Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-15
DAILY LEADER.
Latest Arrival sf Union Prison.
ers at Yaruna Landing on
the James.
Starvation and Wretehedness Of fhe
Men-Moseby Comes Down on tho
flag Of Truce Boat.
Q The james River correspondent Of the
Philadelphia Press thus describes the
EoEHEs AT THE LARD1sa.


Day before yesterday Varuna Landing
presented one of those scenes which are 30
frequent, and still more saddening st every
occurrence. It was the return Of about
one thousand Of our soldiers from the pris-
ons of the South. Some Of them came TO
Us ;striPt Of their clothing, which they
were forced to exchange for the gray rags
Of sons rebal rcf1sns. Others were al
most barefooted, a. they were compelled to
surrender their boots and shoes TO jeff
bAnditti, into whose hands they happened
to fall, and Wersobliged 70 accept the worn
out articles taken from the feet Of these
plundererF, or do without sny. They all
looked starved or sick, more or less, with
the exception of about five or six Of their
number, who happened TO be hospital At
tsndants while in rebelbem, who wers
charged by the men with having dealt un-
fairly with them Some Of our returned
heroes immediately proceeded TO square &C
counts with these nurses, and would have
handled them roughly had not the guards
interfered. The boys promise TO settle &C.
counts with them between here and An
nspolis.
TERhIBLE CONDITION OF THE PRISONERS.
No words could give an adequate idea Of
the suffering condition in which these priE-
oners were returned. They cana from
Cox 8 Landing, (where the rebel flag Of
truce boat Brought theml ACROSS fell the
distance Of 9 mile, upon double-quIck.
Upon their arriving at Aikens' Landing,
where the flag of truce steamer New York
was moored, some of them in their destitu-
ton, forced open door in one Of AikenS
building, which is used as machine shop
for the repairs Of our iron-clgds and other
vessels of war In the smes river, where
they found half barrel of lard oil, which
they eagerly devoured. Salt beef and
pork Eers, given them by the sailors which
they, IN their starvation state, did not wait
TO cook, but rspaciously eat these articles
In their raw state. Uncooked corn and
beAns were snstehed up and psrtakea Of
sG IL they were luXuries. Lieutenant
North, commissary st this point, seeing the
hungry snd suffering state of our returned
prisoners, distributed Is much hard bread
as the surgeon of the New York deemed
prudent which they seized, officers not ex-
cepted, ike wild beasts, and ate with con.
siderable relish. After he emptied the
pieces on the ground they were picked up,
while three men went down upon their |
hands and knees and licked up from the
ground with their tongues the powdered
crumbs. OF the proportion of blankets
which were distributed among this thou
sand men, forwarded by our Government,
of which informed you in previous dis
patch, all but fifteen were Immediately ex-
changed for somsthing to eat, the men be-
lieving they could stsrd the weather better
than they could hunger. leave to the
Just indignation Of the loyal millions, the
necessary comments for this inhuman treat
ment of our captured troops.
Colonel Moseby, the. prince Of horse
thieves, came down upon the rebel flag Of
truce boat with our men, to observe, probA-
bly,, if there was an opportunity about
these parts for q new field Of operations.
He asked our soldiers who we're near by, if
they had any horseS here, and what were
their quality? To which they gave him
repiS beftting his profession. Bus some
of our osicers extended TO this recovered
and outlaw themost distinguish
ID consideration. he was furnished with
.igars and liquors, over which he and they
,huckled together.