The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-02-15
rercised toward our innocent and unof-
snlrncr D-iSona-s


guard confessed tha; they had seen the iu-
sIilveS. bur supposed that they were their
own men stealing the boxes Tie tanuel
after running under the street. had is out
let near where the boxes were piled up"
All through the winter and late Into
tie spring. was this suffering. Chiefly from
hunger prolonged There IS evidence or
is continuation even SO la.e Is the month
II May last"
/ surgeon Ferguson. who vas confined
there at that lime, gives q most pa.nia.
picture Of what he saw"
No one can appreciate without expert
ence, tie condition Of the officers IL the
/ prison during the twelve days OF my stay
/ their faces We're p.nchel with hunger. I
have seen an officer standing by the window
Z gnawing bone Ike a dog I asked him
7 What do you do IL for" His reply was
/ II will help Ill up"
They were constantly complaining o.
hunger. There was q sad and Unsuitable
+ expression Of face impossible 10 describe"
There i no suffering 20 be mentioned
greater than that OF the slow and lingering
pains OF famine. except X be. perhaps The
agouies Of absolute death from hunger
but Of this no Libby evidence was collect
ed. The description OF Libby life might
therefore end at this point, SO far as having
reached the climax OF all possible misery
on the one hand, and OF all possible bar
harity on the other. But the testimony de-
velopes still other instances OF cruelty
which NAV as well he introduced here. in
order 10 show the animus OF the confede-
rate authorities.
1t is stated that for offences. whether
trivial or serious. the prisoners were con-
signed 10 cells, beneath the prison. the
walls OF which were damp, green. and sli-
my. These apartments were never warm
ell. and often so crowded that some were
obliged 10 stand up all night Il was in
these dungeons that the hostages were
placed
But tho inhumauity was not confined 20
the living. Il extended even 20 the dis
pOsal OF the dead The bodies were placed
IN the cellar. 10 which the animals Of the
street had access, and very Ogien were part
y deyouTed hy hogs, dogs and rats. The
officers had the curiosity 10 mark tic cOf-
fine in which they were carried of. 10 find
ont whether they were buried in them
But they proved to be only vehicles for bear
ing them away, returning score OF times
for others"
Speaking Of the indescrbahle suTerings
or the ten thousand men who we're confined
Is prisoners upon Belle Isle in the James
river this Committee use the following lan-
guage:
The men res0rtcd 90 every expedient 10
keep from perishing- They lay in the ditch
IS as the most protected places, heaped up
on one another. and lying close together as
one OF them expressed IL, like hogs in WIN
ter, taking turns as 10 who should have the
outside OF the row. In the morning the
row OF the previous night was Married bv
the mOtiOneSs forms OF those who were
sleeping on in their last sleep'-frozen 70
death
Every day, during the winter season.
numbgrs we're conveyed away stiff and
stark. having fallen asleep in everlasting
cold. Some Of tho men dug holes in the
sand in which 10 take refuge. All through
the night crowds Of them were heard run
Ming up and down 20 keep themselves from
freezing And this fate threatened them
even more than it wOuld have threatened
most men exposed 10 an equally severe TEN
peratgre. even with such thin clothing and
inadequate shelter for they were starving
The very sustenance OF animal heat was
withheld and one OF the most urgent Occa-
, sions OF hunger, a freezing temperature.
which makes the bodily necessarily stronger
and the appetite for food greater, was Civ
en full opportunity 10 make havoc am0nE
them. 30 the last STAY and power Of re-
sl>lance Was taken away; the cold frOze
them because they we're hungry; tho hun
yer consumed them because they were cold
These two yultures irl upon ther vitals
and no one in the southern cOufederacy had
The mercy or the pity 10 drive them away
/ Only once was there heard a voice Of indiE-
uant remOnstrance in the rebel congress
from 4 noble hearted statesman. but IL was
heard with Indifference, and brought about
no elevation"
"The surge rs, themselves. were unani-
nous in their opinion as 10 the cause of
their condition. not only from the uniform
story OF the men. but from the character
siics Of the different diseases, the reveia-
tlOns OF the post mOgtem examination, aud
especially and most cOnciusively OF al, the
invariable treatment which proved most e.-
fcaciOus namely. not medication. but sim
pie nutrition and stimulation.
They all agreed in attributing tie con
diti0n OF the men 10 one OF more Of the
following causes. deprivation o! clothing
f insufficient food, In quantity and quality,
want OF fresh air on account Of OvercrOwd-
ing; consequent and unavoidable unclean-
llness, want Of adequate shelter during tne
fall and winter; and mental depression, the
natura! result Of all"
The committee discuss the question
whether the rebel authorities possessed the
means necessary 10 the proper support AID
supply Oi our prisoners in their hands, and
this IS the language they use:
Il has been said and has been the gen
eral impression that the rebel government
was itself embarrssed Tor want II supplies.
that IL own soldiers were naked and hun
gry, and that even the prison guards shared
The provisions OF the prisoners.
1T Will be noticed that this excuse. ur-
ged strenuOusly by their friends, aud halt
accepted br every one disposed 70 be mode
rate aud just at-er all, only accounts for q
small portion OF lie conduct 0f tie rebels 10
their captlyes.
Why were they robbed q their private
property; The money, aud the few triukets
= man usually carries with him, Or II this
was lie uncomfortable habit Of q Wild sold
iery. Why was il the regular proceeding Of
tbe Libby authorities Oh the entrance Of an
officer. Why was l. of.ea done with brutal
violence, when the person undergoing tie
process eXpOstulatel7
80 By whose conniyance were the supplies
Of food and clothing sent from the North
stolen. By whose neglect. or by whose
order. were they withheld in immense ouau-
titles from men palpaDly starving and free
zing.
How Is L that-af-er three years Of
war. during which everything military has
grown colossal and correspondingly com
plere, with them as with us-that 10 exten-
sive barracks. even of the cheapest and
iraiest Kind, Offering. a. least. space %
move il. and Shelter rom the weather. we're
not erected; but that open eucampments.
or city warehouses TOO small for such occu-
patton, continue IL use 10 this day,
70 How Is i that even under such circum
stances, s1ppos!ng them f0r some reason
unable % have none better. they made rules
circumscriblng the prisoners stil further,
exposing them 10 the poison u foul air,
generated by unavoidable personal unciean
-ness, and " the equally unavoidable ac-
cumulatlOn Of nth under certain conditions
Of disease. for which either 10 provision
was made or II made they were cap-.ci-
ous.y prevented from using"
The committee 90 OF 70 say:
These are developments Of the testi-
fv M means rA-U -