The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-09-07

BODY had got away
Very large sores had resulted from
vaccination. The matter was poison.
Gus, and many deaths and amputations
resulted.
The ration, when we went there,
was small-two ounces OF bacon,
small potato, corn bread two and y
half inches square, and no coffee, tea,
sugar or -four Some times there was
little rice soup-a gallon OF rice ia
thirty gallons Of water.
In July they got few vegetables,
not spoonful day. The morals Of
the prisoners were corrupted by cruel
treatment. Men would steal frem
each other something 70 eat, and wo'd
work among the filth for potato par.
ings, or any thing else A Union man
in his ward was shot within the hos.
pital, by a confederate soldier, and
wounded In the thigh. The limb was
amputated, and the man died the next
day. When raid was expected from
KiIpatrick,the witness heard Captain
Wirz give an order to fire upon tho
prisoners il they hnddled together.
There were from thirty three TO
thirty-six thousand prisoners there at
one time in the month of August, as
appeared from the official report
Nearly three thousand died in the re-
moyal ofthe prisoners from Anderson.
vile. One Of them fell back, when
the witness saw Captain Wirz knock
him down and tramp upon him.
This was in September, 1864 Wirz
had revolver in his hand, but the
witness did not know that Wirz used
il 10 knock the prisoner down.
At q quarter to four o'clock the
Court adjourned until tomorrow, Aug.
%
Sergeant Corbett testified that no
was in the United States service, and
was captured at Ccntreville, Virginia,
and conveyed TO Aodersonville, where
he arrived in July, before be and his
companion entered the stockade.-
Having remained sometime, they were
divided into detachnents, He was
exceedingly thirsty, and asked a man
near Captain Wirz for drink of wa
ter. Another man was sick in the
stockade, and Ssked the Lieutenant Of
the squad whether he could not be
sent 10 the hospital. The officer in
formed him that nothing could be done
till tomorrow, and he must 60 into
the stockade with the others.
After he entered the stockade, be
found nine men Of his company, six
Of whom had been brought three
months previous Within two months,
six of these men died. Of fourteen
men who We're taken to Andersonville
when he was, only two returned alive.
He was one OF them. When he reach
ed there he saw forts and guns. He
noticed several men near headquarters
in chains, with balls, exposed to the
heat Of tho sun. He still bore the
marks Of the sun, BY exposure, on his
shoulders. He had seen the stocks,
but did not remember seeing any per-
son in them. The dead line was o
slight wooden structure three or four
feet high, running twelve or fifteen
ieet from the stockade. The place
where the stream entered the stockade
was broken down. He had seen men
shot and killed there. The prison was
in horrible condition OF filth. The
swamp on each side of the stream was
50 offensive, and the stencil SO great,
that he wondered every man there did
not die. He believed it was the cause
of the death Of many of our men. Mag
gots were foot deep. When the wit
ness was sick in the stockade no me-
!. dicine WAS given him. They, howev'
er, gave him some meal and water, and
called it vinegar Sick men were car
ricd out al the south gate. In some
cases men would die while waiting to
be carried out.
In regard to moving the dead, four
men were assigned to that duty, and in
return, were allowed to bring in wood,
which, if they choose, they could sell
inside for a dollar. They became so
hardened that they would say, that s
right, sell off a dead man tor wood
Some Of the men would 90 over the
dead line where it had been broken,
without knowing, and had they
not been warned, would have been
shot Hounds were kept there to hunt
and rocapturo those who attempted to
escape. The prisoners were allowed
to go out in certain numbers TO collect
wood. The witness told his comrades
the first time he got out of the stock
dale he would try and escape. He
made the attempt and was hunted, but
was not Immediately found. He lay
concealed an hour or two, and heard
the yelping ofthe hounds in the dis
tancc. Then nearer and nearer they
came, 50 close as actually to rub his
nose, and then made circle round
until the hunters came up. The hun
ter or soldier said the witness must 60
with him. The soldier said the old
Captain told him to make the dogs
tear him, but having once been pris-
oucr himself be felt Tor those who were
in that condition, When witness was
brought before Captain Wirz the lat
ter asked the soldier why he did not
make the dogs tear him, when ne re-
piled: Il guess the dogs hurt him
enough" Wirz then ordered witness
to b. taken back to the stockade.