Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-05-15
THE CONDUCT OF THE war.
Joint Committee Report.
SMOCKZyvG DETAILS.
OUR DEAD AND WOUNDED.
Horrible Outrages.
Rebels Worse than CannibaIs.
TORTURE OF THE WOUNDED.
BURNING THE DEAD.
skulls Used for Drinking Cups.
D1UMsTICKs MADE OF BONES.
THE CRUELTIES PRACTICED.
OUR DEAD AND WOUNDED.
Horrible Outrages.
Rebels Worse than Cannibais.
TORTURE OF THE WOUNDED.
BURNING THE DEAD.
skulls Used for Drinking Cups.
DRUMsTICKs MADE OF BONES.
THE CRUELTIES PRACTICED.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON
THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR.

THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR.
The Committee on the Conduct of the
J War have made report on the subject of
the barbarities committed by the rebels at
Manassas on the bodies of Union soldiers
who fell at that battle. The committee give
ample evidence to sustain all the previous
allegations. The report shows that the
most inhuman acts were perpetrated by the
rebels.
THE REPORT.
j In pursuance of the instructions, your COM
mittee have the honor to report that they
examined a number of witnesses, whose tes-
timony is herewith submitted.
Mr.. Nathaniel f. Parker, who was cap
tured at Falling Waters, Virginia, testities
that he was kept in close confinement, denied
exercise, and, with number of others, hud-
died up in room that their food, general
ly scant, was always bad, and sometimes
nauseous; that the wounded had neither
medical attention nor humane treatment
and that many of these latter died from
sheer neglect; that five of the prisoners
were shot by the sentries outside and that
he saw one man-Tibbtts, of the New
York Twenty-seventh Rogiment--shot as he
was passing his window, on the Sth of No
vember, and tina. he died of the wound on
the 18th. The perpetrator of this foul mur.
der was subsequently promoted by the rebel
| Government.
DR.. J. NJ Homiston, Surgeon ofthe Four
teenth New York or Brooklyn regiment, cap.
tured at Bull Run, testifies that when he
solicited permission to remain on the field
| nd m IN, lad -
whom were in a helpless and painful condi-
ton, and suffering for water, be was brutal
! ly refused. They offered him neither water
nor anything in the shape Of food. He and
his companions stood in the streets of Ma
nassas, surrounded by threatening and
boisterous crowd, and were atterward thrust
into an old building, and left, without sus.
tenance or covering, to sleep on the bare
floor. 1t was only when faint, and without
food for twenty-tour hours, that some cold
bacon was grudginely given to them. When,
at last, they were permitted to go to the relief
of our wounded, the Secession Surgeon
J would not allow them to perform operations,
but entrusted the wounded to his young as.
sistants, "some of them with no more know.
ledge of what they attempted to do than an
apothecary's clerk" And further, that
! these inexperienced Surgeons performed
operations upon our men in most horri
bic manner, some Of them were absolutely
frightful." "When," he adds, 81 asked
Doctor Darby to allow me to amputate the
leg Of Corporal Prescott of our regiment
and said that the man must die if it were
not done, he told me that should be allow
ed to do it." While Doctor Homiston wa
waiting he says Secessionist came through
the room and said, They are operating up
on ono of the Yankee 5 legs up stairs. q
went up and found that they had cut of
Prescott's leg. The assistants were pulling
ON the flesh at each side, trying to get fal
enough to cover the bone. They had saw
ed off the bone without leaving any of tn,
flesh to form the flaps to cover it and witt
S all the force they could use they could no
r get flap enough to cover the bone. The,
h were then obliged to saw off about an incl
u more of the bone, and even then, when the,
= came to put in the sutures (the stitches
they could not approximate the edges with
in less than an inch and half of eacl
i other of course, as soon as there was an,
). swelling, the stitches tore out and the bon,
stuck through again. Dl. Swain tried af
: terward to remedy it by performing anothe
IS operation, but Prescott had become so de
IS bilitated that he did not survive" Corpo
l. raj Prescott was young man OF high posi-
;. ton, and had received very liberal educa
u ton.
y The same witness describes the sufferin,
q of the wounded after the battle as incon
ceivably horrible with bad food, no cover
ing, no water. They were lying upon tn
f floor as thickly as they could be laid
. There was not q particle Of light in tn
70 house to enable us to move among them.
70 Deaf to all his appeals, they continued to re
% fuse water to these suffering men, and h
N was only enabled to procure it by setting cup
,a under the caves to catch the rain that wa
80 falling, and in this way he spent the nigh
n catching the water and conveying it to tn
a. wounded to drink. As there was no light
he was obliged to crawl on his hands an
knees to avoid stepping on their wounde
10 limbs and, he adds, lit Is not a wonde
!. that next morning we found that several ha
! q died during the night" The young SUI
u geons, who seemed to delight in hacking an
ly butchering these brave defenders of ou
country's flag were not, it would seem, pei
mitted to perform any operations upon tn
a rebel wounded. Some of our wounded,
Of battlefield until Tuesday night an
7 their wounds were completely alive wit
: larvae deposited there by the flies, havin
p laid out through all the rain storm of Nor
ID day. and the hot, sultry sunshine of Tues
in day." The dead laid upon the field UT
buried for five days; and this included me
not only of bis own, the l4th regiment, bu
q, other, regiments. This witness testifes ths
. the rebel dead were carried off and ihterre
!, decently. In answer TO o question. whethe
70 the Confederates themselves were not ais
| destitute of medicine. he repliad i'The