The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-07-15


subsequently, induced to engage in 4 similar
avocation at Louisville. In Kentucky he
married his second wife, and in 1851 he took
charge Of plantation, near NatchCz, as over
seer and business agent. When the war
opened he enlisted rs a private soldier in a
Louisiana company called the Madison IN
fantry, and his first duty was that Of guard-
ing Union prisoners at Richmond. lie at
tracted the attention Of Winder and was
made a sergeant aud placed on detached
servics IN May, 1862, he was made a COM
rnissioned officer and served as an aid on the
staff of General Joe Johnston. At he bat
tie of Fair Oaks. near Richmond, in 1862 he
was severely wounded and rendered unfit
for active service. On partially recovering
he was ordered to report to WindeT for prison
duty. and began his infamous career at 4 vile
ren at Tuscaloosa, Ala. lie subsequently
obtained fIIrlough on the ground Of i'll
health, and went 10 Europe. In the latter
part of 1868 Winder wrote TO him and urged
him to return, which he did and he was
made commandant of the interior Of the
stockade as soon as the first prisoners
arrived at Andersonville. He was not
a man of much mental caliber, but was
of average intelligence, had business-lile
habits, and was energetic and untiring in
the performance of his allotted duties. He
delighted in deeds Of cowardly cruelty, and
being an alien. sought to i" Out-Her0d Herod"
by being even more brutal than his dignifed
partners in crime, Howell Cobb and Wiuder
] never had the pleasure or misfortune OF
meeting Mr. Cobb.
WORZ'S ASSOCIATES IN CRIME.
l saw Winder only once. He was of mar
tial lineage. His father, at the head Of 1900
men, met the British army of 1000 men at
Bladensburg in 1914, and after a volley or
two a grand American skedaddle ensued,
which resulted in the capture of Washington
city and the burning of the National Capitol.
The AndersonvilIe Winder was well built,
calm, cold, gray-eyed white haired and heart
less man. He wore the stars of major
general, and was never within a hundred
miles of battlefield. He began his military
career as the bosom friend and private spy of
JEFF Davis. When Richmond got sick of him
ness of killing off Union prisoners, and events
proved that he was a tool sagaciously chosen
One of his sons laid off thestOclladea at Ander-
sonville, and while engaged III SO doing boast
ed that he was going to build pen there
that would kill off more - Yankees than
could be destroyed at the 'front.' His ether
son was our quartermaster, and had imme-
diate charge of the business of gradually
starving us. 1t appeared to be a family
characteristic of the Winders TO wear mar
tial uniform and keep well back from the
front. Learning of the terrible condition
of affairs at the prison, a considerable num-
her of ladies residing in the region imme- /
diately adjacent to Andersonville took the /.
most active measures, in the summer of
1864. to collect and forward food and cloth /
ing for the prisoners, but Winder turned .
these supplies over to the militia, and drove /.
those ministering angels from his presence .
with oaths and language too vile TO print or
repeat. Father Hamilton, a catholic priest
Of Macon, and the only ordained representa- /
tive ol Christianity whom l ever saw enter /
Southern prison pen, urged Winder to parole .
u, sin we were no longer treated as human
beings, and advised that we be sent to the /
Union lines in Florida, but the suggestion /
was received with silent indifference. Sur .
geon Hopkins recommended that we be re-
cluthed at the expense of the confederate .
government, and that if the confederate gov /
eminent was unable to do it, that the United .
States Government be informed of the fact. .
and asked TO provide for us. To no humane .
suggestion did Winder pay the slightest at
tention. Many of the educated people Of .
Georgia, exasperated as they were by the
devastating march Of hostile army could .
forgive cur supposed cfIenses and pity our
miseries, and generously urge measures for
our relief Winder, however, who had never
sacrificed a dollar or suffered hardship for
the confederate cause, viewed our calamities
with heart of stone. The people Of Mary
land should blush with shame that their
State was ever represented in the war by
such an unfeeling monster
POISONING THE PRISONERS.
The greatest atrocity in the history of that
prison camp was peTpetTated in the early
part of the summer of 1864. Under the pre-
tense Of preventing smallpox, hundreds Of
prisoners were yacCinated with the most alb
horent virus known to mankind. The effects
were speedy and disastrous. Frghtful erup-
tions followed, and many bodies turned green
after death. Wirz went out to the graveyard
one day to look at some Of these bodies. and
with laugh, remarked: That is the way
give the Yankees the land they come to fight
Tor" Oneevening paroled prisoner overheard
two young surgeons in merry conversation
over bottle Of whisky. I've poisoned five
Yankees to-day" one of them remarked.
And I've poisoned ten" was the brutal re-
joinder. As soon as possible a warning was
communicated TO the prisoners within the
stockade. 1t was not required, however
They had already taken alarm at the results
of these vaccinations" and positively re-
fused to be operated upon. IN a multitude
cases they were compelled, under threats
death, to submit themselves to the sur
ons, 0ut immediately after being "vaccin-
ed" ran and washed out the virus and
bbed it out with rags. Almost every man
10 neglected TO do this died in the most
s'5ible manner; and even this expedient
not succeed In ali cases Eventually the (