Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1862-10-28
Gen. PrerliSs at Bryan Eall--NorEtfn Prisoners IN
Southern Dprssels- Words Of Fire from Col,
Lynch and Capt. Cregg.
II an opposed to erery man ssho opposes
4Abyanan, Lincoln. - Col. Lynch.

Nol. LS Hen aIa AitI1A. AltEgs 1.-Two ~ 80 80
brayest soldiers Of Illinois, arrived inChle-
ago, having but lately been released from
S ,utbern pens and dungeons in whichthey
had been kept by he rebels for some six
months, or ever since the battle Of Shiloh,
at which they we've taken prisoners.
All three had Leen great democrats,
bad, as they said leen democrats all their
lives, Lad lurahed for Douglas.
We copy below portions Of the speeches
Of each a Bryant Hall, Chicago, at
spontaneous meeting Of thousands assem-
bsed 10 hear their sorrowful report Of what
they had undergone during their captivity.
The Hall was lensely crowded. Dir.
Biainarl, leading democrat presided.
He introduced Gen. Preutiss first, who
came forward and sad:
Nv friends, feel free tonight; I am
at hone III Illinois. ICheers have
been six and a half months confined IN
Southern dungeons, as believe, by tho
efforts If denaeoeae, North and South.
| {AppIause. Permit ne, ny friends, to.
place myself and these officers, tonight,
tspoa the record concerning our captivity.
simon.
We Tere taken at the battle Of Shiloh,
on The morning Of the 9th Of April last.
/ On The morning Of the 9Th day Of April
list, the Sixth Division which | had the
honor TO commaua, WAS in line Of battle
| full quarter Of a mile in advance OF my
camp, before the hour Of six oclock-peF-
haps at half past five.
/ We were driven from that position 10
/ tile front Of our camp, at which time, un
fortunately forus, some other regiment
not from Illinois, not from Iowa, not from
Missouri--eft that field and permitted the
enemy to flank US on the right. We were
4 then compelled to retire a shori Distance,
perhaps three or five hundred yards to the
rear, taking pos;tianupon theleit Of Gen.
/ Wallace aud light Of Gen. Huflbuft, there
by becoming the center Of our arr-y on
that day, and at precisely haif.past nine
o'clock, having been under FRI from half
past five o'clock tisl that time. and having
witnessed hnndnsds Of my men "bite the
/ dust" and if | may use the term, in de-
fendngs ar Government. Cheers we took
our position and We held it, thank heaven,
until quarter after SIX in the evening
Great applause.
Here ctlne say, what | have not said
in public before, but what claim The
right If say nc, calling upon my Maker u
witness that tell the truth, that il i ny
opinion that none Lut the galIaatwounded
who lay around us, and the prisoners who
are represented here to night, were left at
that hour on that hard fought fd. We
remained until haIf-past five before We
moved from the line. AT that hou", or
Just before, lhat brave and noble soldier,
4 ten. Wallace fell. | had leeu comforting
with him only lew minutes before he
went down ii the fight. We had deter
mined to hold our position; w deiernln-
ed TO sustain our Government; We deter
mined there 70 save The army cf Gen.
Grant Think We did it. My officers
think we did it. | care not what Others
may think. LOAD a!rlausel
CAPTIVITY.
We ware taken from the battlefield and
that body If men, among whom, ladi $,
were pelAaps some Of your brothers.
wounded, sore, bleeding, were marched
twenty-five miles through and over the
worst and toughest road that ever men
were compelled to march; not having eat
en- ANYTHING since the break-of-day OIL that
eyer.to be remembered Sabbath the sixth
Of April. When We had dragged ourselves
over that muddy and rugged twenty two
| miles, We were compelled to take cattle
cars at Corinth and hrfried away through
i raging storm, haddled together like q
| flock Of sheep. lad il not been that some
! Of tie nen had il their possession some
knives With which to cut noles through
those box cars to admit air, they would
have sutifcatol.
| we we're taken 10 Memphis. arriving
there ON Tuesday, and there VIC were met
hy an immense crowd Of people cheering
for tile victory of The reLel army. The men
were not FED that night. We were taken
to The Cts Hall. | must be brief. In
tbat haIlwere the poor soldiers, who II
vain asked for food and begged for water,
crowded together, 2,2oo ofus in one bull :
ing half starved. Remember it was Tues
,lay night, and nothing to eat since Sunday
,ne,njng x =
Al iailalega our fare was execrablp
Ne we're cor ned iii one room, bad ~
lions ofso much corn bread, and | think
it was qnalier Of a pound ofnlsty baeon
That WAS all that composed our rttlons
Some of.the officers complained Of being
sick. hecame III myself. ! had always
been fsill of coffee and sent messenger
leatenaut, think who was on the guard,
10 one If the hatels in this hospitahle
place is obtain two gallons Of Rio coffee
t sent by that lieutenant a twenty dollar
bin 10 pay for it if necessary, bit not ex-
pecting that this ho pitable people would
receive any pay is bad told him to tell
III -. i. u p,,k4 l..