Newbern weekly progress., 1862-10-25

! ing on any account II was here that the ID
mented Lieutenant Bliss, Of the Michigan cav
airy, was murdered in cold blood BY one Of h
| guard He had been privileged by the con-
mandinS officer TO purchase milk from a wonal
whose residence aljuincd the warehouse. ii
Was standing at the window, waiting for he
10 Oil his canteen with milk. The guard iolt
him in an imperious manner that lie had re
manned there long enough. Lieutenant Bliss re
piled that be was about ready to retire, received
his cantcen and turned to go TO bis quarters
when the guard, without any further ceremony
deliberately aimed and shot him in the hreas
with double tairellcd gun, killing him instant
1 ly. Some people Of the place gathered round
the body, one of them coarsrly remarking
"0ur damned old shot guns make pretty good
holes through these damned Yankees" NJ
rotice was taken Of the atfair--no arrest Of tho
guard not even report by the olBcerin charge.
Had it been dog, instead Of a man, more In
difference could not have been manifested.
succeeded in obtaining permission from The
commanding officer at Montgomery TO visit the
hospitals in which about one hundred Union
PRISONERS were coiliued. found them in an
Old outbuildiHg, without nurses or attendants,
except the coDvaiescents Of their own party
They We're destitute Of provisions and money
and many OF them shlI had on the bloody gar.
nIents they had worn on the terrible battle
field Of Shloah, where tbcS were wounded.
was fortunately enabled 10 obtain o loan Of
some money, which handed to two Union Ia
dies to be applied to their relief % the sue
ceednga day the officers were started for.
A hpta, where they arrived in the afternoon,
aud for the FIRST time since their capture, re-
ccived what might be considered humane
treatment. This, though temporary, proved
OF inestlmable benefit to them. The prisoners
were confined in the Court House, in charge Of
an Eastern man (New Epgland), who was dis
posed. apparently, ID treat them dccentiy; but
unfortunately for them, change was speedily
made, and they were deprived Of tho benefit
they had just began to appreciate
During their stay at Atlanta they saw pro-
cession, passing, which, on inquiry, they were
surprised to learn, was cscorting o party
Of seven soldiers TO the ygallows, where, in
short time aiterw'rds, they were nhumahly
hung. TLer offence vas as follows In
company with sixteen others these seven men
had effected Their escape so far as TO obtain
possession Of a railroad train, and were making
endeasess 10 return to the federal lines near
Chstano0sa. They bad proceeded about
eighy miles, when a party from chattanooga,
probably notified by Telegraph Of the affair,
intercepted add succeeded in capturing the
entire party. They were tried as spies and
without being allo we'd an opportunity to CON-
municate with their government hung as
aLo.e des F.bed.
In few days afterwards the party Of federal
officers were sent to another PRISON In Georgia.
Here they wore placed under the charge Of
one W. ). Calhoun, and for period Of iour
months one hundred and fifteen federal oii
Gers were confined in one room. Al this point
they were even more harshly treated than they
bad been al any other p.ison IN which they
y ID BEEN incarceratcd. fney were iRsulted
aud abused by THE Eosnnandantof The post,
and every thing was done " him that could be
10 make their confinement unpleasant and un.
endurable After submitting to this brutality
for three months, disposiu was manih ed
among the officers TO attempt an escape, q ma
jOrty of them having become convinced that
1t was the intention OF the rebels to =, gam
them as prisoners and not give them the benefit
of tie cartel. |, with ten other officers, made
the attempt one night, but we were uniortu.
'nately detected; aiiu placed In a dungeons
dark hole, six cen feet square, with but six
inch apelure for light. We ren,sined IN this
dungeon until the surgeon Of the past demand.
ed our release, stating II as his opinion that We
could not survive much longer We were then
returned to our former quarters.
The private soldiers no were taken at Shi.
loh remaining at Tuscaloosa for short time
we're then forwarded to Montgomery, at which
pace tl,vy were paroled and sent to our lines
to General Mitchell. Some twelve hundr, d
were received and permitted to leave. The
last lot, including some six hundred or more,
General Nj chel for some unaccounlabe rea.
son, refused 10 receive, and tnSy we're rct1rned
to their Southern julors, and sent to Macon,
Georgia. This happened as far back as the
mou OF May last. Out of this number who
were thus nhumanIy relur elto their captors,
SOME one hundred and scvelty have since died
The total number Of deaths ol private soldiers
taken at Shiloh will amount to nearly two
hunGr, d and fity. or the Shiloh prisoners
who have bcen rep scented as having been OK
changed there are Still .enaining in cOatine
iIient II Macon, Gt., son'e four hundted IN.
formation has reached me, however, that they
are to be forwarded Immediately to R chmond |
Their condi ion has been worse than that oil
their officers, for they were d, fcient of cloth
ing. and when lasl heard from were nearly |
naked. Nyurly MI have suffered from lcvers
Their officers endeavorcd TO minister to their
necessi,I,s as far as p'aciicabe,eand when at
Macon, procured money for their r.lieG but |
have since heard that not more than half the |
amoant Sent rtehed ITS intended destination
They have not been furnished with blankets
since their capture, and have b:cn obliged to
sleep unprotected upon the bare ground The |
Medical ID DEPARTMENT of the .Suu;h, too, are un
able to luirrish thum with the necessary medi
cines to alleviate tht9r nislaties; even il desir
Gus Of so doing.
Al Mac IN several private soldiers were killed
by the guard on trivial pretences. The poor
fellows were bitter in their complaints against
Mitchell for the misery they have been com
,pe,lsd u cndtre. ,..o.., /
Hundreds of our poor Union prisoners at the
Sourh are wearing pieces OF carpets tied around
their waists fiom motives uf drcency, and nun
bors Of them have b"i !. shirtless for many
months
Dusing the confinement Of the prisoners
they were not supplied with knives, forks or
Spo,ns having to make them as best they
could from pic cce OF wood which came in their
wGy. ,.l.v"... ........ ... .,,r,
Immense cheering followed this address.
The bard then played the "Star Spangled
Banner" when Colonel Mulligan was loudly alt
repeatedly called for ,. ....... .
SPEECH, OF COLONEL MULLIGAN.
After some little delay the hero of Lexington
was found and introduced to the assembly. He