The National tribune., 1900-12-27
REBEL PRISONS.
Distortions of Facts in Southern Histories.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In the
| History of Our Country" which has beer
compiled by Profs. Cooper, Estill and
| Lennon, all prominent educators of Texas
! and which work has been adopted as the
| standard history for our public schools, the
authors, on page 401, paragraph $50, say
The total number of Confederate prison
ers in Northern prisons has been estimated
at 10000; the Union prisoners in South,
ern prisons, 100000. The Confederates
| who died in Northern prisons numbered
26,246; Federals who died in Southern
prisons, 22,5I6."
These figures, to my mind, hardly seem
right. But, then, / was not Il prison guard
during the war and had little opportunity
to see Confederate prisoners, except at tho
front, when they were first captured, OF
when they We're brought back for cx-
change. | have seen Confederates who
passed several months at Camp Douglass,
JOhnston's Island and other Northern pris-
ons, and | have also seen Federal prison
ers who were only short time in Ander-
Sonville, and what a contrast. This was
most noticeable in the special exchange ar
| ranged between Sherman and Hook after
the fall of Atlanta. None of the men who
were exchanged at that time, on either
side, had been in prison for over three or
| four months. | noticed that the COnfed-
crates were brought down from the North
III DLA SlCdl anu vert All III
to Immediately take the field; while with
but very few exceptions our men were
mere physical wrecks, and had to be treat
ed in hospitals for from 10 days to n month
before they were considered fit to stand the
journey to their homes. Many poor fell
low never was able to reach his home Of
the battery to which belonged there were
IS men exchanged, who We're captured on
the 22d of July, 1864, at the battle of
Peach Tree Creek, and out of the whole
number only three We're ever fit for mill
tary service again, and those three have
long since answered the last roll call.
When captured they were as fine speci-
mems of manhood as you could find in
either army, and | am sure that they were
hurried into untimely graves by the in
human treatment they had endued ut An
Jacksonville. Now, how is it possible that
the death rate could have been greater in
Northern prisons than in such hellhoes as
AndersOnville, Libby. Salisbury, etc?
| will here state that / have lived in the
South and have been associated with eX-
Confederates for many years. / have the
greatest respect for the valor which they
showed on so many hard-fought fields. /
believe that they were honest in their Opin-
ions at the time. They looked upon slavery
as divine institution, because their min
listers preached il and their teachers taught
it. When the end came, but few of them
were Wiling 10 say they mad been mis-
taken. And it cannot reasonably be ex-
pected of them that they will now care to
teach their children that they were rebels
and traitors to their country. They have
proved themselves good citizens since the
surrender, and in our late war they proved
their patriotism. To my mind the darkest
page in the history of the so-called South
ern COnfederacy was the barbarous and in
human treatment of Union prisoners, and
the historian that attempts to defend it
will only make himself contemplate
There can be no defense for it. 1t was in
human, barbarous and hellish. 1t cannot
he defended even on the ground of retalia-
ton, which in itself is always questionable
The only excuse that can be found for it is
the slim one that such men as WirZ
Winder, Turner and others worked them
selves into positions around the prisoners,
and were allowed to remain for the reason
that better men could not take their
places.-R. A. MARSH, Delfina, Tex.