USA > New York > Records of the 24th Independent Battery, N. Y. Light Artillery, U. S. V. > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20
6. By a daily inspection of bakehouse and baking.
7. Cover over with sand from the hillsides the entire "morass" not less than six inches deep, board the stream or watercourse, and con- fine the men to the use of the sinks, and make the penalty for disobe- dience of such orders severe.
FOR THE HOSPITAL.
We recommend-
1st. The tents be floored with planks ; if plank cannot be had, with puncheons ; and if this be impossible, then with fine straw, to be fre- quently changed.
2d. We find an inadequate supply of stool boxes, and recommend that the number be increased, and that the nurses be required to re-
Digitized by Google
1
-
i
.
.
APPENDIX.
15
move them as soon as used, and before returning them see that they are well washed and limed.
3d. The diet for the sick is not such as they should have, and we recommend that they be supplied with the necessary quantity of beef soup with vegetables.
4th. We also recommend that the surgeons be required to visit the hospitals not less than twice a day.
We cannot too strongly recommend the necessity for the appoint- ment of an efficient medical officer to the exclusive duty of inspecting daily the prison hospital and bakery, requiring of him daily reports of their condition to headquarters.
We have the honor to remain, general, very respectfully,
T. S. HOPKINS, Acting Assistant Surgeon.
DOCUMENT No. 8.
TESTIMONY OF BOSTON CORBETT.
It was a living mass of putrefaction and filth ; there were maggots there a foot deep. Any time we turned over the soil we could see the maggots in a living mass ; I have seen the soldiers wading through it, digging for roots to use for fuel. I have seen around the swamp, the sick in great numbers, lying pretty much as soldiers lie when they are down to rest in line after a march. In the morning I could see those who had died during the night, and in the daytime I could see them exposed to the heat of the sun, with their feet swelled to an enormous size ; in many cases large gangrene sores filled with mag- gots and flies which they were unable to keep off. I have seen men lying there in a state of utter destitution, not able to help themselves, lying in their own filth. They generally chose that place (near the swamp), those who were most offensive, because others would drive them away, not wanting to be near those who had such bad sores. They chose it because of its being so near to the sinks. In one case a man died there, I am satisfied, from the effects of lice. When the clothes were taken off his body, the lice seemed as thick as the gar- ment-a living mass.
.
Digitized by Google
.
16
APPENDIX.
DOCUMENT No. 9.
DR. M. M. MARSH'S TESTIMONY AS TO STORES SENT TO PRISONERS AT ANDERSONVILLE, GEORGIA.
5,052 wool shirts.
5,431 wool socks.
6,993 wool drawers.
50 pillow cases.
3,950 handkerchiefs.
258 bed sacks.
601 cotton shirts.
122 combs.
1,128 cotton drawers.
2,100 blouses.
100 tin cups. 2 boxes tinware.
4,235 wool pants.
4,092 pounds condensed milk.
1,520 wool hats.
4,032 pounds condensed coffee.
2,565 overcoats.
1,000 pounds farina.
5,385 blankets.
1,000 pounds corn starch.
272 quilts.
4,212 pounds tomatos.
2,120 pairs shoes. 110 cotton coats.
3 boxes lemon juice.
140 vests.
1 barrel dried apples.
46 cotton pants.
111 barrels crackers, 60 boxes cocoa. 7,200 pounds beef stock,
534 wrappers. 69 jackets.
12 overalls.
Paper, envelopes, &c.
817 pairs slippers.
Pepper, mustard.
One box tea, 70 pounds.
3,147 towels.
24 pounds chocolate.
Digitized by Google
:
APPENDIX.
DOCUMENT No. 10. (From Private Diary of J. W. Merrill.) MARKET PRICES IN C. S. M. PRISON HOSPITAL, ANDERSONVILLE, GEORGIA, 1864.
To Sept. $4 Confed. == $1 Federal.
Federal Money.
Confederate Money.
After Sept. $5 Confed. = $1 Federal.
Federal Money.
Confederate Money.
$ c.
$ c. $ c.
$ c.
$ c.
$ c.
$ c.
$ c.
Butter, 1b
1 50
16 00
Peanuts, pint .... 0 30
1 50
Biscuit. each ..
. . 0 08 to 0 15 0 32 to 0 60
Potatoes, Irish, qt 1 00
5 00
·
Blackberries, p't 0 50 to 0 75 2 00 to 3 00
Potat's, Sw't, ea. 0 10 to 0 15 0 50 to 0 75
Whortleberries.
0 75
3 00
Peaches, each. .. 0 10 to 0 75|0 40 to 3 00
Chestnuts, each. 0 01
10 05
Sugar Cane Stalk 0 25
1 25
Chincopias, pint 1 00
5 00
Red Peppers, ea. 0 10
0 50
Eggs, each . 0 15 to 0 25 0 60 to 1 00
Grapes, each. .. 0 01
10 05
Gingerbread, ea. 0 35 to 0 50 1 40 to 2 00 Honey, table-
spoonful .. .... 0 18
0 50
Molasses, quart. 3 00
15 00
Watermelons, ea 1 50 to 3 00 6 00 to 12 00
Muskmelons, ea 0 50 to 1 50 2 00 to 6 00
DOCUMENT No. 11. (From Private Diary of J. W. Merrill.)
MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE SERGEANTS IN CHARGE OF DE- TACHMENTS OF PRISONERS CONFINED AT ANDERSONVILLE, GA.
At a meeting of the sergeants in charge of the various detachments of prisoners confined at present in the Andersonville Military Prison, Georgia, held for the purpose of taking some action to properly repre- sent the present condition of the prisoners to our Government at Washington, and thereby secure, if possible, a speedy redress of the wrongs complained of, the following committee was appointed, who, after due consultation, reported the following preamble and resolu- tions, which were unanimously adopted :
William N. Johnson, Chairman. H. C. Higginson, J. S. Banks, E. W. Webb, Committee.
Apparently, one of the sad effects of the progress of this terrible war has been to deaden our sympathies and make us more selfish than we were when the tocsin of the battle strife first sounded in the land.
Digitized by Google
1
i
17
Apples, each. . .
0 10 to 0 25 0 40 to 1 00
Onions, each ....
0 25 to 0 50 1 00 to 2 00
.
1 :
i
1
18
APPENDIX.
Perhaps this state of public feeling was to have been anticipated. The frequency with which you hear of captures in battle, and the long accounts you have seen of their treatment, has robbed the spec- tacle of its novelty, and, by a law of our nature, has taken off the edge of our sensibilities, and made them less an object of interest. No one can know the horrors of imprisonment in crowded and filthy quarters but he who has endured it, and it requires a brave heart not to succumb. But hunger, filth, nakedness and disease are as nothing compared with that heart sickness which weighs prisoners down, . most of them young men whose terms of enlistment have expired, and many of them with nothing to attach them to the cause in which they suffer but principle and love of country and of friends. Does the misfortune of being taken prisoners make us less the object of in- terest and value to our Government ? If such, you plead it no longer. · These are no common men, and it is no common merit that they call upon you to aid in their release from captivity.
1st. That a large portion of the prisoners have been held as such for periods ranging from nine to fifteen months, subject to all the hard- ships and privations necessarily incident to a state of captivity in an enemy's country.
2d. That there are now confined in the prison from 25,000 to 30,000 men, with daily accession of hundreds, and that the mortality among them, generated by various causes, such as change of climate, diet and want of proper exercise, is becoming truly frightful to contem- plate, and is rapidly increasing in virulence, decimating their ranks weekly by hundreds.
3d. In view of the foregoing facts, we, your petitioners, most earn- estly yet respectfully pray, that some action be immediately taken to effect our speedy release, either on parole or exchange, the dictates both of justice and humanity alike demanding such action on the part of our Government.
4th. We shall all look forward with a hopeful confidence that some- thing will be speedily done in this matter, believing that a proper statement of the facts is all that is necessary to secure a redress of the grievances complained of.
5th. The above has been read to each detachment by its respective sergeant, and has been approved by the men, who have unanimously authorized each sergeant to sign, as will and deed of the whole.
ANDERSONVILLE, GEO.
Digitized by Google
---
.
APPENDIX.
DOCUMENT No. 12. (From Private Diary of J. W. Merrill.) MORTALITY AT C. 8. M. PRISON HOSPITAL DURING THE MONTHS OF AUGUST, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, 1864.
AUG. 1.
74
SEPT. 1. 105
Ост.
1. 82
2.
73
2 104
2. 48
3.
75
3. 113
3.
40
4
75
4.
94
4
66
5.
90
5.
98
5.
46
6
103
6. 105
6.
49
7.
71
7. 63
7.
53
8.
95
8. 111
76
9.
34
10
85
10
99
10
64
11
103
11
99
11
103
12
81
12
111
12
76
13.
109
13.
78
13 60
.
14
114
14
102
14.
54
15.
120
15
83
15.
47
16
107
16
100
16.
51
17
114
17
106
17.
48.
18
88
18.
129
18
53
19.
101
19.
90
19.
55
20
107
20
99
20
41
21
86
21
82
21
41
22
122
22
61
22
50
23
127
23
82
23.
51
24
102
24
77
24.
67
25.
98
25
72
25
22
26
103
26.
51
26
71
27.
93
27
83
27
40
28.
90
28
75
28
37
29
105
29
69
29
28
30.
95
30
60
30
39
31
92
31
27
Total.
2,993
Total ..
.. 2,677
Total 1,595
8.
52
9.
95
9.
Digitized by Google
.
19
20
APPENDIX.
DOCUMENT No. 13. (From Private Diary of J. W. Merrill.)
REPORT OF ELECTION HELD IN ANDERSONVILLE PRISON HOSPITAL, TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 1864. (Written by S. M. Riker.)
On the evening of November 7th, 1864, the prisoners of the C. S. Military Prison Hospital, Andersonville, Ga., held a meeting for the discussion of the opposing candidates for the office of President of the United States for the ensuing four years, having first obtained per- mission from Capt. Wirz, Military Commander of Prison, to carry on an informal election in the prison.
On motion, Mr. Smith was voted chairman of the meeting. Other offices, owing to existing circumstances, were ignored. 1
The meeting was opened by singing the national anthem, "Colum- bia, the Gem of the Ocean," conducted by Mr. J. W. Merrill ; after which Dr. J. W. Fay mounted the rostrum, and edified the meeting by an able address. He held that the present administration, having sworn, upon entering upon its duties, to carry out the laws and Con- stitution of the United States, had been faithful to its oath, acting wisely and just in every emergency. He considered the fealty of General Mcclellan to the Union very doubtful, owing to his conduct after the battle of Antietam and his intercourse and association with such traitors and copperheads as Judge Woodward of Pennsylvania, Vallandigham, Hall, Wood Brothers, &c., of the Chicago Convention.
The Doctor was replied to by S. M. Riker in a few remarks, sustain- ing the character of General Mcclellan for truthfulness and faithful- ness to his country and the cause for which he had fought. Mr. Riker then made a long, animated speech. He was loudly applauded, the conciseness of his arguments and palpableness of his conclusions having a telling effect on his hearers.
Mr. Delaney replied to Mr. Riker in a very terse manner, denounc- ing Old Abe with his greenbacks, and establishing, beyond a doubt, that his education and politics were of the real " hard shell" demo- cratic order.
Mr. Lathrop being then called for, took the stand and addressed the meeting for about fifteen minutes in an easy, eloquent manner. He upheld the present administration, and was for carrying on this war to
Digitized by Google
21
APPENDIX.
the bitter end. He would advocate no treaty of peace that would in any manner compromise the people of the North, but would, if neces- sary, enlist for four, eight or sixteen years-longer, if necessary-to conquer the rebels.
Mr. Waterbury took the stand. He claimed that the nigger was prized more highly by the present administration than the white sol- dier-that a dozen niggers were the cause of the Government's ceas- ing to exchange prisoners, and niggers were the cause of our now being prisoners in the Confederacy. He considered he had been de- ceived by the Government, and that the soldiers of our armies were, as a whole, swindled.
·
Loud calls were made for Mr. Bennett, who came forward, and, smiling all over, proclaimed for honest Old Abe. He spoke for some twenty minutes in a very racy and humorous strain, not without effect, as the frequent bursts of applause gave abundant evidence. He admitted General Mcclellan to be a man of fine intellect and abilities, but much preferred to ride the old horse, who was still able to carry him, and had never yet stumbled. He considered the anaconda business of little Mac played out. This allowing the body to lie in the way of the advancing rebels, while the tail swings around and crushes them, was not the one that would elect him to the highest office in the favor of the people of the United States. The anaconda game was a thorough fizzle, in his estimation.
Mr. B. resumed his seat amidst thunders of applause, and was fol- lowed by Mr. Burns, who edified the audience with a reviewal of the arguments of his predecessor, deducing therefrom an argument in favor of Mr. Lincoln.
The Chairman of the meeting closed with some pointed arguments favoring General Mcclellan for the next President of the United States.
Throughout the evening, the choir, under the direction of Mr. J. W. Merrill, furnished the meeting with fine singing. " The Star Spangled Banner," " Hail Columbia," " Home, Sweet Home," " Rally Round the Flag, Boys," " Hoist up the Flag," and others, were rendered with great taste and effect, and received by the audience with much applause.
Mr. William West sang the " American Star," when the meeting adjourned.
.
Digitized by Google
:
.
.
22
APPENDIX.
All were highly gratified with the evening's performance." The greatest harmony and good feeling existed.
The Committee congratulate themselves on the attainment of the object of the meeting, namely, amusement. Mingled with amuse- ment was an air of earnestness which did credit to the assembly, as citizens of America, and evidenced the degree of interest that they felt in a matter of such vital importance to the country for which they are sworn to fight. Each and every one seemed to feel, that though their votes could have no visible effect on the struggle of the next day, in which the whole loyal population of the North were to en- gage, yet the principles involved and expressed would be the same.
On the 8th inst. an election for President was held. Mr. M. E. Hogan, of Third Indiana Cavalry, Magistrate.
Judges of Election-First Division : John Dunmore, One Hundredth Ohio ; A. A. Walker, Sixteenth Connecticut. Second Division : E. H. Lathrop, Eighty-first Illinois ; William Smith, Sixth Michigan. Third Division : T. M. Seaton, Eighteenth New York ; John Corn- wall. Fourth Division : J. W. Merrill, Twenty-fourth New York Battery ; Charles Dunmore, Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry.
The day was rainy, and just the kind for an election, which went off in a very satisfactory manner.
At six P. M. the result was announced, the camp having given a vote of 150 majority for Abraham Lincoln for President of the United States. 1,740 votes in all were polled ; Lincoln receiving 945, and Mcclellan 795.
.
1
Digitized by
1
1
1
:
-
.
1
.
.
.
.
.
.
:
.
! 1
:
i
1
Digitized by
.
1
.
.
Digitized by
,
r
.
1
.
-
.
.
.
·
Digitized by Google
1
·
. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
Digitized by
. .
t
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Digitized by Google
·
.
RETURN TO:
NRLF
LOAN PERIOD 1 2
3
4
5
6
ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS. Please return books early if they are not being used.
DUE AS STAMPED BELOW.
STATOURL
1
APR 0 9 2101
U.C .:
.
1
FORM NO. DD 9 20M 11-99
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Digitized by Google
.
YC 59511
-
-
--
.
M208964
E527 24th MA
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
.
Digitized by Google
Bitte Google
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.