The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-08-21
Gaming to their Senses

,,.nv were the crimes perpetrated by the
MAJ s,a Of the North in revenge for the al
peo lpa Ycrnelties of Andersonville. 10 prove
legt:a horror, they murdered Captain "iftz
tte,i narrovly escaped the murder Oh ex-
anu don't Davis. The amount OF popular
Pres, ~ ard venom let losse upon the guilt
Tra'aa % can never be estimated, but
less o ~ tbe effects are yisable this day III |
some ~ attitude of the sections. The
the nUoJ defense made by Southern journals
yIs0 sod itsappropriate reward, for, strange
has * oav seem the people Of the North are
as u n,ny TO awaken to proper view OF
p1aahs,aGncholy subject and, with swift ac-
= tbs ION to fasten the odium of that prison
cas s mon the proper ehjpiits; This is pro |
ps I.s y indeed. One by one, the calumnies
sf fa"r enemy are being defeated by truth
Oh Su t;me, When the deluded masses OF
anu N S,,h can hold Stanton and his satel-
tne NU pasnonsible for the death Of many
iitss 'oa n of Federal soldiers, falsely re-
tn p3"J 10 he the victims Of Southern barba-
paseu va "a do not despair of the ultimate
n NV Of liberty and law, in this down
trodien land.
'i Tho following documents are being ex-
,.Ia;vav circulated at the North and re-
H. ."'ad With astonishmunt and e0nsterna-
w.. ~ The first is from % war Corresp0n.
s s.nt Of the New York Tribune, a radical
and md for many months prisoner: 4
- STATEMENT OF Mr.. j. II. BROWNE:
lately Mr.. Charles A. Damn, abiding, in
ha iournal of which he is the editor in.
shoif to q statement in my recently pub
Gnhed voIume-"Four Years in Secessia"
n' That Edwin NJ. Stanton is responsible for
.bS failure to exchange the thousands of
nrisouers of war held in the South, avoid
I'd the question at issue. and entered into
an elaborate explanation to show that the
twenty months detention in captivity OF
NV confrere, Mr.. A. D. Richardson and my
seIf was in no manner attributable to the
Secretary of War. Neither of the cores
nondents of the Tribune has eyermade any
rrOmplaint, privately orpublicly, of his long
santiyity; and should be deeply mortified
IN suppose that any one would think that
after we had escaped, we were lacking in
rood sense and humanity as to maunder or
make accusations against all officer of the
government from mere personal feeling,
when tens of thousands of captives were
perishing by systematic cruelty IN the re-
bel prisons Of the Sonth.
Mr.. Dana, as / have said. does not under
lake to meet the main and only important
auestion beyond the general and Inciden-
tal declaration, that not one of all the pri-
soners in the South could make Mr.. Stan
ton responsible for the fortunes he suffered
in the South. This is simply not true, as
All who had any acquaintance with the adj
ministration of affairs in Washington dur
ing two years previous to the close of the
war must, | should think, have been
aware.
Mr.. Richardson and myself spent nearly
week in the national capital after our es-
cape, endeavoring to do all that was posi-
Bile for the release of the brave men in the
hands of the enemy; and every one we met
there told the same story, that the Secretary
of Var was the obstacle IN the way Of tie re
sumption of the exchange.
Moreover, Gen. Butler, In his speech at Lo'r
ell Massachusetts,. stated positively that he nat
been ordered by No. Stanton 70 put forrart
the negro question to complicate and preren
the exchange. Col A. B. streight of Indian
opolis, Indiana, fellow-prisoner with u
in the Libby, told Mr.. Richardson, afte
our return to freedom, that, in an interview
between the Secretary and himself, TIL
former declared TO him the Government cout
mol afford to exchange abIe-bodied men for ske
etoas. Other officers and civilians. who's
names cannot now remember, assured m
that he had used to them the same Ian
puare in effect; and there is TO doubt what
ever that that was his policy and hi
determination until the clamOrs Of the pee
nile compelled him to retire from his bal
barOus position.
Every one is aware that, when tile O.
change did take place, not the slightest q
teration had occurred in the question, an
that our prisoners might as ,cel5 hare been r
leased t,celee or eighteen months before as Q
the resumption of the cartel which woul
have saved to the Republic at least twely
or fifteen thousand heroic lives. That the
were not saved is due alone to Mr.. Edwl
NJ. Stanton's peculiar policy and dogge
Obstinacy; and, as have remarked betol
be is unquestionably the digger of the III
named graves that crown the vicinity
every Southern prison with historic an
never to-be-forgotten heroes. .ri.tf
Iregret the revival of this subject, bl
the gratuitous effort of Mr.. Dana to relie1
the Secretary of War from responsible
ty he seems willing to bear, and whic
merely as q question Of policy. indep.ei
dent of all considerations OF. humanit
must be regarded as of great weiggl
has compelled me to vindicate myself fro
the charge of making grave statemen
withat,tt aue 3consideratiDn 81 EEE3} !
Once for all, let me declare that l hay
never found fault with any one because
wasretained in prison, for lam well ava
that that was matter in which no OF
but myself, and possibly a few person
friends, would feel any interest, that m
sole motive for impeaching the secretal
Of War was that the people of the NOR
might know to whom they were indebtt
for the eold-blooded and needless sacrlh
Of their fathers and brothers, their ht
bands and their sons.
JUNIUs HENRI BROWNE.
NewYork, Aug 8 1865,
MASS MEETING OF FEDERAL PRISONERS
SAVANNAH.
At a mass meeting held 28th Septcmbe
| 1884, by the Federal prisoners confined
Savannah, Georgia, it was unanimous
agreed that the following resolutions
sent to the President of the United State
inthe hope that he might thereby tai
such steps as in his wisdom he might thii
necessary for our speedy exchange Or pa