Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-10-20
Trial Of Henry Wirz.
FRIpAr, October 20, 1855. 80 0
uNITgp STATES MILITARY COMMISSION
GEr LEW. WALLACE, President. l.. r
Co.. N p. CHIPnAu, I r.s.. AAvoeato.

Tie Commission met this morning, Wheh Noi
Chipman delivered his argument on the part Of
the prosecution.
He said in field so broad, presenting so many
issues and involving so many persons, mas
been a question Of serious thought with me how
to present the argument In this case, my desire
being only to give TO the Court perspicuous
and faithful analysis Of the testimony nosning
With this view I have thought IL best TO notioo-
l. Such legal objections as have been made TO
the Commission as judicial tribunal, ana such
other objections as may be deemed worthy oI
notice touching the manner In which the case
has been tried. -,
mony without regard to the responsibilities OF
parties, for the purpose OF ascertainingI as nearl
as Language can portray them, the horrors Of
Andersonyille, that we may be prepared 70 ap-
prociate fully the fearful responsibility Of those
inculpated by the evidence :.
3 To examine charge hrst alleging conspiracy
in this connection sho wing the extent OF the con.
spirney, Its purposes and the eriminality Of each
Of the eonspirztors: and "
under charge second. ,,,.,,L
Of the Court, giving numerous autho lies to show
that the President had the constitutional right TO
convene military commissions to try ciVlllans
for certain offences incident to and growing out
Of q slnte Of war. In answering some objections
which had been made, he sad witnesses had
been summoned for the defence anu their ex-
penses while In attendance ut the Court and
coming from and returning to their homes had
been paid. Every subpoena which had been
asked for had been given, with the exception OF
a few rebel functiOnarieI, for reasons already
given. or one hundred and six witnesses sum
moned sixty eight reported, aud forty-two
Others, many Of them soldiers and sufferers 1t
Andersonviile, discharged BY the deienee and
dot put upon the stand.
Mi, Baker here interrupted the Judge Adtos
cate, saying he would not allow exasyeraton.
- l,aA, he ahaF
Col. Chapman replied that the record showed
the fact He obtained his information from the
record.
tbs Court: The record viii settle that.
Col. Chipman continued, aud said II Is ar
gued that the evidence p, eSenting the horrors Of
Andersonyille is not OF that class which Is en-
tirely reliable; that those who we're In the rebel
lion have been brought here forciby by the
Government, and made to TESTIFY In anticipation
Of reward by pardon, or through fear Of being
themselves punished; and that the evidence OF
soldiers who were sufferers at Andersonyiile was
highly colored, testiiying as they did under
sense Of the injuries inflicted upon them while
prisoners, and warmed to enthusiasm in the
enumeration Of their wrongs.
! need only say in reply that the careful OBJ
seryef Of this trial must have discovered how
utterly powerlsss has been the language Of wit.
nesses to describe the real condition Of affairs at
Andersoville. That where science has spoken
through her devotees, where inspectors have
tried to convey a correct idea, where the artist
has sought to delineate,. or the photographer to
call the elements TO witness, they have all uni
formly deeiarsd that with all these appliances
nothing has presented In their true II ght the hor
rors Of that plIce. The evidence before you is Of
the highest character. There IL most striking
concurrence in all this testimony, all agreeing
that history never presented = scene OF such gi
gantic human suffering.
Col. Chapman reviewed the testimony at some
length, referring to the reports OF the rebel sur
geons and the testimony OF the witnesses who
had been sufferers in the AndetsOnville prison.
He next referred to the conspiracy aud the
purposes Of the conspiratofs, the cruel and dew
flish means resolved to for the purpose OF accom-
plishisy their ends. He said he entered upon
this branch OF tbe argument with regret and re-
luctance He said 10 . greater or less extent our
nationality and the good nrme We bear are in
volved In the issue, but he did not fssr to pre-
sent to the world, on this account, the great con-
spracy oftreason of the confederation Of traitors,
though It shock the moral sentiment Of the uni
verse for however much we may deplore the
fact that at is head were Americans once promi-
nent In the councils Of the nation, they have for
feited all rights. They have ceased In every
way to represent the true spirit Of Amerieacisn,
and cannot by their crimes taint our fair oseut-
cheon.
1t is the work Of treason, the legitimate result
Of that sum Of al villeinies, and by many, very
many, proofs during the past four years, has
shown itself capable Of this last one developed
When we remember that the men Here charged,
and those inculpated but not named II the in
dictment, are some Of them men who were al the
head OF the late rebellion from its beginning to
Its close, and as such chiefs sanctioned the bru-
tai conduct Of their soldiers early a. the first
battle Of Bull Run; who perpetratcd unhelrd of
cTuelte3 at Libby and Belle Island; who encour
aged the most atrocious propositions OF retalia-
tiOn In their Congress; who sanctioned guer-
rilla warfare who instituted a system Of steam
boat burning and firing Of cities who employed
surg con In their service to steal into our Capt.
tai city infected clothiug; who approved the
criminal treatment OF the capture garrison at
Rtt III. ....1 aI..
who were guilty Of the brayest treachery in
sending pRroled prisoners into the hed; who
planted torpedoes In the paths OF our soldiers
who paid their emissaries for loading shell In
the shape of coal, and intermiXng them In the
fuel of our steamers; who ordered an indiscrim-
mate firing upon our transports and vessels and
railroad trains, regardless OF whom they con-
taned who organized and carried to a success
ful termination q most diabolical conspiracy TO
assassinate the President Of the United States.
When we remember these things Of these men,
may we not without hesitancy bring to light the
conspiracy here charged.
Col. G. here referred to the law In regard to
conspiracies, and also to the argument Of Hon J.
NJ bingham on the trial Of the conspirators.
Col. G. said Let us see what the evidences
are Of common design to murder by starvation
these hapless victims. First. Who are the Off
GERS, high and low, civil and military, whom
the evidence implicItcs In the great crimep As
he should show by the evidence, there are asso-
oiated In this conspiracy, as directly implicated,
&
General John II. WInder, Surgeon Isaiah White,
Surgeon Il. R, Stevenson, DR.. Kerr, Captain Il. b.
Winder, Captain W. s. Winder, Captain Reed,
James II. Duncan, W. W. Turner, and Ben.
Harris. Remote from the scene, but no less
spOnsible than thoTe named-nAy, rather with a
greater weight Of guilt resting upon them-are
the leader Of the rebellion, his war minister, his
surgeon general, his commissary and quarter
master general, his commissioner of exchange,
and all others sufficiently high In authority to
have prevented these atrocities, and to whom
the knowledge Of them was brought.
Chief among the conspirators and the actual
partiopators in the crime, the immediate tool
hrst and last Of the rebel Government, we shall
see was General Winder. II was therefore
proper to know who he was and the precise re-
lation he bore to the Government which he rep
resented. ltwas ascertained from many sources
that he had for long time prior to the orsani-
Eation Of the Andersouville prison been at the
head Of the m!lit-ry prisons in and around Rich
mOud, holding also the position OF Provost Mar-
shal Of that important centre OF the rebe lion.
One Of the witnesses testified that his rule as
Provost Marshal was almost reign Of terror |;
that his authority was so great, he could arrest
men indiscriminately, even in distant States |;
and that he was constantly sustained aud sup
ported by President Davis and his cor pfdential
ad wiser and premier Mr.. BEN amin.
It was thought wise by the rebel authorities
TO organize the Andersonyille prison, and the
whole matter was placed in the hands Of Gen
Wiuder by orders Issued from the War Depart
ment for that purpose. Colonel G. referred to
the evidence In regard to Winder's unlimited
control and power 1t was not credible that such
an immense prison as that at Anderson Vile,
u cd as a receptacle for prisoners from all parts
Of the South, was unknown to the Richmond
government, and that the whole management,
The subsistence OF the prisoners, their comfort,
their safety, everything was left In the hands Of
this heretofore obscure man now on trial. But