New-York tribune., 1876-02-26
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
MR. DAVIS AND ANDERsONvILLE.

h.
HIS RESPONSIBILITY IN APPOINTING WiH-HoW -ilb
PRISONERS WE'RE TRKNTEB.
To The razor OF The Trfbuhe.
SIR. In his late letter In answer to Mr..
RIaine's charges jefferson Davs, while admitting the
sfrings OF Union prisoners, claims that they wore un
ayodable This for the most part true III ieeatd 10
what fell under his on observation in Richmond "here
the scarcity Of supplies sometimes Obliged the repe so.
dies to 70 on short ratons but at Anderson' e this plea
tails before what OF his organs called the tecmns
ranares Georgia" which sherman found still une1
hasied when our suferings greatest Even II the
want Of adequate supplies wero conceded thero "ero
other priyaon, easily prevontabe, which caused most
OF the d nths az AndersOnvIlle. scurry, IA II wen
known, was the most prevalent disease IRON
which less than half the prisoners escaped ana "neh
caused the most intense suffering OF all Some descrineh
the pain like that which would bo caused by thrushe
knife no the Joints and turning It round saw many
die In worse than II slowly burned at the STAKE
Yet few wagon loads of vegetables, at cost OF %lOO
to 500 would have saved tenold the number of VeS
saved them al ~ cost OF about % cents ch. Less ex
cusabe still was daprvnR o. tho prisoners OF wood
for cooking the meal vhch had partly TO be eaten
raw and produced darroa. which was the next most
prevalent d,ease prison IN thc midst OF pine
forest which cleared AWAY only 200 or 800 yahs
from the -tockadc enough to allow coa 70 me
guards Wood COLD have been furnished for ~ or ~
per cord Al time there were 10000 ck men whiu
the sockado FOR whom no shelter was provided h"nIn
the abundant timber made II feasible. some VINO niht
arrived made wigwams OF the pine bOughs left from the
building the sUcbade, others made holes ana covered
ihcu Oyor vita brush and earth, which cconom q ma
icria: but thousands La on the bare gronDd Whe ho
almost vertical Of southern Georgia sloe us py
day aud tnc dcH chilled night such exposure soon
ended the suIlcIings oi many of thU SICK.
could ciilin.rac other causes OF sunrflng. scn
aS the Inuinun regulations enforced by Gen Nlhufr'
ConlniaSlrvGene,n al OF PrlsOncr- much worse man
thau the brutal ler. Capt. WIZ, VINO missed shalhS
WrLs fate hy unfortunately dying before the war cud'
hut they mas hc hr Nv summed up In the one alfOcy oI
putting such In ciargc OF the prisons ~ AT none
tc mCincst of mci II ls true. Wohd WlH actcpI
such pps ons, hut this should have made tho adimata
lion ~ Richmond careful IN It's choice In Wier
had an efficient and energetic pre-, Keeper ann ~
probably looked fn ther. Not nieutlllh cfuc9 nuI
neglect resulting from ncapacity ana luck 0t ecIihH
.crm4 have been the fault of rie son DAVIS Mt Bhe
in sngling him out N alone Uudr~ersng or EiltnV
y,rs him undue Importance Personally iliaiYnlneiht,
Tue ad, cautious prominence Of hs position as ntat OI
tle ontcdcracy msse- him NJ ta'gc' i0r polIicau
Th, position would h1ye excited the highest interest
throughout tho world had urrc been anything her0c IA
hi. g. ararter How be faded OF tls We all knO" hSu
are not dropped flom -u elevation into oD-cnrty uu-
less too snail DE- kept in sight. Ue wishes to pe eN
rrptd from bat should feel too lnur con
for such litflturss Of foul 10 grant lh Tue ne
yroIn IL beat that the country sh"uIu
tukr no u.ficc him whatever and tat uhVcrsd an
u..ft were enacted without dirntun of his nnu"
An ANDiK-pNYILLE rHf-oNsh.
Junction Ctfg. h0o. Feb. -. 1870.