The National tribune., 1883-01-11

cial report shows that to be fact. About the
only medicine that those inside the stockade
received was handful of sumach berries, pre-
scribed for those who had the scurvy. The
berries might have done some good had there
been enough of them, and their action assisted
by proper food. As it was, they were probably
nearly if not wholly useless. The hospital it.
self was q wretched affair, and vet it was a
vast improvement on the stOCk2dc. 1t covered
about five acres Of ground bordering on a creek
and inClOsed by a board fence. around which
the guards walked and was situated a little
southeast Of the stockade. a few trees afiording
a pretty fair shade. There were tents and flies
to shelter part of the sick and the beds in these
were made of pine leaves. Streets and alleys
had been laid out and the place was kept rea-
sOuablv clean and Orderly-for Andersonville.
There was also slight improvement in the
food. Rice was furnished the inmates, but in
too small quantities. however to accomplish
much good. If it had been served III sufficient
quantities, it might have promoted the recov-
cry Of many who were dying from dysenteric
diseases.
HOSPITAL HORRORS
The sick were compelled to wear the same
ragged garments, filled with yermin, that they
had worn in prison. and neither baths nor the
ordinary toilet cOnvcnicnCes were furnished
them. The medicines themselves were scanty
and crude. The few who recovered did so al
most in spite Of fate. The world never before
saw such misery as was witnessed in that hos
ptal daily The official statistics tell the story.
There were 3,,09 in the hospital in August, and
during that month the deaths numbered ,4S9;
nearly erery other man died. The percentage OF
deaths was even much greater after this date.
The gangrene wards afforded some pitcous spec
tacleS. At times the whole hospital rang with
the a@OniZng screams of the sufferers. The
rebel doctors Mt the hospital resorted to whole
ca q &c oh IN md
two or three hours every morning were devoted
the work. Relief was generally soon found in
death.
During my term of imprisonment at Ander-
sonville, / noticed one thing, which l gladly
mention, and that was the beneiicent work OF
the Masonic order. 1t was the sole recognition
OH the part of any of our foes of our claims on
humanity. The churches of all denOmina-
tiOns-eXCept that of good old Father Hamil-
tOn-ignOred Us as wholly as if we were not in
existence. The rebel Masons, however, inter-
estcd themselves IN securing details outside the
stoclladc, in the eoOk-hOuse, the commissary,
and elsewhere, for such Of their brethren among
the prisoners as would accept such favors; and
frequent presents, in the way of fOOd-and es-
peclally vegetables-Were sent in to those
who could not get outside on parole, as well as
material with which to build tents. Some who
made themselves known before death, even re-
Ceived burial according to the rites of the ORDER
i
the camp OF the Twenty-sixth Alabama, that
the MasOnS belonging to that regiment made
every effort they could to insure the comfort Of
their brethren in the stOckadc. Doctor White,
and perhaps other surgeons, belonged to the
fraternity.
THE LACK OF FOOD.
An abundance of rebel testimony can be pro-
duced to sustain the statement that the suffer-
ing at Andersonville was chiefly due to lack
OF sufficient nutrition and proper medical treat
ment. The old adage says, Hunger is the
best sauce for poor food; :" but hunger failed to
render the detestable stuff we received at An
dersonville palatable, and it became so lOath-
some that very many actually starved to death
because they were unable to swallow or retain
the nauseOus dose. Nature protested, by a re-
belllOn of the taste, against any further use Of
such food. How needless was this restriction Of
our ratiOns to cOrnmeal-and especially meal
so wretchedly prepared-is cOnclusiyely shown
by the facts of the case. 1t would have
been very little extra trouble to have sifted
our meal, and, in fact, we would have gladly
done it ourselves had we been supplied with
the proper utensils. 1t would have been as
little trouble TO have varied the ratiOns with
green corn and sweet potatoes, of which there
was then bOuntiful supply in the vicinity.
have recently been shown history of Ander-
sOnville, written by a confederate officer, in
which it is stated that the prisoners in the
stOckade drew the same ratiOns that the guards
did This is q downright falsehOod. When
was in the camp of the Twenty-siXth Alabama
l drew exactly the same ration that each SOL
der in the regiment received, and l know that
the guards drew better ratiOIs in every reSpecs
than the prisoners, while WiZ and his family
lived on the very best the land afforded, as, in
fact, did all the confederate officers at Ander-
sOnville. On several occasions, in company
with Louis Jones, of the Twenty-siXth Alabams,
l took dinner with the farmers in the neigh
bOrhOOd of AndersOnville and | noticed THAI
they had an abundance of good food and excel
lent crops for that section Of country. Indeed,
l believe they considered Wirz and Winder's
treatment of the prisoners in the stoCkade an
outrage on civilization. They were certainly
very kind to me, and deplOred the condition OF
affairs III the prison very much, though they
did not dare to express themselves within the
hearing of the officers. They were thoroughly
in sympathy with the confederate cause, but
were humane people. If Wirz had only pro-
yided a few Wagon-lOadS of rOasting-ears and
sweet potatoes, he could have bauished every
trace of scurvv from the camp, and saved
thousands of lives. Any day that the rebels
had chosen they could have gotten thou
sand volunteers, who would have given their
solemn parole not to escape, and gone any
distance into the country to gather the
potatoes and corn and such other vegetables
as were readily obtainable, and bring them
into camp. Whatever else may be said
in defense of the Southern management OF
military prisons, the death of seven thousand
men from scurvy, in the middle of summer
time and in the midst of an agricultural region,
must forever remain impossible of explanation.