, 1865-03-09
UNION PRISONERS In TEXAS.
Their Treatment In the Hands OF the
Rebels


cAsr FonD, S1 sM1n c.. TIsEsxs4s'l TEA
Editors Chicago Tribune:
The undersigned, committee appointed
By the officers held as prisoners Of war at
Camp Ford, near Tyler, Texas, hereby sub
NIT to the people and authorities Of the
United States. candid statement of the
condition and treatment Of prisoners conan-
cd ut this place during the past twelve
months. Camp Ford, as prison camp, was
established In the fall Of 1858, upon the ar-
rival of Col. Lcnkc's command, captured at
Morcanza Bend some time in September,
1868. At that time the camp was nothing
more than blyouac in the woods, md the
gentlemanly and 1acctions officer in charge,
pointing to the shade of the trees, said:
*Gtptlemen these arc your quarters" !" and
so left them. The eufIcrings aud hardshIps
of these brave men we sha1l not detail, as 1t
has already been donct and the account pub
lished by one of the party. During the
months Of April, May and June, the victims
Of the il-fated Red River expedition to tho
number Of about four thousand arrived here,
and when counted were turned into this
stockade where no other preparation had
been made for their accommodation Than on
enlargement Of tue area to about seven acres;
aud when the pretended ration Of beef and
corn meal Was issued, all further consIdera-
tipu for their comfort was at IN end. For
long time no cooking utensils were issued,
nor was there wood to cook with, and the
| men ate their tough beef and corn meal half
cooked or raw, and laid themselves on tho
ground to sleep. with no covering but tho
SKY. Axes were scarce, and the supernume-
rnries so few In number, that but very lew
could get out under guard to procure materi-
81 to build shelters, and every conceivable
obstacle YVES thrown IN the way, seemingly,
to prevent quarters from being built, so that
| summer had come before all had procured
shades to shelter them from the hot sun aud
the rain. Wien TIE TIME :came for building
| winter quarters, the timber had been cleared
away for neASly hall a mile around the stock
/ ade, and the material for all the houses, with
a few exceptions, was carried in by the men,
and for the past three weeks there has not
been five wagon loads Of wood hauled for tho
| entire camp.
Though Texas is the land of plenty of rcb-
e,dom, We think We may justly complain Of
ne Iatl9ns; both Us to quantity and quality.
We have had corn meal (a.ways coarse and
often mustyl, TIC meal {with weaYil}, shelled
corn, and tw1ce flour "a qndrler oil pound
per mau)t Issued for breadstuffs For meat
they Issue fresh beef when they have it, OF We
do without. They pretend to Issue q pound
| ano quarter TO Inc mans out vary generally
IN the Issue from nothing to pound. OF
| salt We now get as much as We need. Cook
ing utensils were supplied to 3 very limited
extent during the summer. Previous to the
arrival of the United States clothing, the men
were very destitute. Nearly all Of them had
been captured without .heir knapsacks; all
were lightly clad, and after their capture hun
dreds were rcbbed Of oil but their shirts and
drawers. In short Time after their capture
these clothes were worn cut, and hundreds
ofmen could be seen, with theie bare backs
exposed to the scorching rays Of the summer
sun, Or to the equally dtssgreeable blasts Of
the Texan Northera; !" indeed the Mthy rags