Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-10-18
70 tie Editors of the Enquirer:

C6HP CHAsE, OH1O, aug. OIL, 1oof
Gentlemen-Hsving been a prisoner for
some ten months. and knowing ths deep ints-
rest felt in Cur welfare, by our government,
our citizsns and our gallant comrades. whose
oo,d fortune Tia to DO yet in the field, I avail
10 yaelf OF passing opportunity to send you
"inssaluent first Of "Oar Correspondence
from tho North" / reached Camp Chase
under the administration Of one Lieut.. Col.
poten. Hessian in character as in NAME
The prisons we're crowded aud filthy under bis
administration. For trivial offences on the
n,,s Of individuals he would condemn whole
barraoks to reduced rations-thus clearing
fr,m his government several hundred dollars
ner diem, which 10 pooketed of course. In
somo cases hs would order the sutler stands
olor i entirely. At one time an ordinary
thres sent g. amp was sold foF eighty five cents
| in Federal currency; and men scrambled over
the scanty supply Of fuel to pick of oak bark,
which was used as q substitute for tobacco
Lac Polk, Of Maury county, Tennessee, was
shot down while going 10 the yard gate to get
paokago promised him by an underling. he
lived twsntyfour hours, aud his lost words
wsro, II ON murdered man" The surgeon
in charge, humane man, under item Of RE.
marks" in his Monthly Report, entered
orposit, Polk's name, murdered BY
ssn,insl." For this hs was arre,s:i aud re-
moved from HE placs to make way tor more
trsotsble and less copscientious Individual
In February last. however, Potsn Was re-
| moved, aud aince then the post has been COM
mandsi by Colonel W. ?. Richardson, of tho
e5th O. vi. His regiment is in Grants
army. The regiment on duty here isthe Ssh
o. Y. l., under Colonel j. W. Nef. They
huye never seen any service but thts- OF
guarding prisoners and their cleaning mug
ke.s ars euiltless of shedding any blood but tha'
of the helpless and unarmsd. Richardson, how
o7sr. began at onoe the most beneficial changes.
The ration was increased, the hospital remod-
elsd with improved ventilation, considerable
additions were made to the quarterly requisi-
lions for medicine, the enclosures were greatly
enlsreed, and the cabins reftte1. A stream
of water was arranged to be turned through
tho prisons each day and effsotually remoye
the old arrangement by which the sewerage
was managed, and wonderfully adding to our
comfort and healthfnlness At once tho Cpl.
r;ts of the nen improved, and sinee then we
cannot reasonably complain ss pooy-tor, Of
course, individual grievances OCCUR now and
then. There are now some four thousand prison
ers--thsro arc ono hundred and fifty officers,
two hundred citizens, and the remainder are
nriystaH. In each class are representations from
every State and everg army Of the Confsde
racy. Why is not somathing done for these
old gray haired citizens? look around me
and see feeble and elderly msn-noble mar,
tyrs in the cause of that dear country, which
It would seem lit is treason to Iowa and death
to defend" There is Chisholm, of Alabama,
and old Judge Van Dyke, of Tennessee, aud
old Sheppard Duval, Of Kentucky, q minister
Of God. Yonder is Jonathan Huddleson, OF
Preston county, Virginia, once in your State
Ssuats, and near By tho patIia,chA form Of
CoIonal George Bowman, Of Strssburg, whose
long and perfectly whiss beard inpasss to him
particularly venerable appearance. Surely
our authorities only need to DO reminded that
these gentlemen ara here, subjected 70 unWsr-
rsntsbie privation, to demand at once their
release, and, If refused, to promptly seize
hostages for them. We respected tho Citizen
Union OF nos-so long a. he was content to