Deposition of the Rev. ROBERT LOWRY, Chaplin, U. S. A., Minister of Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese of New York, under Bishop Potter:
Entered upon my duties here July 4, 1862, and have continued here until this time.
In my intercourse with the prisoners, I was guided systematically by the same rules with which I visited Union soldiers. The prisoners were equally well lodged with our own men. I remarked at the time of their arrival how neat and comfortable a provision had been made in the tents and pavilions for their comfort, with an ample supply of beds and bedding.
I met the first transport at Philadelphia, and returned on the same with them to David’s Island. The prisoners were in a most filthy condition, miserably clad, and covered with vermin. Each man received a bath and was immediately furnished with clean clothing, the old clothing being removed and burned. In the prosecution of my duties I was frequently present at their dinners, which were ample, superior, both as respects quantity and quality, to anything I have ever seen in hospital diet. The diet furnished to them was superior even to that of our own patients. This resulted from the fact that many little luxuries were furnished by private donation. There were other comforts and conveniences afforded them beyond those of food, clothing, and shelter.
A library of two thousand volumes, that had been previously used by our own soldiers, was at once thrown open to them, and every facility afforded for the use of the volumes. Being present as librarian, and taking each man’s name as he received his book, the library was used by them far more than by our own people. As had been my practice, I went through the tents and pavilions with bibles and prayer books, making the special inquiry to every man, “Are you supplied?” And furnishing books in all cases where they were required.
Religious services were held in the chapel twice every Sunday, and two or three times during the week, at which they were invited to be present, and attended in such numbers that the chapel was always crowded, the capacity of the chapel being three hundred, and some occasions numbers stood at the windows during the entire service.
I was supervisor of the post office, and officially appointed to examine the contents of letters, which were mailed and forwarded on my approval. Paper and envelopes were furnished gratuitously, and post stamps, when needed, were supplied to the extent of one hundred and fifty dollars, to my knowledge, gratuitously. From three to five hundred letters were forwarded daily after the first arrival of prisoners.
The common expression in their letters as to their condition was that “we have everything we need, and could not he better off.”
Funeral service was always performed over the dead, using the service of the Protestant Episcopal Church over the remains of the dead. A record was uniformly made of the names, company, and regiment, of the deceased, and date of death. This record was made independently of a formal Hospital register.
ROBERT LOWRY,
Chaplain U. S. A.
Sworn to before me,
WARREN WEBSTER,
Assistant Surgeon U. S. A., In charge.