Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-07
Gen. Butler on the Starvation OF
4sada Fni0n Prisoners,
Atfha ceIebFatiou Of the 4th AZ Lowel

spond 10 the toast, -OuF Foianseers,
said; basi-l mltag1p
The Volunteers of the United States
Army-but another form of words for
the Army of the United States, as, With
the exception of handful, sll the army
we're volunteers
How they have Fought What battle
fields have been rendered iliustrious By
their valorl What rights have hasa
preserved By their constancyl What
benefits to mankind By their suceessf
How freedom has been secured to all
men as the result Of their laborsi The
pen Of history has preserved record
endaring forever
Il is ht on this birthday Of the nation
whose very exisfeness Is preserved by
their heroic patriotism, in our joyous
commemorssion, that we should honor
them for their services ard mingle our
congratulations With theirs in praise
upon the raEnrn Of peace. 9s1d
Would that they we're all here to meet
rs and receive our greeting. Bat alAsl
in every home By the mountain side, in
the fertile valley, or On the smiling plain
as in the croEdei city, there is vacant
chair which q much loved brother, fond
~ endeared husband, a revered father,
for whose coming orphans have hoped
and wesrily watching wept, or q son
vainly waited for with the yearnings
of parental affection, shall never again
| FIJI. - ~
In the far South, BY the turbid river,
10 the sands Of the Carolinas, or on the
plains aud amid the Wilderness OF Fir-
ginia, there are little mounds, fast dis
| appearing under the tooth Of time, which
contain ali that is left save oar memo
ries, 20 weeping sister, wife, children,
bersaved mother or country, OF our gal
liant, loyal, devoted soldiers, who have
died that the nation might live, even 30
long as to celebrate as q people the re-
turn Of this day with its memories of
patriotism and glory.
Would to God that the graves of thsse
loved ones we're all we have TO mourn.
Death on. iba battlefield, or to those
! who fall by diss sse even, in the path Of
duty, has its solcce where the eauIe
canetifes aud hallows it as the inevits-
bic struggle for liberty and Law, Bot
look onee againi On sandy plain in
the midst Of pine forest, boupded by 3
murray bN1tIFr thNtN - a Pah 1AA1N NAA1
dead men q bones, unnumbered, unnoted,
uncounted, unrecorded, unnoticsd, With
out sepulchre or the sacred rights Of
burial By thousands not dead BY the
bullet, not stricken by disease from the
hand of God---starved 10 death with the
cruel torture OF hunger, mid such plen.
ty that an army of six myriads, with
its cattle aud horses, could snosist ON
the surpl@ provisions Of the country in
q rapid march past AndersonViIle--o
murdered with frost under the shadow
Of the fat pines, which sang sad requis m
to their memorials as the winter winds
moaaed through The branches, whose
very sighiag called up 10 frenzy the hap
pY homes and warm hearths of the
North to the wandering minds Of the
! dying martyrs spt
Shall we do nothing but mourn and
mingle our tears With the s0rroW-bowed
ones Of their homes for these our heroes
30 loved and lost2 Is there no respon-
: sibility for these so great wrongs7 Il
idle grief and useless sorrow all the
solace that q grateful country and q
powerful people can give TO the SORROW
ing slater, widowed wife and mourning
mother for the brother, husband, son
thus foully, cruelty, basely murdered
Z With the set purpose 10 deprive that
country Of the service Of its soldiers2
Shall we take to our hearts aud to oul
social and political fellowship the crue
iailors who did these wholesale murderl
by famine and cold on our brothers and
sons, helpless prisoners Of war, entitled
to food and warmth by every law, mnui
cipai OF national, human or divine7 Not
! in vengeance, but in mercy; not in re
talistion, but in precsution; not in re
venge, bat in prevention, that this thing
may never be done again among civil
lied men, as il never has been dons
: before by savage people, shall these
butchers be brought to condign punish
msnt.
| Who in all the world, philan.Lropist Of
polidciaa, editor or historian, soldier Of
civilian, has sent up or will send up
! petition, that the keepers Of the murder
{ pens--Libby, Belle Isle, Millen an,
Anderson sville--sbalI be pardonsd2 Th,
> undried tears Of the sister of every mas
/, sacred soldier demands their execution
, The forlorn woe Of each lonely widop
, | cries for it Heavens justice, the silen
agony of every beresved mother mutel.
pleads that her son 8 murderer shall no
! blast her sight in life. All nature an,
{ natures God, By His holy law, has de
n creed that the brothers murderer shal
not live. Who then shall stay the ham
Of justice7 Who shall stand betweel
b these men and the penalty of the law
n There is none-not one.
n But heidi Ia there no answsr fol
Ehess prejudged criminalaf Have the
no plea to pat in when so summarily 81
y rAigned a. your bart Hear them il
, mercy and deal with them IN justice
q Hear them As they answer for their lives
!. We, the iailors Of AndersonvilIs, LIB
and Belle Isle, were but inferior mill
- tary ofhcers We did bat carry out th
orders OF our superiors. If We had re
n fused to do their bidding we should hav
). been court martisled and hanged. W
were but the hands 10 do what the head
willed We but followed out the polio,
Of Jefferson Davis, the President Of th,
! Confederate States, to eeplete by starva
= ton the armies of the United States
and only executed the orders of RobeF
I. E Lee, commander-in-Chief Of on
10 armies, to prevent reinforeements con
ing TO you, eur enemies, by exchange G
Fzl prisoners Why hang as and subscrib
500, 600 in New York as testimonial
y him7 What kind of justice in you
Government is il to shut as up 10 prise
: for obeyiug his orders, and permit hir
to retire to bis home in Virginia, lik
s. another Cincinnatus, retaining not froE
n serving, bat running his eountryf -s
=" Why. visit all your punishment upo
us7 We a-e poor illiterate men-mer
jailors- We we're not educated at Ii
= peoples expense at West Point, as Wer
President Davis and General Lee W
- have never sworn fealty to your Gag i
solemn service. We did not hold, At ID
8 beginning of the war, high Offices, civ
as or military, in the Senate and army {
. the United States.