Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-09-09
The story of Rebel Observation-Disclosures
of Salt, Shoes, and Money.
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One hundred or more rebel prisoners ar
rived at New York, Sunday, from fortress
Monroe, who had taken the oath of allegiance
to the United States, and refused to be ex-
changed. Their appearance was grotesque
in the extreme. No two Of them were dressed
alike, and the total absence of anything like
uniform evinced very clearly that matters
IN the rebel cOntederacy were at very loose
ends. Many of them were shoeless, while
their hats and caps were of all kinds of cox
Ors. Nearly all of them are conScriptS, and
affirm that they have had quite sufficient of
the rebellion. They denounce in very harsh
terms the secession leaders, and reiterate their
own devotion to the flag and the constitution
of the United States. They state that they
have been very kindly treated at the hands of
the federal government, and that if good OPP
portunity were offered large numbers of the
enemy would very soon come over to the
Union lines. Many of these prisoners are
adopted citizens, some natives of northern
states, while others are genuine southern born
men. South Carolina, Alabama, and Missis-
sippi have representatives among the number.
Many of them were British subjects, forced
into the ranks under the sweeping conscrip-
ton which exists in the south, who could OBJ
tain no relief from impressment, although to-
tally unwarranted and illegal
The southern country districts are in many
cases almost depopulated, all the white males
being forced into the army, leaving only the
women and negroes to carry on the cultiva-
ton of the farms. In Virginia. the seat of
war proper, one of them, who had been if-
teen months in the rebel service told our re-
porter that he had often marched for miles
and miles through sections of country that,
were once fertile and populous without find
ing an inhabited house, or seeing anything but
devastation and destruction around him, The
rebel troops are subsisting on halt rations of
half pound Of flour and half pound of
beef or bacon. Much of the beef, being
fresh, soon becomes worthless, in conse-
quence of the imposibility of procuring salt
with which to preserve it. They confirm the
report that Richmond is a city of hospitals,
although many of the wounded-such of
them as were rendered incapable of any lon
ger bearing arms-have been sent to their
homes in the various southern states. No at
tention whatever is paid to the length of time
for which the men are forced into service.
One Of them told us that he had positive as
suranceS, when compelled to take up arms,
that he would be discharged at the end of
twelve months service; but at the end of that
time, when his regiment applied for its dis
charge, it was peremptOrily refused them,
Discharges are no longer granted to men
singly or by regiments, no matter what were
the promises made at the time of enlistment
or consumption. Every pledge given by the
rebel government in this respect is deliberate
ly violated. These prisoners also state that
many of the rebel soldiery are without shoes,
and are compelled to march over stony roads,
through brlerS and swamps, and to fight with
out them, as there Is no means within the con-
federacy for supplying this deficiency. The
shoeless appearance Of many Of these men is
fully confirmatory of this statement.
No money a. C., confederate notes. or very
little, is now paid to the rebel soldiers. One
of them told us that he had not received
cent in twelve months time; and as for
specie, they never see it all. The grossest
are made to the soldery
by the rebel officers. They are continually
told that any of them who deserts to ''the
Yankees" will be either shot or hung by the
Union soldiers, as they are fiendishly vindlc-
tive, and on this account hundreds are deter
red from coming over to our lines.