, 1865-01-25
Treatment OF Our Soldiers in Southern,
Prisons.
CHICAGO, January ad 1sG5

,
Editors Chicago Tribune:
For the benefit Of tie public, and tiose in
terested IN The welfare ofour soldiers In Soulh-
ern Prisons, l will give you copy of prj-
: vate letter written in Columbia, South Caro-
lima, BY Lieut.. G. E. Keith, formerly Of The
19th regiment Illinois volunteers, taken at
the bal tic OF Chickamauga, September 20th.
1858. He has been prisoner ever since that
time. This letter gives but faint tdea of the
s1rtierfng6 endured by our noble soldiers. now
imprisoned int the South. Yet 1t maY please
his hume, GUS acquaintances to hQar from him,
he Whites thus:
PntsoE CANT sEAE COLUMBIA, s. C,l :
December i 1861.
DEAR FR1ENp:-I have an opportunity to send
q letter b5 sick officer who is going home, and
taEe advantage oft to write to you. begin to
think that am lost to everybody, as receive no
not that Of ny friends The last time l,epaFd fto9
any Of you Twas at Nacon,. Georgia, Since that
time wa have been REMOVED, frst to Savannah,
place. We hare been here two months, during
which time We havc fared rery' badly. I'VE wer{.
turned into aeld, without shelter Of any kind.
with which portion have constructed little huts
to protect them hom the wind. No cooking uten-
ti1s have bcen given Us at al and yet the ratlons
ale given ia raw, and Of the following kind and
proportion. The issues are for five dayt at time.
and coEsist Of three quarts Of mcaf to man, one
half pint OF rice, one md half pfnts of-lour one
spoonful OF ta.t, and little sorghum mo!asscs,
ie Of the coarsess and most unwholesome kird.
We hare pot had molsel Of meat for more than
two months. Without cooking utensils OF grease
given ns 80 that 1t Is fit to be eaten. A few who
are fortunate enough to haye money can better
as5 sonen aons s n91 Mny e the oe5 N,
most ehlrtleee. Some time sfnce, attempted to
come home. b1t was rccaptnEed while making my
way to Georgia I travelled about seycuty.ftye
Au6y1a y1acd 4h~
last Of my shoee, 80 cannot attempt it asain II
! bsd shoeR, believe could make my ssespe; /
better While IN the county than here. T t,nstsd @
the neerota for food and direction, and found
them trustworthy: Twas finally captured BY c1ti-
Yankees were about, were On the watch. w are
having winter weather here most It the time. The
rims are very cold and dlsagreeabIe. Our cloth |
tTo Ia me snies a1e 4e seree Coz SaTe
but one, and that ia very Tim one. Boxes are |
coming through now, which will afford some re- |
ing and provisions: o. The whole, We ars aboat I
a. miserable set OF Wretches az yon can well |
imagine. never knew what hunger vas till !
planning now. for I'm simply telling yon our con-
r. through, i il isnt too 1eng; Ws sometimes *
set no satisfaction I I'm becoming quite anxious
to hear from Lake county. l haze mo- heard a
,S9 w9rd einse t, lat April OF Nay have reason to
.'AA LIZ 1Gktcl9 k4dk uAFG N14AtSA eluCG luAL
time have ever left the Cpn1edcracy, unless 1t be
RiIce left this place,
The Consederacy is at present much excited
nbout Sherman. For the past week papers have'
been Kept from US, but We occasionally get scrap
Of new" respecting Sherman. Atpresent the reb-
els are IN state Of uncertainty as to whether be
ls after Savannah OF Charleston, orboth. The en-
lire militia force only serve to amuse: We can
observe II the tone Of their. papers, and b5 con-
coming disheastened. Boyce has many followers
here.
I ind my tine il limited. and shall be obliged |
to close. I wish t. say to you, and you muat say
to my othez friends for me, to Write oiten II yoa
dom hear from me, let 1t make difference about
Your Writing. shall write as often as can ret
paper, which IL not often. Keep my place for ne