Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-05-15


der the mid lie Of the bodies and pried them
up.
! The information Of the negroes of Benia.
min Franklin Lewis cJrroborated fully the
statement ofthis man Hampton. They said
a good many Of the bodies had been strip.
pei naked on the field before they were
buried, and that some were buried naked. -
went 10 DIR. Lewis house and spoke to linn
of the manner in which these bodies had
been disinterred. He admitted that il was
infamous, aud condemned principally the
Louisiana Tigers, Of General Wheat divis-
ion. He admitted that our wouu1ed had
been very badly treated In confirmation
OF the testimony Of DIR. Swain and DR..
l1omiston, this witness AYERS that Mr.. Lewis
mentioned a number of instances Of men
who had been murdered by bad surgical
treatment.
Mr.: Lewis was afraid that pestilcncc
would break out in consequence Of the dead
being left unburfed and stated that he had
gone and warned the neighborhood, and
had the dead buried, sendog his own men to
assist IN doing so. "Un Sunday morning
yesterday l went out in search Of ms
brother grave. We found the trench, and
dug for the bodies below. They w.,e ciph.
teen inches to two feet below the surface.
and had been hustled in any way. In one
end OF the trench, we found, not more than
two or three inches below the surface, the
thlghbone Of man which had evidently
been dug up alter the burial At the other
end OF the trench, We found the shinbone
ola man, which had been struck By mus.
ket ball and split. The bodies at the euis
had been pried up.
:. while digging there party Of sollers
came along and showed US a part of a shin
bone, five or six inches long which had the
eud sawed off. They said they had found
1 1t among many other pieces, in one of the
cabins the rebels had deserted. From the
appearance of it, pieces bad been sawed off
to make inger-rings. As soon as the me-
groes noticed this, they said that the rebels
had had rings made Of the bones of our
dead, and that they had them for sale in
their camps. When Dr. Swain saw the
bone, he said it was part Of shinbone of
a man. The soldiers represented that there
was lots OF these bones scattered through
the rebel huts sawed into rings" &c. Mr..
Lewis and his negroes all spoke OF Col.
James Cameron's body, and kney that 81,
had been stripped, and also where il had
been buried" Mr.. Schc,es in answer to /.
question OF one Of the committee, describeC
the. different Treatment extended to III,
Union soldiers and the rebel dead. The
latter had little headboards placed at thu
neau OF their respective graves and marked
been disturbed. y
The evidence of that distinguished suC
e. p<triotic citizen, Hon. William Sprague
(. Governor Of the State Of Rhole Island, con
4 firms and tortiies some Of the most revolt
ing statements OF former witnesses. Hi
t o'.' iu 'I'i:us tnS 9att!e-aeIa was 10 re
), nj, AL .ne Gou,es 1 " o9i; o,ocu'n anu lalq
d to',. ~. ~ ,;.t' tnS itnoue is'anu regiment III
e .ooA o"S m"u "iui several OF MS own mel
e ~ ~ ,na na'iI'y ha @ ,ne graves, va reaching TN
p;;aoos u. Htates , .nat we commenced dig
h t,nH ~. .IG oouies Oh Col oiocum and MaJo
: nanou az tne sPol poin,ed out TO us by lhes'
!, "eu ..Wh;I. wnI hnu ceen IN the action.
Z Iue ,nsSing, some negro women cam
l upl att Ia asSeu ~aom We were looking m for
: @ "o 4, III ,l' saie 5inle said that Colonel Sio
c Can, aau oIen Jug up Dy the reoels, D.
5 auno hen II He9rgia regiment, his hea'
.u' ~ uuu nls ooay taken 10 raViIe thir
s VI .oly iarus nelow, ana then burned
: ne stoppeu uigsing and went to the spo
r uesIshaleu' where we found Goals and ashe
g anu ponos s nIinsiel together. A Lt!ie dis
: ,auoe 1 iloln ehere we lo9nd SHIRT, tstlil but
eoueu q. t'ie hcek: ahc Dianket with larg'
i quanuties oi mar upon 1t, everything i1di
!, ca.lng the 9urning OF body there. W.
: lo'urheu anu uug down at the spot indicates
e as .he grave OF MAJOR bailou, but found NJ
1ody there out al the place pointed out a
S Tue grave where Colonel Siocum was buried
c we lound pox' winch, upon being raise
n aeI aea openeu was Ioup1 to contain the bod!
l. oi Cotonel oiocan: Inc soldiers VINO haC
9 purieu the Two oodies were SATISFIED that th'
grave Wn!ch had 5een opened, the bodI
o takel out; Deheaued, anu burned, was tha
$ OF MAJOR baiioq' because 1t was not IL thi
e sp9t wnere Coi; oI9cum W. was buried, bu
:. ra.ner 70 tue right OF II. Ihey at once sal,
:, tnat inc repeis haa made a mistake, anI
J: neu laNeh lne DoTy OF MAJOR baiiou Tor Ina
oL o1i. 3locum' Inc shiTt found near wher'
5 tne o9ug was M oafnea ! recogn,zed rs on'
n oelonsing 70 MaJpr Da'iou; as l nad peer
i very ni.lnate WIN MN. we gathered vi
d tne asnes con.aiIhng the portion OF his 10
i lnasns tna. were ieit, ana put them 10
r CONN, iogether WIN ms shirt and the olan
sel VIII 'ne mar icit upon Ii. AFTER w
eohe .his we went 70 ina. portion OF th'
| neti where Ins nettie hau hrst eomnience.'
K anu pesaH u ~ 4'g Ior inc remains OF Saptai'
s doMer e ~ Drought so,uier VIII, " = ,