Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-02-21
TIE STORY OF i SOLDIER
HCS. lie WAS TREATED WHILE
SERVING HlS COUNTRY.
Taken Prisoner. he Makes List ot Prfs-
onerc aud - Punished tor it,.

A correspondent in the GraRtic, de-
scrlhipg the ccrvices o. Clara Barton.
ailulcs to her work IN numbering the
graves Of the Union dead ct Andarson-
vile, and also to a young soidic- who
assisted. Our correspondent does not
recall the name eni speaks Ct him rs a
Connecticut soldier. u interesting
story IS connected with this mG~t'on.
The young man was Vcrmou.er, )v
name Dorrauce Atwa:er. nov United
States Consul al Tahiti. Mr.. Atwnter
vas a drug clerk when lie entered the
Union Army. He was captured at Win
chester, Va, in 1863 and sent to Ander-
sonyilie. There he was placed III the
drug room Of the hospital. On the day
of his capture lie had received news OF
his fathers death. Feeling keeniy IN
this sorrow the anxiety Of hi; mother,
who might not know If her sons fate,
he was led to conceive the idea oi rre-
serving in some way copy Of the death
roll, to the making Of which he was de-
tailed. At daily risk Ct his hfe he made
this copy, conceal.Dg 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 fnte. When exchanged he
was also mustered out. Arrived III
Washington, lie desired the vernmcnt
to have all The benefit of his Hori, but
! lie also wished to publish if. He was
| induced to re-enlist ID the general ser
| vice as q clerk, with the understanding
as he believed, that when copies were
made his originals should be returned.
His work was Of great pccuniary value,
government to properly settle claims,
etc. Mr.. Atwatcr found that the cllicia
mind (and that being military also, il
was more than c0mmon = oyerbearnn
and arrogant) Eenudiated the agreemen
and declared that the proposed publct
ton would be injurious The goyeumen
copy was ~ ade. Miss Barton, who had
in the Sanitary Commission Service, or
gained bureau Tor tracing missin.
soldiers, was requested hv NJ. S.antoI
TO go to Andersonville with quarter
4 master and escort and assist in markin.
the graves of the dead. Mr. Atwate
was also sent. having charge of lis orig
inaI rots. The wolk. Was done. Mr.
! Atwatcr believed these rolls were hi
property, and in some way couveye
them 10 the New York Tribune ti1ic
for publication. On his return ~ Wash
inrtoH he WAS arrested at the ins: ratioI
of an officer named Breck, tried b
court martial, and sentenced az a THE
to one years imprisonment at har
labor in the Albany Penitentiarv Gree
indignities were heaped upon hin
{ Wirz's trial was in pro: ross and Atwa:t
. was m0bbed on the streets while p&ssin
nnder guard, the returned sol.liera bein
, tod that he was trying to save the ~
, l!trso-y-.le keeper. He weft to priso
and served six months Of his sentence
while Miss Barton kept up a constal
struggle in his behalf. she got q res
luton Of investigation before Congr s
] anG then the Judge Advocate Gener
rtyicHcd the sentence, declaring i;
he Illegal, as the larcenons motive W.
wanting, the young man having fl.
! believed that the rolls were his ov
! property. In the meanwhile The III
| 79so Aai published tham Ir. A:wat
was a. once released, and soon after 2
!, p1is.tcl United States Consul at Zan;
tar. Afr.ca He las beeo IN thGGo
u, nr strXs..c f.Ecr since