The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-13
THE BLACKLIST PAGE.
Some Statistics as to Mortality in Rebel and Union
Prisons
To the Editor NATIONAL TRrBUN,


To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In your paper of the 21st of February find
the following among your Answers to Core
spondents":
L. H. Breckenridge CoIo.--The most reliable sta
tistics upon the question submitted by you show
the following, viz: Number OF United states troops
captured during the late war 2l2,5G8; number oi
Confederate troops captured 476, l69; number of
United States troops who died while prisoners,
20 TBS; Confederate troops who died while prison
ers 794 II VIII be observed that Il per cent.
one in every seven, OF Union prisoners died III
rebel prisons and only per cent, one in every
seventeen, of rebel prisoners died in prisons.
Your Confederate friend has cause to blush for
the lnbumanity of his leaders.
Let us put this important fact of history as
correctly as possible. AS chairman of the his
torical committee of the Kansas Association of
Union ex-Prisoners of War, have spent some
time and money to get correct statistics
IN relation to the question above referred TO,
and the most reliable statistics which / have
been able TO find taken from both Federal and
Confederate authorities and which | believe to
be substantially correct, differ materially from
yours, as given above. / am always glad to be
corrected when wrong, and believing you must
be Also submit the following:
Total number of captures by the rebels.... 1875 AS
Number paroled 9l,072
Number actually confined in rebel prisons. 1903
Number OF deaths in rebel prisons, ascer-
tanned by the -. So FOL
Per cent. OF mortality in rebel prsons........ $50
Per cent. OF mortality OF entire rebel cap
1888
Let us compare this with the mortality of
rebel soldiers captured by the Federal armies:
Total number o. captures by tie Federas... 476 69
Number paroied..' s5ss
Number actually confined IN Federal pris-
227 $40
Number Of deaths in Federal prisons, ascer-
tanned by the 60 1872
Per cent Of mortality in Federal prsons 1925
Or 25.45 per cent. less than the percentage
of death in rebel prisons.
Per cent of mortality of entire Union cap
lures. ... .~. ...r 6ss
Or 1872 per cent less than the percentage
OF death of entire rebel captures.
If the mortality Of rebel prisoners captured
by the Union army had equaled that Of Union
soldiers captured by them, then, taking the
whole number of captures as basis of eaieula-
ton, the deaths among the 476, 1853 Confeder-
ates II our hands would have been 81, GOO in
stead of 30, 152; or, calculating it upon the re-
duced basis of the prisoners actually confined
on both Sides to wit, 227, $40 Confederate pris-
oners in our hands, to 94,072 prisoners in their
hands, the mortality would have been $500,
instead of 3e,152. Instead of this the NOR
tally is reversed, and out of 1902 prisoners
confined by the rebels &c, 40f died, while out of
227 80 IN the hands of the Federals only 3d.
152 died. In other words nearly two out of
FIVE, or forty of each hundred, of our prisoners
died IN the hands OF the rebels while one in
six or seven of each hundred rebel prisoners
died in our hands, making mortality nearly
seven times as great among the prisoners In
their hands as among the prisoners in ours.
The foregoing Statistics are taken from the
records of the War DEPARTMENT. which give the
number of graves of Federal prisoners at each
of the several rebel PRISONS but do not show
the actual mortality of Union prisoners, as it is
well known that our dead prisoners were
buried III trenches, intewhich they were some-
times thrown two or three deep SO that there
was often more than one body to each grave.
IL we take the rebel records and the evidence
OF our Own prisoners, we find that the average
percentage OF deaths In the different prisons
for some time before the prisoners were re-
leased was over Is per month. and the facts
show that. owing to the fatigue and excitement
OF removal the rate Of mortality was increased
rather than diminished for some weeks after
their release But, in gross numbers, the state
ments of the War Department and rebel records
will show the following result: Total captures
by the rebels, 165, lbs; number paroied on the
field lone half j. 94,072; number actually con-
fined in rebel prisons, 94,072; number of
deaths in rebel prisons by the graves, SO, 401
percentage of deaths In rebel prisons, 1910 :;
percentage Of deaths of the entire rebel cap
lures, 1885. Add to this 13 per cent. for the
number who died after they were released who
never reached their homes, and who cannot be
counted by graves, making in round numbers
As $500, and the per cent. of deaths is found to be
81 of the number confined in rebel prisons. or
PSI per cent. of the entire rebel captures. Such
is the blacklist page in the history Of our late
war o. d. MCNARY.
IEAyENwORTH KAN