The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-11-17

1 give you the following as facts told
me by prisoner, who was pent mp at
Camp Douglass twenty-five months.
His statements can be substantiated
by any number of witnesses:
Incident No. lin midsummer,
1864, it was exceedingly hot within the
rock of walls of the prison in Chicago,
known as Camp Douglass. Indeed,
taken in connection with the quality
and quantity of food the Confederate
prisoners were forced to accept, to-
getlier with their general treatment; 1T
was as much as the healthiest OF them
could do to hve-vast numbers of them
died. In this condition of affairs, the
poor boy, probably twenty years old
nearly exhausted with hunger and dis
ease, with the vermin all over him, in
fact in most pitiabie condition. was
leaning over an old empty "hard tack"
barrel, trying to reach some bones
which some of the boys had picked, tit
was supposed he intended making soup
of the bones,) his head and shoulders
in the barrel, when stout, well-fed,
Federal Lieutenant, named Far0clon,
rs well as my informant can remember
but nicknamed "Old Bull" walked de-
liberately up to within four or five feet
of him, and with his revolver shot him
throug III the heart. The poor boy fell
over into the barrel-a few quivers, a
few spasmodic motions OF the body,
and he was dead.
Incident No. 2.-Tbe arrangements
for the prisoners to cook whatever OF
food there was forlthem were very poor.
A long ditch, about two feet deep and
four feet wide, was cut just in front Of
the line of the barracks, not more than
two feet from the door. On the opp0-
site side of the ditch from the barracks,
and just in front of each door, was a
sort of fireplace dug in the earth. My
informant tells me that he was stand
ing one morning in the door of his
prison, when he saw a young man, the
prisoner, belonging to the gid North
Carolina regiment, come out OF the
prison next to his lmy informant) with
a coal of fire in his hands preparatory
to building up fire upon which to
roast his rations, when my informant
saw an officer draw his revolver and
deliberately shoot the poor hungry fell
low through the head, scattering his
brains on the ground. The yonng
North Carolina soldier fell over with
his face in the fire he was making, and
was dead. My informant stepped out
to raise him from the ground, when he
was told by the Federal: "If You put
Your hand on him will blow your DIN
brains out"
Incident No. 3.-During this very
hot season the prison was infested with
all manner of disease, and many of the
soldiers (prisoners) were wounded
when captured; hence the number of
deaths ranged from 10 to so per day.
AT this junction, some little matter had
occurred among the prisoners, creating
displeasure with the officers of the
guard. About 10 o'clock one day 1900
men, taking them as they come, regard
less of the sick and wounded, were or
dered out in the broiling hot sun; so
were marched to the front; facing south
ward, SO others marched up just be-
hind the first so, with the toes of the
rear rank against the heels of the front
rank, and SO on until the 1900 were in
position, when the order. "close up.
front rank stand firm," was given aud
obeyed until the 1900 men were almost
one solid mass of suffering human be-
ings. In that tiresome, packed, rest
less, horrid condition they stood, wait
ing to hear their doom. At length
Lieut.. Farocion gold Bull'') the hero
of incident No. 1. stepped forward and
read the order of the day. These 1900
men were to stand to the condition i
have,iust described twelve hours, per-
fectly motionless-were neither to sit
down, turn around, in fact; move
during the whole twelve hours. Con-
sidering the condition, physically, the
men were in, and the nature OF the or
der, of course it was known the order
could not be obeyed. In order to en-
force this unreasonable punishment a
strong guard was posted around the
prisoners; perhaps. the sentinefs were
not more than eight feet apart. The
orders to the guards were, that in eve-
nv case when one or more of the priso-
moved in the least to fire, indiscrimi-
nately, in the mass. When the priso-
ners had been standing about two
hours, one of the sick men tainted and
fell, when volley after volley was fred
into the mass of prisoners. There
were three killed outright and several
wounded. Query: Did Andersonville
exceed this? Has. Lieut.. Farocion been
sent along with Capt. Writ