'^•^^ ^y^V u/iJi(^^
n
t iv I
o
REPORT
Wisconsin Monument Commission
APPOINTED TO ERECT A MONUMENT
ANDERSONVILLE, GEORGIA
WITH OTHER INTERESTING MATTER PERTAINING TO THE PRISON
D. G. JAMES, Presidcat
C. H. RUSSELL, Secretary
LANSING WILLIAMS. Treasurer
M.\l>IS«»\. WIS.
i)K\1(ii KAi- I'mSIINfi ('(IMI'ANY. STATK pHlNTKK I'.tll
THE NFV yriPK PUBLIC LIBRARY
4-'^">
o;
ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIO.NS
R 19Cl L
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Lkgisi.a ri\ i; A< iinv t'()\( i um.nc Amikksowii.i.k Commission and
MOM.MKM :
Law Authorizing Committee to Act !>
Law Concerning Publication of Report 7
Organization of Committee 7
CHAPTER ir. Tin: .Mom.mknt:
Description 9
Dedication lO
Names of Persons Present 19
Addresses: Hon. L. H. Bancroft 22
General C. R. Boardman 34
D. G. James, President Commission 42
Governor J. 0. Davidson 44
Mrs. Sarah I). Winans 50
CHAPTER III.
DKS( lUI'llON Ol A.NDl KSO.WIl.I.K Pl{|S(t.\ 57
CHAPTER IV.
Pi;iis(>\.\i, Rk.minisckncks oi Piuson l.iii; i:v D. CJ. J.vmks, Com- rii.KK OF THIS Book :
Taken Prisoner 63
Arrival at Andersonville 67
Introduction to Captain Henry Wirz 67
Treatment in Andersonville 71
Transferred to Florence, South Carolin \ 74
111 Treatment at Florence 75
"FlanKing" for Extra Rations 78
Election in Prison 81
Inhuman Punishments 85
Going to he Parolled 86
Good Old Lady in Goldshoro 88
iv Table of Contexts.
CHAPTER V.
PAGE
Fko.ai Pollard's Life of Jefferson Davis:
:\lilitary Tyranny 91
Despotic Police System 92
Genei'al Winder 94
Treatment of Union Prisoners '. ■ 95
CHAPTER VI.
John McEleoy"s "Story of Southern Prisons :"
Bugs in the Soup 100
General Winder Characterized 101
Captain Wirz Characterized 102
Rations Decreasing — Rain Increasing 105
Barter with the Guards 107
Two Kinds of Guards. 107
Inhuman Treatment lOS
A Ludicrous Incident. 109
Awful Condition of the Dead Ill
Barrett's Insane Cruelty 112
Punishment by Starvation 113
Snipped off his Toes 115
CHAPTER VII. Ixvestigatio.x of Southern Prisons by Order of Congress.
CHAPTER VIII.
FROii Report of Investigating Committee:
Character of General Winder' US
United States Army Regulations Concerning Prisoners of
War 121
Robbery of Union Prisoners 122
Story of H. M. Davidson (Union Prisoner ) 124
Entrance into Andersonville 124
Condition of Prisoners 127
Appearance Inside 128
Stagnant Water 129
Distribution of Rations 130
The Tennesseeans l33
Sad Scenes 134
The Most Common Disease 138
A Man Missing 143
Hospital Statement by Leroy Clark 144
About the Surgeons 149
Crazy Jones 150
Recklessness of the Guards 151
Carrying off the Dead 151
Burial Record 155
'I'ahi.k of Coxtkn'ts. v
PAGE
Testimony of Doieince Atwater 155
The Placo and .Mannf r of Burial 157
Testimony of Lieutenant A. W. Paiscns (Confederate).... 157
Conaition of tlie Prison 158
Letter of James Anderson to President Davis 159
CHAPTER IX.
Sl M.MAitv oi' Tksti.mo.w Co.Nt'KUMXc; Am)i;i{so.\vii.i,i::
Sources of the Testimony 1(51
Review of the Testimony 161
Other Confederate Prisons:
Johnson's Island 164
Salisbury — Diary of Lucien Holmes 165
Florence — Letter of Sabina Dismutes to Jefferson Davis 167
Clothing jgg
Stores Sent from the North to Andeisonville 170
Rations Issued to Confederate Prisoners Contrasted with
those issued to Union Prisoneis 171
Patriotism of Prisoners 174
Retaliation i-^
Guilty Knowledge of Confederate Authorities 176
Reports of Confederate Officials I77
CHAPTER X.
Mortality Among Prisoners ISO
The Wirz Monument iSl
^^ Letter from a Southern Woman ISO
CHAPTER XI.
Wisco.Nsix Soi.DiKHs Bli{ii:i) at Andkkso.nvii.i.e:
List of Names I84
Number' from "Various Organizations 190
CHAPTER XII. TiUAi, 01 Cai'taix WiKz:
Detail for Commission and Charges l'^^l
Testimony in Support of the Charges
Lieutenant Prescott Tracy, Union 192
William Dillard, Confederate I93
Ambrose Spencer, Southern Citizen I94
Boston Corbett, Union 200
Father Hamilton, Catholic Priest 203
Dr. Hopkin's Rei)ort, Thomasville, Ga 209
Dr. Jcseph Jones, Confederate Surgeon 211
C. C. Roy. ContVderate Surgeon 212
vi Table of Conte.nts.
Condition of Prisoneis in Hospital page
J. C. Bates, Confederate Surgeon 212
A. V. Barrows — Surgeon 27th Mass 217
Rations of Prisoners in the Hospital 218
Vaccination of the Prisoners 219
Oliver B. Fairbanks, Union 220
Letter from Gen. Cooper to Gen. Howell Cobb 221
Report of D. T. Chandler, Inspector 221
Dogs or Hounds at Andersonville
Colonel G. C. Gibbs, Confederate 222
Nazareth Allen, Confederate 222
William Dillard, Confederate 223
Colonel J. H. Fannin, Confederate 223
James P. Stone, Union 224
Dr. A. V. Barrows, Union 226
Chain Gang
John F. Heath, Confederate 227
Alexander Kennell, Union 228
Andrew J. Spring, Union 228
Charles E. Tibbies, Union 228
Robert Tate, Union 228
Dr. A. V. Barrows, Union 229
The Stocks
Dr. A. V. Barrows, Union 230
Nazareth Allen, Confederate 230
"Whipping
Vicenzio Bardo, Union 230
William Jennings, John Fisher, Union, Colored, and
H. C. Lull, Union 231
Shooting of Prisoners by Guards
Dr. A. V. Barrows, Union 231
Tnomas C. Alcoke and S. D. Brown, Union 232
Charles H. Russell Union 235
Condition of Prisoners in the Stockade
Felix De La Baume and Charles H. Russell, Union and
Dr. F. C. Castlen, Confederate 236
Private Property Taken from Prisoners
T. C. Alcoke and C. H. Russell, Union 237
Rations
Oliver B. Fairbanks, Union 238
Supplies from the North
James K. Davidson, Union 238
Frank Maddox, Union 239
Captain Wirz' Receipt for Supplies 239
William Bull, Union 240
Authority of Wiiz over Hospital 240
Supplies Found in Georgia and Alabama in lS64-"65
George Welling, Union 243
W. T. Davenport, Confederate 243
Table op Contents vii
Wirz' Statement of Having Been In the Union Army
Charles H. Russell :i44
Letter of Captain Wirz to (Ipn. .1. 11. Wilson 24ri
CHAPTER XI 11.
FiM>i.\(;s oh' THK Court:
••duilty" 247
Sentence, approval, execution 251
CHAPTER XIV.
CONCKRMNG JEKI- KR.SOX DAVIS AND Gk.M-K.M, LkK 252
Conduct of Robert E. Lee 252
Concerning Pension for Davis 257
CHAPTER XV.
Ci..\R.\ B.xrton's Report of Visit to A\r)KKsoNvii.LE in Simmkk
OF 1865 I!5S
CHAPTER XVI.
Anoersonville Since the Civil War 269
The Cemetery, as it is now 290
Providence Spring 291
Treasipfr's Report 292
A Pathetic Poem 295
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Wisconsin Monument at Andersonville Frontispiece
Party of ex-prisoners at the foot of Monument 11
Group around Providence Spring 13
Group on tlie Day of Dedication 17
Hon. Levi H. Bancroft 23
General Cliarles R. Boardman 35
Governor James O. Davidson 45
Mrs. Sarah D. Winans 51
View of stockade and surrounding's 55
Plat of the prison grounds 56
Map of the vicinity of the prison 59
David G. James, President of the Commission 62
Picture taken at the place of capture of Comrade James 64
North gate of the prison 69
South end and sink 126
Awaiting entrance of more prisoners, at the North gate 126
Distribution of rations 131
Some Andersonville homes '. 136
South end of the prison 139
North end of the prison 140
North end of the prison — sink in the foreground 146
South end of the prison — showing the dead-line 147
Digging trenches for the burial of dead prisoners 154
Looking toward the south end of the prison 202
Charles H. Russell, Secretary of the Commission 234
The care-taker's cottage 271
Mrs. Lizabeth A. Turner 273
Relics of prison life — Preserved at Andersonville 275
The Cemetery
Entrance 277
Section one 279
Section two 281
Section three 283
Section four 285
Providence Spring — The Pavilion 287
Lansing Williams, Treasurer of the Commission 293
PKEFACE.
I desire to say to the rojidors of this i-oport thai T alone as- sunit'd tilt' work of (•oni[)iliii|j: this noIuiih' of lioi'i-ors. Yoii will ask me 'vvhy T have put this ofif' until lu'arly half a ciMitury after tiic criinc was cojiuiiiltcd. Tii llic first jjlacc, it was so revolt- iii» that the siu'vivors desired to forget it, if such a things were possihlo. It was not, and for years it haunted us in oui- dreams at Jii^rht. Tile running sores on our hodies were reminders in our wakeful hours of what we had endured. Then the most of oni- number l)elono:ed to that elass of eitizens who were eom- pelhMl to take uj) some trade or husiness for a livelihood, as the meager salaiy recciNcd from the ,u(»\'<'niment did not suflfice for a life of ease and eomfort foi- the ))alanee of our days on earth.
And aaain, 1 was not ahle for many years to ofet the offieial documents to vei'ify what 1 desired to ijive to the puhlie, know- ing full well that a reoital of what follows would hardly he helieved wilhout some veritieation. it is no pleasure to do all this work, bul a (hily 1 owe to the thousands of those eomradcs wlu) were the vi<'tims of the system and whose voiees were sile'n ed hy a loathes(»me death.
1 (lid not desii'e to recite tliese thin^i's until, owinti' to the so- ealled southern historians falsitying the facts, after tlestroying all the recoi-ds to whicdi they had access, it hecanu' a necessity — a duty. It was a very eharitahle and humane act on the part of our government to decline to retaliate hy giving our prison- ers the same treatment the Rehels did us. lint now, at this late date, to have them erect a monunu^it to Wirz and put it where it will he most conspicuous for those who go to Andersonville to lay a wreath on tiie grave of some dear friend; to erect a inonument to .JetT Davis and have the temerity to request the loyal citizen who passes hy to alight fi-oni his carriage and
4 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission
stand before it uncovered with bowed head in reverence for a fiend incarnate; to follow that with a silver pnncli bowl on one of our battleshi|)s sailing under the stars and stripes, with the head of the traitor embossed on it with the following in- scription:— "Mississippi's Loyal Patriotic Citizen"; to have General Lee's monument in the Hall of Fame in the national capitol, clad in a Kebel uniform ; and now agitating the move to have Jeif Davis's put beside it, I think it is a little too much for us to bear in silence.
The few survivors of those atrocities have reason to feel grieved at such a display of audacity. They ought to have been satisfied with letting those leaders e-cape unhung with- out putting these reminders in the place most conspicuous for the friends of those who suffered the tortures of a thou-and deaths at their hands. Their victims seem to have been for- gotten so far as our politicians are concerned. Has Congress ever passed a resolution of gratitude or remembered the survi- vors or the widowed mothers of those men in any way ? Not one word or one farthing to show their gratitude, but vice-versa, when Jeff Davis's remains were removed to Richmond to be placed in their last resting place, the United States Marine Band was sent at the expense of the government to participate in the ceremonies.
These facts and many more I might mention, prompt me to give the survivors and the friends of those who succumbed to the torture inflicted on the helpless in the several prisons of the South the liistory as revealed to the congressional committee and the court that tried Captain Wirz.
David G. James.
REPOKT OF THE WISCONSIN MONUMENT COMMISSION.
CIIAL'THK I.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION CONCERNING ANDERSON- VILLE MONUxMENT AND COMMISSION.
The Hon. David G: Williams inlrodncod n bill appropriating ten thousand dollars for the erection of a monument in the prison park at Andersonville, Georgia, commemorative of AVis- eonsin soldiei'is who suffered and died there. This bill was dp- proved as Chapter 322, Laws of 1903. Section 2 of this act provided that the governor be authorized to appoint a com- mission of three ex-union soldiers who had been confined in said prison in 1864 to have charge of the erection of this monu- ment. Coventor La FoUette appointed as such commission, D. G. James, Richland Center, Wisconsin, formerly of the 16th Wisconsin Infantry; Chas. H. Russell, Berlin, Wisconsin, formerly of the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry; Lansing W^illiams, Columbus, Wiscuiisjii, luriiicily of llic Jst Wisconsin Infantry,
Creating and Autiiokizing the CoMMriTEE to Act.
The following are the several chapters authorizing the committee to act.
CHAPTER 322, LAWS OF 1903. An Act to appropriate a sum of money therein named for a monu- ment in the National Cemetery at Andersonville, Georgia, com- memorative of the Wisconsin soldiers who suffered and died in Andersonville prison, to appoint a commission to select a monument and cause the same to be erected and placed in a proper location in said cemetery and to provide for the traveling and other necessary expenses of such commissioners. Section ]. For the purpose of erecting a suitable monument in the National Cemctcuy, at Andei-sonville, (leorgia, commemorative of the Wisconsin soldiei^ who suffered and died in Andersonville prison,
6 Report of Anderson ville ]\Ionument Commission
there is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of ten thousand dollars. Provided, however, that Wisconsin granite shall be preferred for said monument, at equal cost of similar qualities of granite obtainable from any other state or states.
Section 2. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of sec- tion 1 of this act, the governor of the state of Wisconsin is hereby au- thorized and fully empowered, at his convenience, to appoint a commis- sion of three ex-union soldiers, each of whom has been confined as a prisoner in said former Andersonville prison during the Civil War, who shall serve without pay, and whose duty it shall be to select a suitable monument and cause the same to be erected and placed in a proper location in said National Cemetery within two years after the passage and publication of this act.
Section ,3. Said commission shall make full report in writing to the governor of this state, without delay, after its labors have been com- pleted.
Section 4. For the purpose of defraying the traveling and other necessary expenses of the commission, there is herby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the further sum of five hundred dollars, which sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be paid to the individual members of such commission, in the usual manner provided by law, upon the presentation of proper bills, receipts and vouchers.
Section .5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and publication.
Approved May 20, 1903.
CHAPTER 321, LAWS OF 1905.
Ax Act to amend chapter 322 of the laws of 1903, and to appropriate an additional sum of money for the expenses of the commission appointed under said act, and to extend the terms of the commis- sion appointed to carry this provision into effect, and for complet- ing said work. Section 1. Section 1 of chapter 322 of the laws of 1903, is hereby amended to read as follows: Section 1. For the purpose of erecting a suitable monument in the old prison grounds of Andersonville prison near Andersonville in the state of Georgia, commemorative of the Wis- consin soldiers who suffered and died in Andersonville prison, there is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of ten thousand dollars, provided however that Wisconsin granite shall be preferred for such monument at equal cost of similar qualities of granite obtainable from any other state or states. Section 2. Section 2, of chapter 322 of the laws of 1903, is hereby amended to read as follows: For' the purpose of carrying out the pro- visions of section 2 of this act, the governor of the state of Wisconsin, is hereby authorized and duly empowered at his convenience to ap- point a commission of three ex-union soldiers, each of whom was con- fined as a pi'isoner in said former Andersonville prison during the Civil AVar, who shall serve without pay, and whose duty it shall be to select and contract for a suitable monument and cause the same to be erected and placed in a proper location in the old prison grounds of Anderson- ville prison near Andersonville, Georgia, which monument shall be erected, completed and dedicated on or before May 21st, 1907, and the terms of office of the commissioners appointed under the provisions of chapter 322 of the laws of 1903, shall be extended until May 21st, 1907. Section 3. For the purpose of defraying the traveling and other nec- essary expenses of the commission in the selection, contracting for, lo- cating, approving and dedicating said monument, and for the purpose of
Legislativk A(TH)N 7
paying the travcliim and (.llu-r pxpenscs of speakers, the governor and nis staff, anu thR sahiry. liavt-ling and other necessary expenses of a slenograi)her, upon tlie o((aHion of the dedication of said monument, there is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise apjjropnaleU, the lurtiier sum of six hundred dollars, which sum (.r so much thcieof as may he necessary, shall l<e paid to the in- dividual memhers of such commission, speakers, the governor and mem hers ol his staff, and to sikIi stenographer aforesaid, in thr- usual man- ner proviued hy law, upon the i)r( seiitat ion of proper hills, receipts and vouchers, it heing intended hy this se<tion to appropriate for tlie i)ur- pose named, the luither sum of six hundred dollars over and above the appropriation of live hundred dollars made by section 4, of said chap- ter :i'22 of the laws of ]W.i, and that so much of the sum of six hun- dred dollars, hy this section ai)propriated, as shall be necessary to de- fray the expens<'3 aforesaid shall be used for such purpose and such purpose only.
CII.MTICR 1:57, LAWS OF i;n)7.
An A( t to provide for suitable dedication of the monument erected by the state of Wisconsin in the national cemetery at Andersonville, Georgia, and to appropriate a sum of money to defray the expense thereof. Section 1. The commission appointed under chapter ;',22 of the laws of 1903, to select a monument and have the same placed in a proper location in the national cemetery at Andensonville, Georgia, are hereby authorized to provide a suitable dedication for such monument when completed. To defray the necessary expenses of such dedicatory cere- monies, said commission is hereby empowered to use any unexpended balance of the appropriation made by chapter .322 of the laws of 1003 as amended by chapter 321 of the laws of 190,') for the erection of said monument, and for such purpose there is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of one thousand dollars in addition thereto.
Section 2. The expenses of such dedicatory ceremonies shall be paid upon presentation of proper vouchers certified by the commission, out of the money herein appropriated.
Al TlKJKIZINi; THE I'l" HLK ATK t\ OF JxKI'oK'IV (»F THE COMMISSION".
CHAPTER 2r.9, LAWS OF 1909.
An Act relating to the publication of reports of the Shiloh .Monument Commission and of the Andersonville Monument Commission.
Section 1. The commission appointed pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 322 of the Laws of 190:!, to select a monument and have it placed in its proper location in the old prison ground of Andersonville prison near Andersonville, Georgia, are hereby authorized and directed to make a suitable report on the erection and dedication of said monu- ment, such report to contain suitable cuts and a history of the prison together with a list of names of the soldiers from Wisconsin who died in said prison and were buried in the national cemetery at Anderson- ville, Georgia, and such other material as the said commission may ucem advisable. Such report shall be published and printed by the state printer in book form and such printer is authorized and directed tr) print two thousand copies of said report. And in like manner therf shall be published and i)rinled one thcusand co|)ies of the re|)ort of the Shiloh Monument Commission, in addition to the number" heretofore issued.
Section 2. Any unexi)ended balance of the approp; iation made in Chapter 322, Laws of 1903, as amended by Chapter 321, Laws of 1905,
8 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
and Chapter 137, Laws of 1907, and Chapter 381, Laws of 1901, an fimended by Chapter 199, Laws of 1903, and Chapter 371, Laws of 1905, shall revert to the state and be placed into the state treasury.
The C'Ommissioii met at Madison, Wisconsin, September 7, 1904, and organized by electing D. G. James, president ; C. H. Russell, secretary, and Lansing Williams, treasurer. It was then decided that the Commission go to Andersonville to locate a suitable position for the monument, which they did November 19, 1904, locating the same at the northwest corner of what had been the inside stockade. Propositions were submitted for de- signs, with the result that none of those furnished was con- sidered appropriate for the purpose, and all were rejected. The Commission again advertised for designs, when, after due consideration, they called to counsel with them Governor La Follette and Prof. Alexander Miller, and they jointly settled on the design which was accepted.
JJesckii'tion (»f I in; .Munmmknt
CilAI"n-;K II.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT AND DEDICATION
SERVICES.
'J'iie inoMumorit is j>i'iiicij)all.y (»!' Conpirja "iiviuito, llic top lie- in«< surmountrd hy ;i |;ir<^c Aiii(M-ic;iii cn^dc in hron/.c. The in- scriptions on ils i'our sides are as follows :
West P^vce.
(Wisconsin Coat of Arms.)
This Monument
Erected by the
State of Wisconsin
IN
Gratefi L Remembrance
OF OUR Sons AVho Suffered and Died
IN
Andersonville Prison, March, 1864 — April, 1865.
East Face.
Wisconsin.
(Wisconsin Coat of Arms.)
Known Dead
378,
To live in hearts
We leave behind,
is not to die.
Near the base of the monuniont, in larj^er letters, arc tlie famous woi'ds of CIcn. Oiant:
let us have peace.
10 Report of Andersonville jMonument Commission
The designs on two sides arc dnplicates and consist simply of a large "Vv""' enclosed in a wreath, with tlie ligures "1906" underneath.
Near the lower part of the structure, in four ditferent places,
the following official data have been inscribed :
Commission appointed in 1904 by R. IM. LaFollette, Governoi".
D. G. James, President, Richland Center, Wisconsin,
16th Wisconsin Infantry.
L. Williams, Treasurer, Colund)us. Wisconsin,
1st Wisconsin Infantry.
C. H. Russell, Secretary, Berlin, Wisconsin,
1st Wisconsin Cavalry.
Dedication of the ^loNrMENT.
Through the courtesy of j\Ir. McLaughlin, editor of the Stev- ens Point Journal, we quote the following:
The dedication of the Wisconsin ]\Ionument at Anderson- ville, Ga., took place on Oct. 17, 1907, in the presence of about one hundred residents of the state, whose names appear later. The special train which conveyed the excuisionists was com- ]»o>ed of a conit)ination baggage and smoking car and three Pullman sleepers. The train left ]\Iadison over the St. Paul railroad early in the afternoon of October 15, and after travers- ing parts of five states, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia, reached Andersonville, the site of the far-famed Confederate military prison pen^ early in the morn- ing of the 17th, with a total of 107 passengers aboard. The day was an ideal one. The sun was bright and warm and the air soft and balmy. Roses and other floAvers were still in lilooin, the cotton lields white with the fast maturing crop, some of which had already been picked and was being ginned and made ready for the market. The foliage on oak, sycamore, maple, hickory, pecan, magnolia, uml)rella. pomegranate, fig and peach trees, yet untouched by the frost, was as green and iiriglit as in the summer time. Only in a few isolated instances had oid Jack Frost laid even a blighting finger on the foliage, — a con- dition which extended as far north as Chattanooga where fresh roses still greeted the eye.
The dedicatory services took place at two o'clock in the after- noon, and were as follows: Prayer by a former resident of
ht-scKU'rioN III' 'riii: Monimkn't 1.")
Wiseousiu, hut wiiu is now cuiiiircttMl w illi tin- Jlookcr T. Wasli- iugioii KC'huol jit Tiiskcj^ee ; liyiim l)y a iict^r-o (chorus of twelve voices; address l)y Judj^e Advocate Levi II. Bancroft of Rich- land Center; liynin by a ne»;ro chorus which was very heautiful indeed; address by Adjutant General ( ". K. Hoardnuiu of Osh- kosh; song, ''Wisconsin," by Miss Vida James, accompanied by ]\Iiss Carolyn Bancroft, bolli o£ Kicldand Center; formal turning over of tlie uionumcut by President D. G. James, of the com- mission, to (rovcnior .lames (). Davidson; acceptance of the muuument on tlie part of the slate l)y (jloveriior Davidson; sur- icndcr of tlic same b}' the govei'iioi- into the keeping of the Na- tional Woman's Relief Corps; acce|)tance of the responsibility by ]\lrs. Sarah D. AVinans, vice-president of the corps, who came from Toledo, Ohio, for that purpose; singing of America by the entire assemblage.
.\moug the excursionists wei-e about fifteen former Anderson- ville prisoners, and to them the visit was of absorbing and per- i-oiial interest. The old stoekade which surrounded the prison has been carried away or rotted down until not a vestige of it remains, but the grouiiuds have Iseen marked with jjo.'-ts show- ing where the stockade and dead line formerly stood; and one of tlie fli'st tilings the former pi'isoners did was to locate and point ou( lo Ihcii- trieiids the spot where each was located when in the prison. The places some of them occupied at that time were mere dugouts or holes in the ground covered with ])lank- ets, if, indeed, they were lucky enough to lia\'e them. On some portions of ilic ground thci-;' are trees at le;i>t eighteen inches in (liamet<'r, ami of c()i-res])()nding height. These ti'ces were not set out, but came uj) from seeds blown there, and the entire growth lias been made in forty-two years, — thus presenting a splendid ob.ji (1 h->si)n in the possibilities of forestry and forest eiilture.
All the visitors had, of course, heard of Providence Spring, the unexp(>eted breaking out of which has been told in prose and p.)elry. and all availed themselves of an (.i)portunity to taste its wateis. some eaiiyiny: a sample home with Ihnn.
During a visit to these grounds six ycai's ago we wei'c tohl a little stoiy, a persoiud reminiscenoo which may bear repeating liere. AVIiile on (he ^i-Miiiids \\r met ," woman wlut has always lived aboui a mile trnm the prison. Ilei- fathei-, she said, had
10 Rep«^rt of Andersoxville ^Ionument Commission
served in the Confederate army Init. being: incapacitated, came home and helped Iniiki the stockade. One day after the prison was occupied she vreut down to the gate with her mother and a party of friends to see the prisoners. She was then about six years oki. While at the gate a prisoner asked one of the guards for some tobacco — the Confederates always being well supplied Avith tobacco. The guard said. '*How will you get it? if I throw it to you it will fall into the sand." "Let the little girl bring it to me." said the prisoner. "They then a.sked me to carry the tobacco.'' said the woman, "but the prisoners kniked so dirty and ragged, and I heard such awful stories about the Yankees, that I was afraid of them, — afraid they would kill me. Finally, however, after much coaxing, I ventured to carry l)ie tobacco, and when T reached the prisoner he took me up in his arms, kissed me, asked me how old I was, and said he had a little girl at home just my age." Whether the man ever re- turned home and had the blessed privilege of again taking hi^5 own little girl in his arms of course the woman did not know.
The exciirsiou train starteci on its homeward journey in the evening of the same day of its arrival, stopping an hour at Macon, spending a day at Atlanta, two days on the battle fields of Chattanooga, one day at Nashville and arriving in Chicago at nine o'clock ^Yednesday morning. — the journey from that city and back having occupied a little more than seven days ; but, of the homeward journey, more at another time.
The excursion was under the personal direction of D. 0. James, president of tlie commission. To say that he proved himself the right man in the right place is to use a hackneyed expression, yet it admirably fits this case. All the details were intelligently planned and carried out to the entire satisfaction of the party. To manage successfully an excursion is a dif- ficult task, yet Mr. James was equal to the occasion. H. C. Bailey of Chicago accompanied the excursionists as the offici-al representative of the Louisville & Nashville railroad. He looked carefully after the interests of all, and made a personal friend of every one in the party.
< -
Description of tiif Monument 111
Names op Persons Present at riii-; 1)i;i)I(\T(iuv Skuvkks. WIktc lilt' name of state is not prinleii, read Wisconsin.
(lov. J. O. Davidson and wife, Madison.
fien. C\ K. Boardman and wife, Madison.
Tnl. J. G. Salsman and wife, Madison.
Co]. O. G. Miinson and wife, Mroqna.
linn. J. A. Frear, Secretary of State, and wife, Hndson.
D. (i. Jainos and daufjliters, Ada and Vida, RiL-hland Center. C. 11. Russell and wife, Berlin.
Lansing Williams, Columbus. Belle Williams, Columbus. Blanche Williams, Columlms. Senator IT. P. Bird. Wausaukee. Geo. C. Sayle, Madison. Col. W. IT. Joslin. Richland Center. David Schreiner, Lancaster.
E. G. Brown, Detroit, Michigan.
A. F. PLall. Janesville.
R. B. Showalter and Martha Showalter, Lancaster. S. Saucermann, Winston, Illinois.
B. V. Washburn, Excelsior. Alfred Burdick, Milton.
W. W. Chadwiek and Harriet Chadwiek, Monroe.
Col. Geo. M. Neckerman, Madison.
N. Burch, Menomonie.
ITdii. Geo. B. Burrows, Madison.
Hon. Iv. J. Flint, Menomonie.
('apt. Hugh licwis, IMadison.
Geo. B. ^McMillan, Grand Rapids.
Archie McMillan. Grand Rapids.
C. .1. Kircii, Madison. T. H. Runisey, Berlin. A. C. l':tselieid, Curtiss. L. M. Etscheid, Curtiss. W. E. Ashard. Madison. H. L. Ashard, Madison.
H. C. Bailey, Chicago, Illinois. Capt. Cha«. Tf. Heniy. Eau Claire.
20 Eeport of Andersonville Monument Commission
Oscar H. Pierce, Milwaukee.
Hon. L. H. Bancroft, Richland Center.
Mrs. Myrtle Bancroft, Richland Center.
Miss Carolyn Bancroft, Richland Center.
Blaine Bancroft, Richland Center.
I^Iiss Helen Kirkj^atrick, Richland Center,
G. W. Marsh, Santiago, California.
iMrs. K. W. Marsh, Santiago, California.
Chas. VVeittenhiller, Platteville.
Edward McGlachlin, Stevens Point.
]\Irs. Edward McGlachlin, Stevens Point.
]\lrs. B. D. Berry, Chicago, Illinois.
R. H. DeLap, Richland Center.
]\Ir. N. L. James, Richland Center.
]\Iiss Mahel James, Richland Center.
H. P. Christman, Menomonee Falls.
J. H. Reed, Tecnmsch, Kansas.
C. E. Estahrook, ]\Iihvankee.
F. H. Williams, Whitewater.
J. R. W^est, Elgin, Illinois.
W, H. Johnson, Berlin.
Mrs. W. H. Johnson, Berlin.
John Woodward, Platteville.
Henry Stannard, Platteville.
L. L. Owens, Burlington.
R. E. Osborne, La Crosse.
Wm. Lindsay and wife, ^lilwankee.
Alex. Campbell, Albion.
Esther Newman, Algomri.
Bern ice Hatch, Sturgeon Bay.
W. H. Grinnell and wii'e, Beloit.
Mrs. Laura Dodd, Boise, Idaho.
E. A. Bean and wife, Wautoma.
Capt. F. A. Wilde, Milwaukee.
B. S. W^illiams, Wautoma.
]\ir8. Sara Richardson, Sheboygan Falls.
W. II. Richardson, Shelioygan Falls.
Miss Jessie Hunter, Chicago, Illinois.
Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Putman, Brodhead.
Description uf tue MoNUiiENi* 21
E. 11. JStuart, Jirucllicad.
Mrs. L, A. 8luurt, Jirodlicad.
ileiiry Luther, i>erlin.
Mrs. U. E. Luther, liorlin.
J. Jv Hanson, Bohiit.
A. S. Jackson, Beloit.
Johii C. Martin, Madisou.
Col. J. B. Edwards, Mauston.
"William Belter, Wautonia.
John W. Ganes, Fox Lake.
Mrs. J. W. Ganes, Fox Lake.
^ii-s. Nellie Duncan, Darling:t()n.
Mrs. A. W. Stockton, Faribault, ^linnesota.
Frances K. AVliite, AVis. Veterans' Home, AVaupaca.
C. C. Welleusgard and wife, Berlin.
Capt. and Mrs. A. G. Dinsmore, Veterans' Home, Waupaca.
C. ir. Wananiaker, Madison.
S. Browse, Chicago, Illinois.
Henry Rintclmann, Milwaukee.
Henry Stannard, Greenbush.
John Prien, ^Fadison.
It is with ph-asiirc and jfratitudc that we |)ause to make men- tion of yiv. John Prien, who accompanied our party to Anderson- ville and Iiack to Cliattanno<ica as representative of the C. M. & St. P. R. II., and Mr. II. C. Bailey of the N. C. & St. L. R. R. These gentlemen added much to the interest of the trip by ar- ranging for stop-overs at all the historic points along the way ; and they showed themselves Avell fitted for the high positions they held witii the railroad companies they represented.
22 Report of Andeesonville Monument Commission
Address of the Honorable Levi H. Bancroft.
The state of Wisconsin has considered it a duty to place here an appropriate memorial, as a tribute to the heroism of her sons who here suffered martyrdom.
The men who died here understood the worth of that free- dom which they were denied.
Amid scenes of horror which might well appall the stoutest heart, and subjected to temptation by the promise of liberty, seemingly stronger than human endurance, with courage un- daunted and honor unstained, they gave to the cause of human liberty the last full measure of devotion.
It Avas eminently fitting and proper that those Avho survived the war's fierce tempest to enjoy the fruition of that liberty Avhich these men died to preserve, should, with reverent and loving remembrance, rear an altar on this spot made sacred by the blood of their martyred comrades.
After the lapse of nearly half a century, that duty was dele- gated to a commission, appointed by the chief executive of the State, composed of three members, who were themselves con- fined as prisoners of AVar within the stockade of Andersonville.
That commission, consisting of Charles H. Russell, David G. James, and Lansing Williams, has now completed its task.
To these veteran comrades of those who suffered here, the discharge of this obligation has been a labor of love. They have erected here an enduring pile of granite and bronze, and graven it with loving sentiment, to the memory of comrades dead.
Today as the guests of that Commission, we are called upon to witness the completion of their labors, and to participate in the solemn ceremonies attendant upon the conclusion of their duty, and the surrender of their responsibility,
I have been requested by the members of this Commission, to say something here befitting the occasion. A request from such a presence, is a command not to be disobeyed.
This only, is my excuse for trespassing upon your patience, and for presuming to break the silence of these surroundings, more eloquent than human lips.
When the storm of the Civil- War l)urst in flame and fury Wisconsin Avas one of the youngest of the sisterhood of states.
S-P Eng. Co.
llo.N. Levi 11. Ba.m.koi i.
\
Descrh'tiox ok tiik ^Ionument 25
Scarce a duzeu years had she worn the (liadnn of Suvereij^uty. But l«er people uerc born lor freedom, and <i1 lii-r call, her sons, "crowded the way to dcmtli, as to a festival."
To this greatest of all wars, Wisconsin coiili-ihuted o'i re},M- nients of infantry, 4 i'epinient.s of cavalry, 1'i batteries of light .•iftillcry. iind owe full regiment of heavy ai-lillery, — approxi- mately 1(M),(K)() men. Of this nninbcr more than 12,000 gave uj) th(Mr lives in the service of tlu-ir count i-y.
Her sons were with (Irant at Vicksbiirg, and Shiloh, and Appomattox. They were with McClellan at Antietam, and with ]\leade at (Jettysburg. They climbed the heights of Look- out ^lountain and Mission Ridge, and with Sherman, marched from Atlanta to the sea.
On every great battle tield of llic war, side by side with their comrades from other states, '"no useless coffins around their breasts" but wrapped in the soldier's martial shroud, they rest together, "on fields bought with their blood" awaiting the dawn of the eternal day.
In thjit gi'e;it conflict 2,S()0.(t()(i iiicii I'lilistcd under the flag of the American Tnion.
Of this nund)er 300,000 died a soldier's death; 17r),000 were captured and confined in prison pens; 500,000 were maimed with wounds or stricken with disease.
From that confiiet the republic emerged, burdened with the agony ;ind horror of the most stupendous struggle of all his- tory. "With ;i legacy of hate,— ;in inheritance of tears and broken hearts, and a national debt of four thousand millions of dollars.
Here, where cruelty unspeakable, and heroism l)eyond ex- pression combined to make of this spot the (Jolgotha of the W(^stern hemisphere, 50,000 men Avere confined within a stoidv- ade coN'cring ;i space of ],0]0 fed by 77!> feet, and sul).iected to the toi-ture of such conditions as to render death a welcome relief. Til" fortunate ones were the 13,000 who lie buried in th(>se sunken gi'ii\es.
In that lottery of life nnd death. 127 drew the prize of six good feet of earth in a single day, and went uncomplainingly to nameless graves.
Of the heroes who here endured and died for liberty and uinon. 378 were from the gi-een hills of old "Wisconsin.
26 liEPORT OP Andersonville Monument Commission
Today we dedicate this monument to tlieir memory.
It is a beautiful belief, that treasured up in our natures are all the unconscious influences of all the heroism and martyr- dom of our race from the dawn of our civilization until today ; and that from this hidden fountain of pure and lofty sentiment, we are constantly renewing our faith, and finding inspiration and strength for the uplifting of humanity.
That man Avould be devoid of human sensibility, who could stand unmoved in the presence of the world's great monuments without feeling his heart stir M'itli the memories which they awaken.
Before the column of July which marks the site of the "old bastile" what lover of human liberty would not uncover?
Before the shaft which crowns the summit of grand old Bunker Hill, what American would not feel his pulses quicken with the memory of that glorious day, Avhen the ragged Continentals rolled the chivalry of England down its ensanguined slopes in disorder and defeat?
These monuments are the enduring ties of human fellowship, binding the heroic souls of generations past to kindred spirits yet unborn.
They are the milestones of earth's pilgrimage, marking the progress of humanity through the ages of advancing civiliza- tion.
They tell the story of a thousand years. The story of the heroism of the Anglo-Saxon race. The story of the struggle? of millions, on the battlefields of two hemispheres, — from Al- fred to Cromwell, and from Washington to Lincoln.
Now, when time has healed all Avounds, and industry has re- paired all the ravages of the Civil war, we may speak impar- tially of its cause and its efi'ects, since the North and the South, as one people, rejoice in the beneficent results of its conclusion.
We have been told that the cause of that war was the ques tion of the sovereignty of the states. But back of the question of "state rights" was the reason why certain of the states of the American union desired to exercise their sovereignty in opposition to the general government.
It is conceded that one reason was a desire on the part of certain states to maintain and perpetuate the institution of human slavery.
Deslriptkjn of the Monument 27
AeeuptiiiiJ lliib truth, some have bceu satistied with the con- clusion that slavery was the real cause of the war.
But back of the question of slavery was another and more signilicant reason, which was the real cause of the Civil War, as it has been and will continue to be, the real cause of all the wars among men.
it was the one cause which has devastated the world, — wrecked the governments of all nations, and destroyed the civilizations of all ages.
The people of tiie South have distinguished themselves through all of our country's history as the most liberty loving and chivalrous portion of our population.
Every battlefield of the American revolution ran red with the blood of the cavalier, it was I'atrick Henry of Virginia, who, when he heard of Concortl and Lexington, sent from Vir- ginia this message to Massachusetts, "i am not a Virginian, i am an American."
ll was Virginia tluit gave us Washington, the father of the republic ; and Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Inde- pendence.
It was the Soutli which gave to the American union the sturdy character of "Old Hickory" as exemplified in the in- domitable patriotism of Andrew Jackson.
Why was it that the South desired to maintain an institu- tion so utterly at variance with every principle of her splendid history'/ So contrfiiy to tlie spirit of liberty engendered in her bosom? So foreign to every precept of the Declaration of Independence, penned b.y her illustrious son? So utterly opposed to every tendency of our institutions, and our form of government, as well as to every principle of justice and humanity?
The only reason why slavery ever existed among men, and the only reason why its continued existence was ever tolerated or desired l)y any portion of the civilized world, was because it was considered profitable.
it was a mistaken idea of profit which caused the Civil War, as well as every other war of which history makes any ac- count.
IIow money blinds our eyes, and liardcns our hearts; chang- ing love to hatred, — clothing injustice in the garments of de-
28 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission
ception, and changing the Avine of life into the sordid dregs of avarice.
It was the Divine Author of the Christian civilization who gave to men and nations, as the law of their being, that truth which all human history has confirmed, — "You cannot wor- ship both God and Mammon."
When we have progressed far enough in civilization to be able to comprehend the immutability of the law, we shall under- stand that taxes and tariffs cannot build a nation; that presi- dents and political policies cannot insure the permanency of a nation; that armies and navies are powerless to maintain or to destroy a nation; that no weapon of offense or of defense, no i)()mp or pageaiitiy, can prevail against the fixed and im- mutable laws of God; that nothing endures, or can endure, but truth, and justice, and liberty.
To deny this is to deny the omnipotence of God. To deny this is to deny the Christian civilization ; to deny the power of justice, and the lessons of all human history and experience.
If this be not true, then slavery was right; and anarchy is right; and the arbitrary exercise of autocratic power and brute force is right.
The leader of the herd and the wolf pack compels obedience by force, — the power of hoof and horn, of fang and claw, of beak and talon. This is the law of the brute.
If man had no higher law than tlie brute, our civilization woidd be a farce.
Standing here today in the presence of the heroic dust of those who died for the union, we know that every patriot who believes in the glorious destiny of the great republic would deem the war for that union a failure, and that these men had died in vain, if in its results that war had not proved in every sense a victory for the South as well as for the North.
In the enlarged horizon of our national life, only made pos- sible by the results of the Civil "War, 85,000,000 of freemen, united in a common heritage of glory, and a common purpose of national achievement, look forward to a destiny which like a mighty ocean touches all the shores of human possibility.
Bound by every tie of interest and origin into a common purpose, our national life has been cemented into a stronger union by the blood of our common heroes mingled on a hun- dred battlefields.
"DESmil'TIOX i\F THK ^[( >M ' MKXT 29
Fruni lliat day, wlu-ii, in IIh- \iilli-y i»t' l>i't liiilia, lie lU'i-vctl the arm which smote the 1.\ rant down to this liovir, the God of hatth'S has bestowed His hcnediction u|)i)n thusc wlio dai-rd to unsheathe tin' swoi'd tor a righteous causi'.
Out of thai awful storm of l)h)od and afrony He has ])i-0)i<;iit us as a rt'-unitfd people into the hlesscd sunshine of peace, and iniion, and liberty, and national i)i'ospeiMty.
lie has tiiULdil MS. and thrcu^di us lie has tau'_dit the civilized world, that neither individuals imr nations can hope to jiehieve pejMiianenl j^ood oi- en(lurin<r i)rosperity fi'om the jji'aetiee of injustiee. That the soi'did ^M'eed for ^'ain which 1eiiii>ted us, as it had tempted the (!reek and the K'oman before us, to violate the spirit of our institutions aiul to defy the justice of (Jod, brought upon us, as it had bi-ought upon all others, the vcn- geaiu'c of the violated law; until every drop of blood drawn by the lasii had beeu requited by the swoi-d. Tntil evei-y dollar de- rived from the labor of a slave had been ])aid by the labor of a freenuin. T'util the agony and misery of a race in bondage had been compensated by the sutl'ering and iiiai-tyrdom of that race which forged the chain.
We are coming to realize more and iiioi-e that "the .judg- ments of God are true and righteous altogether."
In but little more than half a century after the establish- MH'nt of free govenuuent in America, the Ainerican union owed its i)i"cservat ion to the rugged integrity and indomitable courage of the Puritan character.
Today, scarce half a century after the ('i\il war, the repub- lic needs as never before that high idealism and the fine sense of i>ersonal honor in both ])ublic and ])ri\ate life which ever distinguished the character of the (•a\alier.
Anu'riea stands inviiudble to all the world, exce]>t it be the genius of her own institutions.
In the strength and pride of her own marvelous material prosjx'rity she re<piires for self-)>reservation the regenerating influences of the New South, — the South of Henry AV. (!rady and of John P>. (!ordou.
We need that s|)irit of ])atrio1ism, which has ti'iumphed over adversity, without surreiub-i-ing its ideals or its h(UU)r. Tliat spirit of i)a1 riot ism which can and will grasp the gri'at ques- tions of our national life, with a determination to solve them for righteousness, without regard to consequences to "vested
30 Report of Andersonvitj.e Monument Commission
interests," which has enabled the South to grapple with the great question of intemperance.
Real patriotism, such as this great republic needs to purge its national life of every stain of pretense and material osten- tation ; — such as it needs to give it life and immortality, is the same today as in "that hour which tried men's souls."
It is something more than a mere sentimentality. It is not a mere pride in achievement. It is not a lust for present glory and emolument.
It is that absolute renunciation of self which identifies the individual with the glory of the nation to the exclusion of personal interest, — like a great river flowing to the sea, to be lost in its heaving tides.
That renunciation of self which Ruth expressed: "Where thou goest I will go ; where thou livest I will live ; and where thou diest, there will I die also."
Such self-effacement as is here depicted by these nameless graves, where died in silent resignation for their country's cause those heroes whose memory we celebrate today.
When the flight of our undazzled eagle shall be nearest to the sun, will be, not amid the roar and tumult of battle and conflict, — not when war spreads desolation over the land, — but when amid the beauty of peace and the splendor of pros- perity, American patriotism shines resplendent in the civic honor and integrity of American citizenship.
In the fruition of our national life, we recognize as one of the most beneficent results of the Civil War, the complete abo- lition of all sectional lines. The glory of the great republic is no longer circumscribed by locality or condition, but is shared alike by every section of our country's vast domain.
When history with impartial pen, shall write the story of the Civil war, it will record no tale of conquest.
It will speak of that war and of its results only as a great national regenerations, made necessary by the development of republican institutions.
It will write beside the name of Grant that other great com- mander, whose splendid genius reflects the glory of American arms, — General Robert E. Lee.
It will tell of that tilt with death in the valley of the Shen- andoah, where Sheridan and "Stonewall" Jackson, each, for the first time, met a "foeman worthy of his steel."
DESrKIF'TION OF THK MONUMENT ^l
It will rank with llu! f,'eiiius oL" any who rose to a supnMiic command in the armies of the North, the name of that cliival- rons soldier, Albert Sidney Jnlinson, from whose; hand death snatched the prize of victory on Shiluh's Idoody field.
It was not a triumph of superior valor ii<>r the result of a su- perior military skill which broupfht the «;lorious peace of Appo- mattox, Avhere the Scmtii, exhausted by the conflict which had devastated her fields and destroyed her industries, surrendered a hopeles cause for the sake of humanity.
It was the omnipotent Power of the Ood of justice and lib- erty, apfainst which no human skill or valor can prevail, w^hich bivui<.fht tlic exhausted but iiiicnii(|iici'c(l Sdiitli to iicknowledge the error of her cause.
The w^orld admits that the men Avho Avon the bloody field of Chickamauga and charfrcd with Pickett up the flaming slopes at Oettysbui'^' gave to militaiy annals a new standard of per- sonal valor, beside which the grenadiers who fought at Lodi and Austerlitz seem like the painted soldiers of a gala day parade.
The one grand compensation of the Civil War is the fact that it kept the South in the American union, and preserved her splendid citizenship for the gloi-y of the great republic.
As the foundations of the woi'ld rest upon the lowest strata, so the foundations of organized society rest upon the mass of the people. And as flic volcanic forces of nature burst from subterranean depths and pile burning mountains on the conti- nents, so do the pent up forces of liuman nature sometimes burst all bounds of restraint, and in jx'i'iods of great stress hurl upon society some great soul, who, like a burning brand, is hot with the flam(> and fury of the elements which gave him birth.
Tims does Napoleon, lliat imperial incarnation of genius and andjition, stride like a (Ndlosus the ])eriod of the French revo- lution.
And thus does Abraham Lincoln, the greatest soul that ever flamed across the sky of human history, dominate tlie period of the Civil War.
Liberty was his ideal. Justiee was his religion.
In him the ideal of Aiiiei-ican eiti/.eiiship found expression and example.
32 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
"With malice toward uoue, aucl charity for all," the great emancipator led his people out of the wilderness of dis-union and strife, — out of the night and storm of war, into the beauty and glory of unity and peace.
Standing on the greatest battlefield of that war, Avhere for three terrible days the grim reaper had wrought the harvest of death, and where side by side in the peace of eternity, the blue and the gray found the fellowship of heroic souls, — speak- ing to those who had assembled for the purpose of dedicating that field as a resting place for the unnumbered thousands who had there given their lives that the nation might live, — Abra- ham Lincoln said :
"We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, Ave cannot hal- low this ground. The brave men living and dead, Avho strug- gled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract."
"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here ; but it can never forget what they did here.
"It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced."
And as we stand here today, in the presence of the heroic dust of thes-e men who died so bravely for the cause they loved, we realize how idle is human speech.
With what more than living eloquence their cold lips bid us to ^ear witness how ihey met the duty laid on them.
How they speak to us of the duty of citizenship, — the sacred- ness of free government, — the wickedness of treason. Of the priceless heritage of human liberty, and the glory of the Amer- can union.
What memories surround this spot. INIemories of many a hard fought field where valor outdid endurance.
Tender memories, of banners more beautiful than rainbow tints, borne with loving pride through the war's fierce flame.
Grand memories, of chivalry and heroism. Glorious memo- ries, of victory and the triumph of liberty and ju.stice.
Sad memories, of those who fell on bloody fields, of comrades torn with shot and shell, — and those who died in prison pens.
It is one thing to die a soldier's death in the battle's glori- ous tumult. It is another thing to die in the hopelessness and
Dksckjhtion of thk MoNlJ^lE^•T 38
helplessness of the priscjii pen, alone with vcniiin and disease, and the horror of self consciousness.
In the whirlwind of the eharj^re, amid the roar of the con- flict, the screaming shells, the flash of bristling steel, the shouts of contending hosts; when the frenzy of strife lends unnatural courage and valor leads the way to victory, the grim ilt'sl rover greets the soldier, clad in garments of glory, and robbed of all his terror.
But here, in the loathsome prison pen, the soul of the repub- lic's bt'st manhood met tlie flod of batth's alone and unafraid.
Ilci-c the spii'it of the Anglo-Saxon, hi-fd thi-ough tin- martyr- dom of the agi's, met and endured and t riiimplicd over death, — for liberty.
Let us who arc lin-c i)ri\ ilcgcd to stand in tin- sacred pres- ence of their lieroic dust, be consecrated again to the cause of human righteousness.
Let us be made to feel here somewhat of that inspiration which exalted them ; to appreciate more fully than before the duty of an American citizen. To realize in some degree how precious is liberty; how priceless is our system of government; how gloi-ioiis is our coiiiiikmi (•(ninti'v: liow splendid its des- tiny.
And let us here again resolxc. ])y all tlic precious and tender memories of our glorious past, "that this government of the people, and foi- the peoj)h', and by tlie people shall not perish from the eartli."
34 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
Dedication Address op General. C. R. Boardman.
We have come from one distant state into another to perform a duty assigned us by our people whom we serve.
"We have traveled in the print of olden wars. Yet all the land was green and love we found and peace where fire and war had been."
We have come from one of the younger to one of the oldest states in our union. And we descendants of those brave enough to fight in battle for their belief have also come from ancestors great enough to teach us in looking back on a period of bitter conflict constantly to remember these words : "And so I charge thee by the thorny crown and by the cross on which the Savior bled and by your own soul's hope of fair renown, let something good be said."
We have come to a state not only old in years but strong in patriotic purpose and rich in historical inspiration, — a state the valor of whose people stands an enduring encouragement to fortitude and courage. A state that in colonial days stood as a bulwark against the enemies to the south and whose people under the skillful leadership of Governor Oglethorpe rendered lasting aid to the great cause of independence.
Other things in the history of Georgia stand out as a guiding beacon light even as the north star at night serves a safe guide to the mariner. Georgia from the first permitted her people to live in religious tolerance. Georgia's delegates to the first convention at Philadelphia were authorized "To join in any measure Avhich they might think calculated for the common good."
In the revolution Georgia stood staunch, though suffering heavily from the armies of the English and the Tories to the south ; staunch to such an extent, in fact, that in proportion to population she is said to have lost more men and property than any other of the thirteen colonies. The records show that Georgia enlisted 3,873 men for the Revolution ; for the Mexican War 2,132 men; for the civil war 112,000, of whom one-fifth lost their lives. In the war with Spain her full quota and more was given with the other states.
Some messages brilliant in utterance and as perpetual as monuments in good effect have been given in time of stress to
I" /J
Ki;iG Mill i; Cii \i;i I > R. HdAHDM an
DESCRirTION UK TIIK MoNTMENT 37
tilt' nation li\- nn-n of (Jeorgia. and tlit-y arc worthy of repeti- tion (»n sucli an occasion as this:
Ah'xandcr A. Stephens has tohl lis: "Without intelligence, \iitui'. integrity and patriotism on the part id' tlie people, no lepuhlic or representative government can l»e dnrahle or stahle."
Rev. A. (I. ilaygood, at the elos(.' of the war with tlit; pano- laiiia of desolation before him. advised his pcoi)le, as follows: "Let ns enltivate industry and economy, practice virtue and justice, walk in ti-uth and i-ighteousness, and push on with strong hearts and good hoj)es."
From the Adjutant (Jeneral of (ieorgia comes this modern patriotic sentiment: "The people of this state, while loving the memories of the i)ast are true to the conditions of the pres- ent. AVe are absolutely loyal to the flag of our fathers, the flag of our children and the flag of our country."
We come, therefore, with respect and admiration for such a state with such a record and with such people. We come, too, with warm iiearts for the Southland, for we are mind fid of the hospitality, yea, more, the tender care which our sister state. South Carolina, gave to our sick AViseonsin soldiers at Charleston, in ISilS, when the war with Si)ain was being waged. The citizens thei'c opened Iheii' homes for tlie care of the sick; gave the dead bui'ial beeoniing soldiers of the nation; preserved the records pertaining to them, and in every way displayed a degree of thoughtfulness, deep regard and strength of sympa- tlietic spirit that we of Wisconsin will cherish as an act of nobleness wholly, this deed of the chivalrous south man and the merciful kindness of the generous south Avoman.
To such a state, to such a section, among such people and in such a spirit, we of Wisconsin have come to dedicate a monu- ment to our soldier dead whi(di we have builded from Georgian granite and with the help of Georgia iue?i.
Thi'ou<_di nieuioi'v's mystic glamor we seek to discern the best.
We have not come to discover defects in the dead or the living. We conu' conscious that a repressed rebuke may be helpful to the (pntdc. We are hei-c with a heart felt purpose, for it is oidy with the heart that hearts niay be won.
0\n*s is indeed "a monument for the soldiers built of the people's love." A monuinent to nuMi and women, for "the
38 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
biography of the man is only an episode in the epic of the family. ' '
Ours is a monument to men who endured the test of toil and travail, service and sacrifice for their country's good. A monument to the miseries of the mothers and the woes of all the noble women of the war.
But it should ever be contemplated in peace and righteous- ness.
Man with his puny efforts seeks to imitate eternity by build- ing what he hopes to be everlasting landmarks.
The acts of those who served and suffered are recorded in eternity. The spirit in which they acted is the permanent at- tribute of mankind and on the spirit in which this structure has been reared we rely for its permanence rather than in its massiveness or solidity of design. Its real majesty no more lies in its cost in dollars than does the true greatness of a ruler lie in the pomp and pageantry with which he surrounds himself. The truly great have ever been modest and plain of style.
We have set up this monument to the memory of the men from our state and the entire country who followed their flag through day and night ; through the drought and the flood ; through sickness and starvation; through prison and stockade —even into the jaws of red death.
Think of the spirit that must have animated the soldiers of both north and south to enable them to stand the strain of the gigantic struggle in which they engaged; think of the tremen- dous fight they made for things spiritual and material; and, thinking of this, can we for a moment permit ourselves to doubt the value to the nation of keeping such a spirit alive, that we may fight again if necessary, but another time for the whole United States and for the United States only? Let us have peace, yet let us keep ourselves prepared to maintain it.
So we have builded our monument not only as a tribute of gratitude to our patriotic dead, but also that our youth, as they come to manhood, may not forget; that our country may never lack faithful defenders, men who will have the love of God in their hearts, the courage of their convictions and the bravery of their ancestors in their l)reasts.
The sacrifices of the soldier and the seaman are in vain if we are not prepared on every necessary occasion to emulate
I)i:.N< KiriiMV ..|- riif M<i\r mknt 39
their example. IL will not do lor us to say we cau prepare wheu the time comes. Jiike tiie mau who draws his weapon, we must be prepared to act with accuracy and certainty, i'or the warfare of tlie future will be as surely along lines of per- I'ect organization, equipment and training as are tlie modern campaigns in the manufactures and the trades.
Let us hope, then, that, among other results, this monument will help keep alive an interest in the military affairs of our country. The wisdom of our greatest forefathers has ever pointed out tlie necessity of maintaining our military for scilf defense and for the protection to life and i>ropcrty ; at the same time the spirit of our constitution as it has done in the i)ast, slinuld continue to be followed, and the subordination of tlie military to the civil power ever be maintained. Let us in- crease and perfect our regular army until it keeps pace with our increase in population and Avealth, so that we do not become too temjjting an object for aggression from without. Let us teach our youth to buikl up and properly care for his physical being. Let us teach him prompt obedience, which is the corollary for the execution of orders both civil and mili- tary. Let us teach him to handle the rifle and to shoot straight. Tiiis now is antl should be the principal work of the militia, lor licalt lit'uliicss, willingness to obey orders, and inai-ksuuin- sliip are the prime re(iuisites for good soldiers, be they regu- lars, militia or volunteers.
Let this moment be an inspiration to the militia.
Remember that the battles of New Orleans, King's Mountain and Saratoga were won by the militia, and that the great bulk of all the soldiers in the civil war were militia.
The nation that resorts to mercenaries is in decay and tlie draft marks a dangerous loss in public sentiment.
Build up the monuments to valor and patience and sacrilice, but make them permanent through the eternal spirit of patri- otic preservation of the individual and through him of the nation which is all ours by a common bond of motherhood.
Education, real practical education that fits men for the trades as well as for the professions and for genuine work. ('ou})l('d with ])atriotism and training in the practical essentials of military duty, make for the true greatness of a people. Every added degree of accomplishment in this direction makes
40 Report of Anderson ville AIonument Commission
for insured greatness. This, among other great purposes, is one of the inspirations that should ever emanate from our monument.
Over our internal questions we have no real cause for force or blows. The red flag we should relegate to regions where the battle of the ballot is not provided for and where no fight- ing forum like that of a free press and a free public rostrum for argument is furnished. No honest law abiding interests need ever fear the military here. Our soldiers of the United States have ever stood for protection, law, order and fair play.
Every individual is actuated largely by the instinct of self preservation. Make that task as easy as is consistent with honesty, industry and frugality and public dangers from within become reduced to a minimum.
The preservation of our states with their government for themselves within themselves is furnishing experimental sta- tions for legislation and the solution of economic questions that are invaluable to our national life, and in them, as in the laboratories of the specialist and the inventor, are worked out remedies for public ills and methods for public advancement. The ambitions of the mere agitators cannot wreck our common weal so long as the final arbitration lies in an appeal to the common sense of all the people, and, so long as we continue to put a premium on study and thought and work and discus- sion, the great asset of common sense will not become impaired in value.
The wonders of science, invention and production are sure to be followed by changes in the general plan of government, equally startling at first, and to those grown old working ac- cording to one set of ideas and methods at first thought equally revolutionary.
Therefore those Avho have their hearts' interest in the influ- ences which they hope to see this mass of granite exert, will look also for the development of civic courage and civic fore- sight as one of its results.
The heroism of home equals the bravery of battle. The courage to act according to honest convictions oftentimes matches the stoicism that buoys one up to sustain prison pri- vations. This spirit will be needed. It is needed now. We must set the example and teach our young to sustain it.
DeSCRIITION (IK THi; MuMMKNT 41
\\r iimsl k<M'p oil Icaniinj; that la/iin'ss and lalmr make uii- lioly consorts. We iiinst understand this more thorouf^hly he- fore we finisli. Also thai no artili<'ial tlif^nity shonhl he at- tached to wealtli or to tlie professions, hut that the real crown of merit beh>nys to the man who lioucstly and efficiently works, no matter what his occui)ation may be.
Those men who shrink from honest toilers and move about continually {jloved at;ainst imajrinary contamination are mild canker spots on our civilization.
The mushroom aristocracy of wealth, really lidi *\u\y in selfishness and disre«?ard of everythintr contrary to their own wishes, is as far removed from true nobility as the north star is distant IVom tlie southern cross.
It is ('([ually dangerous when actuated by vanity and the search for satiety as the reckless ribaldry and the violent va- porings of some of the senseless leaders of the so-called s(.)- cialistic movements or the doglike demagogues baying at the moon of their imagination.
In the civil war there was an organization, made up largely of AVisconsin regiments, that, for its steadiness in battle and fearlessness under fire, has passed into history as the "Iron lirigade." So it is now as it Avas then. Wisconsin men at the front then, "Wisconsin now at the front, in the march of progressive government. Wisconsin with her wealth of true men and women. Wisconsin with her Avealth of material things. Your Wisconsin. My Wisconsin. My cradle of birth and training and faith, and I hope my grave of death. Wis- consin with her i)roud motto of "Forward." Forward, Wis- consin. On, Georgia, On ! Forward our people. Foi-ward our country. On with all of the states. All for each, and each for all. All for the Avelfare of our people and the betterment of oui- race. All for tlie advancement of good government, eloins Wisconsin with them all, and may the union be ever- lasting. Not only Avitli those who shoulder to shoulder stood the supreme test, but also with those states that hold our blessed dead, and in whose soul is the red of our people's hlood.
Ciiarge, Wisconsin, Charge ! On, Georgia, On ! And as we move along, "Give us the strength to encounter that wiiitli is to come, that we may be brave in peril, constant in tribula- tion, temperate in wrath, and in all changes of fortune and down to the gates of death, loyal and loving to one anothi>r."
42 Eeport of Andersonville Monument Commission
Events such as this dedication should help to make us be- lieve that Americanism, Nationalism, has risen indeed. Be not troubled then for the future for our youth with brave hearts and willing hands will rule the land and, rule it well.
'"Down the broad vale of tears afar The spectral camp is fled; Faith shineth as a morning star, Our ghostly fears are dead."
Stimulated by the example of the men, the deeds, and the times which Wisconsin's memorial here will help to perpetu- ate, we should await the approach of the future serene in oui confidence in our country's safety and progress and with the heartfelt, steadfast purpose of endeavoring by our acts to prove our gratitude toward the grand old heroes who sacri- ficed themselves for us.
Address of D. G. James, President of the Commission, Turning the Monument Over to the Governor.
Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The duties devolving upon me of transferring this mon- ument, the fruits of ardent toil, over to the authorities who created the commission is not of my own seeking.
This shaft was not raised to celebrate any victory, to en- gender any feelings of discord or revive unpleasant remem- brances of the past. It is erected by the state of Wisconsin as a mark of appreciation and gratitude for her loyal sons who suffered on these grounds from March, 1864, to April, 1865, for wiiat they knew to be patriotic principle.
It is not my mission to allude to the suffering they endured during those fifteen long months. A person's sense of loyalty can be measured by such a test as these men were put to. A man can go to battle and face the death-dealing shot and shell, not knowing or seeing what fate awaits him; he can participate in the perilous charge, or resist the same. There is excitement for the brief period, and glory in the victory. But when he is shut up in a pen with scant food and clothing and no shelter but the canopy of the heavens, dying by inches from disease and
Descrh'tkjn of the Monument 43
wounds, with liu loving juolher or irieud to bathe his face or wet his parched lips; seeing his cuiurades around liim momentarily liivatliiii^' tlit'ir last; hr who eii<lures all tliis without seeking any dishonorable relief from so untimely an end is a hero. Wis- consin has in yonder cemetery over three hundred such patriots, and many more occupy unknown graves lietween here and their h(mies in the far north, not having strength to reach their friends and homes after receiving the long coveted parole. And there were others who endured all this — yet fortunately reached their homes before their death. For the memory of all these we come here today to do honor.
Mow, ill hc'liair uf uui- eoniiades^ i wish to express our gratitude to the nienioi-y of tliat grand man, l'''atlier Hamilton of Alacon, who made his weekly pilgrimage to the stockade and gave such little delicacies as iie could and atlministered spiritual comfort to the dying. Oh, what a I'cunion this would be if he could be here today in body and pronounce the invocation ! We will all revere him as long as memoiy lasts. We also feel a sense of gratitude toward the guard on the stockade, and also to Miss Sabiua Dismutes and others, for the letters they wrote to the authorities deploring tlie condition of the prisoners and begging for their relief ; and to numberless other administering angels wlio took compassion on the' few who escaped, and gave them food and shelter,
A feeling of giatitude ^ors out to the ladies of the Woman's Relief Corps of America, Avho so generously purchased this historic spot and turned it into a so beautiful a park. I cannot omit the faithliil work done by the contractor, Mr. Clark, who, as the monument plainly shows, never for one minute tried to slight his work or, to his knowledge, to use any undesirable material; and he was always pleasant under the many obstacles witii which he met.
Governor Davidson, through you, now standing at the head of the great state of Wisconsin, in the name of all those loyal sons whose i( iii;iiii,> icposc in yonih'i- ecmclery and the count- less numbers who occupy unknown graves, and whose spirits now hover about us, together with the mothers, wives, sisters find friends and all others who are so fortunate as still to live and enjoy the fruits of tiieir victory, I desire to express our heartfelt gratitude Tor Ihe sacrifices you have made in leaving
44 Report of Andersonville IMonument Commission
the affairs of state to take a long journey to pay tribute to these noble dead who laid down their lives for what they believed to be a principle. Since our departed comrade, David Williams, introduced the bill for an appropriation to erect this shaft, you and your predecessor. Governor La Follette, have rendered us valuable aid. You, while a member of the legislature, and later at the head of state, have taken great interest in this work, without which it would have been difficult to complete it.
And nov,-, in behalf of the commissioners who have worked industriously and harmoniously, each taking a deep interest lu the work and performing it with a pleasure, Ave wish to thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
Governor Davidson, we here surrender our trust and turn the same over to you, the guardian of all state property, hoping you can say of us as one of old said, "Well done, good and faithful servants."
Governor Davidson's Address. — Accepting the Monument.
Wisconsin bends its head in sorrow today. The recollections of the history here enacted, which occasions our vpresence with you, has enshrouded our minds with sadness mingled with silent admiration. Standing upon the site of the famous Anderson- ville prison — sacred ground to all America — I give voice to the state 's deepest consciousness of the sacrifices, the endurance and the patriotic devotion of her soldier prisoners to i)rineiples to which they had dedicated their lives. As an evidence of the sincere appreciation of their deeds, although we fully realize that its massive structure and beautiful outlines are hopelessly insufficient properly to commemorate the historic significance, the state of Wisconsin has had erected this monument in honor of her sons who suffered and died here.
War is indeed a cruel legislator. In its name are committed deeds which cause reason to stagger and civilization to recoil upon itself. The great Civil War, for the interpretation of the fundamental instrument of our government, decreed that while every individual within our boundaries is a citizen ol his respective commonwealth, he is also a citizen of one central government, supreme over all states, finding its existence in the
GovKK.NoH Jam IS (). D.w insdx.
Deschiption of thk Monument 47
amalgaiuatittii of eoinmonweallhs, and fuie from wliirli no state, once adniittod, should have a right to secede. Tlie war was as necessary as it was inevitable. For generations suspicion, jeal- ousy and sectional envy had aroused those passions wliich (tnly war could subdue, and in wlinse smoldering embers would be re-awakenod that spirit of unity and fratei-nity es-ential tu the broadest national existence. It was a war without parallel in the annals of history. Personal andjition and the desire for national aggiandizement fduiid n<> consideration here. Both sides, American l)y birth and education, could never have sac- rificed themselves by the tens of thousands except upon the be- lief that they were fighting f<tr a principle which was greater than all woi-ldly things. The courage, the constancy and the endurance of the Southern soldier Avas never surpassed. The j)luck, the patriotism and the persistence of the Northern vol- unteer was never excelled. The decision wbicii those four years of conflict announced was sealed by the hundreds of battle- fields where they fought, and the thousands of graves which have ridged every state.
The civil war taught the world the value of American men. It produced a new type, — the citizen soldier. The hundreds of thousands of men who responded to llie call of battle, both from the North and the South, were not men trained in the schoo. of mililaiisni. Tiiey were not men who e cliosen profession was that of slaughter and pillage. They came from the peaceful pursuits of life, men trained in the arts and industries of a conunercial and agricultural people. The artisan, the farmer, the student and the professional man, thinking not of seltisii interests nor of personal gain, — these were the men whose brav- ery and endurance made the civil war the greatest struggle in histor3^ The world had often seen gigantic armies. IMilitary hordes have swept over Asia and Eurojx', destroying cities, con- quering empires, ami turning "hack the linnd of progios. The^e vast armies gathered liy the command of law, by purchase and by physical force, foui^ht U>r tlic >|)nils of comiuest, for monarch- ical aggrandizement or to satisfy the personal and)itions of a military despot. The citizen of '61, seeking only the safety of his country, required but the knowedge of his country's need to offer himself for the defense of princijjles which were institu- tional in his life. Kveiv soldier of those trving times gained
48 Report of Andersonvii.le Monument Commission
for himseir immortal honor in tlie consciousness of duty well performed. Thousands gained it on the field of combat, at the cannon's mouth, amid the storm of smoke and battle; thousands of others found it in the saddest chapter of a soldiers' life, — the languor and yearning's of the military prison.
To die on the field of battle in the heat of the conflict, con- scious of the victory of his arms, has always been the wish of the soldier. To pass avvay thus is to die alone on the open plains, or by the side of comrades in arms. They receive his dying words. They give his body the last sad rites of a soldier. They tell those dear to him that he fought bravely and died a soldier's death. In such a scene there is inspiration; there is glory in such a death. Music and poetry for ages have found it their choicest theme.
Turn now to the soldier who languished behind the prison bars. Hunger, thirst and disease claimed him for their own. The free, open air was often denied him. His patriotic sighs and prayers re-echoed from walls, mute and dark. The agonizing throbs of his heart found no sympathy. There were no loving and tender hands to minister to his dying wishes. What yearn- ings, what hopes, and what longings must have flitted through his feverish brain ? What scenes of happy hours his imagination mast have pictured! And yet I doubt not his heart was free from anguish and bitterness. His death was a martyrdom, as lofty in soul, as trying in courage and as grand and holy in pa- triotic virtue as was ever attested by death for principle. Re- call to the mind of an aged veteran of that war the scenes of battle. His head is thrown back, his breath quickens and the eye flashes with the spirit of the events. Recall to his memory prison days, and sadness creeps over his features and his head is bowed in sorrow. May the day soon come when we shall have reached that stage of development of mankind, Avhen in the solu- tion of public problems, wars shall cease and man's natural in- stincts for combat give ])lace to the more reasonable considera- tion of an enlightened progress.
The monument which we dedicate here today is sacred to the memory of the military prisoner. It stands upon a spot which will never be forgotten so long as history is i-ecorded. Wiscon- sin offers it to the South, untinged with malignity and bitter- ness. It is \\ii\\ pleasure that I receive this beautiful mon-
DeSCRIPTIOX ok Tin: MiiNI MF.NT 40
uniciit fioii, *!i(' Cuiimiissioii, uliidi siipt-rvised ils erection, ami it is witli equal pleasure tlial I ^wv it into the watchful care and keeping of that niagnifieeut orj^anization, the Woman's Krlief Corps. This product of the sculptor's art is a tribute to tliose wJHt tlird here for their country. No future age can have geater dead than these; no graves can hold holier dust. Tu tiiis Irillowed frround are buri(>d witli tliem the passions of war, and all the jealous strife of sections. Tcxlay we know only the s[)irit of unity and the fraternity of love and respect. "We behold a union fiiinly establisli-^d in the hearts, afTectinns and loyalty of its citizens. We pay the same military lionors to him who wore the gri'y as are bestowed upon the wearer of the hlue.
Tn Forest Tlill Cemetery, in the city of Madison, are buried the remains of 130 sturdy and brave sons avIio fought for the South. They died in a military prison at that city. Every grave bears the name and regiment of him Avho rests there. No Memorial Day passes but that a child's gentle hand, assisted by the veterans Avho wore the blue, places a flag and a wreatli of flowers upon every one of the many hundreds of soldiers' graves in tliat cemetery. The distinction of uniform was forgotten witli the atinouncement of a reunited country. They fought and (lied for coiivictifms, wliich they cherished. They were all .\merican citizens.
This monument is not alone for the dead, — it is for the living as well. It is a tribute to the dead, an inspiration to the living. Tt speaks a sentiment which language is too limited to express. If inspiration can come from association, if detennination comes from example, if virtue, loyalty and lighteousness are capable of awakening, then where in history is there an occasion wbiili can so arouse the love of princij)!*', the obedience to law, the charity, generosity and inspiring patriotism of American citi- zenship, as this, here today, Avhere over thirteen thousand nun (Med of disease and exj^osure that a noble cause might live. Tlie actions of the elements will destroy this monument, time may efTaee all physical traees of this place, yet the impressions of man's noble deeds, east in I be hearts of a grateful people, will with the advancing march of civilization, grow into an even broader and deeper ai)preeiation of the character of tb-: American soldier.
50 Report op Anderson ville Monument Commission
Address of Mrs. Sarah D. Winans, Chairman Andersonvii^le Prison Board, in Behalf of the Woman's Relief Corps.
Governor :
On behalf of the Woman's Relief Corps, Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, I thank you, and through you the great state of Wisconsin, for placing on these grounds a monument sacred to the memory of Wisconsin soldiers who died in Andersonville Prison.
The bravest are always the tenderest, and the endearing qualities of a nation may be measured by the honor they pay to the patriotic dead who have given up their lives in its service.
Wisconsin now takes her place with Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island and Michigan in fittingly commemorating the services of her gallant sons who chose death rather than take an oath never again to bear arms in defense of the flag they loved so well. Your act this day will reflect added splendor upon the achievements of your noble state in both Avar and peace.
For myself and the entire Board who have charge of the Andersonville Prison grounds, I again thank you.
Mns. Sauaii D. Winans
Past National President of the Woman's Relief Corps, and Chairman
of the Andei-sonville Prison Board of IManaK'^'s,
L'111 WashinKtoii St.. Tnl.do Ohio.
#31103:^^
as
S «
^ CA- SKS'
o ^ S
o
a 5
.2 '^
be S
a
•r-H 1)
.« 03
&
'i7 |
■ -2-/ • / |
.- -7- r .-. - -1 't 1 • 1 |
|
5 |
1 • 1 • 1 • |
'f |
• |
!'1 |
• |
||
12/ |
71 |
||
|7 |
/ i- " >^^^^ ' |
||
%0 |
1 |
/^ 1 |
|
L-. |
7 J |
||
I'j.AT uF am)j:hsu.nvii.i.k prison grounds
(As seen on opposite page.)
iHsciiplioii: 1. Cnrc-tnker's House, erected by the National W. R. ('. 2. "Proviileiice SpriiiK" ;{. '"^itt' "f I'lopDSCil Njitioiuil MoiiiiiiH'llt. 4. OulliiH' <>f imrcliiiscil property. .'.. Outline of Stockade enclosing prisoners. «. Outline of Outer Stockade (only par- tially completed). 7. "T>ead Line." 8. <.'onfederato Forts and Batteries. 9. Main Port, or "Star Fort." southwest corner. 10. Site of Gallows, where nuirauders were hung. 11. Powder Magazines in "Star Fort." 12. Site of Captain AVirz' Headquar- ters. 13. Gate to Roailway leading to the Cemetery. 11. Wells and I'lmnels dug by prisoners. 15. Site of l)ea<i House. 1(5. Kntrenelied Camp for Guards. 17. Roadway, KX) feet wide, leading to railroad station. 18. "Stockade Creek," a branch of Sweet- water. VJ. North Gate of Stockade. 20. South Gate of Stockaile. 21. Flag StalT.
DeSCKIPTION (tK THE ANI)KIt,SuNVlLLE PKI.SON PeN 57
CHAPTER III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ANDERSONVILLE PRISON PEN.
A briui" tlL'seriptiuJi oi" AuKiorsouvillu pi-i.suii may he ui' iuter- est to the friends ol" those who were confined in this hell of hells.
Tlie stockade surrounding the twenty-seven acres was made ot logs nineteen feet long standing on end. On top of the stockade at regular in1cr\al.s were sentry boxes, which shel- tered thirty-five armed sentinels. Eighteen feet Avithin the htockade was the dead-line. This wns formed by nailing slats or poles to stakes driven in the ground. If a prisoner crossed tjic (Iffid-liiic. lie was shot by a sentry, the sentry in turn being rewarded by a thirty-day furlough. This dead-line subtracted two acres from the twenty-seven, while about six acres was in swamp and creek, leaving for the prisoners nineteen acres. The Confederate camp above had befouled this creek water before the prisoners could get it for cooking and drinking pur- poses.
At each corner of the stockade and near the center of the west side were forts equipped with large caliber artillery ready to open fire on the stockade with shot and shell in case there was any disturbance or revolt from within the prison. The prisoners were constantly tunneling undei- the walls, and, to prevent their escape, an outer stockade line was constructed 120 feet from the inner. A third stockade outside of this was commenced, yet never completed.
It was here in what was called the Empire State of the South that the victims who fell by starvation and murder at the hands of the Confederate authorities approximated closely in num- bers the victims who were sacrificed by the Spanish Inquisition through long centuries of persecution. IMuch has been said concerning the Black Hole of Calcutta, Avhicli was succeeded by a morning of relief. But from the horrors and cruelties of
5§ ^Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
Andersonville there was no relief but death, — death by starva- tion and exposure, — the little vitality drained from the body by gangrene, and the vermin covering the bodies of the pris- oners.
The country surrounding the prison was thickly studded with towering pines. In the midst of these woods, and with the full knowledge of the highest officers of the Confederacy, the union prisoners were compelled to eat raw meal ground with the cob, and cow peas infested with bugs ; and for want of fuel to cook the food and to keep warm they were allowed to suffer and perish during the cold and wet weather. Many boys were shot while merely reaching under the dead-line to get a drink of the less filthy water ; and if a new prisoner, not yet knowing the rules, would step inside of the line for a stick or root with which to cook his food he Avould, without warning, meet instant death.
r::::^
~%^^^WM^^
^^n \ ^ N o Siy-^'
j^.
V"3
" A' . *,'
David G. James
President Monument Commission Compiler of this Book
Person A F. Ri:>riNisrENCES of T>. C\. James G3
CIIAPTKR IV.
PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF THE WlilTKR, D. 0.
JAMES.
On my arrival lioine in April, 1865, while I was recuperat- ing? my iu'alth and strength, I wrote down some of my ree- olk'ctions while a prisoner and laid my notes aside that I might use them tor tiirtiier perusal, in writing this sketch I am us- ing the notes I then made.
I was captured at the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, to- gether with fourteen others of my regiment who were on the skirmish line that day. We were taken by the Eleventh Tennessee Confederate Infantry. We were conducted to the rear where we found quite a number of others assembled preparatory to migration to our future home, Andersonville, Georgia. Our captors were very kind, and they treated us as gentlemen. While we stopped to rest towards evening, one of the guards took a piece of Johnny-cake out of his haversack and began eating it. As we had been captured toward even- ing, he asked me if I had had my supper. I told him no, nor had I had any dinner either, for we had been fighting since early in the morning. He very generously divided his corn- bread with me and expressed his sympatliy, as we did not know what was in store for us. After getting well back from the figliting lines, our captors turned us over to the Third Arkansas Cavalry. Then the process of robbery commenced, which was repeated every time our guards were changed. First they took my hat and canteen ; those of us who had good shoes or any attractive garments were compelled to give them up. Sometimes we got in return an old pair of slu)es that would scarcely ludd together. Then they might throw us a pair of old, delai)idated pants and coat well stocked with graybacks. If we protested against si;ch treatment, they coolly informed
64 Report op Andersonvili.e IMontiment Commission
us that if we did not give them up they would blow our brains out, and they backed up the threat with a cocked revolver pointed at us. We were marched that night to a little town called East Point, six miles distant. There, for reasons un- known to us, we remained two days. During this time all was quiet at Atlanta. We could hear no news from the army until the middle of the afternoon of the second day. Their pontoon train went by in great haste, which excited our curiosity, and we v;ere informed that Sherman's army had met defeat and was making a precipitous retreat ; and that their pontoon train Avas ordered to bridge the Tennessee river to intercept Sherman's re- treat. The next morning the batteries opened up at Atlanta. One of our comrades asked the officer if their army wasn't making considerable noise in crossing the Tennessee. He came back with an oath, threatening to shoot the man for his impudence. While at East Point we received two and one- half hardtacks, made of shorts, for two days' rations. The third day they gave us three of these hardtacks and started us on our line of march south. Our guard consisted of a small part of the 54th Georgia Infantry, under command of a cap- tain who was very kind to us ; also, his men were courteous and they treated us as well as possible under the circumstances. They allowed us to camp in orchards where we could gather green apples and to invade cornfields to procure corn, which we roasted by the fires; and so we fared sumptuously. Two and one-half days' march brought us to Griffin, Georgia. It being rumored that General Blair had been captured, and was in our party disguised as a private, several members of Con- gress M^ho had served with the general walked up and down our line, but failed to locate him. After this inspection Avas over we were crowded into some box cars that they had been transporting cattle in, without cleaning. We were crowded so closely that it was impossible for all to sit doAvn at the same time, so part would stand awhile and then change. This rested our weary limbs.
We arrived at Macon about dark. The people came to the train to see the Yankees and made themselves very obnoxious. Our guards, as I have before mentioned, were not in sympathy with the stay-at-homes, as they dubbed them, so allowed us prisoners to talk back. We made good so far as blackguard- ing went. The women were very abusive, yet it did not take
Personai, REMiNisrENCES OF D. fi. James f!7
llifiii a JL^rcal wliilc to Ix-comc satisfied, as tiie t^iianl ^avc the prisoners all tin- latitude they desired in retaliatinfJT. On the morning of the 28tli Ave arrived at our destination, Anderson- \ille, whieh faet was hailed with joy by all on board, as our limbs Were tired and cramped, and we had been without food for a (lay anil a half, and with only five and a half crackers made (tf shorts for six days. We had been informed that rations would be furnish(Ml in altundance, and were looking forward 1o the I'me when we could get all we desired 1o eat. We were formed into two i-aid<s raid marched from the station to Captain Wir/'s headipiai-tei-s. Then we wei-e put into detachments of two hundred and seventy each, and every detacliiiiciit was sub- divided into three messes, — all this for the convenience of roll call and the issuing of rations.
When the gate was opened and Ave got a view of what was before us, the scene was indescribable. Over thirty thousand men on nineteen acres of ground, — without shelter; some naked, others bareheaded, barefooted, deformed, and almost unrecognizable as human beings. To a man looking at it froni :i distance, it gave the appearance of a huge ant-hill, with one moving mass of humanity only visible. As we were going through the throng, staring eyes protruding from their sockets looked us over to see if there might not be some ac(iuaintance among the new arrivals from Avhom they coidd hear from home, or friends at the front. As we passed along, a poor w^eak boy lay ])eside the path with a pail made of a bootleg, begging for some one to get him a drink of water, and ])romising that, after getting it, he Avould never ask for anything more. I took the pail and went to the creek. This took some time, as it was very difficult to locate any one in that miserable mass. Poor boy ! when I reached him he had breathed his last. I was too late.
Captain Wiuz.
Ifcre we received our introduction to the dciiion AViiv, which sent a shudder through our wlioh^ system when we realized we were at the mercy of a iiend incarnate. We were sitting, resting from our weary journey, wlicn AVirz came out and, with an oath, gave the order to *'Get u}>!" AVe all obeyed with alacrity, except one man next to me, who could not hear, lie had been wounded in the head, and, had he been able to
68 Report of Andersonvjli.e jMoni'ment Commission
hear, was too weak to rise. In one instant Wirz cried ont at the top of his voice to shoot the damned Yankee s — n of a b — h. The gnard refused to obey the command, Avhen Wirz threatened him with arrest the next time he refused to obey. When the enrolling was done, the comrades gathered around the wounded man and assisted him to his feet.
About four in the afternoon we were marched to the nortli gate. The outer gate was thrown open and the enclosui'c filled; then that gate was clo'ed, the inside gate opened, and the squad ushered into the prison. This performance was re- peated until all of us were shut inside the stockade. This precaution was taken to avoid the prisoners making a stampede, should both gates be open at one time. We had been informed th.at we should receive our daily ration as soon as we got in- side the gate. We waited anxiously until they were through issuing to the old prisoners, which was about seven in the even- ing. We were then informed that it was so late we would not get anything to eat that night. The next night we received one-half pint of corn meal, with more cob than meal, in the raw state, but with neither wood nor cooking utensils. We traded our meal with some prisoners who had fuel for some cooked, — they tolling us pretty heavily. The next day, Avhen Wirz w^as inside the stockade and some of the boys protested to him against the small rations, and he answered, "You vas pretty sleek fellows. I take that out of you fore long." They dealt cooked rations to half of the prisoners for two weeks and raw to the other half, alternately. The cooked ra- tion consisted of a piece of cornbread about two inches square, a pint of cow-pea soup, with about three peas to the pint, and two bugs to each pea. They w^ere cooked in the sack, and with many of them in the pod. When we received tlie raw ration, we got every day for fuel a piece of wood about two feet long and two inches in diameter. After we had got ourselves together, we organized a company for tunneling ; but before we got our tunnel completed, Wirz found out what we were doing. He informed us that he would take that out of us, and he pro- ceeded to do so by cutting our rations off for two days, telling us that he would starve us until we would behave. When any one who had done the tunneling was detected, he was taken outside and put into the chain-gang or the stocks.
ft;
p li-l^i^r?^^
-=rS:-':V • <
'^i . /
rKHSoNAI. Ki;.\llMS( KNCKS (»F 1). G. JAMES "^l
AVirz kept luiiy-twu bluud liminds, divided into three packs, ;i iiiiiii in cliiirjic ol' ciii-li jiMck. 'I'ln- doifs were let loose; every iiiorniiig and tanf^lit to make tin; eireuit of the stockade. The l)risonei-s inside coidd hear tlieir liowliug and baying, know- ing that when ihe haying hec anie esi)ecially hideous the dogs had hit tli<' tfiil of some poor i)risoner who, after tunnel- ing for days and Jiights, buoyed up with hope of escape, was at last to be torn to pieces by the hounds; or, if he suc- ceeded in climbing a tree, to fall into the hands of brutes fully as much to be dreaded as the blood-thirsty hounds. If the prisoner resisted, he was sliotj if re-eaptured, he was subjected to several gr-ades of punishnieni, — the first, to be put into the standing stoidcs. iXotliing more l)arbarous ever was practised since the Spanish Imiuisition. This instrument of torture consisted of a s(iuare frame, formed by four upright posts joined and fitted with bars in which notches were cut and so arranged to .secure tlie arms at the wrist, the head at the neck, the legs at the ankles. The poor fellow was left in these stocks twenty-four liours in rain or sunshine. If he survived this, he was chained to a thirty-two pound cannon ball, with a chain two feet long; and then another victim was generally chained to liis otiier leg, with a ball weighing sixtj'^-four pounds becween tiiem. The chains were so short they had to carry the thirty- two pound balls by means of strings attached to them. The sixty-four pound ball was fastened to a stick so it could be carried across their shoulders when they had to move about. Tliis treatment sometimes lasted from two to four weeks, de- pending upon the whim of Wirz. Captain Wirz is to be cred- ited with tlie invention of another devilish contrivance. Twelve men were fastened, by means of iron collars connected with short chains, in a circle, the chains from twenty inches to two feet in length, every man being thus cliained to a fellow pris- oner, one on his right, the other on his left. A thirty-two pound ball was chained to the leg of every fourth man. These men could not sit, lie or stand erect with any degree of comfort, yet they remained in this condition four weeks without shelter. Medicinal aid was denied tlie sick ; tlic dead alone were removed from the gang, and then the others were obliged to carry tiie extra weight, as the balls were allowed to remain attached to the chain. Another cruel punishment consisted in fastening
72 Keport of Anderson viLLE INIonument Commission
the prisoners' feet about a foot from the ground, thus per- mitting them to lie down or sit up, as they chose.
It was a source of very great amusement for the rebels to get up on the stockade and eat watermelons, then throw the rinds over to the prisoners and watch them scramble after and de- vour them with the avidity of so many starved animals.
Soon after my arrival in prison, I adopted the policy of going to the creek to bathe after midnight because, fewer were there at that time. During the day the creek was well occupied by men drinking and procuring water for cooking purposes, bath- ing, and the sink. One morning about two o'clock, while several Avere bathing near the bridge, a guard nearby fired into the party without a word of warning, and for no other reason than mere hellishness or a desire to get a furlough. He killed three men and wounded another. He was soon relieved and, I presume, went on a furlough. Such deeds as this were of daily occurrence.
Some ingenious fellow of our number organized a company for tunneling. The plan was to dig a well two feet deep and then start the drift at a right angle, carrying the dirt to the creek or swamp to dispose of it, doing all the work at night. We always failed in thus attempting to escape. We dug wells all the way from forty to sixty feet deep, hauling the dirt up in old cans or in little wooden buckets, made with pocket- knives by splitting the staves out of roots mined from the grounds, and using for ropes to raise the dirt the clothing from the dead. We tried another method of tunneling, which al- most proved successful. We started from a shanty near the dead line, making for the entrance a small hole which could be covered at day and uncovered while we worked at niglit. We evaded the scrutiny of the inspectors until the tunnel was nearly completed, the crust overhead about to be broken and the attempt made to escape. Some one revealed it, or some spy discovered the plan, and so all our hopes were blasted. Our rations were cut off two days for thus trying to gain freedom. We then gave up tunneling for good.
I saw one man shot while under his blanket asleep. The bullet seemed to tear off the whole top of his head. While the victim was in his dying struggle, the guard stood there and laughed, as though it was a huge joke.
l'i;i..soN.\l, liKMINISCENCIiS oF I ). (i. JaMKS 73
i saw aiiutlit'i- vii-tiiii walk ovt-r tin; tlcad line and sit down insidr, seeming iudirt'erent to tlic ci-y of Hit- prisoners to get oiil of that or lie would lie shot. The guard was prompt to exe- cute the order, — tired, l)\it missed. The ])risoner remarked, "Pretty close; try it again." Tiie i-el)els looking on laughed at the poor shot, while the other prisoners dared not venture inside to take the prisoner out for fear of meeting sure death tiiemselves. The fiend of a guard loaded his gun antl took de- liherate aim; there was a sharp crack, and the poor fellow was relieved of his misery, then left to lie there for hours before be- ing taken out and laid beside the reserve for burial.
Al)oul the lirst of !Sei)teml;er the rebels, thinking we weie to remain all winter, gave us an opportunity to build sheds. A few of the stronger were detailed to go outside and cut and hew some of the pine timber in the vicinity. Their rations were increased to provide strength to work, and, as it also offeri tl an opj)ortunity to i)iek up ehii)s for tire.«, it was an en- vied privilege. One day 1 succeeded in getting a chance lo go out for Avood, and, as we were returning with chips in our pockets and limbs in our hands, a rebel officer near the gate made a rusli, kicked the limbs out of our hands and made us empty our pockets. Tiiis i)erformance created a hearty laugli from the on-looking rebels. The sheds we built were made l-y putting boards on poles. While they afforded shelter from the direct rays of the sun and from the rain, the sides being open, they offered little protection from the wind or cold.
The men suffering from scurvy and other diseases were be- coming more desperate, occasionally deliberately crawling across the dead line in spite of the protests of fellow prisoners, the guards never hesitating to use them as targets.
Tlie liome papers had noted sometime l)efore the writer's capture tliat Sergeant "William Nelson of the 10th "Wisconsin had l)oen taken prisoner. He was a kind, genial fellow Avhom we all loved at home, albeit he had some notions of his own about diet. "When 1 incpiired for Sergeant Nelson, he Avas pointed out to me. The strong, active, youjig man I had known was almost unrecognizable. He was engaged in separating magots from a piece of bacon he was eating. "When I ad- dressed him he said, "My Cod! have they got you in this hell hole? T. am glad to see you. but (!od knows T am sorry to sec yiju here." He related his exi»erience in various prisons and
74 Report of Anderson ville Monument Commission
told how at Danville, not satisfied with starving and shooting prisoners, they had infected them wath small-pox. When re- minded that he was not so particular as formerly about his diet, he replied, "I did not think any power aside from that of Satan himself could be capable of perpetrating such outrages on the human race. ' '
About the tenth September, a brown piece of paper announc- ing an exchange of prisoners was thrown into the stockade, say- ing they were to be exchanged at Savannah. This caused great excitement. The old prisoners were to be taken first. On the twelfth day of Septeiuber the detachment under charge of Ser- geant Nelson Ava« ordered to go. As one of his men had died that morning, he oifered to take me as substitute, if the plan should nut be discovered. That scheme had be.>n worked be- fore, and I must not, he said, be disappointed if it failed.
On the 13th of September we left, full of hope that relief was in sight. We were crowded into box cars by guards with fixed bayonets, v\4nch thay used occasionally in spite of the piteous cry of the sick inside for more room. One door was opened a little, and two guards were stationed at each side. "We spent almost two hours in the aftei'uoon at Macon, where the crowds jeered us. Sonu^ sympathetic women, pitying our plight, threw bread lo us. From here we went to Charleston. The night be- fore we reached that place there was bright moonlight, but as we neared the coast we saw some faint hope of escape in, perhaps, being able to signal a passing ship. The condition of the road bed rendered it necessary for the train to run slowly. Some of the prisoners vvatched their opportunity, when the guard was nodding, to push him out the door. The guards on top the car, tiiinking it was an escaping prisoner, opened fire and riddled him vv'ith bullets. Of the prisoners Avho tried by jumping to the ground, to escape, some were killed, some wounded ; and a very few succeeded in reaching our lines.
We had been told along the line that an exchan;;:e w^as being made at Charleston, but upon our arrival there we made but a short stop before staiting northward.
They then claimed that we were to be exchanged at Richmond. We made a stop at Florence, South Carolina, which relieved us, as we were cramped and sorely in need of rations. AVe reached Florence about four in the afternoon of September 14th, but
Person A I, 1ii:.\iinis(KN('P>; of 1). (!. James 75
Were kept ill tile (■;ir.> all iiij^lit. 'I'lic rifllnwin^r jnorninjr ^ve moved aliiMit \v' iiiilis out of tnwii wlii'i-e we were unloaded and stationed in a field, lli-re we wfie pennitted to gather some rails and iiiiild a tin-, yet we Jiad iiolliing to cook or eat. There were coriilields in the immediate neighhorl.ood and the men were vainly erying to gather sonic The m-xt <lay, ScplciiilxT Ki, w c still lasted, but by that time many liad lost all desire for food. Five men neai- me lying heneath one blanket tliod that alt- ei'iioon irom starvation. About one liuiidri-d in all, out of eight hundred, died oi" starvation there iu a single day. The day b;'fore some ol" the stronger ones had made a stampede I'or the corn- Held. The reliels heat the long n»ll and tlir whole garrison soou turned out ami with hounds and guns sueeeetled in capturing nmst oi' them. One poor drummer lioy who was shot replied to Colouel Ivei'hou's (luestiou as to why he tried to eseape, "Oh Colonel, 1 am so hungry," and then fell back dead. One man from an Illinois regiment eluded the hounds for two daj's be- fore they caught his trail. At daybnak the third morning iie heai'd the baying of hounds and used a clui) to keep ihem oil until the owners camu up. Tlit guards then took the elul) away from him and pennitted the dogs to bite him to eiie: urage them foi' I'litiirc work'. Jle was returned to us, mid his tui-n elotliir.g and lacerated limbs corroborjiled his story. Another piisoner was concealed by slaves in a hollow log two days. They then gave him some sweet potatoes and baked po.-sum and starLd liim. as he said, for "God's country"; but the hounds caught his ti-ail and his fate was similar to that of the Illinois prisoner.
About ten o'clock on the night of the 16th, some citizens brought us some corn meal. We were allowed ai»<iul three table- si)oonfulls each. The next day we were given a soi-ghum stalk about a. foot long. This was all we had in four days. The days following we were given scpiasli one day and beans the next I'or about two weeks. We were faring better for i-ations, but lacked water, the camp being quite a distance from the ci-eek.
Colonel Iverson, who was put in command of us. was unlike Captain AVir/. lie was kind in his promises foi' our comfort. but. failed to carry them out. In the meantime, slaves were building another stockade, about a hall a mile away, and in plain sight. Colonel Iverson put us in charge d' Colonel O'Neil of the Hllli Tennessee Jnlantrx'. It w:is !ii> mission io oi'u'anizc a
76 Keport of Andersonville Monument Commission
battalion from the prisoners and they were dubbed "galvanized Yanks." For some days he mingled with us and expressed sor- row at our condition. He claimed that the confederacy had tried to exchange us and had offered two of us for one of their men, but had met with the reply from our officers that we were only bounty-jumpers and coffee-coolers for whom they had no us:e. He, however, expressed confidence in us, and offered us good clothes and food and pay to relieve their men in the gariison. At the close of the war he pioi)iif-:ed us each one hundred and sixty acres of land for a homcitead. He then came back in a few days with the rolls, ready to organize his battalion, Imt lo his ehagi'in and anger not a man put down his name. He cursed and threatened, and Colonel Iverson came to his relief, trying direct starvation on us. At last he succeeded in securing five hundred recruits from men who took the oath of allegiance to the southern confederacy, rather than starve. The poor starved wretch who shared my dugout replied to Colonel 0 'Neil's off^r of relief b}^ enlisting, "I believe I \\ill starve a little while longer before I take that step." At that Colonel O'NeU yelled, "By G — d, I will starve you until you will come to it." He did, but poor James Shanley of Company C, 2nd Wiscon.-in Cavalry, first went insane and their died, January 27, 1865; he starved to deaih because of his loyalty to his country.
The stockade completed, tho.e of us who were not "galvan- ized" were ordered inside, the sick alone remaining in the tents. The prisoners Avho raised their l;ands swearing allegiance to the southern confederacy in preference to starvation have been cen- sured, yet to this late day I have charity for them, Avell knowing that when they made oath before Almighty God they inserted this mental reservation — until they had an opportunity to es- cape to our lines. Some did, and rendered good service to the government until the close of the war.
This stockade was of logs about eighteen feet high inclosing about seven and one-half acres. There was the usual dead line, and a cannorr over a platform in each corner of the stockade. A shallow, sluggish stream three feet wide ran through it. The ground was covered with brush and stumps where the trees had been cut for the stockade. We were not slow in making use of this refuse for shelter. A few axes had been secured and smug- gled in, and tliese were used nights. Those who had secured
Personal TvKMiNisrFNfES of 1). G. .) amks 77
ooiifofloJ'ntf ciiiniK \ paid .1 ilollar .-iii liour for the use of an jixi'. Ariel- We liail Imi'ii inside the slorkjide a few days, Cnlonol Tvorsoii's lii'iileiiaiii was put in eoiiniiaiid. As a fiend incaruale, he was second to no one. not oven Wirz. He was always armed, and on soeinj,' sov(M-al ju-isonors assomblod would cry out to dis- perse tliat entwd, and at (lie >anie time woidd l»C'j,'in tii-in»;. He estal»li-hed a wjiippinj,' jmst inside the stoekade, and detailed two j)risi»Mers to wield tlie eat-o'-nine tails^ <^ivin<; them extra raliuns ui' solid food I'di' iiis hrulal woi'U. One of tiiese tools wa.s named Stanton, lielonfrin<; to the 12th New York Cavalry. The otlier helon^cd to a jMassaeliusetts Heavy Artillery regiment, a dark, thiek-lipped, coarse fellow, whom tiie |)i-isoners called "Nipfier ]Vto. " Their records were not known, yet it was sup- posed that they were bounty .ium]'>ors from the slums of New Yoi'k and Boston.
Cold weather soon began to tell on tl:e prisoners. Four of us i)uilt a structure T)!/. by 0 feet. AVe dug back into the bank, tlien set up two sti'ips endwise, and fixed a pole across these to suppoiM the I'oof. A[ the end we made a fii"e ])laee and a eliim- ney, which "wo used for cooking. The bi-i(d< for oiu* fTi-ei)laee we fashioned with our hands out of clay and water, f en baked them in the sun. We gathered i)ine needles for our bed. We had a blanket and a half for the f(mr of us. The.«e quarters served very well until the winter rains commence;!. Then the clay began to soak and melt", and the water seeped through the roof.
One evening in the early winter, five uieedooking young men came in with a new detachment. They had almost no clothing and only a little wood which they carried in theii" hand-. Not linding any shelter, they built a little fire and lay down. Tiie moiinng found them frozen stiff. It was known that they were all IVom a college in l\Iassachusetts. Eveiy morning following a cold night, the cn^ek would bo full of men thawing out their feet. Quite often the creek would be covered with ice. INTost of the prisoners were destitute of shoes and socks, and tlieii- feet, from repeated freezing, would becoiue sore; and they were often obliged to crawl to the civM-k', where many a poor felh^w died from the exertion.
One day flie euloncl appeared on fhe bank and requested a middleaucd prisoner fo hirn a hand ;pring. The prisonei- i-e-
78 Eeport of Andersonville Monument Commtrston
plied that the living he received did not warrant Such vigorous exercise, and Avalked off. The angry colonel tried to find the man but the prisoners would not reveal his identity, whereupon the colonel resolved, to .starve us until we did. No rations were received until the second day after, when the man, rather than have us longer denied food, confessed. The colonel ordered him tied to the whipping post and given fifty lashes on his liare hack with the cat-o'-nine tails, which brought blood at every stroke. The poor fellow cringed, yet did not utter a cry. The swamp along the creek became impassable, and a squad was detailed lO carry dirt from the bank to make a turnpike, and they, in return, received extra rations. There was a penalty provided for those who tried to flank for rations, and nearly every morning some one was w^hipped for infraction of this rule.
Every man had his own method of trying to obtain extra rations. I escaped for a few days and, before being re-captured, succeeded in building up a little physically ; but after I was re-captured the outlook Avas poor, so I conceived the idea of fall- ing in with some new arrivals and registering as a Mr. Pease of an Indiana regiment. "We were organized into messes of a hun- dred men each, under charge of our own sergeants, for receiving rations. There were ten messes in a detachment, and every detachment was under a rebel sergeant. Every morning 1-c mus- tered his men, and those who were able fell in line and answered at roll-call. I belonged to the second hundred of the ciglith thousand. As a flanker, I was Mr. Pease of the ninth hundred of the tenth thousand. When the drum beat for morning roll- call T fell in with the second hundred, which broke ranks in time for me to go to the other detachment before they fell in. Then at night my partner would attend to drawing my ration, and I would attend to the other. Putting the three rations to- gether we would cook them. At first I disposed of one ration to hire an old axe with which to split up a stump that was on the claim we squatted on to build our quarters. The latter part of October there were twelve detachments organized, upon the supposition that there were tw^elve thousand men.
The rebels began to think there was what you would now call some watering of the stock, when it came to roll-call, and tlioy started an investigation. Thristmas Eve they gave out word that they were going to give us some meat and sweet potatoes
Personai, RKMiNisrENCEs oK D. CI. James 70
\'it\- oiii" ( 'lii-isj iiiiis fi'iist. I mist iiislccl sctiin- Iricki-ry. so \ \\tt\\
to tlic scC'Traiit of tile trtitll (lct;ii-liliiriit ;iinl t"lcl liilil I liail an
()j)port unity to go out on parole to work t"or the rchcl otliccrs, t'oi- which i would receive an extra rati(»ii. The next t'vciiiu«r wlu-n it came time for roll-eall, a S(|uad of ^'uards came in ami diove tlie prisoners all to one side of tl;e creek, stationed the j^uaids so tliat none could jro back except by faliinf^ in Avith their mess and marchinf; alonfj; the causeway over the bridj^e, where both the sergeants were placed to count them as they cros' ed. So I counted all riprht at one place and was reported on parole at tie othei-. AVheii the {?entlemen bad computed their fitjures, they had six thousand tive bundi'ed men to whom they wei-e issuing twelve thousand i-ations. Tiien the lash Avas used very freely for a number of days. They were veiy much siu-prised, and. to say mad, expressed it mildly. The fcsult was that instead of the feast of meat and sweet i)Otatoes we received nothing, they claiming that they did not have time. New Years came with another count. T had kept up my parole scheme so tlat it worked all right. Some of the boys who were working the game lost their ner\'e and went to the otificer and confessed, yet they got the penalty just the .same. So T stuck to it.
Later, when the general roll-call or muster came around, it found me sick aiul unable to get out of my dugout, and it ;^o liappened that the .sergeants of both detachments came at the same time to find those that were not able to get out. T took the crazy dodge on it. and answered no rpiestions, as they both claimed me as their man. They called the man, W. Cook, who shared my domain with me, and he informed them that I Avas out of my head and had been for several days, and, was unable to answer any questions. He told them Avho I was. The sergeant who had lo.<.t his man became very angry, threatening my life. Tie reached down into my cave, took me by the leg, dragged mo out and gave me several kicks, sending me down the bank into the creek. He declared that he Avould give me fifty lashes. Took told him it would be unneces-saiy, as he had already killed me. They left me to lie on the ground where the sergeant had left me until the roll-call was over. The boys that T knew gathered aroun<l and put me liaclv into my dugout. 1 i-cmiMiibered hearing one man .say, "That is the last of poor Dave." I wa-s uncon- scious for several days and, before T bad gained sufHieieent
80 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission
strength to get out, Sherman's army had started from Savannah on the great campaign tlirough the Carolinas. Every available man the rebels eonid spare was rushed to the front to stop him. Our guards were replaced with some conscripted boys and old men, and I imagined that the sergeant that had the account against me, in his haste to stop Sherman, had neglected to hand it over to his sucessor. Not being anxious the settle the account, I did not refer to it, so it stands there yet to my credit.
The prisoners got into the hal)it of trading with the slaves working on the stockade, thus getting some sweet potatoes and other vegetables, which they usually ate raw for the scurvy. It seemed to help it immensely. A stop was soon put to this, and prisoners were not permitted to speak to negroes. Then the our boys got to bartering with the guards, Which trade pros- pered very well for a short period. "We swapped anything they hiad for something to eat. I had a gold pen and a silver holder, given me by my father so that I would be able to write home after entering the service. Although I valued it very highly, I gave it to a rebel for a quart of sweet potatoes and then ate them raw. The guards got so they would t'-ike what we had for barter to inspect, then fail to return either it or the desire 1 ration. One of my friends made a ring from a bone and let one of the guards take it for inspection, for which he was to bring a quart of peas when he came on post at the next relief. My friend kept watch for him when he came back on beat and asked for his peas. Instantly the guard raised his gun to his shoulders, took quick aim and fired. The prisoner dodged, and the ball passed over him and lodged in the dirt roof of a nearby dugout. That w^as the end of that deal. Another instance came undc^r my observation. A prisoner belonging to a West Virginia regi- ment camped next to me. Noticing a guard on the top of the stockade taking a chew from a large plug of tobacco, he asked him if he would plea e give him a bite. The guard raised his musket to his slioulder and fired. The ball entered the victim, passed into his left breast and down out of his right side. He lived about three hours, suffering intense pain until death re- lieved him.
Late in the fall the rebels detailed men from among the prisoners to go into the timber and cut poles for a frame and split shakes to roof a hospital; and tlioy also detailed some of
l*KKsi>\\i. T>'kmi\i>(i:n('F.s hi- T). 0. Jamks 81
the stronger ones as nurses. This liospital was constructod l>y scttint; forked jxists in the e:rt»un<l al)out ten feet ajtart. Poh-s wore phiced in these loiUs foi- ridfj^i? poles and plates. The rafters were then put up ol' i)oles hewed off on on<' side. The shakes were put uii the roof aiul weif^hted <lown with poles and stones. The sides were put up hy weavinj; tiie sliakes into seetions with \ines procured in tlie swamp. So, when this hospital was ready lor its inmates, it had heen huilt Avithout a luul. The fire |)laees I'oi- warmin^r and ventilation Avere erected \\itli<»ut a Iti-iek. Tlie hospital patients received a ehang:e of tliet, logelhei- with shelter and the warmth of sev- (;ral eo/.y fii-e ])laees. ^lany of the inmates improved, and it was the means of eiiahliu}.' a inimlief of the pool- hoys to reach home and the dear ones, who. without it. would iiexcr have reached "God's Country."
This was ahout the time foi- the presidential election in the noith. Colonel Iverson thou^dit he ini<;ht jret some idea of what the verdict would he hy takinjj; a vote amongst the prisoners. So they compaigned it a few days. They told us how cruel our gov- ei-nment was to us foi- not exchanging, knowing very well how we w'ere suffering, and tliat Ahe Lincoln was responsihle for all we were comi)olled to eiulure. They prei)ared the hallots liy hringing in a hox with two kinds of peas, l»lacl\ and wliite. The hlack peas were for Old Ahe and the white ones for Litth> Mac, as they designated thein. They then stationed a guard ai'ound file polls to enforce honesty and i)i"event i-e])eating. The polls o])ened at nine in the morning and the voting com- menced very hriskly, and, as nearly as some could tell hy incpnr- ing of every voter coming from the polls as to how he had cast his hallot, they estimated that Lincoln was receiving five-sixths of the votes. This was very disagrceahlc to the rebels Avho wei'c watching from the stockade near the boxes. They could look down into tln^ box fi-oiii the toj) of Hie stockade. We had no means of knowing what the issues wei-e, as we had not re- ceived a paper for six months, except little dodgers thrown inside to deceive us. These little papers aiiuoun<-ed an exchange that was going on for oui' Ix'iU'lit, yet wc coniduded it was safe to vote f(»r the man they did not like and, as Ceneral Bragg ex- pressed it. " \V<' loved him for the (MU'inies he had made." So all the infoi'liiat ion we eould glean on the issues wa : ^\■haf tlif^
82 Report op Anderson ville Monument Commission
rebels had seen fit to impart to ns. We came to the couclu- sion that we were not voting in sympathy with their desires. A sergeant was asked by Colonel Iverson whom he was voting for and what he knew about the issues. The sergeant replied that all he knew was that four years ago he shouted for Abe Lin- coln aud they were shouting for Jeff Davis, and that now it was safe, because the rebels hated Lincoln so intensely, to vote for him. The rebels became so disgusted with the outlook that about ten in the forenoon they took out the peas and failed to announce the result. Thus ended our presidential campaign, so far as we were concerned.
In December there was an exchange of prisoners arranged, so tlicy claimed. This exchange included only the sick and wounded. They took a few of the sick who would never be of any use to the government, and made up the balance out of those who were known as the raider cut-throats and bounty jumpers; as it was an easy task to identify them. One good thing for us was the fact that they took the demons Stanton and Pete, who had been doing the whipping. When the new set of guards came on, it was made up principally of young fellows of South Carolina who were not old enough to go to the front. Judging from their talk they were very desirous of killing a Yankee. I think the most of them had their desires gratified, as the records show. It was but a short time after guard mount before we could hear the crack of the rifle most any time of day or night. I heard one of them make the re- mark, one morning when he went on guard, that he would kill
a d d Yankee before he came off duty. He would let the
Yanks know that he did not come there for nothing. About daybreak the next morning, a poor fellow came along going to the creek for water. He little suspected there was a cow- ardly villain waiting to murder him. Before he could reach the creek, as he was passing this guard's beat, fully ten feet from the dead line, without a word of warning the guard raised his musket to his shoulder and fired, killing the man instantly. He then remarked that he had said he would kill one, and he had done it. He was soon relieved, and, for his reward, received his thirty-day furlough. Late in the fall ar- rangements were made by which the United States Sanitary Commission was to be allowed to send some clothing and
Personal Iikmixisckncks ok I). (I. J.\.mi:.s S3
lilarikcts to the prisoners, and also that tlie people of the north lui^lit send through the lines to their fi-icnds and loved ones boxes of food and tlelieaeies, "whieh w ouhl be delivered to thera. My mother and several of the good old ladies of our town made up a box and sent it to me. In the box they put some butter, eacli roll havinj^ a silver dollar in it. It is needh^ss to say that I ii.'ViT rcct'lvi'd the liox ; .iMil I iir\cr knew of but one box hav- in<i: Ix'i'U received by the, prisoners at Florence. But very few suits of" clot lies were ever ^iven to the prisoners. I dar(; say that there were not to exceed fifty ])lankets given them, the bulk of them Ix'ing kept to be put on the backs of their own nu*n. The rebel sergeants used to come into the stockade on cold, frosty mornings, dressed warmly in the clothes sent there for the prisoners. We knew this, for the blankets had on them the letters U. S. S. C. (Fnited States Sanitary Conunission).
There was a detail taken out on parole to cut wood in the swamp, half a mile away, and carry it up to the gate to supply the prison and rebel officers' quarters; and to wait on the offi- cers generally, in order to get the additional meagre supply of meat or some other solid food that would give them strength to pei'form the arduous work. Al)out five in the afternoon, the guards would be i)laced around the woodpile at the entrance to the gate, wliicli would be opened, and a detail tVoiii eaeli mess was let out to ])ring it in. Some ilays tiie pi-isoners would take advantage of the pai'ole and get out of reach of the prison limit and hide. As so<m as it became dark, they would make an effort to e.-cape the vierilance of the scouts and the scent of the hounds, and some did. Othei-s were captured and retni-ned to receive their piiiii-liiiieni n\' lashes, etc. It was a habit of two lieutenauis, Mosby and Barrett, when they Avanted recreation, to i)ost them- selves on the cap over the gate and, armed with heavy walking sti<'ks, as the prisoners passed through, hit them over the licad to see who could knock down the larger nundx'i-. The pi-isoners would run the gauntlets, st()oi)ing or dodging, of course, to avoid the blows. When one of them was knocked down, there was loud merriment among the guards and officers looking on. One evening Lieutenant Mosby was playing a loiu* hand at the post over the gate, and just ahead of me was a fine looking fellow that he had singled out for a blow. The nuin dodged; the club slipped from the lieutenant's haml and went fiying out among
84 Report of Andersonvttj.e ]Monttment Comimtrston
the prisoners. The fellow at whom he struck, picked it up to carry in for fuel to cook his allowance. Moshy jiunped down. ran into the crowd cursing and calling the prisoners all the vile names he could think of. Inquiring for the man that had his cane, no one responded, knowing full well to wiiat it would lead. They gathered around in the endeavor to secrete him, yet to no avail. Moshy located him, gathered up his gad and pounded tlu^ poor fellow over the head and shoulders until he hecame ex- hausted. During this time. Colonel Iverson, who was standing by, caught up a stick of Avood and ran towards us crying, ''Kill the d — d Yankee." The prisoners gathered around the poor vic- tim, who was bleeding profusely, so the colonel should not reach him, fearing he would kill him, anyway. AVhen the colonel found that he was balked, in his rage he ordered the guard to fire into the crowd, but they failed to obey the order. A man by the name of Melvin Grigsby,* a member of Company C, Second W's- consin Cavalry, was out on detail for some time, working for the officers' mes:s. He fared quite well, getting some warm clothes and provisions. TTe ma':le his plans to escape, revealing the scheme to a comrade named Carr, and then by forging a pass and bribing a sergeant of the guards, he got away. Every morn ing, when the roll was called, Carr Avould answer to Grigsby's name. Tie did this for several days, until they had a general roll-call and count. This gave Grigs])y a good start before his absence was discovered. A search was made, but no Grigsby was found. The matter was reported to the colonel, who sent a guard inside the stockade to bring out Carr, who was e&'corted to headquarters and asked where Grigsby was. He replied that he did not know. The colonel called him a d — d liar.
When Carr was asked how Grigsby escaped, he did not choose to tell. The colonel then commenced to cuff him severely on the head, saying that he would compel him to tell. Carr told him to cuff away — that every dog had his day. Whereupon the c.'dcnel commenced Ivicking as well as striking liim, saying tliat he would compel him to tell by putting him in the dungeon; if he did not tell then he would torture him for three hours in the stretchers; and that as a last resort he would kill him. Carr
* Melvin Grigsby is iu)\v ;i in'oinincnt citizen of Sionx Falls. Sonth Dakota. He has ocenpii'd liinh pusitions in his stiitc and is antlioi' of a l)ook entitled "Tlie Smoked Yank." wliicli .yives a 1lii-illln.u- history of li's cavtnvo .in.d oK^-r.yo.
i'hU^(;^.\i- KKMlMM.KNcJi.S 111- I), (i. -lAMt.S bi.")
\v;is tliiuwii iiitii the (liiii^'i'Kii, ;iinl. al'tr-r lie li.ul siintMeil an loiifx ;i.s In- llKiiifiUl Ik- roukl possildy stand il, lie callccl the triiai-d ,111(1 told liiiii to send ior tite t;(>loiiol, who cjiiik; and let liiiii dtiwii. a^kiiij; liiiii if lie was ready to tell liow (Irigsby es- caped. Can- si ill K'plifd in ilie negative, and re<iuested that if the euloiicl had any huiiiaiiily left to kill him, as h<> could not stand that anothci- lioni-. He was too weak to stantl. The eoloiit'l then wciil away leaving' him IIki-c foi- two days and two nif^hts withoiil food. 'J'hcn he was hi'ou^'hl hack inside the stock- ade in a delii-ions stale and tunietl over to his I'l-iends. lie re- mained ill I hat e(inditi(iii for some days, haviii'i' a I'lin of fe\-ef. After several weeks of sutl'eiing, without any medical treatment, or any food e.\cej)t the ])rison fare, he began to recover, and he lived to l»e |iai'oled to i-eaeli home and friends.
I must ilescrihe the diinjjeon and stretchers, the place and means i'or persecution, and where Carr passed two days. It was situated in one corner of the stockade under the gun plat- forms, built of logs and entirely closed in with a dirt end)aidv- ment around the sides and toj), excei)t the opening for the door, which was a double one; and it did not admit a ray of light. There was no veiitilalion whatevei-. The guai'd on top was ever on the alert to see that the prisoners did not make their escai)e. The water seeped in througli the top until it was in some |)laees several inches deej). .Ml the urnund was eom])letely coveit'd with it. The stretchers were then fixed on tl:e timbers supyporting them liy hanging two cords from them and then fastening tliem to the prisoner's thumbs, drawing him up with his arnis behind him until his toes would barely reach (he ground. Then, aftei- leaving him there with the doors closed from one to two liours. until life was nearly extinct, he would be let down to survive a sho.'t inid miserable existence.
Here is an instance of loyally: \ drummei* boy there, scai'cely twelve ycai's old. wlio had lost several of his toes by iraiign'Oe. was hobblMiir around with the aid (d' a stick. lie was baref(!(»le(l and bareheaded. AVhcn a I'ebel came in to beat the diiim foi- roll call, ou;* boy stoed near the gate to get a look out- side as the gate opened. The ii'bel had no miisie or tiiiii' to him. so tlie boy a.sked him to let him beat the assembly, whicli he did in fine style, considei-ing his swollen hands and stiff Hngers. The colonel was observing it all fi'om the outside and came in and
86 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
asked the boy if he Avould like to come out and get into good, comfortable quarters, where he could get clothes and plenty to eat. He asked the colonel what he wanted him to do, and re- ceived the reply that he was wanted to drill a corps of drummer boys for him. The little patriot hesitated a minute, looked at his swollen, diseased feet and his dilapitated condition genei ally, then thoughtfully said, '"No, I think too much of my country to drum for rebels." The colonel passed out somewhat cha- grined at the rebuff received from the heroic little drummer boy. Had all the prisoners been as loyal to the flag as this drummer boy, the rebel officers would not have had so com- fortable quarters, and there would not have been so fine a flag staff bearing the rebel banner to the breeze.
About the first of February, new prisoners began to arrive in small numbers. They were some of Sherman's bummers A\ho . had been picked up in small squads, having ventured too far out to get a few more chickens or smoked hams. They gave the prisoners some hope of being rescued. The guards had been re- duced to a minimum. The rebels paroled some of the prisoners, taking a very light guard to escort them to our lines to con- vince them that they were going to be exchanged under a flag of truce ; but they soon changed their course, giving as their reason that our men had fired on the flag of truce and refused to receive the prisoners. Some were brought back, yet quite a number escaped. "We afterwards learned that they had started them for Richmond, but one of our cavalry raids had cut off their communication. So they had to return.
February 15th, there was bustle around the prison, both out- side and in. We knew General Sherman's army was coming our way. The rebels said an exchange was going on at Wilming- ton, North Carolina. The large majority of our men were anxious to go, yet a few thought it safer to remain and be re- lieved by Sherman; but the rebels would not liave it that way, telling us that Sherman had been whipped at Savannah, then at Pocotaligo and again at Columbia. What pleased us pris- oners was the fact that every time Sherman was defeated, he got nearer to us. The rebels commenced on the 15th to move us away, and on the 17th they took out the last squad that was able to be moved. They did this at the point of the bayonet, as some of our men insisted on staying. The last took their departure
Personal Rkminiscences of 1). G. James 87
about dark. Tlie transportation was llie same as u>>uai, in crowded box cars witli no rations. We arrived at Wilmington, North Carolina, about three in the alteruoou oi' the 17th and were then i'erried across the river. Nothing of importance trans- pired, only that the usual number escaped. One man was killed, and another shot in the head; but, not being dead, he was loaded on the train and brought along. The poor fellow's head was so swollen that one woukl hardly know he was a human be- ing. He suffered intense pain, as we kni^w \)y his continual gi'oaning. The peo])le all along the line assuretl us that tlui ex- change was g<»ing on at Wilmington, but we were, as usual, skep- tical. Upon arrival there, to our surprise we could see an ex- change going on down the river at Fort Anderson, l)ut it was an exchange of shot and shell between the fleet and the i'ort. The sight of the Yankee shells bursting over the fort miles away was beautiful to behold, and the music was joyful to our ears. We were ordered aboard the ferry and taken across tlie river, as they informed us that the place of exejiange had been trans- ferred to Richmond. On landing at Wilmington proper, we were met by sympathetic ladies with baskets on their arms filled with eatables, which tliey began to give the pri-oners. Soon the officers ordered them to desist, and directed the guards not to all<»w them to approach within fifteen feet of us. One woiiuui, more determined than the others, broke her bread into pieces and threw it over the heads of the guards, whereupon Lieuten- ant IMosby ran inside the guard line, took the bread from the prisoner who waii eating it, gave him a kick and threw it away, and at the same time ordered the guard to shoot any one throw- ing bread to the d — d Yankee s — s of b — lies. As we were ])ass- ing along the dock, one of the prisoners fell from exhaustion, and did not have strength to get up. The captain ordered him to get up and go along, l)ut he lacked the strength; and tiicii the captain gi'cw impatient and, after kicking him .several lim.'S in the head, went his way leaving his victim bleeding from the nose and mouth. This captain was a one-armed man. I could not learn his name.
We were taken out back of the city to the sand hills, and tlicre cawaited rations, which were brought to us about nine in the evening. The wind was blowing ofl:' the coast, damp and cold, and so the suffering was intejise. R(>fore morning we Avere ]int
88 IIeport of Andeksunville ^Monument Commission
aboard a train and taken north as i'ar as Tarboro, when our guards said they had received a message ordering us back Lo Wilmington, as the j^oint for exchange had been changed agani, 1 told one of the guards I thought that countermand was given by Yankee cavalry raiders. He cocked his musket and ord(n'ed me to shut up, which order I promptly obeyed. We then stoi)pea two days in Wilmington, camped on high ground back of the city, and watched the shells burst in the air at night, which gave us some encouragement. Then they announced that the Hag of truce was in sight. We were ordered to fall in to go to the boat to meet the said flag. We had gotten about half way to the dock when a train of flat cars backed up and we were or- dered on board double quick. The boys were moving too slowly to suit tlie officers so our guards were ordered to fix bayonets and charge, which they did very promptly. Six o'clock the next morning found us in Goldsboro, North Carolina. It was a very cold night, and my feet were to tender that they were frozen again. Two men on the same car with me were chilled to death. We were then taken out to a near-by swamp and put upon a little knoll, where we remained four days. We were able to gather dead limbs and refui^e on the ground, and ko made oui- selves as comfortable as was possible under the circumstances.
We found many kind and sympathetic people in Goldsboro Avho wer(3 disposed to help us, but the officers refused to let them. (. One old lady (God bless her for she saved many lives!) was bolder than the rest. She came down and passed througn the lines with her pail of milk and some bread and sweet pota- toes, and, selecting out the sick and weak ones, gave them the nourishing food, ignoring the threats of the officers and guards to kill her. The next time she came with a negro woman, who bore a little tub on her head, carrying a pail in one hand and leading a nnile and cart with the other. The officers then got desperate and refused to let her come near us or to give .succor even to the dying. One morning she came again and we could see determination in her face and a firmness in her step, but they kept her back by forming a line of fixed bayonets. She then appealed to the captain to allow her to pass inside to give somthing to the sick and starving; yet all to no avail. The captain said if she had anything to give, to give it to their own men, not to the Yankees who had come down there to kill
PERSONAI. IvIi.MIM.SC'KN'CES <)l' 1). (i. JaMKS >»'>
their rrieucLs and to ilestiny llifir proixTty, He declarrd that all lie desired to do was to keep the breath of life in the Yan- kees liiiij; eiioiij^h to get strong, healthy men in exchange for tlicin: that he could not kce[) us a great while longer and in- tended 1() lix us so that wc would never he nf any use when he got done with us. She lo!d him the Yankees weie human heings as well as other men, and that she- would care lor t em as long as she eould. She ealh'd him a hrute. wilJKuil any feel- ing of manhood about him. lie ke[)t her fi'om coming inside the lines, yet she threw her bread in spite of his orders.; One of the prisoners had a little talk with her and she told him they would have to release us soon, as communications were cut to the north of theie and that our army had taken Wilmington; so they would he obliged to give us up. He then thanked her foi' her kindness and asketl her what we could ever do to I'cpay her for being so good to us. She said, "' When you get into your lines, drird< all the good old Yankee cotfee you can^ and think of a poor old woman who has iu)t had a taste of it for nigh unto four years." (That is the last we ever heard of <>nr kind friend. I have v»ished nuiny times 1 had her name?^ Februaiy 25th we look anolliei- of our usual paroles, went aboard the ears that night and arrived inside our lines, about sundown, February 20, on the north branch of the Cape Fear River, a very happy crowd. .\s to our condition, the troops wlio were stationed there can tell. It is .said that the civilization of a nation is measured by the way it treats its prisoners. If that to be so, the so-called Confederate state of America must sink pretty low dowji in the scale. In justice to thos(^ who resorted to the ex- treme measures of "galvanizing,'' as the only means of saving their lives, yet had no inleiition of helping the enemy, but only to gain their fi-eedom, lei me >;\y tiiis: They were no .sooner out and \'v{\ until they began pb.nuing for an eseaj>e. They were taken to Savannah and put to woi-k to confront Sherman's army, but, as they weiv about to make t' e attempt to cut through and light for theii- fi-eedom. some cowardly traitor came in and gave the plot away, when the battalion found them elves sur- rounded l)y a superior force and were disarmed and put under arrest. The eight sergeants were shot and the piivatcs and cor- porals retuined to the stockade. One of these sergeants was the man who had been la bed f(»r refusing to turn a hand spring.
90 Report op Andersonvillb Monument Commission
Wlien they were to be executed the eight were placed in a row in the presence of the disarmed battalion. Seven were blind- folded, but the eighth refused to be, saying he desired to be launched into eternity with the faces of those cruel men branded on his brow. Thus he would know the fiends who w^ould thus starve men, and then shoot them for trying to ob- tain their freedom. Then, standing erect Avith arms folded, he gave the command to fire, as he was ready. He fell pierced through the heart, a victim of Jeff Davis' damnable policy to establish a Confederacy. This was related to me by those who were eye witnesses to the tragedy.
This is a short sketch of my own experience for seven months as a prisoner of war in the hands of a so-called government which was conceived in inequity and maintained during its short existence in crime and brutailty. It was fostered by traitors that had been educated' by the United States govern- ment and had at various times sw^orn allegiance to it. When the crisis came they headed a column in intrigue and treachery to induce the well-disposed and would-be loyal South to join them in the hellish work of perpetuating slavery and destroy- ing a government which had been fought for and established by such men as Washington, Madison, Franklin and La Fay- ette. And now% after forty-five years, who thinks we ought to forget? No, that is impossible for me as I look back and see my poor starving comrades doing unheard of things to sustain life until succor might reach them. All this is borne out by the testimony in the investigation of the Congressional committee, in the trial of Captain Wirz, the evil genius of Andersonville.
KX'JHACTS Fho.M I'dl-LAHD's LiFE 01
CTIAl'TKK V.
KX'I'KAC'I'S KlvOM J'oLLAIiDS J.IFK OF JEFFERSON
DA\'iS AND THE SECRET IlISTOKV (JF
THE CONPEDERACV.
■'When H st'ctiuu ol" constitulioiial Jaw is once broken down, the citadel of liberty is soon taken.
■And M> it swiftly i)roved at Ridiiiiond. Heretofore i\Ir. Davis ill ail his jjuhlic addres.«es iiad dechired that the Confeder ate K"vcimii('iil was established to preserve their "ancient insti- tutions'"; he constantly pointed to the disregard which the Nortii liad shown for civil liberty, to its suspension of habeas corpus, to bastiles filled with i)risoners, arrested without legal process or indictment; and not later than the day of his sec- ond inauguration, he had congratulated the South that through all the necessities of an unequal struggle there has been no act on our part to impair personal liberty, or the freedom of speech, of thought, or of the press. This argument of superior liberty in the Confederacy had been advanced on every occasion; the preservation of the civil routine in a time of war, had been the habitual boast of Mr. Davis. Now he was compelled to swal- low this bit of glittering stereotype. For in a few weeks there was exhibited in Richmond a military tyranny that outdid the strong government at Washington, that committed outrages of which the newspapers spared accounts, and of which sub- seiiuent narratives of the war have only given imperfect glimpses, ])ut wliicli were unexcelled in the history of sudden and violent usurpations.
"To the conscription law there were two notable sequels: one, an attempt to prescribe the productions of the country — the ultra rule of despotism; the other, the establisliment of a mili- tary police of the most frightful and odious description. The first usurpation failed, at least to the extent it designed, but iiiily by a slender niajoi-ity in llie Confederate senate. It had
92 Kei'okt of AndeusoiNVille Monument Commission
been at first proposed there to advise the planters of the Soutli to abstain from raising cotton and tobacco, so as to increase the i)roduct of grain and provisions in the country. For this proposition Mr. Brown, of Mississippi, offered a substitute, to curtail the cotton crop; providing in detail that no planter or head of a family should sow more cotton seed than would pro- duce three bales of the staple for himself, and one bale for each of the hands employed in the culture during the year 1862, and that he should be sworn to the extent of his crop under a penalty for perjury. It is an illustration of the rapid advance of despotic ideas in Richmond, that such a proposiiion should have been even entertained. The government, pro- tested Mr. Hunter of Virginia, had not the shadow of a right to go to any of the states and say how much cotton should be produced. The sovereignty of the states themselves hardly dare do this, much less the delegated power of the Confeder- acy. If he believed that Congress would pass any such act, or the government possessed any such power, he would pro- nounce it a most notorious despotism, worse even than that from which the people of the South had just escaped. The infamous bill failed through only three votes in the senate; but Mr. Hunter's denunciation of it, and of the tendency it exhibited to despotic rule, was conveniently omitted from the newspapers, while it smarted in the ears of Mr. Davis.
''The worst despotism, however, into which the president plunged, alarmed by the military disasters that had occurred and by the now visible approach of McClellan's army to Rich- mond, was to declare martial law for ten miles around the cap- ital, and to supplant all the civil authorities by a military police of the vilest materials that could be raked from the dens or fished from the slums of his dissolute capital. Every one who lived in Richmond in those days has cause to remember Winder's Police. The excuse which Mr. Davis made for fast- ening on the city the atrocious curse of these creatures was that a Union sentiment was being developed as McClellan ad- vanced, that summary arrests of suspected persons might be- come necessary, and that a new vigilance was necessary to guard against political conspiracies. There was, indeed, a great uneasiness in Richmond as the Federal army gathered around it; the air was poisoned by rumors and suspicions;
EX'IRATT!^ FlIO.M I'oM-AHP's lilFE O.T
tluTc was a iiocossity for vi'jilaiir'o and vijror. Hut a j)<>li('o ooin- puscd of rowdies and <,'aiid»lci"s was imported from lialtiinore as iiuii-coiiseripts. tlir vilest of ail\ cut iirei-s, who iiiij.'lit witliout lej^al process tear any eiti/.eii from liis lioiiie wlio made dennn- eiatioiis. who tratTfiel<ed in l)rihes, and from wliom no man was safe. 'IMie iiewspapi-rs did not i)ul)lish tlie ai-rests, or oidy as the scantiest items; and, altlionf^li ])nt few persons were actu- ally imprisoned on account of their political sentiments, the cases were many where respectable citizens, anion*? them ladies, were conveyed to certain tri])unals held in drinking shops and the "pens" of neprro traders and "warned" by police mapr- nates of the pi'esideiit's orders.
"An incident illustrating? the outrages and etfrontery of this political ])olice is recollected by the author. In a boardinfr house in TJichmond was an estimal)le lady, a native of Yiririnia. wlio owned a lai"<re estate of ncf^roes in Culpeper county. J^he had been very much annoyed by the desertion of her slaves; and hearinj; of the flight of one of of the most valuable of them, she ex(daimed to a company assembled in the parlor, 'I do wish tlie Yankees would come and take away all the negroes.' It Avas nothing more than a petulant remark — such as one liv- ing in the South might hear a hundred times, when the mistress of the house was disposed to describe her slaves as pests and souj'ces of annoyance. The remark, through some chanTit^l, was reported to CJeneral Winder, commanding the Department of IFenrico. The next day the lady Avas called to the door by a shablty stranger; she came back running into the parlor W(M^ping. and praying some gentleman in the house to protect her. Sh(> had received the dread summons to appear before rieneral "Winder on a charge of uttering treasonable sentiments. There could be no opposition or escape; the d(^tective Avas at llu^ door, imjiortunate for his victim. It Avas only Avheii this accomplshed and delicately nurtured lady had been compelled to Avalk nearly a mile through the street, to enter a mean build- ing recently used as a drinking shop, to press through a throng of rum sellei-s and I'oAvdies to the dirty throne of "Winder, and humbly to ])rotest there that her otTense had been tempcn* and not reason, that she Avas alloAved to depart Avith the brutal in- junction to hold liei' tongue in future.
"At the head of this AvretcluMl ]>olice business. Avhich in some form or other continued throuirh the administration of IVfr.
94 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
Davis, he placed a man than whom a fitter exponent of despot- ism and cruelty could not be found within the limits of the South. This person was General Winder, of Maryland, whose name thousands of living persons yet recall with horror; and a character that deserves an especial study in the moral his- tory of the war. At first sight this person was not unpleasant. Mr. Ely, the memorable state prisoner of the Libby, speaks of General Winder, then his principal jailor, as an agreeable, grey-headed officer, a little disposed to stand on his dignity, prim and neat to scrupulousness, yet having no traits of harshness in his manner or countenance. But this impres- sion was not that of a close study. This man, whom President Davis had found in some obscure place in the old army, and kept to the end of his administration as his chief of military police and head-jailor of the Confederacy, was near sixty years of age ; his hair was white and tufty ; and at a distance he had a patriarchal appearance. But his face was the picture of cruelty, a study for an artist; a harsh, dry face; cruel eyes, not muddy as from temper, but with a clear, cold light in them ; a faded, poisonous mouth, on which a smile seemed mockery.
''Under the martial law proclaimed in Richmond, this creat- ure held in his hands the powers of a viceroy. He was responsi- ble to no one but Mr. Davis. He ordered what arrests he pleased ; he regulated trade ; he gave permits for the transportation of goods ; he hunted conscripts through the streets. As a curious specimen of his authority, we may quote a single order: "The obtaining by conscripts of substitutes through the medium of agents is strictly forbidden. When such agents are employed, the principal, the substitute, and the agent Avill be impressed into the military service, and the money paid for the substitute, and as a reward to the agent, will be confiscated by the gov- ernment." It is almost incredible that such despotic edicts could be issued in the capital of the Southern Confederacy; but here they were, written under the eye of Mr. Davis, and put in the hands of his creature for execvition. Winder carried the interests of Richmond in his pocket. If a citizen wished to commute for military duty, if a merchant desired to secure the sacrifice of his flour and bacon from the tariff of prices under martial law, if a liquor dealer wished to bring into the city a lot of apple brandy, Wiuder had to be seen, and his
Extract.^ Vrum I'oi.i.akd's Liir 95
favor had to he secured. He ^\ as courted, oarcssod ; people of all sorts sent him prosents; and when an at(|iiaintanee sut;- gested to him that it was imi)rudent to receive such testimonies of regard, and that thry mij^ht he (dosdy interpreted as bribes, the reply was: 'If tlie devil liimself chooses to send me presents, 1 don't see why I should not accept them.' lie had a curious hal)it about these offerinjjrs; they seldom availed to obtain any return from him. Ilis peculiarity in this respect suggests a description in Macaulay of the infamous Jeffreys, to the effect that he would often carouse with the meanest men; but when he was sober on the bench, and his companions of the night before would presume on the maudlin affection they had con- tracted in their cups, he would pretend not to know them, and would drown their attempts at familiarity in volleys of wrath and imprecation. There was a striking analogy to such be- havior in the relations of Winder and his gift-bearers. Tie invariably accepted anything sent him in the shape of a pres- ent ; the ingenious wretch who had sent it, perhaps to escape the conscription, or to get a permit to traffic in liquors, Avould felicitate himself that he had secured his concession, that the business was done ; but the next day would come an order to clap him in the conscript camp, or to impound all the whiskey on his premises. It was a feline way the General had of play- ing with his victims, and must have been intensely gratifying to a nature like his. The unhappy bearer of gifts seldom es- caped from his clutches — the gifts never."
Tn connection with the scarcity of food and necessai-y sup- plies in the South occurs a subject of interest which we may conveniently examine here. "We refer to tliat large volume of complaint against Mr. Davis for the maltreatment of Northern prisoners, especially in the article of subsistence. We hjivr already, on the subject of the Confederate commissariat, made some suggestions which throw some light on this matter: but we find no more proper ])lace in f)ur work tlian the prevent to sub- mit a brief account of the admini.stration of the Confederate prisons. We propose thus to go over rapidly the history of the sul)sistence of Federal ])r''soners in the South — a subject so serious and interesting as to have called for extensive investiga- tion Itoih at Washington and Richmond, Imt the secret history uf which is scarcely yet known,
96 TtEPORT OF Andersonville ^Monument Commission
It is roiiiarkal)le that in the eai'ly periods of the war there was no sysU'iii whatever, no organized provision, for sul)sistinjjj the prisoners who soon commenced to accnnnilate on the hands of the government. There was an officer, of the rank of lieuten- ant, who had charge of the unfortunate creatures, who sub- sisted them by irregular purchases in the Richmond markets, and who was left to determine, at his own discretion, the measure and article of food. He was removed for a singular freak some weeks after the battle of ]Mana.ssas. Having had a drunken quarrel with the quartermaster as to who shouM bury the dead of the prison, he had left two corpses in front of the office of the latter, in a wagon halted in one of the most public streets near the Capitol, and, unhitching the hort-es in sight of a horri- fied crowd, had abandoned the "dead Yankees" to take tlieir chances of burial as the authorities, other than himself, migln determine. It was a day's scandal in Kichmond, and the l)rut:il officer was removed. But for forty-eight hours nearly two thousand prisoners were without a mouthful of food until a sub- ordinate of the prison, moved by their cries or alarmed by their mutiny, found some barrels of corn meal in the stores of the prison, and fed it to them in buckets of mush.
It was through this humane diligence that Captain "Warner, a generous and efficient man, became afterw^ards charged with the subsistence of the prisoners. The captain often told in Richmond, with great emotion, his experience with the prisoners, mutinous and savage for want of food ; for surely there is no fiercer devil in the human composition, none that dares more, than hunger. He was walking in the prisoners' galleries of the Libby, explaining that a difficulty had occurred in their sup- plies of food but that they should have illimitable stores on tlie morrow, when an immense Yankee boatswain clutched him bv the collar, and dragged him into a circle of angry faces, desper- ate from hunger. "You are a good commissary," said Jack, "and I am a good prisoner; I am the best prisoner you ever saw in the world; but, d — n me, if I had not rather face one luuulred of Jefferson Davis's cannon than be stai-ved like a dog." "I felt rather unhappy for a few minutes," said Cap- tain Warner, "but I promised the fellow who shook me, heavy as I was, as if I was no more than a baby in his hands, that if he would let mo. go, he shonld have sonic grul) in half an lioiir.
KxTRAfTi^ From Pollakh's Tiii'F 07
I found not hint: in the storohouso of tin* prison hut tlii-fc Itarrds of nicil. T niado it into hot nnish, fillod some l>iicl<efs with It, and ha<l il passod in to the prisoners. But you may bet I didn't iro inside. T called to Jack throufrh the f^rate that I had f;ot him tile healthiest supper T eoidd, and not to let the men Inini their mouths."
The next day rai)tain "Warner represented to General Winder, tlu' principal officer in char«r.' of the prisoners, that there was no Rul)sistenee for them, and that they were in the actual pangs of hunger. TTe was directed at once to make a requisition on Colonel Northrop, the cross-grained and eccentric Commissary General — an officer whose idea of importance was to have a fit of insolence whenever lie was ajiproached, and who was either crnifT or hysterical in his official intercourse.
" r know nothing of Yankee prisoners," lie said; "throw them all into tlic James Kiver. "
"At least." said Captain Warner, "tell me how I am to keep my accounts for the prisoners' sul)sistence."
"Sir," said Northrop, slightly inclining his eye> to the anxious inrpiirer, "I have not the will or the time to speak with you. ClnirJ,- fhr sroundrcls info thr river."
Here was a quandary. There was no law to chai-ge the Com- missary-General with the subsistence of lU'isoinM-s: he insisted that it belonged to the quartermaster's department; t^e latter denied it. and. in a deadJock of quibbles, the prisoners might he left to starve. The ingenuity of a lawyer was required to solve the dispute. Captain AVanier had been appointed Com- missary of Prisons, and yet Nortliroj) refused to acknowledge his authority or to fill his requisitions, and was completely obscure and impracticable on a question of humanity. Happily a con- venient law oi- military regulation was hunted uj). to the effect that a bonded commissary might be assigned to perform cer- tain duties of a quartermaster at the post. Under this law Captain Warner might draw his supplies from the Quartermas- ter-General, and might be independent of the odious Northrop. Another obscure statute was discovered; it was an act of the early Congress at ATontgoniery ; it consisted only of three or four lines, yet it Avas very important. Tt provided with rare huiiiaiiity tliat tlie jtrisoners of war should have the same ra- tions as Confederate soldiers in the field, 7
08 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission
Under the arrangement indicated by these laws the prisonerf5 were comfortably, and even generously, subsisted for many months. The arrangement was perfected not long after the battle of Manassas. Food was then abundant in Richmond, and the best beef sold for only eight cents a pound. When supplies became scarce; when tlie foolish law authorized im- pressments and assigning "government prices," drove nearly every producer from the market, it became a matter of extreme difficulty to feed the prisoners, and to divide what could be obtained between their necessities and those of the Confederate troops in the field. The Commissary of Prisons, acting inde- pendently of Northrop, employed traveling agencies to pur- chase supplies at the best prices, and never allowed his solici- tude for the unhappy men in his charge to be impaired by demands in other departments of the government. As evidence of this solicitude it may be mentioned that in the winter of 1863, a memorable season of scarcity, it was proposed to buy supplies for the prisoners in some of the upper counties of Virginia, where Confederate money was refused, and that to effect the humane undertaking General Lawton, then Quarter- master General, was willing to draw a requisition for fifty thousand dollars in gold.
But these purchases were defeated by an unforeseen inter- ference. Commissary Northrop had opposed all purchases of supplies outside of his department; he complained that Cap- tain Warner paid larger prices than the government maxi- mum ; he insisted that as the first care was to provide for the troops in the field, he should have the first option of all market- able supplies ; and at last he assumed to impress the subsistence purchased for the prisoners and to divert it to his own depart- ment. A fierce war was w^aged between him and Warner ; rival committees of investigation were raised in Congress ; and the supplies of Libby prison became a bone of contention. On one occasion Warner's agents had brought down from Augusta county a drove of one hundred and seventy-five beeves, and Northrop had performed a coup d'etat by impressing them on the outskirts of Richmond. Not to be entirely outdone. Cap- tain Warner, in the winter of 1863, loaded sixty-three cars in North Carolina wnth sweet potatoes, brought them to the Libb\, pounded them and then sifted them through the wire-nets ne
lort' fivtiii tlic windows, ;iii<l coiiiposcd a furious broad made, of (Miual iin-asures of iiiasli of potatoos, flour and cornnical. "It was tlio bt'st bread I ever ato," says Captain Warner. But even this invention was spoiled l)y Northrop. He had deter- mined to take control of all the subsistence of the Confederacy, and to interdict all special purchases for the consumption of prisoners. Tlie first r<'sult was a rej^ulation requiring the Comniissaiy of Prisons 1o ])urcliase from the Commissary- Oenei'al ; and ult iiiiatrly, in flic spring; of 1S64, a law was passesd \irtually al)olisliing llie former office and transferriiiir the subsistence of ])i-isoners lo the tendei" mercies of the man who had wished llie tlxMisands of Iheiii in Kichiiuind at the Itottoiu of James Iviver.
70 ^ ''
100 Report of Anderson ville JMonument Commission
CHAPTER VI.
FROM JOHN J. McELROY'S, ''A STORY OF SOUTHERN
PRISONS."
As I started to drink my first ration of sonp, it seemed to me that there was a snperfluity of bngs upon its surface. Much as I wanted animal food, I did not care for fresh meat in that form. I skimmed them off carefully, so as to lose as little soup as possible. But the top layer seemed to be under- laid with another equally dense. This was also skimmed off as deftly as possible. But beneath this appeared still another layer which, when removed, showed still another ; and so on, until I had scraped to the bottom of the can, and the last of the bugs went with the last of my soup. I have before spoken of the remarkable bug fecundity of the beans. This was a demonstration of it. Every scouped out pea which found its way into the soup bore inside of its shell from ten to twenty of these hard-crusted little weevils.
Afterward I drank my soup without skimming. It was not that I hated the weevils less, but that I loved the soup more. It was only another step toward a closer conformity to that grand rule which I have made the guiding maxim of my life :
"when I MUST I HAD BETTER."
I recommend this to other young men starting on their career.
For some inscrutable reason the rebels decided to vaccinate us all. "Why they did this has been one of the unsolved prob- lems of my life. It is true that tliere was small-pox in the city, and among the prisoners at Danville; but that any considera- tion for our safety should have led them to order general inoculation is not among the reasonable inferences. But, be that as it may, vaccination was ordered, and performed. By great luck I was absent from the l)uilding with the squad drawing rations, when our room was inoculated, so I escaped
A S'r(»i£\ (»|- Sni 'I'iikiIn Tkisons 101
what was aii aniicliuii to all, and ialal U> many, 'i'hi; dirt'st conseqiit'uees iolluwcd the operation. Koiil ulcors appeared on various parts oi" the bodies of the vaeeinated. in many in- stances the arms literally rotted off; and death followed from a corruption of the hlood. Fre<iuently the faces and other parts of those who recovered, Avere disfigured by the ghastly cicatrices of healed ulcers. A special friend of mine, Sergeant Frank iieverstock— then a memh.'r of the Third Virginia Cavalry, (loyal), and after the war a banker, in Bowling (Ireen, (Jhio, — bon- upon his temple to his dying day, (which occurred in 1878j, a fearful scai-, wlier(; the fiesli had sloughed off I'rom the effects of the virus llial liad tainted his blood.
( /IMNIO.N (IK ( iKNKUAl, Wl.NIiER.
There rode in among us, a few days after our arrival, an old man whose collar bore the wreathed stars of a Major Gen- eral. Heavy white locks fell from beneath his slouched hat, nearly to his shoulders. Sunken gray eyes, too dull and cold to light up, marked a hard stony face, the salient feature of which -was a thin-lipped, compressed mouth, -with corners draAvn down deeply — such a mouth as seems the world over to l)e the index of sellisli, cruel, sulky malignance. It is such a mouth as has the sehool-boy — the coward of the playground, who delights in pulling off the wings of flies. It is such a mouth as we can imagine some remorseless inquisitor to have had — that is, not an inquisitor filled Avith holy zeal for what lie mistakiugly thought the cause of Christ demanded, ])ut a spleeny, envious, rancorous shaveling, who tortured men from hatred of their superiority to him, and for sheer love of inflicting pain.
The rider was John 11. AVinder, Commissary Ceneral of Prisons, Baltimorean renegade, and the malign genius to whose account should he clKir^rd the deaths of more gallant men than all the inquisitoi-s of tlie world ever slew by the less dreadful rack and wheel. It was he who in August could point to the three thousand and cigiity-onc new made graves for that month and exultingly tell his lu-arers that he was "doing more for the Cimfederacy than twenty regiments.''
His lineage was in accordance with his charaeler. His father was that Cenernl William H. WIikIit. whose polti'oonery
102 Keport of Andersonville Monument Commission
at Bladeiisburg, in 1814, nullified the resistance of the gallant Commodore Barney, and gave the city of Washington to the British.
The father was a coward and an incompetent ; the son, always cautiously distant from the scene of hostilities, was the tor- mentor of those whom the fortunes of war, and the arms of brave men, threw into his hands.
Winder gazed at us stonily for a few minutes without speak- ing, and turning, rode out again.
Our troubles, from that hour, rapidly increased.
Description of Wirz.
One morning a new rebel officer came in to superintend calling the roll. He was on undersized, fidgety man, with an insignificant face, and a mouth that protruded like a rabbit's. His bright little eyes, like those of a squirrel or a rat, as- sisted in giving his countenance a look of kinship to the family of rodent animals — a genus which lives by stealth and cun- ning, subsisting on that which it can steal away from stronger and braver creatures. He was dressed in a pair of gray trousers, the other parts of his body being covered with a cal- ico garment like that Avhich small boys used to wear, called "waists." This was fastened to the pantaloons by buttons, precisely as was the custom with the garments of boys strug- gling with the orthography of words in two syllables. Upon his head was perched a little gray cap. Sticking in his belt, and fastened to his w^rist by a strap two or three feet long, was one of those formidable looking, yet harmless, English re- volvers, that have ten barrels around the edge of the cylinder, and fire a musket bullet from the center. The wearer ol: this composite costume, and bearer of this amateur arsenal, stepped nervously about and sputtered volubly in very broken English. He said to Wry-Necked Smith :
"Py Gott, you don't vatch dem dam Yankees glose enough. Dey are sclilipping 'rount, and peating you efery times."
This was Captain Henri Wirz, the new commandant of the interior of the prison. There has been a great deal of mis- apprehension of the character of Wirz. He is usually regarded as a villain of large mental caliber, and wnth a genius for cruelty. He was nothing of the kind. He was simply con-
A Stokv of SoithKun Pkisoxs 103
It'iiiptible, J'ruiii whatever point ol' view lie was studied. Guat- brained, cowardly, and feeble natiired, Im' had not a ([uality that eonuiianded respect I'roni any one wIkj knew him. His cruelty did not seem designed so much as the ebullitions of a peevish, snarling little temper united to a mind incapable of conceiving the results of his acts, or understanding the pain he was inflicting.
I never heard aiiNtiiint,^ of his profession or vocation be- fore entering the army. J. always believed, however, that he had been a cheap clerk in a small dry-goods store, a third or r»»urth rate bookkeeper, or somt-lliing similar. Imagine, it" you please, one sudi. \\ lio never had brains put in (•()iiiiiimii<I of thii'ty-tive tliousand iiu'ii. Being a tool he could not lielp Ix'ing an intliction to them even with the best ot! intentions; but Wirz was not troubled with good intentions.
I mention the probability of his having been a dry-goods clerk or bookkeeper, not with any disrespect to those two honorable vocations, but because Wirz had had some training as an accountant; and this was what gave him the place over us. Rebels, as a rule, were astonishingly ignorant of arith- metic and the keeping of accounts. They Avere good shots, tine horsemen, ready speakers, and ardent politicians, yet, like all non-commercial people, they floundered hopelessly in what people of this section would consider simple matliematical processes. One of his constant amusements was in befogging and beating those charged with calling rolls and issuing ra- tions. It was not at all difticult at times to make a liundi-ctl men count as a hundred and ten, and so on.
Wirz could count beyond one hundred, and this determined his selection for the place. His first move was a stupid change. We had been grouped in the natural way, into hun- dreds and thousands. He re-arranged the men in squads of ninety, and three of these, tw^o hundred and seventy men, into a detachment. These detachments were numbered in order from the north gate and the squads were numbered "one, two, three." On the rolls this was stated after the man's name. For instance, a chum of mine, and in the same squad with me, was Charles L. Soule, of tlie Third Michigan Infantry. His name appeared on tlu^ rolls:
"Chas. L. Soule, priv. Co. K. .Snl .Mi.li. Inf. 1-2."
104 Kepokt op Andersonvjlle IMonument Commission
This meant that he belonged to the second squad of the first detachment.
Whence Wirz got his preposterous idea of organization has always been a mystery to me. It was awkward in every way — in drawing rations, counting, dividing into messes, etc.
Wirz was not long in giving us a taste of his quality. The next morning after his first appearance he came in, when roll call was sounded, and ordered all the squads and detachments to form and remain standing in ranks until all were counted. Any soldier will say that there is no duty more annoying and difficult than standing still in ranks for any considerable length of time, especially when there is nothing to do or to engage the attention. It took Wirz between two and three hours lo count the whole camp, and by that time we of the first de- tachments were almost all out of ranks. Thereupon Wirz an- nounced that no rations would be issued to the camp that day. The orders to stand in ranks were repeated the next morning with a warning that a failure to obey would be pun- ished as that of the previous day had been. One man after another straggled away, and again we lost our rations. That afternoon we became desperate. Plots were considered for a daring assault to force the gates or scale the stockade. Tlie men were crazy enough to attempt anything rather than sit down and patiently starve. Many offered themselves as lead- ers in any attempt that it might be thought best to make. The hopelessness of any such venture was apparent, even to famished men, and the propositions went no farther than in- flamatory talk.
The third morning the orders were again repeated. This time we succeeded in remaining in ranks in such a manner as to satisfy Wirz, and we were given our rations for that day, but those of the other days were permanently withheld.
That afternoon Wirz ventured into camp alone. He was as- sailed with a storm of curses and execration and a shower of clubs. He pulled out his revolver as if to fire upon his assail- ants. A yell was raised to take his pistol away from liim and a crowd rushed forward to do this. Without waiting to fire a shot he turned and ran to the gate for dear life. He did not come in again for a long while, and never afterward without a squad of guards.
A S'iOkv (»!■ S(»i riii.KN l'iu>ti.\.-> 1U5
'I'liL- i-iiliiiiis (liiiiiiiislicd jK'icriililtly day liy day. When \\c liisl L'MUTed wu received .something over a quart of toleral)iy good ineal, a sweet potato, a piece of meat about the size of one s two fingers, and occasionally a spoonful of salt. First the salt disa])i)eared. Tln'ii t!n' sweet [»otato took unto itself wings and flew away never to return. An attempt was ostensibly made to issue us cow-peas instead, and the Mrst issue was only a <iuart to a detachment of two hundred and seventy men. Tliis was two-thirds of a pint to each S(piad of ninety, and made but a few spoonfuls for each of the f<iur messes in the squad. Wliea it eanie to dividing among the men, ilie biaiis had to be counted. Nobody received enough to pay for cooking, and we were at a hiss what to do until somebody suggested tliat we play poker for them. This met general acceptance, and after that, as long as beans were drawn, a large portion of the day was spent in ab- sorbing games of blulf and draw, at a bean ante, and no limit.
After a number of hours of diligent playing, .'^ome lucky or skillful jiiayer wcukl be in possession of all the beans in a mess or a squad — .sometimes a detaehment — and have enough foi- a good meal.
Next, tile meal began to tliminisli in (piantity and detei'ioriale in (juality. It became so exceedingly coarse that the common remark was that the next step would be to bring us the com in the shock and feed it to us like stock. Then meat followed suit with the rest. The ration decreased in size, and the number of daj's that we did not get any kept constantly increasing in proportion to the days that we did, until eventually the meat bade us a final adieu, and joined the sweet potato in that undis- covered country from whose bourn no ration ever returned. The fuel and building materuil in the stockade were spi edily exhausted. The later comers had nothing whatever with which to build shelter.
Hut after tiie spi-iug I'aiiis liad fairly .^et in, it seemed that we had not tasted misery until then. About the middle of March the windows of heaven opened and it l)egan to rain like that of the time of Noah. It was tropical in quant ity and per- sistency, and arelie in temperature. For dieary hours that never ending rain lengthened into weeks, the driving, drenching flood pouring down upon the sodden earthy seareliing the very marrow of the five thousand hapless men agahist whose chilled
10(3 IvEPUKT OF AnDERSUNVILLE xMoNUMENT OUMMISSIUN
frames it licat with pitiless ]U(jn()toiiy, and soaking the sand banlv upon which we lay until it was like a sponge filled W'lLh ice- water. It seems to nie now that it must have been two or three weeks that the sun was wholly hidden behind the drii)ping clouds, not shining out once in all that time. The intervals when it did not rain were rare and short. An hour's respite would be followed by a day of steady, legular pelting of tl.e great rain drops. AVc first comers, who had hut-, were meas- urably better off than the later arrivals. It was much drier in our leaf-thatched tents, and we were spared much of the annoy- ance that comes from steady rain against the body for houi s.
I find that the report of the tSuiithsonian Institute gives the average rainfall in the section around Audersonville, at fifty- six inches — nearly five feet — while that of fogg}^ England ]s only thirty-two. Oiu* experience would lead me to think that we got the five feet all at once.
The condition of those who had no tents was truly pitable. They sat or lay orr the hill-side the livelong day and night, and took the washing flow with such gloomy composure as they could muster. All soldiers will agree with me that there is no cam- paigning hardship comparable to a cold rain. One can brace up against the extremes of heat and cold and mitigate their in- clemency in various ways, but there is no escaping a long con- tinued, chilling rain. It seems to penetrate to the heart, and leach away the vital force.
The ordy relief attainable w'as found in huddling over little fires kept alive by small groups with their slender stocks of wood. As this wood was all pitch-pirre, tliat burned with a. very sooty flame, the effect upon the appearance of the hoverers was start- ling. Face, neck and hands became covered with mixture of lamp-black and turpentine, forming a coating as thick as heavy brown paper, and absolutely irremovable by water alone. The hair also became of midnight blackness, and gummed up into elf-locks of fantastic shape and effect. Any one of us could have gone on the negro and min-trel stage without changing a hair, and put to blush the most elaborate make-up of the gro- tesque burnt-cork artists.
No wood was issued to us. The only way of getting it was to stand around the gate for houi's until a guai'd off duty could be coaxed or hired to accompany a small party to the woods to
A Stukv of SoLTiiEux Pkisons 1(17
hriii^' li;iel< a loud uL" siu-li knots and liiiilis as could 1m; picked up. Our cliicr persuaders to the guards to do us this favor were rings, pencils, knives, couil);, and sueh tritles as we might have in our pockets, and, more especially, the brass buttois 0:1 our uniforms. Rebel soldier's, like Indians, negroes and other im- perfectly civilized people, were passionately fond of bright and gaudy things. A handful of brass buttons would catch every one of them as swiftly and as sui'ely as a piece of red flannel will a gU(lg('(»ii. Our leirulai- fee for an ('s<'ort for tln'ce of us to the woods was six overcoat or dress coat buttons, or ten or twelve jacket buttons. All in tiie mes-; eonti'ibuled to this fund, and tlie I'uel obtained was carerully guarded and husbanded.
This manner of conducting the wood business is a fair sample of tiie management, or rather the lacdv of it of every other di;- tail of prison administration. All the hardships we suffered from lack of fuel and shelter could have been prevented with- out the slightest expense or trouble to the Confederacy.
There were two regiments guarding us — the Twenty-sixth Alabama and the Fifty-fifth Georgia. Never w-ere two regi- ments of the same army more different. The Alabamians were the superiors of the Georgians in every way that one set of men could be superior to another. They were manly, soldierly, and honorable, where the Georgians were treaclun'ous and l)ni- tal. AVe had nothing to complain of at the hands of the Ala bauiians; we suft'ered from the Georgians everything that mean, spirited cruelty could devise. The Georgians Avere always on the look-out for something that they could torture into such apparent violation of orders, as would justify them in shooting men down : llie Alabamians never fired until they were satisfied that a ileliberate offense was intended. I can recall that I myself saw at least a dozen instances where men of the Fifty- Hfth Georgia killed prisoners under the pretense that they were across the dead line, wdien the victims were a yard or more fi-om it, and had not the remotest idea of going nearer.
The only ;ii;in I .'Ver knew to 1m killed by one of the Twenty- sixth Alabama was named Ilu])))ard, from Chicago, Illinois, a member of the Thirty-eighth Illinois. He liad lost one leg and went hobbling al)out the camp on crutches, chattering continu- ally in a loud, discordant voice, saying all manner of liateful and discoi-dant things wherever he saw an opportunity. This
108 Keport of Anderson vjllj3 Monument Commission
and his beak-like nose gained for him the name of "Poll Tar- rot. " His misfortune caused him to be tolerated where another man would have been suppressed. By-and-by he gave still greater cause for otfense by his obsequious attempt to curry fa- vor with Captain Wirz, who took him outside several times for purposes that were not well exj^lained. Finally, some hours after one of Poll Parrot's visits outside, a rebel officer came in with a guard and, proceeding with suspicious directness to a tent which was at the mouth of a large tunnel that a hundred men or more had been quietly pushing forward, broke the tunnel in and took the occupants of the tent outside for pun- ishment. The question that demanded immediate solution was : "Who is the traitor who has informed the rebels?" Suspicion pointed very strongly to Poll Parrot. By the next morning the evidence collected seemed to amount to a certainty, and a crowd caught the Parrot with the intention of lynching him. He succeeded in breaking away from them and ran under the dead line, near where I was sitting in my dugout. At first it looked as if he had done this to secure the protection of the guard. The latter — a Twenty-sixth Alabamiau — ordered him out. Poll Parrot rose up on his one leg, put his back against the dead line, faced the guard, and said in his harsh, cackling voice: "No, I won't go out. If I've lost the confidence of my comrades I want to die."
Part of the crowd were taken aback by this move, and felt disposed to accept it as demonstration of the Parrot's inno cence. The rest thought it was a piece of bravado because of his belief that the rebels would not injure him after he had served them. They renewed their yells, and the guard again ordered the Parrot out, but the latter, tearing open his blouse, cackled out: "No, I won't go; fire at me, guard. There's m^' heart; shoot me right there."
There was no help for it. The rebel leveled his gun and fired. The charge struck the Parrot's lower jaw and carried it completely away, leaving his tongue and the roof of his mouth exposed. As he was carried back to die, he wagged his tongue vigorously in attempting to speak but it was of no use. The guard set his gun down and buried his face in his hands. It was the only time that I saw a sentinel show anything but exultation at killing a Yankee.
A Story or S<jrTiiKWN' Prisons lOI)
A liidicroiis cuiilra.st to this iucitk-iit {{>uk plat-c a few nights hilcr. 'IMic rains had ceased, the weatlicr liad heiMtmc warmer, and, our spirits rising with this increase in tlie comfort of our surroundings, a number of us were sitting around "Nosej', " a boy with a superb tenor voice, who was singing patriotic songs. We were coming in strong on the chorus, and in a way tliat spoke vastly more for our enthusiasm for the Union than for our musical knowh^dge. "Nosey" sang the Star Spangled liannci-, Tlic Batlh' Cry of Freedom, Ri'avc Hoys Are They, cap- itally, and we threw our whole lungs into the chorus. It was fjuite dark, and, while oui- noise was going on, the guards changed, new itini (Muniim- on duly. Suddenly, bang! went the gun of the new guard in tlie l)()x about fifty feet away from us. We knew it was a Fifty-fifth Georgian, and supposed tliat, irritated at our singing, he was trying to kill some of ns for spite. At the sound of the gun Ave jumped up and scattered. As no one gave the usual agonized j^ell of a prisoner when shot, we supposed the ball had not taken effect. We could hear the sentinel ramming down another cartridge, and then hear him return rammer and cock his rifle. Again the gun cracked, and again there was no sound of anybody being hit. Again we could hear tlie sentry churning down another cartridge. The drums began beating the long roll in tlie camp, and the officers could be heard turning the men out. The matter was becoming exeiliiig, and one of us sang out to the guard:
"S-a-y. What the are you shooting at, anyhow?"
"I'm a shootin' at that Yank thar, by the dead
line, and by if you'uns don't take him in I'll 1)1()W tlie
whole head off'n him."
"What Yank? Where's any Yank?"
"AVhy, thar — right thar — a standin' agin tlu^ dead line."
"Why, you rebel fool, that's a (•biinl< of wood. You
cnn't get any furlough for shooting thai.''
.\l Hiis time thei-e was a general roar from the rest of the ••aniii, wliicli llie oilier guards loolx- up. niid. as tlie TJe^erves c;ime doubl(>-rjuickiiig up ;ind learned the occasion of the alarm, they gave the ra^c;il who had been ?o anxious to kill somebody a tor- rent of ;ibii>e foi- liaving disturbed thorn.
A part of our ci-owd had been out after wood during the day, and secured a ])iece of a log as large as two of them could carry,
110 Report of Andersonvitj.e ^Monument C!ommission
and, bringing it in, stood it up near the deal line. When the guard had monnled to liis jxist ho was sni'e he saw a ferocious Yankee in front of liim, and so liastened to slay him. It was an unusual good fortune that nobody was struck. It was ve"y rare that the guards fired into the prison without hitting at least one person. The Georgia Reserves who formed our guards lat'M' in the season, were armed with an old gun called a Queen Anne musket, altered for the use of percussion caps. It carried a bullet as big as a large marble, and three or four buckshot. When fired into a group of men it was sure to bring several down.
I was standing one day in the line at the gate waiting for a cliance to go after wood. A Fifty-fifth Georgian was the gate guard and he drew a line in the sand with his bayonet which we should not cross. The crowd behind pushed one man till he put his foot a few inches over the line, to save himself from falling; the guard sank a bayonet through the foot as quick as a flash.
The negro soldiers also \\-ere treated as badly as possible. Tlie wounded were turned into the Stockade witliout having their hurts attended to. One stalwart, soldierly sergeant had re- ceived a bullet which had forced its way under the scalp for some distance and partially imbedded itself in the skull, where it still remained. He suffered intense agony, and would pass the whole night walking up and down the street in front of our tent moaning distressingly. The l)ullet could be felt plainly with the fingers, and we were sure that it would not take a minute, with a sharp knife, to remove it and give the man re- lief. But we could not prevail upon the Rebel surgeons even to see the man. Finally inflammation set in, and he died.
The negroes were made into a squad by themselves, and taken out every day to work around the ]n'ison. A white sergeant was placed over them, who was the object of the contumely of the guards and other Rebels. One day as he was standing near tbe gate, waiting his orders to come out, the gate guard, with- out any provocation whatever, dropped liis gun until the muzzle rested against the sergeant's stomach and then fired, killing iiim instantly. This sergeant's pof^ition was then offered to me, but as I had no accident iiolicy. 1 Ava.s constrained to decline the honor.
A ST<»KV oK Sol'TIIKKN I'KISKN-S 111
It now l('c;iiiK' a pari cii" tlic day's n-'rular nmliiio with us t(» take a walk pas; ilic vratcs ip. tlif iiKiniiiijx. iiispcci and ciiiiil the dead, and i-ec; if any oi" our frieiids wore anion^ tlum. Clothes havinj^ by this time licconie a v(M'y important considora- linn with the prisoners, it was the <u-1niii of the mess in whidi a man d'ed to remove from his per«-on all ^raiments that were of any aceonnl. and thus hodies were eai-i"ifd out nearly naked. The hands wei-e ero<sed upon the hicast, the Iti^r toe-; tied to- gether' with a liit (if .'-tiin'r, and ;i slip of paper containing the man's name, I'ank, company and i('<riment was ]»inned 0:1 (he lireast of liis shirt.
'rii(> appearance of the dead was inde erihahly ^'lastly. The unelt)sed eyes shoiK! with a stony »f|itter.
An orphan's curse would diau' fo hell
A spii'il f)'om nil hiuli :
l^ut, 0 ! more tei'rihlc than that,
Ts the cni'se in a dead man's eye. Till' lips and iio-liils wore distorted with i)ain and hunuor. the shallow, dirt-i^rimed skin diawn tensely over the facial bones, and the whole was frame 1 ever with long matted hair and beard, ^lillions of lice swarmed over the wa-ted limbs and ridgod ri])S. These verminous jiests had become so numeioiis — owing to our lack of changes of clothing, and of facilities for boi'ing what we had. — that the most a healthy man could do was to keep the number feeding updii hi- jierson down to a leasonable limit — say a few tablespoon fuls. AVhen a man became so sick as to be unable to help himself, the paiasites speedily incre-rised into millions, oi- to speak more comprehensively, into pints ;:nd (|uarts. It dill not even seem an exaggeration when some one declared that be had seen a dead man with moi-o than a gallon of lice on him.
Tliere is no doubt hut that the irritation fiom the biling of llitsc myriads of in-ccts shortened \(M'y matoi-ially the days of tho: e who were sic]<. "Whore a sick inan bad friends or con- I'adcs. it was, of course, pari of tlieir duty, in taking care of bim, to louse his clothing. One of the most effectual ways of doing this was to tuiii the garments wicng side cut and bold the seam-; as close to the fire as i)ossible without luirning the cloth. I'l a ^hcrt time the lice would swell up and bui'.-t open. lik(> pop- corn. This metbod was a favoiate one foi* jiiiotber reason than
112 Eeport of Andersonville Monument Commission
its efficacy : It gave one a keener sense of revenge upon his rascally little tormentors than he could get in any other way.
As the weather grew warmer and the nnmher in tlie prison increased the lice became more nnenduralile. They filled the hot sand under our feet and voracious troops of them would climb up one's legs like streams of ants swarming up a tree. We be- gan to have a full comprehension of the third plague with which the Lord visited the Egyptians :
"And tlie Lord said unto Moses, say unto Aaron, stretch oul thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice through all the land of Egypt.
"And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with hit rod, and smote the dust of the earth and it became lice in man and in beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt."
Barrett's Insane Cruelty.
Winder had found in Barrett even a better tool for his cruel purposes than Wirz. The two resembled each other in many respects. Both were absolutely destitute of any talent for com- manding men, and could no more handle even one thousand men properly than a cabin boy could navigate a great ocean steamer. Both were given to the same senseless fits of insane rage, coming and going without apparent reason, during which they fired revolvers and guns or threw clubs into crowds of pris- oners, or knocked down such as were within reach of their fists. These exhibitions were such as an overgrown child might be ex- pected to make. They did not secure any result except to in- crease the prisoners' wonder that such ill-tempered fools could be given any position of responsibility.
A short time previous to our entry Barrett thought he had reason to suspect a timnel. He immediately announced that no more rations should be issued until its whereabouts were re- vealed, and the ringleaders in the attempt to escape delivered up to him. The rations at that time were very scanty, so that the first day they were cut off the sufferings were fearful. The boys thought Barrett would surely relent the next day, but they did not know their man. He was not sutt'ering any, and why should he relax his sevei'ity? He strolled leisurely out from his dinner table, picking his teeth with his penknife in the com
A S^TliKV DF SoITIIKKX PRISON'S 11 fj
lortahlc, scll'-salisl'.."! way of a coai'sr man w Im lias jiisl lilliMi his stoiiiacli to his entire content, — an attitude and an air that was simply niaddcninf? to the famishing wretches of whom he in(|uired tantalizinjjjly :
"Air ye'rc hiin<;ry enough lo jrivc up thciii (I — d d — d s — s ol b— hesyet?"
That niglit thirteen thousand men, — crazy, fainting with hunger, having walked liither and tliither until exhaustion had forced then to beeonie quiet, sat on the grouiul and pressed their bowels in by leaning against sticks of wood laid across tln-ir thighs; trooped to the creek ajid drank water until their gorges rose and they could swallow no more — did eveiything, in fact, that imagination could suggest, — to assuage the ])aiigs of the deadly gnawing that was consuming their vitals. All the cruelties of the terrible Spanisii hicjuisition, if heaped togethci', Avonld not sura up a greater aggregate of anguish than was en- dured by them. The third day came, and still no signs of yield- ing by Barrett. The sergeants counseled together. Something must be done. The fellow would starve the whole camp to death with as little compunction as one drowns blind puppies. It was necessary to get up a tuimcl to show Barrett, and to get boys who would confess to being leaders in the work. A number of galbinl felloAxs volunteered to brave the wi-ath of this man and save the rest of their comrades. It required high courage to do this, as there was no question but that the punishment meted out would be as fearful as the cruel mind of the fellow could con- ceive. The sergeants dwided that f(mr would be sufficient to answer the i)uri)ose ; they selected these by lot, marshed them to the gate and delivered them over to Barret, who thereupon or- dered the rations to be sent in. He was considerate enough, too, to feed the men he was going to torture.
The starving men in the stockade could not wail, after the I'ations were issued, to cook tliem, but in many instances mixed the meal up with watei*. and swallowed it raw. Frequently their stomaclis. ii-ritated by the long fast, rejected the mess; and veiy many had reached the stage when they loathed food. A burning fever was consuming them and seething their brains with delirium. Hundreds died within a few days, and hundred-; moi'c wei'e so debilitated by the terrible strain that they did ttH lingci- long afterward. 8
114 Report of Andersonviij.e ^Fonfment Commission
Tile J)rav(' fellows who had offered themselves as a saerifi'^e for tli(> rest were put into a .yiiai'd hou-'e and kept over night, that Barrett niiiiht iiinke a day of the amusement of torturing them. After lie had laid in a hearty hreakfast, and doubtless fortified himself with some of the villainous sorghum whiskey which the Kehels were now reduced to drinking, he set out a])out his entertainment. The devoted four were brought out, one by one, and their hands tied together behind their backs. Then a noose of slender, strong hemp rope was slipped over the first one's thumbs and drawn tight, after which the rope was thrown over a log projecting from the roof of the guard house, and two or three Rebels hauled upon it until the miser- able Yankee was lifted from the ground, and hung suspended by the thumbs while his weight seemed tearing his limbs from his shoulder blades. The other three were treated in the f-ame manner.
The agony of this treatment was simply excruciating. The boys were brave, and had resolved to stand their punishment wathout a groan, but this was too much for human endurance. Tlieir Avill Avas strong, yet Natur(^ could not l)e denied, and tliev shrieked aloud so pitifully that a young Reserve standing near fainted. Every one screamed : ' ' For God 's sake, kill me, kill me! Shoot me if you want to, but let me down from here."
The only effect of this p^ea upon Barrett was to light up his brutal face \vith a leer of fiendish satisfaction. He said to the guards with a gleeful wink :
''By G — d, I'll learn these Yanks to be more afraid of me than of the old devil himself. They'll soon understand that I'm not the man to fool with. I'm old pizen, I am, when I git started. Jest hear 'em squeal, won't yer?" Then walking from one prisoner to another, he said :
"D — n yer skins, ye '11 dig tunnels, will ye? Ye "11 try to <}•«( out, and run through the country stealin' and cai'ryin' off nig- gers and niakin' more trouble than yer d — d necks are worth. I'll learn ye about that. If I ketch ye at this sort of work again, d — d ef I don't kill ye as soon ez I ketch ye."
T had been in prison hut a little while when a voice called out fi'''m a hole in the ground, as I was passing:
"S-a-y, sergeant, won't you please take these shears and cut mv toes of¥?"
A S'loifv OF S(»i'iiii:i.'N IMusoxs 11.")
"^Vll;ll .'" sjiid I, ill aiuiiy.ciiii'Ul, st<»p|)iii^' in fi-uiit (if llic dug- out.
■'.Inst tal\<' tlh'sc slii-ai-s, won't \(»n. and <-ii1 my lues otV,"" answered the inmate, an Indiana infant rynian — holding; np a j)air of didl slieai-s in Ids liand, and elevatintr one loot for nie to look at.
I examined the hitter carefully. All the flesh of the toes, oxeept little pads at tin- ends, had rotted otf, leavinj; the hones as elean as if sei-aped. The little tendons still remained, and
held tlh' holM'S to their J)laees, l)Ut tins seemed to hurt till' I'est
of t he feet and annoy t lie man.
■■^'(lU'd letter let one ol' tile reliel dm-tors >ee this,"' I >aid.
after tinishin^' my sur\ey, "hefoi-e you eoiKdude to ha\'e them olt". Mayhe they ean he saved."
''No, d d if I'm fj:()in^ to have any of them rehel hutehers
fooling around nie. I'd die lirst. and then I wouldn't,'' was the reply. "Von ean do it hetter than they ean. It's just a little snip. Just try it."
"1 don't like to,' I I'eplied. "I miuht lauu' you for life and make you lots of trouhle."
"(), hother. What husiness is that of yours? They're my toes and 1 want them off. They hurt me so I can't sleep, ("ome. now, take the shears and cut them off."
1 yielded, and taking the shears, snipped one tendon after another close to the feet, and in a few seconds had the whole ten toes lying in a heap at the hottom oi" the dugout. T pi(d<ed them \i]i and handed them to theii- owner, who gazed at them complacently and remai'ked :
■"Well. I'm durned glad they're oft'. T won't he hothered with corns anv more. I tlattei- mvself."
116 Report of Andersonville ]\Ionument Commission
CHAPTER VII.
CONGRESS ORDERS INVESTTCATION OP TREATMENT OF UNION PRISONERS OF WAR.
The Fortieth Congress during its first session, on July 10, 1867, passed the following resolution, introduced by Mr. Shanks of Indiana :
"Whereas, It is expedient that the subject of the treatment of prisoners of war and Union citizens held by the Confederate authorities during the recent rebellion should be thoroughly investigated, therefore, be it
Resolved, That a special committee of five members of this House be appointed to make such investigation, to record the facts thereby obtained and to report the same to the House at any time, with such recommendations as they may deem proper, and be it further
Resolved, That such committee for the purpose of this in- vestigation shall have power to send for persons and papers, to appoint a clerk and stenographer and to sit during any recess of the House, and that the expenses of the investigation be paid from the contingent fund of the House. It was ordered that said committee consist of : Mr. John P. C. Shanks of Indiana. Mr. Wm. A. Pile of Missouri. Mr. Abner C. Harding of Illinois. Mr. Aaron F. Stevens of New Hampshire. Mr. Wm. Mungen of Ohio.
Attest: Edward MePherson,
Clerk. On July 13, 1867, Congress, on motion of Mr. Pile, adopted the following resolution:
Resolved, That the select committee to investigate the treat- ment of prisoners of war and the Union citizens of the so-called Confederate government, are hereby authorized to sit at such
Act of Con(jrkss Ar'i-ii(»Ki/i.\(; Invkstioation 117
pliU'c ;iii(l lake tt'stiiiKdiy Ity such nmiiltcr of (Mtmiiiil t cc as llicy shall tl( fill proper. Attest :
Kdwahi) .McI'iikrkon,
(Urrk. The |»(t\\cr ul" Ihr coiiiinitlci^ was slill fiii-tlior extended hy resolu lions : January l.'J, LSGS, July 28, 18G8, and Kriiruai-y (i. 18GI).
118 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
CHAPTER VIII.
EXTRACTS FROM REPORT OF CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.
We now deem it proper to (piote paragraphs from the report of this committee and portions of testimony of others. These can be verified by the official reports, as the authority conferred on the commission permits us to print matters of interest, as follows :
From Belle Isle, Lib])y, Salisliury and other minor prisons came Union soldiers to Andersonville to be crowded into this pen until the number reached nearly thirty-five thousand, each prisoner having an allotted space of about four feet square in which to eat, walk and sleep. The suffering which ensued can- not be described. The sick and wounded all herded in to- gether, the stench from the swamp at night, all added to the nauseousuess of it all.
No pen can describe, no artist depict, no imagination eom- l)rehend the sipuilor, suffering and awfulness of it. It would seem as if the concentrated madness of earth and hell found its final lodgment in the breasts of thoce who inaugurated the rebellion and controlled the ])olicy of the Confederate govern- ment.
The first consignment of prisoners reached the place Feb- ruary 15, 1864, and were put under the command of J. TI. Winder, the man who had attained such notoriety for l)rutalily in the prisons at Richmond. There is ample evidence that the president of the Confederacy was Winder's intimate friend and jtrotector. AVhcn liis ci-imes liad driven otl.ers to protest against his retention in the service of the Confederacy, the in- lluence of Davis saved liim from removal and disgrace. The relation wliich this inan 1)ore to the chief and head of the re-
l']XIKA( l'.-^ lHuM 1'<JN0KK.SM(»NAL Jvi:i(»KT U'.t
hcllidii is Well (Icsci-iltcd l)y a witness. I'liili|) ('jisliiiu-yfr. wiio was in tin; t-niploy of the ( 'uiil'i'dci'atr {^ovcrninrnt .
'For the lust lour yi'Uis 1 was delective officer under (Jeiieral Windei. I was Willi liim tiom the time he eoinnienced his duties as Provost Marsiial until he died. 1 was his special confidential detective. My duties weie Iinjiortant, such as detectives have to attend to. My serv- ices to hini were such as examining prisonois, making reports on them, and matters of that sort. 1 was admitted into his family circle. The relations existing between him and .Jefferson Davis were very friendly; indeed, very confidential, as 1 often heard him say so. 1 often saw him go and come from Mr. Davis* office.
"1 remember when an effort was made by Generals Bragg and Ran- som to have him | Winder) removed, President Davis was his special friend. Then when the order came relieving General Winder from the War Department, he took it to Mr. Davis and it was endorsed by him. As well as 1 can recollect, this was entirely unnecessary and uncalled for. After that General Winder was sent to Goldsboro to take the field. He was there a week or two and was then ordered to Anderson- ville to take command there. His official power was not extended for some months after that. Then he was made commi.ssioner general and commissary general of prisoners. 1 remained with him until he died in my tent at P''lorence, South Carolina.
"As nearly as 1 can remember the order sending W. S. Winder, son of the general, to lay out the prison came from the war department. General Winder desired to send him, and the war depai tment sanc- tioned it. 1 saw the son go with the general to the war department and come from there."
It is luiiicccssai-y to dwi'll uiioii this man's cliai'actcr or his- tory at mncli length, lie has passed to his long aiul last ac- c'oiint, k'a\ing Ix'hiiul him a name which can hardly 1k> iitteied l)y the lips of any I'liion prisoner without tliongiits of that I'ear- fnl retrii)iition which cau alone in the dread tut lire i'urnish an adetiuate ex|)iatioii of liis crimes against mankind, lie had been employed as the prison agent of President Davis, and his cruelties have become proverbial.
In the year 1864 the temperature at Andersonville ranged from eighteen to one hundred and twelve degree-; Fahrenheit. There ueie los rainy days counted. On the t wetdx-seveidh day of Xoveiuber, 186.'i, young Winiler, son of (ien. -I. 11. Winder, eslahlislicd the ])risoii at Aiidefsomillc. iciiiote from lial»itation and facilities for providing supplies, tlii'fe being only one railroad. Tlicre was a locality where good pure spring water would have lieen aliinidant for the whole e.imp — one in particular, called Magnolia Springs, near Americus. Hut. a-; was asserted, they wanted to JMiild a pen for the "daimu^l ^ald^ees" where 1 llc.V Would rul f.-islel- lliail llie>- could be scl't there.
120 Keport of Ander«onville Monument Commission
At this time the maimed prisoners numbered nearly thirty- five thousand, who Avould have been the victims. And not a revocation or a protest against the execution of this brutal order came from his superiors or the Rebel government. Among both Rebel and Union men, so terrible was his history that when he left the theater of his crimes for Andersonville, the Richmond Examiner exclaimed in its mingled horror and joy: ''Thank God thai liiclnnond is at last rid of old Winder. God have mercy upon those to ivhom he has been sent.''
As illustrating the justice of the paragraph just quoted from the Richmond Examiner, we submit the following order issued by the agent of starvation and nuirder while in command at Andersonville :
Order No. 13.
Headquarters Confederate States Military Prison,
Andersonville, July 27, 1864.
The officers on duty in charge of the battery of Florida artil- lery, at the time, will, upon receiving notice that the enemy has approached within seven miles of this post, open fire upon the stockade with grajDC-shot without reference to the situation be- yond these lines of defense.
It is better that the last Federal should be exterminated than be permitted 'to bum and pillage the property of loyal citizens, as tliey will do if they are allowed to make their escape from prison.
By order of John H. Winder, Brigadier General.
W. S. Winder, Adjutant General.
When General Winder went to Andersonville, he took Cap- tain Wirz with him, a man who had likewise gained notoriety for his brutality. Wirz was placed in command of the prison, with W^inder's two sons on his staff. These men figured largely in the management of the prison and were responsible for the crimes committed on the helpless men confined in that hell of hells.
The stockade was used for enlisted men only and, as soon as completed, they gathered the prisoners. With no covering save the open sky, these men, these heroes born in the image of God. lay there crouching and writhing in their terrible torture, — a
EXTHAC'IS lK(t.M ( (iN(iKi;sSIONAL ReI'ORT J2i
luiithsonu', huirihlc .sij,'lit. Tlio imililatrd, iniirtlL-ied victims ol a cool and calculated barharity st^md foi-tli in history as ar mouument oi' the surpassiuj^ horrors of Andcrsonville, as it shall he seen and read of in all luturc time, realizing, in the studded tenements of the prison house, the idea of Dant«''s In-
fi'lllu illld i\lill(tll 's lirll.
At last tile suriV'rin<fs of those men, whose only crime wa^ that they had fouj-ht for their country, the sympathy of some persons living in that region, who seem to have been prompted by humane sentiment, and, moved l>y a knowledge of their con- dition, attempted measures for the relief of our men. They accordingly made applications to the officer in conunand for the privilege of visiting the sick in the hospital and stockade and lo furnish them with the means of comfort and relief. They weic iiicl with a Hat retusal and, although the attempts we»'e renewed from time to time, these huinane offers were refused and the people repulsetl. Jn fact, it seems very clear that the refusal was not inerely capricious but based upon that inhuman policy by which tlie Confederate government sought to decimate the ranks of their enemy by the maltreatment and starvation of their prisoners.
And now let us see how the I'nited Slates ordered rebel pris- oners iu our hands to be treated, and then compare it with Order No. l:} issued by A\'indcr.
''Section 745: L'nited States Army Regulations of 18G1, pages 107-108, provide as follows:
"Prisoners of War will be disarmed and sent to the rear and reported as soon as practicable to headtiuarters. The return of the prisoners from the head(piarters to the war department wiil specify the niiin!)er, ]'aiil< and corps.
■"Section 7-i(i : The private property of i)risoncis will be duly respected and each shall be treated with regard due his ranlc. They are to obey tiie necessary orders given them. They will receive for subsistence, one i-ation each without re- gartl to rank, and their wounds are to be treated with the same care as the wounded of our army. Other allowances to them will depend upon conventions with the enemy."
Karly in the war the enemy observed the idle ceremony of making a list of the property seized, confessedly for safe keep-
122 Report of AnderhonVille Monument Commission
iiig and restorations; but instances Avliere any such restoration was made are extremely rare. Even in the few eases where money was restored, Confederate scrip, nearly worthless, was substituted dollar for dollar for the money of which the soldier had been robbed. It will be found that this practice met Avith the severe condenniation of the iiispecting officers of the reocl prisons, yet their recommendations for a change in its practice seem to have been entirely disregarded. It seems that after the second year of the war, even this formality was almost entirely abandoned, and prisoners were not only robbed of money, sur- plus clothing and valuables, but were often deprived of coats, shoes and hats, and, in many cases, were stripped of everything but shirt and drawers, until at last the rebel captor came to regard his union victim as one who had no right that he was bound to respect. The testimony will be found replete with instances of the actual truth of this assertion, showing a spirit of fiendish cruelty shorn of all just regard for the rights of the living, as it was destitute of all respect for the person of the dead. This search and robbery of the prisoners was some- times accomi^anied by the most cruel violence. In the early part of the war the demand for the surrender of valuable arti- cles was freely complied with, but after learning, from the testi- mony of others, the failure of the authorities to make restora- tion of the property Avhich had been given up, and knowing the importance of having money and clothing during captivity, eil'orts were naturally made by our men to conceal their valu- ables before or after capture. The detection of their attempts to do this was constantly followed by punishment of a cruel, and sometimes revolting, character. Some of the most aggra- vating cases of beating and other personal violence, were in- flicted solely on account of this detection. The officers at Rich- mond, as shown by the testimony, became specially expert by much practice in searching and robbing prisoners and detect- ing concealment. During the year of 1864, a system of search- ing \vas in vogue in all the i)risons, so that our officers and men were compelled to run the gauntlet and submit to the indignity of a new search at every transfer from one prison to another. The pictures of v/ives and dear ones at home were taken with vulgar epithets. These outrages, so clearly in direct vio- lation of tlip hiws of war. and in turpitude and crime so nearly
EXTI{.\( TS FKO.M CoNiiKKSSlOXAL KkI'OKT 12 5
akin 1(1 tln' rohltcry of tlir dead, iicccssiii ily iiicica.Mxl llie lu'li)- Icss cniiditioii <il' uiir sfildicrs. dcpi-iNiiij; them ul" the iiicans of |n-u(iiriii«; tlic jiL'cc.ssaric.s and iMinirorts wliit-li niij^lit otlicrwisf have bt'C'U ohtainablc, thus rt'iult'riut? them a more easy j)rey to ili>ease and death. Short i-atioiis and scareity oT water, owing 1m Iht'ir hfinj; i-nhh.-d of their canteens, and transportfition fit only i'or beasts (h'stined for th»' shamble^, wei'e the eonnimn in- eidenls of llie wiiinii |)ris()ner's early captivity. These taets disclose llie c<M»l and iiialiciniis diMc«,'ard of the eonditiun and comfort of llie prisoiu-rs taivcn in battle, and an evident inleii- lion on the ])arl of th" ( "onfedei-ale anthorily to lose no time in llic alteiiipl 1(1 break llicin dcwn in l»(>(ly and spirit; and tlnis i-ender IIk in unlit \\>v liiture service to their country, Men wounded in the arms or botly were forced to make lonj; marches, jjuarded by cavalry, and. when unable to keep pace with the eoluiiin any longer, were beaten and cut with the saber of their guards until they fell by the roadside dead, where they were often left iinbiiried. Prisoners transj)orted b}' railroad tliroii<;li the south Were almost invariably packed into close box cars, from eighty to one hundred of sick, wounded and well in one car. The cars thus used were often those from which caltle had been just taken. They were never cleansed, and the excrement of the ))east was the bed of the prisoner. Too few guards were provided on such occasions, and so the cars were kept closely shut, sometimes for several days in succession, the men not being allowed to leave them for any purpose.
This deliberate and systematic robbery of defenseless men was puisued at Richmond within sight and hearing of the higher rebel ol'licials. and not far from the residence of .fell' Davis. SouirIs of revelry and carousal at that seat of treason heard by Iho.M' robbc'l. wronged and outraged prisoners as they lay m the bare Moor Aviierc they W(M-e confined, after being deprived of the I;ares1 iiecessilies by their iuliunian captors, made life i-eem unbearable. In a(lditi(ni to liiese general remarks upon tlu' features and efTecfs of the .\iiiiersonville capti\ity, tl'.e com- mittee thought i^roper to avail tiieiiiselves of the interesting publications of eye witne ses who were confine 1 within its wails, giving credit in all cases 1o llic authors of tlie-e vivid yet truth- ful pictures oi' pi'isiiii life.
124 liEPORT OF Anderson viLLE Monument Commission
Among the uiiuiei'ous volumes wliieli have been piil)lislied by the survivors of Andersonville, there is one abounding in a specially interesting description of the conduct of its inmates. It was v/ritten by one who was for more than a year a prisoner of war in the hands of the rebel officials. He entered Ander- sonville in April, 1864, and remained until his escape in the following September. He was afterward re-captured and il- nally exchanged. This soldier had, therefore, abundant oppor- tunity for close and particular observation. His varied ex- perience in the prisons of the South, the candor and intelli- gence with which he treats the multiform subjects forming the themes of his narrative, together with the strong and unques- tionable corroboration of his truthfulness furnished by the state- ments of the witnesses examined by the committee, which con- firm him in every particular, enable us to commend the liberal extracts from his published works which we feel at liberty to introduce here.
This gentleman, Mr. H. M. Davidson, of the First Ohio Artil- lery, has published a w^ork entitled, ''Four Months in Southern Prisons.'' This is a book of great interest, not only as a per- sonal narrative but as a source of exact information upon the subject of rebel imprisonment. We call attention to the fol- lowing extracts from this work:
entrance into andersonville.
"We had been told that we were to be furnished with com- fortable houses both numerous and roomy in Avhich there would be no more crowding together as at Richmond and Dan- ville, and that as much liberty would be allowed us as was compatible with security against our escape. We therefore strained our eyes to catch a glimpse of these comfortable houses ; but, not seeing them, concluded they must be so low as not to be visible outside of the enclosure, and that the fence was the limit of the yard in which we were to take the exer- cise provided us. Beyond the prison, and stretching out on all sides of us, was a vast forest of pine, whose heavy, dark foliage, hanging from the tall and limbless trunks, seemed like a funeral canopy spread over the gloomy sun. A little to our right was a small, sluggish stream bending slightly to
Ik
SOTTII EXI) AM) SlXK
'^^^^-=*^,A^^_
^fV-^*^
IT'l M
Jjj^
«,.-«4lf!|f'"
Near NoTni Gatf. — A\vaitix(; Entraxck ok Mokk Pkisoxkrs
Extracts kukm C'dnckkssion \i. T\i:i'<>rt 1:?7
tlir Jiurtli (111(1 trniiiiinf iii^' in <i mai-sliy hi'lt just ;is it i-i-ai-licil the pi-ison walls. This we ih-csuiikmI was to supply us wilh \\at<T. Near tin- wails of tlif jirisoii. on tin: iKtrtli side ul' tlic strraiii. stood a liuildiii^r in tlu' course of const lucl ion. the skele- ton ol" the roof l»ein<r all that was visihle. The whole pi-eseiited a dismal appearance id" desolation which can he felt itn\y hy those who witnessed it.
"The prcdindnai'ies hein^' finally arran^red to the sat isracti'.n of the coniniaiidant. tin- c(duniii nioNcd forward on the main 7-oad until it reacdied the vicinity of tin* stream, where it sejia- rated into two nearly ecpial parts, the advance continuing di- rectly foi-wai'd to the main entrance of the yard, while the rear turned to the rij,dit and crossed the stream eiiterin": by the south j,'ate. The deta(dnnent to which 1 l)olongpd was in the van, and when we reached the gate we halted. The guards, with loaded muskets and fixed ])ayonets, were drawn np in line of ])attle. The massave double doors swung open, discdos ing a hoi'rihle and heart I'ending spectacde. Tlu^ ])i"isoners bad gathei'cd in a disoi-derly ci'owd upon cither side of the street opposite the enti'ance to receive us and to I'ecognize any ac- rpiaintances oi- fi-ieiids tbat might ])e in oui- eoni])any. Their faces, bands and hai'e feet wei'c black with smoke from the pine fires; their elotbes bung in tattered strips from their limbs and bodies; tbeir bair was long and, matted witb tar and dirt, fell in ropes over tbeir eye-', wbieb glared fearfully ujion us as we mai'cbed between those li\iiig lines. Tt was like entering the borders of bell, where gathei-ed demons had crowded to the passage to give us welcome to theii* inf(M')ial abodes. These men. who had been hei'oes u|)on many a well conteste 1 field, were now shoi-n of their strength and stood ludjdess besidi' us, tbeir bbndv skins drawn tight upon theii* flesbless frames, their bony arms ti'embling with wea]<ness. Some were without hats, some without eoats or shirts; others bad no trousers, and nearly all were destitute of any covering for tbeir feet. They more resembled fiends than human beings, to such a feai-ful pass had the brutality of their jailors bi-ought them. Fi'om this moment hope forsook us. \Ve felt that this was indeed the last of eartb : that we had been brought hei'e into drr^ary forests and swamps, far from home and heyond the I'eadi of friend^, to dii\ True foreboding, alas, to how manv (d us!
128 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
APPEARANCE INSIDE.
"Scattered ahout in parts of the arena were the houses of the prisoners. They consisted of pieces of shelter tents or remnants of blankets stretched on houghs of pine trees, hut few of the prisoners possessed even these accommodations. The ma- jority were either with no covering at all or had dug holes in the ground into which they crawled for shelter. In looking over this field, there could be seen nothing of interest to attract the eye or engage the attention of the beholder. Turn in which way M'e would, the same dismal scene of wretchedness confronted us, the same squalid forms crawled past; the same sullen look of despair was on every face. Around us were the high, grey walls upon whose tops stood the relentless sentry, ready and eager to destroy us at the first motion beyond the limit fixed. The gloomy pines, upon whose dark tops the blue smoke of our pit had settled in ominous clouds, stretched far off on every hand. It was only when we looked upward to the sky that we saw faint rays of light in the mild blue eye of Heaven beam- ing pityingly down upon us. There, from the presence of the God above us, we gathered new strength, new inspiration, well knowing that only by keeping our heads strong and our cour- age true, could we survive the terrible scenes we knew must shortly follow.
"In the northeast and southeast corners of the stockade there were spaces about eight rods in length by four in width, in which white canvas was stretched in the form of wedges with the sharp edges uppermost. The tops of these contrivances were about five feet high while the bottoms were fastened to wooden pins some six inches from the ground. The floor was the bare earth uncarpeted by grass or straw. This constituted the hospital of Camp Sumter, and it was excellently designed for the purpose of baking the unfortunate victims of disease who might chance to crawl into them. Destructive as these ovens were, they were crowded with sick men who lay moaning on their naked beds, sweltering in the ^iowing heat of the southern sun, which, even at this time of year, was pouring down torrents of fire. The only ground unoccupied in the enclosure north of the swamp was a ijar^'ow strip fifty feet wide reaching quite
KXTftACTS FROM C'ONGRESSIONAI. ReI'ORT 129
across the east side of the pen from north to south. Into this \vc were ushei-ed in due form and turned loose to shift for our- selves. In this confined s[)ace ^ve were permitted to select our position, and the right to it, wlien seh^cted, was based upon tlie principle of squatter sovereignty. If the fortunate occupaat of the soil, however, was too weak to maintain his riglit, he was apt to be ousted by his stronger ueighl^ur. (u-nt-rally, as we afterward learned, each detachment had a portion of soil as- signed l)y the authorities, where it was required to gather for tlie purpose of roll call, sick call, and the issuing of rations; l)ut tlie men were not obliged to remain there at any other time or for any other purpose.
"Morning broke at last and, rising fi-om the couch on which we had in vain sought repose, we rolled our blankets together, wet with the chilling shower of dew which had fallen copiously during the night. Collecting our cooking utensils in a bundle, we left them with a friend while we set out in search of water. Taking the direction of a belt of fog, which had settled down about half way between our situation and the south side of tb.e stockade, we found, on reaching it, a black, boggy swamp, which appeared to be about eighty yards in width. Through this swamp a muddy stream of water wound its sluggish way along till it passed between the timbers of the stockade slightly scored off for the purpose on the east side.
"The swamp was full of bogs in which stagnant water was oozing, forming little pools which were covered with a thick, dark scum, and this, when disturbed, gave out a sickening stench. On the east side, the ])rison sink was located. But be- cause of the weakness of the sick men, several rods of the lower part of the stream Avas used for that purpose. The water was warm and disagreeable. It had a dirty, boggy taste and was, even when in its purest state, of a dark, reddish-brown color. The water in the west end, near tlie dead line, was used for drinking pur])oses, and below this for bathing. These arrange- ments, however, had been made by mutual consent of the pris- oners, the authorities having nothing to do with it. Had all the ari-angements of our imprisonment been as good as this, we would not have mui-niured.
130 Report of Andkksonville INFonument Co^r mission"
DISTRIBUTION OF RATIONS.
"Sometime in tl:e afteinoou the lation wagon drove into tlie stockade laden with rations of cornmeal, bacon, and salt, which were thrown down into a heap in an open space about midway in the enclosure. It was a horrible sight to witness the haggard crowd gather about this precious pile while the commissary- superintended its division among the .'■quad sergeants. Mean- while, we were gazing with wolfish eyes upon the little lieaj^ as it diminished, or followed our commissary sergeant back to his quarters as famished swine follow clamorously the footsteps of their master as he carries their food to the accustomed trough. Our rations were distributed by the division sergeant to the mess sergeant, and then divided amoing the men. To avoid quar- reling, the last distribution was made by parceling it out in small piles, as many as there were prisoners in the mess. One man in the mess was placed a sliort distance off with his back turned. The sergeant would then point to a pile and ask who should have this pile, and who that, and the man Avould an- nounce the name or number of the man, to whom each pile should go.
"At the time of our capture it was the usual thing to be ro])bed of our tin cups, tin plates, knives and forks, so we were compelled to shift different ways, using chips, half canteens and borrowed cups; and to use wooden spoons and utensils made out of scraps of sheet iron.
"But with all our care and labor, the rations were at last de- voured in a half cooked state, which aided in the increase of the frightful misery which subsequently occurred. A few tops of the pine trees which had been left within the stockade by the confederate authorities Avhen the interior was cleared, to- gether with the greater part of the stumps, had been used hy the first detachment : and an adequate supply of Avood was never afterward provided, although just outside the prison walls millions of cords apparently worthless in that country were growing, and Ave Avould gladly haA^e gathered it and brought it in our shoulders — had Ave been alloAA'ed to do so. Such permission Avas not granted, except for a fcAv times Avhen a squad from each division Avas sent under guard to forage for
'/
-/)>,x
..-.^^^:|'#ii/H Iff;//
Extracts fkom Congressional Report 133
dead liiiilis and sticks. 'JMiis jn-acticc was l)r<)iiy:lil to an end by one of tin- details scizinj^ tlii-ir <?iiard and marching norlli- uard with liini.
"Since tlic clos(; ol" tin; war, in order to prepare the ^r<»niid for crops, thousands of acn-s <>f that tiinhi-i- has been girdled and burned,
TIIK TKNNESSEANS.
••jii llic cjii'lv p.iil nf .Ma\-, sniiic liv(^ lniiidn'd I'nidii Ten- nessee soldiei's, wiio had Ix'cii capliii'cd l)y l-'orrcst and wintered at Sclnia and Cahawlia, Alaliania, arrived among us, the most of whoju were without hats, hoots, shoes, coats, trouseis f>r hlaa- kets. On leaving those places the authorities had told them they were going to be exchanged, a siirewd piece of strategy with which the rebel officers dupi'd the unsuspecting prisoners upon all occasions of removal to avoid increasing the number of guai'ds to a<-coiiipaiiy tlieiii. They wei'e wholly destitute of cups, j)lates, spoons and dishes of every kind, as well as means of pur-chasing them, having been !-tiMi)ped of these things t)y their captors. In their destitute condition ihey wei'e turned into the stockade; and left to shift for themsidves as best Ihey couhl. 'J'o boi-row cups of their lellow prisoner.} was out of the ([uestion, for none could be expected to lend. If they were not returned, the lendei- wduld be destitute. No one wanted to trust entire strangei's in such a ]>lace. There was no way left for those 'i'ennesseeans but to bake their raw meal and ])acon upon stones and chip.'--, eat it without moisture and afterwards go to the brook like beasts to (|Uench their thii'st. To keep themselves from the cold dui'ing the nights, th<>y scooped out shallow places in the eai'tli with tiieii- liands and tliere lay dowii side by side, with tlii-ir liai-c heads and bare feet I'e-ting on the surface of t'le eiuiind. leaving their unprotected bodies to i)e- come wel with dew and slorni. The wretched men trembh.'d and shivered till inni'iiiiig. Tliei-e was no hope of be'tenng themselves, for, having no money, they could buy nothing, and nothing -\vould be given them ])y the authorities. Nor were they allowed e\-en to earn woiii out apparel. They were utterly help- less to benefit themselves; yet these men Avei-e kept here many juonths. and manv of them lived throuirli it all.
1.'34 IIeport of Andkrsonville Monument Commission
"In the morning after being admitted, they made a tour of inspection, when the sun had appeared in the horizon, shedding its warm rays over the prison. These half naked, squalid wretches, black with dirt and smoke, feebly dragged their emaciated fonns from the holes into which they had crawled the preceding night, and began their preparations for the com- ing day by passing (juietly across the swamp. We hastened up the rising ground on the north side of the stockade, where a full view of the scene might be had at a glance.
"Taking our station at the summit, we watched the tattered forms as they crept slowly by, making their way to the creek for water. They approached the little stream, some carrying tin cups or pails made of empty fruit cans into which they had inserted strings or wires to serve the purpose of handles. Others bore small buckets or wooden pails, which they had fashioned with their pocket knives from pine sticks, or oc- casionally one of larger dimensions formed of staves and hoops; while others had boot legs sewed tightly together; and many, ver}^ many, had nothing. They gathered into a sort of file Avhen they reached the swamp and passed upon the planks to the creek, each stooping down in turn to dip his little cup into the water, then turned back to seek his quarters. Five thous- and men, at this hour in the morning, daily visited this spot to get water for breakfast, while the partner of each remained behind to watch their common effects.
"But behind this procession to the water came still a sadder one, those who could not walk. They crept on their hands and knees or crawled upon their breasts, pulling their bodies along by burying their elbows in the sand. These miserable beings, the victims of starvation and consequent diseases, would writhe and twist themselves to the stream. But they did not all get back, for, overcome with the fatigue of their laborious effo»'(;, some would creep to one side of the path and die.
"Presently little fires spring up on every hand, sending out wreaths of smoke which rise a short distance above the pen and hover there in a dark cloud, through wliicli the sun looks red. Let us approach these fires and examine the culinary de- partment of the prison. The prisoners are gathered around bits of blazing pine which they have placed in a hole to econo- m\'/.e bent. Tliev mix tlioir little menl with water and a few
AXDERSONVILLE HOMES
Iv\ii:a(Ts kkom ('(»N(;i{i;ssi(tN ai, Kki-out 1'jT
•^'liiiiis Ml sjilt. This iiiixliiiv' llicy put npuii ;i cliii). \isin^ llic iiliiii'sl ciWi' flial iiu pnrliclc (if the iin';il he lost, iiMil then place tlif (ii(ll;,^li nil ;ilinllic|- j^Tt-rii piiir chip ;iinl liohl il hcrurc the siiKtkiiij; lire. It is itiiiiiliil to look iii)oii thciii dm-iiij; this opera- tion, to SIM- the i^'iccd ill tlH'ir hollow eyes while they watell the eniiiihs that occasionally (li'o|t I'rom the narrow ehii) as the eonipoiiiul. pai'tially dried, is shaken liy their 1 icniltlintr hands; and to note how anxiously they seek snch liny nioi-sels amonj; the dirt and aslie^, and earerully I'eplaee them wl en I'oun I. The haeon is toasted hel'ore the lii'c upon a sti(d\, and when cooked has an oily, smoky ta<te.
"Now, let ns pause hel'ore this sti'ip of Mack hlanket that is sti'ctched over a couple ol' pole-;. Stooping'' low down we dis- cover a soldiei- sti-etched <iut at full length npon the hare <;roiind. He is literally aloin- in the world, and we learn, upon question- ing' him. that his eoini-ade hut a day or two a<io died hy his side and was eai'ried out. He is too I'eehle to rise, and tells us that he, too, exi)eets to he taken away soon. His lace is he- <;rimed v.-ith dirt, hair matted, skin drawn tightly o\-er tlf skeleton t'raiiie. We leai'u that he passed the lon<;, weary winter at Helle Island, whei-e the severe cold and \iU'k of I'ood sowed the seeds of disease in his system, and whose speedy end will he an ohseene dealli and an unknown ^I'ax'e.
■"A few steps to the i-i,uht we lind a hideous ohjeet lyinj; i'l a hole which his hands ha\c scooped out in the sand. The tat- tered ra<rs that ])artially co\-er him cannot conceal the hones that irlcani ihroiiuh his -;kin: his eyes stare fearfully in Iiis head; his hands clench tightly together; his limlis are drawn up in horrihle contortions l\v cramjis. The oidy motion of which his hody is capahle is a rolling' I'rom side to side with his hack as a pi\f)t. The A-crniin crawl in vast armies over his urelched iM'rson. He takes no notii-e d' pas<iiii;- ohjects Uldc>,s he is pari ii-ii'a rjy addre-;-cd, fi r he is i^raduallv |)assinLr out of this v.oi'ld. ria( uiji an ear t.i his lips we uatiier from lu.s faint whispers Iha! hul a short lime hefore he had left some New Kn^dand colle<|c Hushed with hope and coura<,'e to hattle for liherty and ri{;ht. A fund mothi-r pressed hci- lip-! to his hi-ow as with tearful eyes she hade him faiewell; a kind sister in cheering' woi'ds ui;;ed him on to duty; a l)i"othei''s liand wrapped the jrarh of his country's defenders ahout his foi'ni ;
138 Report op Andersonville ]\[onument Commission
and in the field he performed deeds of valor. He was cap- tured, and now even while we linger beside him a faint tremor passes through his frame and all is over. He, too, will be borne away to a nameless grave, and his loved ones will seek in vain to distinguish him from the thousands that sleep beside him.
"Just in front of us we see a throng gathered about an ob- ject which in other places than this would draw tears of sym- pathy from the hardest heart, yet scenes of horror are so fre- quent here that it excites but passing interest. It is a young soldier born and raised in a fertile twonship in Ohio. His early life had been passed among the pleasant A'ales of that noble state ; every kindness that parental love could bestow had been lavished upon him, and he had ranked high among the promising and intelligent youth of his country, — a man of talent, of literary attainments and noble instincts. But rea- son is now dethroned, and, in his frenzy, he tears the tattered rags from his emaciated form, gnashing his teeth and foaming with rage. But the paroxysm is momentary. His strength is exhausted, — he falls to the ground helpless as in infancy, and is l)orne away by his comrades.
"There is one form of disease Avliich seems to predominate, and which is almost too horrible to witness; yet we cannot understand the wretchedness of the prison without looking upon it. This is not a solitary case, for we find other similar ones before we leave this living charnal house. We instinct- ively pause as we reach the awful sight before us, holding our breath lest w^e inhale the terrible stench that arises from it.
"Here is a living being who has become so exhausted from exj^osure that he is unable to rise from the ground, suffering with diarrhea in its last and worst form. The A^ermin crawi and riot upon his flesh. The worms are feeding beneath his skin, burying themselves where his limbs, swollen w^ith scurvy, have burst open in running sores ; they have found their way into his intestines and form a living, writhing mass within him. His case has been represented to the surgeons, but they havo pronounced him incurable and he is left here in his misery, in which he will linger for a few more days. Proper care and treatment would have saved him long ago but not now, and his comrades abandon him to death.
"While we are witnessing this sickening spectacle, the drum beats at the south gate and the prisoners, dropping their half-
Ii.\li;\« IV IK'MM ( oM,KI.>>luNAI, IxKPORT 14^^
cooked fond, luislcii to fonii thoniselves into ranks proparatory to bciii^' coiiiitcd. licinj; arranjrod in irrofjidar linos, tlio strong; men stjmdin<r, the weak siltiiij; oi* lyin^^ upon tlio {rroiind, tho sergeant passes carffidly arouii<l 1o set; if all tlic ranks an* full, and ho scarclics anion^' tlif lints for those who are unable to crawl to the lines. liaisin«^ our eyes, we observe that each sentry l)ox contains two additional men and that they jjrasj) their muskets with a firm hand. Th(> prisoners observe it also, and they know well tliat some of their comrades were missed at the last i-oij call and tliat tlie sentries are there to fire on any division that bi-eaks ranks before the camp has been thorouf;hly searched. The otfcer comes forward hastily, passes from the head to the rear of the coliiinn, counting the standing men.
"The sergeant leads him to the sick that still remain in their hovels unable to creep out, then to the dead, and the comple- nu'iit is filled. Tie sets the division down as full and passes on, the men still remaining- in line. Let us also pass on with the officer till he comes to flu> division to which the missing man belonged. Tt is draAvn up in line like the others. The sergeant i-eports his number present; the officer examines his book and finds that one is gone. The sergeant shakes his head when asked Avhat has become of him. The men in tlie ranks are iiiterrogated but no rejdy is ()l)tained. A sick man lying on the ground points to a hole near by. The officer goes in that dii-ection, stoops down, and looks beneath the thin shell of earth, and there the missing one lies dead, unknown to his com- rades, to all but to Ciod who saw bis dying struggle and who will bring him in the last day, a living Avitness against the fiends who doomed him to such a fate.
"The lost man found, the extra sentinels are relieved. The men break ranks and resume their occupation. But the ser- g(vint has work yet to do, for the sick of his division are to l-e gathered U|). the helpless on blankets, those able to walk in s<(uads. and all must report to the south gate to receive their miMlicine. AVe ])ass over to this gate and bestow a casual glance iipiiii the \vr(>tched ones gathered there. They come from all ])ai'ts of the stockade and are crowded in the small s|)ace of half an acre. TTei'c they must remain for many long hours ill the broiling sun. without sheltei- or lu-oteetion, wait- ing until tlieii" Inni may come to be served. Yet fourteen sur-
144 Report op Andersonville ]\Ionument Commission
geoiis are busy working in yonder enclosure and each has his assistant who can prescribe for most of the cases."
THE HOSPITAL STATEMENT BY LEROY CLzVRK.
The hospital was established outside of the stockade, and the water was procured from the creek above, so it was not adulterated by the filth from the camp or stockade. The ground occupied was about two acres of land. It was enclosed by a high board fence about six feet in height. It was laid out in streets or wards. At first the only covering was several pieces of canvas stretched over poles which formed simply a pro- tection against the sun and rain, but afterward wedge tents were provided and, in a few cases, bunks were placed in them upon which the sick men could be laid. Further than this there was nothing between the patient and the earth, except such rags of clothing as he might chance to possess.
When the hospital w^as first established outside, only two sur- geons were in attendance at the sick call, but before the sum- mer was past twelve additional ones and a clerk for each were required, so rapidly had disease increased among us. It w^as the duty of the sergeant of the division within the stockade to report with the sick at the south gate every morning at eight o'clock, or immediately after roll call. The sick call was beat near the south gate. There twelve clerk stands or booths had been fitted up with awnings and boards for w^'iting upon and depositing medicine. The principal disease^ treated were scurvy, pneumonia, dysentery, diarrhoea, ulcers caused from vaccination, fevers, gangrene and erysipelas. The number of admissions was limited to the number of vacancies, and these were caused, not by the recovery and discharge of patients,— not by the enlargement of the hospital, but by the deaths which silently and swiftly made way for fresh victims. Every man knew full well when he received his ticket admitting him to that house of living death that the grim messenger had remo'/ed a comrade whose place he was to occupy, — waiting and watching patiently until his turn should come and another brought in as he was carried out.
The prisoners who were not recently vaccinated were com- pelled, under severe penalty, to undergo this operation, the
JVXTWACTS I'lUJM L'uNUKE.S.SlUN AL KkI'UKT IIJ
sur«,'('(>jis liaviii^ been roquosted, it was said, l)y the V nited Stute.i govcniiiiL-iit to ilo this as a pi-DVcutivc of smallpox. It seemed strange to us that here, whero instances of that (licasc were so extremely rare, such an order shoidd he ^iven, yet ti»e sequel showed sueli a devilish eunuiiif^ of tlu; autiiorities at Aiidrr.-oiivillf. Tlie virus u>ed was imjjui'c, and if the inocula* tiou with the poison did not fail (as it did in many instances), tile Wound woidd not heal under the intlucncc of the heat, stai- vation, and imi)ure air, and invariahly tci'iiiinated in horrihlr InoUinj,^ ulcers. It iinist he i-cnicmlicied that diseases here wee out of ordinary, — not such as may be seen at any hosj)ital in the vicinity of a populous city; nor were they the le ults of voluntary excesses on the part of the patient. They were such as were forced upon strong, able-liodied men with rol)ust healtti, made more robust by the long military service in the field, and foriiticd I y the hardships of a life against disea e in every form; upiin 111(11 ill whose blood no disease had ever lui-ked. It must also he remcniliered that these diseases did not come suddenly upon us, but were the re ults of a slow process that crept (piietly and surely upon us. Iie^iiiiiiii},' with insi<;iiilieaiit signs and ending in death, or what was worse, — in ixMiiiancnt and in- curable disease that must follow the victim as long as life lasts — an unremitting source of pain and misery.
(>ur Mirgenns there acted under orders of General Winder and Captain Wirz, and so could do but little beyond secretly ex- pjosiug their abhorrence of the barbarity with which we were tnati'd. and their wish to alleviate our MifTerings. I gladly record the little acts of kindness i)erforined by them, for they were verdant spots in that va t Sahara of misery. Drs. Wat- kins, Kowzie, 'riioriibur, K'eeves. Williams, .lames, 'riioiiipson, I'ilatt and Saiidci-s deserve and will receive the lasting gratitu-^c of the prisoners who received medical treatment at their hands during that memorable summer at Andersonville. These, \villi five others, whose names need not be mentioned, were connected with the sick call and are to be distinguished from the hospital surgeons, the laller being exclusively engaged within the hospi- tal enclosure.
Among the surgeons who attended in the hospital was a Doctor Uurrows who belonged to a Massachusetts regiment. Ilr had been captured and sent here early in the season and
150 Kepokt op Andersonville IMonument Commission
was paroled to act in the capacity of a surgeon. He was a kind-liearted and skillful pliysicu;u and devoted his time to the sick under his care with tireless industry and patience, yet he could do little to relieve their sufferings owing to the condi- tions under which they were placed. He attempted to procure men from the stockade to go with him under guards to cut timber in the adjacent woods with which to build cabins for the hospitals, pledging himself for their return, yet Captain Wirz denied him this request and the cabins were never built. (.'Ould he have succeeded in his attempt to erect these huts, he ^'.ould have vastly reduced the suffering and wretchedness of the inmates of the hospital. His well-meant endeavors were freely appreciated by the suft'erers, and the survivors will hold him in lasting gratitude.
Among the prisoners at the hospital was a crazy man named Jones. This man had become insane through long exposure to the sun, aided by famine, and was at times a source of great annoyance to the sick. His insanity took an immoral form and he was constantly stealing articles of food and clothing. One of his tricks was to pilfer the wood which the surgeons' clerks had gathered for cooking, and to make a bonfire of it, warming himself with the greatest enjoyment even when the day was excessively hot. He had also a great proclivity for washing himself and his clothes, performing the operation at all hours of the day or night. So great A^■as his penchant for washing that he frequenlty picked up old w^orn out coats and pieces of trousers, and, carrying them to the little creek, cleaned them with as much perseverance and gusto as a professional laun- dress. He considered his comrades as an inferior class of beings whose habits and tastes led them to remain in their iilth. He often took off his coat and washed it, putting it on vrhile still dripping, and strutting around among the prisoners with his head erect like a Broadway dandy. He would some- times beat the weaker prisoners unmercifully, for which offense the chief of police tied his hands behind him, Jones, meanwhile, grating his teeth and cursing fearfully. His pranks were gen- erally of a harmless character, and the volubility with which he talked of his importance as a member of society and the fearful retribution in store for the rebels through his means, served to amuse the sick and to divert their thoughts from a
K\lKA('i> KKiiM CtliNtiKKSSIONAI, IxKI't iH'l' J ."i I
contemplation of tln-ir itwn misery. And in this way the poor iVUow nnwittiii'^'ly ditl much <rou(|. Ilr died in the cai-ly part ul" August.
RECKI.ESSNKSS OF Till-: GIARDS.
The ^'uartl [)()st('(l about the hospitals, oitln^r acting under orders or lor some other motive, were very reckless in the per- t'oi-manee of tiieir duties. They frecpiently discharged muskets iiiti) the hospital ^Touiid and performed otiier acts of violence \\ holly uncalled for. Ona night a sick man, feeling chilly upon his cold, earthy bed, arose and crawled to a tire which was buiMi- ing in the enclosure. A sentinel seeing him sitting before it, drew bis gun up and (.lischargcd it. The ball i)assed through <•'. crevict! between the boards of the fence and hit the man, breaking his arm and splintering the bone of his leg. Dr. Bur- rows imnu'diately came out of his quarters and dressed th^: wounds but the unfortunate victim never recovered. There Avas not the slightest occasion for this murder. The invalid was on the gi'ound assigned to all the inmates of the hospital. He was without thought of doing wrong, quietly sitting by the tire, which it was customary to light every evening. The sentinel could see him only by looking through the boards of the fence, which was six feet high. He gave no word of warning, but, after the victim had seated himself, fired upon him in cold Mood, as if he had been a vicious dog. It was murder as much as if the nuin had been sleeping peacefully in his bed, yet the assassin was never called to account for it. Although Captain Wirz knew the full j);ri-iicul;;rs of the atTair, and by virtue of his office could and should have punished him severely as an example to others, he paid no attention to it.
Karly every morning the dead of the preceding day and night were gathered up, under the direction of the sergeants (A" divisions, and deposited in irregular lines on the road lead- ing from the south gate and near the dead line. When the gate was opened, at eight o'clock, the dead were taken up and, one by one, placed upon a hand stretcher and carried out to the dead house, which consisted of posts driven in the ground, boarded u|» about six i'eet and ^itli an opening on the west side for admittance. This emdosui-e was covered Avith pieces of canvas. At these times there were large crowds of men
152 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission
gathered around the dead, all eagerly and clamorously as- serting their right to carry the bodies out. Those admitted to this ghastly privilege were allowed, on their return, to collect a few sticks of wood which lay upon the ground between tlie stockade and the hospital. The wood was almost priceless to them, for a small handful, such as they could pick up easily, sold for five dollars ; and with this money they could readily purhcase fifteen Andersonville rations, paying the exorbitant prices demanded for food. Sometimes the poor men, in their anxiety to get outside the stockade in this manner, quarreled and fought to claim priority of right in the performance of this melancholy office. In the latter part of August, or early in September, the number of dead increased so rapidly that it was found impracticable to take the bodies from the stock- ade to the dead line, and they were placed in rows under an awning of pine boughs just outside of the defenses and near the road to the cemetery. Here they remained in the hot sun, or in the storms, until their turn came for burial. Pinned upon the breast of every one was a slip of paper upon which was written the number of the deceased. But the number of the dead was not always found. During the month of August, 2,990 bodies were deposited in the dead house previous to burial, an average of more than ninety-six per day, exceeding by one thousand the largest brigade in the Battle of Stone River, and being nearly seven-eighths as many men as the entire division of Brigadier General Van Cleve in that famous en- gagement. But during the latter part of the month, the mor- tality was much greater than at the first, the number of dead being 100, 110, 120, 125, and even 140 per day.
In the early morning the dead cart came for the bodies. This was an army wagon without covering, drawn by four mules and driven by slaves. The bodies were tossed into the cart without regard to regularity or decency, being thrown upon one another as sticks onto a pile. In this manner, with tlieir arms and legs hanging over the sides and their heads jostling and beating against each other, the sable driver whistling a merry strain, hurrying rapidly over the roots and stumps along the way, our federal prisoners were carted to their burial. The dead were buried by a squad of prisoners paroled for that purpose. A trench running due north and south was dug, six feet wide and long enough to contain the
Digging Trenches I'ok Buiual of Pelsoneks
KXTKACTS FKO.M ('( »N»iKKSS|f ».\AL HkI'DKT loo
liodifs tor the day. Jii this thu l)odif>, w.-r,- placed side by side, Iheir heads to tht; east, and the earth was then thrown in upon them.
A litth; mound a foot in heit,dit was raised over each body, a stake l>randed witli numl)er on, the label i)laeed to the head of each, and witliout a prayer said over tlie dead, without a tear from the stranger that performed the last rites, the cere- mony was ended. The uundjcr on the stake referred to the register kept in the office of the chief surgeon by a Serjreant At water, a i>aroled prisoner.* In this register a record was made of the number, rank, company, regiment (when these were known), date of death and name of deceased. This register was kept with great care and is still in existence. But some of those who died in the stockade, unknown to any one, have their graves marked unknown.
Testimony of Dorence Atwater, a witness examined bj-^ the committee, and who had had great opportunities of observation, having been detailed as an assistant in the hospital, and whose testimony is particularly valuable, for the reason that he ob- tained a list of the Union dead who i>erishcd at AndersonviUe.
''I went to AndersonviUe about the twenty-third of February, 1864. On the banks of the stream on the eastern side of the stockade was the sink of the prisoners. I have seen dense (douds of vaporous stench arising from this horrible pool of stagnation floating low upon the moist, rarified atmosphere, and in its poisonous current a person would almost suffocate at the distance of a mile. In this state of things, it is no wondcu* that from an ordinary cut of a knife, the scratch of a pin, a common bruise, or any cause, hoAvever trifling, which broke the skin, gangrene ensued, and the unfortunate victims rotted by inches.
■'The cook-hcHise was built in May, lS(i4. and the rations then became much worse in quality, and smaller in quantity, ^fag- gots were claimed as the most delicious part of the soup, ^fen used to draw soup in their caps and shoes ; issues of food were not regulated by hours. I went into the hospital about the middle of May. I was then at the northeast corner of the stockade. Fine straw was the only bedding. Here Sergeant
♦This sergeant. .Mr. Atwater, iinUiiowii to tlic C'onfcdcM-atc auflioi- itics, kept a copy of the burial list ami i^rouglit it into our lines.— D. G. J.
156 Keport of Andersonville ^Ionument Commission
DoniielJy starved to death. Hundreds of others died in the same way. During the four weeks I was in the hospital, twenty- seven men died in the same tent with me, where there were only eight patients at a time. The ground was alive with vermin, like an anthill. In the latter i)art of IMay, the hospital was removeJ form the stockade about half a mile to the southeast. I was de- tailed on the 15th of June, 1864, by a Dr. White, and allowed the limits of a mile on parole, except in the direction of the stockade. 1 was placed in charge of the death register, to keep the record of deaths of all prisoners of war. I remained in the surgeon's office over seven months. One hundred deaths were being daily recorded on my death register. They reached seven thousand in six consecutive months. I secretely copied the list of our dead, and brought it away with me, February 25, 1864. It amoimted to twelve thousand six hundred and thirty-one names, from February, 1864, to February 2, 1865. Three thous- and deaths were registered in the month of August, 1864.
''Only twenty wagons, with two mules each, were provided for Iiauling the food, etc., and the dead wagons, with the putrid, purging corpses of men who had rotted alive from sores, wounds, erysipelas and other disease j. These were driven out % of a mile into the country, unloaded, and, w^ithout cleansing, were driven to the slaughter-house, reloaded with fresh beef, and driven back to the stockade and hospital. One-third of the entire number of prisoners died who entered the stockade. ]\Iore died iu the stockade than in the hospital. Same rations in the hospital as in the stockade, with gruel as a substitute for l)read, made from mouldy Hour in large iron kettles, without seasoning. The hos- pital was located on low ground near a swamp, and indifferently managed. Insufficient shelter; over-crowded; medicine given by numbers. Quinine and morphine, drawn on requisition for our sick, generally taken by chief surgeons for their private prac- tice among the citizens. There was at one time a hospital fund of $120,000 ; it suddenly disappeared. Post-mortem examina- tions showed tlie stomach and intestines of the dead contracted, and filled with hulls and beards of corn.
"The bodies i)ievious to burial were })laced iu the dend-house, which consisted of some upright poles covered wdth brush ; the bodies were laid upon Ihe ground, exposed to the public gaze, the action of the element^, and the ravages of dogs and rats.
Extracts from Congressional Report 157
Wlieii jcady for liuri.-il, as many as twfnty-five or tliirly bodies would 1)(' thrown |in»iniscu()iisly into an army wagon, and taken to tlie eoniontciy \vlii<-li was about tliree-f|uarters of a mile from the stockade. At tliis jioiiit a ion*,' Irencli, three feet deep, would lie in rcailiness, and from one hundred to one Ijundred and eighty bodies placed in each trciuli. The bodies were laid aside, close together; no coffins were fui-nisbed, and three-quar- ters of the dead were buried without any article of clothing whatever. No funeral service was performed, and as soon as possible the trenches were filled with clay and a ridge of dirt at 1h<' to|> of the trench denoted each grave, Avhich was rt*- cordcd and numbered on the death register."
Testimony of Lieutenant Alexander W. Persons, a Confeder- ate officer who commanded the troops, and afterward the post, at Andersonville. He entered on his duties there in February, 1864, and was relieved by Winder the following May or June. This is Avhat he said :
"T was interest ed in a proceeding to enjoin the rebel authori- ties from further continuing the prison at Andersonville. In the character of counsel, I drew a bill for an injunction to abate the nuisance. The grave-yard made it a nuisance and the military works, fortifications, etc., made it highly objection- able to the property-holders there, and the prison generally was a nuisance, from the intolerable stench, the effluvia, the malaria that it gave up, and the things of that sort. After I di-ew Die bill, I went to see the judge of the district court; I read tlie bill to him for the injunction. He simply said that ho Avould appoint a day on which he would hear the argument in cliambers. He appointed the day; I made preparation for Irial and went down, or was in the act of going, when I received an official comnuuiication from General Howell Cobb, of Geor- gia, in which he asked me if I was going to appear. I suppose I destroyed the official correspondence or put it away. I have not thought of it since. General Cobb asked me if that bill was to be charged to me, — the bill against the government, as he termed it. In reply to his communication I wrote him that I drew the bill and that it could be charged to me. He replied through his adjutant general, IMajor Harrit, that he deemed it inconsistent witli my duty as a Confederate officer to appear in a case like 1liat. of a bill against tlu- government: and ho
lilS Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
therefore ordered me to be out of the case, and I obeyed the order. General Cobb at that time commanded the department of Georgia and the reserve forces of the depart merit.
"Before the prison was located there, it Avas all covered over with woods. I am very well acquainted with the location of camps. It is customary to locate camps in shady places. It was a good idea to locate this prison in the woods ; such places are usually sought for, for shelter for horses and troops and prisoners. There was nothing that I discovered about the lo- cation of the prison that led me to suppose it was located lor any bad purpose; that idea had never entered my mind. I know of the prison's being enlarged after I went there. It was enlarged after it was created for the accommodation of ten thousand prisoners. I suppose it was enlarged to the ex- tent of ten or twelve acres; about one-third more than it was before. The original capacity of the prison was about ten thousand, but I did not think there should have been more put in after the enlargement. That is my opinion. I am a mili- tary graduate and have studied engineering. I finished my course of study, but did not take out a diploma. I never be- longed to an engineer corps.
"That camp was a nuisance to all intents and purposes. Tlie first reason was, that the dead were buried so near the surface of the ground that it gave out an intolerable stench. A swarm of green flies spread like locusts over that section of the coun- try. Then the filth of the camp, arising from different causes, necessarily concentrated there. That, with divers other causes, made it a terrible nuisance. I could not have had it other- wise if I had been in command there. If I had ordered it other- wise, I do not think the order could have been carried out, and for this reason: when that i)rison was in its infancy, in its very inception, and when the officers were instructed not to build accommodations for more than 10,000 men, there were 40,000 prisoners sent there, (captain Wirz was not to blame for that. The authorities were responsible for that ; who, I cannot say. The great blunder on the part of the government was the con- centration of so many men at one place without preparation being made to receive them. The authorities were notified of the fact, but to no advantage. I think that some of the higher officials were responsible, but who they were I cannot say. I
KXTKAC'IS KIMM ('(I\(;KKSSI(>N.\I, Kki'ort I'ln
sont notiHcalioiis tliroiif^li (iciu-ral "Winder that the prison was worked boyond ils <'aj)a<'if.v : that it was a vast, unwieldy thingr, aiul I asked liiiii to send no iiiorci i)risoners; yet they kept com- ing. After I left, there came 40,000; no man on earth could have a1)atcd the rigors of that i)rison except the man who wielded tiie j)ower over them. 1. do not know that man. Oen- er;il Wiiidei- was in adxanee oi' nie, and several others were in advance ot' him. Ai)out that tiine an order was issued fi-om the olliec of the adjutant general and inspector genei-al, put- ting (ii'iicrjil WiiidiT ill coiiiiiiaiid ot" all the prisoners east of the Mississij)i)i i-iver giving him absolute control and dominion over them. That order eanu^ from General S. Cooper, adjutant and inspector general. I saw that order; I read it (dosely. The Mili.^tance of it was about this: They were reorganizing the different prison departments. Some man was put in com- mand on the other side of the ]\Iississippi and General Winder was put in supi-eme connnand on this side."
I'pon the ()uestion of ill-treatment at Andersonville, slioot- iug, etc., the following information is contained in a letter to Jefferson Davis fi-om a confederate soldier stationed there, in .Tune, ]Sfi4:
l^'irst Kegiment Georgia Reserves,
Camp Sumter, June 23, 1864.
Respected Sir: Being but a private in the ranks at this place, consequently if I seen anything to condemn (as I do) I have no power to correct it. Yet, as a human being, and one that l(liev»'s that we should do as we would be done by, T proceed to inform you of some things that T know you are ignorant of; and in the first place T will say that T have no cause to love tlic Vaiikces, ftliey hax'ing (lri\('n myself and fam- ily from our home in New Grleans to seek our living among strangers) yet 1 tliiid\ that j>rison('i-s should have some show- ing. Inside our prison walls all around there is a space about twehc feet wide called the dead line. If a ])ris()nei" crosses that line the sentinels are ordered lo sIkkiI liiiii. Now. W(^ have many thoughtless boys here who think the killing of a "Yank" will make them great nn-n ; as a consequence, every day or two there are some ]>risoners shot. AVhen the officer of the guard goes lo the scjiti-y's stand thei-e is a dead or badly wounded man iii\ai-iab|y within their own lines. The sentry, of course,
160 Keport of Andersonville Monument Commission
says lie was across the dead line when he shot him. He is told he did exactly rig'ht, and \.i a good sentry. Last Sal)hatli there were two shot in their tents at one shot. The boy said he shot at one across the dead line. Night before last there was one shot near me, (I being on guard). The sentry said that the Yankee made one step across the line to avoid a mnd hole. He shot him through the bowels and when the officer of the guard got there he was lying inside their own lines. He, (the sentry), as usual, told him he stepped across but fell back inside. The officer told him it was exactly right. Now, my dear sir, I know you are opposed to such measures, and T make this statement to you knowing you to be a soldier, states- man, and Christian, that, if possible, yon may correct such things together with many others that exist here. And yet, if you send an agent here he will of course go among the offi- cers, tell his business, and be told that "all is well." Bnt let a good man come here as a private citizen and mix with the privates and stay one week, and if he doesn't find out things revolting to humanity, then I am deceived. I shall put my name to this, believing that you will not let the officers over me see it, otherwise I would suffer, most probably
Yours most respectfully,
James E. Anderson."
SlWlMAKV OF 'l'i:;-TIM()NV CoN' Kl.'NINCi ANUERSONVILLE IGl
CIIAI'TKK' IX.
SLMMAKV OF TKSTIMOXV ( '( )N('l-:i;MN(J ANDEHSONVILLE.
r.y till' ( 'uimiTssioiial ( '(tiiiiiiittiM'.
It will be uotie-cd tluit tlic tt'slinioiiy wt* have introduced is dci'ivcd from a vai'icly of sources, tlie pi-iucipal of wliicli are these :
1. 'i'lie sv.( rn i nd uii^\v(>i'ii testimony of pi'isenei's. in narra- tive foi'in.
2. Tlu' testimony of I'niou officers and soldiers.
3. Testimony of re])el officers and soldiers.
4. Testinn)ny of citizens residinjjf in the vicinity of Ander- sonville.
5. ^Medical testimony derived from Tnion aiul rebel Gourees. fi. Docunu'ntary evidence derived from rebel sources.
A review of this varied testimony develops a most remarkal)le eharaeteristic in the entire absence of conflict. It does not, as in most cases of extended investigation, require the process of reconciliation to render it convincing. It leads almost with- out e.\cepti<'n to the same concluHons; and among these are the following, sustained by ])roofs wliieli. in directness, strength and harmony, have never l)een excelled in human oliserxatien oi- experience. AVhat are they?
1. That the sufferings of the rnion i)risoners at Anderson- ville have never been equaled in intensity, duration and magni- tude in modern times; the crimes of Andersonville were tlie ci-imes of the enlightened age in which we live. As it had no precedent or example, so it can have no counter]>art in the future. We shall not enlarge upon the sickening and terrible details. We have spread out the testimony upon the record ; let him who can c(»nt ra(li<'t it and search histoi'y for its e(|uiva- lent.
11
162 Report op Andersonvtlle IMonttment Commission
2. That the causes which led to these sufferings were not accidental or iiievitahle in tlieir origin, hnt were deliberately planned, and were the direct results of human agency, in- genuity, malice and cruelty.
Human foresight, though it had been the offspring of medi- ocrity, could have obviated and prevented the greater part of this terrible suffering. It is clear that abundance of fuel, tim- ber, water and rations could have been supplied by the rebels themselves with few and inconsiderate exceptions, and, even had this been impossible, the want of the starving prisoners could and would have been supplied by the government of the United States and the great organized charitable associations which from time to tinu' sent supplies tlirough the rebel lines. Another remedy could liave l)een applied, — one which it was the duty of the confederate government, acting Avithin the scope of military rules, to resort to, — which was to parole the prisoners whom they could not properly care for and deliver them at our lines, or permit them to return to the North, in- stead of pursuing them Avith hounds and hunting them for re- capture like beasts of prey in the forests and swamps of the South. But tliis w^as not their purpose, nor were these the motives which dishonor the humanity of the age. The numer- ous expressions of hatred and cruelty which fell from the lips of the rebel officials, their extraordinary punishments, the deadly assaults on the sick and he]pless, and the neglect more cruel than death can have no solution except in the deep-seated malice whose fruits we have l)een considering.
3. That the responsiliility of these horrors cannot be re- stricted to the immediate agents in charge of the prisoners, but rests w^ith irresistal)le weiglit on the liigher officials of the confederate govemmcut. witli whose kuowh'dge and con- sent they were perpetrated. To sustain this proposition we need only recall the testimony which shows the wretch Winder, who was at the head of the prison government, to liave l)een the confidential agent and tool of Jefferson Davis and Judah P. Benjamin, as well as other high officials connected with the administration of the confederate government. This man was sent out by his superiors, and from time to time he reported to them personally and officially. So grave were his errors and so great his crimes that su])ordinate officials implored his dis-
SuMMAijv OK Testimony roNCEKNiNC, Andersonviije K»3
jiii.ssal (tr rniioxal iVum his pusitinii, slatiiij; sptM-ilically, as llic grounds of tin'ir i-t'<|iit'sf . liis iiudty to the prisoiu-rs, liis want of hniiianity in their trcaliiifiit . and thi-ii- niter inability to afford rj'lief whih' he i-einained in eoimiiand. To all this the eonfederatc! <r<)\'erniiient, with tin- luli knowledge of his ehar- aeter and aets, turned a deaf ear, and permitted liiin unre- strained to earry out his i)urpose of starvation and murder. Yet at tins very lime tiiey were so tender of their own siek that the surgeon general of the eonfederacy issued an oi-der to ])er- niit Surgeon Jones to ontei* upon an investigation of the att'airs at Anderson ville, to experiment upon the ])risoners there, to observe the effect of disease upon the body of men subjected to a decided change of cliinat*- and the circumstances jx'culiar to i)rison life, and all for the Ix'uelit of the medical department of the confederate aiiuies. The high officials of the confeder- acy could send first class surgeons to observe and experiment upon these poor victims in their captivity, yet found it, as they say, inconvenient or impossible to substitute competent oflfi- eers for the protection and ti-eatnieiil of the sick in hosj^ital and in prison.
Our men Avere not killed or starved by the agency of Winder and Wirz, of AVhite and Stevenson, alone; but the civilians who composed the cabinet and were the advisers of Jefferson Davis, together Avith their guilty chief, must answer before the tribunal of the ci\ili/,ed world in all time to come for their share in these great crimes.
4. That these atrocities were engendered and nursed, di- vised and inflicted, in the fell spirit of slavery, for whose per- petuity the confederacy was established.
For the truth of this assertion it is necessary only to appeal to history. It is evident that none save those who had Ixmmi born and nurlured und(M* the barbaric influence of slavery, who were accustomed to its commands and its cruelties, who saw in it the only industry worthy of oi-gani/ation, or entitled to the fostering care of eaj)ital and intelligence, were accus- tomed to the sale, the whipping, the tortures, and the burning ol human \ictiiiis. — only such uk n could be capable of sustain- ing a system of hoi'i-ors like that which existed at Andersonville, perjx't rated as they wci-e ui)on men of their own race and their ecpials in intelligence, in braveiy aiul in devotion to the cause for which they fought.
KU l^EPORT OP Andersonville Monument Commission
5. That the object and purposes of the confederacy in these continued sufferings were the reduction of the strength of tlio Union armies by the crimes of starvation, infection and whole- sale murder. This point needs no further elucidation than a reference to the testimony itself, and the official rebel docu- ments published in connection with the report of the depart- ment of war on the subject of exchanges.
6. That these purposes were accomplised at Andersonville in the death, during one year, of thirteen thousand four hun- dred and twelve Union prisoners.
7. That the punishments, means of recapture, and general treatment of prisoners were barbarous, unnatural, and exces- sive beyond parallel.
8. That these cruelties and deprivations were persisted in by the rebel authorities after they had been warned and im- plored by responsible subordinates among their own officers for relief, and when it was in their power to provide an ample remedy.
9. That the pretenses of necessity for such treatment made by the rebels were a sham and an attempted delusion.
Other Confederate Prisons.
With these remarks upon Andersonville, its patriotic yet unfortunate victims, its brutal officials, and its unparalleled horrors, we pass to a description of the other prison-houses of the confederacy. Before doing so, however, we give this de- scription of the northern prison at Johnson's Island as given by a rebel surgeon, and published in the Richmond En- quirer :
''The sleeping accommodations were very comfortable, con- sisting of a bunk with straw-bed, and, if the individual has no blanket, one is furnished, and he is allowed to buy as many more as he wants. Every room has a good stove and is fur- nished with a sufficiency of wood, which the prisoners have to saw for themselves after it is ])rought to their doors, a very good exercise, by the w^ay. Tlie prison consists of thirteen large buildings of wood. The space of ground enclosed is sixteen acres in which the prisoners have full privilege to exer- cise, to sing southern national songs, to hurrah for Jefferson Davis, and to i>lay at ball or any other game they may see fit.
;>; .MM\l;> I.I' 'I'l..^riMHNN < '(».\( l|fM.\»; AnDKKSoXVH.LI'; ]()')
'•'I'Ih- rations an- exactly tin sann- as ai-c issued to tin.' ^'arri- sou, consisting of i'resli bed", pork, bakers' bread, sugar, coffee, beans, hominy, salt, soap, and candles. Besides these, up to the tinn' I left, there was a sutler's store inside of the inclo- sure from which we could ol)tain any kind of vegetables or meats — or nicknacks, if we cliose. We could j)urchase any- tliinj,' we wanted. Clotiiing and eatables were allowed to be si'ut to the prisoners by their friends in the North in any ((uantity, and nn»ney also without stint.
•■When I left the island, the excitement about the release of prisoners by a force from Canada was at its liighest pitch, necessarily causing the gaiTison to be re-inforced. This, com- ing so suddenly, found the commissary stores on the island deficient, and the rations for l)oth prisoners and garrison were somewliat curtailed. The sutler was also sent away and the prisoners still more restricted. I hope, however, that before this time things are pursuing the even tenor of their way, and that the prisoners are enjoying themselves as heretofore. We had the privilege of writing as many letters as we chose and when we chose, subject, of course, to certain restriction. We could purchase writing materials in any quantity. The officers over the jn-isoners liavc at all times conducted themselves as gentlemen and liave been very kind and lenient, nor do they suffer the prisoners to be insulted or abused in any way."
Header, please compare this story with those of southern prisons.
Diai-y of Lueien Holmes, KHii New Hampshire, Salislmry
Prison.
Kichmond. \'ii-<rinia, November 3, 1864: W^e liave just drawn two days' rations, about enough for one good meal.
November 4. Seventy crowded into one car. We are seeing rough times.
November 5. At Greensboro about dark: water very scarce, indeed.
Novendier (5. Stopped in an open tield over night : hungry, and almost choked; cold, and only a little wood. After dark that night at Salisbury, North Carolina. No rations today, and have to sleei> on tlie ground.
Noveuibei- 7. Drew a little rice soup, alioul hall" a |>in(.
IbG Report of Andkksonvii.le Monument Commission
There are 10,000 of us here — one thousand in a division, one hundred in a squad. We are in the fifth squad, tenth division.
November 8. We have drawn half a pint of flour, but no salt. No tents yet. Water very scarce. This is a rough place.
November 9. It rained all last night. We had to lie in the mud. We drew, this afternoon, two tents and two flies for one hundred men, a pint of meal, yet no salt. I am well. I wish I could get word home. It is a shame for any civilized nation to treat men in this manner — thirty and forty dying in a day and the dead are drawn off in carts just like so much wood. It is awful. I hope something will be done soon to relieve us.
November 10. It rained almost all night; has been terribly muddy today. We drew bread this morning.
November 11. We drew meat for the first time for a week, and drew meal. The men are dying off very fast indeed, and no wonder, exposed as we are to cold and hunger.
November 12. We drew bread this morning. I saw tM^enty- three dead bodies in the dead house. Men are dying off fast from exposure.
November 18. I don't know what we shall do if we have to stay here this winter. I do hope and pray for better times to come soon.
November 19. Three men out of one hundred in the squad are allowed to go for wood, but it is not enough to do us much good.
November 20. Rained all night and all day. We are suf- fering everything here. I wish I could get word home in some way.
November 21. Still raining. This yard is worse than any hog-pen I ever saw. We get just enough to eat to live.
November 22. I wish I could describe the misery and suffer- ing here in this pen. It cannot be called anything else.
November 23. Ground froze solid. I never before suffered so much with cold as I did last night and today. Ninety-six have died in the twenty-four hours past.
November 24. I suppose this is Thanksgiving day in New Hampshire, but it does not seem much like it here. Today they gave us only quarter rations. God only knows what is to become of us here, yet we must hope for the best, putting entire
Si .M.MAin oK 'ri,s!i.\n»>;v Conckumnc Andkhsoxville 1o7
cKiilidciicr in our IIcjin i-nly l*";it Ikt. lit-, <iiily, can Itriiij^ us out alive.
\(»\cnilirr '2'k (>iily f|uartrr rations ajrain today. Tlic men arc (lyinj^ last.
Noveiiilter 2().- No more rations yet.
.\ovemlter 27. We ^ot liair a loaf oT hread today and some nu'at.
No\end»er 2S. ()nly (|uarter I'alions today. 1. would give almost anythin;^' t'oi- enou«;li to satisfy my liunt^er.
\o\end»ei' 2I>. Ahoul tour hundred enlisted in the rel)el army today. 1 shall have to he reduced more than 1 am now to enlist in their army. I never fell so weak as [ have today. Hope for more i-ations soon. 1 wish I eoidd <,'et some money \'voui home in some way.
This nu'moi'andum was (dosed Xovend)er .'50, ]8(i4. Youn<j; Homes linLTei'iMJ in Salishury prison until danuary 4, 1865, when he died.
liclter of Saltina Disiiiukes, a resident oi" South Carolina, di- rected to Jett'erson Davis.
Statel)nr<r, South Carolina, Oetober 12, 1864.
Dear Sii': In the name of all that is holy, is there nothing that can he done t<t relie\-e t he terrihie sufferings of the Yankee prisoners at Florence, South Cai'olina .'
It" sueh things are allowed to continue they will most sundy draw some awful judgment upon our counliw. It is a most horrible national sin that cannot go nni)nnishe(l. U" we cannot give them food and shejtei-. foi- God's sake i)arole them and send them haidc to Yankee land, hut don't starxc the miserable ercatures to death. Don't think that I have any liking for the Vaidtees. 1 ha\(' none. Those near and dear to me have snf- fered too mmdi from their tyranny for me to have anything but hatI•(^l to them; hut 1 have not yet become <pnte brutish enough to know of su(di suffering without trying to do some- thing, even for a Yankee.
Yours i-espectfully,
Sal)ina Dismnkes.
Kespect I'nlly referred by diri'ction of the pi'esidenf to the lIonoral)le Seei'etai'\' of War.
168 Kp:port of Anderson viIjLe JMonijment Commission
Burton N. Harrison, Private Secretary.
Headquarters Florence Military Prison, December 17, 1864.
Respectfully returned : Mrs. Dismutes may rest quite easy and quiet in reference to the treatment of prisoners at this prison, for since I assumed command (the 10th of October, 1864,) the deaths have decreased from thirty-five and forty per day to one single demise, which my hospital and sexton's re- port show for the last twenty-four hours. I call attention to the fact that the prisoners were all brought here from other prisons, and solicit inquiry as to their imprisonment or still further degradation, and challenge any prison in the confeder- acy, taking everything into consideration, for health, cleanli- ness, neat looking prisoners, neat burial grounds, etc. They are given everything the government issues to them.
I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
John F. Iverson, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding.
Note. — This statement is a pure fabrication, as I was in Florence prison from the time it was established until Feb- ruary 17th. There was hardly a day but that a score or more died, as the number of graves will testify. The colonel probably meant that there was only one man shot by guards on some days, yet that was very seldom. — D. G. J.
Such in October, 1864, was the condition of the prisoners at Florence^ as viewed from a southern standpoint. To suppose or to ask any intelligent man to infer, in the face of this evi- dence, that the rebel authorities had no knowledge of the star- vation and murder of our soldiers, would be an insult to human understanding. They did know it ; they could have prevented it; for it appears that the rebel guards on duty suffered for none of the necessaries of life, and were subjected to no hard- ships save that of being agents and spectators of these foul and unnatural murders. It is to be feared that, to many of them, the sight and the service could hardly be called a hard- ship.
Clothing.
The custom which prevailed among the rebel captors and officers of robbing a prisoner of his clothing at the time of capture, rendered his destitution in this respect truly deplora-
St -M-MAKS oK 'I'l:.-'! I\l«>.\i' ( '( »N« !• K'M .\( I A \I)KKS( »N VILI.K 1»)'J
Mr (lurinji;; iiM]»i-i.s()iiim'nt. Tliis (Icstitutiuii of clolliing, wlici-f llic prisoiii'i- was without shelter, was one of the most fruitful sourees of disease and death.
The entire absenee of all neeessity or excuse for this desti- tution is found in the faet that the rehel guards were; well and eomfortahly rlad. Since the rebels luid enouf^h f(U' their own iiifii, why not soiiii't hin;.!: I'or their prisoners, against whom :ill hostilities should have ceased when, as captives, they laid down their arms. Xo recoril has ever been found to show that Ihf rebel authorities ever issued to their ])risoners clothing; fi-i»iii their own stores. Nor is this all. Thert; is abundant evidence that they not only took the clothing from the pei'sons of prison- cis, but when blankets and clothing were sent in <i\umtities to the lai'ger stockades and i)risons by the Sanitary and Christian Commissions oi" the north, these things were, with few excej)- tions, withheld from the pri.soners, and used by the confeder- ates, just as the commandants took a notion to do. It is true there were exceptions, cases where officers were not quite brutal enough to execute with fidelity the intention and orders of Jefferson Davis and his agent. Winder.
A noticeable feature in the distribution of these supplies of clothing and blankets was tlie custom, common to most of the I'lisons, of withholdinu' Ihem i.ntil within a day or two of an exchange. Then, or just as a hotly of i)risonei-s was starting, the issue would be made. What was the result. The prison- ers, or many of them, feeling sure of speedy relief under the protection of their own flag and among anxious and waiting friends, were easily induced to barter the articles which they had just received for scanty supplies of food, for which they had been so long famishing.
There can be no doubt that the prisoners would have been spared much excruciating suffering, and that the lives of many lieroic men would have been saved, had the distribution of clothing and blankets and other comforts been faithfully car- ried out. Hut it was far otherwise. Nunun-ous boxes contain- ing clothing and food were forwarded by the immediate friends of the prisoners. Before they were delivered, the persons for whom they wert> intended were i'e(|uired to receipt for them. When tlie pi'eten(ie(l (le]i\ei'y took |>laee it was usually found that tlie box or pnei<n^'e had been robbed of its most valuable
170 Report of Anoersonville ^Ionument Commission
contents and, in most cases, neither box nor package came to the hand of the prisoner. At several prisons the arrival of such supplies was made known to the prisoners by the rebel guards, who would appear upon their posts with the uniforms and blankets fresh and new, bearing the stamp of the United States or of the Sanitary Commission. To enable the reader to form some idea of the extent to which the prisoners were supplied through the agencies referred to, the following list of articles sent by the Sanitary Commission to one prison, Andersonville, from July to November, 1864, is submitted :
Stores Sent to Prisoners at Andersonville, Georgia.
50 pillow cases 258 bed sacks 122 combs 100 tin cups
2 boxes tinware 4,092 pounds condensed milk 4,032 pounds condensed coffee 1,000 pounds farina 1,000 pounds corn starch 4,212 pounds tobacco
24 pounds chocolate
3 boxes lemon juice 1 barrel dried apples '
111 pounds crackers 60 boxes cocoa 7,200 pounds beefsteak paper
envelopes, etc. pepper mustard 1 box tea, 70 pounds
5,052 |
wool shirts |
6,993 |
wool drawers |
3,950 handkerchiefs |
|
601 |
cotton shirts |
1,128 |
cotton drawers |
2,100 |
blouses |
4,235 |
wool trousers |
1,520 |
wool hats |
2,565 |
overcoats |
5,385 |
blankets |
272 |
quilts |
2,120 |
pairs of shoes |
110 |
cotton coats |
140 |
vests |
46 |
cotton trousers |
534 |
wrappers |
69 |
jackets |
12 |
overalls |
817 |
pairs slippers |
3,147 towels |
|
5,431 |
wool socks |
This statement is sworn to by Doctor M. M. ]\[arch, agent of the United States Sanitary Commission at Beaufort, South Carolina, as being a correct list of articles transferred to same agent deputed by the confederate government to receive them. The testimony adduced compels the conclusion that in the
Sr.MMAin OK 'l'l>l I.MONV ('(».\( KKMNC A NDKKSONVIl.LK 171
iiiattci* of clotliint; tin- n-licl ;nit liorilics .K-trd with llic same (lisrcjrard of the coiiifoi-t ami health of the ])riso!H'rs, and with the same iiitfiition to iiicapai-ilalc tlicm foi* active service in tin; future, that chai-acterized their conduct with refei'enec to fuel, water, shelter and rations.
ixAIIOXS.
This term cmhraccs all that in iiiililary scrx ice constitutes the daily food and di"iid< of the soldier.
The rations issued hy the I'nited Stales to their j)risoners of war. jtrevious to dune 1, 1S64, wei'e the same in (luantity and (|uality as those issued to the troops in ^^arrison, vi/ :
Jircad, 18 ounces per ration; or coru meal, 20 ounces per ration.
Jieef, 1 j)ouii(I \)vv ration, or l)a<M)n, or pork, % pound per ration.
]5eans, 8 ipiarts \)vv 100 men; or hominy or rice, 10 pouuds per 100 men.
Sugar, l-i pounds per 100 men.
Kio coffee, 7 or 1) i)ounds i)er ]00 meji.
Adamantine candles, 5 i)er 300 men; or tallow candles G per ]00 men.
Soap, 4 i>oun(ls ])er 100 men.
Salt, 2 (|uar1s per 100 men.
Molasses, 4 (juarts per 100 men, twice per week.
Potatoes, 1 ])onnd per man, three times per week.
When heans were issued, hominy or rice were not issued.
These were the I'ations to which the prisoners were cntitli'd. Bread was issued, in point of fact, and not corn meal. Fresh l)eef was issued, during this time, four times a week. AVhen fresh heef was issued, a pound and a (piarter was given. These were su|)plicd to |)ris(')iicrs in wcll-slielt ci-ed (piarters: they were, also, well (dollied and hountifully supplietl with hlaidvcts and fuel. ("onfed<'rale i-ation at Andei-sonville : Corn meal (uidxilt c(l I II ounces ; heef, 4 ounces : ha con. 4 ounces ; peas, 1/'16 of a ([uart ; rice, 1 oinice ; soft soaj), 1 -Vl of a di'aclmi : salt, 1/100 ({uart ; molasses, 1 ;iOO of a (piai't.
These were supplieil to prisoners almost totally destitute of sheltei'. fuel, hlaid<e1s and clothing.
172 Report of Andersonville jMonument Commission
After June 1, 1864, the United States issued to their soldiers the same as before, but the amount given to the prisoners was as follows :
Pork or bacon, 10 ounces (in lieu of beef) ; fresh beef, 14 ounces ; flour or soft bread, 16 ounces ; hard bread, 14 ounces (in lieu of flour or soft bread) ; corn meal, 16 ounces (in lieu of flour or bread). To every 100 rations, beans or peas, 121/2 pounds ; or rice or hominy, 8 pounds ; soap, 4 pounds ; vinegar, 8 quarts; salt, 3% pounds; potatoes, 15 pounds. Sugar and coffee, or tea, was issued only to the sick and wounded, on the recommendation of the surgeon in charge, at the rate of 12 pounds of sugar, 5 pounds of ground or 7 pounds of green coffee, or 1 pound of tea, to the hundred rations. This part of the ration was allowed for alternate days only.
At Andersonville, the same wagon which was used for haul- ing out the naked and festering dead brought back the rations for the living. A load of dead bodies covered with vermin, and foul from decomposition, was replaced by a load of meal or corn bread, without even the attempt to sweep or cleanse the wagon. As a consequence, shreds of clothing, vermin, mag- gots, and filth, loathsome and indescribable, were found mingled or incorporated with the food of the prison. It seems incredible that such food could have been eaten at all by human beings, yet the testimony of a hundred witnesses proves that the pangs and madness of hunger, so terrible at times as to force men to the horrors of cannibalism, here had its perfect work, and that the wretched, starving inmates of Andersonville and Richmond prisons seized on the sickening and pestilent mass with avidity ; and were even driven, by their insatiable craving for food, even to still more disgusting expedients. "Would to God this had been the sum of their terri- ble necessities. But hunger swept before its terrible pangs all decencies and antipathies alike. To such extremity were they driven that the morning found them fighting and struggling with each other to obtain the food that had passed undigested through the bodies of their weaker comrades during the night, while the flesh of rats and dogs was devoured as a luxury. Not only was the quality thus unsuitable and loathsome, but the quantity insufficient.
SlJAI.MMJY III' T!■'.STIM(^^•^■ CoNCKKNINC A NI>KKS()XVII,LE 173
At Aiidt'rsuii villi', in 1S()4, a day's rations consisted of a piece of corn lin-a<l tlin'i' indies square and two inelit-s tliieU, or, in lien thereof, a pint of inisifted eornmeal, with ahont three taMespoonfids of beans. Occasionally a small piece of beef, which woidd make about two moiitiifuls wlieii cooked, was issued in lieu of beans.
According to the best medical authorities, tiie auKHnit of solid food required to maintain a man in good health is from thirty-eight to forty-two ounces every twenty-four hours. The ration of the rebel prisoners in our hands amounted to about forty-three ounces, and the ration of the Union prisoners in the hands of the rebels fell, in some cases, as low as five or six ounces; and never, save at rare intervals, exceeded eighteen ounces; the usual ration varying l)etween these extremes. The principal and almost universal result of the continued use of corn meal l)y the Fnion prisoners was to produce diarrhea in its worst forms. Hardly a prisoner was free from it. Aggra- vated by the water and general unhealthful condition of the pi'isons, this disease assumed its worst cliaractei'istics, and was one of the principal causes of tlie iniparalled mortality Avhieh prevailed.
There is some special testimony in regard to the sufficiency of sui)i)lies witliin the limits of the confederacy. INlajor William K. Tracy, who was attached to the commissary depart- ment of fieneral 's division, testified on the Gee trial at
Kaleigh, North Carolina, that he was with the command at Salisbury on the 12th of April, 1865, and that they captured 100,000 bushels of corn, 60,000 pounds of bacon, 100,000 pounds of salt, 20,000 ])ounds of sugar, 27,000 pounds of rice, 50,000 bushels of wheal. .'}(),(»()() jiounds of corn meal, 100,000 pounds of flour, togethei- with bai'i-els of whiskey, boxes of win(% and a large (piantity of hospital supplies, — enough to last the sick a long time. AVitliiii the hospital AFajoi" Tracy found a large sii|)|»ly ol' sugai-. colfcc. and vai'ious otlicr hospital stoi-es.
The sanitai-y condition ol' nearly all the rebel j)i-isons, for the entii'e pei'iod of the wai', may be summed up in a single sentence,- lilili. lillh. loat lisoii'c. dis|justing and pestilential filth.
174 Report of Anpersonvit.le jMonttment Commission
Tim Patriotism of I'risoners.
It is one of the most pleasant and satisfactory duties of your committee to call special and distinct attention to the patriotic and self-sacrificing devotion of our officers, soldiers and sea- men, who were so long prisoners of war. It was a devotion and patriotism that with the great mass of these heroic men no trials and no sufferings could conquer. Disease and death in every form were constantly before them, and made terribly manifest in thousands of examples wrought upon their com- rades under the most trying circumstances, and by the appli- cation of innumerable cruelties, zealously and recklessly prac- ticed by their captors, and the officers of their prisons as well as by their guards. Our prisoners felt and knew that they were the victims of a cruel and well-defined policy on the part of the rebel authorities. Isolated from the influences of their own friends, suffering continued torture, and exposed to the hate- ful influence of the false representation of their enemies, they at times distrusted the justice of their own government, and felt as if it had deserted them in the hour of their direst need. They believed that our government knew their forlorn and terrible condition, and were impressed with the conviction that it might and should interfere for their protection and de- livery from their torment. They understood that the rebel prisoners in our hands were treated according to the rules of war which prevail among civilized nations, and they believed that retaliation would restore them to the same condition. Death was their constant companion and the only friend that could reach them with relief. They were greatly reduced in physical strength, while the enfeebled condition of their minds would seem to have prepared them for the acceptance of any terms or favor from the rebels that promised present relief. It was under the terrible pressue of this state of affairs that the perfidy of the confederate authorities manifested itself in the attempt to seduce them from their fidelity and allegiance to their own government. They had pressed the sufferings of their captives to the bitterest extremity, preparing them for the final trial by depriving them of food for one or more successive days. It was then that they came to their victims with promises of kind treatment and release from sufferings. They profl'erd plenty of food to the hungry, and sufficient cloth-
Si .vI.MAKV i>K Tl>>IIMt»NN ( 'uXtERNIX(i AXDERSOXVILLE IT.")
iii«; 1() tin- iiiikcd. 'I'licy olTcri'd tin- pure air of In-avfii I'ur tin; ix'stilcnlial vapors of llic in-ison-pcn. Tlu*y assured tliciii of lili( rfy in rxdianj^t' tin- llir most li'rrihlc captivity to which man had c\fi- hccn sulijcctcd. The j)ric(' of this ex- change was an altandoiiiiieiit of tlie service of their own coun- try, an ahro«:alioii of their aHe^iance, and cmploynient in civil life, or in the ratiks of their eneinies. Il was aj,'ainst these linii-like leiiiplal ions and 1 hese terrihh' ordeals that the virtue and |>aliMo1isiii of our sulVeriiie: sohliers stood proof. In the Very hiftei'uess of their sun"erin<; they scorned tlie ])rihe and eui'sed the (tlVei'. As We ha\e said. We s])eak liere of the }^reat mass of the union sohliers. lv\eej)tions tliere were, yet tliey were coiiipai-at ively inconsich'rahh'. I'luh-i* the terrihh' ])ressure of tlieii- sulTei-ine;s only one out of every sixty joined tlie rebel forces.
Retaliation.
The g:overnment of the United States durin^ the whole course of the war fully recognized the principle that a nation must not do \ iolence to its civilization or shock the moral sense of its individual mend)ers, whether citizens or soldiers. Retalia- tion is allowed in war. yet its infliction and effects must have a linnt. I iider this rule, of course, it cannot always be gov- erned by lhose savage cruelties which are the occasion of its exei-eise. Woolsev tclls iis that retaliation in war is sometimes adinissable; for, if one belligerent treats jirisoners harshly, the oilier may do the same. And this is i)laced upon the ground of self-pi-o1ection, and to secure the greatest auu)unt of human- ity from unfe(ding military officers. But there uuist be a limit to the riili'. .Mi-. Stanton, as secretary of war, contemplated and even ortlered retaliation for ci-iudty to ])risouerS in the hands of the rebels. On the 9th of November. 1863, he or- dered oiii- eoiiiinissionei- of exchange to "subject the rebel pris- oners in our hands to treatment similar to that which our nu^i receive in rebel ])risons." The commissioner replied that to retaliate in Ivind Avould i-esult in an uprising of the prisoners against the guards at Camps ^Torton and Chase, and most likely at other ])risons, and that inuler any ordinary system of guards, human nature would not endure such treatment. The order \\iis not i-atitied by the United States governmcmt and, of course, was not carried into efTeet.
Mil KEroRT OF Anderronvii.le ^Ionument Commission
It is a singular fact that uo confederate officer was ever punished or prosecuted for cruelty to prisoners. On the other hand, the most cruel agents were retained longest in its service. The names of Cobb, Winder, Ould, and Wirz rise prominently before us in this connection. These were among the men long- est in the confederate service and connected with the depart- ment under whose charge the prisoners were immediately placed.
The GdiLTY Knowledge of the C'onpederate Authorities.
Whatever may have been their means of knowledge in the early part of the war, the conditions at Andersonville and other prisons in 1863-64 were fully known to the higher con- federate authorities. The public journals, north and south, spread the knowledge of their conditions broadcast through- out every portion of the land. Not only the prisoners commu- nicated by letter to friends and foes the enormities practiced upon the captives, but the conscience stricken guards, as well as the citizens of the South, communicated the facts directly to Jefferson Davis. The letter of Mrs. Dismutes, the letter of the guard, Anderson, and others, are among the prominent evi- dences. The witness N. B. Harold, resident at Americus, Geor- gia, who was a purchaser and shipper of supplies for the com- missary department of the re])el government, tells us in his testimony that the suffering condition of the prisoners was generally known through the country; Avas frequently talked about everywhere. The people in the country around Ander- sonville and other prisons visited them to learn their condi- tion, pronounced them nuisances and sought the aid of the law for abatement ; while at the same time these remedies were opposed by officials like Howell Cobb, who was, of course, in direct communication with the authorities at Richmond. The conduct of Winder was brought officially to the notice of Davis and his cabinet and his removal attempted, yet he was subse- quently promoted to command all the prisons east of the Mississippi. In addition to this we have the long line of re- ports of surgeons, commanding and inspecting officers, and, in fact, of all classes officially connected with the management of the prisons, stating fully and officially their condition and
Sl>fM\KV "p TkstIMoNY CoNfERNINO AnDERSoXVILF.E 177
insisting in Wui name ol" justice, and for tin- reputation of llnii- govci-nincnt, iipon measures of relief. AVe have, upon the in- dorsement of these ofHeial reports, the clearest evich-nee of their reception and consideration by the confederate authorities at Kichmond. These otTfieial documents, witii their indorsements, ])rove two facts; and tliese two facts cover tlie wlioh.' ground of our argument concerning the terrible condition of prisons and i)risoners, as well as the complete knowledge of the con- federate authorities of that condition. We call attention to the partial list of these reports of rebel ofificials:
1. Kei)()rt of ^lajor General Howell Cobb, May 6, 1864.
2. Report of Surgeon E. J. Eldridge, May 6, 1864. :J. Report of Captain "Wirz, May 8, 1864.
4. Keport of Captain Wirz, July and August, 1864, f). Keport of Ceneral Winder, July 21, 1864.
6. Report of Surgeon S. S. Hopkins, August 1, 1864.
7. Report of Surgeon Isaiah White, August 2, 1864.
8. Report of Colonel D. T. Chandler, August 5, 1864. with eighteen incdosures.
9. Report of J. Crews Pelot, September 5, 1864,
10. Report of Surgeon R. R. Stevenson, September 20, 1864.
11. Report of Dr. Joseph Jones, September 20, 1864.
Tlie perusal of these reports will convince the reader of the terrilde condition of the prisons, the protracted, unrelieved suft'erings of tiieir inmates, and the uncompromising demand of humanity for their relief, — all derived from rebel sources and froiii rebel officials. These reports were made in the ordinary i-outine of the service, and took their direction toward the rebel capital for the inspection and examination of the eon- federate government. Tliat they reached tlieir destination in sutlficient numbers to have carried with certainty and convic- tion the awful nature of their contents to the president of tlu^ c()iiri'(h'facy and his cabinet, tlie indoi-sciiicnts fully sliow. In fact, the detail of Colonel Chandler, the rebel ins])ectiiig otHi- irr, was made upon complaints which had reached Richmond of Die condition of Union i)risoners at the South. His report, with its eighteen inidosures, passed through the usual military ciiannel to the office of the adjutant general, and to the secre- tary of war, James A. Seddon. It will be recollected that one. of tlie most important recoiiiiiieiidal ions of that r('i)()r1 was the 12
178 Report of Andersonville Monument CoMMISSl0^f
removal of General Winder, on the ground that some person who united energy and judgment with feelings of humanity and consideration for the welfare and comfort of the prisoners, and who would not "advocate deliberately and in cold blood the propriety of leaving them (the prisoners) in their present condition until their number has been sufficiently reduced by deatli to make the present arrangement suffice for their ac- commodation," should be assigned to this place.
This recommendation, with the evidence upon which it was based, reached, in due official form, the headquarters of the con- federacy at Richmond. It was accompanied by a mass of evi- dence, official and irrefutable in its character, of the necessity of action. "What was the effect of this frank and fearless rec- ommendation upon those authorities'? Was it such as to alle- viate the horrors which Colonel Chandler says "it is difficult to describe, and which is a disgrace to civilization?" Instead of this. General AVinder was soon after that promoted by the order of Davis to be commissary general and commander of all militaiy prisons and prisoners throughout the confederate states east of the Mississippi.
Let us examine a little more in detail the history of these reports. The first in order is that of General Howell Cobl), made more particularly upon the question of furnishing the necessary guard for the protection of the prison at Anderson- ville ; but in which we are told that the prison is too much crowded, and no additional prisoners should be sent until it can be enlarged ; that the increase in number would effect a terrific increase of sickness and death during the summer months, and recommending the building of a new prison be- cause of a lack of water for any increased number of prisoners at that point ; and speaking in generous terms of the manage- ment of Colonel Persons, then in command of the prison, but who, it will be remembered, was soon afterward removed by the authorities. The report of Cobb inclosed a report of Sur- geon E. J. Eldridge, in which he described the prison as too much crowded even at that early day for the promotion or continuance of the present health of the prisoners. These re- ports, as appears by the indorsement upon them, were received at the confederate headquarters at Richmond, May 26, 1864. Thus early were the confederates warned of the conditions and requirements of the prisoners at Andersonville.
St M. MA in- ((F 'J'lSTIMONV CoNCERNIXO AXDERSOXVILLE 170
Again, the n-port ..I" Coh.n.'l CliMiidlcr, to uliicli we liave alluded, deserihiiifr at ^n-.-at Inifrtli the condition and require- iii.'iits of tlic prison, dated Au^'ust 5, 1864, with its inclosures, so important and conclusive, reached the oflfice of Samuel ('oo|)fr, adjutant and inspector general, August IS, 1864. ri)on this rej)ort he indorsed the following statement: "The condition of the prison at Audersonville is a reproacii to us as a nation," and immediately forwarded it to the secretary of war, with the furtlier remai-k "(Vdon.-l C'jiaiidl.'r's recom- iiifiulations are concun-cd in."
LSn Report of Andersonvim.e ]\Ionitment Commission
CHAPTER X.
MORTALITY AMONG PRISONERS OF WAR.
Bethany, Mo.
What was the death rate among prisoners on ])otli sides — Union and Confederate — during the late war! — W.
Answer. — Accompanying this inquiry is a clipping from "Medical Classics," August, 1887, in the form of an article or part of an address hy Howard Henderson, D. D., LL. D. In this the following statements are made :
"It ought to be better known by this time, that a larger per- centage of Confederates died in Northern prisons than of Fed- erals in Southern. At Andersonville the mortality was 1-36 a month, that is, 1 out of each 1,000. At Elmira, N. Y., 1-25 of the prisoners died. At Andersonville the rate was 3 and at Elmira 4 per cent. Three per cent more "rebels" perished in Northern prisons than of Federals in Southern prisons. The report of Secretary of War Stanton (June 19, 1866,) shows that 22,576 Federals in Confederate hands died during the war and 26,436 Southerners in Union custody. Surgeon General Barnes officially reports 220,000 as the number of rebels in Federal prisons, 270,000 Federals in Confederate prisons. Twelve per cent of the former and nine per cent of the latter died in prison."
In answer to all of these official reports as to the number of deaths in Southern prison, I have been able to gather the fol- lowing figures by actual count from twelve of the prison ceme- teries in the South :
Andersonville 12. 960
Salisbury 12. 148
Danville 13.2?.
Richmond 6, 576
Charleston 389
Florence *3.017
Millan 685
Cahaba 147
Montgomery 198
Atlanta 124
Marietta 189
Brought from Macon and burled at Andersonville 804
Total 38.560
The 804 brought from Macon to Andersonville increases the number of graves there to 13,764.
* At Florence many of the dead were buried in pits and could not be accounted for.
MuKTAl.lTN A.M<»N<; rKIS(».\KR.S OF W'.Mi.
ISl
MoKTAiny OF TIIK INMATKS OK AnDKBSON VIU.K AS Co.MI'AHKK WITH THAT
ui TIIK Most Notkd Twki.vk Pkiso.ns of tiik Noutii.
From Marcli 1, IStU, to April, 18G5.
Deatlis in
Prison. No. ConHued. Prison.
Alton, III 4.Gir> 480
I'ami) Chase. Ohio 13,349 1,819
Camp DouKlas, 111 13,311 1,962
Morton, Ind 6,063 815
Elmira, N. Y 12,123 2,933
Ft. IX'lawaic 14. 219 924
.Johnson's Island ?,(>29 77
lx)iiisvill('. Ky 22,025 51
Xashvillc. Tenn 21,075 268
\o\v Orleans. La 4,456 1,918
Rock Island, 111 10,731 1.516
Point Lookout, Md 48,815 1,918
Total 175,811 12,960
Andersonville .')2.345 12,912
Official records show :
188,145 captured by the rebels. 476,169 captured by the United States.
Here we see that of 175,811 prisoners confined in the north- ern prisons, the mortality was 12,960, or 7 1-3 per cent of the whole; while for the same period there Avere confined in An- dersonville 52,345 prisoners, witli a mortality of 12,912, or 24 2-3 per cent of the whole.
These figures are taken from the number of graves at An- dersonville, and from the records kept by a federal sergeant. All are known, except 425, which fact makes the records un- refutable. It was this that was so obnoxious to the so-called Daughters of the Confederacy, who expressed their desire to wipe out all the unpleasant things about llic late un])leasant- uess. So the Wisconsin commi.s.sion caused the kind words of General Grant, "Let ns have peace," to be inscribed on the Wisconsin monument.
The \\'iRZ Mo.NlMKNT.
After thi.s was all accomplished, the so-called Daughters of the Confederacy of Americus, Georgia, caused a monunu^nt to be erected in the village of Andei-sonville, Georgia, to com- memorate the memory of Captain Wirz. They must regard Hie memory of their ancestors with much ])ride when they can know the vile i)urpose that Captain Wir/ would consign them to, because they sympathized with and desired to relieve the
182 EEroRT OF Andersonvjt>t,e Monument Commission
sufferings of a mass of persecuted humanity. Could their mothers rise from their resting places, I think they would be proud of their off-spring who would debauch them for the pur- pose of insulting the loyal people of all sections. But we are glad to say that the best women of the south who were old enough to remember the things that were enacted during those days, and the brave survivors of the southern army who were on the firing line, have most emphatically denounced the methods of the leaders who were responsible for the treatment accorded their prisoners, and they have made it manifest both by words and writings. They entered a protest against their dastardly work yet to no avail.
On the face of this monument is inscribed the following: "IN MEMORY OP MAJ. HENRY WIRZ, C. S. A., BORN IN ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.
"Tried by illegal court-martial* under false charges of exces- sive cruelty to federal priosners, sentenced and judicially mur- dered at Washington, D. C, Nov. 10, 1865.
"That the United States government, not Maj. Wirz, is chargeable with the suffering at Andersonville, there is abund- ant proof furnished by friend and foe. Let the fact that he chose an ignominious death rather than bear false witness against President Davis, speak for his high equalities of honor, fortitude and self-sacrifice.
"To rescue his memory from the stigma attached to it by embittered prejudice and ignorance, and to restore it to its rightful place among men, the Georgia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has raised this shaft."
Every sentence in this inscription is absolutely and unquali- fiedly false. In the first place, the trial was as legal and for- mal as anything judicial connected with the war could be. The court was composed of the most distinguished men, men in whom the public then had, and still has, the highest esteem and confidence. The order for the court shows this.
*See page 191.
Mortality .\M().\(i Pkisoxeks of War. 183
Letter from a Suutlu-ni Woman.
The following' l('tt<'r was writldi l>y a soiillit-fii wcmiaii and Itiiltlislu'd in tlif National Triljum*, of Wasliinj^lon, 1). C. She tells i)lai)ily and fondbly wiiat she thiidis of this monuineut to Wirz :
Editor National Trihnne: I ani a southern ^vonlan, raise(l not a groat distance from Andersonville, and i want to return thanks to the ex-confederate soldier who recently expressed the sentiments of all rij^ht- thinkin<r, Christian-hearted peopln over the south on the snhjeet of the Wirz monument movement. A hlaidvor and more disgraceful hlot never stained any soil than that Andersonville prison, and it is indeed humiliating to realize that there are within the horders of our fair Southland women who are anxious to brand themselves with such a stigma as raising a monument to so heartless a hrute as Wirz is known to be by thousands of Southern and Northern men alike. The Daughters of the Confederacy are to be pitied for the lack of information that Avould bring to their fair cheeks the blush of shame, if these young women knew the truth as it is about Andersonville prison and the horrible sufferings inflicted by Wiiv. on those heli>less i)iMsoners. There is near by an ex-(Jon- lederate soldier, who was one of the giuird at Andersonville pi-ison, who says a more unprincipled villain than Wirz never lived. (Jod grant that they may stop and consider the light they arc placing themselves in before the whole Avorld, and also consider the interests of the country generally and of Atlanta specially, and i)ut that money to relieve the real needs of the Confederate veterans and w'idows, and thereliy win for them- selves the (now doubtful) respect of all honorable people throughout this and other countries. — A Southern Woman.
]84 Eeport of Andersonvii;Le Monument Commission
CHAPTER XL
NAMES OF WISCONSIN SOLDIERS BURIED AT NA- TIONAL CEMETERY, ANDERSONYILLE, GA.
Number of Dicad fkom Different Wisconsin Regiments.
No.
8,576 1,341 8,105 4,390
10,771 6,236 3,164
11,927 1,273 1,002 1,165 2,981 1,896 3,511
12,242 3,503 3,661 9,484 9,938
First Wisconsin Infantry.
Name Company
Batchelder, J I .
Bowen, Henry A .
Chase, G. M Corp. A .
Chapel, E E.
Davis, John B .
Farrow, Wm A .
Gutch, H D.
Hanson, M. B .
Harvey, D. N I .
Haskins, J E .
Kummett, J H .
McKinsey, D F .
Date of Death
..Sept. 12, 1864
..May 2i, 186\
. . Sept. 7, 1864
..July 31, 1864
..Oct. 10, 1864
. .Aug. 30, 1864
..July 111, 1864
..Nov. 8, 1864
. .June 6, 1864
..Juljy^ 31,1 1864
..May 16, 1864
..July 7, 1864
Mulligan, J B June 15, 1864
Pickett, Thos. B Corp. F July ,18, 1864
Randall, P. D K Dec. 8, 1864
Shoop, W G July 18, 1864
Tucker, C. P I July 16, 1864
Woodworth, W. B H Sept. 21,1864
Vick, J H Sept. 28, 1864
Second Wisco7isin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
5,453 Allen, C. B G Aug. 12,1864
2, 009 Baumgartner, Baltis K June 15,, 1864
8,641 Bushee, C. C B Sept. 12, 1864
2.663 Chapman.. J G June 29, 1864
4.343 Sharp, J. H G July 30,, 1864
8, 500 Troutman, Anton K Sept. 12, 1864
Third Wisconsin Ijifantry.
No. Name Company 3 , 624 Ramsader, H G .
Date of Death ..July 20, 1864
Fifth Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death 6,377 Messer, F K Aug. 21, 18(64
Wisconsin Sum.ikks liiiriKD at National Ckmetery 185
Sutli Wisi Dusni liijantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
12.r,86 Hatdy, Eugene S E Feb. 6, 1865
11.284 Johnson, \V. I H Ott. 21; 186*
2.r.88 Tomlinson. Hoh.it B June 28,1864
3.076 Vetter, Julius F July 9,1864
Seventh ll'/.sv o/i.s/h Infinitii/.
No. Name Company Date of Death
5.247 Agan, John A Aug. 10, 18G4
2.055 Ball, Henry A Tune 16, 1«64-
12.032 Blakoly, Robert F Nov. 15, 1864
2.360 Church, Alfred H July 12,1864
3. 828 Crane, R D July 23,1864
10.346 Crowning, H C txt. 5, 1864
12,618 Frost, A B Feb. 8i, 1865
36 Fortney, Geo. W C Mch. 12, 1864
1,260 Fuller, Chas. W Corp. E May 21, 1864
3.478 Gillette, Jerome H July 17,1864
3, 009 Lack, Peter B July 7, 1864
10.213 Mills, Elijah Corp. E Oc-t. 2,1864
604 Palmei', John Corp. C May 12, 1864
9.860 Rice, Jacob C Sept. 27, 1864
68 Schlosser, John .1 Corp. F Miar. 19; 1864
3.378 Wendt, Charles B lufy 16, 1864
929 Webster, Aleck R E Mjay 7, 1864
Eifihth Wis< oti.siii Infaiifrj/.
No. Name Rank Date of Death
5,0(17 Forshcy. Win K F Aug. 8,1864
Tenth Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
jO.830 Adams, P A Oct. 12, 1864
11.610 Batterson. Lewis D K Oct. 28, 1864
2.451 Banner, B. F Corp. I Tune 25,1864
5.164 Bemis, H C Aug. 9,1864
7.323 Burke, J E Aug. ,30, 1864
2.128 Bowen, Harlan H F June) 18, 1864
11.734 Bentler, M K Nov. 2,1864
11.744 Clark, W. E E Nov. 2, 1864
11.020 Coburn, W A Oct. 15, 1864
2.969 Cowles, D B July 6, 1864
8,601 Ellenwood, Sidney Sgt. C Sept. 12, 1864
10.S36 Freemen. P. M C Oct. 13, 1864
1 . 529 Gilljert, Oley Sgt. D June li. 1864
2,393 Crash,, Frederick I rune 24,1864
2.283 Fountain, N. M A June 28, 1864
12,468 Hand, G D Ian. 16, 1865
2,556 Hangle, B. F Corp. K June 27, 1864
4,542 Hewick, Nelson B Aug. 2,1864
5.312 Howard. F. B K Aug. 11, 1864
8,614 Ingraham. J K Sept. 13.1864
4.453 Langstaff. Robt F Aug. 1. 1864
6.642 Lansing, G A Aug. 24, 1864
6.231 McClurg. A I Aug*. 20, 1864
5.fiS.T Mnrtics. P I) Aug. 15,1864
186 Report of Anuersonvii.le j\[onument Commission
6,090 Nichols, Win I Aaig. IS, 1864
4,980 Northam, S. R C Aug. 7, 1864
9, 014 Plinter, H Sgt. F Sept. 16, 1864
7,530 Purdee, J E Sept. 1, 1864
4,340 Purdy, M E July 30, 1864
13,225 Rambaugh, John K Oct. 25, *1864
3,665 Reynolds, P. S K July 20, 1864
6,088 Robinson, W. M Corp. C Aug. 18,1864
June 18, 1864
440 Schrigley, H I Api-. 8, 1864
4, 378 Smith, W. H B July 21, 1864
3,583 Sutton, J B luly 19, 1864
11, 420 Tyler, E. B F Oct. 22, 1864
3,375 Tyler, J Corp. A July 16, 1864
2,894 Weaver', H H July 4, 1864
11,390 Volts, F Corp. F Oof/ 23, 1864
Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Rank Date of Death
9 , 739 Dascey, Geo Corp. I Sept. 24, 1864
12, 245 DuRochie, Wm H Dec. 8, 1864
12,167 Harris, Nicholas D July 25, 1864
12,111 Whalen, Moses D Nov. 21, 1864
Fifteenth Wiscunsin Infantry.
No. Name Rank Date of Death
10,919 Bjornson, Nils Oct/. 14,1864
2,681 Broness, Olaves G Oct. ,10, 1864
, 4 . 870 Brunstead, Geo. C Sgt. A Fune 30), 1864
1.838 Burke, Ole O B Aug. 6, 1864
10, 685 Britton, Harvey Sgt. B .Tune 11, 1864
11 , 088 Christianson, Tobias A Oct. 18, 1864
2.419 Enger, Gens K Tune 24, 1864^
6,160 Erickson,! Christopher B Aug. 19, 1864
10,234 Fegan, Michael I Oct. 2, 1864
7,355 Grund, Lars I Aug. 31,1864
10,691 Grunderson, Hans Sgt. r Oct. 11„ 1864
3,720 Holderson, Ole F July 21, 1864
2,384 Hanson, Jens K June 23,1864
1 , 655 Holland, Halvor H Sgt. K June 4J, 1864
7.649 Hanson, Lars B Sept. 1,1864
2 , 003 Jacobson, Ole Corp. D June 15, 1864
2,498 Knudson, Christian K June 26, 1864
8.886 Johnson, O. B F Sept. 16, 1864
7, 522 Larson, Mades B Sept. 1, 1864
9, 997 Lodegard, EUas A Sept. 28, 1864
10, 289 Myhre, Simon A 1 Oct. 3, 1864
4.289 Nelson, K. . : K July ,30, 1864
11,931 Olseu, Michael B Nov. 9^1864
3,162 Olson, Ole B July 11,1864
2,847 Peterson,, Axel Corp. K July 3j, 1864
9,902 Peterson, Simon Corp. 1 Sept. 27, 1864
7 , 893 Peterson, Sy ver K Sept. 5, 1864
9 , 461 Peterson, Ole I Sept. 20, 1864
2,814 Steffs, Reinhart F July 3, 1864
12 , 374 Thompson, Charley K Jan. 1, 18'65
9, 664 Torgeson, Torger Sgt. G Sept. 24, 1864
2,309 Updell, J. S B June 22,1864
Wisconsin Soldiers Buried at Nation ai. Cemetery 181
Sijtmith W'isronsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Doatli
6,94o Starr, Edmund F Aug. 26, 1864
Seventeenth Wisconsin Infanlrji.
No. Name Company Date of Death
6.204 lUirwiek, S I Aug. 1 J), 1864
(J.KX; Purvis. Thomas F Aug.' 22, 1864
No.
i2.;>;i9
^J.262
No. ."..241 7.75.")
1 1 . r.3a 6.418 3.292 8.587
i..687 3.390 710 6.468 7.791 4.133
|(>.f;!t2
1 1 . 96:; 8.299 8.654 4.486 4.497 2.028 4.788 7.614
11.037 2.148
. 1 . 69:: 2.591
No.
2.113
3.673
12.653
4.405
1 . 752
5.043
3.078
4.436
11,475
12.626
Eighteenth Wisconsin Infantnj.
\aine
Company Date of Death
13.266 Alexander. Elisha A lune 15,1862
12.9S7 llartwell. St<>phen F luly 25,*186a
Hoard. Z D Aug. 22.*1862
Trititen, otephen D June 17,tl862'
Ticrnti/first Wisrunsin Infantry.
Name Compa
Abbott, Alfred Sgt.
Borden, Eugene Coip.
Chamberlain. .Jas. A
Currier. Cyrus C Corp.
Cummings, Solomon
Depas, Anthony
Ehlinger, Peter
Greenman, David
Hale, Channing A
Hale, Amos W
Harding, Wilson H Sgt.
Kellett, John B Corp.
Knowles, Henry
Mulaskey. Chas. E
Orendo, Moses
Patterson, .laeob
Pelton, Andrew .1 Corp.
Reed, Geo
Ransh, Andrew
Scott, Egbert .1 Sgt.
Seaman, Mead H Sgt.
Smith, Aiuert M Corp.
Turney, Samuel W
Waller, Samuel B
Winchester, G
Date
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Sept.
July
Sept.
Oc-t.
July
Apr.
Aug.
Sept.
July
Ckt.
Nov.
Sept.
Sept.
Aug.
Aug.
lune
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
D lune
G lune
I June
of Death 9, 1864 4, 1864
27, 1864.
21, 1864 14, 1864
12, 1864 30, 1864 13, 1864
22, 1864 21, 1864
4. 1864 27, 1864 11, 1864
8, 1864
9, 1864
13, 1864 1„ 1S64 7. 1864
16, 1864
14, 1864
23, 1864 10, 1864. 18, 1864
7, 1864 26. 1864
Tarnty-fdurth \\'is<>insiii Infantry.
Name Company
Alwynes, .lohn E
Bruse, Henry H
Ferguson, W. R D
Kull, Ludwig C
Date of Death .lune) 16, 1864 .June 20". 1864 Feb. 14, 1864 .July 31, 1864
Mangan, .Jas Corp. H June 10, 1864
Murray, .1 D Aug. 8, 1864
Selfert. Alois C July 9, 1864
Sheehan, .John Corp. H July 30, 1864
Thorson, Peter CJ Oct. 5, 1S64
Yesson, Alex A Aug. 20, 1864
188 l^El'OKT OF AnDERSONVILLE iMoNUMENT COMMISSION
Tiocnty-fiftli Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
4,477 Austin, Isaac li Aug. 1,1864.
.^,565 Bailey, W. H. H Corp. E" Aug. 13, 1864
7,759 Boyle, Peter D Sept. 4,1864
12,750 David, D. P B Mar. 8f^ 1S65
8. 584 Heigh, M E Sept. 12, 1864
5,628 Holenbeck, Amos J D Aug. 14, 1864
9, 808 Irwin, Alex C Sept. 26, 1864
11,812 Randies, John D' Nov,. 4, 1864
4 , 467 Taylor, Albert R fi Aug. 1, 1864
4,706 Wakefield, Thomas S Corp. K Aug. 4,1864
Twenty sixth Wiscojisin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Deata
5,830 Distler, Fred G Aug. 16,1864
2,522 Domkoehler, Ernst I June 26,1864
12, 286 Eengelhardt,, Henry C Dec. 14, 186y4
30'3 Held, Carl H Apr. 1, 1864
4,570 Holz, Asmus C Aug. 20,1864
10, 536 Knein, Francois Corp. E Oct. 8, 1864
8. 944 Laich, Fritz K Sept. 30, 1864
11, 545 Oehlke, Franz E Oct^ 27, 1864
9 , 693 Schneider, Magnus Corp. E Sept. 24, 1864
Thirtieth Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
9,337 Erricson, S D Sept. 20,1864
Thirty-first Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
12,721 Antone, C D Mar. 4, 1865
Thirty-second Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
12.2.5© Urapp, W A Nov. 23,1864
8,562 Kendall, W G Sept. 12,1864
Thirty-third Wisconsin Infantry.
10,369 Neff, W I Ofct. , 5), 1864
Thirty -sixth Wisconsin Infantry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
8,692 Adams, Arthur F G Sept. 2,1864
7,295 Bagley, Jas I Aug. 26, 1864
7,455 Davis, John F B Sept. 1, 1864
6,967 Dick, Benjamin G Aug. 25, 1864
12,286 Englehardt, Henry G Dec, 14, 1864
6,614 Goom, John G Aug. 22,1864
9,063 Kruger, Wm G Sept. 17, 1864
5,739 Main^ Henry F Oct. 20,1864
3,625 McLaulin, Chas I July 20, 1864
3,120 Thompson, Darwin B July 9,1864
ijL,236 Thur'ber, Daniel Corp. G Oct. 21, 1864
6,097 Tichenor, E. D Sgt. H A^ig, 18;, 1864
3,427 Vanderbilt, John W D Sept. 10,1864
W'lSfONsix Soi.DiF.Rs BrHiF.i) AT X\Ti(>\\i, Cfmetery 189
Fir.st Wi.sidnsin Cavalry.
No. Name Company Date of Death
ri.02G Briggs. Trwln L Aug. 8,1864
r,.322 Briggs, E I Aug. 11,1864
2. 3:54 Brook, Edwin H June 21.1864
5,100 Budson, .Tohn P L Aug. 9,1864
10.752 Castle. Clias C. Oct. 12. 1'864
5.102 Cavanaugli. John H Aug. 9,1864
:].244 Daglp, John Sgt. L • July 3. 1864
,1.591 Duffy. Edward L June 3,1864
5.811 Fish, Israel P Sgt. H Aug. ,16. 1864
5. 759 Fluno, Oscar H Aug. 15. 1864
5.557 Greenwalt. M C Aug. 13, 1864
12.848 Hansen. Knud F Feb. 28.1864
13.205 Hodgson. C. H B July 10.1865
4. 505 Hunter, Wesley W H Aug. 1. 1864
7.149 Hutchins, Barley E E Aug. 29.1864
4.243 Loosey. .John L June 29,1864
2.951 McCormick, Ebenezer L July 6,1864
5.163 MoFadden. Hugh 1. Aug. 9,1864
4.614 Killips. Chas. H E Aug. 3.1864
9.399 Miller, Curtis G K Sept. 20.1864
13.278 Norton, Henry D K May 8,*1865
S.515 Pillsbury. Adoniram .1 H Sept. 11.1864
5. 792 Kasmussen, .Torgen L Aug. 15,, 1864
12. 233 Richmond. Byron Sgt. L Defc. ©. 1864
4.882 Slingerland, .John L, Aug. 19,1864
7.160 Thorn, Peter E L Aug. 29,1864
2.385 Toy, Thos H June 24. 1864
3. 359 Vanscoter. E. G E Sept. 10, 1864
2.954 Weghist. .0. H L July 6.1864
12.363 Ward, Elexis .T C Jan,. 1. 1865
.1.520 Welcome, Eben. D L, June 1.1864
1 . 909 AVelton, Moses L June 13. 1864
1.007 Wilder, John W F May ,10. 1864
10.395 Winchell, Seth D Oct. 5|, 1864.
884 Winters. Perry M May 5. 1864
Second Wisconsin Cavalry.
No. Name Rank Date of Death
3.604 Cook, Lynn B C July 19.1864
4.925 Matthcwson. Eugene E Aug. 6, 1864
Fourth WiKionsln Cavalri/.
No. Name Rank Date of Death
3.252 Brown, John H July 13,1864
3.460 Farnum. W. B K Oct. 21, 1864
11.798 Merrill, ChasL K Nov. 4,1864
11.047 Sayles, Albert D K Oct. 17,1864
8.168 Smith, Levi F Sept. 8, 1864
2,535 Plum. Albert A K June 26, 1864
No.
8.530 7.081 5,397
Third Wisctnisiii Btittrry.
Name Rank
Decker. Gasherle Sgt.
I lawley, Thos
Livingston, Jas. H
2,732 McMalion, W.
Date of Death .Sept.. 11, 1864 .Aug. -28, 1864 .Aug. 12. 18641 .July; 1. 1864
190 Report of Anderson ville Monument Commission
Records kept by men cannot always be correct. The nnfortu- nate circumstances nndcr wliich the al)ove names were recordei made it almost certain that many mistakes would be made. Great pains have been taken to verify the facts concerning every death here recorded, still there are many cases of uncertainty. The record, fault}'' as it must be, is nevertheless, approximately correct, — much better than none.
Nr.MRKR OF Deaths from VARiors Wiscoxsix Organizations.
Infantry.
1st
2d .
3d .
5th
6th
7 th
8th
10th
12th
1 5th
16th
17th
lath
21st
24 th
25th
26 th
30th
19 |
31s,t . 32d . 33d . 36th 1st |
1 |
||
6 |
2 |
|||
1 |
1 |
|||
1 |
... 13 |
|||
4 17 1 3^) |
Cavalrij. |
... 35 |
||
4 |
2d .. |
2 |
||
32 |
4th . Third UnkiK |
6 |
||
1 2 4 25 |
Batte Total |
Artillery. rv |
4 |
|
10 |
9 |
|||
10 |
. . . 253 |
|||
1 |
• |
The last recorded death at Andersonville was that of Knud Hansen, Company F, 1st Wisconsin Cavalry, April 28, 1865, eleven days after the confederates abandoned the place. They left Hansen and thirty-two others sick there in the so-called hos- pital. As no record was kept after his death, we have no means of knowini"' what became of the others.
KXTHACTS FHOM TIIK 'IlUAl, nl' Cai-TMN' Wli:/ IfM
rilAI'TI-lK- XII.
i;XTK'.\< TS !'|;nM TIIK TUIAL <)1-' ("AI'TAIX WllfZ.*
.{. A sprcial .Military Coinmissioii is liorcby a])i)(>iii1»Hl to iiH'i't ill this city at 11 o'l'lock A. M. on the 23rd day of August, liSf),"), or as soon thereafter as ])raetieal)l(?, for the trial of IIeiii\y W'lv/. ,-iiii| such (illici- j>ris()M('rs as may Itc hrouufhl hcl'on- u.
Dktail nii{ TIIK Commission.
Ma.j. (icn. Lew Wallace. I'liited States Volunteers.
Brevet Ma.j. (Jen. (i. Mott, United States Volunteers.
lirevet Maj. (ien. J. W. Geary, United States Volunteers.
Brevet ^Taj. fJen. L. Thomas, Adjutant General United States Ai-my.
lirig. (Jen. Francis Fessenden, Ignited Stales Volunte(>rs.
Hi-ig. (Jen. E. S. l^ragg, United States VoluntiM'i-s.
lirevet lirig. Oen. John F. liallier. Col. f)Stli Penn.
lirevet Uol. T. Alleock, Lieut, ("ol. 4lli X. Y. Art.
liieut. Col. J. II. Stibl)s, 12tli Iowa.
Col. X'. I*. ( 'hipiiian, additional aide-de-eaiiip. Judge Advo- eate of the Commission, with sueh assistants as he may select with the a|)j)roval of the Judge Advoeate General.
Jv I). Townsend, Assistant Adjutaiil (Jciicral.
Charges.
('Iiiicge: ]\raliciously. wilfully, and traitorously, and in aid
of llic llicii existing aniic(l rebellion against the United States
of America, on or about the first day of IMareh, A. 1). 1864, and
on divers other days between that day and the tenth day of
April. IHd."). combining, eonfederating, and coiis])ii-ing together
with John 11. AVinder, Kiehard H. AVinder, Josej^h AVhite,
W. S. Windei-. 1\. K. Stevenson, and others unknown, to injure
the heallh and desti'oy the lives of soldiers in the military serv-
*After the close of the \Mar Captain AVirz was tried ])y court martial for his inhuman treatment of our unfortunate prisoners at Anderson- ville.
102 Report of Andersonvilt^e INTonument Commission
ice of the United States, then held and being prisoners of war within the lines of the so-called Confederate States and in mili- tary prisons thereof, to the end that the armies of the United States might be weakened and impaired ; in violation of the laAvs and customs of war,
TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF THE FOREGOING CHARGES.
Testimony of Lieutenant Prescott Tracy.
"I am in the military service of the United States. I was commissioned last year. My previous position in the army was sergeant. I was taken on the 22nd of June, 1864, in the last charge we made on Petersburg. I was taken to Anderson- ville, I think it was the last of June of that year. I was put in the stocks when I got there by Captain Wirz. I was in there until August 17th of the same year. I was pretty nearly starved to death.
"I saw the prisoner very often. I never saw him commit acts of cruelty upon prisoners himself, but I saw him give the or- ders to do it, — to shoot a man. I could not give the day ex- actly. I know tliat it was a Wednesday. That is all I know.
"In the month of August, the man was shot. His name was Roberts. I cannot tell what regiment he belonged to. He was what we called a 'fresh fish,' just come in by the north gate; and, not knowing the rules and regulations, he went to take a drink at the creek, and, it being muddy there, he slipped and fell in so that his head went about six inches inside the dead- line. Captain Wirz was behind me, perhaps the distance of this room or a little more. He halloed to the sentry, "G — d d — n your soul, why don't you shoot the Yankee s — n of a b — h? That was the expression he made use of. The senti- nel fired and shot the man through the top of the head, and the ball came out at the back of his neck. The sentry did not say anything at the time ; he only just fired. I lay down, for I was afraid of getting shot myself. This was in August, the fore part of August. The man did not live ; he died right in tiie creek, and we pulled liiju out and buried him that same after- noon."
Extracts fko.m 'iiik Tiuai. (ik Cm'tain Win/ lf»:J
William Uillacd. (MtMrcdccal i- snIdiiT. mi duty as L'liard at AiidtTsoin illi'. trstitii's as follows:
"I had an upport unity of ohscrviii^; llic foiidilioii of tlir stockadt', and llif im-ii in it. It was very liad ; it was as nasty as could l»t'. ()n one (jccasion I saw one tnaii lyin^' tiifrt'-. in' had not (dotlics cnoujijh on to hidr his nakcdufss. His hip hones wci'c wofu away; he had |)ut up two sti(d<s and fastened his coal o\ei- tin-Ill to keep tlif suu olT his face. 'I'liere were a ffood many lyin*? down si(d< and olliei-s waiting; on them. There was a Very l)a(l smell, and I su|)pose it was caused hy the crowded stale (d" the men and the lilthiuess of the place. I have smelt it at the depot at Andefsoii\ illc. half a mile from the sto(dvade.
"The food fufiiished the prisouei's was very fouirh. T recol- lect one e\('nin<r. when we wci-e ^oinj; on i^iiard. we were all stopped in fi-ont of the noi'th j;ate of the sto(d^ade to divide the men ott' into separate reliefs; a waj^on load of ])eas or beans, as they calle<l them, was going in and had stopped near us, and they smelt SO had that the l)oys told the dj-ivor to move on. One of the ^uai-d asked the black driver, ' liiclc, what are you iroin^' to do with those peas?' 'I am going to take them in- side," said tlie man. "Hell,' said the <jfuard, 'no man can eai them, they smell too had." The \\'a'_'oii di'ove off into the jirisou, the driver saying', ■perisliin^' men will eat anything.' The stream that i)assed through the stockade ran down be- tween the first and second Georgia regiuKMits and Furloir's battalion. [ know where the bake-house was situated. All the washing's from it went I'i'^ht tlirouiih th(> slo(d<ade, also the wash'ngs from the camp. The 'pits" used by the men wc^re not fiv(> stei)s fi-om the stream. T have ))assed them 7iiany times. 1 had means of observing i'rom my sentry post the condition of the stream inside the sto(d<ade. Tt was very muddy foi* a h-ngth of tiiiu', and it became more so after a while. Sometimes when it was I'ainy it was 1lii(d\ with mud and iilth from the di"ainings of the camp."
This witness also testilies that he had seen si-vei'al lots of men ill the chain-gang, sometimes as numy as twelve in lunnbei".
13
11)4 Report op Andersonville jMonument Commission
Ambrose Spencer, of Americus, Georgia, residing during the war about nine miles from Andersonville, was a witness at the trial "Wirz and testified as follows :
"I visited Andersonville during its occupation as a prison very frequently. I saw the prisoner, Captain Wirz, very fre- quently. I Avas there nearly every month, I think, during the time it was a prison. I doubt whether a month elapsed in which I Avas not there, while it was in its crowded condition. I had frequent opportunities of seeing the condition of the prisoners, not only from the adjacent hills, but on several occasions from the outside of the stockade where the sentinel's boxes were. I had opportunities of talking at different times with the prisoners, not only at Andersonville, but in several instances after they had escaped and come to my house. I can answer the question only by saying their condition Avas as wretched and as horrible as could well be conceived, not only from exposure to the sun, the inclemency of weather, and the cold of winter, but from the filth, from the absolute degradation which was evident in their condition. I have seen that stockade, after three or four days' rain, when the mud, I should say, was at least twelve inches deep on both the hills; the prisoners were walking or wading through that mud. The condition of the stockade, perhaps, can be expressed most aptly by saying that in passing up and down the railroad, if the wind was favorable, the odor from the stockade could be detected at least two miles.
"1 believe I am familiar Avith the surrounding country. That section of south-western Georgia is well supplied with mills, both grist-mills and saw-mills. Between Andersonville and Albany (the distance by railroad being, I believe, fifty miles — there is a railroad communication, there are five saw- mills. One of them, a large one, is owned by a gentleman named Drew. There are four others of considerable capacity. There is one saw-mill at a distance of six miles from Ander- sonville, owned by Mr. Stewart, that goes by steam. There is another such mill about five miles from Andersonville that goes by water. There are saw-mills on the road above Anderson- ville. As for grist-mills, there are five in the neighborhood of Andersonville ; that farthest off being at a distance, I should think, of not exceeding ten miles. There were two at Ameri-
I'lXTKACTS FKOM THi: TlMAL ( H' ('\|-r\l\ WlUZ lO.")
ens, the one rartliost Jiway Itciiif^ ahoiil tut'lvi- iiiilrs distant. Of tlu'so mills, the water mills arc run nearly the outirc year, except occasionally in the summer months; in the months of July and Auj^ust they may be temporarily suspended owing to the want of water, but not for any length of time.
"It is a very heavily timbered country, especially in the region adjoining Andersonville ; it may be termed one of the most densely timbered countries in the T'nited States. As for its fertility, southwestern Georgia, I believe, is termed the garden of Ann lica; it was termed the garden of the confeder- acy, as having sui)])li('d the greater part of the provisions for the rebel army. Our section of Georgia, Sunitci' county, is perhaps not so rich as the counties immediately contiguous. The land is of a lighter quality, yet it produces heavily. T suppose that tTie average of that land would be one bale of cotton to the acre ; and wheat would average about six bushels to the acre. The average of corn throughout the county, T suppose, would be about eight bushels to the acre. I am stating the general average of the Avhole numbers of acres in the county. We have land in that county that will produce thirty-five bushels of corn to the acre. It struck me that there was an uncommon supply of vegetables in 1864. Heretofore, at the South, there has been but little attention paid to gardens on a large scale ; but last year a very large supply of vege- tables Avas raised, as I understand, for the purpose of being dis- posed of at Andersonville. Indeed, there was not a day that l)assed when the trains were not loaded, going from Americus \ip to Andei-sonville, with persons carrying vegetables there. I know that some officer at Andersonville (I cannot say who it was) had agents at Americus to purchase vegetables; and large amounts of vegetables were sent up daily.
"I know of lumber hiiviiiti- l)een used at Andersonville. T was there during June and July very fretpiently, at the time when Governor Brown had called out the militia of the state. The militia of southwestern Georgia were stationed at Ander- sonville, and their tents were all floored with good lumber, and a good many shelters of lumber were put up by the soldiers. I noticed a good numy tents that were protected from the sun by boards. There seemed to be no want of lumber at thai time among the confederate soldiei-s.
lOfi Report of ANDERSONVir.iiE Monument Commission
"I did not take regular therinoinetrieal observations during the summer of 1864 and the Avinter of 1864-'6r), yet I liad a thermometer, an every day, sometimes two or three times a day, I examined it.. 1 generally made it a rule to look at it when I got up in the morning and again about noon and then at evening. So far as I remember, the range of thermometer during the summer of 1864 was very high. I think I have seen it as high as 110 degrees in the shade. Once, and only once, I put the thermometer out in the sun on an extremely hot day in June, 1864. It ranged then, if my memory serves me right, 127 to 130 degrees. Last winter, according to my experience during more than twenty-five years residence in Georgia, was the coldest winter we ever had there. I have seen the ther- mometer as low as 20 and 22 degrees above zero — from 10 to 12 degrees below the freezing point; one night it was colder than that ; it was the night of the 4th of January. It is very distinctly impressed on my memory. During the night I was awakened by my wife, who told me that somebody w^as calling in front of my house. I opened the side window and asked who was there. A voice replied, 'a friend.' I answered that I had no friends at that time of night, and very few anyhow in that country. He said that he w^as a friend of mine and wanted to come near the fence to speak to me. I told him my dog would bite him if he came to the fence ; he then approached and said he was an Andersonville prisoner, and asked me, calling me by name, if I lived there. I told him I was the man and to Avait a minute. I dressed myself, went out and chained my dog, and brought the prisoner in. He was nearly frozen ; he could hardly stand ; he had on only one shoe, — that was a poor one, — and a stocking upon the other foot. He was clad in the thin army flannel of the United States, badly worn. He had on a pair of light blue pantaloons which were badly worn. This was on a Wednesday morning. He told me that he had made his escape from Andersonville on the Saturday previous ; that he had been apprehended and taken to Americus, whence he had made his escape from the guard the night before, and was directed by a negro to my house. I asked him if he was not nearly frozen; he said he was. I looked at the thermometer then, and it was eighteen degrees above zero. This was about two o'clock in the morning — between one and two o'clock.
KXTKACTS I'lMM TIIK TkIAI, or CaITAIN WiKZ 1 'Vf
"I know that efforts were made by the ladies oi" my eountry to relieve the prisoners at Andersonville ; at one time a general effort was made. All llial I know is that a gentleman named Mr. |);i\ics. ii Mclliodist |)i;rsi(liiig rider, exerted himself to induce the ladies to eontrihnte elothiMg and j)rovisions to the federal hospital at Andersonville. A large amount of pro- \ isions was collecled, suine thi-ee OI- runt" wagon loads, if 1 am not mistaken, and sent uj) there. 1 helieve that the eff'ort failed. First, the provost marshal refused a pass to carry the piMtvisions to the hospital: and when tiie application was made to (Jeneral Winder by Dr. Head, who acted as the spokesman for the ladies, it was positively i-cfused to them. 1 had a coii- vei-satioii with (Jeuci-al Wiiidci- tlwee days afterward. The same matter then came up. (ieuefal Winder stated, accom- j)anied with an oath, tlial lie bclievetl the whole eountry was
beeonnng 'Yankee,' ami that he would be d d if he
would not put a stop to it; if he couldn't one way he would in another. I remarked that I did not think it was any evidence of 'Yankee/ or Union feeling to exhibit humanity. He said there was no humanity about it ; that it was intended as a slur upon the eonfeilerate goverinnent and a covert attack upon him. 1 tolil him that L had understood it was done at his i-e- (piest ; that he had i-e(iuested Mr. l)a\ies to bring this thing
about. He said it was a d d lie; that he had not re-
(pu'sted any thing of the kind; that for his own j)art he would
as lief the d il Yankees would die there as anywhere
else; that, upon the whole, he did not know but that it would be better for them. That was his language, or words to that eft'eet. ('aplaiu Wir/ \\ as not pi'csent at that lime. My wife was with me, and there were other ladies present, but 1 don't think 1 knew any of them. They were not part of the com- mittee."
(Question: In what way did (ienei-al Winder sjx-ak of the ladies and tlieii- humane effort.'
Answer: lie used the most opprobrious language that could possibly be used, language that no gentleman could listen to, espcciallv in the presence of his wife, without resenting it in some way language utterly unfit to be i-e|>eate(l in the pres- ence (d' bnlies. It was an iidimation that he could veiy easily nud<c loyal women of them by putting them to a certain condi- tion that would Itring them to it.
198 Report of Andersonville ]\Ionument Commission
I was present at a conversation the day after this committee of ladies failed. It was at the depot at Andersonville. The coversation was principally carried on between the provost marshal, Captain Reed, and other officers present.
Question: Captain or Lieutenant Reed!
Answer : I believe we used to call him. Captain. He might, perhaps, have been a lieutenant. He was the only Reed there. Captain Wirz and R. B. Winder were present. There were three or four officials there; I cannot recall any but those. Lieutenant Reed observed that if General Winder had done as he wanted to do they might have made a good speculation out of the provisions and clothing the ladies had brought; that he proposed they should be confiscated, but the "Old General" would not do it. Wirz remarked that if he had his way he would have a house built there, and all the ladies should be put in it for certain purposes. That was a most scandalous, infamous purpose, which I do not wish to repeat. R. B. Winder's remarks were a general concurrence. I don't know that he said anything special that I can call to mind any more than laughingly concurring in what had been said.
I know Turner, who had the hounds, very well; his name was Wesley W. Turner.
Question: What did you ever hear him say as to his duties there and what was he receiving?
Answer : It was some time in the early part of 1864 — March or April, I think. He had purchased a piece of land up in the same district in which my place is. I met him one day in Americus and asked him if he was going to settle that land. He said he was not ; that he was making more money now than anybody else in that country. I inquired how he was making it. He said the confederate government was paying him for keeping hounds to catch escaped prisoners. I asked him if he got his pay from Richmond. He said no, he did not trouble Richmond; that "Old Cap. Wirz" was his paymaster. I asked him how much he received. My impression is that he did not tell me what he received. He told me that he was making more money than anyone else in that country ; better than he could do cultivating ground. That Avas early in the history of that prison, — I think during March or April. It was while he was there on duty. He told me that he then had a pack of hounds and was employed there.
JOXTKAC'IS I'Ko.M rilK ThIAI. OF CaITAIX ^VlRZ 19 J
1 know W. S. Winder, "Sid Wiinlci-, " as ho is called. I saw him at Ihr tiuH- Ik; was hiying out the prison. Ik'tween the 1st and 15tli of Dec(3mbei*, 186:}, J. wmt up to Andersonville with hini and four or live other j^cnthMiicn, out of euriosity to see liow the prison was to he laid out. When W(; arrived there
the limits of the prison had all I n marked. They were then
dit.'<,'in<; a trench to put the stoekach; posts in. Workmen were husy euttinj^ down trees iu and around where tlie stoekado "was. In the course of the conversation i in([uircd of W. S. Winder if he proposed to erect barracks or slndter of any kind inside the stockade. Tie 7'eplied that he was not; that the d — d Yankees who would be i)ut in there would have no need of them. I asked him why they were cutting down all the trees and suggested that if left standing they would be a shelter to the prisoners, from the heat of the sun at least. lie made this reply, or something similar to it: "That is just what I am going to do; I am going to build a pen here that will kill more d — d Yankees than can be destroyed at the front." Those are very nearly his words, — equivalent to them. That was before the stockade was erected in the trench. Captain R. B. Winder came there to the post ten or fifteen days after that — I suppose about ten days. There was nothing said at that time as to who ordered W. S. Winder there to lay out the i)ris()n. I had fre- quent conversations witli Gen. Winder. I used to meet him very frequently, either in Americus or going up the railroad. I saAV him a good many times at Andersonville.
Q. What Avas the general temper and spirit of his talk with regard to those prisoners ?
A. The opinion that I formed of him was anything but credit- abhi to his feeling, his humanity or his gentlemanly bearing. I am not aware that I ever had a conversation with General Winder in which he did not curse more or less, especially if the subject of Andersonville was brought up. I can reply to your question only l)y saying that I considered him a bruta! man. 'J'hat T drew from liis conversation and conduct as I ob- served him. I. looked upon him as a man utterly devoid of all kindly feeling and sentiment.
(^). How geiiei-ally. so far as you obsei-ved, were the suffer- ings and hoiM-ors of the .Viidersom ille ]ien known tlii'oughont the South?
200 Report of Andersonvii.le ]\Ionitment Commission
A. So far as my knowledge and information went, the knowledge of those sufferings was general. It was so, at least, throughout the southern part of the southern states; I cannot speak specifically in regard to the neighborhood of Rich- mond. The matter was discussed in the newspapers constantly, and discussed in private circles. Perhaps I might have heard more of it than most people, l)ecause it dwelt more on my mind ; but it was a general subject of conversation throughout the entire southern part of the confederacy. ' '
Testimony of Boston Corbett, who later shot John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's assassin. He was a prisoner at An- dersonville and was exchanged. He arrived at Andersonville in July, 1864. He says:
"Before we entered the stockade we remained in front of the headquarters for some time, to be told off in detachments num- bering two hundred and seventy, divided into nineties. While there I was excessively thirsty, and asked a man near Captain Wirz's headquarters (in some small tents) for a drink of water. The reply was that he dare not give it to me ; he was not ^ guard ; he was one of our own prisoners ; there were a good many of them outside, on their parole of honor. After enter- ing the stockade, I found nine men of my own company there, who had been taken to that place some three and a half months previously ; eight of them were inside, and one had been taken to the hospital outside. I did not see him, yet knew of his being there. Within two months six out of those nine men had died, and before I left the stockade, out of fourteen, including five who were captured with me, there were twelve dead ; only two of us returned alive. The prison Avas horrible on account of the filthy condition of it ; the swamp which runs on each side of the small stream that runs through the stockade was so oft'ensive, and the stench from it so great, that I remember the first time I went down there I wondered that every man in the place did not die from the effects of the stench, and I believe that that was the cause of the death of a great many of our men. It was a living mass of putrefac- tion and filth ; there were maggots there a foot deep or more ; any time we turned over the soil we could see the maggots in a living mass.
^
IVXTKA'TS KUd.M TIIK 'I KlAI, (IF C.MTAIN WlRZ 203
"i Jiavc staled lluit Hit; (MjiRlilion of llic placi; was hurrihlf. i have seen these things. Seurvy was a very general disease among us. Tliere were hundreds of eases all around. It alllieted nie by swelling my feet and legs very niueh, eontraet- ing the eords of my legs so that they were erooked and 1 eould not straigliteu them. 1 had to liiiip in walking. Others were much worse, and had to erawi on tiie ground or walk on i-rutelu's. Their gums would get exceedingly sore; the teeth wduld liceome loose and frequently eaiiK- out. In addition to this there would be a growth of raw llesli on the gums both on the insitle and out. In one ease, a comrade belonging to my comjiany had such Uesh grow from each side of the mouth until it formed a second growth, making it impossible for him to eat such coarse food as the corn bread that we I'e- ceivetl, or anything of that nature. My gums frequently bleed still, ^'ery many were afflicted in that way."
Testimony of Rev. William .John Hamilton.
The Rev. William John Hamilton was also examined on the Wirz trial, and testified as follows:
1 am pastor of the Catholic church in ^lacon, Ceorgia. 1 visited Andersonville three times. It was one of the missions attached to my church. I went there, I think, in the month of May, 1864, and spent a day there. The following week I went and spent three days there among the prisoners, and then re- turned and wrote a report on the condition of the hospital and stockade to my bishop, in order that he might send the re<iui- site number of i)riests to visit the prisoners there; and 1 visited it again after tin; i)i-isoners liad l)een i-emoved tVom Anderson- ville to Thomasville. 1. do not remember tiie month of thai visit. It was in the beginning of this year, in the month of l''eliruary or ^larch, 1865.
(^. State to the court in what condition you found the stock- ade when you lirst visited it, and subsequently, and all tin- time while you were there.
A. The first time I visited the stockade I had only about three or four hours to spend there. I merely went to see what the condition of the place was. My principal object was to find onl. if i)ossible, tiie number of Catholics wlio were prisoners tliere, in ordei' that we might induce the bisliop to send a sufli-
204 Kepurt of Anderson VI I iLE ^Ionument Commission
cient niiinber of priests. I did not pay iniicli attention to what J saw or heard there then. The following week I returned and spent three days. I visited the stoekade and the hospital, dis- charging my duties as a priest of the Catholic church. On this, my second visit to the stockade, I found, I think, about 23,000 prisoners there ; at least the prisoners told me there were that number. I found the place extremely crowded, with a great deal of sickness and suffering among the men. I was kept so busy aduiinistering the sacrament to the dying that I had to curtail a great deal of the service that Catholic priests admin- ister to the dying, for the reason they were so numerous — they died so fast. I waited only upon those of my own church ; they were the only persons who demanded my ministrations. When I speak of the number dying, I mean among those of my own church, and do not include the others.
Q. Give the court some idea of the condition of the stock- ade.
A. I found the stockade extremely filthy, — the men all huddled together, and covered with vermin. The best idea I can give the court of the condition of the place is, perhaps, this: I went in there with a white linen coat on, and I had not been there more than ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, when a gentlemen drew my attention to the condition of my coat. It was all covered over Avitli vermin, and I had to take it off and leave it with one of the guards and perform my duties in my shirt sleeves, the place Avas filthy.
Q. State to the court any particular case which came under your notice that Avould help to illustrate the condition of things there.
A. That is about the only idea I can give of the stockade.
Q. State any particular case you observed showing the destitution of the prisoners.
A. The first person I conversed with on entering the stock- ade was a countryman of mine, a member of the Catholic church, who recognized me as a clergyman. I think his name was Farrell. lie was from the north of Ireland. He came over toward me and introduced himself. He was quite a boy ; I do not think, judging from his appearance, that he could have been more than sixteen years old. I found him without a hat and without any covering on his feet, and without jacket or coat. He told me that his shoes had been taken from him on the
EXTHAPTS FROM TIIK 'llUAl, OK ('aI-TAIN WiRZ 20.')
I)alll<'-Mrl(l. 1 ruuiid llic hoy sutVciMiit; vt-ry iiiucli rruiii a wouiul ill his ri<rht foot ; in tact, the loot was split open like; an oyster, ami nil iii(|iiiriii«; the (•aus(\ they tohl iiic it was from exposure to Ihi- sun in the stockade, and not from any wound received in hatth'. I look otf my hoots and }jrave him a pair of socks to cover his left antl t<il<l him I wouhl hi-inj; liiin some ch)thiny, as 1 expected to return to Anih^-soiiviUe the foUowinir wt i-k. I had to retui-n 1o Macon lo <,'et another priest to take my phice on Sunday. Whrn 1 retuiiied tin- roUowin*; week, (»n in(|uii'- in^' for this man, Fai-rell, his com|»anion tohl me he had stcpjii-d aci'oss tlu' dead line and re(|uested the jruards to shoot iiim. He was not insane at the lime 1 was con\ri'sin'_' with him. It was liiree or I'oui" days alter thai when 1 was askin»( Toi- him; 1 think it was the latter i)ai't of May. lSf)4. To the hest of my recollection his name was l''ai'i'i'll. 1 do not know to what company or regiment he helon^'cd ; 1 did not ask liim. AVhen I speak of administering the sacrament of the church to those dying, I refer to those in the stockade and in the hospital. I spent two days in the stockade and one in the hosi)ital during my sei-vices at Andersonville. This case that I liave spoken of occurred in the stockade. lie had no medical treatment at all; none of those who ditnl there and to whom I administered the sacrament received any medical ti'catment at all, so far as I could see. When I went into the hospital T found it almost as crowded as the stockade: Die men were dying there very i-apidly from scui-vy. diarrhea, and <Iysentery; and, so far as T could ()l»ser\'e. I could not see that they received any medical treatment whalsoe\-er, or received and medicine at all.
<^. How Were they situated as to beds and bedding?
A. They Were all in tents; the hosi)ital was composed of trnts arranged in a\-enucs. and I did not see that lliey had any- lliiiig undei- them at all excei)t the gi-ound. In some cases, T think, they had dried leaves that they had gathei-ed. Tn my minist I'at ion while at the lios|)ital 1 saw one surgeon in chai'sje Ihrre. |)i-. White.
• ^. Slate thf circumstances.
.\. 1 was attending an Irisliinan. liy the name of ( 'oinuu*, T think, who was caplui-ed at the inglil assault nuide on F'ort SiiMitei-; at least 1 think he told nie so. He was so bad that T had to hear his coid'ession and give him the i-itcs of the chui-ch sitliiii:- upon ;i stool. While I was hi-arintr the man's coHfe.<^-
206 Report of Anderson ville Monument Commission
sion, Surgeon White passed throngli the hospital and, seeing me whispering to the prisoner, and not knowing, I suppose, who I was, ordered the guard to bring me under arrest to his quarters. I went up and apologized for having done so ; he had, in the meantime, inquired of Captain Wirz who I was, ana the captain had told him that he had given me the necessary pass. I conversed with Dr. White with regard to the condition of the men, and he told me it was not in his power to do any- thing for them ; that he had no medicine and could not get any, and that he was doing everything in his power to help them. That was the only time I ever met the surgeon there. Captain Wirz gave me the pass. I first called upon Colonel Persons, who was the officer in command at Andersonville, He referred me to Captain Wirz, and Wirz gave me a pass and granted me every facility in his power to visit those men. He walked down to the stockade with me and showed me the entrance. That pass held good only for that day. That was the first day I went there. It was renewed afterward by Captain Wirz. It continued good for the three days I was there. I did not have it renewed afterward. I did not visit Andersonville again until the prisoners had been removed to Thomasville. That was the beginning of this year.
Q. What did you observe with regard to shelter in the stock- ade, and the suffering of the men from heat there ?
A. When I visited the stockade there was no shelter at all, so far as I could see, except that some of the men who hacl their blankets there had put them up on little bits of roots that they abstracted from the ground ; but I could not see any tents or shelter of any other kind. I got the names of several prisoners who had relatives living in the south and wrote to their friends when I returned' to Macon, and I had some tents introduced there ; they were sent down and the men received them.
Q. Can you illustrate to the court the condition of the prison by stating, for instance, where you tried to make your way through the crowd to a prisoner who was dying?
A. Yes, sir; during my second visit to the prison, I was told that there was an Irishman over at the extreme end of the stockade who was calling for a priest. I suppose he had heard that I had visited the prison the day before, and, as he was very anxious to see a priest, he was calling for one all over the
KXTKACTS KUOM TIIK TkIAI, OF ("aITAIN WiKZ ?07
stofkado. Tlicrc is a brook that runs right tlirougli tiui middle of tlic stockade and I tried to cross it, but was unable to do so as the men wen- crowding around there trying to get in'o the water to cool themselves and wash themselves. I could not get over the brook so liad to leave the stockade witiiout see- ing the man. The heat there was intolerable; there was no I)ure air at all in the stockade. The logs of which the stockade was com])oscd were so close together that I could not fed any fresh air inside; and, wilh a strong sun bcamiiiir down on it, and no shelter at all, the heat must, of course, have been insutl'erable; at least, I felt it so.
Q. How did it affect the priests on duty there?
A. The priests who went there after me, while adininistcrinfr the sacrament to the dying, had to use umbrellas, the heat was so intense. Some of them broke down in consequence of their services there. In the month of August, I think, we had three priests constantly. "We had a priest from INIobile who spoke three or four languages, for you could find every nation- ality inside the stockade. We had two from Savannah and one from Augusta at different times. One of the priests from Savannah came to iMacon, where I reside, completely pros- trated, and was sick at my house for several days.
There were saw mills in that vicinity along the railroad. I do not remember that any were near to Andersonville. I used to visit Albany, which, T supj^ose, is thirty or forty miles below Andersonville, once every month. It was my duty to go tliere that often, and I used to see saw mills along the railroad in operation. I have heard that the prisoners proposed to cut wood for themselves. In fact, T have heard prisoners say so. I did not keep an account of the dying men I used to attend per day to administer the last sacrament, yet judging from the hours I was engaged and Avhat I know to be the lengtli of the service, I suppose I must have attended from twenty to thirty every day; sometimes more, sometimes less. That was al)out the average number, between twenty and thirty.
Q. Can you speak more j^articularly as to the bodily condi- tion of those inside the stockade, their clothing and the appear- ance of the men?
A. Well, as T said, Avhen T went there I was kept so busily engaged in giving the sacrament to the dying men that T could not ottser\(' inueli : but, of eoui'se. T could Hot keep my eyes
208 Report of Andersonville ^Monument Commission
closed as to what I saw. I saw a great many men prefectly naked walking about tlirongli the stockade; they seemed to have lost all regard for delicacy, shame, morality, or anything else. I would frequently have to creep on my hands and knees into the holes of the men to hear their confessions. I found them almost living in vermin in those holes; they could not be in any other condition but filthy, because they got no soap and no change of clothing, and were there all huddled together.
I never at any time counted the number of dead bodies being taken out of the stockade in the morning. I have never seen any dead carried out of the stockade. I have seen dead bodies in the hospital in the morning. In the case of the man in the hospital, of whom I was speaking awhile ago, after I had heard his confession, and before I gave him the last rites of the church, I saw them placing the niglit guards in the hospital, and I knew I would not be able to get out after that. I told him that I would return in the morning and give him the other rites of the church, if he still lived. I was there early the next morning, and in going down one of the avenues I counted from forty to sixty dead bodies in the stockade. I have seen a person in the hospital in a nude condition — perfectly naked. They were not only covered with the ordinary vermin, but with maggots. They had involuntary evacuations, and there were no persons to look after them. The nurses did not seem to pay any attention whatever, and, in consequence of being allowed to lie in their own filth for some hours, vermin of every de- scription had got on them which they were unable to keep off. This was the latter part of May. I never noticed in the stock- ade the men digging in the ground and standing in the sand to protect themselves from the sun. I did not see any instance of that kind. I have seen them making little places from a foot to a foot and a half deep, and stretching their blankets tight over them. I have erawJed into sucli places frequently to hear the confessions of the dying. They would hold from one to two; and sometimes one prisoner would share his l)lanket with another and allow him to get under shelter.
"When I returned from the stockade after my second visit to it, in the latter part of May, I represented these things to General Cobb. I wrote to our bishop and told him that these men were dying in large numbers; that there were many Catholics there, anc| that they required the services of a priest ;
Extracts KHo.Nf thi; Tuiaf. op C'AnAiN' Wiitz 201
then In- st'iil lip l-'.it liii" WIkIjim. I"'.itln'i- \Vli<'l;in i-xj)iTss<'d a (losirc to see Cien('i";il ('uhh Ix-torc he ufiit duwii to the stock- ade 1 callt'd upon (JcJit'i-al ('ol)l> and told liiiii tliat 1 liad Itccii then-, and I j^mvc liini a dt'scfipt ion ol" tlic place, as well as I could, and he asUcd inc what I woidd i-cconnncnd to he done, as he intended to wi-ite to ixichniond with re«;ard tt> the con- dition of the place. After I found out fi-oni conversation with him that nothinjr <*<>uld lie done for the hodily conifort of the nu'n, owinjr to the sti-in^rcney oi' the stockade, I advised him to parole those men upon their word of honor, take them down to Ja(d<son\ ilh-. Klorida. and turn them into the fcdei-al lines. AVhethei- that recommendation was acted on or not I do not know; he asked my opinion and I ^ave it. At the time when I told iiiiii ol' the condition in which I found tliin<rs, it was known to the whole country, for it was puhlished in the news])apei's in tin; s<nith. T do not know ahout its ])eing common talk and nunnor throuirhout the count ly. I am speakin": oidy about Macon and sontliwestern (Jeor^da. The whole of southwestern Geoi-i;ia is included in my missiiui. and T know that the condition of the prison was well known in .Macon and thr()u«rhout all that i-et^ion.
Q. Do you i-cMUMidn'i" whether he stated that he had written to Kichmond, or that he was about to write to Richmond, to repi-csent the condition of thinj^s at Andersonville?
A. AVIieii he asked me to ^ive him a description of the condi- tion of the i)lace, he answered, I think, that he was going to w I'ite. and w ished to have some information from me on the sub- ject, lie remarked, also, that lie woidd like me to give him a de- scription, because^ he knew the i-elations that existed between the Catholic pi'iest and the mend)ers of his (diur(di, and they would be more uiireserxed in eiiiiiiiiiiiiie.it in*.;' with me than with ot hers. "
Dr. llopkin's l\eport, Sui",<ii'on. Thomasx ille, fJa.
Andersonville, Georgia, August 1, 18G4.
'Ticneral: Tn obedience to your order of July 2(S. retpiiring
us to make a car-eful examination of the federal i)rison and
hospital at this place, and to ascertain and report to .vou the
cause of disease and iiKU'tality aiiioni:' the prisoners, and the
14
210 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission
means necessary to prevent the same, this has been complied with, and we respectfully submit the following:
"Cause of Disease and Mortality.
1. The large number of prisoners crowded together.
2. The entire absence of all vegetables as diet, so necessary as a preventive of scurvy.
3. The want of barracks to shelter the prisoners from sun and rain.
4. The inadequate supply of wood and good water.
5. Badly cooked food.
6. The filthy condition of prisoners and prison generally.
7. The morbific emanations from the brook or ravine, passing through the prison, the condition of which cannot be better explained otherwise than by naming it a morass of human ex- crement and mud.
' ' Preventive Measures.
1. The removal immediately from the prison of not less than fifteen thousand prisoners.
2. Detail on parole a sufficient number of prisoners to culti- vate the necessary supply of vegetables, and, until this can be carried into practical operation, the appointment of agents along the different lines of railroad to purchase and forward a supply.
3. The immediate erection of barracks to shelter the pris- oners.
4. To furnish the necessary quantity of wood, and have wells dug to supply the deficiency of water.
5. Divide the prisoners into squads, place each squad under the charge of a sergeant, furnish the necessary quantity of soap, and hold every sergeant responsible* for the personal clean- liness of his squad ; furnish the prisoners with clothing at the expense of the confederate government, and, if that government is unable to do so, candidly admit inability and call upon the federal government to furnish them.
6. By a daily inspection of bake-house and baking.
7. Cover over with sand from the hillsides the entire morass not less than six inches deep, board the stream or water course, confine the men to the use of the sinks and make the penalty for disobedience of such orders severe.
Extracts iko.m nii: Tuial of Captain Wirz 211
•■ For tilt' Hospital.
We reconuncnd :
1. That the tents be floored with jilanks; if i)laiiks cannot be had, witli punclicous; and if this be impossible, then witli pine straw, to be frequently changed.
2. We find an inade<|uate supply of stool-boxes. We recom- mend that the number bo ineroasod, and that th<; nurses be re- quired to remove them as soon as used and, before returning them, see that they are well washed and limed.
3. The diet for the sick is not such as they should have, and we recommend that they be supplied with the necessary quan- tity of soup, with vegetables.
4. We also i-eeoiiimend that the surgeons be retpiired to visit the hospitals not less than twice a day.
5. We cannot too strongly recommend the necessity for the appointment of an eflfieicnt medical officer to the exclusive (l\ity of inspecting the prison hosj)ital and bakery daily, retpiir- ing of liim to make daily reports of their condition to head- quarters.
T. S. Hopkins, Acting Assistant Surgeon. Brigadier fJeneral John W. Wilson.
Intlorsement : Inspection report of Andorsonville prison, July, 1864."
Dr. Joseph Jones of tlie confederate service, says:
"The federal prisoners made frequent forays upon the hospi- tal stores and carried olT the food and clothing of the sick.
"Tlie supply of medical officers has been insufficient from the foundation of the prison.
"The nurses and attendants upon the sick have been most generally federal prisoners, who, in too many eases, appear to have been devoid of moral principle, and who not only neg- lected their duties but were also engaged in extensive robbing of the sick. " '
"It may be said here tliat for hospital jiui'ses tlie rebels de- tailed the i-aider clement fi-om among our ]>risoners ; these so- called nui'ses were such ])ersons as were Avilling to aid in all plans for destroying the lives of our sick.
212 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
"From the want of proper police and hygienic regulation alone, it is not surprising that from February 24, 1864, to Sep- tember 21, there were recorded nine thousand four hundred and seventy-nine deaths, nearly one-third the entire number of prisoners. ' '
Testimony of Surgeon C. C. Roy, Confederate : "I was told that there Avere from thirty thousand to thirty- five thousand prisoners in the stockade when I went on duty at Andersonville. They presented the most horrible spectacle of humanity that I ever saw in my life. A good many were suffering from scurvy and other diseases; a good many were naked ; a large majority, barefooted ; a good many without hats. Their condition generally was almost indescriba})le. I attributed that condition to long confinement and the want of necessities and comforts of life, and all those causes that are calculated to produce that condition of the system where there is just vitality enough to permit one to live. In the first place, at Andersonville the prisoners were densely crowded. In the next place there was no shelter, except such as they con- structed themselves, which was very insufficient. A good many were in holes in the earth, with their blankets thrown over them; a good many had a blanket or oilcloth thrown over poles ; some were in tents constructed by their own in- genuity, and with just such accommodations g,s their own in- genuity permitted them to contrive. There Avere, as, you say, no accommodations made for them in the stockade, and, in fact, it was a very wise thing that none were made there, un- less the stockade had been large, because to have filled up the space occupied by this prison with sheds would almost have produced a stagnation of air."
THE condition OF THE PRISONERS IN THE HOSPITAL.
By Acting Assistant Surgeon, J. C. Bates, Confederate.
"I reported to Dr. Stevenson, who assigned me to the third division of the military prison hospital under Dr. Shepard ; I was assigned to the fifteenth ward, as then designated.
"Upon going to the hospital, I went immediately to the ward to which I was assigned, and, although I am not an over-sensi- tive man, I must confess I was rather shocked at the appear-
KxTirscTs iicuM Till-; Tkiai, of CaI'TAIN WlHZ 213
;iii<-<' «»r tliinj,'.s. Tin- iiic-n wi-i'e lyinj,' partially mid.-, and dyiug, and l<nisy, — a portion of tlicni in the sand and otlicrs upon boards which had been stuck up on a litlh- {n-oyt, pretty well crowded together, a majority of them in small tents, looking to be tents tliat were not very serviceable at best. 1 went round and examined all that were placed in my charge. That was the condition of the nun. Hy and by, as 1 became familiar- ized with tile condition of att'airs, the impressions which were at first produced upon me wore off, more or less. I became t'aiiiili;ii- with scenes of misery and they did not affect me so much. 1 incfuired into the nature of the rations of the men, for I felt disposed to do my duty; and after the men found that 1 was inclined to aid llieni so far as I could in my sphere of action, they freiiuently asked me for a teaspoonful of salt, or an order for a little siftin<rs that came out of the meal. 1 would ask tiieiii wiiat they wanted siftings for, and some of them said they wished to make some bread. I. would incjuire into the state of their disease, and if what they asked for woidd injure them, I would not allow them to have it. I would give I hem an order for sifted meal where I found that the condition of llie patient re(|uired something beltei- than siftings. They would eoiiie ;il times in considerable mimbers to get these orders for an extra ration, or, if not a ration, whatever portion they could get. I spent a considerable portion of my time in writing orders, and I did it very laconically. I had three words that contained a bona fide order, which should be re- spected by the head cook or baker. We commonly called him Hob — his name was Allen; he was from Illinois. The order would read in this way: "Hob — meal — Bates." If any more words were attached lo it. it was not a genuine order. I used that diseriminalion in order lo favor the si(dvest of them, so llinl lliey iiiijzlit uet what lliey could a1 the expense, perhaps, of those who could get along belter without it. These orders wer(; constantly a])plied for, and 1 would sign them until my patience was abnost worn out. The ni(>at ration was cooked at a diffi-rent part of the hospital: and when I would go up there, especially while 1 was medical officer of the day, the men would gather ai'onnd iiie and ask me for a bone. I would grant their recjuests so far as 1 could. 1 would give them whatever 1 could Hud at my disposition without robbing others. I well knew that siidi a])pro]>riat ion of one ration took it from the
214 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
general issue ; that when I appropriated an extra ration to one man, some one else would fall minus upon that ration. I then fell back upon the distribution of bones. They did not pre- sume to ask me for meat at all. So far as the rations were con- cerned, that is about the way matters went along for some time after I went there.
' ' Clothing we had none ; the prisoners could not be furnished with any clothing, except that the clothing of the dead was generally appropriated to the living. We thus helped the liv- ing along as well as we could.
"Of vermin or lice, there was a very prolific crop. I got to understand practically the meaning of the word 'lousy;' I would generally find some upon myself after retiring to my quarters; they were so numerous that it was impossible for a surgeon to enter the hospital without having some upon him when he came out, if he had touched anybody or anything save the ground; and very often if he merely stood still any con- siderable length of time he would get them upon him.
"When I went to the hospital I found the men destitute of clothing and bedding; there was a partial supply of fuel, yet not sufficient to keep the men warm and prolong their exist- ence. Shortly after I arrived there I was appointed officer of the day. I learned that the officer of the day was in supreme command of all pertaining to the hospital, and that it was my duty, as such, to go into the various wards and divisions of the hospital and rectify anything that was not as it should be. In visiting the hospital I made a pretty thorough examination. As a general thing, the patients Avere destitute ; they were filthy and partly naked. There seemed to be a disposition only to get something to eat. The clamor all the while was for something to eat. They asked me for orders for this, that, and the other — peas or rice, or salt, or beef tea, or a po- tato, or a biscuit, or a piece of cornbread, or siftings of meal.
"Medicines were scarce; we could not get what we wished. We drew upon the indigenous remedies; they did not seem to answer. We gathered up large quantities of them, but very few served for medicines as we wished. We wanted the best and most powerful anti-scorbutics, as well as something that was soothing and healing, especially to the lining membrane of the alimentary canal, also such things as were calculated to counteract a dropsical disposition and a gangrenous infection.
KxTKA' rs KKiiM Till: 'I'kiai, ok ('.m'tain Wirz 215
Those were in-oniiiK-nt tiling's in tlie hospital. W'c hud uol at all times the proper remedies to administer, and the indige- nous remedies did not serve us and could not serve us in those complaints. Wc were obliged to do the best we could.
•'riurc was in my ward a boy of fifteen or sixteen years in wliniii 1 IV'lt a particular interest. My attention was more im- mediately called to him from his youth, and he appealed to iim* in such a way that I could not well avoid heeding him. lit- would oltcu ask me to bring him a potato, a piece of bread, a biscuit or something of that kind, which I did. I would put it in my pocket and give it to him. I would sometimes give him a raw potato, and, as Ik; had the scurvy and also gan- grene, 1 would advise him not to cook the potato at all but to eat it raw as an anti-scorbutic. 1 supplied him in that way for some time, but I could not give him a sufficiency. He came to have bed-sores upon his hips and back, lying upon the ground; we afterwards got him some straw. Those bed-ridden sores had become gangrenous. He became more and more emaciated until he died. The lice, the want of bed and bed- ding, of fuel and food, united to cause his death.
''I was a little shy. I did not know^ that I Avas allowed to take such things to the patients; and I had been so often arrested that I thought it necessary to be a little shy in what I did, and keep it to myself. I would put a potato in my pocket and would turn around and let it drop to this man or that. I did not wish to be o])served by anybody. AVhen I first went there I understood that it was positively against the orders to take anything in.
"I can speak of other cases among the i)atieuts; two or three others in my ward were in the same condition; and there were others who came to their death from the bad condition of things and the lack of necessarj* su]>plies. That is my jii'o- fessional ojiinion.
"I had occasion to visit tlie entire hospital occasionally and. so far as 1. saw, its condition was generall.v the same as T have been describing. At tiie time I went there, there were, I think, from the best observation I could make, perhaps 2,000 or 2,500 sick in that hospital.
"We had cases of chilblains or frost-bitten feet. ^lost gen- erally, in addition to what was said to be frost-bite, there was gangrene. I did not see the sores in the original chilblains.
216 Rei'ort oP AnderHonville MoNuMEiNT Commission
I do not think I can say if there were any amputations or any deaths resulting from sufferings of that character, not having made up my mind as to whether the amputations were in con- seqiience of chilblains or because, from accidental abrading of the surface, gangrene had set in. But for a while amputations were practiced in the hospital almost daily, arising from a gangrenous and scorbutic condition, which, in many cases, threatened the saturation of the whole system with this gan- grenous and offensive matter, unless the limb was amputated. In cases of amputation of that sort, it would sometimes become necessary to re-amputate, because of gangrene's taking hold of the stump again. Some few successful amputations were made. I recollect two or three which were successful. I kept no sta- tistics ; those were kept by the prescription clerks and for- warded to headquarters. I did not think at the time that the surgeon-in-chief did all in his power to relieve the condition of those men, and I made my report accordingly.
"In visiting the wards in the morning I would find persons lying dead; sometimes I would find them lying among the liv- ing. I recollect on one occasion telling my steward to go up and wake a certain one, and when I went myself to wake him I found he was taking his everlasting sleep. That oc- curred in another man's ward when I was officer of tlie day. Upon several occasions, on going into my own wards, I found men whom we did not expect to die, dead from the sensation chilblains had produced during the night. This was in the hos- pital. I was not so well acquainted with how it was in the stockade. I judge, though, from what I saw, that numbers suffered in the same way there.
"The effect of scurvy upon tlie systems of tlie men, as it de- veloped itself there, was the next thing to rottenness. Their limbs would become drawn up. Scurvy would manifest itself constitutionally. It would draw them up. They would go on crutches sideways, or crawl upon their hands and knees, or on their haunches and feet, as well as they could. Some coulcl not eat unless they had food that needed no mastication. Sometimes they would be furnished beef-tea or boiled rice, or something of the kind, but not to the extent which I would like to have seen. In some cases they could not eat corn bread ; their teeth would be loose and their gums all bleeding. I have known cases of that kind. I do not speak of it as a general
KxTRAcrs I'KnM iiii: Tkiai, (»f ("ai-'iain Wihz 217
thing. Tlu'y wouKl ask iiif to inlrrcsl mysi-ir in <,'rllin<^ tlicin soniftliinj^ wliicli tlicy could swallow witiioiit siili.jccting tlicni to so imicli pain in mastication. Jt sccins to im- 1 did rxpn-ss my jn-ol'i'ssiojud opinion that nifii died hccansc they could not eat tiic rations they j^ot.
"I. cannot state what proportion of the nun in whose cases it l)('canie necessary to anii>utate i'roni t;anj;reno\is wounds, and also to re-anii)utate from the sann.' cause, recovered. Never having' chai-ged niy mind on the subject, and not expecting to be calletl upon in such a cai)acity, 1 cannot give an approximate opini<tn which I would deem reliable. In 1864, amputations from that cause occurred very frequently, indeed; during the short tinu' in 1S(),") tliat 1 was there, amputations were not fre- quent.
"1 cannot state with any cei-tainty the pro])()rtion of prison- ers treated in the hospital who recovered and were sent back to the sto(d<ade. Thei-e were clerks appointed to keep all those accounts, and 1 tried to confine myself strictly to my own duty, so did not interest myself in any statistical enu- mei'ation of facts or data.
"The prisoners in the stockade ami thi' hospital were uot Well protected I'l'oiii llie rain; they were |)rotee1e(| only by their own meagre means, their blankets, holes in the earth, and such things. In the spring of 1865, when I was in the stockade, I saw a shed thirty feet wide and sixty feet long; the sick principally were in that. They were in about the same condition as those in the hospital. As to the prisoners generally, their only means of shelter from the sun and rain were their blankets, if they carried any along with them. I regarded such lack of shelter as a source of disease."
Authority of Wiiv. Over the Hospital. P>y Sur-geou A. V. l>aiTo\\s. 271 li Massachusetts Infantry.
"1 have ol'teii heard ('aptain Wir/ make I'euiai'ks in I'cfer- ence to the hospital, at difVerent tinu's. L have sometinu'S heard him say that lu' woidd stai've every d — d Yankee there — or soiiiet liiiig to that elVect — when somebody made his escape, or attempted to get away. Whenever a ju'isoner cann^ there 1 have heai'd him make such thi'cats. 1 have heard such re- marks manv times when 1 lia\'e been at his oflice. He used t<;
218 Report of Andersonvii.le jMonument Commission
come into the hospital about once a Aveek, but never unless he was looking after somebody, or somebody had made his escape. I have seen him around the hospital, also this man Turner with his hounds. We looked upon Captain Wirz as the i^roper authority to govern things there, not, perhaps, in the medical line, yet as to every other regulation. As to the disciplint, if any one escaped from the hospital he inflicted the punishment; he ordered the men put into the stocks or the chain-gang. I have seen Union soldiers who had tried to make their escape and been caught, put into the chain-gang or the stocks within the stockade.
Rations of the Prisoners in the Hospital.
' ' The rations of the sick men Avhen I first went there I never weighed. They were very small, indeed. In the month of June the patients in my w^ard got the same as the others. The daily rations averaged about two ounces of meat a day. Then it was bacon, I think. There were no vegetables issued in that month, or in the fore part of it, at least. Their diet consisted of two ounces of bacon and a small piece of corn-bVead in the morning, and at night perhaps two and a half inches square of bread ; no coffee, no tea, no sugar at that time, and no flour. Sometimes there was a little rice soup ; perhaps a gallon of rice to thirty gallons of water. That is pretty much all I had to live on.
"In July we got a very few vegetables, — collards, wiiicli is a species of cabbage, yet not sufficient to give the patients a tablespoonful of vegetable matter per day. Later I had more vegetables, though not every day.
' ' The last three months I was there I had charge of a surgic- al w^ard where the patients got more vegetables. I drew sweet potatoes for them; perhaps they would get a piece a day with their other ration of corn-bread. There were a few times wlien a little tea was issued; perhaps a quarter of a pound to a wara of a hundred persons for a week. That was not all over the hos- pital,— merely m gangrene and surgical wards. Some of the patients were unable to eat the corn bread ; it w^as unsifted, coarse, and not very clean. Under such diet the patients would become reduced in strength and gradually run down to the verge of starvation. Many of them became idiotic from want
EXTFtACTS FKOM TlIK ThIAI, ( »F ( 'AI'TAIX ^VIRZ 219
antl exposure, aiitl I'voin the lack oi" j)ri)i)er lootl to sustain tlie vital powers.
"1 saw otiier cvideuces of starvation manifested by tliese l)risoner.s. Tliey would steal from eaeli other the snmll ration they did get, or steal from anybody. They would take any- thing tlicy eould get to eat. 1 have seen, after the street had been policed and before the dirt was carried away, prisoners look it over to get a potato i)aring or something of tiiat kind. They were always asking for something to eat, saying they were hungry. ]\lany of these sick men could not cat. From the effects of starvation their gums were bleeding, and then mouths so sore that tliey were unable to masticate. I remember an instance where a sick man picked up beans or i)eas which had been eaten and vomited up. That was seen many a time. It was a common occurrence to see the prisoners wading around in the creek picking up the raw peas that had pa.ssed through the feeble stomachs undigested, rinse them in the filthy water, and eat them again. Such instances as that were common, indicating starvation."
Vaccination of the Prisoners.
"I liad ill my ward eases of vaccination. Some men had what I call vaccine sores; they were in the arms, usually; sometimes in tiie axils. They were the result of vaccination and had, in my opinion, every symptom of secondary syphilis. A i)ers()n can be impregnated w'ith that disease by inoculation; it is so put down in medical history. I should say I saw two or three hundred cases of that description in the course of my stay there. The sores w^ere as large as my hand, and were produced by vaccination. In my opinion the matter used must have been impure. I considered it as poisonous, judging from the effects and results; there was every appearance of secondary syphilis in the sores. Amputations were necessary from that cause, and I do not remember of one living. Some may have recovered, yet I do not now remendjcr such a ease. I have seen men die from the effects of such vaccination in the months of June, July and August, — particularly in 1864. I have had conversa- tions with the surgeons about that matter, and some of them have admitted that, in their opinion, it was poisonous matter. I do not know that I called Dr. AVhite's attention to it cspe-
220 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission
cially. I was not considered as a privileged character there, and so had no opportunities to report. Dr. White had means of knowing it, and must have known it ; he visited the hospital very often."
By Oliver B. Fairbanks (Union).
"I saw cases of vaccination. I saw several hundred wlio liad been vaccinated. Large sores originated from the effects of poisonous matter. They were the size of my hand and were on the outside of the arms, also underneath, in the arm-pits. I have seen holes eaten under the arms where I could put my fist in. These cases were in the stockade; they were not in ttit hospital. I never was in the hospital, except for about two hours at a time. I went out to see my father, who was tlien in the hospital. I M^as vaccinated myself. I was at the south gate one morning when the vaccination was being performed. While I was standing there looking on, a surgeon came to me and requested me to roll up my sleeves, as he was going to per- form the operation on me. I told him I could not consent to such an operation. He called for a file of guards, and I was taken to Captain Wirz's headquarters. Arriving there, one of the guards went in and directly Captain Wirz came out of his
office raging; he wanted to knoAv where that 'G- — d d d
Yankee s n of a b h' was. I was pointed out to him as
being that person. He drew his revolver and presented it within three inches of my face, and wanted to know why I refused to obey his orders. He did not state what orders. After his anger had subsided a little, I asked him to allow me to speak. He said, 'G — d d — d quick, or I'll blow your brains out.' I told him, 'Captain, you are aware that the matter with which I would be vaccinated is poisonous, and therefore I cannot consent to an operation which I know will prove fatal to my life.' He flirted his revolved around and stated that it would serve me G — d d — d right, and that the sooner I would die the sooner he would be rid of me. He ordered the guards to take me away and have a ball and chain put upon me till I would consent to the operation. I was taken away to where the chain-gang was and a ball and chain were brought and riv- eted to my leg. Then I was turned into the stockade to wear it until I Avould consent to the operation. I wore it for about
KXTRACTS FROM TlIK TkI AI, oP CaI'TAIN WiRZ 221
two wi'cks, when I consented to snbniit 1o the o|)eration. I had nolieed upon several oeeasions that Ihr sur^reons were vei*y cai't'h'ss in piTfoniiinu' tlic n|t<'i"it i<tii ; their 'mslniiiieMls were dull, and lliey ai)plied llu' matter in a very cai'eh'ss manner. aUowin'T the |)erson to t;o away as soon as they liad j>ut llie mattiM" in, and willioiit lianda^Mii^^ tin- ai'iiis in any way. I con- (duded tliat I eonhl wash the mallei' onl, ami, with that ealeu- lation. I consented to the operation. As soon as it was ])er- roniii'd I Went imiiKMliatfly 1(» the hrcxds. look a picfc (»!' soaj). I'nhht'd the s|)ot and I'insed it, and so saved mysidl'. The vae- eine mattei- did not work in my system. 1 expei-ieneed no rlVci-ts from it. rp to that time, none had rceoxci-cd iVom the ell'ects of \ aeciinition. Artel- that 1 iiit'ormed several others what 1 had done and they sa\C(l t hciiisidves in the same man-
IHT. "
Howell ('ol)h. Major (leiitral ( 'ommandinf;, in a letter to (li'iieral S. Cooper, adjutant uciici-al. dated at .Macon, (ie()rf;ia, .Ma\ ."), 1864. said:
"(ieneral: Tlie ^feiieral maiiai^eiuont of the prison under ('(doiitd J'ersons is ^ood, and hr man't'ests a laudable desire to dis(diar«;e his duties in the iiiosl cl'licicnt iiiaimcr. Tiie duties (tl" till' inside comuiaiid arc admii'al»iy |)errormed l>y Captain Wirz. whose i)lace it would he diriicult to till. 1 still think the i-ank of the commandiu''' ot'ficci- of the post should he a liriLTadicr y-i'iii'i'al : in viewoftln' iiiiint)cr of t roops 1 hat will he under his command it seems to me he should have that superi<u* rank over those who may he ordered to repoi-1 to him."
TJcpoi't of ins])ec1ion of military ])rison at Andersonville by I). T. (handler. Confederate adjutant <reneral and inspector frriicral. to ('oloiicl K'. If. ('Iiilton. assistant adjutant <:eneral and inspcetor general.
■'.My duty re<piires me rr.spcct fully to riMMunnieiid a ehaiii^e in the ol'lieer in eommand of the i)ost. Hri<iadier (Iciifi-al .1. H. Winder, and Ilic substitution in his place of some oin^ who uiiiles both cncriiv and };ood judiiniciit with some fe(din^' of humanity and considei-ation for the welfare and coiid'ort Cso fai- as is consistent with their safe kcepin«r') of the xast number of unfortunates placed uiidei- his conti-ol: some one who at least will not advocate deliberately and In cold blood the ])ro- priety of leaving' theni in their present condition until tlicii*
222 Report of Andersonvii-le Monument Commission
number has been sufficiently reduced by death to make the present arrangement suffice for their accommodation; who will not consider it a matter of self-laudation and boasting that he has never been inside of the stockade, a place the horrors of which it is difficult to describe, and which is a disgrace to civilization ; the condition of which he might, by the exercise of a little energy and judgment, even with the limited means at his command, have considerably improved.
In obedience to instructions, I shall now proceed to the headquarters of the army of Tennessee, and request that any communications for me be forwarded there to the care of the chief of staff.
I am, Colonel, very respeetifully, your obedient servant,
D. T. Chandler."
dogs or hounds at andersonville.
The following extracts were taken from testimony given upon the trial of Wirz. Colonel George C. Gibbs, C. S. A. on duty at Andersonville :
"I know that there were dogs kept on the place. They were intended, on the escape of the prisoners, to track them, so that they could be recaptured. They were used in that way. I do not know how they were subsisted, except in this: that after the prison became almost empty of prisoners, when there were none left but a few sick, the dogs were subsisted by corn meal furnished by the commissary. I hear they were mustered into the confederate service as horses, but I do not know of my own knowledge that they were. A man named Turner had them in charge ; I do not know his given name or what be- came of him."
Nazareth Allen, Private Third Georgia Reserves, C. S. A. says:
"At the time that these thirteen men were to be ironed, one of them, whom we called 'Little Frenchy' got away; a hound was put upon his track. I ran down to the little swamp, be- tween a quarter and a half mile off. Just as I got to the swamp I heard a shot from a pistol, and I saw the man in a tree. Captain Wirz came up and ordered the man to come down. The man begged that the dogs should not be allowed
EXTKAf'TS V\U)M TI I K TuiAI. oK CaI'TAIN WiRZ 22;i
to Inirt liim. Tin nia<l<' tli»^ man ooino down, and with that tl»o do^'s rushed at him. 1 coidd src tlic dogs run aiul grab him by the legs. Captain Wirz did not try to keep the dogs from the man, tliougli lie coidd have done so. I do not know who tired the pistol; I only heard the report. The prisoner had l)een sent witli a gang two days before to be chained. lie was not chained afterward. I saw him two or three days after- wards in the guard quarters, without the chains upon him; I saw him sitting and walking about in there as I passed. I did not notice his wounds; I was not near enough to him to see whether he had wounds or not."
William Dillaid, one of the Confederate guards at Anderson- ville, says:
"Hounds were kc])! there to catch prisoners trying to make their escape, — and our own men also. I saw them catch a man called 'Frenchy. ' I was walking my beat, I suppose some three hundred yards otf. I saw Captain Wirz and Reed, the provost marshal, and the man with the dogs, hunting up and down before they started on the man's track. After a time the dogs got on the trail and treed the man, and after that I saw Captain Wirz come doMn and heard a pistol or gun fired and saw the smoke rise. T was more than three hundred yards from where they were with the dogs. I heard the men halloo and tlie dogs making a fuss. I saw the smoke rise from the gun. T could not tell from Avhat person the smoke seemed to rise. Tt was in the l)ushes and T could not see. I could not say wlictlicr- the man Avas liui-t by the dogs, only from hearsay. I saw the dogs running down the brook before they treed him. T did not see them at all when they were at him."
Colonel James H. Fniniin. First Regiment Georgia Reserves, C. S. A.:
"Sergeant Turner, tlie owner of the dogs, belonged to the first regiment Georgia reserves, my own regiment, company IT. I was not personally acquainted %vith all the men in the different companies; T do not knoAv that T ever saw Turner un- til an order came from General Winder, in Tune or July, 1864, requiring this man Turner to report to him in person. T reeolleet sending for the man and his reporting to me: T sent him oviT to G('ii('i-;il AVindci- .-ind lie caiiii' lt;ick and reported
224 Report of Andersonvtlle Monument Commission
to me that General Winder had given him a furlough to g^^ home; I said that that was sometliing rather irregular; I asked him what business he was ordered on ; he said that the general had ordered him to go home and get a pack of negro dogs he had, and to bring them there in order to capture prisoners. I told him that I should object to anything of that kind. I was needing all the men I had at the time, as the guard duty was very heavy ; but I was overruled. He was sent after the dogs, and returned with them in the latter part of June, I tli'nk, or about the first or middle of July. I did not know the man i)er- sonally until he reported in pursuance of that order, though his company had joined the regiment al)out the 15th or 18th of April, 1864. I have reason to believe that it w^as formed in White county, Georgia, and that its members mostly lived there. He was detailed by General Winder's orders; I should not have respected the order if Captain Wirz had detailed that man. Dogs were used to catch the confederate soldiers; some men deserted ; the dogs were put on the track, and overtook them ; they were brought in by this man Turner ; they were used for capturing Union prisoners and Confederate soldiers, I believe. I know of but one instance of their overtaking Con- federate soldiers ; I think some eight or nine were pursued at that time; they were pursued about ninety miles."
James P. Stone, Second Vermont Volunteers, says : "The first dogs that were used belonged to a man by the name of Harris. This Harris lived some five or six miles, I suppose, from Andersonville. He had a pack of eight hounds, besides one dog which they called a 'catch dog.' That dog always went with the pack. Harris did the hunting there for a long while before they got the regular prison hounds. "He used to be there every day, and always in the morning he would make a circuit around the stockade to see if any had escaped, and if any had he would, of course, follow them ; he would always scour the country all around. It was said he was hired by the authorities to do that ; that was his business ; I presume it was. Harris w^as there from the first. And then they had some more dogs which a man by the name of Turner tended. These dogs did not come there, I think, until May; at any rate it was some time after I went to Andersonville before the second pack was there. I think there were two
Extracts fkom thk Tkiai^ of Caitain ^VlKz 22.")
packs. Tiinit-r l.-ndrd about fiflfm do^'s wiiidi \\rn' kt'i)! ox- clusively for lmiitin«,' down prisoiuTs. Turner's dof;s wi-rc kept at the posl. Those ilot,'s were led by rations drawn from the bakery, the same as the prisoners were fed on. I have seen Turner draw rations for them many a time. He had a youiif,' man about ei{?hteeu or twenty years okl who assisted liim, and that young man used freciuently to draw rations for the dogs. I (h) not know whetlujr they were on the provision return. I issued the rations to the man several times, lie would u.sually, I think, present a paper. I know that he did so once because I showed it to several prisoners in the bakery, with Captain Wirz's name on it. All it said was, 'Give this man all the bread and meat he wants for the dogs.' The man would tell how iiiucli l>read and how much meat he wanted. I have seen a prisoner who had been torn by the dogs. In the month of July or August, perhaps August, I saw one young man who had made his escape. I don't know how far he got. I think not a great distance. It was the dogs of the old man Harris, that caught him. The man was very badly torn. They ^vere carry- ing him by tlie bakery. They stopped there, and there was where I saw him. I asked him a few questions. He Avas very weak and could hardly answer. His legs were all bitten up and he was bitten a great deal around the neck and shoulders. He belonged to some western regiment ; I think an Ohio regiment, yet I would not be positive of that. I did not learn his name. He said he had made his escape and climbed a tree.
"The young man, as I said, w^as very weak when he made his escape; in fact, he probably ought not to have tried it, and then he was torn by the dogs and was, of course, much weakened by the loss of blood wliicli lie had to incur; his legs were torn so that he could not walk, liis slioulders and neck were torn, and his clothing was nearly all torn off from him. The young man stopped for a few minutes by the bakery and, of course, avc all went out to see him, and he told us he belongiMl to a western regiment and was trying to make his escape to Atlanta; tlie dogs overtoolc liim and he climbed a tree: and lie said that this old gentleman, HaiTJs, and rai>tain Wirz shook llie tree so that he fell down, and then they allowed the dogs to teai- him. That was the young man's statement. T under- slaiid tliat lie (lied 1liat iii'/lit. T did iiol see liini aflcf that, but
15
22C) Kei'(^rt .w Andeusdnviij.k ^Ionument C'ommihsion
it was said next morning that he was dead, and I suppose he was. He had been taken to the hospital."
Thomas N. Way, Union prisoner, testifies to the deatli of a young man hy the name of Fred, Avho was eaught by the hounds in attempting to escape.
John A. Cain, Union prisoner, says :
"I knew of a young man's being brought to tlie stockade after he was caught by the liounds. I went out to see him and asked him what was the matter. He told me he had ])een caught by the bloodhounds and torn very badly. Part of his cheek was torn off, and his arms and hands and legs were so gnawed that he lived only about twenty-four hours after being brought into the stockade. That was in October, 1864, I think. I do not know the date exactly when I left Andersonville. I got to Savannah, Georgia, in Decendier, 1864. T do not know the name of the man who Avas l)itten by the dogs and died in the stockade."
The Dogs. By Dr. Barrows (Ihiion).
"I have seen the hounds used at the jirison. I think the first time I saw them was in the fore part of the month of June, 1864. At that time some one had made his escape from the hos- pital. The dogs were brought to the hospital and taken round the place to see where the man went away, and then tliey took the trail and caught the man and he was brought back and put in the stocks. I have seen Captain Wirz on horse])ack with the party wlio were running the hounds. I could not say that he was running them. Turner had command of them, but I have seen Wirz order the men off — I mean the men who had charge of the hounds. I have heard him give orders to Sergeant Smith, I think his name was, to start the hounds, as some one had got away from the hospital, or something to that effect, at a good many different times.
"I remember a man's making his escape from the hospital in July and being overtaken by the hounds. A large portion of his ear was torn off and his face mangled, and he was after- wards brought into the hospital. The man got well. This was in July or August, 1864. I do not remember the exact date. I remember also, that at the end of August, or in Sep- tember, 1864, a man Avho had been bitten badly by the dogs.
IvNTHAC'is ruDXi 'I hi; Tuim. <»i' Cm'Tain Wik/. 1-1
ill tr>iiijr to iiiaUt' his cscapf, w.is l»r()U','lit into my ward au<l (lied. 'I"ln' wuiiinl took oil j;an{;r('iit', and this caused his death. He was a I'nion prisoner. I am not certain whetlier he was trying: to escape from the stockatle or the hos|)ital. 1 cannot state the exact dale of his (h'ath. It was either tlie last of August or in the lore pai-t of Septemliei-. If my iin-mory serves me ri<rht. I slioidd say he died four or ti\i' days after he was torn hy the do^^s. I know the wound took on <;anf;rene and tlijit lie died. The |,'ane:i-eiie was manifested in the woiiud. and in no otliei- part. lie was Ititten throu^rh tlie throat on the si<le of the ne(d< and it was there that the jjanj^rene set in.
CIT.MN'-CAXO.
.John F. Ileatli. Tonfederate sohli.-r. rank as cajitain. says: "I. reside in Macon, (Jeorjria. I ha\(' Iteeii in the confed- erate service. Ill lS(il I was ill the 2<Mli re^Miiient (ieor<ria volunteers. L was commissary, witii the rank of captain. In April. l.S(J4. I was in the (Jeor^Ma Reserve Corps. I was on duty at Andersonvillc from .May till ()ctol)er. lS(i4. I know the prisoner; 1 have seen him at Andersonvillc. I understood that he commanded the i)rison at Andersoinille. I never received any orders from liiiii dii-ectly. I was never on duty at the l»iMsoii hut one day.
■■'riiere were thirteen pris'.diers sent over from headquar- ters to he ironed. I think it was in Aui,Mist : 1 was oflfieer of the day. They were sent oxer to me from the i»rovost mar- shal's oflice to he ironed, hut they were not iroiied that ilay. I think on tlie sec(ui(l or third day afterward twelve of them Were ironed. The men were sent oxer under <i'iiard witli an order from ('a])tain Wir/. I did not read tlie order. 1 was ()rdere(i liy a man named liee\-es, who pretended to lie a pro- vost marshal at Andersoinille. The meii came from Uriuadier (ieneral dohn II. Winder's heaihpiarters on the occasion I have referi'cd to. There was one man chained in the fj:an«i: of twelve who was si(d\ at the time he was chained. I could not say to my cei'tain knowleil^e what hecaiiie of him. T know that I saw him several days aftei-ward very si(d< : excry man who was chained with him ohjeded to it. The man had tlie diarrhea, 1 should .judjfc from the looks (tf his (dot lies, and he was very lousy. I could see from a distance the liee crawliiiir over liim.
228 Report of ANDERSONviLiiE Monument Commission
His comrades objected to being chained with him l)ecause of his condition; their objections were not heeded, and he was chained with them."
Alexander Kennell, Union soklier, says:
"In one case I had a conversation with a man in the hospi- tal who had been taken ont of the chain-gang, and I saw his body carried to the dead-house three days after I had the conversation with him. He told me in tliat conversation that he had not been able to walk since he had been taken out of the chain-gang. He died there in the hospital. That was in August, 1864. The man was very much emaciated and was sore in the ankles where the ball had been put on. I saw no other marks on his person."
Andrew J. Spring, Union prisoner, says :
"During the night, all the men in a chain gang liad to lie down at one time ; when one was sick, and so obliged to lie down, the others were compelled to lie, too. They were outside of the stockade, right up at the southwest corner. Those men were kept there for two months, and I presume longer. I can- not testify how long, but it was all of two months."
Charles E. Tibbies, Union prisoner, says :
"I saw the men in the chain gang while I was outside. I saw men in that evil contrivance who were nothing but skeletons. The first man I saw in it had a shackle around one foot attached to a large ball, I cannot say what size, but I think was a sixty-four pounder. There were six in a row, each of them having one of his legs fastened to a large ball. On the other leg there was another ball, I think a thirty-tAvo pounder, with a short chain. The next squad that I saw there — it may have been part of the same, who were not yet re- leased,— were fastened in the same way, only each had an iron band around his neck and a chain running from one to the other clear round."
Robert Tate, Union prisoner, says :
"I have not seen Captain "Wirz put any men in tlie chain- gang, but lie gave the orders to have it done. I saw twelve men chained together; they had three balls, each weighing
KXTUACTS KK«».M THK TkIAI. •»1' CaI'TAIN ^VlKZ 229
sixty pounds, ill the center of them and then un eacii let; *J^ llie outside th.-re was a hall of thirty-two pounds, and they wt-re cliaiinnl together by tin; necks each chain about a foot and a half lonj,', and with iron collars around their necks. They had been put in chains for attempt ing to escape. I saw 111. II put in eliains wlicn hidies were present. I saw them put in wlien Captain Wirz's wife and his dauj,'hters were there. I saw the captain give the orders to walk them around and show his lady and daughters the way they walked; they stood and laughed at it and Ihouglit it was sport. That was in July. He made them walk about twenty yards. 1 saw men die, not exactly in the chain-gang; llicy were released about ten hours before they died. One man was very sick when he was put in. lie remained in the chain-gang about two days. One evening the surgeon in charge told Captain Wirz he had bet- ter take that man out; Captain Wirz gave orders to have him released. The next morning I saw the man hauled to the graveyard ; I do not know whether the chains were on him when hu died or not."
By Dr. liarrows (Union Prisoner.)
"i have seen six men in the chain-gang, and I remember see- ing eighteen iiicii in at one time; a heavy chain ran from one to the other, and round their neeks, chaining all together in a circle as it were. They were connected with handeuti's on their hands, and balls and chains to their feet connected in some way with the circular chain tliat ran from one to the other. That is as near as I can describe it. A 32 pound ball was attached to the chain, or a smaller l)all, pei'haps ten or twenty pounds. I am not able to state the exact si/e. The prisoners Avere con- tined in the chain-gang all hours of the day. I have known of some men being there for a week, and some two weeks, at dif- ferent times. The time would vary. The men would have to be there as long as Captain Wirz saw fit to let them remain. They were without shelter in both sun and rain. At the best the effect upon the men must be to weaken them — reduce their strength. I cannot testify that I saw any prisoners die from being confined in the chain-gang. I have no doubt of the fact, although I did not see the men die."
230 Report op Anderson ville Monument Commission
the stocks. By Dr. A. V. Barrows.
"The stocks consisted of a frame about six feet high, with boards that shut together leaving just room enough for a man's neck, and arranged so that his arms were fastened at full length each Avay, his feet just touching the ground. I have seen cases where the men could have the privilege of standing on their feet with their whole weight ; and I have also seen them where they could merely touch the ground with their toes. I have seen men punished in the stocks both ways. There was a dif- ferent kind of stocks from that I have described. There was one kind for putting the men's feet in the stocks, and ))alls and chains on their hands, with their feet elevated. The num would be lying; or I do not know but that they might sit up. I do not remember any other description of stocks but that.
By Nazareth Allen.
"I have seen the stocks and seen men in them; I have seen several put into the stocks, and some ten or twelve in the chain- gang. I know that one prisoner died in the chain-gang or stocks; 1 won't be certain which, yet I think in the stocks. I think it was some time in August, 1864. I do not know Avhat his sickness was; he appeared to be sick when I saw him. I saw him only once or twice, and afterwards I saw him dead. I don't recollect how long afterwards; I was passing there almost every day for several days; I cannot say how long he was confined in the stocks. There were several in the stocks. I do not know why this man was placed in there ; I think, though, it was for trying to escape. The stocks were between Captain Wirz's lieadquarters and the stockade, — on the road you would take in going to the stockade."
WHIPPING.
Vicenzio Bardo, Union prisoner, testifies that, having disguised himself in an attempt to escape, he was brought back and put into the stocks l)y the officers, who afterward give him tAventy- five lashes on his ])ack. He was then taken out of the stocks and returned to the stockade for four hours; and then was placed in the stocks for another four hours.
EXTKATTS FK(tiM TIIK Tl<l A!, u|' CaITAIN AViK/, 2ol
Williiiiii llfiir\v .Ii'iiiiiiijrs. I'liidii |)i-isoiici" (rolort'd i, IrstilitMl ti) Itfiii^' wliippi'd with thirty hislics l>y order of Wir/, in .M.ifih. |S»;j. 'I'hfv wciT itiHicti'd liy 'runnT. tin- iiiitii who r;iii thf lioiiiids. upon the l)ar(' l»a(d< of the soldii-r. He was iiii- inrdiatt'ly jdacrd in tlic .slo(d\s.
.I<»hn Fishrr. anotht-r colored soldier, testifies to liavinj; been whipped with tliirty-nine lashes, and l>n(d<ed and •rairt.'ed. in Oetolter. The w itiiess also speaks of Isaac Haw kins. Al»e Wrxid- wai'd. an<l (ieni-Lre W'asliiiiLilon as liaxiiiir heeii wliippeil at the prison.
Henry ('. Lnll, I'luon prisoner, testitit's to liavincr soon a colored soldiei' whi|)pe(| tliei-e. He was whi])ped for not i^o^n^
uut to wui'k in the iiiorninir.
Sll()(»'ri\(i OK I'KISONKKS MY TIIK (a'ARD.
I>\- 1 ))•. Uarows ( I 'iiio.i ).
1 lia\e often lieai'd ('aptaiii Wir/ tell the <rnard at tiio hos- pital that if any of those ^ aid<s tried to ^'et away to shoot, them. We had no dead line estal)lished there. I rcMneniher n]\r of (tiir suldiei's heinj:' shot in the hospital. lie was a man from my ward. I doiTt I'eniemhei' his nann'. It was in Au<rnst, 18(i4. lie was cold, and there was a lire inside the (Mudosnre in the sontli part of the hospital. It was swampy thei-e. and there was no <ri-onn<l for the ^nai'd to stand ()n. and so they were stationed inside the hos])ital at one i)oiMion of it. Where this shootin^f happened the iioai-d fence came down to the swamp, and thei'e the ^rnards were on the other side. This was a pati-'iit in my ward. He e(,t up to iro and wai-m himself heside the fence, |)erliaps live or si.\ feet from it. A confetler- ate soldier put his <run barrel thronf.rli the fence and slutt him, breaking' his lhi<rh. His lind) was amputated liy \)v. White. Within live to se\-en days he died. He was shot inside (d" the hospital. This happened sometime in Anjrnst. 1S()4."'
232 Report of Anderson vit.le Monument Commission
By Tlios. C. Alcoke (Union).
"One day there was a man sitting down, — a kind of weakly man. Captain Wirz passed into the stockade, when this man got up and asked him if he could go out to get some fresh air. Captain Wirz asked him what he meant by that. The poor fellow wormed around and said he wanted air. There was something else said, when Captain "Wirz wheeled, pulled out a revolver and shot him down. This was sometime in the sum- mer and two months after I got there. The ball took effect in the breast; he died about two or three hours afterwards. After that I was standing pretty close by. I said something to Captain Wirz that he did not like; he turned around and said I had better look out or he would put me in the same place. I spoke the way I felt, saying that I was not a bit afraid of it. Pretty soon afterwards Captain Wirz came in with a corporal and two guards and put me in irons. He kept a ball and chain on me the whole time I was there. I kept working at the ball and chain every day, and at last I got it so I could get it off, and I made my escape from the prison. I went from the prison to St. Louis, from there to Memphis and from Memphis to my regiment."
By Samuel D. Brown (Union).
"I saw Captain Wirz while at Andersonville. I knew him to commit acts of cruelty — once especially. On or about the 15th of May, 1864, I wrote a letter to my parents and took it to the south gate where the letter-box was. As I came up near the gate I saw a cripple — a man with one leg — on crutches ; he had lost the other leg above the knee. He was asking the sentinel to call Captain Wirz. He called him and in a few minutes he came up. I stopped to see what was going to be done. The captain came up and the man asked him to take him outside of the prison as he had enemies in the camp. I pre- sume it was Captain Wirz. I did not knoAV him so well then. Captain Wirz was the man that was called. This cripple asked him to take him out ; he said his leg was not healed and that he had enemies in camp who clubbed him. Captain Wirz never answered him, but he said to the sentinel, 'Shoot that one- legged Yankee devil.' I was there and heard the order, and
Charles H. Russkll Secretary of the Commission
I-'X'IK A' !> IKiiM Tlli; 'I'WIAI, ( »K ('AI'TAIN W'lK/ 2'^5
saw tlif iiiiiii tiii'ii oil his cnilclH's to no away. As In- turncil titc sciititii-l lin-d, and IId- l)all stnn-U liiiii on tin- head and paNsrd out al tlii- luwrr* jaw. I'lic man Irll over and cxpiivd in a I't'W iniinilcs. 'i'lif prisoner was |)rrli;ips two IVct inside tilt' dead line, wliifli was 1 wcnl y-li\ c (»r tliirly fcrt from tin; stockade, and almost parallel with it, so that tlie man was prohaitiy IhiiMy I'eet awa\' iVom the mn/le of the jrnn.''
\',y Charles II. iiiissell ( I'nioiD.*
■'I saw a man shot at the creek one iiiornini;- in .June. W'c Were down lor water. Thci-e was a hi^' crowd tlici-e. The ^M'ound near the creek was vci\v sli])l)ery where the hoys were rnnninj; in and out and spillin«; watci-. A tellow there, wdio lo(d\ed \'cry weak and si(d<, trieil to ^et sonic wat<'r, hut he slip])ed and fell, stitdiinj; his arm nndci- the dead line, — -nothinj; hut his arms. I was within six feet of him when the <riiard raised his ^Min and lii-ed and shot him down. The man did not speak a word afterwards.
"i do not know that man's name nor his rceimi'ul. I did not see ('aptaiii Wir/, |>resent at tliat lime Ahoul the 2()tli of duly, I think, there was a man shut on the south side, at a little sprinc- where they had du^^ a hole in the jrround about ei^'ht feet fi'om the dead line on the south side of the creek, lie was there licttinu' water; (piite a numher were "getting water at the same time. They were crowtlin^' around to see who woidd jjet the water lii-st. This man ^ot crowded inside the deadline and tln' yuard shot him. The ji:uard stood on the lirst post on the south side of the creek. Captain Wir/, came alon«; shoi'tly afterwards and went to the stand where tile sentry was. and I saw him sha]\e hands with the sentry. Shoi-lly afterwards the sentry went down and anothei* soldier took his place. When he sliool; hands with the seiiti-y he called him a Imlly feUow. or somethin;.;' of that sort. I heard nothing' said ahout furloujrhs at the time. At mie time 1 was detailed to iso out and <ret some wood. There was a confeder- ate soldier who made a practice of ^oin^" out in the woods whci'c the hoys went for fuel and ti'adin^'' with them there, ont of the sight of the ofiHcei-s. Tie said that there was an
• Secretar.v of the Wisconsin .Moinnneiit Coniinission.
236 Kepokt (jf Andkksonville JMonument Commission
order out that tliey would get furloughs for every Yankee they killed."
CONDITION OF THE I'KISONERS IN THE STOCKADE.
By Felix De La Baume (Union).
"I left Andersonville, finally, April 19, 1865; we were once before taken away as far as Thomasville for the purpose of ex- change, but we had to return. It was the 4tli of April when we left there the first time. On coming to Andersonville I had no shelter whatever. In Richmond everything of value had been taken from me, — my watch and chain, and $250.00 in money ; everything was taken from us ; we had to strip our- selves as far as to the shirt. The provost marshal in Richmond, with several of his men, searched us there and took everything away from us. Coming to Andersonville I -had no blanket or anything of the kind ; I was put into the stockade and had to lie down and sleep wherever I could find a place; it was very difficult to find a room even in the sand and mud to lie down and sleep without being trampled on."
By Charles H. Russell (Union).
"About one-quarter of the entire stockade was swamp. That swamp was covered eighteen inches or two feet deep with mag- gots, and you could see them all in a ferment crawling around. We were obliged to go into the swamp. When I first entered the prison we had to wade through it to get to the water in the creek. I have seen men in there digging roots to get wood to cook their meals with. They would dig because the roots and stumps and everything else that would burn had been dug out of the dry ground. They had to dig there or eat their meals uncooked. That was in the months of May, June, July and August ; along in July they commenced to bring dirt down from the hills to cover the sAvamp. Before I left they had got a good portion of it, perhaps half, covered, and the men were tenting on it."
By Dr. F. G. Castlen, Confederate.
"I have been in the Confederate army during the last two years; from May until September, 1864, at Andersonville, the
Extracts from the Trial of r'APTAix Wirz 2:^7
rciiiaininf; iiortidii ol" tin- liiih' in South raroliiia. I was sur- giMtn f)f tlio Third (ifoijria Kosorvfs while at Andcrsonville. I occasionally had opiiortiniitics of <il)servint? the prisoners in the stockade at Andcrsonvillc. Their condition was deplorable; lan«:ua«i:e could not oxi)rcss the condition in which I saw them at tliat tiiiii'. The stench was iutojci-ahlf. It sometimes came to my eamp, a half mile dislant. It was (»idy during? an cast wind that T was ti'ouldcd witli the stench arising; fi-oin the stock- ade. 1 saw ncjjrocs at work there at one tinu'. T do not know ill wlial iiumhers. twenty or tliii'ty. T supi)ose."
I'KI\ATH I'ROI'ERTV TAKKX FKoM I'UISONERS.
By Thos. C. Alcidce. (Union).
'"When 1 arrived at Andersonville 1 was seaiched and my cooking ntensils and money wer«' taken Iroin me; Captain Wirz took them from me. Yes, I know Captain Wirz. He took from me a belt with $150 in gold, and the balanc<' in greenbacks, amounting to $280 altogether. He also took from me my pocket knife, a breast pin, and a gold ring that I had in my po(d\et-book. He never returned any of the property to me."
By Charles H. Kussell (T'nion).
"When I got there I Avas taken to Captain Wirz's heacbniai-- ters, where I gave in my name and regiment. Captain AVii-z was in the office at the time, and when he hoard me name my regiment, he gave his orderly orders to "take every d — n thing that Yankee cavalry s — n of a b — h has"; and the orderly tooTv everything I had. I. had ])een wound(Ml in my left liand, and had a ring on one of my fingers that T thonght T couldn't get off, I was so badly hurt: but the ordei-ly came and took the ring away from me."
Q. What else was taken from you?
A. "I didn't have anything else to take."
(To the Court) : "I had on a shirt and a pair of pants and an old pair of boots; they did not take those. The ring wliieh was taken from me was never returned to me. T do not know who got it. I know the orderly at Captain Wii-/'s head<|uni-- ti'i'S took' ]\ from inc. and thai is llie last 1 eve|- saw of it."
238 Report ok Andebsonviit/e iMonitment Commission
liATIONS.
By OliN'ei' ]1 Fair])anks (Union).
"I noticed storehouses at the depot when I Avas living there the first time. That was in September, 1864. 1 saw a hirge log building about a story and a half high, with one of the doors open. It was pretty well stored with provisions. I also saw a large amount on the platform. They were all in sacks. I did not see anything besides sacks. My rations for twenty- four hours I could eat in one meal — and still be hungry. The quality of my rations was very inferior. They consisted of corn meal of the coarsest kind, sometimes very poorly baked and very filthy, a great many flies, and sometimes maggots, baked in it. We also got lieans which were cooked pods and all, and we often found in them stones as large as marbles. These rations were not weighed."
SUPPLIES FROM THE NORTH.
By James K. Davidson (Union).
"I have seen Caiitain Wirz use crackers and cheese and dried beef, rations belonging to Tinion prisoners. He was making a breakfast of it one morning in his office, the morning when I was paroled. I do not recollect seeing him using these supplies more than once. 1 have been very often at his office, aiul 1 Avould always see a box of sanitary provisions open there. 1 have sccmi boxes opened at the depot. I do not know that he sent the sani- tary provisions into the stockade for the soldiers. 1 do not know that those sanitary boxes were sent to his office for that purpose. I do not Ihiiik they could get in there without liis ])ermission. I never saw him eating them but that one morning for breakfast. I never saw them being used anywhere else. I saAv boxes at the depot, open. 1 believe that the quartermaster's building was the only place in which they were stored away. 1 saw a large number of boxes at the depot in July or August. I shoub.l judge that I saw there 400 or 500 boxes of different sizes. Some of lliem wei'e large dry go(Kls boxes. Some of them were ordi- nary boxes, such as hard tack is put in. They were not all of that description ; some of them were larger. They seemed to be
IvNlKAt l> IKiiAl Mil. Tin At, uK ('\I"IAIN WlK/ 2'-'>'^
j.'( ii('r;ill\ uf tli.it >izr. I (|u iidl l<n(i\\ wliiit was in all nt' llicin. 1 (lid not <-\aiiiiiii- any nt' tlx-iii. I do not know' liow many of tlirin wtTc open. I (lid sec diicd t'niil and crackfi's in tlios-' that were o|i('n. Sotnc id" the liuit was in cans and sonic of it was not. The hoXcs at tll«' depot were i-ij;lit west of the eoni- niissary huildiii^,' — not adjoining; the rehel eoinniissary l>»iildin<r. Thefe was not i-oom I'or nioic than a wau'on to drive lietween th' liiiildiii<:s and the ho.xes. They did not lie just as they wtTP taken <»IT the ears. They had I cen hauled out there. They ro- niained thece all ^iiniiner. The piles did not iiieicase. "
liy l''i',iiik .Maddo.x. ( I'nion ),
"T saw thirteen ho.xes of sanitary stores cDiiie tlioro ; T lielped unlo:id them and put them in ('aptain Wir/.'s office. 1 do not know what heeame of them. They ^M\'e the men at the eook- llollse Some and some wcie sent to the hos|)ital. I do not know what heeame d' the lialance. 1 saw Captain Wiiy, wearinj; Iduc pants and sanitary shirts. We asked liim for some of the clothes and he would not L;i\'e them to us. We wei'c naked am' liai-cfootc(|. "
CAl'TAI.V WIRZ KKf'l-;il'TS KOR Sf^'l'I-IKS.
I leadipiai tci's ('ommaiid:int of I'risoti.
Camp Sumter. Now I'J. 1S()4
Cajitaiii: I iei'ei\ cd yesterday liy railr(»ad (IS) eifihteen packa.ijes of eJolliiiiL;' foi' the fetli'ial prisoners of war at this post, to-wit :
l''i\e hales of lilankets, consist inir of •>!'() pier-os.
< )ne licx of shoes, consi'-tinu of (Id pairs.
l''oiir I:oxes of pants, consist iiii;' of L'40 |)ieces.
Thiee iioxes ot drawers, consistiii'' of ;>1M) |)ieces.
One hox of sock-', consistinjr of ;>IMI pieces.
l''()Ui' lii'Xes of shirts, consist iiiu' of ;lL*4 piec(\s.
I shall distrihule them without delay and forward you tli(>
li'ceipts (if the pl-is(»ners. when completed.
W'vy resp( ct t'ulI.N'. your ohedient servant.
II. WlHZ, ('(iiildlii < 'diH iiKtiidiiit/ Prison. Captain T. \V. Xeely.
Assistant (L>uaiteriiiastei-.
240 Report of Andfrsonville Monument Commission
By Wm. Bull, (Union).
"I saw sanitary clothing there. Out of every hundred men about ten got a little — pants or something of that kind. I saw rebels have some of the clothing on— pants, shoes and blankets. I do not know how they got them. I saw some rebel sergeants have them. Captain Wirz gave me orders, when I went to Colonel Thomas's house, not to go into his house. Mrs. Thomas, the lady I was workng for, told me one day to go over there. T told her what Captain Wirz had said. She said that it made no difference, and she sent me over with a note. I passed through two or three rooms in Captain Wirz' house, and in one room I saw two or tliree boxes. I had heard that he had some shoes there. I looked into one box and saw some sanitaiy shoes in it. I do not know" what was in the other boxes. I saw sanitary shoes on his nigger's feet, wh'ch he had given to her. I saw two or three pair that she had. These boxes were common shoe boxes about a foot and a half wide and four or five feet long."
AUTHORITY OF W^IRZ OVER THE HOSPITAL,
Q. Who had control of the hospital so far as its discipline was concerned? Who had command of the guards stationed about it?
A. There was always a sergeant at the gate who was under the control of Captain Wirz.
Q. Had Captain Wirz any command over you surgeons, other than that of stationing the guards about you and giving you passes to the hospital?
A. Under his orders, which I had occasion to see once, I think his power was almost absolute.
Q. Had Captain Wirz other command over you than that '^f allowing you to go back and forth to the hospital on his passes ? Had he control over the administrations of your duties?
A. He did not exercise that control, though his orders gave him such power.
Q. Did the prisoner ever state to you that he had command over your action in the administration of your duties?
A. He did.
Q. State the circumstances.
Extracts VK^)U thk Trial of Cai'tain Wikz 241 ■
A. At niie time, in ciiii^ciiiiciicc of a dit'ticulty hi'lwccn nuc oi' my assistants and (■aptain ^Vi^z, we had occasion t^* "-all i'm these orders, and the orders were presented. Assistant surgeon Dr. James liad written a eomnninication to me about the pun- ishment of one of the hospital attendants of his division by ('a|»taiii AVirz. wiiicli coiiiiiiiiiiii-aliDii 1 indorsed and sent to Dr. riayton. who was then senior surj^eon. lie forwarded it to Colonel Thurlow, who was then eonunandant of the j)ost at An- dersonville, and it was referred to Captain Wiiz fur icinarks. "When tlie paper wa.s returned to Colonel Thurlow I am not al)le to say, but it never came back to me. No indorsement was ])ut ujion the paper, but a reply was made in a communication from Captain Wirz, which reply made it necessary for Dr. James to find out what were the orders. Tn other words, it made it neces- saiy for us, as medical officers, to know the relations which we lield with the officers or the post. We found out from the orders that we held no power, that Ave had, you may say, no rights ; and that if Captain AYirz felt disi)oscd to do anythin<r in the hospital which his orders allowed liim to do, he could do it without con- sult in«r a medical officer.
Q. From whom did lie get that authority?
A. From Brigadier General John TT. "Winder.
Q. "What was General AVinder's status at tliat time?
A. lie was not there at that time.
Q. "Where was he?
A. I do not know; he made his headquarters at Millen. T do not recollect Avhere he was then, whether at Columl)ia, Florence or Savannah.
Q. Do you know anything of the prisoner's putting men of the hospital in stocks, or exercising his command over attend- ants at the hospital ?
A. T saw ojie instance, and T am fully convinced in my own mind of another.
Q. Give the instance you saw.
.\. That was the case of the young man to whom T have just alluded, the chief clerk of Dr. James, who was bucked. Tie was sitting outside the gate as T rode up to the hospital one morn- ing. T inquired the caiise. and was told that Captain "Wirz had ordered it.
Q. Do you know the reason why the man Was bucked? IG
242 Report of Andersonvilt.e INfoNUMENT Commission
A. I knew it fi'oni tliat coininiinication which 1 have mer.'- tioned.
D. T. Chandler, confederate, says:
"I was in the service of the Confederate government from February, 1863, nntil the close of the war. I held the appoint nient of lieutenant colonel in the adjutant general's department, and was later assigned to duty as inspector general. I was the officer who made the report signed 'D. T. Chandler.' I have no retraction whatever to make in regard to the condition of the prison at Andersonvile, as represented in my report. I devoted about a week, something less than a week, to an inspection of that place. The report was based upon the information con- veyed to me in official communications from General Winder and the officers of his staff, inspection of the books and papers, the lecords of the different offices of that post, and actual in- spection of the troops, the stockade and the hospital. I will further state that I had some conversation with the prisoners in tlie stockade. I noticed that General Winder seemed very indift'erent to the welfare of the prisoners, indisposed to do anything, or to do as much as I thought he ought to do to alleviate their sufferings. I remonstrated with him as well as I could, and he used that language w^hicli I reported to the department with reference to it, the language stated in that report.
"When I spoke of the great mortality existing among the prisoners, and pointed out to him that the sickly season was coming on, and that it must necessarily increase unless some- thing was done for their relief, — the swamp, for instance, drained, proper food furnished them and in better quantity, and other sanitary suggestions which I made to him, — he replied to me that he thought it was lietter- to let half of them die than to take care of them. I would like to state to the court that be fore he used this language to me, my assistant, who was with me, Ma,jor Hall, had reported to me that he had used similar language to him, — made use of similar expressions. T mention this to show the court that I am not mistaken; that my recol- lection is clear. My assistant. Major Hall, had reported to me officially that General Winder had used this language in con- versation with him. T told him I thought it incredible; that he must be mistaken. He told me, no; that he had not (mly said
KxTKACTS FKoM Till; Tkiai. of Tai'tain' Wirz 243
it «)iu'c l)iit twicf. and. ;is I luivc slatctl, he siil»S('(|W('iilly mail-' use of tliis cxprossioii td m«'.'"
sniM'i.iKs F.dNi) IN (;i:(!U(;iA and alaijama in ISO-l-'fJ.").
liy rjcor^'c AVt'lIiiij; d'liinn').
I linvt' l)i'cn in the iiiilitai-v scrvico of llic I'liilcd Stales for- four years as lieufeiiaiit cnlonel of the 4tli Keiilucky cavalry. My rejfiiiii'iit was ordered In Alliany, CJeorfjia. I took tlie eoiii- inand of tlie post about the first of .May. I passed very often up and down the railroad from Albany to ^laeon ; I stopped at Andersonville fifteen or tweidy minutes at a time. T was neve at the stoekade. I was with General AVilson's eonnnand from the time it left the Teinies^ee river until we left that part of the eounlr\-. about tlie 2()tli of last Auf^ust. The confederate commissaries and quartermasters Avho were located at Albany turned over th(^ stores and provisions they had there. There were thirty-one thousand pounds of bacon turned over by Cap- tain John Davis, confederate commissai-y, and five hundred bags of salt ; the amount of corn T do not recollect. There was a larjje quantity of coi-n and l)acon in the countiy throufjh which we passed, rallies, aftei- we went there, i)roposed to supply Us with any ([uanlities needed for Gcnei-al Wilson's anny. There were three grain mills in the vicinity. The mill at Al- bany, wiiich was built by the confederate government, had two run of stones. A mill some four miles from there, which T never visited, had, T understood, the same number. That mill at Albany was ea{)able of grinding from four to live hundred bushels of corn in the twenty-four hours. Tliis mill, turned over to ns by the confederate govennnent at Albany, had a very good bolting cloth in it and ground very good floui-. "We made very good flour in it after we loolc possession, 'i'hey had a bakery theiv with four ovens, where they baked hard bi-ead; some of that hard bread T saw, and it was very good."
By W. T. Davenport (ronfederate).
"T reside in Amei-ieus, Sumter county, Georgia. T was there during the rebellion. From .\|)ril. 18(14, till llu^ suiM-eiider T was tithe agent for Sunilei' county. I have made a memoranda of the amount ol' stoi'es and provisi(»ns, comin^^ into my liamls dur-
244 Eeport vOf Andersonville IMonument Commission
ing the year 1864. I can make a .stateiueiit with regard to it. I made this memorandum carefully from the books in order to refresh my memory as to the amounts received from the first of April, 1864, till the first of January, 1865, and from the first of January, 1865, till the surrender. The amount of bacon re- ceived at that depot from Sumter county and from the counties of Schley, Webster, and Marion for the year 1864 was 247,768 pounds. We received of corn 38,900 bushels ; of wheat, 3,567 bushels ; of rice, 3,420 pounds, (in the rough) ; of peas, Ave re- ceived 817 bushels: of sirup of West India cane and sorghum (we made no distinction), 3,700 gallons; of sugar, 1,166 pounds. From the first of January, 1865, till the 9th of April, which was the time of surrender, I received from those same counties 155,726 pounds of bacon and 13,591 bushels oF corn. I received onh'- 86 bushels of wheat. This was the remnant due on the old crop, the new crop not having been gathered. That was the reason the amount was so small. We collected one-teiith of the whole crop. There was a depot at Andersonville. Some por- tions of the tithes were delivered there, and others were deliv- ered to traveling companies that received tithes which were not reported to me."
WIRZ'S STATEMENT THAT HE HAD SERVED IN THE UNION ARMY.
By Charles H. Russell, (Union).
About the 4th of June, 1864, Captain Wirz came into the stockade and sa'd that Johnston had cleaned out Sherman and taken him prisoner, with about half of his army. He was feeling well about it. I tented right close to the south gate, or rather I stayed there with some fellows who had a bough -house up. Cap- tain Wirz came in there and sat down, and got to talking about his being in our army. He said he was an orderly sergeant in an Illinois regiment, and had fought under Sigel in Arkansas. There is one of our men alive, by the name of Nelson Chit- tenden, of Wisconsin, who heard the same statement. I do not know Avhether Captain Wirz Avas lying or not.
KXTJC.MTS FUt)M TllK TkIAI, OF CaI'TAIN WlKZ 24^
LETTEK OF CAl'I'AIN WlKZ TO GKNKKAI- .1. Jl. WlLSON.
Aiidersouvilk', (Ja., May 7, 18G5.
Lii'iHTal: Jl IS with f^ivat i-cluclaricc that 1 achliL-ss ynu these lines, I.eiiij; fully aware how little lime is left you to attend i'> such iiiatlrrs as J now liaNc the lionoi- to lay hdoiT you. It" 1 eouhl see any other way to aceomplish Jiiy olijct-t i would not intruih; upon you. 1 am a native of Switzerland, and wa.^, he- fore the war, a eiti/en of Louisiana, and am l»y profession a physician. J^ike hundreds and thousands of otiiers, 1 was car- ried away hy the maelstrom of excitement and joined the south- ern army. 1 was very seriously wounded at the hattle of Seven Pine.«, near Kiehmond, \'irginia, and have nearly lost the use of uiy right arm. Unlit for tield duty, 1 was ordered to rei)ort to Brevet ^lajor General John 11. Winder, iu eharge of federal prisoners of war, who oidered me to take harge of a prison in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My health failing me there, I applied for a furlou<rh and went to Europe, whence 1 returned iu February, 1864. i was then ordered to report to the eommandant of the military i)rison at Andersonville, (Jeorgia, who assigned me to tile coiiniiaiid of the interior of tlie prison. The duties 1 had to ]>erfoim Were arduous and unpleasant, aiul 1 am satisfied that no man can or will justly blame me for things that happened there, and whieli were beyond my power to control. 1 do not think that I ought to be held responsible for the shortness of rations, for the overcrowded state of the prison, — which was of itself a prolific source of fearful mortality, — for the inadequate supplies of clothing, want of shelter, etc.
Still, 1 now lie;ir tlu' odium, and men who were i)risoners have seemed disposed to wreak their vengeance upon me for what they have suffered; I Avas only the medium, or, i may better say, the tool in the liaiuU of my supei'iors. This is my condition. 1 am ;i man with a t'.iitiily. 1 lost all propertx when the federal aiiiiy besietred \'ickshui-.t|-. I ha\c no money at present to go to any i>lace; and, e\cii it' I had, 1 know of no place where i can go. My life is in danger, and 1 most respect- fully ask of you help and relief. If you will be so generous as to give me some sort of safe conduct, or, what 1 should greatly prefer, a giuinl to protect myself and family against violence, 1 shall be thankful to you : and you m.-iy i-est assured tiiat your
246 Keport of Andersonville Monument Commission
protection will not be given to one Avho is unworthy of it. My intention is to return M'ith my family to Europe, as soon as I can make the arrangements. In the meantime, 1 have the honor, general, to remain very respectfully. Your obedient servant,
Hy Wirz, Captain C. S. A.*
Major General J. II. "Wilson,
U. S. A. Commissary, Macon, Georgia.
* This letter showed Wirz to be a sneaking coward, well aware of the enormity of his crime and fearing the wrath of his victims. The authorities were compelled to disguise him in order to enable them to get him to Washington for the trial. What he said of his being a tool in the hands of his superiors was a fact, yet he was selected because of his adaptation and willingness to carry out their evil de- signs.— ^D. G. J.
Findings ok thk (Vm'rt 217
CIIAPTKK XII.
I'INDINCS OF TJIK (OIKT.
The coiii-t, Ix'iii^' cli'jirccl i'or dclibcratioii, jiiui liuving iiia- liircly coiisidcrt'd llic evidence adduced, lind the accused, Henry Wii-/, as follows:
or the specilieation to eliar^c ], ''guilty,'" ai'ter aiiKMuliiig the speciHeation to read as follows:
In tins, that he, the said Henry Wirz, did eonibine, confed- erate, and conspire with them, the said Jefferson Davis, James A. Seddon, IIowoll Cobb, John II. Winder, Richard B. AVinder, Isaiah H. White, ^X. S. Winder, \V. 8. Shelby Reed, R. R. Stev- enson, S. I*. Moore, Kerr, late hospital steward at Ander-
sonville, .laiiies Duncan, Wesley W. Turner, Benjamin Harris, and others, whose names are unknown, citizens of the United States aforesaid, and who were then engaged in armed rebel- lion against the I'liited Stnles jil'oresaid. and, in violation oT llif laws of war, to impair and injure the health and to destroy the lives, by subjecting to torture and great suffering, by con- fining in unheallhful and unwholesome (|\uirters, by exposing to the incdemency of winter and to the dews and burning suns of summer, by eoiji])elling the use of impure watei', and by furnishing insuflicicnt and unwholesome food, of largt^ nuiidters of federal pi-isonci-s, t()-\\i1. the inimber of about forty-five thousand soldiers in llic iiiilitary service of the I'nited Stales of America, held as |)iMsoiiei's ol* w ar at An(|erson\ille, in the State of (ieorgia. williin the lines of the so-called ('»)nfederatc States, on or bef(»re the L'Ttli day ol' Marcli. A. D. 18fi4. and at divers times between that day and the lOtli day of Aju-il. A. I'. ]86r), to the end that the armies of the I'nited States might b(! weakened and impaired, and the insurgents engaged in ai-med rebellion against the I'nited Slates might be aided and com- forted: and he, the said Ileni-y Wir/. an o^Vicer in the military service of the so-callctl ( '(Uifederate States, being then and
248 liEPoRT OF Anuerkonville Monument CoMmIssion
there commandant of a military prison at Andersonville, in the State of Georgia, located by authority of the so-called Confed- erate States, for the confinement of prisoners of war, and, as such commandant, fully clothed with authority, and in duty bound to treat, care, and provide for such prisoners, held as aforesaid, as were or might be placed in his custody, accord- ing to the law of war, did, in furtherance of such combination, confederation, and conspiracy, maliciously, wickedly, and traitorously confine a large number of prisoners of war, sol- diers in the military service of the United States, to the num- ber of about forty-five thousand men, in unhealthful and un- wholesome quarters, in a close and small area of ground, wholly inadequate to their wants and destructive to their health, which he well knew and intended ; and while there so confined, during the time aforesaid, did, in furtherance of his evil de- sign and in aid of the said conspiracy, wilfully and maliciously neglect to furnish tents, barracks, or other shelter, sufficient for their protection from the inclemency of winter and the dews and burning sun of summer ; and with such evil intent did take and cause to be taken from them their clothing, blankets, camp equipage and other property of which they were possessed at the time of being placed in his custody; and Avitli like malice and evil intent did refuse to furnish or cause to be furnished food either of a quality or quantity sufficient to preserve health and sustain life; and did refuse and neglect to furnish wood sufficient for cooking in summer and to keep the said prisoners warm in winter, and did compel the said prisoners to subsist upon unwholesome food, and that in limited quantities, entirely inadequate to sustain health, which he well knew ; and did com- pel the said prisoners to use unwholesome water, reeking with the filth and garbage of the prison and prison-guard, and the offal and drainage of the cook-house of said prison; whereby the prisoners became greatly reduced in their bodily strength and emaciated and injured in their bodily health; their minds impaired and their intellects broken ; and many of them, to-wit, about the number of ten thousand, whose names are unknown, sickened and died by reason thereof, which he, the said Henry Wirz, then and there well knew and intended ; and so knowing and evily intending, did refuse and neglect to provide proper lodgings, food, or nourishment for the sick, and necessary medi- cine and medical attendance for the restoration of their liealtli,
J^'lNDlXUS OF TlIK CuL'Kl' 240
antl tlid knowingly, wiirully iiiid iiialiciousi}', In I'lirlln'rancL- ol' Jiis evil clL'signs, permit tlicm to languish and die from want ol" van; and proper treatment; and tlit; saiil Henry Wirz, still ])ursuing his evil imrposes, did permit to remain in the said prison, amojig the emaciated sick and languisiiiug living, the hollies of the dead, until they hecame corrupt and loathsome, and idled the air with noxious and fetid exhalations, and thereby greatly increased the unwholesomeness of the prison, insomuch that great nund)ers of said prisoners, whose names arc uidvuown, sickened and died by reason thereof. And the said Henry Wirz, still pursuing his wicked and cruel purpose wholly disregarding the usuages of civilized warfare, did at the time and. i)lace aforesaid maliciously and wilfully subject the prisoners aforesaid to cruel, luuisual and infamous i)unisli- ment, upon slight, trivial and fictitious pretences, by fastening large balls of iron to their feet, and binding numbers of the prisoners aforesaid closely together with large chains aroiinu their necks and feet, so that they walked with the greatest difHiculty ; and being so continetl, were sul)jected to the burning rays of the sun, often without food or drink, for hours and even days, from which said cruel treatment numbers whose names are luiknown sickenetl, fainted, and died; and he, the said Wirz, did further cruelly treat and injure said prisoners by maliciously tying them up by the thumbs, and wilfully con- lining them within an instrument of torture called the stocks, thus dei)riving them of the use of their limbs, and forcing them to lie, sit and stand for many hours without the power of changing position, and being without food or drink, in con- sequence of which many, whose names are unknown, sickened and died; and he, the said Wirz, still wickedly pursuing his evil I)urpose, did establish and cause to be designated, within the pi-ison enclosure containing said prisoners, a "dead-line," be- ing a line around the inner face of the stockade or wall, en- (dosing said |)i"isoii. iind about 2.") feet distant iVoui and within said sto(d\a(le; and having so established said dead-line, which was in some ])laees an imaginary line, and in other places marked by insecure and shifting strips of boards, nailed upon the top of small and insecure stakes or posts, he, the said AVirz, instructed the pi-is(Mi guai-d stationed around the top of said stockade to liic upon nnd kill any of the prisoners aforesaid who might fall ii|mn. pass o\-ci" oi- undei* oi* aci'oss the said dead-
250 RePOKT of Ai\T>ERSONVILl;E JNIONUMENT COMMISSION
line ; pursuant to whicli said orders and instructions, mali- ciously and needlessly given by said Wirz, still pursuing his evil purpose, did keep and use ferocious and blood-thirsty dogs, dangerous to human life, to hunt down prisoners of war afore- said who made their escape from his custody; and did, then and there, wilfully and maliciously suffer, incite and encourage the said dogs to sieze, tear, mangle, and maim the bodies and limbs of said fugitive prisoners of war, w^hich the said dogs, incited as aforesaid, then and there did, M-hereby a number of said prisoners of war, who, during the time aforesaid, made their escape and were recaptured, died; and the said Wirz, still pursuing his wicked purpose, and still aiding in carrying out said conspiracy, did cause to be used for the pretended purposes of vaccination impure and poisonous vaccine matter, which said poisonous matter was then and there, by the di- rection and order of said Wirz, maliciously, cruelly, and wickedly deposited in the arms of many of said prisoners, by reason of which large numbers of them lost the use of their arms, and many of them were so injured that they soon there- after died; all if which he, the said Henry Wirz well knew and maliciously intended, and, in aid of the then existing rebellion against the United States, with the view to assist in weakening and impairing the armies of the United States; and, in fur- therance of the said conspiracy, and with the full knowledge, consent, and connivance of his co-conspirators aforesaid, he, the said Wirz, then and there did.
Of charge 1, "guilty," after amending said charge to read as follows :
Maliciously, wilfully and traitorously, and in aid of the then existing armed rebellion against the United States of America, on or before the 27th day of March, A. D. 1864, and on divers other days between that day and the tenth day of April, 1865, combining, confederating and conspiring together with Jeft'er- son Davis, James A. Seddon, Howell Cobb, John H. Winder, Richard B. Winder, Isaiah H. White, W. S. Winder, W. Selby
Reed, R. R. Stevenson, S. P. Moore, Kerr, late hospital
steward at Andersonville, James Duncan, Wesley W. Turner, Benjamin Harris and others unknoAvn, to injure the health and destroy the lives of soldiers in the military service of the United States, then held and being prisoners of war within the lines of the so-called Confederate States and in the military prisons
Findings of tiik Cuirt 2:A
tlu'ivol", to tin- I'lid that tin- arinirs ol' tin- l'iiitc(l .StaK-s iiiij;lit be w«*ak('iH'(l and iiiii)ain'<l ; in vi()lati(jn of IIk; laws and (.-us- toras ol' war.
Of llic second cdiarj,a', "^'uilty."
And llif court do tlicrcfori! scnlcncc him. tin- said Henry Wirz, to he lianj,'ed hy tlie neidc till dead, at such time and plaei' as tlie President of the I'nited States may direct, two- thirds of tile meiiihers of tile e<»ui't con<'uri-in<x herein.*
M:\V WALLACE, Major (leiiei'al :iii(l rresidciit Com. N. ]'. (■|ii|tiiian.
CuldMei and Aid A. 1). ('.. dud.ire AdNocate. The proceedings, findings and sentence in the fcu-egoing case, having been su))mitte(l to the I'res'deiit of the I'liited States, the following ai-e his orders:
K.xeciitive Mansion, November '■), ISt)."). The ])roeeedings, findings, and sentence of the coui't in the within ease are aj^pi'oved, and it is ordered that the sentence be eai-i'ied into e.xeculioii. by the oflicer eonimanding the de- partment of Washington, on Friday, the 10th day of Novem- ber, 1865, between the hours of 6 o'clock A. ^F. and 12 o'clock noon.
AXDTJFAV .lOlIXSON,
Execution of Sp^ntenci:.
President. Headquarters Department of Washington,
Washington. D. C, November 11, 18(55. Sir: 1 lia\-e the lioiior to report lliat the sentence and orders of the President in the case of lienry Wirz, as promulgatiMl in (Jeneral Court-martial orders No. 607, dated War Depai-t merit, Adjutant Ceueral's Office, Washington. XoxiMuber (), 1865, have been duly executed (between the houi's of 10 and 11 A. M.) yesterday, Novend)er 10. and his body has been interred l)y the side of Atz<n'odf, in the arsenal grounds.
I am, genei'al, vei-y respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. C. AUGUR, .Maji»r (leneral Volunteers, Commanding Department. The Adjutant Ceneral of the Armv.
* I have been informed by three nieinl)ers of tiie loiirt that this decision and sentence was nnanimnns on the first ballot. — I). (1. J.
252 Repokt of Anderson \ii.LE Monument Commission
CHAPTER Xill. CONCERNING GENERAL LEE AND JEEEERSON DAVIS.
Conduct of Robert E. Lee, Concerning Exchange of
Prisoners.
It is very clear from aii examinatiou of tlie report of General Canby that the irregularities in exchange and the violation of the cartel on the part of the confederates were not confined to the rebel authorities in and about Richmond, but reached the highest officer of the confederate army in the field. It appears that General Robert E. Lee, in violation of the provisions of the cartel, and after General iMeade had declined to enter upon the question of exchange, paroled and dismissed the prisoners captured by him in Pennsylvania and Maryland in 1863. By the terms of the cartel he was bound to deliver them at City Point, but, in order to disembarrass himself of their presence in the field, and to avoid guarding and feeding them when his army was hard pressed and retreating before General Meade, he was guilty of the unmilitary conduct of authorizing paroles which he knew were utterly null and void, and in violation of the terms of the convention; thus permitting himself to be justly i^laced in the dishonorable category with the civil agents of the confederate government who were so frequently guilty of the same offense. Mr. Ould afterward insisted, with his usual fairness, that these illegal paroles should be respected by us, or that we should redeliver the persons thus paroled by General Lee to their authority at City Point. Such w^ere the pretenses, false in character and cruel in the use to which they were put, which interrupted the course of exchange and kept our soldiers in the charnel-houses of the confederacy.
In summing up this recital of facts as fully attested, we may truly assert that General Lee, having deserted his governme'nt in time of need, having used his influence to get his neighliors to renounce their loyalty to their country, W'hich was a prime factor in taking the state of Virginia out of the Union, ana virtually having approved the treatment accorded to the vic- tims he had made captive, by not protesting, or, as commander- in-chief, stopping it hy ;in order to his subordinates, he cer- tainly ought not to have had his property preserved, in which to bury the victims of his treachery, and be paid a fabulous sum for that estate at Arlington to be used as a national ceme- tery by the government he had tried to destroy.
CoNTKUNINi; (IKNKIJAI, l.i:i: AND .1 IMlKUSuN I ) AVIS 2^)^
.IrlV |);i\is ciiiir into notoriety when Ik- ran away with the (lanf^'hter of his eoniniander, (Jeiieral Tayh)r, (lei)artin!^ dnrinj; the early honrs h>n^' I>efore the dawn ol' day. He was noted as a (|uarril.s(iiin' Ititrnt. in more tinari-els and fewer fights than any other olHiecr in the army, always j^ettin^' his father-in-law, f!eni'i-al 'i'ayloi-. to pateii np the niattei*. in the Mexican war he was the cdlonel ul' a Mississippi re^nnicnt , yd m-ver dis- tin^'nished himself nntil the .'Hst ('onj;ress, when hu made a speeeh {)()rt rayiii"; his prowess and that of his r«'j^iment at the Battle of liuena Vista, in wiiith he (daimed that an Illinois rej,dment abandoned the field and that he, at the head of his rej,Mment, advanced into the «rap, npulsinp: tlie victorious Mexicans and drivin}^ them from the held. Colonel Bissell, who commanded the only Illinois rej^iment in that battle, de- nonnced the statement on the flooi", callin!,' Davis a liar and cowai-d, sayiiif; that Davis's re»riment was not within a mile of his command at any time diii-in.tr the battle, and, further, that his rcfriment never lost any irronnd to the enemy which they did not reeover and hold. \Vhei-eu])on Davis, with his usual bluster, challenged Bissel to fight a duel. The challenge was j)romptely aceepted, Bissel choosinj; the nnisket loaded with one ball and three bu(dc shot, distance twenty i)aees; re- sult: ^li-. Davis's friends (father-in-law included) interceded and settled the niatter satisfactorily to ^\r. Davis, Colonel Bissell in the meantinu% making no retraction.
The ni'xt time Davis became notable was whon in Congress he was conniving Avith Vice-President Breckenridge, Robert Toond)s, Secretary of AVar Floyd. Tlowell Cobb and numerous others who were in control of the different depai'tiueiits of the government and concocting plans by which to ])ut the navy so far away that it could not be reached for months; to I'e- nuive all the arms and munitions of war from the northern arsenals to the south, di-awing his salary at the sam<> time from our govei'iiment, keeping it up until the several states had gone thi'ough the formality of seceding: when he took the flo<u* in the senate chamber, and. in his loi'dly way, bade the loyal mendters a bond)astic adieu and sti'utted out to commence his inti'igue to become the ])rcsi(lent of the so-called Cont\'d«'rate
States of Alliei'ica, whi<-ll he succeeded in doing.
T will now (piot(^ the southci'u histoi-ian. Hdward A. Bollard, in his life of .TelTerson Davis, with a secret history of th(» S(»uthern ( 'onfederacy, as gathered behind the scenes in l\i(di- mond.
254 Report op Andersonville jMonument Commission
"At the Battle of Bull Rim, after the battle was over except a few scattering shots from the artillery, Mr. Davis arrived at the station, procured a horse and started for the front, after the Union army had become panic stricken ; yet it answered his purpose in making a display. He rode from the cars towards the sublime scene. At that moment his brother, Joe, admon'shed him not to go any further. 'Oh,' he said, 'it is my duty to be with my brave men.' "
Another occasion was yet more dramatic. The president and Mrs. Davis were returning from some festivity on a flag of truce boat that had come up the James river. They were walking along the street in the night, unattended by his staff, and with no indication of his importance. They had to pass the front of Libby Prison, where a sentinel paced, and, accord- ing to his orders, was forcing passengers from the walk to the middle of the street. As Mr. Davis approached, the guard or- dered him off the pavement. "I am the president," replied Mr. Davis, "allow us to pass." "None of your gammons," replied the soldier bringing his musket to his shoulder, "if you don't get into the street I'll blow the top of your head off." "But I am Jefferson Davis, man ; I am your president. No more of your insolence!" and the president pressed forward. He Avas rudely thrust back, and, in a moment had drawn a sword dag- ger concealed in his cane, and was about to rush upon the in- solent sentinel, when Mrs. Davis flung herself betAveen the combatants, and, by her screams, aroused the officer of the guard, who allowed Mr. Davis to go home. But instead of the traditional reward to the faithful sentry, the order came the next day to Libby to degrade the faithful soldier and put him on a bread-and-water d:"et for his unwitting insult to the com- mander-in-chief of the confederate army, Avho had caused the orders to be issued.
The first year of the war, Mr. Davis was actually the legis- lator of the confederacy, and laws framed in the executive office were regularly sent into the dingy room in which Con- gress sat in secret session. Mr. Davis had a conceited idea that, because he was born under the planet Mars, he was ampl}^ qualified to legislate on military affairs. He organized a police force with two hundred spies taken from the slums of Balti- more and put at the head of this wretched police l)usiness, which was continued through his administration.
• u\( I ::n'ini; rii-M.'v. Li i. vM> Jfi'fi,i:<mx Hams Jfi.")
A fitter exponent of despotism and cruelty eoidd not be found within the limits of the Soutli than was found in Oeneral Winder of ^faryland, a name that thousands (d" livin«^ persons reeall with horror. He caused respectable men and women to be jirrested for uttering' sentiments derogatory to his {?overn- mt'iit, draf^trt'd them to brothtds and saloons where his court was held an<l had them confined in places too filthy for any l)erson to he j)hieed. Tu l^fif?, after the reverses of Gettysburg' and Vi(d\sl)urg. he ordered tlie linnts of conscription extended from IM to 55 years, so as to iiichidr all under the a«re of fifty- five, ineludinjr those who had i)reviously been di'afted and had hired sul)stitutes; and this without refundinj? the money paid. The confederacy was converted into a vast camp. an<l the coun- try of Jeff Davis came to be one of the most thorou'^ddy military despotisms of the age.
One man in the confederate Congress was bold enough to declare that impressment and other acts of nnsrule and op- pression in the administration of 'Mr. Davis had extracted all virtue tVoiii the cause. Tn speaking of the scarcity of food, he refers to a large volume of complaints against Mr. Davis for the maltreatment of northern prisoners, and makes allu- sions to the facts (|uot(Hl in ])revious ehai)ters. lie fui'ther says that the president of the southern confederacy is to be blamed foi' continuing in its om])loyment such agents as AViudor aiul Northrup, each a favorite creature, the latter extravagantly so, and both of them repeatedly brought to his attention as in- competent and scandalous officers.
To show Mr. Davis in his true autocratic bearing spiritually, he worshiped at St. Paul's Church. One Sunday he sat stiff ami alone in the president's pew, where no one outside his fandly had ever dared intrude since Mr. Davis had ordered the sexton to remove two ladies who had ventured there, and \\]\(). on turning their faces to the admonition to leave, de- livered before the Avhole congregation, had proved, to the di.s- may and well deserved mortification of the president's wife, to be the (bmghters of Ceneral Lee.
Tn the early part of the war. Mr. Davis, while addressing a S.)uth Caroliim regiment, had turned his back to the men in his lofty way as a heroic leadei- and said. "T will be with you my brave men to lead when the last charge is made fcu" the final rout of the foe." And now see how he did it. Tie sat in his pew on that (luiel Sunday morning. anIk-ii a messengei- wall^ed
256 Kkport of Axdersonville IMonument Commission
noisily into the church and handed the president a slip of paper. He read the paper, rose and walked ont of the church without agitation, but with his face and manner evidently constrained. An uneasy whisper ran through the crowd of worshipers, and many hastened into the street. There it was rumored that Richmond was to be evacuated. A little past noon some of Longstreet's men were marching through Rich- mond to reinforce General Lee. The soldiers moved with a slouching step and once on their disordered march, it is said, groans were called for Jeff Davis. Formerly they were ac- customed to march through the city with colors unfurled and bands playing. And where was President Davis? As he had received the news of Lee's defeat, he had slunk from his pew; and when the great final scene of the drama had been staged, the principal actor was conspicuously absent. He, the leader, the hero, had not shown his face, but was preparing a private sumptuous baggage to flee from Richmond, a low, unnoticed fugitive under cover of the night. He stepped unobserved upon the train that was to carry him from Richmond. He did not forget the gold in the treasury, which had been reserved to give the discontented soldiers as largess. Mr. Davis insisted upon reserving it for exigencies, and it was now secure in his baggage. He did forget his sword, a costly present from some of his admirers in England, and which was destroyed by the fire he ordered set to devour the city that had given him succor for the past four years.
Next we find him in Greensboro, North Carolina, secluded in a box car, unknown to any excepting Generals Johnston and Beauregard, both of whom he had formerly disgraced by re- leasing them of any command, and begging them to continue the fight after Lee had surrendered. He was quite willing to sacrifice every man in the confederacy, except himself, in the hopeless cause. But Johnston and Beauregard informed him that their men were deserting in large numbers, refusing to be shot down with no show of success. Mr. Davis, in his effort to make his escape sure, had separated from his wife, sending her on to "Washington, Georgia, where he was to join her. It was determined that on continuing their journey they would travel as an emigrant party in a covered wagon, with a pack mule covered with cooking utensils. All tokens of the presi- dent's importance were laid aside. It was designed that Mr. Davis, with his wife and his wife 's sister, should pass as a simple country family who had fallen in with straggling soldiers for
CONCERNINO Ci J'.NERA", fiEE AND JeFI b'.llStflX PaVIS 257
llicir |»n»ti'cliiiii. All wciil well I'm- tlin-r diiys, w lirii a si|ua(l- r<»ii t'f I'liidii cavali-y look his trail aii<l clusrd in (mi liiiii early niic iiMti-iiiiij,'. lie llit'ii aflniiplcd to iiiaUi- liis cscapt' by (liiiiiiin^' his wile's watn-pruur, and, with a shawl onci- his lu-ad and a l)W(d<«'t in hand, sallied forth with his wife, who accosted the VanUee cavalryiiian, asking' that he allow her niolher to pass out foi- a InKdvct of watei-. This ruse didn't woi'k. The soldier, nolii'injr the coarse boots of the farmer, i-aised the outer jfarnu'ut with the i)oint of the saber. This j;ave the schcnio away, and so the proud President of the Confederacy was proini)tly put under arrest. AVliat a falliuff down I Wouldn't the South Carolina re«;iment have been proud to follow their hero clad in female attire?
• ('(>.\( i;k.\:n(; a I'knsiox i'ok Jefferson Davis.
I will now ^Mve the n-ader a short sentence from Senator Zack Chandler's speech, :\rarch 3, 1879, in the V. S. senate, ui)on the bill to pension all survivors of the Mexican War, to which Senator Hoar offered the following amendment:
"Provided, further, that no pension shall ever be paid under this act to Jefferson Davis, the late president of the so-called confederacy." This provoked a spirited discussion in which Mr. Chandler addressed the ])residing officer as follows:
■"Twenty-two years aj^o tomorrow, in the old hall of the sen- ate, now occui)ied by the supreme court of the United States, I in eom|»any with Jefferson Davis, stood up and swore before Alnii^'hty Cod that 1 would support the constitution of the Cnited States. Mv. Davis came from the cabinet of Franklin Pierce into the senate of the United States and took the oath with me to be faithful to this jrovei'innent. During' four years I sat in this body with ^Ir. Jefferson Davis and I saw the preparations iritin}^ on from day to day for the oveiMhrow of this •rovei-nment. With treason in his heart and jx-i-jui-y upon his lips he took the oath to sustain a government that he meant to overthrow."
Space forbids going any further :d<)ng these lines. Tt is a matter of history well known on both sides, as stated by Tol- lard, the southern historian, that Davis was vain, l)igoted and unreliable, and so <|uarrelsome that he could not get along with his cabinet. We on our side know lie was a doid)le-dyed traitor, as stated by .Mr. Chandler, and a fieiul incarnate. He was directly the cause of the death, in the most loathsonu^ man- ner imaginable, of tens of Ihonsnnds of lu-nve, loynl men, 17
258 Report of Andersonville ^Monument Commission
CHAPTER XIV
REPORT BY CLARA BARTON.
Ok ( 'onoitk )N of Andersonvii.i,e in 1805.
It is doii])trul if a more grap-liic description — more sympa- tlietic ill spirit, more l)eaiitifiil in language — has ever been given of Andersonville than that which Clara Barton has writ- ten. The matter of which this book treats could haiVlly l)e complete without ^liss Barton's story, and so it is put here where all may read it.
She visited the place in the summer of 1865. To the People of the United States of America:
Having by official invitation been placed upon an expedition to Andersonville for the purpose of identifying and marking the graves of the dead contained in those noted prison grounds, it is perhaps not improper that I make some report of the cir- cumstances which induced the sending of such an expedition, its work, and the appearance, condition and surroundings of that interesting spot, hallowed alike 1)y the sufferings of the martyred dead and the tears and prayers of those who mourn for them.
During a search for the missing men of the United States army, begun in March, 1865, under the sanction of the late la- mented President Lincoln, I formed the acqua'ntance of Dor- ence AtAvater, of Connecticut, a mem1)cr of the 2d New York Cavalry, who had been a prisoner at Belle Isle and Anderson- ville twenty-two months, and charged by the rebel authorities with the duty of keeping the Death Register of the Union pris- oners who died amid the nameless cruelties of tlie last named prison.
By minute inquiry I learned from iMr. Atwater the method adopted in the burial of the dead, and by carefully comparing this account with a draft which he had made of the grounds appropriated for this purpose by the prison authorities, I be- came convinced of the possibility of identifying the grave.^
Report hy (i.aua liARTox 2''>f)
simply liy coiniKir'iii!,' tin- iiuiiilirrTil |)u.st or Incird nuirkiiij; cin-li iiiiiii's j»(».si!i(tii ill till- tiTiicli in which hi- w ;is hiirird with tin- corrt'situiKlin^r immln'r standing: a^'aiiisl liis iiaiiir upon Ihf rc*;- ister kept l)y Afr. Alwal cr. which he infoniicd iiif was then in possession of the War Department.
Assured l)y the iutelli<,'enee and fraidvuess of my informant of the i'Utire truthfulness of his statements, I desii'ed to impart to the officers of the i;overnment the infoi'malioii I had ffained, and aecordinj^iy hrouj^ht the subject to the attention of Cieneral IlotVman, eommissary-t^eneral of prisoners, askinj; that a party or expedition he at once sent to Andersonville foi- the pui'pose of id(!ntifyint; and markinfj^ the graves, and incdosinj; tlie ^M'ounds; and that Dorenee Atwater, witii his registei*, aeeoin- pany the same as the proper person to designates and identify. Tile subject appeared to have l)een not only unlieard of, but unt bought of, and from the generally prevailing impression that no care had been taken in the burial of our i)risoners tbe idea seemed at fii-st difficult to be entertained. Hut tlie same facts which bad served to convince me presented themselves favoi-ably to the good undei'standing and kind lieart of General Hotf'man. who took iiiiiiiediate steps to lay tlic matter before the llonoi-able Secretary of AVai-. upon wliom, at bis re(|uest, I called the following day, and learned from bim that lu' bad heard and appi-oNcd my proposition, and decided to order an expedition, consisting of materials and men, under cbarge of some government officer, for the aeeomplislunent of tbe objects set fortb in my request, and invited me to accoiupany tbe expe- dition in person, wbicb invitation T accepted.
Accordingly, on tbe 8tb of July tbe propeller Virginia, bav- ing on board fencing material, headboards, tbe prison records, forty woi'kmeii. cb'iks and letterers, undi-r command of Cap- tain James M. .Mooi-e, A. (^. AF., Dorenee Atwater and myself, left Washington foi* Andersonville via Savannah. We resumed our journey by way of Augusta, Atlanta and ^raeoii, tbe en- tire i)ai-ty i-eaching its destination in safety about noon of the 27t\\\ of July.
We found the prison grounds, stockade, liospital sheds and tbe various minor sti'uctui-es abnost in tbe sanw condition in wbicb they bad been evacuated ; and care is taken to leave these liistoric monuments undisturbed, so long as tbe elements 'will spare tln'm,
2C)() Rei'ort of Andersonville IMonfment Commission
There is not, and never was, any town or village at this place except what greAV out of its military oeenpation. Anderson Station, on the railroad from Macon to Eufala, was selected as a depot for prisoners, probably on account of its remoteness and possible security, and the prison itself, with the buildings which sprang up around it, constituted all there was of Ander- sonville.
The land around is broken and undulating, and at the time of its occupation Avas covered with forests, mostly of tlic long- leafed pine common to the uplands of the South. Tlu' l»as(^s of the hills are lined with oozy springs, which unite to form little rivulets, one of which sluggishly winds through each of the intervening marshy valleys.
The original inclosure of nineteen acres was made in the unbroken woods, and the timber was removed only as it was wanted for the necessities of the prison. The inclosure was begun in January, 1864, and enlarged during the summer to 25% acres, being a quadrangle of 1,295 by 865 feet. The great- est length is from north to south, the ground rising from the middle toward each end :n a rather steep, rounded hill, the northern one being at once the highest and of the greatest ex- tent. A small stream rising from springs a little to the west- ward, flows across it through a narrow valley filled with a com- post washed doAvn by the rains. The inclosing stockade is formed of pine logs twenty feet in length, and about eight inches in diameter, sunk five feet into the ground and placed close together. This is again surrounded by two successive and precisely similar palisades — a portion of the last of Avliich is gone. It seems never to haA^e been completed. The two inner Avails remain entire. Within the interior space, at the distance of about seventeen feet from the stockade, runs the famous dead line, marked by small posts set in the ground, and a slight strip of pine board nailed on the top of them. The gates, of Avhich there are tAvo, situated on the Avest side, were continuous Avith the stockade, inclosing spaces of thirty feet square, more or less, Avith massive doors at either end. They were arranged and Avorked on the principle of canal locks. Upon the inner stockade Avere fifty-tAVO sentry boxes, raised above the tops of the palisades and accessible to the guards by ladders. In these stood fifty-tAvo guards with loaded arms, so pear that they could converse AAdth each other. In addition
KkI'OICT H\ CI.AKA liAK'lttN 'Jtil
1() 1 llCSC, seven fnl-ts, IlloUIlletl W it ll I'lelil ;irtillery, (•(lllllli;ill(|e(l
llir t'aliil space ami ils masses of perisliinjr men.
I'lnler the most t'avorahle eii'eiimstanees and l»est possililc
mana^'ement the supply of wutei* wctiild have I n insnilieient
lor hall the numlier ol" jtersons who had to use it. 'i'he exist- ing' an'an'renn-nts must have ajrjri'avated the evil to the utmost extent. The sole est ahlishnient s loi* eookiiijij and l>alvin<; were placed on the hank of the stn-am immediately above, and be- tween the two inner lines of palisades. The j^'rease and refuse from them were fouinl adherin<; to the hanks at tin; time of our visit. The guards, to tlie number ol" about .'},60(), were i)rin- ei])ally eneamped on the upp-ei- pai't of the stream, and when the iu'avy I'ains washed down the hillside covered with ;{(),()(l() human beings, and the outlet below Tailed to discharge the flood which backed antl tilled the valley, the water must have become so foul and loathsome that every statement 1 have seen of its ofl'ensiveness must be considered as falling short of the reality. .\n(l yet within i-iHe shot of the pi-ison there Mowed a ^stream lifteen feet wide anil three deep of pure, tlelieious water. Had the i)rison been so placed as to include a section of the ''Sweet Water Creek," the iniiiales iiiii^ht ha\c di-aiik and bathed to tJieir hearts' content.
During the occui)ation a beaulil'ul spring broke out. like the watei-s of .Mefibah. from the solid ground neai- the foot of the northern sloj)e, just under the Avesterii dead line. It is still there — cool and clear — the only pleasing object in this horrid place.
The scarcity of water, the want of occupation, anil, jx-rhaps, the desire to escape by tunneling, imjielled the pi-isoners to dig wells. Forty of those wells, tinished and niilinished, remain, those on the highest ground being sunk in the hard soil to the depth of thirty feet. The work was done with knives, spoons, sticks and othei- tools but little better. The diggci-s bi-ought up the earth in their pockets and Mouses and sprinkled it about tln^ grounds to conceal the (pnintity. In sonn- wells exeellent water was i-eached, and in others horizontal galleries were at- tempted foi' escape. In at least one instance a tniniel was car- ried entii'ely through the hill and a few prisonei's are said to have got through.
T\\v steej) face of the northern hill is burrowed tliiMUgliout its whole exteid. The little eaxcs are scooped out and arched
262 Report of Andersonville I\Ionument Commission
in the form of ovens, floored, ceiled and strengthened so far as the owners had means with sticks and pieces of boards, and some of them are provided with fireplaces and chimneys. It would seem that there were cases, during long rains, where a house would become the grave of its owner by falling in upon him in the night. In these burrows are still found remnants of the wretched food and rude utensils of the occupants — drink- ing cups made of sections of horns ; platters and spoons wrought from parts of old canteens ; kettles and pans made without solder from stray pieces of old tin or sheet iron. I brought away a considerable number of these articles, which may one day be of interest to the curious.
Five sheds stand on top of the northern hill, erected in the early part of the occupation; and five more on the opposite height, built a short time before the evacuation.
Like nearly all southern land, the soil is liable to be washed away by the rains, and on the slopes of the hills ravines are now formed, gullied to the depth of twelve feet. It seems im- possible that men could have kept their footing on these hill- sides when slippery with rain.
Outside the inclosure, and nearly parallel with the south end, is the liospital stockade — 800 feet by 850. It contains twenty- two sheds, for the most part without sides, erected about three months before the place was abandoned. The old hospital, occupied up to that time, in which so many brave men died, cons'sted only of tents inclosed by a board fence and sur- rounded by a guard. Confused heaps of rubbish alone mark the place it occupied.
About half a mile from the main prison, and near Anderson Station, is the officers' stockade — a small inclosure, in which were never imprisoned more than 250 officers, — and it was chiefly used for the confinement of rebel offenders.
The cemetery, around Avhich the chief interest must gather, is distant about three hundred yards from the stockade, in a northwesterly direction. The graves, placed side by side in close continuous rows, cover nine acres, divided into three unequal lots by two roads which intersect each other at nearly right angles. The fourth space is still unoccupied, except by a few graves of "Confederate" soldiers.
No human bodies were found exposed, and none were re- moved. The place was found in much better condition than
liM'OlM' 1)1 Cl.AKA IJaIMdN LIGo
had been aiiticipiiti-d, itwiiiji; to tlic cxfcllciit incaMircjs lal-:<'U Ity Major (jciicral Wilson, eoiiiniaiulinj^ at Maccjii, and a iiu- iiiaiic, j)iil)lic spirited cilizt'ii ol Fort \'all<'V, (icorj^ia, a .Mr. GritTin, who, in ]»assinj,' on tin- railroad, was inlorniiMl l»y oi c of the eVL-r raitliful n('j,'roi's lliat llu; liodies were becoming «'X- posi'tl and were rooted up by the animals. Jlavin^ verilied this statement, he collected a few negroes, sunk the exposed bodies and covered them to a ])rop('r d('])tli. H<' then reported the Tacts to (jieneral Wilson and re<iuested authority to take steps for protecting tiie grounds. That patriotic otlicer visited An- dersonville in person, appointed Mr. (iritTin temporary super- intendent anti gave him such limited facilities as could be fur- nished in that destitute count ly. It was determined to inclose a stjuare of fifty acres; and at the time oi our ai-i-ival the fence was nearly one-third built from old lumber found about the place. lie had also erected a l)rick kiln and was inanut"acturing l)ri(dv for drains to coiidiict the water away from the graves and proteet and sti'cngthcn the soil against the action of the heavy rains. We found .Mr. (Jriffin bu.sy with a force of about twenty negroes and a few jiiulcs at woi-k on the grounds. 1 have un- tlerstood that that gentlcnum furnished the labor at his own eost, while (Jeneral "Wilson issued the necessary rations.
The ])art perfoi-ined by our party was to take up and cany forward the work so well begun. Additional force was ob- tained fom the military commandant at Macon for completing the inclosure and erecting the headboards. It seemed that the dead had been buried by Union prisoners, paroled from the stockade and hospital for that i)urpose. Successive trenches, callable of containing from 100 to loO bodies each, thi(d<ly set with little posts or boards with numbci-s in iT^ular (trder carved upon them, told to the astonished and teai'-dimmed eye the sad stoiy id' buried treasures. It was necessaiy only to compare the innnbcr upon catdi ])ost or hoai'd with that whi(di stands oj)p()site the name on the i-egister, and rei)la<'e the whole with a more substantial, uinform and comely tablet. bearing not <inly the ori'^dnal iiuimIici'. bnt the iiaiiii'. com]iany and regiment, and the date of death (d' the s(ddiei- who sle])t l)eneath.
1 have repeatedly been assured by prisoners thai great care was taken at the time, by the men to whom fell the sad task of originally mai'king this astonishing number of gravels, to
264 Report of Anuersonville ^Ionitment Commission
perforin the work Avith faithfulness and accuracy. If it sliall prove that the work performed by those Avho followed, under circumstances so much inore favoral)le, was executed with less faithfulness and accuracy than the former, it will be a subject of much regret, but, fortunately, not yet beyond the possibility of correction. The number of graves marked is 12,920. The original records, captured by General Wilson, furnished about 10,500; but, as one book of the record had not been secured, over 2,000 names were supplied from a copy (of his own record) made by Mr. Atwater in the Andersonville prison, and brought by him to Annapolis on his return with the paroled prisoners.
Interspersed throughout this Death Register were 400 num- bers against which stood only the word "Unknown." So, scattered among the thickly designated graves, stand 400 tab- lets bearing only the number and the touching inscription "Unknown Union Soldier."
Substantially nothing was attempted beyond inclosing the grounds, identifying and marking the graves, placing some appropriate mottoes at the gates and along the spaces designed for walks, and erecting a flag statf in the center of the cemetery. The work was completed on the 17th of August, and the party took its route homeward by way of Chattanooga, Nashville and Cincinnati, arriving at Washington on the morning of August 24.
The health of the party during the expedition was remark- ably good, when the season of the year, the fatigue and the want of customary accommodations are taken into considera- tion. Cases of slight chills and fevers were not infrequent ; yet during the entire time we had only one case of severe ill- ness, and that, to our grief, terminated fatally. Edward Watts, of Georgetown, D. C, a clerk in the quartermaster's depart- ment in this city, sickened of typhoid fever during the passage up the Savannah river and died on the 10th day of August. His remains were taken home to his friends. Mr. Watts was a young man of education and refinement, and of the highest type of moral and religious character; he suffered patiently, and died nobly and well. I have thought that he might be re- garded as the last martyr of Andersonville. ■.
The futui-e of this historic spot cannot fail to constitute ?. subject of deep and abiding interest to- the people of this entire country. It would seem fitting that it should be preserved as
i;i:nii;r l;^ ( i-aka iJAiM'tiN 2<)5
one of tin- s.iiict iiJirit's ol" till' ii.itioii. ninl. in <lnr liiin', In* tjcc- otiitfd witli jipin'oprijilf lionoi-s. Its siisccpt Itility ul" internal impi-uvciiicnt is very jri-c.-it. Water can l)e had lor irritratioii, ami tile eliiiiate will prmliH'e iicai'ly all the tloca of the temper- ate /one. lioth national (.gratitude and personal alVeetion will su^f^est the ereeti(»n of a snitahle monnment within the eemi'- tery, where, if desii-altle, may he jn-eserved in diirahle form the names of the martyrs who slee]) aronnd. And, as tin; land on whieli all these interesting; associations are ehistercd is still the pi-o|)erty of ])i-i\ate individuals, nevei- havin;_' passed from the hands oi' the oi-if^iinil owners, it would seem desirahle that the cemetery, at least, and its immediate surroundin«;s, heconu) the properly ol' the nation. .\ mile s(puire will end)race all points ol" general and historie iiiter<'st.
'JMiere ai'(! numerous smaller liurial places in the Stat«' of (icorsria, which, from their seemin'? lessei- importance, will scarcely he Ucpl Up as national cemetei'ies. ami. in reference to which, without venturing to sujjjf^est, 1 would nu'rely remark that the lifty acres inclosed at Andersonville would atford ample space for all whom it mi^ht ever he deemed advisahle to i'eim)Ve to that point.
J)urin<,'' the occu|»a1ioii of Andersonville as a pi'isnii it was a punishahle oll'eiise for a colored man or woman to \'vrd, sheltei*, aid or even coiixcrse with the j)ris<)ners on parole. To others tlie\- had no access. 1 have heen informed that they wei-e not allo\\cd ahoiit the prison grounds; and so great was their superstitious hori-oi- of the cruelties perpetrated upon the prisoners that only a comparatively small iiumher had ever found the courage to visit the ceuu^tery up to the time of our ai-rival. iJiil the pi-eseiice of so many Northei-n pe()|)le on such an errand, among them a lady, entirely overcame their fears; and they visited the cemetery and myself hy scores, — nuMi, women ami cjiildren. — sometimes a liuiidreil in a day. It was no uncommon occurrence, upon oix'uing my tent in the morn- ing, to find a grou)) who had come to see the "Yankee lady," and to task her if it wei-e true that Ahi-aham Lincoln was ilead, and they were free; and how Massa Ijincoln's gi'cat paj)er read, and what they (uight to do; and to tell hei- how the "]>oor ^'ankee pris»uiers"" ran hefore the dogs "like us." and they could not sa\c them — star\i'd. and liow they couhl not \\'<'d them — died, and how they could not si-e them.
266 Report of Andeksonn jlle Monument Commission
Remember, mothers, that the pitying tears of the old-time slave, whom your son helped to freedom, is the only tear that falls upon his distant grave today.
I have endeavored to point out to you, as faithfully as I am able, the various objects of interest, painful or otherwise, which presented themselves to my observation during the time occu- pied in the work of the expedition; and while I would not dwell upon the terribleness of the sufferings imposed upon our prisoners, nor stir the hearts already sunk in grief to deeper woe, still we owe it alike to the living and the dead tliat a proper knowledge and realization of the miseries which they endured be entertained by all. We are Avont to attribute tlieir chief suffering to insufficiency of food, and, while this is prob- ably just, still, to the mind of one who has looked over the scanty, shelterless, pitiful spot of earth to which they were confined, who has taken into consideration the numberless trials which must have grown out of the privation of space and the necessary conveniences of life, the conviction Avill force itself that these latter woes fell but little short of the former. It is to be remembered that during thirteen long months they knew neither shelter nor protection from the changeable skies above, nor the pitiless, unfeeling earth beneath.
The treacherous nature of the soil, parching to seams in the sun, and gullying and sliding under their feet with every shower, must have augmented their ills almost beyond concep- tion. I watched the effect of a heavy fall of rain upon the inclosed grounds, and in thirty minutes the entire hillsides, which had constituted their sole abiding place, were one rolling mass of slippery mud ; and this was the effect of a mere summer shower. What, then, of the continued rains of autumn? Think of thirty thousand men penned in b.y a close stockade upon twenty-six acres of ground, from which every tree and shi'ub had been uprooted for fuel to cook their scanty food, huddled, like cattle, without shelter or })lanket, half clad and hungry, Avith the dreary night setting in after a day of autumn rain. The hilltops would not hold them all, and the valley was filled with the swollen brook; seventeen feet from the stockade ran the fatal dead I'ne, beyond which no man might step and live. What did they do? I need not ask you where did they go, for on the face of the whole green earth there was no place but this for them. But where did they place themselves? How
Jii.i'dur i;^ ( i.AKA l;.\i;riiN 267
did tlicy live.' Aye, how diil they die/ JJul this is only one IVaturc of their sutT('rin<r, and i)erhjii)s the lijL!:hlest. Of the htn;;, da/./lint; iiiontlis when f,'aunt famine stalked at noon-day ami pestilenet' walked hy ni<^dit, and upon llie seamed and parehinj^ I'arth the eoolinii,' i-ains fell not, i will not trust me U) s])eak. i searee dare thiid<. If my heart were stronf^ enouy^h to di"aw llie picture lliei'e are tliuusaiids u]»<in thou- sands all throujjh our land too eiMished and sore to look upon il. Hut after this, whenever any man who has lain a i)ris(jner within the stoekaile of Andersonville would tell you of !iis suf- ferin»;s, how he fainted, seorehed, tlren(died, hungered, siek- ened, — was seotted, seourj^ed, hunted and i)erseeuled, — thouji;li the tale be long and twice-told, as you would have youi- own wrongs appreeiatetl, your own woes pitied, your own eries for nu'rey heanl, 1 charge you listen and believe him. However definitely he may have spoken, know that he has not told you all. However strongly lie may have outlined, or deeply he may have colored his picture, know that the i-eality calls for a better light and a nearer view than your clouded, distant ga/e will ever get.
And your sym])athies need not be eoidined to Andersonville, whil(! similai- hori-ors glared in the sunny light and spotted the Hower-girt garden lields of that wliole desperate, misguided and bewildered people. Wherever streti-hed the form of a rnion i)risoner there rose the signal for cruelty and the cry of agony; and there, day by day, grew the skeleton graves of the nameless dead.
]iut, braving and enduring all this, some thousands have re- turned to you. And you will ])ear with me, and these noble men will pardon mi', while, in conclusion. 1 speak one word of them.
The unparalleled se\erities of our four years' campaigns luive told upon the constitutional strength even of the fortu- nate soldiei' who alone; marched to the music of the I'nion and slei)t only beiu'ath the folds of the flag for which he fought, lint they whom fickle fortune left to crouch at the foot of the shadowless ]>almetto, an<l listen to the hissing r»f the serpent, drank still deeper of the unhealthful di'aught. ' These men bear with tlieni the seeds of disease and death, sown in that fatal clinu' and ri|)ening for an early hai-vest. With oecasicuuil ex- cei)tions, they will prove to be short-lived and enfeebhtd nn-n. and, whether thev ask it or not, \\\\\ deserve at vour hands no
268 IiPn'OKT oi'' AndeksuiWille ^MonuiMknt Commission
ordinary share of kindly consideration. The survivor of a rebel prison has endured and suffered what you never can, and what, I pray God, your chiklren never nuiy. With less of strength, and more of sad and bitter memories, he is with you now, to earn food so long denied him. If he ask "leave to toil," give it to him before it is too late; if he need kindness and encouragement, bestow them freely while you may ; if he seek charity at your hands, remember that "the poor you have always with you," but him you have not always, and withhold it not. If hereafter you iind them making organized effort to provide for the widow^ and orphan of the Union i)risoner, re- member that it grows out of the heart sympathy which clusters around the memories of the comrades who perished for the future of their own, and aid them.
In conclusion, tremulously, lest I assume too much, let me hasten to commend to the grateful consideration of this noble, generous people, alike the soldier who has given the strength, the prisoner w^ho has sacrificed his liealth, the widow who has offered up her husband, the orphan who knoM's only tliat its father went out to battle and comes no more forever, and the lonely, distant grave of the martyr who sleeps alone in a stranger soil that freedom and peace might come to ours.
One word of explanation, in conclusion, and I have done. You have long and justly felt that some report of this expe- dition, embracing a record of the graves identified and re- claimed was due to you. And three thousand letters addressed to me upon the subject have revealed only too plainly and pa^'nfully the bitter anxiety with which you have w^atched and waited.
A mere report, unaccompanied l)y the "record," seemed but a hollow mock(uy, which I would not impose upon you, and this is my first opportunity for such accompaniment. For the record of your dead you are inde])ted to the forefliought, cour- age and perseverence of Dorence Atwater, a young man not yet twenty-one years of age ; an orphan, four years a soldier, one- tenth part of his life a prisoner with broken health and ruined hopes, he seeks to joresent to your acceptance the sad gift lie has in store for you ; and, grateful for the opportunity, I hasten to place beside it this humble report, wliose only merit is its truthfulness, and I beg you to accept it in the spirit of kindness in which it is offered.
Clara Barton.
Am)KHS(»nvii-i.k Si\( i: tiii: Cimi. Wak 2G0
cilAPTi:!,' W.
.\\i)i:i.'S()Wii,LM sixn; TIN': < i\ii. w.wi.
Al'lcr llic \v;ii' llic slnckiulc was ciil down and miiovcd. and llif Lrrouiid, h('iii«r well (dt-afcd, willi not a vcsti^'c of li-tT (ir stiiiii|» (ir nmt as lai"i:i' as a lead |)ciicil, cxccpl two trees left. Idr some unex|»laiiie(l I'easoii, 'u the S(»iitli side. 'I'lie soil \\as tilled and \ai"ious erops raised upon it until May. 1S!>(). a\ lien it was i)nreliased liy the Department ol' (Jeor^'ia. (irand Army of the Ixepnlilie, for fifteen liun- dj-ed dollai-s. The pnr(dias<' inidndt'd all the jrronnd oe- enpied as a pi'isoii and the fort'fications snri'onndinj,' it, also the ri«i:lit of way. one hundred feet wide, leadinp: to the I'aili'oad station. The \\(irls' was then eommeneed of (dear- ini;' up the yivtund and jnittin^' it in order. A hed<.re was I lanted around it. two hr'd^'es wei'e huilt ami jtilin^- ]>ut aloii^ ihe creek to prevent washin<r. The whole ti-aet consisted of alxnit seventy-two acj-es. After expendiiiir in the nei»rlihorlioo(l of lifteeii hundred dollars, the comrades of the depai-tment felt iniahle financially to continue the work, and steps were taken to turn it over to the National or.urani/.ation of tlu' flrand Army : they felt unahle to assume the i-esponsil>ility. and it was then turned o\('r to. and acee|)ted hy, the National Woman's l\(dief Corps, at ljouis\ille. in ISi)"). The conditions were that it should he impro\ed and pi-eserved as a littins,' menuu'ial to fhe hei'oes who Iia<l sufTd'ed tliei-e. The national ])i-esident aji- p(»inti'(l the folIowin<r cimimittee to coiisiih'r the ])i'o]>osit ion of the (ieor'j:ia Depai'tnu'iit of <!rand Ai-my: Annie AVitteii- nn*yer, Pennsylvania, Past National President: ^NFary Tiyle Rey- nolds, Kentu(d<y, and Josephine B. Lewis, Lonis'ana. At the foni-teeiith convention, held in St. Paul, ^Minnesota, in 1806, the committee i-econinieinled that "wo accept as a sacred trust the Andersonville ]>i-ison ])roperfy under the c(niditions im])(^sed. and thai a contribution of five cents he asked from e\ei'y meiij-
270 Report of Andersonville ^Montiment Commission
ber of the order. Also, that other funds be raised by sneh methods as tlie ineiiil)ers deem liest." This recommendation was adopted, voluntary contributions amounting to .^1, 865. 50 were pledged at once and a committee was appointed to notify the National Encampment of the Grand Army, then in session, of the action of the National Woman's Relief Corps. Thi.s report was received with enthusiastic applause by the Grand Army, which passed the following resolution :
"That we heartily commend the patriotic and generous action of the Woman's Relief Corps in providing for the per- manent preservation of the site of Andersonville Prison."
In 1891 the Relief Corps had purchased fourteen and one- half acres, which took in the outer stockade and the fortifica- tions commanding the prison. The lines were traced by the stubs in the ground and marked by granite posts. The Relief Corps then built a large, roomy house for the custodian, and for the accommodation of visitors to the historic park. The department of Illinois, Grand Army of the Republic, furnished the reception room, a delightful resting place, at a cost of one hundred dollars. The Massachusetts Relief Corps furnished one guest chamber, which includes bedding, bookcase, books and pictures, as well as three large flags. The New Jersey Corps has one room furnished with nice Brussels carpet, rugs, desk,- tal)le, sofas, easy chairs, pictures and a large flag. The Oh'o Corps has one room made as comfortable as kind hands can make it. Jesse Wells Relief Corps No. 66 and the Grand Army Post of Columbus, have furnished one room. Wisconsin, under the supervision of Department President INIiss Fanny MacAllister, furnished the dining room Avith a twelve-foot ex- tension table, one dozen chairs, a handsome sideboard, — all of golden oak. Also one dozen silver teaspoons and one-third dozen tablespoons; and the writer, D. G. James, who was a prisoner there, contributed a steel range and kitchen utensHs to complete the kitchen furniture. Messrs. Lindsay Pros, of Milwaukee contributed a one-horse mower for the laAvn.
Aside from the house, there is a good barn and tool-house. Water is furnished, by a windmill and pipe, from an elevated tank to the kitchen and barn. A woven wire fence four and one-half feet high encloses the grounds, which are made bear- tiful by two hundred and fifty pecan trees, which will be a gource of revenue in the near future. Beautiful shade tiees
LIZABETH A. TURNER Life-Chairman Andersonvllle Board
"OrR I.IZABETH"
DiKi) AT Hkk Post ok Dity, Andkrsonvii.lk, Georgia
Ai'KiL 27, 1907
18
Rki.ks ok Pkison Like Preserved at Andorsonville
u
I'i«»\ ii)i;\( i: Si'Ki.Nti
Thr prisottrr's cry of thirst rnnp up to Heaven: (roil heard, and with His thunder cleft the earth Anil poured JUs sui'i'tcst udtcr (lusliinfi there,''
Am>li::mj.\vii.i.l M.ncl Tin: Li\ii. W .u: ::^L■
(Jorn tlif (Ifivt'W ays, aiuL must lit-aiit itiil ol all. a vosv i£;\nh".), 1 which tiiiTc are lour liiiii(lr<'<l rose Inishcs wiiich liavo hiM-n
uatetl hy the various Corps and private iiuliviiluals. Tiicrf cire still thirty-two wells dug l»y the prisoners, whose only tools •e hall' canteens, case knives and two-cpiart huekets. Thou<rh duf, in the suinniei- of 1S()4. and to a depth of from forty to sixty feet, they ha\e not caved in. This is probably becaiisi- of the shi-nbbciy which has f;rown around them. This shrub- bery makes them appear as little oases ^n the desert.
■•/.alx-th Turner, President of the I'ark Hoard from 1806 to preserved these wells and beautified the spots with ferns
V. flowers. She died there April 27, 1907, ])ut will always lie held in grateful remend>rancc by the ex-prisoners.
After the death of Mrs. Turner. .Mis. Sarah I). AViuans of Toledo. Ohio, continuetl tiie woi-k in tiie same efiHci<'nt manner. Captain Wilson, of huliana. who was care-taker fi-om 18!>7 to 1908, was succeeded by AJuiizd Turnci- and iiis wife, who were always ready to do wliat they could to make \isitors to the pai'k Welcome and comfortable. .Mr. Tunici* died September 18, 1908, and was followed by J. T. ir.kel.
Aftei- the AVoman's Kelief Corps had purchased the prison ground and had it tixetl up. they caused bulletin boards to be erected upon which were figures showing the mortality at Andersonville. and comparing it with the ])risons in tiie north occupied by Confederates. These bulletins were put there to refute the false statements being made by southern historians.
The Woman's Relief Corps, finding the park needing mueh constant care and vigilant policing by parties of authority, on account of the lawlessness of some irresponsible persons wlio threw rubbish in the famous spring and put mud into the drink- ing fountain at the i)avilion. concluded to give the jilace to the government. It was accci)te<l I)y act of the r)!>tl\ Congress and ratified by the National Woiiian's Ixelicf Corps September, 1910, at Atlantic City. New .Jersey.
And now that old pi-ison pen. sacred to the nation as the t»)ken of how much loyal men would sut^'er foi- the welfare of their count i-y and its free institutions, and still remain loyal, is being cared f(»r by the government those loyal men sut^'ered ami died to maintain.
19
290 Report of Axdersoxville I\Ionumex,t Co:mmissiox
THE CEMETERY AS IT APPEARS TO-DAY.
AAvay hack in the summer of 1865, when Miss Clara Barton went, with a company of helpers, down to Anclersonville to mark the graves of the deceased Union prisoners there and put the cemetery in decent condition, and to report, so far as possible, the names of all buried there, she made the modest suggestion — it may be found on page 265 of this book — that the cemetery at Andersonville be made a national sanctuary, and that a suitable monument be erected to the memory of the martyrs there at rest.
The noble soul of Clara Barton could make this suggestion, but she could not foresee the half of what would by-and-by be done at Andersonville. Since that time the bodies of our dead at ]\Iacon and Millen have been brought there for burial, and the cemetery has come to be, not a great charnel house, an uncared-for city of the dead, but, through the patriotic and loving efforts of our "Woman's Relief Corps, a beautiful, well- kept cemetery, — one of the most beautiful in all our land. A government headstone marks the grave of every one of those 12,960 green mounds where rest the brave young fellows who so suffered for the cause of liberty and the Union. The gov- ernment now owns the grounds, as Miss Barton suggested it should do, and that sacred spot will ever be a shrine of na- tional devotion. May we all rejoice in the fact.
i
! PROVIDENCE SPRING.
Our prisoners in Andersonville suffered fearfully from thirst. The water in the little creek running through the grounds was altogether insufficient for their needs ; and what there was of it was vile, — thick with the germs of disease. There was a constant longing, not only for food but for good water to drink. On the night of the 16th of August, 186-1, there was a terrible rain, — a veritable flood. The prisoners suffered fear- fully from the storm, yet great joy came in the morning, when the good news flew about the camp that during the night a spring of pure water had burst forth from the ground, where everybody miglit drink his fill.
ANDtK.>iJN\lM,L SiNtt; THK (IMI, \\ Ai^ ijyl
This sjd-iiit; was witliin ili- (Icjid-liiir. lnil ht- it saiil tu tli>' credit of Captain Wirz that he alh>wod spouts to hv phiced in such manner as tliat l!if water mitrht Ix* l>rou«rlit to where tlic men couhl j?ct at it. Hclicvinjr the Itreakinjr forth of this spring to he a mirach- of God's goodness, the devout men in the prison nani' <1 it " Provich'nee S|>ring;" and it is still Provi- denee Spiing. Tlie (Vatei* is now eai-ried in a pipe to the pa- vilion slmwn in the pictuie. w lici-e there is drinking fountain. This fountain and pavilion c(»nstilute a ])erpetual nn'morial of the Self saerifi<-e of the hrave young spirits who stift'ered there for the sake of theii- (•Muntr\'. -vour eountrv and mine.
292 Report of Axdersoxville Monument Commission
Report of tlie Treasurer of the Monument Commission.
Receipts. By appropriation, Chapter 322, Laws of 1903 — Byjappropriatiou, Chapter 321, Laws of 1905 ... By_appropriation, Chapter 137, Laws of 1907 |
$10, 500 00 600 00 1,000 00 |
|
Total |
$12. 100 00 |
|
Disbursements. Paid Alexander Miller, consulting artist Paid for advertising |
$30 00 47 66 50 00 363 20 83 00 9, 123 50 2,219 39 153 25 |
|
Paid Fred Hibbard, for second choice of design |
||
Paid C. A. Fink, for design and working plans.. Paid for iron fences around wells |
||
Paid C J Clark, contractor |
||
Paid expenses of Commissioner's R. R. fare, hotel, superintending erection of monument, and expense of dedication |
||
Paid back into treasury, as provided for in chapter 209, Laws of 1909 |
||
Total |
$12,100 00 |
|
(Signed) Lansing Williams,
Treasurer.
David G. James, Preskknt.
Charles H. Russell, Secretari/.
Lansin(, WiriiA.Ms
Andlk.-o.wilix SiNet: the Civil W'ak 21)5
A I'ATIIMTK- |M)I-:.M.
The t'ollowinj; jxiciu wjis t'omid in the kiuipsack of James W. Jiyatt, private in Company 11, llSlli rcnnsylvania Voluntcors, who enlisted August 12, l!S(J2, and who was eaptured and died jit Andefsonville, Georgia, December 3, 1864. A eopy was Jakeii by D. C. Smith, a fellow prisoner, and Secretary of Indiana .Monunn'Ut Commissiou:
IIAVK VOC LEFT IS IIKHK TO 1)1 R?
AVIieii our cnuntry cilled for men, we came from forge, aud
sloi'e. and mill. From workshop, fai-m and facloi-y, the broken ranks to fill; We left our (piiet homes and tlie ones we loved so well, To van(|uish all our Cnion foes, or fall where others fell. Xow in i)risou drear we languish, and it is our constant cry : Oh, you who yet can save us, will you leave us here to die?
The voice of slander tells you that our hearts were weak with
fear. That all, or nearly all, of us were captured in the rear. The scars upon our bodies from musket-balls and shell, The missing legs and shattered arms, a truer tale will tell. AVe have tried to do our duty in sight of God on high; lUi. you who yet ciin save us. Avill you leave us here to die?*
There are heai'ts with hopes still beating in our pleasant North- ern homes.
Waiting, watching \'(>v the footsteps that may lU'ver, never come.
In a Southern i)rison pining, meagre, tattered. i>ale aud gaunt, —
lirowing weaker, weaker daily from ])ineliing cold and want.
♦ It should 1)0 said here that the reb<>ls vuidertook to make us be- lieve that our governiuent would not exchange prisoners. They tried to make us think that I'ncle Sam was indifferent to our condition. While we knew better than that, it is no wonder that some of the poor fellows, in their suffering and discouragement, almost lost faith even in our good president Abraham Lincoln, our whole government, and even tJod himself. Su<h was the state of mind of the poor fellow ■nho wrote the above lines; and of others of us from time to time.
— D. G. J.
2i)() Report of Axdersoxville Moxu.mext Commission
There brothers, sons, nnd hushands. poor and liopcdess captives,
lie; Oil, you who yet can save us. will you leave us here to die?
Just outside our prison gate there's a graveyard near at hand, Where lie twelve thousand Union men Ixnieath the Georgia sand :
Scores and scores are laid beside them as day succeeds each
day, And thus it shall be ever till the last shall pass away. And the last can say when dying, with uplifted, glazing eye, Both faith and love are dead at home, they have left us here
to die.
THE NE\^ REF This book is tak |
r YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ERENCE DEPARTMENT |
||
under no circumstances to be en from the Building |
|||
! |
|||
form 410 |