The National tribune., 1881-04-01


sona sacrifices endured such hadshps and priyatons
those who fell into hands of the Confederates as
prisoners during the late The recital OF their suf
fengs would be scarcely believed were they not corrob
GRATED by 80 large number of unmpeachabe witnesses
of both sides.
Colonel d. T. Chandler, G, s. A. report on Anderson
vile dated Aug 8, 1864 in which he said " II fsdfalcnR
70 describe no horrors Of Me prison ich ia disgrace 10
cEczdttOn, endorsed by Col II. H. Chiffon Inspec
tor-General G. 3 A., follows The condition of ke
prison ~ ARdersoncMo is repr0dch 10 as nation
The sixty thousand graves filed bv the poor cms ~
the several prisons tells story that cannot be denied
misunderstood When consider the hardships and
pVatlons to which these men were subjected the won
der Is not that many died but that any survived We
submit it is hardly possible that any man who was SUBJ
ected to the hardhps and inhuman treatment of Con
iedeate prison for two three only could
come out any other than permanently disabled Stats
ties show that of those who released nearly per
cent died before reaching home In few instances there
was roll kept of thirty to fifty of these who when
released able travel home alone and it il now
found that nearly reeourhs of that number have since
The roll Of the Andersonyille Survivors Association
shows that during the year 1880 the number of deaths y
erged los per cent of the total membership showing Am
increase OF per cent. the death rate of 1879
But few of the most fortunate of these survivors will
live TO the age of fifty and probably within fba navt
ten years years the last of them will have passed away
congress has from time to time enacted laws most is
and liberal Cor that were Intended 10 ba sol
men who were disabled in the late war large maor
ity of the prison survivors excluded from pens;on
under these laws This partly from unfriendly
spnC IN which the Pension Department has been admin
istered for the past six years and partly from the pec
liar circumstances surrounding their several cases
lipaS
were at once sent home on furough without receiving
any medical treatment. The most of these were afar
wards discharged under General Order No n dated War
departments washington u. O., April 2Sth, 1868 be-
cause physically unfit for service and hence there Is no
official record as TO their disease.
Ii one of those applies for pension he Is cal,aa ~
to furnish the affidavit of army surgeon yhtraatad
him after his release and prior discharge showing that
he then had the disease on which he claims nens;n7 E
reasons stated this is impossible The next thina !;
call to furnish affidavit from some doctor who eatad
the while home on urough or certa;nlv i
inal 1iScha Sbn
afflicted with the identical disease on which pension i;
now claimed This is generally impossible for many
not medicine he wanted but the kindly NURSING f oth
OF wife and nourshing food So doctor was called 4
least for some months after reaching home In the IN
stances Where doctor was called, not unfrequently he
cannot now oe found if found swear that the
ef had any particular disease for the first months af
ee Ieachhg home as he was mere skeleton from starv
aon and IT required months of careful nursing besra h
had vitality enough for disease make its pesenoe
manifest - p0"oo
Then, again, in many cases the poor victim has raro.
suffered from any particular disease but rather from
combination of numerous Ills the sequence of ,raoi
constitution commonly termed by physicians !, rsns,
De0tHty But the Commissioner refuses to grant Tan
sion on disease save where the proof clear and positive
OF the contracting of particular disease while in the
vice OF It's existence at date of final discharge and of m
year, to present date as
In most cases 1T Is impossible for prison survivor -
furnish any such proof and hence his application i
promptly rejected Besides these there are hundreds -
olher obstacles IN the way OF the surviving prisoner of
war who applies for pension One thing i he ia rai,s
upon 70 prove py comrades who We're in prison with him
the origin and nature of his disease and his cond;t;on
prior TO and at the time of his release This is oenen
impossible as he was likely TO have few comrades In
with whom he was on intimate terms and these if no.
now Dead cannot now be found but if found thew
aIe men without sufficient knowledge Of ANATOMY and
physiology. and not one of n hundred no,ld .an; M
tousy swearto the origin and diagnosis of the
olsease is II not ridiculous for the Comnissoner 70 ~,
sS upon suon preposterous evidence, which, produced
III due orm is as rule drawn up by tbs applicants nhw
Sican ana sworn to by the witness cum gran0 ois
ana IN most cases amounts to perjury charitys sale
Hence, 1T will be the difficulties sirroundin ~
prison survivor who is disabled and compelled to spny
Ior pension are SO numerous and nsnmountabe as to
shut out very large majority of the most neaS ia a. AZ W
laws entirely. ei PehSion
we claim, therefore, that act of equal ;pstioa %
these men, as compared with other soldiers there ought
to be law passed admitting them pension ON record
or other proof OF confinement in in Confederate nso
for prescribed length of time such as Bin 4g5 ntro
duced Dy the Hon J Warren Keifer NJ. G, from Ohio.