The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1864-07-26


Rebel Cruelty to Union Prisoners.
Atrocious as have been the cruelties
practised by the rebels on Union sold.
iers at Fort Pillow and other places,
language would fail to describe the
cold -blooded revenge which has been
carried into practice upon their unfos-
tunate prisoners by the rebels. In q
recently issued report Of the Commit
tee an the Conduct Of the War, an at
tempt has been made to record some of
the facts, which have had no parallel IN
barbarism-atrocities being cultivated
with malignity and degree of cruelty
which throws allrecorded history-bla-
ce as it may be--into the shade. Con-
elusive evidence is furnished in the re-
port touching every charge it makes
proving crimes against humanity which
would would degrade even the most
savage NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which make
men shudder to think Of, and wonder
that, among men arrogating a superior
civilization, such fearful outrages could
ever be thought of. = = 'noi9 Z %
In respect to the food furnished to
our men by rebel authorities, the testi-
mony proves that the ration of each mau
',ros tatally Insufficient in quantity to
preserve the health cfa child, even had
it been of proper quality, which it was
not. 1t consisted, usually, at the most,
oftwo small pieces Of corn bread made,
i'll many instances, as the witnesses state
of corn and cobs ground together and
badly prepared and cooked-of, at times
about two ounces of meat, usually of
poor quality and unfit to be eaten, and
occasionally few black, worms-eaten
beans, or something ofthat kind, nuo,
Many Of our men were compelled to
sell to their guards and others, what
price they could get, such clothing and
blankets as they were permitted to re-
ceive of that foawaded for their use by
our Government, I'm order to obtain adj
ditional foop sufficient to sustain Life;
thus, by endeavoring to avoid one prr-
vation, reducing themseles to the same
destitute condition in respect to cloth.
IN i9g and md, covering that they Were in be-
ernment. When they became sick
and diseased in consequence ofthis ex-
posue and privation, and were admit
ted into the hospitals, their treatment
was little, if any, improved as to, food,
enough they doubtless suffered less from
exposure to cold than before. Their
food stiIlremained insufficient in quantity
and altogether unfit in quality,"g
A witness say, in reply to the commit
tee who inquired ifhe was all the time
hungy. q ti
hungry! / could eat anything in
the world that came before us. Some
of the boys would get boxes from the
North with meat Of different kinds in
them; and after they had picked the meat
off, they would throw the bones away
into the spit-boxes and we would pick
the bones out of the spit-boxes and gnaw
them over again.
In addition to this denial of necessary
food, ,clothing and fire the prisoners were
treated with all manner Of indignities
by their guards, and no pretext was
lost for shooting them.
Many have been killed for failing to
comply with all the commands of the
jailorsj something's for violating rules OF
which they had never heard. They have
been fired at for looking out at the win
dow, and one man was shot dead after
being exchanged, and when In the act
ofleaving the prison, for waving alast
aaieu to his friend. The committee
give o revolving picture OF the filth and
vermin which adhered to the prisoners
as they came forth from their loathsoma
prisons. raW
They were treated far worse at kich,
mond, immediately under tne eye OF
JEFF. Davis, than in others his crooadt,
lie tears to the contrary notwithstanding.
The committee cannot avoid the con .,
clusion that, like the affair at Fort III
llow,the inhuman prctices were the resu-
1t ofa predetermined policy designed 70
operate so that the Union soldiers VINO
should survive should never be able To
take the field again. The committee
say: 7 "Asregards the assertion OF
some of the rebel newspapers, that our
prisoners have received at their hands