The National tribune., 1910-01-06
CONFEDERATE PRISONERS OF

Onion ex-prisoners of war was intro
duced by Mr.. Hay. Dec. 16. 1909, and
referred to the Committee on War
Claims. The Bill reads:
Whereas upon Aug. 20. 1864, upon
the suggestion of Maj.-Gen. Foster,
commanding the Union forces of the
Department of the South. 50 Confeder-
late officers were sent to him by the
order of Maj.-Gen. Halleck for pur-
poses d retaliation, the said Foster be-
ing under the impression. from certain
between him and MAJ
Gen. Jones, of the Confederate army,
that certain Union officers, held as pris-
oners of war in the city of Charleston,
IS. c., were so located in said city that
they were in danger of being injured
from the explosion of shells fired from
Batteries Wagner, Gregg and other
land batteries and the United States
fleet; and
Whereas after mutual explanation be-
tween the said United States and Con-
federate Generals the said so Confed-
crate officers sent to Gen. Foster as
aforesaid were exchanged for an equal
number of United States officers; and
Whereas. notwithstanding said ex-
planation and exchange, upon the ap-
plication of the said Gen. Foster, upon
officers were sent by order of NAL
Gen. Halleck from Fort Delaware to
Morris Island, on the coast of South
Carolina, and after being crowded to-
gether upon a certain steamer, known
as the steamer Crescent, for Is days,
said steamer being totally inadequate
to accommodate such a number, were
landed in a weak and emaciated cOndi-
ton, resulting from the voyage upon
a OF taon q r1
and were placed in a stockade built for
their occupancy, where they remained
from Sept. 9 to Oct. 20. 1854. with no
shade to protect them from the sum-
upon the sandy beach, exposed to acci-
dents from bursting shells fired by
their comrades from the city Of
Charleston in response to the United
States guns from said forts and fleet.
their food all the while being four hard
tack army crackers, one ounce of fat
meat and ons-half pint of soup. or
mush sometimes; and this ration was
for each "a hours. with no water, eX-
cept that oozing out of certain holes
dug in the sand, which was warm and
of brackish taste. which could not
have been drank except for the neces-
sity of the moment; and
Whereas on the day OF -,
1s-. the said 800 Confederate officers
were removed from said stoclsade and
falsely induced to believe that their
sufferings were to end by q return to
the oity Of Charleston and exchanged,
when soon their eXultation was reduced
to painful depression when informed
that they were to be takes to Fort Pu-
Iaski for purposes Of further alleged
retaliation; and
Whereas upon their arrival at said
fort they were assigned to its classmates
as their quarters. and in said quarters
suffered from cold. hunger and expos
ure, being without proper bed clothing,
clothes. or food, by reason of which
they were subjected to intense suffering
and in many instances to disease and
death. and while in said quarters their
rations for each 20 hours was 10 ounces
OF cornmeal and one-half pint Of Gu
cumber and onion pickle. which alone
constituted their ration: and
Whereas On the - day Of -,
1S-, said number Of Confederate Off
GERS were divided. 200 being sent to
Hilton Head. on the coast of South
Carolina, and these subjected at the
aforesaid, where they remained until
the ~ day of -. 18-. when all of
said officers. except about 290, who died
of this cruel treatment, were returned
to Fort Delaware. sick. emaciated and
suffering from their treatment as afore-
said; and
Whereas the treatment of said off,
GERS, as aforesaid, could not be justified
upon principles of civilized warfare,
and might leave stain upon the good
name of the United States Government,
and esta an inhuman principle in
the event of future wars, in order that
reparation may be made and said con-
sequences be avoided; therefore
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representative of the United
States of America in Congress assem-
bled. That the Treasurer of the United
States is hereby ordered and directed
TO pay, out Of any money in the Treas
ury Department not otherwise appro-
priated, the sum of $1,000 to each sur
yiyor. and to the legal heirs or repre-
sentatiVes of the dead of these GOO Con-
federate officers who were prisoners of
war confined on Morris Island, Fort
Pulaski, and Hilton Head, S. c., 1864
to 1865.
Men who went thru the horrors Of
Belle Isle, Andersonville, Florence and
Salisbury will read with deep isterest
this pathetic plant of the Confederate
prisoners which they think earned them
$4,000 apiece. They will contrast the
'isufferings" OF those men on a steamer
which was somewhat crowded and the
plants that they only got four hardtack
crackers, one ounce of meat asd a half
a pint of soup for "a hours with their
own actual experience in being crowd
ed into cattle cars for days at time
and not getting possibly one-tenth of
the daily ration issued to the Confed-
crates. There will be some amusement
as the whereas" reciting the mental
sufferings of the officers who were
buoyed up with the hope of exchange,
but heart-broken when they learned
that further imprisonment was their
lot. How many times the Union pris-
oners had this experienced We need
not, however, comment further upon
this bill. as every ex-prisoner of war
will make his own very volubly as he
reads this interesting document.
The London papers speak quite ap-
prOvingly of President Taft's interven-
ton in Central America. They say
hat the United States and Mexico have
made themselves responsible for peace
in Central and South America, and that
any necessary steps toward that end