, 1864-03-08
INTERESTING REPORT .BY
COZ. BTRENGET.

INTERESTING REPORT BY ]
COL. STREHGExT.
Rebel Treatment o1 Onion r.5soners-
F'assD1 sassnasase saSlsti9n ef onis.es. h1s Tss"s
10 which his Men
were Subjected.
wut4nD's nozz1r w4;@ssses, %.xes 9 ,5st ri |
11on; s; y, kellogg, House Committee on Ailt'a',
honor to report The following iaets In relation to
the treatment Of our ofccrs and men BY The rebel
II Is impossible for me to give you IN account Of
all the acts Of barbaty, tuhun1aoIty md bad faith
Iha'e witnessed during my eapt.vity; bnt I wll
you a. coect an idea Of the tSuo condition Of our
ea On Ii q Il M.y last near Rome, Georgia, ny
command having become 50 reduced BY hard d:ht-
ing and marchtnc, during the seyeu days previous,
that it was evident to me that We {abont fifteen |
HUNDRED osez sa a1d .s men T9G6 a te h.nds
with my reg!mcntal commanders, Il was decided |
to capiiuate, and thus to secure the best terms
fenaeg. II II aeconanee &c Win taia decision MT e he
tzuec. when stipulation waa entered INTO betwsen
command should surrender a. prisoners Of va, on
!. Each regiment should be permitted to retain
= The officers to retain their eide arms
8. Both officers and mcn Tere to retain tpeir ha-
property Of every description was to be respected
The above Terms were in mcaeurc respected
while We remained with General Forrest; bat no
soonef wore we turned over 10 tic rebel authozt-
tics than eyEtem Of robhins commenced which
were taken from my men at Auanin. They Rerc
also robbed Of nearlyhn their msne5. and most Of
Here. too, the colors and side arms were taken
from us. NY men were turned into au ENCLOSURE
without shelter Of my kna, destltutc '6aankets
der guard for four days, daring which tiue moet
disareeable cold etoTm prerailcd alter which they
wese cent forward to Richmond and soon ex-
NJ otaeezs were sent TO Richmond, after stay
Of about ten days in Atlanta On o1r a1rral ut the
rebel capital we all searched Repafatcy, and
al1 moneys foundia our possession were taken from
u. For q tcw days thereafter wc were anowedto
faaa q But Saf hs Ss e1s s4s
| then asked ind obtained permission from the
money, clothing and provisions. The clothing and
provisions wesr generally delivered to the pattles
orSesns them psosaP= TIC packss q boz cH9
contents before It reached it's destination, which
was frequently the crse; but IN no case wath1n my
owner Tie retention Of this money, Alter cxpress-
i agreeng to deliver Il. Is m Aci Of pesady that
beggars description. I have repeatedly called the
attention Of the rebel authorities TO the terms OF
my surrender and demanded that tts provisions be
| compiled with; hut General Windar, command
si!:ntd by Gen. Forrest which be stil retaina md
cera. together With something near one thousand
warehouse building, with average epace Of about
twenty-five feet square to each man. This ancuaes
ii! room for Tashins eoos}nE eating sleeping ,a and
Of my Hind furnished them, consequently they
both ut and slcer on the door. The Windows Of
%iidie MI of December iast, wien pieces Of canvass
were fnrniHhed for he purpose Of CLOSING them to
keep tie cold oat: but as this would iesse us II n
/ then open and endure TIM cold.
Many Of the Officers were entirely destitute Of
| ps In the fofepazt oi the winter. The supply et
blankete is now exhausted. and officers who have
been captured during the last slx weeks have none
The ratlons furnished both officers and men by
the rebels consist Of aboct one pound Of com
pound Of poor fresh meat, per day. The meat
has been issued to the prisoners but shout hsas the
time since the nrst Of December 1ast. In addition
the prisoners draw shout two quarts Of rice to one
hundred men. There Il a sufficient ,quantity OF
a. sa ''fR III hs4e eae seaasE hss Il w instsnces.
rwca potatoes bas been iasued Instead Of tae "a
The above Is the sum total Of the 1ations Issued
to our officers and men now rrssoncFa 81 war
The e01on Ct e nss
than that Of the Officers. From early IN May last,
I when arrived IN Richmond, to about the 1et Of
ie called Belle Island. and turned Into lnclosare
Ike eo5manE cathe in a slaughter pen, Very fe"
few tents furnished were 90 poor and le.Ey aa to
render them but little better than none.
An the prisoners are taken to Libby when they
ing them and enrolling their names; consequently,
| bad mir chance 10 SEQ their condition when
tey arrived Ely 1pea Y the p[1s0ness II tsxsn tssi1
bsniets "a hs ~ % A o thea
Saf would has
ness Very many Of them were entirely baIehedd
and 1o Z eae ad e. as e
Of old ragged pants and 4 shrt, being bareheaded
+ barciooted, and without blouse, orcEcoat
>" have seen hundreds, Of our men taken to tn
e hospital thus. c.ad, and In dying condition.
rerred with large numbers Of dying men. hronyh
D there from the 1slnnd, who assured me that the
bad been compelled TO lie out In the open air. with
J. days they had been unable to walk Though dcsti
tute Of hike qaa5ters ard nearly naked du
o ii he.s sna
! with was on account Of an insufficient quantity o
food. VIII here remark that IN no instance haT'
tue fE0E1 AGtRQl7LlEs u!AAACAl
u to our men. During the winter large numbers o
our men were frozen. heard ono Of the rebel SUI
; gcons In charge ear that there were ovcr twenty
q the effects Of frost- This was'befoEe the coldez
e weather had commenced.
~ Some time in the fore part Of December portio
e Of our men were removed from the island to som
+ large hnildinge, where they We're more comloEtal
IL quartered: hut there has been no time siuce La
- lnst but Whist more or less men have been Kept O
d the islana IN the open air and without blankets
overcoats. Il is a common thing for the rebels t
vac particularly the caee with portion Of the &c
tssb0EE prisoncra- Some went ns long rs sig day
e soo H. snd oess sa1s e aa
es crery Thing. Many Of them lost thclr coats, hs
D. and boots soon ne captured, aud then were near
IN trust yon viii pardon me for the tedious lens'
d. Of this communication. II sou will hear with me
~ wiil only call your attention to few Of The ou
rugea practieed on our officers and men In the pt
dts,pins uadsf the building kaogn a. Il
Is III cells pasttioncd of Several Of Them are wit
D. out any fight, but some have Windows below t
pondnias scca4e'y saeh q the prisoners as the
tholidcs 1nay fear viii attempt to escape % well
ye such as may chance to offend some one Of the ma
&c unfortunate men are continually confined in The
q filthy boles on one pretext Or another: II Is t
uniform practice to fed ~ and aM pfsaSns &c
he Reed, Of the Third Ohio Volunteers, was thtos
m into one Of these cells and kept there Tor
A0n1E, without any lQ1EF 10 tAL Ql As41h OulAA1
ae time. He Was moi allowed any blankets nor
NE ostacoat. The weather was very dausp and 60
II. and he a, that tirc was suffering from most
~ we're wound in the hip.
ly on The night Of the 18th of December recctv
ID communication purporin to come from one
~ authority, etatng that for one hundred dollars
lat reenhacle and Two syc! watches mysef and g
~ dsys previous 10 this one Of my officers succeed
e. u making hts escape In this way. and aithopsa
as | was not without apprehension that IL was III
mi | nevertheless l resolved to try the experime
~ Accordingly Capt. B. G. G. Reed, o! the 3D. On
dc and myself went to The designated place at tae
~ right. We complied With the terms and pass
~ ont; hut no eooner were We outside the Eus
as llnc6 tlAn Lieut.. LIZ Touclle the -4djutsnt Of
raw prison. md eeven men tpraNE ont from coacea
w., place and commenced drtDs upon us Watnont ns
1as Ing ns. We were nna1.ned md could 20 notni
tst- but surrender. We were taken back 70 I
.aa pnsoa rut in irone and thrown into one Of tn
~ filthy h0es called cells, where re were Kept
aca t1ce weeks on bread and water. The weather" "
nty very cold during the tc. and We nearly perish
Ihere Tne large amount Of 1lth in the cell. Wa
ronld not INDUCE them to remove nor could !
at box to cit on. Of which there large n0mbcr
thc cells. But everything was denied me. At
;ac time vas taken to the cell there were Elk OF
49,, men confined IN one of these cells for attempting
ftat cfeape They had been there for ai1 days With
nry b]ankctt, and two Of them were very sick. IT
lole Epemcnt.
might continue to enumernte instances OF q s
a,s liar character but thesc will ansWcr to give ron
al i1en nf what IN daily takins place. lcan1ot
IA scribe TO you the loathsome nIthIness Of tn
cells. They are Infested with an innumerable NJ
"a having been cleaned eince thcy were first built
fs needless for 10 Ely that no man can RurYf{