infected both with yellow fever and small- balance." He asked me to give him a pox. This valise I declined taking charge receipt, which I did: "Received of Jacob of, and turned it over to him at the Halifax Thompson he sum of $50, on account of Hotel, and I afterward heard that it had Dr. Blackburn." That was about the 11th been sent to the President.

or 12th of August last. The next day I On the five trunks that I turned over to wrote to Messrs. Wall & Co., of Washington, W. L. Wall & Co., I got an advance of $100. desiring them to send me an account of the Among these five trunks there was one that sales, and the balance due me. When I was always spoken of by Blackburn to me received their answer, I took it up to show as "Big No. 2," which he said I must be sure to Colonel Thompson. He then said he was to have sold in Washington. perfectly satisfied I had done my part, and On disposing of the trunks, I immediately gave me a check for $50 on the Ontario left Washington, and went straight through Bank. I gave him a receipt: "Received until I got to Hamilton, Canada. In the from Jacob Thompson $100, in full, on waiting-room there I met Mr. Holcombe and account of Dr. Luke P. Blackburn." Mr. Clement C. Clay. They both rose, shook hands with me, and congratulated me upon my safe return, and upon my making a fortune. They told me I should be a gentleman for the future, instead of a working-man and a mechanic. They seemed perfectly to understand the business in which I had been engaged. Mr. Holcombe told me that Dr. Blackburn was at the Donegana Hotel in Montreal, and that I had better telegraph to him, stating that I had returned.

I told Jacob Thompson of the large sum which Dr. Blackburn had promised me for my services, and that he and Mr. Holcombe had both told me that the Confederate Government had appropriated $200,000 for the purpose of carrying it out; but he would not pay me any thing more.

When Dr. Blackburn returned from Ber muda, I wrote to him at Montreal, and told him I wanted some money, and that he fought to send me some; but he made no reply As Dr. Blackburn had requested me to to my letter. I was then sent down to Montelegraph to him, as soon as I got into treal with a commission for Bennett H. Canada, I did so; and the next night, be- Young, to be used in his defense in the St. tween 11 and 12 o'clock, Dr. Blackburn Albans raid case. I there met Dr. Blackcame up and knocked at the door of my house. burn. He said I had written some hard let I was in bed at the time. I looked out of ters to him, abusing him, and that he had no the window and saw Dr. Blackburn there. money to give me. He then got into his carSaid he, "Come down, Hyams, and open the riage at the door, and rode off to some races, I door; you're like all damned rascals who think, and never gave me any more satisfac have been doing something wrong-you're tion. As I wanted money before leaving for the afraid the devil is after you." He was in States, I went to the Clifton House, Niagara. company with Bennett H. Young. I came Dr. Blackburn told me he had no money down and let him in. He asked me how I with him then, but that he would go to Mr. had disposed of the goods, and I told him. Holcombe and get some, as he had Confed "Well," said he, "that is all right, as long as erate funds with him. Blackburn said that big No. 2 went into Washington; it will kill when I returned he would get the money for them at sixty yards' distance." I then told the expedition, from either Holcombe or the Doctor that every thing had gone wrong at Thompson, it did not matter which. From my home in my absence; that I needed some this, and from Holcombe and Clay both funds; that my family needed money. He shaking hands with me, and congratulating said he would go to Colonel Jacob Thompson me at Hamilton upon my safe return, and make arrangements for me to draw upon thought, of course, they knew all about it. him for any amount of money I required. I do not know that Dr. Stuart Robinson He then said that the British authorities had knew of the business in which I was engaged, solicited his services in attending to the yellow but he took good care of me while I was fever that was then raging in Bermuda; that at Toronto, in the fall, and until Dr. he was going on there; and that as soon as he Blackburn wrote for me in the spring; and came back he would see me. I went up to when he gave me Dr. Blackburn's letter, he Jacob Thompson the next morning, and told me to borrow the money from Mr. told him what Dr. Blackburn had said. He Preston to take me to Montreal, as he said said, "Yes; Dr. Blackburn had been there, he did not want to commit an overt act and had made arrangements for me to draw against the United States Government him$100 whenever it was shown that I had made self. Mr. Preston lent me $10 to go to disposition of the goods according to his Montreal. On arriving at that place, accorddirection." I told him I needed money; that ing to the directions in Dr. Blackburn's I had been so long away from home that letter, I went to Mr. Slaughter to get the every thing I had was gone, and I wanted money to pay my rent, etc. He said, "I will give you $50 now, but it is against Dr. Blackburn's request; when you show me that you have sold the goods, I will give you the

means to take me to Halifax. Mr. Slaughter was short of funds, and had only $25 that he could give me. He said that I had better go to Mr. Holcombe, who was staying at the Donegana Hotel, and he would give me the

Dalance. I went to the hotel and sent up my name. Mr. Holcombe had heard of my name, and he sent for me to come up. I told him that I wanted some money to take me to Halifax; he asked me how much I wanted; I told him as much as would make up $40; he said, "You had better take $50;" but as I did not want that much, I only took enough to make up $40. When I came to Washington to dispose of the goods, which was on the 5th of August, 1864, I put up at the National Hotel; registered my name as J. W. Harris, under which name I did business with Wall & Co.

W. L. WALL.

For the Prosecution.-May 29.

I am an auction and commission merchant

in this city. In August last, while I was out STARVATION OF UNION PRISONERS.

of town, a person named Harris called at my store, and told my book-keeper that he had some shirts that he wanted to sell at auction, and asked him if he would sell them the next morning. The clerk told him he would. Harris then asked for an advance of $100. The money was given him, and the shirts were sold the next morning.

A. BRENNER.

SALOME MARSH.

For the Prosecution.-May 25.

I entered the United States service in 1861 as Lieutenant of the Fifth Maryland Volunteer Infantry, and served until the 31st of August, 1864. At the time I quit the service I held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

While Major, I was a prisoner of war, confined at Libby Prison, from the 15th of June, 1863, to the 21st of March, 1864.

For the Prosecution.-May 29. I was captured near Winchester, on the During last summer I was a clerk in the Martinsburg road, on the 15th of June. I service of Mr. Wall, of this city. In the was then in General Milroy's command, and month of August a man named J. W. Harris at the time of my capture I was in command came to the store late one evening. I sup- of my regiment. I was captured by General posed him to be a sutler returning home. Ewell's corps, of the rebel army. I was He said he had some twelve dozen shirts and taken to Winchester, and, on account of ill some coats, which he asked me to sell. I health, was kept there two weeks in hospital advanced him $100 on them, and sold them I was somewhat sick at the time of my cap the next morning. They were packed in five ture, from excessive duty, exposure, etc. At the expiration of two weeks my health someOn the 1st of September he wrote from what improved. I was then compelled to Toronto, for an account of sales and the bal-march to Staunton in a feeble condition; and ance of the money, as follows: on the road was treated very kindly by the Messrs. Wall & Co., Auction and Commission officer in charge of the squad. I arrived in Merchants:

trunks.

Libby Prison, and was incarcerated there. arrived were small, but such as they gave us The rations we received there when I first at first were tolerably fair. There was about one loaf of bread allowed to two men-half

GENTLEMEN: On Friday, the 5th of August, last month, I left in your care five trunks, containing one hundred and fifty fancy woolen shirts and twenty-five coats, to be sold at auction on the next morning, and business call- a loaf per man-and, I judge, about four ing me to Toronto, I have not been able to of rice. That constituted the ration that we ounces of meat, and about three spoonfuls go to the States since. I beg most respect received at first. After I had been there fully that you will send me an account of about four months, the meat was stopped, sales, and a check on New York for the pro-and we only received it occasionally. Then ceeds. I have written before, but I have received no answer. I shall come over in October, about the 10th, with some five or six thousand pairs of boots and shoes.

Yours most respectfully,

J. W. HARRIS, Care of Post-office Box No. 126, Toronto, C. W I sent him the following account of the sales, and the balance of the money:

they took the bread from us, and gave us instead what they called corn-bread, but it was of a very coarse character. I have known the officers there to be without meat for two or three weeks at a time, and receive nothing but the miserable corn-bread that they gave us. Occasionally they would distribute some few potatoes, but of the very worst character, rotten, etc., such as the men

could hardly eat. This continued for some seeing those men that were brought to the time. The officers held a meeting there in hospital while I was there. They were in an regard to the treatment we were receiving, emaciated condition, and their whole appearand a letter was sent to General Ould, the ance indicated that they were suffering for rebel Commissioner of Exchange, signed by want of food, and were in a state of starvaColonel Streight, I think, who was chairman of the meeting at the time, complaining of our treatment, and asking that we should receive better treatment. General Ould sent a written reply, stating that our treatment was good enough, better than their prisoners were receiving in our prisons, at Fort Delaware and other places.

tion. I noticed that, though in a tottering and feeble condition, they were eager to ob tain something to eat, and would grasp at any thing that was offered them in the shape of victuals; and I am satisfied that the pris oners brought to the hospital died simply of neglect, and the want of proper food-of

starvation.

The only reason that I could hear from the rebel authorities for their treatment of Union prisoners, was that it was a matter of retal iation; they said that their prisoners were treated in a worse manner than we were.

which they gave us was corn-meal and bran; it was very coarse, baked in a rough condidition, and very often we had to live on that and water alone for days at a time.

FREDERICK MEMMERT.

For the Prosecution.-May 25.

When I had been there some five months, I was taken sick with the dropsy, for the want of proper nourishment, proper diet, etc., and was quite ill, and was sent to the hospital. I remained there some few weeks. During my stay in the hospital I saw some enlisted As to the quantity of food given us, a man men brought in from Belle Isle. The con- might possibly live on what they gave us at dition of these men was horrible in the ex- first, although it was not near what we treme. I am satisfied from their appearance would call a full ration. Subsequently, the that they were in a starving condition. Out quantity given could not possibly support life of a squad of forty that were brought in, at for any length of time. The corn-bread least from eight to twelve died the first night they were brought there. I asked the Assistant Surgeon in charge of the officers' department of the hospital-I forget his name; he was very kind to us, though, and very much of a gentleman-what was the matter with these men. He stated that their condition was owing to the want of proper treatment; that they did not receive the nourishment that they ought to have for such men. I suppose I had been in that hospital about two weeks when two of the officers made their escape. Major Turner, the keeper of Libby Prison-who was a very passionate man, and very insulting to the officers, al ways insulting in his remarks whenever he had occasion to speak to any of them, and very ungentlemanly-took it into his head to remove us from that place, and take us back to Libby Prison. He had a room washed out for us in Libby, and removed us to that give the following extract from a letter received by us room while it was in a wet condition, al- during the progress of this trial: though some of the officers who were in the hospital were in a dying state. We were secession, I was lecturing in the University of Virginia, placed in that wet room and compelled to having an engagement which would have paid me $500 for remain there twenty-four hours, without cot, two weeks more work. I cast in my lot with the Southern bed, or any thing else to lie upon, and with- Confederacy, and with that was wrecked on the 'Lee' out a morsel to eat, as a punishment, because those two men had escaped. The treatment generally to prisoners was of a very harsh character.

I have held the rank of Captain in the United States service for two years and ten months. On the 15th of June, 1863, I was taken prisoner, and was exchanged on the 1st of May, 1864. I was confined in the Libby Prison, and the treatment we received there was simply awful.

When we went there first, we had half a loaf of wheat-bread, between three and four ounces of meat, and about two tablespoonfuls of rice. That was continued for about

shore.

"BALTIMORE, June 21, 1865. "When South Carolina took the fatal step of

"I was taken prisoner on the 25th of January, 1864, and

held as a prisoner of war until the 5th of June, 1865, when I was released, and took the oath of allegiance to the

United States. Fourteen months of my imprisonment were

spent as superintendent of a prisoners' school at Point

Lookout. This school had a library of 3,000 volumes,

ers. We taught many poor fellows to read and write who had never understood such mysteries before.

Colonel Powell spoke to Turner in regard to the treatment he had inflicted upon those mostly school books. There were 1,200 pupils and 50 teachmen. Colonel Powell said he thought it was wrong to punish a parcel of sick and dying men for the sake of two who had attempted to escape. His reply was, as near, as I can German, and mathematics through trigonometry. recollect, "It is too damned good for you.' "1* "I was appointed agent for the distribution of supplies The only opportunity I had of knowing the treatment enlisted men received, was from

• In contrast with the above, and to show how Confederate prisoners were treated in "Northern" prisons, we'

"But we did not confine ourselves to the lower branches. We taught all the English branches, Latin, Greek, French,

furnished by the C. S. for the prisoners at Point Lookout, and as such distributed over $200,000 worth of goods. Af

terward I was promoted to the high position of 'Mayor of the City of Canvas,' and was charged with the duty of maintaining law and order among my 22,000 comrades. Thus I have passed sixteen long months a prisoner "

four months; after that the treatment was the doctor would not give me any. Turner very bad. We had a meeting, at which said he had not got any. His words were, Colonel Streight presided, and of which Col-"You can not have any; it don't make any onel Irvine, who was afterward our Assist difference to me. What the hell have I to do ant Exchange Commissioner, was Secretary. with it?" When I told him that I had We sent a communication to Judge Ould, nothing to eat, and no money to buy any which he sent to the rebel Secretary of War, thing, he said, "That's good enough for Seddon. We received for answer that they Yankees."

rice.

BENJAMIN SWEERER.

For the Prosecution.-May 25.

could do nothing for us; that it was good We once remonstrated with Dick Turner, enough for Yankees; that their prisoners who was an inspector there, and told him were treated just as badly as we were; and that we did not get any thing to eat, and how that they could not help us in any way. We things were. He said, "That's good enough then sent another communication, asking for you. Our prisoners are just as badly them to give us our money, (which they had treated by your fellows as you are here, and taken away from us when we came to the you have no business to come down here. I Libby,) that we might have something to wish to kill you off. If I had the command, buy food with, but they would not do that. I would hang every God damned one of I had my money hid under my shoulder- you." straps, and kept it there; but the others had given theirs up, and it was never returned. We often had no meat for twenty days. After I had been there four months, they stopped the meat for five or six days, and I am Color-sergeant of the Ninth Marygave us bread and water, a little beans and land Regiment. I was captured on the 18th At this time we got half a loaf of corn- of October, 1863, and was held prisoner at bread, or about ten ounces, I guess. When Belle Island for over five months, and seven I left Libby, we had had nothing but corn- days at Scott's Building. There were about bread and water for twenty days. The pris- thirteen thousand prisoners, about half of oners were very much reduced and emaciated whom were provided with shelter; the rest by this treatment, and a great many of them were just on the naked sands of the island had the scurvy. I lay there two months without ever putting my head under shelter, although it was in the winter time. The treatment of the pris oners was brutal, and we had not half enough to live on. There were twenty-five pounds of meat, the biggest part of which was bone, served out for a hundred men, and corn-bread with the husks ground up in it. Not having fuel enough to warm us, and not provisions enough to live on, I saw the men freezing to death on the island. I saw them starving to death; and, after they were dead, I saw them lying, for eight or nine days, outside of the intrenchments, where we were kept, and the hogs eating them. We were refused permission to bury them. I asked myself, as a favor, to be allowed to bury our prisoners, and was refused permission. I spoke to Lieutenant Bossieux, who had charge of the island, about the treatment of our men; and he told me he had nothing to do with it; that it was in accordance with the orders he had received from Major Turner, the keeper of the rebel prison. The deaths of the pris oners were caused mostly by starvation, I helped to carry out from ten to fifteen and twenty a day.

The bearing of the keepers of the prison was rough and insulting, and they abused us in every way they could. I went to the hospital two or three times when our LieutenantColonel died, and the prisoners who were brought in looked awful; I can not find any word to describe how they looked. Their condition was the result of starvation.

After the battle of Chickamauga, and the wounded prisoners from the West were brought in, I saw some fifteen or sixteen amputated cases placed on a cart, and a rope tied around them, so that they could not fall off; and they were carried in that way from the depot to the hospital, although right opposite Libby, not more than one thousand yards off, I guess, there were twenty or twenty-five ambulances not in use.

At the time I left Libby, I had the scurvy so badly that I could hardly walk, and I have been sick pretty much ever since; and, though I have now recovered, I still feel it, and have not the strength I used to have.

When Turner, the keeper of the prison, came up, which was very seldom, we spoke to him about ameliorating the condition of the prisoners. We also spoke to a committee from their Senate that was appointed to go through the Libby and examine our condition; they reported favorably, although we showed them the bread we got, and told them we received no meat, and little of any thing else.

I went to Turner once and told him I wanted to get some medicine; that I was getting worse, and could hardly walk; and that

A great many of the prisoners, to my knowledge, volunteered to work at shoe-making and building a furnace on the island, in order to support themselves.

When I came home I weighed one hundred and twenty-three pounds; my ordinary weight in health is one hundred and seventy or one hundred and eighty. I do not think I could have lasted a month longer there; I was pretty nearly gone when I left.

WILLIAM BALL.

For the Prosecution.-May 25.

do not know, but they did not seem to care. A committee from the prisoners was sent to Captain Wirz, who was in command of the I enlisted in the service of the United interior of the prison, in respect to this, and States in April, 1862, and was captured by he said he did not care a damn whether the the enemy on the 7th of May, 1864. I was water ran through the garbage or not, or a prisoner of war at Andersonville, Georgia, whether we got any or none. eleven months and twenty-three days. At When we first went there, there were on an the time I was there, there were about thirty-average as many as six or eight of the prisontwo thousand prisoners. The treatment of ers shot every day. If a man would stick the prisoners was poor indeed; they were his nose half a foot over the line, he would turned into a swamp, with no shelter what- be shot. It was said the rebel soldiers were ever, and were stripped of all their clothing, rewarded with thirty days' furlough for shootblankets, hats, caps, shoes, money, and what-ing a Yankee; and I never heard of their ever they had. Where we were confined wantonness in shooting our soldiers being rethere was no shelter and no trees, although buked by the rebel authorities. there were plenty of pine woods about there. The encampment was nothing but an open swamp, with a hill on each side.

The treatment of the prisoners in the hos pital was very poor. All they would give them was pitch-pine pills; pitch-pine pills for diarrhea, and pitch-pine pills for the scurvy, the head-ache, or anything else. These pills were made out of the pitch that runs out of the trees there, and a little vinegar. They got no medicine. Medicines, it was said, were sent there by the Confederate Government, but they were sold by the doctor in charge for greenbacks.

Every morning, about nine or ten o'clock, they would bring a wagon on the ground, with corn-meal and some bacon. Of the corn-meal, which was ground up, cobs and all, and was full of stones and one thing and another, they gave each man half a pint, and two ounces of bacon, which was all alive, rancid, and rotten, and a half spoonful of salt. This was to last us twenty-four hours. Once in a while The money that was taken from the prisonwe would get hold of a good piece of bacon, ers was never returned to them-not a cent of but that was not often. The provisions served it. When I was captured, they took my shoes out to us were of such a character that no man would eat them unless he was in a starving condition; and from the amount and character of the food served out, it would not be possible to sustain human life for any length of time.

off, and I walked bare-foot on the pike from near Waterford to Gordonsville, and then they took my money and clothes. I had nothing but a pair of drawers and shirt for nine months in Andersonville. I lay there for this whole nine months in the open field The effect of this treatment upon the health without a bit of shelter; and there were thouof the prisoners was very bad; it killed them sands in the same fix. The men would die off rapidly. The deaths averaged from sixty there in the morning, and by night nobody to a hundred a day; and one day one hundred could go within fifty feet of them. They had and thirty-three died. These deaths were to be put into the wagons with long wooden caused principally by starvation. There was pitch-forks, when they were carried off and some remonstrance addressed to the rebel put into the trenches. authorities by the prisoners in regard to their treatment; but they said they did the best they could for them, and they did not care a damn whether the Yankees died or not.

Colonel Gibbs was in command of the post, and Captain Wirz was in command of the interior of the prison. Clothing that was sent to Andersonville by our Government, consisting of blankets, pants, socks, and other things, Wirz took himself, and put into his

I remember Howell Cobb visiting Andersonville some time in February. He is the man who was formerly the Secretary of the own house, and sold. Treasury. He made some very bitter re-i Up to March 24th, when I left Andersonmarks, in a speech to the rebels, in reference to our prisoners. As to our treatment, he said that was the best that could be done for us; but if the authorities liked to do better they probably could, but they did not seem to care much about it. I remember he made some reference in his speech to a plan on hand to burn and plunder Northern cities.

ville, 16,725 of the prisoners had died; that was the number I took from the books myself, and there were at that time about 1,500 not able to be moved. It was the rations they got that brought on their sickness, and when they got sick they could not eat the stuff served out, and, of course, they starved. As to medical treatment, there was nothing at all of any benefit.

CHARLES SWEENEY.

The heat in the open sun was very intense, and the water was very poor indeed. You could get water by digging down half a foot. There was a place a little way above into For the Prosecution.—May 26. which they threw all the dirt and garbage that came from Andersonville, and the water My present home is in the State of New we were obliged to drink ran through all this York. I was a private in the United States filth. Whether this was designed or not, I service, and was captured by the rebels twice.