The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-03-17
Cme Nortl)erner.
p,wPAw. MIcmGAN, MARCH II, 1876.
P,rVs True NoRrHERNER

night we heard musket shot and a scream,
followed by groans growing fainter and fainter
until they stopped. A man lying next to me on
tie ground said Another poor fellow murder
cd In the morning there he lay where he
fell, covered with blood. He was fine look
ing young man, and was said by those who
knew HIM, to be the son OF wealthy parents
and OF good family also that he was always
quiet, we'll behaved and orderly. An order
had been given the evening previous not to al
low any man to pass between these buildings,
and guard had been placed there no one
that could learn Of had heard of any such
order-and we canvassed the matter thorough
ly-and it was the verdict of every one, that
the order had been purposely kept secret from
us. TINS young man went in there for water
about ten o'clock in the evening, and was shot
down without warning, At another time some
negro soldiers-of whom there we're about 200
prisoners in that stockade-were sitting around
their little fire near the center of the grounds,
when a shot from a guard probably twenty
rods away, struck one of the negroes passing
through his thigh and thence into one OF the
burrows striking white mans head aud kill
ing him instantly. These men were sitting
around their fire quietly, and were transgress-
ing no rule whatever. Some of us walked
down within Mailing distance OF the guard and
asked him why he did this thing, and the reply
he gave was 1t was such a good chance to
XIII a id Niger that l couldn't help it, ;"
and he followed this explanation by a sharp
order TO us to - Scatter out This sentry was
not even relieved from his beat. These were
not isolated cases by any means, but only
few out OF many. and some Of them much
more cruel than any l have related. don't
believe it to be IN the power Of man to describe
ftlv the condition Of these prisoners. Mr..
Richardson and Mr. Brown, with their powers
OF pen painting have attempted it, and they
confess their inability to do the subject justice,
and they made their escape December 18th
1864, two months before we were paroled and
before the prisoners had reached their lowest
condition, by far. Not face IN the prison
but wore a settled look Of gloom Not a smile
Or joke was ever seen or heard, and in it,
Dante's Inferno came nearer truthful represen-
tation than IN anything else this generation has
ever seen. Hope seemed entirely dead, and
the only emotion in any heart was one Of anx-
,ety to know how soon the last journey would
be taken in tue dead cart. It was a rule es-
tablished by custom among the prisoners, that If
any man died during the night, whoever CARED
the body to the dead house, and his clothes
(it he had any worth saving) TO Mr. Richardson's
should have the rations of the dead man tor
that Gay. To explain, will Say that we were
counted every afternoon by a rebel sergeant
and rations drawn for the number reported
The bodies were not heavy and were easily
carried or dragged. But complete history Of
these prisons can never be told some of those
things which best denote the depth of wretch
edness of these men and their cruel suffering
will never be written. for it must not come to
ears polite The sckening details must never
be written of the methods resorted to, to ap-
pease the awful hunger and the disgusting
physical condition Of these human beings from
disease, who were allowed-compelled is the
word-to die in their rottenness and filth, hor-
rble hunger and helplessness, by the so called
Confederate Government with jefferson Davis
at Its head.
ON the morning of February 22d, 1865 (the
birthday of Washington there was great COM
motion in the camp, for Confederate officers
from Richmond were there who had come to
parole us, and as it was reported that some
division of Sherman's army were at Charlotte.
only forty miles away, the oath Of parole as
administered hastily and the prison gates
swuns open at last. l cannot describe fifty
how we passed out, but l shall always have IT
a my minds eve how these miserable wrecks
Of humanity their scanty clothing hanging
from their wretched dirty bodies IN shreds aud
tatters, with wild looks of excitement and
eageruess in their faces went crawling out
through the gate many Of them staggering into
run as though they feared the gates might be
closed on them again before they were out, and
stumbling and falling in their feebleness, but
with look IN every mans face after he had
passed fairly outside, that was more expressive
than any words could be Of deep thankfulness
and eager hope.
IS we of our squad lett the place IN the pris-
on where we had passed the winter, We left two
men lying on the ground just dying and scat
tered all over the prison ground these poor
fellows who had borne this wretchedness and
misery until our day of release had come, were
lying bv dozens that morning, having passed
out to their freedom by different route than
ours. One Of these remember we'll was good
brave Pete McDermott, who was always trying
to cheer us up by singing such songs as :" When
Johnny Comes Marching Home Again." He
crawed as far as the gate and then died with
bis eyes LOOKING at the liberty which he could
not attain.
There have been many reasons and excuses
by the leaders and friends Of the Lost Cause
for this numbering of soldiers taken in honor
able warfare. They found it necessary when
questioned by the civilized world. to apologize
and to evade responsibility but the belief OF
The majority now is, and history will show, and
Justly too, that the responsibility for this in
human barbarity rests principally with Jeffer-
son Davis. and with every other officer Of the
Confederacy who had anything to do with prls-
oners OF war. One excuse for not providing
their prisoners with food and clothing was that
they had none to give them. The proof shows
that this is false. The report Of the officer in
command when; Salisbury was entered, in
the spring of 1866, says that they found an