Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-09-01
The Win Trial.

r is wanted, the end can be soon reached
r There is enough evidence for that purpose
e already in. The many statements heretofore
| made by escaped or IarOled prisoners Of the
horrors of that murder pen. the Anderson
vile ssoekade, are fully confirmed by the
! sworn evidence already given. Take the
following statement of DIR. Burrows. as a
sample:
DR. Burrows, being sworn, testified that
he had served As physician TO the 9TH Mass
regiment; was taken prisoner ST Plymouth, aud
finally found his way to Andersonv lie, where he
was paroled by Capt. WIrz snd placed in charge
of two wards Of the hospital. He remained
there SIX months, till the month Of October.
when he made his escape, since which time he
bad prscticed medicine at home. When he went
10 Andersonville, there were SIX or seven hun
dred patients lying on the ground they were
partially naked, some had broken limbs and
gAngrene, scurvy, and chronic diarrhg4; nine
tenths Of the patients were lying on the ground,
while the others had Insult :lent shelter; Capt.
Wrz would say, when any prisoner escaped or at
tempted 10 escape, that he would starye every
damned iankee for such attempt the prisoner WAS
punishei either in the stocks or the chain gang;
the stocks consisted Of a frame work SIX ket
high with boards shut together, With ROM for n
mans neck; men thus fastened could stand on
their feet, when others merely touched the ground
with their toes; and the chain gang was some
times comp, sd of SIX men, and sometimes eign-
teen; they were handcuffei and chains passei
around their necks aud legs. d TO these chains
a thirty-two pound ball fastened; the gang
would be held together one or two weeks, the
men meantime being exposed 10 the suu aud rain,
uha ha1f fha aF4an .F
ing them he had no doubt Of the fact that
some died in consequence; another kind Of pun
ishment putting the feet IN stocks. the feet
I being elevated and the solid part Of the body
I lying on the ground: the witness never got from
[ Dr. White what he askei for. there always being
some eyasive answers; anti-scorbuties much
needed but not supplied lie proposed, but the
Z authorizes refused l. aliOw HIM 10 take men and
cut timber. which could have been procured teu
rods distant; hounds were kept near the hospi-
Z tai 10 get the trail Of escaping prisoners, who,
I when caught, were brought ba,k and put in the
/ stocks; the witness knew OF a case where a man
under such circumstances mangled in the
l face by one Of the dogs, but recovered; another
I case came under hi. observation; il was IN Au-
I gust OF s, ptember Of 1864, when Union prs
oner wounded by one Of the bounds; he
died indirectly from the bite but directly from
gangreue; he had seen Cap. Wirz on hor-eback
rect charge Of the dogs; be had heard Wrz or
der Sergeant Smith 10 start the hounds. as
somebody had got away; very IA &c sores had
! resulted frvm vaccination; the matter used MAS
| poisonous, and many deaths and amputstious I
! resulted; the Iatious when he went there Was
small-iwO ounces Of bacon q small pctatoe I
corn bread 1.-TWO ant half inches square,) no /
cotf,e, tea, sugar, four: sometimes there was /
little rice soup-a gallon cf rice in thirty gal /
Ions OF water; in July they got vsgetables-Eot I
a spoonful a day. The morals of the prisoners 4
we've corrupted by this cruel treatment Men 4
would steal from each other rorneihine to eat. ,
AMI would work among the filth even for pota-
toe psrngs or anything else A Union man in
his ward WAS shot within the hospital by a con-
frderate soldier. AMI wounded N the thigh. The /
limb was smputstrd, aud the man diei ne1t
day. When raid WAS e1 pected fm Fitzpatrick,
the witness heard Capt Wuz give All order TO
FIRE upon the prisoners if they hu1dlei together.
There were from thirty-three TO th rty-sx thou
sand prisoners there at the time /; and in the
month OF August, as appeared from the Off .ial
report, nearly three thousand died. On the re-
moving of the prisoners from Andersonville, one
Of them tell back. When the witness saw Capt
WiTf knock the man down AMI amp upon HIM
lhis was in September, 1864. VIM had = re-
yolyer in his hand and the witness did not know
that Wirz used it TO knock the prisoner down.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 20.
DIR. A. W. Burrows identified certain
paper as being in the band writing of Jos.
White. The Judge Advocate accordingly
moved TO amend the first charge in which
the prisoner Is arraigned, but substituting
the name of JOSIAH White as one of the
prisoners conspiring with WiTz.
The AndersOnviIle prisoners were arrested
for buying green corn, which the guard took
away from them. Corn is an anti-scorbutic
IN diseases of scurvy The slops of the sick
house we're thrown into the prison. the ex-
halatiUns from which were horrible and very
uni ealthy. Besides, the sinks oven flowed.
owing to the rains, rendering the prisons
still more intolerable. Human bodies some
times lay unburied for three days. Tue
stencil was terrible, sensibly affecting the
atmosphere, and was worse than tha. from
any diseecting room. Complaints of these
things were frequently made in high quar-
tiers. Dead men were frequently found
among the living in the morning.
The largest number of DEATHS in the stock
ade in one day, IN August, 1864, was 207.
The witness found Capt. Wirz in charge
when he went there, and left him there
when he escaped.
DuTIOWc btetlllcu tndt w III MIN tnat
be (Wirz) was Of more service to the Con-
iederate government than any man they had
at the front.
TIE rebel force at Andersonvills was be
tween 900 and 5 1000 men. The fuel for
them was cut by large force of colored
men. The witness gave as bis honest opin-
ion that if there had been proper food.
clothing and other necessary supplies, from
.,ff fba - |
been saved.
Another witness testified that on the Sd
of Nav, 1861, he was confined in Anderson
vile. Many Of the prisoners were nearly
naked and unprovidcd with shelter The
men were mere skeletons. The prison ap-
peared to be crowded, though thousands
were brought there afterwards The men
were in filthy cund ton and could not clean
themselves for want of soap.
The examination Of DR. Bates was resumed
before the Wirz Military Commission Fri
dav morning. Il was with reference to the
condition. of the prisoners at Anderronville.
According TO his narrative the ecurvy was
next to rottenness, with which many Of the
men suffered Many were starved to death,
because of the scarcity and unwholeeomencss
of the rations, and in consequence Of gan
creme there were very frequent amputa-
tions and re-amputations Of limbs.
The Commission then took recess till two
O'Clock. p. NJ
DR.. "A. W. Barrowr testified to having been
sent prisoner to Andersonville. detailed A. {
surgeon in prison; but, alter h ing there SIX
month"; crcaped.. He gave interesting state
nents OF how Union prisoners Who had at !
tempted 20 make their escape were furnished I
to- - iusuGciescy and unwhoiesome char
ia npphss, and gave . sicksnipg soecant Of I