‘"Rebel-Barbarities."’
We published yesterday a portion of the lettimeny before the
Joint Committee of the Federal Congress on the Conduct of the
Present War. It will doubtless interest those who lavished attentions upon
Capt. Ricketts and his wife while in
Richmond, to know what that warrior has to say about ‘"rebel barbarities"’ before the same committee:
One of the most important witnesses was
General James B. Ricketts, well known in
Washington and throughout the country, lately promoted for his daring and self-sacrificing courage.
After having been wounded in the battle of
Bull Hun, he was captured, and as he lay helpless on his back, a party of rebels passing him cried out, ‘"knock out his brains, the d — d
Yankee."’ He met
General Beauregard, an old acquaintance, only a year his senior at the United States Military Academy, where both were educated.
He had met the rebel General in the
South a number of times.
By this head of the rebel army, on the day after the battle, he was told that his (
General Richkett's) treatment would depend upon the treatment extended to the rebel privateers.
His
first Lieutenant,
Ramsey, who was killed, was stripped of every article of his clothing but his cocks, and left naked on the field.
He testified that those of our wounded who died in
Richmond were buried in the negro burying-ground among the negroes, and were pay into the earth in the most unfeeling manner.
The statement of other-witnesses as to how the prisoners were treated is fully confirmed by
Gen. Ricketts.
He himself, while in prison, subsisted mainly upon what he purchased with his own money, the money brought to him by his wife ‘"We had,"’ he says, ‘ "what they called bacon soup-soup made of boiled bacon, the bacon being a little rancid — which you could not possibly eat; and that for a man whose system was being drained by a wound is no diet at all,"’ In reply to a question whether he-had heard anything about our prisoners being shot by the rebel sentries, he answered; ‘"Yes," ’ a number of our men were shot.
In one instance two were shot; one was killed and the other wounded, by a man who rested his gun on the widow-sill while he capped it."
General Ricketts, in reference to his having been said as one of the hostages for the privateers, states: --‘"I considered it bad treatment to be reflected as a hostage for a privateer, when I was so lame that I could not walk, and while my wounds were still open and unhealed.
At this time
Gen. Winder came to see me. He had been an officer inmy regiment; I had known him for twenty-odd years.
It was on the 9th of November that he came to see me. He saw that my wounds were still unhealed; he saw my condition; but that very day he received an order to select hostages for the privateers, and, notwithstanding he knew my condition, the next day, Sunday, the 10th of November, I was selected as one of the hostages."’ ‘"I heard,"’ he continues, "of a great many of our prisoners who had been bayonetted and shot.
I saw three of them"two that had been bayonetted and one of them shot.
One was named
Louis Francis, of the
New York Fourteania.
He had received fourteen bayonet wounds--one through his privates — and he had one wound very much like mine, on the knee, in consequence of which his leg was amputated after twelve weeks had passed; and I, would state here that, in regard to his case, when it was determined to amputate his leg, I heard
Dr. Peacify, the rebel surgeon, remark to one of his assistants, ‘"I won't be greedy; you may do I;"’ and the young man did it. I saw a number in my room, many of whom had been badly amputated.
The fleys over the step were drawn too tight, and some the banes protruded.
A man by the name of
Prescott (the same referred to in the testimony of
Surgeon Homiston) was amputated twice, and was then, I think, moved to
Richmond before the taps were healed.
Prescott died under this treatment.
I heard a rebel doctor on the steps below my room say that he wished he could take out the hearts of the d — d Yankees as easily as he could take off their leg."‘ Some of the
Southern gentlemen treated me very handsomely.
Wade Hampton, who was opposed to my battery, came to see me and behaved like a generous enemy."’
It appears, as a part of the history of this rebellion, that
General Ricketts was visited by his wife, who, having first heard that he was killed in battle, afterwards that he was alive but wounded, traveled under great difficulties to
Manassas to see her husband.
He says: "She had almost to fight her way through, but succeeded finally in reaching me on the fourth day after the battle.
There were eight persons in the
Lewis House, at
Manassas, in the room where I lay, and my wife for two weeks slept in that room on the floor by my side, without a bed. When we got to
Richmond, there were six of us in a room, among them
Colonel Wilecx, who remained with us until he was taken to
Charleston.
There we were all in one room.
There was no door to it. It was much as it would be here if you should take off the doors of this committee room, and then fill the passage with wounded soldiers.
In the hot summer months the stench from their wounds, and from the ut they used, was fearful.--There was sey at all, because, there being no door, the room could not be closed.
We were there is a common show.
Col. Wilcox and myself were objects of interest, and were gazed upon as if we were a couple of savages.
The people would come in there and say all sorts of things to us and about us, until I was obliged to tell them that I was a prisoner, and had nothing to say. On our way to
Richmond, when we reached
Gordonsville, many women crowded around the cars, and asked my wife if she looked?--if she washed?-how she got there?
Finally,
Mrs. Ricketts appealed to the officer in charge, and told him that it was not the intention that we should be subjected to this treatment, and if it was continued she would make it known to the authorities.
General Johnston took my wife's carriage and horses at
Manassas, kept them, and has them yet for aught I know.
When I got to
Richmond I spoke to several gentlemen about this, and so did
Mrs. Ricketts.
They said, of course, the carriage and horses should be returned; but they never were.
‘ "There is one sect,"’ says this gallant soldier, ‘"that I desire very much to pay, and nothing troubles me so much now as the fact that my wounds prevent me from interring upon active service at once."’
The case of
Louis Francis, who was terribly wounded and maltreated, and lost a leg, is referred to by
General Ricketts; but the testimony of Francis himself is startling.-- He was a private in the New York Fourteenth regiment.
He says:--‘"I was attacked by two rebel soldiers, and wounded in the right knee with the bayonet.
As I lay on the rod they kept bayoneting me until I received fourteen wounds.
One then left me, the other remaining over me, when a Union soldier coming up shot him in the breast and he fell dead.
I lay on the ground until ten o'clock the next day, I was then removed in a wagon to a building, my wounds examined and partially dressed.
On the
Saturday following we were carried to
Manassas, and from there to the general hospital at
Richmond.
My leg having partially mortified, I consented that it should be amputated, which operation was performed by young man. I insisted that they should allow
Dr. Swam to be present, for I wanted one Union man there if I died under the operation.
The stitches and the hard slipped from neglect, and the bone protruded, and about two weeks after another operation was performed, at which time another place of the thign bone was sawed off. Six weeks after the amputation, and before It keeled, I was removed to the tobacco factory."’
Two operations were subsequently performed on Franchise--one at
Fortress Monroe and one at
Brooklyn, New York — after his release from captivity.
