The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-04-17
PRISONERS PENSIONS.
The Memorial Of the National Prisoners AssOcia
ton TO Congress.

The Memorial Of the National Prisoners AssOcia-
ton TO Congress.
The following memorial, prepared by Com
rade John McEir0y. himself an ex-prisoner,
and now managing editor of the Toledo Blade
presents in concise form the reasons why our
cx-priSoners are entitled TO special considera-
ton AZ the hands of Congress.
HEADQUARTERS NATIoEAL ASSOCIATION OF Ex-
UNION PRISONERS or WAR.
CLEVELAND, o.; April 8, 1884
TO he Acn0ic aud House Of Representatives Of The
United States, ia Congress assembled:
Your memoIialists. the ez-Union Prisoners CT
War, through then National Association would
specially set forth that they were soldiers and
sailors ia the service OF The United States Ia the
late war for the suppression Of the rebellion, and
That while acting under the orders Of their superior
officers. and performing the duties incidentto such
service they were made prisoners by the armed
enemies Of the United States, and endured pro-
longed terms of Imprisonment and, for
reasons tins imprisonment was attended by the
most extraordinary hardships. Even the very i'm
perfect aud incomplete records IN the possession OF
the War department OF the mortality among the
Union prisoners Of war, show that these bardships
must have been lncompar2bly greater than those
sncideut service IA the field. Without going
details II viii only be necessary TO point that
The death rate among any given number Of pris-
oners, and al any given time was very much higher
than among q corresponding number OF soldiers
engaged IN the prosecution of an active campaign.
For instance, the report Of Prof. Joseph Jones the
Confederate surgeon in charge OF the prison AZ An
deTsonvilies shows the following percentage OF
deaths TO Tie mean number OF prisoners confined
there In each Of the first five months that the prison
existed
March, ls64-...-.-...-. 81 June, 1851 5ss
April ----...---.. $40 July, 664
May, At August, = l0.e
Prof Jones report goes on to say: I" We observe
progressive increase Of mortality from 3.77 per
cent IN March. 10 10g9 per cent OF strength
in August The ratio of mortality continued to
increase during September for notwithstanding
the removal Of one-hah Of the entire number Of
prisoners during the early portion Of the mouth
l,76s deaths registered from September 10 81
he entire number OF Federal prisoners was
about s9.eil, and during the period Of near seven
moalts, from February a to September p, e.s7S
deaths were recorded; that is, during this period
nearly onc-forrth. or more exactly. one IN A. or
. per cent terminated fatally
But even these figures fail very short or properly
representing the terrible mortality, for the
that Of Size Total Of s06Ig prisoners received al An
dersonxfje oyer 30 600 came in ser the opening of
the great campaigns IN May, and The bulk of those
that survived were taken away III September. so
that many thousands who brougt 10 death
door there died IL other prisons the road 10
them. OF those who were LEFT behind in Ander-
sonyiile ia every three died la September and
one-llah Of the remainder died in October When
II Dr. remembered that these vigorous healthy
young men. nearly al from the fighting lines of
Genefnis Grant and Sherman. and consequently
seasoned 10 priEaticn and hardship and that the
average Imprisonment ia ADdersonvile was less
than three months, the destructive strain upon the
constitution o. even a short confinement becomes
better understood.
IL H. the universal testimony that the conditions
ma the other prisons were much worse, and the ac-
companying loss OF life much greater than IN
AnderEonNilie but as no statistics Of Charleston
Lahawha. Columbia Macon. 1fiIien. Mobile Camp
Ford, jackson and Montgomery have ever been
l0und. ano those Of Salisbury, Richmond and
Banvll8e are very vague and imperfect. il Is mpos-
sibe 10 sustain these assertions with the proof Of
figures
Enough Is known. however, 10 make II beyond
dispute that u the I25e90 prisoners who were
taken from the time Of the battle of Gettysburg,
wien tie exchange was interrupted, TO the close
81 the war, az least $1,000 died while in prisons or
Immediately after passing through lines The
Var Department has record Of y $50 Of these,
aDo presulnIuve proof enough 10 swell the number
70 - as.
Your memorialists would therefore submit az
az uEdeniable scientific truth that where the ex-
pOsrre % a body Of 10 prigation and hardship
has resulted ID killing fully oue-alf Of them in an
incredibly short time that the strain on the consii-
tutioDs 81 the Survivors must have wrought hope
iess and irreparable injury. All physicians agree
thai no man ever wholly recovers from any ply-
Hlca strain or injury II If simply impossible that
the man who managed 70 survive what killed sc
large a proportion of MS comrades should not
have his vital energies lowered. his capacity Tor
work diminished. and his days shortened by what
proved fatal to them Ii could not heir dsa linp
hiIn a. ehectuaily as a GRIPPING wound would
have done.
Therefore. your rnemorialists respectfully pray
your honorable bodies to award to each prisoner 81
war siea measure 81 relief as Is contemplated by
ii. y bin No. Ilss and Senate biz No ~.
Your menlOrialists would further submit as !
sufficient for granting the pensions t,rax.l
for that The terms Of their Imprisonment 1Vers
undoubtedly prOifacted, and the evils from which
they suffered, greatly aggravated by the military
necessity winch compelled refusal OF exchange
ior many months toward the close Of the war tia
the S0niedcTajes IL their military extremity NIGH
not have the benefit Of la9g10 ascIl-fed Vieorou
nlen, whom The Government had IN its militar,
prisons. The retention ia Southern prisons ouriui
fhc last part Of 1864 and the carly part OF IS5
Of some y GO OF 4G.eJJ starved and broken-dowl
Onion soldiers. neutrelized. az the mos. critica
perlod o. the war, three four times that nuls,e
Of staiwarf and well-1ed Confederate soldiers WHO
had they been on the field, would have eleafl,
increased the perplezity Of the situation f1roirce
the war much longer and added immensely 10 II
cost Your IneInoTiaists freely recognize that
was Their solcierly duty 10 remain IN prison If tina
would contribute 10 the advancement of the Coy
ernnaclts military Objects ard they did Ii wit
eucb cheerfulneBs and resignation as they coui
muster FOR any duty that the Government re
qnircd Of them but they sustained grave physics
ent1tlcs tscn 10 the same consideration and relic
az they had received fhe same amount OF iniug5e
upon the march Elle battlefield
And Illus YOGI petitioners viii ever pray.
G. q. SIANKLIE,
President Cleveland Ohio
y. u. FIaLANEoH,
LIST Nice-frcsdcut. Detroit Mich
JONI G. HAwIEY
e Nice-President Washington. d. C.
REV. J. s. PRESTON
Chaplain. Lyons, Mich.
J. G. PALMER
Secretary, IS Huron St. Cleveland. O.
A. s. MCCORMICK
Treasurer, Rockfield, Carroll Co, Ind.