Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-06-28
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL.
WILMINGTON, N. c., JUNE %, 1866.
Cruelty to Prisoners.

defeat CRIME, the teFrlulo crueItles anu
practiced upon the Confederate prisoners by tie
officers in charge of the prison depots at the
North have either been passed over without notice,
or received the approval Of the people. Hardships
made necessary by the straitened circumstances of
our Government, has already cost one officer of
the Confederate army his life, and has subjected
another to many months imprisonment, and a
lengthy and severe prosecution while outrages,
unnecessary and murderously cruel, were practced
upon Confederate prisoners and will be remem-
bered only by the victims upon whose memories
their sufferings charred and their friends who
have heard the tale of their trials.
We have always felt that neither President Lin
coin or General Grant were responsible for the
conduct of the unworthy subordidates, who showed
their patriotism by cruelty to imprisoned Confed-
crates, rather than by manfully meeting their
armed comrades upon the battle field. We were
fully aware that these gentlemen had their hands
full in subduing revolution, which, for four years
conyulsed the republic and threatened its perma-
nent division. So great were the labors OF the
President in the Cabinet, and of the commanding
General on the field that it was impossible for
them in every instance to attend to the details by
which subordinates performed their duties
The resources of the country, vast as they were
were most severely taxed, by the very great de-
nands upon them, and we very readily grant the
probability that many of the hardships suffered
by our prisoners, unavoidable or rendered
necessary by incompetent rather than by wilfully
cruel officials.
The people of the North, however, can form no
adequate conception of the real condition and the
straitened circumstanceso fthe Confederate Govern
ment, especially during the last two years of the
war. new government, without treasury and
without a bureau organization, that had always
depended upon the North or foreign countries for
most of the necessities of ife founditself engaged
in war of vast magnitude, which, by reason OF a
blockade must be carried on by means of its own
resources. Could they fully realize how great our
necessities were, for they are obliged to acknow-
ledge how much accomplished, no one could
be found at the North, we believe, however great
his prejudice against the "rebels," and his hatred
of treason may be, who would be- disposed to
censure President Davis or General Lee for any
neglect of subordinates by which Federal prison
ers may have unnecessarily suffered. The
labors of the one in the Executive Chair,
and of the other in the field, have astonished the
whole civilized world with the magnitude of the
work accomplished, when compared with their
strength and means.
Those who are disposed to censure President
Davis or General Lee for the neglect of prisoners
during the crisis of the struggle, could learn much
by study ofthe terrible revelations of Dr. Craven,
of the indignites offered to and the suferings en-
Gured by, ex-President Davis, after the suppress
sion of the revolution and in the hour of triumph,
almost within sight of the National Capital. He
reveals conduct towards the foremost man of the
South-fbnir baaH nv of
rank under orders from the Secretary of War, that
will bring discredit upon the good name of the
country and is disgrace to the age in which we
live.
1t seems, flom the Washington correspondent
of the CommerciM Advertiser, that the statement
of DIR. Craven in reference to the ironing of the
prisoner has created much excitement in Wash
ington City, and that the order for this act, as
barbarous as it was unnecessary, did not emanate
from the President or General Grant. This cor
respondent says :
Dr. Crayens statement OF the ironing of jeff Davis,
at Fortress Monroe published here to-day and has
cited much comment. 1t is well known that it not
done by order the President or of the Cabinet of
General Grant but that the responsibility rests Edwin
cite c. Baker, down the Potomac on special steamer
with written authority to have the manacles applied"
1t thus appears that this cowardly outrage was
inflicted upon Mr.. Davis, if not without the knowl-
edge of the President and General Grant, certain
~ without their interference to prevent it. No
one seemed to care how much cruelty was inhict-
ed and the tOrturer gloated the sufferings of
the prisoner IN cruel satisfaction. This too after
the country had passed triumphantly through the
terrible ordeal to which it subjected and upon
prisoner on whom the eyes of the world were
turned We must believe that had the eminent
and humane statesmanwho now presides over this
country the gallant officer who commands its
armies, known or thought of these heartless cruel
ties to their distinguished captive, they would
Immediately have ordered their discontinuance.-
Ii amid the peans of victory the appeals of the
suffering were unheard, possibly some excuse
might be offered for similar neglect amid the
death struggles of a great cause, dying as much
from its own exhaustion as from the herculean
efforts of its enemies to destroy it.
National Troubles.
However much it may be for the interests of the
Southern people, and agreeable to their Wishes to
give little attention to the legislation of the Radi
Gals intended to humiate and ruin them still the
little pains taken to show that the whole scope of
their political aims is to control the ensuing Presi
dental election, makes it necessary for our
people to refer to the subject occasionally
They appear to think that if they can Sc
cure control of the Executive Department. of
the Government st the next election, that before
the election of 1872, they will have control of
of the Southern States by DISTINGUISHING the " dis
loyal whites and by comforting upon the ssloyal
blacks " the right of suffrage. In other words |
they expect, should they be able to secure all de-
partments OF the Government, to force the South
to accept their terms of reconstruction by which /