The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-09-03

Aa sEsA 54& SEE ia go f
o2..' JUNE, 1899
Treatment ~ Prisoners. 81
Four representatives Of the Union SOL
diers now prisoners Of war to the Rebels
and Concentrated at Anderson, Georgia.
have just proceeded to Washington to state
their condition to the Government and see
If some measures can not be instituted for
their speedy exchange. In their memorial
our soldiers state that It, 1 Aa3
"Col. Hill. Provost Marshal General,
Confederate States Army, at Atlanta, sta
ted to one Of the undersigned that there
were thiIty-hve thousand prisoners at An
dersonvine, and by al accounts from the
United States soldiers who have been con-
fined there the number is not overekAted
by him. These thirty foe tA0Gs0nd are con-
!s'sed IN field Of some tkisty acres, enclosed
by board fence, heavily guarded. About
one third have various Kinds or Indifferent
shelter; but HpsCGrds cf thirty Mowsand
are wholly without shelter, or even shade, Of
any ki~d, and are opposed to the stoswss and
rains sohich are Of GlxsOst daily occurrence:
the cold dcvs Of tie night, asd fAe more Ter
stbte c0ects cf ne sun striking vith almost
tropical 1eTccSecsS Mp0n Haear unprotected
heads. This mass Of men joetle and crowd
each other up and down the limits of their
enclosure, in storm or sun. and others lie
down upon the pitiless earth 1t night, with
no otner covering than the clothing upon
their backs, few Of them having even a
blanket. @ 76m
"Upon entering the prison eves.y man IL
deliberately stripped Of money and Other
property; and as no clothing or blankets
are ever supplied to their prisoners by the
rebel authorities, the condition Of the ap-
parel Of the soldiers, just from an active
can be easily imagined. Tysou-
sunds are a0ith0s,s pants or coats, and hax-
dreds acithout evenG pair Of drdUerst to cor
cr their nahedness. sl4I 9&
ITO these men, as indeed To all prisoners.
there is issued three-quarters Of pound Of
bread or meal, and one-eighth OF a ponnd
of meat per day. This il the entire raticn.
and upon il the prisoner must live or die.
The meal is often unsiftAd aud sour and
the meat such as in the North is consigned
to the soapmaker. Such are the rafions
upon which Union soldiers are fed by the
rebel authorities, and by which they are
barely holding on to life. But to starya-
ton and exposure, TO sun and storm, add
the sickness which prevails to most
alarming and terrible extent. On an av-
erage one hundred die daily. /: is impoe-
sible that any Union soldier should know
all the facts pertaining to this terrible NOR
Such statement as the follow
mony. Said he: .Of Twelve Of us Who
were captured, six died, four are in the
hospital, and never expect to SEQ them
again There are hut two Of as left.' In
1857, at Montgomery, Alabama, under far
more favorable circumstance the pris-
oners being protected by sheds, from one
hundred and fifty to two hundred grew
sick from diarrhoea and cbills out Of seven
hundred. The same per centage wonld
give seven thousand sick at tAndersonville. A
It needs NO comment, no efforts at word
to make such a picture stand out
boldly in most horrible colcrs
"NOr is this all. Among the lll-fated of
the many who have suffered <amputation
in consequence of injuries received before
capture, sent from rebel hospitals before
their wounds were healed, there are elo-
quent witnesses Of the barbarities Of which
they are victims. II to these facts is added
this, that nothing more demoralizes SOL
diers and develops theevil passions of man
than starvation, the terrible condition Of
the UEiOn prisoners at An0ersonville can
be readily imagined. They are fast losing
hope, and becoming utterly reckless Of life.
der about in state of idiocy; others delib-
era!ely cross the dead line, and are re-
shot down. ttts "
We respectfully ask The Basly Nc,os, TIE
World. The Albany Argus, The Age, BgJ-
fdiO Courier, Detroit Free Press, Ohio ASotes-
man, and other journals Of like spirit, to
lay these authenticated facts before their
readers and tell ns what they think cfthem.
Will they pretend that rebel prisoners in
our hands are thus famished, tortured and
Will they visit our quarters
for prisoners at Elmira, iJehnson's Island,
Chicago and elsewh here, and state distinctly
how those prisoners are fed sheltered and
lodged from the fury Of the elements !? We
challenge them to make the Investigation,
compare the results with those deyelQped
in the memorial Of our brethren confined
at Anderson, and tell as what il the ground
Of this contrast if il be not true that slave
~ barbarizes and brutalizes its votariesr
journals are accustomed TO scout the sug-
gestion that the rebels are = hard up for
food." Ifthey are not, why do they starvs
Dur prisoners so cruelly7 Bear in mind
that these prisoners are located wherever
they can subsist them at least cost-are ta-
ken to the food, rather than the food trans
ported to them. Who will contend thai
Twelve ounces of bread and meal withtwO
of meat per day, afford sufficient n0urish-
ment for man? Suppose them both OF
good quality, how long can health and
strength be maintained on such an allow
anec?
Admit-whst We suppose 70 be the fact.
our prisoners miserably because they are
unable to feed them well-how can you &C
count fol their neglectinc our unhappy
brethren month after month, unsheltered
and exposed to storms, frose and dews p
Trees are notoriously abundant throughout
the Confederacy; it were easier 10 locate .
prisoners camp in woods .han cut ofthem.
Give them but trees and axes. and, our
brave boys would shelter themselves ade-
quately in day, and would provide fire
places, beds of dry boards. &c, in another.
Why, then, are they turned like hogs in y
naked field, there to suffer and die by hun
eases thence inevitably Renting? Who
can palate such wantOn crueI,ieke How
can they be explained; save on the hypoth-
esis that the COnfederate:.chiefs deliberate
" purpose the death or permanent disabil-
ity Of our Union volnnteers2
Come: Messrs. Rebel sympathizers! let
us see how you explain this conduct of
your chiYalric ''Southren brethren?'