The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-08-25


to to read by General Wilson'S Adiutant General;
returned it; this was about the LIST of Nav won't be
certain; again saw the letter WITHIN week or i"o
delivered 10 me by General Wilson's Adju;ant Gene
raj; put into my pocke aud brought il 10 Wa'hng-
ton; gave it 10 Gen Townsend the Assistant AdJiant
General Of the army never saw it asn until yester
day. ! do no, know whether II is ~ captain "'r~s
Handwriting OF not
ExAaISATIoN or O. c. GisGs.
G G. Gibbs, having been sworn sAid--He had been
In the army Of what called the Confederate
Stntes 60, ernmont; hc resided n Anoersonvie; he
dniy there ds connandant OF the post ~
Camp sumter tan order was shown 10 bm which
he neo nlzed Us the ore nal one tssigplng MN 70
duty is GaioG October 1864 and signed 10y General
John H. Wnder witness also ldenliiied pass IN the
handwriting OF Captain Wirz, who ~as the commander
Of the prison ~ Ande esonvie.l The witness had no con
trol hr pr On WrI had control exclusive of him;
Wrz was IA conmaud of me prison when he went there
~ the absence Of the witness sometimes Wrz 'oIn
mandcd ibc post he did NOT learn whether the prisoner
granted furloughs The witness visited the prison
before he assigned TO ,hc post-abou the middle OF
August last he saw that the prisoners were very much
crowded did not in but could the interior OF The
stockado from tie battery; he never saw so many
together the same space in his life
il was more ike ant hill than anything
else; the surgeons or the prison hospital received
their orders from Captain wrz and he had those
issu them: the only instance Of punishment that
he witnessed tat Of man who failed TO report the
escape of prisoner; the man was put in the stocks
little while until the surgeon interfered dead ne
established; he did not know whether Wirz had
anything do with its construction; the object OF the
dead line to keep prisoners from approaching the
stockade the stockade built Of hewed timber pro-
jectng from the ground ten eleven feet and enclosed
seventeen
the centre Of IT. the stockade was surrounded
by several batteries; there were guns on only
two Of the four sides; it was built as well
for the security Of the prisoners as 70 defend
the place; there were twelve-pounder howitzers
and sixpounder guns and perhaps some rife pieces;
there outer stockade, and ways leading from
battery to battery the witness walked into the prison
often the prisoners at the time were comparative
ly few-sx thousand or seven thousand; they
badly of for clothing and shelter the accused told him
that twelve or thirteen thousand prisoners had died
there some time in the spring. wrz was In command OF
thraa thotxso
oners subsequently confined there; witness
knew General J. II. Winder who was at An
he commanded the military prisons east Of the Mlsss-
sipp river; Winder and Wirz were both at Anderson
vile together shortly after the witness went thither;
Winder left; witness knew Richard B. Wnder who was
qrartermaster al one time on duty at Andersonvle;
he found duty there in October 1884 Captain Law
son. who quartermaster; witness knew Joseph
White he a surgeon at Andersonvle; W. S Wlnder
captain and his fathers assistant adutant and was
also on duty at Andersonvlle but left there; r. Ste
venson after White left, was surgeon at that place;
he there till the senior surgeon came in the two
Captains winder located the Andersonville prison.
baby about the commencement Of November or Decem
ber 1885, dogs were kept at the prison intended for the
tracking of escaped prisoners they were subsised on
food furnished by the comissary they were mustered
in The horses; named Dunn had them in
charge; the witness did not know what has become OF
him. he saw the instrument called the socks the PR
sOner never told him the use OF them; Wirz told him,
however, of the ball and chain, and he had heard the
prisoner at the bar speak OF The chain gang and that
there had been such n one
Cross-ex examined by Mr. BAKEr-The witness said that
he thought he went to hndcrsonvle the 10th or 18th
Of October last and remained there until the 10th OF the
ensuing April Wirz there all that time, excepting
days the witness Wirz superior in rank
In many respect Wirz was under his command but 80
far the prisoner was concerned he wGs not he knew
there food enough to feed ALL the raons served ia
the troops and the prisoners were 'qul he could not
tell exactly what the ration was: he did not remember
his ration; the ration however, nclrdcd meat
meal teas you call them bean molasses and floor
made daily witness d Il not know Of any charge in the
ration the quality oi The ration nnsouni board
of survey could have be"n summoned 10 condemn II.
General WAILAcS sad IL vas understood that the wit
the stand was :Or the defence.
Mr.. BiKsa--lf so, we dismiss hin
Judge Advocate CHpsAN-rhis witness sas snbp9nacd
by the defendant
Mr BAKrn--But put The stand by the de
fendant When we come TO cr,as.cxamne the witness
we are not be told that he Is to considered
It is arbitrary ard contrary o the books We are
not To he switched on and told the witness is DO
you not know 90 the wiiness that Captain Wirz com
planned to the Board on account OF bad ioOdS
Judge Advocate CnuNAs objected
The Court, after dclifrotiOn with closed doors sus
tanned the objection.
Major General WALLACE remarked the unders andng OF
he Court that when the question asked a. to
he ration the counsel Tor The tic endant adopted the
witness their own; hut for that understanding the
'onr would not have permitted HE intcora'ory TO he
made.
Mr. BAKxn--Then strike out all questions asked
since?
Major General wirLAr--You cannot strike out any.
ihins military conri.
NJ BAKsR--wc canno, allow ourselves to he en-
trapped
most respectful kind IL there Is entaiping il Ii
not the part of The Cour. ] am O. opinion 1t Is ms
take or the counsel sor he defence.
Nr BAKga-In my mud ! eau conceive how tho
Judge Advocate would make use OF It
Tho cross examination was resumed by Mr. Baker
The said the dead line established prcyio =
To Lis going To Andersorvile He did not know of Cap
tain Wrz ehootng anybody at The dead line, did he
know Of WIZ giving an oricr 10 execute any one Tie
dogs spoken o ad rnc to the prison the ord
nary farm plantation dogs, not biopdounds; pethaps
there were no more thau ,lx OF seven OF them they
keu IN "A m rn q
prison He Believed they part aud par
Gel of the pr son discipline Re did not
know by whose orders they kept Tur-
had charge Of thom aud was acting under the
orders Of WIZ: he never knew of Wirz usns them HIM
self Turner detailed soldier; the doss little
middle sized and Big he did not know whether they
icrooous. The witness was further crosseSam,ned
TESTIMONY ov pW. JOHN g. BATES.
Dr John G. Bates testified substantially as follows:
Have resided four ise in Georgia: have been
practitioner OF medicine since 1850 was an s',inc
sistant surgeon. called contract surgeon, y
there September ~. 1894 and IA thore March
% [fhe witness here was shown and iden-
ssd asa pas, gwen Sr oy espan Wrz ,o9er r. Il.
port to j. White The surgeon In Charge hut hearing
he injured by railroad accident reported 10 r.
Stevenson going into ward Fitie of that hospital
number Of and was rather shocled; many "
them were lying partially naked dirty and ousy IN the
sand: others were crowded together IN suail tents
the latter unscrvl lceable at the hest: eS
amined all who were placed In my charge on further
investigation Of matters to make myself acquainted with
st first made or less az was he
coming familiar with the effects OF misery in.
CURED into the rations and talked about them felt
disposed 10 do my duty aud aid all the sufferers could
they frequently asked ms for teaspoontul
of -sli. or for orders for a little sitting thst
came out Of meal, they wanted to make
bread " found something better than sffinss
orered 1t l spent considerable OF my time in writing
odcfs be meat ration cooked In different part of
the hospital; the men wonld gather round aud ASH
| for bone; OF clothing We had none the living were
supplied With the clothing OF those who died there
profile crop OF vermn aud lice understood the term
"iousyn from PRISON experience retiring from the
hospital examined myself; " wac impossible for a
surgeon to isavs there without bringing some with him
~ To medical atiendsDce, found the destitute aud
OF clothing ond bedding of fuel there only partial
supply the orcer Of the day shortly after arrived
there Wa. in supreme command, and II my business
70 fcctify snythng wrong; found the men as general
thing destitute, partly naked, sck and diseased their
disposition was only 10 get something 20 cat they asked
orders for potatoes biscuits sifings or meal aud
| other things The following morning sat down and
msde report on the condition Of thugs found "a The
| hospital The report Was sent up Being novice for
some Of the things said received written prnsnd