The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-07-16
WHO STARVED THE PRISONERS
The Hanging of Writ q Mistake-An
Interesting Narration.


/ ~ Interesting Narration.
From Poliard's Secret History of the Confed
| eracy-
In connection with the scarcity O
food and necessary supplies in tn
Sonth occurs, a subject OF, interes
which we may eonyeniently examin,
here We-rcfer TO that large volum,
Of complaint against Mr.. Davis fol
the maltreatment OF Northern pris
oners, especially in the article o
subsistence. We lave already, on
the, subject. Of the Conl, derate com
lmissariat, made some suggestion:
which throw light On this matter
but we find no more proper place il
our work than the present TO sum ,
brief account of the administration;
of the Confederate prisons. We
propose thus To 90 over rapidly thu
history Of the subsistence of FEEDER
al prisoners in the Sou,ll--a suljeci
so Serious and interesting as TO have
founded extensive examinations botli
at Washington and Richmond, but
The secret history of which is scarce
ly vet krown.
It is remarkable that in the early
periods of the war there was no
system whatever, no organized pro
vision for subsisting the prisoners
who soon commenced to accumulate
on the hands OF the government -
There was an oiilcer, of the rank of
Lienterant, who had charge of the
unfortunate creatures, who subsisted
them by irregular purchases in the
Richmond markets, and who WAS lett
TO determine, as ot his own discre-
lion, the measure and article of food
lie was removed for a singular freak
some weeks after the battle of Ma
nassas. Having bad a drunken
quarrel. Siih the QnaIteImasier AS TO
WHO should bury the dead of the
prison, lac had lett 1--we corp
ses in front of the ofliee OF the
latter, in 2 wagon halted in one of
the most public streets near the cap
ital, and unhitclinG the horses in
sight of 81 Mortified crowd, and ahan-
doned the ",lead Yankees to take
their chances of burial as the author
ities. other than himself might de-
tcrmine. 1t WAS days scandal in
Richmond, and the brutal oIlicer was
removed. Bat for lorty-eight hours
nearly two thousand prisoners were
without a mouthful of food, until a
of the prison, moved by
their cries or alarmed by their mHti
ny, found some barrels of cOrr-meal
in the stores of the prison, and fed it
to them in buckets Of musli.
1t WAS through this humane dill
genee that Captain Warner, gener
Gus and efficient man, became after
ward charged with the subsistence of
the prisoners. The Captain often
told in Richmond, with great emo
ton, his experience with the prison
ers. mutinous aud savage for want
of food, for surely there is no fiercer
devil in the human composition, none
that tlares more than hunger. He
Was walking in the prisoners CALLER
les of The Libby, explaining that n
hai occurred in their sup
plies of food, but that they should
have limited stores on the morrow,
when an immense Yankee boatswain
him by the collar and drag
gcd lnm into circle of angry faces,
desperate from hunger. '.fou are a
good commissary,' said Jack, Sand
am good prisoner; am tue best
prisoner you ever saw in the world,
but d--n me if L had not rather face
one hundred of JEFF. Davis cannon
than be starved like a dog. . 81 felt
rather unhappy for a few minutes,
said Capt. Warner, ''but promised
the fellow, who shook me, heavy rs
was, as if | was no more than Il
baby IN his hands, that if he wOuld
let me 60 he should have some grub
in half an hour. found nothing in
the storehouse of the prison but
three barrels Of meal. | made it
into 4 rot mush, filed some buckets
with it, and had it passed in 10 the
prisoners, but you may bet | didn't
90 inside. i called TO Jack through
the crate that ! had got him the
healthiest supper could, and not to
let the men burn their mouths.'
The next day Captain Warner
represented to Colonel Winder, the
officer in charge of the
prisoners, that there was no Subsist-
ence for tlIem,- and that they were in
the actnsl pangs of hunger. He was
directed at once to make q requisi-
ton on Colonel Northrop, the cross
grained and eccentric Commissary-
General-an officer whose idea of
Importance was to have fit of insO-
lence whenever he was approached,
and who was either gruff or hysteri-
cal in his Official Intercourse.
81 know nothing of Yankee pris-
oners,' he said; ''throw them all
into the James river ~ \
"At least,' said Captain Warner,
.tell me how | am to keep my ac-
for the prisoners subsist-
ence ?' Il
"Sir," said Northrop, slightly
inclining his eyes to the anxious
inquirer, 81 have not the will or the
time to speak with you. Chuck the
into the river
Here was a quandary. There was
no law to charge the commissary
general with the subsistence OF pris-
Oners: he insisted that it belonged
to the quartermaster' department );
the latter deniedit, and in dead lock
of quibbles, the prisoners might be
left TO starVe. The ingenuity of a
lawyer was required to solve the
dis;Pte. Capt. Warner had been
commissary of prisoners,
and yet NorthrOp refused to ac-
~ GU - - nr IN fll