Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-04-07

worst manner, and about half gill Of rice
Two or three times a week. Occasionally, O
mngle medium sized potatoe or three or
Tour small ones are given to each man, and
tnree or Tour times, small turnip has been
gwen to each. And this is all. For time,
supplies sont by friends to the officers were
honestly and promptly delivered to them.
but for some weeks before left Richmond
this was not done, and there we're sccumu.
lated there more than 1000 boxes sent to
officers, which had been detained from them,
These boxes are now systematically plum
dered by the officials Of their most valuable
contents. especially Of clothing. Union Of.
fcers are subjected to the most humiIiating
treatment by the prison officials.
The Sanitary Commission sent to my care
great quantities Of comforts and luxuries for
the use Of the officers. A small quantity Of
these was delivered, but the greater part OF
them was retsined by the Rebel officials for
their own use and for sale. In our purchases
we found many of these Sanitary goods,
stolen by the officials and sold to US at en-.
ormous prices.
| The rations furnished to the priyates con-
sisted entirely Of corn bread Of miseraLis
Quatuy and insufficient quantity, which pro.
duces arrangement in the digestive organs,
and death. The soldiers are slowly wasting
away, and die of sheer starvation and cold.
Two Of them, sent of from Richmond at
the same time with myself, died Of exhaus-
tlon before reaching Annapolis.
These poor creatures were reduced to such
a state oil extreme suffering that many Of
them were demented. They could not tell
the name Of their Colonel or the number of
their regiment. One OF them had become
perfectly idlotic from long-protractcd suf.
fering. many OF them having slept all Win
ter IN the open air, with no shelter, and
without overcoats or blankets They were
all supplied at the commencement Of the
winter with both, sent them by the y. s.
| Government, but they were compelled TO
sell them, in many instances, to procure the
means of subsistence, their rations not be-
ing sufficient to support them in a state OF
health.
1t is understood down South that all Reb-
el promises to pay" are to be repudated.
There is 10 one who pretends that it is TO
be anything else. Rebel currency and Rebel
bonds are spoken of with toue Of contempt
by all the public papers. One of the Rich.
mond papers, in an article on finances,
quoted paragraph from the London Times,
in which it was said that in marketing in
the Rebel States the money was taken in
the basket and the purchase carried home
in the pocket-book
In police report, the Examiner said
there was found upon the person Of one
accused of stealing, $40 in gold, $75 in
greenbacks, and about half a pack OF Con-
fcderate Treasury notes and bondsi The
same paper spoke of spectators who had
made money by the "bale," as if it had been
hay, and valued by the cubic foot The
sniAia IA tho, IL L.. .,In
ter walking down the line with baskets of
much as he pleased. Their stated pay is
Sll month, while negroes impressed into
the service-or their owners-received S45
a month. The soldiers say the slaves are
treated much better than themselves,
especially when sick, because dead negro
is loss to his owner, while dead soldier
is thought to DO loss to nobody; he is only
a poor white" who is regarded everywhere
IN the South as a misunderstanding a
lower place in the social scale than the slave.
The Southern people now, generally un-
derstand that the Rebel cause is lost and
are inquiring with anxiety, as to the course
that will be taken with their persons and
property by the Washington Government.
l have been many times Inquired of by Of
ficers aud civilians upon that point, and
have always assured them that the persons
and property of the masses of the people
would not be interferred with that only
the active promoters and leaders of the Re-
bellion would be punished in persen and
property; that the Union men of the coun-
try who had been plundered by the Rebels,
would be indeinnifed out Of the property
of the sggressors. Beyond that, thought
con6scation would not be enforced. The
losses of the South by the Rebellion up to
this time have been enormous. The Treas
ury notes and bonds Of the Rebol Govern
ment are not less in amount than l600,-
900, 900, an entire loss to the people. The
money value of the slaves at the commence
ment of the war, was not less than 50, 500,-
O00, 900, soon to be of no value TO the own
ers. And the loss of cotton, sugar and to-
bacco crops, and the losses by the desoatlon
OF the Southern country, cannot be less
than $l,500, 00O.000. maxim, the enormous
amount of $5,60O, 000 600! an amount
greater than that OF the national debt OF
Great Britain.
Every branch of industry in tho South is
PROSTATE and ruined; the entire country is
desolate Every white male between the
ages of lS and 60 is declared by law to be
in the military service of the Confederacy
/ huu no HAL III tuc cutiEc CUuuliy Cdn uc eu-
gagged as a clerk, artisan or workman in any
counting-room, or factory, or other estab.
lishment, Without regular military detail
from the authorities. Without that, no
man can remain at home to attend to his
own affairs, however important. The South
ern country is vast camp, full of soldiers,
disciplined and undisciplined man a
soldier-with zone to feed. Clothe or pay
! them.
To the North, the loyal North the war
has cost fearfully in treasure and in blood.
The treasure is to us of small account, be-
cause our wealth is increasing with wonder
ful rapidity. A debt that may seem large
to us, will be small for the next generation,
whoa ability to pay will be fourfoid greater
than ours. But the expenditure OF life
we cannot measure that ty gold. BAT we
freely lay all upon the altar of our country
fortune and lile--to preserve our nation
4 from those who seek to blot il out from the
map of the world and 10 pronounce man
incapable of self government. fheinstitu-
tions of pgscnel, civil and religious liberty
that we have inherited from our fathers,
we moan tv transmit uHimpaired to our
children, and to that end we gladly devote
i.v.,