Washington sentinel., 1898-06-25
WE'RE THERE "SPANIARDS" IN
TaE LATE OWL WARP
Sad "Reminiscences.

The refusal of the Spanish to ex-
change Hobson and other Ameri-
can prisoners in their hands, is
only an imitation of the doings
Of the Federal Government during
the Civil war. They refused to
exchange their own prisoners in
the South, because provisions
there being scarce, those prisoners
would, as CO. consumers ofthe little
stock, sooner bring on the collapse
Of the Confederacy. just as the
Spaniards now use Hobson for de.
fensive military purposes to pre-
vent their firing on Moro Castle,
When the war broke out the
ConfedeTates made more prisoners
than the North. The consequence
was that on the exchange LISTS the
ConfedeTates had at certain time
a large surplus in the number Of
prisoners by them sent back with
out an equivalent When later on
the Northerners made more pris-
oners than the South they would
not recognize the surplus Of the
ConfedeTates. The latter were
finally compelled to yield their
surplus and offer to exchange man
for man. That was refused by the
North for military reasons, as a
retention in captivity OF Northern
men would weaken the Conteder-
ates.
The latter, not having medicines
and other necessaries to furnish to
the Union prisoners whom the
North did not want to exchange
(medicines being declared contra
band of war by the Christian Stan
ton Government) offered to relieve
the misery of the Northern prison.
ers by buying Of the Union Gov
ernment medicines, ETC., for golds
and, in order to make it a sure
thing, asked that Federal surgeons
be sent South to see that those
medicines were given to none but
Northern prisoners. This was re-
fused.
So limited became the stock of
medicines that Surgeon J. c. Pilot
writes, September 8, 1864, from
Andersonville (this letter was pro-
duced by the Judge Advocate in
the WIrz triaD:
We have little more than the indigen.
QUA barks and roots with which to treat
the numerous forms OF disease to which
cur attention is called daily. For the
treatment of wounds, ulcers, etc, we
have literally nothing. except water.
Our wards, some OF them, are wild with
gangrene, and we are compelled to fold
our arms and look quietly upon its raw
ages, not even having stimulants to sup
port the system under its depressing
influence; the article being so limited
in supply that II car only be used for
cases under the knife.
But the Washington authorities
did not want to exchange skele-
tons for healthy men,"
Finally, when all hope of ex
change was gone, the Conieder-
ates, in despair at the cruel policy
of the Washington Government
which sacrificed its own prisoners,
and in orcer to end the misery OF
thousands Of Northern prisoners
on hand, whom to help they had
not the MEANS offered early in
August. 1864, through Col. Ould,
the Confederate commissioner, to
deliver up all the Federal sick and
wounded, without requiring any
equivalent in return, and pledged
that the number would amount &c
ten or fifteen thousand, and If II
did not, they would make up thai
number with we'll men. Although
the offer was made early in Angus,
the transportation was not sent iOr
them Ito Savannah) until Decem.
Der, although Col. Ould urged anC
implored Ito use his own words,
that haste should be made. During
that very period the most OF the
deaths at Andersonville occurred
Nevertheless Mr.. Stanton re
ported to Congress, July r9, 1866
that Of Southern prisoners in tn,
North there died a6,436, and o