The National tribune., 1883-09-13
WEIR, KAN.
A CHASTITY DEATH ROLL.

Late SeTgt, 20. L. 10th y. V. L
WEIR, KAN.
A CHASTITY DEATH ROLL.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
As requested, herewith send you state
ment of the number of soldiers who died at
Camp Ford, Tyler. Texas, fromsaIay y, 1864
to February II, 1865: Connecticut Illinois,
8 Indiana 10; Iowa, Al; Kansas, 9 Missouri,
fS; Maine, 10; Minnesota, 1 /; Michigan. g,
Massachusetts,, 2; Maryland, 1 New York, 81;
New Hampshire, l. Ohio, "A; Steamer Clifton,
3; Wisconsin, 4 (; Citizen Steamer Emma, a;
Teamster, SteePs Com. 3; GunbOat Sachem, A:
MerriPs Horse, 1 Merril's battery, Mis-
'souTi battery, 2; Guuboat Morning Light. L;
regiment not known, Total DIS.
In your issue of March l, 1883, noticed
statement made by C0mrade s. s. Goodwin, OF
the Seventh Missouri cavalry, in regard to the
killing Of private Of the Thirty-sixth Iowa
by a guard in which he states chat MS has
blew of, and, going too near the dead-line to
get it, he was shot. As / was a member of the
Thirty-sixth Iowa, / wish to correct this state
ment little. Comrade @. G. Sharon now re-
siding in Attiea, Iowa. had Just passed down
the east side of the stockads, and when about
half way down, a guard, who had Just been
stationed inside, told him that be would shOOs
the Eext ankee that came along there. So the
next happened to be poor John Leslie. of COM
pany z, Thirty-sixth Iowa. As ne got even
WIN tHc SusiFu anu Du5 a lew Ieeb nom aim,
the latter called, Halt " and shot at the same
instant. He lived one hour and ten minutes.
1t was awful to witness loving brother bend
ing over him in his death struggle
PLEAsANTyILLE, IA. A. j. WILLsEY'
A AQUEsTIoN FOR AN Ex-PRIsoNER TO ANSWER.
To the Editor NATIONAL tribune:
1 take the liberty TO again ask for little
space in your columns for the purpose of ask
ing few questions of the AndeFsOnvilie pris-
Oners of ga and '65. First, does any one reeoI-
lect anything Of prisoner named William
Willard Tor Wilierti, belonging 70 company B,
Sixteenth q. $. infantry He was missed from
our lines in 'front.' of Atlanta some time in the
beginning OF August or the latter part of July,
1861 Il forget the exact date), and I was after
ward told by an escaped prisoner of our Fegi-
ment that he had seen him at AndersOnville;
and, second. what became of him there
Did he die there OF WAS he exchanged2
The reason that I interest myself IN this is:
He was member of the company to which
belonged, and I also lately heard that be never
returned to his family, and that his wife or
widow (which IS it?l has for long tine been
trying to get a pension. but could ind no trace
of him further than Atlanta. where he was put
upon the company record as missing and she
has never succeeded IN establishing her claim
to the satisfaction OF the Pension Commissioner.
II some coIarade would give the information
UNE, it might be the means of getting PEN
sion for poor and deserving woman. She
lives somewhere IN Dauphin county, Pa, but,
unfortunately, do not know her post-ofIiee
address have no pecuniary interest in this
matter whatever. WM c. WEBER.
Co. 3, % Batt'n, 10th q. s I.
SUGAR VALLEY, Pa.
FROM A MACON PRISONER
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
was one of the twenty-five members Of the
Fifty fifth Illinois V. ]. who were captured at
the battle of Shiloh, and taken to the rebel
prisen at Montgomery, Ala, and then To Chat
tanOoga, Tenn, to be eexehanged- The exchange.
however, was not effected, and we were taken
back to Atlanta, Ca, and from there to
Grifin, Ga, where we stayed two weeks,
and had q good time; thence to Macon,
Ga, where we were confined from May TO No.
veniber, 1862, and where all the barbarities OF
Andersonville were Practiced. OF the twenty
five was the only one that lived 70 return
the rest all died. Upon my release I only
weighed seventy-ive pounds. and have never
enjoyed good health since Thousands died in
1852 j hope some of the boys viii give us a
good sketch Of their experience.
MACoMB, Ill J. W. CHRIsINDEE.
THE THUMB-sCREw AT TYER PRISON.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
|, too, was q prisOner-eaptured on the Red
River, May s. 1854, with the rest Of the crew
of the u s. s Signal. No. s, Captain Morgan,
commander, and We were marched from below
Alexandria, La. to Camp Ford Tyler, Texas
| was taken sick the night we got there and
had nothing to eat, nor could we get enough
water to drink. recall the ration of which
the chaplain spoke IN q recent number of The
TRIBUNE. and some of Us Jared worse than he
did. My ration was wheat, oats and some kind
of black seeds, ground together, and I got 3
= -
member seeing an old sailor from New Bedford,
who was member of another crew tied up
by the thumbs for two hours. at Camp Ford
When taken down ne was unable to stand and
In three days he was dead This punishment
was administered simply because he called cut
" keno" pretty loud. WILLIAM WARNER.
HEsPER, IA.
HOW REBEL PRISONERS FARED.
To the Editor NATIONAL tribune:
/ saw an article in your splendid paper from
member of the One Hundred and FOrty-ifth
Illinois volunteer infantry IN regard 70 the
treatment of rebel prisoners az the Alton
(IlLl military prison, in 1854, and | can cor
rob0rate the eomFade IN every respect, for he
gives the real facts In the case. The Alton
prison, | am told, has a bad reputation in the
South-why, 1 at present have no idea.
My regiment was stati0ned-at least portion
OF it, and my company "a al the tins-fOr
nine months az AIJO1 IN the I1ll ana winter OK
1S64l5, and until July, when the war being
over, the prisoners were sent South TO their
homes. My company IA being on duty every
other day, or az least detail from It. had
every chance to see or hear what was going ON,
and in all that nine months l never heard OF
or saw a prisoner punished OF maitreated in
any manner. They had good FatiOns; the
same baker made the bread they are that fur
nished ours, and | saw the bread dealt out TO
them, the bread wagon being driven In every
day and uniOaded where al could see it
that wanted TO. They also were furnished
with plenty of meat and coffee. Many
times have / seen the boys n gray
and gray enough most Of them were
sitting round on the snnny side OF the prison
buildings eating their rations. There WAS
much sickness, however, of one kind or
another smallpox being very prevalent dur
ing the winter but these eases were removed
to a hospital on Alton Island, opposite the city,
as soon as possible There was also much dys-
entary among the prisoners and many died
just north of the city there is a Confederate
burying ground and / have been told that
2,200 are buried there. The Government
placed wooden head and foot boards on each
grave many years ago, a greater part of which
have rotted and fallen down. / understand
many of these boards were marked "An IN
known soldier, G. S. A."
But started 70 cOrrohorate the statement Of
nv cOfnraie of the C)pa Hundred and FOrsy-