Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-06-27
PRICE: FIVE CENTS.

| ed and false, they deemed IL a sacred duty with
out delay, to present to the Confederate Congress
and people and 10 the public eye Of the enlfght.
ened world, vindlcaton Of their country and
TO relieve her authorities from the Injurious SIAN
ders brought against her by her enemies. With
these views, we have taken considerable
amount OF testimony bearing on the subject We
have sought 10 obtain witnesses whose position
or duties made them familiar with the facts testi
fled to, and whose characters entitled them TO fuIl
credit. We have not hestated 10 examine North
ern prisoners OF war upon points and experience
specially within their knowledge. We now pre-
sent the testimony taken by US, and submit a re-
port OF facts and inferences fairly deducible from
| the evidence from the admissions of our enemies
and from public records OF undoubled authority.
FAcrs AS TO SICK AND WOUNDED PRISONERS.
First In order, your committee will notice the
charge contained both in Report No. g." and
in the sanitary" publication, founded on the sp-
pearance AMI condition Of the sick prisoners sent
| from Richmond 10 Annapolis and Baltimore
about the last Of April 1864. These are the men,
some of whom form the subjects of the photo
graphs with which the United States COMPRESSION
| al Committee have adorned their report. The
| disingennous attempt Ia made In both these pub
| lications 10 produce the impression that these
| sick and emaciated men were fair representa-
tlves OF the general state OF the prisoners held by
tie South and that all their prisoners were being
rapidly reduced to the same state by starvation
and cruelty, and by neglect, i'll treatment and de.
NAL OF proper food stimulants and medicines in
| the Confederate hospitals. Your committee take
pleasure In saying that not only is this charge
proved to be wholly false but the evidence ascer
tans facts as 10 the Confederate hospitals in which
Northern prisoners OF war are treated, highly
creditable TO the authorities which established
them, and to the surgeons and their aids who
have so humaney conducted them. The facts
are simply these
The Federal authorities In violation of the car.
tel, having for long time refused exchange Of
prisoners, finally consented TO partial exchange
| ofthe sick and wounded on both sides. Accord.
| ingly, number Of such prisoners were sent from
| the hospitals In Richmond. General directions
| had been given that none should be sent except
those who might be expected 10 endure the reno
val and passage with safety TO their lives but in
| some cases the surgeons we're induced to depart
from this rule by the entreaties of some officers
and men in the last stages Of emaciation suffer.
| ing not only with excessive debility but with
" nostalgia" or home sickness, whose cases were
regarded as desperate, and who could not live If
| they remained, and might possibly improve il
| carried home Thus it happened that some very
| sick and emaciated men were carried TO
| Annapolis, but their illness was not the
result Of Ill treatment or neglect Such
| cases might be found In any large hospital North
or South. They might even be found in private
| families where the sufferer would be surrounded
| by every comfort that love could bestow. Yet
these are the cases which, with hideous violation
| of decency, the Northern committee have paraded
| in pictures and photographs. They have taken
their sick and enieebled soldiers; have strip.
ped them naked have exposed them before
| daguerrean apparatus have pictured every
shrunken limb and musce-and all for the pur.
| pose, not of relieving their sufferings but of
bringing false and slanderous charge against
| the South.
coYPEDERArE SICK AND WOUNDED THEIR CON.
| DITIoS WHEN RETURNED.
The evidence is overwhelming that the illness
of these FEDERAL prisoners not the result OF
| Ill treatment or neglect. The testimony Of Sur
| geons Semple and Spence, of Assistant Surgeons
| Tinsley, Marriott and Miller and OF the Federal
prisoners, f. p. Dalrympe, George Henry Brown
| and Freeman b. league, ascertans this 10 the
| satisfaction OF every candid mind. But in refut.
ing this charge, your committee are compelled by
| the evidence TO bring a counter charge against
the Northern authorities, which they fear will
not be 20 easily refuted. In exchange, number
| OF Confederate sick and wounded prisoners have
been at various times delivered at Richmond and
| at Savannah. The mortality among these on the
| passage and their condition when delivered were
| so deporabe as to justify the charge that they
| had been treated with inhuman neglect by the
Northern authorities.
Assistant Surgeon Tinsley testihes Il have
seen many Of our prisoners returned from the
| North, who were nothing but skin and bones
| They were as emaciated as q man could be to re.
tain life, aud the photographs (appended to Re.
| port No. 67O would not be exaggerated represen.
/ tatons OF our returned prisoners TO whom thus
allude. saw $50 of our sick brought in on lit.
ters from the steamer at Rockets. Thirteen dead
| bodies weIe brought of the steamer the same
| night At least thirty died in one night after
| they were received"
Surgeon Spence testiaes: Il was at Savannah.
and saw rather over three thousand prisoners re.
| ceyed, The list showed that large number had
died on the passage from Baltimore TO Savannah.
The number sent from the Federal prisons was
$780, and out Of that number they delivered only
| 3028, TO the best of my recollection. Captain
| Hatch eau give you the exact number Thus
| about 472 died on the passage. | was told that
81 dead bodies had been taken from one train Of
| cars between Elmra and Baltimore. After being
received at Savannah they had the best atten.
ton possible, yet many died In few days" "ln
carrying out the exchange OF disabled sick and
| wounded men, we delivered at Savannah and
Charleston about IL 900 Federal prisoners, and
their physical condition compared most favorsbly
| with those we received in exchange, although Of
course the worst cases among the Confederates
had been removed by death during the passage"
Richard II. Dibre merchant of Richmond
and a member OF the ambulance committee
whose labOrs in mitigating the suieriDgs OF the
wounded have been acknowledged both by Con-
federate and Northern men, thus testifes con.
cerning our sick and wounded soldiers at Savan-
nah, returned from Northern prisons and hospi-
i
| condition They were so enfeebled and emacia.
ted that we lifted them like little children. Many
of them were like living skeletons. Indeed,
there was one poor boy about IL years old who
presented the most distressing and deplOrable ap
| nearance ever saw. He was nothing but skin
and bone and besides this he was literally eaten
mn with vermn. lie died in the hospital in few
days after being removed thther nOtwithstand.
ing the kindest treatment and the use of the most
judicious nourishment. Our men were in so re-
duced O condition, that on more than one trip up
ON the short passage of ten miles from the trans
| ports 10 the city, as many as five died. The
| clothing of the priyates was IN a wretche state
| of tstters and filth" The mortality on the pas
sage from Maryland was very great, ss we'll 81
that on the passage from the prisons to the port
| from which they started. | cannot state the ex.
act number but think | heard that $500 were
started, and we only received about 3027."
| have looked at the pho ographs appended
| To Report No. Ct Of the committee OF the
Federal Congress, and do not hesitate to declare
that several of our men were worse cases Of
emaciation and sickness than any represented In
/ these photographs"
The testimony of Mr.. Dbrell is confirmed by
that of Andrew Johnston, also merchant Of
Richmond, and member of the ambulance
| committee"
| Thus It appears that the sick and wounded Fe-
deral prisoners at Annapolis, whose condition has
been made subject of outcry and Of wide spread
complaint by the Northern Congress, were not in
q worse state than were the Confederate prisoners
returned from Northern hospitals and prisons Of
which the humanity and superior management
| are made subjects of special boasting by the
| United States Sanitary Commission
CONFEDERATE HOSPITALS FOR PRISONERS.
In connection with this subject, your committee
take pleasure in reporting the facts ascertsined
by their Investigations concerning the Confede-
rate hospitals for sick and wounded Federal pri.
sopers. They have made personal examination,
and have taken evidence specially In relation to
Hospital No. g." in Richmond because this
has been made the subject Of distinct charge In
| the publication last mentioned. II has been
shown not only by the evidence Of the surgeons
and their assistants, but by that Of Federal pri
soners, that the treatment of the Northern pti-
soners in these hospitals has been everything
that humanity could dictate; that their