New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-11-09
RHBEL CRUELTIEs TO PRISONERS.

We published last week copious extracts from
the testimony appended to the Report Of the
Sanitary Commission on the condition and
treatment of our soldiers in Rebel prisons. The
Report itself deserves fuller notice than we
were then able to give it.
1t proceeds from some of the most eminent
men in the country: among them DR.. VALES-
TINE Morn, DIR. EDWARD DBLAFIELD, and DR..
ELLERSLIE WALLACE. They were appointed to
ascertain "the true physical condition Of pris-
oners, recently discharged by exchange, from
confinement al Richmond and elsewhere, within
the Rebel lines; whether they did, in fact, during
such confinement, suffer materially for want Of
food, or from its defective quality or from other
privations or sources Of diseases; and whether
their privations and sufierings were designedly
inflicted on them by military or other authority
Of the Rebel Government, or were due to causes
which such authorities could not control
The results OF their inquiry are stated with
great tcmperateness as we'll as clearncss. The
Commissioners have not been swift to Jump at
conclusions; have taken nothing for granted
have proceeded By regular method of exam
ination; have collected great mass Of testi-
mony on the different points Of their inquiry.
Their Judgment is not merely entitled TO re-
spect, but is one that cannot be impeached nor
reversed.
This country surely was in no need Of evi-
dence that our soldiers had been treated with
gea: cruelty while in Rebel hands. II there
was any question it was; How cruelty, and
Whether the cruelty was mere negligence or
was system. On both points the Judgment OF
the Commission is decisiyely made up.
Some weeks since photographs Of the starved
prisoners sent back tous, copied from an official
report, were widely circulated in the illustrated
papers. thrill of horror went through the
country when they were seen. But this Com
mission says:
"The photographs Of these diseased and emacatcd
men, since SO widely circulated painful Us they are do
not in many respects. adequately represent the suffer
ors as they then appeared
THE best picture cannot convey the reality ere
ate that startling and sckeuing sensation which is felt
At the sight of Amman skeleton with the skin drawn
tightly over its skull. and ribs and limbs.
weakly turning and moving itself as II still a living
man
and this was tie reality
On the general treatment Of our men, it is
said:
The first fact developed by the testimony Of both
officers aud prvatos ia that prisoners were almost
invariably robbed Of everything valuable in their
possession, sometimes on the feld at the instant
Of capture sometimes by the prison authorities in a
quasi official way with the promise OF return when
exchanged or parolcd but rhich prOms, ras H,Ucr L
flled.'
In Libby Prison:
The rooms are one hundred feet long by forty feet
broad In six Of these rooms twelve hundred United
States officers Of al grades from the Brgadier eneral
to the Second Lieutenant, were confined for many
months and this all the space that was allowed them
in which to cook eat wash sleep and take exercise II
seems incredible Ten feet by two were all that could
be claimed by each man-hardy enough to measure Lie
length upon and even this was further abridged by
the room necessarily taken for cooking, washing
and clothe, drying
The daily ration in that prison-the officers
prison-was "a small loaf Of bread, about the
size of mans fist, made Of Indian meal" That
is what life had to be sustained on Said an
officer: II would gladly, gladly have preferred
the horsc-feed in my fathers stable" Those of
the prisoners to whom supplies were sent from
the North Jared better for while, but subse-
quently the prison ration was diminished, and