was there shiv- ering during those bitter cold nights would have hestitated in making a choice if the opportunity presented itself. Q. Do you know whether or not there was plenty of blankets, which they might have obtained on request ? A. I have heard-but this hearsay-of several requests for blankets being made but not filled. Q That, of course, would hardly be testimony. A. No; that is simply hearsay. I know what the condition of the troops in the tent was, very many of whom had sometimes one blanket, never two except once or twice, where their tent mates had been killed or had gone home very seriously injured, and they left their blankets so that the remaining soldier in the tent fell heir to it. Q. General Wheeler testified that they had thirty thousand woolen blankets and at no time were they without blankets. These blankets were charged against the men, and the more clothing they drew the more they had to pay for upon the official settlement, according to the regulations; if they overdrew that would come out of their pay and if they underdrew that was a commutation and they would receive in money, so a soldier naturally tries to get along with as little as possible. A. I think they would gladly have drawn their pay and bought them. I was paid in two or three instances by men who happened to have money-had it saved up. Q. You know nothing, except from hearsay, as to whether this large stock of clothing was on hand or not, ready for the soldiers? A. No, sir, except that it was not issued. I know of no blankets being issued except such as we gave out. Q. You don't know whether the officers of the regiment asked for the blankets or not? A. I don't know, but I suppose they didn't, or they would have got them if they were there. Q. You didn't see blankets, but of course you don't know whether they made the request or not? A. No, sir. Q. General Wheeler testified that they were there and that they might have had them; but you don't know about that? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether these undershirts which were light were such as were made for the men, to be issued to them in the summer months? A. I should judge so, from their thinness-gauze-with little sleeves to here [indicating]. Q. You think, under the circumstances, that a heavier kind should have been issued? A. The climate of Montauk Point is bitterly cold. The sun may be hot about 3 or half past 3 in the afternoon, but from 4 o'clock there is almost invariably a sudden drop in the thermometer of certainly 10 degrees, and then, with the fog and rain which we had this year, when it came on it was very much colder than that, besides the intense dampness. We were all strong and well in our relief tent, but we always carried heavy coats and had to put them on about 4 o'clock. Q. You spoke, under date of August 23, of having seen some beef that was spoiled, being burned up? ' MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2135 A. Yes, sir. Q. That was so, was it? A. Yes, sir; that was a shoulder of beef. The animal had been cut in four quar- ters, and this piece taken probably for a company. Q. Do you know whether or not it is according to regulations that any beef that is so damaged when drawn can be replaced by good meat? A. No. I don't know; but the transportation they had there, which was the cause of that waste, doubtless, was such that it would have taken a very long time to replace it. Q. Transportation from where do you mean? A. From the station to the regiments, which was the only part that came under my observation, except I noticed that the track of the railroad was always terribly congested. Our trains in which we went down-after my first five or six trips, when I drove the 20 miles each way, 40 miles both ways-were always made by train, and the trains were generally from an hour and a half to two hours late. The passenger' trains and the soldiers' trains consumed anywhere from eleven to twenty-six hours in coming down from Long Island City. Q. Do you know, Miss Chadwick, what provisions were made by the Govern- ment for the food of the men in that camp? A. Only by the visible results. There seemed to be provision made for food for well men. Q. Did they distribute any milk to the men in the camp? A. After a while; about ten days after I began to go there, possibly less, there was a very small ration of milk distributed to each regiment, intended for the sick men in the tents; and by the time our milk, which was carted from East Hampton every day, hauled by wagon to avoid the delays on the train, which caused the souring of the milk by the time it arrived there, which was generally about 11 o'clock, we found a great many men who needed it. Q. Do you know whether there was any soup in cans furnished for men in the regiments or not? A. I think so. It was part of the rations, wasn't it? Q. It is not a part of the army ration. A. Then I don't know. Q. How about oatmeal? A. Yes, sir; they were supplied after the 23d or 24th of August. Q. Any evaporated cream? A. I never saw any. Q. General Wheeler says he purchased 29,000 cans of evaporated cream. Were there any eggs? A. Eggs began to be sent to the regiments along about the 29th of August, and we didn't have to supply so many after they were supplied; very few, perhaps a couple of dozen to a company in which there was 20 or 36 men, and of course they were given to the sick. Q. Any butter? A. Canned butter out of the officers' extras. We took butter there, and it was very gladly received, although it was melted, by the company cooks. On the 16th of November one of the company cooks said he could make toast, now that he had some butter; that the bread was moldy and the men didn't like to eat it, but he could make toast of it. Q. You made a statement here that the bread was moldy? A. Yes, sir; it was very often. Q. How often? A. I should certainly think I saw heaps of moldy bread as many as eight or ten times, on different occasions. Q. Was that bread where there was an overissue of bread? 2136 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; it was the bread just issued for the day, while the men were count- ing it out to the different companies. Q. Do you know where the bread was obtained? A. It was obtained from the different bakeries along the route of the railroad near by, such as, I presume. Sag Harbor and East Hampton, and I don't know how much farther; they went to Bridgehampton, I believe; those are the nearest places on the line of the road. Q. How long would it require, in that climate, for the bread to get moldy? A. Well, if properly cared for, bread doesn't get moldy for two days or more. If left out in the damp air, it is liable to get moldy much quicker. Q. Were men in that condition-in the condition you have described-able to eat and retain the bread that was issued to them? A. I don't think the men were allowed or could eat the bread until they were well enough. Q. Wasn't that moldy bread thrown away? A. No, sir; I didn't see it thrown away. It had just been issued to the men; they were counting it out and distributing it to the different companies. Q. You say you saw that on some seven or eight occasions? A. Yes, sir; fully that at the different regiments. Q. And upon other occasions what kind of bread did you see distributed to the men? A. Well, after awhile, later on, the company cooks of the regulars began to make their own bread and raised biscuit; I saw them, and then I didn't see so much of the baker's bread; still, baker's bread did continue to come to camp, because the regulars used it for quite a while. Q. In your statement you say that it was the policy of the authorities up there, at least in the case of particular volunteers, to ship them on furlough, sick or well, away from the camp. What can you state about that? A. That was one of the most distressing features of the camp, for the trains I went home on-for instance, the 7.38 train-for certainly ten days or two weeks after I began to go into camp that train would be crowded to suffocation, so there was no standing room in the aisles, with men, and every fourth or fifth man would be too ill to travel, too ill decidedly to travel alone, who had received their furloughs after walking up the hill, as I think I have stated, climbing up that hill. The waiting room at the station, the extra waiting room which was added for the accommodation of the troops, was a large shed, seating I don't know how many. There was a single plank at the side and a double plank going down the center of the room, with space to pass down the center between. In that station there would be a crowd of men, and not only the planking at the sides would be filled, but a double row of men on the planking in the center, and the floor would be covered with men lying around, too ill to sit up, who were going away, great num- bers of them on furlough, and some in the care of charitable people going to dif- ferent hospitals. Q. Were they from the camps or from the hospitals? A. Some were from the camps and some were from the hospital. Q. Do you know what measures were taken at the hospital as to the examina- tion as to the fitness of these men for traveling? A. I don't know except in seeing the results such as I have described. They sent men repeatedly with temperatures of 100 or 102 or 101, which I saw going out, and one man who was delirious at the station. Dr. J. Findley Bell sent that man back in the ambulance, which he secured through the help of the Red Cross. Q. You speak of the men having to go to General Wheeler's headquarters to obtain their furloughs. Was that necessary? A. Yes, sir; that was done on the 28th. They got their furloughs by going up MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2137 there, and all those men walked up that hill. He then had his headquarters on the top of the hill overlooking the dentention hospital and detention camp, lying between the two; it was a sort of an angle, not where General Shafter's head- quarters were on the fiat beyond that, and that was a mile, a good long mile, from the general hospital; it was a long walk. It was 2 miles, I should think, by the most direct route from the center of the infantry camp. Q. I understand you to say that all these men from the hospital, all who obtained furloughs, were obliged to go to General Wheeler's headquarters in order to get them? A. I don't know that all were obliged to go there; that was my experience for the four hours that I was there. I saw several that were evidently wounded, because they came, one of them on crutches, and one of Ahem was apparently very sick. Those men must have come from the hospital. The men I spoke to were from the Eighth Ohio. I spoke to several of them. Some of them may have been com- ing from the camps. Of course there were many ill men in the camp. Q. That was the system that was adopted there-that these men had to come to General Wheeler's headquarters in order to get their furloughs, as you under- stand it? A. Yes, sir. Afterwards furloughs for ill men were given at the hospital. I know that, because later on in taking out ill men from the regiments to our East Hampton hospital in most cases we were obliged to take them back and show them at the hospital in order to get their furloughs; that is, we took them in our own carriages. That was what we had to do-to show them there before we could get their furloughs. By General Dodge: Q. The men who went from other camps up to General Wheeler's headquarters for furloughs-did the men go there themselves or did the company officers go? A. The men themselves. I saw them creeping up that hill-some of them very feeble and hungry. I gave some of them part of my luncheon-two of them; one was from Ohio and the other was from Battle Creek, Mich. Q. They were from Michigan regiments? A. No; I am mistaken about that; those two men were from the Illinois regi- ment. They were from the First Illinois Volunteers, and this Ohio man was of the Eighth Ohio. I don't think that is right, either. I think they all must have been from Michigan. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Did those men have any papers with them? A. To get their furloughs with? Q. Yes. A. I didn't follow them in to see, at all. They went around the corner of the tent, and I didn't see what went on inside. Many of the men, after coming on up the hill, went past general headquarters where General Wheeler's office was. They didn't know where he was. A great many of the men went beyond and had to come back. They had asked an orderly or somebody and had to come back. These men went around and I heard them asking the questions sometimes, and they came out with their furloughs. These three men that I speak about were very late. They were there a long time, hanging around the door, and I asked them, " Why don't you go in?" and they said, " There is no one here to give us our fur- loughs." They were really very anxious to go, and I went and found an officer who signed their furloughs for them. Q. What did you learn in regard to the granting of furloughs from the men themselves or from any of the medical or other officers as to the reasons of their furloughs-why they were given? 2138 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH- SPAIN. A. I never asked the men why they got them. Their reason and the obvious wish was to get away as soon as possible, sick or well-to get where they would be properly taken care of. By General Dodge: Q. Were their regiments there at that time? A. I don't know whether the First Illinois and the Eighth Ohio were there at that time; so it is very likely they were of the Michigan regim*ents> By Governor Woodbury: Q. Did you see any evidence there, Miss Chadwick, or desirik get rid of those men? A. It did seem to me that way; they were sending them < in such numbers and in such frightful physical condition, it seemed so to nie on the surface- I have no means of knowing it is a fact. Q. What reason did you attribute their desire of getting rid of these men to, on the part of the authorities-these officers? A. Insufficient hospital accommodation. Q. Do you know of any applications for admission to the hospital that were refused? A. Constantly. Our tent was situated between the Third, T'wentieth, Twenty- second, and Eighth Infantry, which lay in a sort of a half circ e around our tent. Miss Mary Lowell, of Brooklyn, has the names and dates and all the particulars. She is a trained nurse who worked in those regiments. Of 11 men who were to go to the hospital, and of whom 12 were refused, she has thA dates and names. When the ambulance came to the Twenty-second's camp it wo^ld take only 6 men when they stopped at the company's street. , Q. You say she is a trained nurse? A. Yes, sir; Mary C. Lowell, 164 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn. Her father, Mr. Sidney V. Lowell, also worked with us; we opened a relief tent and had a distributing center. Q. At the time these men were being furloughed in such poo..- condition to travel, did you understand whether or not it was the result of the importunity of the men and importunity of the relatives of the men, or becauige the Government wanted to get rid of these men? A. Well, I asked no questions, I mean of the authorities, and the men were too sick to do any more than to go when they were told to. Q. Do you know of men being told to go-to leave the hosp;;tal? A. I have seen the men at the station and on the trains fronj the hospital. Q. Have you any knowledge of men being sent away from the hospital against their desire or request? A. Well, I have seen men so ill they couldn't have made thejr request or desire known. Q. That hardly answers my question. Have you knowledge of any man being sent away from that hospital against his will or desire, or a^ay from that camp against his will or desire-have you any knowledge of that fa,ct? A. The men were all anxious to escape from their discomforts but I have heard several men in the hospital say, " I hope they won't sund me away until I am stronger; I have got my new clothes "-this was very Late of course; Iwas very little at the hospital; I had very little time to go there " I have my new clothes now, and I am afraid they will send me away pretty goon now, and I don't feel strong enough." Q. Do you know whether those men were sent away imm 3diately? A. One was sent away immediately; the others in a couplq of days. Q. Do you know whether that was in obedience to their r(0qUest or the request of friends, or whether it was against their desire? MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2139 A. Their friends were not communicated with in any way. Although the men I spoke to there was none of them very reluctant to go, hut they were not con- sulted at all. Q. The men were not consulted, you mean? A. Not in the hospital. It took the most earnest and persistent requests and importunity on our part to get patients to our East Hampton hospital. Q. Did you understand that men were obliged to accept furlough whether they wanted it or not ? A. From the regiments or from the hospitals ? Q. Anywhere. A. I don't think anything of that sort ever came to my knowledge: I was too hurried to know about it. Q. Do you know whether or not there is any regulation or any authority or any officer, however high, who can force men to accept a furlough? A. I don't know anything about it, or very little about army regulations. I do recall, now that you recall it to my mind, the fact of hearing a noncommissioned officer say that word would come to the regiment that so many should be sent of the next company, and the men started as they were; they would be very eager to get away from all their surroundings in the infantry camps. Of course I know very little about the general hospital except a few specific circumstances; I don't know what their system was there. I wasn't there until later, when I did see them taken out without the slightest reference to their condition, because word would come that so many were to go on such a relief boat or however they were to go, and they would say, " Give me fifty," just as if they were going to take the first fifty that came along. I heard a noncommissioned officer' say, I don't recol- lect who it was, but he said that word would come for so many furloughs, so many to go, and furloughs would be granted to those who were able to travel; the sickest were moved with the others. As to the men themselves, some of the very well and also some of those who were not so well would struggle for fur- loughs. Of course they were very much in the minority-the well men. Q. Do you know whether there was at any time a desire among the men in the hospital or camp, so that a sufficient number of them, that a number equal to those that did go, desired to go; that is, whether there wasn't a constant desire on the part of those in the hospital and the men in the camps to get furloughs, so that the number sent out might have been the result of that desire? A. I think everymanin camp wanted to leave, to make his escape; I don'tthink they cared about furloughs. I had several cases of very ill men who had no homes to go to, and as to the men in the hospitals they were far too ill to ask for furloughs, and many in my hearing said they were not able to go. Many of them on the trains in my hearing said they were not able to go, and I was at first not able to tell them that they would be received by the Red Cross Soldiers' Comfort, and I had friends going up and down on the train-plenty of them went up and down for no other purpose than to take care of these men who were taken ill on the trains. Q. Of course the questions I ask you are not asked from any doubt in my mind as to the illness of all these men there and their pitiful condition. A. I know; you want to make it a point that the men went away by their own desire. Q. I want to know whether they did or not? A. And therefore those who were sent, these ill men, that it was not the fault of any of the men in authority. You must remember when I say some of them went by their own desire every man there wanted to escape from the conditions surrounding him; but I should say seven-tenths of those men were too ill even to ask and felt themselves that they were too ill to go; they asked to go to the hospital repeatedly. 2140 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Please state whether or not you saw any evidence of illfeeling on the part of the officers toward the men or on the part of one comrade toward another. A. No, sir. In the whole army-in the division in which I worked- I saw the most beautiful brotherly devotion, the most noble friendship between comrades. It was a revelation to me, and many of the officers of the Regular Army showed a devotion to the interests of theii- men which was very touching. That was my first experience in a regular regiment, and I distributed milk and the other things which I had, and I saw no officer higher than a first sergeant, and he was sick himself. As I was driving away, an officer who looked as ill as any of the men came out to the carriage and asked who I was, and begged to thank me in the name of his comrades of the regiment and of the officers for our kindness. He said, "You know the regulars have no friends." I said, "Oh, yes; you have plenty of friends. The people of the whole country are your friends." And he was so weakened, as many of them were from sickness, that he burst into tears. I think he would be embarrassed if I gave his name. I found among the regimental officers of the volunteers and the regulars that the spirit was one of true devotion to the interests of their men, without hardly an exception. Q. How do you account, then, for these men being sent away or allowed fur- loughs in the condition they were, unable to travel? A. I am unable to account for it. Q. Do you know whether that was misjudgment on their part or whether-you have already stated you saw every evidence of care and solicitude on their part? A. Every care that was in their powei' to give. But to go back again, I say a greater number of those very, very ill men, such as the delirous ones-very high temperatures. That is one thing; and another thing, the men from the camps and from the hospitals, many of those from the regimental camp, with their soldiers' indomitable pluck, they would conceal their sickness, even when they were very sick, and they would be put on duty, and even when on the sick list they would go back to their duty: and I fed one man as late as September 24 or 25, of the Second Cavalry-Nagle was the name, a member of the Second Cavalry-and he was so ill that he was a mere shadow. He would go to the doctor for medicine and he would take the medicine and then return to duty. He was unable to retain anything on his stomach until I was able to give him some food which he was able to retain. Q. What I want to ascertain is, if I can, the reason these furloughs were given from these regiments when there was such apparent solicitude on the part of the officers for the men, one comrade for another; how it was possible those men were allowed to go, much less sent away? A. I don't think the regimental officers had very much to say about it. Q. If it were known they were in this condition-I can imagine, of course, that men unable to travel, as no doubt those men were and proved to be, how they could go on furlough. I can understand all that, but I can't quite under- stand, and I want to get from you, if I can. an explanation of whether or not there was any want of judgment or want of sympathy on the part of the officers up there-the men who allowed these men to go-whether it was simply a mistake in judgment. A. Of course, I know nothing of the inside workings of the system. I only know what the results were. Q. You must be able to judge by the character of the officers and the men whether such a condition of things existed? A. As I said before, I don't think the regimental officers, at least as far as my knowledge went, had very much to say about the furlough business. Q. Of course, according to army regulations, no man could obtain a furlough in that regiment without the approval of the commanding officer? A. I don't know about that. 2141 MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. By General Wilson: Q. Under the existing regulations, can't the hospital surgeon give them? Governor Woodbury. Yes, sir; but I mean from the regiments, not from the hospital. The Witness. For a long time in taking the men out of the East Hampton hospital we were obliged to go to the general hospital. It was the only way we could get them out. Of course, I have no knowledge of the conditions at the general hospital. I carried a number of men who were ill who went from the general hospital, and in each case they had absolutely nothing to say. My expe- rience in getting them from the hospital shows that they were simply handed about without any attention being paid to their requests in the hospitals, and the men who came from the regiments, as I said before, many of them with their pride and courage of the regulars, would stick it out that they were not sick. Governor Woodbury. Am I correct, General Wilson, in the statement that no man would be required to accept a furlough unless he desired one? General Wilson. Yes, sir. Q. You stated that these comrades, that the officers and men, so far as you know, were kind to each other? A. I never saw more beautiful devotion. Q. I don't think I have asked you, Miss Chadwick, whether these men who were on the train in the condition that they were complained of any neglect, or complained that they were being sent away from camp? A. I heard very few complaints; you know they don't complain; they reply. I think they would tell the truth if you asked them; but again, these men I spoke of in the trains were many of them too ill to speak; many that I was called to attend were lying with their heads on another's shoulder. Q. You didn't actually hear any complaint of their being granted furloughs? A. I heard them say, many of them, that it was a shame to send a man away in such a condition; that was said by a neighbor, perhaps, when the man was too ill to speak. Q. No individual made the statement that he was leaving camp against his will, did he? A. I wouldn't like to say that I didn't hear that several times. Q. Could you say you did hear it, that men said they didn't want to leave camp, that they were leaving camp against their own will? A. I recollect two men distinctly who said that they-of course they were not the very ill, because the most ill were not able to speak-that they should never have been sent out of the hospital. Those who were most ill were too ill to say it or to do anything. Q. You say that they said they should not have been sent out; did they say they were sent out against their will? A. N o, sir; but if they said that-if, for instance, I said to you, " It was a shame to send me out like this," would you believe I had requested you to send me out? Q. I ask you if they said they were sent away from that camp against their will? A. Two men, sick men to my knowledge, said that they should not have been sent out. Q. They didn't say what I asked you, did they? A. That they were sent away against their will? Q. Yes. A. Well, that was the natural inference; I don't know that they used those words. Q. Well, that doesn't answer my question. Did they say it? A. Well, I wouldn't want to sweai' that they didn't say that; I think that very likely they said that. 2142 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Do you remember that they did say it? A. I wouldn't bind myself to the exact words they used; I think the words are immaterial. Q. You may continue with your narrative. A. Well, that was on the 25th that I visited the camp of the Twenty-sixth Infantry. They had been camped at the detention camp, and when I saw them when they came out 1 saw that they were in very bad shape and would need help. Q. I would like to ask you about your visit to General Wheeler's camp on the 28th of August. A. Yes, sir. Q. That was about the furloughs? A. Yes, sir. Q. I want to ask you about your visit to general headquarters upon another occasion when you had conversation with General Wheeler. A. Yes, sir. Q. That is September 1, when the Seventh Infantry, as you state here, " On Sep- tember 1 they had been without water two days? " A. Those were the words of the surgeon to me. Q. Do you know whether that is a fact or not? A. I should suppose it was a fact, inasmuch as we carried water to them to sup- ply their needs. Q. Do you suppose a regiment remained in camp two days without water there? Do you suppose they could? A. Some of the stronger men walked to the ditch plain and carried small buck- ets of water to the camp, but they had no pipes from the water supply. Q. Then that statement that they were without water isn't correct? A. The statement that they had had no water for two days? Q. " We have been here two days and have no water." A. Yes, sir; that is correct. Mrs. Woodhouse carted them large cans of water in her teams on the second day. Q. Who told you that? A. The doctor or the surgeon, Q. Of the Seventh? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was his name? A. That doctor's name was Jones. Q. Dr. Jones of the Seventh? A. Yes, sir; he was called away by someone, and when he came back he said, " That was the commanding officer, and he asks me to say that if you have any influence at headquarters he begs you will use it to get the regiment a supply of water; we have been here two days and have had no water." Q. Was that Dr. Genella? A. I don't think he was in the regiment at that time at all; he was not there; no. Q. You credited that statement, didn't you, that they hadn't had any water for two days? A. They had to have water. We hauled up water on our carts with our teams immediately, over these very bad roads. Q. How far were they from water? A. The nearest regiment that had pipes, standpipes, was about a mile, and there was a well at the ditch plain lying south of the station. Q. Had they any teams there? A. Yes, sir; but the doctor couldn't get even a team. Q. No transportation at all? A. None that I saw. Q. What did you say to General Wheeler? MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. 2143 A. I said, " General Wheeler, I have come to ask you if something can not be done for the unfortunate Seventh. They have been two days out of detention and have no water at their tents." Q. What did the General reply? A. He said, " Why haven't they water? Why don't they apply for it through the proper channels? Why don't they make requisition for it?" I said that I shouldn't have supposed it was necessary to make requisition for water, but I pre- sumed they must have done so and not succeeded or they wouldn't have applied to me, a perfect stranger, to intercede for them. He asked me what else they needed, and I said they were preparing a list of medicines which they needed and which they had asked me to buy for them the next day. He said, " What is it they need?" He was somewhat excited over it-that he was there and Colonel Forwood and Major Brown said they had everything needed. I said I didn't know what it was; wouldn't know until I saw the list which they were writing out, which the doctor had mentioned to me. One thing I remember; he said the pills were so hard that they wouldn't melt in the men's stomachs. General Wheeler said, "Why haven't they applied for these things in the proper way?" In fact, he became very much excited. I said I presumed they had or else they wouldn't have turned to me and asked me to help them. Q. Did you purchase the supplies? Did they get them? A. They were bought by the East Hampton Relief Corps. Q. What did you buy for them? A. The list was not put in my hands, because I wasn't the regular woiker in that regiment. I simply happened to drive up on the wagon on that occasion to show a new driver. Q. Do you know anything about the supply of medicines there except as you have intimated already? A. Except by having complaints, constant requests made to me to buy things for them. Q. That was in September? A. That must have been very early in September, but it continued right along. Q. Was there at any time during your visits there a sufficient supply of medi- cine? A. Sometimes, of course, there seemed to be a want of medicine, but after a while they didn't ask us to buy so many things; and quite late, well along in September, I bought a syringe for Dr. Frey, in the Second Division hospital, and took it to him, as he had hone and couldn't get one; and mustard plasters also. Q. Now, Miss Chadwick, you may proceed with your narrative as briefly as you can to satisfy yourself. A. I visited the Twenty-second Infantry camp on the 25th of September, and I found them very ill, indeed. In one company which I visited there were 70 men umit for duty; only 5 fit for duty in that company. The first sergeant, whose name was Whitmore, A Company, I think, was in his tent too ill to answer when I spoke to him, and the corporal took me through the tents. In one of the tents I found 4 men who the surgeon said were very ill there. Three said they were not ill, only exhausted. Two were so weak that when they raised themselves on their elbows, as they always did from courtesy to the ladies, and tried to make apologies to the ladies present, they fell back immediately. I fed those men and fed dozens of others like that. Three of us were there for four hours, as long as our supplies lasted, and we covered the First Battalion of that regiment. The morning I went there with fruits and other things with friends in the camp with supplies, and we sent them to the Second Battalion. At that time they had neither milk nor eggs, and on the next visit I paid to the Twenty-second I found that the Second Massachusetts in going away had sent them over some cases of eggs, but it was a long time before any of those regiments got milk;' even when they got it 2144 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. by the time it got there the milk was sour. A very small quantity was issued to the men whose surgeons said should have it, who were living entirely on a milk diet, so when we opened the tent the surgeons would bring a list of those who they desired should have the milk or who were on other light diet. They would bring it every morning for milk or eggs or broth, whatever they considered proper, to our tent, and the nurses' from the tent would take those lists and visit the regi- ments, and if they found other cases, as they often did in the tents-men who had been too ill to go and ask for assistance, or unable to call, and had therefore not been discovered-they brought them to the attention of the surgeons of the regi- ments and they would go to see them; and the work of the relief tent was carried on in that way, working in harmony with the surgeons. We had a tent there and trained nurses. Mrs. Von Wagner was living there; took up her residence down at the camp of the Seventh Infantry. She is a trained nurse and has also studied medicine, and she will be able to give you full details of the Seventh, much more than I can, because she lived with them for a month, absolutely nursing them every day, and I believe that continued, that work, from the 1st of September or the 30th of August. We afterwards secured permission from general headquarters and erected our tent. Q. What Mrs. Van Wagner is that? A. Mrs. L. G. Van Wagner. She went next day to the quartermaster and got a tent erected on the 31st of August, and our first work from it was done on the 1st of September. From that time on we were there every day. Before taking charge I was there every day, and other ladies came there, and we took alternate days there. We always had 10 or 12 assistants working in the regiments around there; 1 trained nurse, with perhaps 2 assistants with her, working, as I said, with the doctor. Q. You ministered to a great many men there? A. Yes, sir. Q. And evidently did good work. Were your labors apparently appreciated by the officers? A. Thoroughly appreciated by both officers and men. We received not only letters from individual men that we took care of, but the most beautiful letters from the officers and surgeons of these various regiments. Q. Was any objection made by any of the officers or men to your ministration? ' A. None. Two surgeons absolutely declined our assistance. One was the sur- geon of the Twenty-fifth (colored) Infantry; but as they were in very good shape- we had simply gone to the surgeon and requested, as our custom was-I went to a regiment-to each regiment-and saw the doctor, and told him we had a relief tent and we should be glad, if he was in need of any delicate food for his sick, we should be glad to cooperate with him; if he would give us his list of what he desired, we would give it to him. That surgeon I have mentioned and one other- those two exceptions-I have forgotten the names. I think the other regiment was the Twelfth. Q. Considering the rapidity with which the men were thrown into that camp, could the United States have done what you ladies so willingly and ably did? A. I understand that when the 600 or 700 Spanish prisoners were brought here barracks were built for them and everything necessary for them was furnished, and this was done inside of a week. The camp site at Montauk Point had been chosen quite early-I don't know how early, but much more than a week ahead, because the First Engineers went down, passed by East Hampton Q. (Interrupting.) That was something, of course, you didn't do-you ladies; you didn't build the barracks? A. Yet, if they had been able to do it in one department, I see no reason why they couldn't do it in another. A. Yes, sir. 2145 MISS JULIA HALSTEAD CHADWICK. Q. I am simply talking about what you did. Could the United States Govern- ment have done what you ladies so willingly and ably did? A. In furnishing warm clothing and food? Q. Yes; whatever you did there. A. Certainly, it was simply the supplying of warm clothing and suitable food and proper care. Q. Do you know whether or not it would have been better foi' them if they had had barracks rather than remained in tents? A. I think so, because the climate there was so cold and chilly in that part of Long Island. In East Hampton, which is 20 miles farther west-20 miles this way-we nevei' slept without two blankets in the house at that time of the year. Q. Was the aid which you gave to those men willingly and cheerfully given? A. Yes, sir; indeed it was. Q. Did you consider it a privilege to do that-to minister to the wants of those men? \ A. Ministering to the wants of the soldiers of our country? Q. Yes. A. We considered it a duty. Q. Did you consider it a privilege? A. It is a privilege always to relieve suffering, but if you may call it exactly a privilege-yes; it is a privilege. I felt it both a privilege and a duty. Q. From what you saw of the character of the officers in charge of the camp and officers in charge of the regiments, the surgeons of the regiments, the officers of the company, were these wrongs which you saw willingly inflicted upon their men? A. By their regimental officers, do you mean? Q. By anyone. ■ A. There was no indication of wrong on the part of the regimental officers. All of them evinced a great deal of anxiety and were overworked; made every effort to do the best they could under the circumstances in which they were placed. Q. You say the Government might have done these things. What do you mean? What officers? A. I don't know, because I don't know the inside workings of the different departments; therefore I am unable to say. Q. Had you had any experience in camp life before? A. I have seen camps before. I have seen both the camps of volunteers and regulars in England. I lived for sixteen years opposite West Point and saw the camps at Peekskill and West Point, and I have a very vivid and distinct recollec- tion of being taken to a camp in Virginia of the Northern Army in the civil war, of which I have three or four distinct and vivid recollections, one of which was the extraordinary state of the roads-that there was a great deal of mud. It was almost inconceivable; and there was a corduroy road; and another thing-you remember that these are the impressions of a child-they were baking bread and I remember it smelled very good. We were given some and it was good, and the strongest impression was about the tents. They had little wooden walls about that [indicating] high. Q. That was the winter season? A. That must have been the winter season, judging from the mud. We were staying in Washington and went to visit that camp. By. Dr. Conner: Q. Did you see much of the Seventh Infantry? A. I saw them on that occasion, but I didn't work in the Seventh, Dr. Conner. Q. You saw it only on one occasion? 2146 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; I have gone to that place several times. Afterwards, later, when they had moved their camp-they moved their camp finally in the end of Septem- ber over to the camp site of the Twenty-fourth Colored Regiment; they were transferred. Q. If I understood you rightly it was at this camp that the men were for forty- eight hours without water? A. Their first camp on the cliff. Q. Do you know anything as to the character of the medical attention given to these men by Dr. Genella; did you meet him? A. I met Dr. Genella there. Mrs. Von Wagner, the one who worked there, can tell you all about it. He seemed to be a very hard-working young man, but quite young. Q. So far as your own observation of this camp went, you are not able to give me very much information as to what was going on? A. Those two doctors, Dr. Jones and Dr. Genella, were hard working and devoted very much to the men, interested in their men, but as to their capacity I am not able to speak. Q. In regard to the crowds that were present there at Montauk, visiting the camps and hospital and what not, was there or was there not a very large number of individuals going there to visit? A. Not in the infantry division; they never had any casual visitors; they lay out of the way of the visitors, behind the hill. Q. But as respects the general hospital particularly? A. I can't say, because I was very seldom there. Q. When you were there did there seem to be a great many visitors? A. No, sir; not many. Q. Did you hear of many visitors going there? A. I don't know that I heard, because I was so busy. Q. Do you think from your own observation it would have been beneficial for a hospital of 1,000 beds, we will say, to have a great many visitors coming through the wards? A. I think it would be very bad for them. I don't believe such was the case, because Montauk is too far away for the casual sight-seer; and in going up and down on the trains I only twice, I think, or possibly three times, encountered many sight-seers. Q. Were there or were there not many excursion trains over that road to Montauk? A. No, sir; there was no excursion train because they never had anytime to run excursion trains. Q. They had as much as they could do to run their other business as best they could? A. Yes, sir. Q. Think you it would have been advantageous to the sick in every respect if a guard had been put across Montauk Point 3 miles below the last line of tents nearest New York and no human being allowed to cross that line? A. I think in that case the sick in the infantry divisions would have starved. Q. Why, for what reason? A. Because they were unable to retain the army ration, which is an excellent one but only suited to well men, and the food and milk we took from East Hamp- ton to the infantry division was the only food suited to them that they received. Q. Do you or do you not know why it wouldn't have been possible to have brought milk in any quantities desired from New Haven, Providence, Boston, East Hampton, and the other neighboring towns around there? A. Well, I can't conceive why it wasn't done, except that the railroad facilities were inadequate. DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. 2147 Q. But the railroad need not have had anything to do with it. A. So I would have supposed. Q. If those things had been brought in, wouldn't that have relieved the condi- tion very largely? A. Yes, sir. We brought 250 quarts of milk a day on carts. Q. And there was a possibility of getting 250,000 quarts if it was needed from the surrounding places I spoke of in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts? A. Yes, sir; there was, Q. If, therefore, it happens that all that supply wasn't brought in because it wasn't permitted to be brought in, inasmuch as all transportation had to be over a single line of railway, is that the fault, think you, of the camp officials or of the medical officers, or of anybody connected with the direct care of the sick? . A. Was that the reason? Q. That is the fact, whether it is the reason or not, that every particle of supplies had to be carried over this railroad here. A. So I understood. I didn't know if that was the fact. Q. At least, so far as I am able to ascertain definitely. That explains in a vast measure what seems to be neglect on the part of the Medical Department of the Army. A. I don't know the cause; I only know the results. New York, November 21,1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. Dr. William Gilman Thompson, upon request, appeared before the commis- sion, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Doctor, will you be kind enough to give to us your name, your residence, your occupation, and the length of time you have been in practice? A. My name is William Gilman Thompson; residence, 34 East Thirty-first street. Q. New York? A. New York City. Physician. In practice since 1881-seventeen years. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us whether or not you had occasion to visit Montauk Point during the past summer-Camp Wikoff? A. I went there twice. Q. Please give us the dates, and then tell us what you saw, just in your own way. A. I went first on the 2d of September, and I went there again on the 8th, and the object of my visit was to ascertain how many more sick we were likely to receive in the hospitals here, where I happened to be physician, and how much work we had ahead, and what preparation we should make for receiving more sick. To attain that object, I went into the hospital and looked about and saw the number of patients, and I went about through the camp. Q. How long a time did that inspection occupy, sir? A. I went down by the morning train and came back on the afternoon train; I suppose from four to five hours each day; the trains did not go exactly on sched- ule time, and I can't remember more accurately than that; four or five hours each day. Q. Your first visit was to the general hospital? A. Yes, sir. 2148 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us in what condition you found that hos- pital as respects its cleanliness, the crowding of its patients or otherwise, the atten- tion that was being given to the patients, the medical attention that they were receiving-in a word you, as a hospital expert, are asked to tell us something about the condition of that hospital? A. I have no criticisms to make in regard to the hospital at all or in regard to the general management, because I do not feel competent to do so in the short time I was there; that was not the object of my visit. The only criticism, per- haps that I shall make in exception to that statement is that on the occasion of the first visit, on the 2d of September, they did not seem to have sufficient disin- fectants, and on talking with several of the physicians in charge, they admitted that, and they explained that they intended to obtain more as soon as possible, and I understand that was done. Q. What evidence did you find that they had not a sufficient quantity of disinfectants? A. I asked several of the surgeons there in regard to it, and was told so; I went down there for a special investigation, not that, and I did not take their names. Q. Did you yourself see any evidence of a lack of disinfectants? A. I saw large cans standing outside of one of the hospitals there that con- tained what I supposed was typhoid feces, which contained typhoid stool. It was uncovered; flies swarmed all over it; there were a great many, and it stood there during the time 1 was in the hospital, sir, two hours or more, and it certainly ought to have been disinfected. Q. How neai- to any one of the hospital tents was this excreta? A. It was standing right along the sides, so that attendants whom I saw could, standing at the edge of the flap, throw into it the contents of their bed pans. Q. Was that at the rear end of the series of tents? A. It was in the middle, sir, between two of the tents, and close to one of them. Q. Now, do you know whether or not any disinfectants had been put in that vessel? A. I was told that the only one they were using was chloride of lime, and there was not enough to be of any value as a disinfectant or it would have been manifest. Q. You know only of what you were told as to what was in there? A. I did not analyze it to find out; odor and sight were my means of judging. Q. Was there any of the ordinary odor of chloride of lime? A. Not the slightest in that place. Q. Did you see more than one of these receptacles; that is to say, at more than one point? A. I did not; that was enough, I thought. Q. Now, how many of those series of tents were there in that general hospital? A. I don't know. Q. A very considerable number or otherwise? A. A large number; I suppose eighteen or twenty. Q. And you observed only in a single instance the conditions that you have described? A. I did not look for it elsewhere. Q. Did you go through the othei- watds? A. I went in to see the patients and find out how many of the very sick were likely to be transferred to the New York hospitals. Q. As you passed through that to go around, would you not have been likely to have seen these receptacles if they had been there? A. Not at all; they were down between the tents, and Iwas not looking for them. DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. 2149 Q. If I understand you, by between the tents you mean-was there a break between the series of tents covered by a fly or landing point to the rear? A. Left open. Q. And in such places, at what distance from the tent was this receptacle, 5 feet, 3 feet, or 2 feet? A. Two feet. Q. And as you passed through one series of wards to another did you observe more than one of the these places where there was no tent pitched, the space between the tents A. (Interrupting.) Yes, sir. Q. And you observed only in the one this condition? A. Yes, sir. Q. Now, were you acquainted with the rule that governed action there as respects disinfectants at all? A. No. ' Q. Asi understand, you were asked something about it; will you be kind enough to tell me who those doctors were that answered you? A. I believe Major Tomlinson, Thirty-fourth Michigan-I may be wrong about the name-I don't remember the names of the others. I spoke to them and asked them some general questions. Q. You don't know who they were? A. I can't give you the names. Q. Now, then, leaving out all attention to the single purpose for which you went down there-how many more cases were to go to your hospital, as I understand it here-you observed as evidence of neglect or inattention a want of proper disin- fection to a single receptacle; am I right? A. Yes, sir; in the hospital. ■ Q. You had occasion to pass through it; did you or did you not observe the care that was being given to the sick men? A. I had only a very general impression of it. From that general impression I should say they were receiving every possible care that could be given them. Q. You see no reason to question the correctness of that view? A. No, sir. Q. Was there a sufficiency of nurses, think you, there at that time? A. I don't know how many there were. Q. Did there seem to be enough to be doing their duty properly ? A. The wards seemed to me to be very crowded, and I thought there were fewer nurses than might have been employed to the advantage of the patients, but I couldn't say definitely. Q. Did you notice, as you passed through (in regard to the beds) whether1 there were any given specific number? I am not speaking now of any series of wards, but a single tent. A. I did not. Q. You don't know whether there were six or eight or four in one single tent? A. I don't remember. Q. Do you know what the ordinary provision is for the regular number of patients to be put into a tent? A. No, sir. Q. Have you ever had any experience with tent hospitals in connection with your city hospitals? A. No, sir. Q. You never had room enough in which to put a tent. A. The difficulty I alluded to was apparently the difficulty of getting between the tents. 2150 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. That is to say, that nobody could make his way through without trouble? A. And between the beds there was oftentimes difficulty to get through. I didn't come here at all to criticise the hospitals, and I don't profess to be an expert in that matter. I came to offer you the testimony of thirty cases of typhoid fever in the hospital ip which I was attending, in a condition in which they ought not to have been removed, and in a condition that made it a serious thing to be moved, and these patients in some instances died; and moreover there was gross carelessness in regard to the general health of the community in allow- ing typhoid fever patients to leave camp and go on a hundred-mile journey (rail- way journey) distributing the germs of the disease. I have a list of those thirty cases that I will present, if you wish it. I am not thinking about the details you asked me, because I Q. (Interrupting.) I ask you because you are quoted through the United States over that you found, yourself, receptacles for filth at Montauk that were open at the top, that were full of flies, that were a menace to health, that were a nuisance, and that report has gone the country over and that is why I ask. A. With regard to the can I mentioned, I still maintain it. Q. But the idea that anyone outside of New York would have inferred from the article that was published was that not one can, but the common condition of matters was that the typhoid excreta was in close proximity to the wards. A. I will answer that question. Q. If you will. A. These thirty cases-I can give you the name of Q. (Interrupting.) Never mind about that. A. That is part of my answer. These patients came, not from the hospital, but from the general camp, and they had been ill a long time, and they left with typhoid fever, and consequently they were to be found in the general camp, and these, in many instances, were not disinfected. Q. It was with reference to the hospitals first I wanted to ask you questions. A. I was not there long enough to testify as an expert with regard to the hospital. Q. Then we may dispense with the hospital question ; you found the condition already stated and have nothing to add to it ? A. I have nothing to add to it. Q. Now, as respects the camps. Did you yourself have occasion to visit the camps ? A. Yes, sir. Q. On how many occasions ? A. I went in some of them on the first visit that I made, on September 2, and I went in six or eight of the camps, I think eight, on the second visit. Q. At those two visits in what condition did you find the camps as regards sanitation ? A. I purposely went to look into a large number of latrines and sinks, and in fully thirty of them there was no evidence of any disinfection whatsoever. I was told that chloride of lime was being supplied in some few instances-chloride of lime was being used, and in many of them there would be no trace of lime, and in at least thirty of these latrines there was a very large amount of fever matter, bleeding excreta, unhealthy looking, bloody, and mixed with diarrheal discharges, and they were uncovered so that they were freely exposed to the air, and the stench from some was disagreeable and their condition I should say was thor- oughly unsatisfactory. By Governor Woodbury : Q. How deep were those latrines? A. They were quite full; I don't know the original depth. I should say 3 or 4 feet, and I saw a mass of entirely uncovered feces. DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. 2151 By Dr. Conner: Q. Can you specify the regiment or the companies that had the sinks you mention? A. No, sir; it was so difficult to get information that I could not, very often, find out the camp I was visiting. Q. You were in the camps that were occupied by the troops? A. I went about by myself. Q. Couldn't you find out from the men what regiment they belonged to? A. Sometimes I could and sometimes I couldn't. Q. The camp police, as you call it, was not good as you looked at it? A. As regards sanitation Q. Did you notice any of the conditions with reference to the kitchen sinks? A. No, sir. Q. You know what kitchen sinks are? A. Where they bury the refuse. By Governor Woodbury: Q. How far distant were these sinks, Doctor? By .Dr- Conner: Q. From the nearest tent? Governor Woodbury asked how far distant these sinks were and I add, from the nearest tent. A. The distance was very great. I don't remember any specific instance. Q. The minimum distance was, think you, what? A. It would be pure guesswork. Q. Thirty feet, 60 feet, or 100 feet? A. I will say I didn't see any that impressed me as being very near the tents. Q. Did you have occasion to see the sick men of those tents? A. I looked in and saw a few, but I didn't go for that purpose. Q. Now, did you have occasion to ascertain as to the care that was being taken of the sick in these tents in their camps? A. I was told by one or two officers that-this was the occasion of my second visit on the 8th of September-there were a number of sick, a large amount of sickness, and that the tents were without flooring. Q. Did you ascertain at that time why these men had not been sent to the gen- eral hospital, while these men were there in the tents at all? A. I didn't inquire. Q. And no information was volunteered? A. It was from patients I saw in tents, but not down there. Q. What did they tell you? A. They gave varying answers. I had in all about 200 soldiers in my care in New York, and I asked a great many of them that question, why they had not gone into the hospital, and they gave me various answers. Some of them said frankly they didn't care to go into the hospital to die. Some of them thought too many were dying there every day; in other instances they told me they had asked permission to go and it had been refused; in some cases they told me they had asked permission to go and some were told they were not sick enough; some had come from Chickamauga; but they were told that at Wikoff. Q. They had come from Chickamauga to Camp Wikoff? A. I am speaking now of the men I asked that question in New York City. Q. They had heard of the answers given in both places-that is, they heard of the hospital in each case, Chickamauga and Wikoff-would they be likely to go into the hospital if they could help it? A. I am telling you what I was told. In other instances they told me they were anxious to get home. In other instances they didn't realize how ill they were, and desired to go on with their regiment. 2152 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Were these men transferred to your hospital by request, or were they men on furlough? A. Not in any instance. They were men, in the majority of cases, who were-I am alluding to the thirty men who had typhoid fever-men who had been sent home on furloughs or were permitted to leave a camp in the regular order of things-quite a number of the Thirty-fourth Michigan, who were on their way home, appearing as well men as regards their condition. They were either going with the regiment or on furlough. Q. Did they make any explanation with regard to that furlough-why they had been furloughed? A. I didn't ask them. Q. They didn't say? A. I have no information to give as to that. They were picked up in the streets of New York by the citizens here who found them too sick to go any where. They were transferred to the Red Cross at Long Island City, and by the-I believe it is called-War Relief Association. They came principally in those ways. In one or two instances they wandered in of their own accord. The managers of the Presbyterian Hospital officially offered to the War Department the use of certain beds in their hospital as this emergency began to arise, and no soldiers at all were referred directly officially by the War Department to the hospital; but all patients who came in of the 132 who were treated there at the Presbyterian Hospital were received through the agency I have just mentioned. By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to tell me in what condition you yourself found patients that came under your own care at your first visit? A. Some were seriously ill and giving evidence of being in the third week of typhoid fever. In one case the man was covered with bed sores, and there was an instance of pernicious malarial fever; in this case the man was extremely anaemic and died within two hours of his admission to the hospital; another patient of that same class died within twenty-four hours. Q. Have you any personal knowledge of the conditions in which those men were furloughed? A. Why they were furloughed? Q. Yes, sir. A. I didn't ask them. Q. I am sorry you didn't, because it is an important matter to us. A. It is easy to obtain. I can give you the names of the men, and they can be communicated with. Q. That doesn't show why these men you speak of were furloughed as they were, because they were not the only ones who have been furloughed in the mat- ter. The Governor asks me to ask you whether these men were largely from the regiments direct or from the general hospital, or do you know? A. In every instance they were from quarters and had not been in a hospital at all, excepting the few from Chickamauga. Q. Did you have any men sent direct to you here from Camp Thomas at Chickamauga? A. The men came to us; they were not sent. Q. They were on their way home on furlough? A. Yes, sir; or with their regiments. They were members of the Ninth New York, the Eighth New York, and the Twelfth, and so on. Q. New York regiments and New England regiments? A. Coming home, and coming home in the third week of typhoid fever. Q. Now, in regard to these men that you say were sent out of their tents at 2153 DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. Camp Wikoff and sent here. Did you receive any statement with regard to any one of them from his medical officer as to his condition? A. Not a single one. Q. Was there anything to indicate what their condition had been? A. Not a single one; the men's own statements. In some cases they said they had no care, and in other cases they came from Chickamauga hospital. From Wikoff they came from quarters. Q. Let me eliminate that Chickamauga business. It is confusing me. The Chickamauga men, did they come home with their regiments when their regi- ments were ordered home, or did they come home in hospital trains, or did they strike out for home by themselves? A. The Chickamauga men? Q. Yes, sir. A. I think they came in all the ways you mentioned; one or two with the train in charge of Dr. Lindheim, and one who was in the second week of typhoid told me he was one of two men to take charge of other sick patients; one or two others came back here, and one or two had been assigned on guard duty in the regiment. Q. Came with his regiment? A. I understand he came with the regiment and was assigned to duty in the armory and then came to the hospital. Q. As regards that hospital train Dr. Lindheim had charge of, was it not sent out by the city of New York for the purpose of gathering up patients and bring- ing them in? A. I don't know, sir. Q. I am quite sure it was. Leaving that out of the way and taking men who were under your care that came from Camp Wikoff, as I understand it, you have no knowledge whatever as to how they came to be furloughed and as to how they were sent out from Camp Wikoff? A. They told me in some instances they were ordered home by their regiments, and they were anxious to get home; in other cases they had been on furloughs. Q. Did you have information or opportunity, as the visiting physician of the hospital here, to know of any influences being exerted to get men furloughed while they were in your care in the hospital? A. It was necessary in some cases to get the furloughs extended, and I think I signed one or two papers to that effect, because the men still had typhoid fever. Q. What I wanted to get at particularly was, whether influences had been exerted upon the hospital authorities here to allow the men to go home at a time when they were hardly able to travel? A. You mean through the War Department? Q. Through friends and governors, delegations, women, sisters, mothers, every- thing. A. No, sir, I don't know; none have come under my personal observation. Q. Do you know whethei' any such influences were exerted at Camp Wikoff? Did you ever hear anything of that sort? A. I have read of it in the papers. Q. Did you know of any State sending transports after its men to that point in order to gather them up and get them away? A. I don't know. Q. Hear of any Massachusetts friends going on there and Massachusetts ships being sent down there? A. Yes, sir; I will correct that answer; I remember now. Q. If an individual man is in charge of a hospital and has a large number of typhoid patients under his care, and influences of that sort are brought to bear, not in one case, but in many, and he has been constantly crowded to the wall to 2154 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. furlough such men, is an ordinary professional man likely to yield to those influ- ences and let the men go when he knows it would be better for them to stay there for one or two or three weeks? A. It is not my custom to do any such things. Q. Do you have any such influences brought to bear upon you? Your patients are of a different character altogether. A. I don't know why, sir; we have many of the laboring men in our hospital, men with families, and they often ask to go home, and their friends ask to take them, and they are so ill that if they went out of the hospital--if we allowed the men to leave the hospital and spread disease in the city-the hospital authorities would be, properly, indictable. Q. But think you that is the same condition as instances of regiments of troops- regiments that have been mustered out when the war is over, when the friends are not in New York State alone, but in every State of the Union, when every political and personal influence is being brought to bear to secure the transfer' of men to their own homes, where they can be cared for just as well; isn't there a difference between the two conditions? A. There may be a legal one; there is no moral one. Q. There is nothing legal in the matter. A. I should say not. I should say it was no man's duty to let a typhoid fever patient go forth upon the country in the third week of the disease, spreading infection wherever he goes, without adequate care or protection for his comfort as a sick man. Q. Do you suppose if my son was in the third week of typhoid that I could not remove him home? A. You would have a legal right to do it, but you would have to write us that you did it on your own responsibility and against the protest of the hospital authorities. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Do you know whether these men were furloughed with a knowledge of the persons who issued the furlough that they had typhoid fever? A. I know of an instance of a nurse who was sent back the other' day, who died here in the city, who was told she had typhoid fever. She came up from Alabama and died here, being here only a few days. Q. She knew she had typhoid fever? A. She was transferred as a typhoid patient. Q. Do you not receive in the city of New York a great many cases of typhoid? A. Not so advanced and in any such condition. Q. Doctor, ask him whether he knows that any of these men that he received here as typhoid patients were furloughed with a knowledge of the persons grant- ing the furlough that he had typhoid fever? A. I am unable to state that. By Dr. Conner: Q. Now, will you tell me-we find a statement made of yours with reference to the water supply-will you tell me what you observed there with reference to the water supply? A. I don't know whether the water was pure or not. Authorities will be apt to differ in regard to that; but it seemed to me that from the relations of the sinks to the water supply that there was very great likelihood of the main water supply becoming contaminated before very long with typhoid infection. Q. How far was the well from any sink? A. I don't know where the nearest sink was, sir, but there was surface drain- age, as it was told me by some of the officers in the Second Volunteer Engineers. DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. 2155 which came down from a series of small ponds from the hospital main-line drain, and the one belonging to the annex, and that came tolerably near the main pump. Q. Do you know anything as to the depth of the pond that was near the pump? A. Of the pond? Q. Yes, sir. A. No, sir. I was told-- Q. (Interrupting.) What was the depth of the pump? A. On the occasion I was there he told me they were drawing water from a depth of 32 feet-he was a captain of engineers. Q. Do you know the character of the well water? A. I was told Q. Do you, or do you not, think that that well is of such a nature that at a.depth of 32 feet there would be any surface contamination or otherwise? A. I should think it would be very probable before long if the conditions were maintained there that there would be-did you say surface contamination? Q. Yes, sir. A. I should say not surface contamination. Q. Now, inasmuch as the typhoid excreta were at the most probably not more than 5 or 6 feet deep in the sinks A. (Interrupting.) Below the surface? Q. You stated, as I understood you, that in your judgment the surface drainage would probably not affect the depth of water at 32 feet; am I right? A. Yes. Q. Now, if you take a sink 5 or 6 feet deep, and have the typhoid material at that point-taking it into consideration-the character of the well, the natural drainage that takes place, having full regard to all those conditions, do you think that at a distance, we will say, of 26 feet below them, there would be in that any likelihood of contamination? A. I should think there would be some danger of it. Q. Do you know how thoroughly that soil drains and disinfects? A. That is rather a general question. Q. I know it, and I can't specify it any better. A. I don't know how to answer a general question of that kind. Q. Make it a specific one. At that particular point, do you know whether or not. taking into consideration the character of that soil, there is or is not a strong probability in typhoid infection being communicated to the water? A. I should say there was a very strong probability. Q. Do you know to what depth typhoid bacilli are found in a well of the char- acter of that out there? A. I don't know that has ever been proved. Q. Has it ever been determined? A. They get into the deep wells. That has been the experience in the neighbor- hood of some cases on the New Jersey coast. Q. But in those cases is there not, as a rule, an opportunity ordinarily present- ing itself for the surface contamination and the surface drainage to get into the upper part of the well? A. I can't say. Q. So that, as respects that well, Dr. Kennedy is being credited by you as hav- ing made a full report on that? A. He would be glad to submit a full report. Q. Now, as respects the filter, do you know why that was employed? A. It was not employed when I was there. My information does not extend beyond that. Q. Do you know whether in all probability if it had been put up, and if it had been used, that filter would have been of any particular service? 2156 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Authorities differ as to the value of a filter when it comes to typhoid fever germs, and I am not an expert and I can not answer the question. Q. The filter, to your knowledge, was not in action at the time you visited? A. It was pointed out to me, by a captain of engineers, laying on the ground, and he said in a day or two he hoped to get it into operation. That was on the 8th of September. Q. I see that in one of your letters you refer to Dr. Woodhull and what work he may possibly have done. A. Yes, sir. Q. To what particular duty would Dr. Woodhull have been assigned at Camp Wykoff if he had been sent there? What particular duty would he have been likely to have been put upon? A. I am sure I don't know, sir. Q. In your judgment, what was he best fitted for there? A. He is admirably fitted for the work he is now upon, and he is an expert on hygiene, and I understand his text-book is an authority in the Army. He could have made an admirable report on the sanitary conditions at Camp Wikoff, or could have taken charge of some one of the hospitals there. Q. What changes, in your judgment, would likely have been made had Dr. Woodhull been in charge there? A. A thorough disinfection of all the latrines, and protection of them from fur- ther contamination. Q. In the camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. The next? A. I don't know that I care to go any further. I said I had no criticism of the hospital; I did not go into that; I would rather not answer a question about a mat- ter I had no knowledge of; I didn't come here for that purpose. Q. If we can get anything as a result of your visits to Camp Wikoff we shall be obliged to you for it. A. I am obliged to you, too. Q. When you question the correctness of putting a pump within certain distance of debatable territory A. (Interrupting.) You take a very great risk. Q. Then I think it is perfectly right and proper to ask what your reasons were, what authority you had for the statement. A. The main hospital sink was a short distance above a marsh, which lay between that sink and the hospital tent, and there was surface drainage from that point down to another one that was a short distance to the next hospital tent, and there was further surface drainage running down into Fort Pond, and that surface drainage ran down to the well-I did not pace the distance. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You don't know how far the sinks were from the well? A. They went back, but there was this surface drainage down to the pond. Q. How many yards do you think these sinks were? A. The hospital sinks? Q. Any sink. A. I think the nearest sink must have been perhaps-it is guesswork-300 or 400 yards. There was nothing at the well except the surface drainage passed nearer than that. By Dr. Conner: Q. I noticed that you spoke of a fresh-water supply pipe being laid directly in the swamp; where did that come from, and where did it go to? DR. WILLIAM GILMAN THOMPSON. 2157 A. I followed it for some distance; it went over by a small tent they had set aside-an isolation tent-and went off beyond a considerable distance there. Q. Was the water taken up in this swamp you speak of; was it collected there into a pipe, or was the piping laid in the swamp and carried beyond it? A. You crossed this swamp on a little causeway of wood to get from the hos- pital tent to the latrines; when you walked along that, this pipe was easily traced through the middle of it-of the swamp. Q. If the joints were properly screwed together could it have been affected? A. I think it is difficult to seal it together in the water without taking some of it in, and it might be contaminated by the drainage from the latrine, which was within a dozen feet of it. Q. Do you know whether or not a properly laid iron pipe,* properly screwed together, admits of drainage into the pipe? A. It is easy for a pipe to leak. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Where did this water come from going through the cistern into the pipe? Where was the water from that went through the cistern into the pipe-from the well that was being pumped? A. The system was explained to me by the engineer. The well was used to pump water in a tank up the hill, and from that they led the supply through pipes to the camp, and from there to their source of supply this pipe connected with several other branches that went to the hospitals and they were tapped for the purpose of washing alongside at various points. Q. How much higher was the tank than this swamp you speak of where the pipe was? A. High enough to give considerable watei' pressure. Q. Then, if there was considerable water pressure inside the pipe, how could any water get into the pipe when there was not so much pressure from the outside? A. There might be leakage from suction, and it would be difficult to lay a pipe in a swamp of that kind without getting some water in it. Q. How are you going to get water inside a pipe if you have more pressure on the inside than on the outside? How is any going to get in? A. If the pipe is empty and the supply is drawn off there may be a suction action. By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us what the mortality rate was on the cases that came under your observation in this city of the soldiers? A. I can give you that information if you wish it. I would have to look it up in the hospital record. I have on my list thirty bad cases of typhoid fever, three of which died of hemorrhage. In making up my list I only selected those that were beyond controversy. Q. Will you be kind enough in the course of the next few days to prepare a statement of the total number of cases of typhoid of soldiers treated in your hos- pital and the number of deaths of the same? A. I will be glad to do it. Q. Do you, of your own knowledge, know the mortality of the cases at Montauk? A. Not of my own knowledge. Q. But as a practitioner of long standing, treating children and people between the ages of 18 and 45, can you tell us what is the average percentage of mortality in typhoid, as you might think, taking any series of years? A. About 15 per cent-12 to 15 per cent. Q. If I were to say to you that the mortality at different points averaged from 2158 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. 5 to 10 per cent, and almost never exceeded 10 per cent, would you or would you not think that that indicated a fair degree of decent treatment of the cases? A. I should not draw any conclusion from that; in the German army the sta- tistics are very much less, and there is nothing so misleading as statistics of death in hospitals. It must depend on individual condition. Q. That is very true. A. To answer your question in another way, an extremely low death rate may be due to the mildness of the original infection, and I could not draw any definite conclusion in regard to it. Q. One thing you probably might feel willing to accept-that a very high mor- tality, simply considered as a factor, don't indicate a great lack of proper care and attention? A. That would depend entirely on how the mortality statistics were made up and whether it was a percentage of the total number of patients or in what way they were prepared. Q. I ask, if you have a thousand cases of typhoid-no doubt typhoid, demon- strated typhoid, if you please-and a low degree of mortality is noticeable in those cases, is it fair to assume that those cases have been neglected by their medical attendants? A. I should say not. By Governor Woodbury: Q. I would like to ask the doctor if when he made these two visits to Montauk did he go alone? A. Absolutely, sir; with the exception that Dr. Kennedy, who was going down on the occasion of my second visit, asked me to go as a personal friend. I went down solely for the purpose I have stated, of finding out what number of patients we were likely to have in the hospitals. Q. You were not employed by nor paid by anybody to go? A. No, sir. New York, November 21,1S98. TESTIMONY OF SAMUEL L. PARRISH. Samuel L. Parrish, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, hav- ing no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. What is your name and address? A. Samuel L. Parrish. My address is 44 Broadway; I am a lawyer here; and also 55 West Thirty-third street. Q. Had you any connection with Camp Wikoff in any way? A. Yes, sir; and perhaps, gentlemen, if I could make a statement-then any questions the commission might like to ask me Q. (Interrupting.) Just go on and tell us what you know. A. I took notes while I was there; the history of the thing is here: I am a summer resident of the village of Southampton and a resident of New York. When Camp Wikoff was started I offered to go over there. Mr. Howard Town- send represented the Red Cross, and I telegraphed him the day he went over, about the 10th of August, that I wanted to do anything I could, but he telegraphed back that it would not be necessary, so I did nothing further, naturally. The tales of distress came flying in over the community, and on August 26 I went over to Camp Wikoff to see for myself the conditions, and I saw very, very distressing scenes at the station and at the hospital and in the cars. Now, I can mention many of those cases, or sample cases, if you would like to hear them. SAMUEL L. PARRISH. 2159 Q. In general, what yon saw and where the responsibility rested for what you saw is what we are trying to get at. A. Well, perhaps I had better tell what I saw first. Q. Yes, sir. A. The first thing I noticed when I left the station was a soldier sitting on a wooden box, very ill. He had pernicious malaria, which I came to recognize by that great drawn appearance and yellow skin and, in fact, half-glazed eye. He was utterly helpless. I went to him and I asked him if anybody was looking after him. He could only answer in a whisper, and he told me he thought a lady had gone to get him something to drink. I could not do anything, so I looked around for some responsible person, and I couldn't find anybody, so I went on to the hospital. I went up in a wagon I got at the station, and as I drove up to the hospital the sur- geon in charge came out and asked me if I would take a man down to the station. I was arranging my wagon and the man was brought out. He was very ill-and, oh, yes, there happened to be another wagon standing there and he was put in that, and I said to the surgeon in charge, " That man is too ill to be moved," and he said, " I think he is." I said, " That means death," and he said, " I suppose it does." I said, " Why do you let him go if that means death? " and he said, "Family wanted him"-and he let him go. I returned to the station, and all the way to the station I was sitting next to an ill man, and I asked him in conversation-I got the information out of him-he told me he was going home to Missouri. I said, "Going home alone?" He said there were some companions, he believed, with him, and I said, " Have you got any money," and he answered, "No." "Well," I said, " what are you going to do when you get to New York?" He said, " I don't know, except lam to go to the Army Building." Well, the Army Building, as you all know, is not Thirty-fourth street, and there was that man going to arrive in New York too ill to walk. Naturally I gave him some money. Q. You don't know whether he had any money or not, except from what he told you? A. Naturally I could not search his pockets. This man was a young soldier, and he was one of the most attractive young men I ever met, and he showed me his furlough, which showed seven days' overdrawn rations, and he arrived at 7 o'clock at night at Thirty-fourth street station, and I don't know what became of him. Then I returned on the train the following Sunday, August 28. Mr. O. A. Kimball, one of the directors of the Long Island Railroad, asked me to go over with him, because the transportation from the station to the camp was very defect- ive. We went over there and we saw the conditions, and we went to see Colonel Roosevelt and had a talk with the Colonel. Of course, the Colonel was simply an officer in command of a regiment. He had not charge of a camp, so he was not in a position to take any directing part. I think if he had been in direction of the camp a few days things would have been different. Q. Do you think he had more ability than General Young and General Wheeler, experienced men, who had charge of the camp? A. I think the trouble with Camp Wikoff was this: That there was no active, intelligent, continuous directing mind back of the thing who was keeping track of things continuously; that was the trouble. All the men there were doing the best they could. I want to say here, before going any further, that the spirit of the camp was excellent. The workers, both volunteer and regular, were all exceedingly anxious to do everything they could. They were surrounded by sad and appalling conditions, and I received the greatest consideration from all the men there, from General Shafter down, with whom I was brought in contact. Q. Who was in command when you made your visits? A. There was a feature of the thing that brings this point up I make-that there was no continuous, directing, intelligent mind back of it. When I first went 2160 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. there General Wheeler was in command; then General Shafter was in command; then General Bates was in command; then General Shafter was in command. Q. How long was General Wheeler in command of the camp? A. I can't tell you, except this, that he was in command, I understood, when I went there on August 26. General Shafter succeeded General Wheeler in com- mand on Tuesday, September 6. I happened to know that. Shafter was in com- mand for some days, when he was called off. General Bates succeeded him, and when General Shafter came back he succeeded General Bates. Q. General Bates was temporarily in command during General Shafter's absence? A. Yes, sir. Now, when I arrived there on September 2 I took ovei' my own little wagon and horse and driver, and was able to keep them there, and boarded out the horse and the man by the life-saving station, so that I was one of the very few who had a wagon that could go all around, and, owing allegiance to no one, I could examine conditions rapidly, which I did in going from one of the camps, from one end of the camp to the other at all times. This man reported to me in the morning at 8 o'clock, and I went wherever it was necessary. On September 2, the day I arrived there to take up my permanent quarters-I lived in the Red Cross tent-I met General Williston and had a long talk with him. I wish we had General Williston here. Q. We have had him-his testimony in full. A. General Williston-I talked with him for an hour in the Red Cross tent, and he spoke very freely and very fully. I would not be at liberty to say what he told me. Q. That is not necessary; that is not bona fide evidence. A. I understand you give a certain amount of latitude in this commission. Q. It is not ad libitum. A. General Williston said, when I told him I came to do whatever I could, " If you came here for that purpose, you had better turn your attention to the Ninth Massachusetts and the Seventh Regular Infantry." As you know, he was in com- mand of the debarkation of the troops, so he knew more about it than anybody else. So I started off the next morning, Saturday, September 23, the day the President and Secretary Alger arrived there, and I went down to the Seventh Regular Infantry, and the conditions were these: I had this Red Cross badge on my arm, which was a sort of introduction, and I always went first to the com- manding officers, and they were always polite and nice, and they told me there were 525 officers and men of the Seventh Regular Infantry on September 23,1898. Q. In whose command? A. The commanding officer was Major Coolidge, although the ranking officer was Lieutenant-Colonel Carpenter, since made General Carpenter. And I saw a surgeon in charge, a fellow named Jones. Assistant Surgeon Jones himself had a temperature of 102, so he told me. I don't know-I was not taking his tempera- ture-he told me he had 102. He told me that of 525 officers and men 188 were on sick report, and he told me that all these 188 ought to be in the hospital, and the majority of the balance ought to be receiving medical attention. So with that information I went back to the general hospital, and it so happened that morning that Col. I. H. R. Goddard appeared on the scene with a boat, the City of Fall River. The boat was at the dock. He got in some way, notwith- standing the contract with the Long Island Railroad. He had his boat anchored there. He said-seeing this Red Cross emblem on my arm-he told me he had come with this boat, and he had 65 cots and 8 doctors and 12 nurses, and he asked me where he could get the men to take off, and I said, " Colonel, come with me to Colonel Forwood," and we went to Colonel Forwood. Colonel Goddard stated his case. He is a man well known. He stated his case and told who he was, and SAMUEL L. PARRISH. 2161 Colonel Forwood hemmed and hawed, and stated " he was very sorry he didn't have any information, and possibly he might be able to furnish some next day." He didn't promise that, however. I said, " Colonel, this is extraordinary. I saw 188 men there at least, and I was informed by the surgeon in charge." I told him what was told me by the surgeon in charge. I said, " I will go to Colonel Forwood and state the case-to him and see if we can't get the men to-day." So a friend of mine from Philadelphia, a doctor who knew Colonel Forwood, went with us. He said: " There are no men in this camp fit to be moved." I told him I had been down to the Seventh Regulars this morning, and then I related the conditions I have just told you. He was nice about it, and so he wrote out an order and handed it to me for Colonel Goddard; and I went to Colonel Goddard, who had his own wagon there, and Dr. Peters, of the Providence Hospital, and Dr. Walker, and we four went down and presented this order to Major Coolidge, and he said, "All right; he would be glad to have the men go," and " sick call" was sounded. I am not accustomed to camps. I own right up I don't know anything about camps. I have camped out, but I am not a military man. I do not think, how- ever, a man has to be a military man to observe certain conditions, and I saw men crawl out of the tents to answei' the sick call. They said " all right;" and the next question was to get the ambulances, so I started out to get the ambulances, and after waiting four hours and being kicked around from pillar to post, the gen- eral hospital people promised me the ambulances, but they didn't turn up, and Colonel Goddard was paying $500 a day for his boat, so it was important to hurry things along; so finally I went down to Colonel Goddard to report that they had told me at the general hospital they would send them, and I would go up there to expedite matters. Meantime, he was going up to see General Wheeler for the same purpose, and I went to the general hospital, and they told me the ambu- lances had been ordered to go to the Seventh Infantry; but meantime Colonel Goddard got an order from General Wheeler which brought the ambulances, and when I inquired of Captain Butterfield he told me he had never received any order from the general hospital, although they told me twice they had sent down. How- ever, we got the ambulances, so the men were loaded up and taken down to the boat, and that night about half past 6 or 7 o'clock we had 65 men of the Seventh Infantry on the boat. And a good many of the men had not had their clothes off, I was informed, since they came from Cuba. I would suggest here that if you go to Providence or Boston it would be very interesting to get the testimony of Colonel Goddard, and also of Dr. John M. Peters, who was the head man in that business, and who would know actually the con- dition of the men. Some died, but most of them recovered and went back to camp. That was on September 3. . On September 4 I visited the detention hos- pital and saw Major Ebert and the surgeon in charge, and they wanted a great many things, and-well, they said they couldn't get them, and asked me if I wouldn't get them for him, and I took a list exactly of what they were. Now, I merely remember 500 pajamas, and I went down to the Red Cross, and we sent up as many things as we could, and relieved them to that extent. I also visited the Ninth Massachusetts, and I saw there was so much to do that I concluded to devote myself to the regulars, because the volunteer organizations were being looked after. They were more likely to get help from home. Well, I found them in bad condition. They were terribly despondent. On the 5th, having been so successful, as I conceived it, in assisting in removing the men from the regi- mental camps-I saw that was the weak spot of the camp, so I went to see Gen- eral Wheeler, having visited the divisional hospitals-I went to see him about the deficiencies of those hospitals. I said, " General Wheeler, if we can do that thing again will you cooperate in getting the soldiers from the regimental tents into the private hospitals?" And he said he would; that he would be very glad to, and 2162 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. then I telegraphed to Colonel Goddard that same day, telling him of my interview with General Wheeler. Then I got replies and worked it up, and meantime, on Tuesday, General Shafter succeeded General Wheeler. I thought the thing to do was to keep close to the head of the line, so I went up to see General Shafter. 1 didn't know him and he didn't know me. I explained who I was, and lived in the neighborhood, and then I asked him whether he would take the view that General Wheeler did and cooperate or order the men from the regimental camps, because, you see, they were crowded there and couldn't get into the general hospital. Well, he said that was a pretty serious question and he would have to consult Washington about it. He said he had heard about Colonel Goddard, but from the Washington office-Senator Aldrich had taken an active interest in this business and had telegraphed from Washington. I told General Shafter all I could and I said, '' I know what the conditions will probably be here in the course of a week or ten days, and that you will have a new set of patients with new complaints, as far as the weather is concerned; that about the middle of September there is great danger of a new set of diseases coming in as a result of the unprotected condition of the tents." I said, "General, I tell you this. If Colonel Goddard conies over here with that kind of a boat, I know conditions "-I said, "I know conditions in this camp better than you do." I gave him some instances of things I had seen and he asked me where they had occurred, and I said, " Don't ask me that, because if I get known as a talebearer from the camps to the headquarters my usefulness is gone. " ' ' But," I said, ' • I tell you this, that if Col- onel Goddard arrives here with the conditions existing in this camp as I know, and private aid is refused, and the American people know that fact, and know condi- tions existed here, as they ultimately will know, that it will gravely reflect on the Administration, and the elections will show the result of the opinion of the people in regard to the Government." Well, I think that rather took him as an idea, and he said, ' • Mr. Parrish, I will let you know as soon as I hear from W ashington. " Sol went off. The next day Colonel Goddard arrived with his boat, and this time he had the City of Lawrence, and he had 133 cots, 12 doctors, and 25 nurses, and he came to me, as I had been arranging this thing, and he said-I said, " Colonel, come and we will go and see General Shafter." So we got into a wagon and drove a mile to the general hospital, and General Shafter had just gone, had started for New York. It was pretty early in the morning and we went down and caught him and found him at the station, and I said, "General Shafter,have you heard from Washington?" He told me, "No; he had not." "Well," I said, "now there is Colonel Goddard's boat"-it was in sight-and I said, "there is Colonel Goddard's boat; he has 133 cots, 12 doctors, and 25 nurses." I said, " There are the men in the camp." Well, he deliberated for a little while, and felt the responsibility of taking action of that kind; it was somewhat radical in view of the lack of instructions. However, his good heart-and I tell you I appreciate it-helped us and we carried the day, and he wrote an order on an envelope and handed it to Colonel Goddard to take men from the division hospital. I said, " That is not enough, because we may not be able to get very many men out there; won't you give me an order to get the men from the regimental camps?" I said, " That is the weak spot." Q. That is, the sick in quarters? A. Yes, sir; they had not been able to get into the hospital, and he gave me the order. Then Colonel Goddard and I went up to the division hospital, and they could only furnish nine men. Then I went over to Major Kilbourne, who was in headquarters, and had practically superseded Colonel Forwood. I don't know that Forwood also knew it, but Colonel Forwood was practically confined to the general hospital, and Major Kilbourne took charge of all the camp work, although, as I say, no general order was issued. Then he at once took the point and he was 2163 SAMUEL L. PARRISH. delighted. So he gave the orders. I have one here, if you would like to see it [exhibiting]. Q. So you got your quota filled before you got through? A. We found that it was so important we went to the other divisional surgeons, and we found that the situation was very distressing in some of the others, so we took the others. In fact, we got them off in the First Division, as I will show' you. So with those orders we went down and saw Major Harris, saw the surgeon in charge of that hospital, Third Division, and Major Powell, in charge of the Second Division, and Majoi' Wood, in charge of the First Division Hospital. It so happened that we got all our men from the First Division. They might just as well have been taken from the others, but we wanted to concentrate them. We were pay- ing $500 a day, and that is a matter of considerable importance-$500 a day for the City of Lawrence, so practically we took all of them from-I will show you where we took them Q. From the hospital or from quarters? A. We took them from quarters because they were receiving fairly reasonable treatment in the hospital, and it seemed to us much more important, because I had gone around the tents and knew the men, and I saw how sick they were; although I am not an expert I had a general idea, and I thought it was a great deal better'to take the men from the regimental tents, where they were receiving practically no attention at all, and I want to say here that those men were splendid men. I never saw a more uncomplaining set of persons in my life. I never saw more uncomplaining men than the American soldiers at Camp Wikoff. I saw con- ditions and I have stated facts, and some of these conditions were disgraceful. As I say, I never saw more uncomplaining men, both among the volunteers and regu- lars, than those at Wikoff. The complaints were of the conditions and not the men. We got out on that day, confining our efforts, as I have said, to the First Divisional hospital-the regiments of the First Division. We got 43 men from the Second Infantry, 45 men from the Sixth Infantry, and 39 men from the Sixteenth Infantry, and 9 men we got from the detention hospital-136 men-and they were taken by Colonel Goddard on this City of Lawrence on September 8 to Providence. I am giving you this Goddard business by itself, although there were quite a number of other things that are of interest that intervened. This didn't take up all my time. I found this: That the conditions in the camp in the regiments were exceedingly painful and the men were crowded together. I remember one case in one of the infantry regiments. I saw a tent where there were four men-sick men-they were crowded together, and I should say puking over each other in the night, etc., and these were conditions that made it so necessary to have this aid to remove those men to proper care, and my complaint about Montauk is I saw no active, intelligent, continuously directing mind back of all these things, who at once would know these conditions as I knew them. If President McKinley had put himself in my hands when he visited camp on Saturday, September 3, and gone with me I could have shown him a number of things he did not see. That was a sort of parade visit. You could not expect a man in his position to go and look into all the things I could. Q. Naturally, the other people don't want to show him what you saw? A. Naturally, he is not there to see it and they were not there to show it. Then I can say this: That is, practically, the work I did with Colonel Goddard. I saw that was the gist of the matter. All this work the ladies did was splendid, and I do not think they ought to be belittled in any way. But they did it in the narrow line of knowing the men. They knew the men. I didn't know the name of a single man there outside of the officers. Q. I think you had another consignment at another time. A. There is an interesting story connected with that. 2164 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Tell us about that. A. On September 8 Mr. Townsend, handed me this note from Dr. Kennedy. He was sent down by somebody to examine into the conditions of the camp, and he said: " Dr. Townsend, before leaving camp I went over to the Tenth Infantry camp. Their surgeon, Ames, is an excellent man, who was shaking in bed when I saw him. A great many men of the regiment are suffering from malarial trouble. They have a violent chill and fever one day and then are free for two or three days and. are on duty. They have no board floors, and they will hardly make progress under these conditions. There is a crying need of cots. I would earnestly suggest that you go to his quarters to-day and talk with him and get his orders filled. Pray make every effort to hurry up the matter so that these men will not have to go longer without board floors for their tents. All the men are below par, and the need of this attention is imperative." Q. Did the tents of the regulars go without board floors during the continuance of that camp? A. Practically they did, as far as I could see. Q. Do you know whether that was by their request or whether they wanted the floors? A. I don't know; I can't tell you. Q. As a general thing the regulars prefer the ground to a board floor, but whether they did in this case you don't know? A. I know that the Second Infantry recruits-a great many of these men were recruits- Q. They would naturally want the floors? A. They didn't have even bed sacks. They came to me for some of them. I couldn't give them bed sacks. Q. Did they have blankets? A. Of course they were pretty raw and not accustomed to that thing, and in the Second Infantry the sick list was constantly increased, so that when I went down there on the 10th of September they had 299 men on the sick report. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Was most of that sickness confined to the regulars? A. I can't tell that. I simply know there were 299 men on the sick report, as explained to me by the physicians. A certain number of the regulars furnished a very large proportion, I have no doubt. He said further: " I visited ten camps of regulars to-day, and without exception the officers and surgeons begged that this might be done to them. They didn't complain." That is one thing I want to say. I never saw a more uncomplaining set of men in my life. By General Beaver: Q. They probably knew what they had gone for and knew how to take it. We found that among the regulars, all the way through. They didn't complain, only when there was something to complain of, in many instances. A. "But they appealed to me as physicians on this point." They were not complaining; a more uncomplaining set of men I never saw, but they simply stated facts. " I appealed to you to use your good discretion." As a result of that letter-Dr. Townsend handed it to me; he was busy and I read it, and con- cluded that the best thing to do there was to give the cause, and also to treat the thing radically and get the cots out of the tents, and so I saw Major Brown, the executive officer of the general hospital, and told him I understood the Tenth Infantry was in bad shape and could not I get them off on the boat-on the Shin- necock-that was going off on that night, and he stated that was a good idea. So I got an order from him and I took the ambulance, and I went ahead about a half hour to inform the surgeon in the Tenth Infantry (the commanding officer SAMUEL L. PARRISH. 2165 was Colonel Smith at that time) that this ambulance was coming down to take the men on the boats; so we got the men ready and the ambulance came down about half an hour after I arrived there, and the men were put in the ambulance, and I said-the doctor came to me and he said, " Have you a written order?" I said, " No; I understand Major Brown was going to send down a written order by one of the ambulance drivers. I came ahead to arrange matters." I said, "I will go back and get the written order." So I went back and saw Major Brown, and Brown said he could not give a written order; so he said the men would have to go up to the general hospital first. Q. They were not under his jurisdiction until they got there? A. I know, but he had not taken hold of the question before, because he had given me the order and given me the ambulance. He said they would have to go up to the general hospital, so I started back. Well, I saw the ambulance started for the boat and Brown said the boat had sailed, but I was certain the boat had not sailed, and so I let them go and knew the worst that could happen was to take them to the general hospital again. The boat had not sailed, and I got these men on board and they went down that night, and Colonel Smith wanted some- thing to show for it and Brown could not get it for them. I couldn't get it. He asked me whether the men were off, and I said they were being looked after in the New York hospitals now. Then I brought up men about that time from the regi- mental camps to the hospital. You see, as I see Surgeon-General Sternberg says in his report, which I read in the paper this morning, that the conditions were such that they gladly accepted aid from all quarters, and at the same time I felt assured that in view of the conditions there that everyone was willing to have assistance and to remedy the conditions, and when there is burying and dying around you, you don't stop. Q. How many did Colonel Goddard take out that trip? A. Sixty-five and 136, and we sent 44 down that night, and that made 245; and all this time I was working in this way I was also looking after the men, moving as rapidly as I could in my little wagon. I knew conditions, and when I found that the men needed attention I saw that they were brought to the hospitals, and I got quite a number of men. Several cases were brought to my attention. I took them to the divisional hospitals. I went down to the infantry camps that day, and I saw a poor devil crawling out of his tent. He was delirious. The man was delirious with fever, crying for water. That was one of the cases. When I told that to General Shafter he asked me where it occurred, and I said I couldn't tell him where it occurred. I saw men that day in terrible pain, and one man called me as I went by and asked me if I could not, for God's sake, do something for him, and another man was lying on the ground with something tied around his head, with high fever, and another man who stopped me said he had some- thing the matter with his head; so I got an ambulance and took these men up to the second divisional hospital, and the doctor said the two were very ill men. Q. Did you come in contact with the company commanders of the companies in these regiments? A. I did with some of them. Q. What were they doing? A. The trouble was this. There is this point about it, the cases that I have just mentioned. The man that crawled out of this tent was delirious. I just hap- pened by. The officer would have seen him as well as I and looked after him, but I will say this, in that particular case, that the surgeon in charge of that particular company was a very ill man himself, up in the second divisional hospital. It was just one of those hiatuses. I saw him afterwards, and he was so ill he couldn't talk. You couldn't have things just as you wanted them in the camp, and these cases I have just mentioned were exceptional; that is, so far as I know. 2166 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. How long did this condition of things continue? When was there a let-up in this condition of things, or did it continue during the entire time of the exist- ence of the camp? A. I didn't see the worst of it; the worst of it was before I got there. Q. The worst of it was from the 16th to the 1st; did you reach there when that was? A. The worst of it was this, that when the men came in from the transports they had 1,672 beds in the general hospital. I calculated, on the basis of what I saw there, that there were 3,000 or 4,000 men that ought to have been in the hospital, but were not because they didn't even have room for them when they had empty beds. Colonel Forwood testified that there was no time when there were not 50 to 500 beds in the general hospital. That is not so. Q. That is, that it would be easy from his standpoint, not from yours, for the reason that you knew of 50 to 500, men that ought to have been in those beds? A. I knew more than that. Q. I have no doubt that Colonel Forwood-that what Colonel Forwood saw was so; whether they had empty beds that ought to have been filled was a question. A. The taking of these men from the regimental quarters was not always feasi- ble in the minds of the general hospital authorities, because they were expecting very ill men from the transports; they couldn't tell how many men might come there, and there were empty beds that, according to the hospital authorities, could be filled. That was one of the conditions I ran up against. And then they opened the divisional hospitals, but they were not opened until about a month after the camp had been started. The trouble was, in my judgment, that there was not proper foresight in view of the well-known conditions the Government would have to grapple with at Montauk. On September 10 I saw Major Clifford, who was desirous of getting the men from the camp, and would accept private aid. Then I started around to arrange for further private aid. The point was to get the men away, and if the men couldn't do it quick enough, let somebody else do it. I told that to General Shafter. I saw the commanding officers of the Second, Sixth, and Sixteenth Infantry. Dr. Anderson, of the Second Infantry, wanted to furnish 30 men to go, and Dr. Von Ash, of the Sixth, said he would furnish 50 to 60 men, and the doctor of the Sixteenth said he would furnish 60 to 70 men, and Dr. Wood was also anxious to send men away. These were the conditions that existed on September 10. I saw Colonel Greenleaf, so if we couldn't get the men away to get them to the general hospital. In some cases the doctors themselves were quite ill. Colonel Greenleaf said, on September 11, that the Government would look after the men, and they didn't want any private aid. And I said, " Colonel, how about helping you out until the Government is prepared to look after them." He said, " I don't approve of that, because that involves two moves." The policy of the Government at that time, and I understand how they felt about it, that they felt that we outsiders-although, as I say, every one saw the inside feeling toward all of us in my observation-that it was not proper. Q. That is, that the Government ought to be able to take care of their own men and do it properly? A. Yes; but they had not been doing it, and it was only as a result of private aid from what, as Colonel Forwood said, was public clamor. After that I got sick myself and thought it was about time to go home. I had a fever attack, as a result of drinking milk furnished by the Government, and I went home, and in two or three days I was all right again, and I told Townsend I would be glad to go back again and spend several days in less-exciting work, in one sense, and that was in looking after the private hospital cars that Mrs. Whitelaw Reid fur- nished-three hospital cars furnished, one by Emerson McMillan and two by Mrs. Whitelaw Reid-and I want to say they did immense service. Q. That is, they sent cars down simply to bring men up to New York? SAMUEL L. PARRISH. 2167 A. It was this: These men would come down there in wretched condition and be sent on, and then the regiments would be going off with a lot of sick men who didn't want to leave their regiments, and at the same time the Government fur- nished no accommodation for them, and these private hospital cars were devoted to use as regular hospital cars-were used to transport men when for one reason or another they were being sent out of camp-and I would report to General Shafter and ask him what regiments were being sent off that day, and he would tell me, and then I would go to the officers of that regiment and ask them how many sick men they would require looking after, and then I would go down to the car and have everything prepared for these men when they came down; and the result was that a great many men were saved as a result of the care extended to them privately which ought to have been done by the Government. The trouble, as I say, was that these things were not personally and properly looked after; and my story, without any comment, and the fact that a single private individual could go into the camp and doas I did, it seems to me, shows that there was something wrong somewhere, because in a properly run camp I would have had no place, and I was surprised that I did have a place there and accomplished as much as I did. It was simply because I was untrammeled and could go from one place to another. Q. You didn't go into the hospital, as I took it? A. I went into the hospitals, but I didn't make a specialty of that. There were so many excellent men in the general hospital, and the work I did was the work they couldn't have done. I went into the divisional hospital and then reported to the Red Cross; and I will say this, that the officers told me, without any reserve, that if it had not been for the Red Cross they do not know what they would have done in regard to food. When I went there I went down in the regi- ments, and the commanding officers saw me there, and there was plenty of food when I was there, but it was courteously sent there by private aid. The Merchants' Transportation Company and all these various volunteer relief organizations, and the Red Cross, furnished an immense amount of stuff, and at the end they had more than they could do anything with, so that the story is correct; but there are two sides to it, and in the early days they didn't have enough, and when the people got wind of it they had more than they could use, so that both stories are true. They didn't have enough at one time, and they had more than ample at another time. Q. The Government and private individuals both began shipping in large quan- tities, didn't they; for General Wheeler's testimony is that they ordered immense stores of dried fruits, etc., for the benefit of the men? A. There was another objection. I don't know anything about it, personally, but I used to see things heaped up at the station, and from what I saw and heard there was not much order about it. The difficulties of transportation were very great. When General Wheeler was in command there were only sixteen ambu- lances, on September 5, 6, and 7, in the camp, for 20,000 men. I asked General Wheeler about it, and he said they had sent out to Ohio for some. Q. At the beginning the ambulances had to be made; there were no such in the country, were there? A. I don't know, but this is guesswork on my part; if there had been a call for ambulances in New York I am sure-I take it we could have secured all that were necessary. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Didn't the Government employ a great many wagons all through there? A. I had a private wagon sent over to me by a man named Charles T. Brown, of New York, and I sent that around to regiments to use, and it came in very handy. In other words, the transportation was not there. It was very short in 2168 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. the beginning, in a certain way. At the same time, if you would go to a regi- ment you would find they would give anything if they could have the use of a wagon for some purpose. Q. The transportation of lumber for the hospitals and for the tents amounted to 2,000,000 feet, and during the whole time, and the transportation of subsistence and forage all occupied the time of the wagons, I suppose, so that the regiments got very little. A. I should imagine that was the trouble, but there was any quantity of wag- ons; but when you went to a regiment and asked them if they wanted a wagon, they were very glad to take it in some instances, and in some instances they didn't want it. I offered my wagon to a regiment and they said "much obliged, but they didn't need it." By General Wilson: Q. Have you anything else you wish to state for the information of the com mission? A. No; I have stated the facts. I could tell you a good many things that were interesting, but naturally-I guess it isn't necessary; you have my story. By General McCook: Q. Did you know of any officer of the Army, medical or in the line, that you saw, neglecting his duty and not paying attention to his men? A. General, that is a pretty hard question, because, if you had the power of punishment for contempt, I would have to answer, and that is the trouble with this commission. A man doesn't feel he is protected, because everything he says is really volunteer testimony. By Colonel Sexton: Q. You don't need any protection; you are a private citizen. A. I know a case, yes; but I know a case there where I think a man was a most improper man to have in a responsible position, and yet I would not like to say so. I do not know that it would do any good. He treated me very nicely, per- sonally, and for me to come here and to voluntarily say that I think he was a thorougly incompetent person-I do not think that would help. By Dr. Conner: Q. You yourself are acquainted with the facts. The country is complaining that the Government and certain officers of the Government, and particularly the Medical Department of the Government, had not been doing its duty. You are familiar with the fact that the commission is appointed without authority to com- pel you to answer. Do you think it is fair to any party, to the country, or to us, or to the Army, to decline to give us facts that you have, and to decline it on the ground that we can't compel you to give it? A. Where it would compromise my personal relations, which were pleasant, over and against an individual, yes. It seems to me that your commission ought to have been clothed with authority to compel testimony, to arrive at the thor- oughly satisfactory knowledge of a great many things that you can't get other- wise, because, as I say, the people feel just as I do. There are undoubtedly hundreds of officers who would be delighted to tell what they know if they could protect themselves by stating what they had to tell that they were compelled to tell it. Q. You are the first man who has said to this commission that you decline to give information because you are not compelled to do it. There has been a great outcry in this country, and all sorts of charges are made, and the newspapers are full of the crimes and enormities, and we ask you to aid us in finding out who is at fault, and you reply that you are not compelled to. SAMUEL L. PARRISH. 2169 A. I am glad that yon put that that way. I say that you can't get at the truth there except by a Congressional investigation that has power to compel testimony and punish witnesses for contempt, and I hope the gentleman will take that down. By General Beaver: Q. The army officers don't seem to be afraid, and they are the only people that need to shield themselves, because the President of the United States says he will stand by any army officer who tells us all he knows, and we have uniformly said we will stand between you, by the authority of the President, and any conse- quences arising by your telling us all you know. You are a private citizen; nobody can harm you; there is no libel in it. A. My position is accentuated as showing the necessity of a Congressional inves- tigation. Colonel Sexton. We didn't appoint ourselves. By Dr. Conner: Q. We would be very glad to hear anything further that you have to say on the subject, although having declined to give the information asked for, that is the end of it, as-far as I am concerned. A. I shall have to continue to decline. By General Beaver: Q. That is your privilege. If there are other gentlemen like you who want to testify before a Congressional committee and get a trip to Washington you may have an opportunity to do so and you may not, and it would be better for you to testify before us now. A. General, if you mean to infer by that that I am personally seeking a trip to Washington at the expense of the Government, you do me an injustice Q. I don't say that. A. I consider that a very unfair suggestion, and if you knew a little more about me and my position in this community, and the fact that if I wanted to go to Washington I could do so, I don't think you would make it. By Colonel Sexton: Q. This commission has been asked by the President of the United States to find out and fix the responsibility. If officers under the President's commission are responsible, we would like to know that and report that fact to him. There is a way of punishing them under the rules and regulations governing the Army of the United States. A. How does that help us? If we can't reach the person who is responsible, the mere fact that somebody was responsible is no help to us at all. In regard to that, my idea is that the result will be that the whole system will be shown to have been wrong, and that the facts that you have got here in the course of examina- tion, when put into the form of a report, will be of immense service and enable somebody to intelligently draw a bill for the purpose of reorganizing the Army, and I would assist that, which is the great thing I am after. By General Beaver: Q. The unfair position is this: That it leaves every officer who was there sub- ject to at least an inference that he was incompetent, and if we can't call on the officers, if we can't have the names of the officers specified, so that they can come and tell us why it was that this condition existed, then the responsibility must rest upon all the men. A. I think, with the testimony that I have given, and that of the others you have heard, the responsibility is sufficiently diluted to render it unnecessary to go into particulars. 2170 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Washington, D. November 21,1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. S. CLIFFORD COX. Dr. S. Clifford Cox then appeared before the commission, and the president thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the Presi- dent of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By Colonel Denby: Q. State your name and residence. A. Dr. S. Clifford Cox; 2008 I street, Washington, D. C. Q. State whether you were in the recent war; and if so, in what capacity. A. I was first lieutenant and assistant surgeon of the First District of Columbia Volunteer Regiment, and served as such all through the war. Q. How many surgeons were in that regiment? A. There were three, but only two surgeons in a regiment, one being on detached duty in Tampa. Later we had an acting assistant surgeon assigned to the regi- ment, who had charge of the regiment when it arrived at Montauk from Cuba. Q. The regiment arrived in two detachments? A. The first detachment consisted of the Second and Third battalions, of which I was in charge. Q. Was Henry A. Dobson in the first detachment? A. He was. Q. Then he was under your charge? A. He was. Q. Will you tell us, in your own way, all that you know of the case of Henry A. Dobson? A. When the detachment arrived at Montauk I was indisposed myself and I turned over the morning sick call to my assistant, Dr. R. G. Ebert, acting assist- ant surgeon, but I did not go on the sick list, nor did I give up my duty entirely, but I did not feel able to attend the morning sick call. I simply looked after the medical department generally. Sergeant Dobson was reported sick on the 27th of August. Q. Let me ask you there whether Dobson had been sick before that, to your knowledge? A. Well, not on the transport coming up. I was taken sick on the transport, and he was not sick, to my official knowledge. I heard him say one day he had a chill; that was all I knew of his case, and he did not report sick at all, because he carried medicines himself. His father was a physician, and before he left home his fathei' gave him a lot of medicines and he was in the habit of taking his own medicine; and on the transport he did not report sick, and I do not think he was treated by us at all. Dr. Ebert attended to the sick at the regular morning call. I looked after them through the day and attended to the medical department generally. Q. Go on, from the time you arrived at Montauk. A. Dobson reported sick on the 27th of August and was attended by Dr. Ebert from that to the 3d of September. During that time, of course, I knew nothing about Dobson's condition. I had so many other things to attend to; and another thing, we adopted the same rule in the Army that physicians do in regular prac- tice-they do not interfere with others' patients. So Dr. Ebert attended to Dob- son from the 27th of August until the 3d of September, as our records show. On the 3d of September I had recovered from my attack; I attended to morning sick call myself. On that morning Sergeant Dobson's name appeared on his com- pany's sick book. DR. S. CLIFFORD COX. 2171 Q. What day was that? A. Third of September. I called his name and he did not answer. I asked the sergeant who brought down the sick where Sergeant Dobson was, and he said he was in his tent. Well, it was our rule that when a man did not answer to his name at sick call we would mark him " duty" and investigate the case later, but if he was really sick we would give a verbal order to his captain to excuse him from duty. That was done in order to keep men from pretending they were sick when they were not sick. If we had not adopted that plan, for instance, when a man wanted to shirk duty he could merely report that he was sick and he would be excused from duty, so we adopted the rule that everyone on the sick list should report at sick call. So we investigated this case and told the captain to excuse Dobson from duty and verbally ordered that he be placed on the sick list and kept in quarters. So I marked him " duty " that morning because I had not seen him, but immediately after sick call I saw Sergeant Dobson. I saw he was sick and I told his captain to mark him " quarters." He was marked " quarters." Q. That took him oft duty? A. That took him oft duty from the 27th of August until he died. During that time he never did any duty. On the 4th of September I went to see him again and marked him " quarters" again. On the 5th of September, after I saw him I diagnosed his case as typhoid fever and I reported to his captain that he had typhoid fever and ordered him to the hospital, as the records show. Q. What hospital? A. The general hospital at Montauk. I also told Dobson he would have to go to the hospital, though I did not tell him he had typhoid fever, because he was a very sensitive and nervous boy, and I thought that if I should tell him he had typhoid fever it would do him harm. I also told Dr. Pyles, regimental surgeon. I also immediately ordered him to the hospital. He begged piteously not to be sent to the hospital. Q. State all about that. A. He begged me not to send him to the hospital. He wanted to go back to Washington with his regiment. He wanted to go back with his regiment that he might march up the avenue with the boys, and he thought if he went to the hos- pital it would do him harm. Q. What day was that? A. The 5th of September. I had seen him on the 3d and 4th; this was on the 5th. He told his captain the same thing. He asked his captain to come to me. I left him and continued to attend to my duties, one of which was to send for an ambulance for him. He asked his captain to come to me and ask that he be allowed to stay there. His captain asked me. I told him he would have to go to the hospital. I went back and reasoned with him again. I told him he would be better off at the hospital. Q. How was he getting along there? A. Well, he was probably getting along as well as if he were at the hospital. At that time he was not very sick. I sent him on general principles. Q. When you went to see him you found him in his tent? A. Yes; he had a hammock but would not use it. He said he preferred lying on the ground. He had a good bed. Q. He said he preferred lying on the ground? A. He said he preferred lying on the ground. Q. Did you examine his bed? A. I think I did. Probably I did not examine it minutely, but I think he had a comfortable bed under those conditions. Q. What was the condition of the weather? A. The weather was very good. Q. Clear? 2172 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Clear. Q. Dry? A. Yes, dry; and he had a hammock in his tent that he could have swung if he had preferred it, but he preferred lying on the ground. Q. The first time you saw him did he say he was sick? A. Well, no; he complained somewhat that he was sick, but not that he was very sick. In fact, when I ordered him to the hospital he wanted to say he was not sick enough to go to the hospital. He tried to make out that his sickness was as light as possible in order that he might go home with the regiment. Q. You first saw him on the 3d of September? A. Yes; the 3d. Q. Did you come to any conclusion what ailed him? A. I could not make any diagnosis the first time I saw him. In typhoid fever you have to take two or three days in order to make a diagnosis. In fact, most physicians require longer than that. You have to take the temperature and wait for symptoms to be developed, and it is impossible to diagnose a case the first time you see it. Q. You saw him on the 4th ? A. On the 4th. I did not make a diagnosis on the 4th. I suspected typhoid then. Q. Then the 5th was the first day you concluded he had typhoid ? A. Yes ; the 5th. Q. You were not the only physician who saw him during these days ? A. No; Dr. Pyles made a visit to him about that time. I do not know just what day ; but I do not think he attempted to make a diagnosis or to suggest any treatment. He simply visited him because he knew him and liked him. Dobson was a very popular boy and we all liked him. We very often visited boys in sick quarters although not attending them. We looked after them generally and cheered them up sometimes. Q. Where is Dr. Ebert ? A. Dr. Ebert's residence is in Atlanta, Ga. I really do not know whether he is there. He may still be in the Army. I presume he is. Q. Did he treat Dobson after his arrival ? He arrived on the 27th of August? A. Yes; the 27th of August. Q. And you did not see him until the 3d ? A. The 3d of September, Q. What physician saw him from the 27th to the 3d? A. Dr. Ebert saw him right along. Q. Did he treat him? A. Yes, he treated him. Q. Although not on the sick list? A. Oh, yes. Q. Did you have conversation with Dr. Ebert about the malady? A. None that I remember. Q. You do not know what Dr. Ebert treated him for nor what he did for him? He was with Dr. Ebert until the 3d? A. Until the 3d. Q. Did you have conversation about Dobson? A. Well. I do not remember the result. Ebert did not report to me that he had typhoid, I know, because I made the diagnosis myself on the 5th of September. It had not been suggested to me. Q. Do your records show what Ebert treated Dobson for? A. Dr. Pyles is in charge of our regimental records, and they have been taken into the Department, I think. I really do not know what the records show. Q. The complaint made by the Dobson family practically is that Dobson was 2173 DR. S. CLIFFORD COX. kept too long in camp and that he ought to have been sent to the hospital before he was sent. What do you say about that, Doctor? A. Colonel, I.say in regard to Dobson's condition, when he left us for the hos- pital, it was as good as if he had been in the hospital. He had such a mild case of typhoid fever it was hard to diagnose. It was very mild. Q. Do you sometimes diagnose typhoid fever as malaria? A. It has been done. Q. Is it difficult to find out whether the man has typhoid or not? A. It is, under some circumstances. If you have a patient where you can study him for some time it is less difficult. If you have only a few patients, to whom you can give your attention and study them from time to time, it is not hard, although mistakes are made frequently. Q. Well, Doctor, in your opinion ought Dobson to have been sent to the hos- pital before you saw him-that is, before the 3d? A. I will answer that this way, Colonel. As he had typhoid fever, on general principles he should have been sent to the hospital before I saw him, but prac- tically his condition was just as good when he left us as it would have been had he been in a hospital. On general principles, typhoid patients should be in the hospital and in bed, but in Dobson's case he would not have been in any bettei' condition had he been sent to the hospital. He was on liquid diet, but his case had not been diagnosed as typhoid. Q. Was special attention paid to his diet? A. Oh, yes; that was done in all fever cases. Q. In this particular case? A. I know it was done in all cases. Q. How would a man in his tent be able to get this diet? A. Captains of companies saw to that. They saw that all men sick in quarters were ordered a liquid diet. All men marked ' ' sick in quarters " had special diet. Q. What do you mean by liquid diet? A. I had beef tea, milk, and some canned soups-canned bouillon and clam broth and such things as that. Q. Do you know that Dobson got these things? A. I am certain he did. The captain saw to it that he got them. Every man sick in quarters was given that when he had a fever. Q. Doctor, how did it happen you saw him on the 3d and 4th and 5th and did not diagnose the disease until the 5th? A. Principally because I wanted a day or two to study the case. The 3d was the first day I saw him. I had no official notice that he had been sick any length of time or that he had disease sufficient to cause him to be sent to the general hospital. We were required to keep patients in quarters who suffered only tem- porary sickness. Q. When you first saw him what did you think was the matter with him? A. I would not like to say. I would not attempt to say; because a man has fever does not indicate what his disease is. That is all the symptom he showed, and I could not make a diagnosis. The fever might indicate intermittent, remit- tent, or yellow fever. It might indicate a great many things. The fever itself does not prove anything. It is simply a symptom. Q. On the 3d and 4th you were studying his case? A. I was studying his case. Q. As soon as you saw he had typhoid fever you ordered him to the hospital? A. I ordered him to the hospital. I saw him in his tent on the 5th, and I made a thorough examination. Q. What time of the day was that? A. On the morning of the 5th, right after sick call. His case was then devel- 2174 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. oped enough, to show typhoid fever. I immediately pronounced it typhoid, and told him he must go to the hospital. Q. In your opinion, did he suffer any by that delay? A. Not a bit. Q. How can you say that? A. Because he was in such good condition. Q. The presumption is he had typhoid fever from the beginning? A. In that stage of typhoid fever, treated under the best circumstances-that is, if he had been in bed and had every article of food which would be given a typhoid patient who was receiving the best treatment, he would not have been any better off. He had a good pulse; his temperature was not high: he had no delirium- nothing to show a bad condition at all. To show you what his condition was, I will say when he came out of his tent to get into the ambulance he would not let anybody help him into the ambulance; he walked out and got in himself. Q. Was his mother there? A. No; I have never seen his mother. When he got into the ambulance he had a big orange in his hand. I said, " Sergeant, what are you going to do with that orange? " He said, ' ' I am going to eat it. " He said, '11 want it, and Dr. Pyles said I could eat it." I said, "You are not going to eat it here. If you take it with you you must ask the surgeon in the hospital whether you can eat it." He took it with him and probably ate it. Q. He was not delirious at that time? A. Not a bit. Q. How far was the general hospital from his camp? A. I would say about a mile. Q. Was he lying in the ambulance? A. Yes, sir; lying on the floor. Q. You know what his condition was then? A. Very good. Q. The ambulance had two mules? A. Yes, sir. Q. At what gait did the driver go as far as you could see him? A. I could not see him. I did not see him after he left the camp. Q. Your connection with the case ceased then? A. Yes; it ceased then. Q. When he went to the general hospital they sent him from there to New York? A. So I understand. Q. Was that proper? A. No, sir; I have no doubt in the world about that. Q. Going to New York, he had to go on a ship? A. Yes, sir. Q. And would be on that trip all night? A. Yes, sir. He had to be transported to the ship from the hospital, and then when he got to New York was taken to the Long Island Hospital. I understand he first went to St. Peter's Hospital and afterwards was moved to Long Island City Hospital. There is no doubt that he was killed by being moved around. Q. In your opinion he should have been kept at the general hospital? A. He should have been kept there. Q. Who was the surgeon in charge of the general hospital? A. Colonel Forwood was in charge; Major Brown was executive officer. Q. Did you consider his case dangerous when you saw him on the 5th? A. Not a bit. Q. Did you know what his general health had been before that? A. Very good, I think. I don't think he had ever been sick to amount to any- DR. S. CLIFFORD COX. 2175 thing. He was a very nervous and hysterical boy, and he would complain a good deal-that is, he would come around and say something about not feeling very well. For instance, in Tampa he had an attack of homesickness that really pre- vented him from being commissioned as second lieutenant. He was senior first sergeant of the regiment and in the natural order of things would have received a commission as second lieutenant, but he had an attack of homesickness in Tampa, and that, I know from very good authority, prevented him from being commis- sioned. He was hysterical and crying. Q. Do you know his age; he was about 20? A. I do not know his age, but it was about that. He looked older. Q. You think if he had been sent to the hospital on the 3d it would have made no difference in his case? A. Not a bit. Q. No injury by remaining two days longer? A. I do not know but that his condition was better on the 5th than on the 3d. He was not injured in the least by staying there two days, and when he left us there was no reason in the world for his dying under ordinary conditions. Q. Was it customary at Montauk to send people who were sick from the general hospital to New York? A. No, sir; not except at their own request or upon request of their friends. Sometimes their friends would worry doctors to let them go, but the doctors nevei- sent them away of their own accord. I do not know of such a case. Q. Did they keep people in the general hospital who had typhoid fever? A. Yes; those who had typhoid fever were kept. Q. Stayed there until cured? A. Until cured; oh, yes. Q. How can you account for his being sent to New York? A. I would like to have our hospital steward brought here as a witness-Steward King. He will testify that Mrs. Dobson asked him to use his influence to have her son taken from the general hospital and sent to New York when he had not been there ovei- twenty-four hours, and he did it. He went to the surgeon in charge. Q. Then your opinion was that it was wrong to send the boy to New York and that it probably aggravated the disease? A. It probably aggravated the disease. In addition to typhoid fever this boy had a bad heart. I did not think about that when you asked me of his condition previous to that time. I remember he said he had heart disease, as did the captain of his company; so the moving to which he was subjected would be likely to cause heart failure, especially when he had typhoid fever. Q. Do you wish to state anything further about this case? A. I know of nothing else, except I have a record here which shows that he was marked "sick in quarters" August 27, "attended by Dr. Ebert;" 28th, "quar- ters, Ebert;" 29th, "quarters, Ebert;" 30th, "quarters." Q. There is one question I omitted to ask. When you send a man from the camp to the general hospital do you send any papers stating what his malady is? A. Well, I did sometimes. I do not remember whether we did in Montauk. I could not answei* that. Q. In this particular case did you send any paper saying what was the matter with him? A. I do not think I did. I do not remember. I would not say positively. W e did that sometimes. Q. Did you pin anything upon his coat-any paper? A. No, sir; I never did anything of that kind. I heard they did that at the gen- eral hospital when he was sent from there to Long Island. Q. You pinned nothing on his coat? 2176 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I pinned nothing on his coat. Q. Sent no papers with him? A. I sent no papers I know of. Sometimes I would write the names of the patients and send them with the ambulance. I would give them to the driver to be taken to the hospital. Q. Would you indicate in some way what was the matter with him? A. Well, no; because we generally left that to the doctor. Doctors don't always agree in regard to a case. They don't always make the same diagnosis, and they usually let the doctor in charge of the hospital make the diagnosis. Q. Then, in point of fact, you do not generally send any diagnosis? A. No. Q. And did notin this case? A. And did not in this case. Q. Now, that paper you wanted to introduce? A. No; it is not a paper, it is simply a transcript from the company's sick book, showing the dates he reported sick, and how he was marked, and who treated him. The sick book shows that from August 27 to September 3 he was treated by Dr. Ebert, and from the 3d to the 5th by myself, and marked " to hospital " on the 5th. I would like to have Captain Hodges, of Company D, summoned, too; he will tes- tify that I made a diagnosis of typhoid fever, and told him that Dobson had it. I would like to have that testimony, because Dr. Dobson says I never diagnosed the case as typhoid fever. I want to show it was so diagnosed. Washington, D. C., November 21, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CORPL. WILLIAM C. RYAN. Corpl. William C. Ryan having no objection to being sworn, was thereupon duly sworn, and testified as follows: By Colonel Denby: (Corporal Ryan testifies that he is now a resident of Washington, formerly being from Michigan.) Q. Were you engaged in the recent war; and if so, in what capacity? A. Yes; as a corporal. Q. What company? A. Company D, First District of Columbia Volunteers. Q. You knew Dr. Cox? A. Yes. Q. You knew Henry A. Dobson? A. Yes, sir. Q. He was first sergeant of your company? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did Dr. Cox make any report to you, or ever have any conversation with you, in regard to Dobson's case? A. Never. Iwas ranking corporal and acting as first sergeant September 2, and I carried the sick report that morning to Dr. Cox-no, Dr. Ebert was there. He was marked " quarters " by Dr. Ebert, and he stayed in his tent. Q. That meant he stayed in his quarters? A. Yes; in his quarters. He was not able to go up. On the morning of Sep- tember 3 I carried the sick report up. Dr. Cox asked, "How is Dobson?" I said, "He is about the same." He said, "These men have got to come to see me." I said he was not able to come. I had Sergeant Dobson brought to his tent by A. Yes. CORPL. WILLIAM C. RYAN. 2177 two men. After they took Sergeant Dobson up there he held on to the pole of the tent to steady himself. Dr. Cox was in charge. I would not say whether he took the temperature or not. He was leaning on the pole and Dr. Cox said, "I guess I will mark you 'duty.'" He said, "Doctor, I am not able to do duty." He said, " I have pains in my kidneys and in my back." He said, " I will mark you ' duty.'" He was marked " duty" September 3 and taken back to quarters. 1 told Sergeant Dobson he need not look after company work. He was not able to do so. September 4 he was marked " duty " again by Dr. Cox. Q. Did not Dr. Cox go to see him in his tent on the 3d? A. No; on the 4th. Dobson was not able to go to sick call, and the doctor said he would go to see him. Q. On the 4th he could not go to sick call? A. Yes, sir. Q. He was sick? A. Yes, sir. Q. And unable to walk without assistance? A. Yes, sir. Q. You say Dr. Cox, when you took the man up on the 3d, made no examina- tion of his temperature? A. I can'not say as to that. He may have taken the temperature, there being so many sick I would not remember. Q. How long was Dobson there? A. He was there probably ten minutes. Q. Do you know whether the doctor went to Dobson's tent on the 3d? A. He might have been there. Q. You knew Dobson's tent? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were there from time to time? A. Yes, sir; at meal times. Q. You took care of Dobson? A. His comrades took care of him. They waited on him and gave him watei' to drink. Q. Had you any conversation with Dr. Ebert about the case? A. I had none. Q. Ebert had been treating him from the time he got there? A. Yes, sir; he marked him " quarters " August 27 and until the morning of September 3, when he was marked by Dr. Cox. Q. How long had Dobson been sick? A. He was entered upon the sick report August 27. Q. Was he sick before that? A. I could not say he was. H^ arrived on the Hudson. He said he was sick on the Hudson. Q. He went on the sick list on the 27th? A. Yes, sir; on the 27th, when they arrived there, and he was marked " quar- ters" until Dr. Cox marked him " duty." Q. Do you know whether Dr. Cox put him on duty on the 3d? A. I do not. Q. Was it apparent to you that he was very sick? A. Yes, sir; I did not think he was able to work. I told him he need not worry about the company. Q. How far did he have to go to the sink? A. Two full company streets and to the third company street. Q. How did he get to the sink? A. Two men helped him, 2178 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. What kind of a bed did he have? A. He was on the ground. He said he could not get into his hammock and he laid on the ground. Q. He had an india-rubber blanket? A. Yes, sir. Q. An ordinary blanket? A. Yes, sir. Q. Any shelter tent? A. Not that I know of. Q. Nothing but the india-rubber and other blanket? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you know what was the matter with him? A. I did not. He kept complaining that his back hurt. Q. Did you have any talk with him about going to the hospital? A. I tried my best to persuade him to go to the hospital. He wanted to stick it out and come back with the company. He was not marked " hospital " until the 5th, when Dr. Cox marked him " hospital." Q. Were you there when he left? A. Yes, sir. Q. You saw him get into the ambulance? A. Yes, sir. Q. Sure? A. Two men helped him in; one was Artificer Ritchie, and Kitchen, I think. They helped him in. Q. You saw that? A. Yes, sir. Q. And he was unable to get into the ambulance alone? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he have an orange in his hand? A. No, sir; the orange was in his tent. Q. Did he get it? A. Yes, sir. Q. Doctor Cox told him not to eat it? A. That I could not say. Q. Did they lay him down? A. Yes, sir; he wanted to sit up, but they laid him down. Q. What was the character of the road to the general hospital? A. The same as any country road. Q. Not macadamized? A. No, sir. Q. Anybody else in the ambulance? A. I could not swear to that; I think there was another man. Q. Did you go over for the purpose of helping Dobson in the ambulance? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then you are certain of the fact you testified to? A. Certain of it. Q. Dobson continued to the last to say he did not want to go to the hospital? A. Yes, sir; he said he did not want to go. Q. Anything else you want to say? A. Nothing further that I know of, except that he did not go to the hospital until September 6. They carried him to the hospital on the 6th. He was marked "hospital" on the 5th, but did not go. I told Dr. Cox of it in the morning, and Dr. Cox came to see him on the 6th and got an ambulance to take him to the hos- pital. That was on the 6th, because we left there on the 8th. I am sure it was the 6th. MRS. SUSAN B. POWELL. 2179 Q. Did he have a paper showing a diagnosis of his case or anything else to take to the general hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Did they never have any paper? A. Not that I know of. Q. Did the surgeon ever send any paper to the hospital? A. Not that I know of. Q. You have seen other cases? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether they had any papers? A. Not in our company, so far as I know. I have never seen men in our com- pany having papers to take to the hospital. I could not swear whether they have had them or not. New York, November 22,1898. TESTIMONY OP MRS. SUSAN B. POWELL Mrs. Susan B. Powell, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Will you please give your name, address, and what position, if any, you occupied in relation to the war with Spain? A. Susan B. Powell, 47 Lafayette place. Q. Did you visit Camp Wikoff at any time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you make any offer at any time to assist in nursing the sick at Camp Wikoff? A. I offered to go as a diet nurse, taking charge of the cooking for them. Q. To whom did you make the offer? A. I wish you wouldn't ask that of me. I made it to the Auxiliary Society of the Red Cross. Q. Did you make any compact with any of the officers in charge of the hospitals at Camp Wikoff? A. Not that I know of. Q. It has been stated, Mrs. Powell, that you have been required as precedent to your offer being accepted that you would not divulge the abuses at Camp Wikoff that might come under your observation. A. I was required to promise that at any camp, on condition of being allowed to serve at all. Q. Who exacted that promise? A. I don't want you to ask me that question. Q. Well, I will have to, ask the question. Of course you are not obliged to answer it if you don't want to. A. It took place in a private house, and I don't want to bring the person's name into it; it was an officer of the society. Q. Of the Red Cross Society? A. Yes, sir. Q. Male or female? A. Don't ask me any more about it, please. Q. It was not an officer of the Army? A. No, sir. Q. Nor any person officially connected with any of the camps or hospitals in the Army? 2180 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I can't say as to that; I don't know anything about that. By General Wilson: Q. If perfectly agreeable to you, will you please tell us how this information happened to come out? You say it was asked of you in a private house, so that either you must have told it or they must have told it. If perfectly agreeable to you, will you please tell us whether you have told it? A. Certainly, I stated it; it was told to a clergyman-that is the only person, I think-and to Judge Roosevelt. Q. But the party who made the remark-and we will not bother you about asking any names-was not an officer of the Army, you say? A. No, sir; he was not. Q. But was someone connected with the Red Cross Society? A. Yes, sir. New York, November 22, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CORPL. JOSEPH GURKE. Corpl. Joseph Gurke, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Will you give your full name, your present address, and the duties upon which you were engaged during the war with Spain? A. My full name is Joseph Gurke. Q. What is your address? A. No. 55 Riverdale avenue, Yonkers. Q. Have you been in the service in the war with Spain? A. Yes, sir. Q. What position did you occupy in the service during that time? A. I held the position of corporal. Q. Corporal what, what company? A. Of Company L, Eighth New York Regiment. By General Dodge: Q. Have you any statement to make to the commission? A. Yes, sir; I have here a short memorandum which I made during the time I was there. Q. Where were you stationed first? A. I was stationed at Chickamauga. Q. Where after that? A. After that I went back and I was mustered out. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You were with youi- regiment there at Chickamauga? A. Yes, sir. By G-eneral Beaver: Q. How long were you at Chickamauga? A. I was there from the 17th of June until the 18th of September. Q. Were you in camp all the time, or were you in the hospital any of the time? A. No, sir; in the camp all the time. Q. Were you sick? A. No, sir; never. Q. Please state as briefly as you can what you have to say in regard to the con- ditions prevailing at that camp. CORPL. JOSEPH GURKE. 2181 A. For instance, about the sinks. Our sinks never saw an ounce of lime. In the morning, if the regiment men wanted to sit on a rail or anything they had to get a piece of paper and wipe it off to get a place to sit on. There were millions and millions of worms; yards of vermin. Where these sinks are there were lots of flies; they came from there. I reported it many times to the surgeon, and yet the officers had it there were no flies. There were none around them, hut I had charge of the kitchen, and there were millions of flies. You couldn't sit down to eat with the flies. I had a piece of beef and it was just covered with maggots. They would get on our feet, and the ground was covered with them-white with them. If I complained to a certain lieutenant, Lieutenant Myer, he harshly replied that it was none of my business. I had charge of the kitchen, and we couldn't keep the meat clean. It was covered with these flies-flies by the millions. I had to pick flies out of the food I was cooking. It simply wasn't edible. If we could only have had a few barrels of lime-I know the company was provided with lime, but we couldn't get it. I would go to the commissary department and couldn't get it. You know, there is a certain man, Joseph Jacobs; he is here, and I can have every man in the company or the regiment here. He was supposed to take charge of the commissary department. Q. Was he quartermaster-sergeant, or acting commissary-sergeant? A. He was a private man; he was a Jew, just as the officer who appointed him was another Jew. After I had been working that business for a while I didn't like to see how the things were going. They had been selling the stuff. For instance, we received bacon-150 pounds of No. 1 good bacon. The boys didn't have any- thing for the last three or four days, almost nothing to eat-coffee and some little stuff, only slops. Afterwards when we got that in I was glad, and in speaking to the boys, I said, " To-morrow you will have a good breakfast." I was glad to see it come in, and I spoke to a Jew, a certain Joseph Jacobs, and said, "Now the boys will enjoy a good breakfast, as you see I have plenty of bacon here for them." He said, "You can't have any of that." I said, "How's that?" "Well," he said, "that is sold, that bacon." I said, " Why, we have nothing else to eat; you are joking." There was a splendid piece of bacon for the boys, and I didn't believe it. He said, " This was true." All the time a certain lieutenant was running the regimental canteen, and I went up to him and asked him about it. I said, " Lieu- tenant Myer, how is that? We have nothing else to eat but that bacon, and Lieu- tenant Jacobs says the bacon is to be sold." He said, ' ' Exactly; that is the truth." I said, "We have nothing else for the boys to eat; we have to have something to eat." He said, " That is none of your business; go on down," and he chased me out. Q. How did he come to know about it? A. That man slept in the same tent with him. Q. He and Jacobs slept together; is that it? A. Yes, sir; that same Jacobs slept with him in the commissary tent-a tent like that made for five or six men-and they have no right to have that man there, because he was just like one hand to the other one. He is a lieutenant, and the lieutenant he visits with that man's parents. He lives right on Third avenue. They are good friends, and he gave him this easy job. They played hand in hand together. Q. You think Jacobs and Myer were conspiring togethei- to get rid of the rations? A. Yes, sir. And that same Lieutenant Myer was a very good friend of the captain of our company-Captain Starbuck-and Colonel Johnson. Q. When you got up in the morning was the bacon there, or was it gone? A. The bacon was gone that afternoon-that very same afternoon. Q. What did you do in the way of having breakfast? A. We had black coffee and a slice of bread. 2182 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. No meat of any kind? A. Nothing at all. Q. Did that happen often? A. That happened very often. I know times when I needed things I could go and buy them at the depot in the Fourteenth Regiment canteen, and the same morning it was sold for $15-$15 worth of stuff out of the commissary. Of course, the money-we never saw a cent of it; it was delivered to Myer. I wish he will be here; I will have a little argument with him-his earning that money. Q. Do you know how much money got into the company's fund from the sale of those rations? A. That I don't know, because they all along watched me, and so soon as I was away from the company's street the sale took place. They know me; I was a little too sharp for them. Q. They wouldn't sell it while you were around? A. No, sir; and then when I came to it I saw what they sold and kept track of it. Q. You kept the amount in youi' book? A. Yes, sir; to keep it until I came here. I am an old soldier. I served before, and I couldn't see anything wrong without knowing it. Q. Did you tell your captain about it? A. My captain wouldn't listen to me. If I went to my captain, who was Charlie Starbuck, he said, "I have nothing to do with it; go to Lieutenant Myer." Cap- tain Starbuck was bad, but he was bad through that Lieutenant Myer. Q. You never talked to the colonel about it? A. Oh, they were the best of friends together. That went off all smooth, so I didn't go to him; I mean Colonel Johnson. Q. You never got sick? A. I never got sick; I am an old hand, and I could help myself a little better; when it was needed I would steal the eatables out of the captain's tent and the lieutenant's tent; I didn't like to see starving men in the company, in the regiment. Q. Of course they were stealing from you, and you thought it was only fair to steal from them? A. That which I stole was out of money that they paid; for instance, they had clams, little neck clams, and oysters there in cans; they were for the fellows in the hospital, but they didn't get anything, and I would give it to them. Many of my friends were in the hospital, and I was the first man up in the company; I was up at 4 o'clock, and as soon as the cooks had the fire started I boiled a little water and got some tea and cocoa and Armour's beef extract and I went up to the hospital and gave it to the men. Major Neff liked to see me in the hospital, too. Q. That was your surgeon? A. The real surgeon is Dr. Lindheim; he is dead; a man that I had a little charge against, too, but we will let that go now. Q. That is all you have to say, is it? A. I have something more to say about the canteen. To my knowledge, the profit from the canteen, a certain part of it, goes to the regiment to be divided among the companies. Q. Yes, that is what ought to be done with it. A. We never saw one single penny from it. While the officers were away I sneaked into their tent and looked at the accounts, and the smallest income in a day was $360, and the highest, to my knowledge, was $840 a day. They were with- out any single cent of expense, because the men of the company rather liked to get that job, because they have beer free, and they don't have license to pay. One of the officers of Company K, who is an intelligent and capable officer in every respect, said we got about $600, every company, out of it, but we never saw one single cent. What happened to the money is another thing. Another COREL. JOSEPH GURKE. 2183 thing, my lieutenant bought two loads of lumber without asking the company what for. Q. Well, never mind that; he ordered it without authority? A. Yes, sir. We all chipped together on pay day, each man $2 for the company fund. That certain Lieutenant Myer took possession of this money, and he said, " Boys, of course you ain't used to that rough grub they give us-that rough Gov- ernment grub; we may have a little better grub if we chip together, each $2." Well, we believed him and we did so, but we never saw anything out of it. We saw some extras, that is very true; I have it here. I just got track of it for a certain time to see how much they had extra; I have it all here; I put it down to be sure. There was money they bought extras from, but it was only from selling Govern- ment stuff; I didn't see a cent in it from our $2 which the men chipped in. Then Lieutenant Myer went away on furlough, I guess, or something. When he returned he said, " Boys, we have about $90"-that was three days before we left camp-"we have about $90 in it." That he admitted himself, but still we are discharged and nothing came from it. We used, besides other things, condensed milk; that is for the extra; it was what we call " Challenge " milk. I opened the can, and the tin inside being all rusty consequently the milk wasn't fit to be used for a healthy person. I kicked about it; I said to the lieutenant, "Why not have another brand of milk; that milk is rotten." He said, " That is good enough for the boys," and the next morning I had really nothing on hand in the way of milk; I was out of everything, and I went up to his tent, to First Sergeant Sands, who has been present, and I asked the lieutenant, I said, "Lieutenant, the boys are very hungry; something ought to be done." He said, " Don't you have anything more down there?" I said, " There is about a small batch of beans; there is nothing else; I don't know what I shall give them to-morrow," and he said, " If you don't have anything else to give them, give them shavings." Well, I turned out and the boys had been waiting for me, and when I went out I said, " Boys, I am sorry, but we haven't got anything." Q. Not even shavings? A. I wouldn't say that; the boys wouldn't starve or anything like that, because I am an old timer and know how to turn around. The next morning we had a slice of bread and coffee. I come now to the beef. We received the beef most times through the regimental commissary, through the company commissary, in the evening about 8 o'clock. Of course we didn't have any other accommodation, so to preserve it over night we just simply covered it up in the pan. I covered it over, but not air-tight, because if I covered it air-tight it would get heated; but still when morning came and I had to use it it would be green and blue and all like that, and I had to take it and burn it; so in that way we had no meat. I will have to go back a little. That lumber was bought for some purpose-to build a little cellar in the ground. That cellar had been built by a certain man, and one-fifth of the whole lumber was never used for it and the lumber laid there. That man didn't understand how much to buy for doing the work. That all comes in and it comes out of our money. We expected to see an account of our company money every month, but we never had anything. Q. No account of the company fund was ever made? A. No, sir. Q. And no distribution of the canteen profit? A. No, sir; not a single thing, and the smallest day, as I say, was about $360 and the highest $840. Of course I may remember after awhile more. Of course I acted something like a detective; I have been going from one office to the other when they were away, just trying to catch on, because I smelled something was wrong and I wanted to find out the truth. Q. That is, you were a detective on your own account? A. Yes, sir. I saw wrongdoing. I saw a certain man who was sick almost 2184 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. every day; he couldn't walk, and I would help him, give him things, and Quarter- master-Sergeant Dugan said, "I have orders to tell you not to give him anything more extra." I had a pity for that boy and I gave him something extra on the sly, and nobody would know it, none of the officers, and I brought him rightly around. Another man named Donovan after he was all right and healthy, he says, "If you wasn't alive I would die long ago." I saved a good many of the boys who wouldn't be alive to-day, and I had to do it behind the officers. If you would like to have this book here you can have it. Q. I don't think it is necessary. A. It is what was audited by the officer himself. Q. You may need that hereafter, you know; you had better keep it yourself. A. Then I will take care of it. New York, November 22, 1898. TESTIMONY OF COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL Col. Amos S. Kimball, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Please give your full name and rank in the Army and where you have been stationed during the war with Spain. A. My name is Amos S. Kimball, assistant quartermaster-general in the Army of the United States, stationed in New York City, in charge of the general depot of the Quartermaster's Department there. Q. What position did you occupy in reference to the Quartermaster's Depart- ment in New York City? A. I was in charge of the general depot supplies in New York City. Q. Were you charged with the duty of making contracts in regard to any of the supplies of the Quartermaster's Department? A. I was charged with the duty of making contracts for all supplies in the Quartermaster's Department purchasedin New York City. Q. Now, Colonel, will you please go on and state in your own way for the information of the commission how your contracts were made for supplies; whether or not they were made in the usual way, after advertisements inserted in the newspapers; whether they were open to competition, and if, in any case, the formalities that are usual were dispensed with, why they were dispensed with, and generally such information as you can see we would desire in regard to these contracts. We may have some specific questions to ask you, but I think you can probably, in a shorter time and more intelligently, give us the information without any specific questions at first. A. The first step in regard to the purchase of supplies for the Quartermaster's Department was an order from the Quartermaster-General directing the supply from the general depot. That order indicated more or less distinctly whether they wanted an immediate supply or whether a consideral length of time could be occupied in making a purchase. The advertisement was prepared in accordance with the order, sometimes extending over a period of ten days, some- times only twenty-four hours; but in every case advertisements were prepared and all the principal dealers in the articles required were invited to bid, and those invitations were sent out by special messengers from my office and delivered to the firms who were invited to bid. In addition to that, posters were circulated or pasted up and sometimes advertisements put in newspapers, and in all cases addi- 2185 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. tional applications to bid kept on file in my office for delivery to any person who called for them. At the appointed time the opening was made, the opening of the bids received, and after the opening the award was made always to the lowest responsible bidder for the most suitable article, and if the delivery was to be extended over any considerable period, or if the purchase was of some consider- able magnitude, a written contract was entered into for the supplies. If it was an immediate delivery and the quantity small, a letter of acceptance was written to the successful bidder, notifying him that his bid for furnishing such and such articles had been accepted and he would be required to deliver it in accordance with his bid. In all cases where bids were invited for a standard article the award was made to the lowest bidder; in all cases where bids were invited for articles which had no standard, awards being made on samples, bids were made to the lowest responsible bidder for the most suitable articles, and in such cases an inspector examined all of the articles submitted, and before he examined the articles all marks were removed from them and placed in an envelope and the sample articles tested contained only a number. That number was placed on the envelope, so that the inspector or the inspectors who were making the examination could not possibly have known what firm offered the goods or any other information connected with them, they simply passing on the goods. Q. Colonel, do you recall any occasion when the bids were limited to one for any particular article at any time? A. When we nevei' had but one bid, do you mean? Q. Yes. A. No, sir; our bids averaged usually a great many. Q. So that you always had competition? A. Always; yes, sir. Q. Did you at anytime receive instructions from Washington or from any supe- rior authority to let a contract or to accept a bid from any particular individual regardless of price? A. In many cases the result of the letting was reported to Washington with the list of bidders and my recommendation, and on that recommendation I was ordered to make the award to so and so at the price bid. Those are the only cases that I remember of. By General Wilson: Q. Were those in conformity with your recommendations? A. Nearly always. Q. There were cases where they were not, were there? A. Well, perhaps two or three cases that I remember especially. My recom- mendations were usually followed in the letting. Q. And in the two or three cases to which you refer were the contracts let other than to the lowest bidder? A. I think all the cases I refer to in that way must have been where they were bidding on samples. Q. And then it was on the material and not on the price? A. On the material and not on the price-on the quality of the material. By General Beaver: Q. Have you anything else to say, Colonel, in regard to the bidding as to its character and as to the manner in which bids were made and opened and accepted? A. No, sir, I think not. It was all done-all the lettings in the New York depot were made in accordance with the law; they were made always to the lowest responsible bidder for the most suitable article. 2186 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Colonel Kimball, please state whether or not any contracts were let by yon as a favor to an individual or firm, either by your own motion or by direction of any superior authority, where the interests of the Government were not subserved? A. None whatever. No, sir. By General Beaver: Q. What relation, Colonel, does the New York depot bear to the general supplies furnished to the Army or to other depots? Is it the largest? A. The New York depot is considered to be the most important depot in the country. I have purchased during the war at the New York depot over $4,000,000 in clothing and camp equipage. I have a detailed list here with the contract lettings and prices. Q. Boes your list contain the names of the contractors who furnished the goods you have spoken of? A. Yes, sir. Q. And the prices at which the contracts were let? A. It does. Q. Will you let us have that, sir? A. Yes, sir; I brought it for that purpose. By General Wilson: Q. As a part of your testimony? A. Yes, sir; as part of the record of my office. (Witness produces same.) I wish to explain in regard to this list, gentlemen, that it is a list of formal con- tracts made for clothing and camp and garrison equipage that extends over the period from May 12 until June 17; that there is accompanying it one of the forms of advertisement that was used at one of the openings, one also for materials required for a water supply system at Havana, Cuba, something that is now advertised for; another one for materials to floor and frame tents at Havana, Cuba, and another one called for, for general supplies at the depot. There is also accompanying it a memorandum which I will read or I will file, as you wish it. Q. If you read it we will just get it on our notes, Colonel. A. Very well. "Memorandum relative to quartermaster supplies purchased for Montauk and other points. All supplies were purchased by direct authority from the Quarter- master-General. Immediately upon receipt of orders to purchase, steps were taken to procure the supplies ordered and to immediately have them forwarded to the points designated. In every case these telegraphic orders were construed as emer- gency, and no time was lost in purchasing the supplies. The most reliable parties in the respective branches of business were consulted as to prices and their ability to make rapid deliveries, and only such parties were dealt with as could guarantee immediate deliveries, and in every case when supplies were ordered for these points they were procured immediately and forwarded without delay to their destination. The supplies for Montauk were delivered to the Long Island Rail- road officials in this city and by them forwarded to their destination. All sup- plies asked for and not procurable in the market, but requiring to be made to order, were furnished as soon as they could be manufactured. No time was lost in having this done. All supplies supplied and furnished by this department were of the very best quality and purchased from only reliable and responsible firms, and arrangements for supplying all the wood, oats, hay, and straw required at Montauk had also been made by this office, and an immense quantity of forage was purchased under an emergency, frequently on twenty-four hours' notice, and shipped by Government transports to the West Indies. When the war with Spain broke out, COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2187 which, compelled the Government to call out a large army, the stock of clothing- on hand at deposits, being intended only for the Regular Army of about 25,000 strong, was inconsiderable. The manufacture of clothing and materials for army clothing employed but a few factories or companies, and the stock of clothing and material was at once exhausted. Great difficulty was experienced in supplying the large force suddenly raised under these circumstances, and to fill the imme- diate and absolute necessities of the troops large quantities of such materials as could be found in the market in the hands of dealers and manufacturers were pur- chased and made up, although in most cases these materials were inferior to the Regular Army standard goods. I desire to make particular mention of the fact that at the commencement of the war nearly 100,000 uniforms, consisting of blouses and trousers, were manufactured under my direction and ready for delivery in less than three weeks' time. In this connection attention is invited to the following statement of clothing and equipage and arrangements for the deliv- ery, which, however, does not include purchases made under informal contracts or emergencies." I have, right in connection with this, a total list of articles of clothing and equi- page purchased, with the price paid for each article and the aggregate amount. Q. You mean purchasedin the open market, or under contract? A. Purchased under contract and in the open market together. There is a total amount for clothing and camp equipage of $4,325,761.52. By General Beaver: Q. State, if you please, whether or not the contracts awarded by you were excepted to by competitive bidders at any time. A. I don't remember that they ever were after the awards were made. Q. Then, so far as the bidders were concerned themselves, they were satisfied with the award when it was made public; at least they made no representations to you to the contrary? A. I don't think I ever heard an interested bidder say to any person that he considered that an award was wrongfully made. Q. You had no occasion, then, to investigate in any way-the word "honesty" isn't exactly what I want-but the reliability of the award, I will say? A. I investigated all of them, sir, before I made them. Q. Yes, beforehand; but you had no occasion subsequently to the award to investigate the subject to ascertain whether or not any mistake had been made, at least so far as the representations of competitive bidders are concerned? A. I think not, no, sir; I have no recollection of any. Q. You have spoken as to the clothing not coming up to the regular standard, because the goods were not manufactured in the country. State whether or not that is true as to the duck used for tents. Were you able to get a standard qual- ity of duck for the manufacture of tents at the outbreak of the war in any consid- erable quantity? A. No; sometimes it was impossible to get the duck specified. Q. What is the regular standard in the Army of duck-how many ounces per yard? A. I couldn't tell you, sir. There is a long specification which covers the kind of duck; it gives the ounces per yard, number of threads to the inch, strength of each thread, the number of pounds pull in either direction. Of course, I don't remember those things; but when we were called on to provide tentage for 200,000 men all at once, of course, the canvas was not made, and in some instances canvas of another quality than that specified was used in those tents, but at the present time there is no trouble in getting all the tentage we want. Q. Now, Colonel, was the inferior canvas furnished under a contract for the reg- ular canvas? 2188 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; wherever a canvas different from that specified was furnished, the bids provided for the delivery of the standard goods, or of other goods approach- ing them in character, samples of which must be furnished, and on those samples the best thing taken that was offered, the time of delivery being considered; that is, whether the goods were made up or not. Q. The time of delivery and the price at which the goods were to be furnished being taken into account? A. Yes, sir; always, except on a standard article. On a standard article the mill carried the award. Q. You say there is no difficulty now in getting canvas up to the full required standard? A. No, sir; all the mills are running that canvas now. By General Dodge: Q. How is it about clothing? A. No trouble at all about getting the standard goods, now, General. By General Beaver: Q. Colonel, have you had any personal knowledge or experience in reference to the life or the wear of the canvas which was purchased in the early part of the war? A. No, sir; none whatever. Q. I don't know whether I can express what I want to say, but what was the percentage below the regular standard, would you say, as to the clothing; how much below the standard did the clothing which you were compelled to purchase come? A. I will have to explain that. Q. Yes; please do so. A. The Government specifications provide that all materials for clothing shall be a certain number to the inch, and that they shall be indigo dyed. There were only four or five mills in America that made indigo-dyed goods at the outbreak of this war. They are not used in commercial life; in commercial life they use for the blue what they call alizarin dye. Many business men claim that the alizarin dye is quite as good or better than the indigo dye, but there is this objec- tion to it: There is no test that will point out to you clearly the difference between an alizarin dye, between that dye and a dye of a lower grade, goods dyed with logwood and other goods, but in the indigo dye there is a very simple test and if you make it you can see at once that you have indigo-dyed goods or that you haven't got them. The other test, of course, is simply a man's counting the threads to the square inch and putting on weight, testing the strength either way; but that alizarin dye you can't tell whether you have got that dye or not; the only way you can tell is after the article is worn. You take a lower grade, a cheaper grade of dye, and expose it to the sun and it will turn red, green, or purple. Q. Yes; we have seen them. A. It is impossible to make that test. It isn't the honesty of the inspector and it isn't because the goods are very much cheaper, the only difference in the cheap- ness being the cost of the dye with which they are dyed. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Please tell me how you tell the indigo dye from the other. A. Simply pouring an acid on and the color comes out. The color is easily detected by anybody with a practiced eye. By Dr. Conner: Q. What acid is used? What color is developed? With different acids is the color different; that is, with nitric or hydrochloric? COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2189 A. I don't know. If you had my inspector of clothing here he could tell you all about it. By General Beaver: Q. Colonel Kimball, was there a single contract made in your office of which you have knowledge, directly or indirectly, from your own personal knowledge, or from information received from anyone else, in which any individual was paid, directly or indirectly, any money or in any other valuable thing for influence in securing the contract? A. No, sir; there was not. Q. Did the question of chartering or purchasing transports come under your office? A. All of it; yes, sir. Q. Well, will you kindly give us what information you can in regard to the purchase and hire of transports? A. Certainly. By General Dodge: Q. Colonel, what were the quartermaster supplies required by the Army which you found in a general way could not immediately be obtained by purchase? A. I could buy any of them except clothing. We buy everything in the general list of hardware, from a steamship down to a cambric needle, axes, scythes, etc. Q. It is only clothing? A. Yes; clothing and tentage; that follows out a particular specification. Q. Stoves and cooking utensils? A. Yes, sir; they come under the general list. We have, of course, a special stove which we use in the Army, but when we are supplying a command in the field we take what is in the market. By Dr. Conner: Q. I would like to ask in that connection, if this is the proper time, did you have the furnishing of the hospital tents to all parts of the country-the armies in all sections? A. Yes and no. Hospital tentage-tentage was procured in Baltimore, Philadel- phia, Chicago, Cincinnati, Boston, and New York, under advertisements by the local quartermasters. I purchased in New York all of the tentage that was pur- chased in New York. Q. What I want to find out from you, if you please, sir, is whether or not you can tell me the exact number of tents which were furnished to the hospital at Montauk and the hospitals at Camp Thomas and Chickamauga. A. No, sir; I could not. Q. Will the records of your office show how many tents and at what times those tents were sent to Montauk? A. Yes, sir; from the New York office. Q. Well, all transportation had to go through this one line of road; would it pass through your hands, as an intermediary, even if it didn't start from you? A. In the case of Montauk, no, sir; there was a contract with the Long Island Railroad by which they got 1 cent per mile for the amount of troops, and the amount of all freight supplies was 25 per cent off the tariff rates. An arrange- ment was made with all incoming lines to New York for their cars to run right through to Montauk, and they made the delivery of the freight cars from the Bay Ridge terminus of the Long Island Railroad, and they were billed right through from the different points from which they were shipped. Q. No notice of it came to you, or through your office? A. We got the notice, but not the bills of lading. 2190 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. You got the notice? Would, sir, this notice cover the number of tents, or show the number of tents being shipped in the different cars? A. No, sir. Q. It was only a car notice? A. Only a car notice. We looked after the cars to see there was no detention in the New York terminal. Q. From what source can we ascertain the number of hospital tents delivered day by day to the local quartermasters, and those wanting to receive them at the hospitals at Montauk and Chickamauga? General Dodge. We have asked the Quartermaster-General for that statement. Q. The reason I ask it is, there is a very serious question as to how many tents were on hand in those several places, and I want to know where to look for a definite authoritative statement. A. Yes, sir; you can obtain that information there. That question was fully covered. I made a report to the Quartermaster-General, so far as related to my office, and a similar report was made by the other officers, and it is embodied in the Quartermaster-General's report to the board, so I am told. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Does that report also show, Colonel Kimball, the quantity and kind of cloth- ing that was delivered at Montauk Point, and the dates of delivery? A. I wouldn't be certain about that, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not the underclothing delivered to Montauk Point consisted entirely of gauze underclothing, or whether there was some heavier? A. There was underclothing of heavier quality. Q. Heavy underclothing? A. Heavier than gauze. Q. With sleeves or without. A. Both ways, I think. By Dr. CONNER: Q. Was that early or after the 3d of September that these heavy deliveries were made? A. I couldn't fix the exact date, sir; but before the cold weather set in all goods sent there were of the heavy kind. Q. Was heavy underclothing in sufficient amount ready there when the nights began to cool-ready for the men who were just coming from a hot climate and were in an enfeebled condition? A. I couldn't tell you that, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. There are records somewhere that will show that; records at the depot there, at Montauk, of the receipt of those goods; records of shipment from your office? A. Not from my office; the great bulk of the clothing forwarded to Montauk was forwarded from the regular clothing depot, from Philadelphia. We han- dled here only goods that were purchased during the war. Philadelphia is the regular clothing depot; they sent most of it. By General Beaver: Q. Colonel, a general question as to army custom; I suppose we all understand it, but we haven't it on the record. A soldier is charged with all the clothing he draws from the Quartermaster's Department, is he not? A. He is; yes, sir. Q. It would be to his advantage, then, to secure that clothing from private con- tributions rather than from the clothing department? A. Yes, sir; what he gets from the clothing department he pays for. COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2191 By Governor Woodbury: Q. But what he does not get, is he paid for that. What he lacks, what he does not draw, he is paid for? A. Yes; he is paid for that in cash. There is a clothing allowance of so much a year that goes to the soldier. If he overdraws that allowance he is charged with the difference; if he underdraws it he is paid the cash. Q. That is what I mean. A. Yes, sir; that is the way it is. By General Beaver: Q. It is to the soldier's personal benefit, then, to secure all he can get in the way of private contributions? A. Certainly; yes, sir. Q. Colonel, will you kindly come now to the question of the purchase and lease of transports? A. In the first place, when it became known that transportation was to be required for troops and supplies by sea the quartermaster in New York was called on to furnish a list of vessels owned by the different shipping companies in New York City. The list gave the name of the vessel, the name of the owner, the kind of vessel, the gross tonnage, the capacity for officers, men, and animals, the equipment, and the price at which the vessel could be chartered. On receipt of that information I conferred with the managers of the several different lines of steamships running out of New York and asked them for reports covering those different points. Nearly ail of those managers gave me reports of all the vessels which they were willing to sell or were willing to charter. In many instances they declined to state the price, for the reason I was not authorized to close the charter or close the purchase. These reports were sent to Washington, and the vessels were examined by Colonel Hecker, and by experts under his direction, and such of them as could be chartered at prices which were considered reasonable, and which were suitable to the Government service, were chartered. I have a list here of the chartered vessels, and a full description as I called for it, for either the rate per day or price which we paid, the length of service, the length of time they were continued in service, and the names of the owners. Q. Can you furnish us with that list, Colonel? A. I prepared it for that purpose, sir. By General Wilson: Q. Colonel, those cases sent to you by owners or agents of owners, were they sent direct or were any middlemen concerned in the case as far as you know? A. There was no list taken in my office from any middleman. Wherever a middleman or a broker came into my office to offer vessels I ignored him absolutely. My business was directly with the firms operating the steamship lines. (The witness submitted to the commission formal contracts for clothing and camp and garrison equipage, containing the name of the article, the number, the price, the contractor, days notice of contracts, and the time for the filling of the contract. This was marked " Exhibit A.-November 22, 1898.-C. A. N." The witness also submitted a list of vessels chartered, containing the name, owners, kind of vessel, gross tonnage, capacity for officers, men, and animals, equipment, rate per day, cost of fitting up, charter prepared where, commence- ment of charter, and when discharged. This was marked ' ' Exhibit B. -No vember 22,1898.-C. A. N." Witness also submits a list of the vessels purchased by the United States, con- taining the number, name, tonnage, capacity, equipment, cost of fitting up, and where purchased, together with prices paid for ships purchased in New York, which several statements were all submitted by him for the purpose of being 2192 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. incorporated in and taken as a part of his testimony. This was marked "Exhibit C.-November 22, 1898.-C. A. N.") The Witness: After furnishing the list to Washington, which I spoke of, they were examined by Colonel Hecker, under his direction by experts, and then the great bulk of them were accepted. The formal contract was made by Colonel Bird, who was on duty in the Quartermaster-General's Office, he being right there and they being turned right into him; but the work of detailed inspection, of pass- ing on the ships, was under the direction of Colonel Hecker. By General McCook: Q. And he was the one to decide whether the ship was to be accepted or not; that is, upon his recommendation? A. I suppose so, General, but I don't know that positively. My work on those transports ended with the submitting of the papers to Washington, except in three or four instances where they telegraphed me to make such and such charters. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please state whether or not these transports that were bought by the Gov- ernment or leased by the Government by the officials in Washington were accepted by the Quartermaster-General's Office in Washington upon representa- tions made as to their condition by Colonel Hecker rather than by recommenda- tion of Colonel Hecker. A. I don't know about that part of it. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know for what reason the purchase of the John Englis was delayed for the period of three weeks or more after she had been practically accepted as fit for the purpose of a hospital ship? A. I do not know, sir. Q. Were you concerned in the purchase of the John Englis? A. No, sir; but I fitted up the John Englis at a cost of $108,000, I think. Q. That was after the middle of May, when the purchase was concluded and the ship was ordered to be turned over to be prepared for a hospital transport? A. After her purchase; yes, sir. Q. There was a period of about three weeks intervening between her examina- tion and practical acceptance before she was really accepted and ordered to be received and fitted up. was there not? A. My understanding is, sir, that there were several ships under consideration for hospital purposes, and the John Englis was finally accepted. Q. Was she not practically accepted or at least considered in the latter part of April as the ship that was best suited for the purpose, or do you know? A. 1 couldn't tell you that, sir. By General McCook: Q. Where did you fit out the John Englis for a hospital ship? A. In New York. Q. New York City? What part; what yard? A. The naval inspector had charge of the work-Inspector Bowles, of the Navy He did the fitting; I paid the bills. Q. Where; at the Brooklyn Navy-Yard? A. No, sir; over in the New York yard there. Q. How long a time from the time this John Englis was put in the yard before she came out fit to take on her medical supplies and go to Cuba? A. It was more than six weeks; I couldn't tell you the exact time. Q. And you put how much labor on her, or how much of a change did you make? 2193 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. A. My recollection is $108,000; it was over $100,000. Q. Do you know whether there was any unnecessary delay in holding that ship there after she went into the yards? A. I think there was not; I had several conversations with Commander Bowles in regard to it, and the work was rushed night and day. Q. Was Dr. Torney there; was he present, or did he have anything to do with this ship, do you know? A. He was supposed to be in charge of her about the time the repairs began, and remained on or near the ship during the time that all the repairs were being made. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please state, considering the time and circumstances, whether or not the prices paid for these transports which were purchased, and the prices paid for the transports which were leased, were fair. A. I considered the charter prices, and now consider them, very reasonable. Many of the charters were made at a time when ships were very much in demand, and in the case of the Clyde Line and the Mallory Line those gentlemen absolutely refused to charter their best ships, on the ground they couldn't afford to take them off the lines unless the Government paid double the charter prices, which we did pay afterwards. Q. As to those that were bought, what do you say? A. I think the prices were reasonable. By Dr. Conner: Q. In regard to John Englis, let me ask you-these changes you made in her were not changes affecting the ship proper, were they, but simply the fitting up for hospital purposes? A. The change was in refitting the ship for hospital purposes. Q. Practically she was at the time of the purchase an excellent seagoing ship, in first-class order? A. She was an excellent ship, but not at all fitted for a hospital ship, and she had to be entirely refitted-the John Englis, the Relief she is now. Q. As respects the time occupied (which has already been referred to) in repair- ing her, do you know of any reason why so much time should have been required, considering the fact she was most urgently needed every day, and it was a matter of very great importance that she should have been taken to Cuba early, that it was, as a matter of fact, two or three weeks before she arrived there? Is there any reason why these changes should have taken so much time? Couldn't they have been made in any less time? A. I don't think it would have been possible to have fitted up the ship as she was fitted up in less time than that consumed in fitting her up. Q. The probabilities are-it isn't a fair question to put to you, but I will ask it- would it, in your judgment as a military officer, have been better to send her out less well fitted and gotten her off earlier than to hold her as you did until she was thoroughly prepared? A. Unless she was thoroughly fitted as a hospital ship, any other ship in the fleet could have done the duty as well as the John Englis. Q. Couldn't she have been prepared in three weeks' time so she would have answered temporarily the purpose better than any other ship you could have had? A. She would have answered all purposes better than any other ship without refitting; yes. Q. So, if she had been sent out three weeks earlier, though not so well appointed as a hospital ship, she would have been better for the purpose than any other ship that could have been purchased or taken at that time as a hospital ship? 2194 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I wouldn't say that; after three weeks' repairs she had been practically torn to pieces. Q. And had to be built up again? A. Yes, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You spoke of refitting. You mean by that the whole internal arrangement had to be changed? A. Yes, sir; all the cabins knocked out and hospital wards made. By General Beaver: Q. You say it was a rush order, night and day. Did they work as many men as practical? A. Yes, sir. Q. There was nothing more that could have been done? A. No, sir. By General McCook: Q. Did you have occasion to go to the ship to see how it was getting along? A. Yes, sir. Q. How often? A. Not often. I never went except after office hours. Dr. Torney was there, I think, nearly all the while and the work of repairs was going on under an officer of the navy-yard. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know what difference in time there was in fitting up the Solace on the one hand and the Relief on the other, both being purchased vessels? A. I do not. The Solace is a navy ship, and we have nothing to do with it? Q. I knew that, but I asked the question whether you knew of the difference in time occupied in fitting up the two ships. A. No, sir; I do not. By General Beaver: Q. Were transports chartered and purchased by the Government fitted up under your direction for the transportation of troops? A. They were; yes, sir. The list I submitted shows the cost of the fitting of each ship. Q. Governor Woodbury asked me to inquire whether the transports which took the Fifth Army Corps from Tampa were fitted up here or there? A. A portion of them were fitted up in New York, such as were chartered or purchased in New York. Many of the ships were chartered at the point in the South where the ship happened to be at the time the charter was made. I failed to state previously that in submitting my reports of vessels to Washington I noted where each ship would be the next day in that report, and some of them would be in New Orleans, or Tampa, or Key West, or Charleston, or other of the Southern ports. Q. And the Government took them wherever they happened to be? ' A. Wherever they happened to be when they wanted them, giving preference to the Southern ships, as that would save so many days in going down there; of course they wanted them in the South. Q. Colonel, in the changing and fitting up of these ships for the transportation of troops, were you limited as to time in that fitting up? A. They were rush orders, and we worked the men night and day, all the men that could be worked on the ship. Q. The contract with the railroad, I understand, was that made under you direction? COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2195 A. No, sir; I had charge of all transpoatation in New York. I brought here ■with me a statement of the shipments by rail, regiments, etc., if you wish it. Q. The transportation of troops? A. Yes. Q. We would be very glad to have that. A. This is a list [producing paper] showing the movement of troops from April 19, showing the date of each shipment and the number, from and to what points, which railroad had the contract, and the cost per man, and it is accompanied by the forms of advertisement used in inviting competition for such transportation. I wish to state right here that there wasn't a command moved from New York of any magnitude, or any movements of any magnitude, that were not moved as the result of competition and the shipment made by the lowest bidder over the routes designated. (The statement last above referred to by the witness was offered by him to be filed with the records of the commission and to be considered as part of his testi- mony. This paper was marked " Exhibit D-November 22, 1898-C. A. N.") By General Dodge: Q. Won't you please state to the commission in relation to the service that these roads gave in moving these troops whether they complied with the contracts in doing it or not? A. The service which the Long Island road gave in the transportation of troops was 2 men to a seat, or about 60 men in a car. They did that for 1 cent a mile. On all proposals invited for the movement of commands out of New York they were required to furnish us a tourist's sleepei- or a full seat for each man, and one or the other was always furnished, and the rate we paid under our contracts with other roads rarely exceeded a cent and a half a mile, and in many instances was below a cent a mile; and I don't remember of ever receiving any complaint from any command moved that the railroad had failed to furnish the equipment that they had indicated they would furnish. But in many instances it was absolutely impossible to get the tourist's cars from New York. You know the tourist car does not run east of Chicago, and wherever they provided the tourist cars they had to bring them on for that special purpose. Therefore, in inviting the compe- petitions, we asked for either a tourist car or one full seat for each man, in order that the soldier could lie down and sleep in the car he was in. Q. In order to put it on the minutes, Colonel-it won't be understood in this section what a tourist's car is; I know what it is, but I don't think the general public know what a tourist car is-won't you describe one, please? A. A tourist car is a sleeping car fitted up without the upholstering, and there is a porter in charge of it, the same as there is in charge of the upholstered palace cars. In other words, it is a cheap palace car, or what you call a Pullman car. By Dr. Conner: Q. Was it expected, when troops were sent in the tourist's car that four men would occupy one section? A. No, sir; three. Q. Two below and one above? A. Yes, sir. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please state whether or not the Long Island Railroad had sufficient capacity to render efficient service to the Quartermaster's Department in the transporta- tion of troops and supplies to and from Montauk Point, and proper terminal facilities there. A. The Long Island Railroad had sufficient capacity to handle one regiment of 2196 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. troops a day, and the baggage appertaining to that regiment, or a corresponding quantity of freight cars. Q. Will you please state whether or not the service rendered by that road was efficient, and sufficient for the needs of the camp at Montauk Point, as far as you can from your knowledge. A. The Long Island Railroad could not move the troops away from Montauk Point as rapidly as they wished to move away, but they could handle one regiment a day. Q. Please state more particularly about the incoming freight to Montauk Point- whether the road had capacity, and whether it did or did not in fact supply the troops at Montauk Point with all things necessary in the Quartermaster's and Commissary and Medical departments in a reasonable length of time. A. There was some congestion in the handling of freight trains at Montauk Point at one time, but I don't think it prevented stores getting there on time. The congestion took place near Montauk, and, as I understood it from this end, was occasioned by cars not being promptly unloaded. Q. Did the delays there result in serious inconvenience and suffering to the troops in camp there? A. I think not, sir; I don't think there was any time it did. Q. Please state, Colonel Kimball, why such provisions as are contained in the contract with the Long Island Railroad as provided that transportation should not be made to and from Montauk Point in other ways except over that road, with the exceptions that are there noted, were made. A. I don't know, sir; I had nothing whatever to do with the contract. Q. And you have no knowledge of the reasons that influenced those who did make it? A. I have none whatever, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. In regard to transportation at the other end of the line that you were able to send there for the use, in the first place, of the hospital, and, secondly, for the general purposes of the camp, why was it that a greater amount of ambulances, in the first place, and of ordinary wagons, in the second place, were not furnished early in the history of that camp? Were they required for or were they not? A. I wouldn't know that; those requests are made to the Quartermaster-General, and the ambulances are ordered from the depot of supplies of ambulances. We have none in New York. Q. But you knew of the transportation of all those materials? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you, or do you not, know how much material was furnished in the first fifteen days of the camp-how much transportation facilities? A. All I could tell you in regard to that is that everything was forwarded that came to me. Q. It was charged there was not a sufficient amount of transportation to carry the lumber which was received as rapidly as it came, even to the hospitals, for use in erecting the hospitals? A. You mean wagon transportation? Q. Yes. A. A short time after the camp was established I got a hurried order to provide more wagon transportation for Montauk Point. I hired in New York City about 26 teams and sent them up there by a special steamer. I also hired in Brooklyn about 40 farm wagons with teams complete, with drivers, and sent them up by rail. Q. Fifteen days, perhaps-I am not sure, although I can make myself sure of the exact date, but we will say fifteen days-after the hospital began to be con- COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2197 structed the officer in charge, Dr. Forwood, telegraphs the Surgeon-General that there are tons of supplies at the station awaiting transportation; that he can not get transportation, and day after day the telegram is sent, " Transportation lack- ing; can't get up the lumber." This continued through a long time, or quite a considerable period of time. Now, where was the fault for that state of affairs? Was it on the part of those officers who ought to have asked for transportation and didn't, or was it on the part of the railroad, that should have carried the material and couldn't, or was it on the part of the Quartermaster's Department, that should have given it and didn't? A. You are speaking now of the lack of wagon transportation? Q. Yes. A. Not rail transportation? Q. Yes, both. A. The wagon transportation I had nothing whatever to do with; that came under the local quartermaster up there. All that transportation was ordered direct by the Quartermaster-General from the different supply depots that had transportation in hand; I had nothing to do with that transportation. Q. I thought that at last we had found the men who were responsible for that thing. We have been referred from depot quartermaster to division quartermaster and from division quartermaster to Quartermaster-General, and from there we have been sent back again. I have been going about from pillar to post for the last month in search of the responsible party. A. I simply know this: At one time I got hurried orders to send up wagon transportation to Montauk Point, and I went out in the market here and hired, as I say, a large number of wagons and chartered a small steamer and sent them up. Q. They got there, did they? A. They did get there the next day. I sent an agent to Brooklyn and hired every farm wagon I could get in Brooklyn, in the neighborhood of forty or fifty, and sent them up on the Long Island road, together with drivers and everything complete. Q. They got there, did they? A. They got there the next day; within twenty-four hours I got notice that they were at Montauk Point. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Colonel Gillis, who made this contract with the Long Island Railroad, being deceased, can you refer us to anyone who would be likely to know the motives which actuated the Government in making the provisions, the restrictive provi- sions, that I mentioned in that contract? General Wilson. Do you think it probable that the Quartermaster-General would know? The Witness. I was trying to think what I did know about it. I had Colonel Gillis's duties to perform for a month over there, and while I was there that con- tract went over my desk; but some of the provisions were not satisfactory and it was forwarded to the Quartermaster-General for decision on certain points, and it never was executed while I was there. I think the Quartermaster-General could give you that information and put you in the way of knowing. Q. Colonel Gilliss was your senior officer? A. Yes, sir. Q. I don't know but it may have been-it might be, I will say-that the expense of making the terminal facilities, without any knowledge about the length of timo the troops were going to remain there, was the reason for it; that the railroad, in order to indemnify itself for those great expenses, must have an assurance that they would have all the traffic. I want to bring it out and know whether that was the case or not; but if you don't know, that is all there is about it. 2198 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No; I don't know, sir. By General Beaver: Q. Did the railroad own the land upon which the troops were encamped? A. My understanding is that the contract which you are referring to was a lease of the land, and it was one of the conditions of the lease. The lease was made by another corporation which belonged to the Long Island road. Q. So that practically the compensation for the land was the transportation of troops and supplies; that is, if they had any compensation for the land, they got it in that way? A. Oh, no; they got a rental for the land. Q. Colonel Kimball, you are familiar with the allegation as to the delays in debarking the troops and animals at Daiquiri and Siboney when the expedition landed near Santiago. State whether or not this photograph [presenting same] which I have is intended to illustrate the reasons for delay or the causes at least. A. I would state this: That my understanding is that there is not a wharf on the island of Cuba, and all our ships have to be unloaded thereinto lighters; and to give you a practical illustration of the delay in unloading ships, I will state that I loaded a steamer, the Minnewaska, and sent her out from here. We loaded her in forty-eight hours and she consumed ten days in unloading at Ponce, and was unloaded as rapidly as it was possible to unload her with all the men and all the lighters that could be used. Here is a little photograph [presenting same] that shows a lighter and. the ship, and a horse being unloaded. Q. You offer that as an exhibit in connection with your testimony, do you, Colonel? A. I do, sir. (The photograph last above referred to was marked " Exhibit E.-November 22, 1898.-C. A. N.") By General Dodge: Q. There are many statements made about the delay of trains. It was stated generally they were delayed from six to eight hours. Did you have complaints of that? A. On one occasion I did. Q. Only one? A. Two. In the case of an Ohio regiment and in the case of an Illinois regi- ment. All of that rail transportation was placed in my hands. I arranged with the superintendent of the Long Island road to put a suitable number of cars at Montauk Point to make each man comfortable, and everything ran very smoothly until the quartermaster at Montauk Point was changed and another one put in his place. Just at that time an Illinois regiment and an Ohio regiment were to be moved, and the colonels of those two regiments were very anxious to get away. They went to the local quartermaster and demanded the transportation. He went to the local agent and demanded the transportation without knowing we had con- trol of it. No arrangements had been made for it, and the local officials-the Montauk officials of the Long Island road-picked up whatever cars they had in sight and brought them there to move that command. The result was that the command got down to Long Island City just eighteen hours before the Lehigh Valley road was ready to move them out. The Lehigh Valley road had arranged, through some representatives of Illinois, to move that regiment through to Illinois in palace cars, and they had to send to Chicago to get the palace cars, and therefore when the Illinois regiment got over here some time in the night they had to wait over until 10 o'clock the next day to get this special train which was ordered from Chicago, and, furthermore, they got up in the morning at Mon- tauk Point and waited all day while they were collecting these miserable cars to bring them down here. It all grew out of the fact that the local quartermaster COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2199 just came in there and supposed the command was under his direction, and the colonel of the regiment pressed him to do this thing, and he did it. The same thing happened the next day in the case of an Ohio regiment. Those were the only two that I have ever heard of. Q. This complaint I speak of is not in relation to the delay here in New York; but it is a question of delay of trains between Montauk and New York. A. Passenger trains? Q. Passenger and freight trains both, passenger trains particularly? A. Those trains usually got in here anywhere from 7 o'clock in the evening to 11 o'clock at night, from two to three or four hours behind time. Q. Are those the regular trains that ran from Montauk Point? A. Those were the trains bringing down the regiments at the time the place was being abandoned or the troops were being moved away from there, but we had all the arrangements made here so there was no time lost; they went right on board barges and on to their destination except in those two cases that I speak of. Q. Do you know or do you not know whether the Government had officers sta- tioned on Long Island to look after all these troops, to look after the sick; that is, if there was any soldier that needed attention, whether they had arrangements made there to provide for him at Long Island City? The troops were all fed there when they came through, were they not, by the Red Cross? A. The Red Cross had an establishment over there and we had a medical officer here. Q. Wasn't there an officer also stationed there? A. Yes, sir. Q. To meet all those trains and inform them about different matters? A. Yes, sir; there was an officer assigned there whose duty it was to report to the commanding officer of each train coming down from Montauk and see if he understood that the facilities were prepared to receive the regiment, and he remained there during the entire time that the coast was being depleted. Q. Did not they also have a temporary hospital there, the Red Cross Society, to take in any soldiers that they found suffering? A. Yes, sir; the Red Cross established a hospital camp, and Mr. Baldwin, the president of the road, was there in person many times. By Dr. Conner: Q. Colonel, was it or was it not a fact that the trains, the ordinary trains upon which convalescents came out at various times from Montauk, were from three to eight hours late as a rule, the regular trains? A. During the rush? Q. Yes; from the time that the men as convalescents began to leave there until the great mass of them had been gotten out of the way? A. I think they averaged three hours late. Q. It has been reported to us, and we have testimony in considerable quantity, that trains were, as a rule, anywhere from three to eight hours late in passing the various points on the road; was that owing to the insufficiency of train material on the part of the railroad or was it owing to the crowded condition of the road, because of trains going in the other direction, freight trains and others, or was it owing to the general lack of system that prevailed? A. My understanding is it was owing to two causes-the first, the delay of the trains at Montauk Point to get away the sick, and secondly, the side tracking of the trains for the regular trains going up to Montauk Point. Q. Was it or was it not, think you, the duty of the railroad company or neces- sity to side track the trains filled with sick and convalescent soldiers coming back rather than to have side tracked the other trains that were carrying simply the ordinary passengers in transit to their homes .on the line of the road? 2200 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I don't know enough about that, sir, to give you an intelligent answer. I never was ovei' the Long Island road. Q. Speaking in a general way, should preference be given to sick, to whom every hour's delay is a matter of importance, or to individuals who simply wanted to get supper at a certain time? A. The preference should be given to the trains carrying the sick. Q. As I understand you, all the returning trains from Montauk were side tracked for the regular trains going out? A. No, sir; I didn't say that. Q. I beg your pardon; I understood you to say the delay was due, in the first place, to the delay in starting, and in the second place to the trains being side tracked in order to let the regular trains go on. A. These two things taken together made the delay, as I understand. Q. If they were side tracked for the benefit of the regular trains does not that amount practically to giving the regular trains the preference, which would be proper enough under ordinary circumstances, but is at least questionable under the circumstances as they existed there? A. In that connection I wish to state that what I said in relation to the side tracking of those trains is all hearsay. I know nothing of it personally. Q. But you have every reason to be believe it to be a fact, all the same? A. Yes, sir; I have. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Are the stations near together on the Long Island Railroad, Colonel Kimball? A. Yes, sir; quite near together. Q. Then side tracking would consume but a very small portion of the time; simply long enough to let a train go by, would it not? A. My understanding was that those trains seldom started on time, from the fact they had to do the loading of them from the different hospitals and the dif- ferent commands, and they seldom got away from there on time. By General Dodge: Q. Have you any opinion or suggestion to make yourself that we have not called out on our questions-any information that would be of value to the commission? A. No, sir; I think not. I came prepared to tell you everything I knew. I brought that statement here-that little memorandum I prepared in the office- and I think that contains all the information I have to give you. MEMORANDUM FOR COL. A. S. KIMBALL, RELATIVE TO QUARTER- MASTER'S SUPPLIES PURCHASED FOR MONTAUK AND OTHER POINTS. All supplies were purchased by direct authority from the Quartermaster-Gen- eral. Immediately upon receipt of orders to purchase, steps were taken to procure the supplies ordered and to immediately have them forwarded to the points des- ignated. In every case these telegraphic orders were construed as emergency and no time was lost in procuring the supplies. The most reliable parties in the respective branches of business were consulted as to prices and their ability to make rapid deliveries, and only such parties were dealt with as could guarantee immediate deliveries; and in every case when supplies were ordered for these points they were procured immediately and forwarded without delay to destina- tion. The supplies for Montauk were delivered to the Long Island railroad officials in this city, and by them forwarded to destination. All supplies asked for and not procurable in the market, but requiring to be made to order, were furnished as soon as they could be manufactured, and no time was lost in having this done. All supplies purchased and furnished by this 2201 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. Depai-tment were of the very best quality and purchased from only reliable and responsible firms. Arrangements for supplyingall the wood, oats, hay, and straw required at Mon- tauk Point have also been made by this office, and immense quantities of forage were purchased, under emergency, frequently on but twenty-four hours' notice, and shipped by Government transports to the West Indies. CLOTHING, CAMP AND GARRISON EQUIPAGE. When the war with Spain broke ont and compelled the Government to call out a large army, the stock of clothing on hand at depots, being intended only for a Regular Army about 25,000 strong, was inconsiderable. The manufacture of cloth and materials for army clothing occupied but a few factories of the country, and the stock of clothing and material was at once exhausted, and great diffi- culty was experienced in supplying the large force suddenly raised. Under these circumstances, and to supply the immediate and absolute necessities of the troops, large quantities of such materials as could be found in the markets in the hands of dealers and manufacturers (materials manufactured for the ordinary clothing of the people) were purchased and made up, although in most cases the mate- rials were inferior to the regular army standard goods, until garments of the regular standard could be procured. I desire to make particular mention of the fact that at the commencement of the war nearly 100,000 uniforms, consisting of blouses and trousers, were manu- factured and ready for delivery in less than two weeks' time. In this connection, attention is invited to the following statement of clothing and equipage, arrangements for the delivery of which were made at the New York depot from April 8,1898, to date, which, however, does not include purchases made under informal contracts or emergencies: Exhibit A-' -November 22, 1898-C. A. N. Formal contracts for clothing. Date of con- tract. Number. Articles. Price. Contractor. Days' notice. Expira- tion of con- tract. 1898. 1898. May 12 July 15 Aug. 4 4 20,000 25,000 40,000 20,000 15,000 50,000 60, OCX) Blouses, each . $3.25 2.89 Max Ernst J une 8 do The C. Kenyon Co Aug. 9 Sept. 2 Sept. 2 Sept. 2 June 8 do 2.86 Herman Heidelberg 12 _ .. .do 2.87 Naumberg, Kraus &Co.. Frank W. McNeal 12 4 ..do 2.87 12 May 12 12 do 3.25 Max Ernst do 3.75 Bierman, Heidelberg & Co. June 7 June 1 150 Reg. fund books, each 1.25 Wm. A. Wheeler y 1 150 Reg. order books, each 1.25 do 7 1 150 Reg. letters received, each 1.38 do 7 1 150 Reg. letters sent, each 1.25 do 7 1 100 Post council admin., each.. Post orders, each 1 25 do 7 1 100 1.25 do 7 1 100 Post letters received, each Post letters sent, each 1.38 do 7 1 100 1.25 do 7 1 100 Reg. letters received, in- .49 Detre & Blackburn . 7 dex.each. 1 100 Reg. letters sent, index, .49 do y each. 1 1,500 Company order books, each. .52 do 7 1 1,500 Company council books, .84 do y each. 1 1,500 Company letters received, each. .69 do y 1 1,500 Company letters received, index, each. .48 do.. 1 1,500 Company letters sent, each. .67 do y 2202 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Formal contracts for clothing-Continued. Date of con- tract. Number. Articles. Price. Contractor. Days' notice. Expira- tion of con- tract. 1898. 1898. June 1 1,500 Company letters sent, in- $0.48 Detre & Blackburn y dex,each. 1 150 Post letters received, in- .49 do 7 dex, each. 1 150 Post letters sent, index, each. .49 do 7 Aug 8 1,500 Company order books, each. .54 John Cassidy 11 Nov. 15 8 1,500 Company letters received, books, each. .75 ..-..do 11 Nov. 15 8 1,500 Company letters received, index, each. .51 do.... 11 Nov. 15 1,500 Company letters sent, in- dex, each. . 51 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Reg. order books, each 1.32 Detre & Blackburn 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Reg. letters received books, each. 1.46 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Reg. letters received in- dex, each. .498 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Reg.letters sent,each.... 1.33 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Reg. letters sent index, each. .498 do 11 Nov. 15 8 1,500 Company council books, each. .87 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Post council of admin., each. 1.34 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Post order books, each 1.34 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Post letters received, each 1.48 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Post letters received in- dex, each. . 493 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Post letters sent, each 1.34 do 11 Nov. 15 8 250 Post letters sent index, each. .493 do 11 Nov. 15 May 10 30,000 Blankets, each 2.75 Henry S. Patterson 2 June 8 10,000 Coats, drill, each. 2.23 The C. Kenyon Co June 20 8 10,000 Coats, drill (cavalry), each 2.28 do June 20 8 30,000 Coats, duck, each... 2.27 Bierman, Heidelberg & Co - J une 20 17 102,436 Drawers, cotton, each .25 Atlantic Knitting Co 4 Aug. 3 17 6,480 do .28 Townsend & Yale. 4 July 2 17 85,448 do ,26| C. H. Kavanaugh 4 July 20 July 3 25,000 Leggings, each .66 Wm. H. Wiley & Son 4 Aug. 5 8 100,000 clo .66 The C. Kenyon Co. 6 Aug. 15 8 100,000 do ■ 561 The Bay State Shoe and Leather Co. 6 Aug. 19 8 50,000 do .65 Rosenwasser Bros 6 Aug. 23 28 25,000 do . 65 D. May & Co 3 Aug. 20 25 50,000 Overcoats 9.39 Ab. Klrschbaum & Co -. _ 5 Aug. 4 4 20,000 5,578 do. do. ..... 9.57 8.97 D. May & Co Heller, Rothschild & Lang. John Wanamaker 3 3 Sept. 15 Sept. 15 4 20,000 do 9.65 3 Sept. 15 4 17,500 do. 8.97 Ab. Kirschbaum & Co ... 3 Sept. 15 May 12 1,000 Paulins 23. (X) S. S. Thorp & Co 3 July 11 July 21 1,200 do 4.86 John Boyle & Co 6 Aug. 4 May 18 25, (XX) Shoes 2.49 Wallace, Elliott & Co June 22 July 25 50.000 do. 2.09 John Mundell & Co. 11 Nov. 1 Aug. 6 20,000 do. 2.13 John L. Schultz 11 Oct. 12 8 125,000 Stockings- .0498 Issachar Cozzens 10 Aug. 8 May 12 20,000 Trousers 2.62 Max Ernst June 8 June 8 10, (XX) do . 95 The C. Kenyon Co June 20 8 8 10, (XX) 24,000 do Trousers, duck (foot) 1.00 1.32 do Bierman, Heidelberg & - June 20 June20 8 6,000 Trousers, duck (mounted) 1.62 do June 20 May 12 40,000 Trousers. 2.28 do June 1 24 June 13 42,000 50,000 Trousers (foot) Trousers 2.82 2.48 do Max Ernst 5 June 11 June 30 July 15 50,000 Trousers (foot) 2.26 Hirschman Bros. & Co. Sept. 1 May 15 10, (MX) Trousers (mounted) 2.80 do ... Sept. 1 5 500 Tents, wall 23.70 John Boyle & Co.. J une 10 May 12 5,000 50,000 Tents, common Tents, shelter halves 13.75 1.95 do do June 10 June 20 12 35,000 Hammocks .91 do July 5 July 28 1,000 Tents, hospital 45.00 do Oct. 7 June 17 40,000 Undershirts, cotton .23 Atlantic Knitting Co 4 Aug. 3 17 22,040 do .26 Townsend & Yale 4 July 2 17 5,280 do . 25 do 4 July 2 17 6,480 do .28 do 4 July 2 17 70,564 do .28$ C. H. Kavanaugh 4 July 20 2203 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. Formal contracts for clothing-Continued. RECAPITULATION. Blouses 230,000 Books, post 2,200 Books, company .. 16,500 Books, regimental 1,850 Blankets 30,000 Coats, drill and duck 50,000 Drawers, cotton 194,364 Leggings . 300,000 Overcoats '.. . 113,078 Paulins .. 2,200 Shoes. 95,000 Stockings, cotton 125,000 Trousers . 262,000 Tents,wall 500 Tents, hospital 1,000 Tents,shelter halves 50,000 Hammocks 35,000 U ndershirts, cotton 144,304 Exhibit D.-November 22, 1898.-C. A. N. Articles of clothing and equipage purchased by Capt. I. W. Littell, assistant quartermaster, U. S. A. Articles. From whom. Quantity. Price. Asbestos rings New Jersey Asbestos Co . ... 5,000 5,000 Do H. W. Johns Asbestos Co. 10,000 $3,225.00 Blouses Max lErnst. . 95,000 25,000 60,000 42,800 20,000 15,000 Do . Do The C. Kenyon Co Bierman, Heidelberg & Co Do Herman Heidelberg Do Naumburg, Kraus & Co Do F. W. McNeal 257,800 828,438.00 Blankets, woolen John Wanamaker 2,600 30,000 2,500 Do ..' Henry S. Patterson Blankets, rubber John Wanamaker 35,100 86,375.00 Bed sacks S. S. Thorp & Co 2,400 1,080.00 Coats, canvas Do The C. Kenyon Co Max Ernst 20,000 5,000 30,169 Do Bierman, Heidelberg & Co... . 55,169 121,031.63 Covers, wagon S. S. Thorp & Co 100 Covers, horse John Boyle & Co 5,000 5,100 9,525.00 Drawers, summer Do John Wanamaker Atlantic Knitting Co 30,536 102,436 6,480 10,000 Do Do Townsend & Yale D. May & Co 149,452 40,139.21 Distillers Witteman Bros 13 15,600.00 Drum slings Do William Tonk & Co John Wanamaker 3,000 12 3,012 1,845.00 Desks, field John Wanamaker ... . ... 878 Do J. L. Shoemaker' & Co 1,500 2,378 14,903.00 Filters, field ... August Geisse ... 1,000 37,500 18.250.00 Head nets . S. Roebuck 13,125.00 2204 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Articles of clothing and equipage purchased by Capt. I. W. Littell, assistant quartermaster, U. S. A.-Continued. Articles. From whom. Quantity. Price. Hammocks _ ... _ John Boyle & Co 107,000 5,000 600 $95,670.00 3,750.00 300.00 Hats, felt John Wanamaker Hatchets A. S. Brombacker & Co William Hart • 194 Do * H. Stoutenborough.. 200 394 102.44 S. Borchardt 50,000 50,000 100,000 100,000 50,000 25,000 W. H. Wiley & Son. ... . Do . . The C. Kenyon Co Do Bay State Shoe and Leather Co Do Rosenwasser Bros Do D. May & Co 375,000 237,250.00 H. Stoutenborough 10,000 485 Do William Hart 10,485 1,542.90 D. May & Co 20,000 50.000 20,000 17,500 17,500 25,000 Do Ab Kirschbaum &Co__ .. Do John Wanamaker Do Heller. Rothschild & Lang Do ... Ab. Kirschbaum & Co .. Overcoats, combination _.. D. May & Co 150,000 1,244,450.00 Paulins S. S. Thorp & Co 3,000 400 Do John Wanamaker Paulins, wagon .. John Boyle & Co 1,200 800 Do " S. S. Thorp & Co 5,400 82,139.00 Thos. H. Motely & Co. . 3,000 3,360 A. B. Brombacker & Co 6,360 1,225.00 Poles, shelter-tent.. Poles, shelter-tent.. Otto Duker & Co 24,701 45 ..sets.. John Boyle & Co 2,517.80 Pins John Boyle & Co . 10,300 52,000 111. 90 Suits, canvas The C. Kenyon Co 171.600.00 D. May & Co. 130,000 1,600 Do John Wanamaker . 131,600 234,600.00 H. B. Claflin & Co 18,000 56,400 55,200 26,800 125,000 Do " Shreve & Adams Do J. Jaminson ._ Do John Wanamaker. Do Isaacher Cozzens 281,400 18,089.50 John Mundell & Co , 50,000 20,000 69,908 5,000 Do .. J. L. Schultz Do Wallace, Elliott & Co Do Bay State Shoe and Leather Co 139,908 312,266.0C Safes J. M. Moseman 60 1,320.00 Snades _ A. B. Bombacker & Co 1,200 4,500 * Do .... Topping Bros 5,700 2,355.00 Shovels Robbins & Fox .. 1,000 390.00 Trousers Max Ernst ... 20,000 56,169 Do Bierman, Heidelberg & Co 76,169 214,473.78 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2205 Articles of clothing and equipage purchased by Capt. I. W. Littell, assistant quartermaster, U. S. A.-Continued. Articles. From whom. Quantity. Price. Trousers, canvas _ 90 000 $86 474 40 Undershirts 114'436 30,698.80 Tents, wall 2,583 59; 606.10 Tents, common 15'000 178; 750.00 Tents, shelter, halves 60,000 118,000.00 Tents, hospital 1,862 88; 081.76 Tents, conical wall. 300 6; 462.00 Total 4,325,761.52 Movements of troops to July 1, 1898. REGULARS. Date. Troops. From- To- Men. Railroad. Cost. Apr. 19 19 3d Cavalry ... F, 2d Artil- lery. D, 5th Artil- lery. Battalion 13th Fort Ethan Allen Fort Adams, Chickamauga do 267 77 West Shore Pennsylvania Baltimore and $12,307.68 2,801.96 3,072.60 4,356.90 11,326.59 15,515.76 15,216.60 474.00 383.30 314.00 19 R. I. Fort Hamilton. . do 76 19 Fort Columbus.. Tampa 205 Ohio. Pennsylvania.... New York, Chi- cago, and St. Louis. West Shore . 19 Infantry. 13th Infantry. 9th Infantry.. 21st Infantry. 2 batteries 7th Artillery. K, 2d Artil- lery. 7th Artillery. D and E, 7th Artillery. A and H, 7th Artillery. F and G, 7th Buffalo do 439 19 MadisonBar- do 476 19 racks. Plattsburg Bar- racks. New York Har- bor. Fort Schuyler ... Fort Slocum do 476 do 29 30 May 6 12 Fort Myer, Va... Fort Constitu- tion. Fort Warren 154 77 77 Pennsylvania Fall River Line.. do do Portland, Me .... Fort Adams .. .. 169 do 1,191.00 515.00 12 do 169 do 15 do Boston, Mass 173 do 700.00 19 19 Artillery. M, 5th Artil- lery. K, 5th Artil- lery. Battalion En- Fort Hancock Fort Wadsworth Tampa, Fla do 63 59 Pennsylvania do 1,151.00 1,079.00 4,310.86 2,107.70 2,760.50 93.50 2,193.40 24 New York City.. Fort Adams San Francisco ... 62 do gineers. H, 7th Artil- lery. B, 5th Artil- lery. H, 2d Artil- lery. H, 2d and K, 7th Artil- lery. Tampa 101 do 21 Fort Slocum.. . do 155 do July 1 1 Fort Trumbull .. New York City.. New York City.. Tampa,Fla 61 22 Norwich Line ... Pennsylvania Total 81,873.35 VOLUNTEERS. May 17 20 1st New Hampshire. 1st Vermont Concord, N. H... Fort Ethan Allen Chickamauga do 1,012 1,030 1.021 Baltimore and Ohio. Pennsylvania Baltimore and $17,691.13 16,721.25 20,567.67 13,469.32 13,648.12 5,128.92 13,719.72 4,702.16 28 1st Maine Augusta, Me. do 18 2d New York Camp Black do 1,006 1,021 1,038 Ohio. Long Island and 17 14th N e w Y ork do do Baltimore and Ohio. do 19 65th N e wY ork do Falls Church Long Island and Pennsylvania. Long Island and Baltimore and Ohio. do 24 28 69th New York 3d New York. do do Chickamauga Falls Church 1,026 1,021 2206 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Movements of troops to July 1,1898-Continued. Date. Troops. From- To- Men. Railroad. Cost. May 23 New York New York Falls Church 170 Baltimore and §1,323.00 14 Cavalry. 71st New York do Tampa 1,046 Ohio. Pennsylvania 20,188.60 14 2d Massachu- setts. do do 949 do 17,891.80 17 12thNewYork Peekskill- Chickamauga.... 1,052 do 13,767.40 24 9thNewYork_ do do 1,028 do 13,556.60 23 16 8th New York. 8th Massachu- setts. do South Framing- ham. do do 1.021 943 do Baltimore and Ohio. 13,550.65 15,453.44 20 6th Massachu- setts. do Falls Church 943 Boston and Al- bany. 6,653.25 30 9th Massachu- setts. do do ; 943 do 6,833.25 27 1st Rhode 'Is- Quonset, R. I do 1,004 Steamer and Bal- 6,713.64 land. timore and Ohio. June 10 1st Connect!- Niantic, Conn ... Fort Knox, Me... 354 New York, New 3,330.76 cut. Haven and Hartford. 15 8th New York. New York City.. Chickamauga.... 105 Baltimore and 1,176.85 Ohio. 13 Astor Bat - tery. 3d New Jersey Jersey City Ogden, Utah 102 Pennsylvania.... 2,934.30 May 26 Sea Girt, N. J ... Pompton Lakes.. 348 Central Railroad of New Jersey. do 511.00 26 3d New Jersey do Fort Hancock ... 686 296.96 26 2d Pennsyl- Pompton Lakes.. Pennsgrove 392 Erie. 1,011.24 vania. June 11 12 1st New York. 22d New York. Camp Black do Lon^ Island City. 1,021 1,021 Lon^ Island 520.50 520.50 8 47 th New York do Fort Adams 1,007 Long Island and Fall River Line. 3,761.50 July 16 1st Connecti- cut. Niantic Falls Church 1,339 Baltimore and Ohio. 7,613.40 June 28 1st New York. Total New York City.. San Francisco ... 1,304 Erie 21,750.57 265,007.53 VOLUNTEERS-Continued. Movements of troops since July 1, both regulars and volunteers. Date. Troops. From- To- Railroad. Cost per man. Sept. 1 33d and 34th Mich- Long Island City. do Detroit West Shore $4.00 5.00 igan. 8th Ohio Ohio do 5 4th Pennsylvania A, B, and C, Penn- sylvania Artil- lery. 6th Illinois Porto Rico Mount Gretna Pennsylvania do 2.74 5 do do 2.47 5 do Springfield. Ill.. West Shore 5.17 5 Battery A, Mis- souri Artillery. 2d Wisconsin do Jefferson Barracks.. do 6.20 do Camp Douglas Erie 6.98 Pennsylvania troops, cavalry. 201st, 202d, and 203d New York. 3d Texas do Philadelphia Pennsylvania Central, of New Jersey. Chesapeake and Ohio. New York, New Haven and Hartford. Lehigh Valley... New York Cen- 1.35 6 6 Long Island City. do Middletown, Pa Spofford Junction... Middletown, Pa Chicago 1.75 30.00 6 3d Connecticut.. 1st Illinois Niantic, Conn Long Island City. New York City.. Lon^ Island City. 4.83 13.25 9 9th Infantry Sacket Harbor. 5.15 10 20th Infantry... - 3d Infantry Fort Leavenworth . tral and Hud- son River. Erie . . 20.00 10 Fort Snelling Fort Sheridan . New York Cen- 19.33 10 4th Infantry do tral and Hud- son River. West Shore 14.00 10 17th Infantry ..do Columbus, Ohio Plattsburg Barracks Forts Niagara and Porter. Baltimore and 9.25 10 21st Infantry do Ohio. Central V ermont 4.00 10 13th Infantry do New York, Onta- rio and West- ern. 6.00 2207 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. Movements of troops since July 1, both regulars and volunteers-Continued Date. Troops. From- To- Railroad. Cost per man. Sept. 8 1st D i s t r i c t of Columbia Vol- unteers. Battery A, Indi- ana volunteers. B, Pennsylvania Volunteers. H, District of Columbia Vol- unteers. C, Pennsylvania Artillery. 2d Wisconsin Long Island City. Washington, D. C Pennsylvania S3.39 14 New York Indianapolis ' do 11.90 do . Pittsburg do 6.66 do Washington do 3.39 do Phoenixville .. do 1.25 do Milwaukee do 14.53 Battery A, 1st Illinois. 7th New York do Chicago do 13.25 do Rochester, N.Y. New York, Onta- rio and West- ern. West Shore 5.00 Light Battery. 15 10th Infantry 12th Infantry.... Lon^ Island City. Huntsville 15.32 Jefferson Barracks. Chesapeake and Ohio. New York Cen- 15.20 22d Infantry 6th Infantry do Omaha 20.67 16 . ...do Fort Thomas tral and Hud- son River. Baltimore and 11.05 A and B, 1st Ar- do Port Royal . Ohio. Pennsylvania Norfolk and 12.85 17 tillery. 1st and 2d Infan- do Anniston. Ala 15.60 try. 8th and 16th In- do Huntsville . ... Western. Pennsy 1vania 12.50 fantry. E, 1st Artillery.. do Jefferson Barracks and Erie. New York Cen- 15.20 K, 1st Artillery.. . ...do Fort Sam Houston tral and Hud- son River. do 28.50 A and F, 2d Air- . ...do ... Huntsville . ... do 15.32 tillery. F, 5th Artillery.. 3d Cavalry Montauk Fort Adams Fall River Line. 3.00 19 do Fort Ethan Allen Central Vermont 4.00 22 24th Infantry do Lon^ Island City. Salt Lake City Fort D. A. Russell West Shore do 36.25 28.00 23 H,4th Artillery.. 9th Cavalry New York City.. Long Island City. Fort Monroe Pennsylvania Norfolk and 5.00 24 Fort Grant .. . 37.20 Fort Huachuca Fort Apache Western. Baltimore and Ohio. do 39.00 42.44 Fort Duchesne do 36.47 Fort Sill _ ...do 27.25 22 2d Battalion, 3d New Jersey. 25th Infantry Fort Hancock Pompton Lakes Fort Logan . .. Erie .60 Long Island City. do 29.18 Fort Hauchuca Fort Grant Norfolk and Western. do 41.00 37.20 Fort Apache Erie 42.74 San Carlos ... do 46.60 Fort Wingate do 39.93 Fort Bayard do 39.30 26 1st Cavalry do Fort Riley New York Cen- 23.23 Fort Meade tral and Hud- son River. 31.78 Fort Robinson 29.72 Fort Yates. 34.97 Fort Keogh 48.07 Fort Washakie 34.83 Fort Sill 29.21 Fort Niobrara 26.38 28 2d, 6th, 10th Cav- alry. do. Huntsville, Ala Pennsylvania and Chesa- peake and Ohio. j>Lehigh Valley..^ Erie and Penn- sylvania. 15.25 Oct. 13 jFort Wayne 11.60 iFort Brady 14.17 15 16th Pennsylva- nia. New York City.. Pennsylvania points 9.50 The above rates per capita are for the men only and show the great advantage secured by competition, many rates being less than half tariff rates. Special rates were also made for the baggage and property accompanying these troops, and in many instances it was carried free. Doubtless lower rates could have 2208 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. been secured had there been more time for bidders to make rates. This office seldom had notice of any of these movements longer than two days in advance, and sometimes not that long. The vast quantities of material purchased in this city have made the freight shipments of this office very large, not merely carloads, but often train loads being forwarded. In the early days of the war the exigencies were such that many large shipments were made by express, and later I perfected an arrange- ment by which carloads of freight could be carried on express time at a rate of one and one-half times first class. The establishment of large camps in this immediate vicinity also swelled largely the volume of both freight and passenger business. FREIGHT MOVEMENTS. PUBLIC NOTICE-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, Army Building, Whitehall Street, New York City, November 15, 1898. Sealed proposals, in duplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon, November 19,1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for transporting the articles named below to the points specified. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals or any part thereof. Award will be made to the lowest bidder, for the most suitable service, accord- ing to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelopes, addressed to the undersigned, and marked "Proposals for transportation of troops, to be opened Novembei' 19, 1898." Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, Depot Quartermaster. A. S. Kimball, Col. A. S. Kimball, Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, Sir: In accordance with the above advertisement, inviting proposals for trans- porting military supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, propose to transport the articles below enumerated between the points named in the man- ner indicated and deliver the same at destination, at the prices stated. New York City, N. Y. Name , Date , 1898. Address . Quantity. Articles and description. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 200 Two hundred officers and men (more or less) from Fort Mott, N. J., to Fort Trumbull, New London, Conn. Rate per capita for officers and men-also rate per 100 pounds on excess bag- gage, over and above that portion carried free (150 pounds) on each ticket - ALSO 200 Two hundred officers and men (more or less) from Battery Point, Del., to Fort Constitution, Portsmouth, N. H. Rate per capita for officers and men-also rate per 100 pounds on excess baggage, over and above that portion carried free (150 pounds) on each ticket Officers to be provided with first-class sleeping accommodations and the enlisted men with each an entire seat in first-class pas- senger cars. Route and running time to be stated. The troops are ready to move Monday next, 21st instant. 2209 COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, PUBLIC NOTICE-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. Army Building, Whitehall Street, Sealed proposals, in duplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon November 19, 1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for transporting the articles named below to the points specified. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals, or any part thereof. Award will be made to the lowest bidder for the most suitable service accord- ing to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelopes, addressed to the undersigned, and marked " Proposals for transportation of troops, to be opened November 19, 1898." New York City, November 15, 1898. A. S. Kimball, Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, Depot Quartermaster. Col. A. S. Kimball, Sir: In accordance with the above advertisement, inviting proposals for trans- porting military supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, pro- pose to transport the articles below enumerated between the points named in the manner indicated and deliver the same at destination at the prices stated. Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, New York City, N. Y. Name , Address . Date , 1898. Quantity. Articles and descriptions. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 450 Four hundred and fifty officers and men (more or less) from Fort Adams, Newport, R. I., to New York City; also through to Savannah, Ga _. . . .. 200 Two hundred officers and men (more or less) from Fort Trum- bull, New London, Conn., to New York City; also through to Savannah, Ga ._ __ 200 Two hundred officers and men (more or less) from New York City to Savannah, Ga Rate per capita for officers and men, also rate per 100 pounds on excess baggage over and above that portion carried free (150 pounds) on each ticket. If transportation is provided by all rail, officers to be furnished with Pullman sleeping berths, and each enlisted man with an en- tire seat in first-class passenger cars. If by water, standing bunks between decks (New York to Savannah) put up on the most approved plan; steamer also to provide an ample supply of fresh water, not less than 1 gal- lon per day for each man, and facilities for cooking the men's ra- tions, etc. PUBLIC NOTICE-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, Army Building, Whitehall Street, New York City, September 30, 1898. Sealed proposals, in duplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon October 10,1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for transporting the articles named below to the points specified. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals, or any part thereof. 2210 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Award will be made to the lowest bidder for the most suitable service, accord- ing to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelopes, addressed to the undersigned, and marked ' ' Proposals for transportation of disappearing carriage, to be opened October 10, 1898." Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, A. S. Kimball, Depot Quartermaster. Lieut. Col. A. S. Kimball, Deputy Qtiartermaster-General, U. S. Army, New York City, N. T Sir: In accordance with the above advertisement, inviting proposals for trans- porting military supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, propo >e to transport the articles below enumerated between the points named in the manner indicated and deliver the same at destination at the prices stated. Name , Address . Date , 1898. Quantity. Articles and description. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 1 10-inch disappearing carriage from Watertown Arsenal, Water- town, Mass., to Galveston, Tex The dimensions and weights of the principal parts are approxi- mately as follows: Chassis, transoms, top carriage, piston rod, and as- sembled gearing, 18 feet 2 inches by 7 feet 91 inches by 8 feet 6 inches... 43,900 Inner base ring, 12 feet by 1 foot 2 inches. 10.350 Inner racer, 11 feet 7 inches by 91 inches 8, (NX) 8 sections exterior base ring, 10 feet by 2 feet 9 inches by 1 foot 9 inches 25,150 6 sections exterior racer, 12 feet 10 inches by 3 feet 5 inches by 81 inches . 9,150 Elevating arm, 12 feet 8} inches by 4 feet 31 inches by 1 foot 24 inches 1,840 Gun levers with axles, 14 feet 91 inches by 6 feet by 2 feet 10 inches 15,850 Elevating band, 3 feet 6 inches by 1 foot 800 Lead counterweights and bottom weight 77,300 Sundry plates, ladders, braces, rings, etc 19,356 Total weight 211,696 Ordinary flat cars can carry the entire shipment. The carriage is now ready for shipment, and the successful bidder must be prepared to move the same promptly upon notification. Net cash rates are requested. Under no circumstances will any bill for demurrage be entertained. PUBLIC NOTICE-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, Army Building, Whitehall Street, Sealed proposals in duplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon, June 11, 1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for transporting the articles named below to the points specified. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals or any part thereof. Award will be made to the lowest bidder, for the most suitable service, accord- ing to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelope, addressed to the undersigned, and marked "Proposals for transportation of disappearing carriage, to be opened June 11,1898." New York City, June 4, 1898. A. S. Kimball, Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, Depot Quartermaster. COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2211 Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, New York City, N. Y. Sir: In accordance with the above advertisement, inviting proposals for trans- porting military supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, propose to transport the articles below enumerated between the points named in the manner indicated and deliver the same at destination, at the prices stated. Lieut. Col. A. S. Kimball, Name , Address . Date , 1898. Quantity. Articles and description. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 1 One 12-inch disappearing carriage from Watertown Arsenal, Watertown, Mass., to Great Diamond Island, Portland Harbor, Me . The dimensions and weights of the principal parts are: Pownds Base ring, 19 feet by 2 feet 8 inches , 34,290 Racer, 18 feet 81 inches by 2 feet 1 inch 27,937 Chassis cheeks, 21 feet 4 inches by 1 foot 111 inches by 12 feet 1 inch 1 45,845 Top carriage, 7 feet 7 inches by 9 feet 2 inches by 5 feet. 25,500 Gun lever arms, 18 feet by 7 feet 94inches by 5j inches. 23,625 Counterweight cage, 6 feet 8 inches by 6 teet by 11 inches 17,700 Total weight of shipment 360,378 Previous shipments of similar nature have required 8 ordinary flat cars of 60,000 pounds capacity each. The successful bidder will be required to move the carriage promptly upon notification and to take it from Watertown Arse- nal and to deliver it on the wharf at Great Diamond Island, Port- land Harbor, Me. Bids are also asked to Portland, Me. Under no circumstances will any bill for demurrage be enter- tained. Exhibit C.-November 22,1898-C. A. N. Vessels owned by the United States No. Name. Ton- nage. Offi- cers. Men. Ani- mals. Equipment. Cost of fitting up. Purchased in- 1 Panama 2,085 10 400 Transport §14,951.99 New York. 2 Port Victor 2,792 25 400 - do 18,275.68 Washington. 3 Rita 2,194 15 700 1,000 do 10,130.37 Do. 20 Mohawk. 5,658 80 1,000 do Do. 21 Mobile 5,780 80 1,000 1,000 do 12,405. 56 Do. 22 Massachusetts.. 5,673 80 1.000 1,000 do 12,523.99 Do. 23 Manitoba 5,673 80 1.000 1,000 do 9,772.74 Do. 24 Minnewaska .. . 5,796 100 1,200 1,000 do 10,779.50 Do. 25 Mississippi 3,732 40 800 800 do 7,792.65 Do. 26 Michigan 3,722 40 800 800 do 12,948.07 Do. 27 Roumanian 4.126 45 1,100 50 do 14,251.03 Do. 30 Obdam 3,656 50 1,300 100 „...do 8,453.84 New York. 31 Berlin 5,641 75 2,000 - do 13,964.10 Washington. 32 Chester. 4,770 75 1,195 250 do 10,425. 72 Do. Britannia Ocean tug 104.82 Do. Gypsum King... Relief 3,095 - do Hospital ship.. 16,037.43 Do. New York. Missouri. 2,903 do 5,849.11 Washington. Prices paid, for ships purchased in New York: Panama $41,000 Obdam 250,000 Relief 450,000 2212 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Exhibit B.-November 22, 1898.-C. A. N. Vessels chartered. Name. Owners. Kind of vessel. Gross ton- nage. Capacity. Equipment. Offi- cers. Men. Ani- mals. Alamo C. H. Mallory & Co. Steamship ... 2,943 35 800 450 Transport. Arkadia New York and Steamship ... 2,317 15 250 300 Do. Pen nsylvania Railroad Steam- ship Co. Catania Tweedie Trading Steamship... 3,700 40 800 - Do. Cherokee Clyde & Co Steamship... 2,557 40 950 Do. City of Washing- ton. Comanche Ward Line.. Steamship... 2,648 30 740 250 Do. Clyde & Co Steamship... 3,202 50 500 50 Do. Concho. Mallory & Co Steamship... 3,704 35 800 300 Do. Iroquois Clyde & Co Steamship... 2,944 40 700 Do. Lampasas Mallory & Co Steamship... 2,237 35 200 400 Do. Leona do .... Steamship... 3,329 45 650 400 Do. Louisiana Cromwell Steam- ship Co. Steamship... 2,849 30 325 350 Do. Nueces Mallory & Co Steamship... 3,367 25 800 300 Do. Rio Grande do Steamship... 2,566 50 1,000 200 Do. Santiago Ward Line.. Steamship... 2,359 40 600 250 Do. Saratoga do Steamship... 2,820 40 800 250 Do. Seneca do Steamship... 2,729 27 (>00 250 Do. Seguranca do Steamship... 4,115 35 600 500 Do. Vigilancia do Steamship... 4,115 45 800 Do. Yucatan do Steamship... 3,524 45 1,000 250 Do. Adria .. Western Union Telegraph Co. Steamship... 519 Repairing ca ble. Comal Mallory & Co Steamship... 2,251 Transport. Orizaba Ward Line Steamship... 3,496 Do. San Marcos Mallory & Co Steamship... 2,837 Do. Miami Miami Steamship Co. Steamship... 3,050 - Do. Mattea wan Maverick do Standard Oil Co... Steamship... Steamship... 1,561 Do. Tank steamer Barge No. 77. do Barge 342 Tank barge. Kanawha Jno. A. Donald Steamship... 641 Transport. Manteo Hudson Ward Line.. Cromwell Steam- ship Co. Steamship... Steamship... 583 1,872 - Do. Do. Knickerbocker ... City of Macon.... do Ocean Steamship Co Steamship... Steamship... 1,642 2,098 - Do. Do. Gate City Olivette. do Plant Investment Co Steamship... Steamship... 1,997 1,611 Do. Do. La Grande Duch- do Steamship... 5,017 Do. Gretchen De wit C. Ivins Jno. E. Reyburn ... Moran Towing Co. Steamship... Tug 110 Inspection. Ocean tug. Gladisfen Wm. E. Meyer Tug Do. Uto Kirkham & Son Steamship ... 1,422 Transport. Shinnecock Montauk Steam- boat Co. Steamship... 1,205 Do. Vigilant John Delany Steamship... 150 Do. J. A. Lawrence... A. W. Booth Lewis Pulver Alfred Dutch. Michael Moran John Nichols Tug Tug Tug.. 86 118 71 - Tug. Do. Do. Arthur Barge Barge. Curry Barge Do. Newkirk Barge Do. Bcix. ______ Barge Do. Wm. H. Vander- bilt. Barge Do. Columbia James P. McAllis- ter. Steam lighter Lighter. COL. AMOG S. KIMBALL 2213 Vessels chartered-Continued Name. Rate per day. Cost of fitting up. Charter pre- pared in- Com- mence- ment of charter. Dis- charg- ed. Remarks. 1898. 1898. Alamo J $625 1 575 $2,440.88 Washington . Apr. 29 Sept.23 Arkadia. 250 10,346.82 do J uno 15 Sept. 2 Catania 600 8,496.00 do June13 Sept. 13 Cherokee 500 1' 878.00 do May 11 Aug. 22 City of Washing- 450 1,700.10 do May 10 Sept. 15 ton. Comanche 640 370. (N) do June 3 Sept. 2 Concho 550 2,440.88 ... .do May 10 Sept.23 Iroquis 600 2i 507.84 do May 11 Aug. 18 Lampasas. . 5; 406. 80 do June 13 Aug. 13 Leona 500 2,440.88 do May 10 Aug. 29 Louisiana. ... 500 2; 083.36 do June 3 Aug. 12 Nueces 4.477.50 do June13 Sept. 16 Rio Grande 500 2,440. 88 do May 10 Aug. 26 Santiago 450 1,220.00 do May 10 Sept. 3 Saratoga 450 2,117.65 do May 10 Sept.21 Seneca ... 450 1,h46. 19 do May 10 Sept.29 Seguran^a 61X) i; 380.00 do May 10 Sept.30 Vigilancia 600 2; 975.65 do May 10 Sept. 18 Yucatan . 500 2,214.65 do May 10 Sept.30 Adria 2(X) New York ... Apr. 21 Aug. 15 Comal J 625 ( 575 1 f Washington . May 1 Oct. 25 Orizaba . _ 500 ___ .do May 10 Sept. 17 San Marcos 500 do May 10 Sept. 8 Miami 550 do May 13 Aug. 24 Matteawan 600 do .. May 11 Aug. 24 Maverick . . _ 500 do May 16 Sept. 2 Barge No. 77 1(N) <. do May 14 Aug. 7 Kanawha 175 do June 3 Oct" 1 Manteo _ 200 do May 28 Oct. 7 Hudson 400 ... .do June 9 Sept. 6 Knickerbocker _. 4(N) ... .do June 3 Sept.21 City of Macon 500 do June 6 Aug. 26 Gate City 500 do June 6 Aug. 18 Olivette . 450 .....do J une 29 LaGrande Duch- 1.200 do J uly 5 Sept. 2 esse. Gretchen (5) J une 20 Oct. 8 For use Major Crozier. Dewit C. Ivins .. 100 New York ... Gladisfen .... 90 do July 11 Sept.12 Uto ... 165 do July 20 Sept.14 Shinnecock. 1,000 do Aug. 30 Sept.22 Vigilant 1(N) . . do Aug. 11 Oct. 1 J. A. Lawrence .. 75 do... Aug. 10 Oct. 9 Do. A. W. Booth . .. 75 do Aug. 15 Sept.24 Do. Lewis Pulver 50 do Aug. 11 Oct. 4 Do. Arthur 40 do Aug. 13 Oct. 4 Do. Curry. . 40 do Aug. 13 Oct. 4 Do. N e wkirk do Sept. 2 Sept. 3 Do. Baxter do Sept. 3 Sept. 4 Do. Wm. H. Vander- 40 do Aug. 16 Oct. 7 Do. bilt. Columbia 60 - do Aug. 15 Oct. 3 Do. a Per month. 6 Hired. Exhibit A-November 22, 1898-C. A. N. PUBLIC NOTICE-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, Army Building, Whitehall Street, New York City, November 1, 1898. Sealed proposals, in triplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon November 15,1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for furnishing and delivering at this depot, the articles named hereon, free of drayage, and properly packed for shipment. Proposals for delivery at other points will also be entertained. 2214 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Bidders must state the time when, and the place where, they propose to make deliveries. Net prices must be quoted on all articles bid for. Articles will be subjected to a rigid inspection before acceptance by the Govern- ment. Proposals for either class of stores mentioned, or for quantities less than the whole required, will be received, and the quantities specified may be increased or reduced to the extent of 20 per cent, should the interest of the public service demand such change. Preference will be given to articles of domestic production or manufacture, con- ditions of quality and price (including in the price of foreign productions or man- ufactures the duty thereon) being equal, and such preference will be given to articles of American production and manufacture produced on the Pacific coast to extent of consumption required by the public service there. When a particular article is specifically called for, bids for other kind or manu- facture or brand equally good will be entertained. If any other than the speci- fied kind or brand is bid on, the bidder will name the kind or brand opposite the respective item. Samples must accompany bids where called for. In case of failure of any bidder, when award shall be made to him, to deliver the required article under his bid, the depot quartermaster shall have power to supply the deficiency by purchase in open market, and the difference in cost of the article and the price bid therefor shall be charged to the bidder so failing. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals or any part thereof. Award will be made to the lowest bidder, by items, for the most suitable arti- cles according to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelopes, addressed to the undersigned, and marked "Proposals for lumber, nails, doors, and hard- ware, to be opened November 15, 1898." A. S. Kimball, Colonel, Quartermaster's Department, Depot Quartermaster. Col. A. S. Kimball Quartermaster's Departmen t, Depot Quartermaster, New York City, N. Y. Sir:' In accordance with the above advertisement, inviting proposals for mili- tary supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, , propose to furnishand deliver at the articles hereon specified, at the price set opposite each article. Name , Date . 1898. Address . Quantity. Articles and descript on. $ Cts. Per- 17,620 41,051) 49,260 4H2.290 24,630 75,943 65,680 402.290 ... 16.420 8,21(1 41.050 MATERIAL TO ELOOR AND FRAME TENTS AT HAVANA AND PINAR DEL RIO, CUBA. For hospital tents. Pieces lumber, rough 1 in. x 8 in. x 14 ft..... 164,450 feet. " " " 2 in. x 4 in, x 14 ft <386,967 " " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft 328.400 " " " T. &G lin. x 6in. x 14 ft 2,933,364 " " " rough 1 in. x 6 in. x 12 ft 147,780 " " " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 1,620,117 " " " " 3 in. x 4 in. xl4ft.6in. 1,050,880 " " " " lin.x 6in. x 10ft 2,011,450 " " " 2 in. x 16 in. x 18 ft 788,160 11 " " " _..-_2 in. x 10 in. x 14 ft 191,566 " " " 11 .....4in. x 4 in. x 12 ft 656,800 " - M feet. » COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2215 Quantity. 26,176 19.632 3.^4 / 3.272 9,816 1 ',688 29,448 2.175 16.360 ! 9,448...... 3,272 3,272 7,740 4,644 6,966 1,548 6,966 1,548 1.548 26,316 1,032 1,548 1,548 38,000 900, (XX) 8.000 28,(XX) 25,000 3,500 60,(XX) 32,000 3,524. 8,210 9,852 80,458 4,926 15,189 13.136..... 80.458 3.284 1.642 8.2)0. 3,600. 1,250 500.. 250. 2. (XX) 750 700 60 700 400 620 600 240 500 50 60 17(H) 2200 Articles and description. MATERIAL TO FLOOR AND FRAME TENTS AT HAVANA AND pinar del rio, CUBA-continued. For wall tents. Pieces lumber, rough 3 in. x4in. x 9 ft 235,584 feet. " " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 418,816 " 11 " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 34,901 " " " " 1 in. x 8in. x 18 ft..... 39,264 " " " " _2in. x4in. x 8 ft 52,352 " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 14 ft 122,154 " " " T.&G 1 in. x 6 in. x 18 ft 276,077 " " " rough 1 in. x 6 in. x 12 ft 13,050 " " " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 12 ft 261,760 '' " T. &G 1 in. x 6 in. x 14 ft 214,725 " " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 18 ft 39.264 " " " " 2 in. x 10 in. x 20 ft 109,066 " For common tents, with wall. Pieces lumber, rough 3 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. 4 in 69,760 feet. " " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 12 ft 74,304 " " " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 148,608 " " " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft 20,640 " " " " ......2 in. x 4 in. x 14 ft 65.016 " " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 12 ft 12,384 " " " " 1 in. x 4 in. x 14 ft 7,224 " " " T.&G lin.x 6 in. x 12 ft 164,475 " " " rough lin.x 5 in. x 12 ft 5,160 " " " " 2 in. x 14 in. x 18 ft 65,016 " " " " 2 in. x 10 in. x 20 ft 51,600 " For flooring and framing paulins for messes and kitchens. Pieces lumber, rough 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 810,666 feet. Feet " T.&G 6 in. flooring 468,750 11 Pieces " rough 1 in. x 12 in. x 16 ft 96,000 " " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft 186,666 " " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 266,666 " " " " .lin.x 6 in. x 12 ft 21,000 " " " " 1 in. x 12 in. x 16 ft 720,000 " Pounds nails, steel, wire, clean picked, standard brands, in strong kegs of 100 lbs. each: 8.000 lbs. 6d 8,000 lbs. 8d 8,0(X) lbs. lOd 8,000 lbs. 12d._ For corps, division, and brigade hospitals, Havana. Pieces lumber, rough 1 in. x 8 in. x 14 ft 32,857 feet. " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 14 ft 75,623 " " " " 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft 65,680 " T.&G lin.x 6 in. x 14 ft 565,548 " rough...'...1 in. x 6 in. x 12 ft 29,556 " " 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 324,032 " " " " 3 in. x 4 in. x 14 ft. 6 in 210,176 " *• 11 " lin.x 6 in. x 10 ft 402,290 " 11 " 2 in. x 16 in. x 18 ft 157,632 " " 2 in. x 10 in. x 14 ft 38,280 " " " " 4 in. x lin.x 12 ft 131,360 Pounds nails, steel, wire, clean picked, standard brands, in strong kegs of 100 lbs. each: 900 lbs. (id 9( )0 lbs. 8d . _ . 9001bs. lOd 900 lbs. 12d For storehouses at Havana, Cuba. Pieces lumber, rough 2 in. x 12 in. x 16 ft 40,000 feet. " " " 3 in. x 6 in. x 16 ft 12.000 ■ " 2 in. x 12 in. x 12 ft 10,800 - " 2 in. x 8 in. x 16 ft 42.666 ■ " •' 6 in. x 8 in. x 16 ft 48,000 11 Jin.x 4in.xl6ft 3,733 ■ " " .6 in. x 8 in. x 12 ft 2.880 " " " _8 in. xlOin. x 12 ft 56.000 " " 11 " 2in.xl0in.xl6ft..-_ 10.666 " '■ " .6 in. x 12 in. x 12 ft 44,640 " " " " 2 in. x 10 in. x 14 ft 14,000 " *■ " " 6in.x 6in. x 10ft..... 7,200 " " " " 2 in. x 10 in. x 12 ft 10,100 " " " 4in.x 6in.xl0ft 1,000 " " " 11 4 in. x 4 in. x 16 ft 1,280 " " " " 1 in. x 12 in. x 10 ft 17,000 " " " " 1 in. x 12 in. x 15 ft 35,200 " $ ...... ■ :::::: Cts. Per- M feet. CC cc 100 lbs. Cl CC cc M. feet. 100 lbs CC cc M. feet. CC cc cc CC ■ cc 2216 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Quantity. Articles and description. $ Cts. Per- MATERIAL TO FLOOR AND FRAME TENTS AT HAVANA AND pinar del rio, CUBA-continued. For storehouses at Havana, Cuba-Continued. 2600 Pieces lumber, rough 1 in. x 12 in. x 14 ft 36,400 feet. Feet board measure 2 inch plank, 12, 14, and 16 feet M feet. 120000 35000 Lineal feet 1x3 inch battens 8 750 feet Il 5000 Feet board measure T. & G. dressed boards 6 inches wide 520 Square 2-ply ruberoid roofing, nails, sand, and cement lot 16 Doors, 3 ft. x 7 ft., No. 2, pine panels, with frames, hinges, and locks each 16 Window frames, 3 ft. x 5 ft., with sash ... €1 Window sash, 3 ft. x 3 f t. 6 in Cl 800 Bolts, f inch, 10 inch grip, with nuts and washers lot CO Kegs wire nails, 5 inch, in 100 lb. kegs, steel wire, clean picked, standard brands ... 100 lbs. £0 Kegs wire nails, 4 inch, in 100 lb. kegs, steel wire, clean picked, standard brands £0 Kegs cut nails, 10 penny, clean picked, standard brands, in strong 100 lb. kegs n 10 Kegs cut nails, 8 penny, clean picked, standard brands, in strong 1001b. kegs . .. it 50 Sets Corbin door hangers, with tracks complete, for 8x8 warehouse doors set The lumber herein called for will be either white, yellow, or Norway pine, and will conform generally to the following specifications, and be subject to inspection on the part of the United States: SPECIFICATIONS. Framing or bill lumber.-Must be of sound quality, well manufactured, square edged, free from loose or branch knots, splits, or shakes. No defects that will materially impair the strength of this material will be admitted. Boards- Must be sound in quality, regular thickness and widths, without wane, free from loose or branch knots and shakes or splits, and must lay without waste. Prices will be given both for rough and dressed one side. Flooring.-Will admit of slight sap stains and sound knots not over four to a piece, the largest not to exceed f in. in diameter, and to be free from shakes. To be tongued and grooved, dressed one side, and well matched. One-half inch will be allowed for tongue. No boards will be admitted in this grade which will not lay without waste. All to be thoroughly dried. DELIVERY. Delivery to be made in such quantities, or such portions thereof as may be required, on board vessel at the wharf at Savannah and Brunswick, Ga., Charleston, S. C., Newport News, Va., or New York, N. Y. Prices will also be given for delivery on the dock at Havana, Matanzas, Caibarien, Man- zanillo, Cienfuegos, Mariel, or such other Cuban ports as may be desired. Bids for less than the whole amount called for will be considered, and bidders should state the number of days required in which to begin the shipment or delivery on trans- ports, also the number of days required to complete same, and in case of bids for delivery at Cuban ports they should state whether it is proposed to ship by steamer or sailing vessel. The United States Government reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, or any part thereof. PUBLIC NOTICE.-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, Army Building, Whitehall Street, New York City. November 1, 1808. Sealed proposals, in triplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon November 15, 1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for furnishing and delivering at this depot the articles named hereon, free of dray age, and properly packed for shipment. Proposals for delivery at other points will also be entertained. COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2217 Bidders must state the time when, and the place where, they propose to make deliveries. Net prices must be quoted on all articles bid for. Articles will be subjected to a rigid inspection before acceptance by the Government. Proposals for either class of stores mentioned, or for quantities less than the whole required, will be received, and the quantities specified may be increased or reduced to the extent of 20 per cent, should the interest of the public service demand such change. Preference will be given to articles of domestic production or manufacture, con- ditions of quality and price (including in the price of foreign productions or manu- factures the duty thereon) being equal, and such preference will be given to arti- cles of American production and manufacture produced on the Pacific coast to extent of consumption required by the public service there. When a particular article is specifically called for. bids for other kind or manu- facture or brand equally good will be entertained. If any other than the specified kind or brand is bid on, the bidder will name the kind or brand opposite the respective item. Samples must accompany bids where called for. In case of failure of any bidder, when award shall be made to him, to deliver the required article under his bid, the depot quartermaster shall have power to supply the deficiency by purchase in open market, and the difference in cost of the article and the price bid therefor, shall be charged to the bidder so failing. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals or any part thereof. Award will be made to the lowest bidder, by items, for the most suitable arti- cles, according to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelopes, addressed to the undersigned, and marked " Proposals for iron pipe, fittings, valves, pumps, etc., to be opened November io, 1898." N. S. Kimball, Colonel, Quartermaster's Department, Depot Quartermaster. Col. A. S. Kimball, Quartermaster's Department, Depot Quartermaster, New York City, N. Y. Sir: In accordance with the above advertisement, inviting proposals for mili- tary supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, propose to furnish and deliver at the articles hereon specified, at the price set opposite each article. Name, , Address, . Date, , 1898. Quantity. Articles and description. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 3 MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEM AT HAVANA, CUBA. Duplex compound Worthington, or equal, pumps, 12 in., and 181 in. steam, 12 in. water cylinders, 10 in. stroke, 10 in. suc- tion, and 8 in. discharge, with all fittings complete, with lu- bricators, large Each 1 6 Worthington, or equal, 5} x 31 x 5 in. boiler feed pump with fix- tures complete, with check valve and lubricator 90 degree 10-inch bends, flanged _ - Lot. 3... 10-inch strainers and toot valves, flanged . . 114 3 Feet 10-inch wrought-iron flanged suction pipe 10-inch double-gate valves, Eddy, Chapman, or equal Foot. Lot. 2218 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Quantity. Articles and description. Dol lars. Cts. Per- 3 MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEM AT Havana, cuba-continued. 60-horsepower locomotive boilers, with fixtures complete . Each. 3 8-in. horizontal swing check valves 3 10-in pressure gauges _ .. .. It 35,000 Linear feet of 8-in. cast-iron pipe . Foot. 35; 000 " " " 6-in. " " * " 50,000. 50,000. 10,000 " " " 4-in. " " " IC " " " 3-in. " " " .. IC " " " 2-in. wrought-iron pipe, galvanized 10,000 20,000 20,000. 24 " " " D-in. " * " " " cc " " " l-'in. " " " " cc " j-in. " " " " cc 8-in. double gate valves, Chapman, Eddy, or equal Each. 72 6-in. ■' " " " " " " 100 4-in. " " " " " " " CC 100 3-in. " " " ... . cc 100 2-in. " " " cc 500 1-in. faucets, } of those with hose connections cc 54)0 j-in. " 1 of those with hose connections vC 25 8x8x6 in. tees .. Lot. 25 8 x 8 x 4 in. tees 12 8x6reducers ... CC 12 } bends, 8 in cc 12 4 bends, 8 in cc 25 8 in. plugs cc 12 8 in. sleeves ... cc 40 feet 8 in. wrought-iron flanged pipe, for connection with pumps. 8 in. flanged tees, for connection with pumps cc 2 cc 1 8 in. flanged elbow, for connection with pumps cc 3 8 in. flanged unions, for use with pumps cc 100 6 in. x 6 in. tees . cc 100 6 in. x 6 in. x 4 in. tees cc 25 6 in. | bends . . cc 24 6 in. j bends cc 36 6 in. plugs ... .. cc 24 6 in. x 4 in. reducers cc 25 6in.sleeves . . _ - •___ cc 100 4 in. x 4 in. tees cc 50 4 in. x 4 in. x 3 in. tees . . .. c c 50 4 in. x 4 in. x 2 m. tees . .. . .. ... kC 24 4 in. x 3 in. reducers cc 24 4 in x 2in. reducers .. cc 50 4 in. 1 bends 50 4 in. 4 bends . - cc 25 4 in. plugs cc 4 in. sleeves .. cC 50 3 in. x 3 in. tees KM) 3 in. x 2 in. tees cc 10 3 in to 2 in. reducers . .... cc KM) 3 in 1 bends cc 50 3 in. 4 bends cc 20.. 100 3 in. plugs cc 2 in. tees - . _ 1(X) 1 | in tees - cc 500 1 in. tees - - c c 500 £ in. tees - C. 50 2 to 1 1 in. reducers - cc 50 11 to 1 in. reducers .- - . - cc 50 1 in. to £ reducers .. cc 200 2 in. Universal unions cc 200 1} in to 1 in Universal unions cc 1(H) 1 in. to | in. bushing cc 50 2 in. plugs cc 50 lj in. plugs cc 50 2 in. caps cc 50 1I in. caps - cc 100 1 in. caps. 100 in. caps _ . . CC 100 2 in f bends _ _. . cc 100 Ilin. 1 bends __ cc 500 1 in. J bends 5(M) fin | bends cc 100 2 in bends cc 100 11 in. bends 500 1 in t bends .. c c 500 in. | bends 1(M) 2-in. valves _ _ 1CM) I1, -in. valves . CC 5(X) 1-in. valves Cc 500 I-in. valves - . cc 300 Nipples, long, 50 2-in., 50 l|-in., 100 1-in., 100 f-in cc 300 " short, 50 2-in.,5014-in., 1001-in., 100 }-in COL. AMOS S. KIMBALL. 2219 Quantity. Articles and description. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 2CX) MATERIAL REQUIRED FOR WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEM AT Havana, cuba-continued. Fittings for shower baths. Cast brass shower heads, with ball joints .. Each. 200 Reducers. 1 in. to f in - Lot. 3000... 25 Feet f-in. pipe, with couplings Foot. Fin. plugs . . Lot. 25 Fin. caps 200 Tees, 1.1 in. to f in - - 11* 50 Fin. nipples, 3 in. long ll 1(M) Fin. £ bends - - - 41 200 Fin.valves _ ___ __ 44 3 Materials and appliances for joints of cast-iron pipe. Portable lead furnaces and pots, large size, Clow's cat., fig. 1804, or equal. Lead ladles, large size -. Each. 3 20 Tons soft lead .. ... .. Ton. 12 .. Bales caulking yarn Lb. 6 Barrels clay for dams Bbl. 6 Sets of caulking tools - Set. 6 Cypress tanks of 30,000 gallons each, with 6 steel trestles 50 feet high. (Or, if thought to be to better advantage, .) Cypress tanks of 20,000 gallons each, with 8 steel trestles 50 feet high. No. 2 diaphragm trench pumps, Clow's cat., fig. 1711, or equal, complete, with suction hose. No. 3 Bobins chain tongs Each. 8 2 IL 6 CL 6 No. 2 44 12 10-in. Stillson wrenches 44 6 14-in. " " 4 4 6 18-in. " " . _ 44 12 No. 1 Saunder's pipe cutters 44 6 "2 " * " " 44 6 " 3 " " 44 12 No. 1 stock and dies,complete. . 44 6 3 " 4 " " " 44 6 No. 1 combination pipe vises 44 6 " 2 '' * " " 44 3 " 3 " " " 44 3 Clow's improved crows, complete with taps J- in. to 2 in., Clow's cat., fig. 1803, or equal. Lbs. rainbow packing . .. 44 100 Lb. 50 Lbs. of asbestus wick packing 100 Lbs. of cotton waste 44 50 Lbs. of 1-in. steam hose . Foot. 1 Bundle of pin. and 1-in. black pipe ... . . . . .... Lot. 50 Lbs. malleable f and 4 inch assorted fittings Lb. 100 Assorted J and 1 inch nipples _ Lot. 3 Sets of 3-ton differential pulleys, with chains Each. DELIVERY. Delivery to be made in such quantities or such portions thereof as may be required on board vessel at the wharf at Savannah and Brunswick, Ga., Charleston, S. C., Newport News, Va.,or New York, N. Y. Prices will also be given for delivery on the dock at Havana, Matanzas, Caibarien, Man- zanillo, Cienfugos, Mariel, or such other Cuban ports as may be desired. Bids for less than the whole amount called for will be considered, and bidders should state the number of days required in which to begin the shipment or delivery on transports; also the number of days required to complete same, and in case of bids for delivery at Cuban ports, they should state whether it is proposed to ship by steamer or sailing vessel. The United States Government reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals or any part thereof. 2220 INVESTIGATION OP CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. PUBLIC NOTICE.-CIRCULAR PROPOSAL. General Depot of the Quartermaster's Department, Army Building, Whitehall Street, New York City, October 2^, 1898. Sealed proposals, in triplicate, subject to the usual conditions, will be received at this office until 12 o'clock noon November 1,1898, at which time and place they will be opened in the presence of bidders, for furnishing and delivering at this depot the articles named hereon, free of drayage, and properly packed for shipment. Proposals for delivery at other points will also be entertained. Bidders must state the time when, and the place where, they propose to make deliveries. Net prices must be quoted on all articles bid for. Articles will be subjected to a rigid inspection before acceptance by the Government. Proposals for either class of stores mentioned, or for quantities less than the whole required, will be received, and the quantities specified may be increased or reduced to the extent of 20 per cent, should the interest of the public service demand such change. Preference will be given to articles of domestic production, or manufacture, conditions of quality and price (including in the price of foreign productions or manufactures the duty thereon) being equal, and such preference will be given to articles of American production and manufacture produced on the Pacific coast to extent of consumption required by the public service there. When a particular article is specifically called for, bids for other kind or manu- facture or brand equally good will be entertained. If any other than the specified kind or brand is bid on, the bidder will name the kind or brand opposite the respective item. Samples must accompany bids where called for. In case of failure of any bidder, when award shall be made to him, to deliver the required article under his bid, the depot quartermaster shall have power to supply the deficiency by purchase in open market, and the difference in cost of the article and the price bid therefor shall be charged to the bidder so failing. The Government reserves the right to reject or accept any or all proposals or any part thereof. Award will be made to the lowest bidder, by items, for the most suitable arti- cles according to the judgment of the depot quartermaster. Proposals should be signed by the bidder, inclosed in sealed envelopes, addressed to the undersigned, and marked "Proposals for lumber and nails, to be opened November 1, 1898." A. S. Kimball, Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, Depot Quartermaster. Lieut. Col. A. S Kimball, Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, New York City, N. Y. Sir: In accordance with the above advertisement inviting proposals for military supplies, and subject to all the conditions thereof, propose to furnish and deliver at the articles hereon specified, at the price set opposite each article. Name, , Address, . Date, , 1898. SIDNEY V. LOWELL. 2221 Quantity. Articles and description. Dol- lars. Cts. Per- 600,000 feet.... 400,000 feet.... 150,000 feet.... 100,000 feet.... 100,000 feet.... 25,000 feet 1-inch white pine boards, dressed one side, 12 to 16 feet long. 1-inch white pine flooring, tongued and grooved, 12 to 16 feet long. 3 by 4 inch yellow pine scantling. 16 to 20 feet long Lot. 2 by 4 inch yellow pine scantling, 16 to 20 feet long 2 by 6 inch yellow pine scantling. 16 to 20 feet long 2 by 8 inch yellow pine scantling. 16 to 20 feet long . 25,000 feet 25,000 pounds . 2 by 10 inch"yellow"pine scantling, 16 to 20 feet long Nails, wire, steel, clean-picked, standard brands, in strong kegs of 100 pounds each: 1,000 pounds 4d 100 lbs. 2,000 pounds 6d . ... Do. 15,000 pounds 8d _ _ Do. 4,000 pounds lOd . . . .. .. Do. 2,000 pounds 20d . . Do. 1,000 pounds 40d Do. AU the lumber to be No. 1 common, free from shakes and loose knots, delivery of lumber and nails to be made in such quantities as may be required on the wharf at Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Neuvitas, and Gibara, or other Cuban ports. Bidders will also state price for delivery on board Gov- ernment transports at ports in the United States, such as Savannah and Brunswick, Ga., Charleston, S. C., Newport News, Va., New York City, N. Y., or other ports which bidders may prefer to name. Bids for less than the whole amount called for will be considered, and bidders should state the number of days required in which to begin ship- ments or deliveries on transports and to complete same, and, in case of bids for delivery at Cuban ports, whether it is proposed to ship by steamer or sailing vessel. New York, November 22, 1898. TESTIMONY OF SIDNEY V. LOWELL. Mr. Sidney V. Lowell, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: General Beaver: Q. Mr. Lowell, please give your name and place of residence. A. Sidney V. Lowell; 164 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn Borough, New York City. Q. Please state your business or occupation. A. I am a lawyer, having been in active practice for over thirty years in this present city of New York. Q. Please state whether or not you had occasion to visit Montauk during the time the troops were there. A. I did, sir. Q. At what time did you visit the Point? A. I was there in the first or second week of September. Q. How many times? A. I was there four full days-all day for four days. Q. You went down in the morning and came back at night? A. Yes, sir. Q. Give the days of the month, if you can, when you were there. A. I was there, as I remember it, upon the 8th, 10th, 12th, and 14th of September. Q. Please state what the conditions were that existed there at that time in rela- tion to the care of the troops, the condition of the troops, and the condition of the hospitals which you visited; make it in as concise a statement as possible in a narrative form. A. I went to the camp to assist the ladies of the East Hampton tent-East Hampton relief tent. My daughter was working with them, and I wanted to back them up and assist them all I could. I was then on my summer vacation- 2222 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. toward the close of it. I would like to say a word or two about the place. You may not have had any description here of the Point-this peculiar point of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, practically surrounded by the ocean-a treeless waste, a desert place, unlike, perhaps, anything else in the country; a fine place for a well man, swept by tonic breezes, but a hard place for men who came from a hot climate. I found there what I might describe with propriety as a barbaric state of things-such a state of things one might imagine exists where people lived in tents, without houses and without any appliances of a sanitary nature. There was a road, but it was simply a track across the natural ground, which had been worked upon a little, but no original road or anything that could be called a road-a mere trail up hill and down dale. On this road, backward and forward, were going with ceaseless activity wagons drawn by six horses or mules, also numerous mounted men, dashing upward and downward. These wagons were almost invariably empty, going apparently aimlessly backward and forward on this track, clouds of dust arising on the track from these horsemen going back and forth, carrying nothing usually, apparently delivering nothing. Q. These wagons, you think, were going about simply to exercise the mules? A. They were going apparently for supplies which they could not get. They would come down empty to the station and go back almost invariably empty. It was the most astonishing thing to see this trail covered with wagons, going back- ward and forward, no one seeming to know why, and these horsemen prancing up and down these hills. Q. I understand you to say these soldiers were in tents down there? A. Yes, sir; they had no shelter but canvas. Q. There was not time to erect houses for all the troops, was there? A. Yes, sir; I believe, with all the carpenters we had in this great city of New York and Brooklyn, I believe they could. If they could do so much for the Span- ish prisoners who were brought to Portsmouth-that little town-where they were able to erect substantial houses for those Spanish prisoners, they might have done it for our own soldiers. Q. Do you know whether it is the custom for soldiers to live in houses in the summer time, or in tents-which? A. It depends upon the place where they are in the summer time. Remember, this was not the summer; this was in the fall. Q. Do you know whether oi' not it is the custom to erect houses for the shelter of soldiers in the fall? A. I know in Europe, when the armies are having their evolutions-in Ger- many, for instance-they provide for their soldiers who gather from all parts of the country. They put them under cover. They don't expect them to live out under tents, even under stress of the military evolutions. Q. Go on, Mr. Lowell. What else did you observe there? A. The condition of the men; I had occasion to notice that. Q. Please describe that. A. I beg your pardon, gentlemen, but this seemed to interest me and I know it interests you gentlemen, and I must beg your pardon if I seem aroused by it. Pray pardon me, as the circumstances seem to me to warrant it, and I hope to do my country some good. As to the condition of the men, it was a camp of sick men. As regards my testimony in that respect, let me say that the testimony of Mrs. Manson, Miss Garrard, Mrs. Allis, and Dr. Stimpson all accords with my view and observation. I would corroborate all they say, particularly Dr. Stimp- son-that it was a camp of sick men. The general at Santiago had reported 90 per cent of the men were unfit for duty, and I came down there and found pro- vision for the sick for 5 per cent, not 90 per cent. In other words, instead of making provision for 90 per cent of the men to go into the hospital, only provision 2223 SIDNEY V. LOWELL. had been made for 5 per cent. And then, those hospitals-my God! They were nothing but tents. Q. Nothing but tents? A. Yes, sir; they had wood floors, but they were only canvas tents. I heard a soldier complain, " I never can get well; I shall die unless I get away from this camp." I said, "Why not go to the hospital? " " But the hospital is only a tent; how can I in my condition,"-the men were groaning with coughs, almost in the first stages of pneumonia-" How can I get well in another tent? " The root, the bottom, of this whole trouble was that tent business. There were 20,000 sick men who were put right on the naked ground, and if any of them were sick and had to go to the hospital there was nothing else to go into but more tents; and then there was no accommodations for but a few hundred. Q. Do you know what the capacity of this hospital was, Mr. Lowell? A. About 700 men, according to Colonel Forwood's reports. Q. His testimony was 1,500. A. They gradually increased them as they were forced to. Q. Did you go into this hospital? A. Seldom; my time and attention was given to the tents outside. Q. Please proceed to add anything you like. A. As regards the condition of the men, I found them all emaciated. There wasn't, so to speak, except maybe among the negroes, hardly a plump man in the whole camp. The negroes looked pretty well. The white men, the whole great body of the camp, were in a frightful condition, suffering with fevers, malaria, typhoid, on the brink of pneumonia, and a great many suffering from dysentery. Q. Do you know whether the death rate was abnormally large or not, Mr. Lowell? A. As regards statistics, I think but little of them, as so many men were shipped off on the cars and died all over the country. I don't believe the number of men that died will ever be known. When a man left his regiment there was no record kept of him. When they once left camp nobody knew where they were-they went out into the world to die or live, and they were not paid. These men came to the hospital without anyone keeping track of them, and some of them were not paid for four or five months. Q. Do you know why? A. Because there was no one to pay them. One reason was because no track was kept of where they were. The Government needed somebody to tell them where they were. Q. You think they simply knew there were some men on Montauk Point? A. They knew if a man had gone from his regiment, but no records were kept. Q. Do you know whether the Government knew the names of the regiment and the numbers of them that were at Montauk Point; whether they kept an account of the regiments that were there? A. I know there were two regiments there that were called the "orphans," because nobody seemed to know what they belonged to, what brigade or division, and those regiments were called the " orphans"-the Third and the Twentieth. I suppose they got that name from a general lack of attention or lack of position in the Army. Q. You can proceed, Mr. Lowell. A. The officers, let me state, were about in as bad shape as the men. There were very few officers left to the regiment; you wouldn't find but very seldom that a regiment possessed what ordinarily would be there, and they were reported to be sick, off on sick leaves; and there was one point about that which perhaps I don't know how can be reached. It is outside, perhaps, of your line, but you will notice that the officers were unable to stand the work like the regular troops were. 2224 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. The regular troops, of course, are inured to hard work, but the officers are not. The officers of the regulars are more on a par with the officers of the volunteers, and it seemed to me, from my observations, there was a great breaking down among the officers. I take it that it is owing to the fact that their mode of life was more like that of the volunteer officers-that is, their tender mode of life; the regular soldier was a little better able to stand it. One peculiar point was how it affected the hair. It was noticeable how few men you saw, stout men, men of size, and how it made the hair come out; the experience they had gone through made their hair come out. Now, as to the food (we will run rapidly through these things), I think it was pretty good. When I was there for a well man it seemed the Government was doing all it could be asked to do and more, but it was the food for an army of well men, and the men had dysentery and disordered stomachs, and a very large portion of them couldn't eat it. They craved milk particularly; some sort of liquid food, of which nothing is equal to milk, and their supply of milk was very short and had to be furnished, as far as I could see, from the out- side charitable sources. Q. Do you know whether or not the Government furnished any milk? A. It furnished some milk, but not enough-for instance, one or two drinks or three drinks of milk a day; but a man who has to live on it, it won't keep a man alive. About the medical attendants, there seemed to be a great shortness of that. Almost every other tent had a sick man in it, so sick they ought not to be in tents, and there were men who hadn't seen the doctor for perhaps some little period. Q. Did the officers, the surgeons included, seem to be interested in the men, as far as you know? A. Well, they varied. In the Eighth Regiment, two doctors there. I might say the notorious Dr. Tabor. Q. Of the Eighth Infantry? A. Yes, sir. He is discharged now. My judgment as to them was very adverse. Q. What can you say of the line officers; that is, captains and lieutenants? A. It struck me they were interested in their men as a rule, and very anxious that something should be done for them. They were in a somewhat embarrassing position, because as we were bringing supplies around, which they needed them- selves, they kept a little out of our way for fear it would seem they wanted those supplies, and they preferred the men should have them rather than themselves. We occasionally furnished something to a sick officer. Q. What complaints, if any, did you hear from the men as to their condition and treatment? A. Well, the men were not inclined to complain, and so far as complaints were concerned, they had none. It was only after the most persistent inquiries that we could find out that they needed anything more than what they had. Q. Did you learn, Mr. Lowell, that this condition of the men was brought about by the campaign through which they had passed in a hot climate and the diseases of a tropical region? A. Well, the men were divided into two classes. In the first place, the soldiers who had been to Cuba, and the recruits. There were a great many recruits. As regards the recruits they kept sickening, sickening, sickening. They would come there more or less well and they kept getting sicker; apparently well men came down sick. Q. You mean recruits not coming from Cuba? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where did they come from? A. From the South, Georgia, for instance, and other recruiting camps in the South. The Eighth had three or four hundred men sick. Those men we could see wilt under our own eyes. They came in well and strong and then went down. A. Yes, sir. SIDNEY V. LOWELL. 2225 As regards the regulars, there was a little stream going off all the time, largely sick men, as I have spoken of before, and as to whether they were getting better I should say, taking the regulars, that they were-well, it is hard to say about them. The first cases of sickness were breaking out among them all the time; it is hard to say whether they were recovering, but I think on general principles, taking the whole mass together, they were getting better. Q. Is there anything else you desire to say? A. Medical attendants were short; the medical supplies seemed to be insuffi- cient. As regards the cars, these poor men would walk, in a terrible condition, these miles that might be required-these poor emaciated wretches would travel along this track to the depot. I saw them sitting around there at the depot, it might be perhaps all day. I saw them around the depot without attendants and without any money in their pockets, and then on the cars the same way; I saw them sick in the cars; I have seen a freight car with straw in it for those men to lie on. Q. Do you know whether or not any means of transportation was furnished from the different regiments and from the hospitals to the station for those sick men? A. The men seemed to walk to the station. Of course there were many of them in such a condition that they couldn't walk from the hospital. I have seen men taken from the hospital in so-called ambulances. They were simply wagons, what we call here a " Black Maria," a penitentiary wagon, a wagon used to take prisoners in. It is inclosed, and they have seats for the men on the sides. I have seen one of those ambulances, so-called, filled with men. I have seen a poor wretch that was apparently seized with death, and as I understand it he died shortly after. I have seen them walked along this track, walked several hundred feet, because they couldn't get to him in this place, and then seen him pushed into it to sit up there, and he couldn't possibly sit unless he was held up by the other men with him. I saw that from the Eighth Regiment with my own eyes. That is where this Dr. Tabor was. Q. Did you observe any cruelty inflicted upon the soldiers by the officers or by their comrades ? A. No, sir, not at all; I saw nothing of the kind; I saw the utmost good feel- ing between officei- and man, and man and man. The great delays in the men being, sent off on this one-legged road, or one-tracked road, was very noticeable. Naturally, running so many cars, imposing all this immense service upon the one track, made a great deal of trouble. I want to say, gentlemen, that we are not blaming the Government for that; we are blaming the railroad company for that. Of course the men need not have got there in the morning and waited there all day and well into the night, but it seemed to me that whenever the men got there the train could be all ready so that they wouldn't be compelled to stand around there, these emaciated men, and kept there for hours and hours upon the track, and, as in the case of the Eighth Ohio, along into the middle of the night. I have seen men stretched out there in the cars, sick, in a terrible condition, hav- ing slowly dragged along that road from the camp to the station after having been the whole day waiting to go. There was lack of order in the camp, general disorder. There seemed to be no policing of the camp whatever, except around the station. Men might do, apparently, anything they chose. I saw a drunken man ride for miles along this rail, so drunk that it was only that mystery that takes care of drunken men that kept him on the horse. He would first run into a wagon and then into another mounted man, and he went for miles along that track swinging and swaying, and nothing was done. There seemed to be no policing of the camp. Q. You mean by that no discipline; what we call policing is cleaning up. A. Yes; I see; you are speaking as a military man, and I am a civilian. There 2226 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN was no provost guard, as perhaps you would call it, except around the station; that is, so far as appeared from the actions of the people around there. As regards knowing anything about the camp, the regiments were thrown, as it were, down on this seven miles of surface, and nothing to indicate where any of them were. You couldn't find out where any of them were. I saw parties going about all day long, here and there and everywhere, asking where such a regiment was-people going to see their sons or brothers or other relatives. Often, after you had seen them inquiring in the morning on the road, perhaps in the early afternoon you would meet them again, inquiring about the same thing. There were no signs put up, and no method, apparently, of finding out. As regards the tents themselves, there were no floors in them. Floors were put in just toward the end, as the tents were being taken down. Some of the regiments-some of the soldiers-had mattresses to lie on, and some hadn't. Some had blankets, or a sort of a piece of waterproof cloth. Q. A poncho? A. Yes, sir; I believe that is what it is called. They lay on that on a blanket. These people that hadn't any bedding I noticed mostly; they were the recruits. They had no-well; they had nothing. The other men largely had. Then as regards the clothing, they had their warm clothing that they came from Cuba in. September was well advanced, and it was cold, and they commenced to distribute the summer clothing-I saw that being distributed-the thinnest kind of summer shirts for those men on Montauk Point, with September well along, armless shirts and the thinnest drawers. Q. Did they have their overcoats and blankets, Mr. Lowell; do you know? A. I saw some blankets; as I was there in the daytime mostly, they had no occa- sion for overcoats. I have seen a poor fellow standing shivering in a canvas uniform-a poor, sick fellow not more than 19 years old-standing there shivering with no underclothing on him. His solitary undershirt was being washed, and he had no other to put on. That was the case at Montauk Point generally; they hadn't but one shirt, and when they washed it they had to go without it. They had-possibly some had-a pair of drawers, and some a shirt, but nobody, speak- ing at large, had more than one shirt. Q. Do you know whether or not there was a supply of blankets and under- clothing and all kinds of clothing there that the men might have drawn if they so desired? A. Only from what the men said themselves, and how they complained about it. I could see they needed clothing, and they said they didn't know how to get it. They came to the East Hampton tent, where I was stationed, and begged for it, and even offered money to pay for it. I took money myself around in the various regiments. Q. Do you know that the soldier is entitled to so many dollars' worth of cloth- ing in a year and that if he draws it well and good, and if he overdraws it he pays the difference, and if he underdraws it he receives the difference? A. Yes, sir; I have heard of it. Q. That is a fact. So that a soldier, if he is economical, sometimes refrains from drawing his clothing so he may have at the end of the 'year the money instead. A. At the time I was there they were distributing these summer shirts and the men didn't want them. It would have been a waste of money to take them. Q. Speaking in relation to that, General Wheeler testified he had 32,000 blankets, 20,000 double-breasted shirts, and 40,000 pairs of drawers, and a general stock of heavy underclothing, which the men could have obtained in any quantity if requisition had been made. A. There seemed to be a great anxiety to put off on the men these armless shirts, those gauzy things which they had failed to distribute previously. 2227 MISS MARY C. LOWELL. Q. Colonel Kimball testified this morning-he is depot quartermaster here- when the cool weather came they issued the heavy underclothing and previous to that time the lighter. A. I have no doubt the absolute refusal of the men to take those gauzy things necessitated the forwarding of something else in time. Q. You may proceed now with your narrative. A. One great complaint the men made was that owing to their having no money they were not able to keep themselves so respectable, as decent as they would like to. They were not able to buy underclothes, and they were not able to get handkerchiefs. I do not wish to take up your time too long, I could give you a number of instances of sick men who were found in the tents. Q. We admit that is so; we have had testimony on that point. A. I generally confirm what the other witnesses have said. Q. We understand about that. A. It isn't finding fault with the past. The Lord knows we don't want to do that. We are all Americans, and we don't want to find fault with what is past and gone. It is only the future wo care about. The trouble was with the tents, putting that sick army into tents; that was the great thing, and then there was no inspection. I read General Breckinridge's testimony, and if the state of things is as bad as it is now without inspection, I think it would be better to have some inspection. New York, November 22, 1898. TESTIMONY OF MISS MARY C. LOWELL. Miss Mary C. Lowell, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please give your name and place of residence. A. Mary C. Lowell; 164 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn. Q. Please state whether or not you had occasion to visit Camp Wikoff during the summer, during the time the troops were there. A. I had occasion to spend two weeks at Camp Wikoff, from September 6-two full weeks from that date and on that date. Q. Please state what you found the conditions to be there and what you saw when you were there in as concise and brief a manner as you can to satisfy your- self and to give us an intelligent idea of what the condition of things was. A. My work was entirely among the regular camps-in the regimental camps. I went to camp because I had had experience and had studied medicine and inva- lid cookery, to a limited extent, for the purpose of philanthropic work. I went there and went through eight different regular infantry regiments, seeing every man in the regiment. I found in all of the regiments that an average of every other man was lying in his tent. About half of the men were on the sick report, and many of the men who were sick were not on the sick report. These men were not taken to the hospital. I can't say why, but they were not, and only on one occasion did I see an ambulance answer the doctor's call-only on one occasion. I was there repeatedly when the doctor sent calls and no ambulances came. On one occasion, in the Twenty-second Regiment of Infantry, on September 12, I found a number of sick men in a regiment, and when the ambulance came they took only six men from the regiment, when many others were down on the doc- tor's report to go. They said they had orders that they could only take six men from the regiment. They didn't state why, but drove off with the six sick men who happened to be nearest the ambulance. They were taken and the others were 2228 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. left. I will give an instance. One of those who remained was a man by the name of Goodwin, who had a temperature of 106. He had vomited blood several times during the day, according to his bunky's statement, and his little bundle was tied up ready to go to the hospital. He was under the doctor's orders to go to the hos- pital, which had been signed three days before. As his bunky said, " The doctor said he was to go to the hospital, marm, three days ago, and he had his bundle all ready, expecting to go ever since, but somehow they haven't been able to send for him." Q Did you take his temperature? A. I took his temperature in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt, of New York. Mr. Hoyt, I will add, will be glad to give his testimony here to the commission. They were present and saw the thermometer as well as myself; I handed it directly to Mr. Hoyt. Q. What was the name of the doctor of that regiment? A. The name of the doctor of the Twenty-second Regiment was Dr. Chase, a contract doctor, and he was one of the few good contract doctors I found who honestly did his duty. He tried to get the men into the hospital, but he couldn't do it. On this occasion two other men had temperatures of 104 and 105, respec- tively. Mr. Hoyt also saw the thermometer in those cases when it came out of their mouths. These men I got ice for their heads and put it on and we gave them cooling drinks. That was all that was in our power to do for them. One man that was suffering from rheumatism was all doubled up in a most uncom- fortable position, and I said, " How are you to-day? What can we do for you to-day?" He said, " Oh, nothing; I am going to the hospital this afternoon, as I have my doctor's word to go." He showed us his little slip and said he was going, but before that time wo had seen the ambulance drive off without him. I went for the doctor and said, " Doctor, what can be done for these men? They must go; it is so late in September this is certainly no place for them here." He said, '•Well, you know we can't get ambulances, and that is the only way we can carry them, or else have them carried on stretchers to the division hospital; maybe that can be done; there is no other way, but maybe the trip on a stretcher would do more harm than good." In the Eighth Infantry Regiment-I found a man there, a member of the band. He had typhoid fever and ho was delirious. He was under the hallucination that he was in a colored regiment and that we were colored people; and I thought I must be mistaken, that the man couldn't be a typhoid-fever case or he wouldn't have been left in the regiment all those days. That was on Friday or Saturday. The following Monday one of the trained nurses from our tent camo down to the regiment and she examined the man, and she said without doubt he was a typhoid patient, that he was in the second week of typhoid then. Those hallucinations only come in the second week. He was taken to the general hospital by us, in our own private carriage of the East Hampton tent, as were three or four other men from that regiment, who were also entered at the hospital as typhoid patients. I went up myself to see how they had diagnosed those cases, and they had been entered as typhoid patients. At this time, I would like to say, in those two weeks of September, there were vacant beds in the general hospital and the division hospital. I saw them with my own eyes, and I know the statement was made by Colonel Farley that they had the sickness under control, and I saw myself the request from Colonel Forwood for the discharge of 50 trained nurses from the hospital. Saturday, September 10, in the hands of Mrs. Dr. Curtis, who was the head of the colored trained nurses at Montauk. She was on the train returning with us, and she heard it said that "if three of the sickest men in that regiment are not taken to the hospital to-day you can't save them. " And she said, "Pardon me, but I heard you talking, and if that is really true I would like to know it, because I have just been at the hospital and tried to find out all I could. MISS MARY C. LOWELL. 2229 I was told there were no more cases of sickness in camp at Montauk; that the sick- ness was under control, and they wanted these nurses discharged." She pulled out the paper from her pocketbook which contained the statement from Colonel For wood that he wanted 50 of the trained nurses discharged for lack of cases: that everything was entirely under control, and they didn't need any more than Gov- ernment nurses. Also, two transports landed from Porto Rico, bringing hundreds of sick, as well as those that were there. Q. The reason these men were not taken to the hospital was, according to your account, because no ambulances could be obtained at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Proceed, please. A. I also saw with my own eyes, as did all the workers in our tent, many ambu- lances standing around the general hospital. I never went over to the 'general hospital but what I saw vacant ambulances standing there. This was not so in regard to the division hospital. I passed the division hospital many times each day, and there I never saw an ambulance or ambulances; they were kept at the general hospital. They didn't seem to have anything to do, and I don't know why it was so. Q. If the ambulances were at the general hospital, to what reason do you attribute the neglect or refusal to furnish ambulances to take these sick soldiers to the hospital? A. I am not here to say why I think so; I leave that to you to judge. The fact is, these men were in the camps and they didn't send the ambulances. Why they didn't I have no idea. Q. Well, proceed. A. I should also like to state as a fact that there were no doctors found by me in many of the regiments at all. Thursday, September 8, in the Eighth Infantry Regiment, they had two contract doctors. I was in that regiment, when a number of men rushed toward me and said, " Come quickly, there is an accident; where can we find a doctor?" I said, "Is neither of the doctors present in the regi- ment?" They said, "No; they are gone; we can't find one." I sent some of the men around to the tent of the doctor of the Twenty-second Regiment and I went to the scene of the accident. A man who was stupid or ignorant had taken up a bottle of ink by mistake and had drank the entire contents. It was not a large bottle, but he was howling and shrieking from fright. Of course, he thought it was poison. He was an ignorant man, and the adjutant of the regiment was with him trying to calm him. Of course, the main difficulty was fright, and ho went into hysterics. He was very weak-a sick man; but I think in a day or two they got him around all right. In that case neither Dr. Thomas nor Dr. Tabor, of the Eighth Regiment doctors, was present. I can also state that on Monday, the 12th, I went over into the Fourth Infantry Regiment and I found two very sick men- at least they were, judging from their appearance. They had temperatures of 104 and 1044, and they were suffering very much from headache and so on; and as I thought the doctor should see them I asked them if they were on the sick report, and they said they hadn't seen the doctor that day. I went directly to the doctor's tent. I saw an officer there, who said to me, " The doctor is not here to-day; he has been ordered away to make a medical examination in some other part of the camp; I don't know where." I said, "When is he coming back?" The officer said, " I don't know; he received orders to go elsewhere to make an examination." He was simply not present. Q. What was the result of your observations as to the medical officers-as to their solicitude and care of the men? A. I can say that Dr. Thomas and Dr. Tabor, of the Eighth Infantry Regiment, appeared to be indifferent to the men. On one occasion I reported a man, a young man who had a temperature of 104, with shooting pains in his body. He was a A. Yes, sir. 2230 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. recruit from Georgia, and was lying groaning on the ground. I didn't dare do anything for him, as he was too sick. I didn't wish to take the responsibility. I went immediately and reported him to Dr. Thomas. I said, " There is this man's name and company. Will you come and see him? He is not on the sick report and he is too ill to come to your tent." He said first, " Well. I will go with you," and then he said, "Well, I won't come just now; I will look in a little later." The next afternoon, twenty-four hours afterwards, when I arrived in this com- pany's street, I found this man in the same condition, only much worse. He was then twitching, as his fever was so high, his head was thrown back, and he was partly delirious and helpless. I turned to his bunky and said, "Has not the doctor been here? Has not the doctor seen this man? I reported him to him early yesterday afternoon." He said, "No, marm" (his tent mate was ill, too), "the do'ctoi' hasn't been here. I sent word to the sergeant to have him come, but he hasn't come." I then sent word to the doctor, saying he must come imme- diately-to Dr. Thomas-and then he came. In the other regiments-in the Twenty-second Regiment-the doctor, who was a contract doctor, was very much interested in the men apparently. Q. At the time you saw Dr. Thomas did he say why he neglected to see the man? A. He offered no explanation; he appeared a little confused, and I said, "Dr. Thomas, here is the man I reported to you yesterday afternoon." I would like to say also that this man in those twenty-four hours had had nothing, as his bunky told me, but cold water to take. On Sunday, the 14th, a man came up to our relief tent from the Sixteenth Regiment. He says, "Madam, I see you are a nurse; I saw you come up here. My bunky was taken very ill this morning and the doctor isn't in the regiment; won't you, please, come down and see what you can do for him? " So I picked up my basket and went down and found his bunky, whose name was Conroy, with a temperature of 105 and a pulse of 142. He was speechless, and I was very much alarmed. I sent immediately for the doctor, as I couldn't prescribe for him. 1 sent a man for the doctor, and word was brought back that the doctor was not in the regiment: he had been ordered up to the general hospital. Then I sent word to a doctor in the adjoining regiment, the Sixth I think it was, and word came back that he had been ordered to the general hospital that morning. I put ice on the man's head and gave him some cooling drink, opened his tent so the air could come in and waited for a doctor an hour and a half. After that I left someone in charge of the man. An hour and a half afterwards the doctor came from the regiment adjoining, the Sixth, and said, " I am looking after these men, as the doctor of the Sixteenth is sick." The reason he gave that he was away was this: "We were all ordered up to the gen- eral hospital and have been told that we must stay there and write out our reports." He then took this man's temperature and it was over 104. Then he said, "You must stay with this man and keep ice on his head until his tempera- ture goes down to 102." He also gave me the names of men in this regiment, which was not his regiment, and asked me if I wouldn't go to them and see what I could do. He gave me some phenacetin, and said, "If you find men with a temperature over 100, give them some of this phenacetin." I would like to say this: That I noticed there was only one doctor in many of those regiments, when a regiment in times of peace is supposed to have two. Of course I don't know what the reason for that was. I would also like to speak about the pay of the men. I saw the Eighth Regiment paid about the 8th, 9th, and 10th of September. They were paid then and they hadn't been paid before in four or five months. Many of the men had no underclothes; none of them had handkerchiefs, and some hadn't socks. They apologized frequently for not having these things. They said they would have had those things, and they were used to having them, but they hadn't been paid. MISS MARY C. LOWELL. 2231 Q. The pay of the soldier has nothing to do with his clothing. They have an allowance of clothing. A. Yes; but what I couldn't understand was why the Government didn't see these men had underclothes and when the Government did issue underclothes to those men, in those latter weeks of September, as I saw issued to many of the regiments, they issued the thinnest summer underclothes, the shirts being sleeve- less, and the winter was coming on. I saw those shirts, those thin underclothes, given out. I would also like to speak about the men I saw at the station. I saw, as everybody who went to Montauk saw, when I arrived at the station, and in the evening, coming home, men stretched out on the floor, perfectly white, colorless, sick men, some of them nauseated. The Eighth Ohio and other regiments were there from early in the morning and it was then evening, and they were just going out then. I saw baggage cars with a little bit of straw in the bottom and sick men lying in those cars. Those who have ridden in baggage cars, as I have reason to know, find it not very comfortable. Q. Yes; I would like to tell you of a little experience of my own in the Army. A week after I lost my arm I was put upon an old omnibus and rode 7 miles over a very rough road, and then I was put in an old freight car without anything under me, nothing but a blanket; and I rode 130 miles in that freight car. A. If that was an army rendezvous in front of the enemy it would be dif- ferent, but of course we look with great pride-New Yorkers do-upon our own State, and we expect things to be done a little better than in an active cam- paign. I would like to say in regard to the general hospital that I can corrobo- rate what the other witnesses have said-Mrs. Allis and all the other different witnesses who have testified here; that there was a long board walk on either side of the tents, and everybody, no matter who they were, filed up and down this walk. The tents were open, and in them the men lay, and they were bathed, they died, and they lay there suffering in the view of all those strangers; anyone who happened to be walking through; anyone could walk through there. There didn't seem to be any system about letting people through. There were about five or six screens, I should say, in the whole hospital. Many of the wards didn't have any screens, so these people were taken care of in the sight of anyone who happened to be standing there. Many had their faces covered with flies; I didn't dream there were so many flies in existence; many of them were too weak to hold up their hands and couldn't brush them off. The construction of the wooden buildings that were put up in place of these tents, one tent being taken down and in its place a wooden shanty constructed, all done in the presence of these dying men, only separated from it by a sheet of canvas, was a most astonishing sight, particularly when there is such a large piece of ground there, and this could have been done at a little distance. Some of the mothers of these men, I remember particularly a Mrs. Rafferty, and also Lieutenant Roberts, they were in perfect despair to have those things stopped. I have never heard such a din as there was in this general hospital in building those shanties. Of couYse you all know what noises occur in building. It was like Bedlam let loose. A trained nurse, one of the very prominent ones, said to me, "I wouldn't take care of a typhoid patient in that hospital for any amount of money." It is a precept as old as the world that a typhoid-fevei' patient must have quiet. They can stand every- thing else, but they must have quiet. Of course there are so many things I could tell; I could sit here for hours. Q. Well, you have covered the ground pretty thoroughly, and we are very much obliged to you for the information you have given us in such an interesting way. Is there anything else you wish to add? A. I don't think there is anything else. 2232 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 22, 1898. TESTIMONY OF REV. HENRY B. BRYAN. Rev. Henry B. Bryan, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Mr. Bryan, kindly give your name and residence. A. Rev. Henry B. Bryan, Garden City, Long Island. Q. What is your religious belief? A. Episcopal. Q. Please state whether or not you had occasion to visit Camp Wikoff during the time the troops were there last summer. A. The latter part of August a letter was sent to me by Mr. John W. Wood, who is secretary of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew here in New York, saying there was need of an Episcopal clergyman at Camp Wikoff, and, I being located there on Long Island, it naturally fell to me, as I had no other to put in and they needed my services. At the time I was at Boston and I went to the mayor of Boston, who gave me a pass to come over on the boat coming to Camp Wikoff, which was used for the purpose of taking the soldiers back and forth, and I arrived there on Saturday, September 2, and I saw Sergeant Patten, who sent the request for an Episcopal clergyman. Q. Sergeant who? A. Sergeant Patten. He made provision for me, and I stayed with the Red Cross Society. I immediately began ministering to the sick in the hospital, and on Sunday I held services. On the 3d of September I held four services. The first service was at 7 o'clock in the morning at the Y. M. C. A. tent, and the second serv- ice at 10 in the Y. M. C. A. tent, and the third service was on Sunday afternoon, that same day, at 4 o'clock, in the general hospital for the nurses, and again in the evening at 7 o'clock, and I was at the camp until the 1st of October. Q. Please state what the conditions were in the hospital-what you saw there. A. I am not called to testify to any of the conditions in the hospital. Q. There is nothing you care to say about that? A. No; I saw sometimes overcrowding and the moving of sick soldiers that I thought was a dangerous thing to do in their condition. The point I wish co make is in regard to the burials-the provisions for the burial of the soldiers. Every morning it was my custom to pass from the general hospital to the detention hos- pital. On my wTay I had to pass the morgue, and naturally I would stop in and see who had died during the night, and I noticed that the dead, when they were brought out, were placed on their mattresses and left there until the time came for those men who were in charge to place them in their coffins, so that on seven different mornings during the month of September I saw how the bodies were prepared for burial, and I also saw how they were clothed, and I saw how they were buried in the cemetery from personal observation. Q. Please state what you saw. A. I saw the naked bodies of the soldiers placed in those pine boxes. Sometimes those in charge would put over them a nightgown, which they never took the trouble to button, and then the lid was put upon the coffin, and with lead pencil they marked the name and regiment-marked it upon those stained pine boxes, which at the time I thought was a very poor way of marking those coffins for identi- fication in future, because when they were put in the ground the damp earth would very quickly obliterate all marks that had been made on them. I also saw how they were buried in the cemetery. What struck me at the morgue was the way the men who had charge acted-the irreverence and indecency with which they REV. HENRY B. BRYAN. 2233 conducted the whole affair. They would sometimes sit upon these coffins that contained the bodies, and they told indecent stories. They not only smoked, but they spat their tobacco juice all around; and sometimes I rebuked them for it, but they were not the kind to care, because, as I found out afterwards, they were taken from the Bowery. They were Bowery toughs that had been brought down there for the purpose of attending to that work. I thought at that time that was the regulation way-leaving out the indecent and irreverent behavior of those who handled those bodies-I thought that was the regulation way of hurrying the soldiers in the Army. I ought to say that undei* the heads of the soldiers there were placed, except in one instance, blocks of wood-no pillows. There was no embalming or anything of that kind, and there was no other means of indentifica- tion except those names and marks that had been placed upon the coffin. I thought, as I said before, that was the regulation way. I never questioned it; but some time after that there appeared in the daily press here in New York City the fol- lowing statement, made by Major Brown, for whom I have a very great respect, and a man who took the greatest interest in his patients, and who conducted him- self with a great deal of dignity, and I. didn't understand how the man could stand up under the pressure that was brought to bear upon him in every department and in every direction in that great hospital. So what I have to say now has no personal animus. This is the statement which he made. This appeared in the New York Times Septembei' 26, 1898: " Major Brown states that there is no truth in the charge that the dead have not been buried properly. He says he is anxious to have an investigation made by any fair-minded man. Major Brown said that the disposal of the bodies was one of the things he attended to personally. After a soldier died he was embalmed, dressed in a new suit of underclothing, a new suit of clothing corresponding with his rank and service. Uniforms for the purpose were kept, all strictly in compli- ance with the regulations as to facing and stripes. Major Brown says he person- ally dealt out these suits for the dead. The graves were all 5 feet 6 inches deep. With each body so interred was placed a bottle carefully sealed, containing papers showing who the soldier was and as much of his history as could be obtained. Then over each grave was placed a cross with the man's name, rank, company, and regiment, and the date of his death." Now, I never for a moment questioned these burials until I saw that statement. I believe Major Brown gave those orders, but they were not carried out up until September 30. I have since learned that as soon as this article or statement appeared in the New York Times and in the New York Herald and in The World that those bodies were properly buried after that; that every body was embalmed and every body had a proper suit of clothing, and a bottle was put in the coffin to identify it in case of future necessity, and that over the grave was placed stencils with the name and regiment of the man, and I know from personal observation, having knowledge of twenty bodies that were not buried as Major Brown says they were, and the questions have come to my mind, Where did those suits of cloth- ing go? Where did the underclothes go? Who got the money that the Govern- ment paid for the embalming of the bodies? Q. Major Brown may have delivered all that clothing. A. I believe he did. I believe him to be a man of honesty. He said he did and from what I know of him, from his personal relations with me, I believe he gave the order; but he didn't see, he couldn't see, that they were personally car- ried out. Q. Did he have time to see to that? A. No, sir. Let me state also that there were two men-there was no official undertaker there-there were two men who came from Bellevue Hospital, I under- stand; they had Bellevue badges on them and they were given charge of that 2234 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. special department, and they were paid by a private person, a Mrs. Roebling, about $200. They did pretty much as they pleased. They were not men who were at all impressed with the sacredness of the work in which they were engaged. Q. Those men had charge of that work? A. Those two men. I can give you their names, Coughlin and Hoolan; I don't know which was Coughlin and which was Hoolan. Q. Do you know the residences of those men? A. I am told they disappeared after this article appeared; they left; they were frightened. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Do I understand you to say they were under the charge of Mrs. Roebling? A. No, sir; Mrs. Roebling paid for them to go down there. Mrs. Roebling was one of those kind-hearted women who was very anxious and desirous of doing something for the soldiers. She went to Major Brown and offered to do some- thing, and he told her if she would provide for the preparation of the bodies for burial-the soldiers-he would be very glad. By Governor Woodbury: Q. I think we have your dates, so I am in hopes that we can ascertain the rea- son of this great neglect, perhaps through Major Brown; if we can get him to say what he did, we may find the missing link. A. Yes; I hope so. By General Beaver: Q. To whom did you complain officially, during the time you were there, of this barbarity? A. I never complained; I supposed that was the regulation way of burial until this article appeared in the newspaper. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you see men put in their coffins in this condition you have described? A. Yes, sir; and also I will say in regard to another body, a man by the name of Trio, if that body was exhumed you would find upon it a nightgown and one of those blocks of wood under its head. There was an autopsy held upon a body the morning I happened to go into the morgue. The doctors opened the body, took out the liver, sawed off some of the ribs, and took out some of the brains, I sup- pose for the purpose of examining it. They sewed up the body and left these remains exposed there on that table. Q. Let me ask you further: Do you know whether or not those remains were left there in order that they might be properly prepared for careful and proper examination afterwards, as is a very common custom with doctors? A. I don't know anything about it except that the man who was preparing the body for burial told them it should have been put back, and I said, " What are you going to do with it? " Q. If the doctors made an autopsy it is very probable that some of the remains were retained and properly prepared for further examination, which is oftentimes a matter of very great importance. I simply ask you the question because I want it understood that the mere fact of seeing a portion of the brain and the liver and other of the viscera, as it may be, left and not put into the coffin does not neces- sarily mean that any neglect had taken place, so far as that matter is concerned. A. They were put in the coffin, Doctor. They were left there and this man who was preparing the body gathered them up and put them into a towel and put them into the coffin between the legs of the corpse. Now, if the body of George 2235 REV. HENRY B. BRYAN. F. Proper, jr., is exhumed you will find he is buried as I have stated, not as Major Brown gave orders to have it buried. I personally got a pillow and put it under the head, because he was a religious man, and when he was brought out from the hospital for burial he had the crucifix in his hand as he had died; and it went to my heart to see him lying there in that condition, and I got a pillow and put it under his head. All bodies numbered from 90 to 100 you will find they are in that condition, as I have described. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Who was in charge of that morgue? A. I don't know; there were these two men. Q. No noncommissioned officer? A. No, sir; no noncommissioned officer. By General Dodge: Q. Do you remember the name of George F. Bates, of the First Illinois? A. No, sir; I do not. I have here a letter. Q. We have testimony to the way in which he was returned. A. I have a letter here from Dr. Knapp in which he says there was a body of a soldier named H. C. Easton sent to him, and the body wag shipped to him to be buried at his home out in Illinois, but it was so badly decomposed that it was impossible to identify the remains and he says if the body had been embalmed it surely could have been identified. Now, gentlemen, I have no other purpose in appearing before you. Q. Are those other witnesses which you submitted a list of here? A. Mr. Cleveland Moffat is here. I would like to submit pictures which will bear out my statement (producing same). This is a photograph which was taken at the disinterring of a body, showing the body being taken from the army coffin and put into a metallic case. There are no clothes upon it but the nightgown. Mr. Moffat was present and is ready to testify about it. Q. It is simply a corroboration of what you have said? A. Yes, sir. By Colonel Sexton: Q. I want to ask the question, If you ever saw a man buried nude, without a nightgown put over him? A. No, I didn't see anybody buried nude. There was another body, the name was Johnson; it was sent for from Ohio, and an undertaker, who will appear before you on Friday, Mr. Teely, told me that he sent that body away; that he disinterred the body, but he didn't open the coffin, simply took the regulation coffin with the body in it and put it in a metallic case, and consequently he didn't open it and didn't know that it was naked. Q. Where did you ship it to? A. To a Mr. Johnson, out in Ohio. Mr. Johnson, when he received it, opened the coffin and found it in that condition, and entered his complaint with Secretary Alger. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Were the scenes as they are depicted here in this picture just the same? A. Yes, sir. Unfortunately the reporter who quoted me in this article put me in, apparently, an antagonistic position to Major Brown. I am very sorry, as I have the utmost respect for Major Brown and Major Thomas. They were to be commended for their work, and very highly commended. It wasn't the fault of Major Brown; it was somebody else under him. 2236 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New Ytork, November 22, 1898. TESTIMONY OF LIEUT. HILDER OLIN. Lieut. Hilder Olin, upon request, appeared before the commission, and. hav- ing no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Mr. Olin, will you be kind enough to give your name, rank, when you entered the service and the character of service you performed from the time you were mustered in. in a sort of narrative way? A. I was a second lieutenant; Hilder Olin; second lieutenant Company I, Sev- enty-first Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry. Q. And you were mustered in the service when? A. On the 10th of May. Q. Where? A. At Camp Black. Q. And remained with the regiment how long? A. Until we left on May 14. Q. Will you give us a narrative statement, or account, at the time you were at Camp Black, of The conditions there, or anything you can add? A. The condition of the company and the regiment were excellent at Camp Black. Q. Was your company fully equipped? A. Yes, sir. Q. And clothed? A. Yes, sir. Q. And how was it fed? A. There was no complaint about the food at Camp Black. Q. Was the food the regular army ration? A. Yes, sir. Q. Cooked by the men? A. Yes, sir. Q. Details from the companies for company cooks? A. Yes, sir. Q. You left Camp Black when? A. On May 13 or 14. Q. Did I understand that nothing occurred during the period at Camp Black necessary to impart to the commission? A. No, sir. Q. From Camp Black you went where? A. On board the Seneca. Q. For what purpose did you go? A. We were going down to some Southern camp. Q. Will you relate your experience on the Seneca? A. Well, as far as the officers were concerned they were fed by the ships-by the company who owned the ships-and the men were complaining about the poor food. Q. The food was what? A. Well, the food was the regular issue, but seemed to be short. Q. The travel ration? A. Yes, sir; the travel rations. Q. And that consisted of what, Mr. Olin? A. Hard-tack and canned corned beef and coffee. Q. And for how many days did you draw the travel rations? A. We had drawn, I believe, for ten days-I think ten days' rations. LIEUT. HILDER OLIN. 2237 Q. And the men complained of shortness of rations? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you investigate it? A. No, sir; it was not my department. Q. Though it was a complaint you heard? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it investigated? A. Yes, sir. Q. By whom? A. By Captain Meeks, of my company. Q. And the result of this investigation was what? A. The men were taken care of a little better. Q. Did you find that they had not had sufficient rations according to the rations that you know of ? A. What he found was something wrong, but what it was I couldn't say; but the men ceased complaining to the extent that they had been. Q. How long were you on the Seneca? A. Two days or two and a half days. Q. And where did you disembark? A. Jersey City. Q. To go where? A. To Lakeland, Fla. Q. And how did you go? A. By train. Q. What were the accommodations on the train? A. The men didn't complain. Q. And the ration was the travel ration? A. Yes, sir. Q. And no complaint about it then? A. No, sir. Q. And the hard-tack? A. Was very, very hard; so hard the men could not bite into it; they had to break it. Q. Any complaint of the meat ration or the coffee? A. No, sir. Q. And you reached Lakeland when? A. On May 18, if I remember. Q. And went into camp there? A. Yes, sir. Q. The location and conditions of your camp, what were they? A. Excellent camp. Q. Water supply? A. Excellent. Q. Food at Lakeland? A. There was some complaint there to the extent of our not getting our fresh meat. Q. Was sufficient meat issued to the men there? A. Yes, sir. Q. Other than fresh beef? A. Yes, sir. Q. Clothing, was that satisfactory? A. They issued clothing there that was satisfactory. Q. What sort of tents did you have? A. Excellent. Q. How long did you remain at Lakeland? 2238 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR, WITH SPAIN. A. We remained there until, I think, June 1. That is probably a little off. Q. That is close enough. It is only the facts we are after now. Any complaints in reference to the treatment of the regiment while at Lakeland? A. No, sir. Q. From Lakeland you went where? A. To Tampa Heights. Q. How long did you remain there? A. We were on the move from Lakeland. We left Lakeland at 6 a. m. We arrived at Tampa Heights in the evening at dusk, and the men simply had not had any food to speak of, and the transportation was bad. Q. Had any rations been issued to the men before they started? A. Not that I know of. Q. Then the company officers had not looked out for the rationing of the men before they started? A. There was something wrong. Whose fault it was I couldn't say. All I know is we received but eight cans of corned beef for 84 men. Q. You were lieutenant in one of the companies? A. Yes, sir. Q. Who looked after the rationing of your company? A. The captain looked aftei' all complaints. Q. Who drew the rations? The captain signed the ration return? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not he had asked and had rations issued to the men on the day in question? A. No, sir; I do not. Q. Then your men suffered that day for lack of rations? A. Yes, sir. Q. And when you reached Tampa Heights did you go into camp that night? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long A. (Interrupting.) We had no tents that night, the tents not having arrived, but the next day the tents were issued and we had a very nice camp, healthy and everything all right. Q. Will you describe the general conditions while you remained at Tampa Heights? A. Everything excellent. Q. How long did you remain there? A. Until June 6. Q. And then went where? A. Port Tampa. Q. How long did you remain at Port Tampa? A. We were there, I couldn't say, three or four days on board the transport. Q. When you got to Port Tampa did you go into camp, or only on the transport? A. Went on the transport the afternoon. Q. And remained on the transports, as most of the troops did, several days? A. Yes, sir. Q. Owing to what you heard was what? A. I didn't hear anything about that part of it. Q. What transport? A. Vigilancia. Q. How many men were on the transport? A. The whole regiment, about a thousand and some odd. Q. The whole of the Seventy-first New York? A. Yes, sir. Q. And the colonel of your regiment in command, who was he? LIEUT. HILDER OLIN. 2239 A. Colonel Downs. Q. He was the senior officer on duty? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were the arrangements made for caring for your men, so far as ham- mocks and bunks are concerned, for their accommodation? A. They had built bunks down lower midships and hold, and the light was poor, and the ventilation was poor, and the heat there at night was so terrible that the, men could not sleep down in the hold. Q. Were they allowed to come on deck? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the water supply on the Vigilancia? A. The water supply was so poor that very few of the men could drink the water. I don't know what they did in the other companies. I worked my decanter back and forth all the day long for the benefit of the men, but I don't know what they did in the other companies. Q. Do I understand that the officers had a different supply from the men? A. We had ice water; yes, sir. Q. Your decanter contained ice water? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the officers properly cared for on the boat; that is, as to state-rooms? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the supply of rations for the men? A. The traveling rations. Q. Was it sufficient for the men, or was their complaint on that account? A. There was sufficient-there was a little complaint, but of what nature I don't exactly remember. Q. How long were you on the Vigilancia? A. Until June 24. Q. When you arrived off where? A. Siboney. Q. How long after your vessel arrived at Siboney before you landed? A. We lay there one or two days. Q. And then were landed where? A. Siboney. Q. Will you be kind enough to give us, in a narrative way, as briefly as you can, the condition and character of the work that you performed from the time you arrived there until the close of the campaign? A. I was detailed as ordnance officer on June 6, and previous to that I had been assistant commissary, consequently I was more or less looking after the ordnance. On Sunday, June 6, I unloaded 225,000 rounds of ammunition from the Vigilancia on lifeboats, and a day or two after we moved to Sevilla. The men had sufficient rations and I gave each man 125 rounds of ammunition. Q. Those 225,000 rounds of ammunition-were they shipped to the regiment at once? A. No, sir; they were placed in a pile along with the other boxes of the othei' regiments. 1 had already shipped ammunition to the men. Q. How many rounds? A. One hundred and twenty-five rounds per man. We were at Sevilla and several of the companies remained on duty as outposts, on outpost duty. On June 30, between the hours of 8 and 12 p.m., three days' rations were issued to the regiment, and we were ordered at 3.30 in the afternoon somewhere, and each man had three days' rations and we marched until about, I should judge, 11 o'clock, when we were ordered to unsling blanket rolls and haversacks and each company placed them in a pile. Q. That order came from whom? 2240 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. I presume it came from the colonel. It was obeyed by every company, and we went into action. That night I drew for the Second Battalion, having had a little to do with the commissary department. I went down to the foot of the hill and drew rations for the Second Battalion. We had plenty of food the night of the 1st, 2d, and 3d of July. Q. Your original blanket rolls that you unslung and haversacks, were they ever recovered? A. Partly. Q. Supposed to have been taken, or was there any supposition about it, by whom? A. By the Cubans. By General Dodge: Q. Did you leave a guard? A. Yes, sir; but the sharpshooters of the Spaniards made it so warm for the guards that they left-at least that was the supposition. By General Wilson: Q. Then your rations, as you say you obtained an entirely new issue of rations for one battalion, you had all that were needed up to the night of the 3d of July? A. On the evening of the 1st of July. Q. And you had enough on the 3d of July? A. Yes, sir. I can't speak of other regiments. Q. Then, will you give us, in a narrative way, if you were still with your regi- ment, the conditions existing from the 3d up to the time you left? A. Well, we were ordered to move our regiment over to the right on what we called the cliffs. We stopped there for a short time-four or five days-and from there we moved over to the left and remained there until we left for the United States. Q. What was the general treatment A. (Interrupting.) Just one moment; and speaking of our battalion having enough rations, I must say there were several colored troopers and infantry men coming to our quarters where we were stationed on the hill, and they borrowed or asked or begged for coffee and hard-tack. Q. And you naturally gave them? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: Q. What was your battalion? A. Second. Q. Who commanded it? A. My captain was in command until the evening of the 1st-four and one- half days all told. Q. What was his name? A. Captain Meeks. By General Wilson : Q. How many surgeons did you have with the regiment? A. Three. Q. What were the medical supplies they controlled? A. Our regiment was very well equipped, as far as the hospital was concerned, when we left the United States, but I know that down in Cuba we had a very hard time getting any medical supplies. Q. What were the rations of your command after the 3d of July, as far as you know? A. I understand and was told that the rations were rather short now and then. LIEUT. HILDER OLIN. 2241 Q. As a rule they were short? A. The average of the allowance was poor a few days. Q. I understand, then, that it was exceptional cases where they were short, not a rule? A. It was not exactly, I should say, exceptional cases, but quite a number of times. Q. I don't want to put words in your mouth. Don't misunderstand me. A. I will tell you as I understand it and believe, but I will say that after we were in camp and we got fresh meat and potatoes and onions and beans the men fared very well, considering where we were and how far from home. Q. How long did you remain there? A. We left on August 8 or 9. Q. And on what transport? A. The Grande Duchesse. Q. And how long were you on the Grande Duchesse, and how were you treated on board there? A. We were treated very well. There was an abundance of supplies of com- missary, for the simple reason that on board the Grande Duchesse there was about 1,100 tons of commissary stores that had been aboard for six to eight weeks, and the men, I believe, helped themselves and had plenty. Q. In looking back, from your own full knowledge, in the thorough way in which you seem to have studied it, was there anything exceptionally abusive to your regiment as compared with othei* regiments that you can recall? A. Do I understand you to ask if our regiment was treated worse than any other regiment? Q. Yes, sir; that is what I want to get at. A. That is a point I can't answer honestly, except from hearsay, for myself and others. Q. From your own knowledge? A. From my own knowledge I think we got about as fair treatment as the rest of the regiments there. Q. The reason I am asking you that is, I am going to read this to you. With regard to the rations on the Grande Duchesse, you statel they had been there some weeks? A. Six weeks. Q. And your opinion upon which you based that statement was what? A. The officer of the ship. Q. Lieutenant Olin, the point for which we have asked you to honor us with your presence to-day was based upon this: In a letter from Col. R. B. Roosevelt, secretary of the committee for the protection of soldiers, he makes this statement; in a letter to the President he makes a statement of the treatment of the Seventy- first Regiment New York Volunteers from the time it left Camp Black until its return. This regiment was selected, not because its treatment was exceptionally worse than that of others, or because its men complained, but because it is one of the oldest and most experienced in military matters, and your name was given, Lieutenant Olin, as one we could call before us. A. In answer to that question, I had heard, and I did hear, the men say that other regiments were getting potatoes and our regiment was not, and then again I will say the regulars were used to drawing commissary stores and knew how to go about it, and knew how to get them. Q. When-as you had been made a commissary-when you went on the after- noon of the 1st, when your rations had been lost, and you made a request for sup- plies, did you receive any rebuff, or were you treated courteously? A. This was in the evening 2242 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. (Interrupting). And yon received what-courteous treatment or otherwise? A. With all due respect, I couldn't wish for better treatment. Q. In your whole experience in securing from the staff officers supplies will you tell us what your treatment was? A. I couldn't wish for better treatment. Q. Lieutenant Olin, the object of the commission, as you are well aware, is to draw out and get all the facts that we can to communicate to the President of the United States, with a general statement of the existing conditions; is there any- thing you can say in reference to your connection with the Seventy-first Regiment other than what you have already said which can help us out in making this report, and if so, we would be only too happy to hear it? A. I think the great lack of transportation was one thing that worked against the supplying of the troops with everything that was necessary, and the unloading of commissaries from the transports was not, to my belief, as prompt as it should have been. Q. That was due to what? A. I don't know. I think when you can unload ammunition that weighs 125 pounds per box, in lifeboats, you can certainly unload commissary stores. By Governor Woodbury: Q. General Wilson asked you if you were not treated as fairly as other regi- ments, and your answer is as far as you know you were? A. Yes, sir. Q. I would like to ask you to state whether or not, in your judgment, your regi- ment was not treated fairly by the Government? A. I think we were. Q. And I would like to ask you in regard to your tentage after you left the trenches? A. We lost our shelter tents at the same time we lost our blanket rolls, and we fared very poorly as far as tents were concerned from the 1st day of July until the 10th or so. Q. What did you have for hospital conditions after you left the trenches? A. We had several large tents that were put up about, I should judge, the 12th or 14th of July. . Q. What size tents were they? A. These " eight " tents I believe they call them, same as regular camps. Q. How many did you have to your company? A. We got four, I should judge, about the 20th or 21st of July. Q. By whom were these tents used? A. By the sick. Q. Did the officers use these tents? A. Yes, sir. Q. I mean for their quarters. A. One tent for the officers, because we had no more sick men than we could take care of in the other three tents. Q. The reason I asked you that was we had a communication from one of the men of your regiment. A. Yes, sir; I saw it. I know we took good care of our sick. We were very good in that respect and made them as comfortable as we could. By General Wilson: Q. When did you reach Montauk, about? A. We reached it about, I should judge, the 15th, 16th, or 17th of August. Q. How long did you lay off Montauk before you disembarked? A. I was there, I think, thirty-six hours, and then I was left on board the LIEUT. HILDER OLIN. 2243 United States quarantine boat Protector as a special detail to look after the officers' baggage which was going through the fumigating process; I was on board fifty-six hours. Q. Do you know where your command was sent on landing? A. No, sir; they landed in three different detachments. Q. You don't know whether they were sent to detention camp? A. They were sent there. Q. How long were they kept there? A. Five days. Q. State what their treatment was. A. After I landed I found that the men were all very well pleased with Camp Wikoff. Q. And from detention camp they went to the main camp? A. Yes, sir. Q. And how long did they remain there? A. They remained there until August 29. Q. The impression upon your men, from what you saw and your comrades saw, was what, as to the treatment of the Seventy-first Regiment at Montauk Point? A. Just as fair as it possibly could be. Q. Was there much illness in the camp that you saw while there? A. Yes, sir. Q. How were the sick treated? A. The sick-there were so many of them they could not simply take care of them all, but my idea was the men wanted to go home, and every man who did want to go home made himself well so as to get on the transport. They believed themselves well and on the voyage they had a relapse, and the result was that instead of having 50 or 75 ill we had 200. Q. When you arrived and they were disembarking, were these cases serious in their nature that you know anything about? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were the deaths numerous or few? A. At Camp Wikoff? Q. Yes, sir. A. We had quite a number die; two or three a day. Q. And the total you know, do you? A. Something like a hundred or a little over. Q. Out of about 1,200 men? A. If you count the Camp Black recruits it would make 1,200 men. Q. Is there any other information that you could give us that would assist us in our work? A. Here is a little memorandum that I have been asked to bring. It is about a man named Moore being treated for piles when he had fistula, and later he was sent from the hospital with the information they could do nothing for him. Q. You are aware of the facts in that case? A. Yes, sir; I know this man was sent to the hospital and was not able to walk. He was put in an ambulance and taken to the hospital and from there brought home, and he was taken to the St. Luke's Hospital here; he is well now. Q. Do we understand by the statement you have made that the diagnosis of his case was wrong? A. Yes, sir. By General Dodge: ' Q. At the hospital? A. Yes, sir; at Camp Wikoff. 2244 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By General Wilson: Q. Do yon know by whom it was made? A. No, sir. Q. Any other fact you. know of? A. The fact I know-about the lack of records-as to what became of men that were in the hospital. Captain Meeks had three brothers in the company with him- self, four brothers, and one of these brothers was taken to the hospital and the next day they couldn't find him; couldn't find whether he had been taken to New London or New York, etc., and we couldn't trace him. By General Dodge: Q. Do you know whether the captains of other regiments sent up their descrip- tive lists with them? A. That I do not believe was the case. Q. Then how would the hospital know about it? A. That I don't know, except they took each man's name as he was brought to the hospital from the transport; they took each man off that was sick and they came off without notice to the officers, and the doctor said he wanted to take all the sick men off; and, of course, there was no time to make out descriptive lists; but I will say this about the general hospital and those in command at Camp Wikoff that they were very decent to everybody who came there and wanted to get their son or brother home. By Dr. Conner: Q. As I understand it, was the diagnosis made by your regimental officer or by the officer at the general hospital? A. General hospital. Q. And the diagnosis was one of piles and turned out to be fistula? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know enough about these matters to know that it is necessarily a mistake, or there is necessarily a mistake in diagnosis? A. I do not. Q. Then the fact is that it is very possible that there may have been a mistake? A. Yes, sir. Q. How many men of your command were treated in quarters, a large number or small number? A. Large number. Q. Why were they treated in quarters rather than sent to the general hospital? A. Are you referring to Cuba? Q. Camp Wikoff. A. Well now, the number treated-when you asked me I thought you probably referred to Cuba-I will say that I don't know what the number was at Camp Wikoff, because I was not there for six or seven days. Q. You were not there during the time your company was? A. No, sir; not until six or seven days afterwards. Q. That gave you three weeks' time there, didn't it? A. No, sir. Q. I understand you were there about a month at Camp Wikoff? A. No, sir; we didn't arrive there until the 18th, and I was five days on the Protector, and that would make the 23d, and we left on the 29th. Q. During that time did you know of a considerable number of men of your own command being sick in tents? A. No, sir; there was not. Q. Do you know whether or not the men sent from your regiment by your sur- geons were received by the general hospital? GEORGE WALLACE. 2245 A. That I do not know. Q. You don't know whether the facilities there were such as permitted of their reception or not? A. No, sir; I do not. Q. Did you hear any of the statements of any of your medical officers-any one of the three-that they could not get men in the hospital that needed hospital care? A. No, sir. Q. If they could have been readily cared for in the general hospital there, would it not have been the desire of the men to go back to New York and up in the hospitals there? A. I know the men would rather have stayed in their company quarters than go to the hospital. Q. That was true all the way through? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not your regimental officers encouraged that feeling? A. I can't say anything about that. Q. Do you know whether or not the regimental officers for the staff and com- pany commanders, and everybody else, encouraged that feeling? A. To the best of my belief I think the company commanders tried to get fur- loughs for their sick men and get them home. Q. But even before, from the very beginning of your service, was there not a feeling of opposition to hospitals on the part of your commanding officers and others? A. No, sir; not to my knowledge. TESTIMONY OF GEORGE WALLACE. New York, November 22,1898. Mr. George Wallace, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Will you please give your name? A. George Wallace. Q. Please state your residence. A. Freeport, Long Island. Q. And your occupation? A. Lawyer. Q. Were you at Camp Wikoff during last summer? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what capacity, if you please? A. I was there simply as a visitor and looking for my boy, who was lost. Q. Will you give your experience, if you please, in a narrative way, while at Camp Wikoff, and the conclusions you drew as to the conditions there? A. Yes, sir. I went there the first day-a day in August-I have not the memo- randum with me. It was the day Colonel Roosevelt and his Rough Riders had landed, and I went out looking for my brother at that time, who was in the Rough Riders, hoping to meet him and possibly get some information as to where my boy was, as they were both together at San Juan, and of course in going about the camp I went miles through it, and in coming back from the camp of detention, down toward the dock, I was grieved and pained to meet a lot 2246 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. of Seventy-first Regiment members-that being the regiment to which my boy belonged-falling by the wayside,and walking up that hill to the detention camp on a very hot day, and I thought it was surprising that men who were so evidently sick as they were should be allowed to attempt to walk up that long hill. If you have been there you know the hill I refer to. I helped to bring some of them up, and others, I told them they had better sit there and get rested and by and by some wagons would come along and probably give them a ride up. They were not men marching in any regular order. Some were sitting by the way side, and some of them fell within my observation. Q. Had they just disembarked? A. They were just on theix- way from the ship then up to the detention camp, which was probably a mile from the dock. I talked with the boys, and I said to them, "Now you sit here and rest a while." "No; we were ordered to push ahead," they said. I don't know anything about the orders, but they seemed to be under that impression that they must push ahead, and, well, I passed along. I made inquiry of some of the officials why they didn't let these men ride up. Well, they had not ambulances enough. I said, "There are plenty of army wagons around there; get them into the wagons and let them ride up; sick men ought to be cared for a little." That is what I had that night observed and I was painfully impressed with it. I went down to the railroad depot, where I met the surgeon of the company my boy was in, and got what information he could give me about the boy, but found he was still in Siboney hospital, and I started back to the depot to get away. I had a couple of hours to wait and fell in with the soldiers then who had been discharged from the hospital that morning. This was what grieved me. I was there day after day, and quite a number of days from that time until my boy finally did arrive there. There were, perhaps, a hundred, I will say, in round numbers-soldiers who had been discharged from the hospital that morning-and they were in all stages of weakness, from almost utter collapse up to being strong enough to move around, and I got among them and began inquiring to see what I could do and possibly to help some of them. In fact I could help a good many, but many of the others I found were going home. I said, " Boys, are you fit for this journey? " They said, "We were fit this morning and we were discharged from the hospital." I said, " How is it you were fit to be discharged from the hospital then and are in this condition now? I can't conceive, and I am no doctor, that you are fit to travel to Long Island City; " some were going to Massachusetts and some as far as Illinois, and some to Michigan, and so on, and I found out they had been all day-this is their statement to me- they had been all day watching, from the time the doctor said they could leave, that they had to go here and there and elsewhere to look for their suits and look for their transportation, and so on. I said to myself, " This is rather remarkable that they should compel sick soldiers to spend a day in getting ready to go home when there are 10,000 soldiers here moving around and apparently well. I should think they might detail men to get these things." In subsequent times I followed up the whole proceeding. I found that when a soldier was discharged in the morning he got a certificate from the doctor in the morning, and then they lined up-this I observed with my own eyes-a large crowd lined up to get a furlough, and I saw some stand there as much as an hour while one single officer was dealing out furloughs and writing their names, etc. Then they lined up to get their clothing; all had to have new clothing before leaving this detention camp. Then they had to walk from this detention hospital down to the depot or beg a ride from some teamster going along. The walk was downhill and was not so bad as when they were walking uphill. They got down to their camp, and I supposed that then their troubles ought to have ended. One poor fellow from the Second Massachusetts I got into a team- GEORGE WALLACE. 2247 ster's wagon. This was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. He was so weak he could not go farther. I said, "You had bettei' go to the hospital and let them keep you longer." He said no, he had got his furlough and he was going home if he died. I helped him down to the information tent, where there was a courteous officer, who seemed disposed to help the boys, and he said, " You will have to go to a tent farther along to get your transportation." I said, " You sit here and I will go to the tent." I took his paper and went up to the tent, and the sand was 4 or 5 or 6 inches deep, and difficult and tiresome to get through for a well man. Every night I was completely exhausted myself, and I am not sick, and was not then. I went to this quartermaster's tent-I think that was the title of the officer; I am not familiar with military matters. They said, " No, the soldier must come and present it himself." So I went and got the poor fellow by the arm and took him to the tent, and he put his paper in under a pile of 62 others, I think he said, that were ahead of him, and in the course of two or three hours he got his trans- portation. I got him back to the depot after he had deposited his paper there and got him stretched out on a bench and told him to lie there and perhaps he would recuperate, and went off to get him a little milk with a little brandy in it as a stimulant. However, that was the last I know of him. I merely mention that as an example of what I saw day after day of the careless and improper and inefficient handling of men. I do not attribute it to the War Department or to anybody except these minor officers. It seemed to me it must be entirely unnec- essary, even under strict military rules and laws, for officers to treat sick soldiers in a brutal, careless manner in which they were treated. I presume that the men of the department did not know what was going on. I noticed on one of my last trips there was quite an improvement. I noticed at this dock where they landed these sick soldiers a man named Guilfoyle, a captain of the Ninth Cavalry, was in charge. They told me that was his name, and he was certainly handling the men with great care and taking fine care of them, as fine as a mother could, and in my presence he disobeyed an order that came from headquarters because he thought the order would hurt the men. The order was delivered while I was standing a few feet away. A vessel had come in named Berkshire with 357 convalescents, and about 150 of them were so sick that they had to be carried in ambulances, and the others were called well, and the order came that the well men should march up this hill, and the ambulances were taken down to carry the sick men up, and Guilfoyle, if that was his name, said "Who sent this order?" to the person delivering it. It is " Colonel So and So." "Well, you tell the colonel that I can't obey this order without killing some of these men, I am afraid," so he sent the men up to the upper deck of the vessel and told them to stay there, and sent up a lot of provi- sions to them, some sandwiches and cans of milk, and went up himself and told the men to stay there until he got the sick men up on the ambulances; then he would have the ambulances come back and let them ride up. I found that he was doing everything that it seemed to me an officer ought to do to take care of his men. If all the men in charge of these minor details had acted in the same manner, you would have heard but very little complaint, in my opinion, of Camp Wikoff. In my observation of the camp, and also of some other camps in my lifetime, although I am not a military man, I do not think there ever was a bettei' located camp, or a camp better provided with general supplies. I think I saw around the storehouses-my goodness, there were stores for an army twice as large, or several times as large in my estimation. There didn't seem to be proper facilities for connecting the men with the stores, and these evils became cured after a while. My impression was that most of the trouble had arisen from a lack of understanding of their duties by the minor officers in the Army. The general orders would not prevent men from being treated humanely. If they didn't have 2248 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. ambulances enough, these men in charge could have gotten some of these team- sters' wagons down there to help sick soldiers. As soon as a soldier becomes sick, then he is entitled to all the kind treatment he can possibly have. Q. In your examination of the camp, did you look at the interior of the tents in which the men were and their conditions in those tents? A. Yes, sir; I did, although I didn't pay so very much attention to the hospitals. The general hospital I simply took a short glance at one day. It seemed to me these hospital tents were all right. I never saw any that looked better to me. In the detention camp hospital, where my own son was detained a couple of days after his arrival, I was in there. I had a permit from General Wheeler for his mother to go in and nurse him and, of course, I studied that quite closely until I got him away. He got there on the 3d of September and I got him away on the 6th. The commissary was all right, but there again, poor human intelligence was defective here and there, painfully defective. I was surprised at the time, as late as the 6th of September, after they had lots of time to abate these evils I have instanced. In the tent in which my son was there were eight cots. It was a small tent. There was a row of cots there of that same size. There was one bed- pan for six tents. The poor fellows were suffering from pile diseases, everyone in the tent in which my son was. The physician thought he was dying from dysentery, and if he had occasion to use a bedpan during the night it was not there. If a man wanted to use the pan, he would go out and give a call. One pan, I think, for six tents. This is what my informant told me; I didn't stay over night; I was not allowed to stay and didn't seek to stay. If you would go out of the door of the tent and call, this man would go and get the bedpan, unless somebody else was using it, and in the morning, which I saw with my own eyes, you could go along in the rear of the tent where the poor fellows had been com- pelled to go, to get out of bed and drop their excrements on the grass, and some of them were in such condition that they ought not to have been compelled to leave their cot. It seems to me to be utterly incomprehensible, as late as the 6th of September, that such a thing should occur. You could have gone along there in the morning, before the men came along and cleaned up, and looked at the real1 of the tents and the stench was very bad, but of course it was cleaned up before the hot sun came out. I was surprised. There were plenty of bedpans on Long Island. There is a factory that makes them on Long Island, and it seemed strange to me there could be no connection between that factory and that hospital. There ought to have been two or three to each tent. Q. Did you evei' communicate that fact to anyone there? A. I wrote it to the Secretary of War. I didn't know the officers there. I thought I would send a letter to the War Department when I had observed that. In connection with those things I made a study of it and tried to find out the rea- sons. I had very great sympathy with the Department. I supposed that they had this thing thrust on them in a hurry, and that the sick had multiplied so much faster than they expected that they had been unable to keep up with sur- geons and nurses and all of that, and that was to my notion excusable on the start, but I finally made up my mind that the commanders of the regiments and the captains of companies could have avoided a great deal of this if they had devoted that personal care that you and I or any ordinary person would naturally do, and look after their men. The quartermasters and men of that kind would go through a certain red-tape performance of their duty, and men might be suf- fering and it seemed to be impossible for them to get out of a regulation move- ment. Whether they were physically exhausted when I observed them at work I don't know, but they all had that appearance, and if they were they could have had plenty of help. They never ought to have allowed men to be discharged from the hospital and stand in the hot sun waiting for furloughs. ' It was a most absurd GEORGE WALLACE. 2249 thing, and when the poor fellows got started on the train they were sicker than they were before they left the hospital, and some or them died. Q. In sending these men away from the hospital did your information ever lead you to understand that that was done at the urgent solicitation of the men and their relatives, or the doctors did that voluntarily? A. I should say half and half. The men were solicitous to get away and the doctors reluctantly consented. My own son got away from Siboney Hospital in that condition. He was in a dying condition, apparently, although I had a cable- gram that he was convalescent, but he was continually getting worse when they were continually reporting him convalescent. Q. I hope he has recovered. A. He has recovered and is getting around now. The Department very kindly sent an order to let him get away on the first hospital ship, but he had not seen the order, and he found the Berkshire was coming, and he begged the doctors to let him go on it, and they had a consultation. As far as he was concerned he seems to have had good medical treatment. There were three doctors. He couldn't understand why it was. He said he never saw any other person have three doc- tors consulting over him, and they had a consultation on his case-three doctors. They finally decided that he would die if he stayed there, and he would probably die on the way up, and he would certainly die if he stayed there. They put him on board ship in a stretcher, and he almost died while they were putting him aboard, but when they got him on board they used him nicely, and they gave him a stateroom and gave him a nurse. He, the nurse, was one of these men who knew his business, and had a big heart, and he took good care of the boy. Twice he thought the boy was dying, but by using restoratives he recovered. On the way up the doctors who were at the hospital were on the same ship and had charge of him on the ship, yet he couldn't get proper food to eat, and he was helpless naturally; had not had a cent of pay, and every letter I sent to him with a little money in it, it never got to him, and he was utterly poverty stricken, and the doctors ordered his meals from the steward of the vessel, and the boy had no money to pay for the meals, but he got a friend to advance him-a stranger-no friend of his, but a man aboard ship, to loan him the money, and he bought the meals, and it seemed to have been necessary to have had these meals from the steward, or his own doctor who attended him for weeks would not have ordered it. And it seems to me very strange that a soldier should be compelled to buy the meals while he was in Uncle Sam's service that the doctor prescribed. There were three of his comrades that died and were buried at sea on the trip up, and I have been wondering whether they were not fortunate enough to have somebody to loan them the money to get the food. I don't know what they died of. These things are all wrong. Q. Was your son a typhoid case? A. No, sir; dysentery. He had " breakbone fever," but the doctor who diag- nosed it called it yellow fever and they put him in the hospital, and he very prop- erly got the yellow fever. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Do you know whether or not there were any supplies of food on the Berk- shire at that time? A. There must have been. He got the food by paying 75 cents a meal. Q. I don't mean from the ship. Whether the Government provided plenty of food? A. He said there was plenty of hard-tack and also other things. He said there was some malted milk. A part of this food he got from the steward and part from the Government. He said the Government gave him some malted milk and 2250 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. some jelly; they came from the stores on the vessel, so evidently there were some stores. Q. Malted milk and jelly are not in the ordinary rations, are they? A. They were all sick men; there was no well man on this ship. I got a little angry at the time about it. The next day General Shafter came in himself on the vessel following, but I was unable to ascertain what really there was, only my boy says he knows there was some malted milk. Q. You spoke about conditions which existed at Camp Wikoff relative to the requirements to get a furlough, which no doubt are correct; did you at the time judge that was wanton and studied neglect or rather carelessness? A. I thought it was incompetency. I simply thought a lot of incompetent men had gotten in the Army and didn't know how to handle sick people. They could handle well people, but not sick people. I could see farther down at the railroad depot-the latter part they moved this tent to a more inconvenient place for the poor soldiers to get to-by the 6th of September, that is the night I got my boy home. But they got away down below the railroad tracks where the men had to go around standing freight trains to get their transportation. Q. While you were there, did you see any evidence or desire on the part of any officials to inflict suffering upon men? A. Oh, no; I don't think there was any desire at all. The men in charge seemed to be dazed. They would say, "Dear me, I can't keep up with this business," and tell me how tired they were sometimes. I said to that, I think, " Why don't you call for more help. The Government will give you all the help you need. Don't allow these men to die because you are tired. " I used to get a little bit indignant at times. What I had seen myself, the most heartrending thing, was to see men brought off these transports, marched up that hill, and falling by the wayside, and any quantity of army wagons and mules to haul them up that hill. Q. Do you know whether or not they had been offered transportation and refused it and walked, or whether they were told to walk? A. They were told to walk. I told them to sit down and rest until some wagon came along, and they said they were told to push ahead. I would say, further, as far as I could observe and make inquiry, I believe there were plenty of supplies at Camp Wikoff-bedding, food, medicine. I saw the supplies stored up in great piles. I think the whole trouble was with the officials, who didn't know how to connect the men with the supplies. In fact, it extended even to business men I saw there, when the New York Business Men's Association had unloaded a ship at the dock and they got orders from General Wheeler for 18 or 20 teams to haul them up to the camp. Their cargo consisted of eggs and brandies and other things, and none of the teams arrived. I said to the gentlemen in charge, " These things will spoil if you wait for General Wheeler's wagons." I said, "I have a horse and wagon here, engaged for all day; you take this and drive up to the camp, to the regimental commanders, and tell them this stuff is here, and they ■will come down here; " and before night most of the supplies had disappeared. The regimental commanders were glad enough to have the supplies. New York, November 22,1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. L. G. WOODHOUSE. Mrs. L. G. Woodhouse, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Will you please give yoiir name and residence? MRS. L. G. WOODHOUSE. 2251 A. Mrs. L. G. Woodhouse, 34 West Fifty-third street, this city. May I ask whether my statement was received? Q. A letter? A. A letter. I was requested from Washington to prepare a statement, in a letter I received a few days ago. It was sent to Washington about ten days or two weeks ago, in answer to a request that I should send such a statement and tell what I knew of the conditions. Q. That must be on file there in our office. By General Dodge: Q. Is there anything in relation to that that you desire to make a statement of? A. Well, I should like to. Q. Make any statement you please. A. Thank you. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Please state whether you had occasion to visit Camp Wikoff while the soldiers were there last summer. A. I was there nearly every day for about five weeks. I have a country home in East Hampton, Long Island. Q. Please tell, in your own way, what the conditions were at the various times you visited the camp. A. I first went to camp, my husband and I, on the 6th of August, four days before the arrival of the first troops. At that time there was no visible prepa- ration for troops. There were a few Italian laborers at the station laying switches. There was one building in course of- construction, which was a restaurant, a private enterprise. We drove over the whole point and dined at the Third House, coming back in the evening. On the 26th of August I was at Neapeaque Beach when the Prairie came ashore with part of the Seventh Regular Infantry. We went there and took a wagonload of provisions for the soldiers. There were about 450 men on the transport, I think, 216 of whom were sick. One man died on the beach that afternoon. Captain Dominy, at the life-saving station, objected to having the men brought ashore; he thought it was dangerous for them in their feeble condition, and he wished them to stay on the Prairie until the Red Cross steamer should get them off; but that was not done ; they were landed and taken to the camp that night by train from Amagansett. On the 22d of August we went to Camp Wikoff; we drove there from Easthampton. We took with us a wagonload of provisions. We spent the day there, principally among the regiments in the regulai' infantry, and found a great deal of suffering among the men, and were received very kindly by the officers, who expressed themselves very glad to receive any help we could give. Q. What regiments did you visit on that occasion ? A. We visited the Third, the Twentieth, the Eighth, and the Twenty-first.. The Seventh, I think, was still in detention camp, although I saw a great deal of that regiment afterwards. The next day I went to General Wheeler's headquarters and asked him if he would give us a hospital tent, and told him what we would like to do. The women of Easthampton at that time had formed a little organ- ization, of which Mrs. T. L. Manson was chairman. General Wheeler told me he would be very glad to give me the tent; that he needed all the help he could have to take care of the sick soldiers, and was very grateful to anybody who would volunteer to do this. After that we had from one to three wagonloads of provi- sions every day teamed across Neapeaque Beach. It is very sandy, and it is 20 miles from Easthampton, and our hospital tent was put up near the regiments of the Third, Twentieth, Twenty-second, and Eighth, and Fourth. My work was mostly in the Twenty-second Regiment. When they came out of detention camp I think they reported 95 per cent of the men on the sick list, and most of the offi- 2252 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. cers really were very ill, very wretched. They were also very much worried over the condition of their men. We did all of our work in the tents of the soldiers before the sick could be taken to the general hospital, and there were generally from one to four men in each tent sick, very often unable to raise their heads at all or to take any nourishment but a little milk and limewater, perhaps, by the spoonfull. Q. How comfortably were they situated in the tents? A. They were without any flooring at all. Most men had one blanket; some men had none. They had no extra covering at all. They had what they called a "slicker"-an india-rubber blanket. Q.' Do you know whether or not they might have obtained further clothing if they had made requisitions? A. Some officers told me they had made requisitions for underclothing, but the underclothing did not materialize until they had been there for three weeks. I saw that. It was mostly thin gauze with short sleeves. The soldiers were dis- appointed and very unhappy. We gave out from our organization three dozen suits of underclothing. Very few of the men had drawers at all. Most of them had remnants of a shirt in bad condition. They suffered from the cold because the nights there are very cold and damp. There was a great deal of talk all the time they were there. Q. Did they have overcoats. A. A few. Most of the men, I think, had thrown their overcoats away in Cuba. They lay there in the same tents in the clothing they had fought in in Cuba. They were most uncomplaining and patient in every way, officers and men, the officers greatly in sympathy with their men. Many of the men were delirious; sometimes they didn't know their own names or where they came from. W e had great difficulty in getting them into the general hospital, Very often the ambu- lances would be sent out quite full in the morning. They would remain there all day long. It was very hot there in the sun you know, and at night they would return to the regiment with only two or three perhaps taken out, and these men would be taken out of the ambulance and laid on the ground again until next morning, when that would be repeated. Q. What time in the month of August did that occur? A. It was the last two weeks in August and the first two weeks in September when there was the greatest trouble. Q. Was the reason given why these men were not left at the hospital? A. There was no room. There was great difficulty in the way of getting fur- loughs, for men were furloughed from the tents. They were very often hardly able to stand on their legs. They were very weak but they were obliged to walk a mile to the general hospital for application for furlough, and stand in line, and they walked a mile back to their regiments. The next day they took the same walk and some of those poor fellows fell by the way. I have seen them on their hands and knees fall by the way, and they received their furloughs generally; sometimes there was a mistake and the application could not be found. That I know was one case. After receiving the furlough they walked three-quarters of a mile to the station. There they very often could not get their transportation. They very often did not get their transportation until the next day. They were obliged to stay all night at the station or walk back the whole distance to their regiment. The regiments that I knew were about 2 miles from the station, and then they arrived in a very terrible condition. Q. Have you knowledge of men being obliged to stay over night in the station? A. I know there were men who stayed over night in the station. Q. Do you know what conveniences there were there for them? A. At the first there was nothing that could be called a convenience. We saw men lying on the floors and the benches, very often nauseated and unable to keep MRS. L. G. WOODHOUSE. 2253 anything on their stomachs, and I know at least one man died between the Mon- tank station and the New York end. That is on record at the board of health in New York. I do not know how many more; I was told, many more. That is the only one I know of. Q. To what did you attribute the condition of the men at the time you saw them; their campaign in Cuba and the climate there, etc.? A. Well, I presume that had a great deal to do with it, but I think they were overdosed. I think they had too much quinine. They used to take it by the handful. There were some very young and inexperienced contract doctors, and when men were too weak, too ill to appear* on sick roll-all the doctors did not- but I know of one doctor, I should not like to tell his name unless I am obliged to, who used to leave a little handful of pills, perhaps eighteen or twenty, at the foot of each man's cot, then pass on, and very often these men took these pills all at once, and we would find them absolutely delirious and in a high fever afterwards. By General Dodge: Q. Did you report that fact to the officers of the regiment when it occurred? A. No; we did not. We were somewhat in sympathy with these young doc- tors, who, I think, did the best they knew how. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What was the result of your ministrations? Did you see an improvement in the men? A. Yes, sir; and the officers have written us letters assuring us that we saved many lives in those regiments. The Seventh Regiment I knew a good deal of. We supplied them with provisions most every day, with milk and broth and eggs, toast, and they had a very hard time from the beginning, at least until we were able to help them. I know they were without a water supply for forty-eight hours. Q. Which regiment was that? A. That was the Seventh Regulai* Infantry. I took them water myself. Q. They were entirely without water? A. The nearest water* supply was about from half to three-quarters of a mile away. The pipes were not laid up to the regiments. Q. They procured water from this source of supply? A. They procured water, I think it was the Seventeenth Infantry-sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn't. By General Dodge: Q. How far was that? A. It was called three-quarters of a mile. I don't know that it was quite that. Q. But still they managed to supply themselves with a moderate quantity of water, I suppose? A. We supplied them from time to time ourselves. Mr. Woodhouse and myself carried one day a large ash can full of water there, and we saw that emptied in the different barrels that stood at the head of the company streets. Q. But the nearest source of supply was three-quarters of a mile? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long before they got the supply in the regiment? A. I have seen it stated forty-eight hours; I thought it was longer, but I can't be positive. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You may proceed with you narrative; whatever you would like to say. A. The third division hospital which was said to exist, and which only existed 2254 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. on paper-the men from the Third and Twentieth were called the orphan regi- ments-I don't know why, but they seemed to be assigned to no special brigade, and Major Brown, when we applied at the hospital for room for sick men of the Third Infantry, Major Brown said there was no room at the general hospital, but they would be taken in the third division infantry hospital.- Q. What day was that? A. That I can't tell you. It was during the end of September. Q. When Major Brown said there was no room in the general hospital? A. It was from the middle to the end of September, and one member of our party drove around about half a day and had to give it up, and could not find the third division hospital. Some officers would think there was such a hospital and others would say no, and the next morning we discovered that it had not material- ized. It was simply on paper and that was all. Q. The distances, I suppose, were great? A. The distances were great and the transportation most terrible. We had to have our own transportation. We had sent from East Hampton three wagons every day that met us at the station, and that transported us from one side to the other, and to the regiments where we distributed our supplies. We had a great deal sent to us from the people about there, and we had from 12 to 20 women who went into the various regiments to do what they could. We put this food into the mouths of these men, and we gave clothing directly to them. Q. What was the interest manifested by the officers to the men? A. I think they were very much worried over the condition of their men. I have seen those officers weep when they spoke of the condition of their men. Q. What evidence of wanton neglect, if any, of the men by the officers, or by any officer, came to your notice? A. Only once in the Eighth Regiment. The doctoi' of the Eighth Regiment, Dr. Tabor. One of the ladies in our corps came to the hospital tent one day and reported a man very ill in his tent. She said his temperature was 103, and he looked like a very sick man. He asked me if I would see Dr. Tabor, and I asked him about this man. He said he had not appeared on sick call in the morning, and he did not think there could be much the matter with him. I asked him if he would go to the tent. He didn't wish to go, but finally said he would, and when he got there this man was lying on the ground in a very high fever, with sores, and evidently very sick. Dr. Tabor asked him why he had not come to sick call in the morning, and he said he could not stand. And then the doctor took his temper- ature. I asked him what it was, and he said " 103," and I said, "Isn't this man eligible for the general hospital? " I knew there were plenty of cots there at that time, because I think it was the last week in September. He turned on me and he said very gruffly, "No; not necessary, madam," and walked off, and that man lay on the ground there for two days before he was taken to the general hospital, but he was a very sick man. But otherwise, I think the officers, all of them, cared for their men as far as I could see. Certainly the officers of the Twenty-second, the Twentieth, and the Third. I was more familiar with those regiments, particu- larly the Twenty-second, because I was there very often. Q. It is very evident, from all we have heard, that the ladies did a great and commendable work. A. We saw how much it was needed. It was the hardest work I ever did in my life. It was beneficial to the men, for the suffering was very great., Q. The men were all in a pitiable condition? A. Indeed they were, men and officers. Q. Yes; they came back wrecks of their former selves. A. They looked like specters. The men rarely wanted stimulants; they would rarely take stimulants. The great cry was for milk, and until we came there among the regulars there was no milk at all. After that it came in uncertain COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2255 quantities. Sometimes the men would get half a cupful a day, and very often it was sour, and it was always a very poor quality. We distributed from 200 to 250 quarts a day that we had packed in ice and teamed every day over that beach. Q. Anything else? A. Not very much. Two weeks after the 22d one of the surgeons told me that he had only six men in his company fit for duty. That gives some idea of the con- dition of the men. By General Dodge: Q. Twenty-second of August? A. Two weeks after their arrival. I think that was about the 10th of Septem- ber, perhaps. There were no quarantine regulations, as far as I could see. We went everywhere perfectly free. I never went to the detention camp, but a number of the ladies of our corps, the Easthampton Relief Corps, did go and found no difficulty in going anywhere. That day I had gone to the general hospital a man sitting at the door spoke to me as I passed. He was convalescing. I stood there and talked with him about ten minutes. At the end of that time he said: " I hope you are not afraid of me; I have had diphtheria, but I am over the worst of it." A man in the tents I know had typhoid. The condition of the men who were dis- charged from the hospital was something terrible. By Governor W oodbury : Q. Very weak, I suppose? A. Not only that, but very often they had lost their minds. They didn't know very often where they were going, and I remember talking with one man at the station one day and asking him his name, and he thought and thought a long while, and finally he got it, and I said, " Where are you going? " and he hesitated and finally said, " I don't know, my mind is up there somewhere; I can't get at it." Q. There had probably been a reaction and he had given away? A. There was a great deal of confusion in the hospital. I would occasionally go there to look after the men, and almost every time I went I would find they had been moved, and the very sick men must have had a hard time of it. The third division hospital was not opened; the second division hospital did of course relieve the hospitals very much, but before that time they were very sick, and I have seen men in collapse put in the ambulance, and I have heard the doctor say that he thought the man would die before he reached the hospital. When they were very sick they did the best they could to get them to the hospital before they died. Dr. Clarke, of the Twenty-second, was the most sympathetic and ablest doctor that I saw when I was there. He was overworked and broke down and had to go to the hospital himself. After that he was succeeded by a contract doctor from Boston, a very good, conscientious man, who worked hard, but could not understand the lack of what he considered indispensable things. For instance, there were no stretchers. The men had to be dragged out by their garments and put into the ambulances. New York, November 22,1898. TESTIMONY OF COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Will you be kind enough to give your full name? A. Theodore Roosevelt. 2256 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. And the position you held during the war with Spain? A. Iwas lieutenant-colonel of the First Volunteer Cavalry from May 6 until about July 8, when I was made colonel. Q. And held that position? A. And held that position until the end. From August 1 until about September 5 I acted as brigade commander of the Second Brigade of the Cavalry Division. Q. The First Volunteer Cavalry was what was generally known as the Rough Riders? A. It was, sir. Q. Colonel, will you be kind enough to state where you first joined the regiment and the duties of the first period until you started for Cuba? A. I joined the regiment at San Antonio. I was almost immediately put by Colonel Wood to drilling the men, first dismounted and then mounted. Colonel Wood was very busy in hurrying up the equipment of the regiment, and if you deem it relevant I should like to say that it was due to Colonel Wood's energy and success in hurrying up the equipment of the regiment that we were enabled to get into the field. Q. When you reached San Antonio in what condition did you find the regiment as regards its camp, its commissary, quartermaster and medical supplies, its cloth- ing, and its ordnance? A. It was, of course, just gathering. Two of the troops did not come in-two troops from the Indian Territory did not come in until I got there, and we were clothing the men and arming the men day by day as the arms and clothes arrived. Naturally there was a great deal of confusion, and I myself was so busy learning my own duties that I would not be able to give you as much of an idea as I could concerning matters that occurred later on as to their deficiency. At first they had no tents and we put them in a big building there, but before we left San Antonio we got the tents and the blankets for almost everybody. Some could not get shoes. There were some things lacking, particularly some of the arms and horse gear. Not all of the arms and horse gear arrived. One of the troops was still only partially armed-had but 16 carbines. Q. With what was your regiment armed? A. With Krag-Jorgensen carbines and with a six-shooter, .45 caliber. Q. Did the men have sabers? A. They had nothing of that kind; they were to have had machetes, but they didn't come in time, and it didn't make a particle of difference that they didn't come. Q. When did you leave San Antonio? A. We left San Antonio about the 30th of May; I can't give you the exact date. Q. And went where? A. To Tampa. Q. By what means? A. By train, taking four days. Q. When you left, were your men armed and equipped ready for field service, as far as you knew? A. We were armed, equipped, and ready for field service, but for this one troop. Q. Where did you receive your horses, or did you ever get them? A. We got them at San Antonio. Q. And took them to Tampa? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long were you in Tampa? A. We were in Tampa about four days. Q. During the period that you were with the regiment, so far as you are aware, up to the time that you left Tampa, were your men properly rationed-was the food sufficient? COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2257 A. There was a good deal of confusion that I think might have been avoided. Rations, I understand, for the first few days in San Antonio, were not good. That I say I understood; it is a thing I do not know personally. When we reached Tampa we had twenty-four hours of utter and absolute confusion. There was no one to show us where we were to camp. The railway system there was in a condition of absolute congestion. We were dumped miles out of Tampa, at least the first division. The second division, which included the six troops under me, was brought into town. We were then told we were to be carried on some train to neai' our camp. We were kept there until the evening and I then had to take matters into my own hands so as to get my horses watered and fed, and we had to buy food for the troopers. We finally got out to camp and after we got in camp, after the first twenty-four hours, everything went smoothly. I think they might have had somebody to meet us and show us where the camp was. Q. Were you reimbursed for the outlay you made in the purchase of your sup- plies? A. Oh, Lord, no. Q. That was a personal matter? A. Yes, sir. Q. You remained four days at Tampa; was the camp at which your men were stationed at that time a proper one? A. It seemed to be, entirely so. Q. What was the water supply? A. Came in a thin iron pipe. Q. And the character of the water? A. It was good. It got hot, of course, in the sun. Q. Did you have the usual army ration? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was it sufficient in quantity? A. Yes, sir. Q. Proper in quality? A. It was; yes, sir. Q. Were your men used to cooking for themselves, or did they do that? A. They cooked for themselves. Most of them were used to cooking for them- selves; they were plainsmen. Q. And you went from Tampa to Port Tampa four days after you arrived? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did they keep you in Port Tampa? A. Will you let me say one thing in advance? Q. If you please. A. When we moved down to Port Tampa I again thought there was a good deal of higglety-pigglety business, although I can't say how much was due to the congested condition of the track. We were told to go to a certain track at 12 o'clock and take a train. We got there, and then Colonel Wood and I wandered up and down trying to find somebody who knew where the train was, and we couldn't find anybody and at 3 o'clock we were ordered to move to another track, and at 6 o'clock we got some coal cars. I believe these coal cars were not intended to take us, but we construed it that they were and went down on them and so got to the quay. You see, we had been told if we didn't get aboard by daybreak we would get left, and we didn't intend to get left, and we took these coal cars and slipped down. Q. From whom did you receive your orders to go from Tampa to Port Tampa? A. I, of course, received mine from Colonel Wood. Q. Do you know to whom the Colonel applied for transportation down? A. I don't, sir. Q. Then you can't answer; you are not prepared to explain who was responsi- 2258 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. ble directly, the individual man, for the delay in getting you your transporta- tion? A. I am not, sir; and I can't say where the responsibility lay, for the fact which I am about to mention and which I think I ought to mention. It is not an impor- tant thing, still I think it is a thing you ought to know. There were so many regiments to embark on so many transports, and it does seem to me that it would have been a simple thing to have settled the day before what regiment was to go on what transport, and try to have, say, the first 10 regiments and the first 10 trans- ports come together, so that when loaded those transports could pull out, and then 10 other regiments take more transports, and so on. But, so far as I know, the regiments did not know in advance what transports they were to get on-at least none with whom I was brought in contact had been told what transports they were to go on. We reached Port Tampa early in the morning. There were a lot of regiments there; the trains backed up everywhere along the quay, and the quay was warming with some 10,000 men-soldiers, mostly. Transports were pulling in from midstream, but nobody could tell us what transport we were to go on. Finally General Shafter told us to find the quartermaster, Colonel Humphrey. I expected, of course, that at a time like that the quartermaster would be directing things from his office, where you could get at him, as he was the only man to tell us what transports we were to board. He was not in his place and had not been there for some time, and nobody could tell us where he was, and Colonel Wood and I started on a hunt for him in opposite directions, and finally we found him, almost at the same time, and he allotted us the Yucatan. The Yucatan was coming in at the dock, and by that time we found there was a great scramble for the transports, and Colonel Wood jumped in a boat and went out in midstream. I happened to find out by accident that the transport Yuca- tan had also been allotted to the Second Infantry and the Seventy-first New York, and I ran down to my men and left a guard and took the rest and rushed them down to the dock and got on the Yucatan, holding the gangplank against the Sec- ond Infantry and the Seventy-first New York, and then letting aboard only the Second Infantry, as there was no room even for all of them; and I understand the Seventy-first spent the next two nights on a train. We ultimately kept four companies of the Second Infantry aboard with us, but we had the Yucatan. Q. Now, do I understand that, from the testimony you have given, you are under the impression that there had been no arrangement made previous to that day as to the particular regiments that were to go on each transport? A. I can't say as to that; there may have been arrangements made as to some regiments to go on certain transports; there certainly were no arrangements com- municated to us as to our regiment and the ones we came in contact with and the transports which we were to have. Q. To what do you attribute that confusion; lack of administrative ability or overworking of the people in charge? A. Gentlemen, I would not know; I was only a lieutenant-colonel; I can give you the facts, but I do not know the explanation. Q. Who else were on the Yucatan besides your regiments? A. Four companies of the Second. Q. Second Regular Infantry? A. Yes, sir; Second Regular Infantry. We had originally eight companies, but four of the companies were taken off. Q. Before going on the Yucatan, to what extent had your regiment been rationed? A. We had been rationed, I think, for twelve days; it may have been for only ten. Q. And the character of the ration? A. It was the travel ration. The character of the ration was good, except in one very important particular, a particular so important that to my mind it made it all bad. Instead of having canned corned beef, which was excellent, they had what COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2259 they called canned fresh beef, which was exceedingly bad. I don't think that more than a quarter of it, more than a tenth of it, was eaten. When the men got very hungry and ate it, it nauseated the men at the worst, and at the best it was taste- less and insipid, and what I think is regretable, no salt is issued with the travel rations, so that the men had no salt to make that food palatable. If they had had fresh vegetables and means for cooking they could have made a stew out of it with salt, onions, and potatoes that would have been at least eatable. It is not as good as it might be, even for that, but still you could eat it then, when you couldn't eat it in the shape in which it actually was; and of course there were no cooking arrangements for the men on the transports. Q. Anything for making coffee? A. Yes; there were arrangements for making coffee. I didn't know until to-day that you wanted me in here, and I have not got my notebook. I remember pretty well what happened; but there may be an occasional slip of memory in dealing with some of the things. We did make arrangements by which they were allowed to cook their coffee in the galley. It was all new to me then; it was my first expe- rience on a transport. Looking back at it now there were two or three things that should have been improved. There were no arrangements for ice for the men, and that was hard on them in the tropic heat. Then I think that in that kind of a transport there should have been arrangements by which we could have been given fresh vegetables now and then, and some arrangements for cooking. I can't tell you now what arrangements, but I was informed by some regular officers that it would have been comparatively simple, if you had the transport sufficiently long in advance, to make some arrangements for cooking. Q. Did you take with you the horses of the regiment ? A. No, sir. Q. None at all? A. None of the Government horses; the field officers took their horses on another transport. Q. What were the accommodations for the men so far as sleeping was concerned on this transport ? A. They were too crowded; the officers' accommodations were good; they were the passenger accommodations ; the men's accommodations I do not think good. Q. Was it between decks or in the hold ? A. Between decks and in the hold, but we also gave up the entire deck to them, so that they lay all over the deck, and that was perfectly good for them, and those on deck were the best off. Q. Did you have medical supplies on board ? A. We had medical supplies in an entirely sufficient amount. Q. How many physicians? A. We had with us on that transport three surgeons. Q. Having gone on board the transport, how long did you lie off Port Tampa before you started for Santiago? A. About five days. Q. It is hardly necessary to ask you the reason; we have heard that? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long did it take you, after you started, to reach Santiago? A. It was about seven days. Q. And the condition of the men during that time was what? A. Satisfactory. Q. You arrived off Santiago about when? A. The 20th; we disembarked on the 22d. Q. Then you lay there two days before you disembarked? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you among the first to disembark? 2260 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. We were. Q. Where did you disembark? A. At Daiquiri. Q. Immediately after disembarking will you, in a narrative way, give us the conditions that existed? A. Let me say here that it seemed to me there was a great lack of material for disembarking. I think there should have been more boats with us. We were enabled to disembark because my old naval aid (while I was Assistant Secretary of the Navy), Lieutenant Sharp, was there with a converted yacht, and he came alongside and loaned us a Cuban pilot, and he took the ship in a mile and a half nearer the shore than any other transport, and that enabled us to shorten the trip. Q. How did you disembark? A. Chiefly by the boats on board, and we disembarked without any accident. Q. How long did it take you until you started-until your command was on shore-to disembark? A. About ten hours of actual work. Q. And at what hour in the day was this disembarkation completed? A. It was completed after nightfall. That is, the last. You see we had a dyna- mite gun aboard and two Colt's automatic guns aboard, and we took them with us. We did not get our baggage, our stores of food, etc., ashore; we had not enough boats. Q. Now, you have got on shore with your whole command; will you kindly take up the narrative there? A. The men had three days' equipment and rations. The officers had practi- cally nothing at first. I had a light mackintosh and I didn't have another thing. I got a toothbrush the next day, but I didn't have that at first. The officers' bag- gage came ashore the next day, but we had no transportation for it, and we had to leave it there, as we did the company mess kits, etc. We slept that night about a few hundred yards inland. The next morning we spent in getting the officers' baggage ashore and trying to get our horses. One of my horses was drowned, but I got on the other. Colonel Wood got both of his and Major Brodie got neither of his. In the afternoon, about mid-afternoon-I can't give you the exact time-we were notified that we were to march out with the rest of the brigade and get as far to the front as possible. Q. Who commanded the brigade? A. General Young. Q. Now, you are referring to the battle of La Guasimas? A. Yes, sir; General Young commanded the brigade. We marched that after- noon and it was a hard march. It was perfectly easy for me. I was on my horse; but it was a hard march for the men. There was, however, but little straggling. It was hot, and the men were clothed in the regular army clothing, winter cloth- ing, which made it rather a hot thing for them in the jungle. I should like to speak about the clothing-the underclothes-later on. I suppose about 9 o'clock in the evening we reached Siboney, at which time we were well to the front. No other regiment was ahead of us, and we camped right where we were that night. We got the fires lit and got supper cooked and there came down a very heavy rainstorm and then we went to bed. About 12 o'clock Colonel Wood, who had been to General Young, came back and told me we were to march at daybreak the next morning, and we were to march along a hill trail to the left and General Young, with the First and Tenth, was to go up the valley trail to the right, and where the trails came together we expected to strike the Spaniards. Q. First and Tenth Cavalry? A. Yes, sir. We started next morning, and the march was a hard march, though only lasting a couple of hours. The heat and going up hill so fast made it hard, and I didn't appreciate entirely the object of our speed. I thought we were march- COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2261 ing too hard, because fifty or a hundred of our men dropped out, and others dropped their blankets and packs; but I saw afterwards that if we had not marched as hard as we did we would not have been able to strike the Spaniards when General Young did. It was necessary to march just as hard as we did. We were marching along in single file. The jungle was so thick that no flankers could be put out; they couldn't have made half a mile an hour. The point was under Sergeant Fish, and under Captain Capron himself the advance guard, and then L troop, and then came the other troops. After about two hours' march the column was halted and word was sent down that a Spanish outpost had been dis- covered, and Colonel Wood gave us the order to cease talking and to see that the magazines were all loaded. He then gave me instructions to deploy with two of the troops to the right; one of the troops was deployed to the left; and immedi- ately after the firing began between the point and the Spanish outposts I deployed to the right with the right wing, and Major Brodie took the left wing and we were under a pretty brisk fire. It was a brisk skirmish, and it being my first experience, and with smokeless powder in use, it took me a little time to make out exactly what was up, and I couldn't see the Spaniards for a long time. They were using this smokeless powder, and though I knew they were firing from the jungle in front, but fortunately I knew one rule-that if you were in doubt to go ahead; to be sure to go toward the guns. We finally discovered them through Mr. Richard Harding Davis, who was with me on the line. He pointed across the ravine to an elevation, where he thought were some Spaniards, as he could see their hats; and I got my glasses on them and saw they were Spanish hats, and I got my men volley- firing on them and they were driven out, and when they were driven out they run to where there were other Spaniards, and pretty soon we had them all going back; and then we saw some troops coming on oui- right flank, across the ravine. We saw they were our own regulars, and the first sergeant of K troop, a man named Lee, climbed up a tree and waved our guidon so that the regulars should not fire on us. We thought they had fired a volley at us, but I don't know whether they did or not. As I had established connections with the right wing, I left that wing and traveled over to the center of our regiment, where Colonel Wood was and Major Brodie, and Major Brodie was shot in the arm almost at once and had to go to the rear, and then Colonel Wood sent me out to the left wing, and I went out there and was in the thick jungle; I had three troops with me and I lost touch of the right wing until I heard them cheer. We were firing of course at the Spaniards in our front. There was a kind of a sugar house and plantation there, and we were firing at them, and I heard the men cheer on the right, and so I knew they must be charging, so, then, I charged too, and we drove the Spaniards out of that plantation and sugar house, and then we came to a halt. I didn't know exactly what had become of the rest of the regiment, and I wanted to find out; while I was stationing outposts word was brought to me that Colonel Wood was killed. It proved afterwards that he was not; but that left me in com- mand of the regiment, in a position of responsibility, so I started out to find exactly where the rest of the regiment was. It was in the thick jungle, so it was a difficult matter to find out. I had arranged my own wing behind an overgrown and sunken road, sending out cossack posts in front and flank so that I couldn't be surprised; I started out to find the rest of the regiment. To my delight I met Colonel Wood, and I recol- lect I asked him where the Spaniards were and he said they had run away. Of course, I couldn't tell. I knew they had run away from my immediate front, but I had lost all track of what was going on on the right-hand side. Colonel Wood gave me some instructions and immediately afterwards General Chaffee came along. I think before that three troops of the Ninth Cavalry came along just before General Chaffee, and I then found the thing was all over. And I remem- ber that among other things we captured was a Spanish mule that was loaded 2262 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. with beans, and oui- men were about out of provisions-that was the third day- and we used those Spanish beans and they came in very handy. Q. Now, Colonel, as far as you have gone, that ended the battle of La Guasi- mas, in which your regiment took so prominent a part. How long did you remain in that camp? A. We were moved out of that camp, I think, the next day. Q. Were you rationed at once there? A. We were rationed, I think it was the next morning; it may possibly have been that evening. Q. Were your surgeons with you at that time? A. They were. Q. Did you have what we might call a field hospital after that fight to take care of your wounded? A. We had an improvised hospital during the fight, and next morning we sent the wounded back to Siboney. Q. Were your men provided with the first-aid material? A. Yes, sir. Q. Will you please state to us the result-satisfactory or unsatisfactory-at that time? A. That day it was entirely satisfactory, and I want to speak especially of the conduct of our assistant surgeon, Dr. James Robbins Church. He not only took care of the wounded, but he ran up on the firing line to rescue them. He was an old Princeton football player. He ran up on the firing line, and repeatedly took men bigger than himself on his back all the way to the regimental field hospital. Q. How many did you lose, killed and wounded, in that fight, approximately? A. Approximately between 30 and 40; I forget exactly. Q. You said you left there the next day? A. We went 2 or 3 miles on to another camp. Q. And remained there how long? A. We remained there at the other camp about five days. Q. Had you had any baggage of any character there? A. Yes; we got the officers' baggage. We didn't get the mess kits of the men; for instance, we didn't get our kettles. We never had transportation to bring them up; we had no transportation at all. And you know how it was said that we ought to boil our water; we had nothing to boil it in. Q. Do you know why you didn't get your camp utensils? A. The only reason was we couldn't get any transportation; we had no trans- portation at all. Q. Did you try to get it ? A. Tried hard, and Colonel Wood told me the reason he got the officers' bag- gage and some of our ammunition and food was that he obtained about 16 mules. Q. Pack mules? A. Yes, sir; but we only had them forty-eight hours and they were taken a way from us. Q. Who took them from you ? A. I don't know that. Q. What was your water supply ? A. The water supply of that stream running alongside. That was all right after we got a sufficiently rigorous police guard to prevent the men bathing in it above our regiment. Q. Did you receive rations in this camp ? A. We received rations; yes, sir, from time to time. Q. For how long? A. I can't tell. Q. How long did you remain in this camp ? 2263 COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. A. About five days. I want to say this much: That the experience I had, my own experience, is so limited that there may be a reason for this that I do not know. We had the regular ration of salt pork, hardtack, coffee, and sugar in that camp ; and we had in that camp enough of those four items ; but we had nothing else, and the heat and exposure were beginning to tell a little upon the men, and I wanted to get them some beans and some tomatoes, and there was no transporta- tion at all, so I took 40 of the men and marched them back to Siboney. We took the officers' horses, too, and we had some Cuban horses; so we took them and the men and marched them down to Siboney, and I wanted to purchase the beans so as to take them up to the men, and they wouldn't sell me any beans. Q. Didn't they issue them? A. There were none to issue there at all. They wouldn't sell me any beans unless I would say they were only for the officers. I didn't think that was right. I thought some provision ought to have been made, or there should have been sufficient elasticity to allow us to buy the beans supposed to be for the officers and give them to the men. However, I bought all that an elastic stretch of my con- science would allow me to say could be used for the officers, and then I got a boat and went out to the transport and brought in about 500 pounds of beans, and I got all the tomatoes I wished and put them on horses and the backs of the men, and marched back, and it was a great thing for the men. I would like to say this much about the food-it was not well suited to the climate. I don't think they would have felt the need of tomatoes and beans so much if it had been a cold, •northern climate, but the heat and all made it enervating, especially as their clothing, like their food, was not suited for a hot climate. The hats were excel- lent. The flannel shirts were as good as any flannel shirts I have ever seen, only they are exactly what I would have used in Montana in the fall. The under- clothes were canton flannel, and were not good. The drawers got stiff and chafed the men. They were canton flannel, and were not good. The trousers tore when they got drenched with sweat and the men were in rags afterwards. The leggings were good, but I think it is a great mistake when you are going in a muddy country to have leggings that strap under the foot. In hunting, no man would ever want leggings that would go much below the ankle, but these army leggings go down nearly to the sole of the foot and have the strap under the shoe, and that gets caked with mud. It is only a small point, but worth while paying attention to. That clothing was too hot for them; it was inferior to the Spanish clothing. Q. What were the pants? A. The trousers, brown trousers; I believe they were called khaki, but they were not khaki. I had a suit that didn't tear. These were trousers that did tear. They tore much more than mine. Then I got the beans for my men. I wanted to put them in good shape when we went on to Santiago. If it is proper, I would like to say you can hardly realize how well General Young handled that brigade and how he got the work out of it. We all felt the greatest confidence in him. When he was taken sick and went back and Colonel Wood succeeded to the brigade and I succeeded to the regiment, and, of course, I was very much pleased at that. I wouldn't have wanted it until I had had a little experience, but having been through that skirmish I felt I could handle it. We received word, I think on the 30th of June, to march forward to Santiago. We marched that night, or until about 9 o'clock, when we came to El Poso. Next morning we were up very early, and that was the day of the battle before Santiago. Our first experience was when we were all gathered together in a mass and the artillery went up and opened fire from the crest just in front of us. The Spaniards replied with shrapnel, and that came into our troops and killed and wounded four in oui- regiment and killed two or three others and quite a number of Cubans, and we had to go over the crest of the hill into the brush; and I found it difficult get- 2264 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. ting the regiment together again, which I did at once, however, and then I received orders to lead the brigade. My regiment went first, the Second Brigade following the First Brigade along the road to join on General Lawton's left. That was the order we received. General Lawton was attacking El Caney. We marched out behind the First Brigade until we came to the San Juan River, which we forded, and then turned to the right. I got my regiment across just as the captive balloon was coming along down to the ford. There was a good deal of firing going on, and I knew when that balloon got down there would be hot work at the ford, so I hurried my men along as quickly as I could, and my regiment marched at the head of the Second Brigade to the right along- side San Juan River, with the First Cavalry Brigade to our left, between us and the blockhouses and intrenchments on the hills, and the firing got heavier and heavier, and we finally received word to halt and await orders. There was a kind of sunken lane going up from the river where we halted, and I made the men all lie down and get under cover as much as they could, and we lay there for, I should judge, certainly an hour. Finally we got the welcome order to advance. I received instructions to move forward and support the regu lar cavalry in the assault on the hills in front, and we moved forward, and then we took Kettle Hill, as we called it. I never heard the term San Juan Hill until two or three days later. After we went up Kettle Hill, Colonel Hamilton and Colonel Carroll were both shot, and that left me in command on the hill until General Sumner got there. I got my men together and got them volley firing across at the San Juan blockhouse on the hill which the infantry of Kent and Hawkins were attacking. We kept up firing for some time, and I recollect we heard Parker's gatlings begin shooting on the left and our men cheered them, and we kept up our fire until the infantry got so near the top of the hill that I was afraid of hitting them, and in another minute we saw the infantry swarm over the intrenchments and the Spaniards run out, and then we charged from Kettle Hill across at the next line of hills which was in the rear where there were Spanish trenches and another blockhouse. General Sumner was on Kettle Hill before this; he had been riding along the lines of the cavalry seeing that they went forward. He had command of the cavalry division at that time. Then we took the next line of intrenchments. The Spaniards were still firing at us, and we formed and went to the left and got on the crest of the chain of hills over- looking Santiago. By that time I was the highest officer in command on the extreme front, and I had six regiments under me. Major Wessells had been wounded and Captains Morton and Boughton came up and reported to me, and Captains Stevens and McNamee of the Ninth reported to me. I received orders, then, from Captain Howze, of General Sumner's staff, not to advance but to hold that hill at all hazards. Captain Howze was always at the front when he could be. We held the hill until nightfall, when we received orders to intrench. We had captured in the blockhouse the Spanish officers' mess, and an extremely good officers' mess it was, better than anything we had had; a big kettle of beef, a kettle of rice, and peas, and a big demijohn of rum, and a lot of rice flour loaves, and so I fed those out to my men; and we also got a lot of Spanish intrenching tools, and we threw up some very aboriginal intrenchments. So that night we had a mild feast on the Spaniards' food. Q. Was that the 1st or 2d? A. That is the night of the 1st. We intrenched there. As I have seen talk about a retreat being considered from that hill, it is only justice to say that the officers on the extreme front of that line, at least on my part of the line, never dreamed of the Spaniards driving us; they were all perfectly horrified at the idea of retreating. Captains Morton and Boughton came over to me in the afternoon to say that someone had spoken of retreating, and to beg me to protest. I had COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2265 not heard of it and I did not believe it was true. I knew we could hold that line against anything that could come up in the front. Another thing: We frequently hear of the Spaniards " attacking " us on the nights of the 1st and the 2d. In a way they did, but it was not an attack that was pushed home. It simply con- sisted in the skirmishers becoming more active and in the trenches redoubling their fire. I think that they rarely came out of their trenches even a little way. I never saw them make what could be' properly called an offensive movement. They never pushed us in any way to jeopardize our position. Q. You wish to convey the idea that you not only never retreated but never dreamed of retreating? A. Never dreamed of retreating; and that the Spaniards never pushed us in any way to jeopardize our position at all. The next day we were under fire all day, and the night following, at about 9 o'clock at night, there was a tremendous amount of volley firing from the Spanish lines, and they sent out some skirmishers pretty near to the line. I could see that, because, though they used smoke- less powder, so that in the daytime you couldn't see at all, yet at night you could see the little spurts of flame. I could get a clearer idea of their where- abouts during the night than in the day. On the morning of the 3d we went on, and then there came a truce. I would like to say one thing as to the enormous superiority of the smokeless powder over the black powder; it can hardly be realized by those who were not on the ground. Our artillery we could not depend upon when it was upon the firing line of the infantry. We felt that the Spanish artillery was better than our artillery. Q. On account of the powder? A. On account of the powder. I saw, for instance, the guns on our left open fire, and in a half minute after the first shot there would be this thick cloud of smoke hanging, and apparently every Spanish gun and every Spanish rifle within a radius of a mile of us would be all turned on that one point, and the gun would be driven out; so that our men-I mean the dismounted cavalry-would say, "there go the artillery; they will de driven out." And they were. They were placed back in the rear on the following day, but they were driven off the firing line where the infantry were. On the other hand, the Gatlings, which were man- aged by Captain Parker, were fought on the extreme front of the skirmish line; he fought his Gatlings right up on the extreme front, just as far as anybody could go. He did magnificently. He was on the right of oui- regiment. We had our two Colts, and he came and helped us put our two Colts in position. We didn't think we had put our works out quite far enough, and we zigzagged an approach and made a kind of bastion some 200 yards out on the hill, so that we could fire right into the Spanish works. He helped us dig the approach and helped us get our Colt automatic guns fixed just right. He not only fought his own guns, but he rendered us every assistance. Q. Did he have smokeless powder? A. If he had not had, we would not have allowed him in the trenches unless he could have stayed there in spite of us. I would say that some of the Seventy-first New York came up in the trenches right by some of the cavalry of the First Brig- ade, and the cavalry men ordered them out, saying that they would not have them in their trenches; they would rather fight without support than with the black powder, insuring their being the one point at which the enemy were firing. Q. Now, Colonel, we have got you up to the time of the truce on the 3d; was your command fully supplied with ammunition all this time? A. Fully. Q. And your rations had lasted you until this time? A. Very insufficiently. We had been on very short rations during the 2d and 3d. The Spaniards assisted a little. That was almost the only food we had, what 2266 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. we got from the Spaniards. After that, for several idays, until about the 24th, we didn't have what I considered a sufficiency of good food. Q. That is the 24th of July? A. Twenty-fourth of July. Q. And you remained in that locality? A. Yes, sir; until the 14th, when we left to go to another part of the trenches, and the 17th when we moved off back into the hills. We had generally enough bacon and hard-tack; we had about half rations, taking it on the average, of coffee and sugar. If the climate had been good and the men had been perfectly healthy it would have been a trifling thing; but the men had begun to sicken. Digging trenches in that soil was sure to bring out the malaria; and also sleeping as we had to. They began to sicken, and it became very hard on them to have nothing but bacon and hard-tack and half the usual allowance, about, of coffee and sugar. Q. Were there any materials back at Siboney? A. There were. Q. Why did you not get it? A. It must have been through lack of transportation. I had by that kime-I had a kind of amateur pack train. I had the officers' horses, two or three Spanish cavalry horses, and a couple of mules that were shot that the men had cured. Sometimes I went for food myself, sometimes I sent a line officer or the chaplain. Our chaplain was a rustler for food. If there was any food around he could get it. I would send back an officer and some of my men, and they would go to the coast and get what food they could or I would go myself. I got once a load of supplies from the Red Cross, and when Santiago was taken I got from the Red Cross and from purchase in the city food for my men, especially rice and oat- meal and a stock of condensed milk. Q. Then I understand that you could get food from the city and could get from the Red Cross necessary articles for your men? A. Yes, sir. The great drawback was a lack of transportation. In the order of May 8, issued by General Miles, it said a regiment in the field should have 25 wagons. We were but two-thirds of a regiment, eight troops, perhaps about half, and we had one wagon; there were several occasions when we had two; and the rest of the time none. We had no other transportation to take its place. That is not the exact measure of the deficiency, because we were rationed by mule train; but if we had been given some transportation for ourselves, for instance if we could have had the mule train which belonged to us, which was left behind in Tampa, we could have had that whole cavalry division properly rationed. By General Dodge: Q. A pack train? A. A pack train. We never had, as far as I knew, more than one day's rations up at the front for the entire army, and if we had had three days' rain, as once we had two days of rain, we should have been down to a diet of mule meat and mangoes before we could have gotten the food up from the coast. If there had been a sufficiency of mule trains we could have gotten several days' provisions ahead on the firing line. In my regiment I always kept about two days ahead. For instance, the First Illinois was on our right, and one day they had no food at all, and I had to give their officers beans and coffee and I gave two cases of hard- tack to their men, and some of the men came into our camp-a couple of hundred of men-and they would pick up scraps of hard-tack that our men had dropped, and one of them offered $7 for seven hard-tacks. Colonel Sexton, you can find out from them what happened that day. I had a horse and I knew a little more of the roads than anyone of theii' officers, so I rode down to headquarters, and finally I got half a pack train to bring up food for them. I kept my own men pretty well fed. COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2267 By General Wilson: Q. It was through your own individual knowledge? A. It was through my individual effort. Some money I spent myself, and some I got from the Red Cross, and some through Woody Kane and other New Yorkers. I want to testify to the way I was helped by Colonel Weston, of the commissary department. Whenever I got near him I knew I was certain to get whatever there was a possibility of getting. He would rustle around and get it for me; and let me say, without prejudice, I don't think he paid any heed to mere red-tape regulations if it was a question of a man starving, of his needing the food. He would let me get the food without inquiring too closely whether I wanted it for officers or men, in case I had to take it for my men. He knew I would not tell him we were in need of it unless we were, and he would let us take it. Q. How about the medical supplies? A. The medical supplies were entirely insufficient. We had during most of the time only our assistant surgeon, Dr. Church, who had the fever intermittently, but 'who did his duty all through. I take particular pleasure in saying this, for he is being at present examined for physician in the Army. I am sure that if you had seen him carrying wounded men on his back and tending to them, being obliged to make the best of insufficient means, you would feel you could pardon lapses in the examination on some subjects in view of the man's applied knowl- edge on the field. Q. As far as I understand, you said the medical supplies were insufficient? A. They were. We had, I believe, plenty of quinine and plenty of calomel, and very little else. I do not know that you have before you the report I wrote about September 14 in response to the request of the Secretary of War to make a report upon matters during that campaign. When I wrote that report I read it all through before all of the officers who had been with me in the Cuban campaign, who agreed to every statement, and I got supplementary reports from our quarter- master and from our surgeon and from three of the other officers who had special knowledge, especially concerning the treatment in the hospitals and on the trans- ports. I think you will find that an interesting report, and I wish you would get it. It was not only my statement; it was a statement to which all of the officers of the regiment agreed. I had all of the facts fresh in my mind; I might take a lapse now, but I didn't then. Q. After the truce did you have any tentage up to the time you speak of? A. We had our dog tents. I then got some tarpaulins. I got one from the rear-I got two from the rear; and we finally got a couple of big tarpaulins for our regimental hospital. Through no fault of the doctors the condition of the wounded in the rear during and immediately after the fight on the 1st of July at San Juan was appalling. I went down there three days afterwards and tried to look after some of my men, and I saw terrible sights. I don't blame the doctors in the least. I saw the doctors working there in case after case when they would be so sleepy you could see them jerking their heads to keep awake at the operating table. There were not enough doctors there, and not enough supplies at the front. I saw, for instance, some of my men after having been operated upon taken right off and carried out and put down in the jungle and left in the tall Guinea grass a hundred yards off; of necessity left, because there was no one to look after them. Some of these men I saw afterwards, and they told me it was twenty-four to thirty-six hours before anyone would come to give them water. If you -will turn to the paper accompanying my report you will find letters from Captain Day and Lieutenant McHlheny. Those two were in my regiment, and they gave their own experience of what they saw and of what was done. 2268 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By General Dodge: Q. What hospital was this? A. I can't tell you. It was at the hospital where the Red Cross people were. Miss Clara Barton was right there. I want to reiterate that the doctors were all doing their best and working just as hard as any soldier in the trenches, but the treatment was so hard upon the men that as soon as possible the men who had been sent back there came to the front, and I could not get even my sick men to go to the rear. Finally General Wood ordered me not to send any man to the rear who was sick or wounded if he could possibly be attended to at the front, for there was no provision for attending to them at the rear, and even before he had given this order we had ceased sending them. There were no cots for the wounded. They only had blankets, and they lay in the mud on their blankets. If they didn't have blankets they lay in the mud without their blankets, sick and wounded alike. I saw one of my men who was shot through the hips; his blanket had been taken. His name, I think, was Gievers, and he was lying there in the mud without a blanket. I succeeded in getting a man to give him his blanket. I promised him half my blanket if he would give me his, and I would tear his in half and give it to Gievers and keep half myself, but he gave half to Gievers and took the other half himself and wouldn't take mine at all. The wounded behaved in the most uncomplaining way. I can't sufficiently emphasize how they (and of course the bulk of them were soldiers in the Regular Army) behaved; how brave they were. It has left an impression that will never wear out. I can not say too much of the Regulars, of their courage in battle, and their uncomplaining endur- ance both of hardship and of suffering afterwards. I never heard them grumble, I never heard them complain, and they would help one another all they could; but the suffering was great, and that was why I wanted some delicacies for my men at the camp. We would normally have only 15 to 25 per cent on the sick list, but of the remaining 75 per cent 50 were more than half sick. Toward the end, in the whole cavalry division, you could not have gotten more than a fourth of the men who could have carried their packs and walked 5 miles in that hot weather. It was for those half-sick men, and for the sick with temperatures of 102 and 103, that I wanted something besides the bacon and hard-tack, and that I wanted condensed milk, oatmeal, and rice; and those things I did at last get in the city and from the Red Cross. By General Wilson: Q. How long did you remain back on the hills in your camp-up to about what time? A. It was about the 17th that we went; we stayed until about August 6. Q. On what transport did you embark? A. And then we marched down to the coast and embarked and came North. Q. And the condition of the transport on coming home was what? A. The watei- was bad, but the accommodations were better, for the officers and men fared alike. I was much better pleased with the transport coming home than I was going out, because the men were a little better off. It was more airy. It was not more roomy, but more airy, and the officers were almost all on a kind of improvised structure up on deck. We had an insufficiency of disinfectants, but we made them do. We had a sufficiency of hospital supplies, as it turned out. We had Dr. Church, who was sick, and a trooper, a New Yorker, a first- class man, Dr. Henry Thorpe, who was acting as doctor, with us, who was also sick, and if we had had an epidemic of yellow fever coming home there was no place on that boat where you could have isolated the cases. We should simply have turned the officers out and made their quarters a hospital. I had that already planned. Q. And you had but one surgeon, and he was sick? COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2269 A. He was sick and could have done no more. There was no ice for the men. We had a very insufficient quantity of ice. The water was very bad. Still, we got along home, and we were very glad to get back. Q. When did you reach Camp Wikoff? A. At about August 15. Q. And laid off there how long? A. Next morning we were put ashore. I want to say this, that I believe the report on the condition of our ship-the sanitary condition of our ship-showed that it was better than that of any transport that came North. We were taken ashore at once and went into detention camp. Q. And how long did you stay there? A. Three days. Q. And from thence you went into the camp proper? A. Yes, sir. Q. And what kind of treatment did you receive in the camp proper? A. For the first few days there was a good deal of confusion, perhaps unavoid- able confusion, and for the first few days our sick men in the hospital did not have cots, and I did not think they were receiving the attention they ought to have received, as we were so near home. After the first few days I have nothing to say, except that our regiment was admirably treated and that our sick men were admirably treated. There was confusion about finding out where my men were in the hospital. The papei- work I do not think was quite as well done as the medical work, but then the paper work of my own regiment was not as high as it should have been; so that I do not feel like making any complaints about that, especially as the men themselves, as far as my own regiment is concerned, were well treated-admirably treated. Again and again I would ask them how they were being treated, and they would answer me, " This is heaven." They were getting chicken broth; they were getting milk. We got so much milk and goodies and things like that that we finally had to stop receiving them. I would take them around and give them to other regiments. My troop commanders and the regimental commanders who reported to me when I was brigade com- mander would report that they could not use any more delicacies; that they didn't want any more and couldn't use any more. Q. And your information, therefore, as to the administration and the care of the medical attendants and the supplies aftei' you had been there three days is what? A. As far as my brigade is concerned, I could suggest no way to make it better I want also to say here, to bear public testimony to the debt that my regiment owes and is under to Mr. Bayard Cutting and Mrs. Rudisch and Mrs. Armitage, who took care of our convalescent people. I think they took forty or fifty out to Oakdale and places like that, and cared for them; and it was, of course, better for them than if they had been even in a good hospital. I also want to express my gratitude to various other women and men who came and gave us delicacies, and all that. Q. Dr. Conner asks why there was such a scarcity of medical supplies in Cuba, and that you will kindly answer it as fully as possible? A. Doctor, I don't know. I was told there was any amount of them on the ships, and it may have been there was not transportation enough. I only know, for instance, at the front during the battle of San Juan we had no ambulances, as far as my regiment was concerned, and afterwards when my men were sick we never had a sufficiency of ambulances. I was told there were but twelve on the island at that time. And one of my men, during the last day I was there, got a terrible hernia-Sherman Bell-and I had to get a mule cart that we got from a Cuban, and I sent one of my men, Daniels, to lead the mule, and the little bronco-buster, "Mc- Ginty," to hold Bell, and sent him to the hospital that way. We had to send in 2270 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. poor Sanders, who afterwards died, on a Cuban pony. We had the utmost diffi- culty in getting an ambulance for Captain Lewellen. By Dr. Conner: Q. You couldn't get an ambulance. Do you know whether or not a positive order was given in Tampa that no ambulances should be embarked? A. I know nothing about it. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Were all the transports used for transporting the Fifth Corps to Cuba at the time you embarked at Tampa? A. I don't know. Q. Was there room on these transports for the wagons and other transportation that was left behind? A. I won't say that. I think they could have economized by using mules instead of wagons. The roads were so bad. But I will say this, that I think we would have done better with fewer troops and more transportation. By Dr. Conner: Q. Were the privations there greater than you expected they would be, or ought to have been, or might have been? A. I didn't expect anything one way or another. I just went in to take things as they occurred. I didn't know what we would have, but I think that the priva- tions as regards medical supplies and food were greater than it was necessary to have them, because I believe if we had had sufficient means of disembarking and sufficient animals for transportation that most of the privations could have been avoided. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Why didn't you take all of the troops of your regiment with you? A. Because we were not allowed to. We were first told we could take four troops, which caused me twenty-four hours of awful agony, as it would have caused me to have been left behind. By General Wilson: Q. Now, Colonel, is there anything you can add that will assist us in the labors which the President has assigned to us? A. I should like to say this. I believe that if our Army were exercised in peace as European armies are, very much of this trouble would have been avoided. I do not see how you can expect to avoid serious trouble if you are not accustomed to handling more than 300 men at a time. I believe that if in time of peace you could get ten or fifteen thousand men together, and one year take them to the Turtle Mountains and march them across to Pembina, or from San Antonio to Galveston, say, and then embark them for Tampa and disembark them and march up to Jacksonville, after you had done that two or three times all of the defects in the Quartermaster's Department and the Commissary Department would have been made evident and would have worked their own cure, and you would not have one tithe of the difficulties that we had when we started suddenly to do it offhand. I would like to say, too (and this is part from my experience in the Navy Department), that the Ordnance and Quartermaster's Bureau and I think the Commissary Bureau should not be separated from the line. Admiral Sampson used the guns which he built when he was head of the Ordnance Bureau of the Navy Department, and a man goes through the Ordnance Bureau fresh from being a line officer. I believe it would be of the greatest advantage if you could have your ordnance men and your quartermasters in the Army detailed for some years from the line and sent back to the line again. I believe it would be for the COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 2271 advantage of the line and for the advantage of the Army, as it is for the Navy. I am basing my opinion, of course, not so much upon my experience in the Army as in the Navy, and upon what so many officers have told me in the Army itself. But as for the other matter-the need of exercising the Army in peace-I am sure it is the only practical way of working out all the reforms that we need. You can not sit down and plan out on paper so that the thing will move smoothly if you don't have practice in the field, and I could see the improvement that went on before my eyes, even among the regular officers, in the field. I saw the men embarking on the transports the second time, and the improvement in the order in which it was done. The quartermasters and commissaries began to accommo- date themselves to the needs of the service after we had been on the island a few weeks. Any amount of good will be done if each year the Army is actually put through in peace what it might have to be put through in war, only you have got to make up your mind that it will take some money to allow that to be done. By Governor Woodbury: Q. I judge, then, from what you say, that the shortcomings which you have recited and the unnecessary privations which you have endured you attribute to the inexperience of the officers rather than to the wanton neglect of anyone. A. I would not charge anyone with any wanton neglect. I think they were mainly due to the system which produced the inexperience of the officers. It seems to me there could have been great improvement in some of the things I have recited. By General Dodge: Q. In your experience on the transportation of troops, what is your opinion as to the advisability of placing troops, when they go upon the transports until they land, in charge of the Navy? A. My opinion is very strongly in favor of placing them in charge of the Navy. Q. Have you anything to say about that? A. I think if they were under the charge of the Navy we would have avoided some of the difficulties we had. My regiment contained every kind of men. I could have furnished them, from among my men, with a captain and with officers, with engineers, and with everything else; and, if it had been necessary, I should not have hesitated a moment in taking possession of the transport, and at one time (I won't say which transport unless it is necessary) I thought I would have to do it; and we could have done it all right. We would have gotten along in good shape. But I don't think you ought to have transports that are entirely free from some type of military control, and the military control at sea should be in the hands of the Navy. I will give you an example of what I mean. Our trans- port was the Yucatan. There was another transport that had a schooner in tow; for what reason I don't know. Of course, it couldn't keep up. Well, after a while that transport and schooner lagged behind, and we were signaled to go back and accompany it. Captain Clover', in the Bancroft, was in the rear, taking charge of it, and I shall never forget his indignation when he found that we had come back to add to his burden. Of course, we could be of no earthly benefit to the other transport. All we were was something else for the Bancroft to take care of. Now, I should allow the management of the transports to be in the hands of an admiral. By General Wilson: Q. From whom did you get that signal? A. I can't tell you. I was not in command of the transport. By General Dodge: Q. Who were these transports under the direction of? 2272 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. It was an army order. It came to Colonel Wood. It was an army order to go back. I ought to say, possibly, one thing that may suggest itself to you. I never saw until the other day the dispatch from Admiral Sampson saying that 10,000 men could take Santiago in forty-eight hours. Of course, it may be that the provisions for transport we had were ample for forty-eight hours if the city was to be taken in that time, but they were not ample for a longer period. We didn't have enough transportation; and if I had been given enough for my regi- ment I would have guaranteed to have kept my regiment in Al shape all the time. Whenever I got my amateur pack train together they would come and take away the mules from me. As soon as I had cured the mules they would take them away. They would take away my horses captured from the Spanish, and then I would have to improvise a new train, and then they would take that away, too. Q. Who were they? A. I suppose it was by order of General Shafter. Some officer would say, "What are those mules doing here? You are not entitled to any mules;" and they would be taken away, and my cow punchers would be left lamenting. Washington, D. C., November 22,1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. WILLIAM S. HODGES. Capt. William S. Hodges then appeared before the commission, and the presi- dent thereof read to him the instructions received by the commission from the President of the United States, indicating the scope of the investigation. He was then asked if he had any objections to being sworn, and replied that he had not. He was thereupon duly sworn. By Colonel Denby: Q. Were you in the Army during the late war? A. I was. Q. In what capacity. A. I was captain, First Regiment District of Columbia Volunteers, in command of Company D, from May 13, date of muster in, until November 20, date of muster out. Q. You were with the regiment all the time? A. I was. Q. Of course you knew Henry A. Dobson? A. He was first sergeant of my company. Q. Did you see him at Montauk? A. Yes, sir. Q. You saw him frequently? A. Every day before he was sent to the hospital. Q. Was he sick before he was sent to the hospital? A. He was. He was complaining when on the transport, coming up. Q. He was not on the sick list? A. No; he was not. Q. He went on the sick list according to our proof here August 27? A. August 27, when we landed at Montauk. Q. He then quit doing any duty? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any talk with him, captain, about his condition and about his going to the hospital? A. I did, a day or two after we had landed. He had complained several times of severe pains in his back, which he thought came from straining. As I say, that CAPT. WILLIAM S. HODGES. 2273 was a day or two after we landed. I suggested to him that he go home to Wash- ington, and told him I knew I could arrange a furlough for him and it would probably be better for him to be among his own people, where he could receive better treatment than it was possible to give him there, and possibly better nurs- ing. I suggested to him that that would be the best thing for him and he would be ready for the regiment when it returned to Washington. He stated that he did not want to go; that he thought it would worry his parents very much, and he thought he could hold on until the regiment returned. Q. Did he seem to be anxious to return with the regiment and to march up the avenue? A. His heart was deeply set on it. Several times when I spoke to him about sending him home or to the hospital he would burst into tears and beg me not to send him. He wanted to march with the regiment. Q. Captain, how long did that continue. It appears from our proof here that he was sent to the general hospital on the 6th. Just before he left did you have any talk with him about going to the hospital? A. I talked with him on the subject nearly every day. Q. Nearly every day? A. Likely as not, every day. Q. You knew he was very sick? A. I did not think he was very sick. I had other men in the company in what I considered far worse condition than he was. His one complaint was the pain in his back. Sometimes he would call for help when he wanted to walk, when he found it necessary to move to the sink. He sometimes needed a couple of men to help him along, and, in view of that fact and his complaining, I directed him never to attempt to walk without help; but notwithstanding these instructions it was quite a frequent occurrence for him to start out by himself, and when I would be out of the company street and then go back I would find him walking by himself. Q. How far did he have to walk? A. Probably about 50 yards or so. Q. During this time did you have any conversation with Dr. Ebert about him? A. No; I had no particular conversation that I can recall. Q. You know Ebert treated him up to the 3d day of September? A. I can not be positive of that, but it was about that time. Q. Then Dr. Cox took him? A. Yes, sir; Dr. Cox took him. Q. Did you have any conversation with Dobson after Dr. Cox had charge of him, that is on the 3d, 4th, or 5th? A. Yes. It was Dr. Cox's custom after sick call to go around and see Dobson. Dobson got so he never responded to sick call, never went the distance required to go to the surgeon, and as a result Dr. Cox used to come around these two or three days and examine him. Dr. Cox was the first one who told him he ought to go to the hospital. Q. Can you fix that time? A. That was probably about the 3d or 4th; that was when Cox first took hold of the treatment. I believe Dr. Ebert had told Dobson he ought to go to the hospital. Q. Why do you believe that? A. Because someone had told me. It reached me some way; whether he was marked " hospital" in the sick book or whether one of the men who took Dobson to the surgeon told me, I do not recall, but it came to my attention that he was to be sent to the hospital. Dobson sent to me and begged me not to send him to the hospital. Then when Cox took hold there was one day, I think it was the 5th (it was the day before he was sent to the hospital), when he went to Dobson's 2274 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. tent, took his temperature, and, if I recollect aright, it was 102 or thereabout. He said to me then, " Hodges, this boy has typhoid fever and he ought to go to the hospital." Dobson began to speak up right then saying he did not want to go. I said, "Sergeant, you need not say anything more about it, I am going to send you to the hospital and we will not discuss the matter. I think it is time senti- ment should be dropped and that your health should receive preeminent atten- tion." Accordingly, I told Dr. Cox to carry out whatevei' measures were necessary to get an ambulance to take him to the hospital. He was sent to the hospital the next day. Q. Why was he not sent that day? A. The only reason I can say is, we always had trouble in getting ambulances. I had one man more than forty-eight hours before I could get an ambulance for him, and on that occasion the only way I got him to the hospital was to stop an ambu- lance that went through the camp. Q. Then the ambulance had to be ordered a day before? A. From twenty-four to forty-eight hours elapsed before we could get them. Q. Then, from the time that Cox diagnosed the case and made it out to be typhoid to the time he left for the hospital, what care was taken of him? A. He received the best care that was possible for the soldiers and myself to give him. His tent was directly opposite mine, and I could see him readily. Q. Right across the street? A. Right across the street. Q. How wide was the street? A. Probably not more than 20 feet. Q. The tents were open? A. Yes; and I could see him. I could sit in my tent and see him without diffi- culty, and I could converse with him from my tent, and I frequently did so. Q. Was it your duty to see that he had proper care? A. It was, and as far as I could do so I saw that he was cared for. Q. Was he assisted by his comrades? A. He was. Q. What sleeping arrangements were there in his tent? A. He had a hammock and two or three extra blankets. The blankets were spread to make a bed on the ground. Q. You know that? A. I know that to be a fact. Q. A hammock was swung? A. A hammock was swung. Q. Did he have a rubber blanket under him? A. Yes, sir. Q. Anything else? A. No; I do not recall anything else. There were two or three blankets and this rubber blanket. Q. Did that make him a comfortable bed, or not? A. As comfortable as could be made on the ground. Of course, it was not as soft as it might have been. Q. The weather was good? A. The weather was excellent. Q. Why did he not sleep in the hammock? A. He said he preferred to sleep on the ground; that he was easier there. Q. Was it a part of your duty to see that the sick men were put in the ambu- lance and sent to the hospital? A. Well, I do not know that it was a part of my duty, but I always attended to that personally as far as I could. Q. Did you go to the ambulance on which he was taken to the hospital? CAPT. WILLIAM S. HODGES. 2275 A. I was by his side when he got on. Q. How far did he have to walk from his tent to the ambulance? A. Not over 10 feet. Q. Did he walk it? A. He was helped. Q. How did he get into the ambulance? A. He climbed in, or, rather, he started to climb in, and was helped by two or three soldiers standing beside him. He seemed to suffer somewhat from that pain in his back which he complained of. Q. Was it necessary that he should be lifted into the ambulance? A. I do not know that it was absolutely necessary. He was helped in. Q. Then did he lie down? A. He laid down. Q. What was the character of the road leading to the hospital? A. It was in fairly good shape. The roads were pretty well defined. It was not what I would call a bad road by any means. Q. Why was he not sent to the hospital before he was sent there? A. It was in deference to his own desire that we did not send him sooner. In fact. I thought at first that his principal trouble was worry, homesickness; and he made such protestations against being sent there that I thought we would be safe, as far as I was concerned, in allowing him to stay a day or two longer, and in order to see whether he improved. Q. Do you think, as a matter of good practice, it is right to take statements of patients when they are contrary to those of the physicians? A. Well, that depends a good deal upon circumstances. In this particular instance I considered that the man knew what discomforts he was undergoing, and when the surgeon agreed that it was not especially dangerous to allow him to remain I did not see any objection to doing so. Q. But when you ascertained, finally, that he had typhoid fever, you thought he ought to go? A. I thought so, and took steps immediately to have him sent. Q. You exercised your authority? A. Undoubtedly. Q. And that fact you did not find out until the 3d or 4th? A. I do not understand you. Q. The fact that he had typhoid fever. A. That was not positively stated until the 5th, for, if I recollect it right, he was sent to the hospital on the 6th. Q. Captain, what is the rule about sending a descriptive paper or something to indicate the malady from which a man suffers when he leaves the camp? A. The order was, and has been since I have been in the service, that when a man is detached from his company or regiment he should be furnished with a descriptive list, setting forth, under the head of remarks, why he was detached. That was not done in the case of any of the patients in Montauk. Q. Why not? A. First, descriptive lists were not to be had; and, in the second place, patients, in many instances, were hurried off and taken to the hospital with the understand- ing that it was much on the same plan as a regimental hospital. As a matter of fact, many of my own company were sent there, and I did not see them until I got back to Washington. Q. Then you sent no paper with him ? A. Not at all. Q. Did the surgeon send any paper with him? A. As to that I can not say. Q. Did you give the driver any paper regarding him? 2276 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No; the surgeon looked after that part. I considered that my duty ceased when I put him into the ambulance. Q. Then if the surgeon sent nothing there was nothing to show who the man was? A. That is very true. Q. That would necessarily produce great confusion ? A. Undoubtedly; and there was great confusion at the general hospital. Q. Whose fault was that ? A. I do not know. I know that the Sunday previous to sending Dobson to the hospital I spent the whole afternoon trying to find one man in the general hospi- tal, and I did not find him until the following Tuesday. Q. That was a common occurrence? A. Very common. Upon my inquiry of the executive officer of the hospital I found that a great many men were sent there, and that no record of them had been taken. Q. Was that owing to the exigency of the service at that time? A. I think so, undoubtedly. To illustrate, men from the Second or Third Bat- talion who came up on the transport Hudson, who were marked "quarters" on the sick report, that morning were ordered to go on ambulances with the under- standing that they would be taken up to camp and taken care of there. As a matter of fact, they were taken to the hospital, and a great many of them were furloughed and no one was the wiser for it-that is, no one in the regiment. We were prevented from going there while in the detention camp. They would not allow us out for any purpose. In that way a great many men were sent there before any record of them was taken in the hospital. That was the way it was explained to me. Hundreds of men were sent there every day, and a great many of them were sent away, and it was not until about Sunday, when I was there, they were getting things in shape and I found that to be the case. I gave them names of some men I was hunting for, and they located them very quickly. Q. That was a very bad system, was it not? A. That I can not say. Q. How could the surgeon of the general hospital find out what was the matter with a man without going through the same process of diagnosis that had already been gone through? A. I understood that when surgeons of our regiment sent a man to the hospital they sent a memorandum of what he had been treated for. I have no personal knowledge regarding this. Q. All you know is that Dobson left and got no paper from you or anybody? A. Not to my knowledge. Q. That system you consider utterly wrong? A. I thought it could be improved on. Q. Mrs. Dobson did not come to your camp? A. Yes, sir; she did. She came to it probably about an hour after he had been sent away. Q. Then she went to the general hospital? A. She asked me where he had gone and I told her he had been sent to the gen- eral hospital, but I could not state in what ward he was, because it was a custom when men were received there to put them in any ward that might be vacant and then send a record to the executive officer of the hospital. I told her the name of the officer to whom she could go about it. I told her if she went there she could undoubtedly locate her son. I told her he was threatened with typhoid fever. Q. Do you not know she had great trouble in finding him? A. That I only know from her own statement. From my own experience I knew that the record of his location would not reach headquarters until the CAPT. WILLIAM S. HODGES. 2277 morning. It was a custom to send, these records in early the next morning. That was what the clerk told me was the custom. Q. Did you follow in any way the members of your company after they got to the general hospital? A. During the time I was allowed to leave camp I hunted them up in the gen- eral hospital and in the detention hospital as far as possible. Q. Dobson went to the general hospital? A. I presume so. He was sent to the general hospital. Q. You are not a doctor, I suppose? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know anything about what effect it might have on a man in his con- dition to be moved about? A. Well, I only know-that is, I have always understood-that it was rather dan- gerous to move typhoid patients much, or to submit them to much excitement. Q. In his conversation with you did Dobson say he was not sick? A. He said he was all right except the pain in his back. He said that worried him a good deal, but that he did not feel especially ill. As a matter of fact, as I have stated before, I did not consider him as badly off as several men I had in the company, who were eventually sent to the hospital. Q. Do you wish to state anything else? A. I would like to make one statement. I believe it has been stated that his case was not diagnosed as typhoid fever until after he reached Brooklyn. On the day he was sent to the hospital I received a telegram from his father asking me his condition. Q. That was on the 6th? A. I believe it was the 6th, the same day his mother arrived. I took the tele- gram over and showed it to Sergeant Dobson. He read it. He said, " Captain, do not let them know my condition." I said, " Why not." He said, " I do not want them to know it. I may be all right in a day or two, and I do not want to worry them." He dictated an answei- to the telegram, which I did not send. I consulted Lieutenant Boiseau, of my company, as to what would be the proper method to pursue. He suggested, and I agreed with him perfectly, that we should not send the telegram that Sergeant Dobson had suggested. Q. What was the telegram? A. I telegraphed his father that he had been ordered to be sent to the hospital and that he was threatened with typhoid fever. I was very much surprised that evening to see his mother come into camp. She had left before the telegram was received. I wanted to make that statement to show very clearly that the case was understood to be typhoid fever before he left. Q. There was nothing peculiar in the matter of treating Dobson? A. No; not at all. Q. You gave no one any papers, as I understand, in regard to his case? A. No; none at all. Q. The surgeon gave nobody any papers? A. Only Dr. Pyles stated to me it was his custom to send a memorandum with each case. He was the regimental surgeon. Q. He was the chief surgeon, was he? A. Yes. Q. The surgeon in charge of the whole camp was Forwood? A. Colonel Forwood, assistant surgeon-general, I believe, was in command of the medical branch of that camp. Q. He was in command of the whole of it? A. Yes. Q. Who had special charge of the medical part of your camp? 7833-vol. 5 45 2278 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Up to the time that Dr. Pyles arrived, Drs. Ebert and Cox. Cox was one of the assistant surgeons of our regiment and Ebert was a contract surgeon. Q. If papers should have been sent whose business was it to send them? A. It was my duty to make out the descriptive list and sdnd it, but we had no blanks at all. Q. I mean the medical certificate. A. It would have been the surgeon who happened to be on duty. Q. In this case Dr. Cox ? A. Yes; Dr. Cox. Q. If anybody should have given that man a medical certificate to show him what was the matter with him it was Dr. Cox ? A. Dr. Cox or Dr. Pyles, who was then in camp. Dr. Pyles being chief surgeon. I suppose he would be the one to attend to it. In all military matters the superior officer in any one branch is the one to attend to such correspondence. Dr. Pyles visited Dobson several times after the first battalion joined our detachment. Lieu- tenant Boiseau was in his tent and preferred to have Dr. Pyles's treatment and Dr. Pyles used to come to see him every day, and he always stopped to see Dobson, but I do not believe he treated him, because Ebert, and subsequently Cox, treated him, and Dr. Pyles simply stopped in in a supervising manner to see whether the treatment was proper. Q. You can't throw any light on the question whether Ebert found that Dobson did not have typhoid fever before Cox took his place? A. The only symptom described by Dobson probably did not indicate fever. Naturally a pain in his back would not ordinarily mean fever. In fact, he claimed this pain was due to a strain in lifting. The attention of the witness was called to the statement in reference to Dobson having been ordered to duty while he was on the sick list and after he arrived at Montauk. He said, As I understand that case, Dobson did not report at sick call, and it has always been the custom of Dr. Cox that when a man failed to report at sick call he would mark him "duty," unless word was sent to him in regard to the case. In this case the noncommissioned officer who had charge of the sick report evidently failed to inform the surgeon. Sergeant Ryan subsequently told me that he took Dobson to sick call. Q. Ryan swore to that? A. However, I saw it was a mistake to mark him to " duty," and I simply made an annotation on the sick report confining him to quarters, and subsequently sent to Dr. Cox in regard to the matter, and he of course appreciated the mistake. It was apparently simply a mistake. I myself saw to it that he did not perform any duty. Q. Then he was not on duty? A. I would not let him do anything. Q. And Cox went to see him afterwards? A. He went to see him, and marking him to "duty" was simply a paper rec- ord. Corporal Ryan was then acting as first sergeant, and I myself was person- ally attending to all the reports. I notice from the newspaper reports that Corporal Phelan stated something in regard to milk being spoiled in camp. At the time Dobson was sick-in fact all the time we were at Montauk-there was an issue of milk, eggs, and other sup- plies of that kind, but it frequently happened that the milk would be sour before we got it. That was explained to me to be due to the fact that the milk was allowed to lie in the sun at the station. There would be gallons and gallons of it waiting to bo carried to the camps, and it could not be removed promptly because of the lack of transportation. Q. Was that furnished by the Government? A. I do not care to be positive on that point, but when we received this milk it CAPT. WILLIAM S. HODGES. 2279 was sour simply because it had been out in the sun waiting because of lack of transportation to bring it to camp. At that time the regimental commissary and quartermaster had but one wagon between them, and they always had difficulty in getting that wagon. Frequently oui' commissary supplies would not come until late in the afternoon because of the delay in getting hold of the wagon. Q. And when the milk came, what was done? A. It was invariably used as soon as obtained, and I know in one or two instances it was sour and unfit for sick persons, although some men took it any- how. But that was really no fault of anyone directly concerned in the regiment. It was due to a lack of transportation. We know that milk, when left in the heat of the sun, will sour, and that is just the condition that existed. Q. And that happened only occasionally? A. Only occasionally; yes. Q. Was there no way of getting better milk when that happened? A. No; unless we could send someone two or three miles for it, and then possibly they would have to go through all sorts of complications before it could be secured. In fact, this difficulty was not the fault of our commissary. I doubt whether anything of that kind could have been done. I know, from personal observation, that the regimental commissary did his utmost to get everything in as good shape as was possible. He was a very conscientious man about his work, and he was very thorough. Q. What was his name ? A. Griffith; and I know if there had been any way in which he could have got it up sooner he would undoubtedly have done so. Q. I would like to ask questions suggested by Dr. Dobson in a note I have here. One is, whether' a soldier's objection to going to the hospital is usually acted upon? A. Frequently. Q. Then he inquires whether such an objection should stand against the sur- geon's orders to go there. A. That depends a great deal upon the manner in which the surgeon gives his order. If the surgeon had said that in his opinion a man would not be harmed by remaining, I think the man's objections should stand. I do not know any reason why a sick soldier or any patient should be subjected to worry or excite- ment when it could be avoided. As a matter of fact, I had three or four instances in my company in which men begged not to be sent to the hospital, yet subse- quently they had to go there. Their treatment was not interfered with in any way. Q. Did you acquiesce in their requests? A. I did, after consulting with the surgeon. But when the surgeon insisted that they should go, I was never one to allow sentiment to stand in the way of actual necessity. Q. Your opinion is that if a surgeon makes a positive order and demand to go to the hospital the objection of the man should not be allowed to overrule that order? A. Precisely. Q. That if the surgeon does not make a positive order, that you would consult the wishes of the men? A. Undoubtedly. Q. Provided the man was himself? A. Provided, of course, I considered him mentally competent to state his desire; but in the case of Dobson, after consulting the doctor in the first instance, I was perfectly satisfied to allow him to stay; but when the doctor said he had typhoid, and that he ought to go to the hospital, I emphatically told Sergeant Dobson, as I before stated, that I would not discuss the question with him and that he must go. 2280 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. LETTER FROM LIEUT. JOHN M. THOMPSON. General Dodge: I have a letter here which should go on the record, from Capt. John M. Thompson (reading): New York, November 22, 1898. The War Investigating Committee, Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City. Dear Sirs: I am sorry that I can not present myself in person before the com- mittee, but I am confined in St. Luke's Hospital by illness contracted in Cuba. I will not attempt to answer in detail the so-called testimony of late Private David J. Goss, of Company K, Seventy-first New York Volunteers, of which com- pany I was first lieutenant. However, I will state that for the most part the statement of Goss is unqualifiedly false. He was fortunate if he slept in the open air only twelve days in Cuba. I slept thirty, as did the other officers, as no tents were issued to the officers. I deny that any hospital tents were ever issued to our company. A short while before we left Cuba, while I was in command of the company, owing to the ill- ness of the captain, some of our wall tents were taken off the Vigilancia. These were the regular wall tents used by our regiment at Camp Black, Lakeland, and Tampa. Of these our company received two, and I ordered the tents and fly erected so as to make four different shelters. After all the sick were placed under one tent and two flys, we still had space to spare and took the tent for our- selves, as did the other company officers. Neither did we deprive the sick nor take hospital tents. It is hard, after the many weary hours spent by the line officers in alleviating the sufferings of their men, to be thus attacked by those whom they succored. Let the blame rest where it belongs-certainly not upon the line officers. Illness has prevented me consulting with my brother officers, but I know I speak for them when I say that we court the closest investigation of our conduct in Cuba. Respectfully, John M. Thompson, First Lieutenant, Seventy-first N. Y. V. Per C. H. P. S.-Please publish this in your records. New York, November S3,1898. TESTIMONY OF JAMES F. J. ARCHIBALD. Mr. James F. J. Archibald, upon request, appeared, before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. What is your residence? A. San Francisco. Q. Were you at Camp Wikoff at any time? A. No, sir; I was in the Santiago campaign. Q. With whom? A. I left San Francisco with the First United States Infantry, Col. Evan Miles, and continued through the campaign up to shortly before the surrender with that regiment, or with the brigade that it was connected with. Q. What position had you? Had you rank in the army, or were you there as civilian? A. T was correspondent and acted as a volunteer aid. JAMES F. J. ARCHIBALD. 2281 Q. For whom? A. For Colonel Miles and for the brigade commander, and later for Lieutenant- Colonel Bisbee, who commanded the regiment. Q. Where did you land? A. At Daiquiri. Q. When? A. The second day of the landing, I believe. Q. Just give us, if you please, Mr. Archibald, in your own way, as briefly as possible, the important events of that campaign which came under your observa- tion, and particularly in reference to the commissary, quartermaster's, medical, and ordnance departments. A. One of the main reasons for my wanting to come before the commission was on account of a number of reports I have seen regarding the testimony espe- cially on the commissary and the other departments. There was at no time that I saw when there wasn't rations for everyone. We very frequently went hungry for several hours, sometimes a good many hours; but I have been campaigning in the West considerably with several different regiments, and I have seen much harder work in the West than we had down there. Q. Was that because there was no provisions to be had, or because the men could not get to it or it couldn't get to them ? A. I never knew a time when the regiments were not sufficiently rationed. There were lots of times when we were very short of luxuries, but as far as the campaign goes I have not a doubt that the rations were as good as anybody could expect in a campaign of that character. Q. What were the facilities for securing the transfer of provisions from the coast to the troops on the firing line ? A. To the firing line there were principally pack trains; had quite a number; when it went to headquarters near El Poso they used four and six mule army wagons. Q. Was there a sufficiency of ammunition as far as you could judge? A. 1 am quite positive there was. There was a supply at division headquarters, near El Poso, at all times. Q. Were you far enough in the rear of the line during any of the engagements to notice the manner in which the medical department was supplied and the officers did their duties? A. After the four days' fighting, the 1st, 2d, 3d, and part of the 4th of July-and the 3d of July practically ended it-I went back to the division hospital near General Shafter's headquarters to look for an officer, a friend of mine, who was wounded, and the condition there was very bad I thought; and I think it was a trifle worse than was necessary, although they were so overcrowded with work that it was impossible to do much better. Q. Was that in consequence of lack of the number of medical officers, or lack of facilities for taking care of the wounded as they came in? A. I think both. The men, after they left the operating table, were laid on the ground, and Dr., I think, M.W. Wood, was in command, if I am not mistaken. He had offers from Cubans to build a shelter for them, but he refused it. Q. Do you know on what grounds? A. He gave no grounds whatever. Q. Just simply refused. Had they any hospital tents at that point? A. Yes; there were quite a number, but filled very rapidly. Q. What distance was that in the rear of the battle line? A. It was about, as I remember, a mile or three-quarters of a mile from El Poso. El Poso was generally about a mile and a half from the line. Q. Was there a dressing station or stations before you reached this general hospital? 2282 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir; I saw one when I went back. Q. How was that manned? A. I did not stop there. They were all very crowded, and all the medical officers worked more than could be expected of any man. Q. If you saw anything that was worthy of special notice or criticism in addi- tion we would be glad to have it, Mr. Archibald; that is, involving the depart- ments. We do not go into the strategy of the war; we are simply examining as to administration. A. I really would say that I think everything was done for the soldiers that could possibly be done for them at that time. The main reason for any objections, I think, was on account of the volunteers not realizing what they were going into, and not being able to prepare themselves for a campaign of that sort; and the regulars- naturally their officers knew how to prepare and how to draw their rations much better; and if there was any shortage on rations in any of the volunteer regi- ments it was because they did not understand how to bring them up. Colonel Weston, now General Weston, in command of the commissary department, I know worked night and day, as well as all of his assistants, in bringing the rations up. After the battle of Caney the whole division was rationed on the march; and the cases of hard bread-and corn-beef, 1 think, in cans was the rations that day- were dumped right on the road from the pack train as the regiment passed. Q. Did you subsist on the army ration during the campaign? A. Oh, yes, sir. Q. What was the quality of the several articles furnished? A. I thought very good indeed, considering. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What newspaper were you correspondent for? A. I was correspondent for Scribner's Magazine and Leslie's Weekly. Q. Did some of your articles appear there? A. Yes, sir. Q. What dates? Can you give any dates? A. August and October, Scribner's; and they are appearing each week in Les- lie's Weekly, and have for some time. By General Dodge: Q. Were you at Montauk? A. No, sir; I came on on the Iroquois, the same ship that Colonel Weston came on, and I was on my way to Porto Rico when the peace protocol was signed. By General Wilson: Q. Anything in the world that you can say to assist us one way or the other; any information that you can give us; anything that you can think of bearing upon this war which would help us in our work, if you can tell us where any errors or maladministrations have occurred we would be only too glad to receive them if you will kindly give them to us. A. The only thing I saw that I thought at the time was actually detrimental to the comfort or affected the condition of the soldiers was Dr.Wood, at the division hospital, refusing to allow the Cubans or anyone to build any shelter for the men and allowing them to stay out so long without any shelter; but he refused to allow anyone to come in the hospital for any reason whatever in that capacity. Q. Do you recall the initials of Dr. Wood? A. M. W., I think; I was told that yesterday. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Is this occurrence which you mention, relative to the refusal of Dr. Wood to allow shelter to be constructed for patients, a matter of your own personal knowledge? JOHN JAY ROBINSON. 2283 A. Yes, sir. I also suggested to Dr. Wood that the men were almost entirely naked after having been taken from the operating table under the rays of the sun there, which were something frightful, and in the afternoon rains and the very cold nights they suffered a great deal; and that there was abandoned prop- erty of a regiment of 1,200 men within a quarter of a mile of that, which included blankets and shelter tents and a great deal of the equipment; and it was suggested to him that that could be brought up, and he said he had no way of bringing it up, and he was told it would be brought up for him; and then he suggested that it was none of anybody's business, and he was running the hospital to suit him- self; which was, of course, perfectly proper. Q. Perfectly evident if not proper. A. Well, perfectly legal in his department, not to be interfered. Q. To what regiment did these abandoned articles belong? A, I don't remember; I think a volunteer regiment-if I am not mistaken, a Michigan regiment; I am not positive. TESTIMONY OF JOHN JAY ROBINSON. New York, November S3, 1898. Mr. John Jay Robinson, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Where do you reside? A. 316 West Fifty-sixth street. Q. Were you at the camp at Montauk Point, known as Camp Wikoff; and if so, when and how long? A. 1 was there the first two weeks in September. Q. In what capacity? A. I was there as a volunteer secretary of the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion in their army commission work. Q. Were you connected with any particular command or did you have a gen- eral - A. (Interrupting.) No; I was connected with what we call " tent four "-there were six tents; I was connected with tent four, located immediately in front of General Ludlow's headquarters. Our work was in the Third. Fourth, Eighth, Ninth, Twenty-second, and Twenty-fifth colored regiments. Q. Were all the regiments you have mentioned colored? A. No; only the Twenty-fifth. They were all regulars, but this was the only one that was colored. Q. I thought you said regiments. To what extent did you come into intimate relations or close personal contact with the men of those commands? A. Our tents there, you know, were the only place where the fellows could meet socially. We provided envelopes and paper, pen and ink, free of charge to them; tables for them to write on; magazines and papers for them to read, and games to play, and tried to make that their sitting room. Then we tried to provide religious meetings. It was the only church the soldiers had. And then we had religious meetings in our tents. In our tents every night we had a concert; gen- erally the bands of the regiments would come, and we had religious meetings, so that the boys got to be very friendly with us; those who could not write we would write letters for them, and those too ill to write, so of course we got very intimate with them. Q. Did you go through the camps of which you have spoken? A. Yes; went through them two or three times a day. While one secretary 2284 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. would be in the tent taking cai'e of official duties the other would be outside taking care of the boys. Q. These were all regiments which had come from Cuba? A. Yes. There were quite a number of recruits of the Eighth Regiment-1 think some 300-came from the South and joined the regiment at Montauk? Q. Their general condition was very bad, I suppose? A. Very bad. Q. Their physical condition I mean. A. Yes. Q. To what extent did they avail themselves of the facilities which your tent afforded for these social and religious exercises? A. It was constantly crowded. We would rise at bugle call in the morning; we would get our breakfast when they had mess, and before we could get back- immediately after they had their morning meal-when we got there at 7 o'clock we would find 50 men ahead of us writing letters or reading papers. Q. How many men would your tent accommodate? A. I should think inside we could accommodate close on 400; then, when the flap was raised, we had men crowded about on the four sides. In the evening we had a big time there; we would open the flap and they would crowd all around. Q. What was the temper or spirit of the men-broken, or were they buoyant, looking forward to some hope for the future? A. There wasn't very much spirit with them; wasn't very much spirit there; sort of a dogged indifference. They were satisfied that they had gone through the campaign and came out as they did, and hoped for better things than they had had. At that time Montauk was looking up a little bit. Of course every place needs improving; food better and messed better, and things generally on the mend. Q. How many men in going through the camps did you find sick in quarters? A. Do you mean in their own tents? Q. Yes. A. A great many. Q. What was the character of the sickness that you found there? Malarial fever or what was it? A. I think it was nothing more than malaria. The men were fagged out-worn out. Some of the boys were not very careful on coming off duty at nighttime. They would catch cold, and suffer from pains and colds and such things as that. Q. This malarial fever-state, if you please, what the character of it was. Was it fever one day and then an absence of it? A. Yes. Q. For how many days, sometimes? A. Probably a day; sometimes it would decrease the next day and then increase the next day, after an interval. Q. Was it usual to take cases of that character to the hospital? A. Not until they became serious. The division hospital there was pretty well overrun at one time, and the doctors cared for as many as they could, and then the relief societies coming down there helped to care for them. It was only in serious cases when they were taken from their tents. Q. What was the character of the medical prescription for these cases of mala- rial fever? Did it consist almost exclusively of quinine? A. Well, to a certain extent, yes. Q. That could be administered just as well in the tent as elsewhere, could it? A. It was, yes; and sometimes it was administered in the dispensary there. I have nothing to say against the surgeons at all. To me they were gentlemanly; and while much is said against them-those who were down there, I am talking about-while much is said against them, I think it is due to misunderstanding JOHN JAY ROBINSON. 2285 and through the statements of some of the ladies who went down there to take care of the sick boys who they thought were starved and drugged with medicines. I was indirectly called into it, and had some talks with the men, especially one who is charged with brutality. I was very much impressed with his gentlemanly ways and with the intention to do the best he could for the boys. I don't say they were perfect in everything, or gave the right thing in the right place; I don't say that at all. Q. What I wanted to get at was: These men with malarial fever needed no special nursing? A. No; not until it went so far that they were entirely helpless. Some of the men who had it very bad needed to go. The second sergeant in the Eighth Regi- ment begged not to be taken to the hospital; he didn't want to go; kept on his feet as long as he could; wouldn't go. Finally he became so helpless that I went to a surgeon and told him something ought to be done. He said, " I have the same opinion. The men don't want to go to the hospitals." His hopes had been buoyed up by some of the relief society people, who had indiscriminately made arrangements to take some of the fellows away to near-by country places. They had gone to the boys and said, "We will get you out of here to-day or to-morrow." When they went to get the passes the general in command wouldn't give them. That thing had been shut down on; they couldn't go; it was against the rules. This particular fellow was one of them; so he had to be taken by force to the hospital. Q. So there was not only antagonism between the relief societies and the sur- geons, but also between them, and the commanding officers as to what should be done? A. No; but I understand an order had been received from Washington which forbade that. It had run to an excess. They took a number of men away in one particular case on two or three days' passes. When the two or three days passed the men were in such a condition they could not come back-seriously ill. That brought out this state of affairs; that brought about the order I spoke of. No very strong antagonism; nothing like that. Q. You came into very intimate relations with the men of these commands, did you? A. Yes. Q. Knew about what their feelings were? A. Yes. Q. What was the general feeling as to going to the hospital? Were the men averse to it? Did they prefer to stay in quarters as long as they could? A. Yes. They had not the very kindest feelings of anticipation of the hospital and preferred to stay where they were. Q. Did you ever have any military experience? A. No; I did not. Q. You do not know whether that is the general feeling among men of the Army or not? A. No; I do not. I want to qualify that. There was no strong antagonism to going to the division hospital there; there was a kind of feeling for that among the fellows. In a very serious case it would be taken right to the general hos- pital. There was no antagonism against the division hospital; it was against the general hospital, because there were some very harsh stories being told around. By Governor Woodbury: Q. When they went to the general hospital, didn't they feel they were going away from home, rather, whereas in the division hospital it was more among their own immediate friends? A. There had been stories of mismanagement there as to the way in which the 2286 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. men were buried, and all these things, which gained ground among the boys. They did not anticipate a repetition of that among themselves, as far as they were concerned personally; but these things got around, and it was widespread there. By General Beaver: Q. How did the men lodge in their tents? Were the tents floored or not? A. In the beginning they were not. Toward the end, when almost a state of perfection began, when the end came-things were working up to it gradually- toward the end they had good flooring, board flooring. I remember distinctly when it began; it was a Sunday; just as we were beginning church service they had the hammers going outside. They had board flooring and mattresses filled with straw. I remember some of the fellows who were too lazy to put down the board flooring; they happened to live in a hollow, and when a heavy storm came up they had to move out. Q. Did you ascertain as to the wishes of the men in that respect? Did they prefer the floors or the ground, as a general thing? A. Oh, the floors. It was getting on toward cool weather then. Q. Before the cool weather came what was their preference? A. In very warm weather a number of them preferred the grass, as long as it was dry; when it was wet, they preferred to have something underneath them. Q. Was there any complaint as to food? A. I understand that the food in the beginning of the camp was very poor, inad- equate; but by the time I reached there, the last of August, food was plentiful, very plentiful. I have seen men eat 12 eggs, with other things, for supper-hard- boiled eggs. They were simply told to have all they wanted. By Captain Howell: Q. Convalescent men? A. No; good, strong men-that is, as strong as could be found there; very few men out of each company, some not having men enough to perform the duties of the company. Of course it mostly depended on the cooks. Some of the cooking was beastly, and in other cases was very good, indeed. By General Beaver: Q. You spoke of stories of inadequate food, and all that. Do you mean that they did not get the components of the army ration? Was there any time there when there wasn't a full army ration for every man and 100,000 other men in that camp? A. The story goes that there was not. Q. Did you ever see the commissary's storehouse? A. No; but I saw what came, from my own standpoint. I used to see the pro- visions brought for two regiments of General Ludlow's brigade-the Eighth and Twenty-second. It was brought and emptied out from the wagons alongside of our tent, and there divided up into companies. We had plenty of fresh beef every day, fresh bread every day-this is from the last of August on-and I saw every day any quantity of canned peas, tomatoes, lima beans, bacon, canned peaches, pears, plums, apricots. I messed with a company of the Twenty-second Regi- ment-that is, we were privileged to dine with the fellows whenever we could make arrangements to suit us, to suit the officers and men we messed with. We messed with the Twenty-second Regiment, and had an exceedingly good cook. Our oatmeal was very good. The coffee was abominable-cooked well, but there was no coffee to it-beastly stuff. The beefsteak was generally fair, the ham and eggs good. We had eggs in various styles. He knew how to change the diet. Our rice pudding for dinner, and our apple pies, peach pies, cherry pies were all good. Our chocolate cake was a thing to be remembered. Q. Are you speaking of the way the privates lived? JOHN JAY ROBINSON. 2287 A. I am talking about the way the privates lived. I lived with them for two weeks. For the first three days I went down to the general tent of the Y. M. C. A. and had two meals; messed down near the Sixth and Sixteenth regiments. I was so sick after the first two meals I thought I had made a mistake and my place was home. When we got to our own tent, which was put up on the Friday before- it had been blown down and put up again with the help of the boys-we cer- tainly found a miserably poor cook down there; but through the kindness of General Ludlow and his quartermaster we struck a good company and struck a remarkably good cook, and he utilized his canned fruits in making pies and his rice in making rice pudding, stale bread in making very fair bread pudding, and everything was cooked nicely. Q. Did you ever see the Manual for Army Cooks, issued by the Commissary Department as an official publication? A. I saw that man have one; but I never read it. I knew he had one of them. Q. If every company cook had used that manual for army cooking, couldn't he have just the variety and just the rations which were furnished you? A. Certainly. The difficulty was, in some of the regiments they were not par- ticular enough in getting their cook. These people had two good cooks that knew their business. Q. There are receipts in that book for all sorts of puddings, howto make them, and how to save the materials out of which to make them, and how to get every- thing relating to the army rations. A. I did not examine it at all, but I imagine he went by that book. He knew how to arrange our beef for us in stews, roasts, and in steaks, and in croquettes, and all that kind of thing. By Governor Woodbury: Q. The time that you mentioned of this superabundance of rations or excellency of rations was barely but two weeks after the troops arrived there, was it not? A. They got there about the 1st of August, didn't they? Q. No; the 13th was the first, and from there to the 1st of September. A. I must have gone down the 29th or 30th; couldn't get away; I arrived there at noon of Labor Day and stayed pretty much until the regiments were gone; came away with the Eighth, the Twenty-second having preceded them several days. The Third and Fourth had gone much sooner. Q. What I wanted to arrive at was, that this superabundance of rations occurred barely two weeks after the troops arrived there? A. I can tell you the opinion I received from talking with the boys. Of course they told me so many things perfectly confidential that I will have to kind of pick my way. But this is all right. They talked in such a way that I was convinced that it was not through carelessness that they didn't get as much food, or all of the food, or the variety of food which they did later on, but was because the men were sent in so fast from Cuba that arrangements had not been made for that number at Montauk. They were sent in and sent in without any anticipation of so many coming at one time; and that, I thought, was the cause of the shortage. I know that even some of the men-and this is among some of the officers as well as the privates-felt that while the attitude of what were called the "yellow journals," yet they rather felt thankful that the publication of the shortage of food had helped in getting the abundance which they afterwards enjoyed. By General Beaver: Q. When you speak of abundance, do you refer-do you know what the army ration is? A. No; but if it is what I saw, why I congratulate the fellows; I had expected something different. I had anticipated living on hard-tack and slops, as they call 2288 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. it, and sow belly. I did not think I could do that, though I was willing to try. I did not see any of this. Q. A great many of the things you spoke of are not parts of the army rations. What I wanted to get at from you, if you can tell us, but I don't see that you can, because you didn't go there until September A. I did not go there until the 1st of September. What I know of the shortage before is just simply hearsay; but I got it from reliable sources that they did not enjoy the food at that time which they did later on. Q. But the fruits and the canned vegetables, the pease and corn, are not part of the army ration. Those were secured later on by General Wheeler to vary the army rations. A. We had pease, corn, tomatoes, succotash, and beans. Q. Eggs do not go into the army rations. A. We had any quantity of eggs. Q. No fruits of any kind go into it. A. We had quinces, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums-canned; and they were very good. Q. The army ration consists of bread, meat, coffee, sugar, candles, 'soap, vine- gar, tomatoes, potatoes, beef in various forms, rice, bacon, beans-these white army beans-and one day canned salmon, one day of each week. A. We had salmon; we also had broth every night. Q. Made of what? A. It was different kinds. Once we had beef broth and mutton broth; differ- ent kinds of broth served in the evening. You could take your choice of milk or broth or tea. Q. What I wanted to get at is this: Was there a complaint at any time that the articles which I have mentioned, and which compose the regular army rations, were not furnished in full measure, as the regulations provide, to the men of that camp? If they were not, somebody is to blame. A. They did not get these luxuries. I guess probably those other things they did get; but the difference was so great. We had excellent potato salad and crackers and cheese-those things right along. Q. Do you know anything about the internal arrangement or economy of that company? Do you know how they get, when they were not furnished by the Government, as they were in this case later-how they get the variety in a ration? A. I know there is a company fund. For instance, the money which we paid for our living went into the company fund, and anything like that. Some of the officers, I think, would get their meals from this company and one or two other companies, and that was divided up. We had oranges once, and I think one meal there when I was away they had watermelon. Q. When there was an excess of the regular ration the company is authorized to turn that into cash or to draw its equivalent in cash and put that into extras, such as fruit and things of that kind; did vou learn of that in your experience? A. Yes. Q. And that constitutes the company fund, and that company fund is used to vary the rations? A. Yes, sir. Q. You spoke some time ago about the men being drugged. I think you said " drugged to death." Exactly what did you mean by that? That that was done by the surgeon? A. Drugged to death? Q. Yes. A. In what respect did I say drugged to death. I don't recall using that expression. 2289 JOHN JAY ROBINSON. Q. You spoke of the time when there was a feeling, some feeling between the ladies and the surgeons, and that the men were being starved and drugged to death; I think that was the expression. A. That was the feeling which the ladies had. They went down there from their homes here to rescue those boys who were being starved and-well, you might use that expression "drugged with quinine" and not properly treated. That was their impression. Q. You did not state that as a fact? A. No, no; that was their impression; and when they got down there they, in their kind-heartedness, had secured some physicians, and with the physicians they went through the companies, and the boys were treated by the physicians. When that came to the ears of the surgeons-in some cases when the surgeons had already prescribed for these men-that brought about a little feeling. The ladies secured trained nurses to go among the boys and work in with the surgeons, and the Y. M. C. A. were there also; and things got into better shape, and then, of course, tangible good resulted. Q. The surgeons had the feeling that it was not a good thing to have two doctors prescribe for one patient at the same time and take all the medicine? A. Of course not; especially as there were a good many cases of "possum" being played. A good many fellows, when they saw a nice-looking woman with a basket of dainties coming along-it was very tempting-a man might be inclined to crawl in under his blankets and have a pain when that lady came along. I know a very funny instance of that kind. I came along one morning and I had seen one of the boys there-I greeted him-sitting in there on the floor reading a letter, I think it was, and I went on to see some of the sick boys that I had been looking out for. There came along after a while one of these ladies, and she said, " Did you know so and so was very sick? " I said, "No." She said, " He is a very sick man. The doctor hasn't been to see him; the doctor is not in his tent. I think it is disgraceful." I said, " I will go back and see what is the matter." So I went back, and there was the fellow in great pain, apparently. The result was he got a bottle of blackberry brandy, some fruit, a suit of underwear, a pair of socks, and a couple of handkerchiefs. I did not think anything of that mattei* at all until a few hours after that-about an hour and a half. At that time I was going to make the board flooring for my own living tent and he came along. I said, "Hello, there; how do you feel?" He said, "I feel well enough." I said, " Do you feel well enough to saw some of this lumber for me? " That man sawed all the wood for my board flooring and put it down. Q. After he got the bottle of brandy? A. Yes, sir. The surgeons felt that that thing was being done more or less, and it kind of upset their work. By General McCook: Q. Do you know if any of the soldiers that were playing these pranks and tricks on these excited ladies that came down there have ever been court-martialed for such conduct? A. No; they were raw recruits who joined the regiment here during the war, and had been down South and joined the regiment at Montauk. They came from Brooklyn, Hoboken, and around in this locality here, and that was one of their pranks. Q. There were some of them court-martialed for it? A. There were none down there. It was simply a little piece of information we came across at that time. Shortly after that it was one of those " 'possum " games that brought about an understanding, and then the ladies of these societies gave their trained nurses instructions to feel the men's pulses. I remember one case in which the nurse said to the man, " I think about five hours' rest without food will be all you need," and passed on. The fellow was out within fifteen minutes. 2290 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. By General Beaver: Q. To what extent was that "old soldier game" played? A. For a few days it was played pretty often, until it played itself out. There were always a few fellows like that who will tumble into a thing like that and impose upon people. But the ladies did a magnificent work there-a magnificent work. Q. Is there anything else you have to say? What we want is to get at the facts of maladministration'. If you know anything that will give us light as to malad- ministration and the responsibility for it, we would be glad to hear anything you have to say. A. I haven't anything to say in that line. Questions might bring out different things, but there were so many things which I heard, as I say, from the boys, that I would hesitate to say anything; but there is nothing, as far as mismanage- ment is concerned, of the kind. Things could have been different. The one source of great inconvenience-I won't say suffering-was the water supply there; that was a great inconvenience. Q. Do you mean as to quantity or quality? A. Oh, there was plenty of it, but, in the first place, when you turned on the spigot the water was just as clear and cold and inviting, but the instant it would go into a receptacle it turned milky. That was of course suspicious, and the boys didn't like to touch it. Some of them would drink it, some would not. Q. Do you know what was the cause of that? A. I do not. Some said it was air in the pipe. Q. Did it continue any length of time after it was put in the vessels, or would it clear again? A. It would clear again, but would leave a white sediment. We would take the water and use it for toilet purposes. There would be a white sediment on the side of the pail. Q. No limestone there? A. No; it was simply a little soft substance, which would scour out. It would clear itself. Q. What was the effect of the water? Did it affect the bowels unpleasantly? A. I did not hear of a single case. There were two boys. I took down a grip full of medicines with me-just little things, you know, for diarrhea, and bromo seltzer for headache, or something like that; and the only cases I had were three or four fellows who had pains in the stomach-cramps-and Sun Cholera Cure cured that-one or two cases; and they claimed they had been drinking the water; but there was so little of it drunk; and then those taken sick, you could not tell whether there was any effect from it or not; just simply the fact they couldn't drink it gave them a stronger desire for drinking; but the ladies of the relief society to a certain extent alleviated that by bringing a certain quantity of spring water down there and distributing it among the invalids. By General Dodge: Q. Did you notice the convalescents, as they were sent from the camp to New York on the trains, at the station? A. Yes, I did, quite a few of them. I was up there quite often, back and forth, and I saw them sitting around on the benches there or lying down. I was often moved by the feeble condition of some of the men lying around on those benches there, who ought not to have been there. It seemed to me they were better sub- jects for the general hospital; but the Red Cross had charge of that, so that we never bothered with that at all. Q. They had charge of it at the station? A. Yes, sir. Q. All the time you were there? MRS. JOHANNA VON WAGNER. 2291 A. Yes, they were there as soon as we were there. Our association went right down there in the beginning, and it was at work before I got there. Q. Have you anything further yourself to suggest? A. I have nothing to suggest. As I said before, I talked with the boys. New York, November 23,1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. JOHANNA VON WAGNER, Mrs. Johanna Von Wagner, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Governor Woodbury: Q. Will you please give your name and address? A. Mrs. Johanna Von Wagner, 278 Palisade avenue, Yonkers. Q. Please state if you had occasion to visit Camp Wikoff during the summer, while the soldiers were encamped there? A. Yes, sir; I went the 9th of September to Camp Wikoff and volunteered my services as a nurse during my vacation time; and, through Mrs. Woodhouse, I went under the East Hampton Relief Corps, and visited the Twenty-second, but only for three days, and then went over to the Seventh Regiment, and stayed there until I left the camp. Q. In all, how long were you there? A. It was one month. Q. Please state what conditions existed at the time you first visited the camp, and then relate, in a narrative way, as briefly and concisely as possible, your experiences there. A. The Seventh Regiment was in charge of a contract physician. There was no regimental surgeon. There were two assistant physicians, very incompetent, and not allowed to prescribe any poisonous drugs, so they were very little help; they were no use; and this one physician had all the work to do, which was too much. The sick list must have been 190, almost 200 men, at the time. The con- tract physician in charge was a very young man: I think his age was 22 years. By General Dodge: Q. What was his name? A. Dr. Genella was his name. While he did all the work he could-worked sometimes night and day-he was inexperienced and very young to have charge of such a regiment. There were very few medical supplies. There was no food for the sick, so all supplies we received from the East Hampton ladies-milk, ice, medicines, underwear, and all supplies which were needed for the sick cooking. I established a diet kitchen there and cooked for about 100 men who came to each meal, and those who were too sick to come, who were in the tents, the food was carried to them. I carried it myself. Q. Was the Twenty-second Regiment Infantry near the Seventh? A. No, it was not near the Seventh. 1 was there only three days, and then, in order to be there all the time and do more work, I asked to stay because I said it took too much time to wait for the trains, and I could not be there early enough in the morning to cook for the sick; Major Corliss gave me permission to stay, then I stayed. Q. Was there a Y. M. C. A. tent in that division? A. Yes, I believe there was one near, but I have never visited it. They did not come over to the regiment. So many sick were in the tents and in such a weak- ened condition they could not come after sick call, and as there was only one physician-the other two physicians very soon were appointed to other regiments. 2292 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. so that it left only one doctor in charge-those that could not come up to sick call, I went around and attended to them as well as I could. We could not get them into the general hospital, because I think the hospital was overcrowded. When we knew there were empty beds, they could not be admitted. I don't know why that was. They had to stay in their tents. Being alone, we did the best we could, which was very little. During the latter part of my stay, there came a hospital steward and about eight hospital corps men to take care of the men, and we had a hospital tent to take care of the sick men: but these hospital corps men were supposed to be nurses; only one or two were nurses; some had no idea of nursing; told me themselves they had never seen a sick person and didn't know what to do. The men were very much given to drink, and mostly stayed in their own tents reading, drinking, smoking, and the sick were neglected. When I called the hospital steward's attention to it, who was supposed to appoint them to the work and supervise their work, I found out he did not know anything about his work; he had been a mule driver for thirty years, and was supposed to fill prescriptions, but he could not even read prescriptions. He said, " I will not go and fill prescriptions because I do not understand anything about drugs." He was appointed to the position; he did not know why-because, perhaps, he had been in the Army for many years. There was one private soldier in the company who was a druggist by profession and he did his work. Q. You are speaking about there being a lack of suitable food for that regiment. We have just had a witness here who says in the Twenty-second Regiment-that is the reason I asked about the Twenty-second-that, when he went there, the first day of September, that they had a superabundance of everything that was neces- sary; they had eggs and canned peaches and apricots and milk, and everything that was necessary. Now, did such a condition of things exist in the Seventh Regi- ment as that? A. There were days when they had plenty, but they were very few days. There always seemed to be sufficient canned food, but fresh food, fresh meat, was very seldom given out, and sometimes it was in such bad condition it could not be used; but the milk supply, unless it was-the milk supply was never in abundance there; half a cup to a man, I believe; and sometimes they had to do without, unless it was supplied by the Easthampton ladies. But there were days when there was suffi- cient. Q. The reason that they did not have fresh meat, was it because they couldn't get it or because they didn't ask for it? A. Oh, I believe they asked for it, and sent for it to the station or wherever they got it; but sometimes it would not be there; and other times, as I say, it was not good; but they did not always have fresh meat. But canned food, they had plenty of that, I know. Then the men, as I got there, the men seemed to be in such an apathetic, such a dejected condition; I wondered at the sameness of it; and I went to the hospital steward and asked him what drugs were prescribed; and I saw then many of the prescriptions; and the overdoses of acetanelid, mor- phine, and codeine were tremendous; but I think the acetanelid and the quinine, which is a very strong heart depressant, had something to do with the condition of the men. They were stupefied, apathetic. Q. Those medicines were given, I suppose, for malaria; that is, the quinine? A. Yes, sir. One doctor could not attend to the many sick, but gave them a handful of pills, and they went away and took them indiscriminately. Of course, some of the doctors did not say how many pills to take; they simply gave the medicine and the men took them, thinking Q. (Interrupting.) The more they took the better it would be? A. The better it would be. Yes, sir; of course. And many of the prescriptions where the doctors prescribed morphine-camphor and opium pills, containing MRS. JOHANNA VON WAGNER. 2293 half a grain of opium-they did not say how many to take, and the men would take 12 opium pills, and the results would have been serious if they had not sub- stituted soda tablets instead, because their condition did not call for morphine. The hospital steward spoke to me about it, and I thought best to give soda tablets instead. Q. What was the result of your ministrations there upon the health of the men upon their recovery? A. I think that feeding the men three times a day. I got up a little after 4 in the morning to have the breakfast ready for the sick by half past 6 o'clock, which was sick call. The men would come into the diet kitchen, all those that could, and take their breakfast and wait until they were-had to wait sometimes hours and hours, lying around waiting to see the doctor. Though, as I said before, the men in the tents were fed, food being taken to them. So it was at dinner, supper, and then at night they had hot drinks between 8 and 9 o'clock. I believe we prevented a great many deaths, probably, and cured a great many, whereas they would have had to go to the hospital. Q. How many went to the hospital while you were there, do you think? A. I have no record of it. I was so busy I could not give it attention. Q. Many or few? A. Very many did go, but we had to make very great efforts to send them. First, they would not be admitted. We had men with a temperature of 105 to 107, mostly, who ought to have gone at once, and could not go-waited a day, two days. Q. Why? A. They could not be admitted. Q. Do you know why ? A. No ambulances. Q. How far were you from the general hospital ? A. I think it must have been a mile and a half. Q. Was there a division hospital established? A. There were division hospitals, but the men from the Seventh mostly went to the general hospital. Q. Were there many deaths in that regiment while you were there? A. No death in the regiment; no death in the camp ; no. Q. What complaint, if any, did the men make of their treatment? A. I have heard but very few complaints from the men. Some of the sergeants who have been in the army twenty, thirty years would speak bitterly of having arrived in their own country, where they expected fair treatment-of course they expected hardships in Cuba-and what they complained of was when they came to their native country, so near home, they expected fair treatment, and they did not receive it. The greatest complaint was that they had no regimental surgeon, and they realized the incompetency of these contract physicians. In a great many cases they would not go to them-said it was no use, they will simply poison us with drugs. They came to me. Of course nurses could not prescribe. They needed the right food, and of course they always got that. Q. What were the names of these incompetent contract surgeons? A. I will not-I do not think I will mention any names; but of course you can always get those from the men. They all know it. And the prescriptions which the hospital steward keeps will give you the names of the physicians. Within two months the regiment had twelve different contract physicians. Some were indifferent, some were incompetent, others very inexperienced, and the only one really that did his best, really did his duty, was discharged for inefficiency, and another one left in charge who was very incompetent. Q. Who was the one discharged? 2294 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Genella was discharged. Q. Can you think of anything else that you would like to say in regard to your work there, or what you saw there that you would criticise? A. My observations were mostly belonging to the medical department, because the lack of food and ice and the lack of proper provisions made for the sick was very great, and the lack of medical attendance. Those were the worst condi- tions I saw in the camp. Q. You have had some considerable experience as a nurse? A. Yes; I have been a nurse six years, and, of course, as I said before, the hos- pital corps men, the male nurses, were of no use. I did beg some of them to come into the hospital tent when there were 8 very sick men with a temperature of 106 or 107, that needed ice bags or poultices. One was a surgical case. I said, "Won't you come in and I will show you how to take care of the sick." Some were willing enough to learn. Q. Did you take their temperatures? A. Oh, yes. And the other men would not do it unless they were made to do so by the physicians. By Dr. Conner: Q. Who was the commanding officer of that regiment? A. Colonel Carpenter was the commanding officer, I believe. Q. Did you report to him the inefficient services of those hospital nurses? A. Colonel Carpenter went away. This was Major Corliss. Oh, yes; Major Corliss knew. I reported to him, and I showed him these prescriptions where there was overdosing. Q. What did he do about it? A. He went to the general hospital and asked the regimental surgeon to go and investigate, and I believe the regimental surgeon came; but this doctor in charge then was a personal friend, I believe, so he found everything all right. Nothing was done. Q. No change made in the nurses? A. No; nothing was done; but Major Corliss several times reported after that, and tried his best to get a regimental surgeon and get better attendants. Of course it depended on the hospital steward and the doctors to make the nurses do their duty, but they would not; they were incompetent men, and the men were very indifferent as to the sufferings of the patients. They would not attend to them. Unless I would make them undress them, they would leave them night and day without changing them or making them comfortable. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Were the officers of the regiment, field and line officers as well, solicitous in regard to the welfare of the men or otherwise? A. I think they were very much interested in the welfare of the men and did all they could, but most of them were sick, very sick, themselves. Q. What can you say in that respect of the men who were not ill-that is, men who were on duty-as to their comrades who were ill? A. The soldiers, you mean? Q. Yes. A. They were very kind and helpful to the men who were sick. I would leave the medicines and instructions when I did not stay at the camp, and the men would follow them up and take care of the sick men, Q. Did they have a chaplain for that regiment? A. No; they did not. By General Dodge: Q. Was this Dr. Genella a very excitable man? MRS. JOHANNA VON WAGNER. 2295 A. No; he was very quiet. But there was one case of poisoning where the man died-swallowed some medicine for external use-had taken it internally-and something had to be done right away. An antidote had to be used, and they sent to the general hospital for that drug and they couldn't get it. It was refused. It was a simple drug which each hospital ought to have, but they could not get the drug. Then there was a surgical case, and the doctor went to the general hos- pital for instruments; the regiment was without instruments. I took a pocket case and I believe it was used. The major refused the instruments. When the doctor said, "We need the instruments, becaus.e there are several surgical cases," then it was refused in very strong language. Instruments could not be gotten. Q. Do you know whether or not Major Corliss applied for the relief of Dr. Genella-to have him relieved from duty? A. I don't know. Q. You don't know why he was relieved? A. No; but I believe that the doctors at the general hospital were against Dr. Genella. I think that is the reason. Q. Do you know of the case there where a man was sent from the regiment to the general hospital on account of having appendicitis? A. Yes; there were several cases that were diagnosed as appendicitis. Q. Do you know what was the result when they were sent to the general hos- pital? A. I believe there was one case sent back and forth three or four times. The hospital refused to admit the man and he was sent back; but whether the man died-I almost believe he died before he reached the hospital, or after he arrived, I am not quite sure that such was the case-and I believe there were a great many more typhoid and appendicitis cases than were realized. I have seen sev- eral myself, and the men in a deplorable condition-several appendicitis cases. They would have to walk to the ambulance; there was no stretcher. Several times I interfered-nobody else interfered-and made other soldiers carry the sick men to the ambulance. They would have to sit up in the ambulance, perhaps 12 men in it, instead of being laid down, and there should have been 2 men only, or not more than 4, and they had to sit up going to the hospital, over very bad roads. I think probably all that tended to hasten their end or make their condition worse. But the utter indifference to the sufferings of the very sick it was heartbreaking to witness. Q. Indifference from whom-from the medical men? A. Yes, indeed. Q. In the regiment? A. In the regiment and the general hospital; everywhere there was that same complaint about the indifference. By Dr. Conner: Q. Am I to understand that you say that there was general indifference on the part of all the medical men connected with the establishment at Montauk? A. Oh, no; I won't say that, but I believe that most of the contract physicians had very little interest in their work or for the men-for their patients. Q. Did you have occasion to see anything of other doctors, except Dr. Genella and Dr. Thomas? A. Oh, yes. Q. Whom else did you see? A. There were many. Dr. Hayes, Dr. Hale-no, Dr. Hadley; Dr. Hall, and several others; I have forgotten the names, but a number I saw. Q. Where did you see these? A. The Seventh Regiment. Q. They changed their medical officers very frequently there? 2296 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. They had about twelve within two months, I believe. Q. Do you know what was done with regard to those contract doctors? A. Some were sent to Porto Rico. Q. And some were sent to other regiments? A. Some assigned to other regiments; some are staying with the regiments still. Q. How many were sent home-discharged, contracts annulled? A. I can't say. Q. Do you know anything about it? A. I know one was annulled; that is all. Q. Your duty in connection with the Seventh, as I understand it, was in charge of the diet kitchen principally? A. The diet kitchen; yes, sir. Q. Did the duties of that position occupy much time? A. Yes, indeed; I was busy from half past 4 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night. Q. How was it possible for you to observe so largely the conduct of contract doctors in the various tents? A. The diet kitchen and the hospital tent were right one beside the other; and, as I always saw the people that went away in ambulances, and in fact had to go and get them myself or else they would have been left, I had great occasion to see everything; I could not help but notice everything and see everything. Q. And judging from what you saw at that diet kitchen of the Seventh Infan- try, you came to the conclusion that the contract physicians as a rule were of very little service? A. Indeed they were of very little service; sometimes they were very harmful? Q. Did they operate at all, do you know? A. Yes, sir; there was one gunshot wound; they were only minor operations, of course. Q. Under those circumstances, the men being incompetent, as you say, would it not have been an extremely dangerous thing for an officer in charge of the general hospital to put a case of instruments in such an individual's hands? A. I have no opinion to offer. Even for minor surgery, opening an abscess or taking stitches, a doctor must have instruments. Q. Must have his knife, needles, and his thread, if necessary, or something to take the place of it; and those things were refused? A. I believe so. Q. Do you know whether request was made specially for that, or whether the request was for a case of surgical instruments? A. It was made in connection with these surgical cases. Q. You know what a case of surgical instruments is, as differing from a surgi- cal case? A. Yes. Q. Was the request at the general hospital for such a case, or was it for a knife or two and a few needles? A. I can't tell that. Q. Supposing it had been for a case of surgical instruments, do you think it wTould have been wise and proper for an officer in charge of such instruments to put them in the hands of such inexperienced men as you represent these doctors to be? A. Yes, sir; but such doctors, without the hospital, would never undertake any large operation in the tents outside of the general hospital. Q. Therefore he did not need the case of surgical instruments? A. He needed some instruments. CAPT. KNIGHT NEFTEL. 2297 New York, November 23, 1898. TESTIMONY OF CAPT. KNIGHT NEFTEL. Capt. Knight Neftel appeared, and stated that he had a statement embodying his testimony, which statement he presented to the commissioners: By General Beaver: Q. Have yon personal knowledge of the facts contained in this statement? A. Yes, sir; I have. Q. Are you ready to swear that the facts contained in this statement are true, to the best of your knowledge and belief? A. I am, sir. The witness was then sworn, to the effect that the facts contained in the state- ment submitted by him were true, to the best of his knowledge and belief. The Witness. This statement has been prepared and unanimously adopted by the board of officers of the Eighth New York Volunteer Infantry, owing to the fact that certain statements have been made before this commission by various witnesses, as reported in the daily press [reading]: '•'•The Commission appointed to investigate the conduct of the Spanish-American war. "Gentlemen: The Eighth New York Volunteer Infantry, having formed a part of the army mobilized at Camp George H. Thomas, Chickamauga Park, Ga., which has been one of the subjects of your investigations, it has been deemed proper and advisable, at a meeting of the board of officers, held Novem- ber 18, 1898, to submit the following authoritative statement: " 1st. The camp of this organization-despite its unfortunate location, partly on rock and partly on heavy clay soil-was at all times scrupulously clean, a fatigue detail of over 80 men being daily employed in policing and cleaning it and digging sinks. Sinks were dug and in use on the day of arrival. The camp was laid out by three civil engineers, members of the regiment, and was drained and ditched under their supervision to the best advantage, so far as the nature of the ground would permit. The regiment was frequently complimented by division and bri- gade officers on the cleanliness of its surroundings. " 2d. The statement in some newspapers that the canteen of the regiment was objectionable is not borne out by the facts. The canteen was at all times under the supervision of a commissioned officer, and was inspected daily by a field officer and kept in a cleanly and wholesome condition. " 3d. The number of sick in the regiment was never greater than that of other organizations, and up to July 18,1898, never exceeded 2 per cent. "4th. The number of deaths (21) was not above the average of other regiments camped during last summer at Chickamauga Park. " 5th. It is the opinion of the medical officers and others in the regiment that the sickness which developed during the latter part of July and the month of August was caused primarily by polluted drinking water. The exceptionally long period of occupation of the same ground (eleven weeks) and a lack of fresh ground for new sinks offered excellent opportunities for infectious fevers to spread. " The Eighth New York Infantry has participated in every war that this country has had since 1786, and has been on duty in all riots and disturbances in this State during that period. The officers of this old organization sincerely hope that the result of your labors will be such as to cause Congress to pass legislation, that in the future the reserves of the nation may be brought into service in a systematic and orderly manner, fully armed and equipped at the outset, and that the powers of the War Department may be so enlarged that in times of peace all 2298 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. plans and provisions for rapid mobilization and maintenance may be prearranged under a uniform system for all State and Federal troops. "All of which is respectfully submitted. " The Board of Officers of the Eighth Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry: " Lewis K. Neff, Major and Surgeon, " Knight Neftel, Captain, "Henry Melville, Captain, " Committee." By General Dodge: Q. Is there any statement you desire to make yourself ? A. No, sir; not personally. I have no complaints to make of any kind what- soever. New York, November 23,1898. TESTIMONY OF CLEVELAND MOFFETT. Mr. Cleveland Moffett, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Where do you reside ? A. New York City. Q. What is your business? A. I am connected with McClure's Magazine and Leslie's Weekly. Q. Were you at Camp Wikoff, on Montauk Point ? A. Yes; several weeks. Q. At what time ? A. About three weeks; different times. Q. What were you doing there ? A. I was writing articles about the soldiers, stories of the camp, for Leslie's Weekly, and for some of the magazines. Q. Did you take photographs in connection with your record ? A. Yes, sir; I had a photographer in my service and took some myself. Q. What parts of the camp did you especially illustrate and write on ? A. The detention camp and general scenes in the cavalry camp, in the Rough Rider camp, and scenes at the station, scenes by the roadside, and miscellaneous scenes. Q. State, as briefly as you can, what you observed that will be of use to us in reaching a conclusion as to responsibility for anything that was wrong there. A. I was in the detention camp one day, talking with a doctor who had just made a formal protest Q. Name the doctor. A. Dr. Boyer. Among other things, he told me there was no chloroform in the detention camp, and the doctors there had no hypodermic syringes, and that he was the only man in the detention camp who had morphine, although there was great suffering among the soldiers and in operations. Q. Do you remember the date? A. I could give you the date, because I have his letter here. It was printed [refer- ring to paper]-that was about September 8, the letter is dated. Q. Proceed. A. I took Do you wish me to speak about the burial of the dead, or has that been gone into enough? Q. We heard about it, and had some pictures of it showing a body naked. A. Well, I took that myself with the body naked. It will not be necessary to CLEVELAND MOFFETT. 2299 go into that any further except that. That kodak picture I took myself [exhib- iting picture]; then I have heard in the Seventy-first Regiment (is that of inter- est?) that there was extensive falsification in the quinine supplied for the men; that the quinine was made of sugar and flour, coated with gelatine; and two pri- vates in the Seventy-first, who were not willing to give them names, told me that one of the two had submitted three lots of army quinine to a doctor in Bingham- ton- By Colonel Sexton: Q. I don't think it is proper to take the statement on hearsay. Captain Howell. Unless you can give their names, because that is not exactly fair. Dr. Conner. The charge is the gravest one I have heard brought against the Medical Department-that of the falsification of medicine-therefore I ask the gentleman to give us all of the names, all the information he has received, no matter how he got it, and give the names of all concerned. Captain Howell. As I understand the witness, these men don't want their names given. The Witness. I know the names of the men, of course. The only point of it is that I promised the man I would not give his name. Captain Howell. I don't think you ought to make the statement unless you can give the name of the man. It is not fair to the Government; it is not fair to anybody. General Dodge. We have no means of following this up unless you give us the names of the parties. You need not give them to the public; you can hand them to me. Colonel Sexton. Are these men accessible? The Witness. Yes. Governor Woodbury. Unless this board meets and rescinds the action which it took, not to accept hearsay evidence General Dodge. He gives us the names of the men. Governor Woodbury. I am not talking about that. If this board wants to do it, let them meet and rescind their own rule, and then take all the hearsay evi- dence they wish. General Beaver. The Governor misapprehends both what the rule is and what hearsay evidence is. General Dodge (to the witness). You can just hand the names to me. The Witness (continuing). Another point: I know there were 20 ambulances lying there in the corral with tongues off. The sick soldiers had to walk about 2 miles to the station. It was very hot and they were very weak. I asked Col- onel Forwood why there were no ambulances. He said 20 had been sent on, but sent without tongues, or in other ways broken, so that they could not be used; so that 20 ambulances lay in the corral of absolutely no use to anyone, when several hundred soldiers had to walk to the station. Q. How long did they lie there? A. All the time; never were used. Three Mount Sinai nurses, whose names I can give, told me doctors in the detention camp did not diagnose typhoid fevei' in time to save lives. The nurses themselves saw the abdominal spots, signs of the disease, before the doctors had indicated that it was typhoid fever. Their opinion was that the doctors were incompetent and careless, and that lives were lost because the drugs necessary to treat typhoid were not there. Q. What lives? A. Lives of the soldiers. Q. Who were they? That is a very indefinite statement. A. I can give you the names of the nurses. They were the two Miss Marlowes and Miss Flaherty. 2300 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Who were the soldiers who died in consequence of the neglect of the sur- geons in not diagnosing typhoid fever? A. They are all Mount Sinai nurses. Q. Now give us the name of the man who died. A. If you will allow me to hand that in to-day-I have got it in the files of Leslie's Weekly; and I did not bring that here. They mentioned one young man from Washington. Q. Proceed. A. Dr. Jones, when I was watching him load men on the transport one day, told me there was favoritism showed the Long Island Railroad in carrying soldiers when empty boats were there which would have carried them much more com- fortably, and told me of a very unpleasant experience he had in getting 100 men who were waiting, sick and weak, in the station for some delayed train, and he, having a boat at his disposal, went to the station and brought these men in his own ambulances to put them aboard the boat, and an official of the Long Island Railroad came up and told him that he would lose his job. and that the orders were to have the men go by the Long Island Railroad and not by boat. And con- sequently the Missouri went oft empty when there were 300 men who might have been taken. A telegram being sent to Washington at that time to that effect, the order came from Washington that the Missouri was to go back empty and the men were to go by the Long Island Railroad. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Who was the captain and who was the railroad official? A. Dr. Jones was the officer. I was watching the loading of the men Q. What is this other man's name? A. I don't know his name at all. By General Dodge: Q. The order for the boat to go unloaded came from Washington? A. That was the statement I received. Q. Who was the railroad official that objected? A. I did not know his name at all. Dr. Jones merely said " a railroad official." And a nurse in the general hospital, named Margaret Ryerson, told me, when I asked about treating a dysentery case, that they were handicapped because there were not sheets enough; had to tear every sheet into four pieces and put each piece under a body. The sheets had to be changed every few hours. The sheets were thrown away and not washed at all. By Dr. Conner: Q. What time was that? A. Several weeks there during September in the general hospital. Then I went one day, having seen a number of soldiers sitting by the roadside worn-out, and I asked one of them what the trouble was. He said he had been sent back four times; that is to say, had made the journey four times from the station to his camp-or to'the hospital,rather, because he had come from the hospital-because the furlough paper had not been correctly made out-some clerical error; had to walk that distance or beg a ride on a mule wagon as chance would allow, because of this irregularity in making out the furlough paper. I got a copy of that fur- lough paper. I thought that was an abominable thing, and I got a photograph of the man. There is the furlough paper [pointing to illustration in newspaper]. This man had to walk the distance four times and was there delayed two days. Q. Who made out the paper; who was responsible for it? A, I don't know, sir. It was made out by some of these clerks. By Governor Woodbury: Q. What was the defect? EDWARD A. SUMNER. 2301 A. (Reading from paper:) I asked him, "What was the matter with your furlough?" He said, "I don't know; nobody knows. First it was one thing; then it was another thing. The last time it was because I did not bring the sergeant-major's application pinned fast to it; the time before it was the signature. Some say furloughs must be signed by the chief surgeon; some say it is the ward surgeon; some say any old surgeon will do. But they keep sending me back, and it is a shame. Once they sent me back because some up at camp had not copied on this here. " He drew the furlough from his blouse and pointed to some words written in between two of the lines. They were partly illegible, but I made out it was merely a reference to general orders-such a paragraph, such a section, of the Army Regulations, which allowed this sick soldier to go home- the purest kind of red-tape in the world, and 4 miles and torture were what it cost the man. I reproduce the furlough herewith, with the clerk's markings upon it, and I hope that somebody in some department of this Government will find out and explain why such things are tolerated. By General Dodge: Q. Did you ask the man what his company and regiment were? A. No, sir; I did not. I suppose it is in that thing [alluding to photograph ot the furlough in the paper]. I perhaps ought to explain that I did not go down there searching for things; I went down in a purely private capacity. If my testimony is not as full as it ought to be, it is simply because I was not looking- for things. By General Beaver: Q. What else have you? A. I don't think there is any need of going into the body business. Governor Beaver. We had that very fully given to us by the reverend gentle- man who appeared yesterday. The Witness. I think he put my article in, anyway, so that I haven't any tiling more to say about that. I think those are all the points. New York, November 23, 1898. TESTIMONY OF EDWARD A. SUMNER. Mr. Edward A. Sumner, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. What is your residence? A. My residence is New York City, No. 213 West Eighty-fifth street; my office is at 141 Broadway. Q. What connection, official or otherwise, have you had with the Army of the United States during the war with Spain? A. No connection officially whatever. I went, starting from this city on the 7th of October last, as counsel for the Women's Relief Association and in charge of the Sir Thomas Lipton fund for our sick and wounded soldiers, to Porto Pico, and thence to Santiago, and then home. Q. When did you go and when did you return? A. October 7,1898. And we returned-most of us leaving the transport at Old Point Comfort, Va., November 7, 1898. Q. At what points did you touch in Porto Rico and in Cuba? A. First at San Juan, which we found in Spanish possession; that was the 13th of October. Q. San Juan, Porto Rico? 2302 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. San Juan, Porto Rico, yes; and thence leaving the next day because of the inability to discharge any cargo under those circumstances there, and under orders to Ponce, Porto Rico, and getting there the night of the 14th, I think. There we remained until October 19 or 20, discharging the Ponce freight; and then, under orders from headquarters, I believe the captain told us, from there we returned to San Juan, reaching there the 20th, and finding it under Federal control at that time, and remaining there for five or six days, discharging freight; thence to Santiago, getting there about October 31, and remaining until Novem- ber 2 or 3, and thence home. Q. Of what did the supplies which you took down for distribution consist? A. Delicacies, hospital supplies, and medical supplies. Q. The freight which you speak of as discharging at Ponce and San Juan was regular freight carried by the vessel, was it? A. Pardon me if I answer the question this way: Quartermaster's stores and commissary stores. Q. Issued by the Government? A. Yes, sir. Q. Then the transport upon which you went carried other supplies than those you had in charge? A. Oh, yes; ours was only a small portion of the entire cargo. Q. What did you find at these various places? A. As to what? Q. As to the sickness and the necessity for distribution of the supplies which you had. A. Our consignment was directly to Santiago, and of course was delivered there, turned over to the army authorities under Gen. Leonard E. Wood. At San Juan, when we first touched, remaining only twenty-four hours, I had very little occasion, of course, to investigate, finding it, as I said, under Spanish control. At Ponce, of course, the Federal authorities were in possession. I visited there the general hospital in charge of Surgeon-Major Bridgman, and I found it in superb condition-clean and apparently well officered, plenty of good nurses and an abundance of supplies, hospital tents for convalescents on the outside to the northwest on a hill slope that was well drained, and it struck me in every way as being finely appointed and exceedingly clean and well kept. Q. Did you see the camps of the troops there? A. Only one or two, and those on the road between the huts around the harbor of Ponce and the town of Ponce proper, which lies back two or three miles. One camp, I think the Seventh United States Artillery, and if I remember correctly that was moved while we were there, because the officers thought it was on too low ground. Q. What was the condition of their camp and of the men in general? A. Good; just as good as could be expected in that sort of climate. Q. Did they have many sick? A. Bridgman told me that the average in his hospital had been about 300; at the time we were there it was about 475. Q. What was the capacity of the hospital; do you know? How many beds? A. No; I can't tell. I may have been told, but I did not charge my mind with it. Q. When you returned to San Juan did you have an opportunity of investigat- ing anything there, or had the'American forces just taken possession, so that there was nothing to investigate? A. Substantially the latter. Surg. Maj. H. P. Birmingham came into the har- bor of Ponce on the transport Manitoba, bringing the Forty-seventh New York, and returned with us from Ponce to San Juan, and there started-so he told me- to organize the hospital service of San Juan. EDWARD A. SUMNER. 2303 Q. How many days were you at San Juan, Porto Rico, on this return voyage? A. I should think six days in all. Q. You went thence to Santiago? A. We went thence to Santiago. Q. And to that point your supplies were consigned? A. Our own consignment; yes. Q. Did you make any distribution prior to your getting there? A. No, sir. Q. What did you find at Santiago, please? A. I found a harbor that was exceedingly stagnant and in every way bad. It was an offense to Anglo-Saxon nostrils-I suppose on account of the accumulated centuries of filth. The effects were apparent when the anchor went over, and very much more apparent when we started to go out and the propeller began to revolve. I was told there was very little rise and fall in the tide. Quartermaster Knight told me that his own sickness had been caused by the terrific stench in front of his office down on the end of the pier; and two days afterwards my nose came in contact with that same stench at low tide, and I wonder he did not die. Q. Did you have any opportunity of visiting the hospitals and camps of the troops there? A. The hospital, yes, sir; the camps as I passed them only. I found the hos- pital there in pretty good condition. Q. What capacity? A. I don't think I asked Surgeon-Major Robinson that; but the number of sick was about 1,200. My impression is that that was not up to the capacity. Q. Of what did the hospital consist--buildings or tents, or both? A. Both; but principally, and very largely, indeed, it consisted of old Spanish buildings with the customary open court and located on some of the highest ground in Santiago. Q. What was the prevailing disease there; or was there a prevailing one? A. Yes, sir. I asked Surgeon-Major Robinson that, and he said pernicious malaria and malaria; and both he and General Wood told me there was no yellow fever there. Q. Was there any typhoid that you know of? A. There was some typhoid. Q. Was it epidemic or simple sporadic? A. I believe it was what they call sporadic; certainly not epidemic. Q. Did you find necessity for the supplies that you took? A. Yes, sir; General Wood said they were welcome; but he also said that the quartermaster's and commissary departments were well supplied, and I know that is so from what I saw. Q. How as to the medical department; did you see the storehouse connected with the hospital, or with the medical department? A. I did; but I did not go inside of it; but Surgeon-Major Robinson told me that the supplies were, on the whole, abundant for the needs of the service. Q. You unloaded your consignment and turned the material over, did you? A. Yes. Q. To whom? A. To General Wood; and I take great pleasure in saying this: I found him a perfectly cordial gentleman and an absolutely fearless and honest man. I think the Government has a jewel in Governor Wood. Q. On the whole, from your view of affairs as they existed in Porto Rico and the Santiago end of the island of Cuba, were affairs in a fairly satisfactory con- dition, considering the circumstances? A. Yes sir. I think the subsoil of Santiago is the result of centuries of filth, also; but the surface of things, apparently, as far as could be under the condi- 2304 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. tions, is kept very clean now under General Wood. There is a street-cleaning department. Q. And your supplies were thankfully received, I suppose? A. Yes; decidedly. General Beaver. There is no sentiment on that subject, I believe. The Army is perfectly willing to cooperate with its friends in sending delicacies to the sick, as I understand it. By General McCook: Q. Under what Bridgman was that that you said was in charge of the hospital? A. Surgeon-Major Bridgman-I think of the Regular Army. By General Dodge: Q. Have you any statement yourself-anything you saw that you think we have not questioned you about? A. Perhaps there is one statement which may be of interest, that I heard at Santiago, and that was that it was very desirable to keep the troops, regulars and volunteers, out of the old buildings. That I had from Surgeon-Major Robinson, and I heard a great many officers say so. One of the regular regiments-the Fifth Infantry-had suffered a great deal at Santiago, more than otherwise, by going into and using some of these old buildings, I believe, as barracks, although every possible sanitary provision was taken; they were whitewashed and cleaned as thoroughly as they could be. But there seems to be a fondness for old buildings on the part of infection in that neighborhood. General McCook. Their opinion being that the only good building in Santiago was a burned-down building, I suppose? The Witness. Like an Indian; yes. The Witness. I want to say, generally, that I was met with the utmost courtesy and consideration by all the officers I was thrown into contact with, and they impressed me, regular and volunteer, as men doing their full duty under very trying climatic conditions. By General McCook: Q. Very hot there, was it? A. Not so much so as at San Juan, Porto Rico. It is located upon a high ridge terminating in a morro, and swept by trade winds, beginning about 9 o'clock in the morning. The streets are so clean that the laundry is put on top of them. The pavements are made of glazed brick that are set on end, and Consul Hanna told me that the reason for that was that the Spanish authorities for the past few years had made every effort in order to stamp out smallpox. Ponce lies low, and I suppose is necessarily malarious, and Santiago is an excellent place for every Anglo-Saxon to keep out of, in my opinion. By General Dodge: Q. How about the transport you went out on-the Manitoba? Is she one of the Government transports? A. We went on the transport Port Victor. We met the Manitoba at Ponce. Q. The Port Victor is not a Government transport? A. Yes, sir, she is; she belongs to the Government. Q. What condition did you find her in? A. Fairly good; not so good after leaving San Juan for Santiago. We took quite a number of soldiers down returning from sick furloughs to their regiments, and brought back about 85 from Santiago. General Wood detained the Port Victor for four or five hours on the report of the quartermaster that she was not in condition for these sick men, and he came on board personally and made a thorough inspection of her, top and bottom: put the boat in good condition, and the boys were well taken care of on the way home. DR. ELMER LEE. 2305 Q. Didn't you say you were on the Manitoba? A. I said that we met the Manitoba at Ponce. Q. Then you were on the Port Victor going there and coming back? A. All the time; yes. Q. Was the Port Victor fitted specially to take care of convalescents and soldiers or was she a freight boat? A. She was a freight boat, and not fitted specially for that purpose. There was no Federal quartermaster on her at that time either going or coming; but this time, I understand, she has a quartermaster. That seemed to have been due to the quartermaster assigned missing the boat. Q. These convalescent soldiers on their way back were properly taken care of, properly fed, and had proper medical attendance? A. Yes; owing to General Wood's action. Q. They left San Juan without? A. They left San Juan without. Q. But at Santiago they were properly cared for? A. Yes. Q. What did they lack at San Juan when they left there? A. Perhaps you misunderstood me. Let me explain. The troops we took down from New York were convalescents, who were to rejoin their regiments at Ponce; they left us at Ponce. Of course, we had no soldiers on board from that time until we arrived at Santiago; these convalescents were put on at Santiago, and brought from Santiago to Old Point Comfort. Lieutenant Wiley and Major Romaine, of Louisiana, and Lieutenant Randolph, of Tennessee, and several other officers were among them. Q. Did you learn, while you were in Santiago, what the condition of the troops was there generally? A. As well as could be expected under the conditions. I don't think there is any question about that. The Fifth Immunes, from some of the Southern sta- tions, had their camp upon the foothills, which came right down |to the water's edge of the harbor, just about opposite where our transport lay, so that I could readily see with a gla'ss what was going on there; and I was told by the officers we met that the conditions were just as good as they could make them under the circumstances. The medical authorities think that under the best conditions, and with the best care taken, a Northern man going to Santiago is almost sure, sooner or later, to be taken sick with some form of malarial disease; that it is in the atmosphere. New York, November 23, 1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. ELMER LEE. Dr. Elmer Lee, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to give us your name, profession, the length of time you have been in practice, and your present residence? A. Elmer Lee; physician, eighteen years' practice; residence, New York. Q. Did you or did you not, at any time during the summer, have occasion to visit Montauk-Camp Wikoff? A. The first visit I made at Camp Wikoff was September 1, at the instance of the New York World, who the evening before requested me to go as their repre- sentative, for a consideration, and make a report such as might be suggested by what would be seen upon this visit. I was not restricted in any manner, shape, or form as to what I was to say. I met Colonel For wood and told him the object 2306 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. of my visit. He authorized me to visit all the places there, during which visit I would have time to see and write anything I might desire. I wrote an article, and it was substantially printed in the World on the 2d, or 3d, or 4th of September. Q. Let me interrupt you a moment; you say it was " substantially printed; " do you mean by that that there were more or less mistakes? A. There were some favorable comments pertaining to persons that were expunged from my report. The observations pertaining to methods and means and camp and treatment were printed as they were written by me. Q. Now, if you will go on, .please, sir, without regard to my interrupting you upon that point. A. Do you want me to tell a story of what I know about it? Q. I wish you would tell us, in brief, all that you saw that can be of any serv- ice to us in determining the conditions at Camp Wikoff, the hospitals there, etc.; in a word, everything that can be of value to us in forming an opinion as to the condition of things at that place. A. Gentlemen, I have come before you with some preparation, and for the purpose of helping rather than criticising. Upon my first visit to Camp Wikoff Colonel Forwood said that he would be glad to have me return on the following day and assist in the treatment of the sick. Upon the following day I went back to Camp Wikoff, and was assigned by the surgeon in charge under Colonel Forwood to what was afterwards called the branch hospital; it consisted of five wards. These wards had not been used. They had no equipment. I was instructed to visit the wards and make out a list of articles for their equipment, which I did, and the equipment was furnished as rapidly as might be. After looking over the wards, I went back to Colonel Forwood with a request. The request was that I might spend enough money to build at the rear of each of these wards bath houses and wash houses, and he said to me, " Why should you spend your money when the United States Government is richer and capable and will- ing to build these houses if they are useful?" Then he said to me, " Submit to me your plan." I drew him a plan on a piece of paper, and he approved of it. " Now," I said, " when may I have these? " He said, "As soon as I can touch the button. " The button was touched, and in three days five bath houses, equipped and ready for occupation, were in use, and as far as I know they were the only bath houses in the camp. They consisted of running water, which was used both for bathing the patients and supplying the wards with potable water and water for washing purposes. That was one feature of novelty in the hospital under my control at Camp Wikoff. . It gratified me to find how easy it was to secure anything for the comfort or for the advantage of the sick if the doctor in charge himself but knew what he wanted, and knew how to ask for it directly andi give a reasonable explanation of what he wanted. That impression was strongly made on my mind-that where there were deficiencies it was generally to be ascribed to the failure of the individ- ual in charge to ask for it, or to know just what he wanted, and given time enough that it might be provided. And so it was with everything else. I found no diffi- culty in getting what I wanted. I sometimes found delay, and I am not prepared to allege responsibility for that. The statement of a prominent official at Camp Wikoff to me was that he was vexed and perplexed in his effort to procure the various preparations, remedies, and drugs which the great variety of physicians were constantly demanding, although the drug store was equal almost to a first- class establishment in New York. It was the daily occurrence that some partic- ular form of remedy was demanded, and consequently it was a few days to a week before it could to be procured, and in the meantime the use foi' such a remedy may have entirely disappeared. I hope, before you have discharged me, that I will have the privilege of giving you some ideas as a substitute for all this con- DR. ELMER LEE. 2307 fusion which, results from the difference of opinion and the differences of men's methods under the Medical Department. It took me three or four days to get my five wards organized, and I saw at once that it was a hopeless task for the surgeon to do all that was required of him under the usual system of organization; so I appealed to the colonel and chief surgeon for a clerk, who was to keep my records. I appealed to him for two men nurses, who were to do the rough nursing. He immediately granted my request. I asked him also for a head orderly-not one that remained one day and not the next, but one that could remain with me all the time, and would not do as usual- that is, a new orderly with a new squad each day. So that my organization was different from the others in that I had a clerk who kept my records, and it kept him busy from morning until night to keep those records, and I had the pleasure of having perfect records. I had an orderly to attend to looking after duties such as going for supplies and the numerous trips that were required. I had two men nurses, who carried out faithfully the directions which I gave them. Then my women nurses were similar to the arrangement in the other hospitals there; so that my whole time was given to visiting the sick, and I did not do any clerical work, save occasionally signing my name to the requisitions; but so far as requisi- tions were concerned, it was seldom necessary to make requisitions; it was only necessary to send your orderly or subordinate to headquarters and get there what he asked for, and if he could not get them there he went to various places where supplies were kept by the auxiliary associations, and there took or seized whatever he could lay his hands upon. I must say that the wide open and easy access to supplies at the camp was a surprise to me which I never quite got over. The unmilitary condition was a strange scene to me, and the constant interruption by visitors, who came there on a visit for curiosity in many instances, was another source of extreme annoyance to the patients and a surprise to me. I went into camp very late, and as an acting assistant surgeon under contract, without any previous army service and without any of the knowledge which trained and experienced army surgeons are supposed to have. I made some errors with reference to calling a corporal an officer, and was seriously taken to task for it by one of my superior officers, who had the title of major. I was also severely reprimanded for permitting an empty gun to stand in the ward, which, he said, was contrary to regulations; and I remember that I was equally criticised for not stimulating a patient with whisky, who, through the lack of knowledge on the part of my critic, was in a moribund condition, due to peritonitis. On another occasion I was criticised by a passing visitor for not giving a man who was nearly dead a greater amount of food than he should have received, and to sat- isfy this particular individual, who happened to be one of the charitable ladies who came from New York, an attempt was made to feed this man some milk, and he was unable to swallow this glass of milk, or some part of it, and it threw him into a convulsive state and landed him on the floor, where he expired within a minute afterwards. Now, those are some of the annoyances to which a surgeon who is there for wholly humanitarian purposes was put to by the unrestricted privileges accorded to visitors. Another instance of extreme annoyance to me was a lady who came in ostensi- bly to help, and her idea was to send telegrams to the families of sick men, and many of the families no doubt had never before in their lives received a telegram; and I was surprised when I was told afterwards by one of my nurses that this lady collected from the soldiers money, wherever she could, to pay for those tele- grams, and the impression had been made upon me that the lady, through her liberality and charity, was herself paying the telegraph company for the privi- lege of satisfying her desire to help. Now, I want to say at this moment, gen- tlemen, and it need not take me long to say it, that I have no criticisms, I have no desire to place responsibility, nor could I if I did desire it; and I also want 2308 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. to say that from the chief executive of Camp Wikoff, whom I regarded as Colo- nel Forwood, down to the last man, did the best he knew how and the best he could do under the circumstances. Now, if you ask me if I think he might have done better, I say, without any hesitation, certainly he could have done better. If you ask me under what circumstances he could have done better, I would imme- diately say to you, under a different system; but the present system under which the Medical Department operates, I give it to you as my frank opinion that what was done was the very best you can ever hope for under the present system. I do not believe that any body of men, from General Sternberg down to the last contract surgeon, will ever produce any better showing than you have had in this war with Spain, for I think that the limits of the capacity of the system under which the Medical Department operates has reached its limit, and you will never get better results and more men consecrated to the work than you have had in this war; and you will also get men under all varieties and degrees of experience and practicability, and you will have the older men and the younger men, fresh from the college, and each will have his opinion, and they will do as they do in private practice-each will carry out that opinion for better or for worse. It is simply a repetition of what you find in private practice. There are good doctors and there are bad doctors; practical and impractical doctors, and you find the same condition in the Army that you find in private life, and how you can expect to have it different under the present system is to me difficult to understand. Now, if this war investigating committee, which I have the honor to address, is here because there have been complaints and reasons for its creation, I would say to you, gentlemen, that you have before you a fair example of the capacity of the present system of organization, and I never hope to see any better results than what you have secured in this war. The results in the war of the rebellion were no better than what you have received in this war; and how you can expect an imperfect system to produce perfect results is beyond my comprehension. Presently I shall crave your attention and ask you to con- sider recommendations which I make, not for the personal improvement of the individual, but for the improvement of the system. I assert, gentlemen, that the system is wrong; that medical education is radically wrong, and the result of wrong education produces wrong results. Q. Let me interrupt you a moment before you go upon the recommendations as to reorganization. Will you be kind enough to tell us, in the first place, whether you had occasion to visit the general hospital? A. The general hospital was a number of times visited by me, and there was always free access to the hospital. Q. At the times of your several visits did you find that the general condition was satisfactory as respects the nursing given and attendance of the sick; the degree of intelligence of the medical officers and their earnestness and attention to duty? A. The earnestness and the attention to duty on the part of the medical officers was all that could be asked. It is not possible for me to see how men could devote themselves more conscientiously than they did. They gave their whole time in the day and they gave frequently much of the night. I saw no neglects. I saw no drunkenness. I heard there were some; I saw none. I saw no reason to criticise the inclination on the part of the army surgeon to do his whole duty. The work at times was not satisfactory. It was frequently slovenly. But, gen- tlemen, it was not because the doctor in charge did not mean well, but was due to the fact that some men are slovenly in their toilet; they are slovenly in their dress, and naturally they will be slovenly in their methods. I did not see any neglect. I frequently saw irregularities of beds, confusion, and clumps of debris and rubbish and other dirt and dirt-catching nuisances here and there, but I am DR. ELMER LEE. 2309 sure it can not be ascribed to the fault of the individual, it is the fault of the system. Q. Did you see any evidences of gross neglect of properly removing the typhoid excreta? A. Never. Q. Have you ever seen vessels for the reception-intended as receptacles for the typhoid excreta, left open for hours and exposed to the air and to the flies? A. Can't say that I have; never saw that; I have heard of it. In my own wards, as indefatigable as I tried to be, I would sometimes go into my bath house, in which all these excreta vessels were kept-they were not kept in the wards-and would find sometimes a vessel filled to running over and would be obliged myself, per- sonally, to direct its removal; but I thought nothing of that, any more than any other incident that might happen in hospital treatment. Q. Did I understand you to say that you put your typhoid excreta vessels in your bathing houses? A. In one side of my bath house. My bath house was divided by a midway partition running through, and one side was used for the toilet and the other for washing purposes, so that I kept the excreta vessels out of the wards. Q. Upon what day did you go to this annex hospital, and when did you leave it? A. The 1st of September, and left the 16th. Q. You spoke of your securing these bath houses and their closet arrangements, and the ease with which you secured them; would they, think you. have been of service in connection with the other wards of the general hospital and the deten- tion hospital? A. They were regarded by me as practically indispensable. Q. Why was it, then, think you, that they were not erected in connection v.ith the other wards in other parts of the hospital? A. I couldn't say; I simply conclude that they have not so appeared to the other surgeons. Q. Did any of the other wards have similar arrangements to yours? A. No, sir. Q. Now, you spoke of the fact that there was occasionally delay; in securing what, sir? A. In securing hospital supplies in general. Q. And for what length of time? A. Well, there was a general scarcity of bed linen. Q. Was there ever a time, to your knowledge, when there was an abundance of bed linen there? A. I am of the opinion there were times, but it had a way of disappearing; but when anything went away it seldom, it seemed, came back again. Q. Where was the washing done for the hospital; on the grounds? A. The washing was done on the grounds, though I didn't personally inspect the laundry. Q. You don't know the condition it was in? A. No, sir. Q. When your soiled linen, etc., was sent to the laundries, how long a time before it was returned to you? A. There is no way of telling, because there were no individual laundry accounts; there was no record kept of the laundry lists; there were no laundry lists. Q. Was the washing as a rule returned within forty-eight or seventy-two hours? A. The washing of the wards was never returned; there was a common return to the quartermaster's department or the commissary department-I may be wrong-whichever one it was. Q. That is, of the hospital? 2310 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, of the hospital; and the supplies were taken from the general source. Q. Then the return was made to the washing department? A. Yes, sir. Q. And fresh supplies obtained from them? A. Yes, sir. Q. What were the drugs that were especially wanted, that you spoke of, that could not be had, although there was a large amount of drugs there? ' A. There was nothing that was wanted, as far as I was concerned. I had more than I could use, and the drugs were a drug to me. They were in extravagant abundance; but I am speaking of some of the doctors who could not treat an intes- tinal disease unless they had arsenic copper, or unless they had some other form of arsenic, or some peculiar drug they had learned to depend upon. Q. Did you, yourself, at that time have material difficulty in getting such med- ical supplies as you wanted? A. There was no difficulty in securing what was required for my five wards. Q. How much material did you get from the Red Cross? A. Very little. Q. What was the object in getting that little? A. That which I got from the Red Cross consisted practically of a few tooth brushes, some unimportant articles, and occasionally some fruit. I didn't draw very much from the voluntary auxiliaries, for what they had didn't appear to be required in many instances. Q. Do you know whether or not there was at any time such scarcity of tents that men in camps and in the hospital could not secure them? A. That may have been prior to my going to the camp; there was no such scarcity after the 1st of September; I can't speak before that. Q. Without being confined definitely to any one day-take, for example, the 5th, or 6th, or 7th of September-were there any hospital tents put up and fur- nished with cots and proper bed linen to answer the requirements of all the sick that came? A. Far more; there never was a time when there was not at least 100 vacant beds. There was one of my wards never occupied after the 6th of September. Q. Why was it, under those circumstances, that men were refused admittance to the general hospital ? A. I have no knowledge of that state of affairs. That didn't come to my knowledge. Q. I think I understood you rightly to say there were a large number of visitors there ? A. Yes, sir. Q. Going all about freely and without restraint? A. Practically so ; without restraint. Q. Were these visitors of service or otherwise to the sick? A. To the contrary, they were detrimental. Q. Was it possible for you to prevent this influx? A. I see no reason why it could not have been prevented. Q. Do you know any reason why efforts were not made? In the first place, were efforts made to limit the number of visitors ? A. Can't say about that. Q. Do you know why such efforts should not have been made ? A. No ; I know of no reason why they should not have been made. Q. Are you familiar enough with the medical organization to know who had the say, so to speak, with reference to the detention hospital, or general hospital, as to the number of visitors, and under what circumstances? A. I am incompetent to fairly state as to where the authority rested. Q. Now. Doctor, as I understand you, you had no occasion to visit the sick in camps ? DR. ELMER LEE. 2311 A. No. Q. And yon are not prepared to state as to the number or character of the sick? A. No; I went into the camps as an idle visitor, but for no other purpose. Q. Did you at any time observe evidences of gross neglect on the part of regi- mental officers, medical or otherwise, as evidence of the fact that men who were very weak were compelled to report at sick call or compelled to do guard duty, or were compelled to walk long distances to get where they wanted to go ? A. Such conditions did not come under my knowledge; I had no personal knowledge of such facts. I heard such things only as hearsay stories, but of my personal knowledge I know nothing whatever of that state of the case. Q. Did you have occasion at any time to see the condition of men that were waiting at the station to be sent away on trains ? A. Yes, I have seen men waiting to be sent away on trains. Q. Did you ever observe men under such circumstances who ought by good rights to have been in their beds and not at the station ? A. I think it is no stretch of the facts to say that a large percentage of the patients who went away should have been detained. Q. What was the reason, think you, that they were not retained? A. I think it was largely pressure brought to bear by influences, social and political and medical. Q. Do you or do you not know whether it was possible, considering the number put into the hospitals, to retain and properly care for all these numbers that were sent away? A. Yes, sir; there was provision for all of them. Q. They could have been cared for, could they? A. I think so. Q. And if they were not cared for-were refused admittance, and were ordered sent away-upon whom would the blame for such a thing rest? A. Couldn't say. Q. Do you or do you not know of any man or men being sent out of hospital or given furloughs against their wishes and inclinations, and such men were compelled to leave the hospital and go on the trains elsewhere? A. There is no instance of that kind which is recalled. The men were very submissive; they were very docile; there was a uniform willingness to be shifted from place to place without a murmur. There was no trouble whatever in man- agingthe sick patients. They were perfectly manageable. If they went, they went because somebody said that they were to go. I remember an instance in which, when an ambulance was being loaded to send a squad of sick men to some one of the relief ships that were going to New Haven, I think that there was one man who was a little slow in climbing into the ambulance. Colonel Forwood hap- pened along at that moment and he said, Do you think this man should be sent away in such condition? " and I said, "No.' He said, "Neithei' do I;" and the man was returned to his bed in the hospital. By Governor Woodbury. Q. Please state whether you know of any men being furloughed without their request or request of their friends, and against their will. A. I know of a case of a handsome young boy who came into my hospital suf- fering from an acute attack of tonsilitis (inflammation of the throat), and the poor boy was annoyed and pestered by two women who alleged that they had com- munications from his friends to secure for the young fellow a furlough, and the attentions on the part of these young women were very distasteful to the young fellow, but he seemed to feel that somehow he had to submit, although he was progressing favorably and rapidly. It was all that I could do, gentlemen, to pre- vent these women from bodily carrying him out of my ward. They would actually have carried him out of the ward in their arms if they had felt there was not some 2312 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. restraint, and I was quite surprised and shocked, or rather annoyed, when one of the ladies came into my office and shook into my face a paper; she said, "Now, I have something which I know will please you; here is his furlough." She says, " I did it; I got it for him; " and the young man preferred to go with his regiment, and his officers preferred to have him go, because he was a worthy young fellow and one who was popular. He wanted to go with his regiment, but before he was fully recovered they secured his discharge from the hospital and sent him off, I think, to the home of some one of the ladies who lived in Brooklyn. It was a strange and surprising feature to me, for I was always accustomed to think that in a military hospital military methods would be preeminent, and I couldn't get over the surprise that even I myself was allowed to roam at will through the camp, unquestioned, by night and by day, unquestioned by sentries; and I was con- stantly surprised-I don't know that it was contrary to military rule, but it sur- prised me-that I was not requested to show my authority for being here and there. By Dr. Conner: Q. Do you know anything about the measures that were adopted with refer- ence to the burial of the dead? A. Very little, indeed; I never visited the dead house. I never saw the man- ner of preparing the dead for burial. I visited the burial ground and saw the gravediggers spading up the earth; but of more than that I have no personal knowledge. Q. Were there, or were there not, any considerable portion of bodies examined post-mortem? A. I have no personal knowledge of that point there. Q. Do you know of any being examined? A. Of my own knowledge, I do not know of one. I heard of one. I heard at the mess table a conversation about a diagnosis being established by post-mortem examination. Q. Do you know whether or not proper religious services were held at the time of burial? A. I have been told by the clergy, by the chaplains who were in the camp, that burial services were properly conducted. Q. Now, Doctor, as I understood you just now, there are, or rather you have, a considerable number of recommendations that you have prepared for us, or sug- gestions to make, upon what you yourself observed; will you be kind enough to leave that with us, if you have it prepared? A. Would you rather I would leave it, or shall I read it to you? Q. You may read it if you desire. A. What I am about to say might be considered by some to be epigrammatic; some might call it abrupt, and others might consider it rash. I am, professionally, of the opinion that the Government of the United States and its people will never secure any better results so long as the present system of medical management is in vogue. I regard a revision of the whole department as necessary. I do not mean the turning out of one man and putting in another; but a revision of the whole department is essential, is important, and necessary, and the revision, gen- tlemen, should take place with the medical education. Medical education is wrong. It is upon a wrong basis. It took me ten years to unlearn the mistakes that I was taught in medical colleges, and if you will give me your attention I will show you where it is wrong. I have these recommendations to suggest: 11 Testimony and recommendations before the War Inquiry Commission at New York, November 23,1898, by Elmer Lee, M. D., New York City. "The school to be known as United States Medical Academy for clinical teach- ing in practice and surgery, cooking, hygiene, nursing, ward arrangement, case keeping and records, ventilation, massage, exercise, and clothing." DR. ELMER LEE. 2313 This college should be for medical gentlemen applying for service in the Army or Navy. It should be a post-graduate school, in which there should be training for actual practice without training in theories. Theories are only conditions capable of raising contention and differences of opinion. There should be con- nected with such institution- "Hospital and outdoor clinic, managed on the lines of natural methods, prac- tically without apothecaries, bacteriologists, pathologists, and laboratories. Prac- tical work includes among others the following outlines or basis for organization: " Hospital of 100 beds, with arrangements as in field or camp, two-thirds medi- cal, one-third surgical. " Training school for physicians applying for service, likewise for nurses, cooks, and hospital attendants. " One or more such schools, as may be required, say New York, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, sufficient to supply the whole service with experienced assistants. The course of training to be exactly similar in each place. "A training in case management with means and measure which did not include drugs, save in extreme and rare instances for temporary use; for example, morphine to allay pain. ' ' A standardized and unit system of treatment as a fundamental basis for army and navy therapeutics, capable of expansion in time of war emergency. "Food and water a basis for internal treatment, water for external therapy. Drugs unimportant. Curable cases amenable to restitution without their use, and incurable cases likely to be injured by their employment. " Two or three quarts of water to be taken into the stomach each day, required for health and prevention of disease, for which there is no substitute." And this is one of your chief causes for sickness in the army. I know this to be the fact. I learned it from personal visits to Camp Alger, that the men got it into their heads that the water was bad, and they were frequently encouraged by the army surgeons, because they themselves did not realize the importance of it. Many of them would, some of them did, and Colonel Girard in charge of that camp did understand it, and recognize it, and did express to me the statement, which also surprised me, that he had no authority in directing the treatment of the sick. That was in the hands of the subordinates. He had no authority to direct or to compel any line of treatment being adopted. I suggested to Colonel Gerard the value of trying a system based somewhat upon these investigations. He said he would be very happy, indeed, if it was in his power, but it rested with the subordinate doctors, and I saw at once it was wholly impossible to get their cooperation. They don't understand the results, the importance of it, and you could not do a thing. I went into the hospital there and I saw patients suffer- ing for the want of better treatment, not because of neglect, but for the want of knowledge of how to treat them in a better way. You have it in private practice just the same. I was going to say that in Camp Thomas, and in all the camps about there, they had an idea the water was not good, and that the less they drank the better. Many of the troops told me that upon my return from Cuba, and as a substitute they drank black coffee, or nothing. Now, you violate the rules of nature like that and how can you prevent men from being sick. You don't have to shoot a man to make him sick. You don't have to club him. The violation of a few rules of nature will make him sick, and the violation of one rule, persisted in, will make him sick. "Rejection of canton flannel and woolens for underwear, and the substitution of cotton or linen of light weight in autumn and winter. No under wear in sum- mer; essential for health or comfort. "Camp setting: AmpA provision for drinking water, bath houses, and wash houses; indispensable to health and courage and discipline. "Improved cooking utensils, and trained cooks, taught in training schools for 2314 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. such purposes, using army rations as their basis. Forbiddance in times of war to visitors without pass in camp and field hospitals. " The substitution of portable board or other houses for the canvas tent, as far as practicable. Shower baths and washing facilities in the hospitals, including hot water in autumn and winter. " Case keeping by nurses and record keeping by clerks, physicians to give their whole time to the care of the sick. Three physicians to every 100 patients-one head and two assistants, two day and one at night. "Vaccination in declining favor in England, and should not be made compul- sory." 1 Vaccination is declining in favor in England and should not be made compul- sory. Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Holland, and many other countries in Europe have long since repudiated compulsory vaccination. I saw cases in Mon- tauk of extreme vaccination poisoning. In my mind there is no doubt that vac- cination is partially responsible for the impaired condition of the soldiers' health. However, that is a question for dispute among doctors. I have no doubt of it for my part. "Regular daily exercise of all troops as measure of prevention against sickness. " General causes produce sickness; seldom special ones. " Bodily sanitation of greater importance than camp sanitation, though the lat- ter is not to be neglected. ' ' Military recommendations by the Medical Department frequently fail to com- mand the respect and approval of the executive officers: consequently are inoper- ative." General Bates, I believe it was, related to me his disapproval of recommenda- tions made by his army staff, and he said, as a consequence, they were not carried out. He said, " They seem to me to be trivial, impracticable, and unnecessary." I regret to say, gentlemen, that is a reflection upon the wisdom and intelligence of our profession. I regret, also, to say it is to a certain degree, a just criticism. I criticise no individual; I criticise the method and the system. " Sinks the unlikely causes of diseases, though they may be and occasionally are nuisances. " Bacteriology is the bane to-day of the medical fraternity, as well as to civil and military life." Fear and unnecessary excitement prevail to-day through the real or supposed methods of the bacteriological laboratory. The predictions of epidemics of yellow fever, typhoid fever, and other supposedly caused germ fevers, did not take place. The predictions took place, but the epidemics did not. No less a man than the distinguished Dr. Senn predicted that the camp would be decimated by an epi- demic of typhoid fever. Did it occur? It didn't occur. Other doctors made the same prediction, but it didn't occur. Dr. Senn took me to task for differing from him. Dr. Senn is a great surgeon and a lovely gentleman, hospitable, and delight- ful, but his prophecies are not always fulfilled. In Chicago, in 1893, a distin- guished English gentleman stood before the Chicago Medical Society and told them that within three weeks to six weeks Chicago would be visited by an epi- demic of typhoid fever. This was prior to the World's Fair. The basis of his argument was that he had taken a drive along the Chicago River and along the harbor, and some of the water which had been bottled and sealed had been analyzed and had been found to contain germs. And that was his basis. Now, that was the condition that had been going on there for years and years. It was no new thing. By Captain Howell: Q. Then I suppose you don't believe in this theory that flies can carry typhoid fever around under their wings. DR, ELMER LEE. 2315 A. Well, hardly. "Typhoid infection and epidemic means that many persons acquire a similar state of bodily condition under like habits of living. "The chief causes of sickness are liquor drinking, overeating, improper cloth- ing, failure to keep clean, neglect of daily exercise, too little water taken into the stomach, fatigue, and contamination by association with impure women adjacent to camps." I saw plenty of venereal diseases at Camp Alger, and Camp Thomas was the same. Disease is seldom transmitted, but easily acquired. You see the point I make; disease is acquired, not transmitted. I see the statement is made that disease was brought from the State camps to the general camps. Well, that doesn't explain anything. It only shifts the bucket of water from one shoulder to another. Why not prevent it in the local camps, then? But that is not the explanation. "Disease seldom transmitted, but readily acquired. Flies a most improbable causative factor; likewise mosquitoes. Such explanations are required to support the germ theory of disease. " Water supply seldom or never dangerous to healtn, owing to the provision of the neutralizing character of the alimentary juices, saliva, gastric, juice, bile, pancreatic fluid, and intestinal secretions." The gastric juice is capable of neutralizing sixty times any poisons or organic substance introduced into it. Therefore it would take sixty times the quantity of a poisonous virus to produce the effect upon the individual, provided the gas- tric juice was in healthy condition. By General Beaver: Q. That is the problem-to keep the gastric juice in a healthy condition? A. That is the "milk in the cocoanut." "Better medical organization means similar individual training for service along natural lines to insure cooperation. Medical training of the schools of the day leads to and encourages diversity of methods, and invariably results in dis- agreements and confusion in practice. "Under revised and cooperative and unified medical direction fewer cases would require hospital treatment, as there would be less sickness and less room for complaint of overcrowding and shortage of hospital tentage and supplies. "Good health is sufficient to constitute immunity; inoculation and previous disease is no immunity worthy of confidence. "The risk of importing diseases frequently overstated and rarely happens, though ofttimes predicted. " My recommendations are for uniformity of system and a medical head that has authority to lay down and enforce rules of treatment. It might not be the wisest in every case that science could suggest, but it would more nearly help to attain the end for which an army is organized. The medical department is of all branches of the service the least military, and will remain so under the system in vogue. " Revision in the medical educational system is the only reasonable ground for better service. The moment is opportune for the creation of a bureau of military medicine capable of deciding what shall constitute the standard in army and navy medical practice. " It is respectfully submitted that, in addition to the army and navy academies, the time has come for the establishment of a school of training for graduates in medicine who contemplate medical service in the Army or Navy." To explain just exactly what I mean, I would treat typhoid fever in every single case precisely the same way, allowing, of course, a little liberty, but I would have one treatment for typhoid fever, and I would have every doctor carry out that 2316 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. treatment. Otherwise what is the use of having a military medical department if you can't control your units; if you allow each doctor to experiment along his own lines ? It is an impossibility. The youngest doctor and the oldest doctor is free from criticism as to medical method. One man gives his patient arsenic and another gives him quinine, and another gives him stimulants and another milk, and they all disagree and they all differ. Gentlemen, how can you hope to have anything better ? I have brought here just a few case records from camp records which occurred in my hospital. I just grabbed up a few as I came away, to show what I have stated to you is practicable. By Dr. Conner: Q. If you will leave these with us I will see that the gentlemen of the commis- sion see them, and will explain the bearing of them. It will illustrate the condi- tions perfectly well. This other paper, if you please, I would like to have that left with the commission and marked " Exhibit A." A. Yes, sir; you may have it. (Said paper last above referred to was handed to the stenographer and marked " Exhibit A, November 23, 1898. S. B., Steno.") By General Dodge: Q. There are two matters you referred to that have been thoroughly carried out-bath houses and places for men to wash their clothing. Is there any other statement you have to make of the conditions at Montauk ? A. No, sir; except answering questions you may have to ask me. By General Wilson: Q. Anything that can be of assistance in any possible way? A. The inefficiencies and the deficiencies, as I said before, are not personal, but are due to a defective system. It is not the individual who is at fault. I regarded Colonel Forwood, whom I looked upon as the head of the camp, as the equal of any medical executive officers whom I have ever known or would evei1 expect to see in charge of a camp. If he had had equally capable subordinates very much of the confusion would have been avoided. It is true that the camp was not prepared for the reception of the large numbers of soldiers that were dumped upon them. I do not know whose fault that was, but the camp was not prepared as early as it should have been. By Colonel Sexton: Q. When you had charge of the hospital were there many of the volunteer soldiers in the camp at that time, or were they nearly all regular soldiers? A. My recollection is that the camp was made up of both classes, perhaps nearly equally divided. I noticed very little difference between volunteers and regulars as to the importance or the character of their treatment. Q. On your theory the regulars might have been better instructed than the volunteers as to the care of themselves, as to the necessity for cleanliness, etc. A. I doubt that very much, because the same system that applied to the volun- teers applied to the regulars. It is the same system that is at fault, and the indi- viduals can never be better than the system, and it is not fair to blame the individuals so long as they are operating under a defective system; and you gen- tlemen, in your private capacity, suffer in your sickness, in your own family suffering, and Dr. Conner knows it, suffer from the lack of these very defects in medical system, in medical teaching, of which I have spoken. DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL J. MORRIS BROWN. 2317 New York, November 23,1898. TESTIMONY OF DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL J. MORRIS BROWN. Deputy Surgeon-General J. Morris Brown, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testi- fied as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Will you be kind enough to state to us your name, your rank, your period of service in the United States Army, and the position that you have been occu- pying since the 1st day of eJanuary? A. J. Morris Brown, Deputy Surgeon-General, United States Army; a little over thirty-six years in the service, and stationed in New York City in charge of the medical supply depot of the Army; in New York City since and during the time specified in the question. Q. Doctor, will you be kind enough to state to us what your duties are as chief medical purveyor? A. As officer in charge of the supply depot here it was my duty to purchase and forward requisitions for medical supplies for the United States Army. Q. Did you have anything to do with the letting of contracts for medical sup- plies and medical stores, and furniture, and things of that sort? A. Yes, and no. I received instructions from the chief of the corps and fur- nished him with a list to advertise for proposals, which proposals were to be opened at the specified date. I opened the proposals, as required by the regula- tion, tabulated them, and forwarded them to the Surgeon-General's Office. Q. The decision upon these proposals does not rest, then, with you? A. No, sir. Q. But the chief of the bureau? A. Chief of the bureau. Q. On the 1st day of April what was the condition of the supply department of the United States Army Medical Department? A. We were very short of supplies the lattei- part, or rather the middle, of the month of March. A circular had been sent out asking for proposals to furnish certain supplies, which were intended to give us a six months' supply for an army of, I believe, 25,000 men, as the Army then existed. These proposals were opened on the 28th of March, tabulated, and sent to Washington. I can not tell you the exact date, but some five to seven days after they were opened. Q. Did these statistics thus accumulated cover all the supplies for the 25,000 men, or was similar work being done at the other purveying stations, at St. Louis and San Francisco? A. At the time I opened proposals in New York proposals were opened by Colonel Wright in St. Louis, in charge of the depot at that point, but not San Francisco. Q. How soon after this time were the bids accepted and orders given for the purchase of the goods? A. Well, from ten to twelve days after the proposals were forwarded instruc- tions were received to make some contracts. That is as near as I can recall now. Q. Somewhere about the middle of April? A. Somewhere about the middle of April I received instructions to make some contracts. Q. How soon after the middle of April were the medical supplies called for in chief furnished either to you or the purveyor at St. Louis, or to the authorities at W ashington? A. Some would be furnished inside of fourteen days and some would take longer. 2318 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Are we to understand that it was the 1st day of May before any of the sup- plies that were called for, the necessity for which was recognized in the middle of March-before they could be supplied to the service? A. In that neighborhood. Q. At that time, therefore, tVie original supplies that had been drawn six months before were practically used up? A. This purchase was providing for the future. They were not really due at the depot until in June, because they were to be used to furnish supplies for six months commencing the 1st of July. Q. The supplies for the six months beginning the 1st of January had been issued? A. In January. Q. According to the ordinary supply table regulating the issuing of medical supplies there were no troops in the field at all? A. No, sir. Q. As a consequence these four months had gone by-four out of six months- for which the January supplies were intended, and as a consequence, at the very best, only one-third of the supplies could be expected to be on hand? A. That is true. Q. When it became evident that war' was on, in the latter part of April, did you or did you not receive orders to at once secure a very large amount of sup- plies in addition to what had previously been offered under the bids? A. I don't recall receiving any order to that effect. Q. At what time were the purveying depots supplied with the extra amount which must of necessity have been called for in view of the calling out of 100,000 troops? A. Every requisition that was received carried with it the authority to pur- chase the supplies not on hand. Q. So that if you had not the supplies in the depot you could purchase to any extent to make up for the deficiency? A. Yes, sir; the authority was that in almost every case; Q. Was it or was it iiot possible at the time you specified, say the 15th of May, to purchase any considerable amount of medicines and medical stores? A. I think so. Q. Were there any special articles of much importance which could not be obtained because not in the market in sufficient quantity? A. I do not recall any at this time. As I recall it, I had no difficulty in getting my orders filled within a reasonable time. Q. Was there not a time between the 20th of April and the 1st of June when it was impossible to find in the open market of the United States many of the arti- cles that were called for? A. I do not recall that. Q. Was it or was it not necessary for those supplying these articles to add much to their lines of production in order to keep up with the demand of the department? A. I have no doubt that was the case. Q. Did they keep up with the demand of the department? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were there any times during the periods spoken of when a sufficient quan- tity of morphia, it may be, or quinine, or calomel could not be obtained in the country or purchased at once? A. I think not. Q. Then there was no reason why every ounce of medical supplies that was required in accordance with the terms of the supply table-there was no reason why it should not be furnished at any and all times? DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL J. MORRIS BROWN. 2319 A. No, sir. Q. Was it so furnished? A. Yes, sir, promptly. Q And by that, please answer a little more definitely, what you mean by "promptly." It has been declared that requisitions were sent to the supply depot and it was weeks, and in some cases months, before the articles required were shipped to the points indicated. Now, will you be kind enough to state the actual facts in regard to the matter? A. In those two cases? Q. In all cases? A. I prefer to answer particularly those two cases. A requisition would come in; it was taken up and sent to the storeroom; the packers would pack up such articles as we had in stock and they were turned oyer to the Quartermaster's Department for shipment. The requisition was then taken up by the clerical force, and the goods that we did not have on hand were purchased, or rather the orders were sent out, and as fast as received were forwarded. The one case, of the gen- tleman who appeared before the commission at Tampa and stated that some sup- plies that he had required had been some three months coming. I think it was- a shipment was turned over to the Quartermaster's Department on the 2d day of July, and we had a letter from him under date of August 31, in which he informed me that the supplies had not been received, but under date of the 5th of Septem- ber he advised me that those stores had just been turned over by the railroad company to the quartermaster at that place. Where they were between the 2d day of July and the 5th day of September I do not know. Q. Let me ask you right there, to interrupt you a little, what would be the course of any ordinary business house if a shipment of important things was reported to have been made the 1st of July and nothing was heard of it to the last of August; would not that business house have had tracers sent out and something done to try and find it long before the expiration of two months? A. It strikes me that a business man would take that course; that if he had ordered the bill of goods and was advised of their shipment he would want to know something about it. Q. Do you know anything about it? A. They had left the building. By Governor Woodbury: Q. Didn't you purchase outside to fill that requisition? A. The stores as a rule that are purchased outside come to the building and are repacked there. By Dr. Conner: Q. So that you know the stores were shipped properly and turned over to the Quartermaster's Department, which is the method of transmittal? A. Yes, sir; every effort has been made to get the stores from the depot as soon as possible. Q. Have you any means of controlling the shipments of goods by the Quarter- master's Department? A. None whatever. Q. Have you ever had occasion to urge that greater promptness should be had in shipping and delivering medical supplies? A. I have met with difficulty right at the door of the building with the cart- men, and have had to send to my office, and to the quartermaster's office on the floor above, to urge that certain shipments that have been, as we say, turned over for shipment be forwarded to their destination. Q. Why was it necessary that you should have to use your personal influence in order to get the shipment of military stores? 2320 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. The object was to get these stores to their destination as soon as possible, and in going through my storeroom I would see packages there that had not been shipped that I knew should have been, and I followed them up to see that proper entries had been made, and finding that they had, I would start a clerk to find out if they could get them out. Q. So that it was an act of grace and mercy on the part of the Quartermaster's Department, or was that a matter of duty; is that what we should understand? A. I would not give that impression. I had to call their attention to the matters at times in order that they might give theii- attention to the shipments. Q. Did the Quartermaster's Department have any control over the cartman? A. He was under contract to that department. Q. Now, we cite a particular instance again; it is reported that a 200-bedhospi- tal complete had been started from the depot here at an early date in July and that it never reached Fernandina; do you know anything about that? A. I do not. Q. It was so stated that the senior medical officer at Fernandina testified it had been told him; he had been told by Dr. O'Reilly that a complete hospital of 200 beds had been shipped from New York to Fernandina, and that said hospital never materialized. A. I do not know anything about it. I am very certain that if instructions of that kind had been received at the department, certainly part of the material would have gotten there. Q. How promptly were your medical shipments made from your depot to the medical department at Chickamauga? A. As soon as we could get them ready, although my recollection is that we had but very few calls from Camp Thomas. My impression is that they were supplied almost entirely from St. Louis. Q. It has been stated that medical supplies were received with great prompt- ness from St. Louis, and medical supplies on telegraphed requisitions that were called for through the Surgeon-General, and ordered from New York, were a long time getting there. Do you know anything about that matter ? A. I do not. Q. Was not official complaint made to you about that matter? A. No. Q. Will the records of your office show the telegraph orders, or more formal requisitions coming from there, and showing the date of shipment ? A. Yes, sir. Q. And the time of shipment? A. Yes, sir. Q. Would it be much trouble to provide them. A. I think I can do it. Q. I simply want to get some, as the commission does-some light on that mat- ter of what was stated to be a long delay in getting supplies through. A. I have the book in which is entered the date of the receipt of every requisi- tion, and I have my shipping books, and I have my packing books. By Governor Woodbury : Q. The date the requisition was received-is a memorandum made on each one showing it was received on such a date ? A. It is made in another book. By Dr. Conner: Q. Now, were you at any time out of hospital cots? They were furnished by your department, I think, were they not? A. Yes, sir. DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL J. MORRIS BROWN. 2321 Q. Hospital cots, hospital beds, hospital mattresses, etc.? A. Yes, sir. Every cot that has been shipped has had to be purchased. Q. Have you had any difficulty in getting them? A. I have purchased, I think, in the neighborhood of 10,000. Q. Was there any special delay at any time in getting these cots? A. At first we made an effort to supply what was known as the "Standard" cot and that took some time, because it was made by a firm in Michigan and took some time to make it. Q. How many of such cots were on hand the 15th day of April? A. I do not think there were any. Q. All had to be supplied? A. We made contracts under the circular of advertising in March for what we call 50 sets-500 cots. Q. And these, of course, had not been acted upon, either, in the proposal at the date stated, the 15th of April? A. I think the contract was made at that time, and as soon as we got those we got another set and continued getting them. Q. How was it as respects the iron bedsteads and wo ven-wire mattresses and assorted hair mattresses? A. We had none of these on hand. Q. How long did it take to secure them, say by thousands? A. I sent out in the New York market on one occasion to get a lot of 500, and could not find them in the New York market. I managed to get 116. That was all I could pick up, and the rest I had to send out, and it took me several days to get those. Q. Now, getting down as late as the 15th of June, how many hospital cots, bed- steads, and hair mattresses had you been able to distribute by the 15th of June? A. I could not tell you that. Q. Merely approximately. By that time the hospitals were beginning to be organized pretty largely throughout the country. A. I can not recall any instance by which I can fix it in my mind at all. Q. Can you, in any way, give us an approximation of the number of supplies of that sort that you have issued and had on hand a month later, when the rush began at Chickamauga? Oh, as I understand you, you didn't furnish much of the supplies to Camp Thomas? A. That is my understanding-that I furnished very little. Q. How was it as respects Camp Alger? A. I was sending supplies to Camp Alger frequently. Q. Were you able to supply them with the latest model-latest accepted hos- pital beds and bedding? A. I sent them cots-our standard cot--as rapidly as I could get them. Q. And that meant particularly what? A. Sometimes we had them on hand, and sometimes I had to order them. I tried to keep on hand as far as possible at least 500. Q. I was going to ask you about the surgical dressings; they were all made in Washington, were they not? A. No, sir. Q. Did you prepare them and ship them? A. I purchased a great many. Q. I find here that 40 boxes of these dressings were sent to Tampa, Fla., for use of the army that was about to sail for Cuba. That you wouldn't know any- thing about? A. No, sir; I don't know anything about that. Q. It is going to be an interesting thing to find out what became of those 40 boxes of dressings. 2322 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAK WITH SPAIN. A. They didn't turn up? Q. Probably not. Now, Doctor, there has been great complaint made, as you know, of the inadequate supply of medicines and medical stores at various points, particularly at Chickamauga. If such was the fact, where would the lesponsi- bility for its occurrence lie-with the supply department in not furnishing the articles, with the Quartermaster's Department in not transporting the articles, or with the deputy quartermaster's department in not turning them over to the par- ticular individuals who had to get them off to the camps? A. I could not answer that. It would depend altogether whether, first, the sup- ply officer had shipped the supplies, or whether the Quartermaster's Department had transported them. Q. What I am anxious to get at is whether or not the medical supply depart- ment not only was prepared to supply all demands upon it from the 15th day of April to the 15th of October, but also if it supplied all requisitions. A. I think they did as rapidly as it was possible to do it. Q. Had you as large a working force as you needed? A. I increased my force from time to time right along; have added men from time to time, so that I have now nearly three times the number of men I had in the beginning. Q. How is it as compared with the number of men that you had in the latter half of June? A. Considerably larger than it was then. Q. Are the demands upon your department as heavy now as they were at that time? A. It seems to me they are. Q. Therefore, if the two demands are equally large, you are very much more able to supply the demands now than you were at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. In what way do you get your assistants-by detail from Washington or by contract labor, or what is it? A. They are hired civilian employees of the Medical Department. Q. You have now many hospital stewards as your assistants? A. I have none on the active list. I have some hospital stewards-some retired ones-as civilian employees. Q. Did you have any medical officers assisting you? A. No, sir. Q. Was it possible for you-of course I will think it was possible-was it right that the amount of work that was demanded of the medical supply depot in New York should have been imposed upon one medical officei' with no army steward, and with only a few civilian employees? When I say a few, tell me how many there were, say, about the 1st of July. A. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty, including the clerical force and packers. Q. Was that force enough for you to properly turn off the work? A. I thought we were turning it off pretty rapidly. Q. Did you make application for any increased force? A. I did from time to time, and it was always given to me. Q. But the increase was always in simple laborers? A. I had both laborers and clerks. Q. Could your work have been facilitated if you had had a medical officer as an assistant? A. That has been a question in my mind all the time, whether it would. Q. Have you satisfied your mind, so that you can give an answer to it? DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL J. MORRIS BROWN. 2323 A. I have not; I do not know whether if I had had an assistant in my office it would have facilitated matters. Q. Do you know of any instance in which a requisition, duly approved, came to the supply depot, and the articles called for, or any one of the articles called for, were not sent out of your depot for fifteen days? A. Yes, sir. Q. What sorts of articles, and where and when? A. There was a shipment of bedsteads-well, I take that back; they were sent out inside of fifteen days. But there was one requisition that came into the office at the time I had a very great rush of business. A good part of the requisitions-the stores-were packed and shipped. In some way I never understood, and do not understand at this day, how the requisition came to be misplaced, until I found it some time afterwards. It was lost in the office on one of the clerk's desks, and of course I do not recall at this time what was on the requisition, but I did not know it until my attention was called to it. Q. Were the articles of medicines that were furnished to you after the 15th of April when you began to purchase, were these articles of standard quality? A. I think so.- Q. All of them? A. I think so. Q. Would you think it probable that an issue of quinine had been sent out from your supply depot consisting of chalk and sugar? A. I would not. Q. Would you probably know what the character of the articles were that you received from the manufacturers? A. We made an effort to deal with reliable houses. We have not sent them to chemists for examination. Q. There has been no possibility of inspection during these times? A. No, sir. Q. What is the ordinary custom in time of peace-to inspect the quality of the goods before they are sent out? A. Before they are accepted-we make a purchase of goods, drugs of the phar- macopoeia; the contract is let and when the delivery of the goods is made, a sample is taken and sent to the Surgeon-General's Office for chemist's examination. Arti- cles not of the pharmacopoeia, the contract is let, and the bidder furnishes at once a sample of the article he proposes to deliver. That is sent to the Surgeon- General's Office. What standard they compare it with I have no means of know- ing; and then when the delivery of the drug is made, a sample is taken to see if it contains the same pharmacopoeial proportions, and sent to the office, and the office is advised whether they are accepted or not. Q. Were there or were there not many articles not recognized on the army sup- ply table that were called for and issued by the department? A. T think we have been purchasing a great many. Q. They were largely of what character? A. Well, a number of proprietary articles. Q. By that you mean what? A. Well, something we don't-that was not recognized by our standard author- ities. The formula, while published, is, I believe, copyrighted. Q. Instance a proprietary medicine or series of proprietary medicines that are issued by you during this summer? A. One article that I purchased and sent out to one hospital, that was called for on a requisition, was pepto-mangan. Q. How was it with the various coal-tar preparations; they are not recognized, I believe, on the table? 2324 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Some of them are. Q. There were others called for? A. Not so much in coal-tar preparations. Q. Very great complaint has been made in many places that so simple an article as strychnine was either not obtainable at all or with very great difficulty? A. We sent out great quantities of it. Q. Do you know of any requisition coming in to you for strychnine that was not honored? A. I don't remember any; no, sir. Q. If the requisitions from purveying depots were honored and the articles were supplied to the supply depot, is it or is it not probable that the articles would be issued by the acting purveyor at the supply depot? A. I should think so. Q. Great complaint has been made that an article like salol has been obtainable only with very great difficulty. Have you had occasion to supply articles of that sort? A. We have supplied lots of it; I can not give any amount, but large quanti- ties have been supplied. By Governor Woodbury: Q. With promptness? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. I will ask you again when you answer " yes" as to "promptness," you mean within two or three days? A. Ordinarily. Q. In no cases, I understand, exceeding two weeks? A. Not ordinarily. Q. Do you know of any medicine the issuing of which was delayed two weeks? A. I do not recall any. Q. And very bitter was the complaint in the Southern country, in Florida, as I remember it, that so simple an article as castor oil could not be obtained from the purveyor; a requisition for several gallons being made and a small bottle was returned in the place of it. Do you suppose there was an abundance of castor oil issued by your department to physic all the army? A. I had that impression. Q. Do you know of any reason why the supply depot at Tampa should not have been supplied with all necessary medicines? A. No, sir. Q. Did you ever hear any complaint from that depot? A. I do not recall any. I don't recall that I have ever had a communication from the officer in charge of that depot that he was not getting his supplies. Q. Now, you sent plenty of supplies to Montauk, I suppose? A. I think so. Q. We have had testimony quite recently that the only way a man could get medical supplies-for example, at Chickamauga Park-was to go down early in the morning and grab all there was there and carry it off. The only question I want to ask you is whether or not there were, so far as you know, enough medi- cines and medical stores sent down there to supply the camp? A. I don't know anything about that. Q. You don't know if the amount that was sent by you would be sufficient to answer the requirements, if that was all that was sent there? A. Oh, no. DR. HERBERT C. ANDERSON. 2325 New York, November 23,1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. HERBERT C. ANDERSON. Dr. Herbert C. Anderson, upon request, appeared before the commission and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Will you give your name and present address, and profession, if you please? A. Herbert C. Anderson; 527 Henry street, Brooklyn, N. Y.; physician. By Dr. Conner: Q. Doctor, I see you have given your name and address. Go on, please. A. I am a physician, and in the late war was acting as assistant surgeon, not during the whole period, but from the 17th of August. Q. You have been a practicing physician for how many years? A. Three years. Q. And are now living where? A. In Brooklyn. Q. At what time, Doctor, were you in the military service of the United States? A. From the 17th of August until about the 20th of October. Q. A little over two months? A. Yes, sir. Q. And where were you stationed? A. At Montauk Point at the general hospital from the 17th to the 25th, and I was then transferred to the Second Regular Infantry, and I stayed there for several weeks and went with them to the South. Q. To Huntsville? A. To Anniston. Q. Were you at Anniston when we were there? A. I understand I left just before you were there. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us in your own way what you observed while on duty in the general hospital. You were one of the ward physicians, were you not? A. Yes, sir. Q. With reference to the fitness of the place for the purpose intended, etc.? A. I thought the situation was grand, being the same as some of our most noted summer resorts. Q. How many tents were there in your ward? A. I have forgotten; about six or seven; I never counted them, but probably six. My ward never had more than 35 patients in it. Q. Six tents? A. Yes, sir; six, and two extras for the nurses. Q. And you had how many men? A. I had on an average 35 men. I had three trained nurses, all graduates; Bellevue nurses. Most of the men were excellently taken care of. Every man went through a regular hospital treatment. As soon as he entered he had about a month's mud taken off of him. He was thoroughly scrubbed and put to bed with a new pair of pajamas on. We had a bed for every man; cot, with a mat- tress on it. The food was just the same as if they were in a New York hospital. We had everything; any quantity of it, and had no trouble about it. I never heard any complaints from any of the men; they were all delighted; they had never had anything better in their lives. Q. Were these patients that were under your care cases of typhoid fever? A. I had a little pf everything. I had typhoid, malaria, and everything that was going. I had probably 15 typhoids in my ward on an average all the time. 2326 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. They were kept there until they were able to be transferred and then they were sent to town. Q. To where? A. Sent down to New York. Q. How was it as respects what is known as the policing of the camp? Was it kept thoroughly clean? A. Kept thoroughly clean. There were men who walked between the tents, between the wards, and picked up everything that was thrown out. Q. Did these men do their work faithfully? A. I didn't have anything to complain of around my ward. Q. Did you see anything to complain of around anybody else's ward? A. No, sir; I never did. Q. How was it as respects the disposal of the typhoid excreta? What measures were adopted? A. Bedpans were used in the wards, and immediately afterwards they were dis- infected with chloride of lime and carbolic acid, and they were emptied in the sinks, and the sinks were covered every two or three hours with chloride of lime; and, as far as I saw, everything was taken care of from a sanitary point of view. Q. Disinfectants properly used? A. Any amount of them. Q. And were they chloride of lime and carbolic acid, or other disinfectants? A. That is all I know of. I used to get one dozen pint bottles every day for my ward. Q. Now would you, or did you not, at any time see a galvanized iron receptacle intended to receive this discharge temporarily? Did you perceive such a recep- tacle with its cover off and everything exposed to the air? A. Not in my ward. Q. Did you ever see it around anybody else's ward? A. I never went in any others; I had enough to do. I had 35 men to look after. By Governor Woodbury: Q. You passed along the others? A. Oh, yes; I could see in all the wards; there was nothing left outside; every- thing was carried away immediately. By Dr. Conner: Q. You had female nurses? A. I had three trained nurses. Q. They were ample? A. They were enough. Q. Do you think that three nurses can take proper care of 35 sick patients? A. I don't think there was any larger percentage in the hospital. Q. Three day and two in the night? A. Two night and three day; and I had four orderlies. Q. Did you at any time observe any neglect on the part of any medical officer connected with the hospital? A. No, sir. I think the men only neglected themselves. Q. Did you notice anything which would lead you to suppose that doctor, or nurse, or attendant, or anybody else was unfitted for the place occupied? A. There were a few, but they were immediately sent away. Q. These few were in what class? A. Several doctors, whose contracts were annulled for incompetency, and a number of orderlies who were sent away as incompetent. Q. With whom was the matter of canceling contracts in charge of? A. Colonel For wood. DR. HERBERT C. ANDERSON. 2327 Q. And not the chief officer of the hospital? A. He was the only man who had the power of annulling a contract. Q. And he exercised that power, to your knowledge, when necessary? A. Oh, yes, sir. Q. Did you have plenty of medicines and medical supplies? A. An extravagant quantity. Q. Bedpans? A. I had one of those box arrangements in every ward in every section, and each section held 5 men. Q. Do you think that one commode is a sufficient provision for five men suffer- ing from typhoid fever? A. I think so, because there was a man there to empty it immediately. It didn't take five minutes. Q. Suppose it happened that two or three men were wanting to use the vessel at the same time, could you very well have gotten a larger number? A. There was a partition; one on each side. We even had an extra one, that was not occupied, behind a screen. There was no trouble that way. Q. When you went to the Second Infantry, what was the condition of the camp? A. I thought it was ideal and the officers and the men thought so also. Q. Was the camp clean? A. The camp was as clean as a park. Q. Were there any sick in quarters, as we say-in theii' tents? A. There were no typhoid cases; just men who would lie down because it was easier than to be walking around. Q. How were these men provided with cots? A. Either had cots or mattresses, and in some cases they had no cots, but mat- tresses. Q. Was any considerable proportion of the Second Infantry compelled to lie on the naked ground? A. Not that I know of. Every man had a mattress. If he didn't, it was his own fault. They were all there; and every man had as many blankets as he wanted. On one occasion I went up to the general hospital and carried off a hundred blankets. The blankets were there for any man to sign for them. He just borrowed them. He never was charged with them. Q. Were the nights chilly? A. I slept with my tent rolled up and with one blanket. Q. These men were very much dilapidated by long exposure in the South? A. Yes, sir. Q. They felt the cold more than you would have? A. They slept two or three in a tent. Q. Did you hear any complaints of want of extra clothing, or of bedding, or of anything of that sort? A. I know some men went off saying they had enough underclothes to last five years. Q. Do you know anything of the character of the underclothing that was fur- nished by the Government? A. I don't know anything about that. Q. Was it thin or thick? A. They were, I think, medium ones, because we didn't expect to go South for a long while. Q. How many sick, or, rather, what was the average number reporting at sick call in the Second Infantry? A. I had all the way from 50 to 300. Q. You had as high a sick call as 300 men in one day? A. Yes, sir. 2328 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. When did you get through with it? A. I started at 7 in the morning and finished about noon, but they were mostly recruits from Georgia who had been in the army one month, so I found after- wards, that just got on sick call to avoid duty. I found that out, and I got that down to 120 by threatening to send them on hard duty. Q. Were you interfered with in the carrying out of that order by the kindness of the good ladies who visited the Second Infantry? A. The ladies did me a good deal of good and they worried me, a few of them did, but most of them bothered me, because they took up my time and didn't do anything but talk. Q. What had they to talk about-the condition of the sick? A. They investigated and looked about the tents, and if they saw a man lying down taking a rest they would bathe his head, or give him clam broth, or would insist on my sending him to some private hospital or somewhere. Q. Did you have occasion to send out many seriously ill from your camp to the general hospital? A. I sent all the cases we were not able to take care of to the general hospital. Q. Were your cases refused? A. I never had a refusal. Sometimes the transportation didn't arrive, the ambulances were being used, and I had to think out some scheme, and I used litters or private wagons. Q. Am I to understand that every man you sent to the general hospital was accepted? A. I never had a patient refused. Q. Did you have any difficulty in getting transportation, except when the transports were being unloaded? A. I could always get from five to ten ambulances, except when the transports were being unloaded. Q. Do you remember any occasion, except when transport services were needed, when it was impossible to get ambulances? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not there were 25 or 30 ambulances in the ambu- lance corral not fitted for use-in other words, some part gone that was needed, and they were not ready? A. Not as far as I noticed. The reason a good many doctors couldn't get ambu- lances was they didn't have the energy or didn't take the trouble to look for them. They gave orders in an indirect way. I went directly to the general hospital and saw Major Brown, or somebody else, and I got the ambulances as soon as I wanted them. Q. Had you had any previous acquaintance with those gentlemen? A. No, sir; I never saw them until I arrived there. Q. Is it or is it not true that in your regiment a large number of men absolutely requiring hospital attention and suffering for the want of care were left in tents? A. No, sir; I had a doctor with me and we made a tour of the camp two or three times a day, and the only men who stayed in the quarters-these old regular army men-they didn't want to go to the hospital; they wanted to stick by the regiment. Q. Did you have any difficulty in having those sick men furloughed when it was felt that they should go? A. I furloughed every man who needed it and was able to travel. I furloughed 350 men while I was in the regiment. Q. Did you send these men in ambulances down to the station? A. They got a ride down, but they were not so sick that they had to be taken down in the ambulance. Q. Did you have occasion to frequently visit the station? DR. HERBERT C. ANDERSON. 2329 A. Well, very seldom. It was a long trip and was not a very pleasant place. Q. Yon didn't go there very often? A. No, sir. Q. When you did go did you see any great number of sick and disabled men lying about waiting for transportation? A. No, sir; nothing but loungers around there. Q. You know nothing of the condition that prevailed there prior to the early part of September? A. I was there from the 17th of August. I don't know anything prior to that. Q. At the time you left was the camp in process of being broken up? A. Yes, sir; they were building the wooden tents. Q. Now, to put a general question covering the whole field of my inquiry, do you or do you not know, of your personal knowledge, of anything being neglected that should have been done, and if done, would have contributed to the welfare of the sick? A. No, sir; from what I saw and from what I heard the men never received such treatment. They were unused to such treatment. Q. Were you anywhere near the Seventh Infantry, or Eighth, or Twenty - second? A. We were all in a line. Q. How far was the Seventh Infantry from you? A. A hundred yards, probably. Q. Not more than that? A. No, sir. Q. Do you know whether or not the Seventh Infantry was full of seriously sick men who could get no attention and who were refused admission to the hospital? A. I never heard of any trouble of that kind, I saw the doctors frequently, and they didn't complain much. They complained a little about the major of our division, who was pretty strict on the line of reports, etc. Q. Who was that? A. Major Wood, of our divisional hospital. Q. Do you know anything of your own knowledge of men dying in camp? A. There was only one man died in my camp, and he committed suicide. He was insane. I might say that the food I considered excellent, because the officers lived on the same food that the men did. Q. By that do you mean the food supplied by the good ladies of Montauk and its vicinity, or the army rations? A. What the men were supplied with we lived on. We don't know where it came from, and I don't know of anybody who lived on hard-tack when we were there. Q. At Montauk? A. No, sir. Q. How was it when you went to Anniston? A. A big drop-from heaven to earth. We lived on hard-tack, and the hospital accommodations were miserable. My men were sent back after being there two days, because they happened to have a normal temperature for one day, to make room for boys with a stomach ache. By General Wilson: Q. In addition to the information which you have already given us, is there anything you can add to assist us in any possible way as showing any maladmin- istration in any department during the recent war with Spain? A. Looking it all over, I consider it wonderful that they could handle the men as well as they did. I think that Montauk affair was a gigantic undertaking, and Colonel Wood and Major Brown did their work excellently. 2330 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 25, 1898. TESTIMONY OF DANIEL McKEEVER. Mr. Daniel McKeever, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Please give your name and present residence. A. Daniel McKeever, 2625 Marion avenue. Q. Where? A. New York City. Q. What knowledge have you in regard to any of the departments charged with the responsibility of administering the affairs of the Army during the late war? A. On either Thursday or Friday, that would be August 18 or 19-1 think it was Friday-I saw in the Sun newspaper that my son had come on the St. Louis- my son's name is E. Percy McKeever-and had been taken to the detention hos- pital at Montauk. I tried by wire-telephone-to reach the colonel, whom I knew. Q. Of what regiment? A. Seventy-first Regiment; it was Company K, of the Seventy-first. Q. The Seventy-first New York? A. The Seventy-first New York; yes, sir; and he had been a member of that regiment for some time prior, a year or more prior to the time of volunteering. He was 21 years of age the day he left Camp Black. As I stated before, I saw in the Sun, either August 18 or 19, that he had been sent to the detention hos- pital from the transport St. Louis. I tried, as I stated, to reach the officers to know how he was, and I tried to reach the hospital people, but you can under- stand there was no way. They were in such a state that I couldn't get any answer. 1 went down on Saturday, August 20, and I got a pass from the provost, I think, by the station, so that I could go up to the detention hospital camp. I got up there to within 40 or 50 feet of the tent. I was stopped by the guard who was on duty there and I showed him this permit and asked him to go back and tell the doctor I would like to see my son, and so they would know who he was; I gave his name. This man came back in about ten minutes, and he stated there was nobody of that name in the detention hospital. So he stood quite a distance away from me, and I asked him what name he asked for. I hallooed out quite loud, " McKeever." He said, " I will go back again," and while he was away the flap of a tent close by was lifted and someone asked what name I was inquiring for. I told him McKeever, and he said, " That man is in here." Then my son managed to crawl up and come to the side of the tent. While he was dressing, putting his trousers on, this guard came back with the doctor in charge of the detention hos- pital-I presume Dr. Cronin-and he said, " There is no one of that name in the hospital." I said, " Why, he is right over there in that tent," and so he found out that was so. They wouldn't let me go near him then, but I brought up some underclothes, things I thought he would require, which he took and gave to him. I then tried on Monday and Tuesday the same way to get a furlough for him, but you know a layman is not familiar with the system, and although I telegraphed again to the colonel and the major, and all that, I couldn't get one. Q. Was the regiment in camp at that time? A. Yes, sir. Q. In the detention hospital? A. Yes, sir; the boy was in the detention hospital. Some companies, of which his company was one, had come up on the St. Louis; the entire regiment didn't come on the St. Louis, but some companies of which his company was one. So I went down on Wednesday to the camp and I happened to see Secretary Alger DANIEL m'kEEVER. 2331 there. I told him the circumstances, all about my son being there, and said I would like to take him back; I had arranged for a private room for him at the Mount Sinai Hospital, and I would like permission to take him away, which he granted. He instructed the surgeon to have the proper furlough issued, but I couldn't get him away that day for some reason, so I went down on the following Friday and I saw this Dr. Cronin again. I asked him about my son and he said, "All right; you can take your son away; he is getting along all right." So I got two colored men, who I saw standing around there doing nothing, to help me to fix him up. I got new underwear and clean clothes for him, his old clothes being in a bad state. I then found that the underwear I had brought him up before, that he had laid in that from the previous Saturday until this Saturday, suffering from dysentery, without any attention. He was in a terrible condition, as you can readily understand. I brought him in to Mount Sinai Hospital Friday even- ing, August 26, and he had all the attention there that they could give him. The doctors who next morning examined him, after a very careful examination, said he was suffering from starvation; they didn't think they could pull him through. We had everything specially got for him, but he finally died on August 31 from asthenia, from starvation. My complaint is that the boy, having had typhoid Q. (Interrupting.) Did he have any other complication than dysentery? A. He had typhoid fever before he left Santiago. The reason I know that is on Monday morning, August 22, I received a letter from the major of his regiment. He knew my son very well and he knew me very well, and he said in the letter that my son had had typhoid at Santiago and was left behind in the hospital there, although I had seen him in the detention camp the previous Saturday. Q. Who was the quartermaster of the transport that brought him up? A. I don't know, sir. The Mount Sinai people told me it would be necessary to bring a certificate as to what he was suffering from from the camp to the hospital. Q. From the surgeon of the detention hospital? A. Yes, sir; some young doctor in charge there-who he was I can't tell you- said to me, " I don't know much about it; I have only been here a couple of days; I guess he has malarial fever-well, we will call it malarial fever." Q. Who was the surgeon in charge of the detention hospital at that time? A. Dr. Cronin is the gentleman I saw. It was some young assistant who made that remark. Dr. Cronin didn't make any statement to me. Q. Was Dr. Cronin the surgeon in charge of the detention hospital at that time, do you know? A. He was the man who was brought out to me by the guard. He was the one who issued the furlough, and he was the one who issued the clothes, so I believe he was. Q. Was his name signed to the furlough? A. Yes, sir; then it had to be countersigned by one of General Wheeler's men up on the hill! Q. Did you make the acquaintance or hear of any other surgeon there by name? A. No, sir; I may have heard the name of some of them, but I was so bothered and upset that I don't remember. Q. You don't know whether Dr. Cronin was the surgeon in charge of the hos- pital or whether he was the executive officer of the hospital? A. No, sir. Q. He was the one who signed the furlough? A. Yes, sir. Q. And with whom you had communication? A. Yes, sir. I think on the succeeding Friday he was the one that the Secretary told to issue the furlough. 2332 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Who was the young surgeon to whom you referred who made the remark, "Well, we will call it malarial fever? " A. I don't know, sir. I think I cound find the paper he gave me. He took a pencil and scribbled out something on it. By Captain Howell: Q. Did he sign his name to it? A. Yes, sir. Q. We would like to have that. A. Very well, I will send it to you. By General Beaver: Q. Have you anything else to state? A. No, sir. By Captain Howell: Q. How many were in the detention camp at the time you were there? A. I don't know. In the hospital-in the tent-there were six, three on each side, hardly room to get between the beds. There was another thing. On Fri- day, when I took him away, he wanted a drink, and his drinking water I found was in an old tomato can under the bed, one that had been used, the same as a typical tramp would carry. By General Beaver: Q. So they didn't have the hospital facilities for taking care of the sick, accord- ing to your observation? A. They may have had them, but they didn't use them. He was in the deten- tion hospital from the day he landed from the ship, which would be either August 17 or 18, until I took him away on the 26th. From the 20th to the 26th, as I stated, he laid in that camp, to my own knowledge, without any attention. He told me, and it only corroborates what I saw, that the food was not what they should have. Somebody blundered by putting sick men on the transports with nothing but the army regulation food, and putting him up here in a place like that, with- out any attention, because I could see it myself. His water was in an old tomato can, and that was simply the manner in which he was treated ; so when I did eventually succeed in getting him away he was so far gone there was nothing could be done for him. New York, November 25,1S98. TESTIMONY OF CHAPLAIN DWIGHT GALLOUPE. Chaplain Dwight Galloupe, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Dodge: Q. Please give your full name, your address, and occupation or profession. A. Rev. Dwight Galloupe; 13 Market street, Newark, N. J.; rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. By Dr. Conner: Q. You were, I believe, chaplain to one of the regiments during the late war? A. Yes, sir. Q. What regiment was it? A. The Ninth Infantry. Q. The Ninth United States Infantry? A. Yes, sir. CHAPLAIN DWIGHT GALLOUPE. 2333 Q. Will you be kind enough to state first how long you were chaplain of that regiment, where you were on duty with that regiment, and then, in your own way, what you observed as chaplain. A. I might say, as a word of explanation, that I expected to go out with one of the New Jersey volunteer regiments as chaplain, but a political friend of mine told me there was a vacancy in one of the regular army regiments, and that I would be more apt to see service among the regulars than among the volunteers, so I sought this appointment in the Regular Army, and was appointed just at the breaking out of the war. I was confirmed by the Senate on April 19, I believe, and I saw service and resigned immediately at the close of the war. My first duty was at Tampa. I was ordered there in June with my regiment, which arrived there some little time before, and I think I was in Tampa very near a month. I went there right after my appointment and remained until the troops went away.' I don't know exactly what to say about Tampa; perhaps some ques- tions might assist me. Q. Tell us what condition your regiment was in while it was stationed at Tampa; what the surroundings were, as bearing upon the health of the command; what you observed as to the care of the sick of your regiment; what things were done that ought not to have been done, and what things were left undone which should have been done. Then, when you are through with that, in the same way give us the history of the regiment from the time it left Tampa until you got back. A, The condition of the regiment in Tampa was simply splendid. There was no sickness whatever. I visited the men every day, and also the division hospital, and there were almost no men of the Ninth in the division hospital. I think the only cases 1 remember were where a man was getting over the effects of a little spree, or something like that. No fevers that I knew of. Colonel Powell was in command of the regiment. He enforced most strictly every sanitary provision. Even the dishwater and slops-instead of being thrown on the ground, there was a hole dug in the sand and it was covered, and that was enforced every day. And in the mess-I was in there about every time the dishes were washed, and that was done and other sanitary regulations were enforced. There is really very little to say about the regiment in Tampa. They were healthy, in splendid condition, and remained so all the time I was there. There were no burials, no deaths, and I don't recall now a single dangerous illness which took place among the men in Tampa. Q, Did you have occasion to observe the division hospital or the general hos- pital at Tampa ? A. I did. Q. In what condition did you find it ? A. So far as I am competent to judge, everything seemed to be running smoothly. I formed most of my opinions in this whole matter from what the men them- selves say, and I heard almost no complaint. I had to do largely with the regu- lars, and every, now and then meeting the volunteers. Q. So far as you yourself observed, or as it came to your own knowledge, there was nothing specially out of the way in the care of the sick at Tampa ? A. No, sir. Q. Or the provisions made for them for their care? A. The provisions seemed to be ample. The little hospital tent we had for our regiment was empty most of the time, as I say, occasionally a man being there a few days, getting over the result of a little spree or something of that sort; no cases of sickness. Q. Will you tell us with regard to the transport you went on, the conditions you found, its name first, and how the men were in transit, and in what condi- tion you were landed ? A. One thing I would like to mention. I noticed in the report of Colonel 2334 investigation of conduct of war with spain. Roosevelt's testimony that he said his regiment had great difficulty in getting on a transport. I know nothing about that in the one way or the other, but I know my regiment left Tampa, which I think is about 9 miles from Port Tampa, on a train toward morning. I think daylight was breaking; I forget the exact time, but we went down there, and there was perhaps an hour's delay. The train pulled along and then kept stopping as we got near the port. I knew from the first we were to go on the transport Santiago. We waited about an hour along on the docks, perhaps an hour and a half, and then we boarded the transport without any confusion. In fact, the delay of an hour and a half was largely occasioned by a big gangway which was being built getting jammed in some way, and it had to be raised by a derrick. We went on board, and the officers were immedi- ately assigned staterooms and the men went to their quarters below. That was all there was of it. We knew right where to go and went right there, and there was no trouble. The transport, as far as I was competent to judge, was in first- class condition. The voyage over was delightful in every way. The men on our transport were given a great many opportunities to bathe; and very often, when not allowed to jump overboard and bathe, the fire hose was used, and they were kept clean and cool in that way. I went below very often and talked with them. Of course, as you may suppose, their fare seemed a little rough, but it was evi- dently just what they were accustomed to and what they expected, and I ate with them several times, pork and beans and hard-tack and coffee, and some canned stuff which I forget the name of. We had almost no sickness going over except one case of pneumonia and one case of a man falling from the rigging, I think, and one typhoid-fever case, which recovered. Those were the most serious cases on the voyage over. There was plenty to eat. I feel sure of that from the fact I had no complaints from the men. They talked to me very candidly. They were a little cramped there below deck, but there seemed to be no spirit of complaint among them. They seemed to realize they were getting all that was possible for them to get in the way of food and accommodations, and they were cheerful all the way over, singing when they were allowed to and enjoying themselves. These frequent ocean baths and the use of the hose was very much appreciated, and another thing, the colonel of our regiment used to order them up on the upper deck and keep them treading around the ship for an hour sometimes for exercise, and at a double-quick sometimes, faster and slower. I think that was very bene- ficial. The surgeons examined the ship very often. The greatest care was taken; I am positive of that, and the proof of it is we had almost no sickness, and there was a spirit of contentment in the regiment. Q. Now, as respects landing and after you landed? A. That is anothei- point I can't quite understand-some testimony that has been given. Of course, I can only speak for my own transport and regiment. We had no trouble in landing from the transport. The ship I was on, the San- tiago, carried General Kent, and we were ordered to lay off, that is, to the left of Morro Castle as you would face it, making a sort of demonstration as though to land on the other side. We hung off there two or three days, and then were ordered to Siboney to land. Our ship came to a halt there, and our boats were lowered and other boats were brought, and steam launches took them in tow, and we were pulled ashore rapidly, soon landing and soon camping on the shore. There were no men injured in the landing; all seemed to go off very smoothly. Q. Now, as respects the move to the front, your condition as regards tentage or its absence, what provisions you had in the first few days; then go on to the conditions such as you observed at the hospital, the service of the medical officers, and the attention that the men who needed attention received. A. After the landing on the shore the officers and men had the same fare, hard- tack, bacon, and some canned stuff, coffee and water and a little sugar, as near CHAPLAIN DWIGHT GALLOUPE. 2335 as I can remember, but plenty of it. I am a little at a loss to name the exact lapse of time that occurred. I was just recovering from sunstroke and sickness that I had there and my memory bothers me a little sometimes, but we were there at Siboney, I think, camped along the shore, about two days, and then the movement was made to the front. We marched not around by the wagon road, but over the trail, and we marched in the rather hot part of the day. That was the only occasion, in fact the only time, I heard any grumbling among the men of the regiment, because we started out when it was rather warm. The reason for it I don't know. There was only one man who dropped out that I knew of-he was a member of the band and had chronic kidney trouble-that is, besides myself. I got about halfway and had a sunstroke and was ordered back, and the next day I started out again with the Ninth Cavalry, I believe, and joined my regiment at the front. I found them camped near where the battle of the Rough Riders had occurred. They had mostly the little shelter tents, the officers and men alike, and they had their blankets. That is another thing the regulars did-they hung onto their blankets all the way through. As to the con- ditions as I found them at the front, they were, I think, very fair. The thing our regiment was needing was canvas. They were packed in very tightly, three or four in a shelter tent. They had blankets and they had plenty to eat. They carried on their backs three days' rations, I think, and they were comfortable. I know the night I got into camp they were singing around the fires and seemed perfectly contented. I was there about a day. and then I was out in the heat of the day again and had a little recurrence of the sunstroke, and the colonel ordered me back to the hospital. I went back there on the 1st of July. I heard the battle had begun and I started to join my regiment again, and got near enough to be a little injured by the explosion of a shell and I was taken back to Siboney. Right here I would like to make my testimony a little emphatic. I was among the sick and injured, although my injury was very slight, on the night of July 1, and saw all that happened there that night and I assisted the surgeon all night in the treatment of the wounded. The provisions there, of course, seemed a little inadequate. It was a clear night, though it has been stated a good many times that the wounded men laid outside-that they were not under cover. It is true. But people forget that they laid out on the warm sand and not in the damp, boggy jungle. I myself laid on the sand and I had no blanket, no covering for quite a while, but I was comfortable; the sand was warm; the night was clear. Those wounded men who were not under cover were lying on the warm sand. In fact a great many of the wounded men requested to be taken out of the tent, where the air was close and warm, laden with the odor of chloroform, and at their own request they were taken out. I forget how many hospital tents there were. They were very large, and up to the night of July 1 the tents were not a tenth part filled with sick men; there were whole tents vacant; then came this sudden congestion after this battle and the tents filled up very rapidly. I think there were seven dr eight surgeons. The wounded began to come in about noon. They didn't all crawl in as has been stated, all the way from Siboney; there were a great many of them came in on that little railroad that runs from Siboney to San- tiago; train loads of them; some of them were brought back in army wagons; some of them walked over the trail; but the statement that has frequently appeared that every wounded man that got back there crawled there is false. Then they were operated upon with great rapidity. I know some of the men had to wait quite a while, but I have an impression that by noon of the next day the most serious wounds had been attended to, and here again I base my conclusions upon the fact that there was very little complaint among the wounded men. That night I passed among them very largely and they all seemed to realize that every- thing was being done for them that could be done; they were in that spirit. As 2336 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. far as having any covering is concerned, I heard no complaints. A great many asked to be lifted out, to be laid on the warm sand, and toward morning my head got a little off again and I was taken first on board the Iroquois and ordered home. The next morning the Iroquois sailed. I got in a boat and was going ashore. I went ashore and I was feeling a great deal better, and I was landed by the surgeon and placed on the Olivette, and I saw the condition there and certainly no ship devoted to sending men home could have been any sweeter or cleaner than that was. It wasn't a pleasant place to be in, but it was better than a great many hos- pital wards I had been in in New York City. I was transferred from there to the Cherokee, on which ship we returned. The ship when she started had been cleaned out, washed out, flushed out with a hose, evidently, and some parts of it had been whitewashed, where the men were below. The ship wasn't at all crowded; we had about 350 men on that large ship; the men who were unable to eat the ordinary fare had beef tea and a great many other delicacies. The offi- cers dined in the cabin. The fare was plain and there was plenty of it, and here-again I heard no particular complaints among the men. Q. What medical provision was there on board; that is to say, how many med- ical officers and what supplies of necessary hospital stores and medicines were there on board? A. A large room forward-I think it was ordinarily devoted to the captain's use-was the headquarters for the medical department. As I remember, coming home, I think there were two commissioned regular surgeons on board and quite a number of hospital stewards and nurses. We had no deaths so far as I know coming back, and the majority of the wounded men at Tampa walked off the ship without assistance. A few were carried. I heard of no complaints on account of lack of medical supplies. I know the room was filled with bottles- medicines of every sort-and I know I was requested several times by wounded men, when I was able to be around, to get some medicine for them, and in no case was I refused, and in every case something was done for them. Q. So far as you know every necessary care was taken of the men and every necessary provision had been made for their care? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have occasion to land at Egmont Key before coming to Tampa? A. We halted there, but didn't land. The Manning came out and ordered us to Tampa. At Tampa again things seemed to move very smoothly. Our transport went into a long slip there and we landed. After two or three hours' delay the train was made up; all tourist sleepers and a dining car and one or two other cars. The cars were right there and the men could go right aboard from the boa^; they could almost step on the train. We loaded up and started north, and were unloaded at Fort McPherson. Q. Was there any trouble or delay on the trip to Fort McPherson? A. The train ran slowly and there were frequent halts. Q. Was that the trip, do you remember, when twenty-four hours was lost on account of failure to establish the necessary railroad connections and telegraphing had to be done all over the country ? A. That wasn't our train. Q. You arrived at Fort McPherson in fair time and in proper condition, did you? A. Yes, sir. There is one little fact which I would mention, showing the care of the surgeon. We had no sooner got on the cars and in our bunks than there came through a lot of men with pails of hot beef tea and some whisky and vari- ous other things; passed through the entire train. I was very particular to notice that the privates got the same as the officers, and what they needed. Q. And when you reached Fort McPherson in what condition did you find that place for your reception? CHAPLAIN DWIGHT GALLOUPE. 2337 A. There were ambulances there for the men who were unable to walk, and the men able to walk simply followed the ambulances and into quarters assigned them. The men who were seriously wounded were taken into the hospital proper. I was quartered with the officers in the barracks, my wound being very slight, and everything was clean and in order there as far as I was competent to judge. Q. You observed nothing, then, at Fort McPherson to cause you to think the men were not properly cared for in every respect and in every way? A. I spoke to the chaplain there at Fort McPherson, and I know he spoke to me about some of the criticisms that were in the papers, and he said, "You can see how much ground there is for such criticism by looking around here." I took pains to look around after that. Q. How long were you at Fort McPherson? A. I think about three days. Q. And were you then discharged, mustered out? A. No, sir; I came on to Newark. My appointment was in the Regular Army, but I went into the Army for the sake of the service only. My appointment, of course, was for life. Q. And you resigned soon after your return from Santiago? A. Yes, sir. If I may be permitted to say one word General Dodge. Make any statement you please; we shall be glad to hear you. The Witness. I have lectured on the war some, and have made some remarks similar to those I have made here. The papers have said it was simply because I was in the service, and dare not say otherwise. I was particularly desirous of appearing here after I resigned from the service, when I would have no axes to grind or favors to ask from the Government, to make this statement, because it is an honest statement, and it is what I believe. I know my testimony is at variance with a great many men. I have thought of it all along, what singular good fortune must have followed my regiment throughout the war, or else these people have magnified certain things, which, to my mind, seemed incidental to the war. It never seemed to me that the war should proceed along the lines of Cook's Tours to the Holy Land. There must be some chances taken, and some privations. By Captain Howell: Q. Do you think the condition of your regiment was due to the fact that the officers all attended to their duties? A. Yes, sir; I do. Q. If they had not, there might have been what other people complained hap- pened to them? A. Yes, sir. By Dr. Conner: Q. Did you observe any regiment in which proper precautions hadn't been taken, and as the result difficulties arose? A. Well. I passed through the camp of a volunteer regiment there and I noticed they were not as careful about burying all the refuse and keeping it covered up as we were. Q. Did you have personal knowledge of what the result was as respects that regiment? A. I judge somewhat by the condition in which it was upon its arrival home. That is, I think the same carelessness characterized it all the way through. Q. Can you tell what regiment that was? No matter, if you don't think it well to state. A. I would hate to have it appear, but I think you can guess what regiment it is; a regiment that has had a great deal of trouble since they have got home. 2338 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 25,1898. TESTIMONY OP SERGT. CHARLES J. GOULDEN Sergt. Charles J. Goulden, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. You have embodied your statement in writing, haven't you, Mr. G-oulden? A. Yes, sir. Q. Just let me see it, please. A. (Witness produces same.) General Beaver. Mr. President, I think we will save time if we take Mr. Goulden's affidavit and let it be copied in the minutes. General Dodge. Very well. Q. Your affidavit, which you will testify to, is contained in this written state- ment, and the statements therein contained are true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief? A. Yes, sir. The statement produced by the witness is as follows: " Sergt. Charles J. Goulden, of Company K, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers. "Private E. P. McKeever, of Company K, at Tampa, Fla., for some trivial breach of discipline, was put on company police duty and was detailed to dig a cesspool during the heat of the day. He was sick at the time, unfit for manual labor, and fainted at the work, remaining unconscious for about an hour. Was taken to the hospital and recovered so as to leave within forty-eight hours. " Regarding the food on the transport Vigilancia, on which the Seventy-first went to Cuba, we had plenty of bacon and potatoes, with beans, tomatoes, and canned fresh beef. The entire regiment were not allowed to cook the bacon and potatoes. This condition of affairs lasted for about ten days, until the transport was within a few days of Siboney, when orders were issued to allow the men to cook their food. A great improvement in the health and condition of the men was perceptible at once. " Quartermaster-Sergeant Hinds, of Company K, and others, threw overboard barrels of potatoes and bacon that had spoiled on the fifteen days' voyage and that would have been used, and with a relish, by the men if permitted to cook this food. " On or about July 18, after the surrender of Santiago, when acting as sergeant- major of the Third Battalion, I was taken seriously ill with fever; we were then on the line of the trenches. I was carried to the improvised field hospital, four or five hundred yards in the rear, where I lay on the bare ground in the open air, with- out shelter from the sun, from 8 a. m. until about 9 p. m., without attention or treatment, except a swallow of condensed coffee mixed in cold water, and a fly blis- ter on my spine, which was applied by one of the hospital corps. The blister was applied in mistake, as a mustard plaster was intended, as stated by Surgeon Staf- ford, of the Seventy-first, who visited me the following morning and who opened the large blistei- on my back. "At 9 p. m. Private Anderson, of Company K. found Private Asmus, a very sick man, who could scarcely talk and unable to walk, and myself, both of Com- pany K, and at once reported the matter to Captain Selfridge, of our company. He, with a detail consisting of Sergeant Hinds, Corporal Benedict, and others, carried us up the hill about 200 yards to where the Y. M. C. A. had two tents. The captain, after a spirited and determined effort, succeeded in obtaining the use of one tent for the sick-quite a number of sick men, including Private Asmus and myself being among them. PRIVATE JAMES P. HOLMES. 2339 " This was a great relief to all of us, but our satisfaction was short lived, for the following morning we were all carried out, the tent taken away, and we were dumped on the ground without shelter or blankets, where we remained several hours, getting wet with the rain which soon was falling. The Y. M. C. A., under the supervision of our chaplain, Captain Van dewater, who was then present, had no hesitancy in putting the sick out of the tent which Captain Selfridge had taken for us. " Having had yellow fever and relapses, with 83 others of the Seventy-first Regi- ment sick, we were detained in the field hospital when the regiment embarked for Camp Wikoff under the care of surgeon, Capt. James Stafford, of the regiment. We were left for about a week without medicines or nurses, with a number very sick. When I asked why he (Stafford) was in this sad plight, alone and unaided, he said, ' My hands are tied; they left me here without anything to care for these 84 sick men. What can I do? When the men are at all able they must help me, else the deaths will be frightful. I could save every man if I had medicines, food, and help.' " The water had to be carried a mile and a quarter, and no one physically able to do it; but it was done by the sick men, hence deaths were frequent, with no one to bury them but the sick themselves. I helped to bury many of them. Dr. Stafford, a hero and as brave and humane a man as ever wore the uniform of a soldier, did all in his power, working day and night untiringly, for the men, Dr. Stafford stated to me that men died daily for the want of medicine and proper food. Three died from Company K alone, out of less than a dozen, in four days. "We remained in this condition a week, notwithstanding Captain Stafford's best efforts to alleviate our heartrending condition. We were then removed to the division hospital, about 2 miles distant, where our treatment was good. Here cots, blankets, medicines, food, and nursing were to be had, and the men speedily recovered, so that they could be sent to Camp Wikoff. "C. J. Goulden." New York, November 25, 1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE JAMES P. HOLMES. Private James P. Holmes, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows; By General Beaver: Q. Please give your full name and present place of residence. A. James P. Holmes, 236 East One hundred and sixteenth street. Q. Did you get out of bed to come here? A. No, sir. I had gone to bed and sent for the doctor. I had been as well as anybody sincfe I got over the fever, but I took cold yesterday, I guess. Q. Were you out yesterday? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was your position in the Army? A. Private. Q. What company? A. Company D. Q. What regiment? A. The Seventy-first. Q. The Seventy-first New York? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you go all through the campaign with your regiment? A. All through, every bit of it. 2340 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Were you wounded? A. No, sir. Q. Where did you take sick? A. In Santiago. Q. What vessel did you come north on? A. The La Grande Duchesse. Q. What kind of accommodations did you have on the boat-first tell how they were for sleeping? How were you fixed for lodging, sleeping? A. On the way home? Q. Yes. A. It was in very poor shape. The accommodations for sleeping were better coming home than they were going down. Some of the men had staterooms. I was very fortunate and got a couch like this upon which I am lying now. If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have got home. As far as eating is concerned, all the Government furnished us when we got on the La Grande Duchesse was cold beans, hard-tack, and coffee. The coffee wasn't fit to drink, and we had a certain kind of stuff they called canned beef, roast beef. Q. What is called the travel ration? A. Yes, sir. I went to the doctors-I was suffering from diarrhea-and the doctors asked me what I was getting to eat. I told him the rations we had on the boat-beans, hard-tack, and coffee, and as I mentioned each thing he would say, " You can't eat that," so when he got through there was nothing that I could eat, and I asked him, "What will I eat?" and he said, " Hard-tack." I couldn't stomach anything of that kind. I got nothing but biscuit. Q. Couldn't you eat hard-tack? A. No, sir; I couldn't eat anything. I had hemorrhages so bad. Q, Did you try soaking the hard-tack? A. I was taken sick, and I had no water nor milk. Q. No water got around to you? A. No, sir. Q. Who was with you in your stateroom? A. I was in the rear saloon, downstairs; a man named Lewis was there. Q. Was he better fixed than you? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was he able to get anything for you? A. No, sir, he didn't get me anything. The doctor told me I shouldn't eat any of these things; then I was in the second week of typhoid. Q. Did you hear of the soup they had aboard in cans? A. No, sir. Q. Never heard of that? A. No, sir; I never saw the doctor but once. Q. Who was the doctor? A. Dr. Bell. Q. Was he the only physician on the boat? A. No, sir; he had assistants with him. Q. He was one of the surgeons of your own regiment, wasn't he? A. Yes, sir; there was Bell and the assistants he had with him that had been in Cuba. Q. The only thing the doctor did for you was to tell you you couldn't eat what you had there? A. I couldn't eat; he offered me quinine pills, which I refused, because I knew they weren't doing me any good. Q. 'You thought you didn't have malaria? A. I thought I hadn't anything but diarrhea. Q. When did you discover you had typhoid? PRIVATE JAMES P. HOLMES. 2341 A. When I got home. Q. That is, when you came to your home in the city? A. Oh, no. Q. Where were you landed? A. At Port Tampa. G- How long were you kept there? A. I stayed there nine days, and the ninth day I came home. Q. In the detention hospital of Tampa? A. Yes, sir. Q. What did you get there in the way of food? A. The day the transports arrived-I won't be sure whether it was the day they arrived; it may have been the day after-anyway, we were taken ashore in a small boat. The sick were taken off as soon as possible and were taken ashore in a small steamboat. We were taken up to the camp and arrived in Camp Wikoff about 4 o'clock, 3 to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a wagon there with some soup. There wasn't much, and of course a lot of the strong fel- lows, the fellows who got up and got in the squabble there, got some of the soup, but we fellows who couldn't walk hardly got any. Q. WTho had that soup there, do you know? A. It was in an ambulance. Q. In a Government ambulance? A. A Government ambulance. Then the doctor started out to examine us. We were lying all over on the ground. After examining some of us he said to them, " You go back to your regiment; you are well enough." To some he said, "You go to the hospital," or, "You stay here in the detention camp." Myself and four other fellows he didn't look at at all. One of the fellows called to him and told the doctor he hadn't examined us, and he said, "You fellows get up and go down in those tents; you will find plenty of tents down there, plenty of room for you." We went there and didn't see the doctor until the next day. Q. Did you see anybody else, any attendant of any kind? A. No, sir; not until the next day; then the attendant gave us some soup at Camp Wikoff. Q. They weren't all ready for you? A. No, sir; they were not prepared. Friday they got chicken and bread and such things, but they were not for me. The doctor wouldn't tell me what was the matter with me. I will give you this fact. My folks tried three times to get me out. I saw a man carried out on a mattress and jammed into a wooden box. That started me home. I would never stay there to be put in a box like that. He was brought out there and he wouldn't fit in the box and they just crammed him in. He had no uniform on. Q. Was he brought out in his nightshirt? A. In his pajamas. With that I started for home. Q. Had your people been down to see you before that? A. They had been down three times, but they couldn't see me. You understand I was discharged from Santiago on the 5th day of August. Q. On what account, on account of sickness? A. No, my father had died and the lawyers needed me home; they couldn't do anything until I got home; there were some papers to sign. I got my discharge, but I think I was never informed, as far as the Government is concerned, and I would never have known it until last Friday or last Thursday from them. I also got a furlough from Camp Wikoff, although Dr. Cronin had had my discharge there; he picked it up and took it away. Q. Who was Dr. Cronin? A. All I know is what I heard about him. Q. Was he in charge of the hospital; executive officei' of the hospital? 2342 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. Did he go through the wards prescribing for the men? A. Yes, sir. Q. You knew him by sight? A. Yes, sir. I didn't know him to give us anything. There was a younger doc- tor there. We had several changes in doctors while I was there. The doctor told me when I was going home--I told the boys what I had seen, this dead man, and I said, " They will never put me into the ground that way; I am going home." This young doctor-I don't know his name-said I would die on the way if I went. He said, "If you start home you will die on the way." I said, " I don't care; I would just as soon die on the way home as to stay here." He said, " Don't you realize that your end is pretty near? " I said, " I came back here with that expec- tation; I came home to die; " and that was the truth; but so far as Cuba goes, I have nothing to say against the Government, because we didn't go there expecting any picnic; we went there to fight and expecting some hardship. Q. And you got what you expected, I guess? A. We got more than we expected; but what happened at the front, I don't feel hard towards the Government for that, but I feel a little bit hard against them for the way I was treated afterwards. Q. Did you come home on that railroad? A. Yes, sir; there was no assistance given to the patients in going down to the station, as far as I could see. Q. How did you get down; did you walk? A. No; I walked out of the camp, and I went up to General Wheeler's head- quarters to have my papers signed-the furlough-and we had to wait all day, pretty near; and when I went to these headquarters and asked for General Wheeler he wasn't there, and his secretary ordered me away until my regiment was going; they were going in a few days, and he wouldn't sign my papers. General Alger was sitting around in another tent, and I went up to him and asked him if he wouldn't sign them, so I could get out; and he did; he signed them. Then I walked as far as I could and I sank down on the ground. My shoes were new and I couldn't stand up there because it was very slippery. Fortu- nately one of the colored troopers came along, and he got an ambulance and took me to the station. Q. How long did you wait at the station before you got away on the train? A. I got to the station at 5 or half past, and it was 7 before the train came. Q. Did that train leave on time or did you have to wait until they got ready? A. The train was about on time. Q. Did you have any schedule as to the trains? A. Yes, sir; we were told when they would go; one at 4,1 think; I don't remem- ber about that exactly, but there were two or three trains that went out. Q. Then you didn't get home until well on into the night? A. Between 12 and 1 I got to Long Island City. Very fortunately I had money there, and I gave it to a colored trooper and he sent a telegram home for them to meet me. Q. To meet you at Long Island City? A. Yes, sir. Q. Have you been confined to your bed ever since? A. Up until within about the last four weeks I have been up and very well until yesterday, when I got a slight cold. Q. Are you able to take solid food now? A. Yes, sir. I caipe home with typhoid fever; I had it when I came home and had hemorrhages of the bowels; I was very nearly gone. I have never intended, and I didn't intend, to come before this committee, because I felt as a great many PRIVATE JAMES P. HOLMES. 2343 more of the boys feel, that they passed through so much and came out all right, and they don't care to make any complaint. Q. And yet, after all, this is the kind of story we would like to hear? A. Then 1 should like to say about Camp Black. We left Camp Black in the middle of the afternoon. We had had dinner and started for the transport Seneca, that was laying down in New York Harbor. We had our dinner and started off in the afternoon and got no sleep, lying on the Long Island Railroad, and got aboard the Seneca the next morning about 3 or 4 o'clock; we got on the boat and we had no food until dinner time. There was a lapse of twenty-four hours from the time of our last meal. Q. Had you nothing in your haversacks? A. No, sir. Q. How were you fed at Camp Black-by the meal? A. A meal at a time. Q. You had no rations issued to you there? A. No, sir; I had nothing but some little delicacies that I got from home in coming away. Q. Then, on the transport? A. The next day they gave us a dinner of bacon and some other stuff. The food consisted of hard-tack and pork and coffee. The coffee has never been fit to drink on the transports. They had potatoes also, but they had no flavor; cab- bage, uncooked; no salt or pepper, hardly any meat, and we slept down in the hold in wooden bunks. Q. What was the name of that transport? A. The Seneca. Finally, after we lay'several days, we were taken up to Jersey City, back again on Saturday afternoon about 3 o'clock, and left Jersey City that night about 11 o'clock. The rations on the train were travel rations-hard- tack, etc. Q. Holmes, had your company cooks had any previous experience in dealing with army rations? A. No, sir; not with army rations. Our company never had any before. He was a good cook. Q. When you got to a place where your company cook could serve you, was the food pretty well cooked? A. We never got any company food from the company cook from the time we left Port Tampa until we got home. Q. You never went into camp? A. Yes, sir; we went into camp in Cuba; after the surrender we were in camp; all the regulars had company cooks. Q. Where was yours? A. Every man had to cook for himself. Q. Where was your company cook? A. We had to wait for orders from the officers to have a mess that way. We didn't bring up any cooking utensils off the transport; they were left on the transport. Q. So far as you know, was any effort made to get them? A. As I understand it, the colonel refused to have the tents. The regulars also got their big tents. Q. So that from the time you left Camp Black until you got back your company mess was never organized? A. From the time we left Port Tampa until we got home we never had any organized mess. » By Captain Howell: Q. The irregularity in getting proper food was due to the inefficiency of your officers? 2344 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Yes, sir. Q. You think that was the cause? A. I say that was the cause because I could see how different it was with the regulars. For example, if they came into a place everything was run in a busi- ness-like way. They would get into a camp at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and they would have supper and we didn't get any; we would have nothing. Perhaps they wouldn't provide us with them, didn't get the things out. I can show you the way things were when we were at Tampa. There was another twenty-four hours when we got nothing to eat. Q. And yet the regulars did? A. Yes, sir; the same thing happened in Cuba. If it hadn't been for the Twenty-fourth Infantry I don't think we would have had anything. Q. The stuff was there to be got? A. Yes, sir. Q. And these regulars did get it? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you didn't? A. Yes. Q. You think it was entirely owing to the inefficiency of the officers? A. Yes, sir; as I say, I wouldn't say anything about our treatment in Cuba, because it is hard to bring up rations under fire. Q. And yet that is what he is for-the quartermaster? A. That is what he is for; yes, sir; but if the war breaks out again I guess the boys will be glad to enlist in the Regular Army. New York, November 25,1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. MARY HATCH WILLARD. Mrs. Mary Hatch Willard, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Please give us your full name and residence. A. Mary Hatch Willard, 15 West Forty-second street, New York City. I have so many good things to say about the Government that I feel it a duty and a pleasure to come before you. A duty, because I think those who know good things about the Government ought to tell them, and a pleasure because it gives me a chance to testify to the hearty cooperation I received from Surgeon-General Sternberg and his Medical Department in Montauk. May I tell the story in my own way? Q. The good things we are not so particular about, but if you saw anything that was wrong, dwell upon that particularly, and if you can, tell us whose fault it was? A. I can't tell you very much that is bad: I know abuses did exist, and if you want to ask me later about the abuses I saw I shall be glad to tell you. I should rather tell you my story in my own way, if you will let me. Q. Very well, do so. A. I had a very beautiful experience with the Government at Montauk. I was there six weeks with Mrs. Cauldwell, associated with the Medical Department and with the physicians and with every one connected with the hospital. I know nothing about what went on in the regimental camp, because I was not there, but I do know all, everything almost, of the conditions that existed at the hos- pitals, both at the general hospital and the annex, and the division hospitals MRS. MARY HATCH WILLARD. 2345 Representing the Red Cross Auxiliary for the maintenance of trained nurses, on the 20th of August I went to see what could be done in regard to the proper diet- ing of the soldiers. We had heard there was a great deal of trouble there in get- ting the proper food for the sick men, and with that idea in view this auxiliary sent me to see what really did exist at Montauk. I arrived there on Sunday, the busiest time of the day. I never have known anything like the rush and hurry, and the way people were trying everywhere to do what they could. Great con- fusion existed, of course. The busiest depot you ever entered couldn't compare with what it was around the depot at Montauk. I was driven to the grounds and immediately visited the kitchen. It was in very bad condition. It was a small mess hall which was apparently presided over by an army cook, and I think two or three men to help him there. From that place were fed all the physicians, all the nurses, all the orderlies, all the employees, as well as the 700 or 800 sick men then under the care of the Government. Rice and oatmeal was their principal diet. It was many times burned so they were obliged to throw it out-so the nurses have told me since. They were constantly fed on this same diet until many of them couldn't retain the food; many of them could not take it and went back to a light diet, because there was nothing else to do, The Army recognizes no con- valescent-simply very well men and very sick men. The convalescent is not recognized, and doctors generally agree and concede that to the proper feeding of the convalescent patients belongs their recovery-that is fever patients. Owing to this tremendous call and demand on the Government to feed these convalescent men-they didn't appreciate, I don't think, the tremendous demands that were going to be made upon them for the feeding of the convalescent patients, and consequently they made no provision for feeding these men. Their fever, being over, before they could go back to solid rations they required some conva- lescent food, and I don't think they realized or appreciated that intermediary state where it was absolutely necessary for the convalescent soldier to have special food, and I do know that there ought to be and must be a reform in regard to the fever-stricken patients in Cuba and in the Philippines, if we are going to hold them; there must be some reform in the Government on this question of conva- lescent diet. You all know that first comes the light diet of milk and of broths, and then comes what they call the liquid diet, or rather first comes the liquid diet, I mean, and then comes the light diet of gruels, and eggs, and beef juice, and everything that goes with the light diet, and then comes the solid diet, and it is that stage that must be well provided for. Q. The intermediary stage, you mean? A. Yes, sir; the intermediary stage. It must be well provided for. Now, this is getting to be a very serious question. We saw the need there, and a num- ber had been trying to establish the diet kitchen work, seeing also the need, the feeling which the ladies had that I represented, and Dr. Prescott, who was the representative of the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid Association, was also there assisting the Massachusetts men, and he felt the tremendous need, as I did, of this great question of diet. We felt also many lives could be saved if they would only let us get to work on this subject, so, through courtesy of Colonel Forwood, who gave us a requisition on Monday-I arrived there on a Sunday and he gave us a requisition on Monday morning-to put up our tents. We did so the follow- ing Monday and served to the convalescent soldier a light supper of scrambled eggs, milk and toast, all properly prepared-scientifically prepared nourishment. Q. That is the same day you got the requisition? A. No, sir; a week after that. We had to get our tents and put up huge ranges. We had to feed about 900 to 1,500 men, and we had to have our separate tents, had to have ranges and cooking utensils, and it took a great many cooking utensils. The Volunteer Aid Society of Massachusetts put up the money for the purchase of the cooking utensils and the Government gave us men to put up our tents, etc. 2346 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. They gave us two hospital tents to begin with and finally we increased that num- ber with some of ours. I felt that the two hospital tents were not going to be anywhere near large enough for very active work. You have no idea what a busy time there was there; and when the planks were brought up, to see they were not stolen for other work, I had to sit on them to keep them there for my own work. Everybody wanted wood; everybody wanted carpenters. All the army associations and relief associations; we all wanted the same thing at the same time; and they brought us beams and they brought us loads of wood, and we planted them down near the kitchen, and it was all one's life was worth to keep them there. However, we managed to keep them by standing and watching to see it was not stolen to be used for flooring tents. The Volunteer Corps gave us valuable aid-dug our trenches for us, brought water into our tent, so we had running water, which was at that time a great curiosity; so we had a sink and spigot, and I can assure you from that day on I didn't know what "no" meant. From the highest official to the lowest, it was always the same, " Well, Mrs. Willard, anything we can do for you to for- ward this work? " A few days after the kitchen was opened Major Wood, of the First Division hospital, came to the kitchen and said: "Will you come and help us?"-meaning the Red Cross people, the Massachusetts Volunteer Aid people. He said, "We are going to open oui- hospital, and I hear you are going to open a diet kitchen." I said, " How soon are you going to open? " He said, " How soon will you be ready? " I said, "We will be ready just as soon as you are. The first man you receive shall be properly and wholesomely fed." With that idea we had a tug running between New London and Montauk, in order to quickly get oui' supplies, and we took the tug and went over there-we didn't dare at that time depend upon the Government for our ranges and cooking utensils, because we knew it would be a long time before they could get them to us, although we knew they would give them to us. There must be no delay, because the work was important. We went to New London and got the shopkeepers to come from their homes at night and open their stores, and we took the tug back to Montauk with plenty of ranges, and men to put up the ranges, men to put up the stove- pipes, etc. In the meantime Major Kilbourne came and asked us to assist him. He recognized the necessity of the work-that they must have a diet kitchen. Major Harris, of the cavalry, also asked for our help. We opened the kitchen the day the men were brought in, and they were fed with everything you could think of necessary for sick men. We then wanted, of course, to demonstrate to the Government that the field for a diet kitchen was not a theory, but was entirely practical and a necessity, and we felt that at least we had done that much if we had done nothing more-two weeks after the kitchen was opened, the first kitchen, which was opened on the 27th-I think I arrived there on the 20th, and a week from that would be the 27th. Q. The 28th, it would be? A. Yes. The. Government recognized the value of the work to such an extent that they took every expense and gave us absolute authority to order for these sick men anything that we pleased, and they would pay the bills. Not only tha't, but they paid for our ranges; they paid for our kitchen utensils. When I needed extra supplies, they paid for those supplies. There was no question as to what we were to order or how we were to order it. It was difficult to get our supplies entirely from New York, so we had a man at Southampton who sent down by a certain train in the morning our beef and our chickens and mut- ton, so we could prepare for these men homemade broths. We then had our milk sent also from Bridgehampton, because it was very difficult, sometimes, to have the milk come from New York, even in refrigerator cars, and keep fresh. We felt that the sick men must have fresh milk, which we brought from a near-by dairy. The Government allowed us all those things-paid for the supplies. When 2347 MRS. MARY HATCH WILLARD. we sent in a bill for oysters, or something like that, there was no question as to whether those oysters ought to have been bought; it was simply that the men ought to have them and we are willing to pay for them. When a bill was 0. K.'d, it was all that was necessary for Surgeon-General Sternberg and for the medical department at Montauk. Q. That is, 0. K.'d by you? A. Yes, sir; O. K.'d by the Volunteer Aid Society, by myself, who still con- tinued in the management even after the Government took the kitchen or paid all the expenses of the kitchen-that was not only the kitchen at the general hospi- tal, but the kitchens also at the division hospitals. Then of course the Red Cross people, represented by Mr. Howard Townsend, when the Government didn't have the necessary supplies, which were needed at once, in the way of cereals and all that sort of thing, would fill in and give us everything that they could; they acted as an emergency man to the Government at Montauk. That is what the Red Cross has done; it has been an emergency man, and it seems to me emergency men are needed for just such a great crisis as this. Possibly it may never come again. I don't think the Government realized for one instant the tremendous responsibility that was going to be placed upon them in such a very short space of time, because from my own experience I know, if they had, every possible pro- vision would have been made for the care of the sick men under their charge. I can not speak too highly of the doctors and surgeons and the nurses-everyone with whom I came in contact there. I saw those men in those tents. Unless you were there you couldn't realize what it meant. The tents of the officials were placed in such a way that everyone who went into the hospital had to pass them, and inquiring friends, mothers, sisters, sight-seers, and everybody passed our tents when they went in to see Major Brown; there was no time to send out and ask the different ones; their tents were crowded. When I went to him with a request, it was with hesitancy, because I knew it was one more burden to what these men were carrying already. I have nevei' known them to speak even a discourteous word; I wondered how they could stand it. I know Major Brown sat there, ill enough in his chair-ill enough to be in bed; I know for days he hadn't anything to eat; didn't take anything but orange juice-I know all that-and at the same time never deserting his post for one moment. I think it must take an indomitable will to see all these people and do all that work, sit as he did, and receive them always in a courteous way. The same with the others; everyone in connection with the hospital always had a pleasant word and always gave us the same courteous treatment; always did what they could, each one for the other; and if discourtesy was there I don't know it. Mr. Howard Townsend, who was the representative of the Red Cross, agreed with me. He had the same experience I had with the officials there. He had the same cour- teous treatment I had, and we didn't know what red tape meant. The commis- sary department and the quartermaster's department, in order to forward the diet-kitchen work-which all the officials realized was an important work, when they saw these men provided with food properly prepared, when they saw them rallying from sickness because of this food, because it was what it ought to be- they forwarded, as General Sternberg did, in every possible way, that work; and I can't tell you the pleasure it gives me to tell it, because the orders were given: "If the diet kitchen needs anything, give it to the diet kitchen; if there is any- thing in the quartermaster's department or anything in the commissary depart- ment to help the work, give it." No requisitions had to be signed, because they knew we wouldn't ask for what we ought not to have. In order to facilitate our work, to hurry it-it had to be done quickly, a night or a day meant so much to us-they did everything to facilitate it. It wasn't one thing, but it was every- thing. If it was a wagon I needed, if it was anything I wanted, if I felt that supplies could come quicker one way or another, it would be simply that the men 2348 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. needed it and we must do it, and they did it. The men were very much over- worked. If the Government had realized what the work was going to be there, the tremendous amount thrust upon those men, they wouldn't have been com- pelled to do all those things, because records were not kept. There were not enough men there to keep records or do the work they did; they needed clerks; they should have had clerks simply to keep the records, because they came in so rapidly there was no time, if you did the work you had to do, from morning till night; the work that simply lay in your line to-day, it was all you could do. And those men worked night and day, and I saw them work night and day- Major Heizmann, Major Brown, Surgeon or Dr. Ireland; many of them, indeed, I could name everyone of them. Q. That is, the contract surgeons as well as the surgeons of the Army? A. Yes, sir; and, as an instance, I have read how someone said the doctors-I don't know whether at Montauk or where-but the doctors didn't seem to have any interest in their patients. At 5 o'clock in the morning I was awakened in my tent-it was among the officers' tents-and I heard two physicians passing. One said, "I had just waked up, you know," and I heard one of them say, "That patient of mine-I was so pleased that he is better," and then the other physician said, " Isn't it nice he is better?" I thought to myself, isn't it nice to have doc- tors there who really are interested in those sick men. I feel that I ought to say much for the Red Cross work there, because, as I said before, they did act as an emergency man, which the Government needs. It wasn't that the Government wasn't ready to supply these men; it wasn't that the Government didn't have the money. Of course, sometimes we wondered, and, I think, perhaps all have won- dered, that so near to the great metropolis of a great State, with the wealth, and with the water facilities which we had at Montauk, as well as railroad facilities, the supplies didn't get there more quickly; but on the other hand red tape must exist, and it was difficult to get everything there on time as it should have reached there; and because it couldn't and because it didn't the Red Cross stood there, and they had everything you could think of. I can't tell you how much. There was a scarcity of cots at times; there was a scarcity of blankets at times; there was a scarcity of supplies at times; but never once did that scarcity exist that the Red Cross didn't have everything that the Government needed, and because the Government needed it and because they felt that they ought to have it, they gave it willingly. Q. Mrs. Willard, you speak of the emergency man. Was the condition of things at Montauk an emergency such as this Government had confronted before? Did it ever have an army brought back to this country in which the surgeons and assistants and hospital stewards and everyone was practically sick? A. I suppose not. On the other hand, didn't we know they were coming? Q. How long did we know it before, so as to prepare for them? A. I remember reading in the paper at the time of the war, or the time of the selection of Montauk-and, by the way, I consider it an absolutely perfect place foi' a camp. Had you allowed yellow fever to enter into this country there would have been a greater howl than any possible thing that has gone up since. This was a narrow strip of land separated from the rest of Long Island-practically a point out at sea, as it were-and the place could have been so quarantined that none of the yellow fever could possibly have reached the mainland from there; and I don't understand how anyone could go to Montauk and realize those condi- tions and know that the fever-that the yellow fever was upon us, without know- ing the Government had made as wise a selection as it was possible to make, and that was the object of the Montauk camp-to prevent the possibility of infection reaching the country through the troops who might remain there. I remember reading that the first order for beds at Montauk-I read this; I don't know how true it is, because I didn't try to corroborate this statement-that the MRS. MARY HATCH WILLARD. 2349 first order was for 500 beds. This was long before I had any practical interest in the camp, except, of course, as every individual would naturally be interested. 1 thought, how curious-500 beds, when we know all those sick men are coming to Montauk, and those men are going to be ill of fever, because we are told so. Of course afterwards I learned that the same order was increased to about 1,000 beds; but as I said before, the Government didn't appreciate and realize-who it was who didn't appreciate and didn't realize I don't know-but the fact exists that they didn't have any idea of the enormity of the thing. They didn't seem to have any conception of how those men were coming home. I don't know whether you were there and saw them come home or not. Q. I don't think any of us were there. A. Everything connected with the boys coming home even now brings the tears to my eyes, because I saw them there. It was one thing to see them sick in bed and another to see them come off those transports. I don't know where the blame is; I know what I saw, and I seemed to feel what the need was, and in oui- own work to establish the diet kitchens to properly feed the soldiers under the care of the Government, and we received the heartiest cooperation. And not only that, but we received money; but everything was given to us by the Government, so much so that there was a river of gold flowed through there and we couldn't spend it. We had to return it, because when the Government took hold of the work and realized and appreciated that the convalescent men should be fed, they didn't let anything stand in their way by paying for it. Of course it is one thing to condemn the Government for what they didn't do, but it is another thing not to tell what they did do. It is incomprehensible to me that someone in the papers couldn't have written of the good work the Government did. I know they came there, many of them, and they wouldn't write about the good work. I said to one reporter, " I can give you so much of good in this point; I can tell you so much that has been done, if you will come to the diet kitchens at a certain hour, or if you will meet me anywhere, any place, I will tell you of this work;" but I didn't see them. And I also know that the reporters drew much upon their imagination. I know of one reporter who never entered Montauk, who told me that she had made more money than anyone else for the relief association by drawing upon her imagination and writing the most horrible stories she could tell. She didn't know I had been at Montauk. I said, " Did you know any of the good work that went on at Montauk? " "No," she said. ' ' Did you go to see if there was any good work done there?" "No." And I really feel if the reporters of newspapers had realized the aching hearts of mothers and sisters and relatives of those boys, out West, in the North, and in the South, all over our country, and all over the land- if they had appreciated and realized the pain they were bringing into those homes by the frightful descriptions they gave of Montauk and of the abuses of which they told, which did exist, many of them, but if they had only added a word about what good work was going on, had told how the Government had fed their convalescent men, told how the doctors and nurses worked day and night and didn't stop, and told of Surgeon-General Sternberg's cooperation, told of the efforts made to bring them back to health, there would have been many a heartache saved; and they could have done that if they had been willing to go there and find out what work was done there. When I have told people I have met of the good work done, they have been astonished, and they have wanted to know why it wasn't told before. That was one reason why I wanted to come here to-day, to tell you of some of the good work. The abuses did exist, but I do know that in every instance as soon as they were brought to the attention of the officials in charge everything possible was done to rectify those abuses. One instance came to my knowledge directly. Q. I am not of the Regular Army and therefore I am at liberty to speak. The devotion of the army has simply challenged my respect and admiration and love. 2350 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. If we expect to have another army in the future under such circumstances, it would be well for our people to feel as you do, madam. A. I can't help it, because I saw it. As I told you, the abuses did exist, but never for one instant did I know an abuse to exist and it was brought to the attention of the commander that that abuse, as far as lay in his power, was recti- fied. May I tell you an instance? Q. Certainly. A. Men, many of them left the hospitals and regimental camps, as we all know, discharged, many on furlough, and many on account of the terrible pressure brought to bear upon the officials there to allow them to leave the hospital and to go home. Some of the men wouldn't go to the hospital, because they feared that if they did they wouldn't get their furloughs, feared they might be ill and wouldn't be allowed to go. They were anxious to get home. When they arrived at the depot, tired and weary, with their great bundles, and it was a mile to a mile and a quarter from the hospital, and from some of the camps the distances were greater, and those who came down from the camps on furlough had longer distances to walk, as they were still weak from their fever, and when they arrived at the depot, expecting to get on the train, to take the train almost immediately, they were obliged then to walk through the sand and heat to the quartermaster and com- missary departments for their rations, ration money, and also for their transporta- tion. It was a long, tedious, hot walk. I took it, and I was well and strong. These men carried their belongings, their blankets and equipments, weak and ill, and I wondered how many of them were able to stand it. Through the courtesy or through the generosity of Mr. Emerson McMillan, a hospital car was put on the Long Island Railroad to take these men, the delicate, sick men, to New York. It might have been done in the beginning by the Gov- ernment; they should have had proper hospital transportation for these men who were to have been discharged from the hospital. Malaria such as has been brought to this country by these men does not, has not existed in this country before. Many physicians went there to study it. They said they had never known any- thing like it. A man would be discharged practically well, and from overexertion or from no apparent reason at all the chills would come on again, and the fever and his temperature would go up to 105 or 106. That I know has occurred often. For that reason the car was put on for them. It was brought to my attention, because many of these men who went down on the car told us about it. They also said that sometimes at the camps, when leaving, they would say to them, " Hurry up or you will lose the train." After they received their ration money, and received also their transportation, they would hurry back to the depot in order to catch the train, and many of them missed it and were obliged to stay in that depot overnight because they had lost the train. I think there were two or three passenger trains. One night there were fifty men who slept there. The next morning the hospital corps, some of them, told us that from their experience in this war, that they felt it was something that could be rectified. The Government could place near the depot tents for the transportation of the men as well as the ration money. It seemed to us a needless expenditure of strength to an already weakened con- dition to have this long walk after their rations and transportation. The Red Cross people went to General Bates, who was then in command, and I did also. I went to see him and laid the matter before him and explained the situation. He said, " I will attend to the matter at once." That afternoon he came over to the general hospital, and I said, " General Bates, have you seen to the matter of the men's transportation ? " He said, " I am going down at once to the depot to attend to it. Will you go with me? " I said that I would. We got into a trap, a car- riage, and I went down with him. I said, " General, you send the men on this MRS. MARY HATCH WILLARD. 2351 walk, and I would like to give you an object lesson. Will you walk it?" He said, " Certainly." So we got out of the carriage and I walked with him to the quartermaster's department, commissary department, and we took that walk that those weakened, debilitated men took every day. We walked and walked through the sand. It was a hot day and the heat was very trying. I can't tell you how long it was and how tedious, but we got there at last. Before we got even to the commissary department General Bates said, " Mrs. Willard, you are right. This thing ought to be rectified and rectified at once. These men ought not to take this long walk." We still had to walk farther down steps and through more sand and down a long platform, but finally we arrived at that department. At that time General Bates felt no doubt about it. The thing must be attended to, and attended to at once. He said to the quartermaster, "I want these tents removed at once to the railroad station." " But so and so has given us an order that they should be placed here." " I am the general in command, and I want these men to receive their transportation and their ration money at the depot; and to-mor- row morning when these men come down to take their trains you must be there and see that it is done." The next morning it was done and the men were able to get their rations and transportation without taking this long, tedious walk. In the meantime the Red Cross people had put up a tent to receive those who came down at night who couldn't go away until next morning, and after that their ration money and their transportation money was taken care of right there and many a weary walk was saved. Really, many a life was saved, I believe. I was going to say it was enough to give them a chill and send up their temperature to 106, because it was quite warm during the day. There wasn't any idea in the mind of General Bates that the thing could be put over twenty-four hours. It had to be done and done at once. Needless to say, we didn't walk back. I just tell you that as an instance to show how, when the facts were brought before those men, they attended to it at once. By Captain Howell: Q. Didn't they have transportation, ambulances, to carry those men? A. Not enough of them; and another thing, there should have been ample transportation to take those men to the train, because they were not fit to walk at that time. There was always a breeze blowing at Montauk, and the sun was very hot, and especially the 1st of September, as you probably remember. It was no fun to take that walk under ordinary conditions, and it was particularly unpleasant when the weather was so hot. Q. Even for a healthy person? A. Even for a healthy person. Those men should not have been allowed to go to the depot without wagon transportation. I know many of them were picked up along the road and taken in those private carriages, when they should not have that distance to walk and there wasn't sufficient transportation for them. By Dr. Conner: Q. As a doctor and former officer of the Medical Department of the Army, I wish to thank you for the tribute you have paid to the officers of the Army who were there. I am sure that the profession will appreciate it when it knows it, for the doctors have been taken to task for many, many things. Naturally, as a woman, you recognized conditions about the hospital there as you would about a house, as no man possibly could. Did you or did you not see that things were not properly cared for in and about this hospital that you were daily visiting as respects the cleanliness, care, and proper attention given to the bedsand all those matters? A. There was one thing that was very serious, and that was the question of the soiled linen. For days it was stored under the hospital tents. In many places 2352 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. the hospital tents came out like this [indicating], when you would have a level floor, and then there would be a large open place beneath them. I understood that a laundry plant had been ordered, but that the man who was to put up the laundry plant had disappointed the Government. I don't know how true that is, but that is what I heard there. In the meantime there was no way to wash the linen. No one seemed to feel that they ought to destroy it without orders, because, of course, it was valuable and a great deal of it was used, as you can imagine. It was stored for many days underneath the hospital tents, and would naturally have bred disease if it had remained there. I know I used to pass it every day and wondered why it was kept there. After a while Major Heizmann, taking the responsibility upon himself, gave the order that the linen should be burned. Then all those things were carted away and it was burned, but the fact remains that it should not have been there twenty-four hours. The laundry plant should have been put up, and then there would have been a way of dispos- ing of the linen. As to the work of the doctors, nurses, etc., I was in and out of the hospital tents very often, especially in those first days. Later on the kitchens demanded so much of my time that I wasn't able to visit the wards; but I saw a number of men lying on blankets, comfortable enough, never any lying on the floor, and I said to some of them, "We are going to have cots for you very soon." " But, ma'am, this is heaven compared with what we have had; we don't mind this. This is very comfortable." There was not enough nurses or enough doctors, owing to the same cause-that the Government didn't realize or appreciate the tremendous call there was going to be made upon them. On the other hand, they gave those who were there, and afterwards there was plenty of nurses, all told, I think, about 150, and they were the best nurses in the country-the best that could be procured; they didn't neg- lect the work; they worked night and day; they never spared themselves one instant. They and the doctors cooperated and worked together and did not spare themselves. There was nothing neglected that could be done. I have never known such a beautiful, unselfish spirit of work. I was glad I was there to be in it, to know that a great body of people like that could come together and be so unselfish and be so forgetful of self and comfort as those doctors and nurses showed themselves to be. I considered it was a great privilege to have been there and to have seen just that. There were many times, owing to the lack of nurses, that the men could not be washed and dressed at once, but the men didn't mind it; they knew their turn would come. I never heard a soldier complain; I never heard one of those men utter a sound or manifest any disrespect toward the nurses or physicians. On the other hand, when they had left the hospital and were on furlough, not under hospital care, I talked with many of them and they said to me, " Why, we have been treated just royally." And I have said to them, " Boys, just write to the papers when you get home; send it to the papers and tell them you have been treated well." There were fathers and brothers and mothers and wives who made such statements. Many of them said, " I shall never forget the treatment my boy has had." And I said, " When you get home, won't you please write and tell the newspapers-tell the public-so that there will be some comfort in other homes; other wives and mothers and sisters who can not get to their boys and who have read in the papers that the men are not being treated properly. Tell them that they are not being treated as badly as they are made out to be treated." Many promised that they would. I said to them, "All you have to do is to write to the Herald or Tinies or the Sun and say to them, tell them how you have been treated. By General Beaver: Q. Did you ever see any letters of that kind? A. No, sir; I suppose they got home and were so happy that they couldn't MRS. MARY HATCH WILLARD. 2353 think of anything else; perhaps many of them didn't know how to write it; per- haps some of them did write and it wasn't printed; I don't know. But I can't see how they couldn't tell of some of the good work; truly, I do not. By Dr. Conner: Q. Can you tell us the same in regard to the detention hospital as you have told us about the general hospital? A. I wasn't at the detention hospital, except as I visited the kitchen. The diet kitchen there was opened by the nurses under the most trying circumstances, because they hadn't anything but oil stoves to cook with, and they were handi- capped because they hadn't the necessary utensils. When we started those kitchens we went over to the detention hospital and offered to assist them in any way we could. We put in ranges for them and the Government paid for those ranges, paid for all the supplies we needed for the detention hospital. I can't tell you anything about the detention hospital except what I have heard, because my visits there were simply to the kitchen, finding out what they needed, and finding what was necessary for them to have; but the men there were fed as the men were afterwards fed at the general hospital. They had broiled chicken, and tenderloin steaks, and chops, and every delicacy you could think of, and the Government paid for it. Someone gave me the other day these figures-that there were 800 patients at the detention hospital, and only 60 died. If only 60 died out of 800 patients, the conditions there couldn't have been so horrible; there would have been more deaths, I think; don't you? By Captain Howell: Q. General Wheeler testified there were 263 deaths, including the men who were buried, who died on the transports. A. Well, the largest death rate at Montauk-rather, not at Montauk, but at the general hospital--was 1 per cent. Q. Well, that would be less than 1 per cent of the whole number of men. He testified there were 263 deaths up to the 31st of August. I think that would be all the deaths there were in the camp, and 40-odd men who died on the transports coming from Santiago. A. Yes; I didn't get all the figures, of course; those interested me very much. Q. I think the total number that he had there was 30,000; that would be less than 1 per cent, 263. A. The greatest death rate in the general hospital which we had was 16 out of 1,100 patients; that was the largest. After that the percentage decreased, and-I don't know really, of course-but I don't think there was more than 250 or so. Q. Two hundred and sixty-three, that was the testimony, including 40-odd who died on the transports coming from Santiago and who were buried there. Mrs. Willard, the principal point that has been made through any of the witnesses, the great many who testified about improper treatment, has been the difficulty of people finding their relatives when they went there. Do you know anything about that? A. Well, I don't know anything about the camp, but it wouldn't astonish me at all if there was difficulty at the general hospital in finding the soldiers by their relatives, on account, as I explained before, that it was such a tremendous work and everybody was so taxed beyond their strength and beyond their endurance, and the clerks were so few, that it wouldn't astonish me at all if some records had been lost or hadn't been made under the tremendous demand made upon the few men who were there. Q. This morning a gentleman by the name of McKeever testified that his son was there three or four days and didn't receive any attention. He was in the detention hospital. He had come up on the St. Louis. He was landed there, and 2354 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. he saw it in the newspaper. He went down, but couldn't find him by asking any of the officials, but accidently did find him, and he was there three or four days without any attention. A. The difficulty was, there was some lack somewhere of business and execu- tive ability, because if the man's name had been taken on the transport and taken again as he landed and some record kept by someone in authority as to where he was placed, I don't think that trouble would have existed. I don't think that was so much neglected at either the detention or general hospitals as it was at the landing of the troops. Of course, we all know they were sent first to the deten- tion camp and then to the general hospital or to their camps. I think a great many were lost track of in that way. I know people had trouble in finding their sons-finding the soldiers. Q. Did you see any lack of medicines for the sick? A. I didn't see anything of that. I know there was a lack. I didn't go for it myself, but the only thing lacking which I felt ought to have been there (which now, as you know, Doctor, is largely given to fever patients) was milk, and there should have been a very large supply of limewater at the dispensary. We after- wards had some at the kitchen, and I told the steward in charge of the dispensary if he needed limewater he could send for it. Q. It is possible it may have been there and you didn't know it? A. No; it was not. I think that is one thing in making up the medical supplies which was omitted; it was one thing that they didn't allow for, and, of course, some physicians don't give it, but I think it is generally given now to typhoid and malarial fever patients. I thought, really, without going back to the beginning then, that the Government didn't realize the tremendous amount of work there was there and the care necessary for them, or they would have done everything for their soldiers. When they did appreciate the circumstances, red tape was abolished; everything was abolished that stood in the way of helping those sick men, and the Government did everything in their power when they waked up and realized the full enormity and extent of the fevei- patients, and I think if they had known that there wouldn't have been one thing lacking at Montauk from the very beginning. I am awfully pleased and very happy to have been able to come before you and to tell publicly-tell the people-what hearty cooperation they gave us in the work, at least in the line which I followed and knew about, and which I was closely associated with-the work of the proper feeding of sick men. And if we have only shown the Government-if we have only proved that it is prac- tical to have a diet kitchen wherever there is a hospital or where ver there are sick men, even in a tent with small ranges, anything, if they will only realize and appreciate the convalescent now in the army, that it is a necessity that the con- valescent must be cared for, that the death rate, if the convalescent is cared for, will be very much less-you know what I mean, Doctor, don't you? Q. Yes. A. That the death rate will be much less if the convalescent is cared for. I think it was practically demonstrated at Montauk, and if the Government will do it, if it could be done, I think I could tell you the proper way to do it, and that is to put the diet kitchens in charge of trained cooks and let them teach the army cooks, teach the men who are appointed to work in the kitchens; and if a woman took charge of a kitchen, did that work, taught these men as it was done, as it is now being done at Huntsville-Major Harris found it so indispensable that he took it all with him to Huntsville-the diet-cooking utensils, ranges, and every- thing, so he would be able to have the proper diet for the men By Dr. Conner: Q. We found it there. A. Did you? I think that could be done in every one of the camps and in every PRIVATE JOSEPH F. GLEASON. 2355 one of the hospitals-that is, the permanent hospitals-that is, the kitchens of these permanent hospitals should have a woman who understands diet-a proper diet for those men; she should be put in charge of the army men and teach them and it wouldn't be long before the army would be supplied with diet kitchens, and your convalescent patient would get the food he ought to have, and I think that is orie of the most important things. By General Beaver: Q. That is a lesson we should learn? A. Yes, sir. By Captain Howell: Q. The only trouble was these men didn't have fighting to do. They had noth- ing else to do but get sick. A. Yes; they were very sorry that they didn't get to fight? Q. It ended too soon? A. Yes, sir; I know many of them were jealous of those who had very beauti- ful wounds to show off. By Dr. Conner: Q. I am sure you will be pleased to know that a colored woman who had been instructed at the Tuskeegee school was in charge of the diet kitchen at one of the places we visited. A. I had a letter from Huntsville stating the great need of cooking utensils. This was on Saturday. Late Saturday afternoon I telegraphed to General Stern- berg telling him about it. I didn't suppose anybody would be at the Capital to receive this telegram so late, and Sunday morning early I received a message from General Sternberg saying that the necessary orders would be given. I also received a letter from him. Of course, he had been unable to send it out on the night's mail, and in it he said he had telegraphed to the proper officials to get a supply ®f cooking utensils immediately and send them on. 1 can bear testimony to General Sternberg's hearty cooperation and the splendid work of the Medical Department, the work which they did there and which I saw. New York, November 25, 1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE JOSEPH F. GLEASON. Private Joseph F. Gleason, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Will you give your name and present address? A. Joseph F. Gleason; Coney Island, Brooklyn, N. Y. Q. And your service, if any, during the war. A. Sixty-ninth Regiment, G Company, Sixty-ninth New York Volunteers. Q. Rank? A. Private. By General Beaver: Q. Where did you serve? A. I served in Tampa. Q. Did you go to Cuba? A. No, sir. Q. How long were you at Tampa? A. I should judge about six weeks. 2356 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Where were you discharged? A. Huntsville, Ala. Q. When? A. The 10th of October. Q. What was the cause of your discharge? A. Well, I looked for an honorable discharge. Q. Was it for disability? A. No, sir; I wanted to get home. Q. Your regiment is still in service? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there any special reason for your coming home? A. Well, I have a family depending upon me, and they wanted my services home making a living for them. Q. Did you have a family when you went into the Army? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you in the hospital at any time? A. No, sir. Q. Did you get enough to eat? A. Well, we did. Q. What was the character of the clothing issued to you-good, bad, or indifferent? A. Very good for the climate; very nice and light. Q. Your colonel was Colonel Duffy, I believe? A. Yes, sir. Q. What special trouble had you during your service, if any, which you desire to tell the commission about? A. I would state that the fresh meat-that meat we usually got a couple of times a week, and I was in the kitchen cutting up that meat part of the time, and I had to cut out the best parts of it for the officers of the company, and what was left went to the privates, which was very little. Q. Who were the officers? A. Captain Duffy, a son of the colonel; Second Lieutenant Costigan, Lieutenant Cummings, first lieutenant. Q. Was any complaint made to the colonel that that was done? A. Not that I know of. I didn't. I was cutting it up, but I didn't make any complaint. Q. Did the captain communicate these instructions to you personally or through the quartermaster-sergeant? A. Through the quartermaster-sergeant. Q. How much meat did you get per day, do you know? A. The weight of it? Q. Yes. A. I couldn't exactly tell; I know there was a sufficient amount of fresh meat, good meat, enough for the company. Q. You would get about a pound per man? A. There ought to be that; yes, sir. Q. How many pounds out of a hundred, say, did you cut out for the officers? A. Oh, I suppose I would cut out 25 pounds for them. Q. So your three officers would eat one-quarter of the entire amount that was issued to the entire company? A. No; I don't say there were 100 pounds of beef issued. Q. But the ration is 1 pound a day? A. That I couldn't say, sir. Q. But they would take about one-quarter of the entire amount that was issued? 2357 PRIVATE JOSEPH F. GLEASON. A. Well, I will have to correct myself on that; I don't suppose they would, but they would take the best parts of the steaks; how many pounds there would be in them I couldn't say. Q. Do you know whether they paid for the meat they got? A. Not to my knowledge; no, sir. Q., Whether or not it went into your company fund, you don't know? A. Our comp ny fund was a farce. Q. It was? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any? A. Any what? Q. Any company fund. A. We were supposed to; I don't know that we did. I know I didn't pay any- thing into it. Q. Did you save any of your rations, or did the men eat them all? A. There was a lot sold. Q. What was done with the money that was realized from the sale? A. That I can't say; we saw none of it. Q. Who was treasurer of your company fund, do you know? A. Second lieutenant, I believe it was; Costigan. Q. Well, you left there in October, didn't you? A. Yes, sir. Q. There had been no division of the fund up to the time you left? A. No, sir. They were supposed to get delicacies and things, but you were lucky if you got what was coming to you-that is, out of the company fund. Q. Was any of it used for buying fruit or anything of that sort? A. Fruit? No, sir; I never saw any. We got a little oatmeal in the morning, and then I made beef tea out of the bones left over from the beef. Q. Where did you get the oatmeal from? A. That was to come out of the company fund; at least, it was supposed to. Q. You couldn't have had it in any other way; the Government couldn't have issued oatmeal to the men? A. No, sir; not to my knowledge. Q. The supplies and rations for your company were managed by the quarter- master-sergeant, and you acted as commissary-sergeant? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there a cook-a trained cook; had he had any training in army cooking? A. No, sir. T was one myself there, part of the time in Tampa. I had no train- ing, but I was an improvement on the preceding one; the men said so, I believe. Q. Did you have the army cook book? A. No, sir; we didn't require it, sir. Q. That is probably the reason you didn't fare so well. If you had had the army cook book and used it you would have done a great deal better than you did; you would have learned how to cook those rations. A. Oh, I was a good enough cook for anything they got down there. Q. You never saw the army cook book? A. The army cook book; it would be only a mockery there. The ration was cooked there in our kitchen-you had to cook it; you couldn't keep anything. It would have been spoiled if we had it. Q. It is bound so it wouldn't get wet. A. We were standing there ourselves in the rain doing the cooking, sir. Q. You didn't care for any army cook book? A. No, sir; there was no necessity for it. I wish to state that I saw this several times, stuff taken from that kitchen, beef sides and pork, and I am a little of a 2358 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. judge of meat myself; as good pork as any man wants to eat was in that commis- sary there. I saw them take it out to sell it. Bags of flour and everything of that sort were taken and no returns were made for it. They were supposed to be selling it for the company fund, but I saw no return from the company fund. We got a little oatmeal, a few bags, but as far as delicacies were concerned, we didn't get any. We went out for the purpose of fighting; not for the purpose of getting delicacies. W e got as far as Tampa, that is all. Whether Colonel Duffy was to blame I can't say, but there is a rumor that he was. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Did you know that the regiment had a fund of about $800 that they had made out of flour? A. No, sir; I don't know what was done with the canteen money at all. By General Beaver: Q. The trouble with you was you didn't stay there long enough to find out about it. They are dividing that money now, probably. A. They may be dividing it now, sir; I suppose it is under pressure that they are dividing it. Q. We had some of your men down at Huntsville who seemed to be pretty wel satisfied with the way the divy was being made. A. That may be all right, but I want to state that they sold pork, and they said it wasn't fit to be eaten. I say it was fit to eat-as good bacon as you want to get in New York City. It couldn't be kept there to feed the men, but it was thrown into the commissary's wagon, or rather into a farmer's wagon, and sold; bags of coffee the same way. Q. Was that done because you had a surplus? A. No, sir; it wasn't because we had a surplus; we were all wanting pork that day. By Captain Howell: Q. Was it done by him without the company knowing that it was done? A. No, sir; the quartermaster, the second lieutenant, down in Tampa. Q. It was the custom for them to do that? A. Yes, sir; with the understanding they were to make an exchange for bread, but I never saw any bread come back, except on one occasion. Q. They would change them for different things-oatmeal and one thing and another? A. Yes, sir; that was what they were supposed to do. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Didn't they have a company bakery there? A. After I left they had it. They had an abundance of all kinds of good food. Of course fruit, we didn't know what that was down there, but we had an abundance of the best food, but our petty officers manipulated the food so they left us hungry. I saw them put green coffee in the boiler without even roasting. Q. Whose fault was it; wasn't that the cook's fault; wasn't that while you were cook? A. No, sir; I wouldn't give it out to the men if I didn't see it was all right. I wouldn't serve it to them. It was the lieutenant's place to see that there was proper coffee served. Q. It was the captain's place to see that every meal was served properly? A. They never stood there; never stood at our kitchen only a few times. Be- fore I went away Lieutenant Cummings returned from a sick furlough, and, like a thorough gentleman, he stood at that kitchen and saw we got what there was pretty near right; but previous to that they didn't know what we were get- ting no more than a fly. PRIVATE JOSEPH F. GLEASON. 2359 By Captain Howell: Q. Yon seemed to have a good many irregularities there. Was that on account of the inefficiency of your officers, do you think? A. Yes, sir. Q. The Government gave you plenty of good food? A. Yes, sir; plenty of good bacon, flour, and other things. Q. It was mismanaged by the officers? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you instructed at any time how to prepare the rations which were issued? A. No, sir. It was as much as your life was worth to speak to the colonel; he would have you put in the guardhouse. By General Beaver: Q. He would put you in the guardhouse? A. He would be likely to put you in the guardhouse if you went near him. I have known him to stand in front of the regiment and say that any married man who wanted his discharge from that regiment that he would sign his application for it, and if any married man who wanted his discharge would go to him he would sign it willingly. The men who went to him the next day to have him sign their applications for discharge he would threaten to have them put in the guard- house. What he would say to-day he would forget to-morrow. Q. What was the cause, do you think, of his lapse of memory? A. Well, I don't know, except he was subject to taking too much quinine. Per- haps he might be-he might be taking quinine for that fever. By General McCook: Q. How did Colonel Donovan treat you? A. First rate. Q. Were the men satisfied with him? A. Yes, sir; they were satisfied. He is a perfect gentleman. I saw men also tied up to upright posts, bound and gagged there for trifles; tied up by ropes around their arms, and they did nothing, only just had a little bit of drink in them. You could go a little bit higher up and find the same, because it wasn't all among the privates. Q. Have you anything more to say, Mr. Gleason? A. I had a lot to say before I came in. If you are not in too much of a hurry I will think of something more. I don't want to go away half finished. As I told you, gentlemen, we didn't go out there for the purpose of getting any Waldorf- Astoria dinners; we were satisfied with anything that came along. When we were in our own country we imagined we ought to get something near right. By Captain Howell: Q. You think the Government gave you plenty of rations, but your officers monopolized them? A. What they didn't eat they sold out on us. Q. That is your complaint? A. Yes, sir. We were without mattocks. Those mattocks were laying in the company streets in the rain and mud and sun, and everything else, for weeks, and we never got them, some of our companies, until we arrived in Huntsville; they wouldn't give them to us. By Colonel Sexton: Q. Were they expecting to move at that time every day? A. No, sir; they lay there in the sun and rain and the handles rotted. 2360 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. New York, November 35,1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE LOUIS E. KREUSS. Private Louis E. Kreuss, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Please give your full name and present address. A. Louis E. Kreuss, 422 East Fifty-second street. Q. What was your regiment? A. Ninth Regiment New York Volunteers, Company G. Q. Where did you serve during the war with Spain? A. Chickamauga. Q. How long were you there? A. I arrived there-that is, the regiment arrived there on the afternoon of the 26th of May, and I was discharged for physical disability on the 31st of August. I left there on that day. Q. So you were there nearly three months? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you in the hospital any part of the time? A. Yes, sir. Q. What hospital was it? A. The division hospital. Q. What division and what corps? A. First Brigade, Second Division, Third Corps. Q. What trouble had you; what disease? A. I had chorea, and I can tell it better if you allow me to tell you how I got it. Q. Certainly. A. It is a strain in the back; it causes nervous trouble. I had started June 17 answering sick calls at the regimental hospital. I kept answering and answering all the time. The surgeon in charge thought I had chills and fever, because I was constantly shaking, and he kept giving me quinine all the time. Q. What was the name of your regimental surgeon? A. I don't like to mention the doctor's name, because I have a claim for a pen- sion, and I don't want to make any assertion against the doctors at present, or they won't give the statements afterwards. They gave me quinine, and up to July 4, when Major Hubbard, who was at the regimental hospital, he said I had St. Vitus's dance; so he told the doctor in charge to keep me under observation for a few days and see how the case developed. He says, " Give him a double dose of strychnine," and I think it was a good double dose the way I felt after I took it. Afterwards they took me to the division hospital, and finally, on the 7th of July, a board of surgeons examined me. They put me in all kinds of positions, and then they would laugh at me, saying, " This is kind of comical." As soon as I stretched out my hands they would begin to shake, and they would laugh. Q. Why did they think it was comical, because you were shaking? A. Yes, sir; they thought I was faking. They took me to the hospital; it was toward 6 when I got there. They put me in a cot, and the orderly requested that everything should be kept quiet. I was so nervous that I was shaking. There the orderly sympathized with me, and the doctors in charge thought it was a joke. Q. Was that a common thing for the men, to put on nervous diseases for the purpose of getting their discharge? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have much of it there? PRIVATE LOUIS E. KREUSS. 2361 A. No, sir; I was the only case in the regiment. There was only one similar case, I heard the doctors make the remark. Q. Did they talk about having plenty of them in the civil war? A. No, sir; I didn't hear any remarks made about the civil war. While I was in the hospital I asked for medicine, and some of the doctors in charge there said, " I can't give you any medicine." I said, " Why can't you? " He said, " There isn't anything here." I said, " Well, that is strange." He said, " I will give you a pre- scription and maybe you can get somebody to get it filled for you." I didn't have any money, of course, to get it filled. Q. Who was the doctor that gave you the prescription? A. Dr. Lawrence; he was in charge. There were other cases there. There was a fellow by the name of Castor, of Company K. He was in the second cot from me, and the fellow next to me was suffering from cancer; had something cut out of his neck. He complained to me of not being treated right. He com- plained that the porter wouldn't come over and bandage him up. His neck was all green-things coming out of it-all dirty, because the division surgeon had been away. When he was there everything went in shipshape. When I wasn't nervous I would walk around, and I walked around and I noticed that those boys were not getting any medicine. I saw one package of medicine on the ground. Some of the boys would say to me, "Will you get us some ice?" or "Get us a drink of water," and I said, "Why don't you call that orderly?" and they said, "I am tired calling for the orderly." I said, "I don't blame the orderly, for he had to go out and do police duty, and they are all pretty tired." Q. You didn't have enough attendants at the hospital? A. No, sir. I myself took the names of each one of the men, and made a list out of the hours he ought to get his medicine. When the doctor needed anything like that, that wasn't taken at all. If they wanted something of the doctor, and I asked him, the doctor would say not to bother him. Q. Did any of the other fellows who were able to do that attend to the others? A. Yes, sir. A fellow named Falk, Company F, attended to a fellow named Robb. Q. How were they fed there? A. I was given food that wasn't fit for a strong man to eat. There was nothing but condensed milk for the men. I know it positive, for I gave it to them, and I got the name of " Beef Tea." I got that nickname; and every time they saw me they would say, " Hello, Beef Tea." By Dr. Conner: Q. Please tell me what your age is. A. Twenty-three years. Q. Were you healthy as a child? A. No, sir. Q. When did you first have St. Vitus's dance? A. Why, I didn't have any dance until about the 17th of June, when I first got nervous (shaking) standing at parade rest. Q. Had you been frightened? A. No, sir; I had been worked very hard. Q. Had you been overdrilled that day? A. I suppose we had; we had some pretty tough drills. Q. And you were without any medical attention, as I understand it, for a good while? A. I didn't have any fever or anything like that; I had this nervous trouble. Q. You were without any medical attention; did you report at sick calls? A. Yes, sir; on the 17th or June. Q. Did they give you any medicine? 2362 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. Gave me quinine pills. Q. When did you report again? A. I can't remember the dates. Every time I would stand at parade rest I commenced to shake. Q. Tell me about the medical treatment you got; you were treated with quinine, I understand? A. Yes, sir; there were three kinds of medicine-quinine, castor oil, and salts. Q. Did they give you those in succession? A. No, sir; at different times. He would change me every once in a while on different things. Q. At this time were you able to take your regular food, your company rations? A. Yes, sir; at that time I was in the company. Q. And you were cared for, were you? You cared for yourself; you got your rations like the rest? A. I got what was coming to me. Q. Were you at any time without your regular rations? A. Yes, sir. Q. When? A. In the company. Q. What time was it? A. Many a time. Q. For how long a time were you without your rations? A. It was so every now and then in the week. In the morning we would get a small piece of bacon and a piece of bread and we had battalion drill for two and a half hours. Q. Your supplies were distributed; you had your regular three meals a day of some sort or other? A. Yes, sir, as much as we could get. Q. Right along? A. Yes, sir. Q. You were served with your rations in some shape or other? A. Some kind of rations; not the regular army rations. Q. But you were served with something? A. Yes, sir. Q. While you were in the hospital did anything in particular attract your atten- tion? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was it? A. I remember one day we were looking for water. The water detail had gone, I suppose, where they got their water, either Cave Spring or Snodgrass Hill for water. They went away in the morning and took the water barrel, and they hadn't returned for pretty near forty-eight hours. Q. Did anything else attract your attention besides the absence of the water? A. Absence of medicine. Q. Were there any strange or queer things occurring in the hospital which attracted your notice? A. The typhoid-fever patients lived in the same wards with the patients that were not suffering from such bad diseases. Q. Anything else? A. Yes, sir. The stools that were used were not cleaned-were not properly cared for. Q. Anything else-anything that was even more strange than that? A. W ell, in thehospital-I can't think of them all at once, so many things occurred there. MRS. ELIZABETH BROSNAN. 2363 Q. I will simply ask you a couple of questions and then stop. Is it or is it not a fact that you at any time were four days without any food or any medicine? A. Why, I was in my tent I will answer this way: There were times I couldn't get anything. Q. Will you be kind enough to answer my question? Is it or is it not a fact that you were at any time four days without any food or any medicine? A. I can't say without any; I had some. Q. Some food and some medicine all the time? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you of your own knowledge know that a man died of typhoid fever and lay two days in his tent without being removed? A. No, sir; that was Frank T. Lynch. He died in the division hospital and laid in the deadhouse two days without being removed. Q. Then these two statements you can hardly confirm at this time? One is that " on May 26 I was ill in my quarters without food and medicine." That is one of them. The other was, " I saw F. B. Lynch, of Company K, who died of typhoid. He was in a filthy condition. He was dead two days before his body was removed. " Now, as I understand it, those are not exactly as you want to put them? A. - No, sir. By General McCook: Q. Have you anything else to say? A. No. New York, November 35,1898. TESTIMONY OF MRS. ELIZABETH BROSNAN. Mrs. Elizabeth Brosnan, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Beaver: Q. Will you kindly state your name and address to the stenographer? A. Elizabeth Brosnan. I am from Worcester, Mass. Q. From Worcester, did you say? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any personal experience in connection with our Army during the late war, Madam? A. I went down to Camp Alger. I was there three days. Q. Had you friends in the Army? A. I had a brother. I heard he was sick, so I went down there to see how ill he was, and it wasn't very much. Q. Was he in the hospital when you reached there? A. No, sir; he was just out of the hospital. Q. He had been in the hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. And had returned to his company? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was his company and regiment? A. Company G, Ninth Massachusetts. Q. How long did you remain in the camp? A. Well, I had to stay in Washington, as there was no place at Alger to stay, and I went down June 15 and all day of the 16th, and I took down some fruit to the boys, and my brother had written home to my mother and told her not to believe the newspapers, as he didn't want us to worry, and I went down to see 2364 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. how things were. I am a trained nurse, and I took them down some-not delica- cies at all, but some solid food, and I saw what they had for dinner. The boys were very well satisfied with what they had, but they didn't have enough; they were very strong, hardy fellows. Q. They hadn't been in the service very long, had they? A. They were mustered into the service of the United States on the 11th of May, and this was the 15th of June; they had been only at Alger two weeks. Q. Are you familiar with the army ration? Do you know what its constituents are, what its component parts are? A. No, sir; I know they are allowed so many ounces a day for a meal. Q. So much meat and so much bread? A. Yes, sir; and potatoes. Q. Aggregating about 3 pounds of meat and bread and vegetables. Is that sufficient for a healthy man, in your judgment? You have had experience. A. Yes, sir; I think it is. Q. If the full army rations were issued and the men received them, and it was properly cooked, would there be any lack of food, do you think? A. No, sir. Q. What was the difficulty in this particular case, as you observed it? A. Why, there wasn't enough. When the dinner came in, I was there at dinner; there were four pieces of beef and about two tablespoonfuls of gravy; it was stewed, and it was very good; I tasted of it. Q. Hadn't they divided it up properly? Was what he got too little for him? A. What he got was too little. Q. There was a fair division among the members of the company? A. Yes, sir. Q. To what was this lack attributed at the time by the men; do you know? A. Why, it was all that was given them. Q. From their quartermaster? A. From the quartermaster, I suppose. Q. From the regimental quartermaster, what he got from the brigade com- missary or the division commissary? You don't know that, I suppose? A. No, sir. Q. What else did you observe there of which the men complained or had, in your judgment, a right to complain of? A. The water. Q. What was the water supply; where was it obtained? A. I haven't any idea. I tasted the water and it was very bad, and the boys said it wasn't fit to drink, and their camp was situated at the end of all the camps, down below the other camps. Q. On lower ground? A. Yes, sir; the refuse, as I understand them to say, came down into their own camp. Q. Was Camp Alger, so far as your knowledge and experience go, a good camp- ing ground? . A. Yes, for a certain time; not for the length of time they were there. I went all over the different camps-all over Alger, Dunn-Loring, and Falls Church. Q. Were they crowded unduly; were the camps of the several regiments too- close together, in your judgment? A. No, sir; they didn't seem to be. Q. Room enough for the men? A. Yes, sir. Q. But they occupied the ground for too great a length of time, so that the sanitary condition couldn't be preserved? MRS. ELIZABETH BROSNAN. 2365 A. Yes, sir. Q. Were you in their hospital? A. Yes, sir. Q. Of their regiment or division? A. Of the regiment. How was that administered? A. Very nicely. They had only one patient there the day I was there, as the division hospital had taken all the other patients away. They only had the one bed there and one patient in it. Q. Did you go to the division hospital? A. No, sir. Q. Is there anything else you would like to say? A. Well, I wanted to say that my brother was sent as a convalescent from Cuba and was supposed to come north here, and I came to New York. Q. He was one of those who went from Camp Alger to Cuba? A. Yes, sir; and I was in New York to meet him, supposing he was coming north. He left there on the transport Santiago, and when I arrived in New York I found'that this transport had put in at Egmont Key, for what reason no one seemed to know. That is an island about 2) miles in circumference and has a very bad swamp, and my brother died there of typhoid fever, and Dr. Siddons here, who was in the Marine Service, said he was in the second week of typhoid fever when he came there. I tried very hard to get a telegram down to him to see if I could go there. I couldn't find anyone who would tell me where it was. I went to the quartermaster at the army building and he didn't know, and I also went to Colonel Brown, I believe. Q. In the city here? A. Yes, sir; and he asked me about my brother, and I told him my brother was there, and he said, " What is his name? " I told him. " What is his rank? " I said he was a private. " Oh," he said, " you will have to write to General Stern- berg and ask him about it." Come to find out, General Sternberg had nothing whatever to do with giving permission to go to the marine camp (my brother was with the marines), and so I didn't get to my brqther and he died there. We have a camp now at Jacksonville. This is a letter that came from one of my classmates in Jacksonville. Q. Is she a trained nurse there? A. Yes, sir; I will read you the letter if you wish. Q. I suppose it would hardly be admissible as a part of your testimony to take what somebody else said. A. Possibly not, but I know if she were here-and she said in her letter she is willing to swear to everything she tells as the truth. Q. Of what does she complain? A. She complains of lack of medicine-lack of supplies there. Q. At Jacksonville? A. Yes, sir. Q. What is the date of the letter? A. The letter isn't dated. Q. Or postmarked? A. The postmark is of September 29. Q. We were there later than that and we inquired especially about those things They seemed to have been very well supplied then. Do you know whether slu has gone from Jacksonville or not? A. I haven't heard. Q. The troops from Jacksonville were sent to Savannah, of the Seventh Corps- those stationed at Jacksonville. Have you had any further personal experience at all? 2366 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. No, sir; I have not. Q. Did you recover your brother's body? Was that brought home? A. Yes, sir, I did; through Senator Hoar, who did a great deal for us. New York, November 25,1898. TESTIMONY OF PRIVATE M. J. HUSSEY. Private M. J. Hussey, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, hav- ing no objection, was sworn by General Wilson., and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Give us your name and address, and if you have been in the service, your company and regiment. A. M. J. Hussey; 57 Columbia street, Brooklyn; Company A, Sixty-ninth United States Volunteers. Q. How long were you in the service? A. Since the 23d of April. Q. Are you still in the service? A. Yes, sir. Q. When did you leave your regiment? A. I left my regiment in September, sir. Q. What day in September? A. On the 14th. Q. What was the length of your furlough? A. Ten days. Q. How have you kept it up? A. By reporting on time to the adjutant-general at Governors Island with the surgeon's certificate stating the condition of my wife's health and the condition of the family and the reason I was needed at home. Q. The furlough was based not upon your sickness, but upon the condition of your family? A. Yes, sir. Q. Where was your regiment encamped when you left? A. Huntsville, Ala. Q. How long had it been there? A. Some few weeks. Q. Where had it come from? A. From Fernandina, Fla. Q. Were you in the hospital at any time? A. No, sir. Q. Were you sick at any time? A. Well, a few slight attacks of the malaria, but that is all. Q. How was your company fed? A. Very poorly. Q. Did you draw the full army rations? A. To the best of my knowledge the full army ration was issued to the regiment at all times, but we never received it at any time. Q. In your company? A. Yes, and as far as I know throughout the entire regiment. Q. What became of it? A. Well, that is the thing to say. I was myself ordered at one time to help draw a wagon, and there were 10 bags of flour placed on that, and several sides PRIVATE M. J. HUSSEY. 2367 of bacon and other rations taken to town in charge of Lieutenant Guilfoyle. I was also there when the wagon returned, and all that I saw returned for the stuff taken away was 35 loaves of bread, and I saw a box for the officers' quarters, a box of things that went to the officers' tent, and a bottle of whisky. Q. There had been a trade in the meantime of which you had no knowledge? A. Yes, sir. Q. You said your lack of rations continued; that you never had a full supply? A. Never, sir. Q. Did you have any company fund in your company? A. Yes, we naturally supposed we had. It was known that there was $25, a portion of the canteen fund, turned over to the company, and at another time, I believe, forty-two dollars and some odd cents turned over to the company, and other moneys we had before. Q. Who was the treasurei' of your company fund? A. It was supposed to be the captain, sir; Capt. Michael Lynch. Q. Had the bakery been established when you left camp? A. Just a short time previous. Q. Do you know what the saving was through your regimental bakery? A. No; I do not, sir. Q. When we were there there was said to be a pretty large amount in the bakery fund. A. I should judge there ought to be a large saving, for the reason that a small loaf of bread of ten or twelve slices was made and a slice issued to each man for a ration. Q. Instead of getting one-fifth of a pound of bread at each meal, to which you were entitled, you only got a tenth or twelfth? A. Yes, sir; about that. Q. How was your meat ration; was it sufficient or was it also deficient? A. I believe if the men had had the meat issued to them as they received it there would have been sufficient, but the meat was generally cut up into pieces and the choicest portion was sent to the officers' tents. Q. How do you know it? A. By seeing it, being there, looking at it. Q. Having it turned over to other men? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you know whether the officers paid for the meat which they got into the company fund, or was it just a draft made upon the company for their benefit? A. I couldn't swear whether it was a draft or whether they paid for it; I judged not. I base my judgment upon this fact: Shortly before I left there Corporal Tracy, of my company, died, and we were called upon to contribute what we could toward the funeral expenses of Corporal Tracy, toward the burial, as there was no company fund to defray the burial expenses. Q. You never were in that hospital? A. Only a couple of times. I went over to receive some medicine. I had a sprained leg, which I got by falling off a horse I was riding for Lieutenant- Colonel Donovan. Q. Do you know whether any complaint was made by your company to the colonel as to the condition of things? A. Yes, sir. Q. What was the result of the complaint? A. The complaint was made by one man in particular, named Farrel, I think. He took the ration they had received from the cook house and complained, and he was told to go to his quarters. After that Captain Lynch threatened the man with dire punishment if he ever committed this act again. 2368 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did yon ever see the colonel inspecting the company kitchen at the time the meals were issued to the men? A. No, sir, Q. Did you ever see any of the field officers? A. Yes, sir; Lieutenant-Colonel Donovan. He always managed to getaround; sometimes he would be around before reveille and sometimes at meal times, in fact at all hours of the day; he did his best. Q. Was he at any time in command of the regiment? A. Yes, sir. Q. Was there ever any complaint made to him when he was in command of the regiment? A. No, sir; because when he was in command things went along, as a general thing, a great deal smoother and better. Q. Did this condition continue all the time Colonel Duffy was in command of the regiment, from the time you entered the service until you left on a furlough? A. From the time we left Camp Black to the time I left on furlough it con- tinned in about the same way. Q. Have you anything further to say? A. I would like to make a statement in reference to a thing or two. About the latter part of August the coffee served to the men there in my company-that is it you would care to hear it? Q. We will be very glad to hear it. Proceed. A. It had the appearance of coffee that hadn't been parched when it was made; it was just as green as anything. Corporal Mehan, Private James Daly, and Private Daniel Shea, were going over to Colonel Duffy to complain about it. As they were going over they passed me at my tent, and I was just coming out. I asked them where they were going, and they said they were going over to the colonel, and they showed me the coffee. I knew that similar reports had been made to the colonel, and nothing had been done, and I advised them to go to the doctor. They asked me about it because I had been in the regular service before, and I told them to take the coffee to Dr. Daly, a contract doctor, and they did. He took it to Colonel Duffy and showed him what it was, and said he was going to analyze that coffee, and that there must be an immediate change made, and right after that the crew that was in the kitchen was relieved and another crew put in there. Q. Was that because the coffee hadn't been properly ground or because it was bad coffee? A. Because it hadn't been properly parched. I believe the coffee was all right. Q. Do you know whether they had drawn roasters for the coffee? A. No, sir; they had not. They had not even a mill to grind it in. Q. Those are furnished by the Government? A. We always had them in the regular service. Q. From your knowledge of the army ration as issued to the Army, what pro- portion of it do you think you got in youi- company? A. In all, about one-third. Q. Can a company of soldiers, volunteer or regular, use a full Government ration if they get it? A. No, sir; a full Government ration will feed any two ordinary men. Q. When it is properly handled and properly cooked? A. Yes, sir. Q. So that the difficulty from your standpoint seems to be that there was mis- management of some sort on the part of your company officers and the officers higher up? A. Yes, sir. DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2369 Q. Have you anything else you would like to say? A. No, sir; only that Colonel Duffy made a statement to the men one evening on parade that any married men in the regiment that wished their discharge he would be glad to see them at his quarters and would approve their discharges if they stated they wanted them. I know I, myself, made an application and I know others have done so, and we were told to go away and not to bother him, or else he would put us in the guardhouse. Some men had been bound and gagged for minor offenses. One man named Martin Cusack can testify to that effect if called upon. New York, November 25, 1898. Dr. A. Monae Lesser, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By Dr. Conner: Q. Doctor, will you be kind enough to give your name, your occupation, your length of time in the practice, and your residence? A. My name is A. Monae Lesser, and I live at 19 East Sixty-first street. I am a physician and surgeon, rather the latter, and am in practice since 1882. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us whether or not you have seen anything of the conditions during the late war? A. I have. Q. Under what circumstances and in what connection? A. I went to Cuba on the steamship State of Texas, which was sent for Cuban relief purposes. Arrived at Santiago on June 24or 25, and then was advised, or rather I should say the commander of the steamship was advised, to go to Guan- tanamo and receive further orders. W e remained at Guantanamo until the after- noon of the 27th. After unloading and sending quantities of material to give to the Cubans, Miss Barton, who was in command of the ship, was informed that a battle was fought at Siboney and that a number of the wounded would require attention, upon which she ordered the ship to return to Siboney, where we arrived on the evening of June 29. We were immediately brought to shore about 9 o'clock in the evening, and I was sent by Miss Barton to go to the various hospitals and offer the services of the Red Cross as well as the assistance of surgeons, nurses, and material which could be used for the wounded, including cots, bedding, etc. Q. Were these services of yours accepted? A. In the first instance Dr. Winters had to go forward the following morning, and it was useless for him to accept any services. Q. Let me interrupt you. What was Dr. Winters's position there? A. He was surgeon in-I couldn't say what corps-and was first located in the first hospital at which I arrived. Q. He was in charge of a hospital, was he? A. The next hospital was in charge of Major La Garde. There were about thirty or forty men lying on the ground, but they seemed to be well cared for; and after receiving our offer the Major requested that beds or cots be sent, and person- ally came the following morning on the steamship Texas to ask Miss Barton for cots, which he received. Q. Were your offers at this time, any of them, refused? A. I should not say without cause. They were refused because they were not needed. Q. I mean at the time that you first landed there, were your services refused by anybody? TESTIMONY OF DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2370 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. A. That would be very hard for me to answer, because-refused in what sense? Q. Declined. A. Simply we were told they were not needed. Q. Did you hear anything about that afterwards? A. That they were refused? Q. No; but in regard to the refusal or declination, if you please. A. No; I have not heard. I may not have paid attention. Q. We have had testimony from a lady who was with you, as I understand it, that your services were refused, and rather curtly refused. Is that correct? A. I have been in every instance the spokesman for the party, and. I do not remember an instance in which we were not politely received and politely spoken to. Q. Was Dr. La Garde at this hospital at the time of your first visit? A. He was. Q. What may have been the occasion of his writing a letter explaining why your services were declined? A. The services of nurses? Q. They were with you in the party? A. They were with me; he declined them. Q. He declined them himself? A. Yes, sir; he said lie had no need for them. Q. Was that on your first landing or the next day? A. That was the first landing. Q. Now, you had occasion, did you, to offer your services to the other hospital or hospitals at Siboney? A. Yes, sir. On the 28th Miss Barton directed me to go to the front as far as possible-a long distance-8 miles. I approached several hospitals, and none of them could exactly say what would be required. I went as far as the Rough Riders' encampment, and returned the same evening. The sisters in the mean- time had been requested to work in the Cuban hospital. I mean by the sisters the nurses who were trained for Red Cross service and who have taken a certain pledge to work in that institution. There were only five active in the Cuban hos- pital. On the 28th, in the morning, I again returned to shore and went to Major La Garde's hospital. It had just been put up, and I offered him the services of the Red Cross. The Major immediately sent a letter requesting Miss Barton to send all the assistance that she could and all material with which she could help, as he feels the need for it will come very shortly. Upon this Miss Barton directed me to go with the sisters and present them to Major La Garde, who advised us to take up a building right opposite his hospital, which we thoroughly disinfected, cleaned, and took in all the patients who were then in his tents. There was none wounded. Q. What was the size of this hospital? A. It was comfortable. It would locate about 25 people, but we had located at most 48. Q. Forty-eight in this building? A. In this building. Q. It was a building? A. One of the buildings of the place. It was a house composed of one long hall in the center and on each side two large rooms, and large porch in front, and a kitchen extension. We had the largest number of typhoid-fever cases placed together, and a few measles cases, and one room I put aside for examining cases as they came in-cases of yellow fever infection. Outside on the porch and in that room to the right I had reserved for wounded in case a battle should be fought. Q. The protection outside was ample for the wounded? A. Perfectly so. DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2371 Q. Was this a frame or stone building? A. Frame. Q. Was it turned over to you by the military authorities or was it asked for by you from the military authorities? A. The military authorities, after considering-there was Major La Garde, Dr. Guiteras, Dr. Fauntleroy, and Dr. Ireland-they decided that that building would be the best, but urged disinfection very strongly. Q. Is it or is it not a fact that they urged you not to accept the building, because of its probably being infected? A. No; I couldn't say that. Q. They did not? A. No. Q. Can you say they didn't advise you? A. They advised me to go in there as the only place which was serviceable for a hospital. Q. You took this place and established your hospital. About what date did you establish it and about what date did you give it up? A. On the 29th we received the first patients from Major La Garde. Q. On the 29th of June? A. On the 29th of June. Q. And it was maintained by you for what length of time? A. Until, I believe, the 14th day of July. I must make a slight correction. The hospital was not only in my charge; the yellow-fever experts were there daily to examine cases, and we really worked one in the other's hospital. I have been working in Major La Garde's tent while his surgeons came to the othei' place to work there. It was not a self-limited institution. It was simply assisting an army, as the Red Cross should be. Q. Were the relations between yourself and the Red Cross Association with the medical officers agreeable, pleasant, or otherwise? A. With that of other Red Cross officers? Q. With the medical officers of the army? A. Very agreeable, indeed; very agreeable. Q. There was no clash? A. Never. Q. You were able to render them decided service? A. I must leave that to them. Q. They have so testified. How much of the time, Doctor, were you at work in the general hospital and in this second special hospital of youi- own? A. On the night of the 1st of July, or, I should say, the afternoon of the 1st day of July, a number of wounded were brought down from the front, and Major La Garde invited every person who could possibly give a hand to work. The five sisters who were at the hospital came over and took charge of the operating room, that is, assisting the surgeons. I took charge of one table while army surgeons took charge of the other five tables. Q. Were there many operations at that hospital at that time? A. Indeed there were. Q. Were there many major operations done? A. There were about five or six, or perhaps eight amputations in all. There were a large number of resections, a number of operations upon the brain and compound fractures, resetting, but there was no abdominal operation in the hospital. Q. Your duties with the wounded-you were occupied with them to what time? A. From the 1st of July, the night of the 2d, the whole day of the 2d, the night from the 2d to the 3d, the whole day of the 3d, and on the night from the 3d to the 4th the sisters and myself were invited to assist in the work on the steamship 2372 INVESTIGATION OE CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Harvard, where a number of the Spanish wounded from the Gervera fleet had been brought, and we worked there that night. We returned in the morning of the 4th. Of course, had but a few hours' sleep in the meantime, and worked all the 4th and the 5th and until the 6th. Q. During this time, extending, as I understand you, from the 1st to the 6th, and practically inclusive, did you find in the hospital or hospitals a sufficient amount of dressings for your wounded? A. There were not enough splints after about 50 people had been dressed. There was no iodoform gauze after that number had been dressed, but there was an ample sufficiency of bandages and other material, such as sublimate gauze, catgut, and silks. Q. You, then, were practically supplied with all that was needed. When the iodoform gauze was out you used the sublimate gauze, or the simple sterilized gauze was there? A. Yes, sir. Q. As respects the splints, you were able to find substitutes for splints? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you have any plaster of paris there that could have been used? A. We had not much. Q. You had a little? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you found splints of service in this case? A. Yes, sir; no one needed to go away because of splints, because we found empty boxes to make splints from. Q. Did you have occasion to use any of the palm leaves for that purpose? A. I did not; but there were a number from the hospital from the front who were splendidly dressed with palm leaves or palm material. Q. Were these supplies that you spoke of in the possession of the Medical Depart- ment of the Army at the time you went there, or were they supplied in chief or in part by the Red Cross Association? A. No, sir; there was a quantity there. When the iodoform gave out we sent for it to the steamship Texas.. Q. As you observed the condition of things there, were the wounded properly, promptly, and scientifically treated? A. I don't think that any comment could be made against the treatment by the physicians and surgeons to the wounded. Q. We are to understand, then, from you that so far as your professional expe- rience has gone, and your observation, that everything was done that could have been done? A. The surgeons have done splendid work. Q. And, as a result of that, in what condition were the wounded a few days after the fight-that is, the mortally injured? A. They were all quite easy, and could be taken to ships as the ships came in to take them. Q. You were able, then, as I understand it, or they were there, to rapidly ship the wounded north, so as to clear the way, clear the hospitals for engagements that were expected, and the wounded from those engagements? A. So I understand it. Q. As respects the fever cases, were they already in the hospital when you saw it first? I am not speaking of yellow fever; I am speaking of the ordinary mala- rial fever. A. There were a number brought down to the hospital. Q. They had been brought before you arrived? A. Yes, sir. Q. And the number was constantly increased? DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2373 A. Yes, sir. Q. Were these patients so disposed of that they were comfortable? A. Well, I couldn't say yes to that. I don't think anyone was as comfortable as he would have wished, but as comfortable as the circumstances would permit, they were. Q. Think you if they had been put upon cots and put under tents that they would have been more comfortable than they were ? A. If they had been on cots, they would have been more comfortable. Q. And if they had been under tent shelter would they have been more com- fortable ? A. No more than they were. Q. The exposure to the open air was rather beneficial, are we to understand? A. They were not in the open air. I hope you will understand me correctly. There were two buildings for the reception of fever cases, one in my charge and one in charge of Dr. Guiteras. Large numbers were there. The fever cases-I have not seen any lying outside. These outside the tents were wounded. Q. Were these fever cases being properly attended to by the doctors, and prop- erly nursed ? A. By the doctors, yes, but not properly nursed. Q. What was the character of the nursing as you observed it ? A. There were in all three male nurses who remained in the field. Now, the number of wounded and sick was very large, but Major La Garde had a number of people detailed to work there and to assist the nurses. For instance, when, after the second day of the battle, there were a number of wounded in the tent or in tents and no nurses there he sent for one of the sisters to take charge of all or a number of men and tell them exactly what to do, and in that way supplied the patients; but of course it was not proper nursing. Q. Are we to understand from you at this time that there were some wounded who were being treated in tents? A. All the wounded were treated in tents. Q. Tents had been put up then? A. Only wounded were put out in tents; fever cases in buildings. Q. And were these tents ordinary hospital tents or w'all tents or shelter tents? A. They were all mixed up. Q. Anything they could get? A. Anything Major La Garde could possibly get. He walked around day and night, and, if I am permitted, there is not too much praise that can be given to Major La Garde or the regular army surgeons that were in Siboney. Q. Did they have in these hospitals that you speak of, that were under charge of Dr. Guiteras and Dr. La Garde and under your own charge, the medicines and medical supplies that were required? A. I couldn't answer that conscientiously, because I have not paid attention to patients that were not in my charge. Q. Are you prepared to say that so far as you know they were or were not? A. I believe those who were in Siboney never suffered for the want of medi- cine; only want of food. Q. Was it possible to obtain at that time, eithei- from the Medical Department of the Army or from the auxiliary department or from the Red Cross, articles of diet that were required, or at least would have been of service to fever patients? A. Yes, sir. Q. From what source? A. From the Red Cross only, as far as I knew. Q. There were no hospital supplies furnished by the Army? A. I could not answer that. I can only say that when the soldiers complained to the sisters that they were famished the sisters prepared large kettles of gruel 2374 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. and other material and brought it over to the army. Whether the army had material there or not I couldn't say. Q. You don't know whether it was issued to the men or not? A. I could not say. Q. How soon was it, Doctor, before you yourself broke down? A. Well, I was ordered to go to bed on the 15th day of July. Q. And when did you obey that order? A. I had to obey that same day. Q. You were thought to have yellow fever? A. Yes, sir; and rightly thought so, too. Q. I am glad to hear you say so, because it has been declared by some that Dr. Lesser had been said to have yellow fever when he didn't have it. A. It, no doubt, must have been a layman, for every physician would have recognized the disease very readily. Q. Not only you yourself, but, if, as I understand it, you and your several sister nurses were all sick? A. All but one. Q. All went down together? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long after the diagnosis of yellow fevei' was made were you ordered to move to the yellow-fever hospital? A. The following day. Q. What was the reason assigned for your transfer to the yellow-fever hospital? A. The burning down of the buildings. Q. They were going to burn it down, but what was the reason for transferring you? A. In order that the buildings could be burned down, because we were better cared for in the buildings than in the fever hospital. Q. What distance were you moved on that following day when you were turned out of your house? A. With a temperature of 105 it is hard to say the distance. Q. Was it a mile? A. It seemed to me like two months' journey, but when I returned they had a little shorter distance to go; railroads had been built; it was about a mile or 2 miles. Q. During the time that you were in the yellow-fever hospital were you kindly, and properly, and skillfully cared for? A. I can never be grateful enough to those who cared for me in the yellow-fever hospital. Q. Who was in charge of that hospital at that time? A. Dr. Gorgas, Surgeon-Major McCreery, who since then has died and who was untiring in his work, and by Dr. Echeverria, a Cuban. I believe they were the principal men who had charge of the fever patients. Q. And how long were you in this hospital before you were able to leave it? A. I was there exactly seven days; I returned on the seventh day. Q. And during that time you have spoken of, by the medical officers connected with the place were you properly cared for, and was that hospital, as far as you know, properly supplied with medicines? A. Well, in yellow fever very little medicine is needed. Q. Did they have what they needed? A. Indeed they did. Q. After you had sufficiently recovered to be moved you were permitted or given permission to come north, were you? A. Yes, sir; we returned to Siboney when-you know when the Red Cross is in service it has to listen to the commands of the officer in charge of the hos- 2375 DR. A. MONAE LESSER. pital, and on account of the service we tried to get more Red Cross sisters, but as they didn't come, Major La Garde sanctioned my request to return in charge of one of the hospitals on the transport ships. Q. That was the transport Concho ? A. Yes, sir. Q. Will you be kind enough to tell us, somewhat in detail, what preparations were made for the reception of those who were to travel on the Concho, under what conditions it was that made it more than usually difficult to take care of them on the trip north, and then tell us what did occur on that trip. In other words, please, in your own way, and in as few words as may be convenient, give us the history of the Concho on that trip. A. The Concho was to arrive in Siboney on the 22d, and sent word that they had to take food and water and would come on the 23d. On the morning of the 23d its captain sent two men, I believe it was the first steward, couldn't say exactly though, and an officer of the ship, anyhow, to report ready. After asking him what food he had, he told us he had watei' and a thousand rations. Oh, no; and should get a thousand rations. Q. Let me interrupt you. Was this at Santiago or Siboney? A. Siboney. Q. Had she been to Santiago and returned to Siboney? A. Yes, sir. We then mustered out a number of men who were to go with us. We, I mean Major La Garde, Dr. Ireland, and myself, appeared quite capable to go on the ship without fear, though all had had yellow fever, but apparently looked well, I mean apparently were well. On that same day in the afternoon at 3 o'clock we had loaded about 130 such men, and as we had a number of typhoid-fever cases that had been before in my charge, and that had all recov- ered, but first required rest, we took those along. One patient, Major Allen, who had suffered from yellow fever and then malarial fever, and had a complica- tion of diseases, and acute peritonitis, also went with us. That was all, and those last were brought there on litters. In all, the number of 175. I sent word to Major La Garde that the medicine was not sufficient, and he sent back as much as he said he could afford to give me. I had a bottle of five-grain quinine pills, a bottle of sulphur, containing about 5 or 6 pounds, and a pound of camphor. I had a case of medicine, and it would have been sufficient for the number of patients on the ship. The change from Cuba, and particularly to being in the camp where the fever patients were, to the breeze of the sea, was so great that, as occurs fre- quently with cases of that kind, that night everyone suffered with fever-some -with chills and some without chills. It was identically the same fever as I have seen in Havana before the war among the reconcentrados that came from Havana to the coast and then went back to the mountains. As soon as they returned, they would get this kind of malaria fever, and that was the cause of all the sick- ness on that ship. We were not really prepared to treat 175 patients. We were prepared to treat about 25 patients, and it was impossible for either Major La Garde, Dr. Ireland, or myself to know that these men had malarial parasites in their blood. So little could we have known that that I have taken blood from a number of cases and found no parasites in the blood. But when these men arrived in New York eight days later, after a great number had been ill, then I again took blood, and when I came home examined it under the microscope, and found that they were all cases of genuine Cuban malaria. Q. You spoke of the thousand rations; were these the army rations? A. These were army rations. Q. A thousand rations, it was expected, would last the supposedly ill men until they got well; was that it? A. Yes, sir. Q. What amount of hospital rations, delicacies, that are beyond the ordinary 2376 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. hospital store rations, what amount was furnished to the ship-enough to prop- erly care A. (Interrupting.) For the 25 men? Q. Had you or had you not, and when I say you, I mean not only yourself but the other gentlemen associated with you in this matter-Dr. La Garde and Dr. Ireland and others-had you or had you not good reason for expecting that every man who went on board that boat would be a patient before he got to New York? A. We had no reason to believe so. Q. Therefore, you did not, for that reason, procure hospital stores for 170 men, practically in round numbers? A. Well, we didn't have it, and for that reason Major La Garde sent no more cases than he could possibly get the proper material for. Q. I asked the question because I want to get it on the record. Then you didn't have the hospital stores, in round numbers, for 170 men? A. No, sir. Q. Could these stores have been procured from the Red Cross there at that time? A. No, sir; but if you will allow me to suggest, the food for the sick was pre- pared from the stores, from the regular army rations; soups made from the meat, and the other articles were prepared. Q. But the special diet for the convalescents in typhoid cases and malarial cases, and all that sort of thing, were not to be had from any source at that time? A. No, sir. I must not omit the fact that when the steamship Texas had gone to Santiago that the captain of the ship received from the Red Cross in Siboney several bags of meal-different kinds, and I believe some rice-which was used on the ship. Q. Was the ship, as you found it, prepared for the transportation of sick men? A. As many sick men as we had; yes. Q. Were the other arrangements on the ships such as would have been proper for 150 men, we will say, or about that number, of convalescents, able to get about and eat their food? A. You will pardon me; I am not allowed to answer that question; it would be criticising the Government, and I am not allowed Q. (Interrupting.) I do not want you to criticise the Government, and I do not want you not to criticise the Government; what I am endeavoring to ascertain is the fact or facts, as the case may be, of the preparation that was made for the treatment of those who were on board that ship. A. I am very sorry, but I am not allowed by Red Cross usage to answer that question. Q. Therefore, if the Government had put on there 500 men, you would not be allowed to criticise; is that it? A. No, sir. Q. You would not be allowed to state the facts in relation to it? A. We would not be allowed to say anything which might produce unfavorable criticism; we are allowed to tell the truth, but when you ask me if that would be sufficient for 500 men, that is not for me to judge. Q. What we want to get at is not only the truth, but the whole truth, and it is a matter of some importance, especially in view of the fact that that trip of the Concho was made the subject of a very great deal of censure, or comment at least. It is very important, as I look at it, that we should find out, therefore, if there was neglect or oversight, if you prefer to have it so, on the part of the army officers in the fitting out of that ship for her trip. A. I am sorry to say I can not answer that question. By Captain Howell: Q. Do I understand you to say you have never made a statement to that effect? A. I have never made a statement to that effect. DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2377 By General Beaver: Q. What is the Red Cross usage to which you refer? I believe we had some testimony upon that subject, and I would like very much, for my part, to know all about it. A. We are only to go to the hospitals to work wherever we are sent. We have no right to censure, nor have we right to pass any unfavorable comment. We may say all the good that is proper, but we can not say it is wrong, because we do not know what the Government means to do when.it performs this duty. Q. That don't interfere with youi' stating the facts. A. No; we can tell the facts, but not pass judgment. Q. If a lady were asked, in the prospect of employment by the Red Cross Society, that she would be compelled to take an obligation not to reveal abuses, did that mean that she dare not tell the facts relating to what might be termed abuses by others? A. It depends entirely how you lay the question before her. Every lady who has been taken in the Red Cross, in my charge, was told: " You may see, you may listen to everything, but you are not allowed to repeat one word, and positively are not allowed to say anything, giving your opinion that something had been done wrong." Q. Suppose under those circumstances a member of the Red Cross should see an officer take leave of his men, wouldn't she be competent to testify? A. No, sir; she has no right to be a witness. A Red Cross officei' can not go to the Army and say the other side have the greatest advantage over the people of his own country, and he is not allowed to say these people have the advantage of you; and if you take such a course Q. (Interrupting.) lean understand that that would, of course, shut you out if you gave information in regard to an army, but where it comes to a question of maladministration, or to a question of the violation of law, is it your under- standing of that obligation that an officer dare not testify? A. No, sir; she may say I have seen that officer strike a man; I have seen him killed, or fall down, but she can not go on and say I have seen that man killed. Q. Nobody can do that. Of course, if one fires at a man, and he is at one end of a lane and a dead man at the other, you can say it was that man who killed him, but the jury is left to infer what did. A. It is the same thing here. By Dr. Conner: Q. Then, we are to understand that the provision that was made for five-sixths, at least, if not seven-eighths, of those on board the Concho was based upon the expectation that they would not need special care, but upon the assumption that they were practically well men; is that so? A. The provisions that we made for sending the men to the ship, and as we saw them, were such as to believe that so and so many well men would get along for a number of days, five or six days. Q. And that number the great majority of those on board? A. Yes, sir. Q. You prepared for 25 sick, and the rest were supposed to take care of them- selves? A. Yes, sir. Q. And on your way north, because of the conditions you have spoken of, dis- easemanifesteditself, at least cameon; individuals, instead of being convalescents, were practically quite sick, for the time being, I suppose. Were you sufficiently supplied with medicines to be able to care for them? You have spoken as to your own limited supply, but I ask the question definitely and directly, whether you had enough to answer the necessities of that trip? A. For the 175 men; no. 2378 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. For the 25 men yon had? A. Indeed, we did. Q. Now, not having a sufficient amount of medicines for these men, what were you able to do in the way of caring for them, or did they require much medical care? A. I can say that not a single death occurred on that ship, but it was the fault of the soldier himself. Q. Will you please explain? A. The disease itself has not destroyed any person, but the overfeeding of improper rations, which they were told not to take, has killed those that have died on the ship, and I may add here that I believe more men have died from over- feeding than underfeeding. Q. You arrived after how many days at Fortress Monroe? A. I believe on the evening of the 4th. Q. Did you have on board any yellow fever at that time? A. No, sir. Q. Did you have on board anyone who had died of yellow fever within a period of ten days? A. Yes, sir; all convalescing; they were all convalescing. Q. I understood you A. (Interrupting.) No yellow fever; only the 25 who were convalescing. Q. How long were you detained in quarantine in Fortress Monroe; or, rather, were you detained in quarantine there? A. We were. Q. From what time? A. From the morning, 6 o'clock, until the next day after; I think two days. I would rather not answer that positively, not because I am not allowed, but I really don't remember. It seemed like a year. Q. Was that done by order of the quarantine officer? A. It was. Now, let me see; I think two days in Fortress Monroe. Q. You lay in the roads there two days after you came in by orders of the quarantine officer? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it, or is it not, a fact that the chief difficulty in getting your ship cleared was because the captain refused to go until he got orders from the quartermaster? A. That is right. Q. Therefore you were not held there by the quarantine officer, but by the quartermaster. How is that? A. That is asking me too much. Q. More than you know? A. Yes; I only know that I asked the captain why he didn't allow us to bury the dead, and he said he was told that no man was to leave this ship and the ship could not leave the harbor until notice was sent. Q. Did he have a notice from the quartermaster's department or the quaran- tine department? A. The quarantine department. Q. And how soon were you ordered by the quarantine officer to put out to sea- not to go north? A. The evening of the second day; the afternoon of the second day an officer brought a dispatch stating that we were to go out to sea to bury our dead. Q. How many had you to bury? A. Two or three. Q. Do you know from whom that dispatch came? A. I don't know. Q. Did you see it? DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2379 A. I did not. Q. What officer was, or was supposed to be, in command of that ship; I don't mean the captain of the vessel, I mean the sailing master, simply? A. There was no other officer except the surgeon in charge. Q. That is yourself? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you give any orders to have that ship go to sea? A. Yes, sir. Q. When? A. I told the captain to return as soon as the men died, when we found out we could not bury them. His answer was that he was requested to remain until a dispatch had been sent to Washington, and its answer returned. Q. And you were held until that answer came? A. Yes, sir. Q. You went out to sea in answer to that as the result of that dispatch being received? A. Yes, sir. Q. That evening? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did you, aftei' burying your dead, return to the roads? A. We returned-or rather, during our trip back to Fortress Monroe we had another death. I requested the captain to turn right around, before we entered the harbor again, to bury this third or fourth man. Then, as I remember, we remained in the harbor, outside of the fort, and returned to Fortress Monroe, when we were told to return to New York. Q. And you put out to sea then? A. Yes, sir. Q. How long were you in making the trip from Fortress Monroe to New York? A. Twenty-four hours. Q. The ship arrived in good condition, as far as the rest of her business was concerned? A. Most all had recovered. There were about 25 patients still on the ship, not typhoid cases only-12 typhoid cases-but the rest suffered from malaria and were not so far recovered as to be able to be about. Q. And what did you do with those patients after your arrival? A. I gave them in charge of Dr. Carpenter upon the request of Surgeon Colo- nel Byrne. Q. You turned them over to this gentleman? A. Yes, sir. Dr. Carpenter is a Red Cross physician, and we requested that he take charge of those patients. Q. Where were they taken to? A. They remained on the ship that night, the very sick for quite some days, and the others were taken by Dr. Dougherty to some island, where they remained isolated. Q. Were they subjected to further quarantine after their arrival? A. I believe so. Q. Did any case of yellow fever break out on the ship while you were in transit? A. No, sir. Q. What, then, was the cause of further quarantining you after you got here? A. I couldn't tell you. The officers were not quarantined. I telegraphed to the Adjutant-General that afternoon and received an answer to let all officers go on thirty days' furlough, and to report after that. This order I carried out, and the rest had to wait until further orders were sent. Q. Isn't it a fact that the water on board that vessel was very bad? A. Yes, sir; the water was very bad. 2380 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Q. Did you inspect it before you went on board? A. We were told that the water was fresh, or rather that the captain took water the day before. Q. At Santiago? A. At Santiago. Naturally, I took it for granted, and so did all the others, that the water was fresh. Q. And as a result of that very natural conclusion you didn't test it or taste it? A. No, sir. I do not believe the water was the absolute cause. While I believe it has made people sick, it never was the cause of the malarial fever we had on the ship. Q. Do you know how long that water had really been in the ship's tanks? A. The captain said two months. Q. Where was it originally taken? A. In Tampa; near Tampa. Q. Now, was it simply unpleasant to the taste, or was it actually infected water? A. As far as my investigations have gone, it was not infected. I could not find any microbic conditions in the water. Q. Was this condition such as would occur in perfectly good water left stand- ing in iron tanks for a period of two months? A. Yes, sir. Q. It had changed its color and had changed its taste? A. Yes, sir; a peculiai* taste, an iron taste, an alkaline taste. Q. That was objectionable, but not particularly dangerous to health, or was it so? A. It might not be to a perfectly healthy person, but to a person in bad health it might be injurious. Q. Is this a true statement: "The supply of water had been taken on June 1 and it had become putrid." Was it putrid water? A. No, sir-I don't know the English language sufficiently well-I wouldn't consider it putrid, under such terms, what I understand putrid to mean. Q. There was no ice on board; is that true? A. There was no ice on board; no, sir. Q. No clothes? A. No, sir. Q. What is meant, I suppose, and what you mean is, no proper clothes for sick people? A. No, sir. Q. No food except of the coarsest? A. The regular army ration; other than that, of course,! can not decide upon. Q. With the supplemental bags of flour? A. Yes, sir. Q. Practically no drugs? A. Not for 175, but sufficient for 25. Q. No medical attendants except that supplied by Dr. Lesser, of the Red Cross, assisted by his little band of nurses; is that true? A. Yes, sir. Q. Now, to sum up, in a word, was this trip of the Concho one with which is to be associated carelessness on the part of those who looked to the furnishing of this vessel, neglect on the part of those who should have seen to it that the sick were properly supplied, or was there a lack of attention on the part of the medical officer and his nurses on the way up? A. I can only answer that last question by saying that you must leave that to others. Q. As to nursing you can? DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2381 A. The other I can not answer. Q. Now, there has been a very great complaint, and was at the time, that this was one of those outrageous things-sending sick men north unprovided with the necessities of travel for their proper care-and that somebod; was greatly respon- sible. Now, is it one of those cases or not, in your opinion? A. Gentlemen, you are much wiser and a larger number than I am myself. I could not give you an opinion to make someone responsible or not responsible. Q. This is not making anybody responsible. This country has been filled with the statement that the sending of the Concho was an outrage, and that those on board were neglected; that if it had not been for your kindness and those with you they would have all died in midocean, and that they were horribly neglected from beginning to the end by the Medical Department. Is that correct? A. If you will just take the word "kindness"' out of that, please. It is our "duty," not our "kindness." Q. I will substitute " duty." Now will you answer it? A. I am afraid I can not answer that question. I am sorry; I would like to tell you, but it would implicate me. I would show by it that some institution had neglected its duty. By General Beaver: Q. Suppose you had died on the way; do you suppose every other man would have died before it got to port? A. I don't think so. By Dr. Conner: Q. I wish now to ask you the simple question, whether or not there was, as you observed it, such neglect as should not have occurred on the part of anybody? A. That word "neglect," you see, is what bothers me; I can not answer that. Q. What can you answer? Frame the question yourself. A. I have only told you what the conditions were when 175 men were sent on the ship, of which so and so many were considered well and not requiring medi- cine, and that that was an ample supply for the number that were considered sick; that there was no possibility of making a microscopic examination showing that the men were sick. Q. And the men, as you observed them, did not look sick? A. No, sir; they didn't look sick. By Captain Howell: Q. Were you able, as chief surgeon on that ship, to give all needed medicines and have everything to save the lives of those men? A. As I have said before, none died except those-I don't want to make it so strong as to say " killed themselves," but those who didn't obey orders. Q. Nobody died for the want of medicine? A. No, sir. Q. Or improper food? A. They have died for improper food, which they took without orders. Q. They wouldn't have died if they had not taken that food? A. No, sir. By Colonel Sexton: Q. The food was not improper, but they took more than they should have taken? A. We have made proper food from improper food. By Dr. Conner: Q. I understand you to say, no man died on the ship because he was not prop- 2382 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. erly treated-because lie didn't have medicines-but simply because of the condi- tion he was in any indiscretion was dangerous and in many cases proved fatal. A. I may say they may have suffered through the absence of things, but not died from it. Q. Do you think their physical condition thirty days afterwards was materially worse than it would have been had they been amply supplied with dressings and food? A. Indeed not. Q. Now, in regard to the ice. You said there was no ice on board. Do you know or do you not know whether a request was made or a demand made for ice? A. I have asked the captain why he had no ice. His answer was that, " I had given notice of my desire to go to Jamaica to get ice, but was told to obey orders- to go to Siboney." Consequently we had no ice until we arrived at Fortress Mon- roe, but there we received ice the same evening. By Captain Howell: Q. Didn't he say he wanted to get water, too? A. He said he had water. He sent word that he remained in Santiago to get water and provisions, and lay to there on the 23d. By General Beaver: Q. You say you examined bacteriologically the blood of some of those patients before you left? A. Not before they left; but I did examine the blood, and before there was not the least idea that they were sick. They stood there in line, every man desiring to get well. Another thing that may perhaps have increased the number-even those we told to not come on the ship had smuggled their way through by some means and came on the ship. Q. In coming into a more hilly atmosphere, a more bracing atmosphere, the malaria develops, does it? A. It does; 'that kind of malaria. Q. Does the germ or microbe, or whatever it is that produces that, develop by the atmosphere or is it stimulated? A. The parasite enters the blood. If it finds nutrition it immediately develops and requires a certain time. It is like seed put into a certain ground. At a cer- tain length of time it makes its appearance. Certain seasons, rain or sunshine, are more favorable for its development; so is that. The growing parasite is affected by certain conditions, some being more favorable for its development than others. As soon as the new growth is developed, it is like resting from its first growth. If you would not mow the wheat you would have the wheat again, and so it is here until the proper medicine can be given, so as to chemically destroy these. We do not kill, but we destroy the condition in which they live. By Dr. Conner: Q. How long is it before they manifest themselves? A. I do not think the limit of time has been given. By General Beaver: Q. Now, is it discernible by bacteriological signs when it is in that condition? A. No, sir; except you cut out the spleen. Q. So that it may be in a person's blood and no amount of examination will disclose its presence? A. No, sir. Even so far, from my investigation in Havana, I had found people who had not had a fever for eighteen days and then died of starvation. I then examined the spleen and found parasites. DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2383 By Dr. Conner: Q. There has been a great outcry as respects the starvation of men, and instances are quoted very frequently. Have you or have you not observed cases in which there was apparent or actual starvation in which there had been no lack of food; the patient was not in a condition to take food? A. I do not believe a single person has died of starvation in this war. They may have been hungry and famished, but to die of starvation is something doubted since Tanner existed. Now, when I came to Havana I noticed many starving Cubans-hundreds of people. They died 25 in a day in a hospital of 700 patients. I examined them and I found it was not the disease that killed them but the bringing in of food and all kinds of dainties, which they thought of partaking more than other things, and they died rapidly. The moment we cut the food down to small quantities the mortality decreased, until the day before I left there was not a single case of death in that hospital. Q. So that instead of feeding the patients on a low diet even the most restricted diet is a benefit to him instead of injury to him? A. To give him a little. All other kindness is superfluous. Will you pardon me for one more correction? Now, this shortage of food and tentage which was supplied by the Red Cross ceased to exist after the steamship Relief came to San- tiago on the 7th day of July. Q. That is, to Siboney? A. To Siboney. We had no more food on the ship Red Cross, because we were there left alone and were not allowed to return on the ship. It was quarantined. From that day there was an ample quantity of food-in fact, they gave us food. The Red Cross has done everything, and this hospital ship Relief has given the Red Cross ship quantities of food, and we fed our soldiers with it just the same as if it were our own. The only lack we have had was the nurses; and there is no country that has gone to war that had a larger number of nurses than this country had in proportion to the men when they are associated with the Red Cross. New York, November 25, 1898. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, President of the Commission. Sir: In reply to a question whether I have ever made a different statement, I beg your honored commission to read parts of the inclosed copies of my official reports of the Concho trip and field work, made to Surgeon-Major La Garde and the Red Cross authorities, respectively, on the days mentioned on them. It was the only report of each kind evei' offered by me as part of my duty. Your obedient servant, A. Monae Lesser. New York, August 19. President and Officers of the American National Red Cross: In preparing this report I have divided it into two parts and each part into sec- tions. Part I contains a report of our work from the time of the declaration of war until the day of the beginning of our active service in the field. Part II con- tains a report of our service from the time we arrived at the field until the day of our departure from Cuba. The diseases we met in Cuba, their treatment, etc., I shall embody in a special medical report and present to the staff of the hospital. I beg to state that no remark herein should be construed as unfavorable criti- cism on my part, for I shall simply endeavor to detail the facts of the situation as they existed in connection with Red Cross work. 2384 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Part I. (A) Immediately after the declaration of war I was directed by the president of the American National Red Cross to secure a staff of competent physicians, male and female nurses, and practical assistants for active service during the present war. Upon her order all applications for enlistment and communications relating to hospital service were sent to the Red Cross Hospital in New York. We made our requirements known, giving a certain standard of experience and character as necessary for enlistment upon our staff. We received a number of applications from physicians, nurses, and other assistants, and those whose quali- fications and recommendations seemed satisfactory were chosen and placed upon a list for further investigation and final selection. From my study and investi- gation of diseases prevalent in Cuba during a previous visit there in service of the Red Cross, and from other experience afforded during my years of practice, I endeavored to select a staff by personal interview and examination, with special reference to the applicants' probable susceptibility to disease. From the large number of names of trained and other nurses the sister in chief and I had selected men who we believed would be physically qualified to carry wounded soldiers; also trained nurses and gentle women who seemed least susceptible to disease. While immunes were greatly to be desired, persons of strong vitality were more necessary, in order that in case of infection the disease may be light and less danger of casualty. Although during the last four years, from the time Sister in Chief Bettina had introduced the idea of training Red Cross nurses in this country, we had labored with the desire of having an adequate number of trained Red Cross sisters, well known to us and upon whose efforts and capabilities we might rely, unfortunately we met with but indifferent success, there being no thought of war to stimulate the undertaking. Thus we had to rely on recom- mendations of others in the selection of our staff and had to depend upon the judgment of others to choose from among those whom we had enrolled but not called. After the Department of War had given its approval and acceptance of the Red Cross in case of need I called, in the capacity of surgeon in chief of the American National Red Cross, upon Surgeon-General Sternberg, of the United States Army. I was accompanied by the sister in chief. We asked him for infor- mation in regard to field service and were assured that no field service prepara- tions on our part would be necessary. The Surgeon-General repeated a statement previously made,1 that in his opinion a hospital ship would be the only service that we might render. He, however, referred us to Colonel Greenleaf, Assistant Surgeon-General, who, he said, would have charge of the field. Before our depar- ture we again officially announced to the Surgeon-General that we would be ready for service with a number of American and Cuban physicians and nurses, some of them immune, and also with other material aids to assist in the war. We were then directed by an attendant to Colonel Greenleaf, whom we informed of our mission in regard to land service. After a short interview the Colonel said that he felt that there would be land service, and that it is always wise to be prepared. All further conversations were cut off by the calling of Colonel Greenleaf to the office of the Surgeon-General, and we returned to New York the same day. Having studied the histories of war, and being familiar with the experience of the Red Cross in wars of other nations, I felt it my duty to make all preparations, so that no possible delay in affording aid might occur when it was needed. I had worked in the laboratories in Havana, investigating diseases of that country, and had seen the effect which the climate of Cuba had on the Spanish army. I called 1 To Hon. Levi P. Morton. Bishop Potter, Hon. Wm. T. Wardwell, Dr. Shrady, and Dr. Lesser, in committee. DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2385 a meeting of Cuban and Southern physicians, many of whom I had met in Havana, holding there high positions, and who were then in this city. The ethe- ology and treatment of tropical diseases was thoroughly discussed and agreed upon. I had advocated a certain method of treatment of fevers for some years and had met with the most successful results in practice in Cuba based on those principles. At the same time I published articles of information, precaution, etc., explaining that 70 per cent of the Spanish army that came to Cuba had suffered from yellow fever and other fevers, not all peculiai' to the Tropics, but peculiar to certain por- tions of Cuba. I had also described a prophylactic treatment for fevers which would either prevent, or, if not successful in preventing, would ameliorate the disease. Thus prepared with physicians, trained nurses, and assistants with whom I had become personally acquainted, I reported ready to my superior officers. I advised that twelve trained nurses and a number of assistants selected by the sister in chief and examined by me should be sent on the State of Texas in addi- tion to the four sisters of the Red Cross Hospital who had returned from Havana and were awaiting us in the South. I knew or felt that their services would be required, and had also made a request that ambulances with attendants, wagons, and outfits of large and small tents, together with instruments and other utensils and articles, be forwarded at once. I acted on the principle that it was better to be ready and not be needed than to be needed and not be ready. The requirements can best be judged only on the spot where they are needed. Why these nurses and assistants have not been sent is best known to you. (A) In response to a call from the President of the American National Red Cross, I left this city with Mrs. Lesser for Key West on June 15. On my trip South, a train of recruits commanded by First Lieutenant Heavey, First Infantry, joined us on their way to Tampa. There were a number of sick on this train. I offered my services to the lieutenant, which he accepted, and I attended the sick. Most of them had bowel troubles, either diarrhea or constipation; several had fever, and some sore throats. One private was very ill, and lay on a short bench in a Southern Railroad coach. His temperature was high, and his condition some- what alarming. I engaged a section in a sleeping car, saw that he was made com- fortable, gave him medicine, and Mrs. Lesser nursed him until we arrived in Tampa. The lighter cases as well as the one special case were much improved when we arrived at Tampa; still, I mentioned that the patient be taken in an ambu- lance, which the lieutenant ordered by telegraph before we reached Tampa. We then proceeded to the steamer Mascot, bound for Key West. On board were a number of marines of the United States Navy, several of them suffering from the same troubles as Lieutenant Heavey's recruits. Among them was one case of erysipelas, due to improper care of a vaccinated pock. We attended him, and left him and all the others comparatively well in Key West, where Mrs. Lesser and myself joined Miss Barton and staff on the steamship State of Texas. (B) The following morning, June 20, we started foi* Cuba, reaching Santiago after a six days' journey. On June 26 Mr. George Kennan, vice-president of the American National Red Cross, interviewed Admiral Sampson for instructions, and the steamship State of Texas was directed to Guantanamo, where we remained over night. (B) The following morning, June 27, a reporter of a New York paper boarded the Texas and informed Miss Barton that a battle had been fought at the front, and that there were a number of sick and wounded at Siboney. (C) Miss Barton gave orders for the ship to return immediately to Siboney (a little village between Santiago and Guantanamo), at which place we arrived at 9.20 p. m. 2386 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Part II. WORK IN THE FIELD (A) Upon arriving at Siboney, although it was late in the evening, I was directed by Miss Barton to go ashore to inquire into the needs of the hospital, and, if any, to present her compliments, and to make the following offer: Although the State of Texas was sent to feed the refugees and starving Cubans, it carried some persons and articles that might serve for hospital purposes, and that the Red Cross considers its first duty to be to help those who are nearest. I proceeded on my mission, accompanied by Drs. Hubbell, Gardner, Egan, Messrs. C. H. H. Cot- trell, McDowell, Elwell, and Warner. (B) Siboney is not a harbor, but a beach. It is very hard to make a landing there, and especially so at night, on account of the breakers. However, Mr. War- ner, one of the staff, is an excellent seaman, and piloted the small boat, to which we were transferred, safely to shore. On landing we found ourselves in a large camp at the foot of a chain of mountains by the sea. The little dog tents were pitched at the beach and extended far inland, and soldiers were sleeping on them on ponchos. (C) In the background was a large barn, to which I was directed when I asked for the hospital. I introduced myself and staff to the physician, extended the compliments of the president of the Red Cross, offering the services of her staff, as well as needed supplies, as instructed by Miss Barton. The physician in charge very courteously answered that he had been ordered to go to the front the follow- ing morning, and not needing anything, thanked the Red Cross for its offer. (A) Westward from the landing place was a pond of stagnant water. Tents were around it, as everywhere. Upon a little hill across a railroad track stood a number of wooden cottages. The first large one, which seemed to have been some kind of a store, and a filthy barn westward from it were pointed out to me as another hospital. (It was the same house which later was used as a post-office, in which Postmaster Brewer contracted yellow fever, but which was never used by the Red Cross.) There were a number of sick soldiers lying around on the floor, Surgeon-Major Havard being in command. I made the same offer to the major as I had made in the first place, and the condition of affairs being apparent, I tendered him the services of the Sisters, as well as cots and blankets for his sick, for which he thanked me, adding that he would accept the cots and blankets, but that he did not require nurses. I invited him to the steamship State of Texas to see Miss Barton, so that he might select such articles or service as he desired. From there I went with the staff to Dr. Virano, surgeon in chief of the Cuban hospital, making the same statement and offers to him. He introduced us to General Garcia and his staff, and thankfully accepted the offer of the Red Cross. His patients were lying on cots and on the floor, little care apparently having been given to put the house in fit and proper condition. This ended our duty of the evening, and we returned to the ship. (B) The next morning, June 28, Major-Surgeon Havard visited Miss Barton on the Texas, as also did a Cuban delegation. The former made a request for cots and the latter for the assistance of nurses and food for the sick. (A) Sister Isabel, Sister Minnie, Sister Annie, and Sister Blanche, under the direction of Mrs. Lesser, went to the Cuban hospital, taking with them proper nourishment for the sick and utensils for preparing the same. The work of relief then began at the Cuban hospital, and beds and blankets were sent on shore for Major Havard. (B) The same morning Miss Barton directed me to go to the front and find out if anything was needed at the camps, and, accompanied by Mr. George Kennan and Mr. Elwell, I started about 10 a. m. A large detachment of infantry, which DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2387 the night before had camped along the shore of Siboney, had gone on the road up the hill about a thousand feet in height, while another detachment of infantry and artillery took the lower road in the valley, being the only road for vehicles which leads from Siboney to Santiago. The men looked well, although the heat prostrated a number of them on the march. We walked along the latter road as far as the camp of Rough Riders, which on that day was the farthest in front, a distance of 8 miles from Siboney. It was several days after the battle between the Rough Riders and the Spaniards. We visited Colonel Roosevelt and were introduced to several members of his staff. He said that although after the battle they would have been glad to have had assistance, now all the wounded were attended, and there was little or no sickness in his camp. On our return we met several physicians belonging to the various camps, but it was too early to tell what needs might arise. We also met General Shafter and his staff on their way to the front. We took the upper mountain path and again walked back to Sibo- ney, also a distance of 8 miles, On our way we found a number of empty Mauser and Krag-Jorgensen cartridges, which had evidently been shot from there, and must have been used by the hundreds in the first battle between the Spaniards and Rough Riders. We arrived at Siboney toward evening and returned to spend the night on the State of Texas. (A) The next day, June 29,1 returned to the shore with the Sisters, whose work and value had been observed by others. Siboney, with a large water supply and a sea breeze, was selected for the reserve divisional hospital of the Fifth Corps. Surgeon-Major La Garde, of the Regular Army service, was the chief of the department. His supply was small, and conveniences still smaller, which he said was owing to the fact that through military necessity medical and hospital sup- plies of the army were still on the transports, with no means of unloading. There were but few hospital tents, and the cots in them were occupied by a number of patients, in whom Dr. Fauntleroy took great interest. (B) I offered the services of the Red Cross, as directed by the President. The major, a man with humane ideas, unable to get such supplies as were needed, accepted any reasonable aid that he could receive. (C) Our offer came at a moment when we could be of help. Surgeon-Major Havard, with his staff, had been ordered to the front, and was unable to place the cots we had landed. His patients, who were suffering from typhoid fever, measles, and other diseases, were transferred to Major La Garde's camp. Battle was expected every day, and the major, in order to be as well prepared as possible, accepted the offer of assistance made by the Red Cross, and placed a house at our disposal to serve as a hospital. He addressed a formal letter to Miss Barton, who answered at once in kind words and deeds. We also immediately sent word to Miss Barton, describing the requirements. The sisters cleaned the muddy house, then.disinfected it; Miss Barton sent from the State of Texas cots and bedding, food, stoves and utensils to prepare the same. (A) In a few hours our house was disinfected and in order, and about 30 patients were carried to it. Most of them had typhoid fever, and a few had measles. (B) The night of July 1, however, our work had to be changed. The major called for all assistance possible to attend the wounded who were arriving from the battlefield of Santiago. Large numbers of the wounded were brought down, and many of them walked miles with wounds in their arms or other parts not preventing their walking. Men with bullet wounds through their lungs walked and crept for hours to get to the hospital. There were hospitals nearer to the front, but all seemed to have been overcrowded by the work of that day, and many soldiers had lost their way in the undergrowth, and wandered about until they found the nearest road to a hospital. Many walked because they complained that the rough roads and rickety wagons increased their pains with every jolt. 2388 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. (A) Surgeon-Major La Garde's management can never be too highly praised. The wounded men that came down in the wagons were examined by him. and laid somewhere to be comfortable until they could have attendance. By " com- fortable," I mean as far as the situation would permit. (B) Every surgeon and nurse was put to work. Mrs. Lesser, Sisters Isabel Olm, Minnie Rogall, and Blanche McKorresten were called to assist at an opera- ting table, and Sister Annie McCue and Mrs. Trumbull White were left in charge of the hospital building. At first I had the pleasure of assisting a very able army surgeon, Dr. Fauntleroy, but the same evening a table was assigned to me by Major La Garde, and I operated upon my cases, assisted by others. There were six tables in the tent, which were in charge of the following surgeons-Drs. Fauntleroy, Ireland, Nancrede, Munson, Parker, Howard, and myself-some coming later than others. The work continued all night, each operator having one assistant and one of the sisters at his table, continuing all of the following day. As the wounded came down in numbers, and there were not cots for them, they had to be left in any position around the ground. Major La Garde and Chaplain Gavitt were at all times kept busy having long flies put up to protect them in case it should rain. (C) Major Apell, chief surgeon on the Olivette, deserves great praise for his energy and the manner in which he took the wounded under his able care. He had just arrived in camp when Surgeon-Major La Garde, Major Nancrede, Dr. Parker, and myself were discussing what might be done to relieve the exigencies as more of the wounded were brought down. Every moment news of another battle was expected; the experience of the first, with no better means as yet at hand, was a matter of great concern and worry to all present. Suggestions were made and discussed. Finally it was agreed to request more Red Cross aid by telegraph. A call for 100 sisters was suggested, and Mrs. Lesser was consulted in the matter. We had 50 trained nurses and assistants on our lists, also women to act as matrons to distribute nourishment, etc., whom we hoped we could rely upon; we promised to send for that number immediately, as we had sent for 25 already. That morning Miss Barton, with Mr. Kennan and several of her staff, had gone to front, and before leaving Miss Barton instructed her secretary, Mr. C. H. H. Cottrell, in the presence of Mrs. Lesser and myself, that at our request he should cable in her name for such persons and material as should be needed in the hospital department. Since it was the wish of the surgeon of the camp, we cabled first by name, and then by special list, for 50 nurses, 10 assistants, a num- ber of immune physicians, comple'te hospital equipment, and a quantity of surgi- cal material sufficient to make at least 500 patients comfortable. (A) The work was performed almost without intermission, every surgeon employing all his energies. The feeling in the hospital among the members of the surgical staff was an excellent one. Surgeons would show each other anything of interest, would cpnsult and advise on matters of importance. Not every sur- geon is master of every situation as it presents itself; some have more practice in one department than others. Surgeon-Major Nancrede and Dr. Parker, being authorities on gunshot wounds, gave their advice most willingly. (A) Some surgeons brought their own private instruments and loaned them to others in cases of need. The supply of instruments was insufficient, probably owing to the same reasons as other shortages; particularly was that noticeable in certain kinds of instruments. For instance, there was not a pair of curved scissors or a flesh retractor except those that were the private property of some of the surgeons. In lending instruments in this manner, and allowing them to be taken out of the trays, my own, as well as those of other surgeons, gradually dis- appeared. (B) The night of the 3d we expected to be able to rest a few hours, but during the day the fleet had fought its battle, and a number of Spanish wounded prisoners DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2389 were taken off by the various ships. Dr. Lewis, chief surgeon of the Harvard, who assisted in attending the wounded at the hospital at Siboney, invited Dr. Parker, myself, and the sisters to help him in attending the wounded Spaniards, to which we gladly responded, and spent the night on the Harvard. (C) The following day we were able to sleep a few hours, while Major La Garde and his staff began very early in the morning. We returned in the afternoon, having had a few hours' rest, and continued with our duties at the operating table. Thus hundreds were attended, and I believe received such care as any field hospital could offer. (A) The wounded continued to arrive in that way for four days, many of them telling that they had been shot on the first day of the battle, July 1, and as yet had received no care except from some comrade who had with him the little emergency package. (B) Permit me to say here that I believe the little emergency package has saved many a man from death through bleeding. (C) Most notable and commendable was the desire of the surgical staff to save limbs when at all possible, and I have seen and often joined Drs. Fauntleroy, Nancrede, Ireland, and Parker in the work, spending an hour for resection of the part in order to prevent amputation. Of course all endeavored to do the same, and out of the total number of 1,415 wounded treated in the Siboney hospital after the battle there were but three amputations of the thigh, two of the leg, and one of the forearm that I observed in the camp. The death rate was also very small, as most of the shots made clean wounds, and only when they affected most vital parts did they cause death. Neglected wounds were frequently exhibited, but careful surgery and drainage seemed to improve most of those cases. (D) The dressing of wounds and the operating upon the wounded, however, were not all the service required by the injured. Shelter, comfortable cots, and blankets were needed, very few of which had been landed. Still, as the wounded came and the needs became greater, I saw Surgeon-Major La Garde, most ably assisted by Chaplain Gavitt, hunt about for canvas or anything that would act as cover for a tent, and have it put up along the tents and flies. Their work was unceasing. In those days every officer and member of the medical staff gave up his cot and tent that the wounded might find some kind of shelter and proper resting place; but in spite of that they were inadequate for the requirements. The largest number of wounded lay on the ground, some on blankets, others on canvas, or, if very severely wounded, on a litter. (B) The steamship State of Texas had a number of cots (I believe 350), which were originally meant for Cuban relief, many of which we used in the Red Cross hospital at Siboney; when I informed Miss Barton of the condition of affairs, all cots that were in the ship were unloaded and sent to the hospital, and the most seriously wounded received comfortable resting places. (C) The gauze, particularly the iodoform gauze, and bandages soon gave out. The State of Texas carried a quantity of surgical dressings which I had ordered before leaving New York. All that was necessary was to ask Miss Barton for them, who immediately sent on land any article needed if in her possession. (D) Among our patients were several cases of gunshot wound through the skull and brain near the eyes; the eyes were inflamed, and ice had to be applied continuously to relieve excruciating pain. Dr. Fauntleroy suggested that the cases be sent to the Red Cross hospital; we had there the only ice in the field at that time; it also came from the State of Texas, from which we received a daily supply. The eye cases were carefully attended by Mrs. White, the wife of Dr. Trumbull White, of the Chicago Record, who deserves much praise for the constant attention which she gave them. It was necessary to make continuous application of ice every few minutes, which she did with constant and unceasing care. Mrs. White is not a trained nurse, but a gentle, wise, woman. I agree with the remarks of Dr. 2390 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. Fauntleroy when he said that her attention and the ice relieved much suffering and saved quite a few from blindness. Captain Mills, who was one of the wounded in that manner, may tell of his own experience. (A) Several times a day I went over to the hospital to prescribe for the patients there; the remaining part of the day I spent at the operating table. (B) Most of the cases of gunshot wounds gave very little work to the surgeons, as the bullet entered at one place and made its exit at another, thus leaving a clean wound. Even through vital parts of the body, such as the brain and abdo- men, bullets passed without apparently giving the patient any great distress. The simple cases did not need much attention; cleanliness and a cushioned dress- ing well protected was all they usually required. In fact, many of the smaller wounds came to us bandanged with a little emergency pad, progressing in healing. These were always shots from the Mauser bullet. Many of the men that I saw were shot in the shoulder, the bullets making exits through the back. Some gunshot wounds had two places of exit and entrance in their course. For instance, I had cases in which the bullet had gone into the upper and lateral part of the cranium, come out behind the ear, went into the shoulder and came out behind and below the shoulder blade; or had made its course through the left arm, again entering the right chest and coming out at the back. It would perhaps be out of place for me to enumerate or describe in this report the many courses which the bullets have taken, but, as stated, most of them required little attention. There were, however, some serious wounds, such as compound comminuted fractures, in the treatment of which great skill was shown by the various surgeons in the hospital. Those were the cases which in former years would have resulted in amputation, but drainage and cleanliness, plainly speaking, have given the patients the advan- tage of keeping their limbs. (A) In the simple cases one could work alone, with the assistance of a sister or a hospital steward, but in the more difficult cases good surgical skill was required, and it was often a source of great gratification to see two eminent surgeons, of equally good reputation, assisting each other in a difficult case; one advising, the other acting; thus the greatest harmony existed among the members of the staff. (B) Other surgeons arrived during the progress of the work, namely, Dr. Law- rence, Major McCreery, Dr. Winters, Dr. Lewis, and many others whose names I do not remember, but whose excellent work, together with that of the others mentioned, deserves the largest praise. In many of my most serious cases, such as operations on the brain, compound comminuted fractures, etc., I worked together with Dr. Ireland or Dr. Fauntleroy, two most able surgeons in the Reg- ular Army service on Major La Garde's regular staff. In nearly all of the few amputations I was one of the surgeons assisting in the work, and borrowed instru- ments played quite a role in such operations. The total number of cases upon which I thus operated and which I assisted was 181, of which number I worked together with Dr. Fauntleroy in 46, with Dr. Ireland in 37, and the rest I dressed with the assistance of a hospital steward and one of the sisters. (A) Among the wounded and sick treated by me I observed many regulars, also men belonging to the Massachusetts regiments, the Rough Riders, the Seventy-first New York, the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Michigan, and quite a number of men from the colored regiments. Many of the wounded complained of having been left in the field for days without assistance, and some of them told stories of the dead and wounded whose sufferings on the field would be out of place in this report. (B) As other surgeons came and helped in the work. Drs. Fauntleroy and Law- rence took charge of the treatment of the patients in the tents, while I continued with those in the building. (C) It was a most difficult task, as there were no nurses in the tents to carry out their directions. DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2391 (D) No food had been prepared for the large number of wounded lyingon the cots or on the ground on blankets or canvas. A great many of them were too help- less even to turn. Surgeon-Major La Garde did me the honor of consulting me in regard to the nursing, and I suggested that some of the sisters leave the operating tables, which were by that time supplied with other assistants. I suggested that the sisters take charge of the patients in the tents. (A) The major then sent for Mrs. Lesser, who suggested that the worst cases be brought into one or two rows of tents, as the small staff of sisters brought into Cuba was not sufficient to take charge of all and do them justice. The rows of tents were then placed in her charge, and she portioned the work of caring for them among the sisters, assisted by Hospital Corps men. She found that the soldiers were nearly famished. Some had not received a morsel of food for two days. (B) Oatmeal gruel, coffee, and quantities of prune juice were at once prepared at the Red Cross hospital in big cans which had come from the State of Texas, and with the assistance of the ever-active, indefatigable Chaplain Gavitt and several newspaper reporters the wounded soldiers received such food as their conditions allowed. (C) Unfortunately, the surgeons lost track of the greater number of their cases. The patient marked for redressing was placed on any table, and the surgeon in charge of that table redressed the wound; thus it was hard to say what result one or the other had obtained, with the exception of a few cases, which by special request one was allowed to continue to observe. Some of the patients came down with their wounds dressed in some hospital at the front; and I may here mention that I saw excellent work coming from the hospital in command of Dr. Woods. (D) Of all of the wounded that I operated upon and in which I assisted I found but three bullets-two Mausers, and one a little round ball. One of the Mausers I found located in the neck after it had made its way through from the other side. The other I found in the thigh (posterior), right under the skin opposite and below the place of its entrance in front. The little round ball I found behind the patient's ear, right near the place of entrance. Fractures were not easily dressed on account of the lack of splints in the hospital and the exhaustion of the supply of plaster of paris. Provisional splints, made from the boards of empty boxes, had to serve the purpose, and in many instances answered well. (A) When the rush was over, I was called to the camp where the Spanish pris- oners were located. I prescribed for their ailments, while the sisters supplied their food. In addition, I answered the calls which came from Cuban families in Siboney. Some Spanish prisoners were wounded and others suffered from fevers. Those who were wounded had their wounds dressed at the scene of battle, and, although some of the dressings were temporary, they feared to have any person touch them, until I assured them that they would be treated as gently as pos- sible. Several cases required larger operations, and which I prepared to perform on a certain day when the proper arrangements required for that kind of surgery could be made in their camp. Two of them were seriously wounded in the thigh and ha'd been placed in splints and bandaged in the field, but were in bad condition. (B) It was my good fortune that day to meet Dr. Senn, one of the celebrated surgeons of this country, who came down with the hospital ship Belief. I requested him to go over with me to the Spanish hospital camp and look at the two cases. He willingly offered his services, and examined the patients with Dr. Ireland and myself. The question was, whether to amputate or to drain and splint. Dr. Senn examined the cases thoroughly, and advised to try drainage, which suggestion we were glad to follow. Dr. Ireland and, if I am not mistaken, a young and very able naval surgeon, Dr. Rosenbluth, and myself operated upon the cases, making drainage. It was then that we felt that it would be of no serv- 2392 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. ice, as the bones had been shattered to small splinters and the wound had been quite septic. The accommodations offered us that day were such that we could not amputate at once; but from that time, for various reasons herein stated, I did not see them again. (A) Dr. Guiteras, who visited all the hospitals daily, informed me one after- noon that he had found a case of yellow fever in camp (not in our hospital), developed in a place near Siboney. There were two or more suspicious cases which he had watched, and he believed that yellow fever would develop very rapidly. I called the sisters together, presented the situation to them, that they might decide whether to stay in the field or return to the State of Texas. Their unanimous decision to stay and face the consequences made them continue their work without any hesitation. The Red Cross hospital building became crowded. One room was set aside for doubtful cases, while the other rooms were occupied with typhoid patients. The porch in front of the house, shaded with canvas, and a little isolated room to the right sheltered the wounded. (B) My work at the Red Cross hospital became continuous, as a large number of patients came from the various camps to receive attention, and still a larger number from our camp came for consultation and treatment. (A) And I beg to be permitted to state here that every case of typhoid fever and other disease which was placed in our charge from the day we opened the hospital has recovered. The last of them I brought home well on the Concho. Those that came later were on the way to recovery when I left for the fever hospital. Among our patients were two who had measles complicated with pneu- monia, and there was a large number of patients suffering with Cuban malarial fever. I also wish to state that not one patient in our hospital became infected with yellow fever; the cases that had it came there with the disease, but were closely observed, and as soon as the first positive sign was noticed they were iso- lated and brought to the fever hospital. (B) Unfortunately, the continual work of the past, the sleepless nights, and the poor food had reduced my strength considerably. A surgeon and three assistants enlisted by the Red Cross had arrived to relieve me, and I requested them to take charge of the Spanish wounded. We had continued on duty in the Various tents and at the Red Cross hospital. (C) In order to save time, when the State of Texas left for Jamaica to get ice, we took a dwelling in one of the houses at Siboney, which was believed by experts not to be infected. The family living in it was very clean, and it appeared that the house would serve as well, and perhaps better, than any other. Our tents, in which we should have preferred to live, had not arrived, nor did we have any cots. (D) Thus our work continued until we were seized with yellow fever. 1 treated the sisters, and at first went about to perform my other duties. Dr. Long had taken charge of the Spanish soldiers for a number of days, and when I found that I was unable to be about any longer I went to bed, still continuing to treat the sisters and myself, and Dr. Long took charge also of the patients at the hospital building. (E) When the houses at Siboney were ordered to be burned down, we left for the yellow fever camp. Before leaving I requested Dr. Senn to operate upon two Spanish prisoners whom I had not seen since he had examined them with me. (F) At the camp we were glad to meet Dr. Echeverria, a most able Cuban phy- sician and an American citizen, whose skill in the treatment of yellow fever can not be too much praised. Greatly to my happiness I found that his treatment corresponded to that which I had advocated. We were perfectly willing to place our selves in his charge. (C) On the seventh day after- our arrival at the camp we were able to return to Siboney. Our ailments, although not prevented, had been made light by pro- DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2393 phylactic methods, and our recovery was consequently rapid. After our return to Siboney I again offered to serve. (D) In the meantime, word from Assistant Surgeon-General Greenleaf was received at Siboney, stating that 45 Red Cross sisters, surgeons, and other assist- ants had arrived at Guantanamo, waiting to come to us, and as we returned the same day from the fever camp, Surgeon-Major La Garde telegraphed and tele- phoned repeatedly for them to come, but he received no reply. (E) Feeling that under the existing circumstances, and exhausted from work and illness, we could not continue to work without more assistance, I applied for our return. Surgeon-Major La Garde upon this placed me in charge of the steam- ship Concho, which left for the North on July 23, of which voyage a special report has been presented. Before my departure from Siboney, Surgeon-Major La Garde handed me a doc- ument, a copy of which I herewith present: Reserve Divisional Hospital, Fifth Corps, Siboney, Cuba, July 23, 1898. This is to certify that Dr. A. Monae Lesser, surgeon in chief of the American National Red Cross, offered his services to the medical department of the army on the 29th day of June. From the latter date to the present day Dr. Lesser has been connected with this hospital as a surgeon and patient. When the wounded commenced to arrive on July 1, and during the rush of work, which lasted four days, in the care of the wounded Dr. Lesser was assigned one of the six tables in the operating room. His work was skillful and most continuous. His sug- gestions to me on more than one occasion, concerning administration details, were of the highest value. After the rush of work in the operating room, Dr. Lesser continued to take charge of a hospital-a building which was pronounced free from infection-in which he treated wounded and sick soldiers. His work was the admiration of everyone who had the good fortune to be under the watch- ful care of himself and the sisters under him. Unfortunately, the building in which they lived soon showed signs of yellow-fevei' infection. Dr. Lesser, his wife, and four of the sisters-his entire staff-were taken one by one with the fever. They were removed to our yellow-fever hospital. They are now conva- lescing, though weak. They leave us for the North to-day for much-needed rest. I have no words at my command which could in any way express my apprecia- tion of the work of Dr. Lesser and his heroic staff. Had it not been for then- assistance and the quantities of supplies furnished by the State of Texas, the suf- ferings of the hundreds of wounded would have been magnified more than I can now venture to express. In commenting on our lack of supplies, attendants, etc., I desire to state that our unprepared condition to meet the rush of work which came with such sur- prising rapidity was due to those military conditions which often transpire in war when blood, suffering, and death seem to be inevitable or beyond the scope of man to anticipate. May God's blessing be with him and his. Louis A. La Garde, Major and Surgeon, U. S. A., Commanding Hospital. One word more in regard to the infection. It is my opinion that a person prop- erly taken care of may work among infectious diseases and not become infected. The precautions and prophylactics I advised could have prevented much of the suffering. (I refer to the Red Cross only.) In Havana we worked in the filthiest hospitals, where new sick were daily admitted, for the entrance of whom no examination was required, the door being open to all. We had around us smallpox, typhus, and all kinds of tropical fevers; 2394 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. still the sisters and all of us remained well; and I will add here once more, that of all the cases placed in my charge at the Red Cross hospital at Siboney, not a single patient became infected with yellow fever although a number of patients suffering with disease were brought in to be observed. If we had in Siboney a number of assistants and 50 Red Cross sisters instead of 6, to make work easy, a tent on clean ground instead of an infected house to sleep in, and proper food and water, I feel positive we would not have con- tracted disease, and might have been of more service. The assistance given at the front by Miss Barton, Mr. Kennan, and a portion of our staff can be best explained by them. But I may state that I have heard many words of praise from those she fed when they were nearly famished on the battlefield. Before closing I beg to thank every physician and surgeon whom I have met in active service in Cuba for the many courtesies and kindness which we received from them; in particular Drs. La Garde. Ireland, Fauntleroy, Guiteras, Parker, Lawrence, Vaughan, and Echeverria, for the many favors received from them during our illness. In conclusion, I desire to say in behalf of those who worked in Cuba in the name of the Red Cross that we appreciate to the fullest the kindly words of sym- pathy that have been given to our work by those who knew us there and here. As to any incorrect reports that have been made, I can only say that the inspira- tion which guided them could only have been due to lack of knowledge of the real conditions. I know that our efforts were limited solely by physical endurance, but we endeavored at all times to act in accordance with the spirit and purposes of the Red Cross. We have never sought for commendation of our individual efforts; the knowledge that we have relieved many sick and wounded, and that sick in our charge have made excellent recoveries, is more than ample reward; and I may emphasize here, that it is not the pain we suffered, which all of us deplored, but our inability to assist those who needed assistance much more than we did. All would be willing to undergo the same suffering if they could again do the same amount of good. Respectfully submitted. A. Monae Lesser, Surgeon in Chief American National Red Cross. New York, August 11, 1898. Report of the voyage on steamship Concho from Siboney to New York. Respectfully submitted to Maj. Louis La Garde, surgeon commanding Fifth Corps Reserve Hospital, Siboney, Cuba. Dear Sir: In accordance with your direction, on the morning of the 23d of July I accompanied Dr. Ireland to meet the officers who were sent by Captain Risk, of the transport ship Concho, to report to you. Dr. Ireland introduced me as the surgeon in charge of the ship. The officers informed us that they were ready to receive on board the persons Major La Garde desired to send, and that the ship was bound for Fortress Monroe. We were informed on inquiring that there were 62 berths in staterooms on the Concho, a certain number of steerage-passenger berths, and in the second deck and hold of the ship were the bunks in which the soldiers were transported from the United States to Cuba. Our questions as to the condition and supplies of the ship were satisfactorily answered, except as to the supply of ice, there being none on board. At 2 p. in. I boarded the Concho, accompanied by Mrs. Lesser, Sisters Minnie, 2395 DR. A. MONAE LESSER. Isabelle, and Annie, and met on the ship Sisters Adele Gardiner, Alice Babcock, and Grace Petersen. One thousand rations had arrived, and also some medicines. The ship was perfectly clean, but the bunks being close above each other in tiers of four in a row, I ordered the upper tier to.be removed, that the convalescents might have more air and comfort. The means at hand were insufficient to com- fortably dispose of the 30 patients and 145 convalescents originally ordered on board. There were very few mattresses in the bunks, and those were soiled. I found that a number of convalescent soldiers had arrived on board who were sitting on deck; they had no blankets. I felt it my duty to immediately inform you of the same, and sent you word to the effect that the ship was not in condi- tion to comfortably accommodate more than 60, suggesting that it would be best to send the officers, the typhoid patients, and a number of convalescents, not exceeding 60 in all, unless the other men were perfectly well. I also requested you to send blankets for every man. I added that Captain Risk informed me that the Santiago would call the next day for more convalescents. The patients as they arrived were placed in steerage berths on mattresses, and the convalescent officers by twos in staterooms. In connection with the carrying of the sick on board in the small boats, the officers and crew of the Concho deserve high praise for their untiring energy and skill. At 5.30 the last boat brought from shore some blankets and other stores, also word that no more would be sent. The captain then gave orders for the ship to start, and we weighed anchor at 5.45 p. m. It appeared as the men arrived on the ship that most of them were well enough to take care of themselves. They claimed to have eaten solid food on land, and to be satisfied with anything to get away from Cuba. They had at least a dry place to sleep on. As we went out to sea I requested Sergeant Gebert and Private W. B. Foster, of the Thirty-third Michigan, to take charge of the rations and distribute them to the soldiers, taking down the name of every man as he came. The sisters who came with the ship from Santiago took charge of the typhoid-fever and other patients. When evening came, I ascertained that a number of men had no blankets. The night being cold, I requested the captain to give me as many blankets as he could spare, to which request he most willingly acceded, and gave his steward direc- tions to that effect. In counting the men the insufficiency of blankets caused my suspicion, since I was present when you and Dr. Ireland selected the men who should go, and ordered a blanket to be placed on board for every man. The large number of men who were on the boat surprised me, and upon inquiry I found that almost every one of the convalescents whom you had selected to remain on the island had passed through the watch and come on board contrary to orders. Every one of them became ill. Hence the large number on board in spite of the insufficient accommodations. Had all remained as well as they appeared on land, there would have been no unusual difficulty. The medicine which I carried in my own satchel, together -with the medicine which I received from Siboney, would have been ample for the num- ber of patients selected at Siboney. I then sent word around the ship that all men not feeling perfectly well should call at the purser's room. There I examined them, and gave them medicines, quinine and epsom salts being the principal drugs required, but particularly the former. There were not more than twelve on the whole ship who came that evening, and according to the register of the rations the number of well men was quite large. The officers, with the exception of Major Allen, seemed apparently well, but of course very weak from severe attacks of yellow fever. Captain Anderson, of the Thirty-third Michigan, complained of fever that day, and I put one nurse in charge of the officers. Much complaint was made the first evening aboiit the water on the ship. It 2396 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. tasted flat, and, as the complaint was expressed, "It was dirty and smelt badly." The pump stood at the bottom of the barrel, from which the drinking water was drawn for the soldiers. They also complained about the food, which consisted of salmon and hard-tack (no coffee). The officers' meals, which were also prepared from material purchased by the commissary, were all of canned food. There was no fruit on the ship, nor was there any ice. A few limes and a few lemons were all that we could bring from Siboney. Not having used ice in a number of weeks, we had learned to be without it, but the lack of good water was a matter of great discomfort to all. Information was sent to us from Santiago, which Dr. Ireland will remember, when the Concho did not come on the 22d, as expected, that she remained to take water and provisions. The statement, therefore, that they had water from Tampa we took to mean fresh water. Much to my sorrow, however, at sea I learned that this water had been on the Concho since the preparations for the first embarka- tion from Tampa. The next morning I was called to many parts of the ship. It seemed that every- one on deck, and almost everyone below, had taken sick. Of the many men who the day before had walked to the beach, few were able to walk about the ship the second day. Some had high fever, others suffered from diarrhea, and each of them complained of some trouble. As time passed the number of cases increased. The officers, who though very weak, but able to be about, were takSn sick, one by one, sooner or later. At the end of the second day it became difficult to attend to all of their ailments. The greatest trouble was in furnishing them with propel' food and in preventing them from getting improper food from their friends. In fact, it was one of the most difficult tasks among the sick men to prevent their eating regular rations. In the meantime, Mr. Foster had offered his services to prepare coffee and cook such articles as the limited selection would permit him to prepare. Captain Risk, upon request, had received from Miss Barton, from the State of Texas, a bag of rice and a bag of indian meal, which he placed at my disposal, and which I used in the preparation of soft and fluid diets. Assisted by Musician F. J. Wright, of the Thirty-third Michigan, Mr. Foster succeeded in making mushes of indian meal and rice. Some of it was strained and given to one class of patients, while the other was given to those who were allowed to eat semisolids. I advised that all water should be boiled before being used for drink- ing, and requested the steward to do the same for the officers. As the time passed, careful attention and the somewhat improved diet, as also the care which a more intelligent number of men took of themselves, a few began to recover. I was glad when I saw Steward McCowin, of the hospital corps of the Thirty-fourth Michigan, well enough to assist in nursing. He was assigned to me by Major Nancrede at the Siboney hospital, only being detailed to the hos- pital corps, but is an excellent nurse, with good surgical and medical training. He first began to assist in the nursing and detailed a number of volunteer order- lies. I can not refrain at this point from mentioning the compensation for which the orderlies asked, viz, that they might eat at a table after the officers had dined, and might have food of similar character. In reality the food was the same they had, only differently prepared. I acceded to their request, and gave orders to the steward to supply them with meals, the bill of which I have sent to the Red Cross. Thus I was able to give attention to the sick as well as the circumstances and surroundings would permit. I went around with the sisters, who worked in conjunction with Steward McCowin, prescribed for the different maladies, and the sisters administered the medicine, took temperatures, fed those that needed feeding, and gave them every attention in their power. Those who had simple inter- mittent fevei' were not much trouble, except during the paroxysm, but there were a number of cases, and particularly among those who were convalescent from DR. A. MONAE LESSER. 2397 yellow fever and were in the camp near Siboney, which I shall later describe. There were also a large number of cases of diarrhea and dysentery taken care of by Sister Alice Babcock. The convalescent typhoids, who were taken care of by Sister Adele Gardiner, who followed directions made the progress that could nat- urally be expected from their disease, as did all patients who were careful with their diet and water. Among the officers who required special attention were Captain Goe, Captain Anderson, Captain Paulding, Captain Hughes, and Major Allen. The worst two cases, however, were Captain Paulding and Major Allen. The others required nothing further than medicine and proper diet, and could be about. The sisters who came from Siboney with me attended to the officers during the day, while at night a number of men were detailed under the direction of Steward McCowin to attend the various rooms for a certain number of hours. This condition of things continued to exist as our voyage continued; some growing worse, some improving. The work of attending the sick increased day by day. During the day I made a complete round as often as time would allow. During every night except the first I was called not less than four times, and one night I had to remain up until 5 o'clock in the morning. My medicines, as you know, were limited to but few kinds. My quinine gave out. The supply of epsom salts and of the sulphur and camphor, which served me so well in Cuban malarial diseases, was exhausted. The tinctures and tablets which I carried in my ow„ case were very much reduced, particularly those for which I had the most need and which I had most used. For a weak heart the only remedy I had left among my drugs was ergot and nux vomica. For diarrhea a little carbolic acid, with opium, preceded by a dose of castor oil, of which I still had one pound bottle. Gelsemium was my only resource for intense headache. Everything except a few tablets of salicylate of soda gave out on the night we came to Fortress Monroe. Our boat arrived at night, but did not go into harbor until the next morning. With all the suffering, of course we were not without deaths. On July 27, in the morning, John H. Koch, Company H, Thirteenth Infantry, died from what appeared to me acute tuberculosis. I had no history except from his own state- ment. Fie was buried at sea. In the night, from July 27 to the 28th, as we were near Hampton Roads, we had three deaths-Charles C. La Riviere, Company F. Thirteenth Infantry; James Rives, teamster, belonging to the Sixth Cavalry, and John McGann, Company K, Ninth Infantry. The three apparently had suffered from typhoid fever. Although they were not brought onto the ship as such cases, they took to their bunks as soon as they came, or forced themselves to go upstairs to lie on deck, pretending that their only trouble was diarrhea. However, the enlarged spleen was the only sign which I could find. Their own stories were that they had not felt well for three or four weeks, but were very hungry. Unfortunately, against my orders, some well-meaning but misguided comrade, not knowing of the harm, heard their cravings and shared his rations with them. The three died within a few hours of each other before we entered Fortress Monroe. Being so near the land, Captain Risk thought best to take the bodies in harbor and let the authorities decide what should be done. We arrived at Fortress Monroe about 6 o'clock in the morning. We waited for the quarantine officer until 10.50 a. m., when two physicians, one of them from the quarantine department, came on board. They examined into the condition of the ship, asked the necessary questions, and received the necessary answers. One of the physi- cians, who came, I believe, from New Orleans, was familiar with diseases of the South. I requested him to look at the dead and give me his opinion. He exam- ined them and assured the quarantine physician that according to his opinion they did not die from yellow fever; and I presume that is all that was wanted. I made request for water, fruits, food for the sick, fresh meat, ice, and medi- 2398 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. cines. In showing the physicians around the ship to see the patients I illustrated to them the need of different garments for the sick. The doctor very kindly took my list of articles required, and informed me that he had to report to Washing- ton for orders for the ship. About evening came a quantity of ice, fruit, and other articles, but as yet we had not been instructed what to do with our dead. Although the articles received had been sent by the Mallory Company, the captain gave permission to give them to any man on the ship, and the sisters began to distribute fruit among those who were allowed to partake of it. A number of pajamas, wash rags, soap, and socks were also sent on ship, and the most needy were made comfortable. In the mean- time every case of typhoid which you assigned to me in Siboney had recovered. They had been closely watched in their bunks, and no one except the persons detailed for that work was allowed to go near them. They were kept in a special steerage department, each occupying a bunk. I had the convalescents removed and others suffering similarly put in their places. The night passed, the three dead men still on ship. The quantity of ice on board was too small to even cover one. One bottle of carbolic acid had been sprinkled over them to serve as a dis- infectant. Morning came and still no word how to dispose of our dead. Later in the day the captain received an order to put to sea and bury the dead and again return for further orders. The bodies had then been thirty-two hours on board of ship. On our way returning to the harbor Fred. Denner, private, Company H, Thirty-third Michigan, died. He had suffered from a confluent form of herpes, which he claimed he received when preparing trenches. On his arm around an inflamed vaccinated spot was an extensive erysipelas, and death was caused from pyaemia. We immediately returned to high seas, where he also was buried. We remained that night outside the harbor. In the morning we again returned to Hampton Roads, and at last received water and more medical supplies. Before the new supply of water was taken on board I bottled a quantity of the old water for subsequent examination, with other waters which I brought from Cuba. We also received a quantity of ice, more fruit, more food for the sick, and more clothing; but most welcome seemed to be the announcement that the captain had received orders to start for New York. With a new supply of water, food, and medicine, the aspect of the ship within twelve hours entirely changed; men who had high temperatures grew better. The most marked improvement could be seen in the diarrhea and dysentery patients; also in the irregular malarial patients, who were in charge of Sister Alice Babcock, assisted by Miss Petersen. Of the large number of sick that we had the day before the improvement was so rapid that six or seven hours after we arrived in New Yew many of them had comparatively recovered. On July 31, while waiting in the harbor, about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, one more patient, R. A. McArdle, private, Company F, Thirteenth Infantry, died from typhoid fever; making, in all, out of 160 patients, 4 deaths from improper feeding in typhoid fever, 1 from acute tuberculosis, and 1 from pyaemia, on a voyage from Siboney to New York, with intermission, a period of eight full days. On the evening of the 31st, the day of our arrival. Colonel Byrne and Dr. How- ard visited the ship and permitted me to leave, requesting, however, that another Red Cross surgeon take charge of the patients. This was done by Dr. Frank B. Carpenter, a Red Cross physician of this city. He, together with 2 other physi- cians and 8 nurses, also sent by the Red Cross, then took charge of the sick, who numbered about 30. Through the energies and courtesies of Dr. Doty, a number of the officers, Mrs. Lesser, and myself were taken from the ship that same evening. On the following day I returned early in the morning, and saw 125 men able to 2399 DR. A. MONAE LESSER. leave the ship; none of them needed assistance. Major Allen still required some assistance, and I accompanied him to a hospital on Staten Island. Captain Paul- ding and 25 privates had to remain on board, as they were still suffering. I had received orders from the Adjutant-General to send a list of the officers and men who arrived on the Concho, describe the nature of the sickness, and whether serious or not. This I have been able to do as to the officers, while with the immense amount of work on ship I was unable to complete my report as to the privates. I recommended that, owing to their weakness, the officers be allowed leave of absence. Upon this I received an answer allowing those who were able and desirous to leave and to report in thirty days. In regard to the fevers from which the patients suffered, some explanation should be made. I use the terms malaria and typhoid, respectively, which with- out a microscope cover a multitude of diseases. There were on the ships some typical cases of intermittent fever and typhoid fever. However, many suffered from a disease which I shall herein describe, and which requires some experience to be differentiated from other fevers of the Tropics. The patient begins with a sudden rise of temperature, often to 105 and 106, and in two instances 107. The pulse runs upto 100 and 120, and respiration is belowthe rythm. Severe headache, circumorbital pain, pain in the neck, back, and bones. Nausea and vomiting accompany the fever. This condition lasts, with but little remission, for at least forty-eight and often sixty-two hours; then the temperature begins to fall (usually in the morning of the third day, if carefully treated) to about 102 and 101. In the evening it rises again, and goes as high as the day before, and falls during the night, with profuse perspiration. The patient now feels comparatively well, but weak. Some improve from that day, while others have exascerbations and remissions similar to intermittent fever, but there is no chill preceding the fever; the patient, however, is nauseated, and frequently vomits. Diarrhea or other catarrhal troubles are complications, from which the patient recovers as the fever leaves him. I found those cases on the ship peculiarly among our conva- lescent yellow-fever patients. I happened to find a few slides left from Cuba, and from patients suffering se- verely took specimens for microscopic examination, but, unfortunately, not early enough in the attack, and after I had given quinine to the patient; so do not know whether the absence of plasmodia would have any significance. However, the anaemia which existsis very marked, and much of the same charactei' as I found it in the so-called reconcentrados in Cuba, who were sent from the interior high ground to the coast. Later I found plasmodia in the same patients that came on the ship. The treatment which I give to these patients begins with a saline cathartic, and in some cases a washing of the stomach. To the irritable I give 1 drop of the* normal liquid of gelsemium every half hour until the first physiological symp- toms appear, unless relief is received before. (Gelsemium should not be given to the apathic, or when the pupils of the eyes are dilated and the face pale.) When the temperature is lower, I give 2 grains of quinine every two hours, with an equal quantity of dilute sulphuric acid. If the gelsemium has not given any physiological symptoms, I continue to give 1 drop with each dose. If the tem- perature rises again, I discontinue quinine and continue gelsemium, but only during the fever. From the moment remission is fairly established, begin again with quinine and the other two remedies. The bowels should be kept cleai' by epsom salts or seidlitz powder, and I allow no food, either solid or liquid, while the patient has a temperature above 101. Water should be given as much as pos- sible, but it should be pure water. The cases thus treated get along best and without complications. The nausea and vomiting which preceded the paroxysm I have relieved on ship by washing the stomach, which also somewhat assists in 2400 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. relieving the headache. A clear yellow fluid of alkaline reaction was returned from the stomach, at times mixed with and at times without food. In cases where I could not use the stomach tube, I advised the patient to take two or three glasses of salt water and irritate his palate to produce vomiting. This usually gave great relief, even if only a portion of the water was returned. For the diarrhea, which often became troublesome, I give a mixture composed of 1 gram of pure carbolic acid, half a gram of tincture of opium, 30 grams of mucilage of acacia, and peppermint water enough to make 125 grams, of which the patient takes a teaspoonful every two hours. As soon as the acute symptoms have passed, 1 gram of sulphur, 1 decigram of camphor, and one-third of a drop of oil of peppermint should be given three times a day. After recovery great care must be taken in the diet until the strength is restored. These cases should be well understood, as a great deal of suffering may be relieved, while much harm may be done by improper treatment. My own experience will corroborate the remarks of Dr. Echeverria, the Cuban physician at the fever camp, who emphatically announced to all convalescents, " Go away as soon as you can, for you will get other diseases here." It is most probable that the infection took place in the camp, and during the time of incu- bation, the patient feeling comparatively well, was sent to the ship, where the disease developed. It is not in accordance with the ethics of the Red Cross for one of its officers to criticise the action of any department under which he may be working. It is a law of the Red Cross that he is under the control of the War Department from the time his services have been accepted until he has been released. The report of the conditions on the Concho was first made by people on board the ship in telegrams from Hampton Roads. When asked, I have answered facts, but at no time offered criticism, and will herein repeat: The distress prevailing on board of the Concho seemed to have occurred from many causes. The overcrowding by convalescents, who had come on board contrary to your orders and our expecta- tion; otherwise, with fewer to attend, the supply of medicine and nourishment would not have been so rapidly decreased, and more care could have been given to the individual cases. To this cause was due, as I have said, the insufficiency of blankets and mattresses. The other hardships, to wit, the food, the water, the leaving of the dead on the ship, etc., were due either to the exigencies of the situa- tion or causes over which we had no control at Siboney, and of which I shall be pleased to give you a circumstantial report in case you deem it advisable or neces- sary. It must be remembered that gradual accommodation to changes has not the same effect as sudden changes; thus the crew and passengers did not suffer alike, although a few of the crew were ill. Every man who came from your camp as a patient and was brought as such on the ship recovered, and those now ill have developed on board. On the day we left the boat, while at dinner, Maj. Henry Romeyn, in the name of the officers, handed me a document, of which I herein send you a copy. "On Board Steamship Concho, July 31. il The undersigned, officers of the Regular Army and volunteers on board Gov- ernment transport Concho, en route from Siboney, Cuba, to New York, desire to express to Dr. A. M. Lesser and sisters and nurses of the Red Cross Society, who have had the care of the sick officers and men on the said ship, their heartfelt thanks for the kindness and attention bestowed by them under very trying cir- cumstances. We know that their labors have been arduous and wearing, and are certain that they will be held in grateful remembrance by the recipients of their care. "We can only add our hope that any persons who may in the future have the GILBERT G. BROCKWAY. 2401 good fortune to come under their care may appreciate as we do the services bestowed upon them. "(Signed) "Henry Romeyn, captain and brevet major, U. S. A.; W. N. Hughes, captain, Thirteenth Infantry; C. Fred Cook, first lieutenant, First Regiment Infantry, D. C. Volunteers; John Q. Anderson, captain, Thirty-third Michigan Volunteers; J. B. Goe, captain, Thirteenth Infantry; Leslie R. Groves, post chaplain, U. S. A.; Wm. Paulding, captain, Tenth U. S. Infantry; Matthew A. Batson, second lieu- tenant, Ninth Cavalry; Lyman M. Welch, second lieutenant, Twentieth Infantry; Ralph R. Stogsdall, second lieutenant, Second Artillery; Walter S. Volkmar, second lieutenant, Second Artillery; James H. Pound, first lieutenant, Thirty-third Michigan Volun- teers; George S. Young, captain, Seventh Infantry; Joseph H. Joubert, captain, F Company, Ninth Massachusetts U. S. Volun- teers; Samuel P. Lyon, second lieutenant, Twenty-fifth Infantry; Henry T. Allen, major and assistant adjutant-general, U. S. A.; Second Lieut. W. M. Case, Thirty-third Michigan; G. W. Stevens, captain, Signal Corps." In conclusion, permit me, in the name of the Red Cross, to thank you for the trust reposed in me and the sisters, assuring you that as far as we knew how, we spared neither labor nor means to make the casualties as few as possible, and I leave it to your good judgment whether you think the results satisfactory. With high esteem, I beg to remain, your obedient servant, A. Monae Lesser Surgeon-in-Chief to the American National Red Cross, Surgeon in charge S. S. Concho from July 23 to July 31, 1898. New York, November 25, 1898. TESTIMONY OF GILBERT G. BROCKWAY. Gilbert G. Brockway, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows : By General Wilson : Q. Is this your statement [exhibiting] ? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you swear that this statement is correct? A. Yes, sir. (The statement referred to was handed to the recorder.) Affidavit of Gilbert G. Brockway, Company B, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers. I, Gilbert G. Brockway, do swear that the conduct of the officers of the Seventy- first Regiment on July 1, 1898, was cowardly in the extreme, with the notable exception of but a few. We were compelled, as a regiment, to lie down while regular regiments passed by with their officers at their head, and to bear the scoffs of these regular officers because of the inefficiency of our regiment's highest leaders. Had it not been for the soldierly spirit of Maj. Frank Keck, of the Third Battalion, we would not have been represented upon the firing line except by one or two companies. After Third Battalion reached San Juan Hill, Major Keck, in 2402 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. the absence of any senior officer of Seventy-first, by orders of one of General Kent's aids, acted as Colonel of Third Battalion and other members of regiment which were found there. Gilbert G. Brockway. New York, November 25,1898. TESTIMONY OF CHARLES J. COONS. Charles J. Coons, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Is this your statement [exhibiting] ? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you swear that this statement is correct? A. Yes, sir. (The statement referred to was handed to the recorder.) Affidavit of Charles J. Coons, Company A, Seventy-first Regiment Neu) York Volunteers. I, Charles J. Coons, a member of Company A, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers, do hereby declare that Maj. J. H. Whittle, commander of the First Battalion, took for himself one tent which was sent for hospital purposes, thereby crowding the sick men into one tent; also, when we received three other tents- we men paid the transportation on two-Captain Townsend and Lieutenant Wiess used one of these for their own personal use; also, that when on half rations, on account of starving Cubans, the above officers picked out for themselves the best of meat and other supplies. Major Whittle compelled privates, though ill, to walk or crawl to the hospital for a certificate excusing them from going after water, in which the major wanted to wash his face. C. J. Coons. New York, November 25, 1898. New York, November 25, 1898. TESTIMONY OF THOMAS H. BRETT. Thomas H. Brett, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson : Q. Is this your statement [exhibiting] ? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you swear that this statement is correct? A. Yes, sir. (The statement referred to was handed to the recorder.) Affidavit of T. H. Brett, Company K. Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers. (E. P. McKeever, Company K, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers, died of oppression and neglect.) I, T. H. Brett, of Company K, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers, do hereby declare that E. P. McKeever was ordered by Lieut. John M. Thompson 2403 DR. L. A. STIMPSON. to do duty which he was unable to do, being ordered to dig a hole for kitchen refuse on a very hot morning; a short time afterwards he was carried back to his tent unconscious and removed to the regimental hospital. This occurred at Lake- land, Fla. I have a complaint to make in regard to the lack of necessary nourishment for sick soldiers at the regimental hospital for Seventy-first New 1 ork V olunteers. Even as late as the 16th of August proper nourishment could not be had for the soldiers, and they were very sick, and the doctor told me that with proper nour- ishment he could save all of the boys, but as it was his hands were tied, and they would surely die. I wish to corroborate the statement made by Sergent Goulden in regard to the treatment received on board the transports Vigilancia and Roumanian. Thomas H. Brett. New York, November 25, 1898. New York, November 25, 1898. TESTIMONY OF JACOB J. KELLER. Jacob J. Keller, upon request, appeared before the commission, and, having no objection, was sworn by General Wilson, and testified as follows: By General Wilson: Q. Is thia.your statement [exhibiting]? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you swear that this statement is correct? A. Yes, sir. (The statement referred to was handed to the recorder.) Affidavit of J. J. Keller _ Company K, Seventy-first Regiment New York Volunteers. (Neglect of sick men on arrival at detention hospital, Montauk, Long Island, August 17, Tuesday. ) Companies E and K, Lieutenant-Colonel Smith in command. After a march up the hill 2 miles to the detention camp, no supper-no breakfast until 10 o'clock the following morning. All the men sick. Resulted in the death of J. H. Haller, 349 West Thirtieth street. I have a complaint to make as follows: That the treatment we received on the transport Vigilancia was outrageous. Our food of very poor quality, and we never had enough. Our water was taken on board at Boston, May 2. We got it six weeks later. It was foul. Our colonel and chaplain had men arrested for trying to get water from the cooler of the field and staff officers. I think our suffering was due to the mismanagement of our officers, who were incompetent and thought only of themselves. Jacob J. Keller. New York, November 25,1898. TESTIMONY OF DR. L. A. STIMPSON-Recalled. Dr. Stimpson. May I say one word? I want to say that since the Hudson Street Hospital has been opened-it was opened in 1876-it has never asked nor received a dollar' from any patient that was ever treated there, and when this emergency arose in connection with the war, in August, the governors of the hospital hired 2404 INVESTIGATION OF CONDUCT OF WAR WITH SPAIN. additional nurses and additional orderlies, and opened additional wards in the building, and withdrew the leaves of absence that had been given to the staff, and the work in connection with these men practically doubled our ward work during that period, and during a large portion of the time our general wards were wholly given up to soldiers, the regular work of the hospital being carried on in the basement in what we called the reception ward, and improvised wards: and I want further to say that for that the governors of the hospital have refused to make any charge, and the same is true of the patients received in the main hospital on Fifteenth street. I thought that was necessary in connection with something I have already said. By General Wilson: Q. Doctor, it has been our custom invariably, but I fear we neglected it the other day, to ask the witnesses, as a final question, and especially when so im- portant a witness as yourself comes before us, whether there is any information of value that they could give us to assist us in the important investigation con- fided to our charge. May I ask that question of you? A. I would like to say in connection with the note I wrote you, I should think that I had not gone as far into one branch of the subject as I thought the impor- tance of that subject warranted-the condition of the men in camps. It seemed to me I had not made it clear what my information was concerning the men in the regimental camps. I am not talking about the hospitals. My recollection of it was that my statement-the statement 1 made at that time-was a statement bear- ing mainly upon the distribution of food to these men; and I was asked if I had seen any sick men in camp and I had mentioned only one, and the thing went off in another line; and I would like to say that in distributing that food to the men in the regimental camp, the Third Infantry and a battalion of the Fourth Infan- try, and I think the Eighth Infantry, and the Twentieth, and I am in doubt whether the other was the Twenty-first or Twenty-second, but they were all in a heap together. Q. Those regiments of the Regular Army? A. All of the Regular Army. And I also mentioned a colored cavalry regiment, the number of which I could not give, but it was brigaded with the Second. Whenever I went to any regiment my first question was for the commanding officer, for the doctor, and this distribution of food was all made under the super- vision, sometimes the direct personal supervision, of the physician. I was particu- larly careful not to get between the doctor and his patient. I did not go back personally to examine patients. Some doctors took the food in bulk and some brought patients to my wagon to receive the food, and others directed me to the tents to which I went to give food; and while I didn't take the temperatures of men who were sick, I have no doubt in my own mind, and I think I am able to say when I see a man whether he is seriously ill or not, and I want to say that a large number of those men were certainly feverish; some had chills, many were nauseated, and most of them were emaciated and yellow, so that my judgment of these men, and I think it is a correct one-and something 1 would like to convince you of if I could-my judgment was that a large proportion needed not only medi- cal care, and by that I mean the prescription of medicine, but they needed special feeding and undressing, and instead of being in their clothes and lying on the ground they should have been undressed and in bed, and I think that while they may not have gotten well faster, the efficiency of the force would have been much more apparent if they had had that sort of care. I believe I am the only physi- cian who has testified-so far as I can see in the newspapers-who has testified as to the condition of the men in the regimental camp. Q. Is there anything else you can think of that you would kindly give us, or can suggest in any way that would help us? Possibly you realize the duty that has been imposed upon us. DR. L. A. STIMPSON. 2405 A. Certainly, I presume your time is pretty much, occupied. Q. What I mean is, we desire information from gentlemen like yourself. A. That is what I thought. I had no other personal facts entering upon that, and I do not suppose you want to hear any arguments as to the bearing of the facts at all.