NEWS: The Alleghanian; 3 Dec 1863; Ebensburg, Cambria Cnty., PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _________________________________________ The Alleghanian Ebensburg, Pa. Thursday, 3 Dec 1863 Volume 5, Number 10 Pardoned Benjamin Rodgers, sentenced to the penitentiary from this county for one year from March last for larceny has been pardoned. Fire The station house at Portage, this county, on the Penna. Railroad was totally consumed by fire on Friday night last. We did not hear an estimate made of the loss. Belsano Correspondence Belsano, Nov. 27, 1863 According to appointment the people of Belsano and vicinity met at the M. E. Church on Thursday, Nov. 26, to celebrate Thanksgiving. They came with cheerful countenances and glad hearts to respond to the call of our noble President and loyal Governor to render thanks to the Most High for the continuance of His mercies during the past year. The day was all that could have been desired – clear sky and shining sun. It seemed as if it were a precursor of things to come when the storm cloud of war would speedily pass away and peace and prosperity once more dawn upon the nation. After the appropriate sermon by Rev. J. S. Lemmon, the appeal of the U. S. Christian Commission was read and commented upon when a collection was taken up to supply the spiritual and temporal wants of our soldiers and sailors. This was heartily responded to by the appreciate audience in a liberal contribution of $18.56 which was augmented in the evening to $28. At night in conformity with previous arrangements there was another meeting called in the U. B. Church to form a Soldiers' Aid Society. The meeting was called to order by appointing Col. R. Litzinger, Chairman pro tem. After earnest addresses by the Chairman and Revs. Lemmon, Baker and Harndon, the ladies promptly proceeded to organize the society by the election of the following Officers: President: Mrs. Samuel Reed Vice President: Mrs. Adam Makin Rec. and Cor. Secy.: Miss Lizzie Todd Treasurer: Miss Sue Empfield Storekeeper: Mrs. Robert Litzinger There was also appointed a number of solicitors sufficient to canvass the township. This movement is well worthy the head and the heart of those who devised it. The ladies, God bless them! Have taken it in hand and we are confident they will succeed. Already the contributions begin to come in and we trust there shall be such a large ingathering of the donations of the people from the surrounding community as will make the soldiers' heart glad. We would suggest that there be such organizations formed in every school district in the county for the one common object of the relief of suffering humanity in our army. [Signed] Blacklick Local Correspondence Johnstown, Nov. 29, 1863 I had almost begun to despair of having our usual representation of criminals at the December term of Court, but our general reputation is this respect, I am sorry to say, is not going to suffer. These remarks are preliminary to an account of one of the most disgraceful scenes of rowdyism which has occurred here for many a day. A soldier in Capt. Ryckman's company came home on alleged leave of absence a couple of weeks ago and three or four of his old comrades here concluded to have a jollification in liquor in honor of his arrival. A sufficient quantity of "lightening whisky" was soon imbibed and the gay and festive party started on a tour of promiscuous destruction; lager beer shops and groceries were entered, and whatever the party took a fancy to they appropriated, "without money and without price," varying the amusement occasionally by throwing beer glasses and counter weights. Police officers were non est and many storekeepers were compelled to close their shops. The party at length got an overload of the "ardent" on board and by midnight it was again safe for a citizen to walk the street. On Sunday night the same crowd again assembled to finish up their spree. As a grand coup de main they proceeded to the United Brethren Church where they gave vent to the most obscene language, interrupting the exercise and even striking several of the members who attempted to interfere. Leaving the church they went to a lager beer shop and demanded admittance. The proprietor saw fit to allow them to enter but as one of the party elegantly expressed it afterwards, "they got into the wrong nest" that time. The proprietor happened to be entertaining a few of his German friends with that delectable beverage known as lager and the rowdies were prevailed upon to make a rapid exit. Lying in wait however in an unfrequented part of town they subsequently caught one of the Germans and beat him unmercifully. About two o'clock on Monday morning, the party appropriated two horses belonging to two colored draymen and two saddles, the property of the Mansion House and started for parts unknown via the Bedford pike. It is supposed the "tanglefoot" again got the upper hand inasmuch as they had proceeded but nine miles when they put up the horses in the barn of Mr. Dunmire and while three of them lay down to rest after the violent exercises of the evening, the other posted himself on the road as a "picket." It is supposed the "picket" got dry – at any rate a party who had started in pursuit of the ruffians found him plodding his way back to Geistown to get a drink. He was captured without serious loss and compelled to pilot the officers to the place where his comrades had put up. The entire party were then taken into custody and brought back to town where charges of riot, thieving, assault and battery, &c., were preferred by the score. The young men were fined for breeches of the peace, two of them sent to jail to await trial upon the more serious charges, while the other two (soldiers) were sent to the Provost Marshal at Huntingdon with the additional charge of desertion. It is presumed the latter will be handed over to the civil authorities. N. B. Hartzell, a bricklayer of this place, started last week to work at the tunnel, which is being arched with brick on the line of the new Great Western railroad. Arriving at his destination, he got upon the scaffold to shake hands with the foreman of the work, Robert Campbell, formerly of this town, when the scaffolding gave way, precipitating the two to the ground beneath. Mr. H's leg was broken by the fall while Mr. C. was seriously bruised. The "Union Glee Club" gave a concert in Union Hall on Saturday evening. The attendance was very good and the vocal and instrumental music pronounced excellent by all hands. Thanksgiving was pretty generally observed by our citizens, the cheering news from Grant's army served to stimulate the joy and rejoicing. Snow has been falling at intervals since last evening and visions of the "merry bells" will doubtless disturb the slumbers of lovers of sleighing tonight. The thought of a fast horse, a narrow sleigh, etc., is even too much for the imagination of the subscribed; so, to give full play to fancies concerning what a nice time the "sweet angel" and I are going to have the first sleighing, I will conclude. [Signed] May Leon Register's Notice Notice is hereby given that the following Accounts have been passed and filed in the Register's Office at Ebensburg and will be presented to the Orphans' Court of Cambria County for confirmation and allowance on Wednesday, the 9th day of December next, to wit: The first and final Account of William Slick, administrator of Rachel Slick, deceased. The second partial Account of George Settlemeyer, one of the executors of Godfrey Settlemeyer, deceased. The second and final Account of Sarah H. Maclay, administratrix of William L. Maclay, deceased. The Account of Jacob Sharbaugh, guardian of Jacob Stube, a minor child of Andrew Stube, deceased. The first and final Account of William W. Paul, administrator of Moses Paul, deceased. The Account of William A. Glass, administrator of Catherine Miller, deceased. The second and final Account of William Kittell, Esq., executor of Jacob Behe, deceased. The first and final Account of E. J. Waters, administrator of Ann Evans, deceased The first and final Account of E. J. Waters, executor of Ellis Rowland, deceased. The Account of George Litzinger, administrator of Elizabeth Litzinger, deceased. E. F. Lytle, Register Register's Office, Ebensburg, Nov. 12, 1863 War News It is reported that Gen. Rosecrans will be assigned to the command of the Eighth Army Corps in Baltimore and Maryland in place of Gen. Schenck who has resigned to take his seat in Congress. The notorious female rebel spy, Belle Boyd, who has been confined in the Old Capitol prison for some time has been sent to City Point for exchange. The notorious rebel horse thief, John Morgan, with six of his associates, escaped from the Ohio Penitentiary on Friday night. Scenes after the Battle Among all the sketches that we have seen from the fields of battle we have read none with more tender interest than the record of the labors of two women in the service of the Sanitary Commission at Gettysburg. It is published in tract form, under the title of "What we did at Gettysburg." We make some extracts: "For the temporary sheltering and feeding of all these wounded men, Government could make no provision. There was nothing for them, if too late for the cars, except the open field and hunger, in preparation for the fatiguing journey. It is expected when the cars are ready that the men will be promptly sent to meet them and Government cannot provide for mistakes and delays, so that but for the Sanitary Commission' Lodge and comfortable supplies, for which the wounded are indebted to, the hard workers at home, men badly hurt, must have suffered night and day while waiting for the 'next train.' "We had on an average sixty of such men each night for three weeks under our care, sometimes one hundred, sometimes thirty; and with the 'delegation,' and the help of other gentlemen volunteers, who all worked devotedly for the men, the whole thing was a great success, and you and all of us can't help being thankful that we had a share, however small, in making it so. Sixteen thousand good meals were given; hundreds of men kept through the day, and twelve hundred sheltered at night, their wounds dressed, their supper and breakfast secured, rebel and all. You will not, I am sure, regret that these most wretched men, these 'enemies,' sick and in prison were helped and cared for through your supplies tho' certainly they were not in your minds while you packed your barrels and boxes. The clothing we reserved for our own men, except now and then when a shivering rebel needed it, but in feeding them we could make no distinctions. It was curious to see among our workers at the Lodge the disgust and horror felt for the rebels giving place to the kindest feelings for wounded men. "Among our wounded soldiers, one night, came an elderly man, sick, wounded and crazy, singing and talking about home. We did what we could for him and pleased him greatly with the present of a red flannel shirt, drawers, and red calico dressing gown, all of which he needed and in which he dressed himself up and then wrote a letter to his wife, made it into a little book with gingham covers and gave it to one of the gentlemen to mail for him. The next morning he was sent on with the company from the Lodge and that evening two tired women came into our regiment, his wife and sister, who hurried on from their home to meet him, arriving just too late. Fortunately we had the queer little gingham book to identify him by and when some one said, 'It is the man, you know, who screamed so,' the poor wife was certain about him. He had been crazy before the war but not for two years now she said. He had been fretting for home since he was hurt and when the doctor told him there was no chance of his being sent there, he lost heart and wrote to his wife to come and carry him away. It seemed almost hopeless for two lone women who had never been out of their own little town to succeed in finding a soldier among so many, sent in so many different directions, but we helped them as we could and started them on a journey next morning, back on their track to use their common sense and Yankee privilege of questioning. A week after, Mrs. -- had a letter full of gratitude, saying that the husband was found and secured for home. "That same night we had in our tents two fathers, with their wounded sons, and a nice old German mother with her boy. She had come in from Wisconsin and brought with her a patchwork bed quilt for her son, thinking he might have lost his blanket and there he laid, all covered up in his quilt, looking so home-like and feeling so, too, no doubt with his good old mother close at his side. She seemed bright and happy, had three sons in the army – one had been killed, this one wounded, and yet she was so pleased with the tents and the care she saw taken there with the soldiers that while taking her tea from a barrel head, she said, 'Indeed, if she was a man, she'd be a soldier too, right off." "Late one afternoon – too late for the cars – a train of ambulances arrived at our Lodge with over one hundred rebels to be cared for through the night. Only one among them seemed too weak and faint to take anything. He was badly hurt and failing. I went to him after his wound was dressed and found him lying on his blanket stretched over the straw – a fair-haired blue-eyed young lieutenant; a face innocent enough for one of our own New England boys. I could not think of him as a rebel; he was too near heaven for that. He wanted nothing; had not been willing to eat for days, his comrades said; but I coaxed him to try a little milk gruel, made nicely with lemon and brandy, and one of the satisfactions of our three weeks is the remembrance of the empty cup I took away afterward and his perfect enjoyment of that supper. 'It was so good – the best thing he had had since he was wounded' and he thanked me so much and talked about his 'good supper' for hours. Poor creature, he had no care, and it was a surprise and pleasure to find himself thought of; so, in a pleased, childlike way, he talked about it till midnight, the attendant told me, as long as he spoke of anything, for at midnight the change came and from that time he only thought of the old days before he was a soldier, when he sang hymns in his father's church. He sang them now again, in a clear, sweet voice, "Lord have mercy upon me;" and then sang songs without words – a sort of low intoning. His father was a Lutheran clergyman in South Carolina, one of the rebels told us in the morning when we went into the tent to find him sliding out of care. "All day long we watched him, sometimes fighting his battles over, oftener singing his Lutheran chants, till in at the tent door, close to which he lay, looked a rebel soldier just arrived with other prisoners. He started when he saw the lieutenant and exclaimed, kneeling down by him, 'Henry! Henry!' But Henry was looking at some one a great way off, and could not hear him. 'Do you know this soldier?' we said. 'Oh, yes, ma'am, and his brother is wounded and a prisoner, too, in the cars now.' Two or three men started after him, found him and half carried him from the cars to the tent. Henry did not know him, though; and he threw himself down by his side on the straw and for the rest of the day lay in a sort of apathy, without speaking, except to assure himself that he could stay with his brother without the risk of being separated from his fellow prisoners. "And there the brothers lay and there we strangers sat listening to the strong, clear voice singing, 'Lord have mercy upon me.' The Lord had mercy and at sunset I put my hand upon the lieutenant's heart to find it still. All night the brother lay close against the coffin and in the morning went away with his comrades leaving us to bury Henry, having 'confidence' but first thanking us for what we had done and giving all that he had to show his gratitude – the palmetto ornament from his brother's cap and a button from his coat. Dr. W. read the burial service that morning at the grave and wrote his name on the little headboard – "Lieutenant Rauch, 14th Regt. Carolina Vols.'" [Transcriber's Note: The complete tract was published by Anson D. F. Randolph, No. 683 Broadway, New York in 1863. It is entitled "Three Weeks at Gettysburg" and can be found in its entirety online by doing a search of the title. P. M.] Sufferings of Our Prisoners in Richmond [On the microfilm, parts of this letter are covered over by another section of newspaper and therefore about 5 paragraphs could not be transcribed – P. M.] We subjoin the experience of a Union Chaplain in the military prisons at Richmond. An attempt has been made to demonstrate that our prisoners in the hands of the rebels are the recipients of the same favors, the same rations, the same medical attendance that the rebels themselves receive – does this look like it! "Having but recently been released from participating in the hospitalities of Libby Prison under the dominion of rebel rule, I would join my testimony with others in presenting a true picture of our unfortunate officers, soldiers and citizens who happen to be prisoners in Richmond. Doubtless many are ready to reject the accounts given as being too highly wrought; and I wonder not for had I not been an eye witness and a victim to the inhumanity of some of their officers, I, too, would have been incredulous to the facts that such malignant tyranny could be found in America among professedly a civilized people and even with those claiming to be our superiors. I was one of the unfortunate Chaplains captured at Winchester, Va., June 15th whilst administering to the comforts of our sick and wounded in the hospital. Here, like most others, I had my horse and baggage taken from me so that I was left without a change of clothing. Soon afterwards I was sent to Richmond in charge of some officers' wives under the assurance that we should at once be sent through the lines. On our arrival there we were examined by the Provost Marshall (Major Griswold) [**thus begins the section of paragraphs omitted] -- but I partook of nothing but a little dry bread and drank some muddy river water with it. That day being Sabbath at the request of the prisoners I preached to them with much satisfaction as all seemed to be eager listeners. But the authorities seemed to object to this and accordingly had me removed the same evening into another room of the building. Here I soon found a channel through which I could buy something to eat. I was kept here for five days with the assurance that I was to be sent off on the first boat; at the expiration of that time I was sent to Libby. Here I was again searched by the inspector running his hands rudely into my pockets and taking from me all my remaining papers, money &c. that he could get his hands on. They took from me here $100 in greenbacks and $19 in rebel; promising to refund again on my release, which of course, was not done. They did however allow me to draw the Confederate scrip for use in prison. I would here mention a special act of inhumanity and cruelty. Among the papers taken from me were two foolscap sheets containing nothing but a memorandum of the names of dead and wounded with addresses of their families and the last messages of the dying to their surviving friends; for this I made a special appeal but it was all vain! I would just as soon expect a favor from a wild savage as from such a man as Inspector Turner. In this prison I remained from July 1st to October 7th. A portion of that time, like many others, had to be spent in the hospital, sick. Of the manner of our fare, rations &c., enough may have been said by others, yet even then the half has not been told. I would advise all our officers to run a most fearful risk rather than to throw themselves upon the hospitalities of heartless rebels and experience the realities of this vile and loathsome prison. Whilst in the hospital and able to go about I was permitted as a favor from the Doctor to visit the hospital situated in a lower room of the same building where our citizens and private soldiers were brought. Here I conversed freely and received the testimony of many a poor fellow whose vital energies had almost eked out at the cruel treatment received. I have seen as high as twenty brought in at a time from Belle Isle and seated on benches whilst they would take their names, but before they were half through with this ceremony, one third or more of the number would be fallen to the floor and many of them insensible and some only to wake up in eternity. My heart has sickened at the sight and I now make these statements, not with a revengeful feeling but only to warn our noble soldiers from falling into such hands. If when closely pressed and a thought of surrendering crosses your mind, pass in review before you the gaunt, half- famished forms of those unfortunates and it will stimulate you to a desperate effort to escape or even to die on the field of battle rather than to fall into such hands. Our citizen prisoners seem even to fare worse if possible than any others. Some were taken forcibly from their peaceful homes in Pennsylvania and Maryland and without a moment's warning or an opportunity of changing their working apparel or supplying themselves with a little needful change or giving a word of comfort or advice to their weeping families were hurried off on foot, in front of the bayonet and traveled thus for five days. The only rations issued to them during the time was a pint of flour per day; and not until the evening of the third day were they allowed to make anything, like dough and bake it in the ashes – thus being compelled to eat raw flour like beasts and this by the boasted chivalry of the South. I have seen those same men begging like children; even for a crust of bread to satisfy their appetites – men who had, perhaps, never known what it was to want for anything. For some six weeks several hundred occupied a lower room in Libby and in the night, the officers would pass down through the cracks in the floor all the surplus bread that could be procured through the savings of the officers and I was told by one of our doctors that he had actually seen them fish bread out of the sinks where all the filth from the rooms above passed through and wash it off and eat it; so near were they to starvation! I have seen citizen prisoners in Castle Thunder, over seventy-two years of age, simply for clinging in their old age to the time honored flag of their country. Friends at home, if you can do anything for our poor prisoners at Richmond, whether through your personal effort or through the agency of our noble Christian Commission, rest not until you have done your duty in mitigating their sufferings and cheering their sinking spirits and a kind providence and many grateful hearts will bless you. [Signed] D. C. Eberhart Chaplain, 87th Regt. Pa. Vol. Infantry Army of the Potomac