The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-25

THR PRisoNS1s or THE NoRrH.-Itols isterest-
ing to the friends Of Confcderates In prison q the
North, to know where the prisoners are located,
aad with whatdegree Of humanity their inmates
are treated. A returned prisoner who has tried
them all, writes the following description ofsfheir
accommodations
Fort McHenYy is situate on peninsula tQsBal-
tmore city harbOr, exposed 70 the bleak winds
that blows from the Chrsapeake Bay. II fs Very
uncomfortable in every way The officers dfeAu1 f.
tered In toleraby good buildings, hut the pnvates
OF our army suffer terribly. There Is geaetaliy
some fhree or four hundred Of our men hsre- u
Is, however, but depot for JohnsOn's Island and
Point Lookout. and they are not allowed t0. ac-
cumuIate Here, however, some eighty surgeons.
left rt Gettysburg by Gen. Lee, were confiued fer
hve months In the hay loft Of st bic:
Point Lookout Is in the Chesapeake Bay, Just
where the Potomac river empties into that stream
The quarters here are safeguards against cold and
tempest, but the other accommodations are scant
and meagre The food IL bad but this Is lot the fault
OF eUnited States Government-iti is the fault of
the sergeants, Sc. They speculate upon the m
tions. The smallpox had appeared here, and there
were quite number Of cases.
David Island, near New. York, was very good
place tor our wounded. The SamRritaHs OF New
York, obtaining provisions furnished our men With
GOD, clothing and money, in great prons'on. 1t
Is singular fact that the further man goes North
the better he is treated. 1t is explainabIe. bow.
ever, In the fact that what is criminal III !ady OF
Baltimore Is simply an act of charity In tsay of
view 1OfK Our men mt David ISianu, 4 csN1 as
sure their friends were treated as kindly as ffhey
were at home. -
JOhnson's island has already beer afdify dee
scribed by other writers. II is situate in Sa dasky
Bay, and is used exclusively for our officers. They
make themselves as comfortable and as happy As
possible. They have their dramatic societies, exc.
number Of officers are, however, in bali and
chain, and many of them have over their heals
sentences Of death and endless i'm prs0nmcnt The
quarters are most comfrtabie and there is no dan
ger OF any one suffering with the cold.
West Hospital Building, Baltimore city, is in the
Union block, aud Is the worst place Confederate
could be carried. lie, if wounded, is shown to a
comfortable bed but at it, head is a picture of Nc
Cieilan whipping Lee before Richmond, and over
him hangs the confOunded Stars and Stripes Hail
Columbia is his breakfast and Yankee Doodle
sounds In his ear the balance of the day. Every
thing is most loyal. The very bricks he treads
upon are red, white and blue, and the whole con
cern is presided over by the pini0Rs of the Ameri
can eagle. This nonsense may be unapprecia,ei
by those who have not been there. | will leave
those who have been there TO explain. Pr. Rex
the surgeon in charge while was there. was Il
strict nfficerhe obeyed to the letter the order Of
his master, Schenck The Confederate Govern
mcnt has 0ulawed Butler. pfonouaeng him unit
t) be on earth. Those who have been under him
pronounce Schenck to be unfit for hell.
Besides these ab0Fe named there are numerous
prisons in which our prisoners are confined. Tie
bistile, Fort Warren the chateau DIFF, Fort La
idyette; the castle d Nincennes, Baltimore jail |;
all of which are filed with Confederate soldiers
and sympathizers. You have not seen into any OF
these prisons, but you have seen our prison Libby,
at Richmond. 1t is palace alongside Of any that
| have mentioned, and after FIVE months spent in
the prisons of the North, on visit 10 Libby said,
son, that my lot was cast in such pleasant places"