The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-07-03
=ABTNGDoN, FRIDAY, July 3, 1858.
Horrors Of a Yankee Prison.

lIDOlN, z -AL'OO-1I"-3. -
Horrors of a Yankee Prison.
A member of General Bragg's army gives
tho Memnhia Appeal some account OF his ex-
rerience in the Federal prison at Hilton, lii /
po;s 4 Is the most vivid picture OF the hor- /
rors and crnelties Of life in Northern prison
that va have vet seen, and deserves to be |
nlaced an record as an example Of the infamy
! nj danrav;tv of the Yankees in this war
1at ~ one fail to read it. The party adds
that # he believed it required 1t, or that the
editors doubted his veracity, ne couid ADD the
testimony Of many as reliable gentlemen as
live, that the statements MADE ~ n1m are
plain and truthful. In reading this, let not
the reader fail to remember tnat' Wniie our
men are thus barbarously treated, our hemes
ruthlsssly violated and Plundereo, our meu
shot down like dogs, our wise ana great uo.
vernment has never dared to retahate, out
sits with folded arms over the narrowing spec
tacle, and our army goes into tnelr territory
and is kind enough to even respect private
property! !" Look on that picture ana then on
this /:
The Alton penitentiary was, some three or
four years ago; condemned BY the State au-
thorities as totally unfit for criminals even
Yet thirteen hundred officers and privates,
two hundred of which had the small pox,
were confined in the basement, I'VE feet be
low the ground, almost shut OFT from dayllght
sunshine and air-stone floor covered with
water, trickling from the walls on. either side,
and mid winter as it was, the only provision
for FIRE was small stove to eight men. Fhe
berths were after the fashion Of horse stalls,
one above the other, with q passage so mar
row as barely to admit Of one person passing
at time. and soon there was an average Of
more than every other berth occupied by some
unfortunate Confederate with small pox, and
as fast as they died others from ST. Louis pri-
sons supplied their places. During January.
the average Of deaths reached for q time eight,
and eventually thirteen per day; and in Feb
ruary the mortality became so great, and bn-
rying Confederates became such tax to the
Government, and 50 lucrative to the underta-
ksr. that the commander Of the prison adyer-
| tised in one of the Alton papers. s Proposals
for burning the Confederates will be received
and let to the lowest bidder" This same en-
terprising undertaken was detected by one Of
our number, who suspected him, and private
| " marked one of the collins, in the work Of
Yankee swindling," by closing the collins
in the ssdead room" and on arriving at the
cemetry would dump the corpse into the
! grave and return the Same coffin for another
subject until nine had been thus buried, and
he Of course receiving pay for nine collins
| when he had really supplied but one.
The quality Of rations supplied was alto
4 gether unfit for the sick. Well men I've
/ seen it) would goto the sweepings Of the pr
| son dining room and gather up scraps o
bread and meat and eat them with pertec
relish; and Of the sick, those Of them tina
! were fortunate enough to recover, were sup
piled by their fellow prisoners with rats which
! they killed and prepared with their owl
hands.
A No record Of the dead was kept until Feb
i ruary. One Of the officers Of my room wrot
to General Curtis, commanding at st. Louis
requesting that inasmnch as the small pc
was raging to such an extent would he nc
4 order that we might be sent to some othe
J prison9 His reply was that, under the ci
i cumstances,, he would advise immediate va
cination." During the prevalence of sma
q pex, besides pneumonia, eryspelas and dil
liberia, the scoundrels would propose to r
: lease any who would take the oath. Man
' believing it to be between the oath and dealt
e availsd themselves Of the deyilish proposition
: and had most Of us under such circumstance
Q been offered the oath to the African or esY
]. hso" Government, or any other heather
|. ungodly Government than thu United State
i might have swallowed it I'd have escaped
n death which seemed inevitable. Preside
! Davis may rely with certainty upon the tn
9 allegiance of the men who passed such an 9
y deal.
:. The small pox having done its work,
del were sent to Camp Chase, where we we
u somewhat better provided for, and free ire
h contagious diseases We were then ordered
< Fort Delaware, Pennsylvania The day p'
IS vious to leaving. we were ordered to place Q
le baggage in their hands for examination, WIN
D. consisted Of worry scant supply, some
d the fortunate having received clothing tn
70 friends in Kentucky and Missouri, while
= prison, but the most of the stock had pc
in purchased of the prison sutler. The result
= the examination was not known till we rea'
Of ed Fort Delaware. Each dressed himself
ed his best, but after robbing Dur baggage unt
IN the plea Of examination, We were marcr
Ok out upon the commons, where we were s
an rounded by Yankee soldiery, and there,
nd quired to give up coats, blankets, sash
spurs, gloves, and in every instance the
ie, shirt whore TIVE were worn-even requlr
10 the rebels to strip to the skin in order to
I'm the best Of his shirts, and this disgust
JIG, sight was witnessed by ladies who sat IN q
me carriages and enjoyed the spectacle y
seeming delight.
the Resistance to the Draft.
ed, A public meeting was held in Montgon
ley county, Indiana, on Saturday, at which