Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-03-07

dfClcleS. Linen uhey would take Oh her
outer dress and examine it all over; turn
the pockets wrong side out, rip off the
patches, cut open the lining, pull out the
tucks, and, in fact, Ego through" it gen
orally. Then they would with equal Vi
GLANCE examine her under clothes, and
end the search by looking into her shoes
and stockings, if she had any. These pi-
oas labors were frequently rewarded with
the discovery Of many valuable articles
Having examined all the women, the men
were subjected to a similar investigation.
The booty was then locked up until these
officers and agents of the government could
send it home to their wives, their daugh-
ters, their fathers and mothers, and friends,
whose political and religious teachers tell
them there is nothing wrong about. it, as
it was the product of slave labor!
Having thus stripped the negroes Of all
that was valuable, the able bodied men
were sent off to camps of instruction to be
prepared for the military service, and the
old decrepid men and the women and chill
dren were shipped to Young's Point, and
those who were capable of working were
assigned to the hospitals which had been
established there for the sick and the woun-
ded, as cooks, washers, nurses, wa tiers,
&c. The old and helpless and the chill
dren we're haddled by thousands, with in
adequate protection and scanty fare, and
without medical attention when sick.
Here, with the glowing promises of their
liberators fresh in their memories. these
miserahly defrauded and deluded creatures
received their first sad lessons of freedom
freedom to quit their comfortable homes
for the scenes of sickness, suffering, des-
titution and death. ~
1t is needless to say, we think, that so
sudden a change in the habits of these
once happy and contented negroes proved
fatally disastrous to thousands of them.--
Dr. f., who ha1 been sent to this point as
prisoner, did all in his power to alleviate
their suferings.
In addition to the wounded, and those
sick.from various prevailing diseases, such
as fever, diarrhea, &C., there were hun
dreds of smallpox cases among the soldiers,
of a malignant type, and the negro wo-
men had to pay particular attention to
them. In short time, from exposure to
the scorching rays of the sun by day and
the cool damp air by night, insufficient
food, and want of medical attention and
proper nursing, hundreds of the negroes,
and particularly the old men and women
and the children, became the victims Of
fever, diarrhea and smallpox. It was
pitiable sight to witness the helpless con-
dition Of these ''wards of the nation" as
their so-cailed friends at the North termed
them, struggling with their horrid fate, in
gloomy despair, until relieved by the grim
messenger, death It was bad enough to
be defrauded of the comforts of their for
mer homes and the protection of their
masters. but infinitely worse to rob them
and then turn them out to perish like
tho hoastc of tho fold
We were assured by DR.. T. that >from
four to six hundred of these poor creatures
died daily, and were thrown into the Mis-
sissippi, to be devoured by sharks and al
ligators. This horrid mortality continued
FOR several weeks, carrying off about as
many as were sent down by the army Of
'liberators' up the river. Thousands thus
got their Freedom not only from the con-
troll of their masters and the comforts of
their "old cabin homes" but from the bru-
tai oppression Of their Yankee friends.
The same scenes were witnessed in the
States of Georgia, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Virginia, and, in fact, wherever
the Yankees had an opportunity of COM
municating with the negroes and robbing
the white inhabitants. And thousands Of
Northern men and women (beg pardon;
ladies' and gentlemen CD have about
their persons or concealed in their houses,
watches, jewelry. spoons, silk dresses, and
all and singular the articles previously re-
ferred to, which, they will tell you, were
captured" from the horrid rebels by the
brave defenders of the Union. These are
the most blatant in their demands for the
determination of the srebels" and sstraft-
tors" in the South. They have probably
heard, through some Of their pious mis-
sionaries, who were sent among US to pry
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