The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-03-14

mcul Iuuuc ny 0Cu. 1dfuutI, On u luOiAAoAfoi IL
regard to s'The COUNT except an endorsement
allowing the Count to pass out of the country by
one of two or thrsc routes mentioned. I have
no recollection Of any other
BY THE COURT.
Invent to Richmond to try to get an exchange
ofprisoners, either on general or special terms-if
unsuccessful, then to get funds returned to pris-
oners that had been taken from them in Richmond
these were the two objects of my visit to Rich
mondI
BY THE DEFENSE
stated to the authorities at Richmond the
condition of the prison at Salisbury, which
knew from what the prisoners told me and from
my own observation. made as full statement
of all the facts in the as could be made-rep-
resented the smallaess of the accommodation
the scarcity of supplies. Imade these statements
to Gen. Gardner, of the prison Department. Mr..
Sedden, Secretary of War, and Gen. Campbell,
Assistant Secretary of War / also frequently
saw Mr. Hatch, in charge of the Bureau of Ex-
change under General Guild, and spoke of these
things to him; and protested against the prison
ers being brought to Salisbury, in the most deci
ded terms.
.bI fiiE WYNN 3D..
o. What sentiments tia these Officials hold in
reference to the sufferings of these prisoners be-
ing a around for exchange.
a Gems Gardner and Campbell seemed in
clined to extend relief to the prisoners. Both
spoke of being under control Of the War Depart
ment. Mr.. Seldom seemed very obdurate; 1
could get no satisfaction from him, and eseemed
10 be annoyed at being approached on the sub
ject Judge Campbell treated me kindly, and re-
GREETED the condition of the prisoners, but from
Seldom / could get no satisfaction at ALL
I think the district of Salisbury embraced IA
counties, reaching from South Carolina to Vir-
ginia, which furnished supplies for that place
Witness gave the names of number of counties
contained in the district.
There was q railroad trayersing the district
through three counties, and the w. N. G. R. R.
extended west to the western borders of the
district there was no transportation to other
counties except by wagons-can't say as to the
relative amount of supplies drawn from that sec
ton, but know large supplies had been drawn
from therein these counties the products were
corn, wheat; provisions generally-therc was a
short crop-there would have been an abundance
for the people, but the drainage of supplies for
the army made it scarce--there were saw mills on
the W. N. R. Rome small one near Salisbury
I cannot speak of The facilities for Transportation
ON the Road There had been a good deal of
transportation before Mr. Stoneman come, but he
rather scattered it. There were several saw mills
on the Road, that had good deal of lumber
about them, two was familiar with, that turned
out great deal of lumber. Those who ran the
mills, were generally detailed conscripts, subject
to the orders of the government-they could not
dispose of the lumber without permission of the
proper oficer-I thiuk they reported to Maj.
Chisman at Greensborough.
The counties 1 have named, some of them may
be called the northwestern counties of the State
WITNESS gave an explanation of the formation of
the Salisbury District which the reporter did not
MAKE note OIL
/ cannot recollect any thing of a correspondence
between Gov Vance and the Secretary of War in
regard to the starving condition of the north
western counties.
A great many of the millers of the country were
conscripted and taken from their mills while the
prisoners were at Salisbury. The lawyers and
Judges kepta good many of them out of the army
by writs-petitions and memorials were present.
ed to the authorities at Richmond for others, gen.
orally unsuccessful setting forth that the people
would have much inconvience while the mills
were standing idle. know a number of mills
standing idle for want of milers, at the time
the prisoners were at Salisbury.
M. f. Roberts, called and sworn. was u. s.
soldier in 1864, in Co. E. 39th Mass. was taken
prisoner in August, 1854 on the Weldon Rail-
road; was taken to the Libby, then to Belle Isle,
and from there to Salisbury on the sth of Octo-
ber-about the middle or last of November, at
tended in one of the hospitals, the one marked
No. on the map-it would accommodate about
30 prisoners. remained there until the Goth of
February, 1865, when left for Richmond
think there were about 24O patients admitted to
that hospital while was there, but am not so
certain: know 225 died in it,
have seen rebel officers of the prison recruit
ing; they offered loaf of bread and fifty dollars
in gold, as bounty-we had been on half rations
for some time-that is quarter of loaf of bread
and about a third of pint of soup, 1 think The
only chance we had to buy food was, when we
went out after water; had opportunities to buy
but the gnard refused to let me buy it. know
the deaths in the yard were very frequent; don't
know the proportion-in one tent of sixteen in
our squad, three died.
Ratiops were issued alternate-there were ten
divisions--one division would draw first one day
and last the next; we did not draw regularly
every day-sometimes we drew half the usual
allowance and sometimes none at all-the longest
time we went will out rations was fifty-six hours,
during which we had daily about third of a
pint of soHp, but no bread or meat-some days it
was thick and good, and on other days thin The
officers came most generally to recruit when we
had been on half allowance or without any-I do
not recognize the prisoner Between 500 and
600 went on the train with me, when we went to
Richmond, l left with the first squad-there were
other trains that followed, 1 think one train, of
not more than 300. These were all sick except
the nurses and attendants. These prisoners were
sent to the hospitals in Richmond don't know
where they were taken to from Richmond
-ss CROSS EXAMINED
know that 225 died in the hospital, but
am not sure there were not more than 24O taken
into it. do not mean, in the hospitals, when ]
say we were so long withoutfo food except the soup
1t was before Invent in the hospital can't tel
the number of times have seen recruiting Off
: Gers come into the prison, know certainly .,
O three times, cannot pretend to say how mutI, of
g.tener The guard never allowed me to rec w,
food when offered, it was never offered to be gi :
en- me but the one time. The food offered M
that time was piece Of -four bread baked in tn
ashes-it was offered by a citizen or by guar
dressed like citizen-some of the prisoners VIII
were not sick nor attending the sick, went on to
OF the ears from Salisbury to Greensboro, bu
did not to go Richmond