Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1862-05-23
Revolving Disclosures.
How the Rebels Treat our Dead and Won
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The following is the testimony taken by
the Joint Committee of Congress on the
Conduct Of the War, showing how horrible
were the atrocities committed by the rebels
upon our dead and wounded soldiers after
the battle Of Bull Run.
In pursuance Of instructions your Com
mttee have the honor to report that they
examined number of witnesses, whose
testimony is herewith submitted.
Mr. Nathaniel T. Parker, who was cap
tured at Falling Waters, Virginia, testiies
that he was kept in close confinement, deni-
ed exercise, and, with number Of others,
huddled up in a room; that their food, gen.
orally scant, was always bad, and sometimes
nauseaus; that the wounded had neither
medical attention nor human treatment, and
that many of these latter died, from sheer
neglect; that Eve of the prisoners were shot
by the sentries outside, and that he saw one
man, Tibbitts, of the New York Twenty
seveath Regiment, shot as he was passing
his window on the 8th of November, and
that he died of the wound on the 18th.
The prepetratcr of his foul murder was sub
sequently promoted by the rebel goyern-
ment.
A SURGEONS TESTIMONY.
pr. j. NJ. Homiston, surgeon Of the
Fourteenth New Yook or Brooklyn regi-
ment, captured at Bull Run, testifies that
when he solicited premission TO remain on
the field and to attend to wounded men,
some of whom were in helpless and pain
full condition and suffering for water, he was
brulally refused. They offered him neither
water nor anything else in the shape of
lood. He and his companions stood in the
streets Of Manassas, surrounded by threat
eniHg and boisterous crowd, aud were after
wards thrust into an old building and left,
without sustenance or covering to sleep on
the bare floor. 1t was only when faint and
ez hausted, in response to their earnest petit
tions, they having been without food for
twenty-foar hours, that some cold bacon
was grudgingly given to them. When, at
last, they were PERMITTED to 60 to the relief
OF our wounded, the secession surgeon would
not allow them to perform operations, but
intrusted it to his young assistants, "some
of them who knew no more Of what they
were 10 do than an apothecary' clerk" And
1 further, that these inexperienced surgeons
performed operations upon our men in a
most horrible manner; some of them were
absolutely frightful.' "When,' he adds
:" asked DIR. Darby 10 allow me to am.
puate the leg of Corporal Prescott, of oul
regiment, and said that the man must die i
allowed to do it, While DIR. Homistor
was waiting, he says a secessionist came
through the room and said ''they are oper
aling upon one of the Yankees legs vi
stairs" +" L went up and found that the,
had cut off Prescott's leg. The assistant
were pulling on the flesh at each side, try
ing to get flap enough to cover the bone
They had sawed off the bone without leav
ing any of the flesh to form the flaps TO GOV
er it and with all the force they could us,
they could not get flap enough to cover th,
bone. They were then obliged to saw OF
about an inch more of the bone, and ever
then, when they came to put in the sutue
(the stitehes) they could not approximate
the edges within less than an inch and ;
half Of each other of course. as soon a
there was any swelling the stitches tore ou
and the bone stuck through again. DR.
Swain tried afterwards 10 remedy it by per
forming another operation, but Prescott has
become so deblitated that he did not sur
yive." Corporal Prescott was youn
man of high position and had received
very liberal education.
HORRIBLE sUFFERINGs OF OUR woUNDEn
| The same witness describes the suffering
of the wounded after the battle as ineon
ceivably horrible; with bad food, no cover
ing, no water. They were lying upon th'
floor as thickly as they could be laid
There was net particle Of light in th'
house TO enable US to move among them.
Deaf to all his appeals, they continued t.
refuse water to these suffering men, and h,
was only enabled to procure it by settin,
cups under the caves 70 catch the rain tina
was falling, and in this way he spent th,
night catching the water and conveying
TO the wounded to drink. As there was n
light, he was obliged to crawl on bis hand
and knees to avoid stepping on their wound
ed limbs; and, he adds, "it is not wonde
tina, next morning we found that severa
had died during the night" The younI
surgeons, who seemed to delight in hackin,
and bulchering these brave defenders Q
our country's flag, we're pot, it would seem
PERMITTED to preform any operations upoi
the rebel wounded. Some of our wound
ed,' says the witness, "were lefi lying uPoi
ihe battlefield until Tuesday night am
Wednesday morning. When brought in