File:The soldier's story of his captivity at Andersonville, Belle Isle, and other Rebel prisons (1873) (14593636107).jpg

Identifier: soldiersstoryofh00ingoss (find matches)
Title: The soldier's story of his captivity at Andersonville, Belle Isle, and other Rebel prisons
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Goss, Warren Lee, 1835-1925 Nast, Thomas, 1840-1902, illustrator
Subjects: Andersonville Prison
Publisher: Boston : I.N. Richardson & Co.
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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ofthe sink, by the prisoners, gathered here for the con-veniences of the place, and for obtaining water. Men,reduced by starvation and disease, would drag them-selves to this locality, to lie down and die uncared for,almost unnoticed. I have counted fifteen dead bodiesin one morning near this sink, where they had diedduring the night. I have seen forty or fifty men ina dying condition, who, with their little remainingstrength, had dragged themselves to this place for itsconveniences, and, unable to get back again, wereexposed in the sun, often without food, until deathrelieved them of the burden of life. Frequently, onpassing them, some were found reduced to idiocy, andmany, unable to articulate, would stretch forth theirwasted hands in piteous supplication for food or water,or point to their lips, their glazed eyes presenting thatstaring fixedness which immediately precedes death.On some the flesh would be dropping from then boneswith scurvy; in others little of humanity remained in
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TERRIBLE MORTALITY. 91 their wasted forms but skin drawn over bones. Nothingever before seen in a civilized country could give onean adequate idea of the physical condition to whichdisease, starvation, and exposure reduced these men.It was only strange that men should retain life so longas to be reduced to the skeleton condition of the greatmass who died in prison. In June prisoners from Shermans and Gfrants armiescame in great numbers. After the battles of Spottsyl-vania and of the Wilderness, over two thousand pris-oners came in at one time. Most of those who camethrough Richmond had their blankets taken from them,and in many instances were left with only shirt, hat,and pantaloons. These lay in groups, often wet throughwith rain at night, and exposed to the heat of a tropicalsun daily. With such night and day were alike to bedreaded. The terrible rains of June were prolific ofdisease and death. It rained almost incessantly twenty-one days during the month. Those of the prisonerswho

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