The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-13

large number OF these prisoners ha
come from Belle Isle and Libby, wher,
they had been under the very eyes OF thr
chief head OF the Confederate Govern
ment.
Referring to the order for the estab
lishment OF the Andersonyille prison, a
quoted yesterday by the gentleman frou
Go ,rgia (Hill), he asked: How was tha
or ,er executed and to whom was 1t com
united? 1t was committed 10 the hand
Of Gen. Winder, man Of whom tn
Richmond Examiner said on the day h
took his departure for Andersonville
'Thank God that Richmond is at last riC
Of old Winder God have mercy Of
those 10 whom he has been sentp
Mr.. Garfield then quoted some Of tn
testimony given on the Wirz trial, as t,
the condition OF the stockade, the deat
line, etc, and remarked upon it that ii
the midst OF n pine country place hat
been selected which had a miasmati'
marsh in its midst, and that n small
stream OF water having been found, troop
had been stationed on it above the stock
adc so that it was deiiled by all the excre
ments Of the camp before it reached the
stockade. Besides that, in very excess
of cruelty, and as il to negative every
clause OF order, men had been detailed L
cut down every tree in the enclosure anG
left not u tree, or shrub or leaf tc
show where garden or forest haG
been.
lie then referred to the report make by
Colonel Chandler, who had been detailed
to inspect the Andersonyille prison, which
was by Adjutant General Cooper submit
ted to the Secretary of War with the re.
mark that the condition Of that prison
was reproach to the ConfederaCy, so that
the knowledge Of its horrors had been
brought home to the political family Of
Jefferson Davi'; but the answer TO Col,
ChandleFs report was the issuing Of an
order few days afterwards promoting
Gen. Winder to be Commisary General
OF all prisons and prisoners throughout
the Confederacy, and when the Command
ing General Of the army subsequently
removed Winder, Davis revoked the or.
der Of removal and endorsed on it that it
was entirely uncalled for. The British
army lost in ten great battles Of the
Napoleonic war, including Waterloo, not
quite $1,000 men, but this Major General
Winder in his
TERRIBLE PIT OF DEATH,
from April, 1864, to April. 1865, pitched
into his awful trench the dead bodies Of
his prisoners to the number Of 1854.
As to Mr.. Hill's comparison of the atroc-
tiles OF Elmira and Andcrsonville, he
challenged any Democratic member from
the neighborhood OF Elmira, Camp Doug.
lass or Fl. Delaware to rise and say that
any inhumanity had been practiced.
There being no Democrat doing so, he de.
nounced the assertion as iearfully and
awfully untrue.
Mr.. Platt read telegram received by
him from B. F. Tracey, late commander
Of the military post OF Elmira, saying
that the facts justified him (Platt) yester.
day in his debate OF the inhumanity in the
treatment OF prisoners at Elmira.
Mr.. Walker, on the Democratic side Of
the House, rose and said that he lived
within seventeen miles OF Elmira and en-
dOrsed the statements in the telegram.
Applause on the Republican side.
Mr.. Hill disclaimed any purpose in his
remarks yesterday Of charging inhuman-
ity on any ybojy about Elmira or anywhere
else. He had only read yesterday the
letter from the New York World US an
evidence OF the cruelties inseparable from
prison life, and he had wound up the state.
ment by saying that the official records
showed the relative mortality to be great.
er among the Southern prisoners at the
North than among the Northern prison.
ers at tho South.
A member--Do you charge that the
mortality among the Confederate prison
ers at the North was owing to cruelty?
Mr.. Hill-Ido not undertake to say to
what the mortality on either side Of the
line was due. / say that twas attributable
to those horrors inseparable from prison
life anywhere, and intended my point
against striving to bring up these horrors
Of the past and to keep aloof strife. lap.
plluse'J
Mr.. Garfield remarked that cvcnon the
testimony OF an anonymous letter read
yesterday by Mr.. Hill the post Of Elmira
had been located in as healthy place Us
there could be found in the State OF New
York. He called attention to the fact
that the place in which the confederate
prisoners who had died at Elmira were
buried had been enclosed and cared for
by the administration, which had been
characterized by the gentleman from
Georgia Us n malignant ferocity, Consti-
tuition hating and South hating.
Mr.. Hill remarked that at the last time
of decorating the graves in the South the
people united with the Northern
soldiers and decorated in harmonious ac-
cord the graves OF the fallen Federals and
fallen Coniederates, and it was because OF
that glorious feeling that he protested
against the removal OF the history OF such
horrors. Applause.
Mr.. Gariield-So do I. Who brought
it here? Chorus from Democratic side,
Blaine Blaine! Blainc!l Mr.. Garfield
said he wished some fraternal feeling
could follow the forty MANNED -uniUll
soldiers who had recently lost their places
about the House.
A discussion ensued on that point,
which developed the statement on one
side that whereas out OF 1853 subordinate
positions in the last House only Is were
lilled BY Union soldiers, there were S5
positions in the present
House and &c filled by Union soldiers,
and the statement on the other side that
IN the House postoiiice nine Union
soldiers had been dismissed and their
places filled by nine Confederate soldiers.
Mr.. Garfield, passing from that point,
proceeded 10 discuss the question Of ex-
change OF prisoners,to state the realities OF
history, and to detail causes for the in
OF the exchange. Heshowed
that the central point Of the difficulty was
in the determination OF the Confederate
government and people to exclude from
Ihe common rules OF war the officers and
men OF negro regiments, while on the
other hand the government OF the Union
had committed itself to the doctrine that
4 negro was man and not chattel, and
that, being man, he had the rig ght to
help to fight for the Union, and that, be-
ing a soldier, the government was bound
10 see to It that he was treated like SOL
lier. He also quoted a passage from
communication from Major Ould, Confed-
crate agent OF exchanges, to Gen. Win
ler, to the effect that an arrangement for