Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-02
FROM BEFORE RICHMOND.
Sights at Fort Fisher-Appearance Of
Returned Prisoners, &e., &c.
BrroRr R1cHMoNp, Feb. 25, lss5.

bEFORE hICHMOhDj H6Us 40 4OOOz
Two DAYS sitter the storming of Fort
Fisher went over the scene Of that des-
perate struggle wheresouthern will yielded,
after q seven hours hand to hand conflict,
to Northern 7alOr. I thought it was one
of the saddest sights of war. The storm
Of Porters shell had left scarcely foot Of
ground untouched. Dead bodies, as they
fell, in all the horrid mockery of life, head
less trunks, scattered limbs, shattered guns,
here Union soldier side by side with his
rebel foe in the equality of death, there an
artillery officer crushed in heap beside his
guu-a relic hunter cutting of his confed-
crate buttons-over and about all riot and
desolation, and sense as of natures econ
ouies had been insanely wronged, and her
thought outraged.
But that picture, framed with death and
ruin, was not to me so sad or pitiful as the
sights 1 CHANGED upon yesterday near
Aikeu's Landing. At the rude river wharf
lay two trim steamers, flying at the fore
ton Colonel Mulford's white flag. Across
the river bend, mile away, lay the VIM.
Allison, the rebSt h4g-of-truce boat. A
thousand rebels, just down from your sharp
Northern air, marched ashore. A motley
crew, but all warmly clad, and hale,
supple, robust get of men. They hooted,
iozed and iostled about Gs they pushed
across the fenceless fields towards Cox's
Landing. 1 knew we might expect every
man of them on our front, musket in hand,
within fortnight. saw but two or three
with canes not dozen who seemed i'll or
weak. Why was the long train of ambul-
ances sent down the line waiting2
NV query was soon answered. Our pris-
Uuers Turned over, bsck came thousand
f6eiiTT terFi6Is captivity. 1 tell the sober
truth-you cannot imagine the sight. It
was better "lot" than previous ones, the
best that has been received lately 1 be-.
lieve. But the appearance was pitiful.
Every ambulance was needed now, and
hundreds hobbled or dragged themselves
along through the drizzly rain and treach-
erous, on foot. a thousand hungry, rag
| ged men-or wrecks of men. Their faces
had a ssllow, pinched look, that told of a
slow starvation and cumuiatIon of men
tai and physical suffering. Their clothes
were in tatters, in many cases only held
together by coarse strings The pictures
you have seen of bony, hslf-clsd, fsmished
men, are no exsggersaion. There was lit
tbs cheering as they came under the old
| flag, but to every passer or spectator the
plesdings of hunger. Crackers trampled
in the mud, the old shoes and the csst-off
clothing Of contrabsnds even, were scran-
bled for as if they were gold. The wild,
passionate greed of those men for food told
a fearful story. ...
1t was the same story from sll-of
months Of shelterless exposure to winter
storms, and of systematic starvation.
Many had been stripped of their OWL
clothing, and had received in exchange the
cast Off garments of their csptors, or moth
ing.
saw their daily ration, piece of corn
bread which one had boarded as relic of
those miserable days. 1t was cake less
than two and halt inches across-a child
would eat it at single lunch were it pal
stable. Yet this, with a morsel of meat,
not one fourth as large was ell the daily
allowance week in and out, to grown up,
hungry men.
1t was deliberate, needless starvation /;
the system, only half supplied with fuel,
feeding the life fires on itself, till so weak,
that, If disease set IN, there was no recu-
peration 1 say needless, for there is no
excuse for this cruelty by the rebels. They
have GLS0GyS had plentiful supply Of the
staples which form the prisoners ration
corn meal and bacon.
And so, feeble and shiVering, these poor
men turned their faces homeWard. Home
Even that word had little power to kindle
dull eyes, and strengthen nerveless limbs.
The wrongs of the months past could not
be made right SO easily. never felt so
like hating, cwrSiKg fellow being before
as the authors of such crime. l Thought,
as often had, that any loss less than life
were better than to fall into rebel prison
pen.
And looking at those brothersin-arms,
half of them never again to know robust
health, thinking how long the war must
still go on and others follow in the same
path to lingering death turned my
thought to the folks at home. wonder
ed if the north winds waited US the truth
in the stories brought down that never be-
fore were such rounds Of parties, such ex-
travsgsnce Of dress, such lavish waste OF
moneyIn fashionable pleasures, such drunk
enness of speculation among QUA northern
people. We hear how business men say
with satisfaction, off the war only contin-
ues another year my fortune will be made"
We see how speculation in hundred
ways cramps the patriot cause. We
hear Of the shameful wish for exemptions
and the base traffic in substitutes till sol
der is tempted to wonder il thoughts Of
him and real sympathy for the cause are
not alien to such an atmosphere. In the
greed that fattens on the nations neces-
sites and in the whirl of fashionable dis
sipstion he sees a lurking but real dis
loyalty. The war in these long four years
has come TO be everything to him, and he
breads the deadly fame of the rebel line
or the prison-pen less than Indifference at
home. He hears the Northern boast flung
over to our European cousins, We do not
feel the war yet" and he wonders, as he
sees the sad, patient faces that look out
from the need and penury of SO many
Southern homes, if the South, misguided
though it be, may not outstrip US in the
high lessons of self-sacrifcs fer the State.
l will not preach sermon, o LEADER,
but God grant the good folks at home msy
be found prepared for the serious work,
the greater denial, the shock of events that
must come yet before We get through the
rapids. j. B. I. NJ.