The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-27

tIlttSe StFcES 5OSck2NSpSrhNN
from, 1t was done without the sanction
and against the orders of these Sonftd-5
crate authorities. And that exactly the
reverse OF this is true as to the Federal
authorities, we have established by the
most Overwhelming mass of testimony.
furnished almost entirely from Northern
sources.
TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.
But we cannot protract this paper; lt
is already much longer than we int aded:
or desired It should be. We would IKE
to have embraced in it, a. full dis :Ission
of the treatment OF prisoners on both
sides; but we must leave this. and the
treatment Of Mr. Davis whilst a prisoner.
for some future report. If any one de-
sires, In advance OF that. to zee 1uii
discussion of these subjects, we refer. as
to the former, to the very able art'eies
by Rev. j. William Jones, D. =, N
volume l. Southern Historical society d
pers, beginning with page 1ls and running
through several number OF that Voiuilie'
in which he a6duces a. mass of tssa'nnay.
and connletely yiudicates the 5ol-h. he
shows:
i. CAS- Mr.. Davis states it, From lie
reports of the United States WAR Lee Lee
partment, that though we had sixty u It's css
and more Federal prisoners Ian lney
had Of Confederates, six Thousand mos
OF Confederates died in Northern prisons
than Led of tederals in southern PTS prs
ons."
70, That the laws Of the Confederate
Congress, the regulations OF oui sui 70
general. the orders Of our generals IN eile
field and of those who had the lmmef.iate
charge of prisoners. all provided ttiae
they should be kindly treated, suppleo
With The same rations that our soldiers
had, ana cared for when sick IN hosplt-s
ais and placed on precisely the same
footing as Confederate soldiers.
go If these regulations We're Vioiateo
by subordinates in individual instances,
ii was done without the knowledge or
consent of the Confederate authorities,
which promptly rebuked and punished
any case reported.
f4l If prisoners failed to get luii Ia-
lions, or had those of inferior quality, the
Confederate soldiers suffered the same
g,riyations, and these We're the necessa-
nv consequences Of the mode of carrying
on the war on the part of the North.
which brought desulation and ruin on the
South and these conditions were neces-
sarily reflected on their prisoners In our
hands.
ID That The mortality in Southern prls-s
ons resulted from causes beyond our con-
troll. but these could have been greatly az
leviated had not medicine been declared
by the Federal Government as con
traband of war and had not the Fed
eral authorities refused the offer OF our
agent of exchange, the late Judge Ould
that each Government should SEND us
own surgeons and medicines 10 reiieFe
the sufferings of their respective soldlers
in prisons: refused to accept our olief
to let them send medicines, etc. to re-
lieve their own prisoners, without any
such privilege being accorded by them to
us; refused to allow the Confederate Gov
eminent to buy medicines for gold. to-
bacco or cotton, etc, which 1t offered
to pledge its honor should only be used
for their prisoners in our hands; refused
to exchange sick and wounded, and
neglected from August to December, 1864,
to accede to our agents proposition to
send transportation to Savannah and re-
ceiye without any equivalent from ten
to fifteen thousand Federal prisoners.
although the offer was accompanied with
the statement of our agent of exchange
Judge Ould), showing the monthly NOR
tally at Andersonvile, and that we were
utterly unable to care for these prisoners
as they should be cared for, and that
Judge Ould again and again urged COM
nliance with this humane proposal on our
part.
STARVED ON LAND OF PLENTY.
(6) That the sufferings of Confederates
III Northern prisons were terrible, almost
ed in land of plenty: that they were
allowed to freeze where clothing and fuel
were plentiful; that they suffered for hos
pital stores. medicines and proper atten-
ton. when sick; that they were shot by
Sentinels beaten by officers and subject
eG to the most cruel punishrV nts upon
the slightest pretexts; that friends of
the North We're, in many instances, re-
fused the privilege of clothing their ma
kedness or feeding them when they were
starving: and that these outrages were
often perpetrated not only with the
1rnowledee but by the orders of p NJ.
Stanton, Secretary of War of the United
States. And,
"a That the sufferings OF prisoners on
both sides Were caused nv the failure to
carry out the terms of the cartel for ex-
change, and for which failure the Fed
eral authorities We're alone responsible.
These propositions are stated substanti-
ally in the language employed by DR..
Jones, and this writer announced at the
time that he was prepared to maintain
them against all comers.' and although
twenty-five years have since elapsed,
they have never been controverted, in
any essential particular. as far as we have
heard or known. Our people owe DR.
Jones a debt Of gratitude for this able and
effective vindicaton of their course in
this important matter which they can
never repay
AS to the treatment of Mr.. Davis
whilst a. prisoner:
Captain Charles NJ Blackboard Of Lynch
burg, Va, in an article read before the
Virginia Bar Association at it's meeting
at Old Point in 1900, (the facts of which
article were taken entirely from the Of
fetal records OF the Federal Government
showed i'll mastery manner that this
treatment was the refinement of cruelty
and cowardice on the part of the Fed
eTal authorities, and such as should bring
the blush of shame to the cheek of any
American citizen who was in sympathy
with, or a participant in, those acts. Our
people owe Captain Blackford a debt Of
gratitude also for this article. It can be
found in the printed reports OF the Vir-
ginia Bar Association for 1900. Ten thou
sand copies of it We're ordered by the As
ISOLATION to be printed for distribution.
MOTIVES OF REPORTS.
AS we said in our last report it will
Doubtless be asked by some who have no
Just conception of the motives which ac-
tuate us in making these reports, why
we gather up and exhibit to the world
these records of a bitter strife now ended
more than a third OF a century ago?
Does it not, they ask, only do harm by