The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1866-11-23
Martyfia or, 4ndersOnriIle Pr;s-


and herolsm OF the men who were SLOWLY
murdered at AndersonviIle, 1t is inscrib-
ed ''to the memory of the men who stead
lily upheld the cause of civil liberty. and
who preferred lingering death, in the
midst OF unparalleled privations and hor-
rors. rather than dishonor and denial of
their blrthrightS" 1t is book that ey-
cry American citizen should read This
people are too ready to forget the treach-
cry and worse than savage barbarity which
! characterized the treatment of our prison.
els by the men whom President johnson
would now have make our laws and rule
over us. The book is for sale by Howard.
We copy from its pages
NOBLE DEVOTION OF THE VICTIMS.
The world has never seen such dis
/ play of courage and devotion as was ex-
hibited by the intelligent masses of the
treemen Of the north, when the liberties
OF the great republic were menaced by the
fierce gestures Of the slave faction and
their misguided supporters.
Men OF all classes. torSaking home, kin
dred and property, rushed to present a
living barrier to the impetuous march of
the enragcd and misguided horde that
pressed on with almost resistIess fury, and
threatened to overwhelm and destroy the
nOblest fabric of the. enlightened mind.
At last the carnage of battle has ceased.
Nature smiles again, and rapidly obIiter-
atc> the marks of the rayages left upon
her green fields. where the huge and des-
perate armies have swayed and struggled
in deadly conflict The cmblems of civil
liberty are again restored the f,sees re-
placed and it now becomes the country
to arouse itself from the depths OF apathy,
and revive those sentiments Of tenderness
and gratitude which nature everywhere
bcStows upon the memory of those who
upheld the cause of liberty. and fell in its
defence.
To understand fully the determined
character, the steadtast loyalty Of these
brave and unfortunate men, We must con-
-lder at length the details OF thi, encloS-
IRE, with its hungry. emaciate. filthy
mass of humanity. whence arose a stencil
Of death 80 powerful as to be perceived at
the distance OF a league-thc array of IN
>trumcnt, ot torture. the burning sky, the
manifest design Of cruelty.
The suffering wretch had only to pro-
nounce the magic words. ''AIlcgiancc to
tie rebel cause" and his sutfcrings and
misery We're at an end. The huge gates
flew open, and with GRIM smiles the en-
tcebled and tottcring apostate was wei
coined is an accession to the southern
ranks.
But the republic was safe here and the
sacred fire oi It's altavs burned steadily
through all the horrors and noxious Va
pors OF this hell on earth.
Strange TO relate, that cut Of the seven
teen thousand registered sick. there is rec
ord of only about trenty.frc who accepted
the offers to save their lives and took the
oath OF the rebels. i It not wonderful
that this "reat number of men should thus
III silence, brave the horrors bv which
they We're surrounded. and remain firm il
their convictions of right and wrong
An entire army persisted rather than deny
the country which gave them birth They
would no more surrender their principles
than their homes and altars, as ransom:
. .or Their lives.
Has the worlds history parallel t(
this devotion
'But these deeds which should not pass away
And names that must not wither though the earth
Forgets her empires with just decay"
Life here was brict. The victims a
they entered the gate were appalled, at th
o horrors that were presented to them il
{ this living scpulchrc. Nature seemed t,
E have abandoned the struggle early, an,
the young men passed, with rapid pace
y from youth-that youth 50 rich in its tu
i ture-to manhood. from manhood to oil,
:, AGE Neither prudence nor PHILOSOPHY
=, could protect them from the grievous in
S tluenccs of the morbid conditions to whic
y they were exposed. The delicate and no
bic faculties were blunted and destroyed
d Ncmc pcri>ncd at once, almost as quickl
= a. though struck by the lightning of heay
N en-, whilst others fingered, according t
j. the strength of the hidden resources, tn
i reserved and snpcrabundant powers
,r youth.
Among the few survivors of the preSel
: day we can learn Of the fearful strueg
IL. lie between lite and death, by the gray hair
m m the impaSSive features, from which Il
smile Of youth has fled forever, the fecb
and toltering steps Of the man who h;
prcmaturcly arrived at lis limit of earthl
existence.
The integrity and character exhibite
by these men. in the midst of these to
lures. is unsurpassed. ......
~ GREAT NUMBER OF VICTIMS.
"a Beneath the red clods of this tiel,
thicklv as the leaves Of autumn, al
y. stretched side by side a number Of m,
more numerous than all of the Americ;
d soldiers who peri>hed by disease and cas-
atty Of battle during the Mexican war-
more than all of the British soldiers wi
were killed or persisted from their woun
" on the bloody fields of the Crlmea, Il
. desperate struggles at Waterloo, in Il
IL four great battles in Spain-Talaver
Salamanca. Albuera, Vittoria,- al
the s;nguInary contest at New Orlear