The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-21

ers. principally men who had entered
the Federal Army as substitutes for
those drafted. Over these mcrcenarics.
when thcy were sent unarmed TO join
our forces in tho field. | was appointed
temporarily as chaplain or their sub
sequcnt history. after being armed and
scattered among various commands In
tho field. l know nothing, but I was
glad to be relieved of association with
proved to be while On our journey to
the front
These men were the lowest Of the
low. mercenarics who had been brutal.
lied In prison even more than was
native to them. They had lost any
sense of honor, dccency and shame
they ever possessed. Their blasphemy
was filthy and devilsh, and their
habits more those of beasts than of
human beings. From the very best OF
these men. those with whom l could
converse without being .nexpressibly
shocked. L heard OF the most desperate
deeds. robberies. murders and other
barbarites practiccd among them
selves within the stockade such as
had never conceived to be possible
, Itswas thus I learned that the great
est miscries and sufferings borne By
the prisoners within the stockade were
caused by the outrageous conduct OF
the many depraved characters anon.
them.
1t is not credible that the Confed-
crate authorities hoped to make of
these men good and loyal soldicr
who would not desert to the enemy
on the first opportunity: but the plan
adopted was the only means OF getting
rid OF them and OF relieving them OF
the pitiab!e situation in which they
were.
The motives that induced the Fed
eral authorities to refuse any relief
TO the prisoners of -Andersonville is
matter of record. These motives
were tersely presented in a dispatch
from General L. S Grant, dated City
Point, August IS. 1864: 1t is hard on
our men held in Southern prisons no:
TO exchange them. but 1t is humanity to
those left in the ranks to fight our
battles. II We commence a system of
exchange which liberates all prisoners
taken we Will have to fight on until
the whole South is cxtcrminated. If
'Se hold those caught they amount to
| no more than dead men. At this par
ticular time TO release all the rebel
| prisoners North would insure Sher-
mans defeat and would compromise
our safety here
Concerning Wirz? know person
ally. being on the spot, that Major
/ Henry Wirz, commandment of the An
/ Jacksonville stockade. who was hanged
after the war as the person RESPONSE
bic for the deplorable condition of the
prisoners know that Major Wirz
/ n set..s =, IL.
resources at his command, to alleviate
the condition OF the prisoners under
his charge. He went so far out OF the
usual course OF prison government and
IN favor OF the prisoners az to permit
them to form and to hold their own
/ courts and themselves TO Judge and
TO punish offenders. even to the ex-
treme penalty OF death by hanging,
VIII CHI was executed upon some of their
fellow prisoners for some of the most
airocious barbar!tes committed within
the stockadc. as l believe | have al
ready said
Thus ended the testimony of this
venerable father in God. whose long
and varied life as swell" as soldier
OF the Master. and soldier of his
country has given him All intimate
knowledge OF the sunerings OF hui
manity and made him tolerant of the
folbles OF his fellow men From the
savory bourbouillaise at AIilneburg to
the mule steak and cottonseed pie iof
VicksburG during the seige. from
champagne to the dirty ditch water of
the roadside, has the gamut of his life
run. and through 1t all he has re-
manned and still is the broad minded,
charitable Christian gentleman No
one knows better than he how hunger
grinds and the north wind pinches. and
no one compartments more keenly the
suffcrinSs OF the prisoners OF Ander-
sonville, Johnson's Island, Point Look
out and other plague spots which an
peared as eruptions of the diseases
Of internecine war