Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1864-03-17


hospital. and conversed with large mum
oels CT dying men. brought there from tn,
island, who assured me that they had beer
compelled to lie out in the open air, with
out any medical attendance, though fo
several days they had been unable to walk
Though destitute of anything like quar-
tiers. and nearly naked during the cold
stormy and chilly fall season, the first and
chief complaint of all those / saw and
talked with was on account of an INSULT
cient quantity Of food. will here re.
mark that in no instance have the rebel
authorities furnished clothing or blankets
to our men. During the winter large num-
bers OF our men were frozen. heard one
of the rebel surgeons in charge say that
there were twenty of our men who would
have to suffer amputation from tie effects
of FROST This was before the coolest
weather had commenced. 49,
Sometime in the fore part Of December
a portion Of our men were removed from
the island to some large buildings, where
they were more comfortably quartered; but
there has been no time since May last but
what more or less men have been kept on
the island. III the open air, and without
blankets and overcoats. 1t is common
thing for the rebels to keep our men for
several days without food. This was par
ticularly the case with q portion of the
Gettysburg prisoners. Some went as long
as six days without food, and were CON-
PEELED to march during the time. The Of
6cers captured at Chickamauga assure me
that they and their men were robbed OF
everything. Many of them lost their coats,
hats and boots as soon as captured, and
then were nearly starved and frozen.
/ trust yon will pardon me for the tedi-
Gus length of this communication. II you
will bear with me / will only call your at
tention to few of the outrages practiced
on our officers and men in the prison dis
cipIine. Under the building known as
Libby prison is a large cellar, in which
they have several cells partitioned off
Several of them are without any light,
but some have windows below the pave
ment. These cells ore used for the pur-
pose of eon6ning securely such of the
to escape. as we'll as such as may
chance to offend some one of the many pet
ty officials and prison attaches. Some of
our unfortunate men are continually con-
fined in these filthy holes on one pretext
or another Il is the uniform practice to
feed any and all persons sent to these
cells on bread and water only. Lieuten-
ant Reed, OF the Sd Ohio Volunteers, was
thrown into one of these cells and kept
there for forty weight hours, without any
thing to eat or drink during the time. lie
was not allowed any blanket nor his over
coat. The weather was very damp and
cold, and he at that time was suffering
from most severe wound in the hip.
On the night of the 10Th of December l
received a communication purportiny to
come from one in authority. stating that
Tor one hundred dollars in greenbacks and
two silver watches. myself and my friend
would be permitted to pass the guard
Some days previous to this one of my of.
icers succeeded in making his escape in
this way, and although / was not without
that it was trap. neverthe-
less resolved to try the experiment. Ac-
Capt. B. G. G. Reed, Of the Sd
Ohio, and myself went to the designated
place at the appointed hour, where we were
assured that it was all right. We CON-
piled with the terms and passed ont; but
no sooner were we outside the guard lines
than Lieut.. La Touche, the Adjutant OF
the prison. and seven men sprang out from
q concealed place AID commenced firing
upon US without hating us. We were
unarmed and could do nothing but surren-
der. We were taken back to the prison,
put in irons and thrown into one of these
filthy holes called cells, where we were
kept for three weeks on bread and water.
The weather was very cold during the
time and we nearly persisted. There was
. large amount of filth in the cell. which l
could not induce them to remove. nor
could / get them to permit me to remove
it. / also asked for q box to sit on, of
which there was large number in the
cells. But everything was denied me-
At the time | was taken to the cell there
were six of our men confined in one of
these cells for attempting to escape. They
had been there for six days without blan-
kets. and two Of them were very sick
They were released at the end Of seven
days of their con6nement.
might continue to enumerate instances
of a similar character. but these will an
swer to give ycu an idea Of what is daily
taking place. 1 cannot describe to you
the loathsome flthiness OF these cells
They are infested with an innumerable
number of rats and mice, and they have
no mark Of having been cleaned since they
were first built. 1t is nesdless for me to
say that no man can survive q long con-
6nement in place of this kind; and al
though am acquainted with several per-
sons who have been confined there. do
not know one who can now be called a
we'll man.
As have before remarked, it is impos-
sibIe for me to enumerate in this. commu-
nica,ion but few Of the many acts Of bar
barity which have come under my notice,
though l have endeavored to give q corr
rect conclusion relative to the treatment
our unfortunate men are receiving at the
hands of'the inhuman people with whom
we are at.war. They seem lost to every
principle of humanity, and it is my candid
opinion that their brutality to our prison
ers is only measured by their Fears =
/ have the honor to be, most, respectful