Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-07-16
AnderSOnyilIe Survivors.
Within the last six months about

ported by letter to the Office of the
Western Andersonville Survivors AS
ISOLATION, at Room 7, No. l2O East
Randolph street, Chicago, LII. The
full name, rank, company, regiment.
date and place of capture, and release
with such details Ct each ones military
history as may be reported, and the
present postotfice address Of every sur
vivor, who reports, are faithfully en-
tered on the record book, which is ar.
ranged alphabetically and by States
The association admits to member
ship every honorab!y discharged soldier
who during the term Of his Office has
had the misfortune of being taken a
prisoner of war by the rebels, and who
has been in any rebel prison pen.
Membership is not confined to Ander-
sonville survivors ialone, as many er-
roneously suppose, but the survivors
of all rebel prisons are admitted, pro-
vided they were honorably discharged
and never took the oath of allegiance
to the Confederacy. The objects of
the association are set forth in its con-
constitution, and the most important
object which it aims to realize at pre-
sent, and which must be of special in
terest to every rebel prison survivor,
is to bring a bill and monster petition
before the next Congress asking full
invalid pension for all those survivors
who lost their health while in rebel
prisons.
Shortly before and after the close of
the war; in 1865, many thousands OF
emanciated and debilitated Union SOL
diers. who rather would have suffered
death by starvation and exposure in
rebel prisons than to choose the pain
ful alternative Of dishonor by taking
the oath of allegiance to the Confeder.
acy, returned to the Union lines
hundreds of them only to join the
grand army above, with a last peace
tul glance at the old flag, before they
could be sent North and reach their
homes and loved ones. Thousands of
them reached their homes only to die.
after few more weeks and months of
lingering and painful efforts to recover
from the fearful result of long and
slow starvation and exposure suffered
in Dixie land. Those few thousand
who were young and had very strong
and tenacious constitutions, and who
survive to this day, are at present
(most of them) physical wrecks-mere
shadows Of Misunderstanding from
rheumatism, pulmonary, and other dis
eases contracted in rebel prisons, and
tottering along in short road to their
graves.
Most Of these poor but patriotic sur
vivors were not discharged on certifi-
Gates of disability, but were simply dis
charged or mustered out under spe-
cial telegram order of the Secretary of
War, dated Adjutant Generals Office,
Washington, D. G., May 20, 1865, al
lowing them nothing but three months
extra pay.
All those discharged under this Or
der are, under the present pension laws
entirely debarred from obtaining the
invalid pension so Justly due to them
unless it be in few exceptional cases
where the climant may, after much
trouble and expense, succeed to obtain
the affidavit Of rebel surgeon or officer
under whose charge he was while a
prisoner. and that Of two fellow sur
vivors VINO knew him while in prison
with them.
If this pension bill finally should be-
come law, the association will aid
and assist its fellow members who hold
diploma in obtaining the proper
blanks and proofs required in filing
| their claims The records Of the asso-
citation cover about 5000 reliable ad-
dresses of rebel prison survivors, from
all States of the Union and consequent
ly, the officers of the association will
be in position to furnish to their fel-
low members the names Of those whose
afidavits may be required in complet-
ing claim for pension. In the course
Of time printed copy of the records
will be published in order to enable
comrades to look up the address Of
those whose affidavit may be needed.
On the lst and I'd days Of October
next grand reunion of rebel prison
survivors will be held at Toledo, sOhlo,
and at least 1000 fellow survivors
from Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Pennsylva-
MIA, Indiana and other States are ex-
pected to participate. All those who
report to the association in Chicago
will receive full! information concern
ing the reunion. It is expected that
every fellow survivor will make an ef-
fort, and. if need be, even a sacrifice,
to attend this reunion, so that, after
fourteen long years, we NAV meet once
more face to face before answering the
last roll-call of the Grand Army and
Supreme Commander above.