The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-04-04


entrance up the river. When Fort Fish
er fell, it compelled the evacuation of
all Forts below it, including Forts Cas-
well, Smithville and others.
After the fall of Fort Fisher, and du-
ring the bombardment Of Fort Ander-
son, IT was found that the river was full
/, of rebel torpedoes sunk in the channel
ready to blow up any vessel that should
attempt to advance up the river. These
torpedoes were sunk in the channel and
connected with the shore by submarine
telegraph, and were exploded by elec
trio battery whenever boat approach
ed the spot where they were concealed,
the operator on shore directing the ex-
plosion. But Yankee ingenuity was
equal TO the task in this case A boat
was constructed called the f" Devil" not
as large as an ordinary canal boat, pro-
PEELED by a small engine and having an
iron rack or torpedo catcher projecting
out in front, by which they were ena-
blcd to fish up and render harmless
nearly all the torpedoes that obstructed
their progress up the river. These sunf-
en- torpedoes were in shape and size not
unlike very large camp kettle-were
made of zinc and filed with coarse pow
der. Onithe night Of the Goth inst,
1.-THE night after the evacuation of Fort
Anderson) the rebels put afoat another
kind of torpedoes shaped like an egg,
only more pointed at the ends, made of
tin or zinc and holding nearly or quite
!. II barrel. They were constructed with
akinds of tube projecting from each end,
and the middle so constructed that
when the tube struck against an object,
it was driven in igniting Illuminating
powder, exploding the whole concern.
200 of these internal machines were put
on the river, to float along with the tide
and come in contact with our fleet of
boats. Bnt fortunately, by the vigil
ance and skill of Commodore Porter,
these engines ofsdestruction were rem
dered nearly harmless, only one small
boat having been destroyed by them.
Before the evacuation Of Wilmington
by the rebels, they carried off, burned,
or destroyed everything that they tho't
would be of any account to the Yam.
KEGS. The large manufactory or disti'-
lery of turpentine, their rosin factory
and all their shipping, including anew
iron-clad they were building were burn
ed. "A large amount of tobacco was
thrown into the river. A great deal of
cotton and provisions was burned, be-
sides deal of property public and pri-
vate, was buried to hide away from our
army. After the evacuation Of Charles
ton, our Union prisoners who had been
sent from Andersonville and other
points, to Columbia in this State, were
: taken from the latter place and brought
to Florence, about 80 miles from here,
and then for fear they were not entirely
secure, they were brought to this place
or Sunday the 10th, unloaded from the
!, cars and driven to n pen outside the
city, where they were kept till the 2lst,
when they again commenced to ship
them of up the road TO some other
point, to prevent their falling into our
hands. The condition of these prison.
ers as they arrived here, rs they now
are, is beyond the power of the English
language to dcscribeynA All the descrip-
tions that have been given of the barba-
barous and inhumart treatment these
poor fellows have suffared-the misery,
pain and privations they have endured,
are but the faint glimmcring of the real
ity as they pres nted themselvos to our
view at this place. When they were
landed here from the cars a large num-
Der of them were unable to walk to the
pen or prison, and fell down by the way,
or were left on the ground where they
: were unloaded from the cars. Their
wrctched condition moved not only the
hearts and .sympathes ofthe Union cit
izcns, white and black, of;his place, but
even the rebels could not all endure the
} sight, and they set themselves at work
to provide something for them to eat.
Reduced as many of them were to mere
skeletons-a living mass OF filth, disease
and vermin, suffering the last yonies of
death by starvation, lying nearly naked
in the streets and by the way sides, rs
well as in the pen they were driven to,
would you believe it, the citizens who
came there to br'ng tAese poor crea-
turcs food were driven back at the point
of the bayonet, and forbidden to have
anything to DO with the odd Yam
kees,n or render them any assistance
whatever a lady approached poor
fl How who lay in the street dying from
f starvation, and gave him cup of coffee.
An officer of the Confederate service
cameup and Knocked the cup ont of the
soldiers hand, and sworc at the lady
fer bringing it to him, and the poor fel-
: low died in less than an hour. Those
who carried food to the prisoners in the
prison pen were unable to get it to
, them, except in few instances; and
were obliged to watch their opportuni-
ty and throw their bread and meat over
the fence on the heads of the guard in
to the sand and dirt, where the prison.
ers clutched for it, and jostled each 9TH
CT like starving wild beasts. One poor
fellow, in attempting toroach for piece.
of meat that ha't fiillen 1inbe the ditch
outside of the prescribed line, fell for
ward and The guard run him through
with the hayonet. The universal testi-
mony Of these prisoners was, that their
: rations of food, for months at time,
consisted of one pint of coarse meal, n
small pinch of salt and gillioof poor
peas. Sick or well, this was their only
food, aud nothing better to cook it with
than piut cup or broken canteen.-
Most of them were suffering fror1 sour.
: Wy, and their feet and limbs swollen,
puiicd and liberated and IN many in
afanoac fha;r foof bt,I iS.o,, t,.,>.,, rl..f