The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-06-11
Grimes Fine Speech

N. c., to Union Soldiers
from the State of Maine Who
Died in Prison ThereDuring
the War---Gov. Glenn Repre-
sented by Secretary of State.
Gov. Glenn could not be present at
| the unwilling of the monument in Sal
| isbury erected by the State OF Maine
to her soldiers who died in prison
during the war and lie buried in the
| Federal cemetery there. and at his
| request Hon. j. Bryan Grimes, Secre-
tary of State, represented him and
delivered an address. There was a
| large crowd to witness the ceremo-
| MES and take part therein. Quite a
party of ladies and gentlemen, among
them a number Of State officials and
| prominent citizens, iourneyed from
Maine to pay tribute to their heroic
dead and the occasion was one OF
| profound impression to visitors and
| hosts alike. Mayor Boyden, of Sails
| bury delivered an address Of welcome,
the local military took part in the
| exercises and the citizens OF the town
| generally turned out and extended IL
| genuine North Carolina welcome to
| the visitors. The forty or fifty ladies
and gentlemen from Maine were re-
ceived with kindest of Southern hos
pitality and every courtesy and favor
| was lavished upon them that gener-
Gus feelings and fraternal spirit
could prompt. The visitors we are
told were quite overcome with tender
est emotions as they came to pay
honor to their heroic dead amid the
glorious welcome of the North Caro-
lima living, and they were profoundly
impressed and greatly pleased.
A part of Col. Grimes address fol-
lows:
In the great war between the
States that followed the SOuth's Sc
cession, many thousands of Federal
prisoners fell into our hands, and to
commemorate the death OF those men
from Maine who died for their
country's sake and for the preserva-
ton of the Union you have gathered
to celebrate the unwilling of this
magnificent monument. We are
once more united. We can now talk
of the facts that were as past history.
We can talk about it without bitter
ness, as seekers after truth, for the
day has passed when we dip our pen
in gall in writing the story of our
great Civil War.
In that greatest and bloOdiest OF
fratricidal strifes, there were go, 900
Federal soldiers confined in Confed-
crate prisons OF this number, III
round figures, $4,000 of them died
away from their homes, away from
the clash of arms and in loneliness
and misery and hunger and sickness
and suffering. They were no less
martyrs to the cause than ii they had
fallen upon the field OF battle. Eight
per cent. OF the prisoners that Tel
into our hands died. In your prison
there were 100000 Confederates con
fined; OF this number $4,000 died
Our loss was twelve per cent. of the
men that fell into your hands, and
your loss was eight per cent of the
men that fell into our hands. We did
not sustain your prisoners with the
comforts or the ratiOns to which they
were accustomed. We did not have
them for our own men. We cOulC
scarcely feed our armies in the field
and many a Confederate general as
he rode down the lines was not I'M
familiar with the cry of "bread
bread, bread,' when there was nc
bread. We could not feed our sol
diers, and we could not feed our pris
oners as they should be fed You
prisoners in our hands lacked tn,
medical attention which they shoul,
have had. The Federal Government
declared medicines to be contrabant
of war and we could not obtain them
The Surgeon-General of the Confed
J eracy called the attention of tn,
governmental authorities to TIN
pitiable need OF medical supplies ant
the Confederate Government, through
Mr.. Ould, offered to buy from tn
United States medical supplies at two
and three times the regular prices, tt
be paid for in gold, tobacco or cot
ton. This medicine was to be devoted
strictly and exclusively to the use O
r Federal prisoners, and Mr. Ould fur
Their offered, if the Federal Govern
2 ment insisted upon it, that the
surgeons could come within our line
and administer to their sick ant
wounded and see that this medicin
was restricted exclusively to the U.s.
e OF Union prisoners. This was deniel
: to us. SO you will see that the Con
, | fo1ara 70 Govorp popt MO cpot opt;rol
responsible for the great suffering
and death in these prisons. Gu
l Confederate authorities made over
: ture after overture to the Fedora
Government to exchange prisoners
but they were steadily refused. F.
e nally General Lee took this matte
up with your great commandment
: chief, General Grant, as he believe
I the sufferings Of the soldiers wOul
appeal to the martial spirit of tina
e old hero; but General Grant denie,
it; and, that we may keep within tn
D record, l will read you an abstrac
;. from General Grants letter:
CITY POINT, August Is, 1864.
ITO GENERAL BUTLER.
''On the subject of exchanges, how
ever, differ from General Hitcl
> cock. 1t is hard on our men held i
u Southern prisons not to exchane
them, but it is humanity to thos
left in our ranks to fight our battles
=. Every man released on parole, Q
+ otherwise, becomes an active soldie
7 against us at once, either directly @
% Indirectly. If wecommence a syster
J. OF exchange which liberates all pris
q oners taken, we will have to fight o
a until the whole South is extermina
. ted. Ii we hold those caught, the
amount to no more than dead mel
''U. S. GRANT"
But, my friends, we are to-da,
~ thank God, a reunited country, an
IN Maine and Carolina join hands an
- vie with each other to make this I'll
fnn =,