, 1864-11-08

tes,tilss 80 to Bells Iale: II was hungry,
p,ttty Dearly starved to death I'll tha tim III
Pirate Frznk Eichelberg.r.' Co. A, 9Th
KaDsas, uas In prison At Richmond, and tel
my sppstlte wss never satisfied; my heAlax
.P.,y1te b.niel McManu, 43d N.w York.
prisoner on Belle Isle, tsstIlss:
IruGsred from cold yefy much. md 20 dit the
men mc1e tbsn +: ~ bsd cold rain storms some
men troxe 70 death IN dlicb-
1t "a. not much het'er il the tents: SAW raco
! csr7icd out ot the tents II btankets dead; sa1
1tie more ttau olee; suppose they died mostly
fFom h7nger 4ns coo-~
My ersrds vert not hungry, for they would
sometimes throw bread INTO tee osltoaers !; haye
saw msn III COG and eat part Of it, and be
| sod the rthl 81 Ii: I got come.
Private Wslter s, Smith, 4s.h New York,
| prisoner in Libby, testi6es:
| soa,e lay ont IN the ennR ard frost; laid on
blai kets ana l18d none; some fEuze to death
mai = bad ,heir feet frozen; all that slept cut snf
Itaw men that had i.ozen to death IN the nigat:
1saw Ibis teven or eight times.
Ihsve heard men running round the tents tn
keep w.rm during the night: the .irer was ffozen
| Htle while wis there; the current Is rapid.
The vater would iteezc two Or three inches in
I HN+F
wtuld be very much f1led with men ling there.
! P1iyate VIM. ". Wilcox, 124th Ohio Vol
t urteers, was ut Belle Iele md testiaes;
The1e wass great del q stealing Of blankets
.oa Sn af 1ks oE
from flfteen to ta enty poundr, xnd Offer to eI'
ea.1 e for our bl.nktss they would come % sae
soa 1tss eqs ac, 80
Of the guards would isrk the blanket away an1 moi
eise he rice thls WAS not general thing, though
/ ing this as, they were 50 near starved out thar
were resdy to take anything: the guards would
| pats In bays Of sand In place OF rcs and take
| blankets.
After We ,upne'ed ont. we were only allowed to
70 to fhe trivy sIx At time; the foot was In one
| meee-ntthy; an Ordinary one-hDrse wagon load
| Of human exc1eme1t On the floor every morning.
Not aIpHed to loof out The window: was snot
at twice for 1ookins cut: man was shot along
| side ot me, able standing at the window; be vas
tt<nd1rg two feet from The winaew, with hts hand
| on The ca,eneut; ahe gentry could not ses him
ircn the eeutrs's beat: presume he stntry saW
| II thshow: be stepped uut OF bis posrIou to
shoe. as nim. rerhhpa IN. nty to teeosy lga feet;
thettnuy thot him 10 the head md kuied him in
esant1J j; snppt Sc hare seen fro hunl<ed mau
shot al our orders we.e not to pnt cur heads OUT
the ~ &ss.1:dows 1his man had NOT pnt hls head out
Ftsre1Eg over the place where be Eiept on the
os5 fsS,Is bis nane "a' alexander opss of The 1aist
Private Hiram ]. Neal, 9TH Mafne. w.s
psieoner At Belle 1sle, and testttlcs:
sav ms1y with frozen feet carried of; tn o,e
morning satu etnen c977ses, kres frozen stG Nssr
1st of jsnnafJ deaths oscur1td eight OF ten 1T
The rauses ot thexe deaths 10 have reer, srpost1s
and stdrrdtion- RA1tans not> >sutlcient to s..,sU
funeer. Waked sp oas ni2M and Iouad aaytsT
scnaething goodfo eat.
Private Charles F. Pfourtstiel, I'd Mary
land, was prisoner at Belle Isle, and testItiee:
Ect1Y morning We carried out eome men ffo-s
We d'd not get enough 10 eat: ten Of twelye
ources Of corn bread. ana two spoons Of bears al
most 1otton.. Sometimes we had soup, rot tt to
four times while WIS there two or three ounces
each tune; 1was hungry I'LL ths time / coa4 not
sfetp for hKn1er an 4 cod, dirt and fice.
Capt. A. R. Cslbonu,. Of Kentucky, captnr-
60 In Northeast Georgia, October, 1858, testi-
1t was so dthy that our clothing and h1aukets
E0cr became covered With Termtn; the floors Of
The prisons we're warhed late In the afternoon
nt All, every o3E., 30 that when We. came to lie
down It was yerS damp; we had nothing but oRr
clothing ard blsnk ct to lie or tha result vas thu:
We were ~otneu sud dove. tailed tosethes l,ke
1sh in bseket; IN this room WIS ths rink and
pliv.; y did ous.washfng and dried our clothes
IN the tame room two stoves in the room, one At
each enc, and two or three armfuls Of wood for
each per day.
When I tr<t entered the Libby in November. we
receiseo = small loa: q corn bread. ab.1t two
ouncts Of poor beef and little boiled rice each
dsT. The crust Of the loaf was very thick; we
much ont Of il. a. tho most palstable way; We
ccu!d not Crate the crusts. ..
After November wereeelved about two ounces Of
asto Of March I'll The 9Th Of May not bit of meat
Was issred tn officers qn..F;ess.
For The fhree months Of February, March, and
April, there vas pint Of blacE psas iseuea to
each man every wees, and q little viIeear; these
%sas @ Ss sy hes fSfs ~sss asy
eots tn chryrals etate; We pounded the peas 70
a. 10 m,sh them, and let the bugs low to the sac-
iaee ths1e Was about an oulce of sosp and Hide
TLia WAS 4 adequate to sasis!y hunger. and for
two monthe I have had burning eensatiop. when
food, and fooll.hly would blame m3eelf Tor not
havl1R eaten more when at home; the aabject Of
se e. m5ss s;s as s @
11a'e enough to receive bo1s, from bone.
Boxes sent us from the North were stored in
warehouse near the pr1eon; We could see them in
the windows: the contents Of the boxes were b.
Ing eto:tn or ruited by keeping, and when issued
Ing men; every package and can was broken open,
ano the contents we're poured promlscuouslJ Into
blanket, 70 that everything ral in together; they
told me that ter tsw our men elcsptng through
the tuni el. and they DID not prevent them, sup
1hs ssnttsty supply sent W u 1e received bat i.te
OF; We wtre slio~ cd to rend out and buy at ex-
pasasan. prices; they sold u tie s.nitar, hams,
co'nmi.'lon we're on the ea:s' and on the paper.
genefal faiI,.g 10 sttenalh. a man bad piece Of
ham. which Hooked at for touts.
:, When 1c,me awas, On the 18th q May, and eav
Thty btar ed mt for Gods cake to sppea, to the
Gasesnn.eat. ; ana wsite to The pspc,s-to do any
70 ses o e. n
toey WI never be at for sn3thinE; Tas men neter
jEnow ,he rebels ns7e M plenty. @ i.r We went down
into the cellar and brought up corn me, -four, po-
tattes. AID tnrn,ps, which We divided with our
quart o; it / am communicsnt In the church.
broke ont. t an member Of tbs Isl Reformed 10 ned
Lieut. Col Farnsworth, 1st Connecticut
Cavalry, testffl:s aa to Belle Isle: :.
The space oecupied by priso.ers is about six
s ssser ne ~ 1sfa y r. an eattarolk thsee 90 feet IN
ten thous snd {i000o) p1iaoness The paSt occn.
pied ny lhe prisoners Ii low, sandy barren waste
j s oa Il s1 saa q Essqt 5 .s ta
and cold winds up the r.er, with a few miserable
tente. in Rhteb perhaps, oneha1l pS) the numbeE
resion the oilers lay upon the ground In tie open
AZ. One Of thin said to me: I'VE lay In rows,
1s hoes >; y wtnter and take turns Who has the
In the morning, the row Of the prasious night
was plainly narked BY the bodies Of those VINO
wire sleepin9 en IN their last sleep.
RED upon corn bread and watef, tcantftY clothed
WMh onf isW bal seft, out patriotic soldiers here
fnnena the teyerest mistostnnes Of this war.
tion and expoeure--.sufertngs th0ueand times
more dreadful than the wounds Of the battlefield.
ae have 9ea aIa knqxn eszs
ny own regiment and i. ia PERFECTLY trustgyofthy
/ ,.! Mel @ MeEe .ithout medical treatment on The
taken away IN anbulances to the hospital IN SQUADS
hea;s-solno boz s q them willie thef nsmes were BE-:
Man were 1eturntd from the hotp.ta1 to the leland
whtn 70 Neak that they have been obliged to crawl
upsn 1heiI q h=nds a1d kness part q The way,
As 10 the ninilg Of Libby Prison, Colonel
ta,nt" orth thus explicitly testitles:
Upon the approach Of fitzpatrick, on his gfaud
raid On 1fichmubd about the let March, the greati
n; nh
| en,et tae t1ty and free tho prisoners.
We were informed one morning by the negroes
rho ,aeos aronIa the prison, that dnriog toe night
| they haa been engaged IN e1csvAt1lg q l4rge hole
Dlcet The center Of The building. and That auan-
titY q powder hsd been placed therein, Upou in
Aassabg 81 ee,'a'n of the eua.dt. we # und It vas
toe rel en-! impression among them that the prison
III. Fsh;5S Tnsss a.pes.e: o, ,he prison teae
succeed in eat: ring Richmond, It wouid npt hsln
pFiton Abu oil It's tEEl9tet.A - -
Tue aolutaut OF tbe prison, Lieutenant Iatouch,
Ehs heard BY an officer. tLient. Jones, i5h Ohio,}
te use tne foi,oT iny wotds to rcbel oActr wiz
| Whom be had enttTed and examined the cellar
Whe1e he powder Was reported as placed t.There
il e5oueh thtIe 10 send every damned Yankee to
| Major Turner said In my preaenca the day We
TIE prison mined I" Yes, and / would haye
bcwn Jtu az 10 Haydes before would have anf-
BG1 Qp IQhus eaid La ns1snn cher, aahoa IL h.