Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-09-03
Tr.a,ment OF prisnnsr..


their condition TO the Government and see
If some measures cannot be instituted for
their speedy exchange. In their memorial,
our soldiers state that bsf
Col. Hill, Provost Marshal General,
Confederate States Army, at Atlanta,
stated to one Of tie undersigned hat there
we're thirty Eve thousand prisoners ut An.
dersoDville, aud Bll accounts fom the
Uni ed States soldiers who have been con-
fi0ed there The number is not overstated by
him These thirty fire thousand are con
fined IN field Of Thirty acres, enclosed by
board fcnce, heavily guarded. About
one third have various kinds of indifferent
shelter; but upsDards Of thirty thousand
are Dhoiiy ,oifh0ut shelter, or ercn shade.
Of any hsad, aad are exposed 10
tbe storms Of rain whicA are of atmest daily
Occurrence; The cold night, asd tic more terri
Bile cfects Of the sur striking whh almost
tropical ferceness upon their unprotected heads.
This mass of men j9sle and owd each
other about the limits II their enclosure,
in storm or sun, the Others lie down upon
the piHless earth ut night, with no o. her
covering ban the clothing upon their
backs, few of them have even a blanket.
Upon en'erng the prison erery man is
deliberately stripped Of money and other
property; and as no clothing or blankets
are ever supplied 10 Their prisoners by tie
rebel au bordes, The condition Of The
apparel of the so diers, just from an active
campaign, can be easily imagined. IHou
sands are uithOt pants or coats. and huu
dreds ",thoat eren pair Of drawcrs to eorer
their aaktdnees.
To these men, as endeed TO oil prisoners
there is issued three quarters of a pound of
bread or meat, and one eight of pound of
meat per day This is the entirs ration aud
upon il the prisoners must live or die
The meal is often uDsfted and sour,
and the meet such as 10 the North is con
signed 10 the soapmaker. Such are the
rations upon which Union soldiers are fed
by the rebel authorities. and by which they
keep their hold on life. Bu, to starvation and
exposure, 10 the sun aud storm, add the
sickness which prevails to most alarming
and terrible extent On an average one
h~nd ed die daily 1t is impossible that
any Unon soldier should know all the facts
pietaiOing TO this terrible mortality, as
they are not paraded by the rebel au,hori
ties. Such statement as the following,
made by----, speaks eloquent
testimony. Said he: OF Twelve OF us who
we're captured, six died; four are in the
hospital, aud l never expect 10 see them
again. There are but two of us left In
1862, at Montgomery, Alabama, under far
more favorable circumstances, the prison
ers being protected by sheds, from Que hun
dred and ffty TO two hundred grew sick
from disrrhoea and ehlls, out OF seven hun
dred. The same per eentsge would give
seven thousand sick at AndersonviIle 1t
needs no comment, no efforts at word
painting, to make such q picture stand
ont boldly in most horrible colors.
Nor is this nll. Among the III fated of
the many who have suffered amps,ation 10
consequence Of Injuries received before cap
,ure, sent from Rebel bospi' ais before their
wounds we're healed, there are eloquent
witness Of the barbarties of which they are
victims. Ifio these facts ia added this,
that nothing more demoralizes soldiers and
develops the evil passions of man Than star
vation, the terrible condition of the Union
prisoners at Andersonville can be readily
imagined. They were fast losing hope, aud
becoming utterly reckless OF life Mum
bers, crazed by their snfferings, wander
about 10 q state Of idiocy; others delibera-
tely cross the dead line, and are remorse
lessly shot down.
We respectfully ask The Daily NeDs,
The World. The Albany Argus. The Age,
Buffalo Courier, Detroit Free Press
Ohio Statesman. aud other journals OF like
spirit, TO lay these authenticated facts be-
fore their readers and tell Us what they
think Of Them Will they pretend that
Rebel prisoners in onr hands are thus fam
ished, tortured and murdered? Will they
visit ours quarters for prisoners at Eimira
Johnson's Island, Chicago, and elsewhere,
and state distinctly bow those prisoners are
fed, lodged and sheltered from the fury OF
The elements 7 We challenge them to max 9
The Investigation, compare the results wi'h
those developed 10 the memorial of our
| brethren confined at Anderson, and tell
Us what is the ground of this contrast If il
be no, trne that Slavery berbsrizes its vo
tariesf Ii that is not the solution, what
is? Who will contend that twelve ounces
Of bread and meal with two of meat per
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day, sffords sufficent nourishment for u maui
suppose ,hem Of good quality, how long
can health and strength be maintained OF
such an allowance. 9f ei atl
Trees are notoriously abundant through
DOT the Confederacy; IL were easier to 10
cate prisoners camp In the woods Thar
ont Of them. Give them but trees and az
es, aud our brave boys would shelter them
selves adequately In day, and provide ere
places, beds, &c. % re
Why, then. are they turned like hogs in /
naked field, there 10 suffer aud die by hun
dreds, Of exposure. priva,ioo and the dis
eases thence inevitably resultingl Hos
can they be explained, save on the hypoth
esis that the Confederate chiefs deiberaielJ
purpose the death or permanent disabilit,
Of our Union volunteers2 smu. +
Come Messrs. Rebel sympathizersl le
ps see hos you explain this conduct O
yoar ehivslric Southern brethreni" q
T a ~ " Ifi1nxs
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