The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-04 00:00:00

PRESTON.

The cattle disease has made its appearance in
Preston and the neighbourhood ; during the past
week four animals have either died or had to be
killed in consequence of it.

THE UNITED STATES.

(Irobi the Times Corre.qpondent.)

NEw o IC; Aug. 23.
The trial of Captain Henry Wirtz, who was for-
merly in charge of the Confederate prison at Ander-
sonville, has been opened at Washington before a
military commission. The indictment charges him
with conspiring with " Robt. E. Lee, Jas. A. Seddon
(Confederate War Secretary), L. D. Northrop
(Confederate commissary officer), J. H. Winder,"
and some others, to " injure the health and destroy
the lives of soldiers in the military service of the
United States." The specifications of the charges
against Capt. Wirtz are voluminous and precise. All
those accusations of cruelty perpetrated in Confe-
rate prisons, which, in a previous letter, I referred
to as having been brought before the notice of a
sanitary commissions will now prove to be substan-
tiated by evidence, and the world will have an op-
portunity of judging whether the intense bitterness
of the North towards the Southern leaders, on ac-
count of their treatment of Federal prisoners, is well
founded or not. I observe that Col. Fremantle tes-
tifies to the " generous and humane " treatment
which Northern prisoners experienced. I will only
say, having no interest in the matter, except to find
out the truth—that my letter was based on the evi-
dence taken before the United States Sanitary Com-
mission, which was composed of men whose high
character no one will question. Their names are
Valentine Mott, M.D., chairman ; Edward Delafield,
M.D., Governor Morris, Wilkins, EllerslieWallace,
M.D., Hon. J. I. Clark Hare, and Rev. T. Walden.
As you will so soon receive the evidence to be taken
upon the trial of Capt. Wirtz, it would be tedious
to recapitulate that which was published by the
commission. With reference, however, to the im-
pression that the Federals absolutely refused to
exchange their prisoners, it is important to re-
member a letter written by General Butler, com-
missioner of exchange, to the Confederate com-
missioner, and dated August, 1864, in which he
again offers to make exchanges at once if the Con-
federates would treat negroes as prisoners of war,
and exchange them likewise. It may be said that
this was a condition which the Confederates could
not accept ; nevertheless, it weakens the force of
Colonel Fremantle's statement, that " Mr. Davis
would always have been delighted to exchange the
15,000 starving Federals at Andersonville for a
similar number of Confederates."

One of the most serious charges against Captain
Wirtz is, that he established what was called a
" dead line " round the prison at Andersonville,
and that any one who stepped beyond it—the line
being, in many instances, purely imaginary—was
instantly shot. Above 300 prisoners are alleged to
have been killed in this way. Evidence will be
given in proof of the statement, and those who saw
the Federal prisoners kindly treated will be heard
in reply. Again, it is mentioned in the specifica-
tion to charge first, that Captain Writz " did keep
and use ferocious and bloodthirsty beasts, danger-
ous to human life, called bloodhounds, to hunt
down prisoners of war aforesaid who made their
escape from his custody," and that a large number
of prisoners " were by the said beasts then and there
cruelly and inhumanely injured, insomuch that 50
died." Also, it is alleged that Wirtz caused the pri-
soners to be inoculated with poisonous matter ; that
he shot one prisoner dead with his own hand ; that
he kicked and ill-used others ; that he set blood-
hounds on one prisoner who had not attempted to
escape, and who was so mangled by the dogs that
he died. The evidence will be taken openly and
laid before the world. CaptainWirtz has able counsel
engaged in his defence, and the fullest opportunities
will be given him of obtaining testimony to rebut
the charge brought by the prosecution.

Fears were entertained when the Tredegar Iron-
works were seized at Richmond that a policy of
confiscation was about to be entered upon by the
Government. I informed you at the time that I
had been assured Mr. Johnson's object was merely
to make an example of one or two prominent Con-
federates, and subsequent events have justified this
statement. On Saturday last 37 persons, all of the
"20,000 eass," were pardoned by the President.
The majority of them belonged to Virginia. Zn