New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-11
SHOOTING AT THE DEAD LINE
From the New York Standard.

NEWBURYPoRT, Mass, May 30.-DecOra-
ton Day was observed here by browning
the graves of all soldiers buried in the diff
ferent cemeteries with floral offerings and
flags. City officials, schools and citizens
generally joined the procession, and Gen
eral BENJAMIN 4. Butler delivered an add
dress descriptive of the treatment and suf-
ferings endured by Union soldiers at An
Jacksonville prison.
GENERAL BUFFERS ADDRESS.
The annual opening of the flowers ac-
companying the closing spring-time brings
with it the sacred occasion to which we
have yearly consecrated their blossoms to
deck the resting places of our patriot dead
who gave their lives to save their country.
No more lifting purpose could have been
selected for the beautiful bloom of nature
than this adornment. No day could be
better dedicated than the one which calls
us, year by year, to the side of the graves
of those whom we loved when living and
whom we revere dead, and honor with our
tribute of floral decorations. We bring
now the first fruits of the spring-time to
lay them their sepulchres as affairs
where rest the remains of those we have
sacrificed for the nation-victms more
precious, than Isaac of old, given as a
willing offering with more than the faith of
Abraham.
This day, to this generation, is neither a
last, a feast nor q holiday. Fathers, sons,
brothers. sisters, mothers, children, widows,
all now come hear with gladness tinged
with sorrow, TO do honor with tokens of at
lection and reverence to the loved ones
gone. The occasion is not fast, for we
can not very much grieve or regret the
glorious deaths of those we have lost. But
hereafter, when our and their children shall
perpetuate decoration day-as we fOndly
hope and trust will be done from genera
ton to generation forever as long as the
fires OF patriotism and love of liberty are |
oh in fha Anna IL, Ill
tinge of grief has gone, the occasion shall |
be holiday and feast day, ON which, re-
membering the virtues of those whose |
deaths they glorify, they shall rejoice and |
be exceedingly glad. Rejoice that their |
fathers were inspired with that courage, |
that devotion due to the country, that con
stancy and valor which caused them to Law
down their lives that the nation might live,
and that free institutions and government !
under law might be perpetuated which
their posterity has received at their hands.
And our childrens children shall hereafter
bring their children to these graves, there
to learn the lessons by which they shall be
made fit to govern and maintain untarnished
III high honor republican free America.
Then, here shall be rehearsed the story
OF the deeds of daring, OF high valor. of
battles won. OF victory crowned with the
greatest OF all achievements known to man.
kind by the citizen soldier in their quiet re-
turn to the pursuits of civil life on the ap-
proach of peace. But these deeds need not
be recouned now. They are all imprinted
on our hearts and fresh in our memories.
At this hour, all over the free North. in
every hamlet and village-yea, on every
soldiers grave-howers are strewn upon
the ashes of the defenders OF liberty who
sleep in their burial places there.
..+
have thought that it may not be map
proprlate to spend a few moments upon
this day of cemmemoration of the absent
dead IN recalling to our minds in what man. |
ner and by what means these our comrades
persisted; to review the story of their
wrongs and sufferings that we may appre- |
clate how much our country has cost us. |
For 1t Is not the number of the dead, but
the manner of death. that swells the dread {
account. The mere numbers of men sim
ply, who die in q good cause, is hardly to
DE reckoned, for death comes to us all {
sooner or later; and when it ends life {
well spent, and the dying man is surround I
ed by every comfort OF life, accompanied {
by the sympathy of friends, blessed with 1
the consultations of religion andia vivid hope I
OF life to come, there is nothing specially f
terrible in death. .. L
g And to the hero when his sword !
Hath won the battle for the free, Il
Thy voice sounds like prophets word, t
Aud i'll Its hollow tones are heard g
The thanks of millions vet to be-"
Time will not suffice to describe in any "
considerable detail to you how our soldiers /
suffered death in each rebel prison. Thou n
sands of pages would not permit even l.
slightly to sketch their accumulated horrors. "a
will take one as sample for all, and
place before you only facts taken wholly 8,
from o1hclal sources and sworn testimony, | g,
from public document where they now lie :
hidden from sight and memory
III, in telling this sad and mournful story a.
shall recount that which shocks the mind u
and harrows the soul; if l relate facts i'm 81
probable, and almost impossible; if | make q
YOU statement that will quite freeze your I,
blood and cause you TO turn away IN shud- e.
dering disgust at the narration the fault is III
not mine 1t will only be the truth passed e. g,
INTO history, OF crueltles, wrongs and hor- &
rors too shocking to be believed, except u
that they are made too true by the corpses "a
OF thousands dead and by the solemn oaths ~
Of many hundred living, some of whom o. o.
doubt not are now present, and in their own ~ ~
persons have felt and known whereof / ~
speak. III
Passing by other and lesser, but not less pa
horrible places of confinement, in which .''
Union soldiers, prisoners of war, persisted. 20
come to sketch to yOu for moment the III
great prison-pen at Andersonville, in which 1s
more in number OF my soldier-comrades of ~
he Union died in one year than Of British pa pa
soldiers who were ever killed or wounded h ia
Il any battle. Vi
Andersonville prison was in the heart Of on
Georgia, the empire State of the South one ,oi
# the most fertile and richest of them all. ne
Il the midst Of a heavily timbered country. tel
veil watered, where plenty of sites for me MT
lepot of prisoners might have been found VI
uitable for the purposes for which this was
lseel
Here General Butler read from the Off thi
ial report description of a wretched wa
lace, where thirty-five thousand of our sol Gle
liers were compressed, giving to each man rer
but four feet by six for walking and sleep spt
ne, for exercise and rest, for cooking and ed.
ating or sickness and death."1
Such was the place where our soldiers no
we're confined by the confederate authori- by
les and that such were the reasons for its KIN
election is abundantly borne out by the 81:
and the results. But not all. ou-
ven Of this place, was given up Tor the use rer
# the Union prisoners. rec
Fraught as the whole of it became after cor
ward with danger of sickness and death tu
here was set apart a more dreadful portion
till
Inside of the stockade, parallel with its 7
ines and about twenty feet distant, was -.
he dead line" marked by scantling nailed i ho
pon upright posts, which were planted in noi
he ground at regular intervals. 1t was in 4ho
Iced the line of death. To pass it or to en- , ,ne
roach upon the fatal precinct beyond, na,
rought the penalty of death to all without (.
distinction. a.
THE FOOD FURNISHED OUR PRISONERS. sist
Let me now give you from sworn state gre
lents which are over and over repeated by do'
undreds of witnesses, what was furnished hit