New-York tribune., 1867-07-15

CopfederateS had been removed by death during the
Richard IT. Dibrell. a merchant of Richmond, aud
member Of the Ambulance Committee, N@nose @ ~
mitigating the suherings OF tne @9Hueh men tbn %
tesies concerning sick and w0uhueu spluS.s az
- have nevcr seen sci of men in worse condition They
enfeebed and emacated that We ou eu IIhe
little children Many OF them were like living skeletons
Indeed there was one poor boy about IL years 0d who
presented the most distressing ana deplOio aPPcadco
side tbjs he was literally eaten up with vermin He died
i'm the hospital in few days after Deg tther
notwithstanding the kndest treatment & anu te Se 9l u9
most iudcious nourlshment Our men were IN so reduced
condition, that ON more than one NIP up f OH % e snort
many as five died The clothing OF the pryatGs was IN
wrctched state Of tateTs ana R e reo S %e o V that
on the passage from the prisons 10 te port Ou Whcn
they started Gann9s o stare f aes and we GnV Tu
ceived about have looked at the ap
opeTes and do hesitate to declare that several OF
onr men were eases Of emaciation and sickness
The testimony Of Mr. Dlbrel is confirmed by that OF
member OF the Ambulance Committee.
'Thus it appears that tho sick and wounded Federal
prisoners at Annapolis whose condition mas GeGn au1 m ne
Northern Congress, were not IN worse state th were
the Confederate prisoners returned fr0m northern nosp
tails and prisons, of which the humanity and superior
management made subjects of special Doastng Dy he
United States Sanitary Commission"
After some commendation Of the treatment
of sick Union prisoners in their hospitals, the
Confederate committee prOceeuS'
Ths humane and cOnsderate usage not adopted In
the United States hospital JohnsOns Island, where
Confederate sick and wounded officers were treated COL
j. H. Holman thus tesaes: 'The Federal authorities did
rot furnish TO the sick prisoners the nurment and other
articles which prescribed by their own surgeons
All they would do was to permit the prisoners 10 puy tne
nutriment stmulants needed; and, If they had no
money, they could not get them, know ths Tor was
in the hospital sick myself and had to buy, myself
such articles eggs milk, -four. chickens and butter,
after their doctors had prescribed them Ana know
this generally the case for we ha9 70 get up dunu
among ourselves for this purpose 70 ad those VINO were
not well supplied with money This statement is con,
John j. Miller, who was at Johnsor's Island FOR more
than eight mon1 & wS d butter weTe very scarce and
higpriced in Richmond, and plentiful ana cheap ~ e
the SANITARY Commission, and disspate the sefcom-
piacency with which they nave DOasted oi the superior
humanity in the Northern prisons and hospitals
After some further defensive testimony and
logic, the Committee proceeds
"Your committee gladly acknowledge that in many
prisoners experienced kind and consderate
treatment but we are equally d tgt III nS E6r AT
McHenry, Fort Delaware, Johnson's Island ElnlTa,
Ohio Penitenary and the prisons OF ST. Louis Missouri
have suffered from insufficient FOOD ana nave
been subjected 10 ignOminiOuS, cruel ana barDafOS pc
tees of which there Is no parallel IN any ng as p NV
occurred in the South. The witnesses who were AT iohI
Lookout, Fort Delaware Camp Morton, ana camp Doug
las, testify that they have oiten seen our h' CNns wy
the scraps thrown out from the kCheHs WIN
that at Fort Delaware unwhoesomc bread and water
produced dIarrhea in numberlcss cases among
the regulation Of the camp which forbade more thn 20
at time at night to go to the sinks have seen as
many as 600 in waiting their turn The c0se-
quencc that they were obliged to use the places
where they This produced great want OF cleanll
ness and aggravated the disease our men were com
PEELED to labor IN unloading Federal vessels ana W put
ting buildings for Federal officers and II they refused
were driven to the work with clubs.
- The treatment Of Brig Gen. J. II. Morgan and his
officers brutal and ignominious ia the extreme ~
will be found stated in the depostons of Capt NJ d.
Logan, Lieut. W. II. Crow Lieut. Col James H. McCrcary
and Capt H. A. Tracey That they were put IN thc ONO
Penitcntary. and compelled to submit To the treatment
o felons. Their boards were shaved aud Then r Was
cut close to the mead Ihcy were confined III cohNcts
cells and forbidden TO speak to each other For attempts
to escape ana tor other oen1s OF very igm. , ~ ,
they were su0eced 10 the hoilDe pun,Ih'iit oI .no
dungeon In mid winter, with the atmosphere many de-
ces below zero, without blanket or overcOat they were
confined in cell without te or gh,' WIN etld hn1
POISONOUS air to breatheand here they were kept uuu
lite was nearly extinct Their condition on coming out
was 10 dcploable as TO draw icais from tr comradte
The blood was ooLng nom their hands ana iaccs Inc
Can't William H. sebring testides 'fwo of us, 4. C.
Grimes and myself. carried out into the open air IN
the prison yard the 10Th Of December ls3 and hand
cuftd post. Here kept all night In sleet
now and cold We relieved IN the day tiHe, but
again brought TO the post and hnndcHed 20 ~ ~ ,hs
IS isca d ''' vs. bodv frot iti.n and NV health
was much impaired. This cruel inlicon was done by
order of Capt. Byrnes, COmmandant Of Prisons IA -
Louis lie was bubarous aud insulting 10 the last
degree
"But even q greater inhumauity ran any wehaye
toned was peipetrsted upon prisoners at Camp
Douglas aud Camp Chase IL proved b the testimony
OF Thomas Z. Holloway, John T. FennelI H. H. EnIiow,
prisoners in large numbers put into condemned
camps where smallpox was preNaliins, ana speed'Iy
often appeared daily among them Even tho
Federal officers who guarded them 10 the camp protested
against TINS unnatural htIocly' YET IL VIZ d1ne' Inc
who contracted the disease removed 10 hos
pita mile on, but the plague was already introduced,
ana continued TO prevail fOr period Oh moro tlih u
months the disease constantly In the camp yet our
prisoners during all this time were continually brought
10 H. ana sulJected 70 certain iecuoh S'Iuer 90 "o
find evidences of amendment OF the part OF our enemies.
Notwithstanding the boasts oi The sanitary commission
At Nashville, prisoners recently captured from Gen.
Hoods army, even when sick and wounded have been
cruelty deprived OF all nousLmcnt suited 70 Ier condi
tom and other prisoners from the same army have been
carried into the infected Camps Douglas and Chase.
'Mdny OF the soldiers Of Cen Hoods army frost
bitten by being kept day and night IN an exposed cond-
ton before they were put INTO Camp Dolshs. Iheir
Alton and Camp Morton. the same mhuman practice OF
putting prisoners into infected by smallpox,
prevailed IL equivalent 10 numbering Of them
by the torture OF contagious disease The insufficient
rtOns at Canp Morton forced our men 10 appoasc their
hunger by pounding up and boiling bones, picking up
scraps OF meat aud cabbage from the hospital sotnb',
Ayres aud j. Chambers Brent prove these pryatious.
'Tle pupishments often inflicted men for slight
oenscs have been shameful and barbarous They have
been compelled TO ride plank only four inches wide.
called 'Morgans horse To sit down with their nald
bodies in the snow for 10 - minutes and have been
subjected TO the ignomny Of stripes from the belts OF
their guards"
These inculpations, we have seen, were
publicly made, more than two years ago, in
the report of a Joint Committee they are
professedly based on sworn testimony, in good
part quoted therein and they have thus far
received no specific contradiction. We trust
that they can be refuted or very materially
softened by counter testimony, and we are
anxious that such testimony shall be taken
before those able to give it shall be mainly
dead or scattered to the four winds of heaven.
We ask Congress, since it has too tardily
resolved to investigate the treatment of our
men while prisoners, to make the inquiry gen
eral and thorough-to demonstrate our read-
ness to face the whole truth. Yet the House