The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-22
THE MILITARY PRISONS
Disposition of Men Captured in
Spanish-American War.
AN HISTORICAL PRECEDENT
We Do Not Need to Resort to Camps to
Hold An Spanish Prisoners Likely
TO Be Taken-Battle Ends
In Victory or Death.

There is an important feature of war
that has been so far ignored by our
press.
1 Politically. battle ends in victory or
death. Many a brave soldier. how
ever. is neither victorious nor dead af-
ter battle. but in a military prison.
Even the grave IL a more lively end Tor
a soldier than this. and decidedly more
Interesting TO the public. In the un-
wholesome atmosphere of the prison
camp military tinsel o tarnishes. Ma
poleon at the read OF his armies was
the most glorious figure eve before a
bewildered world; dead. he is a nations
anspiration: but a prisoner at 81. Hell
sna he was only a somewhat corpulent
person with a bad temper. The venera-
BILE General Neal Dow. in a grease
stained and tattered uniform, with an
old red skull cap on his head, seated
on a stool in Libby prison was not an
imposing figure
But Spanish prisoners of war are be-
ing taken, and they must be cared for.
Spanish prisons are already prepared
for American soldiers and sailors. and
we are concerned in the fate of our
men who occupy them. Unless the
war develops into a land fight of unex-
pected dimensions the old forts used
during the civil war VIII serve for the
accommodation of our Spanish guests.
The prisoners made when prizes were
Wtlt ~
ill released. and a few would-be span
Ash recruits are now confined in Fort
Taylor. Some OF the first prisoners Of
war will go to Fort Lafayette, in New
York harbor. where many civil prison
ers have been confined in war times. At
Governors island and Fortress Monroe
confederate officers were kept out OF
mischief, and in the West officers and
some men Were confined in the state
prisons. 1t was from the state peni-
fentiary at Columbus that General
Morgan. the raider. and a dozen other
officers made their celebrated escape.
Two hundred and twenty-five thou
sand confederates were captured and
sent North before Lee surrendered. If
we bring over even a tenth OF this num-
Der of Spaniards 1t will be neces-
sary for us to establish prison camps.
such as existed in both sections of the
country during the rebellion. The rebel
prisoners were herded at Elfnira. y.
Y; Johnston's Landing. near Sandusky,
o.: Point Lookout. on the Potomac,
and there was a large camp near Chi
cago, where a conspiracy to arm the
prisoners and sack the city was almost
brought to a successful issue.
: The treatment of prisoners of war
confined in p~enitentiaries or in the
forts of the United states Is not diff
ferent from that accorded TO the in
mates of Ludlow street Jail. in New
YORK CITY. 1niS olu jan mas lAStli btfH
a repository for political and military
prisoners. The prison camps were
something sui generis. A large, flat
tract of perhaps 30 acres was cleared
of trees n surrounded by a wooden
stockade. Into the inclosure the pris-
oners were driven and left TO shift for
themselves. In all the Northern camps
the troops were sheltered by huts and
allowed the regular military rations,
so that they lived as comfortably as
our soldiers in the field. II a military
prison is BEAUTIFULLY located, the in
mates have nothing TO fear but over
crowding and bad food. These were
the causes OF the terrible suffering OF
union soldiers confined i'm the military
prisons of the South. If Spain cap
tured our whole volunteer army she
would not have as many prisoners as
were taken by the southern states. II
is estimate that 127. 900 men were
held in Southern prisons. About l in
3L of these prisoners came North alive.
The largest prisons in the South were
Libby and Castle Thunder. at Rich
mond, and Salisbury. in North Caro-
lima. There were "A number Of prison
camps. the best known being Belle Isle,
Camp Lawton, near Millin. Ga. and
Camp Sumter at Unreasonable Ga.
Sumter was an open field. about 1.5OO
feet long by 200 wide. through which
ran a small brook. 1t was surrounded
by a stockade made of the trunk of
trees placed close together, with one end
in the ground: the other end was point
ed. At the top of this wall of trees 81
sentry boxes were built. from each of
which a view of the whole camp could
be obtained. There was an outer
ssockade lower thar the other. and the
area between them was commanded by
artillery placed at all the angles. With
,n the stockade and parallel 10 il there
stood a line of posts three feet high and