The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-12
PRISONS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
Professor Dabney vs.. Tho Nation -
Testimony Of German.
a.. A.. t..ftt.. ~ Tho Ifmost

/ ~ir-lt has long nr'h ine n"",' W ihc ~
ton 10 pat the south on the back. ana, WINE
giving her people much paleIhal aoillohillol,
on Tho subject Of ducls. streei-nghts. and
the like. 10 encourage them 10 hope that, If
thoy will diligently read The Nation. civ
/ ilization auife passable considering the
0reaf barbarism and iniquty Of their past
! history NAV al length arise IN the South.
This complaccnt cOndcscension has been
mistaken by many for fairness and Impair
/ tialifv. among whom. however, the present
writer is not one. For years he has seen
through the gauzy prctence OF judicial calin-
ness. and now presents 70 liik ilMEs n
/ typical instance Of this pretence. I'm reply
/ 10 The Nations article ~ January 5th.
ON "The Prisons Of the Civil War
/ wrote the following letter 10 the edi-
! tor. which he declines 10 publish.
telling me that he thinks / will
.on reflection. see the inadYlsability OF a
controversy on the subject. lie himself
/ he writes me-has discussed the matter
"di-passiOnatoly." and, n course. there Is
no need for any further discussion. Inc
almost five columns in which ne tells ms
readers Of the ..unspcakable horrors OF An
dcrsOnsille." Of the "millions Of nies
which deposited their maegot- ON the
/ gangrenOus wounds Of the living. and IN
! the mouths OF the dead" are, of course, sui
fcienf. and controversy could. he says,
"conduce 10 no good end" Let there be no
! controversy. To hear one side Of a question
/ is enough. The Nation has spoken. It's
editor is in his holy sanctum. Let all the
earth keep silence before him.
To the Editor Of The Nation:
-ir,-As ! have not personally inyesti-
gated the history Of prisons during the
civil war ] shall not venture 10 express IN
/ this letter any opinion Of my own concern
/ ing the relative humanity Of North aud
south i'm the treatment Of prisoners; but,
as YOU state in your editorial Of last week
| that the diet at JOhnsOn's Island was ''eN-
ceptiOnally abundant and varied" wish TO
call the attention Of your readers 10 certain
evidence 10 the contrary, which nave
heard.
After reading Your article l went TO a
gentleman whose brother. a Confederate
| lieutenant, died after leaving Johnson's
/ island. from the effects Of hardships suffer
ed at that place, and asked him whether bis
brother had found the food exceptionally
abundant and varied" Briefly stated. the
/ lioutcnanfs account was as follows: Inc
food. though usually satisfactory as 70
quality. was not always -. as may DC IN
ferred from the fact that, in order 10 have =
better Christmas dinner than was furnished
him. he made soup out Of some ilsh-sklns
which be had rdkod ont of a gutter. As
% the abundance De heard the command
ant of the prison. whom be praised highly
for his Kindness, say that hewas nell dU0Te
that me prisoners dN not hare enough ~
eat. but that ne was UHdcr strict OrdcfS
not Nv 0irc them ann more. Dehcacles
were sent him by New York and Louisville
ladies. but were intercepted by the guards
or other persons and never reached him.
Moreover, in that bitterly cold climate, he
was not allowed a blanket 20 cover himself
at night until after Christmas.
am well acquainted with a Confederate
captain now living i'm Richmond. perfect
Hercules I'm uhvsique. who Cif / remember
rightly weighed fifty pounds less upon leaN-
ing JOhns0ns Island than when he entered
its prison walls.
And now Oct me quote from Land and
Ioute I'm den Nereinigten Staten tLeipli-.
1851. a work by Ernst llOhenWart tpOssiDlN
"a pseud0nym). German who spent nearly
thirty wears m The United states. and who
fought as au officer i'm the Northern army.
/ shall italicize certain important phrases.
"Much has been said of the cruel treat
mont of Northern soldiers I'm southern pris-
ons. Having myself been prisoner IN the
south for more than thirteen months. and
having been afterwards stationed with my
regiment 40 place where more than 2J,uou
Southern soldiers were confined. think
have right i0 an opinion as 10 me relative
treatment of prisoners M the Nofin ana
south.
SIT il true that the S0utherners treated
their prisoners much less we'll than the
N0rihencrs. for the SiWpic reason That
then hail nat me means 10 treat them
better, and often. especially towards the emu
of the war, Wrutscircs snUrrcn from ~d"f.
Tho South wished tO permit the oihcef7
az ID
town ON parole and half pay. myself ana
other officers lived for some months d.
Raleigh and were granted much freedom Of
movement. but The Worth fre0fo0 southern
officers IKE common Soi0iffSi ana the
South afterwards did the same. So tong as
then ircfc 0jie. WcV g0rc NS g00d r0tiOns.
afterwards very often spOilt bacon, cured
with wO0d-ashes-thcy were short Of salt -
or beef cured with saltpetre, or fresh morse
meat: a pound of bread "a day being added
and sOmcstimes handful of beans or rice.
During the winter we were unable 20 buy
ANYTHING additional. but as soon rs sum-
mer came. country people brought MS pro-
visions which We were permitted 20 buy.
The fare ~ oar quarts ir0S not much bcf-
ter fh1H oar 0uu.
Of iufcur0u0f cruelty I s0lf nothing,
but ON the contrary, always found both Of
nccrs and men YerV friendly and ODlieng.
and most willing 90 alleviate our lot. w hen
requested 20 bring u- tobacco on other ar
tices from town. they were always glad TO
do So. and acrer hc0rd 0f ~ single lt-
sf0ncc in uhich such "a request r1s Ic-
fused.
The horrors Of Anders0nyille are not 10 De
denied, but that was am exception-the
cruel policy adopted by the southern gov
eminent To- compel the North TO exchange
prisoners, rhich me Worth refused 10 d0,
etc."
Since writing the above l have seen
another gentleman, who tells me that he
knows number of C0niedcrates Who
"yaried" their abundant" dietat Johnson
Island with the flesh of rats, an article Of
food which was also enjoyed by the lieu-
tenant whom mentioned in the first part
OF my letter. X. II. DABNEN.
University Of Virginia, February ., 1890.
The above letter, az you see, contains
nothing pOlcmical or Onc-sided on my part.
] have i'm fact. RETAINED from the expires
sion of amy opinion whatever, cOniining
myselft0 quoting the opinions Of others.
Tie testimony is certainly worthy Of notice.
but the Nation wishes 10 suppress it, and /.
therefore, appeal 20 The IlMEs for a hear
ing. Il. II. DABNEY.
L University of Virginia, February q, lsyO.
Jefferson Davis.