The Louisiana Democrat., 1865-09-20
Gen. Lees True Defense.

Gen. Lees True Defense.
The indictment Of General Lee by Mr.
Joseph Holtis the Indictment form infa,
nous crime Of the whole people Of the Sonth
The type.nian of the class Of the Old Vir.s
|ginia gentleman, the mirror of the victo.
ries Of the Southern people, that atrocious1
attack upon his untarnished honor takes the
form, therefore, Of the most inaaminatory
sectionalism. That outrage has, we have.
no doubt, been perpetrated In order to-
mitigate tie heavy condemnation by tho,
| civilized world, Of the savage ferocity that,
has blackened Federal warfare, aud the
lawless violence that has darkened Federal
|apeace." To pillory General Lee in inramy
before Christendom the men who cover.
under the public opinion ,of Christendom
know full well, is to place in the same pill.
lory the people Of the South. By thus
branding that,section with the most shock.
ing crimes known to humanity, they hope.
40 apologize for their own us for facts,
placed thus in the light Of grin, neeesslties! ;
The plea of Confederate atrosity viii
rot hold good in mitigation 6f Federal
crimes. The world will decline, nay, it II.
fuses beforehand, to hold tue humanity OF
Robert +. Lee subject absolutely to ,hes
finding Of one Of MIR. 'Joe' Holts Military,
Commissions. The public opinion Of man,
kind will revise the narrow decision of such
la tribunal by collecting all the evidence
dbtainabie from unimpeaciable witnesses,
and by giving it the full aud generous hear.
ing of a court whose finding shall be made
in fdl! view If the sanctity sarrl anding a
|great Historic name. Mankind is too much
interested in Robert Il. Lee to accept the
order of mere committee of vigilance as
|a certificate of his character. Aud then.
while the Military Commission may sue
ceed in obtaining the ssnction Of the COM,
mon government to the declaration Of the
infamy Of General Zee and the South, i,
cannot possibly succeed in glosing over the
damnation attaching to the real crimes That
have been committed by the faction ia pow
Fer.
And it Captain Wiftz, and the persons
named in the Indictment OF MIR. Holt be
guilty Of the atrocities charged upon them
does the guilt of their acts exteud to no.
one else? lfGeaeral Lee, who vas eoident,
iy not concerned IN the fate Of the Federal
soldiers sent to Andersonville further than to.
the extent of having sent them there, be.
implicated in the allcdged atrocities of'ttat.
prison, ii is impossible to hold innocent the,
men who are responsible for having them;
unnecessarily detained there! II Confeder,
tate dtguitarIes have really been guilty Of the,
conspiracy charged upon them ia reference,
to the deaths 'at Aidcrsonpille. by what
process df reasoning can it be shown that,
the Federal authorities; knowing the facts:
OF the case'as they did are not, in having.
bafbarously refused the exchange Of the;
men who subsequently died there, cocon..
spirators in the alledged crimes df Writ?
The fact of the deaths at Andersonyillef
does not, Of itself, prove guilt against the
men named as conspirators in Mr.. Holts in,
'llcfnent. Their inability to provide for;
their prisoners will exca|pate them from:
condemnation, when, under the forcing Of a
necessity of war, they felt bound to detain
those prisoners after having exhausted, in
vain. every effort for efIec,Ing their exchange!
While the Southern men included in the
conspiracy" may make that place tri
umphant defense for any charge made on
the ground ofthe fact often thousand deaths
at Andersonville, what plea Can be set up
In defense Of the couspirators, who resisted
Southern propositions ofexchange, in Wash;
iugt0n.
The inability which acquits General Lee!
: even though he be responsible in scme
wise for the horrers Of Andersonville-bat
incrlminates the Federal party to the con-,
splracy While the Southern men who are
accused Of having starved the prisoners,
must be exonerate,l, if they prove taat they
fed them as bountifully as the supply or
their country coa'd afford, what defense;
shall be made by the Northern conspiratols
who had, in the face Of the laws Of VAR left
nothing undone by which the amount Of
those supplies could be racetled? Whereas,
the Confederate officers charged in the in.
dictnant must be declared to have minis.
tered to the sickness Of The prisoners to the
tnll extent Of all the medicaments and an.
pliauces they had succeeded in obtaining
through lines of Federal prevention, what
plea of defense shall be held sufficient to
meet the prima facie guilt of the conspira.
tors who, in the teeth of not only the laws
LOT war, but Of every instinct Of humanity
and civilization, are guilty Of having cut
the prisoners off by that prevention from
remedies for the mitigation OF sickness and
balms tor the alleviation of agonHing
wounds?
The eminent counsel charged with the de.
fense of Henry Wiriz will lose agreat op,
rortunity BY narrowing it down 70 the scope
Of an ordinary question Of individual acquit,1
tai. The wide application designed in the
accusation, presents the highest expectation
Of foiling the object Of the men who deem it
necessary for their own excuIpation to take
his life. Ifa conspiracy existed to murder
the Federal prisoners at Andersonville, le,
the actual range Of that conspiracy be put
in proof If death be shown 10 have fol-
lowed to those unhappy men by reason Of
an insnfiiciepry Of medical supplies, let the
defense of Wirtz demand that the indict.
ment be amended by including, with the men
which it now accuses, those who may be
shown by evidence TO have, with an unpar
jailed feocity. deliberately cut the South off
from these supplies! II death be proved to
have ensued at Andersonyllle in consequence