Weekly Trinity journal., 1865-03-11
Attempted Escape of our Soldiers from the
Gal.sbury Prison.

The following is the testimony given before
the Committee on the Conduct OF the War by
Albert D. Richardson
was captured by the rebels May 3, 1863, at
midnight, on q hay bale in the Mississippi river,
opposite yicksburg. After confinement in six
different prisons. was sent to Salisbury (N. c.,
February ;, 1861, and kept there until December
IS, 1861, when escaped. For months Salisbury
was the most endurable prison had seen. There
were six hundred inmates. They were exercised
in the open air, comparatively well fed and kind
ly treated. Early in October, ten thousand reg
ular prisoners of war arrived. Our treatment
Immediately changG into q scene Of cruelty and
horror. The prison was densely crowded rs
tions were cut down and issued very irregulary !;
friends outside could not even send in plate of
food the prisoners suffered constantly, and often
intensely, for want of bread ana shelter; those
who had to live or die on prison ratOus always
suffered from hunger. Very frequently one or
more divisions of osc thousand men would re-
ccivc no rations for twenty-iour hours some
times were without a lnorsel of fool for forty
eight hours. few who had money would pay
from five to twenty dollars in rebel currency for
little loaf Of bread many, though the weather
was very inclcment and the snow frequent, sold
the coats from thei- bac:s and the shoes from
their fe.t
I was assured from authority entirely trust
t4ldI y great COilii1SS.il NslSuOttSt
near t,c prison was filled with provisions that
the comm!ssa-y found it diilicu!t to find storage
fo- his -four and r,cai that when subordinate
asked the post commandaut. Ma John II. Gee,
% Shall give the prisoners full rations? he re-
piled, 10 ! Cd d-n them. quarter rations.
know from personal observations that corn and
pork are very abundant in the region about sal
isbury. Fer weeks the prisoners had no shelter
whatever. They were all thinly clad Thousands
vre-a In cd not in twenty had an over
coat or a blanket many hundreds more without
biouses. One Sblcy tent and one - - tent
were furnished to each squad Of one hundred ;
with the closest crowdiug these sheltered about
half the prisoners. The rest buried in the ground
crept under the buildings, shivercd through
the nights in the open air upon the hard, frozen
ground.
If the rebels at the time of our capture had
not stolen our shelter tents, blankets. clothing
and money. We would not have suffered from
cold. If the prison authorities had permitted us
on parole under guard. to cut logs within two
miles of the prison, We would have gladly built
comfortable and ample barracks in one week.
But the commandant would not consent He did
not even furnish one-half the fuel needed.
The hospitals were in a horrible condition.
More than half who entered the hospital died in
a very few days The deceased. always without
collins, were loaded into the dead cart, piled on
each other like logs of wood, and so driven out
to be thrown in a trench and covered with earth.
The rebel surgeons were generally humane and
attentive and endeayorcd to improve the shock
ing condition of the hospitals but the Sails
bury and Richmond authorities disrcgarcd the
protests.
On November 25th, many Of the prisoners had
been without fool for forty-eight hours. and
were desperate. Without any matured plan.
few Of them said :; We may well die in
way as another. Let US break out OF this horri-
bic place" Some of them wrested the guns
from {; relief of fifteen rebel soldiers just enter
ing the yard, killing two who resisted, and
wounding five six others, and attempted to
open the fence, but they had neither adequate
tools nor concert of action. Before they could
effect a breach every gun of the garrison was
turned on them the field pieces opened with
grape and canister, and they dispersed to their
quarters. In five minutes from its beginning
the attempt was queled. and hardly prisoner
was to be seen in the yard. The rebels killed.
in ell, sixteen, and wounded sixty. Not one
tenth OF the prisoners lad taken part in the at
tempt. and many of them were ignorant OF it
until they heard the guns
Deliberate, cold-bloodcd murders OF peaceable
men, where there was no pretense that they were
breaking any prison regulation, were very fire.
Guent. Our lives were never safe for one mo-
nlcn:. Any sentinel, al any hour of the day or
nigh: could deliberately shoot down any prison
er, OF fire into group of prisoners, black or
white, and would nerer be taken OF his post for
it. LETT about six thousand five hundred
naming in garrison December 18th, and they
were .hen DIVING .: the average rate of twenty
eight per da-, CT thirteen per cent. per month.
The simple truth is that the rebel authorities
are numbering our soldiers at Salisbury by cold
ard hunger while ;hcy might easily supply them
with ample food and fuel They are doing this
Systematically, and believe are killing them in
,entionaliy.for the purpose either of forcing our
Government to an exchange, or forcing our men
into the$ebel army.
TIL. FuaTs AT THE MOUTH OF TIE CoLUAnIA.
We learn from parties who have lately visited
the f,r;;iieasions at the mouth of the Columbia
river. that the work slready completed is of an
immense character. At Cape Disappointment,