The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-05-10

room and said, "They are opera
ting upon one of the Yankees legs up
stairs" "l went up and found that
they had cut off Prescoit's leg. The
assistants were pulling on the flesh at
each side, trying to get flap enough to
cover the bone. They had sawed off
the bone without leaving any of the
flesh to form the flaps to cover it; and
with all the force they could use they
could no. get flap enough to cover the
bone. They were then obliged to saw
off about an inch more of the bone, and
even then, when they came to put in the
sutures 1.-THE stitches) they could not
approx innate the edges wi hin less than
an inch and halt of each other of
course, as soon as there was any swelling,
the stitches tore out and the bone stuck
through again. DIR. Swain tried af err
wards to remedy it by performing
another operation, but Prescott bad
become SO debilitated that he did not
survive" Corporal Prescott was a
young man of high position, and had
received very liberal education.
The testimony of William Il. Swain,
assistant surgeon of the Fourteen Ii New
York Regiment, who was taken prisoner
at Sudley's Church, confirms the state
ment of DR.. Homiston in regard 10 the
brutal operations ON Corporal Prescott.
He also states that after he himself had
been removed to Richmond, when seated
one day with his feet on the window-si ,
the sentry outside called to him to take
them in, aud on looking he saw the
sentry with his musket cooked and poin-
ted at him, and withdrew in time to save
his life. He gives evidences of the
careless, heartless, and cruel manner IN
Which the surgeons operated upon our
inen. Previous to leaving for Richmond,
and ten or twelve days after the battle,
he saw some of the Union soldiers unbur-
led on the field, and entirely naked
Walking around were a great many
woman, sloating over the horrid sight.
One of the most important witnesses
was General B. Ricketts,, we'll known in
Washington and throughout the country,
lately promoted for his daring and self
sacrificing courage. After having been
| wounded in the battle of Bull Run, he
was captured, and as he lay helpless on
his back, party of rebels passing him
cried out, " Knock out his brains, the
ID Yankee" He me; General Beau
regard, an old acquaintance, only a year
his senior at the United States Mill airy
Academy, where both were educatcd.-
lie had met the rebel General in the
South a number of times. BY this head
of the rebel army, on the day af err the
battle, he was told that his General
Rlckctt's) treatment would depend upon
the treatment extended to the rebel
privateers. His first lieutenant, Ramsay,
who was killed, was stripped of every
article of his clothing but his socks, and
left naked on the field. He tcstities
that those of our wounded who died in
Richmond. were buried in the negro
burying ground among the negroes,
and were put ino the earth in the most
unfeeling manner. The statement of
other witnesses as to how the prisoners
we're treated is fully confirmed by General
Ricketts,. He himself, while in prison,
subsisted mainly upon what he purcha-
scd with his own money, the money
brought to him by his wife. "We had, ;"
he says, =" what they called bacon soup
soup made of boiled bacon, the bacon
being little rancid-whch you could
not possibly eat and that for man
whose system was being drained by a
wound is no diet at ALL" In reply to a
question whether he had heard anything
about our prisoners being shot by the
rebel scntrics, he answered -" Yes, a
number of our men were shot. In one
instance two were shot; one was killed
and the other wounded by man who
rested his gun on the window-sill while
he capped it,"
eel heard" he continues, " of great
many of our prisoners who had been
bayoncted and shot. l saw three of
them-two that had been bayoneted,
and one Of them shot. One was named
Louis Francis, of the New York Four
teenth. He had received fourteen
bayonet wounds-onc through his pri.
vates-and he had one wound very much
like mine, on the knee in consequence of
which his leg was amputated after twelve
weeks had. passed; and l would state
here that in regard to his case, when it
was determined to amputate his leg,
heard DR.. Pcachy, the rebel surgeon,
remark to one of his young assistants,
l won't be greedy you may do it;' and
the young man did it. | saw number
in my room, many of whom had been
badly amputatcd. The flaps over the
stump were drawn too tight, and some
the bones protrudcd.
1t appears, as part of the his DRY OF
this rebellion, that General Ricketts,
was visited by his wife, who having
first heard that he was killed in battle,
afterwards that he was alive but woun-
ded travelled under great difficulties to
Manassas to see her husband. He says:
"She had almost to fight her way through,
but succeeded finally in reaching me on
the fourth day after the battle. There
were eight persons in the Louis House,
at Manassas, in the room where lay,
and my wife, for two weeks, slept in that
room, on the floor by my side, without a
bed. When we got to Richmond there
were six of us in room, among them
Colonel Wilcox, who remained with us
until he was taken to Charleston. There