Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-03-18

Joint committee II tie tSo hosses Of ne Ten
eral Assembly OF Yrsiais, appointed 20 invssi-
gate the charges OF ssuse and iDbumanity to
co~nscripts at Camp lie. rear Riehmand Va
The Joint COMMITTEES appointed 10 inquire
and re5srt whether. and il any, what abuses or
inhunanity may have been p~rAeticsd OF tole!a-
ted st Camp Les IN the treatment of eonscTipts,
have performed the daty assigned them, and beg
leave, respectfully, 10 submit the following re-
ports
Before entering upon ths investigation ro-
CURED by the resolution Of the General Assem-
biy. your committee deemed Il becoming 10 sp-
rise the Secretary of Wa Of their purpose, and
10 request Of him authority to visit Camp Lse,
in order to obtain informstien and to enable
them more thoroughly TO prosecute their inqni-
Tiss. To this application The s~ecretary promptly
and courteously replied, giving the authority
asked sT, and expressing the pisssuts " Iea p
tbs ;nszysst manifested in the e0nserIpts Dy lne
Gsssral Assembly in the resolutions OF inquiry
| ,vb;ch tbev had adopted, and under which your
! committee were aching
Tba LITTER Of Mr.. Seldom, together with bis
,,Sttsn authority 10 visit Camp Lee seeompa-
nving II, your committee regard Of safhelsnt
;1spoTtauce and IS due alike to the subj set and
tie Secretary Of War, to refer to and MAKE Part
of their report, and they accordingly append
tbsm. marked A and B. They think it proper
10 remark. also, in this connection, that they
6supd tbs proposed investigation of the subjects
committed TO them, had been in part anticipated
nv he action of The Secretary of War, before
t6s massage Of tie joint resolution by the Gen
eusl Assembly, who, upon Learning that rumors
had obtained currency Of suffering among the
men at Camp Lee for want Of wood, ordered
an officer to 60 ont and investgste the mHIter
and make immediate report. YouE committee
have been furnished with = copy Of that order,
and the reports thereon Of Col. Shisids, the
conmsndGnt of the post, and OF the several
officers in charge Of the troops ct Camp Lee,
~bieh are of interest and value as illustrstiDg
and explaining the subject, aHd IS constituting
a part of the evidence upon which youI com
mittse relied in arriving 81 thelr " conelu-
sioas. These documents are appended, marked
1, aHd in consecutive order.
Ii viii be peIceiTed hat the complaints which
reached the Secretary Of War, assumed the
general form OF suffering for want Of wood"
he fnquires directed by hin weIs- confined to
that specific charge; and 50 fer as the invest
cation under The order of tho Secretary upon
Ibis head are csgcaraed, the reports Of the com
| usndaut At Camp Lee, and of the subordinate
! offeers, seem 20 your committee satisfactory,
and fully seql iii thsae officers Of any neglect Of
duty IN attending, as far as practicable, 10 the
wants and comforts Of the men in supplying
EnEm HEAA EUtl. 4EGi bfAstn4GHhg DaAu IL LHu
rsDoris 20 the Secretary Of War, we're confirmed
70 rs IN TIE e1sniualion We made, at tbs inter
view We had with these ofiserS. It appears
that tbs msn were furnished with al the wood
allowed by the army regulations.
The SUI ply was stated to be ample in ordina-
" weather, bat during an extremely rigorous
spsll Of cold, such as Oceaued shout the middle
OF February, it was sdmitted that the quantity
o wosd was not sdequs,e, That some discom-
tort was experienced By some Of the e9nscTipts
f0r want Of sufficient FIRE is quile probable, but
We could ascertain inc individual case Of the
kind, snd fad nothing in the eiIg0a1stanees aud
evidence to fx culpsbilily upon the officers in
chsIEe Of the troops at Camp Lee, much less 10
sustain the allegation made through the press
Of inhamAnisy and cTuslty 20 the eonscTipts, or
Of Aay extraordinary degree of suffering result
ing ia loss of limb or death, or even illness from
cold. It may b. proper here to stats, however,
a. = fac. developed in the course Of cur invesii-
cation, that many of the nsvly RrIive con.
scripts do suffer for the want of clothes and blank
cts. This is not the fault Of the commander or
bis eheOrs. Il results from the circumstances
that ccuscripts recently enrolled are sometimes
hurried to camp without an opportunity being
sffoTded thsm to visit bonn and provide them
selves with clothes and blankets and make 9th
er preparations fer camp life, bat often from their
own neglec. to 90 90 after SIMPLE notice.
It there be blame anywhere, il is attributable
TO he esrelessness OF indifference Of the enroll
ing officer in the country TO the wants and com
forts of the eouseIipts, or TO defects in the pro-
visions OF execution of the las. The fault lies
here, and not, IS your committee srs assured. in
the administration Of the lRborious and respon-
sible department, under the management of the
eousuaandent, Col. Shields, whore high ehsrGc-
ter, uEbsne manners delicate feelings Of human
ity and eminent qualifications for his post, for
bid the conclusion that he would exercise bis
authority otherwise than in tie most censidsrsts
and humane manner toward the eoDscripts
under his charge, or woBld practice or tolerate
any other than a proper care and attention to
their wants snd necessities. As far, therefore,
as your committee could pursue their invsstigs-
ton, and il was as searching as the nature Of The
case and their sources Of information admitted,
they could discover no instance of q death,
cruelty, inhumsnity, or even Of extreme suffer-
ing or hardship. HaTdships there undoubtedly
are, and have been but only such, and net
more severe than are incident 10 camp fare and
q soldiers life. We were Informed by the sur
geon, DR.. Palmer, Of q case where q man fell In
a fit; but he was kne IN 10 be subject to fits,
and they were not produced by exposure to the
cold, as the surgeon believes. Il happened dU-
ring the severe weather in February, and proba-
bly, gave origin to the report Of inhumAnity at
A1l ~@LLRn hLA<1 Na4 ~ ~ HA1Bok 8Nl1HI
and excited the seBsibility Of the General As
sembly and The people.
Your committee did not consider themselves
limited In their inquiries to the Tumor of suffer
iBg among the cOnseTipts for tbs want OF wood
Their duty embraced 9 wider scope. Il was TO
examine whether any abuses or inhumanity was
pIacticed or tolerated az Camp Lee in The treat
Hent of cOnscripts, in any way CT in any form.
The General Assembly Of Virginia hsd 3 spe-
eisl interest in the investigation, as tie camp is
rear her capital, and the place OF rendez 7ous
for her eonecTipt sGldiera. Over them she was
bound TO exercise g parental care Your com
mittse, therefore, preceded to Camp Lee, and,
,tsks pleasure in stating were received with po-
Likeness and courtesy by Col. Shields, the con-
msndsntr and all thu officers at the pest. RYsTy
faculty and Opportunity were afforded them for
e~xaninstion and inquiry into the condition Of
the camp, and of the wants. necessities. secou-
mudstiOns and comforts of the men. Colonel
Shields himself, and sll Of his officers, frankly
and With Alscri.y, responded 10 every inquiry
addressed TO them touching the matters 10 Which
We airected our Inquiries.
We were allowed unrestricted sccess TO every
place we desired to visit, sGa an C6icsr accom-
panied Us, TO show Us through the hospital. the
barracks and quarters Of NE men, which we IN
spee.ed IS closely Is time snd cur iusxperiene-
% babiis in relation. to such matters would saa
be Us We found the hospilsl clean, well pro-
VIA &c with comfortable beds AID bed clothing,
and, 40 do not doubt, the patients are atteuiloa-
siiy nuIsed, aud attended with skillfuI msdiexl
treatment. Tno large brilding appropriated as
Ae principal quarters Of the men, we would 70
max, ID, by reason of the opsn floors, bging
made of green plank, and the small fre.plsces,
difscult to be warmed sufficiently to DO comfort
abe Ia eX re ne.y cold weather. Bat otherwise !
the quarters are dry aud well cleaned, and az
we'll Edssted to The slesping uses OF the hoathy |
soldier, IS could be expected. Camp Lee is sit
usted upon an elevated plain, remarkably dry,
and represented to be unusually healthy.
Alihopgh ii wss generally understood ct
Camp Lee list tho Committee had made the
yis. 70 ascertain if there existed, or had been
prsetcCd, say abuses, YET no complaints were
made, por in answer 10 inquiries could we learn
Ihai any exisied MON which eomnlainta cnnld