The Shooting Of Henry Hupman, Twentieth Virginia Cavalry.

OFFICE OF MILITARY PRISONS,
Camp Chase, Ohio, January 17, 1864.

Colonel W. WALLACE, Commanding Camp Chase:

COLONEL: According to your order received I have the honor to make the following statement: On the night of December 19, 1863, between the hours of 10 and 12 p. m., I was ascending the stairs of the parapet round prison Numbers 2, when I heard to discharge of a musket. Inspecting the different sentinels around the parapet, I came to a man, Private F. Allen, Twelfth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, who told me that he had ordered, in a loud voice, the persons in mess Numbers 10, prison 1, to extinguish the light inside, but not being obeyed, after repeated calls, he fired off his piece into the building and wounded one man in the arm, named Henry Hupman, Twentieth Virginia Cavalry, Company E. He was put directly under treatment of the surgeon in charge of the prison hospital, but whilst amputating his arm, several days afterward, he died. As sad as this case may be, to wound a perhaps innocent man, by a soldier who obeys his order, it has proved to be a most excellent lesson, very much needed in that prison--Numbers 1--as the rebel officers confined in that prison showed frequently before a disposition to disobey the orders given to them by our men on duty. They have since charged their minds and obey.
I am, colonel, yours, very respectfully,
A. H. POTEN,
Lieutenant Colonel Seventh Regiment Invalid Corps, Asst. Comdt. of Prison.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,
Washington, D. C., March 17, 1864.

Honorable E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith a report received from Colonel W. P. Richardson, commanding Camp Chase, of the shooting of five prisoners by the guard at that camp.

On the 15th of January, as soon as I heard of these transactions, I called on Colonel Wallace, commanding Camp Chase, for a full report of the several cases, which was received January 25, but being unsatisfactory, as coming from subordinate officers, and not going sufficiently into details, I directed him to investigate the cases fully and report all the particulars in his own name. He was relieved from command of the camp before the order could be executed and the duty has been performed by Colonel Richardson, the present commander. The apprehensions which prevailed at the time of a revolt of the prisoners justified a more than usual severity in enforcing orders by the guard, and three of the cases seem to have sufficient justification; but in the two cases where the sentinel fired into the barracks in consequence of a light in the stove, the circumstances were not such as to justify such harsh measures, though the sentinels seem only to have obeyed their orders.

The most censurable feature in these several cases is the fact that a prisoner, Henry Hupman, who was wounded about 9 o'clock in the evening, was suffered to lie in his bed bleeding for half an hour before permission was given to burn a candle, while his mess mates bound up the wound, and then it was 11 o'clock the next morning before the surgeon in charge dressed his wounds. This was a gross neglect of duty by the commanding officer, the officer of the day, and the surgeon in charge. Colonel W. Wallace, Fifteenth Ohio, was the commander of the camp at the time, though he had placed Lieutenant Colonel A. H. Poten in the immediate command of the prisoners, and the guard acted under his orders. The name of the officer of the day is not reported. Dr. G. W. Fitzpatrick, acting assistant surgeon, was the surgeon in charge, and for this neglect I respectfully recommend that Lieutenant-Colonel Poten and the officer of the day, if he can be found, be brought to trial for their misconduct, and that Doctor Fitzpatrick, if he knew of the wounding of the prisoner at the time, be discharged from the service.

I have the honor to submit also the first report received from Colonel Wallace. Lieutenant-Colonel Poten states, in the case of Hupman, that he was "put directly under treatment of the surgeon in charge of the prison hospital," while the surgeon, Doctor Fitzpatrick, states that he did not see the wounded man until the following morning at 11 o'clock when making his regular visit.

To meet such cases in future I have given instructions that whenever a prisoner is shot by a sentinel a board of officers will be immediately ordered to investigate the case and make a full report of all the particulars, which is to be forwarded by the commanding officer with his remarks to this office, and I have at the same time requested that both the guard and the prisoners be made fully acquainted with the orders by which they are to be governed. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
W. HOFFMAN,
Colonel Third Infantry and Commissary-General of Prisoners

Henry Hupman, private, Company C, Twentieth Virginia Cavalry, on the night of 19th of December, 1863, was wounded in the arm by a shot fired by a sentinel on the parapet named Frank Allen, private, Twelfth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Cavalry.

This case is similar to the last one, the sentinel firing into the building because he saw a light, which was not put out at his warning, the ball striking the prisoner, inflicting a severe wound in the arm, and of which he afterward died. The statement of Surg. G. W. Fitzpatrick shows that the wounded men received all they could be given them; indeed, all the wounds appear to have been mortal. The sentinel, Allen, is a deserter and his testimony cannot be procured. The affidavit of the sergeant of the guard on the night of the occurrence, A. J. Russell, Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, is forwarded herewith.

CAMP CHASE, OHIO, March 8, 1864.

Colonel RICHARDSON, Commanding Camp Chase, Ohio:
SIR: I have the honor to report that about 11 o'clock a. m. 16th of December, 1863, while making my regular visit to Prison Numbers 1, as surgeon in charge of prison, I was called to see one Henry Hupman, private, Company C, Twentieth Virginia [Cavalry], whom I found pale and nervous from the effect of a gunshot wound of right arm. Patient stated that he was shot by sentinel on parapet about 9 o'clock p. m. 15th instant while lying in bed; hemorrhage was quite profuse and was not arrested for nearly half an hour, when his associates finally obtained permission to have alight for fifteen minutes, during which time they succeeded in arresting the flow of blood.

The quarters being considerably crowded, and not being prepared, to dress the wound, I ordered him to hospital immediately, and visited him in the afternoon of same day and found, on examination, that the ball entered the forearm, slightly fracturing the inner border of olecranon process of ulna, passed through elbow joint up the arm under inner border of biceps into shoulder, where it was lost, not being able to trace it farther. Not knowing where ball might be found, it was not thought best to use cutting instruments for ascertaining its whereabouts or amputating at shoulder joint. From the weakness of pulse and other symptoms I was led to believe that the ball might have penetrated into the bones of thorax.

Simple dressing was applied, stimulants supplied, and the patient put to bed. September 17, pulse feeble, tongue dry and brown, sordes on teeth. Continued stimulants and used disinfectants freely. Erysipelas being in the hospital, antiseptics were applied. Eighteenth, mortification was just manifesting itself; treatment continued, and Surgeons McFadden, Swingley, and Abraham were called in council. It was not thought prudent to amputate; patient died about 4 o'clock p. m. same day.

Statement of G. W. Cavendish, Company C, Twenty-second Virginia Infantry (prisoner of war), in the case of the shooting of Henry Hupman, prisoner of war.

I was acquainted with Hupman, the prisoner who was shot. He was in the same mess that I was. I think it was in December, 1863, when he was shot.

I think it was about an hour and a half after the guard hallooed "lights out" that Hupman was shot. I did not hear the guard call "lights out" after we put the candle out. We had no candle burning at the time Hupman was shot. Hupman, myself, and one man was in the bunk together when he was shot. The ball passed through the mess door, hitting Hupman's elbow, and lodged in his right shoulder. I think he lived about twenty-four hours after he was shot. We all knew that it was contrary to the prison rules to have lights or any disturbance after 9 o'clock. This is all I know about the case.

G. W. CAVENDISH,
Company C, Twenty-second Virginia Infty., Prison 1, Mess. 10.

Statement of J. G. Nance, M. D., Company I, Tenth Kentucky Cavalry (prisoner of war), in the case of the shooting of Henry Hupman, prisoner of war.

I belong to Company I, Tenth Kentucky Cavalry. Said Hupman was a mess mate of mine at the time he was shot. I was in my bunk asleep at the time the shot was fired and was awakened by my cousin a few minutes afterward to dress the wound. It was some time before I could get permission from the sentinel to light a candle to dress the wound, during which time he bled profusely. The shot passed through the door-shutter and entered the forearm, passing over the olecranon process, cutting one of the large arteries of the arm and lodging near the head of the humerus. I succeeded in stopping the bleeding. I do not think that any of the bones of the arm were broken. Doctor Fitzpatrick came in the next morning and examined the wound.

Hupman was taken out late the next evening to the hospital, up to which time he seemed tolerably comfortable, being able to walk to the hospital. The ball was not taken from his arm while I staid with him. I think if the ball had been taken from his arm as soon as he was shot and the proper medical attention given him he would have recovered.

This is about all I know concerning his case, as I before said that I was asleep at the time he was shot.

J. G. NANCE, M. D.,
Private, Company I, Tenth Kentucky Cavalry.