The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-03-07


could. 1t was in February bitter cold day
snow on the ground and the ground hard frozen.
The enclosure embraced Is or 90 acres. Init was
large factory building, a small brick building
adjoining it, which seemed to be cook house. !
saw no prisoners in either of these buildings
There were or other buildings which appeared
to be hospitals, as there were men who seemed
to be sick looking out of the doors and windows.
In different parts of the enclosure l saw perhaps
so or 60 tents of different sorts, which constituted
the only shelter saw.
At first saw very few prisoners much small
er number than / had been told was in there, but
on looking closer saw prisoners coming out of
the ground like ants-and saw little columns Of
smoke coming out of the ground, and ascer-
tanned for the first time, that the body of the
prisoners were living under ground 1.-THE wit
ness attention was called to the map and he
pointed out that the holes wereinSide the lines of
buildings, and that the tents were near Maj. Gees
Headquarters, but he was not certain on the sub
ject The prisoners were badly clad-very much
emaciated and looked like men who had borne
great suffering This was about all saw.
l don't know anything about the number of
dead that day. Maj. Gee spoke of the ratons is
sued that day as the best answer he could furnish
Gov. Vance.
CROSS EXAMINATION.
1 walked all around the enclosure. Maj Gee
did not tell me in precise words, that he had done
all he could to provide shelter, but that he had
done the best he could with the facilities at his
command. His only remark was what have al
/. ready stated-that the shelter was good as he
could make it, with the facilities at his command.
By the Court
There is abundance of timber in that section Of
the sountry. The W. N. C. R. R. aud the N. &.
r. K. run to Salisbury. don't know as to the
wagon facilities. The means of transportation
the railroads at that time was bad. don't think
that Gee said that the report of the suferings Of
the prisoners was unfonnded, but that the charge
OF inhnmauiIy and brutality was. That there
were times when he could not get sufficiency Of
supplies, and the prisoners conld not get what
they ought to have
Geo. B. Pouldson sworn-l am "A years old and
reside in Salisbury.
was hospital steward at Salisbury in 1864 As
steward had charge of the records of the hos
pital. "A manuscript book was here shown the
witness who examined it.. This book was kept
partly by myself and partly by the clerk of the
hospital-t is part of the official records of the
hospital
CROSS EXAMINED.
presume the other books and papers belong
Ing to the hospital were destroyed in Stonemans
raid on Salisbury. was there during the raid.
found this book in the yard of the hospital after
the troops had left, and took it to my residence.
I think have one other book belonging to the
hospital.
Ex-Governor z. B, Vance sworn. In the fall of
1864, l was G overnor of North Carolina. In the
latter part of that year. the first of 1865 at any
rate during the winter, communicated with Gen.
Bradley T. Johnston in regard to the prisoners at
Salisbury, having heard generally that there was
suffering among them. Objection was urged by
the defence that the letter itself would be better
evidence of its contents thanany other testimony
concerning it, and that the contents Of no paper
writing should be proved by other testimony I'M
less it could be shown that the papers themselves
were lost. This position was admitted by the
Judge Advocate, who stated that the loss of the
paper could be easily proved.l The witness then
proceeded. Gen. Johnston was in command at
Salisbury, when wrote to him. also wrote to
the Secretary of War concerning the condition OF
the prisoners and stated that if the government
could do anything for them it ought to do it, and
rendered my services to alleviate their sufferings.
This was the beginning of a short correspondence
on the subject between Gen. johnson and myself.
think the correspondence consisted of but two
letters each way. My first letter was answered
by Gen. Johnson's Adjutant and then he wrote
himself
/ cannot testify as to the contents of these let
tiers separately. Gen. johnson wrote moe fully
and sent list of rations allowed the prisoners
and asked for tents; and in my answer stated
that l had none. My first letter contained the
complaints spoken of in regard to the prisoners.
My second in regard to the tents. l don't recol-
lcct what the rations contained in the list he
sent me, but it struck me as being pretty good
In his letter he gave long explanation in regard
to the difficulty in getting supplies to the prison.
don't think he asked other aid than for the
tents He stated that he had been to Richmond,
and had made arrangements with the govern
ment to get provisions, and when they arrived he
thought that he could get along
I think l stated in the letter that the treatment
taliation. In Gen. Johnsor's reply 10 me, he
wrote as commandant of the post, as if he was re-
sponsible, and mad control of the matters about
which he wrote.
CROSS EXAMINED
Q. Give the contents OF Gen. Johnson's answer
as near as you can?
A l can't state distinctly, and what I can
state, may have been in one letter or the other
He gave list of the rations-stated the difficulty
of procuring lumber-alluded to the great drain
on the means of transportation in carrying sup
plies 10 Gen. Lees army that had to be carried
froma confined section of the country he had
been to Richmond and had arranged to get sup
plies-that the articles were coming in several
hundred boxes, and when they arrived he would
get along better. That is about all that recol-
lect about it.
do not recolect the quantity of rations men,
toned in the list he sent me- issued to the pris
oners; but on comparison with the rations issued
to Lees army as had heard it stated, the allow
ance was very Notwithstanding to my recollec
ton, it was ,reater than that allowed to the sol
diers in Lees army.
My information in regard to the rations issued
to the soldiers of Gen. Lees army was from nu-
merous letters and from reports of officers and
men of that army.
To the best of my recollection the Secretary of
War never replied to my letter written to him.
think it was Seldom to whom wrote, and that
Breckenridge had not thel come in.
Court adjourned to " O'Clock this evening.
EVENING SESSION
THURSDAY, March l. 1866.
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