Omaha daily bee., 1911-06-04
BY WILLIAM II. JEWELL.
)norary Commander Florida Division o
United Confederate Veterans.

lished an article on the above sub
Ject purporting TO come from John Howard
Stibbs. whose photograph appears with
under II the name General Subbs." and
he claims to be the sole survivor OF the
military commission which tried Henry
wirz." I find that there was a member
OF the military court named u. II. Stibbs''
who is given the rank of lieutenant
colonel OF the Twelfth Iowa Volunteers"
Although you are the editor Of northern
paper and northern I'm sentiment and
preiudices and probably view this matter OF
Henry Wirz' trial and death about as
General Stibbs does, yet l am hopeful that
you will open your columns to me and
allow me 20 show the south's side OF this
matter, especially in this semi-centennial Of
the good will and good feeling between the
sections.
am reluctant to revive old and unpleas-
ant war Issues but iu this case It is not I
but General stibbs who once more (and
no doubt with good intentions) brings this
dark story before the public eye. And l
hope that what ! may now say will rather
tend to assuage than to excite feelings Of
bitterness.
The article referred to has Just come
into my possession or / should have en-
desvored to answer II sooner and while
II was fresher in the minds of your readers.
This story of the trial and conviction
and execution Of Major Wirz Che was a
major by ranl) as viewed from the north
ern standpoint casts a dark and shameful
shadow upon the south and II II be not
true--the story as told by the north-then
It does the south very great injustice.
Some two or three years ago the writer
published in the Times Union Of Jack
sonville, Fla, an article upon this subject;
but he does not repeat what he then said,
but will endeavor to present certain facts
In this regard which, IL believed, place a
very different face upon this story. Men,
like women III convinced against their
will are of the same opinion STILL" and 1
can hardly hope to change the view of
General Stbbs and men like him. Naturally
General Stibbs must stand by his own &C
ton; he could not admit himself in the
wrong But there are some people in the
north who read your great paper who are
amenable to reason and will listen to
statements from the other side in this
matter.
/ need not say, that believing, as we Of
the south do, that the trial. conviction and
execution of Wrz was "a judicial muir
der" and that the story of the affair as
told by the north is substantially untrue
and the Infamous charges or reflections
upon the Confederate government basely
false, we do most certainly feel 1t our
solemn duty to follow the course recon-
mended to the Irfshman at Donnybrook
Fair, and try TO hit the head of this lie
whenever we see II. Now use this strong
language in no bitter sense, nor meaning
to reflect upon General Stibbs or upon any
one holding the northern view Doubtless
they believe honestly their side as / do
minei but as they seldom and probably
never have heard our side of this case l
hope they will at least listen while try
10 tell IL, with your permission, for though
could print this article in our southern
papers yet 1t would not reach the people I
want 1t to reach; the people residing in
the north and especially those who read
General Stibbs article in the Daily Bee.
Why AndersOnviIle Fired the North
ern Heart.
do not intend to go into detailed
argument TO show that Major Wirz was
innocent; It would take more space than
I could obtain in your paper. and would
probably be throwing ting and labor away,
But 1 shall try to presdnt some facts-I
believe them to be facta-which tend to
show very different picture from that
dark and bloody one which makes out
President Davis and the south to be a
set Of devils in human form and wirz TO
be poor, pltiful tool.
General stibbs refers to the fact that
wirz was tried upon two charges and
convicted upon both; first, that he con-
spired to effect the death of the prisoners
under his charge; and, second, that he ac-
tually murdered several Of them with his
own hand.
But what fired the northern heart was
the knowledge that thousands of federal
prisoners died at Andersonville unneces-
sarily by reason of the lack OF necessary
medicines. food, clothing. accommodations
etc. Pictures of these poor wrecks OF
men were scattered all over the north
just at or before the close OF the war;
and the most terrible accounts were told
and published of the horrible condition Of
things there Deaths ran up into such
numbers that It shocked human hearts
the world over. 1t was these things and
other similar things spread far and wide
that made the hearts OF the north burn
with the fires of indignation against the
south. President Davis and Major wirz
But say that southern hearts grieved
over this terrible story of suffering and
death from the bottom OF my heart-and
know others felt and feel now as did
then-1 have sorrowed and will ever sor-
row at the thought OF Andersonvine
But l say-and l say IL earnestly, sin
cerely, honestly, with a firm conviction
that I speak the TRUTH say that the
south, nor President Davis nor even Major
Wirz was responsible for the awful horrors
OF Andersonville. We do not deny the
fact OF the sufferings and the excessive
deaths, but We deny that It was in our
power to prevent II.
We all know the cause of the suffering
and deaths; 1t was the lack of food, the
lack Of medicines. the lack Of clothing and
other necessities OF life. 1t was especially
the want Of reasonable acoommoda tons.
Was the Confederate Government
HespOnsibIef
But the confederate government did not
have these necessary things; its own SOL
diers were starving they were dying for
want OF medicines and other necessaales
or comforts.
Was not this great lack the chief reason
why the southern confederacy fell when
and as II did2 Would 1t have gone down
at Appomattox. notwithstanding the i'm
mense disparity OF numbers. could Lee