little or no care attention for some days. Blankets, pocketknives, and everything of value, except the clothing worn, were taken from the enlisted men as they were turned into the inclosure for prisoners at Atlanta. When the surgeons entered the military prisons at Atlanta they saw and conversed with Major Mosely, a Tennessean from Nashville and major or of a Tennessee regiment of cavalry. He was a skeleton, wasting by disease, lying upon a bed with a sixty-pound weight attached to his leg, and this, he said, because he was a loyal Tennessean. Before our release from Richmond we learned from officers who had been recently sent from Atlanta to Richmond that the major had been released. The welcome messenger Death had come and knocked fetters, not only that bound him to that prison, but that might still have held him subject to the fiendish barbarity of this inquisition for treason, treachery, and torture.

The committee submit the preceding statements as examples of part of the barbarous treatment to which they and other prisoners were subjected while in the hands of the enemy.

HENRY J. HERRICK,

Surgeon Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

ALEX. EWING,

Surgeon Thirteenth Michigan Volunteers.

JOSEPH FITHIAN.

Surgeon Eighteenth Kentucky Volunteers.

CHATTANOOGA, November 26, 1863.

Major General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: *

* * * * *

Many stragglers have been picked up to-day-perhaps 2,000. Among the prisoners are many who were paroled at Vicksburg. What shall I do with them?

GEO. H. THOMAS,

Major-General.

OFFICE COMMISSIONER FOR EXCHANGE,

Fortress Monroe, Va., November 26, 1863.

Major General E. A. HITCHCOCK,

Commissioner of Exchange, Washington, D. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to report that in accordance with your instructions I yesterday proceeded to City Point and obtained in interview with the rebel agent of exchange, Mr. Ould.

Before seeing him I conversed with many of our surgeons who had just been released from the Richmond prisons, and obtained from them an account of their treatment, and also testimony in regard to the horrible sufferings of our men, especially those confined on Belle Isle.

I communicated to Mr. Ould the accounts which I had of the shameful and barbarous treatment of our prisoners, strongly remonstrating at the conduct of the Confederate authorities.

Mr. Ould expressed great astonishment and denied that our prisoners were ill treated. I told him I would produce the evidence of ninety-five surgeons who were on the adjoining boat, and, if necessary, I would put them under oath as to the truth of their testimony, and asked him if he would still doubt the statements which they had made. Mr. Ould stated that he was still incredulous, but that if I knew any responsible

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*For portion here omitted see Series I, Vol. XXXXI, Part II, p. 91.

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