REPORT ANDERSONVILLE MONUMENT COMMISSION LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAICN SNDBHG . 973.7711 V/75r RARE BOOK ROOM Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/reportofwisconsiOOilwisc This 600^ has been digitized through the generosity of Robert O. Blissard Class of 1957 1 University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 16 h ^ f$ *» 5>^ p p*.K.6 u>f< et - / / ■/•' / 'f f > I I REPORT Wisconsin Monument Commission APPOINTED TO ERECT A MONUMENT ANDERSONVILLE, GEORGIA WITH OTHER INTERESTING MATTER PERTAINING TO THE PRISON D. G. JAMES. President C. H. RUSSELL, Secretary LANSING WILLIAMS, Treasurer MAI)IS()\. WIS. Democrat Printing Company, State printer 1911 q n nkj n 5^. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. PA< SLATIV1 ACTIOS CONCERNING ANDERSONVILU COMMISSION AM» Monument: Law Authorizing Committee to Act Law Concerning Publication of Report 7 Organization of Committee 7 ( MATTER II. Tm Monument: I description Dedication I Names of Persons Present 19 Addresses: Hon. L. H. Bancroft General C. R. Boardman D. G. James. President Commission Governor J. O. Davidson 44 Mrs. Sarah D. Winans 50 CHAPTER III. Description of Andebsonvilli Prison 57 CHAPTER IV. sonal Reminiscences oi Prison Life by D. G. James, Com- piler <>i i his Book : Taken Prisoner Arrival at Anderson vi He Introduction to Captain Henry Wirz 67 Treatment in Andersons ill:- 71 Transferred to Florence, South Carolina Ill Treatment at Florence 7" "Flanking" for Extra Rations 7^ Election in Prison Inhuman Punishments Going to be Parolled Good Old Lady in Goldsboro Table of ( Jontents. CHAPTER V l»AGE Fi:o\i l'di i uid's Lui "i Jefferso> Davis: .Military 'I'yianny '.'1 Despotic Police System '.'- Genera] Winder 94 Treatmenl of Union Prisoners CHAPTER VI. .John McElroy's "Story of Southern Prisons:" Bugs in the Soup LOO Genera] Winder Characterized 101 Captain Wirz Characterized 102 Rations Decreasing — Rain Increasing 105 Barter with the Guards 107 Two Kinds of Guards 107 Inhuman Treatment 108 A Ludicrous Incident 109 Awful Condition of the Dead Ill Barrett's Insane Cruelty 112 Punishment by Starvation 113 Snipped off his Toes 115 CHAPTER VII. Investigation of Southern Prisons ky Ordeb of Congress. CHAPTER VIII. From Report of Investigating Committee: Character of General Winder lis United States Army Regulations Concerning Prisoners of War 121 Robbery of Union Prisoners 122 Story of H. M. Davidson ( Pnion Prisoner) 121 Km ranee into Andersonville 124 Condition of Prisoners 127 Appearance Inside L28 Stagnani Water 129 Distribution of Rations 130 The Tennesseeans L33 Sad Scenes L34 The .Most Common Disease L38 A Man Missing 143 Hospital Statement by Leroy Clark 144 About the Surgeons 140 Crazy .loins 150 Recklessness of the Guards l'l Carrying off the Dead L5J Burial Record 1 .".", to T v i ■• i . i op Contents. \ T< b1 Imonj of I'm. qi • .\i w ater The Place and Manner of Burial timony of Lieutenant A \v Pais as (Confederate).... L57 Conaitiou of the Prison Letter o\ James Anderson Lo President Davis 15! CHAPTER l.\ ?i \i \i \i;v of Testimony Concerning Andebsonville: Sources of the Testimony i • ; i Review ol the Testimony i ♦ - 1 Other Confederate Prisons: Johnson's Island L64 Salisbury- Diary of Lucien Holmes L6E Florence — Letter of Sabina Dismutes to Jefferson Davis L67 Clothing 1 t;s Stores Sent from the North to Andersonville 17" Rations Issued to Confederate Prisoners Contrasted with t hose issued to Union Prisonei s 171 Patriotism of Prisoners 17; Retaliation 17" Guilty Knowledge cf Confederate Authorities 17' Reports of Confederate Officials 177 CHAPTKR X. Mortality Among Prisoners I s The Wirz Monument L81 Letter from a Southern Woman 18 CHAPTER XI. Wisconsin Soldiebs Buried \i Andebsonville: List of Names 1 v 1 Number from Various Organizations 19 • CHAPTER XII. Trial oi Captain Wirz: Detail for Commission and Charges 191 Testimony in Support of the Char] Lieutenant Prescott Tracy, Union 192 William Dillard, Confederate Ambrose Spencer, Southern Citizen 194 B ston Corbett, Union aer Hamilton. Catholic Priest Dr. Hopkin's Report, Thomas^ Ule, <;a Dr. Jcseph Jones, Confederate Surgeon ::i! ( ' < '. Roy, Confederate Surgeon vi Table of Contents. Condition of Prisoners in Hospital page .1. ('. Bates, Confederate Surgeon 212 A. V. Barrows Surgeon 27th Mass 217 Rations of Prisoners in the Hospital 218 Vaccinal ion of the Prisoners 219 Oliver B. Fairbanks, Cnion 220 Letter from Gen. Cooper to Gen. Howell Cobb 221 Report of D. T. Chandler, Inspector 221 Dogs or Hounds at Andersonville Colonel G. C. Gibbs, Confederate 222 .Nazareth Allen, Confederate 222 William Dillard, Confederate 223 Colonel J. H. Fannin, Confederate 223 James P. Stone, Union 224 I )r. A. V. Barrows, Union 226 Chain Gang John F. Heath, Confederate 227 Alexander Kennell, Union 228 Andrew J. Spring, Union 228 Charles E. Tibbies, Union 228 Kobert Tate, Union 228 Dr. A. V. Barrows, Union 229 The Stocks Dr. A. V. Barrows. Union 230 Nazareth Allen, Confederate 230 AVhipping Yicenzio Bardo, Union 230 AVilliam Jennings, John Fisher, Union, Colored, and H. C. Lull, Union 231 Shooting of Prisoners by Guards Dr. A. V. Barrows, Union 231 Tnomas C. Aleoke and S. D. Brown, Union 232 Charles H. Russell Union 235 Condition of Prisoners in the Stockade Felix De La Baume and Charles H. Russell, Cnion and Dr. F. C. Castlen, Confederate 236 Private Property Taken from Prisoners T. C. Aleoke and C. H. Russell, Cnion 237 Rations Oliver B. Fairbanks, Union 238 Supplies from the North James K. Davidson. Union 238 Frank Maddox, Cnion 239 Captain Wirz' Receipt for Supplies 239 William Hull, Cnion 240 Authority of Wiiz over Hospital 240 Supplies Found in Georgia and Alabama in 1864-'65 1 -• oi ge Welling, Union 243 W. T. Davenport, Confederate 243 Table of ( Ionten ps \ ii Wir/.' Statement of Having Been in the Union Army Charles H. Russell _ 1 1 Lettei of Captain Wirz to Gen. J. H. WilBon 245 CHAPTER XIII Findings of i he Court: "Guilty" 247 Sentence, approi al, execution 25] CHAPTER XIV. Concerning Jefferson Davis lnd Generai Lei 252 Conduit of Rol-ert E. U Concerning Pension tor Davi: • . - . > CHAPTER XV Clara Barton's Report of Visit to Andersonvilli in Summer of 1S6T, CHAPTER XVI. AndebSonviixe Since the Civil War The Cemetery, a> n i* now !90 Providence Spring 29 1 Treasurer's Retort 292 A Pathetic Poem ILLUSTRATIONS I'M. I Wisconsin Monument at Andersonville Frontispii PaTty of ex-prisoners at the foot of Monument 11 Group around Providence Spring 1 :; Group on the Day of Dedication 17 Hon. Levi H. Bancroft General Charles R. Boardman 35 Governor James O. Davidson 45 Mrs. Sarah D. Winans 51 Vi- u of stockade and surrounding's 56 Plat of the prison grounds 56 Map of the vicinity of the prison 59 David G. James, President of the Commission 62 Picture taken at the place of capture of Comrade .lames f>4 North gate of the prison 69 South end and sink 1 26 Awaiting entrance of more prisoners, at the North gate 126 Distribution of rations 131 Some Andersonville homes 1 36 South end of the prison 1 39 North end of the prison L40 North end of the prison — sink in the foreground 146 South end of the prison — showing the dead-line 117 Digging trenches for the burial of dead prisoners 154 Looking toward the south end of the prison 202 Charles H. Russell, Secretary of the Commission 234 The care-taker's cottage 271 Mrs. Lizabeth A. Turner 273 Relics of prison life — Preserved at Andersonville 275 The Cemetery Entrance 277 Section one 279 Section two 281 Section three 283 Section four' . 285 Providence spring — The Pavilion - s 7 Lansing Williams. Treasurer of 'l"' Commission 293 PBEPACE. I desire to say to the readers of this report that T alone as- sumed the work of compiling this volume of honors. You will .isk me why I have put this off until aearly half a century after the crime was committed. Tn the firsl place, it was so revolt- ing thai the survivors desired to forget it, if such a thing were possible. It" was not. and for yea is it haunted us in our dreams a1 night The running sores on our bodies were reminders in our wakeful hours of what we had endured. Then the most of our number belonged to that class of citizens who were com- pelled t<> take up some trade or business for a livelihood, as the meager salary received from the government did not suffice for a life of ease and comfort for the balance of our days on earth. And again, T was not able for manv years to gel the official documents to verify what I desired to give to the public, know- ing full well that a recital of what follows would hardly be believed without some verification. It is no pleasure to do all this work, but a duty I owe to the thousands of those comrades who were the victims o\' the system and whose voices U ri,- Bilen< ed by a loathesome death. I did not desire to recite these t Molts until, owing to the so called southern historians falsifying the facts, after destroying all the records to which they had access, it became a necessity — a duty. Tt was a very charitable and humane acl "ii the part of our government t«» decline to retaliate by giving our prison- ers the same treatment the Rebels did us. Bui now. at this late date, to have them erect a monument to Wir/ ami put it where it will be most conspicuous for those who go to Ajidersonville to lay a wreath ou the grave of gome dear friend: tn ereel a monumenl to Jeff Davis and have the temerity t<» request the loyal citizen who passes by to alighl from his carriage and 4 Report op A-ndersonville Mum mint Commission stand before il uncovered with bowed head in reverence for a fiend incarnate; to follow thai with a silver punch bowl on one of our battleships sailing under the stars and stripes, with the head of the traitor embossed on il with the following in Bcription:- "Mississippi's Loyal Patriotic Citizen"; to have Genera] Lee's monumenl in the Hall of Fame in the national capitol, clad in a Rebel uniform; and now agitating the move 1<> have Jeff Davis's pu1 beside it, I think it is a little too much I'm us to bear in silence. The few survivors of those atrocities have reason to feel grieved at such a display of audacity. They ought to have been satisfied with letting those leaders escape unhung with- out putting these reminders in the place most conspicuous for the friends of those who suffered the tortures of a thousand dentils a1 their hands. Their victims seem to have been for- gotten so far as our politicians are concerned, lias ('(ingress ever passed a resolution of gratitude or remembered the survi- vors or the widowed mothers of those men in any way \ No1 one word or one farthing to show their gratitude, but vice-versa, when Jeff Davis's remains were removed to Richmond to be placed in their last resting place, the United States Marine Band was scut at the expense of the government to participate in the ceremonies. These facts and many more T might mention, prompt me to give the survivors and the Friends of those who succumbed to the torture inflicted on the helpless in the several prisons of t he South the history as revealed to t he congressional committee and the court thai tried Captain Wirz. David G. James. KEPOKT OF THE WISCONSIN MONUMENT COMMISSION. CHAPTER 1. LEGISL LTIVE ACTION CONCERNING ANDERSON- VILLE MONUMENT AND COMMISSION. Son. David (J. Williams introduced a bill appropriating ten thousand dollars for the erection of a monument in the prison park at Andersonville, Georgia, commemorative of Wis- consin soldiers who suffered and died there. This bill was ap- pro! Chapter 322, Laws of 1903. Section 2 of this act provided that the governor be authorized to appoinl a com- ssion of three ex-union soldiers who had been confined ra said prison in 1864 to have charge of the erection of this monu- ment Governor La Follette appointed as such commission, D. unexpended balance of the appropriation made in Chapter 322, Laws of 1903, as amended by Chapter 321, Laws of L9 s Report of Andersonville Moni ment Commission and Chapter i:'.7, Laws of L907, and Chapter 381, Laws of L901, an amended bj Chapter L99, Laws of L903, and Chapter 371, Lawa ol shall reverl to the Btate and be placed into the Btate treasury. The Commission mel at Madison, Wisconsin, September 7, L904, and organized by electing D. G. James, president ; C. II Russell, secretary, and Lansing \\ illiams, treasurer, h was then derided thai the Commission go to Andersonville to locale a suitable position tor the monument, which they did November 19, 1904, locating the same at the northwest corner of w hal had been the inside stockade. Propositions were submitted for de- signs, with the result that none of those furnished was con- sidered appropriate Tor the purpose, and all were rejected. The Commission again advertised for designs, when, after due consideration, they called to counsel with them Governor La Follette and Prof. Alexander Miller, and they jointly settled on the design which was accepted. Description of the Moni ment CHAPTER II. DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT AND DEDICATION SERVICES. The monument is principally of Georgia granite, the top lie- in-- surmounted by a large American eagle in bronze. The in- scriptions on ils four sides are as follows: West Face. (Wisconsin Coat of Arms.) This Monument ted by the State oe Wisconsin IN Grateee l Remembrance of our Sons Who Suffered and Diki» in Andersonville Prison, March, 1864 — April, 1865. E \st Face. Wisconsin. Wisconsin Coat of Arms.) Known Dead 578, To live in hearts We leave behind, IS not to die. Near the base of the monument; in Larger letters, are the famous woi da of I len. I rranl : let us have peace. Ki Report of A.ndersonville Moni mint Commission The designs on two Bides are duplicates and consist simply of a larg< " W " enclosed in a wreath, with the figures ' L90I underneath. Near the lower pari of the structure, in four differenl pla the following official data have been inscribed: Commission appointed in 1904 by K. M. LaFollette, Governor. D. G. James, President, Richland Center, Wisconsin, 16th Wisconsin [nfantry. L. Williams, Treasurer, Columbus, Wisconsin, 1st Wisconsin [nfantry. ('. II. Russell, Secretary, Berlin, Wisconsin, 1st Wisconsin ( Javalry. Dedication of the Monument. Through the courtesy of Mr. McLaughlin, editor of the Stev- ens Point Journal, we quote the following: The dedication of the Wisconsin Monumenl a1 A.nderson- ville, Ga., look place on Oct. 17. 1907, in the presence of about one hundred residents of the state, whose names appeal* later. The special train which conveyed the excursionists was com- posed of a combination baggage and smoking car and three Pullman sleepers. The train left Madison over the St. Paul railroad early in the afternoon of October 15, and after 1 ravers- in. Winans, vice-president of the corps, who came from Toledo, Ohio, for that purpose; singing of America by the entire assemblage. Among the excursionists were about fifteen former Anderson- vine prisoners, and to them the visit was of absorbing and per- sonal interest. The old stockade which surrounded the prison has been carried away or rotted down until not a vestige of it remains, but the grounuds have been marked with posts show- ing where the stockade and dead line formerly stood; and one of the first things the Cornier prisoners did was to locate and point mil to their friends Hie spot where each was located when in th«- prison. The places some of them occupied at that time were mere dugouts or holes in the ground covered with blank- ts, il*. indeed, they were lucky enough to have them. On some po;i ions of i!m ground there are trees at least eighteen inches in diameter, and of corresponding height. These trees were not out, but came up from seeds bloAvn there, and the entire growth has been made in Corty-two years,— thus presenting a splendid objed lesson in the possibilities of forestry and forest culture. All the visitors had, of course, heard of Providence Spring, the unexpected breaking out of which has been told in prose and poetry, and all availed themselves of an opportunity to taste its waters, some cai i \ ing a sample home with them. During a visit to these grounds six years ago we were told a little story, a personal reminiscence which may hear repeating here. While on the grounds we me1 p woman who lias always lived aboul a mile from the prison. Her father, she said, had lii Report of Andersonville Monument Commission served in the Confederate army but, being incapacitated, came home mid helped build the stockade. One day after the prison was occupied she went down to the gate with her mother and a party of friends to sec the prisoners. She was then aboul six years old. While a1 the gate a prisoner asked one of the guards for some tobacco the Confederates always being well supplied with tobacco. The guard said, "How will yon gel it ! if I throw it to yon it will fall into the sand." "Let the little gir] bring it to me." said the prisoner. "They then asked me to carry the tobacco," said the woman, "but the prisoners looked mi dirty and ragged, and I heard such awful stories about the Yankees, that I was afraid of them, — afraid they would kill me. Finally, however, after much coaxing, I ventured to carry the tobacco, and when I reached the prisoner lie took me Up in his arms, kissed me. asked me how old I was, and said lie had a little girl at home just my age." Whether the man ever re- turned home and had the blessed privilege of again taking his own little girl in bis arms of course the woman did not know. The excursion train started on its homeward journey in the evening of the same day of its arrival, stopping an hour at Macon, spending a day at Atlanta, two days on the battle fields of Chattanooga, one day at Nashville and arriving in ( Jhicago a1 nine oYiock Wednesday morning, — the journey from that city and back having occupied a little more than seven days: but. of the homeward journey, more at another time. The excursion was under the personal direction of I). (J. James, presidenl of the commission. To say that he proved himself the righl man in the righl place is to use a hackneyed expression, yet it admirably iits this case. All tin 1 details were intelligently planned and carried out to the entire satisfaction of the party. To manage successfully an excursion is a dif- ficult task, yet Mr. .James was equal to the occasion. II. C. Bailey of Chicago accompanied the excursionists as the official representative of the Louisville & Nashville railroad. He Looked carefully after Hie interests of all, and made a personal friend of every one in t he party. < a Pi :7. 3 Q at two X DbB( RIPTI0N OF THE M0N1 mini 19 Names of Persons Present \t the Dedicatory Services. Where the oame of state is not printed, read Wisconsin. Gov. J. 0. Davidson and wife, Madison. Gen. C. R. Boardman and wife, Madison. Col. -T. G. Salsman and wit'*'. Madison. 1 I I Munson and wife, Viroqna. linn. .1. A Prear, Secretary <»t' State, and wife. Hudson. D. G. James and daughters, Ada and Vida, Richland Center C. II. Russell and wife, Berlin. Lansing Williams. Columbus. Belle Williams. Columbus. Blanche Williams, Columbus. i«»r N. P. Bird, Wausaukee. C. Sayle, Madison. Col. W. H. Joslin, Richland Center. David Schreiner, Lancaster. Brown, Detroit, Michigan. \ F. Hall, Janesville. R. P). Showalter and Martha Showalter, Lancaster. S Sancermann, Winston, Illinois. I'.. P. Washburn, Excelsior. Alfred Burdick, Milton. W. W. Chadwick and Harriet Chadwick, Monroe. Col. Geo. M. Neckerman, Madison. X Bnrch, Menomonie. Hon. I \eo. B. Burrows, Madison. I [on. R. J. Flint, Menomonie. ( !apt. IIiilHi Lewis. Madison. >. B. McMillan, < hrand Rapids. Arehie McMillan, Grand Rapids. ( '. J. Kirch, Madison. T. 1 [. Ramsey, Berlin. A. C. Btscheid, < hirtiss. L. M. Btscheid, Curtiss. \V. E. Ashard, Madison. II. I.. Ashard, Madison. H. < '. Bailey, < Ihicago, Illinois. If Henry, Bau Claire. 20 Report of A.ndbrsonvillb Moni mint Commii mon < iscar H. Pierce, .Milwaukee. Hon. D. II. Bancroft, Richland Center. Mrs, Myrtle Bancroft, Richland Center. Miss ( 'arolyn Uaneroft, Richland Center. Blaine Bancroft, Richland ( ienter. Miss Helen Kirkpat riek, Richland Center. (I. W. Marsh, Santiago, California. Mrs. K. W. Marsh, Santiago, California. Chas. Weittenhiller, Platteville. Edward McGlachlin, Stevens Point. Mrs. Edward McGlachlin, Stevens Point. Mrs. I'). I). Berry, Chicago, Illinois. R. II. DeLap, Richland Center. Mr. X. L. .lames, Richland Center. Miss Mabel .lames, Riehland Center. TT. P. Christman, Menomonee Falls. J. II. Reed, Tecnmseh, Kansas. C. E. Estabrook, Milwaukee. F. II. Williams, Whitewater. J. R. West, Elgin, Illinois. W. II. -Johnson. Berlin. Mrs. W. H. -Johnson, Berlin. John Woodward, Platteville. Henry Stannard, Platteville. L. L. < >\vens. Burlington. R. E. Osborne, La Crosse. Wm. Lindsay and wife, Milwaukee. Alex. ( lampbell, Albion. Esther Newman, Algoma. Bernice I [atch, Sturgeon Bay. W. II . Grinnell and wife, Beloit. Mrs. Laura Dodd, Boise, Idaho. E. A. Beau and wife, Watltoma. ('apt. F. A. Wilde, .Milwaukee. B. S. Williams. Wautoma. Mrs. Sara Richardson, Sheboygan Falls. W. H. Richardson, Sheboygan Falls. Miss Jessie Hunter, Chicago, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Putman, Brodhead. ! M B< k 1 1 rtOK OF i in. MON1 mi \ i 21 i: II. smaii, Brodhead. Mrs. I- \ B1 lart, Brodhead. Henry Luther, Berlin. Mrs, M. E). Lather, Berlin. .I B. Hanson, Beloit, A s. Jackson, Beloit. John ( '. .Martin, Madison. • !. B. Edwards, Mauston. William Belter, Wautoma. John W. I Janes, Fox Lata . Mrs. -I. W. Ganes, Fox Lake. V, rs. Nellie Duncan. Darlington. Mrs. A. W. st.M-kton, Faribault, Minnesota. Frances R. Wliite, Wis. Veterans' Some, Waupaca. I . I'. Wellensgard ami wife, Berlin. •;. and .Mrs. A. (J. Dinsmure, Veterans' Hume, Waupaca. U. II. Wanamaker, Madison. s. Prowse, I Ihicago, [llinois. Henry Rintelmann, Milwauki Henry Stannard, < rreenbush. John Prien, Madison. - with pleasure and gratitude that we pause to make men- tion of Mr. John Prien, who accompanied our party to Anderson- ville and back t<> Chattanooga as representative of the C. M. & 81 P. K. R., and Mr. II. C. Bailey of the N. C. & St. L. R. R. These gentlemen added much to the interest of the trip by ar- ranging for stop-overs at all the historic points along the way ; and they showed themselves well fitted for the high positions they held with the railroad companies they represented. 22 Report of Andersonville Mom mint Commi ion Address op the Honorable Levi II. Bancroft. The state of Wisconsin has considered it a duty to place here an appropriate memorial, as a tribute to the heroism of her sons who here suffered martyrdom. The men who died here understood the worth of that free- dom which they were denied. Amid scenes of horror which mighl well appall the stoutest heart, and subjected to temptation by the promise of liberty, seemingly stronger than human endurance, with courage un- daunted and honor unstained, they gave to the cause of human liberty the last full measure of devotion. It was eminently fitting and proper thai those who survived the war's fierce tempest to enjoy the fruition of thai liberty which these men died to preserve, should, with reverent and loving remembrance, rear an altar on this spot made sacred by the blood of their martyred comrades. After the lapse of nearly half a century, that duty was dele- gated to a commission, appointed by the chief executive of the State, composed of three members, who were themselves con- fined as prisoners of war within the stockade of Andersonville. That commission, consisting of Charles H. Russell, David G. James, and Lansing Williams, has now completed its task. To these veteran comrades of those who suffered here, the discharge of this obligation has been a labor of love. They have ereeted here an enduring pile of granite and bronze, and graven it with loving sentiment, to the memory of comrades dead. Today as the guests of that Commission, we are called ii| to witness the completion of their labors, and to participate in the solemn ceremonies attendant upon the conclusion of their duty, and the surrender of their responsibility. 1 have been requested by the members of this Commission. to say something here befitting the occasion. A request from such a presence, is a command not to be disobeyed. This only, is my excuse for trespassing upon your patience, and for presuming to break the silence of these surroundings, more eloquent than human lips. When the storm of the Civil War burst in flame and fury Wisconsin was one of the youngesl of the sisterhood of states. Hon. LEI 1 II. 13a\( B01 I I >i 5< RJPTION OF mi M"M M 25 g rs had Bhe worn the diadem of Sovereignty. Bui her people were born for freedom, and a1 her call, her sons, iwded the way to death, as to a festival." To this greatest of all wars, Wisconsin contributed 52 i Dients of infantry, 1 regiments of cavalry, 13 batteries of \\i:\\\ artillery, and one full regimenl of heavy artillery, approxi- mately 100,000 men. Of this number more than 12,000 gave up their lives in tin Bervice of their country. Her Bons were with Granl .-it Vicksburg, and Shiloh, and Appomattox. They were with McClellan a1 Antietam, and with Meade at Gettysburg. They climbed the heights of Look- out Mountain and .Mission Ridge, and with Sherman, marched from Atlanta to the - On every great battle field of the war, side by side with their comrades from other states, "no useless coffins around their breasts" bul wrapped in the soldier's martial shroud, they together, "on fields boughl with their blood" awaiting the dawn of the eternal day. In thai Lrf«'.it conflict 2,800,000 men enlisted under the flag of the American Union. Of this number 300,000 died a soldier's death; 175,000 were captured and confined in prison pens; 500,000 were maimed with wounds or stricken with disei a Prom thai conflict the republic emerged, burdened with tho agony and horror of the mosl stupendous struggle of all his- tory. With a legacy of hate, — an inheritance of tears and broken hearts, and a national debt of four thousand millions of dolls Here, where cruelty unspeakable, and heroism beyond ex- presaion combined to make of this spot the Golgotha of the •"l-ii hemisphere, 50,000 men were confined within a stock- ade covering a Bpace of 1,010 feet by 77!» feet, and subjected to the torture of such conditions as to render death a welcome relief. The fortunate ones were the 13,000 who lie buried in these sunken gra In thai lottery of lit''- and death, 127 drew the prize of six - 1 feel of earth in a single day, and went uncomplainingly to nameless gra' the heroes who here endured and died for liberty and union, 378 were from the green hills of old Wisconsin. 1'ii Report oi Andersonvillb .Mom ment Commission Today we dedicate this monument to their memoiy. li is a beautiful belief, thai treasured up in our natures are all the unconscious influences of all the heroism and martyr- dom of our race from the dawn of our civilization until today; and thai from this hidden fountain of pure and lofty sentiment, we are constantly renewing our faith, and finding inspiration and strength for the uplifting of humanity. That man would be devoid of human sensibility, who could stand unmoved in the presence of the world's greal monuments without reeling 1 his heart stir with the memories which they awaken. Before the column of July which marks the site of the "old bastile" what lover of human liberty would not uncover? Before the shaft which crowns the summit of grand old Bunker Mill, what American would not feel his pulses quicken with the memory of that glorious day. when the ragged Continentals rolled the chivalry of England down its ensanguined slopes in disorder and defeat .' These monuments are the enduring ties of human fellowship, binding the heroic souls of generations past to kindred spirits yel unborn. They are the milestones of earth's pilgrimage, marking the progress of humanity through the ages of advancing civiliza- tion. They tell the story of a thousand years. The story of the heroism of the Anglo-Saxon race. The story of the struggles of millions, on the battlefields of two hemispheres, -from Al- fred to Cromwell, and from Washington to Lincoln. Now. when time has healed all wounds, and industry has re- paired all the ravages of the Civil war, we may speak impar- tially of its cause and its effects, since the .North and the South, as one people, rejoice in the heiielicent results of its conclusion. We have been told that the cause of that war was the ques- tion of the sovereignty of the stales. Bu1 hack of the question of "state rights" was the reason why certain of the states of the American union desired to exercise their sovereignly in opposition to the general government. It is cone 'ded thai one reason was a desire on tie- pari of cei-tain slates to maintain and perpetuate the institution of human slavery. EUPTION m| Tin. MoNI v.i.vr 27 Accepting tins truth, some have been satisfied with the con elusion that slavery was the real cause of the war, l>ut back of the question of Blavery was another and more significant reason, which was the real cause of 1 1 1 * * ('ivil War, as it has been ami will continue to be, the real cause of all the \\ ars among men. It was the one cause which lias devastated the world, wrecked the governments of all nations, and destroyed the civilizations of all ag The people of the South have distinguished themselves through all of our country's history as the most liberty loving ami chivalrous portion of our population. Every battlefield of the American revolution ran red with the blood of the cavalier. It was Patrick Henry of Virginia, who. when he h.-ard of Concord and Lexington, sent from Vir- ginia this message to Massachusetts, "I am not a Virginian, 1 am an American." It was Virginia that gave us Washington, the father of the republic; and Jefferson, the author of the Declaration oi' Inde- pendence. It was the South whi.-h gave to the American union tne sturdy character of *"<)ld Hickory'* as exemplified in tne in- domitable patriotism of Andrew Jackson. Why was it that the South desired to maintain an institu- tion so utterly at variance with every principle of her splendid history. 1 So contrary to the spirit of liberty engendered in her bosom t So foreign to every precepl of the Declaration of Independence, penned by her illustrious son.' So utterly opposed to <-\<-vy tendency of our institutions, and our form of government, as well as to every principle of justice and humanity \ The only reason why slavery ever existed among men. and the only reason why its continued existence was ever tolerated or desired by any portion of the civilized world, was because it was considered profitable. It was a mistaken idea of profit which caused the ('hi] War, '.ell ;i-> every other war of which history makes any ac- counl . How money blinds our eyes, and hardens our hearts: chang- ing love to hatred, clothing injustice in the garments of de- :> Report of AndErsonvillb Monument Commission ception, and changing the wine of life into the sordid dregs of avarice. It was the Divine Author of the Christian civilization who gave to men and nations, as the law of their being, that truth which all human history has confirmed, — "You cannot wor- ship both God and Mammon." When we have progressed far enough in civilization to be able to comprehend the immutability of the law, we shall under- stand that taxes and tariffs cannot build a nation; that presi- dents and political policies cannot insure the permanency of a nation; that armies and navies are powerless to maintain or to destroy a nation; that no weapon of offense or of defense, nt- pomp or pageantry, can prevail against the fixed and im- mutable law T s of God; that nothing endures, or can endure, but truth, and justice, and liberty. To deny this is to deny the omnipotence of God. To deny this is to deny the Christian civilization; to deny the power of justice, and the lessons of all human history and experience. If this be not true, then slavery was right; and anarchy is right; and the arbitrary exercise of autocratic power and brute force is right. The leader of the herd and the wolf pack compels obedience by force, — the poAver of hoof and horn, of fang and claw, of beak and talon. This is the law of the brute. 1 1' man had no higher law than the brute, our civilization would be a farce. Standing here today in the presence of the heroic dust of those who died for the union, we know that every patriot who believes in the glorious destiny of the great republic would deem the war for that union a failure, and that these men had died in vain, if in its results that war had not proved in every sense a victory for the South as well as for the North. In the enlarged horizon of our national life, only made pos- sible by the results of the Civil War, 85,000,000 of freemen, united in a common heritage of glory, and a common purpose of national achievement, look forward to a destiny wirich like a mighty ocean touches all the shores of human possibility. Bound by every tie of interest and origin into a common purpose, our national life has been cemented into a stronger union by the blood of our common heroes mingled on a hun- dred battlefields. Dbs< RIPTION OF THE M"\i mint Prom thai day, when, in the valley of Bethulia, He nerved the arm which smote the tyrant down to this hour, the God of battles has bestowed His benediction npon those who dared to unsheathe the Bword for a righteous cams Out of thai awful storm of blood and agony He has broughl us as a re-united people into the blessed sunshine of peace, and union, and liberty, and national prosperity. He has taughl us. and through us He has taught the civilized world, that oeither Individuals nor nations can hope to achieve permanent good or enduring prosperity Prom the practice of injustice. Thai the sordid greed for gain which tempted us, as it had tempted the Greek and the Roman before us. to violate the spirit of oui' institutions and to (\r\'y the justice of God, broughl upon us. as it had broughl upon all others, the ven- geance of the violated law: until every drop of blood drawn by the lash had been requited by the Bword. Until every dollar de- rived from the Labor of ;i slave had been paid by the Labor of a freeman. I'ntil the agony and misery of a race iu bondage had been compensated by tic suffering and martyrdom of thai race which forged the chain. \V. are coming to realize more and more that "the judg- ments of God are true and righteous altogether.' 1 In hut little more than half a century after the establish- ment of free government in America, the American union owed its preservation to tie- rugged integrity and indomitable courage of the Puritan character. Today, scarce half a century after the Civil war. the repub- lic Deeds as never before that high idealism and the fine sense of persona] honor in both public and private life which ever distinguished the character of the cavalier. America stands invincible to all the world, except it he the genius of her own instil ut ions. In the Btrengtfa and pride of her own marvelous material prosperity she requires for self-preservation the regenerating influences of the New South, the South of Henry \V. Grady and of .John B. I lordon. We need that spirit of patriotism, which has triumphed over adversity, without surrendering its ideals or its honor. That spirit of patriotism which can and will grasp the great ques dons of oui- national Life, with a determination t<» solve them for righteousness, without regard to consequences to "vested 30 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission interests," which has enabled the South to grapple with the greal quesl ion of intemperance. Real patriotism, such as this greal republic needs to purge iis national life of every stain of pretense and materia] osten- tation; — such as i1 needs to give il life and immortality, is the same today as in "thai hour which tried men's souls." It is something more than a mere sentimentality. Il is no1 a mere pride in achievement. Tl is not a lust for presenl glory and emolument. It is thai absolute renunciation of self which identifies the individual with the glory of the -nation to the exclusion of persona] interest, — like a greal river flowing to the sea, to he lost in its heaving tides. That renunciation of self which Ruth expressed: "Where thou goest T will go; where thou livest T will live; and where thou diest, there will T die also." Such self-effacement as is here depicted by these nameless graves, where died in silent resignation for their country's cause those heroes whose memory we celebrate today. When the Might of our undazzled eagle shall be nearest to the sun, will be, not amid the roar and tumult of battle and conflict, — not when war spreads desolation over the land, — hut when amid the beauty of peace and the splendor of pros- perity, American patriotism shines resplendent in the civic honor and integrity of American citizenship. In the fruition of our national life, we recognize as one of the most beneficent results of the Civil War, the complete abo- lition of all sectional lines. The glory of the great republic is no longer circumscribed hy locality or condition, hut is shared alike by every section of our country's vast domain. When history with impartial pen, shall write the story of the Civil war, it will record no tale of conquest. It will speak of that war and of its results only as a greal national regenerations, made necessary by the development of republican institutions. It will write beside the name of (iranl that other great com- mander, whose splendid genius reflects the glory of American arms, — Genera] Roberl E. Lee. It will tell of that tilt with death in the valley of the Shen- andoah, where Sheridan and "Stonewall" Jackson, each, for the first time, met a "foeman worthy of his steel." Description of the Moni ment 'il It will rank with the genius of any who rose to a supreme command in the armies of the North, the oame of that chival rous soldier. Alberl Sidney Johnson, from whose hand death tched tli« i prize of victory on Shiloh's bloody field. It was n<»t a triumph of superior valor oor the resull <>!* a su- perior military skill which brought the glorious peace of Appo mattox, where the South, exhausted by the conflicl which had devastated her fields and destroyed her industries, surrendered a hopeles cause for the sake of humanity. Tt was the omnipotenl Power of the God of justice and lib- erty, againsl which no human skill or valor can prevail, which brought the exhausted bu1 uneonquered South to acknowledge the error of her caus The world admits flint the men who won the bloody Held of Chickamauga and charged with Pickett up the flaming slopes Gettysburg gave to military annals a new standard of per- sonal valor, beside which the grenadiers who fought at Lodi and Austerlitz seem like the painted soldiers of a gala day par;* The <>n>> grand compensation of the Civil War is the fact that it kept the South in the American union, and preserved her splendid citizenship for the glory of the greal republic. As the foundations of the world rest upon the lowest strata, the foundations of organized society resl upon the mass of people. And as the volcanic forces of nature burst from subterranean depths and pile burning mountains on the conti- nents, so do the pent up forces of human nature sometimes hurst all hounds of restraint, and in periods of great sti hurl npon society some greal soul, who. like a burning brand, is hot with the flame and fury of the elements which gave him birth. Thus does Napoleon, thai imperial incarnation of genius and ambition, stride like ,-i Collosus the period of the French revo- lution. And thus does Abraham Lincoln, the greatesl soul that ever flamed across I sky of human history, dominate the period of the civil War. Liberty was his ideal. Justice was his religion. I'i him th.- ideal of American citizenship found expression and example. 32 Report of A.ndersonville Moni mint Commission ■'Willi malice toward none, and charity for all," the great emancipator Led his people out of the wilderness of dis-union and strife, oul of the nighl and storm of war, into the beauty and glory of unity and peace. Standing on the greatesl battlefield of that war, where for three terrible days the grim reaper had wroughl the harvest of death, and where side by side in the peace of eternity, the bine and the gray found the fellowship of heroic souls, — speak- ing to those who had assembled for the purpose of dedicating thai field as a resting place for the unnumbered thousands who had there given their lives that the nation might live, — Abra- ham Lincoln said : "We cannot dedicate, we eannol consecrate, we cannot hal- low this ground. The brave men living and dead, who strug- gled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract." "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; but it can uever forget what they did here. •|1 is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." And as we stand here today, in the presence of the heroic diisi of these men who died so bravely for the cause they loved, we realize how idle is human speech. Willi what more than living eloquence their cold lips bid us to bear witness how they met the duly laid on them. How they speak to us of the duty of citizenship, — the sacred- ness of free government, — the wickedness of treason. Of the priceless heritage of human liberty, and the glory of the Amer- ean union. What memories surround this spot. Memories of many a hard fonghl field where valor outdid endurance. Tender memories, of banners more beautiful than rainbow tints, borne willi loving pride through the war's fierce flame. Grand memories, of chivalry ami heroism. Glorious memo- ries, of victory and the triumph of Liberty and justice. Sad memories, of those who fell on bloody fields, of comrades lorn with shol and shell, and those who died in prison pens. It is one thing to die ;i soldier's death in the bailie's glori- ous tumult. Il is another thing to die in the hopelessness and \)\ 34 &IPTION OP Till MON1 ft helplessness of the prison pen, alone with vermin and disease, and the horror of self consciousness, In th«' whirlwind of the charge, amid the roar of the con diet, the screaming shells, the flash of bristling steel, the shouts of contending hosts: when the frenzy of strife lends unnatural courage ;ni«l valor leads the way t<> victory, the grim destroyer greets the soldier, dad in garments of glory, and robbed of all his terror. Bui here, in the loathsome prison pen, the soul of the repub lie's best manhood met the d of battles alone and unafraid. Here the spirit of the Anglo Saxon, bred through tin- martyr dom of the ages, mel and endured and triumphed over death, — for liberty. Lei us who arc her.' privileged t<> stand in tin- sacred pres ence of their heroic dust, be consecrated again to the cause of human righteousn — Lei os be made t<» feel here Bomewhal of that inspiration which exalted them; to appreciate more fully than before the duty of an American citizen. To realize in some degree how precious is liberty; how priceless is our system of government ; how glorious is OUT common country: how splendid its des- tiny. And l.-t us here again resolve, by all the precious and tender memories of our glorious past, '"that this government of the people, and for the people, and by the people shall not perish from the earth. " 34 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission Dedication Address of General ('. k. Boardman. We have eome Prom one distanl state into another to perform ;i duty assigned us by our people whom we serve. "We have traveled in the print of olden wars. Vei all the land was green and love we found and pence where fire and war had been." We have come from one of the younger to one of the oldesl states in our union. And we descendants of those brave enough to fight in battle for their belief have also eome from ancestors great enough to teach us in looking back on a period of bitter confliel constanl ly to remember these words : "And so I charge thee by the thorny crown and by the cross on which the Savior bled and by your own soul's hope of fair renown, let something good be said." We have come to a state not only old in years but strong in patriotic purpose and rich in historical inspiration, — a state the \ r alor of whose people stands an enduring encouragement to fortitude and courage. A state that in colonial days stood as a bulwark against the enemies to the south and whose people under the skillful leadership of Governor Oglethorpe rendered lasting aid to the greal cause of independence. Other things in the history of Georgia stand out ;is ,-i guiding beacon light even as the north star at night serves a safe guide to the mariner. Georgia from the first permitted her people to live in religious tolerance. Georgia's delegates to the first convention at Philadelphia were authorized "To join in any measure which they might think calculated for the common good." In the revolution Georgia stood staunch, though suffering heavily From the armies of the English and the Tories to the south; staunch to such an extent, in Pact, thai in proportion to population she is said to have losl more men and property than any other of the thirteen colonies. The records show thai Georgia enlisted 3,873 men for the Revolution; for the Mexican War 2,132 men: for the civil war 112,000, of whom one-fifth lost their lives. In the war with Spain her full quota and more was given with the oilier states. Some messages brillianl in utterance and as perpetual as monuments in good etl'eet have been given in time of stress to BBIOADU R Cll m,i i S R. BOABDM \\ I M S4 RIPTION OP I ill .M.»\i mi \ | 1,1,1 nation bj men of Georgia, and they are worthy of repeti tion on Buch an occasion as this ■ Alexander A. Stephens has told us: "Without intelligence, virtue, integrity and patriotism on the pari of the people, no ^Public or representative government can be durable or stable." ,;,N a <; Haygood, at the close of the war with the pa..., r;n,,a of desolation before him, advised his people as follows: us cultivate industry and economy, practice virtue and • ,,,M1 '"- w;,lk '» truth and righteousness, and push on with strong hearts and g I hop,.*." Frmn the Ad iutant General of Georgia comes this modern P at ™tic sentiment: "The people of this state, while loving the memories of the past are true to the conditions of the prea ent. \\, are absolutely loyal to the flag of our fathers, the flag .,t our children and the flag of our country." Wi come > therefore, with respect and admiration for such state with such a record and with such people We come , ; , «'- **h *arm hearts for the Southland, for we are mindful of !>>" hospitality, yea, more, the tender care which our sister ™ te ' s,,,,th Carolina, gave to our sick Wisconsin soldiers a1 Charleston, in 1898, when the war with Spain was being waged "'" " ,f,/ " ns t,,, •'• , ■ opened their homes for the care of the aick- e the dead burial becoming soldiers of the nation ; preserved the records pertaining to them, and in ,,-,,-, w ;iv dK,d;,v,,| , degree of thoughtfulness, deep regard and strength of sympa thetic spirit that we of Wisconsin will cherish a. an ael of oobleness jholly, this deed of the chivalrous south man and the merciful kindness of the generous south woman. '" " , "' 1 ;I B tate, to such a section, among such people and in Buch a spirit, we of Wisconsin have come to dedicate a monu- ment to our soldier dead which we have builded from Georgian granite and with the help of Georgia men. Through memory's mystic glamor we seek to discern the W " li:,v " ""' '" '" discover defects in the dead or the , ';"-• U '■'■"""• conscious thai a repressed rebuke may be Jelpful to the quick. We are here with a heart fell -pose '■"•» is only with the heart thai hearts may be won "'"" , ,a "" l ""' 1 "■ monument for the soldiers bnill of the l "" |,| " s love ' ° monument to men and w ■„. for "the 38 Report of Andersonville Moni jient Commission biography of the man is only an episode in the epic of the family." Ours is a monument to men who endured the tesl of toil and travail, service and sacrifice Tor their country's good. A monument to the miseries of the mothers and the woes of all 1 he noble women of t he war. Bu1 it should ever be contemplated in peace and righteous- ness. Man with his puny efforts seeks to imitate eternity by build- ing what tie hopes to be everlasting Landmarks. The acts of those who served and suffered are recorded in eternity. The spirit in which they acted is the permanent at- tribute of mankind and on the spirit in which this structure lias been reared we rely for its permanence rather than in its massiveness or solidity of design. Its real majesty no more lies in its cost in dollars than does the true greatness of a ruler lie in the pomp and pageantry with which lie surrounds himself. The truly great have ever been modest and plain of style. We have set up this monumenl to the memory of the men Prom our state and the entire country who followed their flag through day and night; through Hie drought and the flood; through sickness and starvation; through prison and stockade • — even into the jaws of red death. Think of the spirit that must have animated the soldiers of both north and south to enable them to stand the strain of the gigantic struggle in which they engaged; think of the tremen- dous fight they made for things spiritual and material: and, thinking of this, can we for a moment permit ourselves to doubt 1 he value to the nation of keeping such a spirit alive, t hat we may fight again if necessary, but another time for the whole United States and for the Tinted States only? Let us have peace, yet let us keep ourselves prepared to maintain it. So we have budded our monument not only as a tribute of gratitude to our patriotic dead, but also that our youth, as they come to manhood, may nol forgel : that our country may never Lack faithful defenders, men who will have the love of God in their hearts, the courage of their convictions and the bravery of their ancestors in their breasts. The sacrifices of the soldier and the seaman are in vain if we are not prepared on every necessary occasion to emulate I M >< RJPTION OF l ill MON1 HI \ l their example. It will not do for us to saj we can prepare when the time comes. Like the mas who draws liis weapon, we must be prepared to acl with accuracy and certainty, for the warfare of the future will be as surely along lines of per feci organization, equipment and training as are the modern campaigns In the manufactures and the trades. us hope, then, that, among other results, this monument will help keep alive an interest in the military affairs of our country. The wisdom of our greatest forefathers has ever pointed out the necessity of maintaining our military for self use and for the protection to life and property; al the Bame time the spirit of our constitution as it has done in the past, should continue to be followed, and the subordination of the military to the civil power ever be maintained. Let us in- crease and perfect our regular army until it keeps pace with our increase in population and wealth, so that we do aol become too tempting an object for aggression from without. Let un teach our youth to build up and properly care for his physical being. Let us teach him prompt obedience, which is the corollary for the execution of orders both civil and mili- tary. Let as teach him to handle the rifle and to shoot s1 raight . This now is and should be the principal work of the militia, for health fulness, willingness to obey orders, and marksman- p are the prime requisites for good soldiers, be they regu- lars, militia or volunteers. Let this moment be an inspiration to the militia. Remember that the battles of New Orleans, King's .Mountain and Saratoga were won by the militia, and that the great hulk of all the Boldiers in the civil war were militia. The nation that resorts to mercenaries is in decay and the draft marks a dangerous loss in public sentiment. Build up the monuments to valor and patience and sacrifice, l>ut make them permanent through the eternal spirit of patri- otic preservation of the individual and through him of the nation which is all ours by a common bond of motherhood. Education, real practical education thai (its men for the trad ell ;is for the professions and for genuine work, coupled with patriotism and training in the practical essentials of military duty, make for the true greatness of a people. I. ery added d< g SOmplishment in this direction makes in Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission for insured greatness. This, among other greal purposes, is one of the inspirations that should ever emanate from our monument. Over our internal questions we have no real cause for force or blows. The red flag we should relegate to regions where the battle of the ballot is not provided for and where no fight- ing forum like that of a free press and a free public rostrum for argument is furnished. No honest law abiding interests need ever fear the military here. Our soldiers of the United States have ever stood for protection, law, order and fair play. Every individual is actuated largely by the instinct of self preservation. Make that task as easy as is consistent with honesty, industry and frugality and public dangers from within become reduced to a minimum. The preservation of our states with their government for themselves within themselves is furnishing experimental sta- tions for legislation and the solution of economic questions thai are invaluable to our national life, and in them, as in the laboratories of the specialist and the inventor, are worked out remedies for public ills and methods for public advancement. The ambitions of the mere agitators cannot wreck our common weal so long as the final arbitration lies in an appeal to the common sense of all the people, and, so long as we continue to put a premium on study and thought and w T ork and discus- sion, the great asset of common sense will not become impaired in value. The winders of science, invention and production are sure to be followed by changes in the general plan of government, equally startling at first, and to those grown old working ac- cording to one set of ideas and methods at first thought equally revolutionary. Therefore those who have their hearts' interest in the influ- ences which they hope to see this mass of granite exert, will look also for the development of civic courage and civic fore- sight as one of its results. The heroism of home equals the bravery of battle. The courage to act according to honest convictions oftentimes matches the stoicism that buoys one up to sustain prison pri- vations. This spirit will be needed. It is Deeded now. We must set the example and teaeh our young to sustain it. I )\ ;< ripth »\ op i in Moni \n n i n We iniisi keep on learning thai Laziness and Labor make an boly consorts. We must understand this more thoroughly be fore we finish. Also that do artificial dignity should be al tached to wealth or to the professions, but thai the real crown of merit belongs to the man who honestly and efficiently works, no matter what his occupation may be. Those men who sin-ink Prom honesl toilers and move aboul continually gloved against Imaginary contamination are mild canker spots on our civilizal ion. The mushroom aristocracy of wealth, really rich only in selfishness and disregard of everything contrary to their own wishes, is as far removed from true nobility as the north star is distant from t he sout hern cross It is equally dangerous when actuated by vanity and the •I: for satiety as the reckless ribaldry and the violent va porings of some of the senseless Leaders of the so-called so- cialistic movements or the doglike demagogues baying at the moon of their imagination. In the civil war there was an organization, made up largely of Wisconsin regiments, that, for iis steadiness in battle and fearlessness under tire, has passed into history as the "Iron Brigade.' 1 So it IS QOW as it was Ihen. Wisconsin men at the front then. Wisconsin now at the front, in the march of progressive government. Wisconsin with her wealth of true men and women. Wisconsin with her wealth of material things. Jour Wisconsin. My Wisconsin. My cradle of birth and training and faith, and I hope my grave of death. Wis cousin with her proud motto of "Forward." Forward, Wis eonsin. On, Georgia, On! Forward our people. Forward <>ur country. On with all of the states. All for each, and each for all. All for the welfare of OUT people and the betterment of our race. All for the advancement of good government. Joins Wisconsin with them all. and may the union be ever Lasting. Nbl Only with those who shoulder to shoulder sto-.d the supreme test, bul also with those states thai hold our blessed dead, and in whose soul is the n-i\ of our people's blood. Charge, Wisconsin, Charge! On, Georgia, On! And as we move along, "Give us the strength to encounter that which ifl to Come, that we may be brave in peril, constant in tribuhi tion, temperate in wrath, and iii all changes of fortune and down to the gates of death, Loyal and loving to one another." \- Report of A.ndbsrsonvtlle Moni mint Commission Events such as this dedication should help to make as be lieve thai Americanism, Nationalism, h;is risen indeed. Be lmi troubled then for the future for our youth with brave hearts and willing hands will rule the Land and, rule it well. ■ Down t be broad vale of tears afar The spectral camp is fled; Faith shineth as a morning star, Our ghostly fears are dead." Stimulated by the example of the men, the deeds, and the times which Wisconsin's memorial bere will help to perpetu- ate, we should await the approach of the future serene in oui confidence in our country's safety and progress and with the heartfelt, steadfast purpose of endeavoring- by our acts to prove our gratitude toward the grand old heroes who sacri- ficed themselves for us. Address of D. G. James, President of the Commission, Turning the Monument Over to the Governor. Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen: The duties devolving upon me of transferring this mon- ument, the fruits of ardent toil, over to the authorities who created the commission is not of my own seeking. This shaft was not raised to celebrate any victory, to en- gender any feelings of discord or revive unpleasant remem- brances of the past. It is erected by the state of AVisconsin as a mark of appreciation and gratitude for her loyal sons who suffered on these grounds from March, 1864, to April, 186."). for what they knew to be patriotic principle. It is not my mission to allude to the suffering they endured during those fifteen long months. A person's sense of loyalty can be measured by such a test as these men were put to. A man can go to battle and lace the death-dealing shot and shell, not knowing or seeing what fate awaits him; he can participate in the perilous charge, or resist the same. There is excitement for the brief period, and glory in the victory. Bu1 when he is shut up in a pen with scant food and clothing and no shelter but the canopy of the heavens, dying by inches from disease and Will i"\ OF I HI. M"\l Ml M 1 I w ounds, with do loving mother or friend to bathe his face or \\ et bis parched lips; seeing bis comrades around him momentarily breathing thru- lastj he who endures all this without seeking any dishonorable relief from bo untimely an end i>> a hero. Wis gin has in yonder cemetery over three hundred Buch patriots, and many more occupy unknown graves between here ami their homes in the far north, not having strength to reach their friends and homes after receiving tin- Long coveted parole. And there were others who endured all this yet fortunately hod their homes before their death. For the memory of all these we C«me here today tu do honor. .in behalf of our comrades, 1 wish to express our gratitude t«> the memory <•!' that grand man, Father Hamilton oL" .Macon, who made his weekly pilgrimage to the stockade and gave such little delicacies as he could ami administered spiritual comfort t<> the dying. Oh. what a reunion this would he if he could he here today in body and pronounce the invocation ! We will all re him as long a- memory lasts. We also feel a sense of ward the guard "ii the stockade, and also to Miss S una J >ixmutr> and others, for the letters they wrote to the authorities deploring the condition of the prisoners and begg for their relief ; and to numberless other administering angels who took compassion on the few who escaped, ami gave them food and - A feeling of gratitude goes mil t<> the ladies of the Woman's Belief Corps of America, who so generously purchased this historic >p«»t and turned it into a bo beautiful a park. 1 cannol omit the faithful work done by the contractor, Mr. ('lark, who, he monument plainly shows, never for <>ne minute tried to ork or, to his knowledge, to use any undesirable material; ami In- was always }>h-asant under the many obstacles witii which he met. ernor Davidson, through yon, now standing at the head of • te of Wisconsin, in the name <>f all those loyal sons whose remains repose in yonder cemetery and the count- a numbers who occupy unknown gr ad whose spirit- now hover aboul as, together with the mothers, wives, sisl ami friends and all others who are so fortunate ;is -till to live ami enjoy the fruits of their victory, I desire i" express our heartfell gratil sacrifices yon have' made in lea H Report oi Andersonville. Moni ment Commission the affairs of state to take a Long journey to pay tribute to thes< noble dead who Laid down their Lives for what they believed to be a principle. Since our departed comrade, David Williams, introduced the bill for an appropriation to erect this shaft, you and your predecessor, Governor La Follette. have rendered ng valuable aid. You, while a member of the Legislature, and later at the head of state, have taken great interest m this work, without which it would have been difficult to complete it. And now. in behalf of the commissioners who have worked industriously and harmoniously, each taking a deep interest in the work and performing it with a pleasure, we wish to thank them from the bottom of our hearts. Governor Davidson, we here surrender our trust and turn the same over to you, the guardian of all state property, hoping you can say of us as one of old said, "Well done, good and faithful servants.'' GOVERNOR DAVIDSON'S ADDRESS. — ACCEPTING THE MONUMENT. Wisconsin bends its head in sorrow today. The recollections of the history here enacted, which occasions our presence with you. has enshrouded our minds with sadness mingled with silent admiration. Standing upon the site of the famous Anderson- ville prison — sacred ground to all America — I give voice to the state's deepest consciousness of the sacrifices, the endurance and the patriotic devotion of her soldier prisoners to principles to which they had dedicated their lives. As an evidence of the sincere appreciation of their deeds, although Ave fully realize thai its massive structure and beautiful outlines are hopelessly insufficient properly to commemorate the historic significance, the state of Wisconsin has had erected this monument in honor of her sons who suffered and died here. War is indeed a cruel legislator. In its name are committed deeds which cause reason to stagger and civilization to recoil upon itself. The great Civil War, for the interpretation of the fundamental instrument of our government, decreed that while every individual within our boundaries is a citizen ot his respective commonwealth, he is also a citizen of one central jMvernment, supreme over all states, finding its existence in the Govi bnob .1 wii . o. Davidson. I )i S< RIPTION OF mi: MONl mix [ I i amalgamation of commonwealths, and one Prom which do Btate, once admitted, should have a right t<> secede. The war was - it was inevitable. For generations suspicion, jeal- ousy and sectional envy bad aroused those passions which <>nly war could subdue, and in whose smoldering embers would be re-awakened thai Bpiril of unity and fraternity essential to the broadesi national existence. It was a war withoul parallel in the annals of history. Personal ambition and the desire for national aggrandizemcnl found oo consideration here. Both s, American by birth and education, could never have sac- rificed themselves by the tens <>t* thousands excepl upon the be- lief that they were fighting for a principle which was greater than all worldly things. The courage, the constancy and the endurance of the Southern Boldier was sever surpassed. The pluck, the patriotism and the persistence of the Northern vol- unteer was never excelled. The decision which those four years of conflict announced was sealed by the hundreds of battle- fields where they fought, and the thousands of graves which have ridged every state. The civil war taughl the world the value of American men. It produced a new type, — Hie citizen soldier. The hundreds <>!' thousands <»r men who responded t<> the call of battle, both from the North and the South, were not men trained in the sehooi of militarism. They were not men who e chosen profession was that of slaughter and pillage. They came from the peaceful pursuit- . men trained in the ails and industries of a commercial ami agricultural people. The artisan, the farmer, the student and the professional man. thinking not of selfish interests nor of personal gain, — these were the men whose brav- and endurance made the civil war the LMv.-itest struggle in history. The world had often seen gigantic armies. Military hord pt over Asia and Europe, destroying cities, con- quering empires, ami turning back the hand of progress. These v.-i^r armies gathered by the command of law, by purchase and by physical force, fought for the spoils of conquest, for monarch- ical aggrandizement or to satisfy the personal ambitions of a military despot. The citizen of "t;i. seeking only the safety of his country, required but the knowedge of his country's need to offer himself for the defense of principles which were i n^t it u- tional in in- i. iy soldier of th<»s,. trying times gained 48 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission for himself immortal honor in the consciousness of duty well performed. Thousands gained it on the field of combat, at the cannon's mouth, amid the storm of smoke and battle; thousands of others found it in the saddest chapter of a soldiers' life, — the languor and yearnings of the military prison. To die on the field of battle in the heat of the conflict, con- scious of the victory of his arms, has always been the wish of the soldier. To pass away thus is to die alone on the open plains, or by the side of comrades in arms. They receive his dying words. They give his body the last sad rites of a soldier. They tell those dear to him that he fought bravely and died a soldier's death. In such a scene there is inspiration; there is glory in such a death. Music and poetry for ages have found it their choicest theme. Turn now to the soldier who languished behind the prison bars. Hunger, thirst and disease claimed him for their own. The free, open air was often denied him. His patriotic sighs and prayers re-echoed from walls, mute and dark. The agonizing throbs of his heart found no sympathy. There were no loving and tender hands to minister to his dying wishes. What yearn- ings, what hopes, and what longings must have flitted through his feverish brain? What scenes of happy hours his imagination must have pictured! And yet I doubt not his heart was free from anguish and bitterness. His death was a martyrdom, as lofty in soul, as trying in courage and as grand and holy in pa- triotic virtue as was ever attested by death Cor principle. Re- call to the mind of an aged veteran of that war the scenes of battle. His head is thrown back, his breath quickens and the eye flashes with the spirit of the events. Recall to his memory prison days, and sadness creeps over his features and his head is bowed in sorrow. May the day soon come when we shall have reached that stage of development of mankind, when in the solu- tion of public problems, wars shall cease and man's natural in- stincts for combat give place to the more reasonable considera- tion of an enlightened progress. The monument which we dedicate here today is sacred to the memory of the military prisoner. 11 stands upon a spot which will never be forgotten so long as history is recorded. Wiscon- sin offers it to the South, untinged with malignity and bitter- ness, It is with pleasure that 1 receive this beautiful mon- RIPTION OP Till MONI Ml N r nmenl from the Com mission, which supervised its erection, i it is wit;i equal pleasun thai I give it into the watchful care and keeping of that magnificent organization, the Vyoman's Relief :>s. This product of tin- sculptor's art is a tribute to those who died here for their country. No future aire can have geater dead than these; no graves can hold holier dust. In this hallowed ground are huried with tin m the passions of war. and all the jealous Btrife of sections. Today we know only the spirit of unity and tin- fraternity of love and respect. We behold a union firmly established in the hearts, affe :tions and loyalty of its ay th.' same military honors to hint who wore i d upon the w earer of the blue. In Forest Hill Cemetery, in the city of Madison, are buried th" remains of 136 sturdy and brave sons who fought for the £ ith. They died in a military prison at that city. Every grave bears the name and regiment of him who rests there. No Memorial Day passes but that a child's gentle hand, as si I by the veterans who wore the blue, places a flag and a wreath of flowers upon every one of the many hundreds of soldiers' graves in that cemetery. The distinction of uniform was forgotten with the announcement of a r< united country. They fought and died for convictions, which they cherished. They were all American citizens. This monument is not alone for the dead. — it is for the living - ell. It is a tribute to the dead, an inspiration to the living. timent which language is too limited to expr ss If inspiration a n come from association, if determination com s •i example, if virtue, loyalty and righteousness are capj of awakening, then where in history is there an occasion which ••an so arouse the love of principle, the obedience to law, the charity, generosity and inspiring patriotism of American citi- zenship, as this, here today, where over thirteen thousand men died of disease and exposure that a noble cause might live, actions ol the elements will destroy this monument, time ma; all physical traces of this place, yet the impressions <»f man's noble deeds it in the hearts of a grateful people, will with the advancing march of civilization, grow into an even broader and deeper appreciation of the character of I ican soldier. 50 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission Address op Mrs. Sarah I). Winans, Chairman A.ndersonvii,le Prison Board, in Behalp op the Woman's Relief Corps. I rovernor: On behalf of the Woman's Relief Corps, Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, I thank you, and through you the great stale of Wisconsin, Tor placing on these grounds a monument sacred to the memory of Wisconsin soldiers who died in Andersonville Prison. The bravest are always the tenderest, and the endearing qualities of a nation may be measured by the honor they pay to the patriotic dead who have given up their lives in its service. Wisconsin now takes her place with Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island and Michigan in fittingly commemorating the services of her gallant sons who chose death rather than take an oath never again to bear arms in defense of the flag they loved so well. Your act this day will reflect added splendor upon the achievements of your noble state in both war and peace. For myself and the entire Board who have charge of the Andersonville Prison grounds, I again thank you. Mas. Sarah D. Winans Past National President of the Woman's Relief Corps, and Chairman the Andersonvllle Prison Board of Managers, 21 1 1 Washington St., Toll do Ohio. S&w* tU " BI ' iterawj a 1 -9 -O ¥ » ?n N 2 .— ■ * ! „ o "2 « 2 5 ? d & « O 1 a rt o Q W o & pen fire on the stockade with shot and shell in case there i any disturbance or revoll from within the prison. The prisoners were constantly tunneling under the walls, and. to prevent their escape, an outer stockade line was constructed 120 feel from the inner. A third Btockade outside of this was commenced, yel never completed. It was here in what was called the Empire State of the Smith that the victims who fell by starvation and murder a1 the hands of the Confederate authorities approximated closely in num- bers the victims who were sacrificed by the Spanish [nquisition through long centuries of persecution. .Much has been said concerning the Black Hole of Calcutta, which was succeeded by a morning of relief. Bui from the horrors and cruelties of Report of Andersonvilee Moni hent Commission Andersonville there was do relief but death, death by starva- tion and exposure, the little vitality drained from the body by gangrene, and the vermin covering the bodies of the pris- oners. The country surrounding the prison was thickly studded \\ ilh jmvering pin egs^ In the midsl of these woods, and with the full knowledge of the highest officers of the Confederacy, the union prisoners were compelled to eat raw meal ground with t lie cob, and cow peas infested with bugs; and for want of fuel to cook the food and to keep warm they were allowed to suffer and perish during the cold and wet weather. Many boys were shot while merely reaching under the dead-line to get a drink of the less filthy water; and if a new prisoner, not yet knowing the rules, would step inside of the line for a stick or root with which to cook his food he would, wit li out warning, meet instant death. David G. J lmes President Monument Commission Compiler of this Book ; ' ■ !; • ■ )T D. G. James CHAPTER IV PERSONAL REMINIS* BN< ES OF THE WRITER, l> G. JAMES < hi my arrival home in April, 1865, while T was recuperat- ing my health and strength, I wrote down Borne of my rec- ollections while a prisoner and laid my notes aside thai 1 mighl them for further perusal. In writing this sketch I am us ing the notes 1 then made. [ \\;is captured at the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, to- iler wit 1 1 fourteen others of my regiment who were on the skirmish line thai day. We were taken by the Eleventh Tei Confederate Infantry. We were conducted t<> t In* rear where we found quite a number of others assembled preparatory to migration to our future home, Andersonyjlle, 1 >rgia. Our captors were very kind, and the^treated us gentlemen. While we stopped to resl towards evening, one he guards took a pi< Johnny-cake out of his haversack and began eating it. As we had been captured toward even- ing, he ask..] me it' I had had my supper. I told him no, nor had I had any dinner either, for we had been fighting Btnce early in the morning. He very generously divided his corn- bread with me and expressed his sympathy, as we did nol >w what was in store for as. After getting well back from the fighting lin.-s. our captors turned ns over to the Third Arkansas Cavalry. Then the pr< ss of robbery commenced, Ich was repeated every time our guards were changed. si they took my hat and canteen; those of ns who had good • any attractive garments were compelled to give them ap. Sometimes \\ e got in return an old pair of shoes that would rcely hold together. Then they might throw ns a pair of old, delapidated pants and coat well stocked with graybacks. If \ ... . IH . n f ^ |] l( .y coolly informed 64 Report of Andersonville Monument Commissi! »\ us thai it' we did not give them up they would blow our brains out, and they backed up the threal with a cocked revolver pointed a1 us. We were marched thai nighl to a little town called Easl Point, six miles distant. There, for reasons un- known to us. we remained two days. During this time all was quiel al Atlanta. We could hear no news from the army until the middle of the afternoon of the second day. Their pontoon train went by in greal haste, which excited our curiosity, and we were informed thai Sherman's army had met defeal and was making a precipitous retreat ; and that their pontoon train was ordered to bridge the Tennessee river to intercepl Sherman 's re- treat. The next morning the batteries opened up at Atlanta. One of our comrades asked the officer if their army wasn'1 making considerable noise in»crossing the Tennessee. He came back with an oath, threatening to shoot the man for his impudence. While at East Point we received two and one- half hardtacks, made of shorts, for two days' rations. The third day they gave us three of these hardtacks and started us on our line of march south. Our guard eonsisted of a small pari of the 54th Georgia Infantry, under command of a cap- lain who was very kind to us; also, his men were courteous and they treated us as well as possible under the circumstances. They allowed us to camp in orchards where we could gather green apples and to invade cornfields to procure corn, which we roasted by the fires; and so we fared sumptuously. Two and one-half days' march brought us to Griffin. Georgia. Tt being rumored thai General Blair had been captured, and was in our party disguised as a private, several members of Con- gress who had served with the general walked up and down our line, but failed to locate him. After this inspection was over we were crowded into some box cars that they had been transporting cattle in. without cleaning. We were crowded so closely that it was impossible for all to sit down at the same time, so pari would stand awhile and then change. This rested our weary limbs. We arrived at Macon about dark. The people came to the train to see the Yankees and made themselves very obnoxious. Our guards, as I have before mentioned, were not in sympathy with the stay-at-homes, as they dubbed them, so allowed us prisoners to talk back. We made good so far as blackguard- ing went. The women were very abusive, yet it did not take Persona] Reminiscences of D. G James 67 them a great while to become satisfied, as the guard gave the prisoners all the latitude they desired in retaliating. <>n the morning of the 28th we arrived at our destination, Anderson \ ill*', which fact was hailed with joy l>y all on board, as our Limbs were tired and cramped, and we had been without food for a day and a half, and with only five and a half crackers made of shorts t'or six days. We had been informed thai rations would be furnished in abundance, and were Looking forward to the tune when we could gel all we desired to eat. We were formed into two ranks and marched from the station to Captain Wirz's headquarters. Then we were pul into detachments of two hundred and seventy each, and every detachmenl was Bub- divided into three messes, — all this for the convenience of roll call and tin- issuing of rations. When tli.- gate was opened and we gol a virw of what was before us. the Bcene was indescribable. Over thirty thousand men on nineteen acres of ground, — without shelter; sonic naked, others bareheaded, barefooted, deformed, and almost unrecognizable as human beings. To a man looking at it from a distance, it gave the appearance of a huge ant-hill, with on.' moving mass of humanity only visible. As we were going through the throng, staring eyes protruding from their sockets look.-d us over to see if there mighl not be some acquaintance among the new arrivals from whom they could hear from home, friends at the front. As we passed along, a poor weak boy lay beside the path with a pail made of a bootleg, begging for some on.- to gel him a drink of water, and promising that. '• getting it. he would never ask- t\>r anything more. [ took the pail and went to the creek. This took some time, as it was v.-i-y difficult to Locate any one in that miserable mass. Poor boy! when 1 reached him he had breathed his last. T was too late. Captain Wntz. II. re we received our introduction to the demon Wirz, which shudder through our whole system when we realized were at the mercy of a Send incarnate. We were sitting, ting from our weary journey, when Wirz came out and. with an oath, gave the order to "Qel up!" We all obeyed with alacrity, excepl on.- man next to me. who could not hear. He had been wounded in the head, and. had he 1 n able to 68 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission hear, w;is too weak to rise. In one instanl W'iiv. cried oul at the top of his voice to shool the damned Yankee s n of a b — h. The guard refused to obey the command, when W'ir/ threatened him with arresl the next time he refused to obey. When the enrolling was done, the comrades gathered around the wounded in;in and assisted him to his feet. AImmM Pour in the afternoon we were inarched to the north gate. The outer gate was thrown open and the enclosure filled; then that gate was closed, the inside gate opened, and the squad ushered into the prison. This performance was re- peated until all of us were shul inside the stockade. 'Phis precaution was taken to avoid the prisoners making a stampede, should both gates be open a1 one time. We had been informed thai we should receive our daily ration as soon as we got in- side the gate. We waited anxiously until they were through issuing to the old prisoners, which was aboul seven in the even- ing. We were then informed thai it was so late wo would not gel anything to ea1 thai night. The nexl night we received one-half pint of corn meal, with more cob than meal, in the raw state, but with neither wood nor cooking utensils. We traded our meal with some prisoners who had fuel for some cooked, — they tolling us pretty heavily. The next day, when Wirz was inside the stockade and some of the hoys protested to him againsl the small rations, and he answered, "You vas pretty sleek fellows. I take thai out of you fore long." They dealt cooked rations to half of the prisoners for two weeks and raw to the other half, alternately. The cooked ra- tion consisted of a piece of cornbread aboul two inches square, a pint of cow-pea soup, with aboul three peas to the pint, and two bugs to each pea. They were cooked in the sack, and with many of them in the pod. When we received the raw ration, we go1 r\cvy day for fuel a piece of wood aboul tWO feet long and t wo in (dies in diameter. After we had gol ourselves together, we organized a company for tunneling; hut before we go1 our tunnel completed. AVirz found out what we were doing. lie informed us that he would take that out of us. and he pro- ceeded to do so by cult inn- our rations off for two days, telling us that he would starve us until we would behave. When any one who had done the tunneling was detected, he was taken outside and put into the chain-gang or the stocks. Ti rson \i Remind i \» i - of D. G. James 7 1 Wirz kept forty two blood hounds, divided into three packs, ;i man in charge of each pack. The dogs were Lei Loose everj morning and taught to make the circuit of the stockade. The prisoners inside could hear their howling and baying, know ing thai when the baying became especially hideous the dogs had hit the trail of Borne poor prisoner who, after tunnel ing for li<_:< d to carry the extra weight, as the balls were allowed to remain attached to the chain. Another cruel punishmenl consisted in fastening 7l; Report of Andersonville Monument Commission the prisoners' Eee1 aboul a fool from the ground, thus per mitting them to lie down or sil up, as they chose. It was a source of very greal amusemenl for the rebels to get up on ilif stockade and ea1 watermelons, then throw the rinds over to tln i prisoners and watch them scramble after and de- vour them with the avidity of so many starved animals. Soon alter my arrival in prison, I adopted the policy of going to the creek to bathe alter midnight because, fewer were there at that time. During the day the creek was well occupied by men drinking and procuring water for cooking purposes, bath- ing, and the sink. One morning about two o'clock, while several were bathing near the bridge, a guard nearby fired into the party without a word of warning, and for no other reason than mere hellishness or a desire to get a furlough. JJe killed three men and wounded another. He was soon relieved and, J presume, went on a furlough. Such deeds as this were of daily occurrence. Some ingenious fellow of our number organized a company for tunneling. The plan was to dig a well two feet deep and then start the drift at a right angle, carrying the dirt to the creek or swamp to dispose of it, doing all the work at night. We always failed in thus attempting to escape. We dug wells all llic way from forty to sixty feet deep, hauling the dirt up in old cans or in little wooden buckets, made with pocket- knives by splitting the staves out of roots mined from the grounds, and using for ropes to raise the dirt the clothing from the dead. We tried another method of tunneling, which al- most proved successful. We started from a shanty near the dead line, making for the entrance a small hole which could be covered at day and uncovered while we worked at night. We evaded the scrutiny of the inspectors until the tunnel was uearly completed, the crusl overhead about to be broken and the attempt made to escape. Some one revealed it, or some spy discovered the plan, and so all our hopes were blasted. Our i at ions were cut off two days for thus trying to gain freedom. We then gave up tunneling for good. I saw one man shot while under his blanket asleep. The bullet -reined to tear o\'\ the whole top of his head. While the victim was in his dying struggle, the guard stood there and laughed, as though ii was a huge joke. Personal Ri m i\ 1- 1 1 \« 1 > of I >. G. James I saw another victim walk over the dead line and si1 dowii inside, seeming indifferent to the cry of the prisoners to get out of iliai or he would be shot. The guard was prompl to exe cute the order, Bred, but missed. The prisoner remarked, "Pretty close; try it again." The rebels looking on laughed at the poor shot, while the other prisoners dared uot venture inside to take the prisoner out for Tear of meeting suit death themselves. The fiend of a guard loaded his nun and took de liberate aim: there was a sharp crack, and the poor fellow was relieved of his misery, then left to lie there for hours before be ing taken out and laid beside the reserve for burial. About the first of September the rebels, thinking we were to remain all winter, gave us an opportunity to build sheds. A tew of the stronger weFe detailed to go outside and cut and hew some of the pine timber in the vicinity. Their rations were increased to provide strength to work, and. as it also offered an opportunity to pick up chips for fires, it was an vied privilege. One day I. succeeded in getting a chance Do ■ ut for WOOd, and. as we were returning with chins in our pockets and limhs in our hands, a rebel officer near the gate made a rush, kicked the limbs Out of our hands and made us empty our pockets. This performance created a hearty laugh from the on-looking rebels. The sheds we built were madi by putting hoards on poles. While they afforded shelter from the direct rays of the sun and from the rain, the sides being open, they offered little protection from the wind or cold. The men suffering from Bcurvy and other diseases were be- coming mere desperate, occasionally deliberately crawling across the dead line in Bpite of the protests of fellow prisoners, the guards never Imsitatin-j- to us.' them as targets. The home papers had noted sometime before the writer's capture that Sergeant William Nelson of the 10th Wisconsin had been taken prisoner. II<- was a kind, genial fellow whom We all loved at home, albeit he had some notions of Ins own about diet. When I inquired for Sergeant Nelson, he was pointed nut to me. The strong, active, young man I had known - almost unrecognizable. II«' was engaged in separating gots from a piece of bacon he was eating. Winn I ad dressed him he said.* - . My God! have they got you in this hell hold I am glad to sic you. hut God knows I am sorry t" you here." He related his experience in various prisons and i I Report of Andersonville Monument Commission (old how at Danville, doI satisfied with starving and Bhooting prisoners, they had infected them with small-pox. When re minded that he was not so particular as formerly about his diet, he replied, 'I did not think any power aside from thai of s.-itan himself could be capable of perpetrating sucli outrages on the human race." Alum! the tenth September, a In-own piece of paper announc- ing an exchange of prisoners was thrown into the stockade, Bay ing they were to be exchanged at Savannah. This caused great excitement. The old prisoners wore to be taken first. On the twelfth day of September the detachmenl under charge of Ser- geanl Nelson was ordered to go. As one of his men had died that morning-, he offered to take me as substitute, if the plan should not be discovered. That scheme had been worked be- fore, and I must not, he said, be disappointed if it failed. On the 13th of September we left, full of hope that relief was in sight. We were crowded into box cars by guards with fixed bayonets, which tli3y used occasionally in spite of the piteous cry of the sick inside for more room. One door was opened a little, and two guards were stationed at each side. We spent almost two hours in the afternoon at Macon, where the crowds j< ered us. Some sympathetic women, pitying our plight, threw bread to us. From here we went to Charleston. The night be- fore we reached that place there was bright moonlight, but as we neared the coast we saw some faint hope of escape in, perhaps, being able to signal a passing ship. The condition of the road bed rendered it necessary for the train to run slowly. Sonic of the prisoners watched their opportunity, when the guard was nodding, to push him out the door. The guards on top the car, thinking it was an escaping prisoner, opened fire and riddled him with bullets. Of the prisoners who tried by jumping to the mound, to escape, some were killed, some wounded; and a very Few succeeded in reaching our lines. We had been told along the line thai an exchange was being made at Charleston, but upon our arrival there we made but a shorl stop before starting northward. They then claimed that we were to be exchanged at Richmond. We made a stop a1 Florence, South Carolina, which relieved us, as we were cramped and sorely in need of rations. We readied Florence aboul Pour in the afternoon of September 14th, but Personal Reminiscences of I >. G. James 75 wen kepi in the card .ill eight. The following morning we moved aboul hv miles oul of town where we \\ ••!•<* unloaded and stationed in . field, Here we were permitted to gather some rails and build a fire, yel we had do thing to cook or eat. There were cornfields in the immediate neighborhood and the men were vainly crying to gather Bonie. Phe uexl day, September 16, \\ e still fasted, but by that time many had Lost all desire for food. Five men uear me Lying beneath one blanket died thai aft- ernoon From starvation. Aboul one hundred in all, ou1 of eight hum I red, died of starvation there in a single day. The day b sfore some of the stronger ones had made ;i stampede for the corn- field. The rebels beat Ihe long roll and the whole garrison Boon turned oul and with hounds and guns succeeded in capturing mosl <»t them. One poor drummer boy who was shol replied to I uel Lverson's question as to why he tried to escape, "Oh m so hungry/' and then fell back dead. One man from an Illinois regiment eluded the hounds for two days be- fore they caught his trail. At daybr ak the third morning he heard the baying of hounds and used a club to keep them off until 'h. owners came up. Th< guards then took the club away from him and permitted the dogs to bite him to enc urage them for future work. He was returned to us, and his torn clothing and lacerated limbs corroborated his story. Another prisoner was concealed by slaves in a hollow log two days. They then ■ him some sweet potatoes and baked possum and star! th Tennessee Infantry. It was his mission to organize a T 7<> Report of Andersonville Monument Commission battalion from the prisoners and they were dubbed "galvanized iTanks." For some days he mingled with us and expressed sor- row ;M our condition. Be claimed that the confederacy had tried to exchange us and had offered two of us Tor one of their men, luit had mel with the reply from our officers thai we were only bounty -jumpers and coffee-coolers for whom they bad no use. He, bowever, expres£ed confidence in us, and offered us good clothes and food ^ud pay to relieve their men in the garrison. A1 the close of the war he promised us each one hundred and sixty acres of land for a home lead. He then came back in a few davs with the rolls, ready to organize his battalion, bu1 >o his chagrin and anger not a man juil down his name. He cursi d and threatened, and Colonel [verson came, to his relief, trying direet starvation on us. At, last he succeeded in securing live hundred recruits from men who took the oath of allegiance to the southern confederacy, rather than starve. The poor starved wretch who shared my dugout replied to Colonel O'Neil's offer of relief by enlisting, "I believe I will starve a little while long! r before I take that step." At that Colonel O'Neil .wiled. ''By G — d, I will starve you until you will come to it." He did. luii poor James Shanley of Company C, 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry, iiist went insane and then died, January 27, 1865 j lie starved t<» death because of his loyally to his eountry. The stockade completed, tho e of us who were not "galvan- ized"' were ordered inside, the sick alone remaining in t lie tents. The prisoners who raised their hands swearing allegiance to the southern confederacy in preference to starvation have been cen- sured, yet to this late day I have charity for t hem. well knowing thai when they made oath before Almighty God they inserted this mental reservation until they had an opportunity to es- cape lo our lines. Some did, and rendered good service to the government until the close of the war. This stockade was of Logs about eighteen feet high inclosing aboul seven and one-half acres. There was the usual dead line, and a. cannon over a platform in each corner of the stockade. A shallow. Eluggish stream three feel wide ran through it. The ground was covered with brush and slumps where the trees had been cu1 Tor the stockade. We were no1 slow in making use of this refuse I'm- shelter. A few axes had been secured and smug- gled in. and these wen used nights. Those who had secured Person ai Reminiscences op D. G. James 7 < confederate eurrenc} paid a dollar an hour for the use of an After we had been inside Hie stockade ;i few days, Colonel 's lieutenant was put in command. As ,-i fiend incarnate, he was second t i no one, not eve i Wirz ll<' was always armed, ng several prisoners assembled would cry out 1<> dis- perse that crowd, and ai the same time would begin firing. He 1 li-lini a whipping post inside the stockade, and detailed two prisoners to wield the cat-o'-nine tails, giving them extra rations ■>.' solid food for his brutal work. One of these tools - named Stanton, belonging to the 12th New York Cavalry. The other belonged to a Massachusetts Eleavy Artillery regiment, ;i dark, thick-lipped, coarse fellow, whom the prisoners called srer Pete." Their records were not known, vol il was sup- posed that they were bounty jumpers from the slums of New Y k and Boston. Cold weather so □ began to tell on the prisoners. Pour of us buill a structure •"»' feet. We dug back into the bank, then set up two -trips endwise, and fixed a pole across these to supporl the roof. AI the end we made a fire place and a chim- ney, which we used for cooking. The brick for our fireplace we fashioned with our hands out of clay and water, t'en baked them in the ^uu. We gathered pine needles for our bed. Wo had a blanket and a half for the four of us. These quarters well until the winter rains commence I. Tien the clay began to soak and melt, and the water seeped through the roof. One evening in the early winter, five nice-looking young men came in with a new detachment. They had almost no clothing and only a little wood which they earned in their hand-. NTol finding any shelter, they built a little fire and lay down. The morning found them frozen stiff. It was known that they were all from .■ eolleg chusetts. Every morning following a cold night, the creek would be full of men thawing out their Quit* often the creek would be covered with ice. Most of the prisoners were destitute of shoes and Bocks, and their feet, from repeated freezing, would become son-: and they were often obliged to crawl to the creek, where many a poor fellow died from the exertion. One day the colonel appeared on the bank and requested n middle-aged prisoner to turn a hand-spring. The prisoner re- 78 Report of A.ndersonvillb Monument Commission plied that the living he received . G. James 7fl for our Christmas feast. I mistrusted Borne trickery, s<> I ivenl to the sergeant of the tenth detachment and told him I had an opportunity to L r <> out on parole to work for the rebel officers, For which 1 would receive an extra ration. The oext evening when it came time for roll call, a Bquad of guards came in and drove th«' prisoners .-ill to one aide of the creek, stationed the guards bo that Done could go back except by falling in with their mess and marching along the causeway over the bridge, where both the sergeants were placed to counl them as they cros ed. So 1 counted all right at one place and was reported on parole a1 tVe other. When the gentlemen had computed their figur< ■>. they had six thousand five hundred men to whom they were issuing twelve thousand rations. Then the lash was used very freely d>r a number of days. They were very much surprised, and, to mad, expressed it mildly. The resull was thai instead of the si of meat and sweet potatoes we received nothing, they claiming that they did no1 have time. Now Years ci with another count. T had kept up my parole scheme so that it worked all right. Some of the boys who were working the game lost their nerve and went to the officer and confessed, yet they got the penalty just the same. So T stuck to it. Later, when the general roll-call or muster came around, it found me Bick and unable to gel oul of my dugout, and i 1 happened that the sergeants of both detachments came a1 the same time to find those that were not able to gel out. I ionic the crazy dodge on it. and answered do questions, as they both claimed me as their man. They called the man, W. Cook, who shared my domain with me, and he informed them thai 1 was OUl of my head and had been for several days. and. was unable to answer any questions. He told them who T was. The sergeant who had loel his man became very angry, threatening my life. He reached down into my cave, took me by the leg, dragged mc out and gave me several kicks, sending me down the bank into the creek. He declared that he would give me fifty lashes. Cook told him it would be unnecessary, as he had already hilled me. They left me to lie on the ground where the sergeant had left me until the roll-call was over. The boys that T knew gathered around and put me back into my dugout. I remembered hearing one man say. •'That is the hist of poor have." T was UHCOn- scious \'<>v several days and. before I had Grained sufficicent 80 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission strength to gel out, Sherman's army had started from Savannah on the greal campaign through the Carolinas. Every available man the rebels could spare was rushed to the fronl to stop him. Our guards were replaced with some conscripted boys and old men, and I imagined thai the sergeanl thai had the account againsl me, in his haste to stop Sherman, had neglected to hand ii over to his sucessor. Nb1 being anxious the setl le the account, I did not refer to it, so ii stands there yet to my credit. The prisoners go1 into the habil of trading with the slaves working on the stockade, thus getting some sweet potatoes and other vegetables, which they usually ate raw for the scurvy. It seemed 1o help it immensely. A stop was soon put to this, and prisoners were not permitted to speak to negroes. Then the our boys gol to bartering with the guards, Which trade pros- pered very well for a short period. We swapped anything they had for something to eat. I had a gold pen and a silver holder, given me by my father so that I would ho able to write home after entering the service. Although T valued it very highly, I gave it to a rehel for a quart of sweet potatoes and then ate them raw. The guards got so they would take whal we had for barter to inspect, then fail to return either it or the desire*! ration. One of my friends made a ring from a hone and let one of the guards take it for inspection, for which he was to bring a quart of peas when lie came on post at the next relief. My friend kept watch for him when he came hack on heat and asked for his peas. Instantly the guard raised his gun to his shoulders, took- quick aim and tired. The prisoner dodged, and the ball passed over him and lodged in the dirt roof of a nearby dugout. Thai was the end of that deal. Another instance came under my observation. A prisoner belonging to a AVest Virginia regi- ment camped next to me. Noticing a guard on the top of Ihe stockade taking a chew from a large plug of tobacco, he asked him if he would plea e ejvo him a kite. The guard raised his musket to his shoulder and fired. The hall entered the victim, passed into his left breasl and down out of his right side. Tie lived about three hours, suffering intense pain until dealh re- lieved him. Late in Hie fall the rebels detailed men from among the prisoners to go into the timber and cut poles for a frame and split shakes to roof a hospital: and they also detailed some of rsonal Reminiscences op I >. < >. James 81 the stronger ours as nurses. This hospital was constructed by Betting forked posts in the ground about ten feel apart. Poles were placed in these forks for ridge poles and plates. The rafters were then pul up of poles hewed off on one side. The dial.es were pul on the roof and weighted down with poles and es. The sides were pul up by weaving the shakes into sections with vines procured in the swamp. So. when this hospital was ready for its inmates, it had been built without a nail. The fire places for warming and ventilation were erected without a brick. The hospital patients received a change of diet, together with shelter and the warmth of sev- eral co/y fire [daces. Many of the inmates improved, and it was the means of enabling a number of the poor hoys to reach home and the dear ones. who. without it. would never have reached "God's < lount ry. ' ' Tliis was about the time for the presidential •■lection in the north. Colonel [verson thought he might get some idea of what the verdict would be by taking a vote amongst the prisoners. So they compaigned it a few days. They told us how cruel our gov- ernment was to ii> \'i>v not exchanging, knowing very well how we were suffering, and that Abe Lincoln was responsible for all we were compelled to endure. They prepared the ballots l>y bringing in a box with two kinds of peas, black and while. The black peas were for old Abe and the white ones for Little Mac. as they designated them. They then stationed a guard around the polls to enforce honesty and prevent repeating. The polls opened at nine in the morning and the voting com- menced very briskly, and. as nearly as some could tell by inquir- ing of every voter coming from the polls ns to how he had cast his ballot, they estimated that Lincoln was receiving five-sixths of the votes. This w;is very disagreeable to the rebels who were watching from the stockade near the boxes. They could look down into the l>ox from the top of the stockade. We had no means of knowing what the issues were, as we had not re ceived a paper for six months, except little dodgers thrown inside to deceive us. These little papers announced an exchange that w;is going on for mil' benefit, yet we concluded it was safe to vote for the man they did not like and, as General Br • i it, ' We loved him for the enemies he had made." So all the information we could glean on tie- issms v 82 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission rebels had seen lit to imparl to us. We came to the conclu- sion that we were not voting in sympathy with their desires. A sergeanl was asked by Colonel Iverson whom he was voting for and whal he knew about the issues. The sergeant replied that all lie knew was that four years ago he shouted for Abe Lin- coln and they were shouting for Jeff Davis, and that now it was safe, because the rebels hated Lincoln so intensely, to vote for him. The rebels became so disgusted with the outlook thai about ten in the forenoon they took out the peas and failed to announce the result. Thus ended our presidential campaign, so far as we were concerned. In December there was an exchange of prisoners arranged, so they claimed. This exchange included only the sick and wounded. They took a few of the sick who would never be of any use to the government, and made up the balance out of those who were known as the raider cut-throats and bounty jumpers; as it was an easy task to identify them. One good thing for us was the fact that they took the demons Stanton and Pete, who had been doing the whipping. "When the new set of guards came on, it was made up principally of young fellows of South Carolina who were not old enough to go to the front. Judging from their talk they were very desirous of killing a Yankee. I think the most of them had their desires gratified, as the records show. It was but a short time after guard mount before we could hear the crack of the rifle most any time of day or night. I heard one of them make the re- mark, one morning when he went on guard, that he would kill a d d Yankee before he came off duty. He would let the Yanks know r that he did not come there for nothing. About daybreak the next morning, a poor fellow came along going to the creek for water. He little suspected there was a cow- ardly villain waiting to murder him. Before he could reach the creek, as lie was passing this guard's beat, fully ten feel from the dead line, without a word of warning the guard raised his musket to his shoulder and fired, killing the man instantly. He then remarked that he had said he would kill one, and he had done it. He was soon relieved, and, for his reward, received his thirty-day furlough. Late in the fall ar- rangements were made by which the United States Sanitary Commission was to be allowed to send some clothing ami Person u Ri iiiniscences op D. G. Jami 83 blankets to the prisoners, and also thai the people of the north might Bend through the lines to their friends and loved ones boxes of food and delicacies, which would be delivered to them. My mother and se\ era] of the good old Ladies of our town made up a box and Bent it to me. In the 1><>\ they pul Borne butter, each roll having a silver dollar in it. It is needless to Bay thai 1 never received the box ; and 1 never knew of l»ut one l>ox hav- ing been received by the prisoners at Florence. Bui very few suits of clothes were ever given to the prisoners. I dare Bay thai there were nol to exceed fifty blankets given them, tin* bulk of them being kepi to be put on the backs of their own men. The rebel sergeants used to come into the stockade on cold, frosty mornings, dressed warmly in the clothes sent there for the prisoners. We knew this, for the blankets had on them the letters U. S. S. C. United States Sanitary Commission . There was a detail taken ou1 OH parole to cut wood in the swamp, half a mile away, and carry it up to the gate to supply the prison and rebel officers' quarters; and to wait on the offi- a generally, in order to gel the additional meagre supply of meat OT some other solid food that would give them strength to perform tin- arduous work. Aboul live in the afternoon, the guards would he placed around the woodpile at the entrance to the gate, which would be Opened, and a detail from each mess was lei oul t<> bring it in. Some days the prisoners would take advantage of the parole and gel oul of reach of the prison limit and hid.-. As ^".n as it became dark, they would make an effort t<> escape the vigilance of the scouts and the scenl of the hounds, and some did. Others were captured and returned to receive their punishment flf lash. -v. etc. It was a habil of two Lieutenants, Mosby and Barrett, when they wanted recreation, to post them- selves «»n the cap over the gate and. armed with heavy walking sticks, as the prisoners passed through, hit them over the head lee who could knock down the Larger number. The prisoners would run the gauntlets, Btooping or dodging, of course, to avoid the blows. When one of them was knocked down, there was loud merriment among the guards and officers Looking on. One evening Lieutenant Mosby was playing a Lone hand a1 the posl Over the gate, and just ahead of me was a fine Looking fellow that he had singled out tor a blow. The man dodged ; the club slipped from the lieutenant's hand and went flying out among • s ! Report of Anderronville Monument Commission the prisoners. The fellow al whom he struck, picked it up to carry in for fuel to cook his allowance. Mosby jumped down, ran into the crowd cursing and calling the prisoners all the vile uames he could think of. Enquiring for the man thai had his cane, no one responded, knowing full well to w dial il would lead. They gathered around in the endeavor to secrete him, yet to no avail. Mosby located him, gathered up his gad and pounded the poor fellow over the head and shoulders until he became ex- hausted. During this time. Colonel [verson, who was standing by, eaughl up a stick of wood and ran towards us crying, *' Kill the (1 — (I Yankee." The prisoners gathered around the poor vic- tim, who was bleeding profusely, so the colonel should not reach him, fearing he would kill him, anyway. When t he colonel found that he was balked, in his page he ordered the guard to fire into the crowd, but they failed to obey the order. A man by the name of Melvin Grigsby,* a member of ( Jompany ( 5, Second Wis- consin Cavalry, was out on detail for some time, working for the officers' mess. lie fared quite well, getting some warm (dot lies and provisions, lie made his plans to escape, revealing the scheme to a comrade named Carr, and then by forging a p and bribing a sergeahl of the guards, he got away. Every morn ing, when the roll was called. Carr would answer to Grigsby's name. lie did this for several days, until they had a general roll-call and count. This gave Grigsby a good start before his absence was discovered. A search was made, hut no Grigsby v as found. The matter was reported to the colonel, who sent a guard inside the stockade to bring out Carr, who was escorted to headquarters and asked where Grigsby was. TTe replied that he did not know. The colonel called him a d — d liar. When Carr was asked how Grigsby escaped, he did not choose to tell. The colonel then commenced to cuff him severely on the head, saying thai he would compel him to tell. Carr told him to cuff away — that ^\i'vy dog had his day. AVherenpon the <• .!( iiel commenced kicking as well as striking him. saying that he would compel him to tell by putting him in the dungeon; if he did not tell then he would torture him for three hours in the stretchers; and thai as ;i last resort he would kill him. Carr ::: Melvin Grigsby is now n prominent citizen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has occupied high positions in his state, and is author of a hook entitled "The Smoked Yank."' which uives a thrilling history of nis < ipture and >• ' 'fire. ; 'i rsi '\ \ t U'i minis* ences op D. G. Jami was thrown into the dungeon, and, after he had suffered as long as he thoughl he could possibly stand it, he called the guard and told him to send for the colonel, who came and Lei him down, asking him if he was ready to tell hov Grigsbj caped. Carr still replied in the negative, and requested thai if the colonel had any humanity Left to kill him, as he could qoI stand thai another hour. He was too weak to stand. The colonel then wenl away leaving him there for two days and two [lights withoul food. Then he was broughl back inside the stock ade in a delirious state and turned over to his friends. He re mained in thai condition for some days, having a run of fever. After several weeks of suffering, withoul any medical treatment, <»r any food excepl the prison fare, he began to recover, and he lived to be paroled to reach home and friends. ! musl descrioe~"the dungeon anTT stretciiers, the place and means for persecution, and wnere Carr passed two days It was situated in one corner of the stockade under the gun plat- forms, buiH of Ions and entirely (dosed in with a dirt embank- ment around Lhe sides and top, except the opening for the dooi', which was a double one: and it did not admit a ray of light. There was no ventilation whatever. The guard <>n top was ever on the alerl to see thai the prisoners did not make their pe. The water seeped in through the top until it was in some places several inches deep. All the ground was completely covered with ii. The stretchers were then fixed on the timbers supporting them by hanging two cords from them and then fastening them to the prisoner's thumbs, drawing him up with his arms behind him until his toes would barely reach lhe ground. Then, after leaving him there with the doors closed from one to two hours, until life was nearly extinct, lie would he let down to survive a shorl ; 1 1 < 1 miserable existence. Here is an instance of loyalty: A drummer boy there, scarcely twelve years old. who had lost several of his toes by ji-' m\ wa» hobbling around with lhe aid of a stick. He was barefooted and bareheaded. When a rebel came in to I eat lhe drum for roll call, our boy stood near lhe gate i<> gel a look out- Bide ;is the the dying. One morning she came again and we could sec determination in her face and a firmness in her step 3 but they kept her back by forming a line of fixed bayonets. She then appealed to the captain to allow her to pass inside to give somthing to the sick and starving; yet all to no avail. The captain said if she had anything to give, to give it to their own men. not to the Yankees who had come down there to kill Person ai Reminiscences op D. G. James B9 their friends and to destroy their property. He declared thai all he desired to do \\;is to keep the breath of life in the Yan- kees long enough to L r «t strong, healthy men in exchange [or tli.-m: that he coulil imt krep ui a greal while longer and in- tended 1" ;i\ us so th.it we would never Be of any use when he got [Tone with us. she tola" him tin- ¥ ankees were human beings as well as other men, and that she would care for t era as long as Bhe could. She called him a brute, withoul any feel- ing of manhood about him. He kepi her from coming inside the lines, y.'t Bhe threw her bread in spite of his orders. On< of the prisoners had a little talk with her and she told him they would have to release us soon, as communications were cul to the n«>rth of there and that our army had taken Wilmington; s«» they would be obliged to give us up. He then thanked her for her kindness and asked her what we could ever do to repay her for being bo good to us. She said. " When you get into your lines, drink all the good old Yankee coffee you can, and think of a poor old woman who has not had a taste of it for nigh unto foin years." That is the last we ever heard of our kind friend. I have wished many times I had her name. February 25th we took another of our usual , paroles , went aboard the cars thai night and arrived inside our lines, aboul sundown. February 20, on the north branch of the Gape Fear River, a very happy - to our condition, the troops who were stationed there can tell. It \> said that the civilization of a nation is measured by the way it t reals its p_risoji££S. If that to be so, the sailed Confederate state of America must sink pretty low- down in the scale. In justice to those who resorted to the ex- treme measures of " galvanizing/ ' as the only means of saving their lives, yet had no intention of helping the enemy, but only gain their freedom, let me pay tins: They were no sooner out and fed until they began planning for an escape. They were taken to Savannah and put to work to confront Sherman's army, but, as they were ab< ut to make t' e attempt to cut through and fight for their freedom, some eowardly traitor 'Mine in and gave tii«* plot away, when the battalion found them elves sur- rounded by a superior force and were disarmed and put under arrest. The eight sergeants were shot ami the privates and mr- porals returned to the stockade. One of these sergeants the man who had been la hed for refusing to turn a hand spring. 90 EtEPOIM OF A.NDERSONVILLE MONUMENT COMMISSION When they were 1o be executed the eight wore placed in a row in the presence of Hie disarmed hnttalion. Seven were blind- folded, l»ni the eighth refused to be, saying lie desired to be Launched into eternity with the faces of those cruel men branded on his brow. Thus lie would know the fiends who would thus starve men, and then shoot them for trying to ob- tain their freedom. Then, standing erect with arms folded, he gave the command to fire, as he was ready. He fell pierced through the heart, a victim of Jeff Davis' damnable policy to establish a Confederacy. This was related to me by those who were eye witnesses to the tragedy. This is a short sketch of my own experience for seven months as a prisoner of war in the hands of a so-called govern menl which was conceived in inequity and maintained during its short existence in crime and brutailty. It was fostered by traitors that had been educated by the United States govern- ment and had at various times sworn allegiance to it. When the crisis came they headed a column in intrigue and treachery to induce the well-disposed and would-be loyal South to join them in the hellish Avork of perpetuating slavery and destroy- ing a government which had been fought for and established by such men as AVasliington, Madison. Franklin and La Fay- ette. And now, after forty-five years, who thinks we ought to forget? No, that is impossible for me as I look back and see my poor starving comrades doing unheard of things to sustain life until succor might reach them. All this is borne out by the testimony in the investigation of the Congressional committee, in the trial of Captain Wirz, the evil genius of Andersonville. lvcts Prom Poll ird's Iji i. CHAPTER V. EXTRACTS FROM POLLARD'S LIFE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS AND THE SECRET BISTORY OF THE CONFEDERACY. "When a section of constitutional Jaw is once broken down, the citadel of liberty is .sudd taken. '"And so it swiftly proved al Richmond. Heretofore Mr, Davis in all his public addresses had declared thai tin.- Confeder at.- government was established to preserve their ''ancient insti- tutions"; he constantly pointed to the disregard which the th had shown for civil liberty, to its suspension of hal corpus, to bastiles filled with prisoners, arrested without Legal process or indictment; and not later than the day of his 3 ond inauguration, he had congratulated tin- South that through all the necessities of an unequal struggle there has been no act on ll ird'h Life there was a necessity for vigilance and vigor. But a police com posed of rowdies . 1 1 1 « I gamblers was imported from Baltimore as non-conscripts, the vilest of adventurers, who mighl without legal pro< ss t< ar any citizen from his home who made < I < - 1 1 1 1 1 > ciations, who trafficked in bribes, and from whom no man was safe. The newspapers did not publish the arrests, or only aa the scantiesl items; and. although Inn few persona were actu ally imprisoned on account of their political sentiments, the se8 were many where respectable citizens, among them ladies, were conveyed to certain tribunals held in drinking shops and the "pens" of negro trader8 and " \\ 'arned *' by police mag- nates of i h<- president *s orders. "An incident illustrating the outrages and effrontery of this political police is recollected by the author. In ;i boarding house in Richmond was an estimable lady, ;i native of Virginia, who owned ,-i large estate of negroea in Culpeper county. She had been very much annoyed by the desertion of her slaves; and hearing of the flight of one of of the most valuable of them, she exclaimed t<> ;i company assembled in the parlor, "I do wish the Yankees would come and take away all the negroes.' It was nothing more than a petulant remark — such as one liv- ing in the South might hear a hundred times, when the mistrea8 of the house w.is disposed to describe her slaves ;is pests and ><>iir.-,-s of annoyance. The remark, through some channel, w.is reported to General Winder, commanding the Department of Henrico. The next day the lady was called to the door by a shabby stranger; she came back running into the parlor ping, and pr;iyin!_r some gentleman in the house to protect her. She had received the dread summons to appear before General Winder on a charge of uttering treasonable sentiments. There could !"• no opposition or escape; the detective was at the doni-. importunate for his victim, h was only when this tmplshed and delicately nurtured lady had been compelled t«> walk nearly a mile through the street, to enter a mean build- ing recently used ;i^ ;t drinking shop, i<> press through a throng of rum sellers and rowdies to the dirty throne .u' Winder, and humbly i<> protest there that her offense had been temper and not reason, that she was allowed to depart with the brutal in- junction to hold her tongue in t'ut ure. "At the head of this wretched police business, which in some form or other continued through the administration of Mr. 94 Report of Andebsonville Monument Commission Davis, he placed a man than whom a fitter exponenl of despol ism and cruelty could qo1 be found within the limits of the South. This person was General Winder, of Maryland, whose name thousands of Living persons ye1 recall with horror: and ;i character thai deserves an especial study in the moral his- tory of the war. At lirst sighl tins person was not unpleasant. Mr, Ely, the memorable state prisoner of the Libby, speaks 0$ General Winder, then his principal jailor, as an agreeable, grey-headed officer, a little disposed to stand on his dignity, prim and neat to scrupulousness, yet having no traits of harshness in his manner or countenance. But this impres- sion was not that of a close study. This man, whom President Davis had found in some obscure place in the old army, and kepi to the end of his administration as his chief of military police and head-jailor of the Confederacy, was near sixty years of age; his hair was white and tufty; and at a distance he had a patriarchal appearance. But his face was the picture of cruelty, a study for an artist; a harsh, dry face; cruel eyes, not muddy as from temper, but w r ith a clear, cold light in them ; a faded, poisonous mouth, on which a smile seemed mockery. "Under the martial law proclaimed in Richmond, this creat- ure held in his hands the powers of a viceroy. Tie was responsi- ble to no one but Mr. Davis. He ordered what arrests he pleased ; he regulated trade; he gave permits for the transportation of goods ; he hunted conscripts through the streets. As a curious specimen of his authority, we may quote a single order: "The obtaining by conscripts of substitutes through the medium of agents is strictly forbidden. "When such agents are employed, the principal, the substitute, and the agent will be impressed into the military service, and the money paid for the substitute, and as a reward to the agent, will be confiscated by the gov- ernment." It is almost incredible that such despotic edicts could be issued in the capital of the Southern Confederacy: but here they were, written under the eye of Mr. Davis, and put in the hands of his creature for execution. Winder carried the interests of Richmond in his pocket. If a citizen wished to commute for military duty, if a merchant desired to secure the sacrifice of his flour ami bacon from the tariff of prices under martial law. if a liquor dealer wished to bring into the city a lot of apple brandy. Winder had to be seen, and his K\ i r \. i ] Kkiim Poll uid's Life 95 favor had to be Becured. He \\ .t -- courted, caressed; people of all smis s.nt linn presents; and when an acquaintance Bug ted to him thai it was imprudenl to receive such testimonies of regard, and thai they mighl be closely interpreted as bribes, the reply was: 'If the devil himself chooses to Bend me presents, I don't Bee why 1 should not accepl them.' He had a fin-ions habit aboul these offerings; they Beldom availed to obtain any return from him. His peculiarity in this respect suggests a description in Macaulay of the infamous Jeffreys, to the effect that he would often carouse with the meanesl turn; but when he was sober on the bench, and his companions of the nighl are would presume on the maudlin affection they had con- tracted in their cups, he would pretend not to know them, and would drown their attempts at familiarity in volleys of wrath and imprecation. There was a striking analogy to such be- havior in the relations of Winder and his gift-bearers. He invariably accepted anything sent him in the shape of a pres- ent; tin- ingenious wretch who had sent it, perhaps to escape tin- conscription, or to <*et a permit to traffic in liquors, would felicitate himself that he had secured his concession, that the business was done: but the next day would come au order to rlap him in the conscript camp, or to impound all tho whiskey on his premises. It was a feline way the General had of play- ing with his victims, and must have been intensely gratifying to a nature like his. The unhappy bearer of gifts seldom es- caped from his dutches— the gifts never." Tn connection with the scarcity of food and necessary sup- plies in the South occurs a subject of interest which we may conveniently examine here. We refer to that lame volume of complaint against Mr. Davis for the maltreatment of Northern prisoners, especially in the article of subsistence. We have already, on the subjeel of the Confederate commissariat, made some suggestions which throw some light on this matter: but we find no more proper place in our work than the present to sub- mit ;i brief account of the administration of the Confederate prisons. We propose thus to go over rapidly the history of the subsistence of Federal prisoners in the South— a subject so serious and interesting as to have called for extensive investiga t i<»n both at Washington and Richmond, but the secrel history of which is scarcely yet known 96 Report oi Andersonville Monument Commission ll is remarkable thai in the early periods of flic war there was no system whatever, n<> organized provision, for subsisting the prisoners who soon commenced to accumulate on the hands of the government. There was an officer, of the rank of lieuten- ant, who had charge of the unfortunate creatures, who sub- sisted them by irregular purchases in the Richmond markets, and who was left to determine, a1 his own discretion, the measure and article of food. He was removed for a singular freak some weeks after the battle of Mana&sas. Having had a drunken quarrel with the quartermaster as to who shon'd bury the dead of the prison, he had lefl two corpses in front of the office of the latter, in a wagon halted in one of the most public streets near the Capitol, and, unhitching the horses in sighl of a horri- fied crowd, had abandoned the "dead Yankees" to lake their chances of burial as the authorities, oilier than himself, mighl determine. Ii was a day's scandal in Richmond, and the brutal officer was removed. Bu1 for forty-eight hours nearly two thousand prisoners were without a mouthful of food until a sub- ordinate of the prison, moved by their cries or alarmed by their mutiny, found some barrels o\' corn meal in the stores of the prison, and U'd it to them in buckets of mush. ii was through this humane diligence that Captain Warner, ;i generous and efficient man, became afterwards charged with the subsistence of the prisoners. The captain often told in Richmond, with greal emotion, his experience with the prisoners, mutinous and savage for want of food; for surely there is no fiercer devil in the human composition, none that dares more, than hunger, lie was walking in the prisoners' galleries of the Libby, explaining that a difficulty had occurred in their sup- plies of food hut that they should have illimitable stores on the morrow, when an immense Yankee boatswain clutched him bv the collar, and dragged him into a circle of angry faces, desper- ate from hunger. "You are a good commissary, ' ' said -lack, "and I am a good prisoner; 1. am the besl prisoner yon eVer saw in the world: but, d — n me, if I had not rather face one hundred of Jefferson Davis's cannon than he starved like a dog." *'l felt rather unhappy for a few minutes," said Cap- tain Warner, "bu1 1 promised the fellow who shook me. heavy as I was, as if I was no more than a baby in his hands, that if he would let me go, he should have some grub in half an hour. E \ i r \( tf Pr< »m Poi i. \km> V Life 1 found uothing in the storehouse of the prison bul three barrels i»i* nK.il. I made it into ho1 mush, filled Borne buckets with !:, and had it passed in to the prisoners. Bui you may bel I didn't inside. I called to Jack through the ltt.i1 <• that I had gol him the healthiesl supper 1 could, and not to le1 the men burn their mouths. The next day Captain Warner represented to General Winder, the principal officer in charge of the prisoners, lliai there was no subsistence for them, and thai they were in the actual pangs of hunger. He was directed a1 once to make a requisition on Colonel Northrop, the cross-grained and eccentric Commissary eral- an officer whose idea of importance was to have a fit of insolence whenever he was approached, and who was either gruff or hystrri.-al in his official intercourse. '* I know nothing <>( Yankee prisoners,' ' he said; " throw them all into the -Tames "River.'' **.\t least," said Captain Warner, "tell mo how I am to keep my accounts for the prisoners' subsistence.' ' "Sir." said Northrop, slightly inclining his eye3 to the anxious inquirer, "I have not the will or the time to speak with yon. Chuck the scoundrels into tin river." Here was a quandary. There was no law to charge the Com- missary-General with the subsistence of prisoners; he insisted thai it belonged to the quartermaster's department: the latter denied it. and. in a dead-lock of quibbles, the prisoners might he left to starve. The ingenuity of a lawyer was required to solve the dispute. Captain Warner had been appointed Com- missary of Prisons, and yet Northrop refused to acknowledge Ins authority or to till his requisitions, and was completely obscure and impracticable on a question of humanity. Happily a con- venienl law or military regulation was hunted up, to the effeel that a bonded commissary mighl be assigned to perform cer- tain duties of a quartermaster at the post. Under this law Captain Warner mighl draw his supplies from the Quartermas- ter-General, and mighl be independent of the odious Northrop. Another obscure statute was discovered; ii was an acl of the early Congress at Montgomery; it consisted only of three or four lines, yet it was very important. It provided with rare humanity that the prisoners of war should have the same ra- tions as Confederate soldiers in the Held. 7 98 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission Under the arrangemenl indicated by these laws the prisoner* were comfortably, and even generously, subsisted for many months. The arrangement was perfected not long after the battle of Manassas. Pood was then abundant in Richmond, .-iiid the besl beef sold for only eighl cents a pound. When supplies became scarce; when the foolish law authorized im- pressments and assigning "government prices." drove nearly every producer from the market, it became a matter of extreme difficulty to feed the prisoners, and to divide what could be obtained between their necessities and those of the Confederate troops in the field. The Commissary of Prisons, acting inde- pendently of Northrop, employed traveling agencies to pur- chase supplies at the best prices, and never allowed his solici- tude for the unhappy men in his charge to be impaired by demands in other departments of the government. As evidence of this solicitude it may be mentioned that in the winter of 1863, a memorable season of scarcity, it was proposed to buy supplies for the prisoners in some of the upper counties of Virginia, where Confederate money was refused, and that to effect the humane undertaking General Lawton, then Quarter- master General, was willing to draw a requisition for fifty thousand dollars in gold. Bu1 these purchases were defeated by an unforeseen inter- ference. Commissary Northrop had opposed all purchases of supplies outside of his department; he complained that Cap- tain Warner paid larger prices than the government maxi- mum ; he insisted that as the first care was to provide for the troops in the field, he should have the first option of all market- able supplies; and at last he assumed to impress the subsistence purchased for the prisoners and to divert it to his own depart- ment. A fierce war was waged between him and Warner; rival committees of investigation were raised in Congress: and 1he supplies of Libby prison became a bone of contention. On one occasion Warner's agents had brought down from Augusta county a drove of one hundred and seventy-five beeves, and Northrop had performed a coup d'etat by impressing them on the out shirts of "Richmond. Not to be entirely outdone, Cap- t;iin Warner, in the winter of 1863, loaded sixty-three cars in North Carolina wit h sweel potatoes, brought them to the Li bin . pounded them and then sifted them through the wire-nets lie Extr \< ts From Poi i urn's Ltfe tore from the windows, and composed a curious bread made of equal measures of mash of potatoes, flour and cornmeal. 'Ii was tli*' best bread I ever ate, M Bays Captain Warner. But even iliis invention was spoiled by Northrop. Il«' had deter mined to take control of all the subsistence of the Confederacy, ami to interdict all special purchases for the consumption of prisoners. The first result was a regulation requiring the Commissary of Prisons to purchase from the Commissary- General; and ultimately, in the Bpring of 1864, 8 law was passesd virtually abolishing the former office and transferring the subsistence of prisoners to the tender mercies of the man who had wished the thousands of them in Richmond at the bot torn of James River. LOO Report of Andersonville Monument Commission CHAPTER VI. FROM JOHN .1. MeELROY'S, "A STORY OF SOUTHERN PRISONS." As I started to drink my firsl ration of soup, il seemed 1o me thai there was a superfluity of bugs upon its surface. Much as I wanted animal food, I did not care for fresh meal in that form. I. skimmed them off carefully, so as to lose as little SOUp as possible, lint the to]) layer seemed to be under- laid with another equally dense. This was also skimmed off as deftly as possible. Bui beneath this appeared still another layer which, when removed, showed still another; and so on, until T had scraped to the bottom of the can, and the last of the bugs went with the last of my soil]), i have before spoken of the remarkable bug fecundity of the beans. This was a demonstration of it. Every scouped out pea which found its way into the sou]) bore inside of its shell from ten to twenty of these hard-crusted little weevils. Afterward I drank my sou]) without skimming. It was not that I hated the weevils less, but that I loved the soup more. It was only another step toward a closer conformity to that grand rule which I have made the guiding maxim of my life: "-WHEN I MUST I HAD BETTER." T recommend this to other young men starting on their career. For some inscrutable reason the rebels decided to vaccinate us all. Why they did this has been one of the unsolved prob- lems of my life. It is true thai there was small-pox in the city. and among the prisoners at Danville; but that any considera- tion \'<>v our safety should have led them to order general inoculation is not among the reasonable inferences. But, he thai as it may, vaccination was ordered, and performed. By greal luck I was absent from the building with the squad drawing rations, when our room was inoculated, so 1 escaped A Stori "i s "i i hern Prisons HM what w as ;m affliction to all, and fatal to many. The direst consequences followed the operation. Foul ulcers appeared on various parts of the bodies of the vaccinated. In many in stances the arms literally rotted off; and death followed from a corruption of the Mood. Frequently the faces and other parts of those who recovered, were disfigured by the ghastly cicatrices of healed ulcers. A special friend of mine, Sergeanl Prank Beverstock then a member of the Third Virginia Cavalry, loyal . and after the war a banker, in Bowling Green, Ohio,- bore upon his temple to his dying day, (which occurred in l s 7^ . a fearful sear, where the flesh had sloughed off from the effects of the virus that had tainted his Mood. ( /I'! N [< >N I >F ( iENERAL Wi NDER. There rode in among us, a few days after our arrival, an old man whose collar bore the wreathed stars of a .Major Gen- eral. Heavy white locks fell from beneath his slouched hat. nearly to his shoulders. Sunken gray eyes, too dull and cold to lighl up, marked a hard stony face, the salient feature of which was a thin-lipped, compressed month, with corners drawn down deeply — such a month as seems the world over to he the index of seltish. cruel, sulky ma Ligna nee. It is such a month as has the school-boy — the coward of the playground, who delights in pulling off the wings of Hies. It is such a month as we can imagine some remorseless inquisitor to have had — that is. not an inquisitor tilled with holy zeal for what he mistakingly thoughl the cause of Chrisl demanded, bul a spleeny, envious, rancorous shaveling, who tortured men from ha tred of their superiority to him. and cor sheer love of inflicl ing pain. The rider was .John II. Winder, Commissary General of Prisons, Baltimorean renegade, and ilu- malign genius to whose accounl should he charged the deaths of more gallanl men than all the inquisitors of the world ever slew by the less dreadful rack and wheel. Il was he who in AugUSl COUld point to the three thousand and eighty-one new made graves for thai month and exultingly tell his hearers thai he was "doing more for the Confederacy than twenty regiments." His lineage was in accordance with his character. Ili^ father was thai General William II. Winder, whose poltroonery ion Report of Andersonville Monument Commission al Bladensburg, in L814, aullified the resistance of the gallanl Commodore Barney, and gave the city of Washington to the British. The father was a coward and an incompetenl ; the son, always cautiously distant from the scene of hostilities, was the tor- mentor of those whom the fortunes of war, and the anus of brave men, threw into his hands. Winder gazed at us stonily for a few minutes without speak- ing, and turning, rode out again. Our troubles, from that hour, rapidly increased. Description of Wirz. One morning a new rebel officer came in to superintend calling the roll. He was on undersized, fidgety man, with an insignificant face, and a mouth that protruded like a rabbit's. His bright little eyes, like those of a squirrel or a rat, as- sisted in giving his countenance a look of kinship to the family of rodent animals — a genus which lives by stealth and eu li- ning, subsisting on that Avhich it can steal away from stronger and braver creatures. He was dressed in a pair of gray trousers, the other parts of his body being covered with a cal- ico garment like that which small boys used to wear, railed "waists." This was fastened to the pantaloons by buttons, precisely as w T as the custom with the garments of boys strug- gling with the orthography of words in two syllables. Upou his head was perched a little gray cap. Sticking in his belt, and fastened to his Avrist by a strap two or three feet long, was one of those formidable looking, yet harmless, English re- volvers, that have ten ban-els around the edge of the cylinder, and fire a musket bullet from the center. The wearer of thi^ composite costume, and bearer of this amateur arsenal, stepped nervously about and sputtered volubly in very broken English. He said to Wry-Necked Smith: "Py Gott, you don't vatch dem dam Yankees glose enough. Dey are schlipping 'rount, and peating you efery times." This was Captain Henri Wirz, the new commandant of the interior of the prison. There has been a great deal of mis- apprehension <>f the character of Wirz. He is usually regarded ,-is a villain of large mental caliber, and wiih a genius for cruelty. lb' w;is nothing of the kind. He was simply con- A Stori of Soi tim.icn Prisons L03 temptible, from whatever point of viev< be \\ «< >- Btudied. Qna1 brained, cowardly, and feeble aatured, be bad do! a quality that commanded respect from any one who knew bim. His cruelty did not Beem designed bo much as the ebullitions of a rish, Bnarling Little temper united i<» ;i mind incapable of conceiving the resnlts of his acts, or understanding the pain he was inflicting. 1 never heard anything of his profession or vocation be- fore entering the army. I always believed, however, thai he had been a cheap clerk in a small dry-goods store, a third or fourth rate bookkeeper, or something similar. Lmagine, if you please, one such, who never had brains put in command of thirty-five thousand men. Being ;i fool be could not help being an infliction to them even with the besl of intentions; but Wirz was not troubled with good intentions. I mention the probability of Ins having been a dry-goods clerk or bookkeeper, not with any disrespect t<> those two honorable vocations, hut because Wirz had had some training a ii accountant ; and this was what gave him the place over us. Rebels, as a rule, were astonishingly ignorant of arith- metic and the keeping of accounts. They were good shots. tine horsemen, ready speakers, and ardent politicians, yet, like all non-commercial people, they floundered hopelessly in whal people of this section would consider simple mathematical proc ssea One of his constant amusements was in befogging and beating those charged with calling rolls and issuing ra- tions. It was not at all difficult at times to make ;i hundred men count ;is a hundred and ten. and so on. Wirz could count beyond one hundred, and this determined his Belection for the place. His first move was a stupid change. We had been grouped in the natural way. into hun- dreds and thousands. II.- re-arranged the men in squads of ninety, and three of these, two hundred and seventy men, into a detachment. These detachments were numbered in order from the north gate and the squads were numbered "one. two. three." <>n the rolls this was staled after the man's name. For instance, ;i chum of mine, and in the same Bquad with me. was Charles L. Soule, of the Third Michigan Infantry. I lis name appeared on the rolls : I has. L. Soule, priv. Co. E. 3rd .Mich. Inf. 1 2 KM: Report of Andersonville Monument Commission This meant thai he belonged 1<> the second squad of the firsl detachment. Whence W'iiv. gol his preposterous idea of organization has always been a mystery to me. 11 was awkward iu every way — in drawing rations, counting, dividing into messes, etc. Wirx was nol long in giving us a taste; of liis quality. The ie\t morning after his first appearance lie came in, when roll call was sounded, and ordered all the squads and detachments to form and remain standing in ranks until all were counted. Any soldier will say that there is no duty more annoying and difficult than standing still in ranks for any considerable length of time, especially when there is nothing to do or to engage the attention. It took Wirz between two and three hours to count the whole camp, and by that time Ave of the first de- tachments were almost all out of ranks. Thereupon Wirz an nounced that no rations would be issued to the camp that day. The orders to stand in ranks were repeated the nexl morning with a warning that a failure to obey would be pun- ished as that of the previous day had been. One man after another straggled away, and again we lost our rations. That afternoon we became desperate. Plots were considered for a daring assault to force the gates or scale the stockade. The men were crazy enough to attempt anything rather than sit down and patiently starve. Many offered themselves as lead- ers in any attempt that it might be thought best to make. The hopelessness of any such venture was apparent, even to famished men, and the propositions went no farther than in- flamatory talk. The third morning the orders were again repeated. This lime we succeeded in remaining in ranks in such a manner as to satisfy Wirz, and we were given our rations for that day, luil those of the other days were permanently withheld. That afternoon Wirz ventured into camp alone. He was as- sailed with a storm of curses and execration and a shower of clubs. He pulled out his revolver as if to fire upon his assail- ants. A yell was raised to take his pistol away from him and a crowd rushed forward to do this. Without waiting to fire a shot he turned and ran to the gate for dear life. Tie did not come in again for a long while, and never afterward without a squad of. guards. \ s rom OF S( \\ rm.i;\ I 'kisi >NS 1 l i The rations diminished perceptibly da} bj day. When we first entered we received something over a quarl of tolerably I meal, a sweet potato. ;i piece of meal about the size of one s two fingers, and occasionally .1 spoonful of salt. Firsl the salt disappeared. Then the sweet potato took unto itself wings and flew away never to return. An attempt was ostensibly made to issue us eow-peas instead, and the first issue was only a quart to a detachment of two hundred and seventy men. This was two-thirds of a pint to each squad of ninety, and made but a few spoonfuls for each of the four messes in the squad. When ii came to dividing among the men. the beans had to be counted. Nobody received enough to pay for cooking, and we were at a Loss what i" do until somebody suggested that we play poker for them. This met general acceptance, and after that, as long as beans were drawn, a Large portion of the day was spent in ab- sorbing games of bluff and draw, a1 a bean ante, and qo limit. After a number of hours of diligent playing, &ome Lucky or skillful player would be in possession of all the beans in a mess or a squad sometimes a detachment — and have enough for a I meal. Next, the meal began to diminish in quantity and deterioriate in quality. Ii became so exceedingly coarse that the common remark was thai the next step would be to bring us the coin in the shock and feed it to us like stock. Then meat followed suit with the rest. Tim ration decreased in size, and the number of days that we did not gel any kept constantly increasing in proportion to the days that we did, until eventually the meat hade lis a final adieu, and joined the sweet potato in that undis- covered country from whose bourn no ration ever returned. The fuel and building material in the stockade were speedily exhausted. The later comers had nothing whatever with which to build shelter. But after tin- spring rains had fairly Eel in, ii seemed that we had not tasted misery until then. About the middle of March the windows of heaven opened and it began to rain Like thai of the time of Noah. Ii was tropical in quantity and per- sistency, and arctic in temperature. For dreary hours thai never ending rain Lengthened into weeks, the driving, drenching flood pouring down upon the sodden earth, searching the very marrow of the five thousand hapless men against whose chilled Kl.l'olM OF A.NDERSONVILLE MoNI \M..\T COMMISSION frames il beal with pitiless monotony, and soaking the sand bank upon which we lay until i1 was Like a sponge filled with ice-water, h seems to me now thai ii mus1 have been two or three weeks thai the sun was wholly hidden behind the dripping clouds, nol shining Mil once in all thai time. The intervals when ii did uo1 rain were rare and short. An hour's respite would be followed by a day of steady, regular pelting of I e greal rain drops. W< lit si comers, who had hut?', were meas- urably better off than the later arrivals. It was much drier in our leaf-thatched tents, and we were spared much of the annoy- ance thai conies from steady rain against the body for hours. 1 find that the report of the Smithsonian Institute gives the average rainfall in the section around Andersonville, at fifty- six inches — nearly five feet — while that of foggy England is only thirty-two. Our experience would lead me to think that we got the live feet all at once. The condition of those who had no tents was truly pitable. They sat or lay on the hill-side the livelong day and aight, and look the washing flow with such gloomy composure as they could muster. All soldiers will agree with me thai there is no cam- paigning hardship comparable to a cold rain. One can brace up against the extremes of heal and cold and mitigate their in- clemency in various ways, but there is no escaping a long con- tinued, chilling rain. .It seems to penetrate to the heart, and leach away the vital force. The only relief attainable was found in huddling over little, lire-- kepi alive by small groups with their slender slocks of wood. As this wood was all pitch-pine, thai burned with ;i very sooly flame, the effeel upon the appearance of the hoverers was statt- ling. Face, neck and hands I ecame covered with mixture of lamp-black and turpentine, forming a coating as thick as heavy brown paper, and absolutely irremovable by water alone. The hair also became of midnight blackness, and gummed up into elf locks of fantastic shape ami effect. Any one of us could have gone on the negro and minstrel stage without changing a hair, and put to blush the mosl elaborate make-up of the gro- tesque burnt-cork artists. Xo wood was issued to us. The only way of getting il was to stand around Hie gate for limits until a guard off duty could he coaxed or lured to accompany a small party to the woods to \ STom oj Sot tiiikw Prisons i (| < bring back a load of such knots and limbs as could be picked up. Our chief persuaders to the guards to do us this favor were rings, pencils, knives, comix?, and such trifles as we tnighl have in our pockets, and, more especially, the brass buttons on our uniforms Rebel Boldiers, like Indians, negroes and other im- fectly civilized people, were passionately fond of brighl and gaudy things. A handful of brass buttons would catch every nil.- of them as swiftly and as surely as a piece of red flannel will a gudgeon. Our regular fee for an escort for three of us to the woods was -i\ overcoal or dress coal buttons, or ten <>r twelve jackel buttons. All in the mess contributed l<» this fund, and the fuel obtained was carefully guarded and husbanded. This manner of conducting the w I business is a fair sampii i»i" the management, <>r rather the lack of it <>f every other de- tail of prison administration. All the hardships we suffered from lack of fuel and shelter could have been prevented with out the slightest expense or trouble to the Confederacy. There were two i* < ' u i 1 1 1 < • 1 1 1 s guarding us the Twenty-sixth Alabama and the Fifty-fifth Georgia. Never were two regi incuts of the same army more different. The Alabamians were the superiors of the Georgians in every way thai one set of men could he superior to another. They were manly, soldierly, ami honorable, where the Georgians were treacherous and bru- tal. We had nothing to complain of at the hands of the Ala hamians: we suffered from the Georgians everything that mean. spirited cruelty could devise. The Georgians were always on the look-out for BOmething that they could torture into such apparent violation of orders, as would justify them in shooting men down ; the Alabamians never fired until they were satisfied that a deliberate offense was intended. I can recall that ! myself saw ai least a dozen instances where men of the Fifty- fifth Georgia killed prisoners under the pretense that they were across the dead line, when the victims were a yard or more from it. and had not tie- remotest idea of going nearer. The only man I aver knew to l>< killed by one of the Twenty- sixth Alabama was named Hubbard, from Chicago, Illinois, a member of the Thirty-eighth Illinois. He had lost one leg and went hobbling about the camp <>n crutches, chattering continu ally in a loud, discordant voice, saying all manner of hateful and discordant things wherever he saw an opportunity. This L08 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission and his beak-like nose gained tor him the name of "Poll Par rot." His misfortune caused him to be tolerated where another man would have been suppressed. By-and-by he gave still greater cause for offense by his obsequious attempl to curry Ea- vor with Captain Wirz, who look him outside several times for purposes thai were not well explained. Finally, some hours after one of Poll Parrot's visits outside, a rebel officer came in with a guard and, proceeding with suspicious directness to a lent which was at the mouth of a large tunnel that a hundred men or more had been quietly pushing forward, broke the tunnel in and took the occupants of the lent outside for pun- ishment. The question that demanded immediate solution was: "Who is the traitor who has informed the rebels .''" Suspicion pointed very strongly to Poll Parrot. By the next morning the evidence collected seemed to amount to a certainty, and a crowd caught the Parrot with the intention of lynching him. He succeeded in breaking away from them and ran under the dead line, near where I was sitting in my dugout. At first it looked as if he had done; this to secure the protection of the guard. The latter — a Twenty-sixth Alabamian — ordered him out. Poll Parrot rose up on his one leg, put his back against the dead line, faced the guard, and said in his harsh, cackling voice: "No, I won't go out. If I've lost the confidence of my comrades I w r ant to die." Part of the crowd were taken aback by this move, and fell disposed to accept it as demonstration of the Parrot's inno cence. The rest thought it Avas a piece of bravado because <>!' his belief that the rebels would not injure him after he had served them. They renewed their yells, and the guard again ordered the Parrot out, but the latter, tearing open his blouse, cackled out: k 'No, I won't go: lire at me. guard. There's niv heart ; shoot me right there." There Avas no help for it. The rebel leveled his gun and fired. The charge struck the Parrot's lower jaw and carried il completely away, leaving his tongue and the roof of his mouth exposed. As he was carried back to die, he wagged his tongue vigorously in attempting to speak but it was of no use. The guard set his gun down and buried his face in his hands. It Avas the only time that I saw a sentinel show anything but exultal ion at killing a Yankee. \ S roRi 01 Soi i in w\ Prisons LOO A ludicrous contrasl to this lucident took place a few nights later. The rains had ceased, the weather had become wanner, and. our spirits rising with this increase in the comforl of our surroundings, a Dumber of us were sitting around " Nosey," a boy with a superb tenor voice, who was singing patriotic songs. We were coming in strong on the chorus, and in a wax- that spoke vastly more fin' our enthusiasm for the Union than for our musical knowledge. "Nosey" sang tin' Star Spangled Banner, The Battle Cry <>f Freedom, Brave Boys Arc They, cap- itally, and we threw our whole Lungs into the chorus. It was quite dark, and. while our noise was going on. the guards changed, new men coming on duty. Suddenly, bang! went the gun of the new guard in the l>ox aboul fifty feet away from us. We knew it was a Fifty-fifth Georgian, and supposed that. irritated at our singing, he was trying to kill some of us for spite. At tin- sound of the gun we jumped up and scattered. As no one gave the usual agonized yell of a prisoner when shot. we supposed the ball had not taken effect. We could hear the sentinel ramming down another cartridge, and then hear him return rammer and cock his rifle. Again the gun cracked, and again there was no sound of anybody being hit. Again we could hear the sentry churning down another cartridge. The drums began beating the long roll in the camp, and the officers could he heard turning the men out. The matter was becoming exciting, and one of us sang out to the guard: S a v. What the are you shooting at. anyhow •'rm a shootin' at that Yank thar, by the dead line, and by - - if you'uns don't take him in I'll blow the whole head ofV'n him." "Whal Yank ! Where's any Yank 'Why. thar — righl thar — a standin' agin the dead line." "Why. you rebel fool, that's a chunk of wood. You '•an'i gel any furlough for shooting that." At this time there was a general roar from the rest of the camp, which the other guards took- up. and. as the Reserves came double-quicking up and learned the occasion of the alarm, they ■ tin- rascal who had been bo anxious to kill somebody a tor- renl of abuse for having disturbed them. A pait of our crowd had been out after wood during the day, and secured ;i piece of ;i lo'_ r as large as t wo of them could carry, IK) Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission and, bringing il in, stood i1 up near the dea I l i r i« -. When the guard had mounted to his posl he was sine he saw a ferocious Yankee in fronl of him, and so hastened to slay him, II was an unusual good fortune thai uobody was struck. II was vcy pare that the guards fired into the prison without hitting at least one person. The Georgia Reserves who formed our guards later in the season, were armed wilh an ok] gun called a Queen Anne musket, altered for the use of percussion caps. Il carried a bullet as big as a large marble, and three or four buckshot. When fired into a group of men it was sure lo bring several down. I was standing one day in the line at the gate waiting for a chance to go after wood. A Fifty-fifth Georgian was the gate una id and he drew a line in the sand with his bayonet which we should not cross. The crowd behind pushed one man till he pu1 his foot a few inches over the line, to save himself from falling: the guard sank a bayonet through the foot as quick as a flash. The negro soldiers also were treated as badly as possible. The wounded were turned into the Stockade without having their hurts attended to. One stalwart, soldierly sergeant had re- ceived a bullet which had forced its way under the scalp for some distance and partially imbedded itself in the skull, where il still remained. He suffered intense agony, and would pass the whole night walking up and down the street in front of our teni moaning distressingly. Tin bullet could be fell plainly with the fingers, and we were sure that it would not take a minute, with a sharp knife, lo remove it and give the man re- lief. But we eould not prevail upon the "Rebel surgeons even to see the man. Finally inflammation set in, and he died. The negroes were made into a squad by themselves, and taken ou1 every day to work around the prison. A while sergeant was placed over them, who was the object of the contumely of the guards and other Rebels. One day as he was standing near the gate, waiting his orders to come out, the gate guard. with- oul any provocation whatever, dropped his gun until the muzzle rested againsl the sergeanl 's stomach and 1 hen fired, killing him instantly. This sergeant's position was then offered to me, but as I had no accidenl policy. I was constrained to decline the honor. A Stori "i Soi rHERN Prisons 1 1 1 li new became ;i pari of the day's regular routine with us 1 1> take ;' v alk | ;is, ihe gates in the morning, inspeel and coiinl the dead, and see i 1 ' any n him. There is no doubl bul thai the irritation from the biting of these myriads of insects Fhortened very materially the days of tho.e who were sick. Where a sick man had friends or eon 1 rades, il was, of course, pari of their duty, in taking care of him, to louse his clothing. One of the mosl effectual ways of doing this was to turn the garments wt< ng side mil and hold the ri3 as close to the fire as possible without burning the doth. ~ hit time the li'-" would swell up and bursl open, like pop- corn. This method was a favorite one for another reason Hum 112 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission ils efficacy: It gave one a kernel sense of revenge upon his rascally Little tormentors than lie could gel in any oilier way. A.s the weather grew warmer and the number in the prison increased the lice became more unendurable. They filled the ho1 sand under our Peel and voracious troops of them would climb up one's legs like streams of ants swarming up a tree. We be- gan to have a full comprehension of the third plague with which the Lord visited the Egyptians : "And the Lord said unto IVIoses, say unto Aaron, stretch ou1 thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, thai it may become lice through all the land of Egypt. "And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with hit rod, and smote the dust of the earth and it became lice in man and in beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt." Barrett's [nsane Cruelty. Winder had found in Barrett even a better tool for his cruel purposes than Wirz. The two resembled each other in many respects. Both were absolutely destitute of any talent for com- manding men. ami could no more handle even one thousand men properly than a cabin boy could navigate a great ocean steamer. Both were given to 'lie same senseless fits of insane rage, coming and going withoul apparent reason, during which they fired revolvers and guns or threw clubs into crowds of pris- oners, or knocked down such as were within reach of their lists. These exhibitions were such as an overgrown child might be ex- pected to make. They did not secure any result except to in- crease the prisoners' wonder that such ill-tempered fools could lie given any position of responsibility. A short lime previous to our entry Barrett thought he had reason to suspect a tunnel. He immediately announced that no more rations should be issued until its whereabouts were re- vealed, and the ringleaders in the attempt to escape delivered up to him. The rations at that time were very scanty, so that the first day they were cut off the sufferings were fearful. The boys thought Barrett would surely relent the next day, but they did not know their man. Me was not suffering any, and why Bhould he relax his severity? He strolled leisurely out from his dinner table, picking his teeth with his penknife in the com ,\ Story of Soi thern Prisons 1 1 1 Portable, self-satisfied way of .1 coarse man who lias just filled his stomach t<> his entire content, an attitude and an air thai was simply maddening to the famishing wretches of whom he inquired tantalizingly : '■ Aii* ye'ro hungry enough to give up them (J — d d — d s s of b— hesyet I" That night thirteen thousand men, — crazy, fainting with hunger, having walked hither and thither until exhaustion had forced then to become quiet, sat on the ground and pressed their bowels in by leaning against stieks ot* wood laid across their thighs; trooped to the creek and drank water until their gorges rose and they could swallow no more— did everything, in Fact, that imagination could suggest,- -to assuage the pangs of the dly gnawing that was consuming their vitals. All the cruelties of the terrible Spanish [nquisition, if heaped together, would not sum up a greater aggregate of anguish than was en- dured by them. The third day came, and still no signs of yield- ing by Barrett. The sergeants counseled together. Something must ho done. The fellow would starve the whole camp to death with js little compunction as one drowns blind puppies. It was tssary t<> get up a tunnel to show Barrett, and to get boys who would confess to being leaders in the work. A number of gallant fellows volunteered to brave the wrath of this man and s1 of their comrades. It required high courage to do this, as tlicr.- was no question hut that the punishment meted out would be as fearful as the cruel mind of the fellow conld con- The sergeants decided that four would he sufficient to answer tin purpose; they selected these by lot. marshed them to the gate and delivered them over to Barret, who thereupon or- dered the rations to be sent in. Tie was considerate enough, too, to feed th<- men he was going to torture. The starving men in the Btockade could not wait, after the rations were issued, to cook them, bul in many instances mixed the meal up with water, and swallowed it raw. Frequently their stomachs, irritated by the long fast, rejected the mess; and very many had reached the stage when they loathed food. A burning fever was c<»nsiiminL r them and Beething their brains with delirium. Hundreds died within a few days, and hundred** mere were bo debilitated by the terrible strain that they did ml linger l<»nL r afterward. Ill Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission' The brave follows who had offered themselves as a sacrifi -e for Hit 1 rest were pul into a guard house and kept over night, thai Barretl mighl make a day of Hie amusement of torturing them. After he had laid in a hearty breakfast, mid doubtless fortified himself with some of the villainous sorghum whiskey which the Rebels were now reduced to drinking, lie set out aboul his entertainment. The devoted four were brought out, one by one. and their hands tied together behind their backs. Then a noose of slender, strong hemp rope was slipped over the first one's thumbs and drawn light, after which the rope was thrown over a log projecting from the roof of the guard house, and two or three "Rebels hauled upon it until the miser- able Yankee was lifted from the ground, and hung suspended by the thumbs while his weight seemed tearing his limbs from his shoulder blades. The other three were treated in the same manner. The agony of this treatment was simply excruciating. The boys were brave, and had resolved to stand their punishment without a groan, but this was too much for human endurance. Their will was stroiiff, yet Nature could not he denied, p^d fh^v shrieked aloud so pitifully that a yonng Reserve standing near fainted. Every one screamed: "For God's sake, kill me. kill me! Shoot me if you want to, but let me down from here.'' The only effect of this plea upon Barrett was to light up his brutal face with a leer of fiendish satisfaction. He said to the guards with a gleeful wink: "By G — d, I'll learn these Yanks to be more afraid of me than of the old devil himself. They'll soon understand that I'm n«)1 the man to fool with. I'm old pizen, I am. when T git started. Jest hear 'em squeal, won't yer?" Then walking from one prisoner to another, he said: ''!) n yer skins, 3 r e '11 dig tunnels, will ye? Veil try to gel out. and run through the country stealin' and carryin' off nig- gers and makin' more trouble than yer d — d neck's are worth. I'll learn ye aboul that. If I ketch ye at this sort of work again, d d el' I don't kill ye as soon ez 1 ketch ye." ! had been in prison bnl a little while when a voice called out fn in ;i hole in the ground, as I was passing: * "S a y, sergeant, won'1 you please take these shears and cut my toes off?" A St< >ri of & ii i in i;\ Prison 1 1"> * ■ What .'" said I. in amazement, stopping in front of the dug- out. ".Inst take these shears, won't von, and eiit my toes off," answered the inmate, an Indiana infantryman— holding up a pair of dull shears in his hand, and elevating one foot for me to look at. I examined the Latter carefully. All the flesh of the toes, except little padfl at the ends, had rotted off, leaving the hones as .lean as if scraped. The little tendons still remained, and held the hnnes to their places, !>nt this seemed to hurt the rest of the feet and annoy the man. "You'd letter let one of the rehel doctors Bee Ihis." I said, after finishing my survey, "before yon conclude to have them off. Maybe I hey can be saved." • ' No. ii d if 1 'in going to have any of them rebel butchers fooling around mo. I'd die first, and then I wouldn't," was the reply. "Von can do ii better than they can. It's just a little snip. .Inst try it." "I don't like to," 1 replied. "I might lame you for life and make yon lots of trouble." "(). bother. What business is that of yours? They're my - and I want them off. They hurt me so I can't sleep. Come. now. take the shears and cut them off." I yielded, and taking the shears, snipped one tendon after another close to the feet, and in a few seconds had the whole ten toes lying in a heap at the bottom of the dugout. I picked them up and handed them to their owner, who gazed at them Complacently and remarked : 'Well. I 'in durned glad they're off. T won't be bothered with corns any more. I flatter myself." in; Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission CHAPTER VII. CONGRESS ORDERS INVESTIGATION OF TREATMENT OK UNION PRISONERS OF WAR. The Fortieth Congress during its firsl session, on July 10, 1867, passed the following resolution, introduced by Mr. Shanks of Indiana: Whereas, It is expedient that the subject of Hie treatment of prisoners of war and Union citizens held by the Confederate authorities during the recent rebellion should 1)0 thoroughly investigated, therefore, be it Resolved, That a special committee of five members of this House be appointed to make such investigation, to record the facts thereby obtained and to report the same to the House at any time, with such recommendations as they may deem proper, and be it further Kesolved, That such committee for the purpose of this in- vestigation shall have power to send for persons and papers, to appoint a clerk and stenographer and to sit during any recess of the House, and that the expenses of the investigation be paid from t he contingent fund of the House. It was ordered that said committee consist of: Mr. John P. C. Shanks of Indiana. Mr. Wm. A. Pile of Missouri. .Mr. Abner C. Harding of Illinois. Mr. Aaron F. Stevens of New Hampshire. Mr. Wm. Mimueii of Ohio. Attest: Edward McPherson, Clerk. On .Inly 13, 1867, Congress, on motion of Mr. Pile, adopted the following resolution: Resolved, Thai the select committee to investigate the treat- ment of prisoners of war and the Union citizens <>F the so-called Confederate government, are hereby authorized to sit at such A< r of Congress Authorizing Investigation 11 place and take testimony by such Dumber of committee as they shall deem proper. Attesl : I']d\\ \ivM) McPherson, Clerk. 'Hit 1 power of the committee was still further extended by resolul ions : January 13, 1868, July 28, 1868, and February 6, 1869. lis Report of Andersonville Monument Commission CHAPTER V11I. EXTRACTS FROM REPORT OF CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. We now deem it proper to quote paragraphs from the report of this committee and portions of testimony of others. These can be verified by the official reports, as the authority conferred on the commission permits us to print matters of interest, as Follows: From Belle Isle, Libby, Salisbury and other minor prisons came Union soldiers to Andersonville to be crowded into this pen until the number reached nearly thirty-five thousand, each prisoner having an allotted space of about four feet square in which to eat, walk and sleep. The suffering which ensued can- not be described. The sick and wounded all herded in to- gether, the stench from the swamp at night, all added to the nauseousness of it all. No pen can describe, no artist depict, no imagination com- prehend the squalor, suffering and awfulness of it. It would seem as if the concentrated madness of earth and hell found its final lodgment in the breasts of those who inaugurated the rebellion and controlled the policy of the Confederate govern- ment. The first consignment of prisoners reached the place Feb- ruary 15, 1864, and were put under the command of J. II. Winder, the man who had attained such notoriety for brutality in the prisons at Richmond. There is ample evidence that the president of the Confederacy was Winder's intimate friend and protector. When his crimes had driven others to protest against his retention in the service of the Confederacy, the in- fluence of Davis saved him from removal and disgrace. The relation which this man bore to the chief and head of the re- LACTS i BOM I k)NGRESSION \i. EtEPORI 1 L9 bellion Is well described by a witness, Philip Cashnieyer, who in the employ of the Confederate government. r the i ms i lour \ bo. i often saw him go and come from .Mr. Davis' office. ••1 remember when an effort was made by Generals Bragg and Kan Bom to have him [Winder] removed, President Davis was his special ttiend. Then when the order came relieving General Winder from the War Department, he took it to Mr. Davis and it was endorsed by him. •11 as 1 can recollect, this was entirely unnecessary and uncalled foT. Alter that General Winder was sent to Goldsboro to take the held. He was there a week or tWO and was Hen ordered to Anderson ville to take command there. His official power was not extended for months after that. Then he was made commissioner general and commissary gi ueral Of prisoners. 1 remained with him until he died in my tent at Florence, south Carolina. - nearly as 1 can remember the order sending W. s. Winder, son Of the general, to lay out the prison came from the war department. ral Winder desired to send him, and the war department sanc- tioned it. I saw the son go with the general to the war department and come from there." It is unnecessary to dwell upon this man's character or his- tory at much length. He lias passed to his long- and last ac- count, leaving behind him a name which can hardly lie uttere 1 l»\ tlie lips of any 1'nion prisoner without thoughts of thai fear- ful retribution which can alone in the dread future furnish an iate expiation of his crimes against mankind. Jle had been employed as the prison agent of President Davis, and his cruelties have become proverbial. in the year 1864 the temperature at Andersonville ranged from eighteen to one hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit. \/ There were 108 rainy days counted, (jn the twenty-seventh /> day of November, 1863, young- Winder, son of Gen. J. II. Winder, established the prison al Andersonville, remote from habitation and facilities for providing supplies, there being only one railroad. There was a locality where good pure spring water would have been abundanl for the whole camp one in particular, called Magnolia Springs, near Americus. But, as rted, they wanted to build a pen for the "damned Yankees" where they would rol faster than they could be Benl L20 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission \i this time the maimed prisoners numbered nearly thirty- Bve thousand, who would have been the victims. And not a revocation or ;i protesl against the execution of this brutal order came Prom his superiors or the Rebel government. Among both Rebel and Union men, so terrible was his history that when he left the theater of his crimes for Andersonville, the Richmond Examiner exclaimed in its mingled honor and joy: "Thank God thai Richmond is al last rid of old Winder. God have mercy upon those (o whom he has been sent." As illustrating the justice of the paragraph just quoted from the Richmond Examiner, we submit the following order issued by the agent of starvation and murder while in command at Andersonville: Order No. 13. Headquarters Confederate States Military Prison, Andersonville, July 27, 1864. The officers on duty in charge of the battery of Florida artil- lery, at the time, will, upon receiving notice that the enemy has approached within seven miles of this post, open fire upon the stockade with grape-shot without reference to the situation be- yond these lines of defense. It is better that the last Federal should be exterminated than be permitted to burn and pillage the property of loyal citizens, as they will do if they arc allowed to make their escape from prison. By order of John H. Winder, Brigadier General. W. S. Winder, Adjutant General. When General Winder went to Andersonville, he took Cap- tain Wirz with him, a man who had likewise gained notoriet}' for his brutality. Wirz was placed in command of the prison, with Winder's two sons on his staff. These men figured largely in the management of the prison and were responsible for the crimes committed on the helpless men confined in that hell of hells. The stockade was used for enlisted men only and, as soon as completed, they gathered the prisoners. With no covering save the open sky, these men, these heroes born in the image of God, lay there crouching and writhing in their terrible torture, — a Extracts from Congressional IJeport Loathsome, horrible Bight. The mutilated murdered victims <»I a cool and calculated barbarity stand forth in history as .1 monument of the surpassing horrors of Andersonville, as it shall be seen and read of in all future time, realizing, in the studded tenements of the prison house, the idea of Dante's In- ferno and Milton 'a hell. At last the sufferings of those men, whose only crime was that they had foughl t'<»r their country, the sympathy of some persons living in thai region, who seem to have been prompted by humane sentiment, and, moved by a knowledge of their con- dition, attempted measures for the relief of our men. They ordingly made applications to the officer in command for the privilege of visiting the sick in the hospital and stockade and urnish them with the means of comfort and relief, They were mel with a flat refusal and. although the attempts were renewed from time to time, these humane offers were refu and the people repulsed. Jn fact, it seems very clear that the refusal was uot merely capricious but based upon that inhuman policy by which the Confederate government sought to decimate the ranks of their enemy by the maltreatment ami starvation of their prisoners. And now let us see how the United states ordered rebel pris- oners iu our hands to be treated, and then compare it with 1 I r No. 1:; issued by Winder. - -lion 74"): United States Army Regulations of 18G1, pages L07-108, provide as follows: "Prisoners of War will he disarmed and scut to the rear and reported as soon as practicable to headquarters. The return oi the prisoners from the headquarters to the war department will specify the number, rank and corps. - ;tion T1U: The private property of prisoners will be duly respected and each Bhall he treated with regard due his rank. They are to obey the necessary orders given them. They will receive for subsistence, one ration each without re- _ d to rank', and their wounds are to It.- treated with the same care as the wounded of our army. Other allowances to them will depend upon conventions with the enemy.*' Early in tic war tie- enemy observed the idle ceremony of making a list of the property seized, confessedly for safe keep- L22 Repo&t of Andersonville IVEoni mint Commission ing and restorations j bul instances where any such restoration was made are extremely rare. Even in the few cases where in. Miry was restored, Confederate scrip, nearly worthless, was substituted dollar for dollar for the money oi' which the soldier had been robbed. It will be found thai this practice met with the severe condemnation of the inspecting officers oi* the reu.d prisons, yet their recommendations tor a change in its practice seem to have been entirely disregarded. It seems that after the second year of the war. even this formality was almost entirely abandoned, and prisoners were not only robbed of money, sur- plus clothing and valuables, but were often deprived of coats, shoes and hats, and, in many cases, were stripped of everything I mi shirt and drawers, until at last the rebel captor came to regard his union victim as one who had no right that lie was hound to respect. The testimony will be found replete with instances of the actual truth of this assertion, showing a -spirit of fiendish cruelty shorn of all just regard for the rights of the living, as it was destitute of all respect for the person of the e'ead. This search and robbery of the prisoners was some- times accompanied by the most cruel violence. In the early part of the war the demand for the surrender of valuable arti- cles was freely complied with, but after learning, from the testi- mony of others, the failure of the authorities to make restora- tion of the property which had been given up, and knowing the importance of having money and clothing during captivity, efforts were naturally made by our men to conceal their valu- ables before or after capture. The detection of their attempts to do this was constantly followed by punishment of a cruel, and sometimes revolting, character. Some of the most aggra- vating eases of beating and other personal violence, were in- flicted solely on account of this detection. The ofhYeis at Rich- mond, as shown by the testimony, became specially expert by much practice in searching and robbing prisoners and detect- ing concealment. During the year of 1864. a system of search- ing was in vogue in all the prisons, so that our officers and men were compelled to run the gauntlet and submit to the indignity of a new search at every transfer from one prison to another. The pictures of wives and dear ones at home were taken with vulgar epithets. These outrages, so (dearly in direct vio- lation of the laws of war. and in turpitude and crime so nearly .< rg i ROW < ONURESSION \l, liEl'ORl L2 I akin to the robbery of the dead, necessarily increased the ln-lp eaa iondition of our soldiers, depriving them of the means of procuring the n< and comforts which might otherwise have been obtainable, thus rendering them a more easy pre} to disease and death. Short rations and scarcity of wain-, owing to their being robbed of their canteens, and transportation fit only for beasts destined for the shambles, were the common in- cidents of the union prisoner's early captivity. These facts se the cool and malicious disregard of the condition and comfort of the prisoners taken in battle, and an evident inten- tion on the part of the Confederate authority to Lose no time in the attempl to break them down in body and spirit; and thus render them unfit Tor future service to their country. .Men wounded in the arms or body were forced to make long marches, guarded by cavalry, and, when unable to keep pace with the column any longer, were beaten and cut with the saber of their guards until they fell by the roadside dead, where they were often left unburied. Prisoners transported by railroad through the south were almost invariably packed into close box rom eighty to one hundred of sick, wounded and well in one car. The ears thus used were often those from which cattle had been just taken. They were never cleansed, and the nut of the beast was the bed of the prisoner. Too Pew guards were provided on such occasions, and so the cars were kept closely shut, sometimes for several days in succession, the men not being allowed to leave them for any purpose. This deliberate and systematic robbery of defenseless men was pursued al Richmond within sight and hearing of the higher rebel officials, and not far from the residence of Jeff Davis. Sounds of revelry and carousal at thai seat of treason heard by those robbed, wronged and outraged prisoners as they lay m the bare floor where they were confined, after bring deprived of the baresl necessities by their inhuman captors, made life M'l'in unbearable. In addition to thes ral remarks upon tin- features and effects of the Andersonville captivity, the com mittee thought proper to avail themselves of the inter publications of eye witne ses who were confine 1 within its walls, giving credit in all casea to the authors of these vivid yel truth- ful pictures of prison life. 124 Report of A.ndersonville .Mom mint Commission Among Hit- numerous volumes which have been published by the survivors of Andersonville, there is one abounding in a specially interesting description of the conduct of its inmates. It was written by one who was for more than a year a prisoner of war in the hands of the rebel officials. Ee entered Ander- sonville in April. L864, and remained until his escape in the following September. Jle was afterward re-captured and fi- nally exchanged. This soldier had, therefore, abundant oppor- tunity for dose; and particular observation. ILis varied ex- perience in the prisons of the South, the candor and intelli- gence with which he treats the multiform subjects forming the themes of his narrative, together with the strong and unques- tionable corroboration of his truthfulness furnished by the state- ments of the witnesses examined by the committee, which con- firm him in every particular, enable us to commend the liberal extracts from his published works which we i'eel at liberty to im I'odnce here. This gentleman, Mr. II. M. Davidson, of tin- First Ohio Artil- lery, lias published a work entitled, "Four .Months in Southern Prisons.* 5 This is a book of great interest, not only as a per- sonal narrative but as a source of exact information upon the subject of rebel imprisonment. We call attention to the fol- lowing extracts from this work: ENTRANCE INTO ANDERSONVILLE. "We had been told that we were to be furnished with com- fortable houses both numerous and roomy in which there would be no more crowding together as at Richmond and Dan- ville, and that as much liberty would be allowed us as was compatible with security against our escape.. We therefore strained our eyes to catch ,-i glimpse of these comfortable houses; but. not seeing them, concluded they must be so low as nol to be visible outside of the enclosure, and that the fence was the limit of the yard in which we were to take the exer- cise provided us. Beyond the prison, and stretching out on all sides of us. was a vast forest of pine, whose heavy, dark foliage, hanging from the tall and limbless trunks, seemed like a funeral canopy spread over the gloomy sun. A little to our righl was ;i small, sluggish stream bending slightly 1<> ^-■ ':\«V._..''a ®MJ& rlllilf • .\i ai; North Gate — Awaitim; Entrance of Moke Prisoners < \' in ssion m Report the north and terminating in a marshy bell just as it reached the prison walls. Tins we presumed was to supply us with water. Near the walls of the prison, on the north side of the d a building in the course of construction, the skele- being all thai was visible. The whole presented a dismal appearance of desolation which can be fell only by - • who witnessed it. e preliminaries being finally arranged t<> the satisfaction the commandant, the column moved forward <>n the main road until it reached the vicinity of the stream, where it sepa- rated into two nearly equal parts, the advance continuing di- tly forward to the main entrance of the yard, while the rear turned to the right and crossed the stream entering by the •i] gate. The detachment to which T belonged was in the van, and when we reached the gate we halted. The guards, with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets, were drawn up in line of battle. Tho massave double doors swung open, disclos ing a horrible and heartrending spectacle. The prisoners liad gathered in a disorderly crowd upon either side of tho street tosite tho entrance to receive us and to recognize any ac- quaintances or friends that might ho in our company. Their fids and bare feet were black with smoke from tho pino fires; their clothes hung in tattered strips from thoir limhs and bodies; their hair was long and. matted with tar and dirt, fell in r r their eye?, which glared fearfully upon ns as we marched between thoso living linos. Tt was liko entering the borders of hell, where gathered demons had crowded to the passaf _us welcome to their infernal abodes. Those men, who had been heroes upon many a well contested field. were now shorn of their strength and stood helpless beside us, their black skins drawn ti<_ r ht upon their fleshless frames, their bony arms trembling with weakness. Some were without hats, • without coats or Bhirts; others had no trousers, and nearly all were destitute of any covering for thoir foot. They more mbled fiends than human beings, to such a fearful pass had the brutality of their jailors broughl them. Prom this moment Imp. h thai this was indeed the last of earth; thai we had been broughl here into dreary ad swamp-. far from home ond the reach of friends, to die. True ing, alas, to liovi many oi us ! 128 Report of A.ndersonville Moni mint Commission APPEAR \xci: INSIDE. "Scattered aboui in parts of the arena were the houses of the prisoners. They consisted of pieces of shelter tents or remnants of blankets stretched on boughs of pine trees, bul few of the prisoners possessed even these accommodations. The ma- jority were either with do covering a1 .-ill or had dug holes in the md into which they crawled for shelter. Tn looking over this field, there could be seen nothing of interesl to attrad the eye or engage the attention of the beholder. Turn in which way we would, the same dismal scene of wretchedness confronted us. the same squalid forms crawled past: the same sullen look of despair was on every Pace. Around us were the high, grey walls upon whose tops stood the relentless sentry, ready and eager to destroy us at the first motion beyond the limit fixed. The gloomy pines, upon whose dark tops the blue smoke of our pit had settled in ominous clouds, stretched far off on every hand. Tt was only when we looked upward 1o the sky that we saw faint pays of light in the mild blue eye of Heaven beam- ing pityingly down upon us. There, from the presence of the Clod above us. we gathered new strength, new inspiration, well knowing that only by keeping our heads stronpr and our cour- age true, could we survive the terrible seenes we knew must shortly follow. "In the northeast and southeast corners of the stoekade there were spaces about eighl rods in length by four in width, in which white canvas was stretched in the form of wedges with the sharp ed^es uppermost. The tops of these contrivances were about live feet high while the bottoms were fastened to wooden pins some six inches from the ground. The floor was the bare earth uncarpeted by grass or straw. This constituted the hospiial of Camp Sumter, and it was excellently designed for the purpose of baking the unfortunate victims of disease who mighl chance 1<> craw] into them. Destructive as these ovens were, they were crowded with sick men who lay moaning on their oaked b<-ut a sickening •h. o n the east si,],-, the prison sink was located. But be- cause «»f the weakness of the sick men. several mds of the lower part of the stream was used f<>v that purpose. The water was warm and disagreeable. Tt had a dirty, boggy taste and was, 'i when in its purest state. <>t' ;l dark, reddish-brown color. The water in the west end, Dear the dead line, was used \'<>v drinking purposes, and below this \\>r bathing. These arrang< - menl ver t had been made by mutual consent of the pris- oners, the authorities having nothing to do with it. Had all the arrangements of our imprisonment been as good as this, we would not have murmured. 130 Report of Anderson ville Monument Commission DISTRIBUTION OF RATIONS. "Sometime in the afternoon the ration wagon drove into the stockade laden with rations of cornmeal, bacon, and salt, which were thrown down into a heap in an open space aboul midway in the enclosure. It was a horrible sighl to witness the haggard crowd gather about this precious pile while the commissary superintended its division among the squad sergeants. Mean : while, we were gazing with wolfish eyes upon the little heap as it diminished, or followed our commissary sergeant back to his quarters as famished swine follow clamorously the footsteps of their master as he carries their food to the accustomed trough. Our rations were distributed by the division sergeant to the mess sergeant, and then divided aniong the men. To avoid quar- reling, the last distribution was made by parceling it out in small piles, as many as there wer< prisoners in the mess. One man in the mess was placed a short distance off with his back turned. The sergeanl would then point to a pile and ask who should have this pile, and who that, and the man would an- nounce the name or number of the man. to whom each pile should go. "At the time of our capture it was the usual thing to he robbed of our tin cups, tin plates, knives and forks, so we weic compelled to shift different ways, using chips, half canteens and borrowed cups; and to use wooden spoons and utensils made out of scraps of sheet iron. "But with all our can 1 and labor, the rations were at last de- voured in a half cooked state, which aided in the increase of the frightful misery which subsequently occurred. A few tops of the pine trees which had been left within the stockade by the confederate authorities when the interior was cleared, to- gether with the greater pari of the stumps, had been used by the first detachment; and an adequate supply of wood was never afterward provided, although just outside the prison walls millions of cords apparently worthless in that country were growing, and we would gladly have gathered it and broughl ii in our shoulders had we keen allowed to do so. Such permission was no1 granted, excepl for ;i few times when a squad from each division was senl under guard to forage for J£4^». 'I A <4 ■■■ . ' Extracts prom Congressional Report L33 dead limlis and Bticks. This practice was brought to an and by one of the details seizing their guard and marching north- ward with him. "Since the close of the war, in order to prepare the ground for crops, thousands of acres of thai timber has been girdled and burned. THE TENNESSE INS. ■"In the early pari »>i" May, some five hundred Union Ten nessee soldiers, who had been captured by Forrest and wintered at Selnia and Cahawha, Alabama, arrived among us, the mosl of whom were withoul hats, boots, shoes, coals, trousers or blan- kets. On Leaving those places the authorities had told them they were going to be exchanged, a shrewd piece of stral with which the rebel officers duped the unsuspecting prisoners upon all occasions of removal to avoid increasing the number of guards to accompany them. They were wholly destitute of cups, plates, Bpoons and dishes of every kind, as well as means of purchasing them, having been Etripped of these things by their captors. In their destitute condition they were turned into tin- stockade and left t<» shifl for themselves as besl they could. T<> borrow cups of their fellow prisoners was out of the question, for jh »h<- could he expected to Lend. If they were returned, the lender would be destitute. No «»ne wanted to trust entire strangers in such a place. There was no way loft for those Tennesseeans hut to hake their raw meal and bacon npon st'.nrs and chips, eat ii without moisture and afterwards go to th<- brook like leasts to quench their thirst. To keep themselves from the cold during the nights, they scooped oul shallow |»la<-«-«> in the earth with their hands and there lay down side by side, with their bare heads am! hare Peel resting on the Burface of the ground, leaving their unprotected bodies to be- come we1 with dew and storm. The wretched men trembled and shivered till morning. There was no hope of bettering themselves, u>v. having no money, they could buy nothing, and nothing would he given them by the authorities. Nor were they allowed even ?•» earn worn out apparel. They were utterly help- 3 tO benefil themselves; Vet tlle.se llleJl Were kept here many months, and many of them Lived t h r<»u j_rli it all. L34 Report oj Andersonville Monument Commission "In the morning after being admitted, they made a lour of inspection, when the sun had appeared in the horizon, shedding its warm rays over the prison. These half naked, squalid wretches, black with dirl and smoke feebly draped their emaciated forms from the holes into which they had crawled the preceding night, and began their preparations for the com- ing day by passing quietly across the swamp. We hastened tip the rising ground on the north side of the stockade, when; a full view of the scene might he had at a glance. '"Taking our station at the summit, we watched the tattered forms as they crept slowly by, making their way to the creek for water. They approached the little stream, some carrying tin cups or pails made of empty fruit cans into which they had inserted strings or wires to serve the purpose of handles. Others bore small buckets or wooden pails, which they had fashioned with their pocket knives from pine sticks, or oc- casionally one of larger dimensions formed of staves and hoops; while others had hoot legs sewed tightly together; and many, very many, had nothing. They gathered into a sort of file when they reached the swamp and passed upon the planks to the creek, each stooping down in turn to dip his little cup into the water, then tinned back to seek his quarters. Five thous- and men, al this hour in the morning, daily visited this spot to get water for breakfast, while the partner of each remained behind to watch their common effects. "But behind this procession to the water came still a sadder one, tiiose who could not walk. They crept on their hands and knees or crawled upon their breasts, pulling their bodies along by burying their elbows in the sand. These miserable beings, the victims of starvation and consequent diseases, would writhe and twist themselves to the stream. Bui they did not all get back. for. overcome with the fatigue of their laborious effort, some would creep to one side of the path and die. "Presently little fires spring np on every hand, sending out wreaths of smoke which rise a short distance above the pen and hover there in ;i dark cloud, through which the sun looks red. Let us approach these fires and examine the culinary de- partment of the prison. The prisoners are gathered around bits of blazing pine which they have placed in a hole to econo- mic heal. Thev mix their liitle meal with water and a few Andebsonville Homes K\i.;\< i- prom Congressional Report 137 grains of salt. This mixture they put upon a chip, using the utmosl care that no particle of the meal be lost, ;mut a day or two ago died by his side and was carried out. He is too feeble to rise, and tells us thai he, too, expects to be taken away soon. His face is be- grimed with dirt, hair matted, skin drawn tightly over tiv skeleton frame. We learn that he passed the long, weary winter at Belle Island, where the severe cold and lack of food Bowed the seeds of disease in his system, and whose speedy end will be an obscene death and an unknown grave. steps to the right we find a hideous object lying in a hole which his hands have scooped out in the sand. The tat- tered rags that partially cover him cannot conceal the bones that gleam through his skin; his eyes stare fearfully in his I : his hands clench tightly together; h.is limbs are drawn up in horrible contortions by cramps. The only motion of which his body is capable is a rolling from side to side with his back as a pivot. The vermin crawl in vasl armies over his •<•!" particularly addressed, f< r he is gradually passing out ot this world. Placing an ear to his lips we father from his faint whispers that but a short time before he had left some New England college Bushed with hope and courage to hattlo liberty and right. A fend mother pressed her lip3 to his brow as with tearful eyes she hade him farewell; a kind sister in cheering words urged him on to duty: a brother's hand wrapped the garb of his country's defenders about his form: lo.s Report of A.ndersonville Moni ment Commission and in the field he performed deeds of valor. He was cap- tured, and now even while we linger beside him a I'aini tremor passes through his frame and all is over. He, too, will be borne away to a nameless grave, and his Loved ones will seek in vain to distinguish him Prom the thousands thai sleep beside him. '•.Inst in front of us we see a throDg gathered aboul an ob jecl which in other places than this would draw tears of sym- pathy from the hardest heart, yet scenes of horror are so fre- quent here that it excites but passing interest. Ii is a young soldier born and. raised in a fertile twonship in Ohio. His early life had been passed among the pleasant vales of thai noble state; every kindness that parental Love could bestow had been lavished upon him, and he had ranked high among the promising and intelligent youth of his country, — a man of talent, of literary attainments and noble instincts. But rea- son is now dethroned, and, in his frenzy, he tears the tattered rags from his emaciated form, gnashing his teeth and foaming with rage. But the paroxysm is momentary. His strength is exhausted, — he falls to the ground helpless as in infancy, and is horne away by Ins comrades. "There is one form of disease which seems to predominate, and which is almost too horrible to witness; yet we cannot understand the wretchedness of the prison without looking upon it. This is not a solitary case, for we find oilier similar ones before we leave this living charnal house. We instinct- ively pause as we reach the awful sight before us, holding our breath lest we inhale the terrible stench that arises from it. "Here is a living being who has become so exhausted from exposure that he is unable to rise from the ground, suffering villi diarrhea in its last and worst form. The vermin crawl and riot upon his flesh. The worms are feeding beneath his skin, burying themselves where his limbs, swollen with scurvy, have burst open in running sores; they have found their way into his intestines and form a living, writhing mass within him. His case has been represented to the surgeons, but they haw pronounced him incurable and he is left here in his misery, in which he will linger for a few more days. Proper care and treatmenl would have saved him long ago but not now, and his comrades abandon him to death. " While we are witnessing this sickening spectacle, the drum beats at the south gate and the prisoners, dropping their halt'- I RXTRACTS PROM CONGRESSIONAL REPORT II'. cooked food, hasten to form themselves i n t » > ranks preparatory to l'«'iiiL r counted. Being arranged In Irregular lines, the Btrong men standing, the weak Bitting or lying upon the ground, the j.-;iiii passes carefully around to see if all the ranks are full, and he searches among the huts for those who are unable to crawl to the lines. Raising our eyes, we observe thai each sentry box contains two additional men and thai they grasp their muskets with n firm hand. The prisoners observe it also, and they know well thai some of their comrades were missed al the last roll call and that the sentries arc there to fir.' on any division that breaks ranks before the camp has been thoroughly searched. The offcer comes forward hastily, pjiss.^s from the head to the rear of the column, counting the standing men. "The sergeanl leads him to the sick thai still remain in their howls unable to creep out. then to the dead, and the comple- ment is tilled. II, • s.-ts the division down as full and passes "•n. th<- men still remaining in line. Let us also pass on with the officer till he comes to tin- division to which the missing man belonged. It is drawn up in line like the others. The sergeanl reports his number present; the officer examines his book and > that one is gone. The sergeant shakes his head when d what has become of him. The men in the ranks are rrogated hut no reply is obtained. A sick man lying on tin- ground points to ,-i hole near by. The officer goes in that direction, sto.»ps down, and looks beneath the thin shell of earth, and there the missing our lies dead, unknown to his com- rades, to all hut to God who saw his dying struggle and who will bring him in the last day. a living witness against the fiends who doomed him to such a fate. "Th<- losl man found, the extra sentinels are relieved. The men break ranks and resume their occupation. Bu1 11m ser- geanl has \\<>v\; yel to do, for the sick of his division are to ho gathered up, the helpless on blankets, those able to walk in squads, and all musl reporl to the south gate to receive their medicine. We pass over to this gate and bestow a casual glance upon the wretched ones gathered there. They come from all pai In of the Btockade and are crowded in the small ii acre. Here they musl remain for many long | hours in the broiling sun, without shelter or protection, wait- ing until their turn may come to he served. Yet fourteen snr- * 144 Report of A.ndersonville Mont mint Commission geons are busy working in yonder enclosure and cadi has bis assistant who can prescribe for mosl of the cases." THE BOSPITA] STATEMENT BY. LEROV CLARK. The hospital was established outside of the stockade, and the water was procured from the creek above, so it was nol adulterated by the filth from the camp or stockade. The ground occupied was about two acies of land. Jt was enclosed by a high board fence about six feet in height. It was laid out in streets or wards. At first the only covering was several pieces of canvas stretched over poles which formed simply a pro- tection against the sun and rain, but afterward wedge tents were provided and, in a few cases, bunks were placed in them upon which the sick men could be laid. Further than this there was nothing between the patient and the earth, except such rags of clothing as he might chance to possess. When the hospital was first established outside, only two sur- geons were in attendance at the sick call, but before the sum- mer was past twelve additional ones and a clerk for each were required, so rapidly had disease increased among us. It was the duty of the sergeant of the division within the stockade to report with the sick at the south gate every morning at eight o'clock, or immediately after roll call. The sick call was beat near the south gate. There twelve clerk stands or booths had been fitted up with awnings and boards for writing upon and depositing medicine. The principal diseases treated were scurvy, pneumonia, dysenter}'-, diarrhoea, ulcers caused from vaccination, fevers, gangrene and erysipelas. The number of admissions was limited to the number of vacancies, and these were caused, not by the recovery and discharge of patients,— not by the enlargement of the hospital, hut by the deaths which silently am! swiftly made way lor fresh victims. Every man knew full well when he received his ticket admitting him to that house of Living death that the grim messenger had removed a comrade whose place he was t -ciipy. — waiting and watching patiently until his turn should come and another brought in as he was carried out. The prisoners who were not recently vaccinated were com pelled, under ^'ynt little beyond secretly ex- pressing their abhorrei f the barbarity with which we were treated, and their wish to alleviate our sufferings. I gladly record the little acts of kindness performed by them, for they were verdanl spots in that va t Sahara of misery. Drs. Wat- kins, Rowzie, Thornbur, Reeves, Williams, James, Thompson. Pilatt and Sanders deserve and will receive the lasting gratitude of the prisoners who received medical treatmenl a1 their hands during thai memorable summer at Andersonville. These, with five others, whose names need not be mentioned, were connected with the sick call and are to be distinguished from the hospital surgeons, the latter being exclusively engaged within the hospi- tal enclosure. Among the Burgeons who attended in the hospital was a Doctor Burrows who belonged to ;i Massachusetts regiment. He had been captured and sent here early in the season and 150 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission was paroled t<» ad in the capacity of a Burgeon. He was a kind-hearted and skillful physich a and devoted his time to the sick under his care with tireless industry and patience, yet In; could do little to relieve their sufferings owing to the condi- tions under which they were placed. He attempted to procure men from the stockade to go with him under guards to cut timber in the adjacent woods with which to build cabins Tor llie hospitals, pledging himself for their return, yet Captain Wirz denied him this request and the cabins were never built. Could he have succeeded in his attempt to erect these huts, he would have vastly reduced the suffering and wretchedness of the inmates of the hospital. His well-meanl endeavors were freely appreciated by the sufferers, and the survivors will hold him in lasting gratitude. Among the prisoners at the hospital was a crazy man named Jones. This man had become insane through long exposure to the sun, aided by famine, and was at times a source of great annoyance to the sick. His insanity took an immoral form and he was constantly stealing articles of food and clothing. One of his tricks was to pilfer the wood which the surgeons' clerks had gathered for cooking, and to make a bonfire of it, warming himself with the greatest enjoyment even when the day was excessively hot. He had also a great proclivity for washing himself and his clothes, performing the operation at all hours of the day or night. So great was his penchant for washing that he frequenlty picked up old worn out coats and pieces of trousers, and, carrying them to the little creek, cleaned them with as much perseverance and gusto as a professional laun- dress. He considered his comrades as an inferior class of beings whose habits and tastes led them to remain in their lilt 1 1 . He often took off his coat and washed it, putting it on while still dripping, and strutting around among the prisoners with his head erect like a Broadway dandy. He would some- times beat the weaker prisoners unmercifully, for which offense the chief of police tied his hands behind him, Jones, meanwhile, grating his teeth and cursing fearfully. His pranks were gen- erally of a harmless character, and the volubility with which he talked of his importance as a member of society and the fearful retribution in store for the rebels through his means. served to amuse the sick and to divert their thoughts from a Extracts prom Congressional Report L51 contemplation of their own misery. And in this way the poor - fellow unwittingly did much good. Il«' died in the early pari August . Wl » Ml SSN] SS OF THE Gl ^RDS. The guard posted about the hospitals, either acting under orders or for some other motive, were very reckless in the per formance of their duties. They frequently discharged muskets into the hospital ground and performed other acts of violence wholly uncalled for. One uighl a sick man. feeling chilly upon his cold, earthy bed, arose and crawled to a fire which was burn- ing in the enclosure. A sentinel seeing him sitting before it, drew his gun up and discharged it. The ball passed through o crevice between the boards of the fence and hit the man, breaking his arm and splintering the hone of his leg. Dr. Bur- rows immediately came oul of his quarters and dressed \\\-. wounds l»ni the unfortunate victim never recovered. There was nut the slightest occasion for this murder. The invalid was on the ground assigned to all the inmates of the hospital. He was without thought of doing wrong, quietly sitting by the fire, which it was customary to light ewvy evening. The sentinel could see him only by Looking through the boards of the fence, which was six feet high. He gave no word of warning, but, after the victim had seated himself, tired upon him in cold bl 1. as it" he had been a vicious dog. It was murder as much as it' the man had been sleeping peacefully in Ids bed, yet tie- ;iN>;issin was never called to account for it. Although Captain Wirz knew the full particulars of the affair, and by virtue of his office could and should have punished him severely as an example to others, he paid no attention to it. Early every morning the dead of the preceding day and aighl were gathered up. under the direction of the Bergeants of divisions, and deposited in irregular lines on the road Lead- ing from the south gate and near the dead line. When the gate was opened, at eight o'clock, the dead were taken up and. one by on.-, placed upon a hand stretcher and carried out to the dead house, wldch consisted of posts driven in the ground, hoarded up ahoiit six feet and with an opening on the west side for admittance. This enclosure was covered with pii of canvas. At these times there were Large crowds of men 152 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission gathered around the dead, all eagerly and clamorously as serting their pighl to carry the bodies out. Those admitted to this ghastly privilege were allowed, on their return, to colled a few sticks ol* wood which lay upon the ground between the stockade and the hospital. The wood was almost priceless to them, for a small handful, such as they could pick up easily, sold for live dollars; and with this money they could readily purhcase fifteen Andersonville rations, paying the exorbitant pines demanded for food. Sometimes the poor men, in their anxiety to get outside the stockade in this manner, quarreled and fought to claim priority of right in the performance of this melancholy office. In the latter part of August, or early in Sept ember, the number of dead increased so rapidly that it was found impracticable to take the bodies from the stock- ade to the dead line, and they were placed in rows under an awning of pine boughs just outside of the defenses and near the road to the cemetery. Here they remained in the hot sun, or in the storms, until their turn came for burial. Pinned upon the breast of every one was a slip of paper upon which was written the number of the deceased. But the number of the dead w T as not always found. During the month of August, 2,990 bodies were deposited in the dead house previous to burial, an average of more than ninety-six per day, exceeding by one thousand the largest brigade in the Battle of Stone River, and being nearly seven-eighths as many men as the entire division of Brigadier General Van Cleve in that famous en- gagement. But during the latter part of the month, the mor- tality was much greater than at the first, the number of dead being 100, 110, 120, 125, and even 140 per day. In the early morning the dead cart came for the bodies. This was an army wagon without covering, drawn by four mules and driven by slaves. The bodies were tossed into the carl without regard to regularity or decency, being thrown upon one another as sticks onto a pile. In this manner, with their arms and legs hanging over the sides and their heads jostling and beating against each other, the sable driver whistling a merry strain, hurrying rapidly over the roots and stumps along the way, our federal prisoners were carted to their burial. The dead were buried by a squad of prisoners paroled for that purpose. A trench running due north and south was dug, six feet wide and Long enough to contain the Digging Tbj n< lies fob Bubial of Pbisonebs Bx TRACTS FROM CONGRESSIONAL REPORT 1 55 bodies for the day. In this the bodies were placed Bide by Bide, their heads to the east, and the earth was then thrown in upon them. A Little mound a fool in 1 1 « - i *_r 1 1 1 was raised over each body, a Btake branded with Dumber <>n, the label placed i«» the head of each, and without a prayer Baid over the dead, without a tear from tin' Btranger that performed the l;ist rites, the cere mony was ended. Tin' number on the stake referred t<» the register kepi in the office of the chief Burgeon by a Sergeanl Atwater, a paroled prisoner. In this register a record was made of the number, rank, company, regiment I when these were known . date of death and name of deceased. This register was kept with greal care and is still in existence. Bui some of those who died in the stockade, unknown to any one. have their - marked unknown. imony of Dorence At water, a witness examined l>y the committee, and who had had great opportunities of observation, having been detailed as an assistant in the hospital, and whose testimony is particularly valuable, for the reason that he ob- tained a list of the Union dead who perished ;it Andersonville. " 1 went to Andersonville about the twenty-t bird of February, 1864. < in the hanks of the stream on the eastern Bide of the kade was the sink of the prisoners. I have Been dense clouds of vaporous stench arising from this horrible pool of gnation floating low upon the moist, rarified atmosphere, and in its p«>i>.»noii> current ;i person would almost suffocate at the distance of a mile. In this state of things, it is no wonder that from an ordinary mil of ;i knife, the scratch of a pin. a common bruise, or any cause, however trifling, which broke the skin, gangrene ensued, and the unfortunate victims rotted l>y im-i. a "Th.- cook-house was built in May, 1864, and the rations then became much worse in quality, and smaller in quantity. Afag- - were claimed as the most delicious part of the s<>up. Men used to draw sonp in their caps and shoes; issues of t'ood were lmt regulated by hours. 1 went into the hospital about the middle of May. I was then at the* northeast corner of the stockade. Pine straw was the only bedding. Ber< 8 _ ant •Thla Ltwater, unknown to the Confederate author- kept a copy of the burial list and brought it into our 1». G. J. 156 Report of Anderson ville Monument Commission Donnelly starved to death. Hundreds of others died in t lie same way. During the four weeks I was in the hospital, twenty- seven men died in the same tenl with me, where there were only eighl patients ;it a time. The ground was alive with vermin, Like an anthill. Jn the latter pari of May, the hospital was removed form the stockade about half a mile to the southeast. I was de- tailed mi the 15th of June, L864, by a Dr. White, and. allowed the limits of a mile on parole, except in the direction of the stockade. I was placed in charge of the death register, to keep the record of deaths oi* all prisoners of war. 1 remained in tne surgeon's office over seven months. One hundred deaths were being daily recorded on my death register. They reached seven thousand in six consecutive months. I secretely eopied the list of our dead, and brought it away with me, February 25, 1864. It amounted to twelve thousand six hundred and thirty-one names, from February, 1864, to February 2, 1865. Three thous- and deaths were registered in the month of Augu-.t, 1864. "Only twenty wagons, with two mules each, were provided for hauling the food, etc., and the dead wagons, with the putrid, purging corpses of men who had rotted alive from sores, wounds, erysipelas and other diseasei. These were driven out :; j of a mile into the country, unloaded, and, without cleansing, were driven to the slaughter-house, reloaded with fresh beef, and driven back to the stockade and hospital. One-third of the entire number of prisoners died who entered the stockade 1 . .More died i:i the stockade than in the hospital. Same rations in the hospital as in the stockade, with gruel as a substitute for bread, made from mouldy flour in large iron kettles, without seasoning. The hos- pital was located on low ground near a swamp, and indifferently managed. Insufficienl shelter; over-crowded; medicine given by numbers. Quinine and morphine, drawn on requisition for our Sick, generally taken by chief surgeons for their private prac- tice among the citizens. There was at one lime a hospital fund of $120,000; it suddenly disappeared. Post-mortem examina- tions showed the stomach and intestines of the dead contracted, and filled with hulls and beards of corn. "The bodies pievious t<> burial were placed in the deid-house. which consisted ol some upright poles covered with brush; the bodies were laid upon the ground, exposed to the public gaze, the action of the element?, and the ravages of dogs and rats. Extracts prow Congressional Report 1.~>, When ready for burial, as many as twenty-five or thirty bodies would be thrown promiscuously into an army wagon, and taken to the ccmentery which was about three-quarters of a mile From the Btockade. At this point a long trench, three feel deep, would be in readiness, and from one hundred to one hundred and eighty bodies placed in each trench. The bodies were laid aside, close together; no coffins were furnished, and three-quar- - of the dead were buried withoul any article of clothing whatever. No funeral service was performed, and as soon as possible the trenches were filled with clay and a ridge of dirl at the to|> of the trench denoted each grave, which was ?•<■- corded and numbered on the death register." Testimony of Lieutenanl Alexander W. Persons, a Confeder- ate officer who commanded the troops, and afterward the post, at Andersonville. He entered on his duties there in February, ; . and was relieved by Winder the following May or June. Tins is what he said ■ "I was interested in a proceeding to enjoin the rebel authori- ties from further continuing the prison a1 Andersonville. In the character of counsel. I drew a bill for an injunction to abate the nuisance. The grave-yard made it a nuisance and the military works, fortifications, etc., made it highly objection- able to the property-holders there, and the prison generally was a nuisance, from the intolerable stench, the effluvia, the malaria thai it gave up, and the things of thai sort. After I drew the bill, T went to see the judge of the district court; T read the l>ill to him for the injunction. He simply said that he would appoinl a day on which he would hear the argument in chambers. He appointed the day; I made preparation for trial and wenl down, or was in the act of going, when I received an official communication from General Howell Cobb, of Geor- gia, in which he asked me it' I was going to appear. I suppose I destroyed the official correspondence or put ii away. 1 have doI thought of it since. General Cobb asked me if that bill was to be charged to me, the bill against the government, as he termed it. In reply to his communication I wrote him that I drew the hill and thai it could !»<• charged to me. He replied through his adjutant general, Major Harrit, thai lie deemed it inconsistent with my duty as ;i Confederate officer to appear in a case like that, of a hill a-jjiinst the government; and he 158 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission therefore ordered me 1<> be out of the case, and I obeyed the order. General Cobb al thai time commanded the departmenl of Georgia and the reserve forces of the department. "Before the prison was Located there, it was all covered over with woods. 1 am very well acquainted with the location of camps. It is customary to locate camps in shady places. It was a good idea to locate this prison in the woods: such places arc usually soughl for, for shelter for horses and troops and prisoners. There was nothing that I discovered about the lo- cation of the prison that led me to suppose it was located for any had purpose; that idea had never entered my mind. I know of the prison's being enlarged after 1 went there. It was enlarged after it was created for the accommodation of ten thousand prisoners. I suppose it was enlarged to the ex- tent of ten or twelve acres; about one-third more than it was before. The original capacity of the prison was about ten thousand, but I did not think there should have been more put in after the enlargement. That is my opinion. I am a mili- tary graduate and have studied engineering. T finished my course of study, but did not take out a diploma. I never be- longed to an engineer corps. "That camp was a nuisance to all intents and purposes. The first reason was, that the dead were buried so near the surface of the ground that it gave out an intolerable stench. A swarm of green flies spread like locusts over that section of the coun- try. Then the filth of the camp, arising from different causes, necessarily concentrated there. That, with divers other causes, made it a terrible nuisance. I could not have had it other- wise if I had been in command there. If 1 had ordered it other- wise, I do not think the order could have been carried out, and for this reason : when that prison was in its infancy, in its very inception, and when the officers were instructed not to build accommodations for more than 10,000 men, there were 40,000 I risoners sent there. Captain Wirz was not to blame for that. The authorities were responsible for that: who, 1 cannot say. The great blunder on the pari of the government was the con- centration of so many men at one place without preparation being made to receive them. The authorities were notified of the fact, bu1 to no advantage. 1 think that some of the higher officials were responsible, but who they were I cannol say. I R \< TS PRl m ( JONOR] SSION \l. Rl PORT 1 59 senl notifications through Genera] Winder thai the prison was worked beyond its capacity ; thai i1 was a vast, unwieldy thing, and I asked him to send no more prisoners ; yel they kepi com- ing. After I left, there came 10,000; no man <>n earth could have abated the rigors of thai prison excepl the man who wielded tile poW.r u\.T llielll. I do Hot UlloW that l!i;i!l. (iell- eral Winder was in advance of me, and several others were in advance of him. Aboul thai time an order was issued from the office of the adjutant general and inspector general, put- ting General Winder in command of all the prisoners easl of the Mississippi river giving him absolute control and dominion over them. Thai order came from General S. Cooper, adjutanl and inspector general. I saw thai order: 1 read it closely. f it was aboul this: They were reorganizing the differenl prison departments. Some man was put in com- mand on the other side of the Mississippi and General Winder was put in supreme command on this side." Upon the question of ill-treatment at Andersonville, shoot- ing, etc., the following information is contained in a letter to Jefferson Davis from a confederate soldier stationed there, in June. 1864: First Regiment Georgia Reserves, Camp Sumter. .Tune 23, L864. Respected sir: Being bu1 a private in the ranks at this pla<-«-. consequently if I seen anything to condemn (as I do l have no power to correcl it. Yet, as a human being, and one that helieves thai we should do as we would be dime by, I I roceed to inform you of some things thai T know you are ignoranl of; and in the firsl place I will say thai 1 have no cause to love the Yankees, (they having driven myself and fam- ily from our home in New Orleans to seek our living among strangers yel I think thai prisoners should have some show- ing, lush!.- our prison walls all around there is a space about twelve Peel wide called the dead line. If a prisoner crosses thai line the sentinels are ordered to shoot him. Now, we have many thoughtless boys here who think t he killing of a "Yank" will make them great men : as a consequence, every day or two there are some prisoners shot. When the officer of the guard the sentry's stand there is a dead or badly wounded man invariably within their own lines. The sentry, of course, L60 Report of A.ndersonville Monument Commission says lie was across I lie dead liiic when lie shot liini. He is told he did exactly right, and is a good sentry. Last Sabbath there were two shol in their tents at one shot. The boy said lie shot at one across the dead line. Nighl before last there was one shot near me, (I being on guard). The sentry said that the Yankee made one step across the line to avoid a mud hole. lie shot him through the bowels and when the officer of the guard got there he was lying inside their own lines. lie, (the sentry), as usual, told him he stepped across hnt fell back inside. The officer told him it Avas exactly right. Now, my dear sir, I know you are opposed to such measures, and I make this statement to you knowing you to be a soldier, states- man, and Christian, that, if possible, you may correct such things together with many others that exist here. And yet. if you send an agent here he will of course go among the offi- cers, tell his business, and be told that "all is well." But let a good man come here as a private citizen and mix w T ith the privates and stay one week, and if he doesn't find out things revolting to humanity, then I am deceived. I shall put my name to this, believing that you will not let the officers over me sec it, otherwise I would suffer, most probably Yours most respectfully. James E. Anderson." Si MM AM OP TESTIMONY CONCERNING ANDERSONV1LLE l'»1 CHAPTER IX SUMMARY OF TESTIMONY CONCERNING ANDERSONVILLE. By the Congressional Committee. It will be noticed thai the testimony we have introduced is derived from a variety of sources, the principal of which are thes< 1. The sv;crn end unsworn testimony of prisoners, in narra- tive form. 2. The testimony of Union officers and soldiers. •'!. Testimony of rebel officers and soldiers. 4. Testimony of citizens residing in the vicinity of Ander- * sonville. ST 5. Medical testimony derived from Union and rebel sources' ■ Documentary evidence derived from rebel sources. A review of f his varied testimony develops a mosl remarkable characteristic in the entire absence of conflict. It docs not. as in most cases of extended investigation, require the process of reconciliation to render it convincing. If lends almost with- out exception to the Fame conclusions; and among these are the following, sustained hy proofs which, in directness, strength and harmony, have never been excelled in human observation or experience. What are theyl 1. That the sufferings of the Union prisoners a1 Anderson ville have never been equaled in intensity, duration and magni- tude in modern times; the crimes of Andersonville were the crimes of the enlightened uin- in which we live. As it had no precedent or example, so it can have no counterpart in the future. We shall not enlarge upon the Bickening and terrible details. We have spread out the testimony upon the record; let him who can contradicl it and search history for iis equiva- lent. 11 K 162 Report op Andersonville Moni ment Commission 2. Thai the causes which Led to these Bufferings were qo1 accidental or inevitable in their origin, bul were deliberately planned, and were the dired results of human agency, in- genuity, malice and cruelty. Human foresight, though i1 had been the offspring of medi- ocrity, could have obviated and prevented the greater pari of this terrible suffering. It is clear thai abundance of fuel, tim- ber, water and rations could have been supplied by the rebels themselves with few and inconsiderate exceptions, and, even had this been impossible, the wanl of the starving prisoners could and would have been supplied by the governmenl of the United Slates and the greal organized charitable associations which from time to time sent supplies through the rebel lines. Another remedy could have been applied, — one which it was the duty of the confederate government, acting within the scope of military rules, to resort to, — which was to parole the prisoners whom they could not properly care for and deliver them at our lines, or permit them to return to the North, in- stead of pursuing them with hounds and hunting them for re- capture like beasts of prey in the forests and swamps of the South. Bui this was not their purpose, nor were these the motives which dishonor the humanity of the age. The numer- ous expressions of hatred and cruelty which fell from the lips of the rebel officials, their extraordinary punishments, the deadly assaults on the sick and helpless, and the neglect more cruel than death can have no solution except in the deep-seated malice whose fruits we have been considering. 3. Thai the responsibility of these horrors cannot be re- stricted to the immediate agents in charge of the prisoners, but rests with irresisl able weight on the higher officials of the confederate government, with whose knowledge and con- senl they were perpel rat ed. To sustain this proposition we need only recall t he testimony which shows 1 he wretch Winder, who was at the head of the prison government, to have been the confidential agent and tool o!' Jefferson Davis and dud ah P. Benjamin, as well as other high officials connected with the administration of the confederate government. This man Avas sent. out. by his superiors, and from time to time he reported to them personally and officially. So grave were his errors and so greal his crimes thai subordinate officials implored his dis- sr m \i ,;\ of Testi mon\ Concerning Andersonvilie 163 missal or removal from Ins position, stating specifically, as the grounds of their request, his cruelty to the prisoners, his want of humanity in their treatment, and their u 1 1 < r inability to afford relief while he remained in command. To ;ill this the confederate government, with the lull knowledge of his char- acter .mikI nets, turned a deaf ear, ami permitted him unre- strained to carry out his purpose of starvation and murder. Yet at this very time they were so tender of their own sick that the Burgeon general of the confederacy issued an order to per- mit Surgeon Jones to enter apon an investigation of the affairs at Andersonvilie. to experiment upon the prisoners there, to observe the effect of disease upon the body of men subjected to a decided change of climate and the circumstances peculiar to prison life, and all for the benefit of the medical department of the confederate armies. The high officials of the confeder- acy could send first (dass surgeons to observe and experiment upon these poor victims in their captivity, yet found it. as they . inconvenient or impossible to substitute competent offi- - for the protection and treatment of the sick in hospital and in prison. Our men were not killed or starved by the agency of Winder and Wirz, of White and Stevenson, alone; but the civilians who composed the. cabinet and were the advisers of Jefferson Davis, together with their guilty chief, must answer before the tribunal of the civilized world in all time to come for their share in these greal crimes. 4. That these atrocities were engendered and nursed, di- vised and inflicted, in the fell spirit of slavery, for whose per- petuity the confederacy was established. For the truth of this assertion it is necessary only to appeal to history. It is evident that none save those who had been born and nurtured under the barbaric influence of slavery, who wen- accustomed to its commands and its cruelties, who Baw in it the only industry worthy of organization, or entitled to the fostering care of capital and intelligence, were accus- tomed to the sale, the whipping, the tortures, and the burning oJ human victims, only such men could be ca|)able of sustain- ing a system of horrors like that which existed at Andersonvilie. perpetrated as they were upon men of their own race and their equals in intelligence, in bravery and in devotion to the cause for which they fought. 1i>4 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission .). That the objecl and purposes of the confederacy in these continued sufferings were the reduction of the strength of the Union armies by the crimes of starvation, infection and whole- sale murder. This point needs no further elucidation than a reference to the testimony itself, and the official rebel docu- ments published in connection with the report of the depart- ment of war on the subjecl of exchanges. (5. Thai these purposes were accomplised at Andersonville in the death, during one year, of thirteen thousand four hun- dred and twelve Union prisoners. 7. That the punishments, means of recapture, and general treatment of prisoners were barbarous, unnatural", and exces- sive beyond parallel. 8. That these cruelties and deprivations were persisted in by the rebel authorities after they had been warned and im- plored by responsible subordinates among their own officers for relief, and when it was in their power to provide an ample remedy. 9. Thai the pretenses of necessity for such treatment mad*' by the rebels were a sham and an attempted delusion. Other Confederate Prisons. With these remarks upon Andersonville, its patriotic yet unfortunate victims, its brutal officials, and its unparalleled horrors, we pass to a description of the other prison-houses of the confederacy. Before doing so, however, we give this de- scription of the northern prison at Johnson's Island as given by a rebel surgeon, and published in the Richmond En- qui rer : "The sleeping accommodations were very comfortable, con- sisting of a bunk with straw-bed, and, if the individual has no blanket, one is furnished, and he is allowed to buy as many more as he wants. Every room has a good stove and is fur- nished with a sufficiency of wood, which the prisoners have to saw for themselves after it is broughl to their doors, a vrvy good exercise, by the way. The prison consists of thirteen large buildings of wood. The space of ground enclosed is sixteen acres in which the prisoners have full privilege to exer- cise, to sinv Jefferson I )a\ is. and to play at ball or any ot her game 1 hey may see fit. .M m \i; \ < .rTi-i:M<»\N Concerning Anderson villi 105 "The rations an exactly tin same as are issued to the garri- son, consisting of fresh beef, pork, bakers' bread, BUgar, coffee, beans, hominy, salt, soap, ;in<' Benl to the prisoners by their friends in the North in any quantity, and money also without stint. "When 1 left the island, the excitemenl about the release oi prisoners by a force from Canada was at its highest pitch, necessarily causing the garrison to be re-inforced. This, com- ing so suddenly, found the commissary stores on the island deficient, and the rations for both prisoners and garrison were Bomewhat curtailed. The Butler was also Bent away and the prisoners still more restricted. I hope, however, that before this time things are pursuing the even tenor of their way. and that the prisoners are enjoying themselves as heretofore. We had the privilege of writing as many letters as we chose and when we chose, subject, of course, to certain restriction. We could purchase writing materials in any quantity. The officers over the prisoners have at all times conducted themselves as gentlemen and have been very kind and lenient, nor do they suffer the prisoners to 1"- insulted or abused in any way." Reader, please compare this story with thus.- of southern prisons. Diary of Lucien Holmes, l»»th New Hampshire, Salisbury Prison. Richmond, Virginia, November •'». ls<>4: We have just drawn two days' rations, about enough for one good meal. November 4. Seventy crowded into one ear We are seeing rough times. ember 5. At Greensboro about dark; water very scarce, indeed. November 'i. Stopped in an open field over night ; hungry, and almost choked; cold, and only a little wood. After dark that night at Salisbury, North Carolina. No rations today, and have to sleep on t he ground. November 7. Drew a little rice soii|>. about halt" a pint. K)i> Report of Andersonville Monument Commission There are 10,000 of us here— one thousand in a division, one hundred in ;i squad. We are in the fifth squad, tenth division. November 8. We have drawn half a pint of flour, but no salt. No tents yet. Water very scarce. This is a rough place. November 9. It rained all last night. We had to lie in the mud. We drew, this afternoon, two tents and two flies for one hundred men, a pint of meal, yet no salt. I am well. I wish I could get word home. It is a shame for any civilized nation to treat men in this manner — thirty and forty dying in a day and the dead are drawn off in carts just like so much wood. It is awful. I hope something will be done soon to relieve ns. November 10. It rained almost all night; has been terribly muddy today. We drew bread this morning. November 11. We drew meat for the first time for a week. and drew meal. The men are dying off very fast indeed, and no wonder, exposed as we are to cold and hunger. November 12. We drew bread this morning. I saw twenty- three dead bodies in the dead house. Men are dying off fast from exposure. November 13. I don't know what we shall do if we have to stay here this winter. I do hope and pray for better times to come soon. November 19. Three men out of one hundred in the squad are allowed to go for wood, but it is not enough to do us much good. November 20. Rained all night and all day. We are suf- fering everything here. I wish I could get word home in some way. November 21. Still raining. This yard is Morse than any hog-pen I ever saw. We get just enough to eat to live. November 22. I wish I could describe the misery and suffer- ing here in this pen. It cannot be called anything else. November 23. Ground froze solid. I never before suffered so much with cold as I did last night and today. Ninety-six have died in the twenty-four hours past. November 24. I suppose this is Thanksgiving day in New Hampshire, but it docs not seem much like it here. Today they gave us only quarter rations. God only knows what is to become of us here, yet we must hope for the best, putting entire Si MM Am .■! Ti - • i M" • \ COK RRNING AnDERSONYILLE 161 confidence in our Eleavenly Father. He, only, can bring us oul ali\ e. November 25. Only quarter rations again today. The men are dying fast. November 26. No more ra1 ions yet . November 27. We got half a loaf of bread today and some meat. November 28. Only quarter rations today. I would give almost anything for enough to satisfy my hunger. November 29. A.bou1 four hundred enlisted in the rebel army today. 1 shall have to be reduced more than I am now to enlist in their army. I aever fell so weak as 1 have today. Hope for more rations soon. I wish I could gel some money from home in some way. This memorandum was closed November 30, 1864. Young Homes lingered in Salisbury prison until .January 4. 1865, when he died. Letter of Sabina Dismukes, a resident of South Carolina, di- rected to Jefferson Davis. Stateburg, South Carolina. October 12, 1864. Dear Sir: In the name of all that is holy, is there nothing that can he done to relieve the terrible sufferings of the Yankee prisoners at Florence, South Carolina.' I rach things are allowed to continue they will most surely draw some awful judgmenl upon our country. It is a most horrible national sin that cannot go unpunished. If we cannot give them food and shelter, for God's sake parole them and : tin-in back to Yankee land, hut don't starve the miserable creatures to death. Don't think thai I have any liking for the Yankees. I have none. Those Dear and dear to me have suf- fered too much from their tyranny for me to have anything bul hatred to them; bul I have not yel become quite brutish enough to know of sueh sutlVrin<_ r withoiii trying to do some- thing, even for a Yank> Yours respeel fully. Sabina Dismul Respectfully referred l>y direction of the presidenl to the I [onorable Secretary of War. 168 Report oi Andersonville Monument Commission Burton N. Harrison, Private Secretary. Headquarters Florence Military Prison, December 17, L864. Respectfully returned: Mrs. Dismutes may resl quite easy and quiet in reference to the treatment of prisoners al this prison, for since I assumed command (the 10th of October. 1864,) t lie deaths have decreased from thirty-five and forty per day to one single demise, which my hospital and sexton's re- port show for the last twenty-four hours. I call attention to the fact that the prisoners were all brought here from other prisons, and solicit inquiry as to their imprisonment or still further degradation, and challenge any prison in the confeder- acy, taking everything into consideration, for health, cleanli- ness, neat looking prisoners, neat burial grounds, etc. They are given everything the government issues to them. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, John F. Iverson, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding. Note. — This statement is a pure fabrication, as I was in Florence prison from the time it was established until Feb- ruary 17th. There was hardly a day but that a score or more died, as the number of graves will testify. The colonel probably meant that there was only one man shot by guards on some days, yet that was very seldom. — D. 6. J. Such in October, 1864, was the condition of the prisoners al Florence as viewed from a southern standpoint. To suppose or to ask any intelligent man to infer, in the face of this evi- dence, that the rebel authorities had no knowledge of the star- vation and murder of our soldiers, would be an insult to human understanding. They did know it; they could have prevented it ; for it appears that the rebel guards on duty suffered for none of the necessaries of life, and were subjected to no hard- ships save that of being agents and spectators of these foul and unnatural murders. It is to be feared that, to many of them, the sight and the service could hardly be called a hard- ship. Clothing. The custom which prevailed among the rebel captors and officers of robbing a prisoner of his clothing al the time of capture, rendered his destitution in this respect truly deplora- si mm Am of Testimony Concerning A.ndersonville L69 ble during imprisonment. This destitution of clothing, where the prisoner was without shelter, was of the north, these things were, with few excep- tions, withheld from the prisoners, and used by the confeder- ates, jusi as the commandants took a notion to do. It is true there were « »xc< 'I >t i oiis. eases where officers were not quite brutal enough to execute with fidelity the intention and orders of Jefferson Davis and his agent, Winder. A noticeable feature in the distribution of these supplies of clothing and blankets was the custom, common to most of the prisons, of withholding them until within a day or two of an exchange. Then, or just as a body of prisoners was starting, the issue would be made. What was the result. The prison or many of them, feeling sure of speedy relief under the protection of their own flag and among anxious and waiting friends, were easily induced to barter the articles which they had just received for scanty supplies of food, for which they had been so long famishing. There can be no doubl that the prisoners would have I n spared much excruciating suffering, and thai the lives of many heroic men would have been saved, had the distribution of clothing and blankets and other comforts been faithfully car- ried out. Bui it was far otherwise. Numerous boxes contain- ing clothing and food were forwarded by the immediate friends of the prisoners. Before they were delivered, the persons for whom they were intended were required to receipl \'*>v them. When the pretended delivery took place it was usually found thai the box or package had been robbed of its most valuable ]«t ration: or corn meal, 20 ounces per ration. Beef, 1 pound per ration, or bacon, or pork, :: i pound per ration. Beans, 8 quarts per 1<><> men: or hominy or rice, 1" pounds per 1<> () men. Sugar, 14 pounds \)i-v 1<>o men. Rio coffee, 7 or 9 pounds per 1<><> men. Adamantine candles, 5 per LOO men; or tallow candles (> per 100 men. Soap, 4 pounds per 1<><> men. Salt. 2 quarts per LOO men. Molasses, 4 quarts per !<>') men. twice per week-. Potatoes, 1 pound per man. three times per week. When beans were issued, hominy or rice were not issued. These were the rations to which the prisoners were entitled. Bread was issued, in point of fact, and not corn meal. Fresh beef was issued, during this time, four limes a week. "When fresh beef was issued, a pound and a quarter was given. These were supplied to prisoners in well-sheltered quarters; they were, also, well clothed and bountifully supplied wilh blankets and fuel. Confederate ration a1 Andersonville : Corn meal unbolted 9 ounces; beef, 1 ounces; bacon, 4 ounces; peas, 1 16 of a quart; rice, 1 ounce; soft soap. 1 32 of a drachm; salt. 1 100 quart ; molasses, 1 ::»><> of a quart. These were supplied to prisoners almost totally destitute of shelter, fuel, blankets and clothing. L72 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission Afici- June 1. L864, the United States issued to their soldiers the same as before, hut the amount given i<> lie' prisoners was as follows : Pork or bacon, K> ounces (in lieu of beef); fresh heel*, 11 ounces; Hour or soft bread, 16 ounces; hard bread, 11 ounces (in lieu of flour or soft bread); corn meal, 1(5 ounces (in lieu of Hour or bread). To every 100 rations, beans Or peas, 12 1 /* pounds; or riee or hominy, 8 pounds; soap, 4 pounds; vinegar, 3 quarts; salt, *> : ''i pounds; potatoes, 15 pounds. Sugar and coffee, or tea, was issued only to the sick and wounded, on the recommendation of the surgeon in charge, at the rate of L2 pounds of sugar, 5 pounds of ground or 7 pounds of green coffee, or 1 pound of tea, to the hundred rations. This part of the ration was allowed for alternate days only. At Andersonville, the same wagon which w r as used for haul- ing out the naked and festering dead brought back the rations for the living. A load of dead bodies covered with vermin, and foul from decomposition, Avas replaced by a load of meal or corn bread, without even the attempt to sweep or cleanse the wagon. As a consequence, shreds of clothing, vermin, mag- gots, and filth, loathsome and indescribable, were found mingled or incorporated with the food of the prison. 11 seems incredible that such food could have been eaten at all by human beings, yet the testimony of a hundred witnesses proves that the pangs and madness of hunger, so terrible al times as to force men to the horrors of cannibalism, here had its perfect work, and that the wretched, starving inmates of Andersonville and Richmond prisons seized on the sickenim: and pestilent mass with avidity; and were even driven, by their insatiable craving for food, even to still more disgusting expedients. "Would to God this had been the sum of their terri- ble necessities. But hunger swept before its terrible pangs all decencies and antipathies alike. To such extremity were they driven that the morning found them fighting and struggling with each other to obtain the food that had passed undigested through the bodies of their weaker comrades during the night, while the flesh of rats and dogs was devoured as a luxury. Not only was the quality thus unsuitable and loathsome, but the quanl iiy insufficient. Si *M\m r>p Testimony Concerning Andersonvtlle 17:) At Andersonville, in 1864, a day's rations consisted of a piece of corn bread three inches square and two inches thick. m\ in lieu thereof, a pint of unsifted cornmeal, with about three tablespoonfuls of beans. Occasionally a small piece of beef, which would make about two mouthfuls when cooked, w as issued in lieu of beans. According to the best medical authorities, the amount of solid Pood required to maintain a man in good health is from thirty-eighl to forty-two ouncea every twenty-four hours. The ration of the rehel prisoners in our hands amounted to about forty-three ounces, and the ration of the Union prisoners in the hands of the rehela fell, in some cases, as low as five or six ounces; and never, save at rare intervals, exceeded eighteen ounces: the usual ration varying between these extremes. The principal and almost universal result of the continued use of corn meal by the Union prisoners was to produce diarrhea in its worst forms. Hardly a prisoner was (vi^- from it. Aggra- vated by the water and general onhealthful condition of the prisons, this dis< - ssumed its worst characteristics, and was one of the principal causes of the unparalled mortality which prevailed. There is some special testimony in regard to the sufficiency ot* supplies within the limits of the confederacy. Major William K. Tracy, who was attached to the commissary depart- ment ot* General 's division, testified on the Gee trial at Raleigh, North Carolina, that he was with the command at Salisbury <>n the 12th of April, 1865, and that they captured 100,000 bushels ot' com. 60,000 pounds of bacon, 100,000 pounds salt, 20,000 pounds of Bugar, 27,000 pounds of rice, 50,000 bushels ot' wheat. 30,000 pounds of corn meal. 100.000 pounds of flour, together with barrels of whiskey, boxes of wine, and a lar<_ r <- quantity of hospital supplies,— enough to last the sick a long time. Within the hospital Major Tracy found a large supply of sugar, coffee, and various other hospital stores. The sanitary condition of Dearly all the rehel prisons, for the entire period of the war. may he summed np in a single sentence, filth, filth, loathsome, disgusting and pestilential tilth. 174 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission The Patriotism op Prisoners. h is one of the most pleasant and satisfactory duties of your committee to call special and distind attention to the patriotic and self-sacrificing devotion of our officers, soldiers and sea- men, who were so long prisoners of war. It was a devotion and patriotism that with the greal mass of these heroic men no trials and no sufferings could conquer. Disease and death in every form were constantly before them, and made terribly manifest in thousands of examples wrought upon their com- rades under the most trying circumstances, and by the appli- cation of innumerable cruelties, zealously and recklessly prac- ticed by their captors, and the officers of their prisons as well as by their guards. Our prisoners felt and knew that they were the victims of a cruel and well-defined policy on the part of the rebel authorities. Isolated from the influences of their own friends, suffering continued torture, and exposed to the hate- ful influence of the false representation of their enemies, they at times distrusted the justice of their own government, and felt as if it had deserted them in the hour of their direst need. They believed that our government knew their forlorn and terrible condition, and were impressed with the conviction that it might and should interfere for their protection and de- livery from their torment. They understood that the rebel prisoners in our hands were treated according to the rules of war which prevail among civilized nations, and they believed that retaliation would restore them to the same condition. Death was their constant companion and the only friend that could reach them with relief. They were greatly reduced in physical strength, while the enfeebled condition of their minds would seem to have prepared them for the acceptance of any terms or favor from the rebels that promised present relief. Tt was under the terrible prcssue of this state of affairs that the perfidy of the confederate authorities manifested itself in the attempt to seduce them from their fidelity and allegiance to their own government. They had pressed the sufferings of their captives to the bitterest extremity, preparing them for the final trial by depriving them of food for one or more successive days. Tt was then that they came to their victims with promises of kind treatment and release from sufferings. They profferd plenty of food to the hungry, and sufficient cloth- si d mary op Testimony Concerning Andersonville 175 ing to ilf naked. They offered the pure air of heaven for the pestilential vapors of tin' prison pen. They assured them of liberty in exchange for the most terrible captivity to which man had ever been subjected. The price of 1 li is ex- change h 'as an abandonment of the service of their own coun- try, an abrogation of their allegiance, and employment in civil life, or in the ranks of their enemies. It was against these lion like temptations and these terrible ordeals that the virtue and patriotism of our suffering soldiers stood proof. In the very bitterness of their suffering they scorned the bribe and cursed the offer. As we have said, we speak here of the great mass of the union soldiers. Exceptions there were, yet they were comparatively inconsiderable. "Under the terrible pressure of their sufferings only one out of every sixty joined the rebel forci - Retaliation. The government of the Tinted Slates during the whole course of the war fully recognized the principle that a nation must not do violence to its civilization or shock the moral sense of its individual members, whether eiti/ens or soldiers. Retalia- tion is allowed in war, yet its infliction and effects must have a limit. Qnder this rule, of course, it cannot always be treatment similar to that which our men receive in rebel prisons." The commissioner replied that to retaliate in kind would result in an uprising of the prisoners against the guards at Camps Morton and ('base, and most likely at other prisons, and that under any ordinary system of guards, human nature would not endure such treatment. The Order was not ratified by the United Stales government and. of course, was not carried into effect . 176 Report of A\m crson^ i'.i.i: Monument Commission It is a singular fad that no con i'<>« l.-t-.-i t <■ officer was ever punished or prosecuted for cruelty to prisoners. Ob the other hand, the mosl cruel agents were retained Longest in its service. The names of Cobb, Winder, Ould, and Wirz pise prominently before us in this connection. These were among the men long- est in the confederate service and connected with the deparl nienl under whose charge the prisoners were immediately placed. Tin. Guiltv Knowledge op the Confederate Authorities. Whatever may have been their means of knowledge in the early part of the war, the conditions at Andersonville and other prisons in .1863-64 were fully known to the higher con- federate authorities. Tin 4 public journals, north and south, spread the knowledge of their conditions broadcast through- out every portion of the land. Not only the prisoners commu- nicated by letter to friends and foes the enormities practiced upon the captives, but the conscience stricken guards, as well as the citizens of the South, communicated the facts directly to Jefferson Davis. The letter of Mrs. Disunites, the letter of the guard, Anderson, and others, are among the prominent evi- dences. The witness N. B. Harold, resident at Americus, Geor- gia, who was a purchaser and shipper of supplies for the com- missary department of the rebel government, tells us in his testimony that the suffering condition of the prisoners was generally known through the country: was frequently talked aboul everywhere. The people in the country around Ander- sonville and other prisons visited them to learn their condi- tion, pronounced them nuisances and soughl the aid of the law for abatement ; while at the same time these remedies were opposed by officials like Howell Cobb, who was, of course, in direct communication with the authorities a1 Richmond. The conduct of Winder was brought officially to the notice of Davis and his cabinet and his removal attempted, yet he was subse- quently promoted to command all the prisons east of the Mississippi. In addition to this we have the long line of re- ports of surgeons, commanding and inspecting officers, and. in fact, of all classes officially connected with the management of the prisons, stating fully and officially their condition and si mmari >f Testimony Concerning Andersonville 177 insist iiiLT in the Dame of justice, and for the reputation of their government, upon measures of relief. We have, upon the in dorsement of these official reports, the clearest evidence of their ptioD and consideration by the confederate authorities al Richmond. These official documents, with their indorsements, prove two facts; and these two facts cover the whole ground of mi! argument concerning the terrible condition of prisons and prisoners, as well as the complete knowledge of the con- federate authorities of that condition. We call attention to the partial list of these reports of rebel officials: 1. Report of Major General Bowell Cobb, May 6, 1864. 2. Report of Surgeon E. J. Eldridge, May 6, 1864 3. Report of Captain Wirz, May 8, 1864. 4. Report of Captain Wirz. July and August, 1864. 5. Report of General Winder, July 21, 1864. Report of Surgeon S. S. Hopkins, August 1. 1864. 7. Report of Surgeon Isaiah White, August 2, 1864. B. Reporl of Colonel D. T. ('handler, August 5, 1864, with eighteen Lnclosur - • Report of J. Crews Pelot, September 5, 1864. 10. Report of Surgeon H. R. Stevenson, September 20, 1864. 11. Report of Dr. Joseph Jones, September 20, 1864. The perusal of these reports will convince the reader of the terrible condition of the prisons, the protracted, unrelieved Bufferings of their inmates, and the uncompromising demand of humanity for their relief, — all derived from rebel sources and from rebel officials. These reports were made in the ordinary routine of the service, and took their direction toward the rebel capital for the inspection and examination of the eon- federate government! That they reached their destination in sufficient cumbers to have carried with certainty and convic- tion the awful nature of their contents to the president of the confederacy and his cabinet, the indorsements fully show. In fact, the detail of Colonel Chandler, the rebel inspecting offi- cer, was made upon complaints which had reached Richmond of the condition of Union prisoners at the South. His report, with its eighteen inclosures, passed through the usual military channel to the office oi the adjutant general, and to the secre- tary of war. James A Seddon. It will be recollected thai one of the most important recommendations of that report was the 12 L78 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission removal of General Winder, on the ground that some person who united energy and judgment with Peelings of humanity and consideration \'nv the welfare and comfort of the prisoners. and who would not "advocate deliberately and in cold blood the propriety of leaving them (the prisoners) in their present condition until their number lias been sufficiently reduced by death to make the present arrangement suffice for their ac- commodation, ' ' should be assigned to this place. This recommendation, with the evidence upon which il was based, reached, in due official form, the headquarters of the con- federacy at Richmond. It was accompanied by a mass of evi- dence, official and irrefutable in its character, of the necessity of action. What was the effect of this frank and fearless rec- ti in in endat ion upon those authorities? "Was it such as to alle- viate the horrors which Colonel Chandler says "it is difficult to describe, and which is a disgrace to civilization?" Instead of this, General Winder was soon after that promoted by the order of Davis to be commissary general and commander of all military prisons and prisoners throughout the confederate states east of the Mississippi. Let us examine a little more in detail the history of these reports. The first in order is that of General Howell Cobb, made more particularly upon the question of furnishing the necessary guard for the protection of the prison at Anderson- ville; but in which we are told that the prison is too much crowded, and no additional prisoners should be sent until it can be enlarged ; that the increase in number would effect a terrific increase of sickness and death during the summer months, and recommending the building of a new prison be- cause of a lack of water for any increased number of prisoners at that point; and speaking in generous terms of the manage- ment of Colonel Persons, then in command of the prison, but who, it will be remembered, was soon afterward removed by the authorities. The report of Cobb inclosed a report of Sur- geon E. J. Eldridge, in which lie described the prison as too much crowded even at that early day for the promotion or continuance of the present health of the prisoners. These re- ports, as appears by the indorsemenl upon them, were received at the confederate headquarters at "Richmond, May 26, 1864. Thus curly were the confederates warned of the conditions and requirements of the prisoners at Andersonville. Si If MARY OP TESTIMONY CONCERNING AnDERSONVILLE 1 Again, the report of Colonel Chandler, to which we have alluded, dest • ri 1 m n «_: al greal Iciilti Ii the condition and require ments of the prison, dated Augusl 5, L864, with its inclosures, bo important and conclusive, reached the office of Samuel per, adjutant and inspector general, Angus! 18, 1^ ,; i Upon this report he indorsed the following statement: "The condition of the prison al Andersonville is a reproach to us as a nation." and immediately forwarded it to the secretary of war, with the further remark "Colonel Chandler's recom- mendal ions arc concurred in, " 1^<» Report of ANDERsoNvriiLE Monument Commission < HAPTEB X. MORTALITY AMONG PRISONERS OF YVAK. Bethany, Mo. What was the death rale among prisoners on both sides Union and Confederate — during the laic war? — W. Answer. — Accompanying Ihis inquiry is a clipping from "Medical Classics. " August, 1887, in the form of an article or pari of an address by Howard Henderson. I). I).. LL. I). In this the following statements are made: "It ought to be better known by this time, that a larger per- centage of Confederates died in Northern prisons than of Fed- erals in Southern. At Anderson vi lie the mortality was 1-36 a month, that is, 1 out of each 1,000. At Blmira, X. Y. t 1-25 of the prisoners died. At Anderson ville the rate was '■> and at Elmira 4 per cent. Three per cent more "rebels'' perished in Northern prisons than of Federals in Southern prisons. The report of Secretary of War Stanton (.June 19, 1866,) shows that 22,576 Federals in Confederate hands died during the war and 26,436 Southerners in Union custody. Surgeon General Barnes officially reports 220,000 as the number of rebels in Federal prisons, 270,000 Federals in Confederate prisons. Twelve per cent of the former and nine per cent of the latter died in prison." In answer to all of these official reports as to the number of deaths in Southern prison, I have been able to gather the fol- lowing figures by actual count from twelve of the prison ceme- teries in the South : Anderson ville 12.960 Salisbury 12.148 Danville 13.2:5 Richmond 6,576 Charleston 389 Florence *3,017 MUlan 685 Cahaba 117 Montgomery 198 Atlanta 124 Marietta 189 Brought from .Macon and buried at Andersonville s,, i Total 38,560 The 804 broughl from Macon to Andersonville increases the number of gTaves there to 1.'5.7(J4. * At Florence many of (lie dead were buried in ]>lts and could not be accounted for. Mortality Among E^isoners op War 181 Mortality "i nil Inmates oj Anderson villi is Compabed with thai ,»i mi Mosi Noted Twelvi Prisons oh uh Nobth Prom March l. L864, to April, L865. Deaths in Pria No. Confined. Prison. Alton. Ill 1,615 180 Camp Chase, Ohio 13,349 L,819 Camp Douglas, 111 L3,311 !.:•■ Morten. Ind 6,0l 815 Blmira, X. V 12, L23 Ft. Delaware L4,219 924 Johnson's island >29 77 Louisville, Ky 22,025 51 Xash\ ill*. Teno 21, 075 New Orleans, La 1,456 1,918 Rock Island, ill 10,731 L,516 Point Lookout. Md 18,815 1,918 Total 175,811 L2,9 Andersonville 52,345 L2,912 1 i ficial records show : 188, 145 captured by the rebels. 476,169 captured by the United States. Here we Bee thai of 175,811 prisoners confined in the north- ern prisons, the mortality was 12,960, or 7 1-3 per eenl of the whole; while for the same period there were confined in An- dersonville 52,345 prisoners, with a mortality of 1 2 . '. » 1 2 . or 24 2-3 per cent of the who].-. These figures are taken from the number of graves a1 An- dersonville, and from the records kepi by a federal sergeant. All are known, excepl 425, which fact makes the records un- refutable. It was this that was so obnoxious to the so-called Daughters of the Confederacy, who expressed their desire to wipe out all the unpleasant things aboul the late unpleasant- So the Wisconsin commission caused the kind words of Genera] Grant, "Lei us have peace," to he inscribed <>n the Wisconsin monument. The Wirz Monuw i After this was all accomplished, the so-called Daughters of the Confederacy <>t* Americus, Georgia, caused a monumenl t<> In- erected in the village of Andersonville, Georgia, 1«» com- memorate the memory <»t" Captain Wirz. They must regard the memory of their ancestors with much pride when they can know the vile purpose that Captain Wirz would consign them t<». because they sympathized with and desired i<» relieve the L82 Report of Andersonvjlle Monument Comw ission Bufferings of a mass of persecuted humanity. Could their mothers rise Prom their resting places, I. think they would be proud of their off-spring who would debauch them for the pur- pose of insulting the \oy<\\ people of all sections. But we are glad to say thai the best, women of the south who were old enough to remember the things thai were enacted during those days, and the brave survivors of the southern army who were on the firing line, have most emphatically denounced the methods of the leaders who were responsible for the treatment accorded their prisoners, and they have made it manifest both by words and writings. They entered a protest against their dastardly work yet to no avail. On the I'aee of this monument is inscribed the following: "IN MEMORY OP MAJ. HENRY WIRZ, C. S. A., BORN IN ZURICH, SWITZERLAND. "Tried by illegal court-martial* under false charges of exces- sive cruelty to federal priosners, sentenced and judicially mur- dered at Washington, D. C, Nov. 10, 1865. "That the United States government, not Maj. Wirz, is chargeable with the suffering at Andersonville, there is abund- ant proof furnished by friend and foe. Let the fact that he chose an ignominious death rather than bear false witness against President Davis, speak for his high qualities of honor, fortitude and self-sacrifice. "To rescue his memory from the stigma attached to it by embittered prejudice and ignorance, and to restore it to its rightful place among men, the Georgia Division of the Qnited Daughters of the Confederacy has raised this shaft." Every sentence in this inscription is absolutely and unquali- fiedly false. In the first place, the trial was as legal and for- mal as anything judicial connected with the war could be. The court was composed of the most distinguished men, men in whom the public then had, and still has, the highest esteem and confidence. The order for the court shows this. *See page 191. Mortality Among Prisoners of War. I s -; Letter from a Soul hern Woman. The following letter was written by a southern woman and published in the National Tribune, of Washington, D. C. She tells plainly and forcibly whal Bhe thinks of this monumenl to Wirz: Editor National Tribune: 1 am a southern woman, raised not a greal distant-.' from Andersonville, and I. want to return thanks to the ex-confederate soldier who recently expressed the sentiments of all right- thinking, Christian-hearted people over the smith on the subjed of the Wirz monument movement. A blacker and more disgraceful blol aever stained any soil than that Andersonville prison, and it is indeed humiliating to realize thai there are within the borders of our fair Southland women who are anxious to brand themselves with such a stigma as raising a monumenl to so heartless a brute as Wirz is known to be by thousands of Southern and Northern men alike. The Daughters of the Confederacy are to be pitied for the lack of information that would bring to their fair cheeks the Idush of Bhame, it' these young women knew the truth as it is aboul Andersonville prison and the horrible sufferings inflicted by Wirz on those helpless prisoners. There is near by an ex-Con federate soldier, who was one of the guard at Andersonville prison, who says a more unprincipled villain than Wirz never Lived. God grant thai they may stop and consider the lighl they are placing themselves in before the whole world, and also consider the interests of the country generally and of Atlanta specially, and put thai money to relieve the real needs of the Confederate veterans and widows, and thereby win for them- selves the now doubtful respecl of all honorable people throughout this and other countries. A Southern Woman. 1.84 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission CHAPTER XL NAMES OF WISCONSIN SOLDIERS BURIED AT NA- TIONAL CEMETERY, ANDERSONVILLE, GA. Numbeb of Dead fhom Different Wisconsin Regiments. First Wisconsin Infantry. No. Name Company Date of Death 8 . 576 Batchelder, J I Sept. 12, 1864 1 , 341 Bowen, Henry A May 24, 186^ 8,105 Chase, G. M Corp. A Sept. 7, 1864 4.390 Chapel, E E July 31, 1864 10,771 Davis, John B Oct. 10, 1864 6,236 Farrow, Wm A Aug. 30,1864 3,164 Gutch, H D July 11), 1864 11,927 Hanson, M B Nov. 8,1864 1 . 273 Harvey, D. N I June 6, 1864 1,002 Haskins, J E July 31,. 1864 1 , 165 Kummett, J H May 16, 1864 2,981 McKinsey, D F July 7, 1864 1 , 896 Mulligan, J B June 15, 1864 3,511 Pickett, Thos. B Corp. F July ,18, 1864 12,242 Randall, P. D K Dec. 8,1864 3,503 Shoop, W ' G July 18,1864 3,661 Tucker, C. P I July 16, 1864 9 , 484 Woodworth, W. B H Sept. 21, 1864 9,938 Vick, J H Sept. 28,1864 Second Wisconsin Infantry. No. Name Company Date of Death 5.453 Allen, C. B G Aug. 12, 1864 2,009 Baumgartner, Baltis K June 15*1864 8.641 Bushee, C. C B Sept. 12,1864 2.663 Chapman, J G June 29, 1864 4 . 343 Sharp, J. H G Tuly 30, 1864 8, 500 Troutman, Anton K Sept. 12, 1864 Third Wisconsin Infantry. No. Name Company Date of Death 3,624 Ramsader, H G July 20, 1864 Fifth Wisconsin Infantry. No. Name Company Date of Death 6,377 Messer, F K Aug. 21, 18(64 \Visconsin Soloiers Bi hied \t National Cbmeteri L8i nsin Infantry. \ Name Company I I;ikI\ . Eugene s E ill's} Johnson, W L H 3 Tomlinson, Robert B. Vetter, Juliua F Date of Death . ,Peb. •".. L866 . .Opt 21i L8M . ..inn.' 28, L864 . .July :». L864 ,; 11 n on sin Infantry. \ Nam.' Company 17 Agan, John \ 2,055 Ball, Henry \ 12,032 Blakely, Robert F. . Church, Alfred II . . i Irane, R I). . 10,346 Crowning, II C. 12,618 Frost. A B Fortney, Geo. W C. l ,260 Fuller, Chas. W Corp. E . ::. 178 Gillette, Jerome H . . 3,009 Lack, Peter B.. 10,213 .Mills. Elijah Corp. B. Palmer, John Corp. C . . J60 Rice, .Jacob C. 68 Schlosser, John .1 Corp. F.. 78 Wendt, Charles B.. Aleck R E. . Date of . .Aug. . .June . . Nov ..July . .July . .Oct. . .Feb. . .Mch . ..May . .July . .July . .Oct. . . May ..Sept . . M!ar. . .July ...May Death 0, L864 I 86 1 L864 is.; i 1864 L864 L865 is*; i 1864 1864 L864 L864 I sCl 1864 1st; l 1S6| p;. L5, L2, 1'::. 12, 21, IT, 2, 12, 27, l'.». 16, 7, 1864 No. 5,00' Name shey, Win Eighth Wisconsin Infantry. Rank Dale of Death ..Aug. 8, 1864 No. L0,830 11,610 2, 151 :.. 164 2, 128 11,734 11.741 11,020 1 . 529 1,542 5,312 w gi onsin In fantry. Nine Company Date of Death Adams. P A Oct. 12, 1864 Batterson, Lewis I) K Oct 28, 1864 Banner, B. F Corp. I June 25, 1864 Bemia, H C Aug. 9,1864 Burke, .1 F Ajug. 30, 1864 Bowen, Harlan II F June is. 1 s»; | Bentler, M K Nov. 2,1864 Clark. W. F F Nov. Coburn, w A Oct Cowles, i> B July Ellen wood, Sidney Sgt. C Sept. men, P. M C Oct Gilbert, Oley Sgt l> rune Crasls,. Fi ederick I . Fountain. X. II A Hand. (I D Hangle, B. F Corp. K . Hewick, Nelson B Howard, F i'. K [ngraham, .1 K, • in. Elobt F. Lansing, < I A McClurg, \ ] Mortit s. i» I) 2, 1864 19, L&64 6, 1864 12, L864 13, L864 U, 1864 june 24, 1864 June 28, L864 Jan. 16, L865 27, 1864 2, L864 11, L864 13, 1864 1, 1864 24, 1864 20, L864 IS, 1864 June Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug Aug L86 Report oi Andersonville Monument Commission 6,090 Nichols. Win I Afligj. IN. L864 1,980 Northam, S. R C A.ug. 7, 1864 9,014 Plinter, II Sgt. F Sept. L6, 1864 7,530 Purdee, J E3 Sept. 1,1864 1,340 Purely. M 10 Inly 30,1864 L3.225 Rambaugh, JohD K Oct. 25, *1864 3,665 Reynolds, F. S K luly 20,1864 6,088 Robinson, \V. M Corp. C Aug. 18,1864 Tune 18, 1864 no Schrigley, H I Api*. 8,1864 1.37s Smith. \V. H B luly 21, 1864 3,583 Sutton, J B July 19, 1864 1 1 . 420 Tyler, E. B F Oct. 22, 1864 3,375 Tyler, J Corp. A luly 16, 11864 2,894 Weaver, H H luly '4, 1864 1 1 . :'.!)0 Volts, F Corp. F Oct!. 2::, 1 864 Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry. No. Name Rank Date of Death 9,739 Dascey, Geo Corp. 1 Sept. 24,1864 12.245 DuRochie, Win H Dec. 8, 1864 12. 167 Harris, Nicholas D July 25, 1864 12.111 Whalen, Moses D Nov. 21, 1864 Fifteenth Wisconsin Infantry. Xo. Name Rank Date of Death L0,919 Bjornson, Nils Oct*. 14,1864 2,683 Broness, Olaves G Oct. 10, 1864 1,870 Brunstead, Geo C Sgt. A June 30(, 1864 1 ,838 Burke, Ole O B Aug. 6, 18G4 L0,685 Britton, Harvey Sgt. B Tune 11, 1864 11,088 Christianson, Tobias A Oct. 18,1864 2,419 Bnger, Gens K June 24, 186£ 6 . 1 60 Erickson,i Christopher B Aug. 19, 1864 L0,234 Fegan, Michael I Oct. 2, 1864 7,355 Grund, Lars I Aug. 31,1864 10,691 Grunderson, Hans Sgt. 1 Oct. 11,1864 3.720 Holderson, Ole F July 21,1864 2 . :;S4 Hanson, Jens K Tune 23, 1864 1 , 655 Hofland, Halvor 11 Sgt. K Tune 4J, 1864 7,649 Hanson, Lars B Sept. 1,1864 2,003 Jacobson, Ole Corp. D June 15, 1S64 2,498 Knudson, Christian K June 26,1864 8,886 Johnson, O. B F Sept. 16, 1S64 7. 522 Larson, Made.s B Sept. 1, 1864 9,997 Lodegard, Elias A Sept. 28,1864 It). 289 Myhre, Simon A 1 Oct. 3, 18-64 I.2S9 Nelson, K K July 30, 1864 1 1 . 93] Olsem Michael B Nov. !». 1 8/6 1 3,162 Olson, Ole B Tuly 11,1.864 2,847 Peterson, Axel Corp. K Tuly 3». 1864 9 , 902 Peterson, Simon Corp. 1 Sept. 27, 1 864 7,893 Peterson, Syver K Sept. 5, 1864 9, 461 Peterson, Ole I Sept. 20, 1864 2,814 Steffs, Reinhart F July 3, 1864 12.374 Thompson, Charley K Tan. 1,1865 9,664 Torgeson, Torger Sgt. G Sept. 24,1864 2,309 CJpdell, .1. S B Tune 22, 1864 Wisconsin Soldiers Bi ried \t National Cemetery 18' Sixteenth Wisconsin Infantry. N Name Company I >ate of I >eath 143 Stan-. Edmund F Lug. 26, L864 cnteenth Wisi onsin Infantry. N Nam.' Company Date of Deatb "i Burwick, S I \uu in. L864 6,406 Purvis. Thomas F Lug. 22, L864 Eighteenth Wisconsin Infantry. No Nam.' Company I >ate of Death 13,266 Alexander, Elisha A June 15, L862 12,987 Hartwell, Stephen P July 25,*1862 12,999 Hoard, Z I) Aug. 22, L862 irittrn. Stephen D rune L7.T1862 Twenty-first Wisconsin Infantry. \. Name Company Date of Deatb ;i Abbott, Alfred Sgt. I) Vuu. 9, L864 7,755 Borden, Eugene Corp. K Sept. 4, 1864 11,535 Chamberlain, Jas. A 1 Oct. 27,1864 U8 Currier, Cyrus C Corp. F Sept. 21, L864 CummingS, Solomon A hil.y II. 1864 8,587 Depas, Anthony A Sept. U'. 1864 ix,687 Ehlinger, Peter K Oct 30,1864 Greenman, David K inly 13, 1864 Tio Hale, Channing A 1 Apr. 22,1864 168 Hair. Amos \V I Aug. 21,1864 7,791 Harding, Wilson II Sgt. C Sept. 1.1864 1,133 Kellett, .John B Corp. B Inly 27, L864 10,692 Knowles, Henry 1) Oct. 11,1864 11,963 Mulaskey, Chas. E R Nov. 8, 1864 Orendo, Moses A Sept. 9, 1864 • son, Jacob A Sept L3, L864 1,486 Pelton, Andrew .1 Corp. A Lug. l, 1864 1,497 R - I Aug. 7. L864 2,028 Ransh. Andrew F June 16,1864 - Scott, Egbert .) Sgt. D Aug. ll. is.;i 7. fin seaman, Mead 11 Sgt. D Sept. 23, 1864 11,037 Smith. Aioert M Corp. G Oct. LO, L864 2,148 Turney, Samuel W I) June L8, L864 ,1,693 Waller, Samuel I? G rune 7. L864 •l Winchester, G I rune 26, L864 Twi nty- fourth Wisconsin Infantry. Name Company Date of I >eath 2,113 Alwynes, John E runej 16, 1864 73 Bruse, Henry II rune 20», L864 12,653 Ferguson, W. R J) Feb. i I. l£64 4,405 Kull. Ludwig C Inly 31,1864 1,752 Mangan, .las Corp. H rune 10, 186 I 5,043 Murray, .1 D Aug. 8,1864 3,07s Selfert, Alois C July 9,1864 1,436 Sheehan, John Corp. II July 30, 1864 11,475 Thorson. Peter G Oct 5,1*64 12,626 Wesson, Alex A Lug, 20, L864 [88 KiroivT OF ANDERS0NVIUJ3 MONUMENT COMMISSION Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Infantry. No. Name Company Date of Death 1.177 Austin, tsaac i> Aug. 1. L864 5,565 Bailey, W. H. H Corp. E Aug, 13, 1864 7.7:.!i Boyle, Peter D Sept. 4,1864 L2.750 David, I). P B Mar. 8^1865 8.584 Heigh, M E Sept. 12, 1864 5,628 Holenbeek, Amos .1 I) Aug. 14, 1864 9,808 Irwin, Alex C Sept. 26,1864 11,812 Randies, John I) Nov,. 4,1864 4,467 Taylor, Albert R VZ Aug. 1. L864 4,706 Wakefield, Thomas S Corp. K Aug. 4, L864 Twenty sixth Wisconsin infantry. No. Name Company Date of Deatii 5,830 Distler, Fred G Aug. 16,1864 2 , 522 Domkoehler, Ernst I June 26, 1 864 12,286 Eengelhardt,, Henry C Dec. 14, 1864 303 Held, Carl H Apr. 1, 1864 4, 570 Holz, Asmus C Aug. 20, 1864 10.536 Knein.. Francois Corp. E Oct. 8, 1864 8.944 Laich, Fritz K Sept. 30, 1864 11 . 545 Oehlke, Franz E Oct> 27, 1864 9.693 Schneider, Magnus Corp. E Sept. 24,1864 No. 9.337 Erricson, S Thirtieth Wisconsin Infantry. Name Company Date of Death D Sept. 20, 1864 No. Name 12,721 Antone, C. Thirty-first Wisconsin Infantry. Company Date of Death D Mar. 4, 1865 No. Thirty-second Wisconsin Infantry. Name Company 12.25© Grapp, W. A . 8.562 Kendall, W G Date of Death Nov. 23, 1864 Sept. 12, 1864 Thirty-third Wisconsin Infantry. L0,369 Neff, W I (X-t. 1864 Thirty-sixth Wisconsin Infantry. No. 8,692 7,295 7.455 6.967 12,286 6,614 9,063 5,739 3,625 3,120 i , . 236 6,097 ::. 127 Name Adams, Arthur F. Bagley, .las Davis, John F. . . . Company G I B Dick, Benjamin G Englehardt, Henry G Goom, John G Kruger, Win G Main, Henry F .McLaulin, ('has I Thompson, Darwin B Thurber. Daniel Corp. G Tichenor, E. D Sgt. H A>ig f Vanderbilt, John W D Sept Date Sept. Aug. Sept. Aug. Dec. Aug. Sept. Oct. July July o,t of Death 2, 1864 26, 1864 1, 1864 25, 1864 14, 1864 22, 1864 17, 1864 20, 1864 L'n. 1864 !), 1864 21, 1864 18), 1864 10, 1864 Wisconsin Soldiers Buried \t National Cemeteri 189 First Wis< onsin Cavalry I :.. LOO 5,102 3,244 5,811 12,848 7. 149 5, 163 1,614 8,51 5 ! 1,882 7,160 ■ . 1 . 520 1,909 1,007 Compt Sgt. Sgt Name b, Irn in • ■ • • BriggB, B Brook, Edwin Hudson. John P Castle, ciias Cavanaugh, John John Duffy. Edward Fish. Israel P Fluno, 0» ar Greenwalt, M 1 [ansen, Knud Hodgson, C. H Hunter, Wesley W Hntchlns, Barley K Loosey, John McCormick, Bbenezer IffcFadden, Hugh Klllipe, Chas. H Miller, Curtia G Norton, Henry i> Pillsluiry. Adoniram .J ECasmussen, Jorgen Richmond. Byron Sgt Slingerland. John Thorn, Peter E Toy, Thos Vanscoter, E. (i Weghist, O. H Ward. Blexia J Welcome, Eben. D Welton, Moses Wilder. John W Winchell, Seth Winters, Perry Date lug tug. rune Aug. Oct tug. L Fuly L . June . L . l. H L .(' u tug. Aug. Aug. . . . .Feb. Inly Aug. .... Aug. rune July Aug. Aug. Sept. .....May Sept. . . . .Aug. Defc. Aug. .... Aug. Tune Sept. Tuly Tan,. L June L Tune F May D Oct. M May II H C F B M E. L. L- I.. E- K K- H. L- L. L • L. II ■ E. L. C. 11. 21, 9, 11'. 9. of Death L864 L864 L864 1864 L864 is*; i L864 l m; j. 1 86 l 1 86 I L864 1864 L865 1864 1864 1864 ::. ,16, 15, i::, 28, 10, 1, 29, 6. 9. 1864 1864 L864 1864 8,*186.> 11, 1864 1864 1864 1864 1864 1864 1864 1864 L865 1864 1864 1864 1864 1864 20 15, 6>, 19, 29, 24, 10, 6, 1, 1, 13, 10, 3- 5, ond H'/.v on8in Cavalry. No. Name Rank Date of Death k. Lynn B C Tuly 19, 1864 Matthewson, Eugene E Aug. 6,1864 Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry. Name Rank Date of Death Brown, John H Tuly 13, 1864 Fiiriiuiii. W B K Oct. 21, 1864 Merrill, ("has. K Nov. 4, 1864 Albert D K Ot. 17,1864 Levi F Sept. 8, 1864 Plum, Albert A K June 26, 1864 No. n. mi: 8,168 Smith No. 7,081 Third Wisconsin BatU ry. Name Rank Decker, Gasherie Sgt. I [awley, Thos Livingston, Jas. II M.Mahon, \V Date of Death Sept 11. L864 .Aug 2& L864 12, L864 .July 1. 1864 L90 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission Records kepi by men caniiol always be correct. The unfortu- nate circumstances under which the above names were recorde-i made it almosl certain thai ninny mistakes would be made. Oreal pains have been taken to verify the facts concerning every death here recorded, still there are many eases of uncertainty. The record. Faulty as it must be, is nevertheless, approximately sorrect,- much better than none. Number of Deaths from Vabious Wisconsin Organizations. Infantry. 1st 2d . 3d . :,th 6th 7th Nth 10th ll'th i:>tii 16th 17th l.sth L'lst 24th 25th 26th 30th 19 3 1st . 32d . 33d . 36th 1st . 1 f> •) 1 1 1 ... l :: 1 17 1 39 c 10 253 The last recorded death at Andersonville was that of Knud Hansen, Company P, 1st Wisconsin Cavalry, April 28, 1865, eleven days after the confederates abandoned the place. They left Hansen and thirty-two others sick there in the so-called hos- pital. As no record was kept after his death, we have QO means of knowing whal became of the others. CXTRACTS PROW THE TRIAL OF CAPTAIN Wii:/ I'.M CHAPTER XII. EXTRA( TS KROW THE TRIAL OF CAPTAIN W'll; \ special Military Commission is hereby appointed to meel in this city .-it 11 o'clock A. M . on the 23rd day of August, 1865, or as soon thereafter as practicable, for the trial of Henr> W'iiv and such other prisoners as may be broughl before n. Detail for the ( '<>.m mission. M;ij. Gen. Lew Wallace, United States Volunteers. Brevet Maj. Gen. (>. Mott, United Stales Volunteers. Brevel Maj. Gen. J. W. Geary, United States Volunteers. Brevel Maj. Gen. L. Thomas, Adjutanl General United Stales Army. Brig. Gen. Francis Fessenden, United States Volunteers. Brig. Gen. E. S. Bragg, United States Volunteers. Brevel Brig. Gen. John F. Ballier, Col. 98th Penn. I5r.-v.-t Col. T. Allcock, Lieut. Col. 4th X. Y. Art. Li. -lit. Col. J. II. Stibbs, 12th Iowa. Col. X. P. Chipman, additional aide-de-camp, .Indue Advo- cate of the Commission, with such assistants as he may select with the approval of the Judge Advocate General. K. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant General. Chargi Charge: Maliciously, wilfully, and traitorously, and in aid of the then existing armed rebellion againsl the United States of America, on or aboul the first day of March, A. I). 1864, and on divers other days between thai day and the tenth day of April, 1865, combining, confederating, and conspiring together with John II. Winder, Richard B. Winder, Joseph White, W. s. Winder, R. R. Stevenson, and others unknown, to injure the health and destroy the lives of soldiers in the military serv- r the close of the wax Captain Wirz was tried by court martial for his Inhuman treatment of our unfortunate P ft1 Anderson- \ ill- 102 Report op Andersonvtlle Monument Commission ice of the United States, then held and being prisoners of war within the lines of the so-called Confederate States and in mili- tary prisons thereof, i<> the end thai the armies of the United States mighl be weakened and impaired; in violation of the laws and customs of war. TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF THE FOREGOING CHARGES. Testimony of Lieutenanl Prescotl Tracy. "I am in 1 be military service of the United Slates. T was commissioned last year. My previous position in the army was sergeant. I was taken on the 22nd of June, 1864, in the last charge we made on Petersburg. I was taken to Anderson- ville, I think it was the last of June of thai year. I was put in the stocks when I got there by Captain Wirz. I was in there until August 17th of the same year, I was pretty nearly starved to death. "I saw the prisoner very often. I never saw him commit acts of cruelty upon prisoners himself, but 1 saw him give the or- ders to do it, — to shoot a man. I could nol give the day ex- actly. I know that it was a AVednesday. That is all I know. "In the month of August, the man was shot. His name was Roberts. I cannot tell what regiment he belonged to. lie was what we called a 'fresh fish,' just come in by the north gate; and, not knowing the rules and regulations, he went to take a drink at the creek, and, it being muddy there, he slipped and fell in so that his head went about six inches inside the dead- line Captain Wirz was behind me, perhaps the distance of this room or a little more. He halloed to the sentry, "G — d d — n your soul, why don't you shoot the Yankee s — n of a b — h ? That was the expression lie made use of. The senti- nel fired and shot the man through the top of the head, and the ball came out at Hie hack of his neck. The sentry did not say anything at the time; he only just fired. I lay down, for T was afraid of getting shot myself. This was in August, the fore pari of August. The man did not live; he died right in tin 1 creek, and we pulled him <>n1 and buried him that same after- Extra* ps prow thi Trial of Captain Wirz 19.1 William Dillard, confederate Boldier, on duty as guard al Andersonville, testifies as follows: '•| had ;ni opportunity of observing the condition of the cade, and the men in it. Ii was very bad; it was as nasty as could be. t^n one occasion I saw one man lying there; he had not clothes enough on to hide his nakedness. His hip bones were worn away; he had put up two sticks and fastened his coat over them to keep the sun off his face. There were a d many lying down sick and others waiting on them. There was a very bad smell, and I suppose it was caused by lie' crowded state of the men and the lilthiiiess of tin place. I have smelt it at the depol al Andersonville, hah' a mile from t lie stockade. "The food furnished the prisoners was very rough. 1 recoi- led one evening, when we were going on guard, we were all stopped in front of the north gate of the stockade to divide the men off into separate reliefs; ;i wagon load of peas or beans, as they called them, was going in and had stopped near us, and they smelt so had that the hoys told Hie driver to move on. One of the guard asked the black driver, 'Uncle, what are yon going to do with those peas?' 'I am going to take them in- side.* said the man. 'Hell.' said the guard, 'no man can eai them, they smell too had.' The wagon drove off into the prison, the driver saying, 'perishing men will eat anything.' The stream thai passed through Hie stockade ran down be- tween the first and second Georgia regiments and Furloir's battalion. I know where the bake-house was situated. All the washings from it went righl through the stockade, also the wash : ngs from the camp. The 'pits' used by the men were not five steps from the stream. I have passed them many times. I had means of observing from my sentry post the condition of the stream inside the stockade. It was very muddy for a length of time, and it became more so after a while. Sometimes when it was rainy it was thick with mud and tilth from the draininirs of the camp." This witness also testifies thai he had seen several lots of men in the chain gang, sometimes as many as twelve in number. 13 ]:»( Report of Andersonyille Monument Commission Ambrose Spencer, of Americus, Georgia, residing during the war aboul nine miles Prom Andersonville, was a witness al the trial Wirz and testified as follows: "I visited Andersonville during its occupation as a prison very frequently. 1 saw the prisoner, Captain Wirz. very fre- quently. I was there nearly every month, I think, during the time it was a prison. I doubt whether a month elapsed in which T w;is not there, while it was in its crowded condition. I had Prequenl opportunities of seeing the condition of the prisoners, not only from the adjacent hills, but on several occasions from the outside of the stockade where the sentinel's boxes were. I had opportunities of talking at different times with the prisoners, not only at Andersonville, but in several instances after they had escaped and come to my house. T can answer the question only by saying their condition was as wretched and as horrible as could well be conceived, not only from exposure to the sun, the inclemency of weather, and the cold of winter, but from the filth, from the absolute degradation which was evident in their condition. I have seen that stockade, after three or four days" pain, when the mud, T should say, was at least twelve inches deep on both the bills; the prisoners were walking or wading through that mud. The condition of the stockade, perhaps, can be expressed most aptly by saying that in passing up and down the railroad, if the wind was favorable, the odor from the stockade could be del eel ed at least two miles. "I believe I am familiar with the surrounding country. That section of south-western Georgia is well supplied with mills, both grist-mills and saw-mills. Between Andersonville and Albany (the distance by railroad being, T believe, fifty miles there is a railroad communication, there are five saw- mills. One of them, a large one, is owned by a gentleman named Drew. There are four others of considerable capacity. There is one saw-mill at a relieve the prisoners a1 Andersonville ; at one time ;i general effort was made. All that I know is that a gentleman named Mr. Davies, a Methodist presiding elder, exerted himself to induce the ladies to contribute clothing ;m carry the provisions to the hospital: and when the application was made to Genera] Winder by Dr. Bead, who acted as the spokesman for the ladies, it was positively refused to them. 1 lia gentleman could listen to. especially in the presence of his wife, without resenting it in e way Language utterly unfit to he repeated in the pres- ence of ladies. It was an intimation that he could very easily make loyal women of them by putting them to a certain condi- tion that would bring them to it. L98 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission 1 was presenl al a conversation the day after this committee of ladies Tailed. Jt was at the depol al Anderson ville. The coversation was principally carried on between the provost marshal, Captain Reed, and other officers present. Question: Captain or lieutenant Reed? Answer: 1 believe we used to eall him Captain. lie might, perhaps, have been a lieutenant, ile was the only Reed there. Captain Wirz and J\. B. Winder were present. There were three or four officials there; 1 cannot recall any but those. Lieutenant Reed observed that if General Winder had done as he wanted to do they might have made a good speculation out of the provisions and clothing the ladies had brought; that he proposed they should be confiscated, but the ''Old General" would not do it. Wirz remarked that if he had Ins way he Avould have a house built there, and all the ladies should be put in it for certain purposes. That was a most scandalous, infamous purpose, which I do not wish to repeat. R. B. Winder's remarks were a general concurrence. I don't know that he said anything special that I can call to mind any more than laughingly concurring in what had been said. I know Turner, who had the hounds, very well; his name was Wesley W. Turner. Question: What did you ever hear him say as to his duties there and what was he receiving? Answer: It was some time in the early part of 1864 — March or April, I think. He had purchased a piece of land up in the same district in which my place is. I met him one day in Americus and asked him if he was going to settle that land. He said he was not; that he was making more money now than anybody else in that country. I inquired how he was making it. Me said the confederate government was paying him for keeping hounds to catch escaped prisoners. I asked him if lie go1 his pay from Richmond. lie said no. he did not trouble Richmond; thai "Old Cap. Wirz" was his paymaster. I asked him how much he received. My impression is that he did not tell me what he received, lie told me that he was making more money than anyone else in that country; better than he could do cultivating ground. Thai was early in the history of that prison, — T think during March or April. It was while he was there on duty. He told me that he then had a pact of hounds and was employed there. Extracts prom the Trial of Captain Wirz LP3 1 know \\ s Win. Id-. "Si. | Winder," as he is called. I n;iw liim at the time In- w as Laying oul 1 1n- prison. Between the 1st and 15th of December, 1863, I wenl u|> to Andersonville with him and four or five other gentlemen, out of curiosity to how the prison was to !"■ laid out. When we arrived there the limits of the prison had all been marked. They were then digging a trench to put the stockade posts in. Workmen were busy cutting down trees in and around where the stockade was. In the course of the conversation I inquired of W. S. Winder if he proposed to ered barracks <>r shelter of any kind inside the Btockade. II«' replied thai he was not; thai the d d Yankees who would l»«' put in there would have do need of them. 1 asked him why they were cutting down all tin- trees and suggested that it' lefl Btanding they would be a shelter to the prisoners, from the heat of the sun at least. He mad-' this reply, or something similar to it: "That is jusl what I am going to do: 1 am <:<»inL r t<> build a pen here that will kill more d — d Yankees than can be destroyed at the front." Those are very nearly his words, equivalenl to them. That was before the Btockade was erected in the trench. Captain R. B. Winder came there to the post ten or fifteen days after that- -I supp about ten days. There was nothing said at that time as to who ordered W. S. Winder there to lay <>ut the prison. I had fre- quent conversations with Gen. Winder. I used to meet him very frequently, either in Americus or going up the railroad, him a «:<><>d many times at Andersonville. < t >. What was the genera] temper ami spirit of his talk with regard to those prisonei A. The opinion thai I formed of him was anything but credil aide to his feeling, his humanity or his gentlemanly bearing. I am not aware thai I ever had a conversation with General Winder in which he did not curse more or less, especially if the subjecl of Andersonville was broughl up. I can reply i«> your question only by saying thai I considered him a brutal man. That I drew from his conversation and conducl ;is I ob- ed him. I looked upon him ;is a man utterly devoid of all kindly feeling and Bentiment. Q. How generally, so far as yon observed, were tin 1 suffer- ings and horrors of the Andersonville pen known throughoul the South I 200 Report of Anderson vii.le Moni mint Commission A. So far as my knowledge and information went, the knowledge of those sufferings was general. Ii was so, al Least, throughoul the southern pari of the southern states; I cannol Bpeak specifically in regard to the neighborhood of Rich- mond. The matter was discussed in the newspapers constantly, and discussed in private circles. Perhaps I mighl have heard more of ii than most people, because it dwell more on my mind ; bu1 it w;is a general subj.ec1 of conversation throughoul the entire southern pari of the confederacy." Testimony of Boston Corbett, who Inter shol John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's assassin. He was a prisoner at An- dersonville and was exchanged. He arrived al Andersonville in July, 1864. He says: "Before we entered the stockade we remained in front of the headquarters for some time, to he told off in detachments num- bering two hundred and seventy, divided into nineties. While there I was excessively thirsty, and asked a man near Captain Wirz's headquarters (in some small tents) for a drink of water. The reply was that he dare not give it to me: he was not a guard; lie was one of our own prisoners; there were a good many of them outside, on their parole of honor. After enter- ing the stockade, I found nine men of my own company there, who had been taken to that place some three and a half months previously; eight of them were inside, and one had been taken to the hospital outside. I did not see him, yet knew of his being there. Within two months six out of those nine men had died, and before I left the stockade, out of fourteen, including five who were captured with me, there were twelve dead; only two of us returned alive. The prison was horrible on account of the filthy condition of it; the swamp which runs on each side of the small stream that runs through the slockade was so offensive, and the stench from it so great, that I remember the first time I went down there I wondered that ovi'iy man in the place did not die from the effects of the stench, and I believe that thai was the cause of the death of a greal many of our men. It was a living mass of putrefac- tion and filth; there were maggots there a foot deep or more; any lime we turned over the soil we could see the maggots in a living mass. Extracts from the Trial of Captain Wirz 203 "I have Btated thai the condition of tin- place was horrible. I have Been these things. Scurvy was a verj general disease among us. There were hundreds of cases all around. Ii afflicted me by swelling my feel and Legs very much, contract ing the cords of my Legs bo thai they were crooked and I could Dot Btraighten them. 1 had to Limp in walking. Others were much worse, and had to crawl on the ground or walk on crutches. Their gums would gel exceedingly sure; the teeth would become Loose and frequently came out. In addition to this there would be a growth of raw flesh <>n the gums both on the inside and out. In one case, a comrade belonging to my company had such flesh grow from each Bide of the mouth until it formed a second growth, making it impossible for him to eal such coarse food as the corn bread thai we re- ceived, or anything of that nature. My gums frequently Meed still. Very many were afflicted in that way." Testimony of Rev. William .John Hamilton. Tin- Rev. William John Hamilton was also examined on the Wirz trial, and testified as follows: I. am ]>;ist<>r of the Catholic church in Macon, Georgia. J visited Andersonville three times. It w;is one of the missions attached to my church. I went there. I think, in the month of .May. 1864, and Bpenl ;i day there. Tin' following week I went and spenl three days there among the pris rs, and then re- turned and wrote a reporl on the condition of the hospital and ikade to my bishop, in order that he mighl send the requi- site Dumber of priests to visit the prisoners there; and I visited it again after the prisoners had been removed from Anderson- ville to Thomasville. I do n<>t remember the month of thai visit. It was in the beginning of this year, in the month of February or March, 1865. Q State to tie- courl in what condition you found tie: stock- ade when yon firsl visited it. and subsequently, and all the time while yon were 1 here. A. The firsl time I visited the Btockade I had only aboul three or four hours 1«» spend there. I merely went to Bee what the condition of tie- place was. My principal objeel was to find out, if possible, the Dumber of Catholics who were prisoners there, in order that we mighl induce the bishop to Bend ;i snffi- 204 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission cienl Qumber of priests. I did nol pay much attention to wlwii I saw or heard there then. The following week I returned and spent three days. 1 visited the stockade and the hospital, dis- charging my duties as a priesl of the Catholic church. On this, my second visil to 11)*' stockade, I found, I think, about 2:5, 000 prisoners there; a1 least the prisoners told me there were that number. I found the place extremely crowded, with a greal deal of sickness and suffering among the men. I was kepi so busy administering the sacrament to the dying that I had to curtail a greal deal of the service that Catholic priests admin- ister to the dying, tor the reason they were so uumerous — they died so last. I. waited only upon those of my own church; they were the only persons who demanded my ministrations. When 1 speak of the number dying, I mean among those of my own church, and do not include t he ol hers. Q. Give the court some idea of the condition of the stock- ade. A. 1 found the Stockade extremely filthy, — the men all huddled together, and covered with vermin. The best idea I can give the court of the condition of the place is, perhaps, this: I went in there with a white linen coat on, and I had not been there more than ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, when a gentlemen drew my attention to the condition of my coat. It was all covered over with vermin, and 1 had to take it off and leave it with one of the guards and perform my duties in my shirt sleeves, the place was tilt by. Q. State to the court any particular case which came under your notice that would help to illustrate the condition of things there. A. Thai is about the only idea I can give of the stockade. Q. State any particular case yon observed showing the destitution of t he prisoners. A. The first person I conversed with on entering the stock- ade was a countryman of mine, a member of the Catholic church, who recognized me as a clergyman. I think his name was Farrell. He was from the north of Ireland, lie came over toward me and introduced himself. He was quite a boy; I do not think, judging from his appearance, that he could have been more than sixteen years old. I found him without a hat and withont any covering on his feet, and without jackel or coat. He told me that his shoes had been taken from him on the Extra* rs prom the Trial op Captain Wirz 205 battle field. I found the boy Buffering very much from a wound in his right foot; in fact, the foot was split open like an oyster, : on inquiring the cause, they told me it was from exposure to the mmi in ilir Btockade, and not from any wound received in battle. I took off my boots and gave him a pair of socks in cover bis feet and told him I would bring him some clothing, -. I expected to return to Andersonville the following week. 1 had to return to Macon to Lot another priest to take my place on Sunday. When I returned the follow inn' week, on inquir- ing lor i his man, Parrell, bis companion told me he had stepped across the dead line and requested the guards to shoot him. II. was noi insane at the time I was conversing with him. It was three or four days after that when I was asking for him; I think it was the latter part of May, L864. To the best of my recollection his name was Farrell. I do not know to what company or regiment be belonged; I did not ask him. Winn I speak of administering the sacrament of the church to those dying, I lvf.-r to those in the stockade and in the hospital. \ Bpent two days in the stockade and one iii the hospital during my services at Andersonville. This ease that I have spoken of occurred in the stockade. He had no medical treatment at all; n»»iie of those who died there and to whom 1 administered the sacrament received any medical treatment ;M all. so far as I could see. Whmi I went into the hospital I found it almost as crowded as the stockade; the men wore dying there very rapidly from scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery; and. so far as I could observe, I could not see thai they received any medical treatment whatsoever, or received and medicine at all. < L >. How were they situated as to beds and bedding) A. They were all in tents; the hospital was composed of tents arranged in avenues, and I did not see that they had any- thing under them at all except the ground. In some eases, T think, they had dried leaves that they had gathered. In my ministration while at the hospital I saw one surgeon in charge there, Dr. White. < t >. State t he circumstances. A. I was attending an Irishman, by the name of Connor, 1 think, who was captured at the oight assault made on Port Sumter; at least I think he told me so. II,- was so had that I had to hear his confession and give him the rites of the church sitting upon a sto«»l. While I was hearing the man's confes- 206 Report of A.ndersonville Moni ment Commission sion, Surgeon White passed through the hospital and, seeing me whispering to the prisoner, and qoI knowing, I suppose, who 1 was, ordered the guard to bring me under arrest to his quarters. I weni up and apologized for having done so; he had, in the meantime, inquired of Captain Wirz who 1 was, and the captain bad told him that he had given me the necessary pass. I conversed with Dr. "White with regard to the condition of the men, and he told me it was not in his power to do anv- i hing Tor 1 hem ; that lie had no medicine and could not get any, and that he was doing everything in his power to help them. That was the only time I ever met the surgeon there. Captain "Wirz gave me the pass. I first called upon Colonel Persons. who was the officer in command at Andersonville, He referred me to Captain Wirz, and Wirz gave me a pass and granted me every facility in his power to visit those men. He walked down to the stockade with me and showed me the entrance. Thai pass held good only for that day. That Avas the first day T went there. It was renewed afterward by Captain Wirz. It continued good for the three days T was there. I did not have it renewed afterward. I did not visit Andersonville again until the prisoners had been removed to Thomasville. That was the beginning of this year. Q. What did you observe with regard to shelter in the stock- ade, and the suffering of the men from heat there? A. When I visited the stockade there was no shelter at all, so far as I could see. except that some of the men who had their blankets there had put them up on little bits of roots thai they abstracted from the ground; but I could not see any tents or shelter of any other hind. T got the names of several prisoners who had relatives living in the south and wrote to their friends when I returned to Macon, and I had some tents introduced there: they were sent down and the men received 1 hem. Q. Can yon illustrate to the court the condition of the prison by stating. Tor instance, where yon tried to make your way through the crowd to a prisoner who was dying? A. Yes. sir: during my second visit to the prison, 1 was told that there was an Irishman over at the extreme end of the stockade who was calling for a priest. 1 suppose he had heard that 1 had visited the prison the day before, and, as he was wry anxious to see a priest, he was calling for one all over the Extracts prom thi Trial of Captain Wirz 207 stockade. There is a brook thai runs right through the middle of the Btockade and I tried to cross it, bu1 was unable to do so ns the men were crowding around there trying to u r -'i in tlif Water to cool themselves and wash themselves. I could not over tlic brook so had to leave the stockade withoul see ing the man. The heal there was intolerable; there was do pur.' air a1 all in the stockade. The logs of which the Btockade w;in composed were so close together thai f could do1 feel any fresh air inside: and, with a strong sun beaming down on it, and do shelter al all, the heal must, of course, have been insufferable ; at least, I fell it so. Q How did it affecl the priests on duty there 1 A. The prints who went there after me, while administering the sacrament to the dying, had to use umbrellas, the heal was so intei - 9 >me of them broke down in consequence of their services there. In the month of August, 1 think, we had three priests constantly. We had a priest from Mobile who :e three <>r four languages, for you could find every nation- ality inside the Btockade. We had two from Savannah and nie- from Augusta at different times. One of the priests from Savannah came to Macon, where I reside, completely pros- trated, and was sick at my house for several days. There were saw nulls in that vicinity along the railroad. 1 do doI remember thai any were near to Andersonville. I used to visit Albany, which, 1 suppose, is thirty or forty miles below Andersonville, our.- every month. It was my duty to go there that often, and I used to see saw mills along the railroad in operation. T have heard that the prisoners proposed to cut wood for themselves. In fact, i have heard prisoners say so. 1 did not keep an accounl of the dying men I used to attend per day to administer tie- last sacrament, ye1 judging from the hours 1 was engaged and what I know to l>c the length of the service, T suppose 1 must have attended from twenty to thirty every day; sometimes more, sometimes less. That was aboul the average Dumber, between twenty and thirty. Q Can yon speak more particularly as to the bodily condi- tion of those inside tie- Btockade, their clothing and the appear- ance of th<- men ! A. Well, as I said, when I wenl there I was kepi so busily engaged in giving tic sacramenl to the dying men that I could not observe much; but, of course, r could doI keep my • 208 Report of Andersonville .M<>m ment Commission closed as to what I saw. I saw a greal many men prefectly naked walking aboul through the stockade; they seemed to have lost nil regard for delicacy, shame, morality, or anything else. 1 would frequently have to creep on my hands and knees into the holes of the men to hear their confessions. I found them almost living in vermin in those holes; they could not he in any other condition hut filthy, because they go1 no soap and no change of clothing, and were there all huddled together. 1 never at any time counted the number of dead bodies being taken out of the stockade in the morning. I have never seen any dead carried out of the stockade. I have seen dead bodies in the hospital in the morning. In the case of the man in the hospital, of whom I was speaking awhile ago, after I had heard his confession, and before I gave him the last rites of the church, I saw them placing the night guards in the hospital, and I knew 1 would not ho able to gel out after that. 1 told him thai 1. would return in the morning and give him the other rites of the church, if he still lived. I was there early the next morning, and in going down one of the avenues I counted from forty to sixty dead bodies in the stockade. I have seen a person in the hospital in a nude condition — perfectly naked. They were not only covered with the ordinary vermin, hut with maggots. They had involuntary evacuations, and there were no persons to look after them. The nurses did not seem to pay any attention whatever, and, in consequence of being allowed to lie in their ow r n filth for some hours, vermin of every de- scription had got on them which they were unable to keep off. This was the latter part of May. T. never noticed in the stock- ade the men digging in the ground and standing in the sand to protect themselves from the sun. I did not see any instance of that kind. I have seen them making little places from a foot to a foot and a half deep, and stretching their blankets tight over them. I have crawled into such places frequently to hear the confessions of the dying. They would hold from one to two; and sometimes one prisoner would share his blanket with another and allow him to get under shelter. When I returned from the stockade after my second visit t<> it. in the latter part of May, 1 represented these things to General Cobb. 1 wrote to our bishop and told him that these men were dying in large numbers; that there were many Catholics there, and thai they required the services of a priest ; EXTRA! i- ii;«'\i THJ TRIAI OF CAPTAIN Wii: 203 thru he sent up Father Whelan. Father Whelan expressed a desire to see General ( 1 obb before he went down to the stock ade. I called upon General Cobb ;nif the confederate service, Bays: "The federal prisoners mad.- frequenl forays upon the hospi- tal stmvs and carried off the food and clothing of the sirk. "The supply of medical officers has been insufficient from the foundation of the prison. "The DUrSes and attendants upon the sick have been most generally federal prisoners, who, in loo many cases, appear to have been devoid of moral principle, and who not only aeg lected their- duties hut were also engaged in extensive robbing of the sick." "II may he said here that for hospital nurses the rebels de- tailed the raider element from among Our prisoners; these so called aurses were Buch persons as were willing to aid in all plans for destroying the lives of our Bick. 212 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission "From the want of proper police and hygienic regulation alone, it is not surprising thai from February 24, L864, to Sep tember 21, there were recorded nine t housand four hum I red and seventy-nine deaths, nearly one-third the entire uumber of prisoners. M Testimony of Surgeon C. C. Roy, Confederate: "I was told thai there were from thirty thousand to thirty- five thousand prisoners in the stockade when I went on duty at Andersonville. They presented the most horrible spectacle of humanity that 1 ever saw in my life. A good many were suffering from scurvy and other diseases; a good many were naked; a large majority , barefooted; a good many without hats. Their condition generally was almost indescribable. I attributed that condition to Ion-:' confinement and the want of necessities and comforts of life, and all those causes that are calculated to produce that condition of the system where there is just vitality enough to permit one to live. In the firsl place, at Andersonville the prisoners were densely crowded. In the next place there was no shelter, except such as they con- structed themselves, which was very insufficient. A good many were in holes in the earth, with their blankets thrown over them; a good many had a blanket or oilcloth thrown over poles; some were in tents constructed by their own in- genuity, and with just such accommodations as their own in- genuity permitted them to contrive. There were, as you say, no accommodations made for them in the stockade, and, in fact, it was a \v\-y wise tiling that none were made there, un- less the stockade had been Large, because to have filled up the space occupied by this prison with sheds would almosl have produced a stagnation of air." THE CONDITION of TIN': PRISONERS IX THE HOSPITAL. By Acting Assistant Surgeon, J. C. Bates, Confederate. "I reported to \)v. Stevenson, who assigned me to the third division of the military prison hospital under Dr. Shepard; 1 was assigned to the fifteenth ward, as then designated. ■■rpon ^oing to the hospital, 1 went immediately to the ward to which I was assigned, and, although I am not an over-sensi- tive man, 1 must confess 1 was rather shocked at the appear- \ I i; \i IS IK' »\l I'll I Tki \i. OP C \i'T UN WlRZ '-' ] ; ance of things. The men were lying partially aude, and dying, and lousy, a portion of them in the sand and others upon boards which had been Btuck up on a little prop, pretty well crowded together, a majority of them in small tents, looking to be tents that were qo1 very serviceable a1 best. I wenl round ;ind examined all that were placed in my charge. Thai was the condition of the men. By and by, as I became familiar- used with the condition of affairs, the impressions which were at tii'st produced upon me wore off, more or less. 1 became familiar with Bcenes of misery and they did oot affect m< much. I inquired into the nature of the rations of the men, for I felt disposed to do my duty; and after the men found that 1 was inclined to aid them so far as I could in my sphere of action, they frequently asked me for a teaspoonful of salt, or an order for a little siftings that came out of the meal. I would ask them what they wanted siftings for, and some of them said they wished to make some bread. I would inquire into the state of their disease, and if what they asked for would injure them. I would not allow them to have it. I would give them an order for sifted meal where 1 found that the condition of the patient required something better than siftings. They would come at times in considerable numbers to gel these orders for an extra ration, or. if not a ration, whatever portion they could get. I spent a considerable portion of my time in writing orders, and I did it very laconically. I had three words that contained a bona fide order, which should be re- tted by the head cook or baker. We commonly called him Bob- his name was Allen; he was from Illinois. The order would read in this way: "Bob meal Bates." If any more words were attached to it, it was not a genuine order. I used that discrimination in order to favor the sickest of them, bo that they in i ltIi 1 get what they could at the expense, perhaps, of those who could L r «-1 alone- heller without it. These orders were constantly applied for. and I would siL r n them until my patience was almost worn out. The meat ration was cooked at a different part of the hospital: and when I would go up there, especially while I was medical officer of the day. the men would gather around me and ask me for a hone. I would grant their- requests so far as I could. I would give them whatever I could find at my disposition without robbing others. I well knew that such appropriation of one ration took it from the 214 Report of A.ndersonville RIoni mint Commission general issue; that when I appropriated an extra ration to one man, some one else would fall minus upon that ration. 1 then fell back upon the distribution of bones. They did not pre- sume to ask me for meat at all. So far as the rations were con- cerned, that is about the way matters went along for some time after I went there. "Clothing we had none; the prisoners eould not be furnished with any clothing, except that the clothing of the dead was generally appropriated to the living. We thus helped the liv- ing along as well as we could. "Of vermin or lice, there was a very prolific crop. I got to understand practically the meaning of the word 'lousy;' I would generally find some upon myself after retiring to my quarters; they were so numerous that it was impossible for a surgeon to enter the hospital without having some upon him when he came out, if he had touched anybody or anything save the ground; and very often if he merely stood still any con- siderable length of time he Avould get them upon him. "When I went to the hospital I found the men destitute of clothing and bedding; there was a partial supply of fuel, yet not sufficient to keep the men warm and prolong their exist- ence. Shortly after I arrived there I was appointed officer of the day. I learned that the officer of the day Avas in supreme command of all pertaining to the hospital, and that it was my duty, as such, to go into the various wards and divisions of the hospital and rectify anything that was not as it should be. In visiting the hospital I made a pretty thorough examination. As a general thing, the patients were destitute; they were filthy and partly naked. There seemed to be a disposition only to get something to eat. The clamor all the while was for something to eat. They asked me for orders for this, that, and the other — peas or rice, or salt, or beef tea, or a po- tato, or a biscuit, or a piece of cornbread, or sit'tings of meal. "Medicines were scarce; we could not get what we wished. We drew upon the indigenous remedies; they did not seem to answer. We gathered up large quantities of them, but very few served Tor medicines as we wished. We wanted the besl and most powerful anti-scorbutics, as well as something that was soothing and hearing, especially to the lining membrane of the alimentary canal, also such tilings as were calculated to counteracl a dropsical disposition and a gangrenous infection. Extracts from the Trial of Captain Wirz 215 Those were prominent things in the hospital. We had not al all times the proper remedies to administer, and the indige nous remedies did not serve us and could not Berve us in those complaints. We were obliged to the best we could. "There was in my ward a boy of fifteen or sixteen years in whom I fell a particular interest. My attention was more im- mediately railed to him from his youth, and he appealed to me in such a way thai I could nol well avoid heeding him. He would often ask me to bring him a potato, a piece of bread, a Itiseuit or something of thai kind, which I. did. J. would put it in my pockel and give it to him. 1 would sometimes give him a raw potato, and, as lie had the scurvy and also gan- ne, I would advise him not to cook tie- potato at all hut to eat it raw as an anti-SCOrbutic. I supplied him in that way for some time, hut 1 could not give him a sufficiency. He came t<» have bed-sores upon his hips and hark, lying upon the ground ; we afterwards got him some straw. Those bed-ridden s had become gangrenous. He became more and more emaciated until lie died. The lice, the want of bed and bed- ding, of fmd and food, united to cause his death. ""I was a little shy. I. did not know that I. was allowed to take such things to the patients; and I had been so often arrested that I thoughl it necessary to be a little shy in what I did. and keep it to myself. I would put a potato in my pockel and would turn around and let it drop to this man or that. I did not wish to be observed by anybody. When I first wenl ther.- I understood that it was positively against the orders to take anything in. ■'I can Bpeak of other e;ises among t he patients; two or three Others in my ward were in the same condition; and there were others who came to their death from the bad condition of t hiiiLTs and the hick of accessary supplies. That is my pro- fessional opinion. '"I. had occasion to visit the entire hospital occasionally and. r as 1 saw, its condition was generally the same as I have he. -ii describing. At the time I. wenl there, there were, I think. from the besl observation I could make, perhaps 2,000 or 2,500 sick in that hospital. "We had cases of chilblains or frost-bitten feet. .Most gen- erally, in addition to what was said to he frost-bite, there was gangrene. I did not see the sores in the original chilblains. iMii Report op andersonville Monument Commission 1 do not think I can say if there were any amputations or any deal lis resulting from sufferings of thai character, qo1 having made u|) my mind as to whether the amputations were in con- sequence of chilblains or because, from accidental abrading of the surface, gangrene had set in. Bu1 for a while amputations were practiced in the hospital almost daily, arising from a gangrenous and scorbutic condition, which, in many cases, threatened the saturation of the whole system with this gan- grenous and offensive matter, unless the limb was amputated. In cases of amputation of that sort, it would sometimes become necessary to re-amputate, because of gangrene's taking hold of the stump again. Some few successful amputations were made. ] recollect two or three which were successful. I kept no sta- tistics; those were kept by the prescription clerks and for- warded to headquarters. 1 did not think at the time that the surgeon-in-chief did all in his power to relieve the condition of those men, and ] made my report accordingly. "'In visiting the wards in the morning 1 would find persons lying dead; sometimes I would find them lying among the Liv- ing. I recollect on one occasion telling my steward to go up and wake a certain one, and when I went myself to wake him I found he was taking his everlasting sleep. That oc- curred in another man's ward when 1 was officer of the day. I'pon several occasions, on going into my own wards, 1 found men whom we did not expect to die, dead from the sensation chilblains had produced during the night. This was in the hos- pital. I was not so well acquainted with how it was in the stockade. 1 judge, though, from what I. saw, that numbers suffered in the same way there. "The effed of scurvy upon the systems of the men. as it de- veloped itself there, was the next thing to rottenness. Their limbs would become drawn up. Scurvy would manifest itself constitutionally. If would draw them up. They would go on crutches sideways, or crawl upon their hands and knees, or on t heii*haunches and feet, as well as they could. Some could not eat unless they had food that needed no mastication. Sometimes they would be furnished beef-tea or boiled rice, or something of the kind, but not to the extent which 1 would like to have seen. In some cases they could not eat corn bread : their teeth would be loose and their gums all bleeding. I have known cases of that kind. I do not speak of it as a general Extracts from rm Trial of Captain Wikx 217 thing. They would ask me to interest myself in getting them something which they could swallow withoul subjecting them to so much pain in mastication. It seems to me I did express my professional opinion thai men died because they could ao1 i at t he rat ions t hey got. *'l cannol state what proportion of the men in whose cases* it became accessary to amputate from gangrenous wounds, and also to re-amputate from the same cause, recovered. Never having charged my mind on the subject, and not expecting to lie called upon in such a capacity, I cannol give an approximate opinion which 1 would deem reliable. In 1864, amputations from that cause occurred very frequently, indeed; during the Bhorl time in 1865 thai I was there, amputations were not fre- quenl . "I cannol state with any certainty the proportion of prison- - treated in the hospital who recovered and were sent bach to the Btockade. There were clerks appointed to keep all those accounts, ami I tried to confine myself strictly to my own duty, so did not interest myself in any statistical enu- meration of facts <>r data. "The prisoners in the stockade and the hospital were not well protected from the rain; they were protected only by their own meagre means, their blankets, holes in the earth, and such things. In the spring of 1865, when 1 was in the ikade, I saw ;i shed thirty feet wide and sixty feet Long; the sick principally were in that. They were in aboul the same condition as those in the hospital. As to the prisoners rally, their only means of shelter from the sun and rain were their blankets, if they carried any along with them. I regarded such lack of shelter as a source of disease. 1 ' Authority of Wirz Over the Hospital. By Surgeon A. V. Barrows, 27th Massachusetts Infantry. ■"I have often heard Captain Wirz make remarks#in refer- ence to the hospital, ;it different times. I have Bometimes heard him say that he would Btarve every d d Yankee there something to that effeel when somebody made his escape, or attempted to <_ret away. Whenever ;i prisoner came there I have heard him make such threats. I have heard such re- marks many times when I have been ;it his office, lie used to 218 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission come into the hospital aboul once a week, I > 1 1 1 uever unless he was Looking after somebody, or somebody had made his escape. I have seen him around the hospital, also this man Turner with his hounds. We looked upon Captain Wirz as the proper authority to govern things there, not, perhaps, in The medical line, yet as to every other regulation. As to the disciplint, if any one escaped from the hospital he inflicted the punishment; he ordered the men put into the stocks or the chain-gang. I have seen Union soldiers who had tried to make their escape and been caught, put into the chain-gang or the stocks within the stockade. Rations of the Prisoners in the Hospital. "The rations of the sick men when I first went there 1 never weighed. They were very small, indeed. In the month of June the patients in my ward got the same as the others. Tin- daily rations averaged about two ounces of meat a day. Tien it was bacon, I think. There were no vegetables issued in that month, or in the fore part of it, at least. Their diet consisted of two ounces of bacon and a small piece of corn-bread in the morning, and at night perhaps two and a hall' inches square of bread; no coffee, no tea, no sugar at that time, and no flour. Sometimes there was a little rice soup; perhaps a gallon of rice to thirty gallons of water. That is pretty much all I had to live on. "In July we got a very few vegetables, — collards, which is a species of cabbage, yet not sufficient to give the patients a tablespoonful of vegetable matter per day. Later I had more vegetables, though not every day. "The last three months 1 was there 1 had charge of a surgic- al ward where the patients got more vegetables. I drew sweet potatoes for them; perhaps they would get a piece a day with their other ration of corn-bread. There were a few times when a little tea was issued; perhaps a quarter of a pound to a wara of a hundred persons for a week. Thai was not all over the hos- pital, — merely In gangrene and surgical wards. Some of the patients were unable to eat the corn bread; it was unsifted, coarse, and not \r\-y clean. Under such diet the patients would become reduced in strength and gradually run down to the verge of starvation. Many of them became idiotic from want I.\ik\( i- prom iiii. Trial op Captaln Wraz 219 and exposure, and from the lack of proper food to sustain the vital i>o\\ I -aw other evidences of starvation manifested by these prisoners. They would steal from each other the Bmall ration they did L r «!. or steal from anybody. They would take any thing they could gel to eat. 1 have seen, after the Btreel bad d policed an opportunities to report. Dr. White had means of knowing it, and must have known ii ; he visited the hospital \ cvy often. By ( Oliver B. Fairbanks ( Union). ■*I saw cases of vaccination. I saw several hundred who had been vaccinated. Large sores originated from the effects of poisonous matter. They were the size of my hand and were on the outside of the arms, also underneath, in the arm-pits. 1 have seen holes eaten under the arms where I could put my list in. These cases were in the stockade; they were not in in. hospital. I never was in the hospital, excepl for about two hours at a time. I went out to see my father, who was then in the hospital. 1 was vaccinated myself. 1 was at the south gate one morning when the vaccination was being performed. While I was standing there looking on, a surgeon came to me and requested me to roll up my sleeves, as he was going to per- form the operation on me. I told him I could not consent to such an operation. He called for a file of guards, and I was taken to Captain Wiry. 's headquarters. Arriving there, <>nc of the guards wenl in and directly Captain Wirz came out of his office paging; he wanted to know where that 'G d d d Yankee s n of a b h' was. 1 was pointed out to him as being that person, lie drew his revolver and presented it within three inches of my face, and wanted to know why I refused to obey his orders. He did not state what orders. After his anger had subsided a little, 1 asked him to allow me to speak. He said, '(J — d d — d quick, or I'll blow your brains out.' I told him, 'Captain, you are aware that the matter with which I would he vaccinated is poisonous, and therefore 1 cannot consent to an operation which I know will prove fatal to my life.' He flirted his revolved around and stated that it would serve me (J — d d — d right, and thai the sooner I would die the sooner he would he rid of me. He ordered the guards to take me away and have a hall and chain put upon me till I would consent to the operation. I was taken away to where the chain-gang was and a hall and chain were broughl and riv- eted to my leu-. Then I was turned into the stockade to wear it until I would consent to the operation. I wore it for aboul Extracts prom the Triai op Captain Wih two weeks, when 1 consented to submil to the operation. I had noticed upon several occasions thai the surgeons were verj careless in performing the operation; their instruments were dull, and they applied the matter in a very careless manner, allowing the person to L r »> away as soon as they had pul the matter in, and without bandaging the arms in any way. I con- cluded thai 1 could wash the matter out, and. with thai calcu- lation, 1 consented to the operation. As soon as i1 was per- formed 1 w.-ni immediately to the brook, took a piece of soap, rubbed the spol and rinsed it, and bo saved myself. The vac- cine matter did m>i work in my system. I experienced uo effects from it. Up to that time, none had recovered from the - of vaccination. After thai I informed several others what 1 had don.- and they saved themselves in the same man- ner. " Howell Cobb, Major General Commanding, in a letter to eral S. Cooper, adjutant general, dated al Macon. Qeorgia, Ma\ 5, l s o4. s; ,id : "General: The general management of the prison under Colonel Persons is good, and he manifests a laudable desire to scharge his duties in the most efficienl manner. The duties of the inside command are admirably performed by Captain Wirz, whose place it would be difficult to fill. 1 still think the rank of the commanding officer of the post should be a brigadier general ; in view of the number of troops that w ill be under his command it seems to me he should have that superior rank over those who may be ordered to report to him." Reporl of inspection of military prison at Andersonville by I) T. ('handle!'. Confederate adjutant general and inspector general, to Colonel R. II. Chilton, assistant adjutant general and inspector general. ■".My duty requires me respectfully to recommend a change in the officer in command <»f the post, Brigadier General -I. II. Winder, ami tin- substitution in his place of some one who unites both energy and good judgmenl with some feeling of humanity and consideration for the welfare and comfort as is consistent with their safe keeping of the vast number of unfortunates placed under his control; some one who at least will not advocate deliberately and in cold blood the pro- priety of leaving them in their present condition until their 222 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission aumber has been sufficiently reduced by death to make the present arrangemenl Buffice For their accommodation; who will not consider it a matter of self -laudation and boasting that he has never been inside of the stockade, a place the horrors of which it is difficult to describe, and which is ;i disgrace to civilization; the condition of which lie might, by the exercise of a little energy and judgment, even with the limited menus a1 his command, have considerably improved. In obedience to instructions, I shall now proceed to the headquarters of the army of Tennessee, and request that any communications for me be forwarded there to the care of the chief of staff. I am, Colonel, very respectifnlly, your obedient servant, D. T. Chandler. " DOGS OR HOUNDS AT ANDERSONVILLE. The following extracts were taken from testimony given upon the trial of Wirz. Colonel George C. Gibbs, C. S. A. on duty at Andersonville : "I know that there were dogs kept on the place. They were intended, on the escape of the prisoners, to track them, so that 1 ley could be recaptured. They were used in that w r ay. I do not know how they were subsisted, except in this: that after the prison became almost empty of prisoners, when there were none left but a few sick, the dogs were subsisted by corn meal furnished by the commissary. I hear they were mustered into the confederate service as horses, but I do not know of my own knowledge that they were. A man named Turner had them in charge; I do not know his given name or what be- came of him." Nazareth Allen, Private Third Georgia "Reserves, C. S. A. says : "At the lime that these thirteen men were to be ironed, one of them, whom Ave called 'Little Frenchy' got away: a hound was put upon his track. T ran down to the little swamp, be- tween a quarter and a half mile off. Just as I got to the swamp I heard a shot from a pistol, and T saw the man in a tree. Captain "Wirz came up and ordered the man to come down. The man begged that the dogs should not be allowed Extracts pkom the Trial op Captain Wirz 22 I to hurt liim. Ilr made the man come down, and with that the dogs rushed a1 him. I could Bee the doga run and grah ,inn by the legs. Captain Wirz did nol try to keep the doga from the man, though he could have done bo. I do oo1 know who fired the pistol; 1 only heard the report. The prisoner had been Bent with a gang two days before to be chained. He was not chained afterward. I saw him two or three days after- warda in the guard quartera, without the chains upon him; I saw him sitting and walking ahoul in there aa I passed, I did n.»t notice hia wounda; I was no1 near enough to him whether he bad wounds or not. " William Dillanl. one of the Confederate guarda al Anderson- ville, saj - : "Hounds were kepi there to catch prisoners trying to make their escape, — and our own men alao. 1 saw them catch a man called 'Frenchy.' 7 was walking my beat, 1 suppose some three hundred yards off. T saw Captain Wirz and Reed, the provost marshal, and the man with the dogs, hunting up and down before they started on the man's track. After a time the dogs go1 on the trail and treed the man. and after that I saw Captain AVirz conic down and heard a pistol or gun fired and saw the smoke rise. T was more than three hundred yards from where they were with the dogs. 1 heard the men halloo and the do<:s making a fnss. T saw the smoke rise from the gun. T could not tell from what person the smoke seemed to rise. It waa in the hushes and T could not see. T could not Bay whether the man waa hurt by the doga, only from hearsay. T saw tli.- doga running down the brook before they treed him. T did nut s.-c th< -in at all when they were at him." Colonel Jam - If Fannin, First Regimenl Georgia Reserves, I - A.: 8 rgeanl Turner, the owner of the dogs, belonged to the first regimenl Georgia reserves, my own regiment, company H. T waa qo1 personally acquainted with all the men in the differenl companies; T do not know that T ever saw Turner un- til an order came Prom General Winder, in June or July. 1Sf>4. requiring this man Turner t<» report to him in person. T recoiled sending for the man and his reporting to me; T Benl him over to General Winder and he earae back and reported A.NDERSONVILLE MONU MENT I !OM MISSION to tne thai General Winder had given him a furlough to gu home; I s;ii I ^-,\'n\. was very weak when he made his [»»•: in fa<-t. he probably ought not to have tried it. and then he was torn by the dogs and was. of course, much weakened by the loss of blood which he had to incur; his h-L r s were torn so that he could not walk, his shoulders and neck Were torn, and his clothing was Dearly all torn off from him. The young man stopped for a few minutes by the bakery and. of course, we all went out to see him. and he told us he belonged to a western r.-<_ r immit ami w,-is trying to make his escape to Atlanta; the do<_rs overtook him and he climbed a tree; and he said that this old gentleman, Harris, and Captain Wirz shook the tree no that he fell down, and then they allowed the dogs to tear him. That was the young man's statement. I nnder- id that he died that ni<_rht. I did not see him after that, hut 15 226 Report >f Andersonville Monument Commission it was said nexl morning thai he was dead, and I suppose he w as. 1 fe had been taken to 1 he hospital." Thomas N. Way, Union prisoner, testifies to the death of a young man by the name of Fred, who was caughl by the hounds in attempting to escape. John A. ( lain, Union prisoner, says •. "I knew of a young man's being broughl to the stockade after he was caughl by the hounds. I went out to see him and asked him whal was the mailer. He 1 old me lie had been caughl by the bloodhounds and lorn very badly. Pari of his cheek was torn oft', and his arms and hands and Legs were SO gnawed thai lie lived only aboul twenty-four hours after being broughl into the stockade. Thai was in October, 1 4, I think. I do nol know the date exactly when 1 left Andersonville. T go1 to Savannah, Georgia, in December, 1804. I do not know the name of the man who was bitten by the do<»'s and died in the stockade.'' The Dogs. By Dr. Harrows (Union). "I have seen the hounds used at the prison. I think the firsl time 1 saw them was in the fore part of the month of .June. 1864. A1 thai time some one had made his escape from the hos- pital. The dogs were brought to the hospital and taken round the place to see where the man went away, and then they took the trail and caughl the man and he was brought back and put in the slocks. T have seen Captain Wirz on horseback with the party who were running the hounds. I could not say that he was punning them. Turner had command of them, but* I have seen Wirz order the men off — T mean the men who had charge of the hounds. I have heard him give orders to Serjeant Smith, I think his name was, to starl the hounds, as some one had go1 away from the hospital, or something to that effect, at •i good many different times. ■•| remember a man's making his escape from the hospital in July and being overtaken by the hounds. A large portion of his ear was torn off and his face mangled, and he was after- wards broughl into the hospital. The man got well. This was in July or August, 1864. I do not remember the exacl date. I remember also, thai al the end of August, or in Sep- tember. 1864, a man who had been bitten badlv by the dogs, RXTRACTS PRO\l THE TRIAL OP CAPTAIN W'n; 22" in trying to make his escape, was brought into mj ward and died. The wound took on gangrene, and this caused his death. He was a Union prisoner. I am qo1 certain whether he was trying to escape from tin- Btockade or the hospital. I cannol state the exacl date of his death. It was either the Ias1 of August or in the fore pari of September. It' my memory serves me right, I should say he died Pour or five days after he was torn by the dogs. I know the wound took on gangrene and that In- died. The gangrene was manifested in the wound, and in no other part. He was bitten through the throat on the side <>f the neck and it was there that the gangrene set in. CHAIN-GANG. John P. Heath, Confederate soldier, rank as captain, s,-iys: •| reside in Macon, Georgia. I have been in the confed- erate service, in 186] I was in tli.' 20th regiment Georgia volunteers. I was commissary, with the rank of captain. In April, 1864, I was in the Georgia Reserve Corps. I was on duty at Andersonville from May till October, 1864. I know tin- prisoner; I have seen him at Andersonville. I understood that In* commanded the prison at Andersonville. I never received any orders from him directly. 1 was never on duty at the prison bul <>ne day. "There were thirteen prisoners sent over from headquar- a to be ironed. I think it was in August; I was officer ol the day. They were sent over to me from the provost mar- shal's office to be ironed, but they were not ironed that day. I think on the second or third day afterward twelve of them were ironed. The men were Bent over under guard with an order from Captain Wirz. I did not read the order. I was ordered by a man named Reeves, who pretended to be a pro- • marshal at Andersonville. Tie- men came from Brigadier General John II. Winder's headquarters on the occasion I have referred to. There was one man chained in the gang of twelve who was siek at tie- time he was chained. I could not say to my certain knowledge what became of him. 1 know that I saw him several days afterward very siek : every man who was chained with him objected to it. The man had the diarrhea, I should judge from tin- looks of his clothes, and he was very lousy. I could see from a distance the lice crawling over him. 228 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission His comrades objected to being chained with him because of his condition; their objections were nol heeded, and he was chained with them." Alexander Keiuiell, Union soldier, says: "In one case I bad a conversation with a man in Hie hospi- tal who had been taken out of the chain-gang, and I saw his body carried to the dead-house three days after I had the conversation with him. lie told me in that conversation that he had not been able to walk since he had been taken out of the chain-gang, lie died there in the hospital. That was in August, 1864. The man was very much emaciated and was sore in the ankles Avhere the ball had been put on. I saw no other marks on his person." Andrew J. Spring, Union prisoner, says : "During the night, all the men in a chain gang had to lie down at one time: when one was sick, and so obliged to lie down, the others were compelled to lie, too. They were outside of the stockade, right up at the southwest corner. Those men were kept there for two months, and I presume longer. 1 can- not testify how long, but it was all of two months." Charles E. Tibbies, Union prisoner, says: "I saw the men in the chain gang while I was outside. I saw men in that evil contrivance who were nothing but skeletons. The first man I saw in it had a shackle around one foot attached to a large ball, I cannot say what size, but I think was a sixty-four pounder. There were six in a row, each of them having one of his legs fastened to a large ball. On the other leg there was another ball, I think a thirty-two pounder, with a short chain. The next squad that I saw there it may have been part of the same, who were not yet re- leased, — were fastened in the same way, only cadi had an iron band around his neck and a chain running from one to the ot her (dear round.'' Iioberl Tate, Union prisoner, says: "I have nol seen Captain Wirz put any men in the chain- gang, bul he gave the orders to have it done. I saw twelve Mien chained together; they had three balls, each weighing Extracts prom the Trial op Captain Wirz 229 si\t\ pounds, in the center of them and then on each leg on the outside there \\ .1-- a ball of thirty-two pounds, and they were chained together by the oecks each chain aboul a Cool and a half long, and with iron collars around their oecks. They had been put in chains for attempting to escape. I saw men put in chains when ladies were present. I Baw them put in when Captain Wir/.'s wife and his daughters were there. I saw the captain give the orders to walk them around and show bis lady and daughters tin 1 way they walked; they stood and laughed at it and thoughl it was sport. Thai was in July. Il«' made them walk aboul twenty yards. 1 saw men die, nnt exactly in the chain-gang; they were released aboul ten hours before they died. One man was very sick when he was put in. II.' remained in the chain-gang aboul two days. One evening the surgeon in charge told Captain Wirz he had bet- ter take that man out; Captain Wirz gave orders to have him released. The nexl morning I saw the man hauled to the graveyard; I do not know whether the chains were on him when he died or not. " \'>y Dr. Barrows I Union Prisoner. '"I have Been six men in the chain-gang, and I remember see- ing eighteen men in a1 one time; a heavy chain ran from one to the other, and round their oecks, chaining all together in a circle as it were. They were connected with handcuffs <>n their hands, and halls and chains to their feel connected in some way with the circular chain thai ran from one to the other. That is as oear as I can describe it. A :!*2 pound ball was attached to the chain, or a smaller hall, perhaps ten or twenty pounds J am not able to state the exacl size. The prisoners were con- fined in the chain-gang all hours of the day. I have known of some men being there for a week, and some two weeks, at dif- ferenl times. The time would vary. The men would have to l»e there as l«»i ptain Wirz saw I'm to let them remain. They were without Bhelter in both sun and rain. At the besl th<- effeel upon the men must he to weaken them reduce their ■iiL'tli. I cannot testify that I saw any prisoners die from being confined in the chain gang. I have no doubt of the fact, although I did not Bee t he men di 230 Report op Andersonville Monument Commission THE STOCKS. By Dr. A. V . Barrows. "The stocks consisted of a frame aboul six Peel high, with boards thai shut together leaving jusl room enough for a man's neck, and arranged so thai his arms were fastened at full Length each way, his Feet just touching the ground. I have seen cases where the men could have the privilege of standing on their feet with their whole weight ; and I have also seen them where they could merely touch the ground with their toes. 1 have seen men punished in the stocks both ways. There was a dif- ferent kind of stocks from that I have described. There was one kind for putting the men's feet in the stocks, and halls and chains on their hands, witli their feet elevated. 'Hie men would be lying; or I do not know but that they might sit up. I do not remember any other description of stocks hut that. By Nazareth Allen. "I have seen the stocks and seen men in them; I have seen several put into the stocks, and some ten or twelve in the chain- gang. I know that one prisoner died in the chain-gang or stocks; 1 won't be certain which, yet I think in the stocks. I think it was some time in August, 1864. I do not know what his sickness was; he appeared to be sick when 1 saw him. I saw him only once or twice, and afterwards I saw him dead. I don't recollect how long afterwards; I was passing there almosl rvrvy day for several days; I cannot say how long he was confined in the stocks. There were several in the stocks. I do not know why this man was placed in there; I think', 1 hough, it was for trying to escape. The stocks were between Captain Wirz's headquarters and the stockade, — on the road you would take in going to the stockade." WHIPPING. Vicenxio Bardo, Union prisoner, 1 est i ties that, having disguised himself in an attempt to escape, he was hrought back and put into the stocks by the officers, who afterward give him twenty- five lashes on his hack. Me was then taken out of the stocks and returned to the stockade for four hours; and then was placed in the stocks for another four hours. Extracts prom mm Trial of Captain Wir 231 William Henry Jennings, Union prisoner colored . testified to being whipped with thirty lashes by order of Wirz, in March, 1 S <>1. They were inflicted by Turner, the man who ran the hounds, upon the km- back of the soldier. He was im- mediately placed in i he stocks. John Fisher, another colored soldier, testifies to having been whipped with thirty-nine lashes, and bucked and gagged, in October. The witness also speaks of [saac Hawkins, Abe Wood- ward, and George Washington <-is having I □ whipped a1 the prison. Henry C. Lull, Union prisoner, testifies to having seen a colored soldier whipped there. \\<- was whipped for no1 going out to work in the morning SHOOTING OF PRISONERS Bl THE GU \RD. By \)v. Barows I Union . I have often heard (';ipt;iin Wirz tell the guard al the hos- pital thai it' any of tints.' Yanks tried to gel away to shool them. We had no dead line established there. I remember <»ii<- of <>ui- soldiers being shol in the hospital. He was a man from my ward, [don'1 remember his name, It was in August, L864. Mr w;is cold, and there was a fire inside the enclosure in the south pari of the hospital. It w;is swampy there, and there was no ground for the guard to stand <>n. and so they were stationed inside the hospital a1 one portion of it. Where this Bhooting happened the board fence came down to the swamp, and there the guards were on the other side. This w;i> a patienl in my ward. lit- u<>i up to i:<> ;in'2 Report of AndersonvitjLE Monument Commission By Thos. C Alcoke (Union). "One day there was a man sitting down, -a kind of weakly man. Captain Wirz passed into the stockade, when this man gol up and asked him if he could go 0U1 to gel sonic fresh air. Captain Wirz asked him what he meant by that. The poor fellow wormed around and said he wanted air. There was something else said, when Captain Wirz wheeled, pulled out a revolver and shot him down. This was sometime in the sum- mer and two months after I got there. The ball took effect in the breast; he died about two or three hours afterwards. After that I was standing pretty close by. I said something to Captain Wirz that he did not like; he turned around and said 1 had better look out or he would put me in the same place. I spoke the way I felt, saying that I was not a bit afraid of it. Pretty soon afterwards Captain Wirz came in with a corporal and two guards and put me in irons. He kept a ball and chain on me the whole time I was there. I kept working at the ball and chain every day, and at last I got it so I could get it off, and I made my escape from the prison. I went from the prison to St. Louis, from there to Memphis and from Memphis to my regiment." By Samuel D. Brown (Union). "I saw Captain Wirz while at Andersonville. I knew him to commit acts of cruelty — once especially. On or about the 15th of May, 1864, I wrote a letter to my parents and took it to the south gate where the letter-box was. As I came up near the gate I saw a cripple — a man with one leg — on crutches; he had lost the other leg above the knee. He was asking the sentinel to call Captain Wirz. He called him and in a Pew minutes he came up. I stopped to sec what was going to be done. The captain came up and the man asked him to take him outside of the prison as he had enemies in the camp. I pre- sume it was Captain Wirz. I did not know him so well then. Captain Wirz was the man that was called. This cripple asked him to take him out ; he said his leg was not healed and that lie had enemies in camp who clubbed him. Captain Wirz never answered him. but he said to the sentinel, 'Shoot that one- legged Yankee devil.' I was there and heard the order, and Cil \i;i i s H. RUSS1 LL Secretary of the Commission I '• iic x - i- prom in, Trial of Captain Wirz 235 saw the man turn on his crutches to go away. As he turned thf sentinel fired, and the ball struck him on the head and passed oul at the lower jaw. The man fell over and expired in ;i few minutes. The prisoner was perhaps two feel inside the dead line, which was twenty-five or thirty feet from the Btockade, and almost parallel with it. so that the man was probably thirty feel away from the muzle of the gun." By ( lharles 1 1. Russell I 1 fnion . "I saw a man shot at the creek one morning in June. We were down for water. There was a big crowd there. The ground near the creek was very slippery where the boys were running in and oul and spilling water. A fellow there, who looked very weak and sick, tried to get some water, hut he slipped and fell, sticking his arm under the dead line,— nothing but his arms. 1 was within six feet of him when the guard raised his gun and tired and shot him down. The man did not speak a word afterwards. *'l do not know that man's name nor his regiment. I did not see Captain Wirz present at that time. About the 2<>th of duly. I. think, there was a man shot on the south side, at a little spring where they had dug a hole in the ground aboul eight feet from the dead line on the south side of the creek. !!•• was there getting water; quite a number were getting water at the same time. They were crowding around to see who would L r «'t the water first. This man got crowded inside the deadline and the guard shot him. The guard stood on the first post on the south side of the creek. Captain Wirz came along shortly afterwards and went to the stand where i n. sentry was. and I saw him shake hands with the sentry. Shortly afterwards the sentry went down and another soldier took his place. When he shook- hands with the sentry he called him a bully fellow, or something of that sort. I heard nothing said aboul furloughs at the time. Ai one time I was detailed to iro out and gei some wood. There was a confeder- ate soldier who made a practice of going Out in the woods where tin- hoys went for fuel and trading with them there, out of tin- s i lt 1 1 1 of the officers. II'' said that there was an retary of i li « • Wisconsin Monument Commission 236 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission order oul thai they would gel furloughs for every Yankee they killed." CONDITION OF THE PRISONERS IX THE STOCKADE. By Felix De La Baume (Union). ■•| left Andersonville, finally, Apri] 19, 1865; we were once before taken away as far as Tlioniasville for the purpose of ex- change, bu1 we had to return. It was the 4th of April when we left there the first time. On coming to Andersonville 1 had no shelter whatever. In Richmond everything of value had been taken from me, — my watch and chain, and $250.00 in money; everything was taken from us; we had to strip our- selves as far as to the shirt. The provost marshal in Richmond, with several of his men, searched us there and took everything away from us. Coining to Andersonville I had no blanket or anything of the kind ; I was put into the stockade and had to lie down and sleep wherever I could find a place; it was very difficult to find a room even in the sand and mud to lie down and sleep without being trampled on." By Charles H. Russell (Union). "About one-quarter of the entire stockade was swamp. That swam]) was covered eighteen inches or two feet deep with mag- gots, and you could see them all in a ferment crawling around. We were obliged to go into the swamp. When 1 first entered the prison we had to wade through it to get to the water in the creek. I have seen men in there digging roots to get wood to cook their meals with. They would dig because the roots and Stumps and everything else that would burn had been dug out of the dry ground. They had to dig there or eat their meals uncooked. Thai was in the months of May, June, -Inly and Aimiist ; along in -Inly they commenced 1<> bring dirt down from the hills to cover the swamp. Before I left they had got a good portion of it, perhaps half, covered, and the men were tenting on it." By Dr. F. G. Castlen, Confederate. "I have been in the Confederate army during the last two years; from May until September, 1864, at Andersonville, the Extracts prow the Trial of Captain Wirz 237 remaining portion of the lime in South Carolina. I was sur geon of the Third Georgia Reserves while al Andersonville. I occasionally had opportunities of observing the prisoners in the •kade al Audersonville. Their condition \\ .is deplorable; language could nol express the condition in which I saw them at that time. The stench was intolerable. It sometimes came to my camp, a half mile distant. It was only during an easl wind thai I was troubled with the stench arising from t lie stork ade. I saw negroes at work there al one time. I do not know- in w hai numbers, twenty or thirty, I suppose. " PRIVATE PROPERTY TAKEN PROM PRISONERS. By Thos. ('. AJcoke. I Union). ■ When 1 arrived at Andersonville I was searched and my cooking utensils and, money were taken from me; Captain Wirz took litem from me. Yes. I know Captain Wirz. He took from me a bell with $150 in gold, and the balance in nbacks, amounting i<> $280 altogether. He also took from me my pockel knife, a breasl pin, and a gold ring that I had in my pocket-book, lie nev< r returned any of the property in me. " By (diaries II. Russell I Union). "When I gol there I was taken to Captain Wiiv.'s headquar- ters, where I gave in my name and regiment. Captain Wirz was in the office at the lime, and when he heard me name my regiment, he gave his orderly orders to '"take every d n thing that Yankee cavalry S— n of a b — h has*' : and the orderly tooZi everything I had. I had been wounded in my left hand, and had a ring on one of my fingers thai I thoughl I couldn'1 gel off, I was so badly hurt; hut the orderly came and look the ring away from me." Q. What else was taken from yon .' A. "I didn '1 have anyl hing else io take. " T«» the Courl : "I had on a shirl and a pair of pants and an old pair of hoots: they did not take those The rin<_;' which was taken from me was never returned to me. I do not know who gol it. I know the orderly al Captain Wirz's headquar ters look i from me, and ihat is 1 1n- Ias1 I ever saw of it." 238 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission R \Tlo\s. I '>y ( Oliver I >. Fairbanks ( I 'nion . *'l noticed storehouses a1 the depot when I was living there the first time. That was in September, 1864. I saw a Large lov; building about a story and a half high, will) one of the doors open. It was pretty well stored with provisions. I also saw a large amounl on the platform. They were all in sacks. I did not see anything besides saeks. .My rations for twenty- Pour hours 1 could eat in one meal— and slill be hungry. The quality of my rations was very inferior. They consisted of corn meal of the coarsest kind, sometimes very poorly baked and Vi'vy filthy, a greal many flies, and sometimes maggots, baked in it. We also go1 beans which were cooked pods and all, and we often found in them stones as large as marbles. These rations were not weighed." SUPPLIES FKo.M THE NORTH. By -lames l\. Davidson (Union). "I have seen Captain Wirz use crackers and cheese and dried I eel*, rations belonging to Union prisoners. He was making a breakfasl of it one morning in his office, the morning when I was paroled. I do not recollect seeing him usine; these supplies more than once. I have been very often at his office, and I would always see a box of sanitary provisions open there. I have seen boxes opened al the depot. I do not know that he sent the sani- tary provisions into the stockade for the soldiers. I do not know- thai those sanitary boxes were sent to Ins office for that purpos I do not think they could gel in there without his permission. F never saw him eating them but that one morning for breakfast. I never saw 1 hem being used anywhere else. T saw boxes at 1 he depot, open. I believe that the quartermaster's building was the only place in which they were stored away. I saw a large number of boxes at the depot in July or August. 1 should indue that I saw there 400 or 500 boxes of different sizes. Some of them were large dry goods boxes. Some of them were ordi- nary boxes, such as hard tack' is put in. They were not all of that description; some of them were larger. They seemed to be E3 \ii; \» rs FiiOM i in Tki \i. of C vptain Wir generally of that size. I do nol know what was in ."til of them. I did oot examine any of them. I do not know how many ol them were open. I did see dried Fruit and crackers in thos»' thai were open. Some of the fruit was in eans and some of i was nnt. The boxes at the t were right west of the com raissary building not adjoining the rebel commissary building. There was not room for more than a wagon to drive between th • buildings and the boxes. They did not lie just as they were taken off the cars. They had heen hauled out there. They re mained there .-ill summer. The piles did not increase By Prank Maddox, i 1 Inion . ' I saw thirteen boxes of sanitary sti res come there; 1 helped unload them and put them in Captain Wirz's office. I do not know what became of them. They gave the men at the cook- house some and some were sent to the hospital. I do not know what became i f the balance. I saw Captain Wirz wearing blue pants and sanitary shirts. We asked him for some of the clothes and he would not give them to us. We were naked and barefooted.'' CAPTAIN WIRZ ' RECEIPTS FOR SUPPLIES. I [eadquai ters ( lommandant of Prison, Camp Sumter, Nov. 12, 1864 Captain: I received yesterday by railroad I s eighteen packages of clothing for the federal prisoners of war at this post, to-wil : Five bales of blankets, consisting of •"> M !» pice.'-. One box of shoes, consisting of 60 pairs. I- ir boxes of pants, consisting of 240 pieces. Three boxes ot drawers, consisting of -'tixi pieces. One box of socks, consisting of 396 pieces. Pour boxes of shirts, consisting of 324 pieces. I shall distribute them without delay and forward you the ipts of tlir prisoners, \\ hen completed. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, II. Wirz, ( ' a i>l il i a ( ' I'm inn m! i in/ I' i ISOIl, Captain T. W. Neely, Assistanl Quartermaster. 240 Report of Andprsonville Moni ment Commission By Win. Bull, ( Union . "I saw sanitary clothing there. Out of every hundred men about icn go1 . state the circumstances. I\\tk\< PS FROM THE TBIAL OF CAPTAIN WlRZ I'll \ At one time, in consequence of a difficulty between one of my assistants and Captain Wirz, \\>' had occasion to call foi these orders, and the orders were presented. Assistanl Burgeon Dr. James had written ;i communication to me aboul the pun ishmenl of one of the hospital attendants of his division by Captain Wirz, which communication I indorsed and senl to Dr. Clayton, who was then Benior Burgeon. He forwarded it to Colonel Thurlow, who was then commandant of the posl ;i1 An- dersonviile, and it was referred to Captain Wirz for remarks. When the paper was returned to Colonel Thurlow I am nol able to Bay, 1 »i 1 1 it never came back to me. No indorsement was pul upon the paper, but .1 reply was made in a communication from Captain Wirz, which reply made it n ssary I'm- \)v. James t.i find <>ut what were the orders. In other words, it made it a< for us. as medical officers, t<> know the relations which we held with the officers or the post. We found out from the orders that we held no power, that we had. you may say, no rights ; and that if Captain Wirz fell disposed to do anything in the hospital which lii's- orders allowed him to do. he could do it without con suiting a medical officer. Q. From whom did he get that authority A. Prom Brigadier General John IT. Winder. Q. What was General Winder's status at thai time? A. IT.- was not there at that time. Q. Where was hel A. I do m>t know: he made his headquarters at Millen. T do not recollect where he was then, whether at Columbia, Florence 9 kvannah. Q. Do you know anything of the prisoner's putting mon of the hospital in storks, or- exercising his command over attend- ants at the hospital f A. T saw one instance, and T am fully convinced in my own mind of another. Q r;iv<> the instance you saw. A. That was the '-a-'- of the young man to whom T have jusl alluded, the chief clerk of Dr. James, who was bucked. He was sitting outside the gate as I rode up to the hospital one morn- ing. T inquired the '-ails.-, and was told that Captain AVirz had ordered it. Q. Do you know tie- reason why the man was bucked! in 242 Report of Andersonville Monument I om mission A. I knew ii Prom thai communication winch I have men- tioned. I ). T. ( ihandler, con federate, Bays : "I was in the service of the Confederate governmenl from February, 1863, until the dose of the war. I held the appoinl infill of lieutenanl colone] in the adjutanl general's deparl tnent, and was later assigned to duly as inspector general. I was the officer who made the report signed *l). T. Chandler.' I have no retraction whatever to make in regard to the condition of the prison ;il Andersonvile, as represented in my report. 1 devoted aboul a week, something less than a week, to an inspection of thai place. The reporl was based upon the information con- veyed to me in official communications Prom Genera] Winder and the officers of his staff, inspection of the hook's and papers, the records of the different offices of that post, and actual in- spection of the troops, the stockade and the hospital. I will furl her state that T had some -conversation with the prisoners in the stockade. I noticed that General Winder seemed very indifferent to the welfare of the prisoners, indisposed to do anything, or to do as much as I thought he ought to do to alleviate their sufferings. I remonstrated with him as well as I could, and he used that language which 1 reported to the department with reference to it, the language stated in that report. "When I spoke of the ureal mortality existing among the prisoners, and pointed out to him that the sickly season was coming on. and that it must necessarily increase unless some- thing was done for their relief, — the swamp, for instance, drained, proper food furnished them and in better quantity, and other sanitary suggestions which T made to him, — he replied to me that he thoughl it was better to let half of them die than to take care of them. T would like to state to the court that he fore he used this language to me. my assistant, who was with me. Major Hall, had reported to me that he had used similar language to him. — made use of similar expressions. I mention this to show the court that I am not mistaken; that my recol- lection i- char. .My assistant, Major Hall, had reported to me officially that General Winder had wsv^] this language in con- versation with him. I told him I thoughl it incredible-; that he iiniM be mistaken, lie told me. no; thai he had not only said Extracts prom the Trial op Captain Wib 243 it once but twice, and, as I have stated, he subsequently made ■ t his expn ssion to me. -i PPLIES POl \i» i\ GEORGIA \ND VLABAMA I \ L8C4 '65. By ( leorge Welling Union I have l"'«'ii in the military service of the United States for four years as Lieutenant colonel of the Ith Kentucky cavalry. M \ regiment was ordered to Albany, Georgia. 1 took the com- mand of the post about the firsl of May. I passed very often ui» .uid down the railroad from Albany to Macon; 1 stopped at Andersonville fifteen or twenty minutes a1 a time. I was never at the stockade I was with General Wilson's command from the time it left the Tennessee river until we left that part of the country, about the 20th of last August. The confederate commissaries and quartermasters who were located at Albany turned over th< stores and provisions they had there. There weir thirty-one thousand pounds of bacon turned over l>y Cap- tain John Davis, confederate commissary, and five hundred bags of salt ; the amount nt' corn I do not recollect. There was a large quantity of corn and bacon in the country through which we passed. Parties, after we went there, proposed to supply in w:ih any quantities needed for General Wilson's army. There were three grain mills in the vicinity. The mill at Al- bany, which was built by the confederate government, had two fim of Btones. A mill some four miles from there, which 1 never visited, had. T understood, the same number. That mill at Albany was capable of grinding from four to live hundred bushels of corn in the t went v-fotir ROUTS. This mill, turned over to us by the confederate government at Albany, had a very ! 1m >lt iiiir cloth in it and ground \rvy good flour. We made very good flour in it after we took possession. They had a bakery there with four ovens, where they baked hard bread; some of that hard bread I saw, and ii was very good." By W. T. Davenport (Confederate . I reside in Americus, Sumter county. Georgia. I was there during the rebellion. from April. 1864, till the surrender I was tithe agent for Sumter county. I have made ;i memoranda of the amount of Btores and provisions, coming into my hands dur- _MI Report of Andersonville Monument Commission ing llic year L864. I can make a statemenl with regard to it. I made t h is memorandum carefully from the books in order to refresh my memory as to the amounts received Prom the firsl of April, 1864, till the firsl of January, 1865, and from the firsl of January, 1865, till the surrender. The amounl of bacon re- ceived al thai depot from Sumter county and from the counties of Schley, Webster, and Marion for thie year 1864 was 247,768 pounds. We received of com 38,900 bushels; of wheat, 3,567 bushels; of rice, 3,420 pounds, (in the rough) ; of peas, we re- ceived 817 bushels: of sirup of West India cane and sorghum (we made no distinction), 3,700 gallons; of sugar, 1,166 pounds. From the first of January, 1865, till the 9th of April, which was the time of surrender, I received from those same counties 155,726 pounds of bacon and 13,591 bushels of corn. 1 received only 86 bushels of wheat. This was the remnant due on the old crop, the new crop not having been gathered. Thar was the reason the amount was so small. We collected one-Tenth of the whole crop. There was a depot at Andersonville. Some por- tions of the tithes were delivered there, and others were deliv- ered to traveling companies that received tithes which were no1 reported to me." WIRZ'S STATEMENT THAT HE HAD SERVED IN THE UNION ARMY. By diaries H. "Russell, (Union). About the 4th of June, 1864, Captain Wirz came into the stockade and sa : d that Johnston had cleaned out Sherman and taken him prisoner, with about half of his army. He was feeling well about it. I tented right close to the south gate, or rather I stayed there with some fellows who had a bough -house up. Cap- tain Wirz came in there and sal down, and got to talking about his being in our army. TTe said he was an orderly sergeant in an Illinois regiment, and had fought under Sigel in Arkansas There is one of our men alive, by the name of Nelson Chit- tenden, of Wisconsin, who heard the same statemenl. T do not Know whether Captain "Wirz was lying or not. Extracts prom the Trial of Captain Wirz LETTER OP CAPTAIN \\ [RZ TO OENJ RAL J. II. WILSON. Andersonville, Ga., May 7, L865. General: li is with great reluctance thai 1 address you these lines, being in 1 1 \ aware 1 1 « »\\ Little time is left you to attend to Buch matters as I now have the honor to Lay before you. IT I could see an} other wa\ to accomplish my object 1 would not intrude upon you. 1 am a Dative of Switzerland, and was, be- fore the war, a citizen of Louisiana, and am by profession a physician. Lake hundreds and thousands of others, 1 was car- ried away by the maelstrom of excitement and joined the south- ern army. I was \er\ Beriously wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, near Richmond, Virginia, and have nearly Lost the use of my right arm. i'niit for field duty, I was ordered in report to Brevet Major General John II. Winder, in charge of federal prisoners of war, who ordered me to lake harge of a prison in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My health lading me there, 1 applied for a furlough and went to Europe, whence I returned in February, t. I was then ordered to reporl to the commandant of the military prison a1 Andersonville, Georgia, who assigned me to the command of the interior of the prison. The duties l bad to perform were arduous and unpleasant, and I am satisfied that no man can or will justly blame me for things that happened there, and which wer< beyond my powder to control. I do not think that l ought to be held responsible for the shortness of rations, for the overcrowded state of tin- prison, which was of itself a prolific source of fearful mortality, for the inadequate supplies of clothing, want of shelter, etc. Still, l now bear the odium, and men who were prisoners have seemed disposed to wreak their vengeance upon me for what they have Buffered; 1 was only the medium, or, I may better eay, the tool in the bands of my superiors. This is my condition. 1 am a man with a family. I Lost all propert) when the federal army besieged Vicksburg. I have no money at present to go to any place; and, even it' I had, 1 know of no place where I can go. My Life is in danger, and I most respi fully ask oi you hlelp and relief, [f you will be so generous as five me Borne sort of safe conduct, or, what I should greatly prefer, a guard to protect myself and family against violence, I shall be thankful to yon; and yon may rest assured that your _'}•» Report of AnpersonVille Monument Commission protection will n<>t be given 1<> one who is unworthy of it. My intention is t<> return with my family to Europe, as soon ;is I ean make the arrangements. In the meantime, I have the honor, general, to remain very respectfully, Four obedienl servant, Ilv Wmz, Captain C. S. A Major ( General J. II. Wilson, I'. S. A. Commissary, Macon, Georgia. * This letter showed Wirz to l>e a sneaking coward, well aware <>i the enormity of his crime and fearing the wrath of his victims. Th'B authorities were compelled to disguise him in order to enable them to get him to Washington for the trial. What he said of his being a tool in the hands of his superiors was a fact, yet he was selected because of ins adaptation and willingness to carry out their evil de- signs. — D. G. J. KlNDINtiS 01 THE ( '01 R I CHAPTEK XII FINDINGS OF THE COURT. The court, being cleared for deliberation, and having ma- tuivly considered the evidence adduced, find the accused, Benry Wirz, as follows: Of the specification to charge 1, "guilty," after amending the specification to read as follows: In this, thai he, the said Henry Wirz, did combine, confed- erate, ami conspire with them, the said Jefferson Davis, James \ Seddon, Howell Cobb, John II. Winder, Richard B. Winder, Isaiah II. White. W. s. Winder, w. s. Shelby Reed, R. \l. Stev- enson, S. I*. Moore, Kerr, late hospital steward ai Ander- Bonville, dames Duncan, Wesley W. Turner, Benjamin Harris, and others, whose names are unknown, citizens of the United States aforesaid, and who were then engaged in armed rebel- lion againsl the United States aforesaid, and. in violation of the laws of war. to impair and injure the health and to destroy the lives, by subjecting to torture and greal suffering, by con- fining in unhealthful and unwholesome quarters, by exposing to the inclemency of winter and to the dews and burning suns of summer, by compelling the use of impure water, and by furnishing insufficient and unwholesome food, of large numbers of federal prisoners, to-wit, the number of about forty-five thousand soldiers in the military service of the United States of America, held as prisoners of war at Andersonville, in the State of Georgia, within the lines of the so-called Confederate States, on or before the 27th day of March. A. I). L864, and at divers times between thai day and the I'Mh day of April, A. L). L865, to the end thai the armies of the United States mighl be weakened and impaired, and the insurgents engaged in armed rebellion againsl the United States mighl be aided and com- forted; and he. the said Henry Wirz, an officer in the military ice of ihe BO-called Confederate States, being then and 248 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission there commandant oi' a military prison at Andersonville, in the State oi' Georgia, located by authority of the so-called Confed- erate States, i'or the confinement oi* prisoners of war, and, as such commandant, fully clothed with authority, and in duty bound to treat, care, and provide i'or such prisoners, held as aforesaid, as were or might be placed in his custody, accord- ing to the law of war, did, in furtherance of such combination, confederation, and conspiracy, maliciously, wickedly, and traitorously confine a large number of prisoners of war, sol- diers in the military service of the United States, to the num- ber of about forty-five thousand men, in unhealthful and un- wholesome quarters, in a close and small area of ground, wholly inadequate to their wants and destructive to their health, which he well knew and intended ; and while there so confined, during the time aforesaid, did, in furtherance of his evil de- sign and in aid of the said conspiracy, wilfully and maliciously neglect to furnish tents, barracks, or other shelter, sufficient for their protection from the inclemency of winter and the dews and burning sun of summer ; and with such evil intent did take and cause to be taken from them their clothing, blankets, camp equipage and other property of which they were possessed at the time of being placed in his custody; and with like malice and evil intent did refuse to furnish or cause to be furnished food either of a quality or quantity sufficient to preserve health and sustain life; and did refuse and neglect to furnish wood sufficient for cooking in summer and to keep the said prisoners warm in winter, and did compel the said prisoners to subsist upon unwholesome food, and that in limited quantities, entirely inadequate to sustain health, which he well knew ; and did com- pel the said prisoners to use unwholesome water, reeking with the filth and garbage of the prison and prison-guard, and the offal and drainage of the cook-house of said prison; whereby the prisoners became greatly reduced in their bodily strength and emaciated and injured in their bodily health ; their minds impaired and their intellects broken; and many of them, to-wit, about the number of ten thousand, whose names are unknown, sickened and died by reason thereof, which he, the said Henry Wirz, then and there well knew and intended; and so knowing and evily intending, did refuse and neglect to provide proper lodgings, food, or nourishment for the sick, and necessary medi- cine and medical attendance for the restoration of their health, Findings of the ( !oi r < 249 and did knowingly, wilfully and maliciously, in furtherance of his evil designs, permit them to Languish and die from want of care and proper treatment; and the said Henry Wirz, still pursuing his evil purposes, did permit to remain in the said prison, among the emaciated sick and Languishing living, the bodies o\' the dead, until they became corrupt and loathsome, and filled the air with noxious and Fetid exhalations, and thereby greatly increased the unwholesomeness of the prison, Insomuch that .ureal numbers of said prisoners, whose names are unknown, sickened and died by reason thereof. And 1 1n- said Henry Wirz, still pursuing his wicked and cruel purpose wholly disregarding the usuages of civilized warfare, did at the time and place aforesaid maliciously and wilfully subject the prisoners aforesaid to cruel, unusual and infamous punish- ment, upon slight, trivial and fictitious pretences, by fastening Large halls of iron to their feet, and binding numbers of the prisoners aforesaid closely together with Large chains around their necks and feet, so that they walked with the greatest difficulty : and being so confined, were subjected to the burning rays of the sun. often without food or drink, for hours and even • lays, from which said cruel treatment numbers whose names are unknown sickened, fainted, and died; and he, the said Wirz, did further cruelly treat and injure said prisoners by maliciously tying them up by the thumbs, and wilfully con- lining them within an instrument of torture called the stocks, thus depriving them of the use of t heir limbs, and forcing them to lie. sit and stand for many hours without the power of changing position, and being withoul food or drink, in con- sequence of which many, whose names are unknown, sickened and died ; and he, t he said Wirz, si ill wickedly pursuing his evil purpose, did establish and cause to be designated, within the prison enclosure containing said prisoners, a "dead-line," be- ing a line around the inner face of the sloekade or wall, en- closing said prison, and aboul 25 feet distant from and within Baid stockade; and having so established said dead-line, which was in some plaees an imaginary line, and in other places marked by insecure and shifting strips of boards, nailed upon the toj) of small and insecure stakes or posts, he, the said Wirz. instructed the prison guard stationed around the top of said :kade to fire upon and kill any of the prisoners aforesaid who mi glit fall upon. p;i^s over or under or across the said dead 250 Report of AndersonvjiaiE Monument Commission line; pursuanl to which said orders and instructions, mali- ciously and aeedlessly given by said Wirz, still pursuing his evil purpose, did keep and use ferocious and blood-thirsty dogs, dangerous to human life, to limit down prisoners of war afore- said who made their escape Prom his custody: and did, thru and there, wilfully and maliciously suffer, incite and encourage the said dogs to sieze, tear, mangle, and maim the bodies and limbs of said fugitive prisoners of war, which the said dogs, Incited as aforesaid, then and there did, whereby a number of said prisoners of war. who, during the time aforesaid, made their escape and were recaptured, died; and the said Wirz, still pursuing his wicked purpose, and still aiding in carrying out said conspiracy, did cause to be used for the pretended purposes of vaccination impure and poisonous vaccine matter, which said poisonous matter was then and there, by the di- rection and order of said Wirz, maliciously, cruelly, and wickedly deposited in the arms of many of said prisoners, by reason of which large numbers of them lost the use of their arms, and many of them were so injured that they soon there- after died ; all if which he, the said Eenry Wirz well knew and maliciously Intended, and, in aid of the then existing rebellion against the United States, with the view to assist in weakening and impairing the armies of the United States; and, in fur- therance of the said conspiracy, and with the full knowledge, consent, and connivance of his co-conspirators aforesaid, he, the said Wirz, then and there did. Of charge 1, "guilty," after amending said charge to read as follows : .Maliciously, wilfully and traitorously, and in aid of the then existing armed rebellion againsl the United States of America, on or before the 27th day of March, A. I). 1864, and on divers other days between thai day and the tenth day of April, 1865, combining, confederating and conspiring; together with Jeffer- son Davis, -lames A. Seddon, Howell Cobb, .John I!. Winder, Richard B. Winder, Isaiah II. While, W. S. Winder, W. Selby Reed, R. R. Stevenson, S. P. Moore. — Kerr, late hospital Steward a1 Andersonville, dames Duncan. Wesley W. Turner. Benjamin Harris and others unknown, to injure the health and destroy t he lives of soldiers in the military service of the United States, then held and being prisoners of war within the lines of the so-called Confederate States and in the military prisons Bindings <>r rm. ( !oi R r _'. I thereof, to the « -i n 1 thai the armies of the United States tnighl be weakened and impaired; in violation of the laws and cus- toms of war. < >i' i he Becond charge, * ' guilty . ' Ami the comi do therefore sentence him, the said Henry Wirz, to 1"' hanged by the neck till dead, al Buch time and place as the President of the United States may direct, two- thirds of the members <>!' the courl concurring herein. u-:\v walTjAce, Major ( r en era] and Presidenl ( !om. V I . Chipman, Colonel and Aid A. I>. ('.. Judge Advocate. The proceedings, findings and sentence in the foregoing se, having been submitted to the PresMenl of the United States, the following are Ins ord< - Executive Mansion. November 3, 1865. The proceedings, findings, and sentence of the courl in the within case are approved, and it is ordered that the sentence be carried into execution, by the officer commanding tin- de- partment of Washington, on Friday, the KMh day of Novem- ber, 1865, between the hours of 6 o'clock A. M. and 12 o'clock Qoon. ANDREW JOHNSON, Iv\l ■'< QTION of Senteni President. Headquarters Department of Washington, Washington, I). C, November 11, 18 Sir: I have the honor to report that the sentence and orders the President in the case of Henry Wirz, as promulgated in General Court-martial orders No. 607, dated War Department, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, November <». 1865, have been duly executed (between the hones of 1«> and 11 A. M. yesterday, November 1<>. and his body has been interred by . tzerodt, in t he arsenal grounds. r am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, I < AUGUR, Major Genera] Volunteers, Commanding Department. The Adjutant General of the Army. * I have been Informed by three members of the courl thai this on and sentence was unanimous on the first ballot. D. <;. J. 252 Report of Andersonville Moni ment Commission CHAPQ ER XIII. CONCERNING GENERAL LEE AND JEFFERSON DAVIS. Conduct op Robert K. Lee, Concerning Exchange op I 'RISONERS. It is very clear from an examination oi' the report oi" General Canity that the irregularities in exchange and the violation of the cartel on the part of the confederates were not confined to the rebel authorities in and about Richmond, but reached the highest officer oi' the confederate army in the held. It appears that General Robert E. Lee, in violation of the provisions of the cartel, and after General Meade had declined to enter upon the question of exchange, paroled and dismissed the prisoners captured by him in Pennsylvania and Maryland in 1863. By the terms of the cartel he was bound to deliver them at City Point, but, in order to disembarrass himself of their presence in the field, and to avoid guarding and feeding them when his army was hard pressed and retreating before General Meade, he was guilty of the unmilitary conduct of authorizing paroles which he knew were utterly null and void, and in violation of the terms of the convention; thus permitting himself to be justly placed in the dishonorable category with the civil agents of the confederate government who were so frequently guilty of the same offense. Mr. Quid afterward insisted, with his usual fairness, that these illegal paroles should be respected by us, or that we should redeliver the persons thus paroled by General Lee to their authority at City Point. Such were the pretenses, false in character and cruel in the use to which they were put, which interrupt ed the course of exchange and kept our soldiers in tin; charnel-houses of the confederacy. In summing up this recital of facts as fully attested, we may truly assert that General Lee, having deserted his government in time of need, having used his influence to get his neighbors to renounce their loyalty to their country, which was a prime factor in taking the state of Virginia out of the Tnion, ana virtually having approved the treatmenl accorded to the vic- tims he had made captive, by not protesting, or, as commander- in-chief, stopping it by an order to his subordinates, he cer- tainly ought not to have had his property preserved, in which to bury lie' victims of his treachery, and be paid a fabulous sum for that estate ;M Arlington to be used as a national ceme- tery by the government he had tried to destroy. i i;\ \. < i NERAL III \\i> JEFFERSON DAVIS 253 Jeff Davis came into notoriety when he ran away wit 1 1 the daughter of his commander, General Taylor, departing during the early hours long before the dawn of day. lie was noted - .i quarrelsome bigot, in more quarrels and fewer lights than any other officer in the army, always getting his father-in-law, Genera] Taylor, to patch up the matter. In the .Mexican war he w;is Hi.- colonel of a Mississippi regiment, yd never dis- tinguished himself until the 31s1 Congress, when lie made a speech portraying his prowess and thai of his regimenl ;it the Battle of Buena Vista, in which he claimed that an Illinois regimenl abandoned the field and thai he. nt the head of his regiment, advanced into the gap, repulsing the victorious Mexicans and driving them from the field. Colonel Bissell, who commanded the only Illinois regimenl in thai battle, de- nounced the statement on the floor, calling Davis a liar and coward, saying that Davis's regimenl was not within a mile of his command at any time during the battle, and, further, that his regimenl never lost any ground to the enemy which they did nut recover and hold. Whereupon Davis, with his usual bluster, challenged Bissel to fight a duel. The challenge was promptely accepted, lossel choosing the musket loaded with one ball and three buck shot, distance twenty paces; re- sult: Mr. I);i\is's friends (father-in-law included) interceded and settled the matter satisfactorily to ~Nv. Davis, Colonel r.ivs.dl in the meantime, making no retraction. The nexl time l);i\is became notable was when in Congress hi' was conniving with Vice-President Breckenridge, Robert Toombs, Secretary of War Floyd, Howell Cobb and numerous ntln-rs who were in control of the different departments of the governmenl and concocting plans ^y which to pul the navy ar away thai it could not he reached for months: to re- move all th«- arms and munitions of war from the northern arsenals to the smith, drawing his salary ,-it the same time from our government, keeping it up until the several states had gone through tie- formality of seceding: when he took the floor in the senate chamber, and, in his lordly way, bade the loyal members ;i bombastic adieu and strutted out to commence his intri<_ r im to become the president of the so-called Confederate States of America, which he sua ded in doing. T will now quote the southern historian, Edward A. Pollard, in his life of Jefferson Davis, with ;i secrel history of the Southern Confederacy, ;t^ gathered behind the scenes in Rich- mond. 254 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission "A1 !li«- Battle of Bull Run, after the battle was over excepl a Pew scattering shots from the artillery, Mr. Davis arrived a1 the station, procured a horse and started for the front, after the Union army had become panic stricken; ye1 il answered his purpose in making a display. He rode from the cars towards the sublime scene. Ai thai moment his brother, Joe, admonished him no1 to go any further. 'Oh,' he said, "it is my duty to be with my brave men.* Another occasion was yet more dramatic. The president and Mrs. Davis were returning from some festivity on a flag of truce boat that had come up the dames river. They were walking along the street in the night, unattended by his staff, and with no indication of his importance. They had to pass the front of Libby Prison, where a sentinel paced, and, accord- ing to his orders, was forcing passengers from the walk to the middle of the street. As Mr. Davis approached, the guard or- dered him off the pavement. "I am the president," replied Mr. Davis, "'allow us to pass." "None of your gammons," replied the soldier bringing his musket to his shoulder, "if you don't gel into the street I'll blow the top of your head off." "But I am Jefferson Davis, man; T am your president. No more of your insolence!" and the president pressed forward. Il<- was rudely thrust back, and, in a moment had drawn a sword dag- ger concealed in his cane, and was about to rush upon the in- solent sentinel, when Mrs. Davis flung herself between the combatants, and, by her screams, aroused the officer of the guard, who allowed Mr. Davis to go home. But instead of the traditional reward to the faithful sentry, the order came the oexl day to Libby to degrade the faithful soldier and put him on a bread-and-water diet for his unwitting insult to the com- mander-in-chief of the confederate army, who had caused the orders to be issued. The lirst year of the war. Mi 1 . Davis was actually the legis- lator of the confederacy, and laws framed in the executive office were regularly sent into the dingy room in which Con- gress sat in secret session. Mr. Davis had a conceited idea that, because he was born under the planet Mars, he was amply qualified to legislate on military affairs. He organized a police force with two hundred spies taken from the slums of Balti- more and pul at the head of this wretched police business, whirli was continued through his administration, i 'ON( ' ;;\ :\«. < rl \l .' VI LEj VNP JeFI i.i:-»\ D.VVIS A fitter exponent of despotism and cruelty could not be found within the limits of the South than was Pound in General Winder of Maryland, ;i name that thousands of living persons recall with horror. He caused respectable men and women to be arrested for uttering sentiments derogatory to his govern ment, dragged them to brothels and saloons where his court was held and had them confined in places too filthy for any person to be placed. In L863, after the reverses of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, he ordered the limits of conscription extended from 18 to 55 years, so as to include all under the age of fifty- five, including those who had previously been drafted and h;nl hired substitutes; and this without refunding the money paid. The confederacy was converted into a vasl camp, and the coun- try of Jeff Davis came to be one of the most thoroughly military despotisms of the age. One man in the confederate Congress was bold enough to declare thai impressmenl and other acts of misrule and op- pression in the administration of Mr. Davis had extracted all virtue from the cause. Tn speaking of the scarcity of food. he refers to a Large volume of complaints againsl Mr. Davis for the maltreatment of northern prisoners, and makes allu- sions to the facts quoted in previous chapters. He further says that the president »>f the southern confederacy is to be blamed for continuing in its employment such agents as Winder and Northrup, each a favorite creature, the latter extravagantly so, and both of them repeatedly brought to Ids attention as in- COmpetenl and scandalous officers. To show Mr. Davis in his true autocratic bearing spiritually, he worshiped at St. Paul's Church. One Sunday he sat stiff and alone in tin- president's pew, where no one outside Ids family had ever dared intrude since Mi-. Davis had ordered the sexton to remove two ladies who had ventured there, ami who, <>n turning their faces to the admonition to leave, de- livered before the whole congregation, had proved, to the dis- may and well deserved mortification of the president's wife, to be the daughters of < General L< In th<- early pari of the w;ir. Mr. Davis, while addressing a South Carolina regiment, had turned his back to the men in his lofty way as ;i heroic leader and said, ""I will he with you my brave men to lead when the last charge is made for the final rout of the foe." And now see how he did it. lie s;it in his pew on thai quiet Sunday morning, when a messenger walked 256 Keport of Andersonville Monument Commission noisily into the church and handed the presidenl a slip of paper. He read the paper, rose and walked out of the church without agitation, but with his Pace and manner evidently constrained. An uneasy whisper par through the crowd of worshipers, and many hastened into the street. There it was rumored that Richmond was to be evacuated. A little; past noon some of Longstreet's men were marching through Rich- mond to reinforce General Lee. The soldiers moved with a slouching step and once on their disordered march, it : s said, groans were called for Jeff Davis. Formerly they were ac- customed to march through the city with colors unfurled and bands playing. And where was Presidenl Davis? As he had received the news of Lee's defeat, he had slunk from his pew; and when the great final scene of the drama had been staged, the principal actor was conspicuously absent, lie, the leader, the hero, had not shown his face, but was preparing a private sumptuous baggage to flee from Richmond, a low, unnoticed fugitive nnder cover of the night. He stepped unobserved upon the train that was to carry him from Richmond. lie did not forget the gold in the treasury, which had been reserved to give the discontented soldiers as largess. Mr. Davis insisted upon reserving it for exigencies, and it was now secure in his baggage. He did forget his sword, a costly present from some of his admirers in England, and which was destroyed by the fire he ordered set to devour the city that had given him succor for the past fonr years. Next we find him in Greensboro, North Carolina, secluded in a box car, unknown to any excepting Generals Johnston and Beauregard, both of whom he had formerly disgraced by re- leasing them of any command, and begging them to continue Hie fight after Lee had surrendered. He was quite willing to sacrifice every man in the confederacy, except himself, in the hopeless cause. But Johnston and Beauregard informed him that their men were deserting in large numbers, refusing to be shot down with no show of success. Mr. Davis, in his effort to make his escape sure, had separated from his wife, sending her on to Washington, Georgia, where he was to join her. It was determined that on continuing their journey they would travel as an emigrant party in a covered wagon, with a pack mule covered with cooking utensils. All tokens of the presi- dent's importance were laid aside. It was designed that Mr. D;i\ is, with his wife and his wife's sister, should pass as a Simple country family who had fallen in with straggling soldiers for ( \>\< i r! i tbri I ., ' lnd Jefferson D 25*3 their protection. All went well for three days, when a Bquad ron "f Union cavalry took his trail and closed in on him early one morning. ll<- then attempted to make liis escape by donning his wife's waterproof, and, with a shawl over his bead and a bucket in band, sallied forth with his wife, who accosted the Yankee cavalryman, asking thai he allow her mother to pass mit for B bucket of water. This fuse didn't work. The Boldier, noticing the coarse boots of the farmer, raised the outer garment with the point of the saber. This gave the Bcheme away, and so the proud President of the Confederacy was promptly put under arrest. What a falling down! Wouldn't the South Carolina regiment have been proud to follow their hero clad in female attire 1 Concerning a Pension for Jefferson Davis. I will now give the reader a short sentence from Senator Zack Chandler's speech, March 3, 1879, in the CJ. S. senate, upon the hill to pension all survivors of the Mexican War, to which Senator Hoar offered the following amendment : "Provided, further, that no pension shall ever be paid under this act to Jefferson Davis, the late president of the so-called confederacy." This provoked a spirited discussion in which Mr 1 , ('handler addressed the presiding officer as follows: "Twenty-two years ago tomorrow, in the old hall of the sen- ate, now occupied by the supreme court of the United States. I in company with Jefferson Davis, stood up and swore before Almighty God that 1 would support the constitution of the United States. Mr. Davis came from the cabinet of Franklin Pierce into the senate of the United States and took tin 1 oath with me to 1).- faithful to this government. During four years I sat in this body with Mi-. Jefferson Davis and 1 saw the preparations going on from day to day for the overthrow of this government. With treason in his heart and perjury upon his lips he took the oath to sustain a government that lie meant to overt hrow. Space forbids going any further along these lines. Tt is a matter of history well known on both sides, as stated by Pol- lard, the southern historian, that Davis was vain, bigoted and unreliable, and so quarrelsome that he could not get along with his cabinet. We on our side know he was a double-dyed traitor, as stated by Mi-. Chandler, ami a fiend incarnate. Ele w;is directly the cause of the death, in the most loathsome man- ner imaginable, of tens of thousands of brave, loyal men, 17 Report of Andersonville Moni ment Commission CHAPTER XIV. REPORT BY CLARA BARTON. On Condition op Andersonville in 1865. It is doubt Till if ;i more graphic description -more sympa- thetic in spirit, more beautiful in language— has ever been given of Andersonville than thai which Clara Barton has writ- ten. The matter of which this book treats could hardly be complete without Miss. Barton's story, and so it is put here where all may read.it. She visited the place in the summer of 1865. To the People of the United States of America: Having by official imitation been placed upon an expedition to Andersonville Por the purpose of identifying and marking the graves of the dead contained in those noted prison grounds, it is perhaps not improper that I make some report of the cir- cumstances which induced the sending of such an expedition, ils work, and the appearance, condition and surroundings of that interesting spot, hallowed alike by the sufferings of the martyred dead and the tears and prayers of those who mourn for 1 hem. During a search Por the missing men of the United States army, begun in March, 1865, under the sanction of the late la- mented Presidenl Lincoln, I formed the acqua : ntance of Dor- mice Atwater, of Connecticut, a member of the 2d New York Cavalry, who had been a prisoner al Belle Isle and Anderson- ville twenty-two months, and charged by the rebel authorities with the duty of keeping the Death Register of the Union pris- oners who died amid the nameless cruelties of the last named prison. By minute inquiry I learned from Mr. Atwater the method adopted in the burial of the dead, and by carefully comparing this account with a drafl which he had made of the grounds appropriated for this purpose by the prison authorities, 1 be- came convinced of the possibility of identifying the p-raves REPORT \:\ ( l IR \ I » \IM"\ simply by comparing the numbered post or board marking each man's position in the trench in which he was buried with the corresponding number standing againsl his name upon the reg ister kepi by Mr. Atwater, which he informed me waa then in ssession of i he War I depart ment. Assured by the intelligence and frankness <>f my informant of the entire truthfulness of liis statements, I desired to impart to the officers <>f the governmenl the information I had gained, and accordingly brough.1 the subjecl to the attention of General Hoffman, commissary-general of prisoners, asking thai a party or expedition be at once senl to Andersonville for the purpose of identifying and marking the graves, and inclosing the grounds; and thai Dorence Atwater. with his register, accom- pany the same as the proper person to designate and identity. The subjecl appeared to have been not only unheard of, lmt unthoughl of, and from the generally prevailing impression that no care had been taken in the burial of our prisoners the idea seemed at firsl difficull to be entertained. Hut the same facts which had served to convince me presented themselves favorably to the good understanding and kind heart of General Hoffman, who took immediate steps to lay the matter before the Honorable Secretary of War, upon whom, at his request, I called the following day. and learned from him that he had heard and approved my proposition, and decided to order an expedition, consisting of materials and men. under charge of some governmenl officer, for the accomplishment of the obji sel forth in my request, and invited me to accompany the expe- dition in person, which invitation I accepted. Accordingly, <>n the s th of -July the propeller Virginia, hav- ing on board fencing material, headboards, the prison records, forty workmen, clerks and letterers, under command of Cap- tain .lam.'s M. Moore, A. Q. .M.. Dormice Atwater and myself, left Washington for Andersonville via Savannah. We resumed our journey by way of Augusta, Atlanta and Macon, the en- tire party reaching its destination in safety aboul noon of the 25th of July. We found the prison grounds, stockade, hospital sheds and the various minor structures almost in the same condition in which they had been evacuated ; and care is taken to leave these historic monuments undisturbed, so long as the elements will Bpare them, 260 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission TIktc is Qotj ;iikI never was, any town or village al this place except whal grew mil of its military occupation. Anderson Station, on the railroad from Macon to Eufala, was selected as a depot for prisoners, probably on accounl of its remoteness and possible security, and the prison itself, with the buildings which sprang up around it, constituted all there was of Ander- sonville. The land around is broken and undulating, and at the time of ils occupation was covered with forests, mostly of the Long leafed pine common to the uplands of the South. The bases of the hills are lined with oozy springs, which unite to form little rivulets, one of which sluggishly winds through each of the intervening marshy valleys. The original inclosure of nineteen acres was made in the unbroken woods, and the timber was removed only as it was wanted for the necessities of the prison. The inclosure was begun in January, 1834, and enlarged during the summer to 25% acres, being a quadrangle of 1,295 by 865 feet. The great- est length is from north to south, the ground rising from the middle toward each end in a rather steep, rounded hill, the northern one being at once Hie highest and of the greatesl ex- tent. A small stream rising from springs a little to the west- ward, flows across it through a narrow valley tilled with a com- post washed down by the rains. The inclosing stockade is formed of pine logs twenty feet in length, and about eighl inches in diameter, sunk five feet into the ground and placed (dose together. This is again surrounded by two successive :.'iid precisely similar palisades — a portion of the last of which is gone. It seems never to have been completed. The two inner walls remain entire. Within the interior space, at the distance of about seventeen feet from the stockade, runs tin 1 famous dead line, marked by small posts set in the ground, and a slight strip of pine board nailed on the to]) of them, 'flic •i'ates, of which there are two, situated on the west side, were continuous with the stockade, inclosing spaces of thirty feet square, more or less, with massive doors at either end. They were arranged and worked on the principle of canal locks. Upon the inner stockade were fifty-two sentry boxes, raised above the tops of the palisades and accessible to the guards by ladders. In these stood lifty-two guards will) loaded arms, so pear thai they could converse with each other. In addition Rj [*ORT Bl 1 l .AH \ I '. \kt<>\ 261 t<» these, Beveu forts, mounted with field artillery, commanded the fatal space and it* masses <»i perishing men. Under the most favorable circumstances and besl possible management the Bupply of water would have been insufficient for half the Dumber of persons who had i<» use it. The exist- ing arrangements nni.Ni have aggravated tin- evil to the utmosl extent. The sole establishments for cooking and baking were placed on tin- bank of the stream immediately above, and be- tween the two inner lines of palisades. The grease and refuse from them were found adhering to the banks ;it the time of our visit. The guards, to the number of aboul :).(><»<), were prin- cipally encamped on the upper pari of the stream, and when the heavy rains washed down the hillside covered with :5iHH)(> human beings, and the outlel below failed to discharge the flood which haeked and tilled the valley, the water must have become oul and Loathsome that ewry statement I have seen of its offensiveness must be considered as falling shorl of the reality. And yel within rifle shot of the prison there (lowed a stream fifteen feel wide and three deep of pure, delicious water. Had the prison been so placed as to include a section of the •■Sweet Water Creek," the inmates mighl have drank and bathed to their hearts' content. During the occupation a beautiful sprint:- broke out. like the waters of Meribah, from tin- solid ground near the foot of the northern slope, just under the western dead line. It is still then — cool and ii Report of Andersonville Monument Commission in the form of ovens, floored, ceiled and strengthened so far as the owners had means with sticks and pieces of boards, and some of them are provided with fireplaces and chimneys. It would seem-that there were eases, during long rains, where a house would become the grave of its owner by falling in upon him in the night. In these burrows are still found remnants of the wretched food and rude utensils of the occupants — drink- ing cups made of sections of horns ; platters and spoons wrought from parts of old canteens; kettles and pans made without solder from stray pieces of old tin or sheet iron. 1 brought away a considerable number of these articles, which may one day be of interest to the curious. Five sheds stand on top of the northern hill, erected in the early pari of the occupation; and five more on the opposite height, built a short time before the evacuation. Like nearly all southern land, the soil is liable to be washed away by the rains, and on the slopes of the hills ravines are now formed, gullied to the depth of twelve feet. It seems im- possible that men could have kept their footing on these hill- sides when slippery with rain. Outside the inclosure, and nearly parallel with the south nu\, is Hie hospital stockad< — 800 feet by 350. It contains twenty- two sheds, for the most part without sides, erected about three months before the place was abandoned. The old hospital, occupied up to that time, in which so many brave men died, consisted only of tents inclosed by a board fence and sur- rounded by a guard. Confused heaps of rubbish alone mark the place it occupied. About half a mile from the main prison, and near Anderson Station, is the officers' stockade — a small inclosure, in which were never imprisoned more than 250 officers, — and it was chiefly used for the confinement of rebel offenders. The cemetery, around which the chief interest must gather, is distant about three hundred yards from the stockade, in a northwesterly direction. The graves, placed side by side in (dose continuous rows, cover nine acres, divided into three Unequal lots by two roads which intersect each other at nearly righl angles, 'flic fourth space is still unoccupied, except by a lew graves of ' l Confederate ' ' soldiers. No human bodies were found exposed, and none, were re- moved. The place was found in much better condition than Kl.i'ui; I "l Cl \l»" \ l'» VRTON had been anticipated, owing to the excellent measures takeu by Major General Wilson, commanding al Macon, and n mane, public spirited citizen oi Fori Valley, G 'gia, u Griffin, who, in passing <>n the railroad, \\ .is informed by one of the ever faithful negroes thai the bodies were beeon u 2 posed .-ind were rooted up by the animals. [laving verified this tement, he collected a few negroes, sunk the exposed bodies ami covered them to a proper depth. He then reported the facts to General Wilson and requested authority to take steps protecting the grounds. Thai patriotic officer visited An dersonville in person, appointed Mr. Griffin temporary super- intendent .-iiul gave him such limited facilities aa could be fur- nished in thai destitute country, h waa determined to inclose a square of fifty acrea; and a1 the time oi our arrival the fence was nearly one-third luiilt from old lumber found aboul the place. He had also erected a brick kiln and waa manufacturing brick for drains to conduct the water away from the gravea and protect and atrengthen the soil againal the action of the heavy rains. We found Mr. Griffin buay with a force of aboul twenty - and a few mules at work on the grounds. I have un- derstood that thai gentleman furnished the labor a1 his own while General Wilson issued the necessary rations. 'Idie pari performed by our party was to take up and carry forward the work so well begun. Additional force was ob- tained t'oni the military commandanl ,-m Macon for completing the inclosure and erecting the headboards. It seemed that the dead had been buried by Union prisoners, paroled from the wide and hospital for thai purpose. Successive trenches. capable of containing from ino to 150 bodies each, thickly set with little poM> or boards with numbers in regular order carved upon them, told to the astonished and tear-dimmed eye the gad story of buried treasures. It was necessary only to compare the number upon each posl or board with that which Btands opposite the name on the regiater, and replace the whole with a more substantial, uniform and comely tablet, bearing not only tin- original number, hut the name, company and regiment, and the date of death of the soldier who slepl beneal h. I have repeatedly been assured by prisoners thai great care waa taken a1 the time, by the men to whom fell the sad task «»f originally marking this astonishing number of graves, i<» 264 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission perform the work with faithfulness and accuracy. II' it shall prove that the work performed by those who followed, under circumstances so much more favorable, was executed with less faithfulness and accuracy than the former, it will be a subjecl of much regret, but, fortunately, not yet beyond the possibility of correction. The number of graves marked is 12,920. The original records, captured by General Wilson, furnished about L0,500; but, as one book of the record had not been secured, over 2,000 names were supplied from a copy (of his own record) made by Mr. Atwater in the Andersonville prison, and brought by him to Annapolis on his return with the paroled prisoners. Interspersed throughout this Death Register were 400 num- bers against which stood only the word "Unknown." So, scattered among the thickly designated graves, stand 400 tab- lets bearing only the number and the touching inscription "Unknown Union Soldier." Substantially nothing was attempted beyond inclosing the grounds, identifying and marking the graves, placing some appropriate mottoes at the gates and along the spaces designed for walks, and erecting a flag staff in the center of the cemetery. The work was completed on the 17th of August, and the party took its route homeward by way of Chattanooga, Nashville and Cincinnati, arriving at AVashington on the morning of August 24. The health of the party during the expedition was remark- ably good, when the season of the year, the fatigue and the want of customary accommodations are taken into considera- tion. Cases of slight chills and fevers were not infrequent ; yet during the entire time we had only one ease of severe ill- ness, and that, to our grief, terminated fatally. Edward Watts, of Georgetown, D. C, a clerk in the quartermaster's depart- ment in this city, sickened of typhoid fever during the passage up the Savannah river and died on the 10th day of August. His remains were taken home to his friends. Mr. Watts was a young man of education and refinement, and of the highest type of moral and religious character; he suffered patiently, and died nobly and well. 1 have thought that he might be re- garded as the last martyr of Andersonville. The future of this historic spot cannot fail to constitute d subject of deep and abiding interest to the people of this entire country. It would seem fitting that it should be preserved as Ul.miM ,;\ CLARA BARTON 205 one of the sanctuaries of the nation, and, in due time, be dcr- orated with appropriate honors, Its susceptibility of internal improvemenl is very great. Water can be had for irrigation, and the climate will produce nearly all the, flora of the temper- ate zone. Both national gratitude and personal affection will suggesl the erection of a suitable monumenl within the ceme- tery, where, if desirable, may be preserved in durable form the oames of the martyrs who sleep around. And. as the land on which .-ill these interesting associations are clustered is still the property of private individuals, never having passed from the hands of the original owners, ii would seem desirable thai the cemetery, at least, and its immediate surroundings, become the property of the nation. A mile square will embrace all points neral and historic interest. There are numerous smaller burial places in the State of pgia, which, from their seeming lesser importance, will scarcely be kept up as national cemeteries, and, in reference to which, without venturing to suggest, I would merely remark that the titty acres inclosed at Andersonville would afford ample space for all whom it mighl ever he deemed advisable to remove to t hat point. During the occupation of Andersonville as ;i prison it was a punishable offense for a colored man or woman to feed, shelter, aid <>r even converse with the prisoners on parole. To others they had no access. I have been informed thai they were not allowed aboul the prison grounds; and so ureal was their superstitious horror of the cruelties perpetrated upon the prisoners thai only a comparatively small number had ever found the courage to visit the cemetery up to the time of our arrival. Bui the presence of so many Northern people on such an errand, among them a lady, entirely overcame their fears; and they visited the cemetery and myself by scores, men, women and children, sometimes a hundred in a day. Ii was no uncommon occurrence, upon opening my tent in the morn ing, to find ;i group who had come to see the "Yankee lady." and to task her if it were true thai Abraham Lincoln was dead, and they were \'v*-'': and how Massa Lincoln's ureal paper read, and what they OUghl to do: and to tell her how the "poor Yankee prisoners*' ran before the dons '"like us." and they could not save them starved, and how they could not \'t'c<\ tin-in died, and how they could not see them. 266 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission Remember, mothers, thai the pitying tears of the old-time slave, whom your son helped to freedom, is the only tear thai falls upon his distanl grave today. I. have endeavored to point out to you, as faithfully as I am able, the various objects of interest, painful or otherwise, which presented themselves to my observation during the time occu- pied in the work of the expedition; and while I would not dwell upon the terribleness of the sufferings imposed upon our prisoners, nor stir the hearts already sunk in grief to deeper woe. still we owe it alike to the living and the dead thai a proper knowledge and realization of the miseries which they endured be entertained by all. We are wont to attribute tiieir chief suffering to insufficiency of food, and. while this is prob- ably just, still, to the mind of one who has looked over the scanty, shelterless, pitiful spot of earth to which they were confined, who has taken into consideration the numberless trials which must have grown out of the privation of space and the necessary conveniences of life, the conviction will force itself that these latter woes fell bu1 little short of the former. It is to be remembered that during thirteen long months they knew neither shelter nor protection from the changeable skies above, nor the pitiless, unfeeling earth beneath. The treacherous nature of the soil, parching to seams in the sun, and gullying and sliding under their feet with every shower, must have augmented their ills almost beyond concep- tion. I watched the effect of a heavy fall of rain upon the inclosed grounds, and in thirty minutes the entire hillsides, whi(d) had constituted their sole abiding place, were one rolling mass of slippery mud ; and this was t he effect of a mere summer shower. What, then, of the continued rains of autumn .' Think of thirty thousand men penned in by a (dose stockade upon twenty-six acres of ground, from which every tree and shrub had been uprooted for fuel to cook their scanty food, huddled, like cattle, without shelter or blanket, half (dad and hungry. with the dreary night setting in after a day of autumn rain. The hilltops would not hold them all. and the valley was filled with the swollen brook; seventeen feel from the stockade ran the fatal dead l'ne. beyond which no man might step and live What did they do.' I need not ask you where did they go, for on the face of the whole green earth there was n<> place hut this for them. Bui where did they place themselves? How Ki PORT I'N < I \R \ l'» 1RTON 267 did they live! Aye, Iiom did the} die? I > u 1 this is only one feature of their suffering, and perhaps the lightest. Of the long, dazzling months when gaunl famine stalked al noon day and pestilence walked by eight, and upon the seamed and parching earth the cooling rains fell uot, I will uol trusl me to speak. I scarce dare think. If my heart were strong enough to draw the picture there are thousands upon thou- sands ;ill through our land too crushed and sore t<» look upon it. Bui after this, whenever any man who has lain a prisoner within th<- stockade «>!' Andersonville would tell you of his suf- ferings, how he fainted, scorched, drenched, hungered, si<- k- cucd. was scoffed, scourged, hunted and persecuted, though the tale he long and twice-told. as you would have your own wrongs appreciated, your own woes pitied, your own erics for mercy heard, I charge you listen and believe him. However definitely he may have spoken, know that he has not told you all. However strongly he may have outlined, or deeply he may have colored his picture, know that the reality calls for a better lighl and a nearer \ vw than your clouded, distant gaze will ever u r ct. And your sympathies need ool he confined to Andersonville, while similar horrors glared in the sunny lighl and spotted the flower-girl garden fields of that whole desperate, misguided and bewildered people. Wherever stretched the form of a Union prisoner there rose the signal tor cruelty and the rvy of agony; and there, day by day. grew the skeleton graves of the nameless dead. But, braving ami enduring all this, some thousands have re- turned to you. And you will bear with me. and these uoble men will pardon me. while, in conclusion, I speak one word of them. The unparalleled severities of our four years* campaigns have told upon the constitutional strength even of the fortu- nate soldier who alone marched to the music of the [Tnion ami slepl only beneath the folds of the flag for which he fought. Bui they whom fickle fortune left to crouch al the foot of the shadowless palmetto, and listen to the hissim.: of the serpent. drank still deeper of the nnhealthful draught. These men bear with them the seeds of disease ami death, sown in thai fatal •dime and ripening tor an early harvest. With occasional ceptions, they will prove to he short-lived and enfeebled men. ami. whether they ask it or not. will deserve al vour hands no L^ii* Report of Andersonville Moni ment Commission ordinary share of kindly consideration. The survivor of a rebel prison has endured and suffered whal you never can, and what, I pray God, your children aever may. With Less of strength, and more of sad and bitter memories, he is with yon dow, to earn food so Long denied him. II' he ask "leave to toil," give it to him before it is too Late; if he need kindness and encouragement, bestow them freely while yon may; if he seek charity at your hands, remember thai "the poor yon have always with yon," but him you have not always, and withhold it not. If hereafter you find them making organized effort to provide Tor the widow and orphan of the Union prisoner, re- member that it grows 6u1 of the heart sympathy which clusters around the memories of the comrades who perished for the future of their own, and aid them. In conclusion, tremulously, Lest I assume too much, let me hasten to commend to the grateful consideration of this noble, generous people, alike the soldier who has given the strength, the prisoner who has sacrificed his health, the widow who has offered up her husband, the orphan who knows only that its father went out to battle and comes no more forever, and the lonely, distant grave of the martyr who sleeps alone in a stranger soil that freedom and peace mighl come to ours. One word of explanation, in conclusion, and I have done. You have long and justly felt that some report of this expe- dition, embracing a record of the graves identified and re- claimed was due to you. And three thousand Letters addressed to me upon the subject have revealed only too plainly and painfully the bitter anxiety with which you have watched and waited. A mere report, unaccompanied by the "record/' seemed but a hollow mockery, which I would not impose upon you, and this is my tirsl opportunity for such accompaniment. For the record of your dead you are indebted to the forethought, cour- age and perseverence of Dorence Ai water, a young man not yet twenty-one years of age: an orphan, four years a soldier, one- tenth part of his life ;i prisoner with broken health and ruined hopes, he seeks to present to your acceptance the sad gift he has in store for you : and. grateful For the opportunity, I hasten to place beside it this humble report, whose only merit is its truthfulness, and I beg you to accept il in the spirit of kindness in which it is offered. Clara IJarton. Andkrson villi >i\ i phe Civil War CHAPTER XV. ANDERSONVILLE SINCE THE CIVIL WAR. After the war the stockade was cu1 down and removed, .•mil the ground, being well cleared, with ool a vestige of tree or stump or root as large as a lead pencil, excepl two trees left, for some unexplained reason, in the south side. The soil was tilled and various crops raised upon it until May, 1890, when it was purchased by the Departmenl of Georgia, Grand Army of the Republic, for fifteen hun- dred dollars. The purchase included all the ground oc- cupied as a prison and the fortifications surrounding it. also the righl of way, one hundred feel wide, leading to ilit- railroad station. The work was then commenced of clear- ing up the ground and putting il in order. A hedge was I lanted around it. two br:dges wot built and piling put along the creek to prevenl washing. The whole tract consisted of aboul seventy-two acres. After expending in the neighborhood of fifteen hundred dollars, the comrades of the departmenl fell unable financially to continue the work, and steps were taken to turn it over to the National organization of t lie Grand Army ; they fell unable to assume the responsibility, and it was then turned over to, and accepted by, the National Woman's Relief Corps, .-it Louisville, in 1895. The conditions were that it should be improved and preserved as a fitting memorial to the heroes who had suffered there. The national president ap- pointed the following committee to consider the proposition of the Georgia Departmenl of Grand Army: Annie Witten- meyer, Pennsylvania, Pas1 National President; Mary Lyle Rey- nolds, Kentucky, and Josephine l'>. Lewis, Louisiana. At the fourteenth convention, held in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1896, the committee recommended thai "we accepl as a sacred trust the Andersonville prison property under the conditions imposed, and that a contribution of five cents be asked from every mem- 270 Report of Anderronville Monument Commission ber of the order. Also, thai oilier funds be raised by such methods as the members deem best." This recommendation was adopted, voluntary contributions amounting to $1,865.50 were pledged a1 once and a committee was appointed to notify the National Encampmenl of the Grand Army, then in session, of the action of the National Woman's Relief Corps. This reporl was received with enthusiastic applause by the Grand Army, which passed the following resolution: "Thai we heartily commend the patriotic and generous action of the Woman's Relief Corps in providing for the per- manenl preservation of the site of Andersonville Prison.'' In 189] the Relief Corps had purchased fourteen and one- half acres, which look in the outer stockade and the fortifica- tions commanding the prison. The lines were 1 raced by the stubs in the ground and marked by granite posts. The Relief Corps then buill a large, roomy house Tor the custodian, and for the accommodation of visitors to the historic park. The department of Illinois, Grand Army of the Republic, furnished the reception room, a delightful resting place, at a cost of one hundred dollars. The Massachusetts Relief Corps furnished one guesl chamber, which includes bedding, bookcase, books ami pictures, as well as three large flags. The New Jersey Corps has one loom furnished with nice Brussels carpet, rugs, desk, table, sofas, easy chairs, pictures and a large flag. The Oh'o Corps has one room made as comfortable as kind bands can make it. Jesse Wells Relief Corps No. 66 and the Grand Army Post of Columbus, have furnished one room. Wisconsin, under the supervision of Department President Miss Fanny MacAllister, furnished the dining room with a twelve-foot ex- tension table, one dozen chairs, a handsome sideboard, — all of golden oak. Also one do/en silver teaspoons and one-third dozen tablespoons; and the writer, I). (J. .Tames, who was a prisoner there, contributed a steel range and kitchen utensils to complete the kitchen furniture. Messrs. Lindsay "Bros, of Milwaukee contributed a one-borse mower for the lawn. Aside from the house, there is a good barn and tool-bouse. Water is furnished, by a windmill and pipe, from an elevated tank to the kitchen and barn. A woven wire fence four and one-half feel high encloses the grounds, which are mad" bear- tiful by two hundred and fifty pecan trees, which will be a source of revenue in the near future. Beautiful shade trees LIZABETH A TURNER Life-Chairman AndersonviUe Board "OUR LIZABETH" Died at Hkb 1'<>-i 01 Di iv, Ajtoersonvillb, Geobgia Amu 27, 1907 18 Kl I l« - 01 Prison Lll I Preserved at Anderson vi lie X w PRO> ll»l X( 1 SPRl N(i tl< 1 1 si i nut! iiji to H> n )-<)i ; <;>,'i heard, nm\ with His thunder 'hit tin earth Ami poured Hi* iweeteai water gushing then .ill. I l\ II W Mv 1 1\ .w .1} s. and, most beaul iful of all, .1 r four hundred rose bushes which li;i\ e b< ili,- various Corps and private indh iduals. There two wells dug by the prisoners, whose only tools e8 and two quarl buckets. Thoi mer of 1864, and to a depth of from forty to they have ool caved in. This is probably becaus* bbery which has grown around them. This shrub- liem appear .-is lin le oases n t he deserl . abeth Turner, Presidenl of the Park Board from 1" ved these wells and beautified the spots with ferns .Mini floi - She died there April 27, 1907, bul will always held in grateful remembrance by the ex-prisoners. A • the death of Mrs. Turner, .Mrs. Sarah I). Winans of Toledo, Ohio, continued the work in the same efficienl manner. »tain Wilson, of Indiana, who was care-taker from 1S!>7 t<> s succeeded by Alonzo Turner and his wife, who were always ready to do what they could to make visitors to the park welcome and comfortable. Mr. Turner died September 1*>. 1908, ami was followed by J. T. B : ckel. After the Woman's Relief Corps had purchased the prison ind and had it fixed up. they caused bulletin boards to be •ed upon which were figures showing the mortality at Andersonville, and comparing it with the prisons in tin' north occupied by Confederates. These bulletins were put there to ite tie- false statements being made by southern historians. The Woman's Relief Corps, finding the park needing much constant '-.ire and vigilant policing by parties of authority, on • u 1 1 t of the lawlessness of some irresponsible persons who threw rubbish in the famous Bpring and put mud into the drink- ing fountain at the pavilion, concluded to give the place to the irnment. It was accepted by act of the 59th Congress and ratified by the National Woman's Relief Corps September, 1910, at Atlantic city. New Jersey. An-! DOW that old prison pen, 88 C red to the nation as tie- token of how much loyal men would suffer for the welfar< their country and its \v>->- institutions, and still remain loyal. i- being cared for by the government those loyal men Buffet and died to maintain. 19 290 Report of Andersonville Monument Commission THE CEMETERY AS [T APPEARS TO-DAY. Away i»;ick in the summer of 1865, when .Miss Clara Barton went, av it h a company of helpers, down to Andersonville to mark the graves of the deceased Union prisoners there and put the cemetery in decenl condition, and to report, so far as possible, the names of all buried there, she made the modesl suggestion — it may be Pound on page 265 of this book — that the cemetery at Andersonville be made a national sanctuary, and that a suitable monument be erected to the memory of the martyrs there at rest. The noble soul of Clara Barton could make this suggestion, but she could not foresee the half of what would by-and-by be done at Andersonville. Since that time the bodies of our dead at Macon and Millen have been brought there for burial, and the cemetery has come to be, not a great charnel house, an uncared-for city of the dead, but, through the patriotic and loving efforts of our Woman's Relief Corps, a beautiful, well- kept cemetery, — one of the most beautiful in all our land. A government headstone marks the grave of every one of those 12,960 green mounds where rest the brave young fellows who so suffered for the cause of liberty and the Union. The gov- ernment now ow r ns the grounds, as Miss Barton suggested it should do, and that sacred spot will ever be a shrine of na- tional devotion. May we all rejoice in the fact. PROVIDENCE SPRING. Our prisoners in Andersonville suffered fearfully from thirst. The water in the little creek running through the grounds was altogether insufficient for their needs: and what there was of it was vile. — thick with the germs of disease. There was a constant longing, not only for food but for good water to drink. On the night of the 16th of August. 1864, there was a terrible rain,— a veritable flood. The prisoners suffered fear- fully Prom the storm. ye1 great joy came in the morning, when the good news flew about the camp that during the night a spring of pure water had burst forth Prom the ground, where everybody might drink his fill. Andersonvilij Since thi Civil War 291 This >|»iiim was w • t 1 1 i 1 1 the dead-line, bu1 be il s;ii the credit of Captain Wirz thai he allowed spouts t<> !»<• placed in Midi manner as thai Ihe water might be broughl to where the men could gel a1 it. Believing the breaking forth of this spring to be 8 miracle of God's goodness, the devoul men in prison nam".! il li Providence Spring;*' and il is si ill Provi deuce Spring, The water is now carried in a i>ip«' to the pa- vilion shown in the picture, where there is drinking fountain. This fountain and pavilion constitute a perpetual memorial of ill.- self sacrifice oi the brave young spirits who Buffered there for the sake of their country,- vour country and mine. 292 Report of Andersonvtlle Monument Commission Report of the Treasurer of the Monument Commission. Re< EIPT8. By appropriation, Chapter 322, Byjappropriation, Chapter 321, By ^appropriation, Chapter 137, Laws of L903.... Laws of 1905 .. . Laws of 1907 Total. Disbursements. Paid Alexander Miller, consulting artisl Paid for advertising Paid Fred Hibbard, for second choice of design Paid C. A. Pink, for design and working plans.. Paid for iron fences around wells Paid C.J.Clark, contractor Paid expenses of Commissioner's R. II. fare, hotel, superintending 1 erection of monument, and expense of dedication Paid back into treasury, as provided for in chapter 269, Laws of 1900 Total $10,500 00 COO 00 1. » 00 $12,100 oo $30 00 i; 66 50 00 363 "20 83 00 9. 123 50 2, 219 39 153 25 *!•->. 100 00 David G. James, Presidt nt Charles H. Russell, Secretary. (Signed) Lansing Williams, Treasurer L \ \-i \(, W'ii i i \ \i S S'CE nil. I \ V 295 A PATHETIC POEM. The following poem was found in tin- knapsack of James W. Hyatt, private in Company 11. L18th Pennsylvania Volunteers, wln> enlisted August 12, L862, and who was captured and died mville, Georgia, December :!. 1864. A copy was :en by 1>. C. Smith, a fellow prisoner, and Secretary of Indiana Monument < Commission : 1I.WK YO\] LEFT is BERE To DIE1 When our country called tor men, we came from forge, and e, and mill. Prom workshop, farm and factory, the broken ranks to till; We left "in- quiet homes and the ones we loved so well, To vanquish all our Union foes, or fall where others fell. Now in prison drear we languish, and it is our constanl cry: < >h. you who yet can saw us. will you leave us here to die? Tin- voice of slander tells you that our hearts were weak with fear, That all. or nearly all. of us were captured in the rear. The scius upon our bodies from musket-balls and shell, Tin- missing legs and shattered arms, a truer tale will tell. We have tried to do our duty in sight of God on high; ^>h. you wh<> yet can save us. will you leave us here t<> die There are hearts with hopes still beating in our pleasant North- ern ho! Waiting, watching for the footsteps that may never, never ae. In a Southern prison pining, meagre, tattered, pale and gaunt, — vim: weaker, weaker daily from pinching cold and want. ' ir Bhould • said here that the rebels undertook to make m rernment would not exchange prisoners. They tried think that Uncle Sam was Indifferenl t<> our condition. While we kne* better than that, ir is no wonder that Bome of the poor In their and discouragement, almoel lost faith even • i'lit Abraham Lincoln, our whole government, and ■■ te ot" mind of the pooi fellow !id of others of as from time to time. — h Q J 296 Report of Andersonville Monument ( ommission There brothers, sons, and husbands, poor and hopeless captives, lie: Oh. you who yei can save us. will you leave us here in die. Jus1 outside our prison gate there's ;i graveyard near a1 hand, Where lie twelve thousand Union men beneath the Georgia sand : Scores and scores are laid beside them as day succeeds each day. And thus it shall he ever till 111" last shall pass away. And the last can say when dying, with uplifted, glazing eye, Both faith and love are dead at home, they have left us here to die.