Santiago Campaign

Washington, Oct. 4. - The war investigating commission began its examination oí witnesses by placing General Joseph Wheeler on the stand. Chairman Dodge stated to him the scope of the cornmission's duties and asked General Wheeler whether he had any objections to being sworn. He replied that he had none and Major Mills, recorder for the commission, administered the oath. Ex-Governor Beaver conducted the examination, developing the essential f acts as to General Wheeler's rank and his command. General Wheeler stated that he left Tampa for Cuba on the 14th of June, but that' he had no knovvledge of the plan of campaign before going aboard the transport. He then told of the voyage. On June 21 General Shafter ordered him to disembark the next day, which he did with a portion of his command. He rode into the country four miles that day and the next moved his troops to Jaguaracita. He then began his reconnoitering, arranging with General Castillo of the Cuban army to send CAiban ti-oops with his men for the reconnoiter, but unfortunately the Cubans did not keep the engagement. He told of the flrst battle at. La Quasima, stopping to compliment especially the regular troops and also to speak of their excellent firing. Not Sick After Battle. They soon learned to distruct the reports and estimates of the Spaniards. General Wheeler had not been able on his own account to secure any accurate estímate of the Spanish loss during the American approach upon Santiago. Speaking of the proceedings after the 5rst batties, he explained that he had been reported sick and there were some movements just prior to the battle at El Caney with which he was not familiar. '■i was not sick. tie saïd, "but I had been on the 29th and 30th. Still I had üot gone to the sick list. I had a fever, but I appreciated the situation, took medicine and carne out all right." He was in the battle of El Caney and expressed the opinión that more men had been killed in the for-mation of the line than afterward. He told of the necessity for wading the San Juan rfver, saying that the water was about waist deep. "I ought to say," said the general in the course of his testimony, "that it was magnificent to see officers of high rank go ashore with their packs on their backs, accepting all the fortunes of war with their men. They slept on the ground with the soldiers. None of us were mounted and we were without tents for seven days." Roads EqmJ to the Demand. Speaking of the character of the roads from the coast to the points occupied by the Americans, he said that with such attention as they were able to give to them they were very good. The rains had not been severe up to that time. The roads were narrow, but equal to the demands. The supplies he considered sufficient except in a few instances and in those instances the deciency was only temporary. "General hafter," he said, "deserves great cred: for the zeal he displayed in this repect. He devoted himself to this task, nd I think there is no doubt that he ucceeded. We used pack trains and here was comparatively little suffering because "of the shortness of quartermaster's supplies." General Wheeler said in response to a. uestion that Cervera's fleet was the bjective of the campaign. There was o reason why the Spanish troops hould not have made a sortie from antiago and he had asked General Toral after the surrender why he had ot attacked. The latter replied that he failure to do so, was because his men were foot-sore. Tet General Wheeler could not accept this explanaion for the Spanish soldiers were not oot-scre. General Wheeler's opinión 'as that the Spanish commander was ot able to face the Americans in the pen. The Medical Department. Discussing the plan of campaign, he aid he doubted whether any more ef:ective plan could have been adopted. peaking of the medical department he aid that at times there were comlaints, but that they were not serious. n occasions there was a shortage oí urgeons, some of the surgeons being ïek or wounded. Aecording to Genral Wheeler's belief the wounded in battie were promptly cared for by the surgeons. After the fight of July 1 all the wounded were carried from the field that night. The witness had heard that there was more complaint of the shortage of medicine among the infantry than in the cavalry service. Going back to Tampa, he said that at the season he was there, the flrst half of June, the site was without objection, but he had feit that it would be wet later in the season. It was his impression that Tampa had been selected as a camp site after the beginning of th war and was incidental to the intended movement on Havana. There was, he said, at times some shortage of supplies at the camp, "but nothing," he added, "that a soldier could complain of." They had comfortable tents and the commissary supplies were sufficient. The water supply also was good. He said the men in his command were well taken care of. No Control Over Supplies. However, very few men were at that time sick. He had himself gone into the hospitals and had found the men doing well. General Wheeler said he had no control over any of the supplies which were taken to Santiago on the transports when he left Tampa. This was attended to by the clifferent staff officers. He only knew from conversation with these that there was an abundance of the supplies of all character. Returning to the Santiago campaign, he said that only two regiments had reported a shortage of rations and he had immediately telephoned to the rear, and the shoríage which was due to accident, haá been adjusteá. There was suffering whën the men were cotnpelled to lie on the breastworks. The meat was poor and they had ro bread but hard tack. They were forced to live In the sun and water alternately and necessarily there was much sickness. While they had the full quota oí doctors and nurses, he that if inore had been furnished the men would have been better cared for. As for rations, three days' supply was g-enerally issued. Whenever the troops went into action they would throw their food away as iveil as their packs and they often did not recover them. Cuban Xot to Ultime. General Wheeler took up the common report that the Cubans stole goods thus discarded. It was not fair, he said. to thus accuse the natinves, for there was so much of this flotsam and jetsam that hungry and poorly clothed as the Cubans were, they were not to be blamed for helping themselves. He siid he had seen among the 22,000 peopU who came : out of Santiago many lad.es of I ment who were emaciated and evidently hungry. In reply to questions he state d he never heard of any shortage of commissary or orenance supplies at Santiago, but he had been told that the medical supplies were short, yet he had no personal knowledge on this point. He had seen some wounded men crawlins to the rear in the engagements, but as a rule as soon as a man feil in battle he was carried to the hospitals by the medical corps. He said that as a rule the quality of hard tack was good. Where there was any detoriation it was due to local rains and not to the fact of original inferiority. No Disposition to Complain. The spirit of the army was such, he said, that there was no disposition to complain. "They were all proud to be there and willing to undergo hardships." Replying to a question from Colonel JJenby, General Wheeler said the regulars had shown a greater ability to take care of themselves than the volunteers. The volunteers were more v uiuii ICCJ a. J. 11CT VUIUIIICCIO CiC iliUI C careless, but the volunteer cavalrymen were not so negligent as the other volunteers beca use they were generally western men who had been used to camping. He thought this fact had had a strong influence in causing the health of the regulars to be better thar that of the volunteers. Captain Howell asked to what he attributed the development of disease after the capitulation of Santiago and General Wheeler replied that it was due to the climate and to the exposure made necessary. All the men seemed to be more or less affected by the eonditions. Knew of No Deaths from Neglect. He had.he said, known of no instance of a sick or wounded man dying from want of care from the physicians. So far as he knew there was general commendation of the medical corps, except that on one or two occasions there had been some grumbling i. regard to general eonditions. He thught there was a deficieney in the number of ambulances, but this deficieney was due to the exigencies of the campaign. General Wheeler also said in reply to Captain Howell that he knew of no confusión in shipping supplies from Tampa. He was not acquainted with a case in which the body of a vehicle was shipped on one vessel and the wheels on another. His memory was not distinct as to complaints from physicians in his command as to the scarcity of medical supplies, but he thought there were some such complaints, and in such cases he had had them suriplied as promptly as possible.