Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-10-15
From the Southern Opinion, Sept. 2Sth.
{ Treatment Of Confederate Prisoners at
-ssard diaa.n Iohnson's Island. -. -.

awoTd5g37o dohnson's Island. s8. aEi- yg
The following communication in reference
to "the Treatment Of Confederate Prisoners on
johnson s Island, y from Colonel B. H. Jones,
Of Lewisburg, Virginia, is most important and
interesting one. OF the absolute and literal
correctness of his statements we feel ASSURED
What a record it is; not Of enforced privations
in a starving land but of deliberate, cold
blooded atrocity, which would have done hon
our to the principles and practice of the most
savage of the Camanches: i s'-2a' ti3a n.
|, with about one thousand other loyal
men, was captured BY the amiaJle Hunter, at
Piedmont or, as the Confederates call it,
New. Hope, in Augusta county, Virginia
June 9th, 1916 We were marched by way of
Staunton, Monterey, Beverly and Phillippi to
Webster, On the Parkersburg railroad, where
we were put aboard the cars. The distance
marched on foot was ITO miles; longest days
march 30 miles, shortest, % miles; highest
temperature about ll0 degrees in the sun, low
est, 100 degrees don know what it was in the
shade as ! wasn't there,
The first day out from Staunton I got along
elegantly, and it was in this wise: whenever |
felt inclined to ride, one lieutenant or Captain
Brady, OF the New York cavalry, would dis
mount and kindly urge inc to occupy his sad
die, as did certain chaplain also | regret
having forgotten the name of the chaplain as
it deserves honourabe mention. On the sec
ond day, however, Colonel Moore, whose regi-
ment, Twenty eighth Ohio infantry jDutchl,
with some cavalry, constituted our escort,- is
sued an order WHICH forbade any officer or pri-
Vate to allow any OF US to ride under any cir
cumstances whatever. This bore very hard on
me as had never recovered from the effects Of
a cut in my ankle, received when boy. [ Of
ten felt that could not possibly so half mile
further. There We're some wagons along, but
they were occupied mainly by negroes, while
not few Federal soldiers were as badly off as
myself. On one occasion, | requested caval
ryman to relieve me by carrying my blanket,
and he was in the act of doing SO, when his
Lieutenant, said to have been named Harris, a
West Vlrglnian, savagey commanded him to
hand it back. Be
We suffered great deal from hunger, but l
did not think hardly of this, as our guard suf-
fered from the same cause. One evening when
we went into camp, after crossing Greenbrier
river, Brigadier General Stahl, of the cavalry,
who had received wound in the battle and
was going back, sent to few of US, by the
hands of subordinate, a part of his own meagre
supper, accompanied with his compliments and
regrets that he was not in a condition to send
more. AS for Moore, he always rode far In ad-
vance, and never exchanged a word with one
of us from the day we started. General Stahl
was an educated and humane gentleman, Colo
mel Moore was las learned from one of his
mem, the proprietor of a beer garden In Gin
cinnat g. a,4 5..rs fae #t
When we reached Beverly, we were put into
plowed lot OF about quarter OF an acre, In
the centre Of the village, and kept there with
out tents or covering of any kind, for two
days and nights. When assured that the calls
OF nature OF one thousand men had to be res
ponded to right there on the very ground where
we slept and ate, and that we were surrounded
by dwellings In which were ladies', you may
form some idea of "the situation" AS the
senior officer among the prisoners, addressed
Colonel Moore an indignant protest against such
treatment In which | reminded him that only
towards were brutal toward prisoners OF war;
His reply was as evasive and false as his treat
ment OF Us was inhuman. d-
When we reached Webster, we were put into
the government stables among mules, where we
were kept all night and part of the next day.
We were then put aboard train, the officers
in sheetiron cars, without windows and but
one door ajar, The heat was so sitting that
we were compelled to lie down to avoid suffo-
cation. After great deal of importuning, we
got permission to open the other door, which
afforded us some relief' At this place a man
who had been with Averl on his Salem raid,
boastingly exhibited a very fine gold watch, Told
English pattern, which he said he took from
a gentleman at the Sweet Springs. He was an
intelligent man, with the address of a gentle
man. and think claimed to have been on Az
erilPs staff.
We crossed the Ohio river at Belle Air, and
were conveyed first to Camp Morton. There
we found seven thousand Confederate privates,
prisoners of war; The condition of these men
was wretched in the extreme. They were pale,
haggard, and many of them almost naked
The Efforts OF this latter class to draw their rags
over their nakedness, would have softened any
heart not steeled against all pity. The officers
were closely guarded, and were not allowed to
say a word to the privates, who gathered by
hundreds near us and looksa the sorrow and
wretchedness they dared not speak. Though
not given to the melting mood,' [ confess to
the weakness of tears at the sad spectacle there
presented. The officers remained at Camp
Morton over night, and were then removed to
| |Johnson's Island As we were marching
through indianapolis to the depot, we were re-
peatedly ieered at aud insulted by civilians on
the side-walks. One dandiied chap was very
demonstratiye in this way, and applied to US
the epithet of id rebels'' He was checked,
| however, by the Sergeant, who threatened to
| club him with his musket, telling him mo one
but a miserable coward would be guilty of such
conduct toward brave but unarmed and help
| less prisoners - AT various points liz Ohio and
Indiana, we were subjected to like indignites,
especially at Xenia, where Yankee "school
marin, p as she avowed herself, harangued the
crowd and us with a stump speech, In which
she descanted at length upon the cruelty of