Report of E. Winfield Egan, M.D.
When the Red Cross was asked by the Department of State, and the Central Cuban Relief Committee, to go to Cuba in charge of the relief work among the reconcentrados, the members of Miss Barton’s personal staff, who had worked on other fields, were called to join the expedition. On the twentieth of February, while in my office in Boston, a telegram arrived containing the usual call to service in the field. Six days later, I reported at headquarters in the city of Havana.
Already the preliminary work was in progress. Committees were in the process of formation. A working census was being rapidly taken and information collected concerning the conditions in Havana and the cities and towns of the interior, upon which to base a plan of operations.
One of the first things essential to a systematic prosecution of the work was a commodious and convenient warehouse. This privilege was secured from the proprietors of the Almacen de San José, one of the largest bonded warehouses in Havana. Here the Red Cross supplies were carefully stored and classified, and from thence shipped upon requisitions to all points reached in the relief work.
But the feeding of the hungry was not the only work of the Red Cross. Aside from the distribution of food and clothing, hospitals and asylums were necessary for the care of the sick, and for the orphan children. One of the first asylums established was located in the Cerro, a suburban ward of Havana, and was known as the Asilo de Niños. Here, in addition to the usual work in the hospital department, outpatient clinics were instituted, including medical, surgical, gynecological, and, lastly, an eye and ear clinic. As the building selected for the asylum was originally built for a family residence, it was difficult to adapt it to all the needs of both an asylum and a hospital. For the last named clinic a dark room was of course needed, and for this reason this department was open during the evenings, from 8 to 11 p.m., when, with nature’s kind co-operation, the necessary obscurity was always assured. The nightly attendance averaged about seventy. Among these patients, the diseases of the eye were generally traceable to starvation; the proportion of cases for “refraction” were comparatively few.
These clinics continued at the asylum until the United States Government, through the Consul-General, advised all American citizens to leave the island.
On March 2, the leading physicians of Havana were called in council, and methods of caring for the sick of the city were discussed, especially with reference to the best plan for avoiding the creation of a pauper element, through the abuse of the out-patient clinics. The plans formulated at the council were adopted and adhered to in the prosecution of the hospital work.
With the work in Havana still in progress, it was decided to make a trip to the interior. A special train was placed at the disposal of the Red Cross staff, and a visit was made to the principal towns in the provinces of Havana, Matanzas and Santa Clara. It was from the information gained by personal observation upon this trip, that Senator Proctor compiled his famous speech, delivered in the United States Senate, upon the starvation and distress among the reconcentrados in the Western Provinces of Cuba.
At Matanzas, Sagua la Grande and Cienfuegos, well-conducted dispensaries were already in existence, but were almost destitute of means. Supplies sufficient for two months were immediately ordered forward from the storehouse in Havana, and these institutions were left in good condition. After doing what relief work was possible at the time, the party returned to Havana.
On arrival at the headquarters, Miss Barton called the staff together to consider what action should be taken upon the Consul-General’s recommendation that all Americans should return home. The entire staff expressed their willingness to remain, but it was decided to confer with Captain-General Blanco. The Captain-General stated that he would be glad to have the Red Cross remain, and that so far as concerned the regulars of the Spanish army, the staff and equipment would be entirely safe, but that, owing to the irregular and unruly element in the army, the volunteers, whose actions could not be controlled, he considered it best that the Red Cross should retire before hostilities began. General Blanco, however, offered to be personally responsible for the safety of Miss Barton so long as she remained.
On the ninth of April the Red Cross retired, arriving at Port Tampa on the “Olivette” three days later, and Miss Barton and staff took up temporary quarters at Tampa, awaiting the time when the work in Cuba might be again taken up.
During the stay in Tampa the nurses were daily instructed in emergency field work. All the appliances usually considered indispensable were left at the headquarters, and they were compelled to depend upon such conveniences as might be improvised on the spot. Stretchers and splints were made from the limbs of trees; bindings and bandages were made from the long grass, which was pliable and easily woven. These exercises were accompanied by lectures on discipline in the field.
On May 1, the entire party again arrived at Key West and joined the steamship “State of Texas,” where the active work of relief began, our attention being first directed to the refugees in Key West, and afterward to the Spanish prisoners of war on the vessels captured by the blockading squadron. The crews of these vessels were, in many instances, short of provisions, and in some cases had had nothing whatever to eat, except fish, for fifteen days or more. The government appropriation was not yet available, and several weeks must elapse before government rations could be obtained for them. At the request of the United States Marshal, the prisoners were supplied by the “State of Texas,” and were cared for medically by the surgeons of the Red Cross staff. A number of surgical operations were performed.
Not only were the prisoners fed, clothed and cared for, but by an arrangement made with the United States court and the naval authorities the men were permitted to write to their homes and friends, the letters being left open and certified by the Red Cross, and afterward forwarded to their destinations, those for Spain being transmitted through the Red Cross of Portugal, which had kindly offered to act as intermediary for the transmission of such communications. Thus the prisoners were not only enabled to write to their parents and friends, but the Red Cross was able, by this means, to show to the Spanish people in Spain and Cuba, through the letters from the captives themselves, what manner of treatment they were receiving as prisoners of war. This, it was hoped, would not fail to have its effect if in the course of the hostilities men of our own army or navy should be captured.
In the latter part of May, Miss Barton having occasion to return to Washington, the “State of Texas” left Key West and proceeded to Port Tampa. There we lived among the transports until the fleet sailed for Cuba. There is hardly space to tell in detail all the work done on shore and in the harbor. The impression that the “State of Texas,” with the insignia of the Red Cross on either bow and on the smokestacks, was a hospital ship had become general among the troops, though she was really loaded with medicines, clothing and general supplies for the reconcentrados of Cuba. As this impression prevailed, and the Red Cross was desirous of assisting our own men whenever necessary and adding in every possible way to their comfort, the spacious smoking room on board the ship was fitted up as an operating room, and the purser’s room converted into a dispensary. No hospital staff in any of our great institutions could have been more proud than this little band of workers with their emergency hospital equipment, and its outfit of instruments and appliances—unsurpassed by the equipment of many a first-class hospital.
Many of the cases treated were of a character that required rest, quiet and watchful care, and these patients were given rooms on board the ship, and nurses were assigned to regular duty. The following is a summary of the cases treated: cynovitis of knee joint, 5; necrosis of bones of leg, 12; scalds and burns, 29; ear affections (including one case of removal of the bones of the ear. This patient was chief engineer of transport No. 7, “The Comal”), 14; eye injuries, 19; tumors removed, 11; miscellaneous, sickness and minor injuries, 197.
On June 17, following instructions from the Navy Department, the “State of Texas” again weighed anchor and proceeded to Key West, and after a stay of two days continued her voyage to Cuba, and anchored in the bay of Guantanamo, on the south shore of the island, in the Province of Santiago, at sunset July 25.
A quantity of jerked beef and other supplies were left at Guantanamo, in charge of Captain McCalla, for distribution among the reconcentrados in the country. Leaving Guantanamo the next day we proceeded with the “State of Texas” to Siboney, reaching that place the evening of the same day.
A severe engagement was fought at Aguadores, where the Spaniards were strongly entrenched and guarding one of the roads leading to Santiago. Our warships shelled the fortifications and silenced the batteries; and our troops made a gallant charge, but were repulsed with heavy loss, and had to fall back. The wounded began to arrive, some in ambulances, in army wagons and on litters. Those who were able walked into Siboney, in order to allow their more seriously wounded comrades to ride. Major La Garde, who was in charge of the army hospital at Siboney, welcomed the Red Cross surgeons and gave them quarters and opportunity for working side by side with the hospital staff of the army, and extended every courtesy within his power.
Previously, the services of the nurses of the Red Cross were tendered to the surgeon in charge of the American hospital, but the offer was courteously declined. The aid of the Red Cross nurses was then offered to the Cuban hospital, and gratefully accepted by General Garcia. Under their direction the insurgent hospital was thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and put into excellent order. Their good work attracted the attention of the American wounded, who inquired why the Red Cross “had deserted them and gone to the Cuban army.”
That evening, however, the nurses were called to the operating tents to assist in the care of the American wounded, and remained constantly on duty till all the injured were cared for.
Immediately after the first battle, fought on July 1, a Red Cross hospital was opened, and rapidly filled with American troops. In this hospital the nurses worked incessantly until, one by one, worn out by overwork, with reduced vitality, they could no longer stand the terrible strain, and were obliged to succumb and pay the debt which an exhausted nature demanded.
These young women were the first volunteer nurses or “Sisters” of the Red Cross who served in the war, and too much cannot be said in praise of their untiring devotion. Faithfully and constantly they worked. Nobly and unselfishly they labored, and their greatest reward was the gratitude of those they helped to save, and the satisfaction of a duty faithfully performed. The names of these nurses were, Sister-in-chief “Bettina,” Sisters Minnie Rogal, Anna McCue, Blanche McCorristen and Isabel Olm, assisted by Mrs. Trumbull White, of Chicago.
At daylight on the morning of July 2 everything was in readiness for messengers of the Red Cross to proceed to the front, and in company with Mr. George Kennan, preceded by the Cuban guides, furnished by General Garcia, we set out for the firing line.
We reached the First Division Hospital of the Fifth Army Corps about four in the afternoon, over a rough, miry road, fording extensive lakes of deep mud, but the hearty welcome extended by Major Wood repaid us for the hard journey. The First Division Hospital was established some distance ahead of the firing lines, and it was several hours before the lines were moved beyond the hospital.
Major Wood assigned an operating table to the Red Cross. Not a light was permitted to be shown the night of the second of July, lest it should attract the fire of the enemy, particularly of the guerrilla sharpshooters who were stationed in the trees about us.
The operating tables were moved out into the open, and the operations were performed by the light of the moon. All through the night the scattering fire continued around us; generally the sharp crack of the Mauser, occasionally the louder report of the Springfield, and sometimes a heavier explosion, as of a shell or the firing of light artillery. At daylight, the firing had ceased.
No pen can describe the horrors of that night and the silent suffering of the wounded. Long rows of them, nearly a thousand, lying in pools of water and on the damp ground, for the heavy rains had fallen every day. Then, at night, the tropical dew fell like rain, adding to the general discomfort. In the morning, the great burning sun came out and the mists began to rise. Hotter and hotter it grew, until almost unbearable. To shelter the wounded, palm leaves and branches of leafy trees were placed over them.
The bravery and determined resignation manifested by the men waiting for treatment, and in the hospitals under operation, was worthy of comment. Many times, as the surgeon or nurse was proffering attention to a wounded man, or offering him water or nourishment, he would say, “Oh, give it to Tom first, he’s worse off than I am.” This spirit of kindness and grim courtesy was noticeable all through the campaign.
On our arrival there was no food for the wounded, no tents, no blankets. The men were without change of clothing, and in some cases what little they had required to be cut off on account of the character of the wound.
A message explaining the condition of things at the front was sent back to Siboney, from General Shafter’s headquarters, and immediately army wagons were loaded with supplies by the Red Cross, and the next morning they rolled into the hospital lines, with Miss Barton and some of her staff, accompanied by Private Hassett, who had been detailed from the Thirty-fourth Michigan, all seated on top of the wagons, which carried food enough for the patients in the hospitals for several days. They, too, had to come over miry roads that lead from the coast; of the wheels no spokes could be seen, nothing but one circular, solid mass of mud, like great massive car-wheels.
There was many a moist eye and many shouts of welcome and surprise as the train came into camp. “There’s a woman!” “It’s the Red Cross!” “My God, boys, it’s Clara Barton!” “Now we’ll get something to eat!” And they did. Miss Barton, Mrs. Gardner and others prepared condensed milk, malted milk and other delicacies, and within an hour every man was served with hot gruel, milk and fresh soda biscuits. Later in the evening well-boiled and seasoned rice, fruit, canned meats and other things, including beef tea, were passed around. As the patients from the hospitals became convalescent, they were sent to the transports bound for home.
On July 5, Dr. Gardner and I, after securing an ambulance and loading it with canned meats, crackers, pilot bread, milk, rice and other foods and delicacies, walked beside the loaded wagon, drawn by army mules, until we reached El Caney. We arrived just as the refugees were coming in from Santiago, from which city they had fled, fearing the bombardment that was threatened by the American forces around the place and the ships of the North Atlantic Squadron, lying off the mouth of the harbor.
At El Caney there was not even water to drink, food was very scarce. Hundreds of hungry refugees were coming in. There were poor women with children in their arms, and there were men with hands full of gold which they offered for the food they could not purchase.
A distributing committee was formed at once, including Mr. William Ramsden, son of the English consul at Santiago, the French consul, two Cuban officers, and other gentlemen whose names I do not now recall, and the relief of the refugees began. Following close behind this first ambulance of supplies for the refugees at El Caney, came a well-loaded army wagon in charge of Mr. C.C. Bangs of the Red Cross staff, who worked here, as he always had, with great vigor. He finished his work at El Caney, superintending the relief of the refugees until they could return to their homes, and then joined the Red Cross party at the First Division Hospital. Mr. Bangs was always a hard and enthusiastic worker, but he could not withstand the climate and the constant fatigue. He was at last taken ill and never rallied. He died and was buried on the field, faithful to the cause to which he had pledged his service.
On the evening of the twelfth of July Major Wood announced his intention of breaking camp and moving nearer to Santiago. Miss Barton and staff then returned to Siboney, reaching that place after dark the following day. The Signal Corps were unable to communicate with the ships in the harbor, and so there was no way in which we could join the “State of Texas” that night. Miss Barton slept in a room tendered her by Postmaster Brewer, who subsequently died at the Red Cross hospital of what the doctors said was yellow fever.
Dr. Hubbell and I lay on the floor outside, and enjoyed the sleep we could get, when we were not troubled by a species of shell fish called “land crabs,” which are perfectly harmless, but have a body about four inches wide, six inches long and three inches thick, with legs ten inches long, and, standing erect on their legs, they go up and down stairs at leisure. They always take the shortest road, never go around anything, but hobble over every obstruction.
Mr. Kennan rolled himself up at right angles with Sir Alfred Paget on the floor of the veranda. We were all up at break of day. A call from Captain McCalla for 50,000 rations for Guantanamo met with an immediate response. The “State of Texas” was dispatched, but on arriving there the surgeon in charge of the fleet asked if any of the relief party had been on shore, and on being answered in the affirmative, he refused to allow the goods to be landed, being afraid, as he said, of infection. The vessel returned to Siboney and there continued to land and store what was needed at that place, preparatory to leaving for Santiago.
On July 17, the “State of Texas” while lying off Morro Castle, Santiago, at the entrance to the harbor, was boarded by Admiral Sampson, Commodore Schley and Captain Cook, who came to pay their compliments to our commander. Never was there an action more gallant and graceful than the voluntary offer of these commanders to allow Miss Barton and her staff, with the “State of Texas” to enter the harbor of Santiago first, as the Red Cross and the relief ship represented the principle for which the war was waged—humanity.
Those on board will never forget the experience of that afternoon as the good ship steamed in, past the “Merrimac,” past the sunken ships of the once proud navy of Spain, on to relieve the hungry and despairing people who crowded to the wharves to look at the ship with the insignia of good will flying from her masthead. As the vessel steamed slowly in, from her forward deck floated the strains of the “Doxology” and “My Country ’Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty.”
The cargo of the “State of Texas” was quickly unloaded and stored in spacious warehouses, under the supervision of Mr. Warner, and the good ship, under command of her captain, F.A. Young, who had grown to be a Red Cross man at heart, accompanied by Mrs. J. Addison Porter and Sister Blanche McCorristen, steamed away to New York. For the warehouses the Red Cross is indebted to Dr. Douglass, who also placed at our disposition his residence and corps of clerks to assist in the work.
A distributing committee was at once formed by Miss Barton and staff, consisting of Mr. Mason, Mr. Michaelsen, Mr. Wm. Ramsden, Jr., who was also on the committee at El Caney. Mr. Ramsden, as chairman of the committee, gave his entire time to the work, and his courtesy and executive ability did much to prevent confusion and misunderstandings, and thus kept the way smooth for effective work. Through the co-operation of this committee, nearly 40,000 people were fed and made comfortable in four days.
The army were unable to get their provisions, owing to the inability of the Commissary Department to fill the orders. Two men were kept constantly employed in the warehouse of the Red Cross issuing foods, medicines and delicacies to fill requisitions from the officers of the army. To the soldiers themselves a large quantity of food of all description was given, sometimes singly, but where it was practical they were given as much as they had transportation for, to provide for the sick in their locality.
A dispensary was opened in Santiago by the Red Cross, where some 400 patients were prescribed for daily. This dispensary was in charge of Dr. J.B. Sollosso, the assistant surgeon of the Red Cross on the Cuban field, assisted by five others. Their work brought comfort to many a sick soldier and was a great credit to all connected with it.
At the Red Cross headquarters, an Out-patient Department was established and placed in charge of Dr. Gill. This department developed so rapidly that local doctors were brought into the work, and all applicants reported to headquarters, requiring medicine or medical aid, were at once referred to one of the visiting staff. Medicines and instruments for all were furnished by the surgeon placed in charge of the Supply Department. In this department were treated many American soldiers who had been stationed away from their regiments and who consequently could not get to their regimental surgeons.
When the Red Cross staff left on the transport “Clinton,” bound for Havana, the remainder of the supplies were left in charge of Mr. Warner. On August 27 we arrived in the harbor of Havana. The following day the Civil Governor and his staff came on board the “Clinton” to pay their respects to Miss Barton, and expressed their gratitude for the work of the Red Cross among the reconcentrados.
The weather was very warm, and with forty mules between decks the situation was not all that could be desired for a protracted stay in a harbor like Havana. An effort was made to land the cargo of supplies, but we were met with a refusal to allow the goods to enter without payment of duties, and, because of some technical oversight in clearing the vessel from Santiago, a fine of $500 was imposed. The fine was promptly paid, and with no hope of being able to land soon, the “Clinton” was ordered by Miss Barton to weigh anchor and proceed to Egmont Key, where we would go into quarantine before proceeding North. The stay of five days in quarantine at the Key would not have been unpleasant, except for the gnats, mosquitoes, sand fleas, snakes and the daily storms, which made it necessary to call all hands at all hours to hold down the tents.
The general cargo of the “Clinton” was unloaded at Egmont Key, and as the charter of the vessel expired in a few days, she was hurried away to New Orleans, carrying the forty Red Cross mules in charge of Mr. C.H.H. Cottrell, financial secretary.
Accompanied by Dr. Hubbell, I then proceeded to Tampa to arrange for the shipment of the general cargo of the “Clinton” to that port, where much of it could be used for the Cuban refugees at that place who are being cared for by the Red Cross. The supplies were delivered to Dr. S.S. Partello, field agent at that point, whose efficient service among the Cubans, and in the auxiliary relief work in the army hospitals, has elicited many words of satisfaction and praise.
A few days later Miss Barton and staff, accompanied by General Von Schell, of the Belgium Red Cross, left Tampa for Washington.
Not long after our arrival, word came that the steamer “City of San Antonio” was loading in New York with relief supplies. Mr. J.K. Elwell was assigned by Miss Barton to go to Cuba with this ship in charge of its cargo and I in charge of the medical and hospital supplies.
On the arrival of the ship at Matanzas, the large warehouse owned by Brinkerhoff & Co., was placed at the disposition of the Red Cross. With the large lighters, of which there are many at this port, the vessel was quickly discharged and released.
The governor of Matanzas, Senor Eduardo Diaz, a man pre-eminently fitted for the position of responsibility which he held under the Spanish Government, contributed much of his time and means in furthering the work of relief. Day and night he went about investigating the condition of the people, placed at our disposal every facility, and furnished special trains when needed. He was not only an able and just administrator of public affairs, but a humanitarian as well. Taking him all in all, he was a man among the men of his country.
In Matanzas women and children walked the streets day and night begging. I suggested to the governor that it would be well to have all these poor people collected in institutions where they could be clothed, fed and cared for until they were able to care for themselves. In twenty-four hours after the governor’s order was issued, these people were all housed and being fed from the stores of the “San Antonio.”
At Matanzas we found a dispensary conducted by the Firemen’s Association. It was a model institution, and here 300 to 400 little children were fed every day, but their scanty store of provisions was running out, and so we left with them general food and delicacies and medicines sufficient for three months.
All places in the western provinces were handled after the manner of Matanzas. Twenty-two institutions, including hospitals and asylums, were opened, and the sick, the women and the children, for the first time in many months, were sheltered and made comfortable. The regeneration of the hospital at Jovellanos will serve as an example of the work that had to be done in many of the interior towns. The building itself manifested signs of former prosperity and cleanliness. It was a stately edifice, after the Doric style. The pillars were crumbling and broken, the patio was a pool of mud, the yard in the rear was a laboratory of infectious germs, and all in a filthy condition. A Chinaman lay in what was called the “dead house.” He had died of starvation; so they said. The three coffins which had been repeatedly used to carry the dead to the grave, stood up against the wall. It was a perfect picture of poverty and filth.
The Chinaman lay on a slightly inclined board, with no clothing, covered only by an old blanket. Removing the blanket from his body revealed the fact that the man was not dead, but still breathing. He was at once bathed, removed to a clean bed and given light nutriment at intervals, and the next day was sitting up smiling his appreciation, for he could not speak English at all, and but little Spanish.
The following day the coffins that had done service for seven years, formed the basis of a large bonfire, to which was added all the decayed wood flooring, garbage, old clothing and bedding—the accumulation of years. A band of workers, about sixty in number, carpenters, masons, painters, cabinet-makers and representatives of other trades, were put to work renovating and rebuilding. With only rations for pay, these men deemed it a privilege to be permitted to assist. These men were in a few days relayed by others, so that both the work and the food might be divided. Great quantities of lime and paint were used, the building was raised in some places, and in others completely rebuilt, and ventilators put in. A marsh which had existed near the hospital and extending into the yard, was drained and the dense vegetation removed. The land around the building is now dry and clear, and is used for laundry purposes and for sunning the bedding and drying the clothing.
After the building was repaired, painted, whitewashed and disinfected, even below the foundation, new cots were placed in the “Salons” and the wards arranged. The patients were brought in until the hospital was filled, the women and children being first cared for. Thus the streets were cleared of all mendicants. The institution was then provided by the Red Cross with medicines and general provisions for three months, and a good supply of clothing and bedding furnished. Dr. Mena, the city physician, was appointed to take charge with a corps of select assistants, and the hospital was left under the supervision of the alcalde, or mayor, and we passed on to other places where assistance was badly needed.
After opening all the institutions which our stock of supplies from the “City of San Antonio” permitted, we returned to Havana.
Shortly afterward, in company with Mr. D.L. Cobb, of the Red Cross, a final tour of inspection was made, and all the institutions left in good running order. Through the efforts of Mr. Cobb, assisted by Dr. Sollosso and others, permission was obtained from the Spanish authorities in Havana to open a hospital at Mariano, a suburb some seven miles from the capital. A Central Committee was formed in Havana, and the women of the city interested in the work. A large amount of money and supplies were contributed, and the hospital at Mariano is now one of the most complete and practical in all the western provinces. In addition to the usual wards, there are administration offices, a fine dispensary fully stocked, a modern kitchen, bath rooms, operating room, a steam laundry plant and storerooms. The sanitary arrangements are as perfect as could be attained under the circumstances, and everything is neat, clean and orderly. The institution was established especially for the sick, wounded and enfeebled men who had served in the insurgent army, many of whom had been without proper medical attention for months, with their old wounds still open and in bad condition.
Over five hundred have been treated at this hospital, out of which number but twenty-six have died, a remarkably good showing considering the terrible condition in which the patients were brought from the interior.
All the members of the American Evacuation Commission were always courteous and kind; they were helpful in their advice and otherwise assisted the work in many ways. To Mr. S.M. Jarvis, vice-president of the North American Trust Company, the fiscal agents of the United States Government in Havana, the Red Cross is indebted for valuable suggestions and material aid. The tour of inspection being completed, I returned to Havana with Mr. Cobb, and, in response to instructions by cable from headquarters, we left for Washington on the “Mascotte” sailing November 30.