New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-11
SELECTIONS FROM THE NAIL.
SOUTHERN PRISON PENS.

THE JOYS OF DAVIS'S EARTHLY PARADISE
To TIE Editor or TIE Trtbune
Sir: In your OF December 81 read Una
! article from Belford's Magazine JEFF Davis Oh
AndcrsOnvlle." Kindly permit one who 81 asseu
through the fire. Of that informal deathtap ana nell
hole to offer few objections TO some OF the points
in that article
We are told that the United states Government re-
fused 10 exchange prisoners This statement is mis-
leading. The United States did refuse to exchange,
except for man; while the Rebel authorities did
/ absolutely refuse to exchange the United states
colored troops which they had captured; and in the
stand the United states aatio!iic' took
they were right as they tound
by every sense Of honor and justice TO
protect the men who enlisted 10 save the union be
they black white. Davis says that Andersonville
was chosen % a prison by Of the mild climate,
and In the soil and water there was no recognizable
source Of disease. As the climate We have no
complaint to make and if the water had been per
mtted to to naturally II would probably
have answered all purposes, but 1t came to us
polluted by the Rebel guards, who used II for all
purposes before reaching the stOcbade. Then DAVIS
finds fault with the United states for declaring
medicines contraband Of war. l have always sup
posed that it the policy of to deprive the
enemy Of anything and everything that might prove
of benefit to him. But If Uncle sam had sent
thousands OF pounds of medicines to his men at
AndcrsOnvc there IS no reason to believe that one
pound would ever have reached them. 1t would
have been cOnlscaed, were thousands Of packages
and boxes sent to the poor starving men Of Anderson
vile by their friends at the %olth. Davis says that
the numerical lnfcriory Of hi, army made 1t neccs
sary for him to have the prison guards made up Of
old men and boys. Now these Old men and
boys liked the job of guarding Yankee prisoners
There was only thing in the world that they liked
better, viz. chance 20 shoot ana iii Yankee on
some prctencc or another, and thereby gain thirty
or siXty,day Through for their bravery.
Davis says that it not starvation but acclima
ton and unsuitable diet and dependency that pro
duccd the great mortality of Andcr,onvlllc We
Will admit that the Rebels had 10 control OF the
climate, but the Dict both in quality and quantity,
very unsuitable, and did cause dc,pondcncy, like
wise constant craving for little more to eat or
chance at swll barrel. For months / received
nothing but half pint of meal, cobs and all.
each day, with no salt Then Davis attempts 10
eNoncratc General John II. Windcr from any re
sponsbilty regarding the treatment OF the prisoners
In fact, he sobbcrs all over, and would try to make
poor, ignorant, Uus0phstlcatcd fellows believe mat
Wndcr wao our bcnctactOr and friend, ana sa5 tdl
when Niudcr made visit 10 Aidcr~0hNIilc III JuIc'
l-oI, and found the poor prsonei' suffering - rom
scurvy and gangrcne lie Immediately recommended
change To other and more healthy lucdAurS, ana nc
also recommended supplies OF ye..jib.e7 4or tnG
prisoners. The first recommendation was ,dFFicl
out. but not owing to the benevolent and KINDLY
feelings Of Windcr. There vas another ana more
pressing reason, viz: sherman Lc-dn pounding AT
the door, Of Atlanta. Then he brings IN VIZ
poor Wiz7 DO call, him. the sanity Wrz. VINO
with Wludcr and others had doubtless been living q
simple Christian lie Wherein was VIZ poor!
Not am sure, In the knOVlcds: OF how 10 Inlet
suffering on those IN his power. Did not WIZ boast
that he doing better service In the prison tAn
Johnston doing in the hcld lie did say It, ana
prisoner, Of war. lie deserved his fate 4 ever man
did Had he been the man Of tender FEELINGS
a,crihed 10 him by Davis, If he had possessed one
iota Of humanity, he would not have renamed IN
charge of that prison one hour and witnessed inc
suffering, of the men cOnndcd To his charge.
one more point. Davis says there were 10 DIouu-
hounds al Andcr~onville. only few deer OF iON
hounds. ! beg 70 differ with him. ! have pretty
lively recollection Of Cuban bloodhound at Andrr-
sonvc named Spot, weight, 80 pounds, hcl5Ut,
three feet four inches length from Zip 10 up SIX
feet five inches. Rather a queer KIND OF ioX o.
deer hound. lie maugcd more than one poor fellow
Who ,trnve 10 gct back into "tods country without
Jcn Davi,'s or Wirh', permission va, prisoner
at Andcrsonvlc. Charleston and Florence = e., Tor
about eleven months. made my escape and came
up with that old hero sherman. other thin-s may
pass from the memory Of man. but make the a,>eF-
iIpu that Who was ln any OF the prison pens
can ever forget il. have always contended ana 40
stu contend that for all the suffering ANA t'ItiIr'
mental and physical. II tie men - A.d'r>onNile
salisbury Belle Isle Florence and all other southern
prisons. the one man who above all others should
nave been held responsible, was Jefferson DAVIS.
g.. +. ELLIOTT,
l,t Y Y Marine Artillery.
g.rTC o. rap