Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-06-16
Rebel brutality.

The depth of barbarism reached by the
slavery besotted and brutalized wretches
who are carrying on the rebellion against
the Union, is exhibited in the sickening
details of the reports made by the Com
mittee on the Conduct of the War These
reports are two one relating to the Fort
Pillow massacre and the other to the
treatment of our soldiers while in rebel
hands as prisoners Of war, L seems
that the terrible newspaper reports, in
stead of being exaggerations have fallen
short of the truth, Yet it is utterly in
credible, except we consider that all the
influences of civilization, all the instincts
of humanity, have been overcome ana
blotted out by the bestializing effects
upon the southern slave-driyers of the
-"divine institution"
On the 9th of last month the Congress
sional Committee examined at Annapo-
lis a number of poor fellows-living
skeletons-just arrived from the prisons
at and about Richmond They also
caused photographs to be taken Of the
sufferers, Autographs from which accom-
pany the Committees Report. Says the
New York Evening Post:
"These men were soldiers of the Uni
ted States; they had been prisoners of
war in the South; when they fell into
the hands of the rebels they were stout,
hearty men; one said he never took
medicine till he had been some weeks in
the hands of the rebels. They were re-
turned to us after few months so wan,
so wasted away, so Frustrated and bro
ken down with suffering, want and i'll
treatment, that as we look as the pho
tographs of some of them, now lying be-
fore us. it seems incredible life could re-
main in such attenuated bodies, about
whose bones the skin shrank so tightly
that every joint shows. We shudder
and grow sick as we look, and do not
wonder that one of the committee,
gentleman often amongst the wounded
both in hospital and ON the battle fields
of Virginia, on his return from this in
spection tainted away, and had himself
to be put under physicians care. AS
we look at the melancholy pictures we
feel how tame are all the descriptions of
these sufferers, and how inadequate are
the pictures which are drawn from them
regarding their treatment The unan,..
NOUS testimony of these men is, that.
when they were first made prisoners they
were robbed of their blankets, shoes,
money, and in some cases of all their
good clothing, rags being given them in
return. They were borne to prison, en-
camping on the way in open, unsheltered
spots, travelling in cattle cars full of
filth and uncleansed since they were last
occupied by hogs and cattle; compelled
to stay in these close and disgusting
cars all night; fed with small piece
of corn bread and an occasional piece
of tainted meat. At Belle Isle they were
forced to sleep on the bare ground, hav-
ing been robbed of their coats and blank
cts; receiving daily a small square Of
black corn bread, made of corn and cobS
ground up together, with sometimes a
few spoonsful of black and wormy beans,
or q piece of meat, "three bits" some
said, often rotten, sinking "with bugs
in it." In hospitals the surgeons attend
on them irregularly; one man whose
toes were frozen off at Belle Isle, Tnen
sent to the hospital at Richmond had
his feet dressed but once in five or six
days. If men ventured near the win
dows they were instantly shot. The
surgeons In charge testify Distinctly that
the state Of these men arose not from
disease, but from starvation and expo
sure. Surgeon Van DurkiefF testihes on
oath. They complained of want of food,
of bad food, and want of clothing
Very often, though not always, they are
robbed, when taken prisoners, of all the
good clothes they have on. There is no
doubt about that, for men have often ar
rived here with nothing but their pants
and shirt on; no coat, overcoat, no cap,
no shoes nor stockings, and some of
them without having had any opportu-
mites to wash themselves for weeks or
months.
These men complain THAT they have
had no shelter. We have men here now
who say that for five or six months they
have been compelled to lie on the sand.
Their joints are calloused, and they have
callouses on their backs, and some of
them have even had the bones break
through the skin. There is one instance
in particular that l would MENTION
One man died in the hospital there an
hour before the transfer of prisoners
was made, and, as an act Of humanity,
the surgeon in charge Of the hospital al
lowed the friends Of this man to take
him on board the vessel, in order to
have him buried among his friends
This man was brought here right from
the Richmond hospital. He was so
much covered with vermin, and SO dirty,
Chat we were not afraid to make the
statement that the man had not been
washed for six months. At one time
We received three bundled and sixty pa
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