Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-08-26
TO cAPTAIN wlRz

The Grand Army of the Repub-
lie and the lady auxiliaries Of that
organization are protesting against
the erection of a monument to
Capt. Henry Wirz, the martyr to
Northern sectional hatred, who
was the commandant at the Ander.
sonVille prison. The memory of
no soldier has been more grossly
maligned than that of Capt. Wirz,
and many people of the North
actually believe him to have been
monster of cruelty who took
pleasure in the sufferings of the
prisoners over whom he had
authority. Nothing could be fur
Their from the truth. He was kind
hearted and considerate, and the
sutferings Of the prisoners was a
genuine grief to him. But he could
not help himself nor them. The
prisoners received the same fare as
was served to the Confederate
soldiers who guarded them. 1t
was poor and scant, but it was the
best that the impoverished Con
federate government could provide
Medicines were lacking, too, but
the COnfederates at Andersonville
suffered from the same lack Just as
the prisoners did.
The federal government had it
in its power to relieve the Ander-
sonville prisoners, but it declined
to do so. On numerous occasions
it was invited to exchange these
prisoners for Confederates held in
Northern prisons, but it assumed
the position that it was better for
its own prisoners to suffer than to
release Southerners to re. enter the
Confederate army. Thus the fed.
eral government neglected it's own
soldiers in order that it might pre-
vent the strengthening of the
Southern armies. The Confeder-
ates would gladly have received
supplies and medicines for the
Andersonville prisoners, and eager
ly sought exchanges, but neither
was eyer forthcoming from the
Washington authorities.
Handicapped in the most terrible
manner, Capt. Wirz did the best
he could; but there was necessarily
sickness, suffering and death; and
the North blamed Capt. Wirz for
it all, whereas the North itself was
more responsible. He was con-
demned and executed by the North
for alleged cruelties, than which no
greater crime was ever perpetrated
upon the person of a brave man.
Capt. Wirz was offered a pardon
if he would charge that President
Davis had given orders for the i'll
treatment of Northern prisoners,
but the true soldier preferred to
suffer death rather than bear false
witness against his commandment
chief. He told the truth about
conditions at Andsrsonville and
the reasons for them but the North
wouldn't believe him. He pre-
ferred death with a clear conscience
to life with a lie on his lips.
A monument is a poor reward
for the heroism and martyrdom of
this brave, Confederate officer, but
it is the best that can now be
offered. And why should the
Grand Army of the Republic
object, in the light of the volume
of evidence in vindication of Capt.
Wirz that has been accumulated
since the ware 1t is to be a South
ern monument to Southern
soldier, and Southern men and
women feel that its an honor to be
connected with the movement for
providing the fund. The North is
in no manner concerned in the
movement. The War Between the
States ended more than forty years
ago, but our people have not for
gotten the heroes who suffered for
them. Savannah News.