The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1865-08-30

clothing and shoes Of onr ihfas uated men
Hundreds Of them, Idare say thousands
have bartered away their lives for q momen
tary qualification. When asked, however
how they lest their clothing ard baukets
they almost invariably replied /" The RIB
stripped me- All Of these houspless am
naked men were blistered by The sun aut
chilled by the dews. These were the mel
who waited for the-dead at the gates, ant
stripped every corps to positive nudity
whenever the immed late friends or comrads,
Of the deceased rejected the loathsome rags
These are they whose portrahures have filed
| our,p ictorials, land upon whose testimony o.
suffering and starvation the conviction O
Capt. Wilz will probably be sought, an.
whose vlndictiveness, now, in the honr d
the triumph, to which they contributed lit
tie or nothing, is OILY equaled by their total
want of magnanimlty. manhood and self
control white prisoners.
For some time after the organization OIL
the post and before the extension Of the
original sto, kade. the sick received hospit
tai treatment inside the ihcltsire. he great
number of prisoners captured in the strug
gle against Gralt and Sherman, neccessita.
ted the removal of the hospital, which was
accordingly located y short Distance outside
The accommodations were limited; so mnc!
lso, in fact, that without artifice or favor /,
was almost impossible to gain adnlittauce
The MEDICAL staff was quite numerous, and |
suppose Of the average ability. The stew.
ards, ward masters, nurses, cocks, ect, were
oil our own men. The principal ailments
were chronic diarrhea. dropsy, gangame
and scurvy. t)f itht first three probably
fouri6flhs Of the patients died. The treat.
ment Of senryy was somewhat more success
full, and would have been still more SO had
not these same hospital attendants exhibit
ted all Of the denrontacal cruelty which is
now so eagerly attributed to Captain Wiz.
Anti,scnrbutcs were procured when posi-
bic Wheat -four, whisky, were also issued
for, but TO to. the sitk;for these good "a.
mararitans Of ours would make the -four in
to tempting little biscuits, which retained
for twenty-five cents apiece III the stockade;
and he whisky, when diluted, would net
them FIVE dollars per calfteen. Poultry.
eggs, and fruit were disposed Of in like
manney only enough being issued to,the
sick TO make semblance OF hospital treat.
a,ent. When The sick were brought out
every morning to oil che places II those
whose death had made room for the !, gen.
eral scramble would ensue among the nhr-
ses, to secure those who would probably
give the least trouble. Very expert Judges,
too, were these nurses, Of the probable
amount Of plundera patient Mould yield
either before or utter death. There were NO
coroner.s inquest al AndersoDyille; and for
the cridit Of humanity and our national
character, it is well there were none. MANY
dismal horror il looked up forever in the
breasts OF men, who could tell IF sonrc pa.
tien, sufferer. n,usiug at midnight on his
and loved ones, and hoping with reason, per.
haps. for his recovery. who fet the fierce
clutch at his throat and yielded his life, that
the few dollars he had svcretel might ac-
crue to his murderer. Many Of these hos
pitaI attendants came into our lines at
Vicksburg with abundance Of money, OBJ.
tanned either by downright robbery or by
swind ing the sick Of their ra,ions. All
admttahce to the hospital was generally a
passport to the grave, yet such are the DE-
hsios Of hope that ur poor fellows, know
ing their almost inevitable fate, went there
and died. Z
Che medical treatment was family, of
course. All that the physicians could do
was mercy an approximation to the proper
treatment The stringency Of the block
ade was such that drugs were not procl
able. Orr men were the principle sufferers,
for the Corfederatfs, not being subject to
the diseases, which swept off so many OF
ours, were successfully treated with the
herb and simpes furnished by the laborato.
ry a, Macon.
The local peculiarities Of Andersonville
were not of themselves Of a Character to
induce any excessive mortality. The spot
was selected mainly with view to its sa'n
.brity, and such is ..bundautly proved by the
fact that very few 'oi our men who were out
on parole died. The creek which travsrstd
the stcckade from west to east was hordertd
at first by dense thicket, which sas soon
cleared away, and the shores Of the creek
trodden into perfect qaagmire. A sink
was constructed over the creek for the use
Of the prisoners, but thousands Of them.
disdaihing everything intended for their wei
fare, soon GIL d the swamp with focal mat.
ter, which, under the torrd sun OF Georgia,
became prolific of disease. Into this dis.
gushing mass might be seen at all hours men
cropping about for roots and bitsOf wood,
which as fuel was exchanged for tobacco,
etc. The sun had cracked and bistered
their limbs, yet, in spite Of warning and en-
treaty, they wou persiss until the inevita-
BILE consequence resulted. Their feet and
legs swollen to an inordinafe size, were COW
cred with the most loalhsome alterations
These were the men who, with both feet rot.
ted off. and with their bcnes denudtd Of
flesh Tor several inches, havs appealed so
powerfully to the sympathies OF the world
Tive them yonr pity and assistance, but do
not accuse Captain Writ as the author aud
cause Of this. BY his order, at the sagges.
tion IF the medical Offi, ere the Swami IVA