Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-04-29

bearing upon politics. or war matters, or recoe
ni2iBg the sListencs of the Confederate States
are contrsband, and destroyed by the examiners
Those containing any dsTespectful allusi0n Il
the United States Government or people, or an
thing connected with the Government meet th
same fate. This gives the examiners 3 margin
of discretion which those functi0nsries do no
hesitate to avail themselves of by Wantoniy dc
stroying large Numbers Of prudently writer
letters in order TO steal the postage Stamps
which they again sell to tho prisoners. Il wa,
common among these cormoTauts TO get from
letters the names of our sympsthizeTs and writ
to them some tale of distress, in the name of {
Confederate prisoner, begging for clothing
money, eatAbles, etc. 1t is impossible TO tell al
the low, cunning Devices res0rted to By Yam
kee kRayery to rob and swindle our prisoners in
their hands.
Until the time of that lily contrived "Canads
expedition, We had but a small guard upon the
island, which the prisoners could have oVerpoyy.
cred At any moment, had there been any mode
OF escape. The knowledge of this fact secured
us kind, nonciliatory treatment at the hands Of
| tho comnlandant, Col. W. s. Pierson, timid
old gentleman, who had q holy horror of his
rebel guests. When tho expedition was discov-
cred, however, heavy Teinforcemsnts came and
the authorities became very rigid with Us. The
sutler was removed and many privileges were
| Withdrawn. In winter we suffered Intensely
from cold; the rations became smaller, and Of
megner quality. Many suffered from hunger.
The pumps afforded but scanty supply Of bad
water, and we suffered for water within pistol
shot of Lake Erie At this time, two officers
took the oAth, Abraham Furst, ouartermasfer of
an Arkansas regiment, and lieutenant from
Tennessee. The first went out Of prison By
steslthi the latter was being got ready for hang
! ing by hls brother prisoners, when rescued by
8 heavy detachment of the garrison. The hos
| pitsl on Johnson's island was always shame.
fully conducted. The patients received moth.
ing but the usual ratons, and although the pris-
oners were willing to contribute literally it was
impossible to get anything brought in to them
| By the authorities. This was not the fault of
the post surgeon, DR.. Thomas Woodbridge, of
Ohio. he did all he could for our sick, and
was generally considered by us a humane,
honest geRtieman-FAre distinction for a Ysn-
kee The dead were buried in a small, neatly
arranged burial ground in the woods near the
northern point OF the island small number
of comrades was allowed to go out for the pur-
pose, snd religious services were always per-
formed board, with the name, age, ETC., of
the deceased was placed over tbs grave.
The careful observance of the Sabbath among
the prisoners was IS remarkable as il was beau
tiful. No games, mo boisleIous smusementB,
no loud voices broke the sacred stiffness. The
murmur Of prayer and the music of hymns was
heard alone among those thousands of rude,
war worn soldiers.
On the OH February, five hundred of US were
selected alphabetically and removed to Point
Lookout, Md-for what purpose we then knew
not. Ou the trip all officers who trusted their
baggage to the baggage cars were robbed. The
guard stole everything contained in trunks, va
lses, carpet bags, etc. etc. Many officers lost
ali their clothing, watches, etc
Tbs wires having herslded our progress, when
the train reached Harrisburg, an immense con-
course were assembled TO take look at the
"secesh" While the train halted, the Ysnkee
beldames, among other refined salutations
taunted US with yes, YOu nasty seeesh-Our Of
hceTs mako mI5tresses of your women, bat you
need not think you can make mistresses of u.s."
Property guaranteed to many By the terms
of surrender. arms, sccouterments, ETC., were
taken rom them on the island and never re-
turned. at Point Lookout the Beast visited us
and had guard OF black Yankees substituted
for the whites previously guarding Us. The
only effect this had upon the officers was to ex.
Gle our eommiseTation for the poor negro in his
Illuminating association. From all accounts (for
we were not permitted to see them) the treat
ment Of the privates at Point Lookout, as at all
the prisons for priyates, was cruel in the ex-
Teme. Five hundred, out of the ten thousand
confined there, took the oath during the sum-
mer and winter. They were transferred from
prison to the United States service. The hos
pital at Point Lockout is all that could be
wished, very spacious buildings, kept clean
and neat, with good attendance aud kind off.
GERS, and presided oyer by a cortesus gentle
mana Hungarian, Air. Heger. Pen cannot
express the thrill Of delight with which we
received news of the Tesuming of the exchange
OF prisoners. Many Of Us had lain in prison
while the summer campaign, with its mOmen-
tous struggles WAS being fought, had read with
maddenIng impatience of the battles of the fall,
winter and early spring; and the prospect OF
spending the coming summer the crisis of our
national fate In prison, while our brothers were
filling our places on the field was terrible.
1t was said by Richmond paper that, had
our GJvernment sent back = single bost-lOad Of
prisoners from City Point rather than treat with
Butler for their exchange, tile Yankee guard at
Point Lookout would have had nothing to do
that the prisoners there would all havs taken
the oath. cannot think the editor intended to |
Wllltully slender the men who have been fight
ing his battles, so must. in mercy, simply pro-
nounee him fooL Had be ever been in the
field he would better have understood Confsde-
rate endurance.
We had our opinion about the policy Of the
SovaTrFasrt, end 1t did not accord with that
policy But that any considerable number Of
Confederate soldiers then or now in Northern
prisons eouid be induced By any amount of ne
glect or cruelty, to desert their cause is base
alander.
We we'll knew we were victims to an insane
whim. The "honor of the Government was
Taved over by empty orators, seribbled about
by editors, and Whimpersd over by. comfortable,
danger dresding, freside patriots; al Of whom |
agreed that the only way to preserve il was to |
permit thirty thousand brave men to languish |
ia Yankee prisons. Honor Of the Government |
Nonsense The Government gave its solemn |
pledge that the murder of the heroic Mumford |
should be avenged. How has il been kept |
The "honor of the Government" it was de- |
clared, could only be vindicsted BY the exscu- |
ton of Flynn and Sawyer. Was it donel Why |
does not the ''honor Of the Government de- |
mand the release of MoTgsss officers from their |
felon'B cells, in the Penitentia les of Ohio and /
Pennsylvania Every ons knows the outrages |
that have bean, and are now being, affected on /
theGe men. Somehow cur Government only be-
comes sensitive about its "honor'' when Con-
edeTste Interests can be sacrificed by its preser-
walton. The United States Government never
formally demanded the exchange of slaves cap
turtd by us. As for Butler, the prisoners gen
orally thought they mighibe exchanged through
him to-day and hang him tomorrow if they
caught him. His doom was long since written
apon the heart of every true Confederate soldier,
with or without presidential proclamation.
cannot close thus already long communiea-
ton without siluding to one evil prominent
among the people Of your city. mean the
large number Of sbsenteeS from the army, re-
coived and welcomed in the families of Mobil-
ians. DO not now Alude to those craven mis-
creAnts who, without proper cause have for
three years turned deaf ear to the call of their
struggling country. The promptings of ambi-
tien, the voice of conscience, the sting of
shame, and the whispeTings Of scorn, have all
failed to reach their worthless souls, and they
are OF course lost to al nobier Influences. Bat
there are many who have fought gsllsutly, and
have done thoir duty in times past. We see
them ON the street corner, at the thoater, on
pleasure excursions, along the public prone
nsdes, at balls and parties some absent with
cut leave, others extending their furlouehs or