The weekly union record., 1865-03-25
Rebel Barbarity.

taken prisoners during the war by the rebels,
OF the treatment they have received at the
hands of those whom Copperheads are won't to
call "our Southern brethren" will form a
chapter of horrors unparalleled 10 the history
OF warfare as conducted by civilized nations.
The studied cruelties inflicted upon them. in
almost every conceivable msnner-the robbery
Of their blankets and clothing, leaving them
entirely without shelter from the inclemencies
of the weather-the system Of starvation By
which thousands have perished-the shooting
of prisoners for trivial ofanses and in many
cases where they were entirely unconscious OF
violating any prison regulation-the hunting
aud tearing Of escaped prisoners by blood
hounds, and many other savage atrocities
exceed in their enormity the hendlike crueties
Of the North American Indians. This policy
has been pursued by the rebels without any
just cause. and while rebel prisoners were
receiving the same food as our own soldiers,
and captured rebel officers were treated with
distinguished consideration. 1t is true, our
authorities have talked of retaliation, but no
such policy has been carried into execution
aud rebel inhuwanity to prisoners must be
added 10 their murders of Union men in their
midst, to the slaughter of Union troops after
of Northern men, before the war, because oil
their supposed opposition 10 slavery. After
all the barbarities practiced by the Southern
"chivalry," before and since the war, are
enumerated who will say that they have not
sown the wind to reap but q partial harvest in
the terrible whirlwind Of war which has swept
aud is sweeping over the Southern soil j?
As it may be well to keep in mind the
suffering of our soldiers in Southern prisons
while considering what terms to treat with the
rebels upon in future, the record as given by
soldiers themselves possesses great interest.
Sergeant Francis Fogartie, Of the New York
Nineteenth Regular Infantry was among the
prisoners taken by the rebels at the battle OF
Chicamauga, aud sent to Belle Isle, at Rich
mond. lie furnishes the Rochester Union an
account of what be witnessed and endured, from
which We make brief extract. He remained
upon the Island seven days, a portion of which
time it was wet and cold, while ''ihe ground
was their bed and the heavens their covering y
their food was "piut of bean soup, full of
black bugs" which they ate as they were 'too
hungry and cold to refuse anything warm.
They were then taken to the tobacco houses in
Richmond, in one of which two thousand pris-
oners were crowded. This, he says, was a
little better; still we had 10 clothing, and in
fact. no food" He continues:
In this place l got sick, was sent to hospital.
and, 0 my God when think of the number
that died of nothing but starvation, it makes
my blood boil. | at last got well, and was TO
go back to prison; could not get to the same
prison, so | was sent TO the Rossienter House.
aud in this building | saw a dog killed, skinned,
boiled over the gas, and eaten by members of
the Ninth Ohio u it is requisite, have their
names. Provisions played out here altogether,
so they took it into their heads to send US
Western prisoners to Danville, Virginia In
this place We farcd pretty good for some
months. until they thought it was not secure
enough for Us, and then sent Us to that hell on
earth-Camp Sumter, AudersonvIlle. Georgia.
This was the worst sight of all, to see men, or
rather the relics Of men, sitting in groups of
fours and skies around a small fire, with starved
faces and skeleton bodies-with faces that had
not seen water Tor months! When they saw
nc ba oil ]
asked US if we wanted to buy any corn meal,
for they took US for new prisoners but they soon
found out their mistake for we had no money.
In this place | remained for two months,
without anything worth recording. except the
deaths of those unfortunate men. have seen
as many as one hundred and twenty-five bodies
pass out in day. have also known men to
pay money and fight for chance to carry out
body, for the purpose of trading with the
guards, for this was the only chance they bad
At last the Plymouth Brigade was captured
and brought to this pen. We heard OF il a day
before, SO We got ready our "corn dodgers" for
them, and glad were they to buy them.
have known many Of them to pay as much as
ten dollars for one "dodger.'
A lot of Yankee desertcrs were sent from
Salisbury, North Carolina, to this pen, who
perpctrated "moSt horrible robberies," in one
Instance beating a man SO badly for bis money
that he afterward died. As protection against
these ruffians the prisoners organized police
force, and caught twenty two of them, whom
they tried by Judge and jury. outside of the
stockade. giving them lawyer 10 plead their
cause. Six were found guilty and hanged.
This put an end to thievipg from the prisoners,
and they had peaceabe times, many digging
tunnels by which to escape, but they were
always found out. being informed against By
other prisoners. OBe informant was caught bv
the prisoners (he had betrayed them for plug
Of tobacco and branded with very large st.
upon the forehead Sergeant Fogartie states,
in conclusion, that their provisions in this pen
were pint of corn meal, cobs sud all, about
as much buggy beans, and sometimes little
meat"
y BOYS COMPOSITION ON MOONLIGHT
f,li IL, II