Brutal regiment of Confederate prisoners — correspondence between Gens. Churchill and Hoffman.
[From the Petersburg Express. May 6] The exchanged officers and privates, several hundred in number who arrived in Petersburg Monday night, by flag of trace boat from Old Point, all speak in the most unqualified terms of the inhuman treatment to which they were subjected by the Federal guard at Camp Chose, Columbus, Ohio. There was no disturbing made between officers and privates, but all were alike subjected to the grossest indignities, and robbed of clothing, blankets, and money. Gen. T. J. Churchill, commander of our forces at Arkansas Post, was deprived of his each and spare much of his wearing apparel, and spoken to by the ill-mannered guard as though he had been a dog. Colonel Deisbler, who fought so gallantly in Northwestern Virginia, and was severely wounded at the battle of Allegheny Mountain, was deprived of blankets, which he purchased in Texas, and stripped of his pants, the brutes who the act declaring that such articles were contraband. Major Gaines, of Ala., who fought nobly on Peninsula of Virginia, under General Magruder, was made to haul off his shirt in the presence of Yankee women, who chuckled heartily at the sight of a denuded gentleman. Capt. Morgan, a brother of the General, who was taken near Lexington, Ky., was subjected to every conceivable indignity, and when he remonstrated, and stated that Federal prisoners were not so treated by Confederates, was told "to shut his mouth," a d — d Secesh scoundrel if he did not he would be knocked down. Many other officers and privates, have given us a recital of their wrongs, but the above will suffice to show how our brave men, who by the fortunes of war fall into the hands of these monsters in human shape, are subjected to every conceivable species of insult and out rage. We give below the correspondence between Gen. Churchill and Col. Hoffman:Correspondence.
From Gen. Churchill to Col. Hoffman.
Believing that it is not only the policy, but the wish of your Government that the conduct of the present unfortunate war, in which we are engaged, should be conducted, as far as possible, upon principles of humanity, and that every means should be adopted to insure a kind and humane treatment to those soldiers of your army who may, in the varying fortunes of war, fall into our hands; and believing that you are not cognizant of, or do not approve of such conduct as is being perpetrated by certain officials of your Government, a desire to call your attention to, and to enter my solemn protest against, the conduct of the United States official in charge of Confederate prisoners lately confined at Camp Chase, Ohio. Upon leaving there I was subjected to the grossest and most is human treatment; my person insulted, the clothing torn from my back, my baggage robbed of all it contained, my overcoat and gloves taken, and some of the officers of my staff had the shirts stripped from their persons — certain little articles of no pecuniary value or use to your Government, but of peculiar value to me — articles which I had purchased in and brought from the South, and which had been reserved to me by Gen. McClernand, at the time of my capture, were taken from me, apparently from no other motive than the meanest mailes; my spurs were taken from my feet, my s from my waist my comes, brushes, and such necessary articles of comfort, were all ruthlessly taken. And I am not alone in the above complaint, but it is the common lot of my staff and all the officers (between three and four hundred) continued the din with me. They old not even have the money — for which they held the Post Commandant's receipt — returned to them, and some of them were stripped to the skin and exposed to the vulgar gaze of the gaping crowd. Believing, as I said before, that been conduct is not warranted by any order of yours, and knowing the evil and unfortunate tendency it will have to embitter and prolong the struggle, I in the name of humanity and in behalf of your unfortunate soldiers in our hands, respectfully ask your serious attention to the above facts. I have the honor to be, respectfully, your most obed't serv't,Col. Hoffman's reply.
Office Com'ry Gen'l Prisons.
Washington, D. C, April 17, 1863
Col. R. C. Buchanan, Commanding Fort Delaware, Del:
Colonel:
Please say to Gen. Churchill that his letter of the 13th inst., complaining of the treatment which himself and officers received on leaving Camp Chase, Ohio, at the hands of the guard, is before me, and in reply I can only repeat what I said to him personally, that all such conduct on the part of any United States officer or soldier is goodly unauthorized.
I need not say that the desire of the Government is that prisoners of war shall be treated with all the kindness which a proper human feeling prompts, and which is consistent with their position; for it is a well known fact that clothing and blankets have been issued to the many destitute who have fallen into our hands; the sick and wounded have been as well and as promptly attended to as our own soldiers, and all have been furnished with an abundant supply of rations, even including what may well be called luxuries.
But if I am rightly informed it has been by no means so with our troops when they have been captured, as he may learn by inquiring when he reaches Richmond.
So far from receiving clothing, it has frequently happened that they have been stripped of all their outer garments, and then crowded into prisons inconceivably filthy, so much so it would be shocking to humanity to confine in such a place even the most abandoned of criminals.
There, too, were confined men of all ranks, from Generals to privates, and all alike experienced the most insulting indignities and most unwarrantable harshness.
As far as I have learned, this has been the almost invaluable treatment of our citizens and soldiers who have been held as prisoners of war at Richmond, and there is scarcely room to doubt that it has been done by authority.
In this brief view of the case, you will say then, to Gen. Churchill, that though the indignities and outrages of which he complains are not only wholly unauthorized but are in violation of the instructions which have been given to govern in such cases, yet the course pursued as it appears by his Government in similar cases takes from him all shadow of grounds for complaint.
He has been made to suffer by an unauthorized retaliation for innumerable outrages which have been committed on our people, if not by authority of his Government, at least in its immediate presence, and which have given rise to the bitter feelings he so much deprecates.
In conclusion, say to the General that I trust the humane example which has been set by the Government of the United States in its care for the welfare of prisoners of war may be followed by the Government at Richmond — a course which cannot fall to greatly mitigate the hardship which must unavoidably be experienced by all who are so unfortunate as to be captured. Washington, D. C, April 17, 1863
Col. R. C. Buchanan, Commanding Fort Delaware, Del:
Colonel:
Very respectfully, your ob't servant,
(Signed,)W. Hoffman,
Colonel 3d Infantry,
Com'g General of Prisons.
A true copy.
B S Johnson, Captain and A. A. G., C. S. A. (Signed,)W. Hoffman,
Colonel 3d Infantry,
Com'g General of Prisons.
