, 1865-08-08
All INCaRNATE FIEND.'
How Capt. Henry Wertz
Murdered our Prisoners.
Gen. WindeI and His Son On Rotting
Yankees.


HE Testimony Oh Loyal 4Sf0fE1A
Planter.
New ORE, Thursdsy, Aug. 8, 1865.
To The Etttore Of the Evening Putt:
There appca1s to be = dlsposltion on the
Part Of come Of the puhltc press to mitigatc
the offences and crimes Of Maj. Henry Wettx,
late the responsible keeper Of the stockade
at Andersonrille, Ga and to throw upon
to those alone who were In Immediate COM
mand of that prison. Being personally &C.
quainted with most Of the officers who were
stationed 1t Andessonville, and knowing
much Of the treatment of those who were 50
unfortunate Is to have been confined in that
pen Of horror, have thought that q con.
dtnsed Statement Of how things were man.
sgtd and prisoners Of war were treated There
might not be entirely unacceptable to, your
readers.
wish 1t to be understood as no. des1,ous
to forestall the action or opinion Of the COM
mission which u about to investigate this
matter, OF to add anything to tho feeling en-
tt1tsined toward Maj. Wertz. It is enough
for him 10 rest now and forever, under an
oblo1uy nat 20 time and no repentance can
obll1eIate; to feel within Himself the uucn-
Fiable pangs which tie recollection Of his
plwetllsa murdered victims will ever arouse,
and 70 know that u hateyer may he the award
OF q human tribunal, his punishment Is al
ready decTecd.
The p1isor Of Anacrsonv1l1e is a stoakale
Of about eighteen feet high, the posts COM
prking 1t being sunk In tie ground i've feet;
It originally compriscd an area Of eighteen
acrcs. but was subsequently @ enlarged TO
tie de Of hill, !. oking towurd the South,
At the foot ot which ia d email brook about
five fect-wide and Is many inches deep,
which furnishes the water for the use Of tie
rriepuers. Within this enclosure were turn
Cd tie prisopera as they arrived. and left to
provide for themselves, there being no Bhel.
ie1s, or arbpts. or any kind Of protection A.
forded BIZ trees or otherwise against the
burning rays Of tie Southern sun, th: furious
storms Of The ffeexIng winters.
a son of cen. John H, Wtnder. who was sent
frorn R;cflmpnd for that purpose in The latter
natt of 1S13 When II T;ns anpresfed to him
{.y disiuterested but humaue epectator Of
ii, oneretfnrs that It Trn1d nertsns be bet-
ahs1e 10 the .7,risoners ha replfed .Thaf
We ;ust what he W. hot eolpr to do :: he
was poirr to make 1,er, for the - Van
KEGS where they co1,id mt faster than they
conid be sent there"
And adrnIratlr did 1c acromt1|sh HIS mis-
e,on -~'s
The first commaudaut OF the poet Yas Col,
| persrns WIN Eas hoon aucceeded bv Ioho
I n. Wind.r- with his son as adtn.snt his
ntnhew aa fssarr and Kutler' and Henry
VERT IN he immediate command Of the
prisoners, There we're cenetallY stationed
mcnts Of iufsnt1r. Tiih one company OF a..
| fIl1eTF. hayipr / battery Of sIx n.eces. az
co,diuy to The exjrencies OF the case. the
numfmr Of nrisoners then confined. or the
fu.s en- erta.neu Of an attempt to Set them
At liberty by r4idinr PARTIES Of Enited Sta.es
t.onI,s. > - t">' ~'-' ''sA '-'@'-~'
When prisoners were first rece1y.d. It was
usnai ID tDhIect tbru, to a search for money
yaiuab1ts. Ec.. Ehich ostersiblY were to Be
Ftstor, d when they refc released from cap
| tlYity. but which In reality went into the
! pocSets of those: who controlIed lie urison.
| notwithstanding I law Of the CopltderscY
expressly prohibited the dealing In s'green-
backs, YET the initiated, few whoie .sioy-
alty was upuuestioned. couid alwsya obtain
| lor q conside1 alton the gteenbacks theY re-
| quIred.
The writsr Of this was the foreman Of the
Sumner County, Ga, ard In the performances
OF his dutias he had to inyesti9ate large
number Of presen' ments for dealing In the
foi t1dden currtncy, which WAS brought
a9aipst poor Union men in every instance.
Stuck by this fact, he resolved to exam ne,
ai1 the circumstances; where the money
originally came from, who did the selling Of
it, indeed the wtole fnodas oteraudi, and he
elected the fact above stated, how tha
money Eas obtained. that The Wiodcrs aud
Vert we're the principals, acting through
in the way OF premiums, DC. Mean while
the prisoners were left to the tender merciea
! Of their Tailor snd epmm}ssary Tor thetr food,
which might have been Improved In quantity
at least, II their money had been left in the1,
own possession.
! = n17e& W. In hr4 FcA M
into the kaockade every morning at 1G
O'Clock. 1oadtd with the fations for the daY
bacon and corn-bread, nothing else hat az
The number Of pritopess int1eased and the
mentioned, the corr bread wAs reduced in IT.
quality, being then manufactured Of equal
propoGtious Of ground field peas and corn,
unEolted. upsIf ed. uucIeaussd. indeed, feom
lie dirt and trash which peas naturally &C.
cpmulate and At last, whtn the number o!
prisoners increased to over $1,000, the meat
1atitus Der week were reduced to piece oI
bacon. for each man, about three inches long
snd two vide, with one pon< OF the h1ead
| afnye desc, 51ed ,utr dav Then also, the
custom Of carving The prisouers' food lntd
1he etocl.de il wagons was ab olished. Tney
ahmed. and he scanty food. foul aud uu.
heaithy as II Vns xas tb1ovn inside bY the
rns,ds To he scrambled for t,v tbs Wreiched
prIsoIc1e. .he strongest and those nenrest
lie rate Getting the largest share, the weak
sDd eickly getting nope.
have mentioned the small brook which
1uus through the lower part OF the stoekade,
ald which supplied the water for drinking
and washing. This brook has it's rlse in 3
swamp not fhr from the prison, and at no
ting, certainly not for 4 heightened period,
was Tic WITH suitable OF healthy but when
the :aces and filth, the drainage Of the whole
camp of prisonere, came to be superadded to
the natwal unftness oi the water tor drink
ing or cleans;ug purposes, my readers can
| Judge what thirst was oseu2ged, or fever
cooled, OF throbb9ng temples washed, BY this
ltat!pg stream Of filth and diseased Al any
time, under tic most 7gfd h5gienlc fesIie;
t1tns. It Is dtt1cuN TO mant9m hsaitn and
What do ycu think was the condition o.
5000 lalEnakeo, haltstarved men, without
any Lollce regulations, under no moral o.
ttstrni1fpg Influences: If the 1emnsnt whc
were flpa'lS allowed to pass ont Of this mill
fary Gtleoth9 Hs1e not wnd beasts, N
given TO henry Wertz for lack Of effort ta
produce such ennsnmmeuon: :,
When 1t Ialped, ~ u does IN that cnmati
almost Continually onE1nE ne epfanR ana ~
Dohthe. 1ne s93a "an" ene1nctosnse "non' sno
IDass q ltblous, SOIL moo, at 4easG n3teei
inches N deptn. 1nlouGa Nnica btatAeu aa aas
staggered tne E&unf, nau'elau Htete1es iln1i
cot hnfo. me sIencn 1f6m lus prison contt ,,t
be pt1ce1Etd tor t"o mlits, and farmers ~
Ing IN the neie hooih hood began to lear toF tn
health Of tttE families. r
As consequence Of this the hospitalafa
cetlous was VERT in his hprziblt humanlt,
were c.ow5td to tepletion Wlth tbs amhci
! ated. stbryed and diseased men who NFes
I'M lied into them.
TIE hospitals were constructed Of logs
Admitting ihe rain, without d,orf, cots
In, Ks or b]apkefs, fltby and fetid With tn,
festfrspg. pu;,ia bodies OF the alck,I TIL
d3irc and The dead. Words fall, language i