The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-09-09
ANnERS0NNllIE.
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Il Y Ill
Continued 4, on first pageD
upon such ragged blankets as they pos
sessed. without, as far as | observed
any bedding or even straw. The bag
gard, distressed countenances of tlest
miserable, complaining, detected, living
skeletons formed a picture OF helpless
hopeless misery which it would be I'M
possible to portray by words or by the
brush.
"Some hundred or more of the pris-
oners had been released from contlne-
ment in the Stockade on parole, and
filled various offices rs clerks, druggists,
and carpenters. etc, in the various de-
partments. These men were well clothed,
and presented a stout and healthy ap-
pearance, and as a general rule they
presented a much more robust ami
healthy appearance than the Conted-
crate troops guarding the prisoners.
1.-The entire grounds are surrounded
by frail board fence, and are strictly
guarded by Confederate soldiers, and no
prisoner except the raroled attendants
is allowed to leave the grounds except
by special permit from the Command
ant of the Interior of the Prison. / he
patients and attendants, near 1900 IN
number, are crowded into this confined
space, and are but poorly supplied
with old and ragged tents Large num-
bers of them were without any hunks in
the tents, and lay upon the ground, oft
times without even blanket No beds
or strawappeared to have been furnished.
The tents extend to within few yards
of small stream, the eastern portion OF
which is loaded with excrement.
1.-The police and hygiene of the
hospital were defective in the extreme;
the attendants, who appeared In almost
every instance to have been selected
from the prisoners, seemed to have IN
many cases but little interest in the wei
fare of their fellow-captives. They GER
tainly appeared 10 neglect the comfort
and cleanliness of the sick intrusted to
their care in most shameful manner,
even after making due allowances for
the difficulties of the situation. The
abuses were in a large measure due to
the almost total absence of system,
government, and rigid, bat wholesome
sanitary regulations. In extenuation Of
these abuses it was alleged by the medi-
cal officers that the Confederate troops
were barely sufficient to guard the pris-
oners, and that it was impossible to OBJ
tain any number of experienced nurses
from the Confederate forces. In fact,
the guard appeared TO be too small,
even for the regulation of the internal
hygiene and police of the hospital.
"The manner of disposng of the
dead was also calculated to depress the
already responding spirits Of these men,
many of whom have been confined for
months, and even for nearly two years,
in Richmond and other places, and
whose strength had been wasted by bad
air, bad food, and neglect of personal
cleanliness. The dead-house is merely
a frame covered with old tent cloth and
a few bushes, situated in the southwest
ern corner of the hospital grounds
When a patient dies, he is simply laid
in the narrow street in front of his tent,
until he is removed by Federal negros
detailed to carry off the dead; if
patient dies during the night, he lies
there until the morning, and during the
day even the dead were frequently al
lowed to remain for hours in these walks.
In the dead-house the corpses lie upon
the bare ground, and are in most cases
covered with filth and vermin.
1.-The cooking arrangements are of
the most defective character. Five
large iron pots similar 10 those used for
boiling sugar cane, appeared to be the
only cooking utensils furnished by the
hospital for the cooking OF nearly 1000
men; and the patients were dependent
in great measure uron their own miser-
able utensils. They were allowed to
cook in the tent doors and in the lanes,
and this was another source Of filth, and
another favorable condition for the
generation and multiplication of flies
and other vermin.
al entered nearly all the tents and
carefully examined the cases Of interest,
during the prosecution Of my pathology
cal inquiries at Andersonville, and
therefore enjoyed every opportunity to
judge correctly Of the hygiene and
police Of the hospital.