into with musket balls, and pierced through the body and neck with long knives. These atrocities I believe have been committed by Indians belonging to the rebel army. mm Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major-General S. R. CURTIS, Commanding Army of the South-west. The foregoing facts are also authenticated by the sworn testimony of Daniel Bradbury, John Lawson, and others. FIENDISH CRUELTY OF GENERAL HINDMAN. DURING the retreat of the rebel General Thomas C. Hindman from the State of Missouri to Arkansas, one of the most heart-rending barbarities was inflicted by him, upon one of his own men, that ever appeared in the annals of crime. The facts of the case are as follows: Upon arriv ing at a place called Prairie Grove, in Arkansas, a soldier whose name is forgotten, passing within a short distance of his own residence, left the ranks of the army without asking permission, and snatched a moment to run up and see his wife and children, having been away from his family over two years. Reaching his humble cot, he found his wife surrounded by her kind neighbors in the last agonies of death. A few gasps, and the last spark of life was extinguished, and his beloved wife was a corpse. Not unmindful of his duty as a soldier, the heart-stricken husband tore himself away from his distressed children, who clung to his knees and begged their father to stay with them-hastened back to his regiment, not having been absent more than an hour. Upon his arrival he sought his general, and told him of the death of his wife, asking permission to return home long enough to bury his wife, and provide for his little children, thus deprived of their mother, until the expiration of his term of service in the rebel army. What man, with a heart, could resist such an appeal! Besides this man was known to be one of the best soldiers in his regiment; always at his post, and always willing to do all he could to please his superior officers. When the soldier had finished his appeal, Hindman not only refused the poor man's request, but in his rage ordered him to be immediately shot, for leaving the ranks without permission from him. The poor man was dragged away, and, without a trial, was immediately shot, within a few miles of his sorrowful home. Such deliberate murders are common in the ranks of the Confederate army, and it is by such discipline that they keep the Union men in check, and make them fight for their worse than treasonable cause.* LETTER FROM GENERAL RODGERS. SIR: On the 7th of October, the rebels went to both of my homes; the one at Rock Island, and the one in McMinville, to which my family had, in part, removed, robbing me of everything about the place. They took my wife's and daughter's clothes (not leaving them a change), the shoes from off their feet, my wife's watch, and all the silverware, and five thousand dollars worth.of * Captain D. H. Bingham, of Alabama. goods. They broke all my furniture to pieces, worth at least three thousand dollars; destroyed all my papers; and injured me in every way that their devilish minds could suggest. My loss cannot fall far short of thirty thousand dollars, and may be much more, in the way of papers. Upwards of eight thousand dollars in money was stolen from me. My wife says, "It is a clean sweep." I will go up home in a few days, and shall go to the commander of this department, General U. S. Grant, and get him to assess the rebels and their sympathizers, my neighbors, some of whom set them on. My family may, by this time, have gone to Illinois; as my daughter wrote on the 12th of October, that they would leave as soon as they could. I have not heard from them since. My office detains me (Tax Commissioner) at this moment, but will not longer than a few days. It is certainly a troubled state of things. My family shall not longer be subject to such trouble. I have authorized the purchase of a home at Brighton, Illinois, thirty-five miles above St. Louis; where I shall fix my family for the present. I am so unfixed in my mind, that I am not fit for anything. Yours truly, J. B. RODGERS. MURDEROUS ASSAULT ON UNARMED NEGROES ON HUTCHINSON'S ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA. UNITED STATES SHIP DALE, St. Helena Sound, S. C., June 13th, 1862. SIR: This morning, at four o'clock, it was reported to me that there was a large fire on Hutchinson's Island; and shortly after that, a preconcerted signal that the enemy were in the vicinity, had been made from the house of our pilots. I immediately started in the gig up Horn or Big River Creek, in the direction of the fire, accompanied by the tender Wildcat, Boatswain Downs; launch, Acting-Midshipman Terry; 1st cutter, ActingMaster Billings; 2d cutter, Acting-Master Hawkins; and 3d cutter, Coxswain Shurtleff. Soon after leaving the ship, a canoe, containing three negroes, was met, who stated that the rebels, three hundred strong, were at Mrs. March's plantation killing all the negroes. As we advanced up the creek we were constantly met by canoes, with two or three negroes in them, panicstricken, and making their way to the ship, while white flags were to be seen flying from every inhabited point, around which were clustered groups of frightened fugitives. When about two and a half miles from Mrs. March's I was obliged to anchor the Wildcat, from the want of sufficient water in the channel, with orders to be ready to cover our retreat if necessary. On arriving at Mrs. March's, the scene was fearfully painful. Her dwelling and chapel were in ruins—the air heavy with smoke-while at the landing were assembled over one hundred souls, mostly women and children, in the utmost distress. **** I there gathered the following particulars: The rebels, during the night, landed on the island from Fort Chapman, with a force of unknown numbers, guided by a negro who for a long time had been on Otter Island in the employ of the army-surrounded the house and chapel, in which a large proportion of the negroes were housed, posting a strong guard to oppose our landing. At early dawn they fired a volley through the house. As the alarmed people sprang nearly naked from their beds, and rushed forth frantic with fear, they were shot, arrested, or knocked down. * * * * It appears that the negro who guided the party had returned to them after the evacuation of the place, told them all the troops had been withdrawn, and that the islands were entirely unprotected except by this ship. I am therefore at a loss to account for their extreme barbarity to negroes, most of whom were living on the plantation where they had been born, peacefully tilling the land for their support, which their masters by deserting had denied them, and were not remotely connected with the hated Yankee. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Flag-Officer S. F. DUPONT, W. T. TRUXTUN, Lieutenant Commanding. Com. South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Admiral Dupont, in transmitting (June 16, 1862) Lieut. Truxtun's graphic report of this murderous assault on unarmed men, women, and children, who had taken no part in the war-and were then scarcely expected to—who were quietly remaining and cultivating the soil where they were born and reared, describes the letter as "giving, in strong and earnest words, the condition of many of these sea-islands in consequence of the withdrawal of the army forces to Stono." He adds: "The rebels surrounded the house with a ferocity characteristic, at all events, of this part of the Southmurdered in cold blood the poor unfortunates, who were awakened from their slumbers to fall by the hands of the infuriated rebels. "The contrabands have remained quietly here cultivating the plantations, under our protection, and it seems to me that the government is bound by every principle |