Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-03-25
Prlsoner,g Fare At Riehmond.

House COUAdluS sOue !
new items in the indictment which civilization
brings against the barbariAns who have con- |
troll of the prisoners at Richmond. The fol- |
lowing are some of his statements:
The rations furnished both officers and men
by the rebels, consist Of about one pound of
corn-bread, made from unbOltad meal, and one !
fourth of a pound of fresh meat per
day Meat has been issued to the prisoners
but about one-half the time since the 1st of
December last. In addition to the rations Of
bread and meat, prisoners draw about two
quarts of rice to one hundred men. An in
sufficient quantity OF salt is furnished, and
very small quantity Of vinegar. In few in
stances, say six or eight times at most. a
small quantity of sweet potatoes has been is
sued instead of rationS Of meat. The above
is the sum total of rations issued to our Off
cers and men, now prisoners of war. The
condition of our unfortunate enlisted men now
in the hands or the enemy. is much worse than
that of the officers. From early in Nay last,
when arrived in Richmond, TO about the 1st
of December, all enlisted men were taken to
what is called Belle Island and turned into
the inclosure like 60 many cattle in a slaught-
er pen. Very few of them had tents or shell
ter OF any kind, and the few tents furnished
were so poor and leaky as to render them
but very little better than none at all. The
prisoners are taken to Libby when they first
arrive ia Richmond, for the purpose of count
| ing them and enrolling their names. l had
fair chance to see their condition, when they
arrived. Fully one-half taken siuce May last
were robbed by their captors of their shoes,
and nearly all were robbed of their overcoats
and haversacks. At least one-third Of them
had been compelled to trade their pants and
blouses for mere rags, that would scarcely
| hide their nakednssg. Very many of them
we're entirely bareheaded, and not a few as
late as the middle of December were brought
in, who had nothing on bu! pair of ragged
pants and shirt, being bareheaded, barefoot
| ed and without blouse, overcOat or blanket
| [ have seen hundreds of our men taken to the
hospital thus clad, and in dying condition.
l have frequently visited the hospital, and
have conversed with large numbers of dying
men brought there from the island, who as
sured me that they had been compelled to lie
| out in the open air without any medical at
/ tendance, though for several days they had
been unable to walk, destitute of anything
like quarters, and nearly naked during the
cold, stormy and chilly fall season; the first
and chief complaint of all those I saw and
| talked with was the insufficient quantity of
food. In no instance have the rebel authori-
ties furnished clothing or blankets to our
men. During the winter large numbers of
our men were frozen. heard one of the reb-
ell surgeons say that there were over twenty OF
our men who would have to suffer amputation
Al. LIS.
the coldest weather had commenced.
Some time IN the fore part of December, a
portion of our men were remanded from the
Island to some large building where they we're
more comfortably quartered, but there has
been no time since May last, when more or
less men have not been kept on the island in
the open air, and without blankets or over
coats. 1t is a common thing for the rebels
to keep our men for several days without
food This was particularly the case with the
Gettysburg prisoners. Some went as long as
six days without food, and were compelled to
march during the time. The officers captured
at Chickamauga assured me that they and
their men we're robbed Of everything. Many
of them lost coats, hats and boots, as soon as
) they were captured, and then were nearly
starved or frozen. On the night of the nine
teenth of December, received communica-
tion, purporting to come from one in authori-
ty, stating that for one hundred dollars in
greenbacks, and two silver watches, myself
and friend would be permitted to pass the
guard.
Some days previous to this, one Of my of;
GERS succeeded in.ma&ing- his escape in this
way, and although not without apprehension
that it was trap, l resolved to try the expe-
riment. Accordingly Captain B. G.. G. Reed
of the Sd Ohio, and myself, went to the desig-
Dated place at the appointed hour, where we
were assured that it was all right. We com.
piled with the terms and passed out, but nc
sooner were we outside of the guard lines
than Lieutenant Latouche, Adjutant of the
prison, and seven men sprang out from con-
cealed place and commenced firing on Us be-
fore halting US. We we're unarmed and could
do nothing but surrender. We were taken
back to prison, put in irons and thrown into
one of those filthy holes called cells, where we
were kept for three weeks on bread and wat
er. The weather was very cold during the
time, and We nearly persisted.
There was large amount of filth in the
cell, which could not induce them to remove
uOE Cuulu SCb LuCul u pCEuN u ECuO Ve
it. asked for paper, pen and ink, to write
to the rebel authorities also for box to set
on, of which there were large number in the
cells bat everything was denied me. At the
time was taken to the cell, there were six oil
our men confined in one of these cells for at
tempting to escape. They had been there for
six days without blankets, and two of them
were very sick. They were released at the
end of seven days of confinement.
I cannot describe to you the loathsome filth
. ness of these cells. They are infested with an
iHnumerable number of rats and mice, and
have no mark of having been cleaned since
they were first built. 1t is useless for me to
say that no man can survive long confne-
ment in place of this kind, and although am
acquainted with several persons who have been
confined there, I do not know one who can
now be called well man. He also confirms
the statement that every pledge made to them
to return their money was violated, and that
after the notice was sent North that the mo-
ney forwarded them would be delivered every
penny 30 sent was stolen.
WHEAT PRosPECTs.-We have converseG
with several gentlemen from different parts
of the State, who all concur in giving very
discouraging aspect of the wheat prospects,
They say that the cold weather during the