New-York tribune., 1908-02-07
THE UIRZ MONUMENT.
Confederate authorities Quoted on
Conditions at 1ndersOnl7Ne.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir; 1t is said that the Wirz monument Will
bear certain Inscriptions which assume. first, that
Wirz was not guilty of excessive cruelty 10 Union
prisoners second that the United States govern
ment is chargeable with the suffering at Ander-
sonvfe; third that the death rates were larger IN
federal prisons than in the prisons OF the Confed
eracy. viii You allow space to some "f the facts
bearing upon the subject, mostly drawn from Con-
federate sources?
In May 1864 Howell Cobb. in command Of the dis
trict. inspected Andersonville. and in his report
says:
intended for only ten thousand and during
attended with increased mortality
No heed was paid to this humane advice. The
crowdlng continued until within those same limits
there were thirty thousand men. Colonel Chand-
ler Inspector General C. s A. in July inspected
the AndersonviIle prison, and in his report to the
Confederate War Department says:
No shelter whatever. nor material for construct
ing any has been provided by The prison "a au{nop neq
none Is'u is within reach Of the prisoners They
supplied with so limited an amount or Iuel
that they compelled to dig with their hands m
the filthy marsh before mentioned for roots MIN
which TO cook their food
What excuse for this be given. when within
less than seven hundred of the stockade there
was forest of towering pines? Again he says:
After inquiry l am confident that green
and other anti-scorbutics could readily be OBJ
-aned
And yet thousands with DIoated HinDS were uElhS
for want of the green which was growing in
abundance around AndersOnville. In supple
mentary report Colonel Chandler says:
duty Requires ] me to 9o esPcfHg apd ha
substitution in his place of some one who unites
both energy and good Judgment with some feelings
of humanity
Colonel Chandler followed his report to Rich
mond apparently that action might be taken there
on Among other Endorsements of this report was
one from Judge J. A. Campbell Assistant Secre-
tary of War; follows:
These reports show a;' condition So9r Of things ;S,e at
position of the department in order that a change
may be made.
Judge Campbell further indorsed that report in
these words:
creasing. until. In the month Of July. ii attained
the extent Of 81 40 cent per thousand. appears
indifference of the authorities charged with their
care.
This and other Endorsements and documentary
evidence reached in due official form the head
quarters of the Confederacy at Richmond. all
pointing the truth of Colonel Chandlers report
that Andersonville "a place of horror difficult
o describe and a reproach to civilization" AS an
ex prisoner of war at Andersonville | do make
any charges of cruelty broader than that The
only notice taken of this report. other than that
which have given by jefferson Davis. who
directly after it's reception promoted Wnder to be
"commissary general In command of all military
Endorsement of the wholesale murder Anderson
willie II not Censure-
The inscription the Wirz monument holds
Grant responsible for the nonexchange of prisoners
OF war What the facts? One of the provisions
OF the cartel under which prisoners Of were
exchanged that all prisoners captured should
be exchanged until the party holding tie lesser
number had exchanged all its prisoners the bal
ance held by the other party TO be paroled. with
the condition that they should not be used in the
military service until declared exchanged by the
consent of both parties
These terms were abrogated by the Confederates.
on December 23 1862. jefferson Davis outlawed by
proclamation General Butler and all officers serv-
ing him. also refusing release any Federal
officers until General Butler had been punished
In July. 1863 Grant parolcd thirty-nlne thousand
prisoners captured at Nicksburg. In the September
following the Confederates declared these paroles
invalid and put the men into their ranks to fight
against
In April. 1854 find Grant instructing General
Butler who had been appointed special agent OF
exchange. that no arrangement for the exchange