The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-10
~ chas. d. Tibbles, Of the 4.h Iowa In

s~CnaS. II. TiObles, of the 4th Iowa In
fantry, who arrived in this city few days
ago, having recently escaped from the reb-
Tel prison-pen At Florence. Alabama, CON-
firms the reports that have reached US Of
the horrors and cruelties practiced upon
our men by the brutal chivalry of the
South. He states thst upon the most fr;v-
olous provccaticns they compel their poor,
emaciated victims, whom they have
starved nearly TO death, to perform manual
labor, and while ia the execution Of their
arduous tasks they frequently fall faintiug
and exhausted to the earth. The most of
them are almost naked, without blankets,
and receive but little attention from the
rebel surgeons. many Of whom are inexpe-
rienced boys, not over sixteen or seven
teen years Of age. Mr.. T. is Of the op: nion,
a. must seem patent to ali, that tho rebels
desire to get our men under the ground as
fast as possible, and ruin and render to-
tally unfit for military service those who
survive their inhumanity and barbarous
treatment. He says mary Of them have
become ravingly insane, and their pi.eous
means and walls are enough to move the
hardest heart to compassion. Their food,
always coarse and sour, and wholly insult
Gcent in quantity, serves only to breed dis
ease and aggravate the disorders engen.
dered by exposure and the want of warm
clothing, While at Andersonv;lle, (whiti,.
or he was first TAKEN Mr.. T. managed to
escape; but they followed in pursuit. will,
bioodnounds, recaptured him and took
him back. For this he was condemned to
work through the day, stand upright in the
stocks with arms extended every night,
and live upon half rations. The treatment
Of course nearly accomplished his death
In consequence Of it his body is. now COW
cred with sores, and it will take months
for him to recover his former state Of health.
Having been transferred to Florence. ,he
watched his opportunity and once more
escaped from durance. and after much sui.
sering and privation, reached our lines at
Newbern. He received the kindest treat.
ment from the negroes on the route, who
acted as his guides and furnished him with
food. Such is the barbarous mannee IA
which our southern brethren treat Union
pAA0oAACAo ~ AAO AaAA AASO eAcIE uauOSs x0elf
Infamous prison pens can only be compared
to the t'5iack hole OF Calcutta, aud when
history records the fendish cruelty Of the
rebel authorities to the Federal soldiers
confined in them, the recital v i'll shock and
appal the world, There are those among
US who call these diabolical wretches--
these torturers OF our men-these deliber-
ate murtlerers-s'our brethren" Ne don't
call them 20. We spit upon the thought.
We want the incarnate fends extermina-
ted, ana.as was once said by another We
would like to see them buried in the fro
gen regions d the north in graves a thou
sand feet deep, with their faces downward
and would write upon their backs-No res.
direction II any think this Language
too harsh let him 60 to Andersonville and
Florence and Libby, and look upon the
Of. Union soldiers penned up In
those places, who are covered with putrid
sores, who are starving slowly but surely
to death. whose maniacal walls assa;l the
ears at NIL hours Of the day and night, and
he will be forced to acknowledge that no
punishment can be too severe for the au.
thcrs Of 50 much horrible misery.