, 1865-03-09

Il many lallcQ 10 tunu the requirements Of
that instructive decency which taught the
ace Is located near good springs Of mineral
water, and IT Is Probably, from this fact, q
healthy location. In the latter paEt of the
summer. and the-first past of the Gal1. there
vas much sickness and the diseases mostly
fatal. The neglect Of our sick Is perhaps he
worst instance Of cruelty which we have to
record. For q ehort lime at first, tho sick
twhen dapge!ons,l were sent to T5ler, but
the hospital thefe soon being flied, they
were left to die in the sun, with little
or no attention. Ii the month Of August
seme Federal officers, with some rebel assist
sheds for q hospital. To this place our sick
have been taken, and on beds of leaves aud
grass q large majority Of them hare died.
But little other medicine than what our gov
eInment sent through has been used, and
though flour, sugar and bacon are Issued in
Limited qnan titles to. this hospital, the sick
snfier for the want Of proper nourishment and
bedding. TIE officers at different times in
command, bare suffered law1css outrages to
be petpetrated BY the guards, such as shoot.
Ing and 5obbing the prisoners, four have been
killed, three wounded and number fired On,
and in all cases without any proyoca tlon.
They fire without challenge or warning, and
80 tar "a we know have never been punished
for killing a Yankee. One we know has been
promotes, for no other reason that ne old
discover. For long time men we're nob(
lowed to visit the sinks or the springs after
night and were fired on if they attempted to
do so. This, however, the gnar3s did contra.
~ to orders. In some Instances they have
robbed parties of one OF two they had out
under guard, and Of late they have come iu-
side with arms after night aud stripped the
men ss Of +, their clothing and money and plum
The prisoners belonging to Gen. Thayer's
command District Of the Frontier) wero
nearly all robbed by the Indiana and others
into whose hands they fell. On the road to
this camp prisoners unable to keep up With
the rest were shot, OF had lariet thrown
over their necks, by which a horseman drag
gcd them in some instances until they died.
One Capt. Montgomery, who escorted p1Is-
oners from Shreveport to this place, was
guilty Of these outragcs, n1so Col Stifman.
of an Arkansas regiment, and Major Smith,
Of Louisiana, indulgcd in the same barbarous
piactices. Post Adjutaut McEahan WAS Of
the same stripe, though his chief diversion
hts pistol, or sighting at parties to see them
run. Col. Border was guilty Of crimes of
omission rathcr than commission, although
he issued orders for killing oil escaped pris-
oners on their recapture. IA copy Of this
order accompanies this.1 And when this
rio1s, he vented his spite on recaptured pfis-
oners, By placing them on stnmps or blocks,
and tying them up by tue thumbs in the hot
sun there to stand day or more. Officers
also have been punished in this
way. Many Of the sufferers. BE-
was torture. They also retain officers whose
regiments are exchanged, IS punishment
for endeavoring to escape. All escaped p1is-
oners are hunted down with bloodhouuds,
the keenness of.whose scent enables them to
pursue the track WHEN several days old, and
most planters keep pack Of these ferocious
allies of the Coniedefacy. Col. Allen and
kindness al4own to prisoners; but they, too,
neglected much they might have done to allie.
Tiate their sufferings. Col. Geo. Sweet. was
vely strict, but gentlcmanly npa humane.
1t. Col. Perkins is also very kind and gentle
manly, and Is more to be blamed for what he
Inclined to think that his fault is occassoned
By the limitation Of superiors. All three of
these last, named officers are doubtless good
men, aud would do better in better cause
than 'upholdng this rebellion. Col. R. r.
Brown should nor be forgotten ln naming our
fire~eater Of the first water, Is often Iu hquor,
and when so hlustcrs about, leisting the
black dag, calls US "D-d Yankee soma OF
E-s," wishes We were all in h-l, and says
ii he had his way he would cut al1 our throats
and send us there.
The Committee are aware that they have not
done the subject full Justice, but f6rbear from
citing many instances Of brutallty.and injus-
tice, rs well as groes violations Of the laws OF
civilized warfare, on account of the length to
/ which 1t would proloug this article; but they
cannot close without citing the cases of the
officers Of the U. 8. Y. {co1orcd), who are In
no case treated as prisoners OF war, but are
subjected to every ind'gnity that can be psac-
ticed upon them.
We conclude this article by saying that we
suffer all chcerfully, knowing that our Gov
ernInent is doing ali that 1t can do, consistent
with its duty, to secuse our carly release and
alleviate bur scflerings while here.
HEADQUARTERS CAxr Fonn. TExAe,:
July >, 1851 ::
Hereafter any Federal prisoner, being detected
In trying to make his cscapo from the prison,
either IN the act Or after he has made his escapc
will be thot By he one capturing him.
By order Of J. P. BORDER,
L Col, Com'd'g Camp Ford Prison, Texas.
B. ". McEAuAN, It d Acting ADJ.
The above letter comes to us signed By sey,
eral officers of Ohio, Illinois and Iowa regi.
mcnts,-Ep. TR1B1