The National tribune., 1885-07-02
A. M KELLY.
Some Extraets From - Notable Book Written By
Our Minister to AustrO. Hungary.

4
| Some Extracts From - Notable Book Written BY
Our Minister to Austro- Hungary.
To THE EDITOR: Some five years ago
| read book entitled "in Vinculis; or, The
Prisoners of War;" published in 1866. by a
| Virginia Confederate" who 1 subsequently
learned, was one A. M. Kelley, of Peters
burg, Va. At that, time 1 only noticed that
| the book was written in readable style, with
liberal supply of Latin quotations and some
newly-coined words; that it was chiefly a
| compilation of disloyalty and peryersions of
facts that the writer WINS evidently bitter
and unreconstructed rebel. As it did not differ
materially from most other books written by
| Southern men since the war on the subject of
prisoners of war, and as, the writer seemed to
be man of little note and did not even give
his name as author, laid his book away with
other Southern productions for future reference
in writing history.
But as the author has been suddenly brought
into public notice by being appointed to repre-
sent this Government at the Court of Vienna
/ have reread his book, and will give some quo
tatiOnS from it, and leave the reader to judge
what manner of man this representative of the
United States of America is, or was. In his
preface, OH page 5, he writes: 80 Each
Southern man. though, may and ought to con-
| tribute something to our own story of this war;
even though it be as poor trife as this The
living claim it, and the inexpressbly loved and
L
to see the day when the infamous atrocities of
Hunter in the Valley of Virginia. will have a
fitting historian; when the monstrous tyranny
and knavery of New Orleans rule will be ex-
posed; when the secret Of the Bastilles will be
given up; when the murders of Missouri and
| Tennessee shall be heralded to the world and,
above all, when the story of that hellish carni-
val of lust and rapine, and outrage, and arson,
| and murder and nameless villanes which the
Yankee poets and magazine writers euphoni-
ously name the Great march from the noun
tains to the sea shall be painted with broad
brush and free hand, that mankind may
shudder again to think of the crimes committed
in the name of Liberty! 1t has been objected
that no good can come of such disclosures;
that nothing but reproach to the American
name can follow them; that such recrimina-
tions can only postpone the day of peace.
81 answer that the Southern people can be
expected to have little interest in the American
name, while they are denied American privi-
leges, and we shall very contentedly see the
American name suffer any reproach that truth
can bring upon it. Nor do l think that while
Jefferson Davis and c. G. Clay and their COM
patriots are denounced in official proclamations
as assassins the people of the United States can
| close the mouth of any accuser who offers re-
proach to the American name. AS to the day
of peace, there are many people in the South
whose faith is so weak, that in despair of the
enjoyment of that blessing they have turned
their thoughts to the nearer probability OF the
millennium"
On page so he says: "Like every other war
ever begun in earth's history, the people did
not originate it, but no war in history ever was
so popular when once begun. Its failure was
the crushing by brute force of the aspiration of
100000 of people for liberty, and history will
so record it."
On page SO he devotes ferocious chapter to
Beast Butler, as he calls him, of whom he says:
Mature has hung out the sign of villain in
every lineament of the brute's physiognomy,"
ETC.
On page 80, in writing of Gen. Sherman's
campaign through South Carolina, he writes
I'VE have no illustrated papers to multiply
and exaggerate the story of these horrors, if
they can be exaggerated, and no cOurts-martial
and military commissions to brand with in
famous punishment the guilty, but the tale
must be told. Let the fathers and mothers tell
it to their offspring, and bequeath the mem
ory, as a rich heritage unto their children
The day will come in this century or the
next for history, and-if there is God, whose
wrath is still kindled by brothers blood-for
vengeance"
On page 1s3 he says: "I confess that the
name of rebel has no terrors whatever for me-"
But enough of disloyalty.
On pages 142 and 143 he gives some figures to
show that the mortality of the rebel prisons at
Elmira exceeded the mortality of our prisoners
at Andersonville. Hear him: as IL / take
as the basis of my comparison the published
report made by four returned Andersonyille
prisoners, who were allowed to come North on
the representation that they could induce their
humane Government to assent to an exchange.
Vana spes. Edward NJ. Stanton would have
seen the whole of them die before he would
give Gen. Lee one able-bodied soldier.
These prisoners alleged Il quote from men,
ory) that out of population of about 36, 600
Al. a mn Il.
died between the 1st of February and the 1st of
August 1864. Now, at Eimira the quota was not
made up till the last of August, so that Septem-
ber was the first month during which any fair
estimate of the mortality of the camp could be
made. Now out Of less than $500 prisoners on
the 1st of September, 1856 died that month. At
Andersonville the mortality averaged thou
sand month out Of $4,000, or one thirty-sixth.
At Eimira it was 1856 out Of 800, or one twenty
fifth of the whole. At Elmira it was per cent;
at AndersOnville less than 3 per cent. If the
mortality at Andersonyille had been as great as
at Elmira, the deaths should have been ,440
per month, or so per cent more than they were.
/ speak by the card respecting these matters,
having kept the morning returns of deaths for
the last month and half of my life in Elmira."
According to Mr.. Kelley our authorities must
have treated the rebel prisoners badly, indeed
but we must make all due allowances, and if
he had not said Il speak by the card respect
ing CncSe matters, we might take q charitable
view of his statement, and attribute his mis-
takes to want of information; as it is, we must
take him at his word, as he evidently wishes
the reader to believe he knows what he is writ
ing about, aud take his statement as true. But
/ have also another book by a Southern author
who gives his full name, rank, etc. This book
is entitled "The Southern Side; or. Anderson
vile Prison." by r. Randolph Stephenson,
nj. d., formerly Surgeon in the Army of the
Confederate States of America. Chief Surgeon
of the Confederate Military Prison, Anderson
ville Ga.
On page 403 of this book DR.. Stephenson
gives the number of prisoners on hand (at
Andersonville) at the end of each month, from
April, 1864, to April, 1865, and the number of
deaths each month. Mr.. Kelley bases his COM
parison on the month of September, 1864, and
says out of less than $500 prisoners at Elmira
1885, or per cent, died.
DR.. Stephenson gives the number Of prisoners
on hand at Andersonville at the end of August,
1858. and at the end of September S,21S, and
the number of deaths for September at 2,794.
OF the 3l.693 prisoners on hand at the end of
August. the bulk of them were removed to Camp
Lawton and Florence before the 10th of Septem-
ber So that the average number on hand for the
month, at a liberal estimate, wonld not exceed
10000; making the mortality for September
23 per cent, instead of less than per cent as
estimated by Mr. Kelley. Dr. Stephenson gives
the number of prisoners on, hand at the end of
September at S,2lS and the number on hand
ut the end Of October4, ,2O8,an the mortality
far tba of ot q