The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-19
THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL.
Prisoners of War in the Rebellion.

THE Wirz incident in the late Grand Army en-
= campment is quckening reminder to the ris-
this country and that it war capable OF develop
ing the utmost and cruelty. Wars Of brother
against brother have in history fallen short only Of
religious wars in the possibilities Of violence and
crime That the rebellion was fought with SO few Z
Incidents of the Wirz kind is monument in itself to
the high state of civilization that existed in the states
1t must be remembered that at the beginning OF
the conflict it was question whether the south had
any beligerent rights which the north was bound to
respect It was possible under the laws Of the land
to treat them insurrectonsts to hang their pris-
traitors and to treat their ground con-
quered land. At the outset there was movement IN
the north to do this very thing The first prisoners
captured by the United States were the crew Of
southern brig They about to be tried pirates
and legally they were since they had seized vesse
OF the United States and turned i; against the COM
merce of this country. But the strict application of
the law would have inevitably led retaliation and
the war would have degenerated into frightful
slaughter Of rePrsals Public sentiment both north
derby and decently conducted was paved by the
wise, prudent and mercifu disposition Of President
Lincoln. While no one exceeded him IN determination
that the should be prosecuted vigorously until the
union restored he also the section Of the north
which recognized the need of conducting the conflict
in the way to most easily heal the breach between the
contending states at it's close.
One of the most necessary things to this end
the recognition of prisoners Of and provisions for
their exchange These were regularly made in good
faith by both sides with occasional misunderstanding
which exaggerated the anmosity of the until after
the issuance Of the proclamation Of emancipation and
the enlistment of coored troops. These pro-
duced CONSERVATION in the south and Jefferson Davis
issued order to deliver the state authorities
all commissioned officers of the United States captured
in any OF the states embraced in the emancipation
proclamation to be punished criminals engaged in
exciting servile instruction. This followed up
by refusal to exchange coored prisoners the white
officers OF colored regiments The United States could
not make any distinction between it's troops account
of color and there the matter rested in 1864 exchanges
having practically ceased and immense number of
prisoners of war having been gathered both Sides
This policy of inaction responsible for the hur-
rledy constructed military prisons at Richmond, An
dersonvie Belle Isle and Salisbury in the south where
SO many union soldiers died of neglect and downright
cruelty The south used to deny that there any
unusual features about their prisons and point to
deaths Of confederates in northern prisons showing
that such events inevitable and not the product
of mans cruelty The fact remains, however, that
more men died in the SHAMELESS of Andersonville in
few months than died in all the northern military
prisons during the whole period of the The south
seems to be convicted Of excessive in its treat
ment of prisoners in the last days Of the war;
superinduced no doubt by the enlistment of negroes
in the armies of the north.