Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-01-26

out as atrocities beyond imagination.
I have read anew the horrors, untold
and unimagined, of the Spanish in
QUESTION, and I here, before God,
measuring my words, knowing their
full extent and import, declare that
neither the Duke of Alva in the Low
Countries, nor the author of the mas
sacre of st. Bartholomew, nor the
thumb-screws and dungeons and atroci-
ties o.. the Spanish Inquisition, begin to
compare in atrocity with the hideous
crime of Andersonville.
[Sensation in the hall and galleries,
and remark by Mr.. Robbins, of North
Carolina, unheard by Mr.. Blaine, that
it was an infamous SANDER
Thank God, Mr.. Speaker, that when
this Congress was under different con-
troll from that under which it is to-day,
with committee composed of mem bers
of both parties, that tale of horror was
placed where it could not be denied or
gainsayed. I hold in my hand the
story written out by committee of this
Congress, and by its authority state that
Winder, who is now dead, was sent to
Andersonvilte with full knowledge of
his previous atrocities, and that those
atrocities in Richmond were so bitter
and so bad that Confederate papers, the
Richmond Examiner, for one, said,
when it was done, that they thanked
God that Richmond was rid of his pres
ence, and hoped God would have mercy
OF those to whom he had been sent.
We in the North knew from returning
skeletons, what he had accomplished
at Belle Isle and Libby. Fresh from
these accomplishments, he was sent by
Mr.. Davis, against the protest of
others in the Confederacy, to
construct his pen of hor-
rors at Andersonvilfe. Of course it
would be utterly beyond the scope of
occasion, and beyond the limits of my
hour, to give any details, but on ar
raigning Mr.. Davis, undertake here
to say that do not ask gentlemen to
take the testimony of single witness.
I do not ask them to take the testimony
of a single Union soldier. I only ask
them to take the testimony of men who
themselves were engaged and enlisted
in the Confederate cause, aid If that
testimony does not entirely carry out
and justify this declaration, which
will take the liberty to read, will state
that have been entirely in error in my
reading.
Mr.. Blaine then proceeded to quote
from the report of the Committee on
the Conduct of the War extracts in ref
erence to the horrors of Andersonville,
in which it is stated that ono pen can
describe, no painter sketch, no imagine
ton comprehend, its fearful, its unut-
terable iniquity."
He then went on to say: "I under
take to say that that is moderate de-
scription of Andersonville, and will
now read q paragraph from the testi-
mony of William John Hamilton, a man
who never was in the north, Catholic
priest at Macon, and Democrat, and
when you unite these three qualities in
southern priest you will not find
much testimony strained in favor of the
Republican, party" Loud and con-
tinuous laughter.
Mr.. Blaine then read from the testi-
mony of Father Hamilton, as given in
Wirtz's trial.
Mr.. Blaine then continued: do not
desire to go into such horrible details
from any purpose of raising bad feel
ing. I desire only to say that the man
who administered that prison went
there by the order of Mr.. Davis, and
was sustained by him; and this William
J. Hamilton, whose testimony [ have
Just read, went to Gen. Howell
Cobb, commanding that department.,
and asked that the condition of
the prison should be transmitted
to the Confederate government at
Richmond. In fact, there are great
many instances and proofs to show that
Mr.. Davis was in entire possession of the
facts in relation to Andersonville. When
Gen. Sherman's invasion, or some other
invasion of that portion of the country,
was under way, and when there was a
danger or supposed danger, that it
might come to that neighborhood, the
regular military order No. ID, dated
Headquarters Confederate States mill
tary prison, Andersonville, July ~,
1864, and signed by Brigadier-
Winder, was issued in these words:
LILO OIuCC4 OA OutJ aAO LII CudIS0 u
the battery of Florida artillery, VII
on receiving notice that the enemy h.
approached within seven miles of this
! post, open fire on the stockade with
grapeshot without reference to the stu
alton beyond this line of defense. %
Here were those 35, 600 poor, helpless,
naked, starving, sick and dying men.
| This Catholic priest states that he went
to Gen. Cobb, to represent to him that
if he could not exchange them, they
should be taken before the Union lines
in Florida and paroled and let go free,
and yet if the Union forces were to get
within seven miles, that regular order
of Mr.. Davis's officer was to open the
battery of grapeshot on those poor
wretches, without the slightest possible
regard to what was going on outside.
Now I don't arraign the Southern
people for this. God forbid that
should charge any people with sympa-
thizing '. 18th such an order There
were many evidences of great uneasi-
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