The New York herald., 1864-08-23
TIE UNION PRISONERS In GEORGIA
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Arrival Of Four Commissioners
from tho Prison.
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Affecting Narrative sf the SuffsringS
Of Its Inmates.
Shocking Barbarity OF Their
Treatment.
WHOLESALE MORTALITY AMONG Them.
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URGENT APPEAL TO PRESIDENT LINCOLN,
&c., &s. dbs.
WHOLESALE MORTALITY AMONG THEM.

Among the passengers who arrived last evening by the
Arago from Hilton Head s. c. four exchanged pris-
oners-Msssrs. E. Bates, Forty second New York; p.
Tracy, Eighty second New York; H. c. Higginson, Nine
teeuth Illinois, and g. Noirot, Fifth New Jersey-com
missoners appointed ut monster meeting OF the IS 900
Union prisoners fined 10 Camp SUMTER AndersonvIe
Ga, to wait upon the Executive at Washington, with
petition praying that immediate action be taken 10 ter
inmate their suaerings either by parole exchange
suflerngs described be almost incredible. Twothrds
OF them without shelter OF any kind to protect them
from the fierce OF tropical and the cod heavy
dews and thunder showers peculiar 10 that climate The
commissioners describe the food upon which the prison.
entirely and exclusively subsist Of character to
produce in the hungrest stomachs consist
ing OF bread made from unboed meal half ground
badly baked and without SALT with about two Of
fs rancid and rusty bacon daily rston s only for the
soap factor. The water used by those unhappy men
nterany v,isonous being taken from muddy, cozy
that flows for hnH mile through impurities OF
the thest and most noxious acer before enters
the stockads or bull In which our brave fellows are
huddled thick as herrings packed 10 q barre The
clothes worn by majority OF the prisoners are misera
BILE shreds and patches insufficient for the purposes
presenting scenes saddenug and Illuminating to our com
humanity The results amount OF disease
the beasy pen the inst the deaths had reached
hundred and forty three per day, and this without
any epidemic among the prisoners; and from the rapid
increase Of deaths daily occurring at Camp Sumter the
mortality must have reached BY this date, AZ least
hundred and eighty daysoon, doubtless, 70 ascend TO
two hundred day.
Tho nature or the diseases which sweep away our
fellows, with scythe OF death, darrhna,
dsentery and scurvy, WITH recently increasing, typhoid
fever.
AS indicating the ravages OF disease produced by the
already stated the deaths since the opening Of the
prison the oath OF last February up to the 3ls OF
July 500 In the nth Of July alone the deaths
were 2, ,180, including $50 from scurvy.
1t Is added--and 1t makes the picture heartrendiug-
that upwards four hundred OF the prisoners
MACS wandering through the camp, their minds having
given way by the fearful prospectdespairing OF ever
being either exchanged paroed Thousands OF these
prisoners spent from eleven to fifteen mouths in
Belle Island aud Camp sumter and word Of hope ever
reach them that they Will DO exchanged Indeed
terrible Is the agony OF mind endured by the prisoners
that dozens OF them shot down weekly the dead
lne," where they rush and invite the guards TO Kill
them In order terminate their snerings-an invita-
lion always carefully complied with, being Va strict
cordance with the to the guards 10 shoot
prisoner who ntringes the dead line"
These terrible facts to lay before our government
and the public and cry asud for immediate aud effective
action the part Of those whose duty Is to protect
those who have fought nobly, so unscAshy, and so
patrioticaly for our country.