one can know the horrors of imprisonment in crowded and filthy quarters but him who has endured it, and it requires a brave heart not to succumb. But hunger, filth, nakedness, squalor, and disease are as nothing compared with the heart sickness which wears prisoners down, most of them young men whose terms of enlistment have expired, and many of them with nothing to attach them to the cause in which they suffer

but principle and love of country and of friends. Does the misfortune of being taken prisoner make unless the object of interest and value to our Government? If such you plead, plead if no longer. These are no common men, and it is no common merit that they call upon you to aid in their release from captivity.

We, undesigned sergeants in the U. S. Army, having in charge the various detachments of prisoners now confined in Andersonville, Ga., would respectfully represent:

FIRST. That a large portion of the prisoners have been held as such for periods ranging from nine to fifteen months, subject to all hard ships and privations incident to a state of captivity in an enemy's country.

SECOND. That there are now confined in this prison from 25,000 to 30,000 men, with daily accessions of hundreds, and that the mortality among them, generated by various causes, such as change of climate, dirt, and want of proper exercise, is becoming truly frightful to contemplate, and is rapidly increasing in virulence, decimating their ranks by hundreds weekly.

THIRD. In view of the foregoing facts we, your petitioners, most earnestly yet respectfully pray that some action be

immediately taken to effect our speedy release, either on parole or by

exchange, the dictates both of humanity and justice a liked demanding it on the part of our Government.

FOURTH. We shall look forward with a hopeful confidence that some thing will be speedily done in this matter, believing that a proper statement of the facts is all that is necessary to secure are dread of the grievances complained above has been read to each detachment by its respective sergeant and been approved by them en, who have unanimously authorized each

sergeant to X will deed of the whole.

Names of sergeants commanding department: W. H. H. Berden, Company K, Ninety - ninth Ohio Volunteers: W. H. Henderson, Company F, Seventy - eighth Illinois; W. D. Gilmore, Company H, Fourth Maine; W. O. Washburn, Company M, Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry; Cyrenius Streetes, Company C, One hundred and eighth New York; W. T. Timberlake, Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Thomas Hall, U. S. Marines; Edward Hughs, Company A, First Illinois Artillery; Elias B. Moore, Company F, Seventy - second Ohio; Dave Coffee; David Wolf, Company H, Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry; Gustavus A. Jackson, Company B, First New Jersey; R. M. Snyder, Company G, Eighth Missouri; Charles M. Belknap, Company F, Fifty - first Ohio; Charles Carter. Company I, Thirty - fifth Indiana; Rufus G. Barker, Company H, Seventh Tennessee; John M. Rhodes, Company A, Seventh Tennessee; F. M. Modglin, quartermaster - sergeant, Twenty - ninth Illinois; George H. Hill, Drum major, Eighth - fifth New York Volunteers; Benjamin Baxter; G. C. Wright, Company C, Twenty - fourth New York; S. F. Sullivan, Company H, Second Massachusetts Heavy Artillery; James E. Drom, Thirty - third Wisconsin; H. F. Simmons; P. H. Oulson; John Ebersole, Company H, Firth United States; Anson D. Ellis, Company I, One hundred and forty - sixth New York; D. M. McCune, Seventh