The daily phoenix. (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, September 22, 1865, Image 1
THE DAILY
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"Let our Just Censure
PIKES IX.
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Tri-Weekly $7 a Year
- ? -a
BY J. A. SEL?Y.
COLUMBIA, S. C., FRIDAY MORNTNTT, SEPTEMBER 22, 1865.
VOL. I-NO. 15
18 PUBLISHED
BAILY AND TRI-WEEKLY.
?.V1> TEK jr
WEEKLY GLEMEB
EVEKT WEDXBSDAX.
BY JULIAN A. SELiiY.
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T SUBSCRIPTION.
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Tri-Weekiv, " " . 3 5?
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weekly; 10 cttus: of tbs WeeKly, 15 cents.
A11V E1 .Tiri KM ENTS
Inserted in either the Daily or Tri-Wcckly
at fl per square for th* first insertion, and
75 "?ents for each subsequent insertion,
in the Weekly. S? a square.
JBSTSpecial notices 15 cents a line.
CENTRAL KENTUCKY, Sept. 3, 1865. j
To the Editor of the Nero York New?: j
Several, of your late issues contain i
detailed and horrible accounts of the j
way Federal prisoners suffered at
Anderson ville and other places of in
carceration down South. I have read
these details with much interest, but J
no pleasure, for that mind must be |
indeed depraved which delights in the j
recital of cruel deeds .and "man's in- j
humanity to man."
I was myself a prisoner once for
the long period of eighteen months
at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois,
and my experience there very often
made me believe that both of the con?
tending "parties, or those, at least,
entrusted with the care of the many
unfortunate in captivity, liad lost ail j
their religion, and the greater part of
their humanity. It is xiscless to in<- j
dulge in recrimination/ The commis- ?
sion of one wrong ought not to justify j
another; and no circumstances, how- !
ever anomalous in character, should 1
palliate" Lhc action;; of cruel, ue.-ehei
ous and cowardly natures.
I propose to give you a few painful j
reminiscences of '.('amp Douglas by j
the Lake,'' and the facts are?.stated j
just as they are; nothing being cxte- ;
rraafced or aught set down in malice, j
I do not make the narration for the |
purpose of reviving vindictive feef- j
ings. God forbid! Having passed
through the perils and hardships of j
three consecutive campaigns-having ;
spent one long Arctic night ol' a year j
and a half in duration, within the
narrow limits of a prison wall-and, j
most of all, having passed "sub j
jugum," and come home a disfran
chised and suspected man, I do not j
feel bellicose in the least. I only
want to show you that,a great many
people assume a refined humanity
entirely foreign to their natures, and
that ininiaeulate characters rarely ever
stand thc test of experience.
Some time during the sultry month
of August, 1863, several thousand
prisoners were transferred from dif?
ferent localities to Chicago, and
among the number your correspon?
dent. Col. Charles V. De Land was
then the commandant of the post,
his regiment, the 1st Michigan Sharp?
shooters, and a detachmont of the
65th Illinois, composed the garrison.
I do solemnly * affirm that from the
very beginning, the officers and men
of the 1st Jtlichigaii adopted and
practiced measures Ainwarrantably
harsh. This regiment had from time
to time been recruited to the number
of 2,500, but the material was so bad,
and desertion so fi ?quent, it then
numbered only 600 It had never
been to the front, nor seen the smoke
of a single battle; the members of it,
consequently, knew nothing of tho
courtesies of civilized warfare; they
were equally ignorant of the ameni?
ties-of social life.
'.Prisoners," says Vattel, "are not
to be treated harshly, unless person?
ally guilty of some crime against him
who has them in power. In this ease,
.ho is at liberty to punish them; other?
wise, he should remember that they
are men and unfortunate. A man of
exalted seul no longer feels any emo?
tions but those of compassion toward
i a conquered enemy, who has submit
j^ted to his arms." Whether Col. Do
j^Land had ever read the "Laws of
Natio?s}" T have no knowledge; if he
had, and all epauletted gentlemen cer
? tainly should, his nairne ignored the
I existence of all principles relative to
prisoners of war.
i
-7 '
This man i? jusijy responsible for
ail the atrocities committed by his?
? subordinates. Instead of restrain
; ing, he kept alive and encouraged the
; i eMiibu nsxiigmij ?... i.?.- men. .? seu
1 say prisoners were shot down in
cold blood without siny real provoca?
tion-that they wore often hungup
lr ?he thumbs until fainting relieved
th ;r suffering-that blows, kicks and
eui cs were expended on us in lavish
proVsion, I toll the truth, so help
: me'? v)d! The most exact obedience
to 9. .ers. the most servile submission
j in ?, oortment, *did not exempt us
: rom the exercise of a brutal authority.
; A tho at-and and one petty regulations
were adopted; not for the purpose of
' insuring a stricter custody, but to an?
I noy mid humili?t*.' us; and the least
infringement of any order was pun?
ished with a severity altogether in?
compatible with the nature of the of?
fence. For instance, a few members
of duke's regiment (the Eighth Ken?
tucky) were discovered excavating n
tunnel under their barrack. Instead
of punishing the guilty ones, the
colonel commanding ordered the en?
tire regiment to stand up in line foi
a whole d?iy, beneath a broiling sun;
toward night, the guard fired into
them,.killing one, mortally wounding
another, and crippling a third. On
several occasions our barracks were
fired into at night, and men killed
while sleeping. These outrages wert
justified by no circumstance of time
or place. No conspiracy or disordei
was going on. Every man of us wai
so well acquainted with the proclivi?
ties of our keepers, that we actualh
studlea how to demean ourselves witl
becoming humility; no course of con
duct seemed to propitiate. Then
was a talisman, however, which nevei
failed to win the latent kindness ol
the guards, and that was the "oil o:
rta?*.?
Twenty-five, dollars worth of this
invaluable elixir, gently rubbed 01
tliehand ol' a '"sharp-shooter," alway,
carried a rebel over tjie wall to tin
nearest depot. The cabalistic "opel
sesame" of the Arabian tale was no
more potent than this same oil. Dur
ing the hix months of Col. De DaiuV
administration, over two hundred an<
fifty prisoners made good their es
cape; and I do verily believe if green
backs laid berni plentiful, bur entir
command would have gradually evaeu
ated their position.
The winter ol 'GS v. ill never bo for
gotten by any of us. A locality ii
the forty-second degree of North In
titude, always subject to the fiore
breezes of Lake Michigan, was ox
tremely cold to mon accustomed t
the genial sun, and soft, vernal'show
ers of the South. Our barracks wer
nothing more than large sheds, ope
and dilapidated, with scarcely asingl
window, and no floors. As the col
weather approached,* we commence
making preparations, with the cor
sent and approbation of the "Chm
missary of Prisoners." Sufficien
clothing was sent for to make all cou
fortable; it safely arrived, per ej
press; but conceive our surprise an
disappointment, when we were ii
formed that a late order from the Wt
Department limited our costume to
very few articles, and prohibited ovei
coats entirely. The consequence wat
we only got what they chose to gh
us; and all goods having to pa?
through two offices-an examinir
and deb very ?ftiee-and every folio
connected with each having to steal
certain per cent, of what passe
through his hands, we scarcely g<
anything at all. Had there been ai
other office, we would have got c<
thing. At one time during the eolde
season, there were several hundrt
overcoats and a large quantity <
other clothing at headquarters awai
ing distribution. Earnest peMtioi
were made by the destitute for Lian
ets, woolen shirts, etc., but in no 01
instance were they favorably receive
It was at a time, too, that tried 01
very souls, the month of Januar
1HG4. One-half of the miserai:
wretches in each barrack were coi
pelled to be* shivering and 'cloaw
packed in their banks, while ti
others crowded around the stovt
two in number, trying to keep fro
freezing to death. A great many, e
fccblod and emaciated by chronic d
eases, silently gave up the ghost
i the still honre of the night, their com
! panions knowing nothing of their de
I parture. Hundreds wore frost-bitten,
j Fuel was doled out in Shilling quan
I Lilie?, .ind, although (nerv little piece
i of coal and wood was hoarded with
j miserly caro, still we suffered in
i tensely. Toward the latter part of
? Febrnary, iii recollect twight, it was
j bruited alio^lt the camp, and generally
i believed, that CoL De Land's com
I maud had marching oriers. The re
I yurt proved to be confect, and wc
? boiled their departure with sincere
I joy, anticipating a ehr'--o of condi
i ti ju in a cbaage of mit "is. Col. B. J.
j Sweet assumed command. Every?
thing progressed with admirable or
I der And cleverness until tin- following
j day. During this happy interval, we
I were comparatively well-treated.
"With the Colonel's, approval, aa??
under the supervision of men appouH
ed by him, ve improved our barracks,
ditched and made cleffnly our grounds,
erected new buildings for"various pur?
poses, and ia short did all that, we
could to male ourselves comfortable,
fully expecting to remain there until
the -close of ibo war. Hard times
came on again, however, in ?July. In
the first place, came an order from the
"War Department curtailing our ra?
tions so frightfully that we began tc
feel hungry at the very - prospect.
Secondly, we were prohibited receiv?
ing articles from the outer world.
This was another cruel stroke of
"outrageous fortune," for many be?
nevolent persons* in Kentucky and
other States had been daily sending
j us mighty hampers and boxes ol
wholesome provisions. The sutlers
j rere also prohibited selling us any?
thing to eat. Our sufferings now com
menced in dead earnest.
We drew just enough meat and
bread to sustain life an? . keep us ra
?nciiousiy luiugxy ail tnettiine. i'ti aL
prolonged tortures, I think a gnawing
anet everlasting hunger the worst.
The fabled agony of Tantalus must
have been something like it. Likt
Oliver Twist in the poor house; w<
went to bcd hungry, dreamed oi
something to eat all night, and g?'
np the next morning hungrier thar
ever, to breakfast on a cold crust and
pass the long, weary day with ou;
"aching voids" unfilled. This wai
the case day after day, week af te:
week, month after month. The niosi
rigid economy and careful manage
ment did no good. Some would ea
?heir rations for a day at one meal
others thought it best to have two
which was something like conjuring s
quart out of a pint bottle.
In a camp of ten thousand men, :
hound puppy would have starved U
death, provided it-wasn't killed am
eaten. This teas the unhappy fate o
a corpulent canine tlud was decoyef
into Barrack No. 9 l^y^reen W'illiami
and Milton Volker, of Company C
2d Kentucky, killed and cooked b;
these gents, and eaten with infijnib
gusto. ?
Capt. Welk Sponable, the commis
sary- of prisoners, hearisg of .th
affair, summoned the wretches befon
his awful tribunal, and giving them i
sound cursing, committed diem to tin
dungeon.
"Both mongrel, puppy, whelp und hound,
And curs of low degree."
were carefully kept out of reach fron
that day. Petition after petition wa
sent to headquarters, setting fort!
the insufficiency of our rations, nn<
praying for more, but we invariabl;
got the same reply-"the Govern
ment allow you so nmoL and n<
more." This state of things con
tinned for eight months, only time
grew worse as the winter of 'o-i ap
proached. We did not get stove
and fuel until December. In thu
latitude it is rather cold the, 1st t
October. We were vastly better situ
ated in respect to warm quarters tba
during the preceding winter. 1
seemed, however, that fate, as sh
bestowed one blessing, gave us. o
the same time, ;? still greater cur?
"We were, theuceforth, tormented b
the "Police Guard," a set of men c
brutal, cruel and stony-hearted ?
were ever the task-masters of th
land of Egypt. It was the duty <
these fellows to be with us at a
times, to see thai no regulation wi
infringed, and if any were, to punis
the offenders at pleasure. Being ii
vested -with plenary powers by their
superior officer?, they camed their
authority to a barbarous and un?
reasonable-* extent. Punishment, or
rather cruelties, the most revolting
and humiliating were daily inflicted.
Blows, kicks and curses, incarceration
in tlie dungeon, the ball and chain,
were the order of the dav. The
police were armed with revolvers and
heavy sticks; they used both without
remorse. Among them there was
one pre-eminent in savageness of
heart. His name was Chapman, but
his bull-dog finalities had gained him
the appropriate soubriquet -of "Old
Brindle." The physique of this ex-i
traordinary personage well indicated
his moral turpitude. Of Herculean '
build and stature, with a huge angu?
lar hoad, set on a short brawny neck, I
^big jaws and big mouth, with pro- I
Jtruding fangs, restless grey eyes and !
'a dark, sinister cast of features, this |
! lineal descendant ?f the Anthropo- j
phagi was "the right man in the
right place," to exemplify the beau- I
ties of the coercive system. One
bitter night in last December, this |
man. with two others, stealthily en- j
I tered<our barracks and caught three
t men 'standing by. the stove. It was
1 against orders for any prisoner to bo i
I out of his bunk after sunset, but the
intense cold had driven some to the
fire. Chapman, with his pistol cock
l ed and presented, made these men
I kneel on. the floor, while he severely
whipped them with the heavy buckle
of his pistol belt, saying,, at the time,
' 'God d-n you, I'm printing United
States on your back." .The men
thus cruelly . outraged were Bane,
Pettway and Cox, and the atrocity
was committed in the presence of a
hundred and eighty tuen, any or all
^)f whom will corroborate this state
nifli^ TV.- +v<uisuii''tJc"l a TfiDOVt **?e
whole athur to Ooh Sweet, out with no |
good result. Chapmr a was immediate- j
ly promoted a grade higher; he be
came "Sergeant of the Kitchen,"and j
shortly afterward shot down and kill- !
ed a half-famished Carolinian, for j
picking bones out of the refuse, bar- |
reis. This crime added a good deal i
to his prestige, and he was still fiorr- j
rishing in undiminished brutality i
when I left there last February. To *
him, more than to any mau I ever j
saw, are applicable the words of ?
Signor Gratiano:
be'thou damn'd, inexoiablc dog,
And fer thy life let justice be nceused! ^ ,
Thon almost inak'st mc waver i:: my faith,
To hold opinion with Pythagoras,
That souls of animals infnse'theinselyes !
Into thc trunks id' men: tliycnrrish spirit
Governed a wolf, who, hanged for ?inman
slanghter, 4 j
Even from the gallows; did his fell soul licet, ;
And whilot thou lay'st in thy unhallowed j
dani, j
Infused itself in thee; for thy desires
Are wolfish, bloody, starv'd?nd ravenous." j
I could give you many other sick- I
ening details similar to those above j
related, but "it is unnecessary, and!
I will trespass on your natience j
no longer. I have written these J
disgraceful facts to show you that j
cruelty to the unarmed and help- I
less is not confined to" any particular \ .
locality; that all men are more or less j.
depraved, and that depravity is dove- j
loped to a frightful degree in times of
war. MIGHTY BLIGHT. .
--*-j.
' DEATH OF CH.VRI.ES L. TKEXUOI.M,
ESQ.--This useful citizen and well- ; j
known gentleman died in this city, of
a severe attack of fever, on yesterday. <
From early boyhood, he has been con- I
nected with mercantile. pursuits, and ! (
for many years previous to the war j <.
was interested in and had the manage- I .
ment of that valuable property known j
as Fraser's or ?Central Wharvar,. i 1
There are few among us who would be '
considered his equal ir? untiring ap?
plication to business, and in an intel- j '
ligent and sagacious management of I
the affairs entrusted to his charge.
The deceased is a younger brother of "
nur fellow-citizen, Geo. A. Trenholm,
Esq., now confined in Fort Pulaski, i ^
Mr. Trouholin was still in the prime ? ^
of life, being only a few years over i .
fifty. - C/tar/eston IVeiDS.
A few cases of yellow fever report?
ed in New Organs, but they excite no ]
uneasiness, :j? they are of a mild type, |
md yield readily to en ref ul treat- I r
ment 'The health of the city gene- ? 0
rallv was never better.
The robberies continue in Charles?
ton. On Monday night, a residence
in Bee street was robbed, and several
? attempts were made in other parts of
the city. , .
There wore more marriages in Pe?
tersburg, Va., during the last month
I of August than in any une month for
j ten years past.
; The French Government is about
] to send out an engineer to Japan' to
! establish an arsenal at Yokohamo, on
the ground ceiled to France.
ThS Russian telegraph through Si?
beria will be economical on account
of the number of Poles on the ground.
Attempts at outrages on ladies are
frequent now at Portland, Maine.
NEW- GOODS ! SEW GOODS ?
JUST RECEIVED AND FOR SALE BY
At Iiis New Store. Washington Street, juSt
Opposite the Old Jail.
DRESS GOODS, Colored and Mourning,
consisting of :
Plain, Plaid and Striped ALPACAS.
LUSTRES and DELAINES.
Also, CALICOES.
BROADCLOTHS and CASSIMERES.
TWEEDS, Ar.
ALSO,
UMBRELLAS, BALMORAL SKIRTS.
CRASH, for Towelling.
LOVE VEILS.
LINEN SETTS, with and without Lace,
and with Mourning Edges.
Black Silk and Colored Silk Cravats.
Elastic Garters, Men's Buck Gloves.
Ladies* Gauntlets and Gloves.
Embroidered Handkerchiefs.
Linen Cambric Handkerchiefs, for Ladies
and Gentlemen.
Cent's Linen Collars.
Fancy Hair Nets, for Waterfalls, and
plain Silk Nets.
Hair Brushes and Combs.
Scent Papers.
Trish T.me.n. of allnim-l?Mas.
Lonjrciotjjs, Ladies Und$rvests.
Rubber, Coat and Vest Buttons.
Gent's Half Hose, of excellent quality.
Men's line Felt Hats, black and colored.
Colori d Woolen Shirts and Drawers.
Corsets, China Dolls of all sizes.
Hoop Skirts, Perfumery.
Castile Soap, Suspenders.
Head Handkerchiefs.
Paney Dress Buttons.
Belts of every variety. Belting Ribbon.
Scissors, Tooth and Nail Brushes, &C
GROCERIES.
Whkc'? ml Brown SUGAR.
Green and Black TEA, COFFEE.
Starch, Soap, Candles.
Molasses, Brooms, Herrings.
Sardines, Matches, Blacking.
Rut A Baga Turnip,Seed, ?fcc. Sept 20
UQU0&8,
GROCERIES AND DRY- GOODS.
C1< INSTANTLY on hand, and at the LQW
J EST MARKET PR.'CES, a line and
varied assortment of . ?A
LIQUORS, W
GROCERIES
AND DRY GOODS.
Best AOURBON WHISKEY hy thc barrel,
gallon or by bottle,
' ' SIMONS' A KERRISON,
Assembly street, opposite Cathedral.
Sept ll * Imo
RITSON LEE & CO., "
Auctioneers, General Com. Agents
anti Exchange Brokers,
COLUMBIA, S. C.
A NY business entrusted to them will re
?\. ceive prompt attention.
COLD, SILVER, SECURITIES and BANK
NOTES bought and sold.
Refer to Messrs. WILLIS ? -^HISOLM
md Messrs. JOHN FRASER A Co., Charles
on, S. C.
GEORGE SCHLEY, Esq., and Messrs. F.
3. BAItliER A: CO.. Augusta, Ga.
Messrs. STENHOUSE A MCCAULEY,
Charlotte, N. C.
Office for the present at Messrs. Zealy,
Scott & Bruns. Aug 10 6tuf8
fi?ST.UU.ISIIEU is 1818.]
WM. SSIT?1 BROWN & CO.,
WHOLESALE OEALEfaS Hf
No. 53 Chambers St., New York.
\1TM. SMITH BROWN will receive con
W signments of C OTTON for sale, oft
ommission, and make cash advances on
dinmont s. His arrangements are sjfch as
o insure faithful?attention to the interest
d' the consigner. Sept 17 2ino
mum WEAB?T
Photographic Artist.
"MAKES pleasure in announcing to 1)
L friends and patrons that he has i
pened his Gallery, on Assembly stn
.ear Plain street. Sept