Freestone County, Texas
History




The Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph
May 3, 1865
Page: 1

   Fairfield, Texas, April 17th, 1865 
 
  Ed. Tel.-- The following statement was made this day at this place, by John
Burleson and Wm. H. McCrary, of Freestone County, Texas.  That is to say:
  They state that they are soldiers in the army of the Confederate States of
America, and were captured by the Yankees about two years ago, at Yazoo City,
Miss.  After they were captured, they were carried to Camp Morton, near 
Indianapolis, Indiana, where they have been confined as prisoners of war for
the last twenty months.  They are now just out on parole, until the 24th of
June, 1865.  During their confinement in prison, they suffered most severely
from the inhuman, uncivilized, and brutal treatment of the Yankee authorities.
Their ratings, per day, was 10 oz. of bread and 1-4 pound of beef, with a pint,
of something like gruel.  They were all the time kept at hard labor around the
prison, and building turnpike roads.  Their rations were so scant and 
insufficient, that not less than 2000 out of 4500 died of actual starvation or
disease.  They say that one or two actions from the bowels per week, was as
much as nature could demand, and that many have gone as long as from twenty
to twenty seven days.  At intervals the rations consisted alone of corn mush,
scanty at that.
  There were even men shot in prison without any known provocation.  Five 
other prisoners were on detailed labor, when a Yankee notified them in general
terms that his relative had been killed at Fort Pillow, and that he (the 
Yankee) intended to kill two rebels by way of revenge; whereupon he ordered 
the detailed prisoners into line and in cold blood shot and murdered two of
them, they being in a defenseless condition, and guarded.
  They further state that the Yankee authorities appointed two men, one a 
Dutchman, the other a Yankee, whose duty it was to visit the prison every day;
and when they came into the prison they would knock and beat the prisoners
with large clubs, (shillelaghs,) away from their cooking places, from the fire,
and for leaning even against the barracks, bruising the prisoners shockingly,
and sometimes breaking their arms.  As many as three prisoners had their arms
broken in this wicked, cruel and unmerciful manner.