New-York tribune., 1889-12-31
JEFF DAVIS ON ANDERSONVILLE
ALL THE FAULT OF THE NoRTH' he
THOUGHT.
rrom Delford,s Magazlne

From Belford's Magazine .,o,
When the United states authorities reiuseu W ii,
~, h,s't,on @ IN continue the exchange and parole
f nrisoners The number of Northern eaptyes @ rp} ,
cnmons and also beyond ability OF the com,
missariat 10 supply them. IN the apscnee ~ the re-
noya of the prisoners became necessary. &, virginia
large part the food for our Ar,s AT a ~ hyesfern
stateS and the means OF transportation were i,m ~
and diminishing The place 10 WIN wD" and MD prepared
AndrrsonyIlIe Ca was selected, after csieiui ' Sis
gation for the following reasons ~ .n,ne eounry
lad never been devastated by the enemy o was or
wstere. and near Americus central nrd,sioEs
eatir,r The fax in kind and purchasing PrsGnS
,or our armies The climate was milo anu 49, a.. Ind
10 the best information there Mas rce ~ @ Of disease
sol of the locality recognizable souri, &c VI nssl 10
SUI pers,stence by the United states IN the reS m the
observe the cartel caused so large an ,ilie as no
D,o,cr ~ the captured sent TO AndcrsonNhe a. W
Sceed the accommodation provided and tl9S 70 their %
ment the discomfort and disease o9nsee ,d why was
confinement. 1t has been ofehSiNeiy %icf answer
noi the Contingency provided forl 10 WILL han, time
that a selfish policy, whieh Ior an, an rn,en @ Who AT
"n,d leave in captivity their country men, w'V y. bt
wouiu iee .,ir G1vernment had volunteered TO liSnt
its battles Married degree OF coo- -oo00'"
NithoHt entering into details. the dlmcuie M ,, e
coun:ered in the OF the large anu, ~ ~ nrisoners
part of the War, ever lhCIeSslns """' "
NAV be briefly enumerated thls: + % the North de-
The exceptionally inhuman ac' o vh;cb rI there is
,ai,s medicines TO be cOntraUand, 10 winch I tSl0 a.
bSt one if indeed there De one' o'her eASH'p'' III
modern m, war n:uaeent means Of transportation and the
more inadequate means OF repairing gpSed the i'm
,narhfnery. 50 that, "a the war Col'i'"0"' WV "
.nnicicncy became more elnbafrdsslns. ,, r,ode il
S The numerical n1erlorty OF oI1 our aL'S 10 at the
necessary that all available tap prisons were mainly
composed OF old men and boys anu o"' '
aiow@Cc S UeSicaI NJ officers were not more than were
required with the troops, ana cOnratS tS P reasons
aisliked the prison serViGg, Gg,ibiitv Of getting the
proper and dgent surgeon ad
O,r a'oo rnpIv ths want by substitutes eXtraeteu
Sr"nn tl,c plants and trees OF the sOu'
thonch possibly good, would Axe Quiet SUI
he less confidence inspiring. - .,. +o which most
oo The food was different from that 10 VIII ,,puIaTlv
OF tne prlSoV corn meal instead OF wheat flour. vi
the latter it was not posslD,Ti, !" i'O'' ~
adequate snppH @ aryaton. as has been ALLEGED but
aoclimaton unsuitable diet anu & odsfh' these
a. The notent agents of disease ana ued'. a, Us
Il was not in our power to remove Inedeod Ine ded their
with those who. unlike KING DsNdu; ne The remedy
r.meutation after the end had come; .i!H - the
dnmanSed alike by humanity and good iallh was '0
honest eAeouuo" @ decided % 10 locate a prison at Ander
sorviiIe General Howell Cobb was IN COM Gol'iaJ tsI ~
the district Of GSorEs and M mng Of generous and
NV er1ne, 40 much so that all who knew nm VIII
tcady believe that if the prisoners M I'm he ' wond
have supplied them gratuitouSK WIN ~ arose
a. or @ fiat he had sent provisions TO the pIlso.G
and if probably got wider circulation as oo"h '''
OF thg naf S3y requisite that enough Of some kind OF
food should be furnished It Is nSeuu' ts of ms have
10 o1, uoT J~ exnerjencc During the first year OF my
Imprisonment at Fortress Monroe , meedeSs priva>
itSe in inActed bv that heartless vnlgiran BreveE
General nelson Selected e to superede Colonel Joseph
Roberts an educated soldier whose Fes'I me Latter
Dec ~ t ibe war Why was this officer deemed com,
petent to command the post in war; but NOT IN PeST te
H.wcra gentleman was not suited to the Cruei puF-
poses of E. NJ. stanton then secretary er O m relation
TO prisons ana ner US WAS graduated at the United
Acadp
interval served in the United states Army "i'H "0
pnTpg the war with Mexico he was distinguished it
bv caIiantry in battle for which he was vdcS imcS
nnoson Of crueltv TO the defencelesS. He
was. f6r a time the Provost Marshal Of Richmond,
and supervisor Of prisons thereabout lil' eondnet III
these positions was in keeping with his reputation,
that Of neither humble to the t ns9gG hoSv n0 Of
the prisoners were to Georgia and the Caronas,
General Winder was ordered there 10 eMeT'of {bar
general supervision; he was selecrH; a,io1S o'sd t
reasons because of confidence in his kndness 1, TO
PrSos; nS secreary Of Var Jefferson Davis: Cooper
HGintant General who had been cadet with Gen
General Winder arrived at Andersonvile on June IL,
1864 and found gangrene and scIIyy eXisnng ana o..
~ oOth of that month recommended tat the prisoners
should be removed as soo as POSSIBLE 20 o'e, M MIN
and other points suitable for their safety ana htaItI
as soon as necessary arrangements cOuld he nau9
The want of transportation and the INSURGENCY Oh
ruards produced occasional DELAYS in the removal Of
prisoners but on the last OF 5 SeptemeG mo Gon e 10 aho
1000 who were too i'll for transportation General
V.indcr had in the meantime. recommended that
agents shonid be employed procure vegetables
fhe>e and ali other suggestions for the comfort Of tie
prisoners were sanctioned by the Executive Depart
mcnt at Richmond
Much more might be added but the foregoing IS
believed TO be enough to refqte the Glarges hl'ue
Let Us now consider the conduct Of the unhappy
victim. Captain Henry WIZ and the proceedings by
which he condemned and executed from such
information as possess he was nauye OF sWlIzeI-
Ia Sn4 weterr TeS in ar" sGI he entered the Con
fcderatc Army at the beginning OF the War, ana IN
c no remained criDYc permancnty General Winder
who had opportunities to know him While cmpIOEed
for slIerintendcn 'i1 Of tie Prison at AndelsOnvic
Whether his conduct there justified the selection let
the testimony Of competent, unimpedchdblc witnesses
determine. The eminent scientist and physician DE-
Joseph Jones. OF New Orleans. was, in august. loo1
ordered TO inspect and report on AndersOnvie prison
In the prosecution Of Win garbled extracts were
read 20 crininatc the officers in charge DR.. Jones
has published his full report, 20 place all the
to certain selected facts After discussing the |
physical and pathological causes Of the fatality at
AndeisonyilIe he wrote as published to General r JILL = IL
prisoners were removed to Southwestern Georgia in
the early part of sd. not only 70 secure place OF
confinement more remote from Richmond and other !
large towns. from the operations OF the United states
forces but also to secure more abundant and easy
supply of food
As far as my experience extends, person who |
lad been reared wheat bread and who was !
held in captivity for any length OF time could retain
his health and escape either scurvy or darlhoea if |
confined to the Confederate ration ISSUED to soldiers
in the field and hospilaD OF unbolted corn meal and
bacon. The large amies OF the Con /
fcdeiacy suffered than once from /
scurvy and, as the progressed, /
secondary hcnlorIahage and hospital gangrene be- |
came fearfully prevalent from the dcteriOrated con
dition OF the systems of the troops dependent on the
Tor the extra supplies received from !
home and from the various state benevo- /
lent institutions, scurvy and darrhoca and dysentery !
would have been still further prevalent.
4 similar statement has been made by Dr. Austin /
Flint jr in his recent work on the Physiology of |
Man.
II was clearly demonstrated in my report that |
darrhOea, dysentery, scurvy and hospital gangrene /
were the diseases which caused the mortality at /
AndersOGyillc. And il sill further shown that I
this mortality was referable in appreciable degree
10 either the character Of the soil, Or waters, or
the conditions OF climate.
=" The effects Of salt meats and farinaceOuS food,
without vegetables, manifest in the great
prevalence Of scuryv. The scOrbutic condition thus