Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-09-05
TIalnoI Henry Wirz.
# TwELFTH DAY.
UNfrBD STATES MfLiTARy COMMISSION
GEN. Lew. WALLACE, President,

WIFI, the AbderBUuvttfe prison. Keeper, met at 10
O'Clock all the members present, and the Judge
Advocates and the counsel for the accused. .' A
few minutes after tho accused was brought into
court aud shown 10 bis usual sept. The crowd
In attendance vas not large on. the opening Of
the court, but before the reporter finished the
reading Of the testimony large number Of visit
dfs had arrived and Allied the courtroom, .
The prisoner was attired the same as usual,
and occupied a great portion 81 his" TING ID
writing. '"'t
!, The reading Of the testimony taken Cd fsaiur!!
day was concluded at twenty minutes before
twelve o'clock, when--... .. ,e,,....
.... }. NELSON CLARKE, .,.,.'..,
A witness for the Government, was called and
sworn. He testified that he had been In the
military service Of tho United States was made
a prisoner and taken to Andersonv Vile; arrived
there on the 2sth' OF May, lS84; was put In the
stockade; many sick men were there some Of
them were idiotc.
The stockade was very crowded. There was
not more than enough room to lie down. There
was no room for teams to drive In the stockade.
The ration was two thirds Of pint Of corn meal,
very dirty, about the same quantity Of beans
sometimes, and sometimes rice. The sick re-
ceiyed the same rations. In August, about the
18th, witness counted ISL dead men In tho stock
ade Had assisted In carrying sick men at the
Surgeons call; did not often succeed In getting
proper attention from the surgeons, although
there was plenty OF room for them. Had seen
men digging through hlth to get roots, which
with
Witness had seen the prisoners become insane.
Saw one man go up and down the stream with
his clothes of. When his meals were taken 70
him he had not sense enough to cook them. He
finally died. one morning when witness got up
saw prisoner who had hung himself near the
place whore wi meas slept. Had heard him say
that he would sooner be dead than live there.
All the prisoners were lousy. Ofthe Al men who
went In the prison with witness % had died Had
seen six men shot by the guard. Saw man dip
ping a cup Of water over the dead Line and tie
sentry shot him. Next morning saw him lyisS
dead: Saw another man shot on the eR 1t side OF
tho stockade.
A prisoner got over the dead line The quad
shot but missed him, and struck another man a
the stockado. He was afterwards reported dead.
Saw another shot about the last Of July. II was
when they were hauling In rations. Saw an-
other man shot near the gate where the dead men
were carried out. prisoner was washing his
clothes, and was attempting to hang out his
clothes when the sentry shot him. II was a very
common thing to see dead men who had been
shot about there. Saw another killed about the
middle Of August Never heard the prisoner
give any orders about shooting the men.
VINCENT HALEY
having been sworn tes flied that he had been in
the 72d New York volunteers. Had been pris-
Oner at AndcrsOnville Knew the prisoner; he
was commander Of the post. Had heard him
give orders. Al one time some prisoners were
captured who had escaped. Witness was u.
Wirz's headquarters. Heard him tell the guard
to have irons put on them. Heard him order H.
guards to shoot any man who crossed the dead
line. Had heard WirE threaten to shoot nen
Saw a man shot the 10th day Of May. Sew
another man in August who had been shot He
died.
Witness had seen two prisoners who were Bit
ten by the dogs; they were bitten about the
legs, one Of them severely. Had seen about lJ0
cases Of vaccination. Many Of them after being
NaI ~ a..l Nl.a
awful. Many had to have their limbs amputa-
ted Had been at the depot in Andersonville;
was there in August, 1854. Saw a large store
house there filed with boxes and sacks, which
were hlled. Did not see the prisoner when the
men were shot.
Cross examined: The men who had a ball and
chain put on them had attempted to escape; they
were brought to Virus Headquarters, and he
ordered that they be taken to the blacksmith and
ironed, and ball and chain put on them. Wirz
used very profane language.
There was u platform around the stockade in
which the sentinels stood they could see all
around the stockade. The Sentries were posted
on the inner stockade, so they could see over the
camp; they were about twenty feet from the
the dead line. Witness had seen the rebel sur
Reons vaccinAte prisoners. Saw DR.. Pelot vac
cipate men. Witness kept the register Of the hos
pftal. knew ten or twelve who had died from
vaccination alone. About twenty or thirty died
from vaccination, combined with diarrhGs and
dySentery, Knew niue men who had to have au
moved to Savannah on the 7th Of September.
EDWARD l.. KELLOGG.
having been sworn, testified that he had been In
the 10th New York cavalry. Was captured and
taken to Belle Island. Was taken from there to
Andersonville. wirz came there and took com.
mand In April. Had seen men shot. Saw one
man shot shortly after the dead line was estab-
lished, In May. Saw u crippled prisoner called
shot near the gate. He went in
side the dead line and asked to be allowed to go
ont They refused him, and then he refused to 60
outside the dead line. Wirz ordered the sentry
to shoot him. The sentry fred and killed him.
new prisoner had Just come In and knew moth
ing about the dead line. There was no railing
over the brook. He went there to get some water.
Two sentries fired and killed him. Had seen
several men who had been shot, II was COM
mon occurrence to see men shot. Had seen dogs
there on the trail OF men.
witness saw blankets, pants and shirts sent by
the Sanitary Commission. Saw some issued to
our prisoners In the hospital, and others worn by
the rebels. Witness was bucked for 8 hours at
one time. man escaped and witness failed to
report II. A rebel sergeant came and said Capt
wirz had ordered that he be bucked for hours
Cross-examined They first tied his wrists to-
gether; then put them over his knees; then a
stick was put over his arms and under his knees
In this position he was compelled to sit for the
8 hours. Witness was steward In the seventeenth
ward Of the hospital Witness was near the gate
when he heard him order the sentry to shoot a
man. wirz WAS In the stockade on his horse
He rode ont when he gave the order. Never saw
Wirz shoot any one. Saw a rebel named Dance
have pants on sint by the Sanitary Commission.
JOSEPH u. ACHUFF
having been sworn, testified that he had been In
the 24th Ohio regiment Was a prisoner at An
dersonyille from March to August, 1864. Was
taken from there, to Charleston. Once escaped,
and was recaptured by the hounds. Got rebel
to take US out after wood Got out and took his
gun away, and then ran The rebels pursued
him. Finally was caught by Ave hounds. They
caught him by the leg. Was taken back to Capt.
WirL's headquarters. He ordered that he be put
nothing to eat and two drinks of muddy water.
Appealed to WirZ. He said, Dry up, or will
blow your d-n brains ont After 80 hours was
taken out OF the stocks and ironed, Kept in irons
for 80 days.
AT one time, when some prisoners wero being
brought in, saw Capt. WiTz stripping the men
and taking everything from them. The men
In the stockade with nothing on but their drawers
and undershirts. Saw Wirz strike boy who |
was q prisoner over the head with big revolver |
The boy was shortly after taken with fits and !,
died he had a at when he was struck, and three |
or four every day afterwards. Saw the man |
called Chickamauga shot He was u half -witted |
fellow, and the boys had been teasing him. He |
went to Wirz and asked to be allowed to 20 out.
Heard WirE tell the sentry to shoot tho d-n
Yankee Saw Capt. Wirz with men laying out
the dead-ljn Heard him order the sentries to
shoot any man who crossed the line.
Witness saw Wirz kicking and beating a poor
man, u prisoner, who was n mere skeleton. Wit
ness named four officers who raw the occurrence
RatiOns had been kept away from them for three
lays because some one had esciped. The squad
hat witness was In were large men and healthy
ho first month they were In prison. Wirz came
IN morning and said he would give us moth.
ny to eat for forty eight hours. He did not give