Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-10-12
he Wfrz Trial.
PROCEEDINGS TO-DAY.

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| H T
The trial of Capt. Wirz was resumed TO- dav.
the Court having on Saturday adjourned till
this time, in order to afford the counsel an
| opportunity to prepare the defense, Cant
Wirz appeared in better health than last week,
but still lies on the sofa, near his counsel
evidence certain letters written by Captain
| Wirz. Letter No. is dated June s, 1864, and
addressed to Capt: Shipman, Adjutant Of the
quality of the bread, the insufhciency ofrations
and the scarcity Of buckets for issuing rations
| and asking a correction of the evils.
| Judge Advocate objected to the letter as evil
| dence. .
Letter No. is dated at Anderson willie, Feb
| ruary 25, 1865, and addressed to Capt McPhail
| a.: a. u. 1t mentions the great number of
paroled prisoners at that place without shoes,
and asks for authority to draw shoes from the
| quartermaster for them, or to get leather for
| This was also objected to, and the objection
The Judge Advocate introduced a photo
| graph of sketch of Andersonyille and its
surroundings, made by an engineer, Mr.. Snee-
den.
MIR. Baker said that when the prosecution
closed 1t was mentioned that other evidence
might afterwards be put in against the accused
he asked that the prosecution might now be
required TO close their case altogether by pro-
dueing all their evidence. The Government
had in previous cases permitted the defence to
wait for the final conclusion of the prosecu.
ton, and now, as they Were so near through,
the defence wished to have the balance of the
The Judge Advocate said he had subpnnaed
witnesses, whom he expects here in q few days,
ance to the prisoner, but bearing on the charge
of conspiracy.
Col. +. G. BuGn sworn:-witness resides near
Richmond, Va, and during the last two years
was Lieut.. Colonel in the Subsistence Depart.
ment Of the Confederate States. His duties
were those Of Assistant Commissary General.
a inn fhnrn
scarcity OF provisions, and steps were taken
with great earnestness to procure a sufficient
amount Of supplies for the inhabitants The
scarcity increased to the point Of privation
from nearly all supplies. Coffee meat and
flour became very deficient Gen. Lees army
at the close of the war was living on cornmeaI.
They had 10000 barrels of -four stored In Rich
mond for Lees army when the campaign Of
the Rapidan opened, and all that flour was
used by the Federal prisoners. Gen. Lees
army then commenced using eornmeal brought
from Georgia. Gen. Lee also complained of
the suffering OF his army from the lack of
vegetables, and the only thing they could get
muda. The privations on the part of the in
habitants of Richmond were great Hospitals
at Richmond had to rely in great measure
on the contributions Of private individuals.
The causes of privation were-1st That the
southern States had to depend on importations
of meat for supplies. I'd. The deficiency of
ton Of the currency. The principal cause of
the inefficiency of the railroads was the sue;
cession of raids by the Federal troops. In the
spring Of 1862, when the Confederate army was
Withdrawn from the Penins ula, the meat "a
ton was reduced TO one. third OF pound; and
when the army was wintering along the Rap
idan the meat ration was reduced to ofle-o mar
ter of pound. The -four and bread ration
was equally reduced, and in many instances
the rations were SO inferior that the authori-
ties Were compelled TO ship coffee through the
blockade for the men, so as to make the rations
palatable. There was always a struggle be-
tween the citizens and the army for supplies,
and the prison hospitals, with their own, al.
ways had the preference The rations of the
well prisoners were the same as those issued
to their guards. The wagon transportation
was also very insufficient, and in the last wear
of the war they had nearly entirely abandoned
their railroad system Of transportation The
most serious interruption was that of Kautz's
raid on the Danville road, when the army at
Richmond was cut of for "a days from sup
plies, with only nine days rations Of flour
After Sheridan's raid up the valley all sup
plies had to be brought from Georgia, wit
ness knew nothing about the condition of the
subsistence department at Anderson Vile; WAS
familiar with the treatment of prisoners at
1854 Witness did not know that any of their
troops died from actual star vation, but great
numbers did lose their lives from the scarcity
and bad quality of their rations. The prison.
ers at Richmond were sent TO Anderson willie
because Of its being in productive region.
When rations became SO scarce, the rations of
prisoners, their guards, and all officers and
soldiers on light duty, were smaller than those
of the troops in the field, and the commandant
OF the prison at Anderson vile could not have
increased the prisoners rations without vio-
Robert S. Kellogg, witness for the prosecution.
cross-examined by Mr.. Baker:-Witness was a
part Of the summer of 1854 prisoners were ar
irving at Anderson vile at the rate of about
tlaS per day; Never heard Of Captain Wirz
Understood that Captain Wirz was cowardly
and brutal. Prisoners supposed that he as
commandment OF the prison was responsible for,
nfbQr ari1 ~
fered = - - = ~ ~
By the Judge Advooate:-Witness had seen
prisoners brought in who had been robbed out
side the prison before coming in.I II /
M0JT s. Il. French, OF the Confederate Com
mlssary Department, testified in corroboration
of the testimony of Col. Ruffin.
DR.. g. g. Roy, witness for the prosecution
Cross -examined-Witness was on duty in the.
hospital at Anderson vile from September 1854
till the abandonment OF the prison. Never
heard of Captain WIrz taking men away from
the hospital except to parole them or to do some
particular work, such as shoemaking and the
like. Never heard while at Anderson vile of |
Captain Wirz beating or killing man. Knew
that Captain Wirz was sick nearly all OF the
month of September, 1854
Capt. j. ". ARMSTRONG, of the Confederate
on duty at Andersonviile from the 3lst of |
March to the 2lst of August 1854, and then
again from the 18th of December till the col
lapse Of the rebellion. Witness issued one
third pound of bacon, one pound corn meal,
and peas or beans as q ration, with six gallons
OF syrup to each one hundred ratfons, tc'the
prisoners. Inspections Of the rations We're
sometimes held, when great portion of them
were In ariably condemned. Witness had great
difficulty in getting Sations from the commis-
sary building to the steckade, in consequence
Of the lack of wagons. They also had very
little store room, and could not keep on hand
more than two or three days raaions., Captain
sWirz was sick in JHfy, 30 as TO be delirious.
Never heard Of OohJederats soldier getting q
furlonsh, for shootdpg apriseners Newer hfnrd
Of Captain Wirz shooting, or beating a man.
HIsT0RY OF THE HETECTIyE SERVICE,
We understand that General L. q. BAkep
Chief Detective OF she, War Department., is
about 70 publisha fun history q the Deeosds