The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-10-15
Saturday Morning, Oct. IS. 1864.
How Our Captive Soldiers Regard the Chi
cago Platform. aalsg & ssesl

How Our Captive Soldiers Regard the Chi
cago Platform. 3 ssse18
The following letter from federal prisoner
at Charleston is published in the Washington
Chronicle: ~ q "a
CHARLESTON, s. c., Sept. 8, 1884.
"To the Editor Of the Chronicle ''F ~ -e1
Having established an underground
trust this will reach you. 1t Is the result OF
careful observation, long experience, and un-
restrained intercourse with the officers now
prisoners OF war in this city. Use your own
Judgment in giving it publicity; at all events
correct the false statements made by our en-
emies North and South, that we sympathize
in the peace movement now on foot at the
North, and condemn our government in not
accepting such terms of exchange as that IA
ther of lies, Robert 0uld, sees tit to propose.
IL may also serve as an indication of the SEN
timent of the whole military and naval power
of our people, for when we reflect that there
is not brigade in our army, not squadron
0! our navy, and, strange to say, not State
of the original thirty tour but what is here
represented, 1t is not, in my Judgment, assum-
ing too much to claim that the opinions and
language of these officers may be accepted as
the index of the feelings, wishes and inten-
tions of the army and navy. Keeping in mind,
also, that this body of men Is composed of the
and Mcclellan in the East, and of all subse-
quent levies, it will surely be granted that no
collection OF men with the same degree of in
telligence and experience In the modos oper
dndi and practical results of this war can be
found. In these premises, will give you the
prevailing, may say, the unanimous SEN
timent of one thousand United, States off,
GERS.
UNION PRISONERS AND THE CHICAGO PLAT
FORM. 7as'A3 $50 aE
walk with me through the prison; you
mark the eager discussion going on in little
groups, while the Charleston Mercury passes
quickly from hand to hand; that paper cost
dollar; it contains the Chicago platform, ~
Here is group Of western men-Hoosiers,
Wolverines, Buckeyes, Logan's Egyptians,
hosseau's Kentuckians, Carters Tennesseeans
men who, from Cairo to the Gull, have re-
deemed the Father of Waters; have redeem
ed five States, and whose brothers in arms are
to-day driving Hoods shattered columns from
out northern Georgia, occupying the Gate
City of the South. Listen to that big cayal-
ryman who rode with Grierson. he is now
on the second resolution, which says we have
failed in the experiment of war; That is
lie. 1t was an experiment-it is not now
Does not the conquest, as well as the reorgan-
ization of the States we have passed through,
prove that the present policy towards the reb-
els must result In certain success? Have we
lost one foot of acquired territory since the
war began? No, gentlemen, the fellow that
penned that resolution, and the men that voted
for it, never felt the glorious flush of victory;
never felt the gratitude of liberated thousands;
never knew the reality of our trlumphs!-
This man was getting rather eloquent, when
q Buckeye from Vallandigham's district blurt-
ed out, Il don't care for your liberated thou
sands, but that resolution is an insult to every
man in the western army, and would like to-
'"experment" on every whipped dog that
% %, "These men seem belligerent, and would
advise the perpetrators of that resolution not
to mingle much In western military circles.
There Is another group-officers of the
Army OF the Potornac-one Of whom says L
tell you, gentlemen, the Chicago platform has
rather got us on the experiment" question
We have fooled around Richmond three years
- and have not got 1t yet; but do think it is
. very mean of General Mcclellan to twit us
with IL we fought for him, we loved and trust
ed him; and now he has deserted Us, utterly
oblivious of the fact that he had more to do
with the unsuccessful experiment of war than
any man on the American continent Now
listen to that Jack Tar. He helped to cut
the chain at Fort jackson, and has caught
tofpedoes In every river of the southwest
tConfound that resolution how old Farragut
will swear when he finds the Chicago conven-
tlon calls him whipped No, sir, Jack knows
better. We have always whipped the rebs,
and intend to keep it up, although il is mighty
hard to be legislated out of our grog,' A..
$50 much wa have heard and not yet dis
sentilS voice; and in this resolution, which,
il our JUDGMENT. contains the wno.e ,.clicv Of
the Chicago platform, there is but one senti-
ment among our officers here. II is that of
indignant contempt for the men who frankly
own to an enemy, q hundred times beaten and
chased by us, that we are whipped, that we
cannot succeed, that five millions have beaten
twenty-three millions. We ask our friends,
those who regard our honor and our feelings,
u not to make any such admissions for us. We
are satisfied with our success, and will yet re-
store our Union, netting out to rebels the just
punishment of war. ee4A
a 1--WE regard this same platform as q peace
d platform. Why? Because all rebeldom ha we
hailed it as such. South Carolina has even
claimed to be the birthplace of General Me-
Clellan in honor of his principles. We regard
the movement as an ignominious endeavor on
the part of the disloyal Of the old democratic
party to regain, at the hands of rebels, the
miserable pickings of former days, uninspired
b7 one throb of patriotism, by one manly or
gallant thought. No, gentlemen of the Chi
cago Convention, one thousand United States
officers, representatives of the men who this
hour are preserving our country, spit upon
you and your resolution, fling back your false
and taunting insult, laugh at your hypocriti.
cal whine about suffering prisoners. None of
your sympathy is requested. We do not
doubt for moment You would like to see
Hood or Lee reinforced by thirty-ave thous
and exchanged men, and have 1t credited to
humanity but we rather prefer to wait till
tne new levies are in the field, till these thlr-
ty-nye thousand can be counterbalanced. VIZ
nave snnered. we can suffer, when we deem
IL ior tne interest Of our cause sb
TREATMENT OF THE PRISONERS IN CHAR
s94ifo LESION. r.--e
The treatment in Char lesion ;s GOOD anouoh
Food Is furnished, though coarsa 90 sniri,
of courtery Is manifested that eT;sts no,gbere =
else in tbs confederacy. The officers aro con.
fined In four buildings, viz: the Sorib ~ Sos
the Jail, the Roper and Marine Hosn;taI.'
- Those In the Roper and Marine are naroIad oIiss
sOr the adjacent premises. The buildincs aro
contiguous, and constant intercourse il haJ
Gen. Fosters compliments lviz shels) hay.
but twice disturbed US, fragment having
struck the building We are the only thing
In the immediate locality that can be injured
and it is quite the wish that the Gen. woul
throw his shells more to his right, In the "
cinity Of King street. 4eA@
"He is not doing much actual damage onl
keeps business dull and exies the elite fron
their elegant mansions. Cut off. as we arr
we hear but little news. Rebel lies. and gart
led extracts from the northern press perm
but meagre Information. Yet we are watch
ing with anxious hearts the military and DC
litical struggles now going on. Il ID harl
aOFnatfrnan fof - daa,.<,,1 kr1t k1,a s..s-fa .