The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1865-08-30
perTbo military authorities at Wash

R@The military authorities at WASH
ington City are busily engaged in getting
up another sensation-the trial of Capt.
Wirtz, the Andersonville jailor. The Alb
olition press all over the country are
blowing their horns, and getting ready
for a grand jubilee on the OCCASION
That our brave men did die by thousands
in Southern prisons, is true; but thatthe
could have been exchanged and brought
home, long before they were, is equally
true. The Confederate authorities were
anxious for, and insisted upon, an ex-
change, but the inevitable negro question
came in, and they were left to perish.
We give below an extract from the let
ter of Junius Henri Browne, the noted
prisoner of war, and ''loyal'' correspond
ent of the New York Tribane, which set
ties the matter and shows who is respon
sible, and to whose skirts cling the blood
of our soldiers. Mr.. Browne says:
Mr.. Richardson aud myself spent near
ly week in the National Capital after
our escape ,endeavoring to do all that was
possible for the release of the brave men
in the hands Of the enemy, and every one
we met told the same story, that the Sec
retary of War was the obstacle in the way
of the resumption of exchange.
Moreover, Gen. Butler, in his speech at
Lowell, Mass. stated positively, that be
had been ordered by Mr.. Stanton to put
forward the negro question to complicate
and prevent the exchange. Col. A. B.
IStreight, of indianapolis, Indiana, fell
low prisoner with US in the Libby, told
Mr. Richardson, after our return to free
dom, that, in an interview between the
Secretary and himself, the. former declared
to him the Government could not afford
to exchange able bodied men for skele-
tons. Other officers and civilians, whose
names l cannot now remember, assured
me that he had used to them the same Ian
guage, in effect; and there is no doubt
whatever that that was his policy and his
determination until the clamors of the
people compelled him to retire from his
barbarous position.
Every one is aware that, when the ex-
change did take place, not the slightest
alteration had occurred in the question,
and that our prisoners might as well have
been released twelve or eighteen months
before as at the resumption of the cartel
which would have saved to the Republic
at least twelve or fifteen thousand heroic
lives, That they acre not saued IS duc
alone to l[r ECl,oin IL &anton's pecalia,
policy and logged o6stinacg; and as I haze
remarked before, HE IS UNQUESTION-
ABLY THE DIGGER OF THE UN-
NAMED GRAVES THAT CROWD
THE VICINITY OF EVERY SOUTH
ERN PRISON WITH HISTORIC AND
NEVER -TO-Bk- k-FORGOTTEN HOR-
RORS.
| 1 regret the revival Of this painful sub
lject, but the gratuitous effort Of NJ. Dana
to relieve the Secretary of War from a
responsibility he seems willing to bear.
and which merely as question of policy
independent of all considerations Of hu-
manity, must be regarded as of great
weight, has compelled me to vindicate my
self from the charge of making grave
statements without due consideration.
| Once for all, let me declare that l have
never found fault with any one because
was detained in prison, for L was well
aware that that was matter in which nc
one but myself,and possibly a few friends
could feel any interest; that my sole mo
tive for impeaching the Secretary of War
was that the people of the loyal NORTH
might know to whom they were indebted
for the cold -blooded and needless sacrifice
of their fathers and brothers, their hus
bands and their sons.
JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE.
New York, Aug. 8, 1865.