Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-02-24
PRISONERS OF WAR.
A Stirring Address by a New Have
Pastor.

A Stirring Address by a New Haven
Pastor.
At the prisoners of war meeting in Hart
ford on Wednesday Rev. I. N. Foster of New
Haven, r. M. Chamberlain Of Stafford
Springs and Charles T. Barstow of Meriden
were elected delegates to the national CON
vention at indianapolis next September.
Then followed discussion of motion to pay
the travelling expenses of the delegates,
which was supported by Rev. I. NJ. Foster
and Colonel Clapp, the latter offering an
amendment that $50 be appropriated for
each delegate. The motion as amended was
passed, as was an amendment to the consti
tuition making the annual dues 81 in place of
90 cents. A question arose whether the
Connecticut association were q member of
the national association, and ii was decided
that it was After dinner came speech by
the Rev. I. NJ. Foster, of New Haven, on
rPrison Life" He spoke substantially as
follows:
Monuments have been erected to conmem-
crate the soldiers and sailors, the battles of
the war and the position occupied by regi-
ments or brigades in famous action. But no
monuments have been erected to commemo-
rate the sufferings of Union prisoners or
There are prison cemeteries and
others-but no prisoners monuments. 1t
| required courage and bravery to face the en-
| envy at the lannon's mouth and at the point
| of the bayonet, but it required greater brav-
| cry and more courage to endure the suffer
ings, privations and chagrin OF prisoners. 1t
| took two years of disaster and discourage
ment to teach the government and people
that we were not fighting for the Union
| alone, but that individual personal freedom
was Gods design at the formation of the
government. Liberty is given by the crown
ed heads of Europe to their subjects; here
we give ourselves iberty-it is ''of the peo-
pie, by the people," and all the three million
| slaves must have it. The government did
right to say the black and white should
| be equal in exchange. When the squad
of Confederate ssrgeants marched into camp
and said now we know you are sick and dy'
| ing, we will give you plenty to eat and cloth-
| ing to wear if you will swear allegiance to the
Confederate government, the eyes of the
prisoners would fash fire at the proposal. All
in all the prison pens of the South were
given the opportunity. Out of sc, 900 prison"
ers at any one time only three thousand &C
copied, and they with the mental reservation
that they would desert the first opportunity.
Such desertion became SO common that they
were brought back in squads of 3d. SO, 100,
and branded with the contempt of the others.
An account was given by the speaker of
the trial and hanging of six Union raiders of
Andersonville prison, found guilty of rob
berry and murder of their own men by their
own men, and of the company of woodchop.
pers that were allowed to go out of camp and
chop in the woods on parole, but would bring
in pigs, chickens, sheep and other booty in
hollow logs, and of the torture that was used
by the commander to find out the truth. One
prisoners camp was refused rations three
days to compel them to tell where tunnel
was being dug out of camp under the stock
ade. But they issued the rations the fourth
day without the intelligence. The speaker
went on to vindicate Decoration day against
the question of someone whether it were
worth all this expense and closed with a de-
| scription Of the sympathy that bound them
together.