Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-02-09
RUTLAND HERALD.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARYg2, 1855.
Affairs nj Annapolis.
COR pARoLRp PRISONERS AND rHKIR
NURSES, CHRISTIAN AND SANITARY
COMMISSIONS, Ere,


COMMISSIONS, Etc,
The following letter, written by Rev.
B. d. Ames, Field Secretary Of the
Christian Commission, has been sent us
for publication
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 23, 1850.
"Ihaye looked il upon Annapolis, and
seen for myself some of the traces ofrebel
barbarity in the emaciated forms ofnum-
bers of our starved paroled prisoners.
But few, however, remain there, as most
of the eleven thousand paroled In No
vember and December last have been
transferred TO other hospitals, have
gone home on furlough, or to their last,
long home, three hundred and sixty-six
having been buried from Naval School
Hospital alone in the month OF Decem-
Der. During the same period large
number also died at st. Johns Hospital
and at Camp Parol, two miles distant
Forty, sixty, and at one time as many
as seventy, have been buried at single
funeral. ] visited the dead-house at
Naval School Hospital, in company with
Rev. II. c. Henries, the very efficient
Chaplain, where we found fourteen
bodies in their plain collins, awaiting
burial, all Of whom had died within
four or five days And thus the mortal
ity continues nearly two months after
they began TO arrive at Annapolis, and
when but three hundred remain in this
hospital.
Although the worst cases, Of course,
terminated fatally long since, it seems
incredible that men could be reduced to
more perfect Skeletons and still retain
the breath of life. examined one large
man whose upper arm could clasp with
nay thumb and finger, and lap them con-
siderably at that Others were in SINH
lar condition. One had his knees so
doubled with scurvy sores that he had
been unable to straighten them for more
than two months. Others not so ema-
clated are pursued by chronic diarrhea
or other malignant diseases, occasioned
by their prison experiences, which they
escape only by death,
RBPREHENsIBLE CONDUCT OF Suffers.
But the rebels are not alone RESPONSE
BILE for all the deaths that have occurred.
Avaricious suffers and mistaken friends
Of the soldiers must bear their share of
the responsibility. 1t is asserted that
at least fifty men have died from the eff
fects of eating food improper in kind or
quantity which they had purchased of
the suffers Men able to be about would
buy and eat cheese, raisins, &c, and in
a few hours be carried to the dead
house. II suffers, like rCnsellers, are
determined to enrich themselves, even
at the price Of blood, why will the sur
geons in charge tolerate them
CHEERING ASPECTS.
There is one cheering aspect to this
scene of iniquity and woe. Most of
these victims of mans inhumanity to
man are sustained and comforted by
the christians hope. Some were con-
verted before entering the army, some
in the army, and Others found the
Savior in that prison-house of death,
the Andersonville stockade. They have
no murmurs at their hard fate, no i'm
precautions upon their tormentors, but
in the sublime, forgiving spirit Of their
Master, and of st. Stephen the first Of
the illustrious army Of martyrs to which
they belong, they implore forgiveness
for their murderers.
REMARKABLE CASE.
met with one very interesting case
/. l.. Garritt, Of the 10th Indiana regi.
ment, was one of the most emaciated
men that saw. 1t was he whose arm