Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-16
THE KNOXVILLE WING
Knoxville, Tennessee, August I6, 1865
The AnderSOnViIle TOrtures.

A correspondent Of the New York Erea
ma Post gives the following account Of wha
was known as the Dead Line at the An
Jacksonville slaughter pen:
l have heard much Of what is termed The
dead line" few, howe II, know what il
meant by it. After the completion of tn,
prison and It's use, those confined there were
accustomed to approach the stOckadc and
look through the openings between the
posts. or talk TO outsiders After the as
sumption Of command by Major Wertz, he
caused the prisoners to be notified that il
they approached within thirty feet Of the
stockade, they would be shot by the guards
on the outside This limit of thirty feet
was unmarked by any line whatever; it
was ideal, and left to the arbitrary deter
mination of men on guard, a majority Of
whom were as incapable Of Judging Of dis
tances. or Of this distance Of thirty feet, as
were the poor prisoners, who were doomed
if they transgresscd it. The consequence
was that weekly, yes, almost daily, the
prisoners were shot down by the guards
when these thought that they had tran
scended the imaginary line which separa-
ted thirtv-scven thousand human beings
from eternity.
On one occasion, prisoner who had been
confined there for more than 4 year, rem
dered desperate by hunger. want and filth.
preterring death to Il life so unutterably
miserable, after writing Il last fond letter TO
his wife in Indiana, and bidding his friends
around him farewell, deliberately advanced
toward the side Of the stOckade and calmly
awaited the wel-dircctcd shot Of the senti-
mel, that released his soul from the fortunes
which he could not endure, and which his
manhood sunk under.
The southeast corner of the interior Of
the stockade was the favorite spot for this
kind of practice by the executors of VERT
will for at this point the brook OF stream
to which / have already referred entered
the limits Of the prison. Here the water
was less tainted and bei0uled by the drain
age Of the hill, and afforded a somewhat
more palatablc drink; Of course this point
was sought in preference to any other. But
wo to the unfortunate wretch who ever
reached with his arm beyond the prescribed
bounds, to dip 4 cup Of better water than
the rocking current below him offered. \
sentinel's bullet sent one more spirit trcm-
bling to It's God, while the wrctch's body
body Law prone and washed in the very wa
ter that his less fortunate comrades must
drink, until necessity forced its removal
How many were slain in this manner will
never be known until the records of a book
unscanned by mortal eyes be made up in
figures Of living light
At 4 short distance from the stockadc was ;
the field where the remains Of the dead /
were supposed 10 be buried. As /
if the fortunes and degradations Of their /
wrctched life were insufficient, the culmina- |
ting stroke was given by their mode Of in
teIElent. In long bitches, scarcely two feet /
IN depth, without coffin on cover, without /
even the ordinary decent composing of
limbs, but carclessly hustled into the bed /
which was to be their last thirteen thousand
eight hundred shrunken, CHASTITY bodies have
been toss ed and there they lie, an .'armv
Of martyrs, whose cry viii 90 up to
heavens gate in unceasing peals, asking
vengeance for the deep damnation Of their
taking off"
know not what the benevolent mission
Of Captain Moore may have accomplished
n this dreary cemetery, but do know that
three months ago at least one tenth Of the
whole number there lying were exposed,
the dirt which had been carelessly thrown
lpon them having settled OF washed away,
-
while legs and arms protrudcd here and
here, sad signal posts Of down-trampled
natural monuments Of fendish
cruelty. And over this Aceldama Of the
North's best und bravest could be seen the
shadows Of the thousand bUzzards' wings
rs they slowly sailed above the fostering
heaps, or, gloated with their horrid feast.
sat and gazcd upon others who had follow
I'd to this disgusting banquet Of death.
For this, and for more than this, has
Vert been summoned TO account. 1t will
not answer TO plead for him that he was tho
servant Of others in authority, and acted
Inder orders 1t will not do to say that the
Confederate Government knew all this, and
allied TO apply,,a remedy, Until il is shown
hat man must lose his manhood, and hui
nanity It's feelings, that the officer must be
ONE a brute and blindly obey, when his
Instincts and his duty force him to resist or
'esign, the world will not hold him guiltless
Who tramples upon all dcccncy and out
ages all sensibility, by reducing prisoners
II war TO a condition little better than that
II Gagged hyenas. The vail Of bcreavcd
wives, and the plcadings of orphaned chill
iren, joined TO the stern dictates of Justice. 5
demand that punishment. should be melted
o him who showed no mercy upon the
helpless and UnaTmcd prisoner. whom the
ate of war had thrown into his power.
II 1 have added anything TO the informa- ,
ION Of your readers, my purpose Is fully {
by the brief and hurried notes {
hat have thrown together at your sug-
;estion.