The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-02-17
AN ECHO FROM ANDERsONVILLE.
A Crushing Reply to JEFF Davis Let
ter Belittling the sufferings OF
Union Soldiers in the Southern
Prison Pens.

Conn Bulletin by Mr.. w. L.. Goss,
president of the National Union OF An
Jacksonville Survivors, replying to Jeffer-
son Davis assertion that this mortality
of the confederate prisoners III union
hands was in greater proportion than
that of Ilnionsoldiers in rebel prison
Mr.. EDITOR Much has been said and
written of late of the treatment Of union
prisoners of war at AndersOnvllle and
other rebel prisons, and at last Jefferson
Davis has written in his own defense
letter dated Jan, 81, 1876. / agree with
the closing words Of that letter "The
public welfare demands that that truth
should strip falsehood of its power for
evil" and, with this purpose in view,
allow me to present few facts to dis
prove the falsehoods of that letter.
Though / was prisoner at Anderson
vile, and the sworn testimony of thou
sands was published in 1869 by the com
mite appointed by congress to show the
treatment of prisoners of war by rebel
authoritis, yet it will not be necessary
for me to appeal to this overwhelming
testimony to show that the union sol
diers were brutally murdered under pre-
tense OF treating them as prisoners OF
war. Mr. Davis says at is admitted
that prisoners in our hands were not well
provided for as we could have wished,
but it is claimed that we did as well as
we could" In this assumption Mr.. Davis
gives the lie to his own officers and to
the report of the confederate inspector
of prisoners, Lieut.. Col, d. T. Chand-
Ter, made July 5. 1864, to the confeder-
rate government, and which contains
most significant evidence to show 1t was
the policy of the confederates to render
worthless as war material the defenseless
prisoners which Providence had thrown
into their hands.
Col. Chandler says: ''No shelter what
ever OF material for constructing any
has been provided by the prison authori-
ties, and the ground being entirely bare
of trees; none is within reach of the prl-
soners, each man has been permitted to
protect himself as best he can, stretching
his blanket on such sticks as he can pro-
cure" The prisoners care furnished
with SO limited supply of fuel that they
are compelled to dig with their hands In
the filthy marsh before mentioned thls
marsh contained the excrements of 3d.
900 mem for roots with which to cook
their food" This was accompanied by
the report of the post surgeon, Isaiah
White from which I will only note the
statement 1.-THE lack OF barrack accomo-
dation exposes the men to the heat of
the sun during the day and to the dew
al night, and is prolific source of dis
ease" Now what necessity existed of
withholding wood to cook with, and
shelter for the sick and dying prisoners,
when within 700 feet of the prison there
was virgin forest? The prison was
situated in the midst of the great pine
regions of George. There the forests
stand to- day, as witnesses against the
heartless cruelties under which union
prisoners fingered and died.
To further show that shelter was much
needed, Will simply cite the fact that
although situated in southern latitude,
the climate of Andersonville showed a
wide variation of temperature, ranging
from Is deg. to 112 deg. Fahrenheit in
the shade. In the year 1864 were coun-
ted los rainy days, in which there fell
more than four and half feet of rain.
DR.. John G. Bates, confederate surgeon
at Andersonville, says 81 feel myself
safe in saying that twenty-five per cent
Of those died lat Andersonvillel might
men been properly cared for" which
think is us significant as any fact that
the papers of DR.. Stevenson may furnish
to which Mr.. Davis alludes but not
produce.
To further show the inhuman treat
ment of our men at Andersonville and
the spirit which actuated those in com
mand of the prison, I will quote from a
supplementary report of Lieut.. Col. d.
L. Chandler, dated Aug. 5, 1864, which
was indcrsed by the assistant secretary
of war (of the Confectionery, J. A. Camp
bell, saying ''These reports show a con-
dition of things at Andersonville which
calls very loudly for interposition of the
department in order that q change may
be made" Col. Chandler says "My
duty requires me respectfully to recon-
mend a change in the officer in command
of the post, Brig. Gen. j. FL. Winder
and the substitution in this place of
some one who unites both energy and
good Judgment with some feelings of
hum anlty, some one who at least will
not advocate deliberately and in cold
blood the propriety OF leaving them in
their present condition until their num-
her has been sufficiently reduced by
death to make the present arrangement
suffice for their accommodation !; who
will not consider 1t q matter OF self au-
dalton and Boosting that he has never
been inside the stockade, place of hor-
ror which it is difficult to describe, and
which is disgrace to civilization
The only notice ever taken of this re-
port by Jefferson Davis was that shortly
after he promoted Gen. Winder as
commissary general OF all the prisons of
the confederacy. Other evidence is not
wanting from confederate sources to
show that the relations of Gen. Winder.
with Mr.. Davis were of the most conf
dental and friendly nature, but your
space will 10 admit it.
In regard TO the mortality of those con-
fined IN our prisons compared with rebel
prisoners, the report OF the war depart
ment shows the following captures by
the confederate forces: Federal officers,
1852, enlisted men, 179, 09l; union citi-
zens, 1862; total 1SS, 145. OF these
there were legally paroled and exchang-
ed 154 $50. and illegally paroled, 1,143;
Ia all 155, 473, being32, 672 10 be account
ed for.
As the statement of the war depart
ment consolidates the federal prisoners
paroled and exchanged, we are unable
to determine from this source what pro-
portion OF prisoners were actually con-
fined in rebel prisons But the federal
authorities paroled 10, in excess of
one-hah of their prisoners. Taking
this proportion of one-haif as the basis
of our calculation, assuming (although it
gives undue advantage to the rebel side
OF the statemenD that the rebels paroled
one-half of their prisoners, this would
leave us the following result: Total
number of captures by rebels, 1SS, 145 :;
number paroled estimated at one-half,
81, or number actually confined in
prison, 4,072 number of deaths In con-
iederate prisons, 36,401 per cent, of
mortality in rebel prisons, IS. 20; per
cent of mortality of entire rebel cap