The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-02-23

Hcrtbea Us horrors
II one does not think so let him pc
rssse the following preambles and res
olutions. clipped from a recent issue
0f the Congressional Record.
The extract appears as an official
senate document. and IL is hardly to
BE- supposed that IL would be intro
daced into that august tribunal were
"a fictitious
n one does not believe that war
trenches upon Satan's dominions. let
him peFuse the document and see if
be does not al once reverse his judg-
meut
The document says:
whereas. upon the 18th day of
June. 1864. upon the demand of Maj.
Gen j q Foster commanding the
Talon forces OF the department of
fhe south. So Confederate officers
uere sent 90 him by the order of Maj.
Gen Halleck. United States Army. for
fhe purpose OF retaliation, the said
Mas Gen. Foster. assuming certain
correspondence between him and
Mai Cen sam Jones. Of the Confed-
crate Army that certain Union Off
GERS held a. prisoners of war in the
c.fy OF Charleston. 5. G.. were so To-
Gated ln said city that they were in
DANGER 81 being injured from the ex-
nioslnu 81 shells fired from batteries
haeeoner. Gregg. and other land bat
teflea. and from the United States
Feet Smelling the aforesaid city; and,
Whereas, after mutual explanation
between the aforesaid United States
and Confederate generals, the said
misunderstanding resulted in the ex-
change Of 80 Confederate officers sent
to Maj Gen Foster. as aforesaid, for
an equal number OF United States Of
ncers and.
Whereas. notwithstanding after
said explanation and mutual ex-
change. together with evidence that
the facts charged were false, the said
Gen Foster again called for 600 other
Confederate officers of different
ranks, who were being held as prison
ers Of war az Fort Delaware, to be
sent 90 Morris Island as subjects for
special retaliation, Notwithstanding
mo- charges were made against them
other than prisoners of war captured
IN battle BY order of Maj. Gen. Hal
heck. United States Army, on the goth
day % August. 1864. the said 900 Con-
fedefate officers were placed aboard
the steamer Crescent at Fort Della
ware. 20 be transported TO Morris Is
land. :. &. The capacity of the
steamer vas inadequate for such a
number: and all being required TO re-
main below deck. the suffering from
heat and filth and thirst for water
was unbearable. and the voyage,
which should have been made in 3
days. was heightened out to Is days,
50 that upon arrival at Norris Island
they were IN a famished condition.
Here they were confined from the
yth day OF September, 1864, to the
goth day of November in a stockade
built between batteries Gregg and
WaKg0ner OF the Union forces on
Morris Island. with no protection
from the burning rays of the sun save
small fiy tents. and within immediate
fhnge 0f the fire OF the guns from the
Confederate batteries replying TO the
bombarding OF the city of Charleston,
whilst also endangered by the pre-
nature bursting of shells fired from
the Union batteries immedia ely over
theii heads. The daily ratlons issued
dur'ag this term of AZ days consisted
% I bareback army crackers fire.
quentiy wormy: l ounce of fat picked
itr's. and half a ri OF bean soup,
aiternated az times with half a pint
% mush made from meal that was
old and wormy: and the only drink
inE water was impure, being obtain
ed from wells dug in the sand upon
khlch he stockade was located; and.
Whereas. also on the goth day of
; oyember. 1864. the said 600 COnfed-
crate officers were removed from the
stnckade and transported TO Fort Pu-
iaski. Ca. where they were assigned
90 quarters in the cold, damp case
mates. without fire or blankets to pro-
tcct them from the cold blasts of
winter. After some weeks interviewed
@uo ~ the number were sent to Hill |
ton Head, : C.. TO relieve the crowd |
ed condition OF the fort, which was
tHilinA upon their constitutions |
htHn the speci0us plea Of retaliation |
ats resorted 10 without any ALLEGED |
rounds as before, and an order was
NiFen hat each daily ration should /
o. 90 ounces of rotten corn meal only. !
which. Which, baked in a cake. consti- |
luted the entire food for a day, and |
fo ia's was added an ample supply of !
cucumber aud onion pickle. which. if |
eaten. only increased the pangs of |
hunger This was the sole and entire |
ations upon which those coo officers !
Nffe compelled 20 subsist for 65 con- |
seCutixe days and,
Whereas. this treatment Of said |
Confederate officers. against whom
40 charges were made other than rec
uEniEed prisoners OF war. was unjus- |
iihahie and contrary to all the ac-
knowiedged rights of beligerency and |
without a precedent as an established |
principle of civilized warfare; there !
fore.
he h enacted, etc. that the treas |
urer OF the United States is hereby |
ordered and directed 10 pay to each |
survivor of the 500 aforesaid officers |
and 90 the legal heirs of the deceased I
officers the sum of $4,000 each, as
damages and reparation for the acts
aforesaid