The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-08-01
Dorcnce AtWater.--A Disgraccful
Outrage.

Dorcnce Atwater---A Disgraccful
Outrage.
The special correspondent Of the
Cleveland Leader, wiring from Wash.
ington; says: There nrc host of at.
fractions ut the Fair. There is one
sight there, bowever, which claims spc'
cial notice. This is the case Of curiosi.
tics picked up in the Audcrso uvillo pri.
son or on the grounds where it was, whep
tho nobc. hearted Miss Clara Bart,n and
her company. went there to identify and
to.ro ,ihser-.ouf oubao dcad -about that
great slaughter pen. Among these or.
ticles nro wooden paddles and spoons,
soup dishes or troughs made from chips
Of wood drinking vessels of gourds md
cattle horus; buckets Of the size Of quart
measures nude from slaves, sny an inch
wide and less than one fourth Of on inch
in thickness, bound together with tiny
wooden hoops; ti:ves mudo from pail
covers and old pieces of iron und tin, the
holes having been punched with uai Us,
to sift meal from corn, ground "cob and
all )" a checker board made from . bar.
rel head /; tho mail box, about thirty
inches long, by foo: perhaps square,
and pieces Of the boards that defined
that terrible dead line,' &c., &C., md
lastly, with these relics for exhibition, is
the roll Of the AndcrsonviIlo dead, md
standing there, by Miss Barton, is the
modest young mun Dorencc Atwntor,
who copied it from tho roll which he
kept for the robcls.. This young mans
brief history is full Of thrilling interest.
The story Of his sutfcrings in the rebel
prisons Of Belle IsIo and Andersonvillo
for twenty months awakcus tho livolicst
sympathy, whilst tho treatment d nd i'm
prisonmcnt in Auburn State prison
which he afterwards received, ut the
hands Of the war department Of his own
Government, stirs the di,nun: sense
Of every true America citizen. give
you this matter as nearly as I can, as
Miss Barton gave it to me.
At tAndcrsonville, ATwATER, who has
now but just turned bis 2lst year, was
detailed to keep the mortality list Of his
comrades, and he secretly kept the copy
which is here on exhibition. About the
time that Sherman cume into the vicini.
ty Of Andersonvllo after bis march to
the seu, Atwater was paroled to send to
Killians Mills, o little place some four
teen miles from Columbia, S. G., to keep
,nG w%s G"cl ccircui,ous :i one in order to avoid
Shermun's > army, and when hc reached
Columbia, on his route, as it would seem,
Providence directed, Sherman was thero.
After he left Andersonvil'c, from some
cause, tho rebels suspected that he had
u copy of the dead roll, and sent to get
his roll, and if it could not be got to
bring him back; but he was out Of harms
way. From Columbia he was sent North
to Annapolis. lie wrote from there at
once to the War Department, saying that
his term Of enlistment had expired some
time since, and that he wanted to be
mustered out, that be might publish the
roll which he had Of the Andcrsonville
dcad. lie was sent for at once and told
to bring the roll, which the Department
desired to purchase. On reaching the
Department the proper officer wns absent
Tic left His roll, to come next day. lie
was asked then how much he would tako
for tho roll. lie replied that hc did not
wish to dispose Of it. llc wns then told
that he was soldier, that he could tukc
$500 for the roll or be arrested and pun.
ished for disobcdience Of orders. lie
took q day to consider, and then told
the authorities that ho would take the
$500, provided that clcrkship was
given him uud the roll as soon as it
could bc copied. This was agreed to,
but finally he was told, after having
asked for it sundry times, that ne could
not have the roll again. When Miss
Barton was abou, to 70 down to Ander.
sonviIlc to identify the dead there, this
roll was called out from the War Do
par.mcnt. She selected young Atwatcr
US one of the mon to 30 with her. When
the work had been completed, Atwater
returned with the roll in his possession,
md went directly to the Wnr Depart
mcnt to keep the roll, now that there
wcrc several copies Of il, US was origin
ally agreed between him ond that De-
par,mcnt. lie was arrested without any
parlcying, tried by court.martial, and
sentenced to the State Prison, at Auburn
New York, for eighteen months, and to
pay back the $500, and to return the
roll. lie was itoued, drummed through
the streets Of Washington, and sent TO
Auburn. Hc was released under the
general proclauations of the President
remi,,ing the remainder Of sentence to
a certain class Of criminals imprisoned
during the war. Is there any punish
ment too severe, or any iufamy too last
ing, deep and damning for those con-
ccrncd in this trausaction?