Connecticut western news., 1884-12-24
THE STORY OF A SOLDIER
HOW HE WAS TREATED WHILE
 SERVING HIS COUNTRY.
Taken Prisoner, he Makes a List of Pris-
 OncTs and is Punished for it.

A correspondent in the Graphic, de- scribing the services of Clara Barton, alludes to her work in numbering the graves of the Union dead at Anderson vile, and also to a young soldier who assisted. Our correspondent doee not recall the name and speaks of him as a Connecticut soldier An interesting story is connected with this mention. The young man was Vermonter, by name Dorrance Atwater, now United States Consul at Tahiti. MT. Atwater was drug clerk when he entered the Union Army. He was captured at Win chester, Va, in 1863, and sent to Ander- sonyille. There he was placed in the drug room of the hospital. On the day of his capture be had received news of his fathers death. Feeling keenly in this sorrow the anxiety of his mother, who might not know of her sons fate, he was led to conceive the idea of pre- serving in some way copy of the death roll, to the making of which he was de- tailed. At daily risk of his life he made this copy, concealing the coarse brown sheets whereon it was written about his person. Thirteen thousand names, with regiments, etc., were thus obtained. Atwater desired to publish them so that the families might at least know of their members fate. When exchanged he WAS also mustered out. Arrived in Washington, he desired the government to have all the benefit of bis work, but he also wished to publish 1t. He was induced to re-enlist in the general ser- vice as clerk, with the understanding, as he believed, that when copies were made his originals should be returned. His work was of great pecuniary value, as it perfected records and enabled the government to properly settle claims, etc. MT. Atwater found that the official mind (and that being military also, it WAS more than commonly overbearing and arrogant) repudiated the agreement and declared that the proposed publica- tion would be injurious. The government copy was made. Miss Barton, who had, in the Sanitary Commission Service, or- ganized a bureau for tracing missing soldiers, was requested by MT. Stanton to go to Andersonville with a quarter. master and escort and assist in marking the graves of the dead. Mir. Atvater was also sent, having charge of his orig | 1hn l. Atwater believed these rolls were his property, and in some way conveyed them to the New York Tribune office | for publication. On hls return to Wash ington he was arrested at the instigation of an officer named Breck, tried by court-martial, and sentenced as a thief to one years imprisonment at hard labor in the Albany Penitentiary. Great indignities were heaped upon him. Wirz's trial was in progress and Atwatel was mobbed on the streets while passing under guard, the returned soldiers being told that he was trying to save the An, dersonville keeper. He went to prisor and served six months of bis sentence while Miss Barton kept up constant struggle in his behalf. She got reso lution of investigation before Congress and then the Judge Advocate Genera reviewed the sentence, declaring it tc be illegal, as the larcenous motive wa, wanting, the young man having fully believed that the rolls were his owr property. In the meanwhile the Trio une had published them. Mir. Atwatel was at once released, and soon after ap pointed United States Consul at Zanzi bar, Africa. He has been in the Con. sular service ever since.