Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-08-21
Letter from Juhihs Henri Browne
..Stantbn the Grave Digger of
Ov,r. Sacrificed Man,

s.StantOm the Gravo Digger Oh
Our Sacrificed NIens
The telegraph having given the sub
stance of letter by Junius Henri Browne,
the noted prisoner of war and "loyaT cor
respondent of the NeD York Tribune, we
publish 1t in full below:
= Lately, Mr.. Charles A. Dana, alluding In
the Journal Of which he is the Editor-in-
Chief to statement in my recently pub
lished volume-"Four Years In Secessia"-
that Edwin NJ. Stanton Is responsible for
the failure to exchange the thousands Of
prisoners of war held In the South, avoided
the question at issue and entered into an
elaborate explanation to show that the 90
months detention in captivity of my con-
frere, Mr.. ALBERT ID. Richardson, and my
self, was in no manner attributable to the
Secretary of War. Neither of the, cores
pondents of the Tribune has ever made any
complaint, privately or publicly, of his long
captivity; and should be deeply mortified
to suppose that any one would think that,
after we had escaped, we were so lacking
in good sense and humanity as to maunder
or make accusations against an officer of
the Government from mere personal feel
| ing, when tens of thousands of captives
were perlshing by systematic cruelty in
the rebel prisons of the South.sDHs 7oyGio
Mr., Dapa, as, Ihaye said, does not under
take to meet the general and Incidental
declaration that not one of all the prison.
ers in the South could make Mr.. Stanton re-
sponsible for the tortures he suffered In the
South!i This is simply not TRUE, as all who
had acquaintance with the administration
of affairs in Washington during two years
previous to- the close of the war must,
should think, have been aware. iis'H' li'
| Mr.! Richardson and myself spent nearly
| week In the National Capital after our
escape, endeavoring to do all that was possi-
BILE for the release 0f the brave men in the
hands of the enemy; and every one we met
told the same story, that the Secretary of
| War was the obstacle In the way Of the re-
sumption of exchange. y.
| Moreover, General Butler, in his speech
at Lowell, Mass, stated positively, that he
had been ordered by Mr.. Stanton to put for
ward the negro question to complicate and
| prevent the exchange. Col. A. B. Streight,
| of Indianapolis, Indiana, a fellow prisoner
with us in the Libby, told Mr.. Richardson,
| after our return to freedom, that, In an In
terview between the Secretary and himself,
| the former declared to him the Government
could not afford IT'D exchange ableb0died
| men for skeletons. Other officers and civil
| ians whose names cannot now refnefn-
Der. have assured me that he had used to
themthe same language, lii effect; and there
Is no doubt whatever that that was his poll
| icy aH9his determination until the clamOrs
Of the people compelled him to retire from,
| his barbarOus1 Position. w y9gi'ot. ~
| Every one lis aware that, when the
exchange did take place, not the slightest
alteration had occurred in the question, and
that our prisoners might aslwell have been
released twelve or eighteen months before
as at the resumption oflthel cartel, which
would have saved to the Republican, least
twelve or fifteen thousand heroic lives
That they ,oere not sdsed is due alone TO MI,
Edt1in NJ 3Stdfton's peculiar policy'dad do5gsd
obstindcy; and, as hdue remarked before, HE
| is ESTIONABLYoTHE DIGGER
| OF THE n UNNAMED GRAVES THAT
| CROWD THE VICINITY oOF EVERY
SOUTHERN PRISON WITH HISTORIC
ANDGfNEYER Ito = BE FORGOTTEN
| HORRORS. ~ 1929 4Hi,gN 1iI 10 ? "'7
regret the revival of this painful subject,
but the gfatut0us effort of Mr.. Dana to re-
lieve the Secretary of War from response
bility he seems willing to bear, and which,
merely as question of policy, independent
Of all considerations of humanity, must be
regarded as of great weight, has compelled
me to vindicate myself from the charge Of
making grave statements without due con-
sideratiOn. NO l'- jh-aip 'hl
Once for all, let me declare that have
never found fault with any one because l
was detained in prison, for am well aware
that that was matter in which no one but
myself, and possibly q few friends, could
feel any interest; that my sole motive tor
impeaching the Secretary of War was that
the people of the loyal North might know
to whom they were indebted for the coldr
blooded and needless sacrifice of their faith
ers and brothers, their husbands and their
sons. ', .7 JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE. 'o
New YORK, Aug. 8, 1885, ~ no,na'2'}h !