Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-12-19


sAsURDAY MORNING.. DEC. 10, 1888.
A New Plea for Rebel Barbnrism.
The generosity Of the rebels in consent
ing to receive things forwarded for our
prisoners In their hands was evidently
spasnodic, and We now have our fears con-
Armed. It seems that Robert Ould, no
doubt urged thereto by the insane COM
plainings of the Richmond press, as well
Is By that inbred bsrbarism which distin-
guishes the ehivalry, hes signihed, in
letter addressed to rigsdier-Gensral
Meredith, the intention Of the rebel War
Department to forbid the reception of any
more provisions from the North. The only
excuse offered is that there has been 6
"persistent villifeation and abuse By the
people Of the North, Of the manner in
which the rebel authorities have carried
ont their pledges.
This virtuous indignation is only one Of
the tricks Of 3 shameless hypocrisy. The
people Of the North will not fail to under
stand the motives which dictated it. The
Richmond Examiner, few days ago, re-
marked thstth excellent manner in which
they we're treating eur prisoners was cal
oulated to prevent an exchange of prison
srs that Northern Indignation, which
was beginning to urge the release, in some
way, Of our soldiers from the Richmond
pest-hOuses, hsd been greatly allayed, and
that any policy which did not compel us to
an exchange on their plan wrs dangerous
to the Confederacy. Thus we see these
desperate military gamblers, are about to
return to their policy of starvation. The
brave men who have fallen into their
hands, are to be put on the same rations as
rebel soldiers in the field. This is pre-
eisely the same as it was before the recent
effort to assist them for JEFF. Davis says
the rstiOns Of the prisoners are precisely
the same, in quantity and quality, as those
served out to our own gallant soldiers in
the field, and which have been found suff-
eisnt to support them in their arduOus
campaigns"
There is no doubt as to the manner in
which they were treated on this plan. Let
Mr.. Foote Of Tennessee, speaking in the
rebel Congress of the wretch that has been
numbering our men by piecemeaL "This
zan-tAis mOnstsr-this NOrtkrBp--has
stealtkiIy placed our GOVsrnmeat in the atti-
tsas charged by the sRsmy, and has attempted
10 starUs the prisoners in our hands"
The New York Post publishes the sub
stance Of letter smuggled out Of Rich
mond from an officer well known to its
Editor. That officer testifes to the fend-
ish cruelty of these chivalric gentlemen.
According to this letter, the suffering
from exposure to the inclemency Of the
weather and from insufficient food is very
great. There is a want of proper clothing
for the dsyti and covering for the
night; the prisoners are almost without
blankets; the officers on some days get
very meagre ration Of sweet potatoes only,
but the provision made for the officers is
luxury compared to that Of the privates.
Thr priTstes are spBringly fed on those
days w2en the supply Of food is largest,
and on some days they get nothing at sll.
At Belle Isle they are almost without any
Rhelter from the weather or any comfort
able clothing, and they are dying Of expo
sure and Of hunger. A soldier lies down
ct night beside another, and when he
wakes up in the morning finds his com
psnion corpse. This is q frequent oc-
currence, the effect Of the frightful destitu-
tion in which they are kept.
This question must now seriously engage
the attention of Congress and the Country.
We believe the people viii be unwilling to
an exchange by which we are required to
surrender all the prisoners in our hands,
numbering about forty thousand, for fifteen
thousand held by the Rebels. What then
shall be dons2 Thirty thousand men can
man the foriiAcations about Washington
and relieve the army Of Meade to move
against Richmond from the South or by
the way Of the James River.
Let the trumpet blast Of g crusade
against Richmond be blown and we shall
see another igFeat uprising" Of the people
Of the loysl States.