The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-09-20
THE ANDERSONVILLE HOR.
RORS.
TWO STATEMENTS OF CoNFEDER-
ATE sOLDIERs.


A Southern,,tro who is also a
Virginia gentleman, named Gilmor,
has written book detailing his adven.
lures during the four years of war,
which has been published and is being
eagerly bought and read by Copper.
heads, who hope to find in it two things,
to-wit;-proof Of the superiority Of
the Southern over the Northern soldier
and denials Of the charge of cruel
treatment of Union prisoners. Anoth-
er Southerner, Ambrose i. Spencer,
who held position at Andersonville,
has likewise written a book, which is
also success. The first wish of our
Democratic friends is more than graft
fed. The brave Gilmor writes Of bat
ties won, by himself of course, over
five times his number, of capturing
single handed five and ten at time and
killing why, the fellow never felt
satisfied at night unless he had sent to
their long homes at least a dozen "cow-
ardly Yankees"
But the other expectation Of the cop.
perheads who purchase tho books is
hardly realized. Gilmor did visit An
dersonville-ih fact he held some po-
sition or other there for q short time,
and Spencer was there almost from tho
beginning. Each devotcs a chapter to
the conduct Of the prison, from which
we propose to make liberal extracts.
AT the beginning, Mr.. Spencer says:
at will come out before long that
the large mortality in the Southern
prisons must be attributed to other
causes than the want OF iuod-n
We believe you. When Sherman
got to that point he found wealth of
provisions, enough, could the starving
thousands who slept their last sleep
there have got at it, to have kept in
good condition and sent them home TO
their friends well and hearty. But
the terrible mortality Mr.. Gilmor says
was due,
| -"Chiefy to the unclean habits Of
the prisoners themselves"
All of which is true. They were
denied that cheapest of all necessaries,
water, and soap was unheard of and
unknown. A muddy streamlet ran
through the stockadc, but that was
guarded and the prisoners were not
allowed to approach it. Whom it rain
ed the men would strip from their
emaciated forms the rags which hung
about them, and wash each other as
best they could. No guards could
keep the rains of heaven IRON falling
and as no shelter was provided, the
Confederate Government could not pre-.
vent the dying men from avaiIng them
selves of its benefits.
Mr.. Spencer remarks:-
"Dr. John e. Bates, who was on
duty there, says that when he first en-
tered ward Of the hospital ho was
shocked. Men were lying partially
naked, dirty and lousy, in the sand,
wasting under gangrene, putrid from
fever sores, and literally dying from
starvation. Crowded together in small
unservlceabie tents; they asked for a
teaspoonful of salt; they begged for
some of the siftings of meal; they even
entreated to be allowed to gnaw q
bone as they lay in their filth, desti-
tute of medical attendance as OF every
thing else. 4 4 x 4 X The
effluvium from the hospitals was sick
eningly offensive"
Nakedness, dirt, lice, gangrepe, fe-
yer sores and starvationl Is it won
derful that they died? Rather, is it
not wonderful that any escaped this
accumulation of horrors? Thousands
upon thousands exposed to the heat OF
summer and the cold of winter, without
shelter, without clothing, without fire,
and without food, begging for salt,
begging for siftings of meal, for bones,
anything to keep the sparks of life
from going out. Mr.. Spencer singles
out q soldier who came under his per-
sonal observation. He was a mere boy,
only sixteen years old. The story is
best told by Spencer himself:
"a prisoner of but sixteen years of
age, down with both gangrene and
scdrvy. He talked of and cried for
his absent mother, and prayed for her
tender hands and gentle care to
soothe his anguish or dress his sores,
and as he moved his restless, emaciat-
ed body, seeking q repose that was
denied him, the sand would rub into
his sores and disfgure the very pollu-
ton that was destroying him. AL
though it was against specific orders to
give the patients any food or what
might help their condition, yet the
doctor now and then smuggled into
his little patients hand a potato or a
biscuit to appease his ravenous hun
ger; but, Notwithstanding, to use the
witnesses simple but hcartrending
words, his soreS gangrened, an', ,ohat
nth the ScurUy and rant OF food and
from lice, he died."
The narrative continues, and grows
in interest, particularly to those faith
ers and mothers who mourn sons now
occupying unmarked graves in that
prison;
"Meanwhile the crowds within the
stockade had attained the highest
limits as to numbers which were reach
ed during its continuance, thero being
in the month of September 36,4S0 in
all. With this increase there was q
corresponding augmentation of their
sufferings. Tho rains of the autumn
season, together with the constant
tread of SO many men, converted the
interior at times into one vast bed OF
| laaE AanIA-