The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-09
OUR PRISONERS.
Their Release from Captivity,
Arrival of the First Installment at
Fortress Monroe.
THRILLING ACCOUNT OF THEIR
SUFFERINGS.
Horrible BarbaritieS of the Rebels

Horrible Barbarities Of the Rebels
The Terrible Camp at An
Jacksonville.
Correspondence Of the N. Y. Times
PORT ROYAL, South Cardinal
Monday, Nov. 81, 1864. :
The past few days have been fraught
with a very painful interest to everybody
who has been connected in any way what
ever with the exchange of our sick and
wounded prisoners now in progress on the
Savannah River. Col. Milford began to
receive our poor fellows last Friday, and
the delivery is to continue at the rate OF
from 800 to 1900 per day, until the aggre-
gate number of the wretched, suffering
creatures, estimated at 10000, return to
our welcome keeping.
l shall attempt in this letter to give
some idea of the outward appearance,
physical condition, animating spirit and
expression of opinion of these soldiers OF
the Republic who have escaped from un-
| utterable misery, with the sole object OF
presenting facts to the country which must
result in the release of their $4,000 COM
rades who cannot survive the coming win
ter under the conditions in which they are
kept, throug h the unparalleled vindictive-
ness of the Southern authorities.
Having thus far written generalities, let
me now come to particulars. Taking any
single day of the four in which we have
been receiving our men, propose to give
some description of the animating scene
on the transfer Of the prisoners from the
rebel vessels to our own. AS have in
formed you in former letter, the rendez-
vOus for the exchanges is at Venus Point.
on the Savannah River, a bend of the
stream whence the spires and many of the
houses of the city of Savannah are visible.
Our boats are invariably the first at the
rendezvous, anchored in mid river await
ing the rebel vessels, whose hardness pro-
ceeds from the fact that it is only at the
proper tide certain distractions of the
channel above can be crossed. Finally
they appear over the lew marshes, belch-
ing their turgid clouds of dense black
smoke, and in half an hour their uneouth.
grotesque, towering shapes are putting and
wheeling near US. Col. Milford imme-
diately goes in yawl boat to the Gem
erl Beauregard, small steamer used
BY Captain Hatch, the rebel agent, as the
flagship of bis transport squadron, and af.
ter few moments consultation, during
which the rolls of the prisoners are trans.
ferred, the two agents 20 together on
board one of the floating objects laden with
the released men, and she is at once laid
alongside Of q neat Union vessel, and the
poor fellows are transhipped. Those of
them who are able to move without aid
pass to the protection of the old flag first {;
then come those (alas there are many Of
this class) who hobble on crutches. and
last the few whose helplessness requires
that they should be carried on stretchers.
In all this operation the greatest formality
is observed. A number of rebel civilians.
with bands round their hats, labeled
COMMITTEE for the wounded, whose DO
sition corresponds with our own Sanitary
Commission, accompanying the boats from
Savannah to attend on the sick, and assist
in the transhipment, but seldom on eithe.
side is word spoken except on the sub
ject of the matter in hand. A different
course is forbidden, and if on either side
there happen to be disposition to engage
in conversation, watchful guards step up
and ask that the conversation shall cease.
1t is no uncommon thing to see man who
has been go crippled by scrofula that
crutches were necessary to his locomotion,
under the influence of his ecstacy at again
being free, spurn from him his artificial
supports and walk, for time, as erect and
as instantaneously as he whom the Savior
miraculously cured by the healing waters
of Bethesaida.
When the rebel boat moves off and the
men are huddled together on the decks of
our own vessels, all fully understand that
the last link which bound them to rebel
dom has been covered; then rises hearty
shouting and cheering, which, only can be
given under these circumstances There
is the music of intense gratefulness in it.
Three cheers and a tiger for the old flag :;
three more and tiger for Col. Milford |;
then comes burst of song, most often the
words being Rally round the flag, bows.
from near and from far; down with the
traitors and up with the stars" the rebels
still within hearing, probably gnashing
their teeth at the pointed personal allusion.
but everybody else feeling that the bad
taste of the happy fellows is excusable,
even though exhibited under the sacred
folds of flag of truce. Then vermin-in-
tested rags, till now highly priced as the
only cover for nakedness, are rudely torn
off and flung into the water or cast with
glee into the flaming furnaces Of the steam
ers, and new clothes are issued, and a gen.
eral cleaning.time inaugurated. But the
bathing has long been needed, and scarce
ly comes soon enough. Many of the men,
through illness or carelessness, are so be-
grimed with filth that, were it not for the
dead color of the BACKED epidermis, they
might be taken for the sons OF Ham.
The steamer Eliza Hancox, one of the
exchange feet, has spacious deck, af.
fording room for dancing, and Terpsichore
finds her votaries, even though they
are tatterdemalions, who dance not I'm.
gracefully in their streaming rags. As
| soon as possible, barrels of hot coffee are