New-York daily tribune., 1866-04-04

The Town OF Rlsrencc, n. C.-Thc Rebel
Prison There-A Visit 10 the Piaco-
sugerings Of she Priseuers-Over G,COO
Of Tier, Perish-Trisi and Aoquitsah
cf tho Rebel Cor,mn nudnnt-zSespoasi.
billy OF tae 5:ichmoud Authorisies-
Evening Scene.
From Our Special Correspondent.
FLORENCE j. c.. Monday Noon March 26. 1866.
Compelled to lio over at this dreary settle
ment dignIfctl by the name Of town until the train
leaves for Wilmington. N. G. Qbo unacoomodaiing
cars refuse to move until the unchrstian hour Of q
o'clock tomorrow morning). concluded TO visit the
Rebel stockade about two niles from here which
during the greater part of the 1864 and ne first months
Of 1850 employed prison FOR Union captives
CHARACTER OF THE PRISON.
The prison at Florence very little known in the
North though the poor fellows who were sent here.
and survived its horrors will remembers 20 their dying
day Nor will they forget thoir hundreds Of brave
compauons-ir.arms who pershed there from exposure
and want OF food and buried in the trenches thai
were dug on every side of the stockade.
Most Of the Union soldiers confined at Florence were
taken in the battles of Virginia. and had been at Rch
mond and Danyille until the Rebel authorities deemed
1t unsafe TO keep them any longer az those poaA
When the number here became TOO fJImidabc Tor the
guard placed over them. il was reduced by consign.
mcnts 10 Apderson-ilc. Ga.. Coumbs. = u. ana
salisbury. " c. A great many of the capiives. how
ever after transfer from Virginia were retained bers
until they died. or were exchanged Ia February ana
March. 1861
In comnany with sergeant who bad himself heeu
one OF the prisoners visited the stcckade. yesterday
afternoon aud passed two or three hours in the metn-
choly pi lce TIE st0ckade includes some twenty acres
| and is st standing. The ground IL undulsting ana
| through the center runs q creek formed OF swamp
water in the summer extremely unvhoisome. and even
poisonous hich the prisoners either compelled
drink or PEI sh OF thiFst. Many Of the deaths are
ascribed to the quality of the water whch cohainen
great deal of deoayed vegetable matter that engedcrco
fevers aud various diseases OF the bowels Ihee wofo
no tents but the soldiers made huts Of such timber
they could obtain and pastered them with mud or dua
holes in the ground and burrowed rs tUey dId a. ALd~
sonyllie and Salisbury.
| sUFYERISGs or THE PRISONERS.
| Sometimes there we're IA many 5000 prisonen
here am informed bn. genclally not more than eoc
| or 10 900 most of them from the Eastern States
number OF New York and Pennsylvania soldiers wers
here and at least half of them died. There seems
have been preparation at any time ior tnc caps"o
here and rem0ns,rances we're sent again and eean "
Richmond imploring Jefferson DAVIS, secretary oi "M
seldom. Gen WiDder and others in authority. not V
send prisoners because there means OF providing
for them. Remonstrances were OF no avail Inc Uhios
soldiers nearly naked enaciated, hungry SICK shs
many of theu-unahe walk stand. were trans
ported here from Virginia. and IN numerous INSTANCES
died before they could be removed nom the cars
! During the eight months that this was used as 9
prison there were adequate means OF taking care q
the thousands of p0or fellows confined here Ihey never
had than quarter ratons for two consecutive aasS
and frequently went without a mouthiu IN eat ioS
As and even ~ hours. No regular medical assistance
WAS procured and scarcely any medicine was 70 %
Columbia and Charleston. but surgeons came
some of the physicians in and about Florence ana ar
ngton touched BY the suffering OF the soldiers voun'
teered their services and did what little they ooad fos
the prisoners.
| FEARFUL MORTALITY.
The poor fellows. many OF whom were haf dead wh'n
~ had IN m n
ldysentery ana pneumonia and typhoid fever carried
them TO the trenches at the rate OF 90 40 and 20 day
No records understand were kept Of the Deaths ous
Judging from what 1 have learned through vsrious
sources and from the extent of the burial places which
have closely observed have 10 donbt 0ru SIR hos
sandsome fully sersn hoasaHd-Onion soldiers died
ar Florence from September leoi 10 the last 0 FedTndru
| ls65.
TRIAL AND AcoUIrrAL OF THE REBBL COMMAND
| Ant.
| Major Wiley was the commandant OF the prison. and
some two or three months since be arrested at bA
hsme in Darlington. ten miles hence, tried by mAi.
tary commission and acquitted. His counsel proved
conousyey 10 the Court am informed that he made
every effort to obtain proper food and shelter ane
medicines for the captlycs; that he sent dspatc cx
letters and orders petitions. entreaties and remoa
srances Richmond, ann that no aid or relief wa' fur
nished The Court therefore concluded fearful re
sponsibity rested upon the authorities at richmond
and that they had shown the most cupabe neglect and
the grosSest inhumanity but that Major Whey could
not he held guilty of the baIbartes he had employed
such means US were in his power to avert.
MANY OF THE GRAVES MARKED.
Many of the grayes marked and it Is not impro6.
able that relatives and friends 10 the North, who have
been abe determine the tate OF those near and
| dear to them that were captured. might learn some
thing Of the sad close Of those patriotic lives by paying
d visit 10 this melancholy place
THE VOICE OF NATURE
As wandered 10 the dusk Of the evening among the
broken and fallen huts and stumbled across the low
mounds beneath which calmly slept the heroes whom
no history viii name and 10 poet ever sing, my mind
went back mourntully 10 the scenes OF the pst,
/ saw the pale pnched faces. the stiiiened limbs, the
uncosed stony o the thousands who were throws
into the hungry trenches with rute jest or coarse
oath thought Of the mothers and sisters and wives.
and even loving who, IN their faron NORTH
ern homes felt the falling OF strange shadow on their
souls as the souls OF those that were dearest to them
slipped away from the moorings OF Time to the mys
terlous and shoreless sea.
| thought what is glory and what is famef What 70
| the compensation for all this woef Where are thel
fwho SO nobly and sadly died leaving no name be-
hind to reap their reward
And rs asked these mental questions, the evening
grew into the night and the stars bossomed out Ike
flowers Of silver all the blue field OF Heaven ana
the breeze stirred the pines with soft and mystic mu-
sic that soothed my spirit and dspeled my doubts.
The stars grew brighter aud the music OF the pnes
deeper and looked again. but hopefully at all those
dreary graves and felt what the sars. and the breesA
| and the pines whispered AL Is we'll