Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-22
THE STORY UNTRUE.
ALLEGED CRUEL TREATMENT OF
UNION SOLDIERS DENIED.
Mr.. Mullen's Letter Accompanies Ifs Fur
pose and Brings Out Well
Established Facts.

published in yesterdays DISPATCH, In
which be related q conversation that
occurred between himself and another
person relative to the treatment that
prisoners received during the late war,
was very generally read and with great
deal Of interest.
Mr.. Mullen was right in saying that IN
his opinion neither of the two instances
cited by his friend to show that Union
soldiers were trested in the most cruel
manner ever occurred.
That there was not word OF truth IN
the information that reached this person,
who was not in America during the
struggle, but who sympathizes with and
endorses the course of the Union army,
there is abundant proof. Mr.. Mullens
object in directing public attention to
the charges made by his friend was to
bring out the real facts in the case and
this result is accomplished in part at
least
ONE WHO CERTAINLY KNOWS.
Mr.. H. =. Edmond. who was master
Of machinery on the Richmond and Pc
tersbnrg railroad at the time of the
evacuation, writes the DISPATCH with
reference TO the charge "that q train-
load of Union prisoners was run ont on
the Petersburg railroad bridge for the
purpose OF burning them TO death on
the night Of the evacuation of Rich
mond.'
81 was in charge OF the machinery on
that road (the Richmond and Petersburg
railroad) on the night in question and
did not leave till they were about to fire
the bridge. No trains crossed the bridge
that night except two or three that
brought our wounded men from Peters
burg on Sunday night. About 6 in the
morning Of Monday got Major Rogers
to wait till / could send these trains OF
wounded men over to Manchester, as l
was sure they would be burned where
they were. AS soon As these trains got
over the bridge it was fired and | did
not see or hear of single Union prisoner
that night"
LADY QUOTED.
One OF the best-posted men in Rich
mond on matters relating to war times is
Mr.. Charles NJ. Wallace. To a DIS
PATCH reporter he said yesterday:
"In reply to the story related by MIR.
Mullen, that on the day of the evacua-
ton of Richmond long train OF cars
loaded with Union prisoners was run ont
on the Petersburg bridge while the
bridge was on fire for the express pur-
pose Of burning them 10 death, j quote
the recital Of an -witness-a lady OF
unquestionable veracity. -Four trains OF
cars came in from Petersburg the night
preceding the evacuation and were left
upon the Petersburg bridge.
"Two of these trains contained provi-
sions-the other two contained upwards
OF q hundred Confederates, sick and
wounded, AND But SIX FEDERAL PRISON.
ERs. AS soon as the bridge was seen to
be on fire these trains were moved on to
the firm ground OF the south side and
we're there discovered by the good peo-
pie OF Manchester. The engineers had
deserted their posts and left the helpless
| inmates to their fate.
SERVICE OF A LADY.
"Mrs. Judge Clopton, whose woman
| ly service in the Confederate hospitals
| during the war is remembered by still
living witnesses, being informed OF the
perilous condition of the unfortunates
encountered near her mansion one Major
Welsh, marching at the head of column
of negro troops. and implored him to go
Immediately to the relief Of the trains.
"The kind hearted soldier went TO
the succor OF the helpless men, and had
them carefully and tenderly removed to
a vacant house near the Clopton mansion
on Clopton Hill.
MANCHESTER HOSPITAL.
"Before their removal, however, the
| good people of Manchester did all IN
their power to relieve the necessities OF
the sick, wounded, and imprisoned.
"The Federal General Thomas coming
into Manchester shortly afterwards, took
control aud established on Clopton's Hill
q hospital.
"Tho nameless narrator cited by Mr..
Mullen, who very properly discredits
the diabolic story, might have ascertain
ed the truth of the facts given above by
going over TO Manchester and con-
yersing with living witnesses.
EXPERIENCE OF A CONFEDERATE.
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, J
| OFFICE AUDITOR PUEBLO ACCOUNTS,
RICHMOND, October q, 1890. }
To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
In to-day's issue Mr.. w. II. Mullen
relates conversation touching the treat
ment of Yankee prisoners dnring the
late war. OF course no such treatment
was given them. Those tales are IN con
sonance with the general desire OF the
South-haters to vilify and abuse US IN
order that they may draw attention from
their own leprosy aud rascality. That
was one Of their favorite pdsttmes To
shoot at and annoy southern prisoners.
| When / was prisoner at Wheeling they
put thirty-eight of Us In she same
room with one hundred and nifty
scoundrels, balled and chained. who
threw us up against the ceiling and
caught us in blanket, and not satisfied
with that the internal scouhufeis roDpeo
us. At Camp Chase, Ohio. they cut oui
breeches off below the knees and gave
us some old red, white, yellow, and blue
pieces to sew on and shot at us when,
ever We came to the window without
the slightest provocation. AT Fort Della
ware We were "hacked out" on helrs
half acre once week and skinned like
eels of everything that we might per
chance have gotten together. we
were shot at like dogs, aud John
ME Bibb, of Charlottesville, was
instantly killed by one OF them
whilst standing by me tying on ms
cravat / was holding the looking -glasi;
for him at the time. We were starved
and plundered numerically, and out ol
six thousand Of us then lin 1861 all bu'
twenty-four hundred sleep on Jersey
shore. We were told by Schoetf that We
would never be exchanged that the wal
would never end il We were sent BACK
that it was as honorable to die IN prison
as upon the battlefield. No nation evel
before treated prisoners as the Nonh did
and the southern people would share
Il svxIr IN