The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-21
A Terrible Picture-HOw Union
Men are Treated in Richmond.

the Neao York Tunes Within the last
week / have seen several articles. both IN
the New York Times and the Baltimore
American, in regard to our paroled prison.
ers returned from Richmond. These ac-
counts seemed horrible enough to have a
reused the sympathy and indignationo OF the
people, and yet. with the exception OF
few persons, they were either passed py or
forgotten, as being among the inevitable
horrors OF civil war.
Three DAYS since / went 10 Annapolis,
determined to hear and see for mysei1 II
such things could be IN the nineteenth CEN
tury, First. let me say. j am person 10
longer young, one who has seen much SUI
feriDg OF all kinds, i'll all ranks OF lie, oo.n
in this country aud Europe, and theieioIe
notlikely to eXaggregate either from III 81
perience or first impressions. l nave als9
been a constant visitor for a year anu
more to the hospitals in and around PaI-
timore, witnessing the most intense s SUI:
ing among our sick and wounded so.dleis
enabling me to estimate the amount ,' oo.n
of mental and physical PAIN WHICH hie'' a. .
capable of enduring.
On arriving at tho hospital at Annapolis,
we found the Matron just starting on her
tour of inspection, and she klhdly allo"eu
my friend and myself to accompany her.
Wishing to prepare US Tor "hSt We were -
see, she gave us an account .. 'ne any ~. 81
of the prisoners by boat, on the Z9th ult.-
The men landed at A. NJ, in the chilly
dawn. and i, seemed fitting time for SO
mournful a procession. They numbered
$50 men. brought from Belle Island.
near Richmond. Many We're unable TO
walk, and were carried TO the hospltal.
Those who could walk must have present.
ed sight never to be forgotten; for, before
leaving, the rebels not only stripped them
of socks, shoes and blankets, but took
from them their shirts and pantaloons, ex-
cept where the rags could scarce hold to-
gether. Men came without hats or caps.
with thin cotton drawers, and bodies dared
to tie ,caist,-their nakedness and bleed
ing feet covered only by what tatters their
cruel captors had left them, not from mer-
CIV, but because they were too filthy to
keep. These men had been on Belle Is
land (Which seems to be a barren waste
without any protection against the weather,
except what they had themselves con-
structed. They had lain on, the sand,
which was to them both bed and covering,
exposed. both sick and well, to all eX-
tremes of heat and old,-~without clothes,
without food except small portions Of the
most repulsive kinds, for weeks and
months, many having having been taken
prisoners at or before the battle OF Gettys-
burg Many were suffering from what
are called sand sores, and the surgeons IN
vain attempted to produce general clrcuia-
ton OF blood, the cuticlc in many in
stances seemingly dried on the bone from
exposure, and nearly the color and con-
sistency of parchment. lffood was denied
them, it would seem as ifthe yeriest barba-
rian would have given them shelter to die
beneath. .....
With this preparation we visited the
wards. On entering the. first room, some
sick men, sitting III silence near the fire,
lifted their hands to show US that with us
was entering the unseen, but not uneX-
pected visitor-death. Before us lay a
young man just breathing his last, a
mere skeleton, whose dying throeS seemed
to place in stronger relief, a frame which
must once have belonged to a strong
and vigorous life. We turned away in
our horror, only TO look upon another who
would soon follow his martyred comrade.
Near them stood two male nurses, who.
after witnessing horrors of all kinds, both
on the battlefield and in the hospitals.
stood perfectly subdued and eart-wrung
in Witnessing that most fearful OF all
deaths-dedM from starvation. ...
In another room was poor. young BOY,
equally squalid in appearance, networh
of bones, perfectly crazed and tossing his
arms about and talking wildly and indis.
tinctly he, too. could live but q few short
hours, and probably never be sane again
The next patient was a respectable look
ing, middle-aged German, with the bed
clothes drawn lightly over his head, moan
ing and writing in his agony. My frient
begged me to listen. ] could only distin
guish these words: 81 am SO tired, some
thing TO eat, what torment and then The
ejaculation, "Oh, Holy Christ! J Then W.
saw others, emaciated TO the last degree
several OF whom We're trying to eat-thei
kind nurses tempting them with delicacle
and such food as they could bear. Some
after taking the longed- for articles and put
ting it to their lips, would turn away witt
an agonized loathing expression, as II ca
ger to swallow but incapable of the effort
affp nnfinr with ia miGhpI haste
would, after few moments, eject it all
their stomachs being too much weakened
to bear nourishment either solid or liquid
Could anything be more fearful than thi
living death; this furnishing with food be
fore their ewes and within their REACH
There were other patients who were bet
ter, they could digest light food and hat
some hope Of life. It was then the siXtl
day since they came, and out OF one hun
bred and eighty men fifty three had died Q
ill-treatment and actual starvation. In
Surgeons said that at least two-thirds OF tn
$50 would die, and if any recovered
would be with broken constitutions, utter
ly incapable of supporting themselves
MANY had died on first arriving, Uncon
scious, from their sufferings,. that the
were among their friends and in the Ian
they had died for. Others were too ia
gone to say much, but thankful to feel tha
they might die under the old flag ana
taken home to be buried.
The conduct of those able to convers
was worthy of all admiration, no boastin
of brave deeds which had made them pris
Oners, no Wanting of their sufferings,
murmuring against their government
which had rescued them, alas too late
no revilings or accusations against thei
cruel enemies. They showed they wer
men who felt they were fighting for a jus
and holy cause, and who were willing,
need be to die in its defense. When cues
toned Of their sutierings they answered.
"You see the condition we are in, and 70
can imagine how we have suffered to brin
us to such state. we thank God for GU
deliverance, and beg that something ma
be done for the 1000 Federal prisoners O
Belle Island, and near Richmond, who al
suffering as we did, and who a, are dyin
We shudder when we read of Neapolita
prisons and Austrian dungeons; but VIII,
are the cruelties practiced in them CON
pared with the barbarous treatment an
wholesale starvation of our men now in'tt
hands of the rebels? When l know fro