The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-31
A LAME EXCUSE.

tiles seek to cover up the ill-treatment
and massacre of so many of the Federal
prisoners at Andersonville and in other
prisons, by the plea that the Confed-
crate authorities could not provide any
better for their wants, owing to the
scarcity of provisions in the country;
and then endeavor to throw the culpa-
bility upon the shoulders of the Federal
authorities, because they declined re-
peated offers of exchange. In this ef-
fort to save their friends from deserved
obloouy and to cast odium upon Mr..
Stanton and General Grant, they will
signally fail. 1t is well known that the
only obstacles the Government ever OPP
posed to full exchange was demand
that negro soldiers should be included,
and even this was not urged with suffi-
cient persistency, nor was it considered
so important by the Federal Govern
ment as to be made an ultimatum for
We know very well that Commissioner
Guild and General Butler did really enter
into private arrangement by which all
white soldiers were to be exchanged i'm
mediately, leaving the negro question
of exchange for future settlement; but
the humane intentions of the commits
sioners were frustrated by the obstinacy
Of Jefferson Davis, who refused to in
dorse the action of his subordinate.
Therefore upon him must rest the odium
of the inhumanity and the responsible
ity of the failure to effect at least par
tial exchange.
But even admitting that the Govern
ment refused entirely to exchange, did
that furnish an excuse, or was it in the
least justification for starving, ill-treat-
ing, beating, torturing, shooting and
numbering in cold blood the Federal
prisoners Did the tortures to which
these innocent, unoffending and defence
less prisoners were subjected, accomplish
any good purpose? Did it have the
effect to force the Government to agree
any sooner to terms, which would return
a hundred thousand healthy, robust and
vigorous young soldiers to the rebel
ranks in exchange for an equal number
of pale, emaciated broken down, and
starved invalids, whose treatment had
rendered them wholly useless assoldiers?
mot that we believe any such interested
motives governed the conduct of the
Federal authorities in refusing to sub
init to Davis's conditions in order to
accomplish an exchange. The sympa-
fhizers with, and defenders of, the
late Confederate authorities, hold that
these acts were justifiable; that the
course pursued by Wirz and others in
starving, shooting and torturing to death
some eighty thousand prisoners, was
in strict conformity to the rules of
civilized war. Is it in conformity with
the rules of war to deprive prison
ers of sufficient food to preserve life; to
hunt them down and lacerate them by
means of blood-hounds, when they at
tempt TO escape; to poison them by con-
terminating their pure blood with venom
ous vaccine matter; to subject them to
every species ofcruelty known to the in
ventive genius of heartless tyranny; and
to shoot them down when they murmur
at such treatment? We are not pre-
pared to believe that the rules of civilized
warfare justify any of these acts and it
will require some stronger reasons than
have yet been advanced to convince us
that this course was rendered necessary
by the failure to effect an exchange. The
plea that provisions and medicines were
scarce at Andersonville will not be ac-
cepted in the face of the facts, patent to
ALL. that the South was flooded with
medicines by the thousands of blockade
runners, by sea and land, and that Sher.
man and every other General who pene-
frated into the interior of the country.
found provisions in abundance. Besides.
it is well known that the Government
was willing at any time to furnish the
prisoners with food, medicines and cloth
ing, if the rebel authorities would have
permitted it. But this defence is alto.
gether lame and impotent, and the gull.
ty parties cannot escape through such
special pleading. If they were unable
to feed their prisoners and provide fol-
their comfort, it was their duty, under
the rules of war, to set them free, with.
out waiting for an exchange. They
should have paroled and returned them
to their homes instead of barbarously
combining them in pens, and dens, and
blackholes, and starving, torturine
or shooting them to death. 1t il
we'll known why they starved the
prisoners, and the people will not accept
of any frivolous excuses they will de-
mand that full justice be melted out to
the perpetrators of these outrages,
whether the party responsible for them
be Wirz, Turner or jeff. Davis. They
have taken great pleasure in manifesting
their hatred to the Yankees, by abusing,
maltreating or torturing them, regardless
alike of the pleadings of justice or hui
humanity, in certain districts, ever since
the Inauguration of that civilized era
in this country, when it was consid-
cred duty to hang any Northern
man who visited the South and dared
to express opinions that were dis