The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-12-02
The Exchange of Prisoners.
Their Wrrtched Condition.

made, and up TO last Monday three thouS-
and had been exchanged The poor fel-
lows. who come from the rebel prisons.
are said TO present Il wretched scene OF
misery, and many have been left behind
because of the imposSibility of transport
inc them in safety Those who have been
released are suffering terribly from scurvy
and other diseases. resulting from lone
confinement and poor fare; but they for
got all their pains and troubles at sight OF
the stars and stripes A correspondent OF
the New York HauM saws:
Il have spoken of the joy these poor
fellows manifested. One of them, so dis
torted Sy scurvy that his knees and chin
touched each other. exclaimed with good
humor as he was brought in, I'm your
man for half a mattress: YOU can find an
other like me and save little room. =
Another, when his coffee was brought To
him, and he was lifted 50 that the fragrant
cup might reach his lips, broke out: How
are You, Java? You put me in mind of
how love Georgian Still another.
recognizing an old friend across the cabin.
cried out say, Jim. what dye think
when We saw the old flag! Il didn't
think. only hollered, was the response.
And another, answering the same ques-
ton, said, in his weak and quiet voice. |
thought | was in Paradise. and couldn't
say Il word
''The terms of Imprisonment which
these men had suffered varied from four
months to twenty In all that time they
had not tasted. seen or smelt the odor of
coffee. Such thing Us a common luciter
match had almost escaped their memory
and as the doctor struck one TO light his
cigar he was be>et by fifty voices begging
i single one. Just "a a keepsake The
temperS of many of our men. a. well a.
their physical frames, were worn out :;
and after getting taste of biscuit and
coffee some of them cried for more, a.
babies cry for breast milk, and Vet they
confessed that they had not in anv three
days of their Imprisonment eaten 80 much
as they had just dcvoured."
The following Is from the account of
the condition of these men taken from the
\. I. Times Can there toe a hell bad
enough for the perpetrators of these hell
iSh deeds
- As soon aS possible, barrels of hot
coffee are prepared. and hams are cooked.
and boxes of hard bread are opened for
the retre>hment of these men. 10 whom
decent food has been for long time I'M
known Ii l. Il touching sight 10 see
them. each with hi quart can, file by the
>tcaInlng coffee barrels and receive the re-
trcShlng drau@ht Whose taste has Ion. been
unfamiliar Ii seems scarcely possible
that men should feel such childish iuv a.
they express in once more receiving this
common Stimulant. And then. the eager
hungry glare which their CLASSY ewes cast
upon the chunks of hum a. they clutch
and dcvour their allowance with wolf
like avidity, Thc>e facts can only he
understood 10y the spectator i'm remember
m@ that for months they have been de
prlved ri Il sufficient quantity OF palatable
food. and that the little they have received
has been rarely cooked because I'm a
country Astounding with fuel. and gloomy
with immense pine forests. their inilorS
forbade them the poor privilege of ada-
quate fires. At the PRISON pen nelr Mi
Ian. Ga. for some weeks there has Is-en
nn meal or flour given To the PRISONERS.
and the sweet potatoes issued I'm lien
thereof have been eaten r:iw. because there
WAS no opportunity OF getting fuel for
cooking purposes
Such Is the condition OF the men whom
we are now receiving ont of chivalruu>
Dixie These the >ons. brothers. hrI>-
bands and fathers of the North. Men
reduced TO living skeletons: men almost ,
naked; ShOele>s men. shirtleSs men. hal
less men; men with no other garment
than an ovcrcoat; men whose skins are /
blackened 10y dirt and hang OH their pro
trudlng bones loosely a. bark on Il tree : /
men whose very presence l. simply dis
gushing. eXhaling an odor 50 tctid that il
almost stops the breath of those unaccuS-
TONED 10 ii. and causes an involuntary
brushing of the garments if with them
there Is accidental contact. Imagine %
900 of such wretched creatures penncd
together in space scarcely large enough
TO hold them. and compare their condition
with the most miserable condition that
can be imagined, The suffering of the
revolutionary captlveS on the prison ships
at Wallabout Bay will not stand the COM
parison, and the horrible night in fine
Blackhole of Calcutta scarcely exceeds if
i'll atrocity. Remember. too. that the
men thus returned are the bes specimens
Of the suffering. Only those are forward
ed TO us whom the rebel medical authori-
Ties decide 10 be strong enough TO bear
the fatigue of transportation. If those
whose wretchedneSs | have vainlv cndcav-
ored to portray are the best specimens of
DIR sick and wounded. is not awful 70
what must be the woe of the
~
The following giving the shocking con-
iition of our exchanged prisoners. was i
elegraphed to the Monday papers: i
BALTIMORE. Nov. 26. The correSpon-
lent of the Baltimore imerfcrn. writinu
rom Annapolis last evening, saws such