Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-02-02
How the Rebels treat our
Prisoners.
Testimony of Albert u. Rich
ards0n before the Committee
ON the Conduct of the
War.
RnsbarouS Treatment of our PRJs-
0ners at the south.

due Of the war, nv Albert d, Richard
son I was captured by the rebels May
3, 1869, an midnight, on lay bale in
the Mississippi River opposite Vicks-
burg. After core nement in six differ
ent prison' I was sent TO Salisbury, N.
G.. Ersorlmry 3, 1864, and kept there un-
til December Is, 1864, when / escaped.
For months, Salisbury was the most
endurable prison have seen; there were
six hundred inmates, They were eXcr-
cised in the open air, comparatively well
fed and kindly treated Early in Octo-
Der, 10000 regular prisoners OF war
arrived Ii Immediately changed into
scene Of cruelty and horror; it was
densely crowded, ratiOns were cut
down and issued very rregularly;
friends outside could not even send in a
plate of food.
The prisoners suffered considerably,
and often lamented intensely for the
want " bread and shelter; those who
nod to live or die on prison rations al
ways suffered from hunger; very fire.
uuently one or more divisions of 1000
men would receive no rations for TWEEN
tv-four hours; sometimes they were
without a morsel of food for forty eight
hours. A few who had money would
pay from five TO twenty dollars in rebel
currency for a little loafO bread. Many,
though the weather was very inclement
and snow frequent, sold the coats from
their backs and shoes from their feet
was assured, on authority entirely
trustworthy, that a great commissary
warehouse near the prison was filled
with provisions The Commissary
found il difficult to find storage for his
-four and meal; that when subordinate
asked the post commandant, Major John
Fl. Gee "Shall give the prisoners full
rations" he replied: NO God damn
them, give them quarter rations."
] know from personal observation
that corn and pork are very abundant
in the region about Salisbury. For
weeks the prisoners had no shelter
whatever they were all thinly cIaa,
thousands were barefooted, not one in
twenty had an Overcoat or blanket,
many hundgeds were without shirts and
hundreds were without blouses. One
Sibley tent and one 4 tent were
furnished to each squad Of one hun
dred; with the closest CrOwding these
sheltered about half the prisoners. The
rest burrowed in the ground, crept I'M
der the buildings, or shivered through
the night in the open air upon the frozen
ground If the rebels, at the time of
our capture, had not stolen our shelter
tents, blankets, clothing and money,
they would have suffered little from
cold If the prison authorities had per-
mitted them, either on parole or under
guard, to cut logs within two mSes of
the prison, the prisoners would gladly
hail oh, l..
week. But the commandant would not
consent; he did not even furnish one
half the fuel needed.
The hospitals were in q horrible con-
ditiOn more than half who entered the
hospitals died in very few days. The
deceased always without cofiins, were
loaded into the dead carts, piled on
each other like logs of wood, and 50
driven out to be thrown into a trench
TO be covered with earth. The rebel
surgeons were generally humane and at
tentive, and eudeavored to improve the
shocking condition of the hospitals
but the Salisbury and Richmond ap-
thorisies disregarded their protests. On
November 25, many of the prisoners had
been without food for forty-eight hours
and were desperate, without any ma
may as well die in one way as another;
lee us break out of this horrible place.
Some of them wrested the guns from a
relief Of fifteen rebel soldiers. Just enter
ing the yard, killing two who resisted.
and wounding five or six others. and at
tempted to open the fence, but they had
neither adequate tools or concert of ac-
ton. Before they could effect breach,
every gun OF the garrison was turned on
them, the field pieces opened with grape
and canister and they soon dispersed TO
their quarters. In five minutes from its
beginning the attempt was quelled, and
hardly prisoner was to be seen in the
yard The rebels killed in all sixteen
and wounded sixty. Not one-tenth of
the prisoners had taken par& In the at
tempt, and many of them were ignorant
Of it until they heard the guns.
Deliberate, cold-blooded2 murders OF
peaceaole men, where there was no pre-
LeLc9 that they were breaking prisono
iie8ulauonS, were very frequent. Oar
ilVes were never safe for one moment
ANY sentinel, ato cav time of dav or
night, Guld deliberately eboCsa -, W
any prisoner, or fire into s,yronn or 80
oners, black or white, and would ne,,o,
pc taken on his post for it. | left abon+
sixty,flve hundeed men in the garrison
and they were then dying at the average
rate OF twenty-eight per day, or thirteen
per cent. per month. The simple truth
IS, that the rebel authorities are mur-
oeTlng our soldiers, at Salisbury, with
cold and hunger. They are doing this
systematically and, believe, are KillinD
them Intentionally, for the purpose eth.
ef OF forcing our Government to an ex-
change or forcing our men into the rebel
army. Ao'ei
ROANOKE ISLAND, Jan, 26.
we learn that g large HumB7r of Union
rElisoneTs have been brought fr2sn
.hS'. 70 Salisbury n c., to prevent
neiF iecapture by Gen. Sherman II ;o
SHiu the rebels avg becoming more in.