The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-05-26

statssf have; was color sergeant in the regiment
state whether or not you were prisoner or war q
any timer A. Twas; was captured on the aSsh OF %
@ State how long after your capture you contnueda
prisoner Of and what point you were conhnedf
Five months and seven days; was confined At Belle
O What number Of prisoners confined with youf
When left there were about thirteen thousand there
they sPs in ssdn' .ns q
q Were they provided with any sheltsrf A. Some
Q What proportion Of themi A. Judge about ono
@ What kind Of treatment did you receiver 4 We
had about half enough food TO live on
O or what did the rations consistf A. There was
pounds Of meat served up TOT one nunoIed
Q What opportunities had you for cooking III A. It
O. What was the effect Of this system Of starvation
upon the health Of the mcnf A. It was very marked;
that island starved to death; than that the
bodies Of those who had died were allowed 70 io FOR
buried they would not allow us to bury them they laid
there 70 the best Of my knowledge from seven 70 nine
Was that the subject Of remembrance on your parts
A. judge II was; spoke to the Lieutenant In charge
Of the prisoners the island and he told me he had
AsvSs
Turner.
Q You say that they positively refused You permission
favor to be allowed to bury the dead but was refused
Q. Did the men die in large numbcrsS A. helped TO
than that saw shot down without cause provo
q State whether the death Of these men was caused
manly by starvationf A. II was.
O. Was any proposition made by the prisoners 70 the
rebel authorities support themselves they should be
allowed to procure provsionsp A. think there was;
say for certain but there large number to
work in order to get something; numbers OF the men
O. You say that of these men in the dead Of
winter laid out at night the open sand without any
shelter from the weather or fuel to warm tnemi A.
ter; my ordinary weight 10 about one hundred and
seventy pounds, but when came home weighed only
think would have lived had stayed there month
Testimony OF william Bull.
By Judge Advocate HoLr-Q How long have you
been in the military service Of the United satess
g When were YOU captured by the enemy A. On
the 18th of May, 1854
Q How long were you prisoner A. About eleven
vile, Ca
O. How many prisoners Of war were there at the time
Of your confinement A. think that altogether there
were in the neighborhood Of thirty-two thousand.
state what % treatment they received from the rebel
was very poor indeed; they had no shelter whatever
but were compelled to live in swamp; their blankets
@ You say they were compelled To live in swamp,
A. Yes, sir the encampment was In O swamp.
Q. Had it any shelter A. No shelter whatever
Q. State whether there woodland In that vicin-
ityS A. Yes sir there was splendid pine wood around
@ State the character Of the rations served out A.
Well sir, every morning when the wagon came around
there would be served out to each half pint Of
corn meal two ounces Of bacon and half spoonful
sat- this was all the rations for twenty four hours
Q What was the character Of the bacon' A. well It
q. Was it rancid or rottens A. Yes sir; once in
while we would get hold Of good piece, but not very
O. What was the effect Of this treatment on the health
Of the prisoners II was very harfu and killed them
oh the largest number OF deaths In any day
as my recollection goes was one hundred and thirty
@ Was It not understood then that most Of these
deaths were occasioned by Starvation A. It was.
@ Was any remonstrance addressed to the rebel
there
@ Did you hear any statement the subject from the
O What did they sayf A. They said they did not care
q damn whether the Yankees died or not.
@ DO you remember whether man by the name OF
Howell Cobb formerly Secretary of the Treasury Of the
United States visited AndersonvileY A. do he made
q speech there; think some time in February.
@ DO you remember the of that speech, what
he said in reference TO the prisoners? A. He made
very bitter remarks do not recollec the exact terms
q Were they in support of the policy which had been
pursued in the treatment OF prisoners otherwise?
He said that the best they could do for hem-mean
ing the prisoners; that If the authorities looked after
them little more probably they would fare better; he
only said few words, and did not seem to much
about the prisoners.
You say the died at the rate OF from one hun
dred 10 hundred and hfty n dsyY A. think that
the day which the arg st number Of deaths occurred
was on the 1lth OF September, when hundred and
thirty three of the prisoners died.
q You say they we're in the open SUM- was the heat
very Rrcar A. IL was very intense indeed.
O How was the waterY A. We were obliged TO drink
which had been made filthy In consequence of
garbage thrown into the creek above
q. Did you regard that accidental or the work OF
design A. do not know positively; the resels always
threw their waste matter and filth into the creeks about
and the men got up renonstrance the reply TO which
was that they did not care damn for the Yankees.
O. How was the treatment in the prison-were many Of
the men shoty A. Yes sir; when first went there in
June, many as six or eight day shot dead.
q Did II appear to you that they were shot
tnnncssY A. IL man got half foot over the dead line
or near IL, he shot; It said that they got "A
thirty days furlough for shooting Yankee.
@ Did you remember whether Howell Cobb referred
In his speech to rebel emssaries at the North who
en- aged in the work of firing Northern citiesS A. He
made some remark about plan u burn and plumber the
North; cannot tell what were the words us ID
Y What was the treatment OF prisoners who were
sick in the hoptasS A. IL was very poor indeed; they
got pitch pine pills for the diarrhea ptch pine pills for
the scurvy, and pitch pine pills for everything else
they did not get any regular medicine.
Y OF what were the pitch pine pills composed' A.
or little pitch pine; the stun that out OF the
trees there and little vinegar Ia a while the
patient would get little medicine, or something like IL
q Was any Of the money taken from the prisoners
returned to themY A. Not = cent
Q What was your experience In regard TO the taking
OF your clothes and money! A. When was first cap
Gordonsvc; they then took from me my blanket and
clothes and for nine months had nothing but pair
OF drawers and shirt; | then laid ON the open ground
for nine months without bit OF shelter.
q Was that the common experienced A. Yes SIR;
there thousands there In the nx the corpse
Of a who had died in the morning could ap-
preached by night within twenty feet and pitchforks
had TO be used 10 carry the body of to the trenches
By the CoURr-Q. Did you hear any given for
deprvng the prisoners OF their cothingS A. II be-
cause they needed II for their use; l would state
here that clothing sent there by government,
aud the rebel captain In charge the prisoners took
hmself this captain command OF the interior Of
the prison; Colonel Gibbs commanded the post
Was the quality OF the provisions served ont 10 you
such that man would not eat unless he In n
Ing condition. A. Yes, sir; would not think OF such
thing now but man In danger Of starvation might eat
them.
q Did you think II possible 10 sustain life for any
great length Of time such foodp do not thinkSa
man could do great while up the day left which
was The 24th OF March, sixteen thousand hundred
and wentyn five had died there was the number
taken from the books by myself
by Judge HoLr-Q What proportion Of those deaths
In iudon and fba az.