The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-01-16
Jefferson Davis on Andersonyille.

O0e OF lQo ldet eoaayo A1ou ln0 Pen Va
Jefferson Davis was on "Andersonville
and other War-Prisons." It was written
last summer for the North american Re
vie7o; but, in consequence of what Mr.
Davis characterized as the mutilation OF
his reply to Lord Wolseley, by the editor
of the Revnw, he withdrew it from that
periodical and gave it to Begord's Mag
az;ne, in the January number of which
the first part Of it appears. It is
remarkable paper, and will attract wide
attention.
"Nearly a quarter of = century has
elapsed" writes Mr.. Davis, "since war
between the States ceased. Has the
prejudice fed on the passions Of that
period ceased with the physical strife ?
Shall it descend from sire to son, hard
ened by its transmission? Or shall it be
destroyed by the full Development of the
truth, the exposure Of the guilty, and
the vindication OF tin :.nocort?"
Believing, as Mr. Davis without s.
doubt did believe, ttla. he, personally,
and the Confederacy, "a !. comn'nolty,
were not responsible for the needless suf.
feripgs and mortality of prisoners at
Andersonville, it is natural that nc
should have written with earnestness and
warmth, even if without bitterness, in
defence of his own record and his people.
The facts that he introduces in his paper
divide themselves into three groups !:
The first group are designed to show,
while no attempt is made to deny the
existence of great aud needless suffsrings,
yet that they were not owing to any fault
of the Confederate authorities, and that,
contrary to the common belief at the
North, neither the suffering nor the NOR.
tality among the Federal captured col
diers iu Confederate prisons were so
great as the sufferiDgs and mortality
among Confederate prisoners in Federal
prisons.
This last assertion will seem so as
founding to Northern readers that,
uuless fortified, the rest of Mr.. Davis's
article will excite no attention. There
fore, although it is one of his last points
in the order of presentation, we. quote it
first:
"It must be conceded that the North
ern States are more generally healthy
than the Southern. Then, with equal
means and care in providing for the
prisoners, it follows that the rate OF NOR
tality should have been as the saubrity
Of the country. It may be presumed
that all were "on duty" when captured,
aud the average of the wounded among
the prisoners about the same; therefore
that all we've in condition to be bene.
6tod by rest and proper treatment in .
favorable locality. What vas the
result? According to the reports Of the
United States War Department, the
relative number of prisoners and death
were in round numbers:
United States prisoners held by
the onfederacy ........ .........." N0,O ,OOO
Confederate prisoners held by the
United States. 22O, ,OOC
United States prisoners died in
Confederate hands. s............. $4,000
Confederate States prisoners died
in United States hands,. 26,00C
"From this it appears that the Con-
federates, with an excess of $4,000 pris-
oners, had 1900 fewer doaths. This
should not have been the case if the
means of providing for them had been
equal; but, in every material respect
in food, in clothing, in shelter, in medi-
cine, in surgical instruments, and oil
which free commerce contributes-the
North has greatly the advantage. Only
one element remains to account for the
difference for the defenceless T; and
this, in the depths of our destitution.
never ceased, as the world will appreci'
ate whenever impartial history shall
render the justice which contemporary
prejudice and passion have denied.
Mr.. Davis insists that the needless suf
feri0g at Anderaonville was caused by
the inhuman refusal OF the Federal Gov.
ernment 10 exchange prisoners, and de-
claring medicines contrabrand of war
even after it knew that the Confed.
crate Government was unproyided with
food enough or medicines to care properly
for the prisoners in its hands. "It was
not starvation" he writes, "but acclima.
tion, unsuitable diet, and dependency
which were the potent agents of disease
and death"
he stops in his argument to defend
both General Winder and Major Wirz
from the charges of cruelty to prisoners
and tells this astounding anecdote about
Wirz, on the testimony of Father Boyle
among others:
"On the evening before the day of the
execution of Major Wirz, q man wished.
on the part of a Cabinet officer, to inform
me that Major Wirz would be 'pardoned
if he would implicate Jefferson Davis in
the cruellies at Andersonville, Upon
my refusal to take any action in the
matter, he went 10 Mr. Schade, counsel
for Wirz, with the came purpose and
with a like result. When I asked Major
Wirz the next morning, he told ME that
the same proposition had been made tc
him, and had been rejected. with scorn
The Major was very indignant and said
that, while be was innocent of the