Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-09-19

JEFF. DAVIS AND THE STARVATION OF
UNION SoLDIEns.--The letter Of the new
American correspondent of the London
Times, avowing that the evidence respect
ing the starvation Of Union soldiers in reb-
Of prisons is irresistible, has caused great
excitement among the rebel sympathizers
in England.
Lieut.. Col. Freemantle, Of the Coldstream
Guards, writes as follows to the Times of
the 9Th instant.
In the Times Of last Friday your cores
pondent, writing from Saratoga, states
that public feeling in the North still Graves
for vengeance on Mr.. Davis. in consequence
of the 'sincredible and infamous treatment
which Northern captured soldiers received
in Southern prisons"
AS | travelled throughout the entire
Southern States during the height of the
war, had many opportunities Of seeing
Northern prisoners under q variety Of cir
cumstances. / always observed they were
treated with generosity and humanity, and
not with barbarity.
can quite believe that they must have
suffered dreadfnlly, and been often almost
starved, at MISUNDERSTANDING which
they had to endure in common with Con-
federate soldiers, women and children in
many parts of the South the superior
numbers and resources of the enemy at
the latter period Of the war having enabl-
ed him to lay waste the crops and destroy
the means of sustenance, as well as rail-
way communication. The cruelty of keep
ing vast numbers of men confined in places
where they could only be fed with much
difficulty must remain NTH Mr. Lincoln, and
not with Mr.. Davis; for it is notorious
that all objections to exchange prisoners
came from the North, not from the South
Mr.. Davis would always have been delight
ed to exchange the fifteen thousand starry
ing Federals at Andersonville for similar
number of Confederates, who were at the
same time rotting at Johnson Island.
With regard to the starvation and cruel
ty alleged to have gone on at the Libby
Prison, you, sir, had fortunately cores
pendent at Richmond during nearly the
whole war. This gentleman has often
been able, after personal inspection Of the
Libby Prison, 10 expose in your columns
such odious calumnies.
have seen disgusting sensational pho
tographs of Federal prisoners to which
your correspondent alludes. Copies of
them were sent to me and to many other
persons unsolicited--a novel and horrid
manner Of raising public feeling against
the South. As well might be the emaciat-
ed, naked bodies Of dying guardsmen be
phot00ranhpd in London and then puhlish
ed as examples Of the manner in which
England treated her soldiers.
With the deepest regret see for the first
time n widely honored name mixed up with
with these allegations. II any respectable
Northerner really believes General Lee
capable Of countenancing cruelty to the
unfortunate, | wish he could have over
heard the manner in, which that officer
soon after the battle of Gettysburg lament
ed to me the necessity he was under of
marching several thousand Federal prison.
ers to Richmond. He deeply regretted
that no exchange could be effected, as he
deplored the hardships they would have to
encounter on the journey at that particu-
lar time.
May ask, in justice to Mr. Davis, that
you will insert this letter, as he is now
placed in position peculiarly unfair, for
probably, his frmness and determination
alone prevented the Confederate Govern
ment from listening to the clamors for re-
taliation, ''blaek flag" &c., which often
poured into Richmond from different parts
of the South.