Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-10-04
Trial q i Henry WHz.
WEDNESDAY, 0crOBER 4, 1865.
UHITBD STATES MILITARY. COMMISSION
gkN LEw. ALLArs, President,

y Ma Ma A a. HossKR, Judge Advocates
| The Commission assembled this morning at i
o'clock. All tho members present, the Judge
Advocate, and the counsel for the accused. s
The prisoner was brought In aud the record o
| Of yesterday read, after which s.'4t
A.. MEZNA .
having been sworn, testified Had been In til,
United States service as a member Of the l6tl
Connecticut regiment. Was prisoner ut Ander
sonville. Arrived there aud was placed unde
guard. The next morning Wirz came aud counted
the men OF In squads, aud thou put witness II
the stOckade. Amer remaining there some tint
witness was paroled aud sent 70 Capt. Wirl 7
ofiice as clerk. Had TO carry orders to the stock
ade, aud morning reports to Gen. wlnder's head
quarters. The acquisitions wore made out every
day. They stated the numbar VI prisoners insid'
the stookade and Of those on duty outJide th'
stockade. The quautisy OF rations was lef
blank. r. rr..-....
The commissary would see how many NOR
were pre- cent, and he would then know the mum
Der Of rations he bad TO furnish. Every morning
list was made out Of the number OF rations each
detachment hnd to get from the cook -honse. Wit
ness carried that list TO Duncan and left II with
him. Did not remember OF the rations being
stopped for the whole camp. They were some
times stopped In 4 squad when man was ro'
ported missing As soon as the Federal sergeant
turned. '1H they reported him escaped or sick The
rations were then returned Boxes from the
North arrived three times. Some were sent ny
the Sanitary Gommission, and some by the friepas
Of the prisoners. Witness saw many boSos ont
side the stoekade.. One of the clerks told him
those boxes were for men who could not be'found
or had died. When the second lot Of boxes was
received Lieut Davis was in command, Hegayc
the contents Of the boxes to the men outside the
stockade. There was about 80, 900 prisoners IN
side the stockado at that time
The third lot Of boxes was received In Novefn =
bef They cont.iued blankets aud clothing
l.lra 80 tl.. ~
office. He sent down for all the paroled mon
about 10. Every one Of the paroled men got
whole salts Of clothes except Shoes. About 10
pairs Of shoes were received, aud he gave them
to those who were mot in need Of them. The
other things were turned over to the hospital
Had seeu some colored men get things, but not
all. Confederate Sergeant was In charge Of
the colored meu, aud ne came over and got some
clothing. There may have been thirty or forty
boxes belonging 20 prisoners who could not be
found Capt. Wirz had nothing to do with the
boxes after they were turned to the surgeons.
Witness sold pair Of pauts whiohlie had re-
ceived from Wirz 10 o GenfcdeI ate sergeant for
-, which he bought a blanket with. General
winder gave an order to search Stoneman 8 raid
ers. The boxes were searched to see that the y
contained no liquors Captain wiz gave Dun
can some tools, picks and shoyelS, so the prison.
ers could dig wells. He Rlso gave Duncan or
ders to provide The prisoners with barrels to put
down iuthe wells, TO keep TIC dirt from falling
in. Thsrerwas detail Of lJO men to cleau the
camp. It twa9ayey bard matter to obtain SHOW
els and picks. He finally succeeded In obtaining
about seventy Ave. II wAs u common thing to
some OF the tools broken. About forty or ifty
boys were IN the stockade. Captain Wirz re-
quested DR.. White totake them iu the hospital to
help the nurses or cooks. He said II he had his
way he would send those boys in the Union lines,
Ii was no use to keep them rs prisoners Of war.
They would only get sick and die.
Col 'Chipman objected to the declarations Of
wirE being offered in evidence, It being against
the rulings Of the court. ...''' '..
The objection, was sustained. . .Is
Witness resumed The boys were taken to the
hospital. On one occasion witness was sick with
the diarrh@a aud asked the doctor for some med :
icine The doctor said he had been sick with
the same disease himself, but had no medicine ;
but told witness to go and get blpekberries.
Witness did 10 aud was cured. Wirt gave al
order that these boys should go apd get black
berries for the sick; boys went and got them.
Witness afterwards understood that the nurses
made pies out Of them aud the sick got none.
DR.. White gave an order that the Ineu should all
be vaccinated. On one occasion mau was
brought before Wirz for refusing to be vacci-
mated. wirz said II was white who gave the
order and not him, and he had nothing to do with
it, and he didn't care d-n II the prisoners died
with 81, l-pox. '. .' '
: The chain .gaug was formed by order Of Cen.
winder. The man cdlled Freuohy, or L.. do, had
escaped seven times the last timo he was caught
and brought back his pants. We're torn from him.
Wirz was very muddy. The next morning he
was.brought out Of tho s.ockade by rebel SER
geant. Saw Freuchy afterwards al Annapolis
In the month Of June, Cant. Wirz sent an order
down to the stoekade to bring all tbe Fcdera
sergeants who had charge Of squads; they wero
brought out and taken TO Wirz' heldquar,ers.
wirz said he had heard they were goipg to make
au attempt to break out; and N they did, he had
been ordered BY Gel. Winder to Are upon them
with grape and canister. About the last Of July
Wirz was taken sick, Duriug the whole month
Of August Lieut.. Davis was Ia command In
September WirI came back; he could no. go on
horseback, because he was SO weak; an ambu-
lance carried him about. There was a special
exchange Of some sailors and soldiers; Wirz was
not there at that time. WirE' right arm was
crippled ho always had bandage on It: hc
could write with 1t; never saw him use his right
arm in any other way. o. y. t, ~
rebel sergeant was put under arrest aud sent
to the front to his re g;iment. The dogs were kept
opposite 10 the headquarters. witness went 10
the cook house and got his ration. 1t consisted
Of corn bread and bacon. Never received any
sanitary goods. Witness had an extra ration.
Sold It to Capt. Wirz for eighty cents per day In
confederate money, Was paid at the aud Of any
month. Never knew OF Rny man dying al Wlrz's
headquarters who had been bit,cl by the digs,
or of his having beaten, shot, or killed man
Mr. Baker asked the question: II such Il thing
had been done, was he not In such q relation to
the headquarters of Wirz that he would have
known OF the clrcumstahce.
Col. Chipmau objected. 1t was not proper tes-
timony. II was an opinion Of the witness, and
not to be placed against positive lest mony.
Ehe OOult huhthlDcd tho objection.
Witness resumed: Had seen prisoners arrive
there. Many OF them were stripped OF their
clothing. The stocks were not inside the prison
In July number OF wounded prisoners arrived.
Some Of the hospital attendants serenaded Capt
WirZ, DR.. Stevenson, and DR. White
Cross-examined Came to this country IN 1859
Came from Germany First time he enlisted got
300, GotSSoo State bounty, 800 county bounty,
aud $50 u s, bounty and promise Of $40 moro
the second time he enlist Fir.t enlisted on 9th
Sept. On 18th Dec, 1862, was Wounded Ailer
three months In hospital was discharged, after
having served six months Battered the second
time in February, 1864. Was captured at Atlan,a
with nine companies Of his regiment.
The first time witness wrote English was In
Campbell Hospital, at AndersOnviue. With,
wrote a letter to Wirz stating that he was c
man; could speak French, Italian or German.
Made no promise to WirZ only he would serve
him as q clerk. II Wirz had asked witness to do
things for the rebel Government he would have
refused. He was sworn soldier In the United
States service. Witness would serve Wirz as far
as he could consistently with his oath. Witness
any requlstions; sometimes made them out
under the direction Martin, the chief cle"k.
Witness did not carry the requisitiOn to Duncan
every day. Sold one Of his ratIons to get money
to buy vegetables. Witness went in the cook
house and helped himself Witness did not know
Of the rations for the whole camp being stopped
on the 4th Of July. Would have known II had
they been stopped. wirE did not stop the rations
often. He stopped them for squads.
Whom witness was inside, sometimes a man
would be reported sick the Confederate sergeant
would go with the Federal sergeant to see II tho
man was sick. WirE and Lieut. Davis both had
power to issue or stop the rations, No one else
was absent, some OF the clerks would order the
rations Martin signed for WirZ Witness IA