The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-07-05
THE FARMER AND MECHANIC

OPPORTUNITY TO sell COttOI dJf oAAb
import supplies in return, having &c
! reIy entirely upon the fields and strong
| arms OF the homeland, and constantly
menaced by one Of the greatest armies
Of the world,-it was remarkable thal
the young nation could have survived
a few months Instead Of four
BILE years. And much Of hat Wonder
full history is due to it's chief eXecu-
tive. In answe to one who sought
General Lees estimate Of Mr.. DAVIS
az the head of the government he thus
replied: If my opinion is worth any
thing. you can always say that rev
people could have done better than
Mr.. Davis. | know or none tha1 could
have done as we'll"
And on the other side harsh criti-
cism is giving way to generous and
discriminating judgment. The Hon.
Charles Francis Adams, In a recent re
view Of the latest Life OF Jefferson
Davis which has issued from the
press, pays fitting tribute to the ex-
traordinary ability displayed by the
Confedcracy's great President:
no fatal mistake (says he), either OF
administration or strategy, was made
which can fairly be laid to his account
the means that he had at command. Mere
~ the opposing forces were too many and
too strong for him. OF his integrity, earn
~estness. and fidelity, it seems to me there
can be no more question than can be en-
tertained of his capacity"
Mr.. Davis has been charged with
cruelty to prisoners, and on his shout
ders have been laid the so-called hoF-
rors OF Andersonville'-a charge as
utterly baseless as it Is d~espicably
mean. No more human or gentle
spirit ever walked this earth than JEFF
ferson Davis. AS a matter Of fact,
there was nc deliberate purpose on
either side 10 maltreat prisoners OF
war, or fail to make proper provision
for their care. The sufferings endured
were only the exigencies of the awful
days when great armies were in the
death struggle for mastery. All that
humanity could suggest and the
meager resources of the South could
provide were freely given the brave
men captured in battle. Mr.. Davis
said they were given exactly the same
rations in quantity and quality as
diers in the field, which has been
found sufficient to support them In
their arduous campaigns On the
contrary, Soaded doubtless by false
reports frora the South, the United
States War Department on April 20,
1864. reduced by twenty per cent the
rations issued to Confederate pris-
oners.
with sixty thousand more Federal
prisoners in the South" said Senator
Daniel, than there were Confed-
crate prisoners in the North, four
Thousand more Confederates than Fed
erals died in prison. If those figures
are correct, the very repetition Of the
charge is an insult to intelligence and
~blasphemy against truth. The real
reason for SO much suffering and NOR
tality among the men in Southern
prisons Yves that the Federal govern
ment refused to observe the cartel
agreed upon for the exchange Of pris-
oners. And Genera Grant boldly as
sumed h responsibility tor such re-
fusal in these words:
at is hard en- our men in Southern pris-
ons not tc exchange them. but it is hui
manity to those left to fight our battles.
III we G Ihanns d. q system Of ezehange
viii have to fight until the whole South
is ~externinated. If we hold those caught.
they amount to no more than dead men.
At this particular time to release all rebel
prisoners North would insure Sherman's
defeat and compromise our own safety"
If any unfortunate prisoner was not
comfortably provided for, it was not
because the South would be cruel
to a brother, but on account OF her
exhausted source of supply. During
the last years of the war, General Lee
had meat only twice a week, and his
usual dinner was "a head Of cabbage
boiled in salt water, sweet potatoes.
and a pone o. o bread" If the peer
less comInander-in-chief of the Con-
federate armies was reduced to such
scanty fare, the could not
we'll provide very literally for the gal
liant men in the ranks or behind prison
doors.
Now with this very important
sketch Of a most remarkable career,
I shall briefly refer to some Of the
qualities that made this heroic history
a sublime possibility.
He was an accomplished orator and
a magnificent debater. Having always
complete mastery of himself and Of
the subject in hand, he became a VERT
able master of assem- blies. He met
Sergeant S.. Prentiss in debate-that
inspired wizard of persuasive and
powerful speech-and his friends had
no occasion to regret the contest. Ste
phen A. Douglas found in him the
mightiest champion with whom he