The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-02-17
SEFFERsON DAVIS.
His Reply to BIai4e's vindfctIvc I'is-
tribe.
Tse CondEtiSb ersorthern and South
ern Prisoners.

( Hon James Lyons:
Ny DEAR FBIEND-Your veiy Kind
letter of the 14th inst. was forwarded
from Memphis, and has been received
at this place. ! have been so long the
object If malignant SANDER and the
subject OF INSCRIPTIONS falsebNod by
partisans of the class of MIR Blaine,
that though l can't say it has become
to ne matter of Indifference, it has
ceased to excite my surprise, even in
this instance, when it reaches the ex'
tremity Of accusing me Of cruelty to
prisoners. What matters it to one
wh5se object is personal and party adj
vantagel That the records of both
Federal and Confederate disprOF5 tht
charge; that the country IS full Of wit
nesses who bear oral testimony against
it, and that the effort to revive bitter
animosities Of war obstructs the prog
ress tCNatd reconciliation of the Sec
tions: 1t is enough for him in his self
seeking purpose be promoted. II
would however seem that such expecr
tations must be disappointed, for only
those who are willfully blind can fan
to see i'll the circumstances of the cas-
the fallacY of Mr. Blaine's statement.
The published fact Of an attempt tC
suborn Wirz when under sentence Of
death b. promising him pardon if he
Could criminate me in regard to the
AndersonvilIe prisoners, is conclusive
as to the wish of the Government to
make such charge against me and fail.
ure to do so shows that nothing could
be found tbsustain it. May we not say
THAT the evidence of fly innocence was
such that Holt and Conover, with
their trained band Of suborned witnes-
ses, dared not make against me this
charge which Wirz for his life would
not make; but which Blaine, for the
Presidential noliilhation; has made
now? Let us review the leading facts
of the case The report of the Con-
federate Commissioner for the ex-
change of prisoners shows how persis-
tent and liberal were cur efforts to Sc
cure the relief of captives. Failing in
these attempts, | instructed Gen. L.
! L. Lee to 90 under flag Of truce and
seek an interview with Gen. Grant,
/ to represent to him the suffering and
death of the Federal prisoners held by
us, and to explain the causes, which
vert bes6nd our control, and also to
urge; in the name Gf humanity, the
observance of the cartel for the ex>
I change of prisoners. To this, as 70 all
previous appeals, a deaf ear Vas ttIrn-
ed. | will not attempt, from memory,
to write the report made to me of the
incidents of this mission. Lee no long
err lives TO defend the cause and coun>
Try lie loved so well, andserved so eff
cientlyj but Gen. Grant cannot fail to
remember sC extraordinary a visit,
and his objections to executing the
cartel are well known IT. tie public.
But whoever else iiay choose to for
get my efforts in this regard, the priS
oners at Andersonville and the dele
gates | permitted them to send to
President Lincoln, to plead for the
resumption Of the exchange of Prison
grs, cannot fail to remember how will
ing | was to restore them to the homes
and to the comforts of which they
were in need, provided the imprisoned
soldiers Of the Confederacy Should Le
in like manner released and returned
to us. This foul accusation, though
directed especially against me, was,
nU d6itJtj intended, aud naturally must
be the arraignment Of the South, by
whose authority, and in whose behalf
my deeds were done. Itmay be presum-
ed the feelings and habits of Southern
soldiers were fully understood by me,
and in that connection any fair man
would perceive in mig congrttLlatcry
orders to Tia army after victory, in
which the troops were most commend
ed for their tenderness and generosity
t5 the wounded and other captiycs, as
well as tie instincts Of the persons
who issued the order as the kEi9htly
tempers of the soldiers to whom it was
issued. Iii admitted that prisoners
in our hands were not as well provided
as Ne would liked to have had them;
but it Is claimed that we did as well
for them as we could. Can the other
side say as much? To the bold allega-
tions of ill-treatment of prisoners by
our side, aud the humane treatment
and adequate supplies by our Opt
nents, it is only necessary to offer the
f1cts:
1. 1t appears from reports Of the u.
S. War Department that though we
had 10000 more Federal prisoners
than they had Confederatcs, 5000
more uf tile Confederates died innorth-
ern prisons.
9. The want and suffering Of men in
the Northern prisons caused me to ask
for permission to send out cotton and
buy supplies for their. The request
WIS granted, but only OH condition.
that the ctstton should be sent IL New
York; and the supplies bought there.
Gen Beale, ROW of st. Isouis; was au-
iiitrized I'd purchase and distribute
the needful supplies.
Our sympathy rose with the occa-
sion, AMI resi- oaded to its demands,
not waiting for ten years then to yaunt
itself, when could serve no purpose
to the sufferers. Under the mellowing
influences Of time and the demonstra>
tions at the North Of a desire For the
restoration of PEACE and good will, the
Southern people have f1rgotten much,
have forgiven much Of the wrongs
they bore. fit be less So among their
;hvaders, it is but another example Of
the rule that the wrong dber is less
able to forgive than he who has suffer
ed causeless wrong, 1t is not, howev-
er, generally ar4ong those who braved
the hazards Of war that unrelcnting
v;ntlictivenees is to be fbund-the
bFave are geherohs md gentle. 1t is
a. I,,lko,S: IT tho frht-thp BlainpS