, 1866-07-31
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Hfs Responsibility for the Cruel.
ties to Union Prisoners
From The Report OF the House Judr-,.-
, Committee,
1REATNEsT or usIo:s PRISONER

TREATMENT OF us1os Pp1soSras
The documents found In the rebel srrh,.u
ut Richmond, fully sustain the st,tema.s
that baye been made by persons IN ~
seTvice Of the United States, c0ncnrn;n, ~ ~
inhuman treatment Of Union sold;eFss 'is g
JEFF. Davis aud the rebel authnT;tiaS.s taas
knowledge Of the treatment, and that .aao aao
took no elective measures In hehaiF ~
nauity- Indeed, It Is more thsn nrnha,i ~
ffona the erfdcnco thus disclosed, tai 4
/ impair the effectiveness OF the UoInn UI.'es .es 70
by systematic nl-t1catment and staryatan y
Davis says In his message to tbc rcho, r.
gress Of November, 1851, ailcr tcciting NJ at
g. to be ~ atfoS1lss q the tned
into lncendlArica and robbers, and Iryu]ye ~
In species OF war which clsims non -roms.. ~
ants, women and children, "a It's virs;nas
they mus. b. expected as outlaws aud eus,
Of humanity which arc entitled 10 <esSas. ma
even 10 waE, and be who refuses to s!1,,3
them toFclis his claim, If captured. tn h. ssa so
eiuefed as prisoner Of war, but must exptst
h !" &c dea's Win a. a. offender against ali lsw
"sssaso 'of oa aaKa.t, 'as ,ss Asa'a1 b. Ia Il.
"No method Remained fur Tic stipnre H..
Of these enotmites but such frtribn,fre s,.
t!ce as i n.ay le found poestllo to exrrrs.s
hclaliation III Find ior n,any Of them l. i'm.
psae,ieaolc. but etern, exemplary punish.
defc1s ana vilinins TINT Disgrace ,he ,,r;,s.
sldtl OF 1t1ns aid seek IL make public wnr thn
cxcuec for tic commission of tic t,,a.l ,un,.
strous Grimes; Nothing ftnana but to yln.
ulenlo GUT rights and maintain u,tr cxi.lcnrn
" sinr!oy!ME agatn.t our ,ft'ca erery rnrrry
and rycry tc.onrce at our dlsposal." Reror,s
OF Tho condition af the trls0n. of .hr H5uih
innda by robol officers, fully HlIstnlna thu de-.
cluratlons mud threats VI DasIs In llio rsiracis
nbOyo ItI0lesf.
III ssve,aber, itss,, report MN u,o,,r nv
n cn!n'It!cc II tl.u lloltsc pr Representative.
~ lQn rtbUl Cungrrss. Tia cuiumjt,ru aay
ilint"'ihty ylslttl tho l,nsIltnA Ut Tic slck
!t1itl w0nnttct1 Df tlr rltcihtcA INV In nur rus.
soly,, and fonnt, all nf.hc wnr.la Ii n wsrlrbsl
condiiion a. to ,trtsu tlu co.auistcS uHt ,s II L
liIstanl'y. Tho luilor VI ohr country win uni
t,tlnt utIF Bringing tl,p ,nnttrr 10 lhr ollvA,
t!on VI Congress. and shsrehy making It ruh.
Ill., Atss.,,npanylas &C s,c rel'ort xa. ir.o-
tto WA lnssrnstcd to address u le.tuF 10 tl.e !,
sserr!ary Of War In relation tn tic condition
of prlsoncrs confined In thu lsospItata at lslcl..
ms'tlt, ahavo referred TO- nnti nrr!ng hin, IL
tn,o Tho satnc placed In q more comfortable
condition a. e0lh ~ loaslbto.
House Of Representatives was appointed 10
examine Into thu condition Of tsie prlsOno,s
eonl!nra In CaAllu Thunder Prison. irporta
wcsu u,aao by thr lnajorlty and minority II
!nE sho management at tho prison. IN lis
m!nority report It j. stated that tho acts Gun.
Mlttcd and complained of most were the
killing OF two prlsoncrs, tho shooting 1t i
third, and the li.nlction OF eorroreal Iuntah.
s "apR1 p IN es eaFs d hack In C
Wlndsr, but unsupported by law, and
exposed to tho weather. The minor
~ ,,S'y.ro. az further that they thtnk
mlnlstercd BY Captain Aiesa1dcr, was Iiicssl al
and Improper; that The puulsAIns by expos
Ing prisoners to the weather was Iiupr1ipcr
and urwarrautea, and that the order to shot
at these who came to the windows was unFus-
tlfablc, but inasmuch as Il Is not known that
any serious consequences resulted from those
acts, and iRasmuch ns they appear to have
Iccn Eesortel to By Captain Alexander. not
from any Wantonness or cruelty, but from 4
dcsiie to maintain proper discipline, aud per
haps from IN erroneous conception Of his
rights md powers as keeper ofsucn prison,
II recommended that no further action be
taken by the Honse.
The majority report and the minority re-
port above referred to concur In tho excnIpa-
tIon a. the officers Of the prison. A second
made By 4ir. Herbert, sars Tint ho i of tho
opinion that Brigadfcs General WIudcr aud
Captain Alexander, who have had the super
iutendencc of Castle Thunder. have shown
ngen1ent Of That prison deserving not only the
censure Of Congress, but prompt removal fum
the position they have aIused. WindtF was
still retained in charge Of the prison Us late
as January, 1854. One T. Q. Stevens writes
TO Jefferson Davis and asks for tho removal Or
Gen. WindeE. He states that Winder Is uni-
vcrtally dis1iked, and By many detested. In
tho letter various charges OF 4 personal nature
ase made agatnst Winder. About this Tins
Henry Brown, Post Chaplain Of Camp Lee,
tention to tie fact that ".tho Yankee desert-
ers confined in Caatle Thunder will freexn un-
less something Is speedily done-".
This letter e referred 10 the Provost Mar
sLal who admits that the complaints are we'll
complaints Of a similar character, and that
no remedy has been furnished. Tie SAYS:
II do not doubt that there has been consid-
crablc loss Of life nlrendy' at the Libby and
Castle Thunder from this cause The fault
Is with those officers whose duty 1t was to
furnish supply Of fuel, and who have not
made proper provision.''
The report Of the Inspector of Prisons at
Cahaw ba, Alabamn, in the autumn OF 1854,
shows that the food Issued TO the prisoners
tity,; a similar report made by Il. s. Whit
field, Surgeon, In charge of the prison al c.
hnwta iabama, dated March Il, 1861, states
Tint the sleeping arrangements consist Of
eonmodating but 4;s. 20 that Is arc i fofieed
place In the building. All tho llrcs-about
i0rty In nnmber-~haye been, until the post
fey days, buils at intc1yals upon the noor.
n septsmoert 1e14, R. II. Chiffon wrltcsA
vile, Ga, in which he gives certain extracts
tFcm tho reports Of military prisoners at An
de5souville, Ga. -
Tho report says: "Thcro Ia no medical
attendance furnished within; In tho stoekade
SONG quantities Of medicines arc plnccd In
the be, hands Of certain persons Of each eauad or
alvlsion, md the s!ck arc directed to bs
tscnght out By tho acrgcants Of "a uads daily
st tick call to the medical olllerrs who at
tenl at the gates.
.'Thc crowd at these times IL 80 creat sha.
enly the strongest men could rel access 10
tAe doctors, tho weaker ones bcing unable 10
force ihclr Tsy through tho preas; aul tho
hostltGl accommodations arc 80 limited that
tLc beds: so.eallcd, have All or nearly ali two
otc CARED out daiiy WHO have did rom IN
known causes, aud Whosn thu medical oiIlcera
had netcr seen. The sanitary condition Of
the prison Ia ~ wrctchtd IL cau be, tho
principal causc Of tho mortality being scurvy
entrciy uapsoTIded viii III prope4 S.o,,,iIs
autl furnished With llu,itrd supply Of fl,ci,
ana nts nts compelled to dis with selr hans III
s,s assEy @sssA ,!, sss;re inentionei. fot roots,
,vr6nsios ennii ie readily ottainci' 't' ans
Surgeon isaiah II. white snys, tn ruIort
made, ~ wo suppose, In November, 1854. that
70 tas1!ad ever 70 tho Tssasarer, becat,+o Tho
CotnmlMary at shat post has failed 20 supply
tmaclf with Minds 10 itlnat tauuIs,ttuu1.
while siunsands Of alex. hotil at thls ixNt
anu AhdcrsUlYIllc. ARC In stntu af autEtfluE
FROM thc endorsements on th4 soport IL
nprcara to lhrc bccn referred by tho Ht,rxC,,l
1snefal to y. eceto!afy Of Har. By lilo
sf,er,stsfy Ct q maf 10 sas Cotn"l,saEy ,ono
terna.,cr General, With Tho etdosscsnent
that tho contn.ssary General bad furnished
10 the utc OF tho hospitals ut tho muaoy
That ho obtalnsd for that PURPOSE. Tiu
g Tho sectotary of war ,s vii, IL iaelaPs'ios
that tho means ii tho dispotal Of hIa bureau
had always been l!bcrni|y supplied TO Tho
luilEtary. rsts1trrt. Dy ihu order Of tho
Secretary Of War, The report appears 10 havo
psea pfsn asa ~ a r,ss 9ssf fs%'t1S e 'a sss accom-
BY Col. Il. Forn,o to den. Winder, VIA III.
efeneo 70 tic ,niiltary. pt'sona d, soath Car
ollna. In thls report Il ]. stated that tho
aud Tho ration la4iird daily Hluoapts almost
TO staryatlon. Their, have been but Two H.
suea OF meat In the isas Two months, and
scarcely any syrup."
Tbia roport Wsa referred to tho Adjutant
and inspector Gencrai, then 10 tho ,CUiun,is-
sary pspastment, then to the Secretary Of
War, anil By him rclhsrod to tho Secretary Of
tho Treasufy, who roturnod Il to tho secre~
tary Of War. and then by order Of the Aaala-
saut Secretary Of War Tho paper was tlled
Without any action being sakca for the re-
lief OF Tie prisoners.
On tha l:sh Of OctabcF. lsG4, one sahIna
Dlsmukea writes Ia lcilrr%un Davis, from
stateshurg, y. e., and errloscs mn article
from the Suntfr 1!tatthasan, which contained