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

knew that &C it had been stripped, and
also where it had been buried" Mr..
Scholcs, in answer to u question of one
of The COMM tee, described the different
treatment ex ended to the Union soldiers
and the rebel dead The latter lad
little headboards placed at the head of
their respective graves and marked !;
none of them had the appearance Of
having been dis urbed.
The evidence of that distinguished
and patriotic citizen, Hon. William
Sprague, Governor of the STAG Of
Rhode Island confirms and fortifes some
of the most revolving statements of
former witnesses. His object in visiting
the battlefield was to recover the
bodies Of Colonel Slocum and Major
Ballou, Of the Rhode Island regiment
He took out with him several of his own
men to identify the graves. On reach
ing the place he states that "we COM
menced digging for the bodies of Colonel
Slocum and Major Bal!ou at the spot
pointed out to us by these men who had
| been in the action.
"While digging, some negro women
came up and asked whom we were look
ing for, and at the same time said that
'Col. Slogun' had been dug up by the
rebels, by some men of Georgia regl-
mcnt, his head cut off, and his body
taken to ravine thirty or forty yards
below, and there burned We stopped
digging and went to the spot designa ed,
where we found Goals and ashes and
bones mingled together. A little dis
lance from there we found shirt (still
buttoned at the neck and blanket
with large quantities of hair upon it,
everything indicating the burning of a
body there. We returned and dug
down at the spot indicated as the grave
Of Major Ballou, but found no body
there but at the place pointed out as
the grave where Col. slocum was buried,
we found box, which, upon being
raised and opened, was found to contain
the body of Col. Slocum. The soldiers
who had buried the two bodies were
satisfied that the grave which had been
opened, the body taken out, beheaded,
and burned, was that of Major Ballou,
because it was not in the spot where
Col. Slocum was buried, but rather to
the right of it,. They at once said that
the rebels had made mistake, and had
taken the body of Major Ballou for thai
of Col. Slocum. The shirt found near
the place where the body was burned
| recognized as one belonging 10 Major
Ballou, as had been very intimate with
him. We gathered up the ashes con-
tanning the portion of his remains that
were left, aud put them in coffin,
together with his shirt and the blanket
with the hair left upon it. After we
had done this we went to that portion of
the field where the battle had first COM
menced, and began TO dig for the remains
Of Captain Tower. We brought a sol
dier with us to designate the place where
he was buried. He had been wounded
in the battle, and had seen from the
window Of the house where the Captain
was inferred On opening the ditch or
trench, we found it filed with soldiers,
all buried with their faces downward
On taking up some four or five, we dis
covered the remains of Capt. Tower,
mingled with those of the men. We
took them, placed them in coffin, and
brought them home"
1E reply to a question of the commit
tee, as to whether he was satisfied that
they were buried intentionally with their
faces downward, Gov. Sprague's answer
was, & Undoubtedly! Beyond all con-
troversy !" and that " it was done as a
mark Of indignity." In answer to
another ques ion, as to what their object
could have been, especially in regard to
the body of Col. Slocum, he replied,
"Sbecr brutality, and nothing elsc.-
They did it on account of his courage
and chivalry, in forcing his regiment,
fearlessly and braye!y, upon them. He
destroyed about one-half of that Geor-
gia regiment, which was made up of
their best citizens" When the inquiry
was put whether he thought these bar
barities were committed by that regi-
ment, he responded, "By that same
regiment, as was told" While their
own dead were buried with marble head
and foot stones, and names upon them,
ours were buried, as l have stated, in
trenches. This eminent witness con-
cludes his testimony as followes 81
have published an order to my second
regiment, to which these officers were
attached, that l shall not be satisfied
with what they shall do unless they give
an account of one rebel killed for each of
their own number"
The members of our committee might
content themselves by leaving this testi-
mony to the Senate and the people with
out word Of comment; but when the
enemies of just and generous Govern
raent are attempting to excite the SYM
pathy of disloyal men in our own country,
and to solicit the aid of foreign Gov
ernments by the grossest misrepersen-
tations of the objects of the war and of
the conduct of the officers and soldiers
of the Republic, this, the most startling
evidence of their insincerity and inhu-
manity, deserves some notice at our
hands.
History will be examined in vain for
parallel to this rebellion against a
good Government. Long prepared for
by ambitious men, who we're made
doubly confident of success by the aid
and counsel of former Administrations,