Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-04-11


Tho following letter from Union sol
dlsr--n roaidsnt Of Augusta, in this county,
and gentleman whose voracity none who
know bin viii question--gives The most
startling connrmatioa Of ths ftightful bar
barities pracsiced BY the rebel army - Uti-
ca Herald
Cam or THE 24rH REo. N. Y.S.V.
ALHxANDRiA, Va. March 20, 90.
We have been treated to new routine
Of exercises for the last twelve days, and /
wish that I bad more time and reader
pen than ibis stub Of pencil to give you
tho details. have already
told you Of our march 10 Centrevillo. II
was the first days work worthy Of the name
that l have done since entered tho service,
andit came verynear laying me out. Many q
soldier among US Of $50 pounds weight
who could boast Of being able to whip biz
bulk 10 wild cats, had to give iu, and die
not get into camp until the next day.
noticed that the heavy men were tho frs
to break down, while the light, healthy
muscular ones would go through, and wer'
the first TO recover from their fatigue.
learned another thing which will be Of ser
vice TO me. There had been a maniI
among the boys to get the high heavy, mil
itary boots. Every one who did not tbipl
il his duty to send bis money home to BIZ
family, OF lay it out prudsntly for whisky
bought these boots. Before we had march
ed ten miles two-thirds of them were Grip
pied in their feet, while but few of thos,
who wore shoes complained at all in tha
respect.
was much interested, notwithstanding
the hardships attending it, with our visi
10 CenteFville, and have since been inclined
10 be sorry did not risk disobeying orders
slightly, BY going on and taking look a
Bull Run; but having made it point sine
l have been here to obey orders fully, ant
remembering that we were required to b
in line in three hours, declined TO yentur
so far. Many Of our boys went however
and the report they gave was anything bu
complimentary to the Southern chivalry.-
They fully substsntiate the reports of others
which you may have seen since in the pa.
pers, Of the evidence Of rebel barbarism to
be seen upon the bodies of the dead Union
soldiers laying upon that field Of slaughter
saw enough in Centreville to convince me
Of the truth Of what heard from others
In one Of the barracks / found a human
jaw-boue hung over the fire place, appar
emily to dry, preparatory TO cleaning it,
In another place saw two skulls whicI
had been cleaned, the lower edge PARTIAL
smoothed, and having every appearauc
that the brutes had made drinking cups o
theml
A day Of fearful retribution is in store
for these bsrbaraties, you may be assured
saw many Of the l4th (Brooklyn) boy
as they came back from the field. YoI
know they were 10 the thickest of the fight
and suffered severely, but they covered
themselves with glory. The bodies of thei
comrades were easily recognized by thei
red pants, and other peculiar marks Of theil
uniform, and bore ample evidence of having
been the especial objects Of rebel hatred
They told me they did not find the remain:
Of one but what was headless-that many
Of them had never received any kind o
burial--while those that had were so slight
ly covered that they were found washed
out by the winter rains. They spent an
afternoon in buryiDg all they could find as
we'll as they could without proper tools
using their bayonets and anything they could
lay hands on to dig graves, and returned tc
camp filed to bursting with the direst in
dignation.
Wo betide the hapIess wretches who
hereafter. during this war, may be pitted
against the l4th Brooklyn for as sure as
fate they will receive no mercy. Men rec.
ognized on that Bull Run battle field, boor
companions and bosom friends, mutilated
disfgured, and dismembered, in name
that none but the lowest grade of humanit,
would be guilty Of, and in way that coull
not have been done in the conflict Of arms
They believe that the blood of their lat
slaughtered and mutilated brethren in arm
"cries to them from the ground" and the
viii see TO it that it is not in vain. Let u
hope that they will not be led into simils
atrocities.