The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-05-10

bone. hey were then obliged to saw OIL
about an inch more of the bone. and even
then, when they came to put in the su-
lures the stilches) they could not ap.
proximatc tire edges within less than an
inch and half of each other Of course,
as soon as there was any swelling, the
stitches tore out and the bone stuck
through again. DR.. Swain tried afier-
wards 70 remedy il by performing anoth-
er operation, but Prescott had become so
debilitated that lie did not survive. -
Corporal Prescott was young man of
high position, and had received a very
liberal education.
The same witness describes the suffer
ing OF the wounded after the battle as in
conceiyably horrible, with bad food, no
seoyering, Do water. They were lying up
on the floor as thickly az they could be
Laid. "There was not particle of light
tit the house to enable us to move among
then" !" Deaf to all his appeals, they con !
tinned to refuse water TO these suffering
men, and he xas only enabled to procure
at by setting cups under tho caves to catch
the raiI that was falling, and in this way
he spent The night catching the water
and conveying { it it to the wounded to drink.
As there was no light, he was obliged to
crawl on his hands and knees to avoid
stepping On their wounded limbs and,
hes adds, sit is not wonder that next
morning we found that several had died
during the night The young surgeons,
who seemed to delight in hacking ard
butchering these brave defenders of our
country's flag, were not, it would seem,
permitted to perform any operations up
on the rebel wounded. !" Some of our
Wounded" says this witness, ..were left
lying upon the battlefield until Tuesday
night and wednesday morning. When
brought In, their wounds were compare
tiYely alive with Larvae deposited there by
the flies, having laid on, through oil the
rain storm of Monday, and the lot, sultry
sunshine Of Tuesday The dead laid
upon the field unburied for five days and
this incinded men not only of bis own,
tie lith regiment, but other regiments.
This witness testiEes that the bel dead
were carried off and inferred deeenlly. Fl,
answer TO . question wnslhcr the Confed-
crates themselves were not also destitute
Of medicines, be replied, They could
not have been, for they took all ours,
even 10 our surgical instrumental He
received none of the attentions from the
surgeons on the other side, (Which, to
use his own language, Il should have
shown to them had cur positions been re-
versed "
One Of the most important witnesses
Was Gen. JAS. b. Ricketts,, well-known
in Washington aud throughout the coun-
try, lately promoted for his daring and
courage. After having
been wounded in the battle of Bull Run,
he was captured, and as he lay helpless
On his back, the rebc's passing him cried
aut,, knock out his brains,, the -
Yankee" He met Gen. Beaurecard,
an old acquaintance. only a year his
senior at the United States Military
Academy, where both where educated. lie
had met the rebel General in the South
humber Of times. By this head of the
rebel army, On the day OF the battle, he
was told that his Gen. Rickett's) treat
ment would depend upon the treatment
extended 10 the rcbel privateers. His lst
Lieut., Ramsey, who was killed, was
stripped Of every article of his clothing
except his socks. and left naked on the |
ield. He testified that those Of our |
rounded who died at Richmond were
buried in the negro barying ground
among tae negroes, and were put into
he earth in the most unfeeling manner.
The statement of other Witnesses as 10
now the prisoners we're treated is fully
confirmed by Gen. Ricketts,. He him
'elf, while in PRISON, subsisted mainly up
ia what he purchased with his own mon
y, the money brought to him by his
wife. eve had" he says, ..what they
.alled bacon soup-soup made Of boiled |
bacon, the bacon being little rancid
vhich you could not possibly eat: and
hat for man whose system was being
Trained by wound, is no diet at all -
n reply to question whether he heard
anything about our prisoners being shot
~ rebel sentries, he answered: HYes,
! number OF our men we're shot. In one
Instance two men were shot. one was
TILED and the other wounded, by a man
Who rested his gun, on the window sill
vhile he capped it,
We have space only for these brief ex-
racts in regard to the treatment Of the
wing, and we add one or two extracts
rom the report in reference to the treat
nent OF the patriot dead, and call espe-
nal attention to the testimony of the gal
ant Gov. sprague:
Revolving as these disclosures are, it
vas whensthe committee came to exam
ne witnesses IN reference to treatment of
'ur heroic dead that the indish pirt of
he rebel leaders was most rrominently