Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-05

cle in vour paper of the 31st u1t., in which. ]
renlvinp TO some remarks of the Richmond
Enouirer, in regard to the treatment OF p ~
oners, It is said
). Nohodv on either side ever pretended for q
moment that rebel prisoners ever d1ed IN our
hands or even seriously suffered for lack OF 1000
or clothing shelter. No such charge mas ever
been made.
Will you, then, permit such charges to be
made through your columns l was cap
tured in October, 1868, and spent SIX
months in Camp Morton. In March, 1864,
I was removed to Fort Delaware, where !
remained until June, 1865. The winter OF
1861 is we'll known to have been intense
lv severe. Many rebel prisoners, to my
own knowledge, spent that Winter without
a blanket. and in the scant and ragged
Summer clothing worn when captured. The
barracks were the old cattle sheds used
when the prison was fair ground, and
open enough for the Winter winds to sweep
through freely. Scores of the men In the
dead of Winter slept in these sheds, upon
the bare ground, without covering, hud-
ding together like hogs to keep from tree
zing. -.
Il is we'll known to hundreds now living
that several died, actually frozen 20 death,
bitten as to be famed for life.
During the larger portion of the time the
hospital arrangements were shametully de-
fcient, and by many OF the surgeons and
attendants the sick were not on y groosly
neglected but most inhumanly treated.
Men, barely able to crawl through weak
ness. from insufficient food and disease con-
sequent upon exposure, were forced IN the
severest winter weather to stand st roll
call for two and often three or more hours
in line like soldiers on dress parade, and
cursed like brutes, OF beaten over the heads
with sahres Or clubs, and sometimes shot
at for moving little to keep from freezing.
In several instances prisoners were shot on
the most frivolous pretexts A quiet, or
derby man, an Englishman named Coats,
belonging to my division, was murdered in
cold blood by private of the Invalid
Corps named Baker who was on guard.
Instead of being tried and punished, Ba-
ker, though private, was sent next morn
| ing into camp to take charge as a sergeant
of our division, in which position he heap
ed upon the defenceless men every indig-
| nifty that so inhuman q wretch could de-
wise.
At the very time that such an cutlery
was raised about the mortality among
Northern soldiers in Southern prisons, the
inmates of Camp Morton knew the mortal
ity then in proportion to the number Of
men to be several per cent. greater
| At Fort Delaware our barracks were
more comfortable, but the rations were
lbly Insufficient, and prisoners who
could not obtain money from friends with
which to procure extra supplies from the
suffers, suffered the pangs Of hunger nigh
and day, and reduced to skeletons, and eat
| from N nnWhOl
some food, fell ready victims to disease
and died by hundreds.
At the close of the war, of about 7,OO(
men in one pen, fully one-half, If not three
fourths, were but walking skeletons, hun
dreds of them ruined for life witt sclrvy
It was a daily occurrence for large mum
bers of the men to be beaten over the heaC
with bludgeons or kept for hours tiedup by
the thumbs in most agonizing torture. A
Dutch Lieutenant, Dietz, in charge OF oul
pen, was for weeks in the habit Of coming
in with large cowhide and lashing the
men most unmercifully-in one instance
cutting cash in the face of an Alabamiar
named Pardue, in which your finger coulC
have been laid.
It was no uncommon thing for the guard
upon the slightest pretext, to fire into the
quarters in which were 800 or 400 men, anC
several prisoners were needless and recll
leSsly killed by them.
The above, and the half has not beer
told, are plain, unexaggerated facts which
can substantiated by most unquestionablt
testimony, and for the truth of which
pledge my character and reputation as {
minister of the gospel
I request the insertion Of this as an act o
justice.
j. G. WILSON,
President of Huntsville Female College