andersonville-第118部分

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as　it　was　also　with　the　prisoners　generally。　　Not　less　than　twenty…five
thousand　gallant；　noble…hearted　boys　died　around　me　between　the　dates　of
my　capture　and　release。　　Nobler　men　than　they　never　died　for　any　cause。
For　the　most　part　they　were　simple…minded；　honest…hearted　boys；　the
sterling　products　of　our　Northern　home…life；　and　Northern　Common　Schools；
and　that　grand　stalwart　Northern　blood；　the　yeoman　blood　of　sturdy　middle
class　freementhe　blood　of　the　race　which　has　conquered　on　every　field
since　the　Roman　Empire　went　down　under　its　sinewy　blows。　　They　prated
little　of　honor；　and　knew　nothing　of　〃chivalry〃　except　in　its　repulsive
travesty　in　the　South。　　As　citizens　at　home；　no　honest　labor　had　been
regarded　by　them　as　too　humble　to　be　followed　with　manly　pride　in　its
success；　as　soldiers　in　the　field；　they　did　their　duty　with　a　calm
defiance　of　danger　and　death；　that　the　world　has　not　seen　equaled　in　the
six　thousand　years　that　men　have　followed　the　trade　of　war。　　In　the
prison　their　conduct　was　marked　by　the　same　unostentatious　but
unflinching　heroism。　　Death　stared　them　in　the　face　constantly。　　They
could　read　their　own　fate　in　that　of　the　loathsome；　unburied　dead　all
around　them。　　Insolent　enemies　mocked　their　sufferings；　and　sneered　at
their　devotion　to　a　Government　which　they　asserted　had　abandoned　them；
but　the　simple　faith；　the　ingrained　honesty　of　these　plain…mannered；
plain…spoken　boys　rose　superior　to　every　trial。　　Brutus；　the　noblest
Roman　of　them　all；　says　in　his　grandest　flight：

　　　　　　　　　　Set　honor　in　one　eye　and　death　in　the　other；
　　　　　　　　　　And　I　will　look　on　both　indifferently。

They　did　not　say　this：　they　did　it。　　They　never　questioned　their　duty；　no
repinings；　no　murmurings　against　their　Government　escaped　their　lips；
they　took　the　dread　fortunes　brought　to　them　as　calmly；　as　unshrinkingly
as　they　had　those　in　the　field；　they　quailed　not；　nor　wavered　in　their
faith　before　the　worst　the　Rebels　could　do。　　The　finest　epitaph　ever
inscribed　above　a　soldier's　grave　was　that　graven　on　the　stone　which
marked　the　resting…place　of　the　deathless　three　hundred　who　fell　at
Thermopylae：

　　　　　　　　　　Go；　stranger；　to　Lacedaemon；
　　　　　　　　　　And　tell　Sparta　that　we　lie　here　in　obedience　to　her　laws。

They　who　lie　in　the　shallow　graves　of　Andersonville；　Belle　Isle；　Florence
and　Salisbury；　lie　there　in　obedience　to　the　precepts　and　maxims
inculcated　into　their　minds　in　the　churches　and　Common　Schools　of　the
North；　precepts　which　impressed　upon　them　the　duty　of　manliness　and　honor
in　all　the　relations　and　exigencies　of　life；　not　the　〃chivalric〃　prate　of
their　enemies；　but　the　calm　steadfastness　which　endureth　to　the　end。　　The
highest　tribute　that　can　be　paid　them　is　to　say　they　did　full　credit　to
their　teachings；　and　they　died　as　every　American　should　when　duty　bids
him。　　No　richer　heritage　was　ever　bequeathed　to　posterity。

It　was　in　the　year　1864；　and　the　first　three　months　of　1865　that　these
twenty…five　thousand　youths　mere　cruelly　and　needlessly　done　to　death。
In　these　fatal　fifteen　months　more　young　men　than　to…day　form　the　pride；
the　hope；　and　the　vigor　of　any　one　of　our　leading　Cities；　more　than　at
the　beginning　of　the　war　were　found　in　either　of　several　States　in　the
Nation；　were　sent　to　their　graves；　〃unknelled；　uncoffined；　and　unknown；〃
victims　of　the　most　barbarous　and　unnecessary　cruelty　recorded　since　the
Dark　Ages。　　Barbarous；　because　the　wit　of　man　has　not　yet　devised　a　more
savage　method　of　destroying　fellow…beings　than　by　exposure　and
starvation；　unnecessary；　because　the　destruction　of　these　had　not；　and
could　not　have　the　slightest　effect　upon　the　result　of　the　struggle。
The　Rebel　leaders　have　acknowledged　that　they　knew　the　fate　of　the
Confederacy　was　sealed　when　the　campaign　of　1864　opened　with　the　North
displaying　an　unflinching　determination　to　prosecute　the　war　to　a
successful　conclusion。　　All　that　they　could　hope　for　after　that　was　some
fortuitous　accident；　or　unexpected　foreign　recognition　that　would　give
them　peace　with　victory。　　The　prisoners　were　non…important　factors　in　the
military　problem。　　Had　they　all　been　turned　loose　as　soon　as　captured；
their　efforts　would　not　have　hastened　the　Confederacy's　fate　a　single
day。

As　to　the　responsibility　for　this　monstrous　cataclysm　of　human　misery　and
death：　　That　the　great　mass　of　the　Southern　people　approved　of　these
outrages；　or　even　knew　of　them；　I　do　not；　for　an　instant；　believe。　　They
are　as　little　capable　of　countenancing　such　a　thing　as　any　people　in　the
world。　　But　the　crowning　blemish　of　Southern　society　has　ever　been　the
dumb　acquiescence　of　the　many　respectable；　well…disposed；　right…thinking
people　in　the　acts　of　the　turbulent　and　unscrupulous　few。　　From　this
direful　spring　has　flowed　an　Iliad　of　unnumbered　woes；　not　only　to　that
section　but　to　our　common　country。　　It　was　this　that　kept　the　South
vibrating　between　patriotism　and　treason　during　the　revolution；　so　that
it　cost　more　lives　and　treasure　to　maintain　the　struggle　there　than　in
all　the　rest　of　the　country。　　It　was　this　that　threatened　the
dismemberment　of　the　Union　in　1832。　　It　was　this　that　aggravated　and
envenomed　every　wrong　growing　out　of　Slavery；　that　outraged　liberty；
debauched　citizenship；　plundered　the　mails；　gagged　the　press；　stiffled
speech；　made　opinion　a　crime；　polluted　the　free　soil　of　God　with　the
unwilling　step　of　the　bondman；　and　at　last　crowned　three…quarters　of　a
century　of　this　unparalleled　iniquity　by　dragging　eleven　millions　of
people　into　a　war　from　which　their　souls　revolted；　and　against　which　they
had　declared　by　overwhelming　majorities　in　every　State　except　South
Carolina；　where　the　people　had　no　voice。　　It　may　puzzle　some　to
understand　how　a　relatively　small　band　of　political　desperados　in　each
State　could　accomplish　such　a　momentous　wrong；　that　they　did　do　it；　no
one　conversant　with　our　history　will　deny；　and　that　theyinsignificant
as　they　were　in　numbers；　in　abilities；　in　character；　in　everything　save
capacity　and　indomitable　energy　in　mischiefcould　achieve　such　gigantic
wrongs　in　direct　opposition　to　the　better　sense　of　their　communities　is　a
fearful　demonstration　of　the　defects　of　the　constitution　of　Southern
society。

Men　capable　of　doing　all　that　the　Secession　leaders　were　guilty　ofboth
before　and　during　the　warwere　quite　capable　of　revengefully　destroying
twenty…five　thousand　of　their　enemies　by　the　most　hideous　means　at　their
command。　　That　they　did　so　set　about　destroying　their　enemies；　wilfully；
maliciously；　and　with　malice　prepense　and　aforethought；　is　susceptible　of
proof　as　conclusive　as　that　which　in　a　criminal　court　sends　murderers　to
the　gallows。

Let　us　examine　some　of　these　proofs：

1。　　The　terrible　mortality　at　Andersonville　and　elsewhere　was　a　matter　of
as　much　notoriety　throughout　the　Southern　Confederacy　as　the　military
operations　of　Lee　and　Johnson。　　No　intelligent　manmuch　less　the　Rebel
leaderswas　ignorant　of　it　nor　of　its　calamitous　proportions。

2。　　Had　the　Rebel　leaders　within　a　reasonable　time　after　this　matter
became　notorious　made　some　show　of　inquiring　into　and　alleviating　the
deadly　misery；　there　might　be　some　excuse　for　them　on　the　ground　of　lack
of　information；　and　the　plea　that　they　did　as　well　as　they　could　would
have　some　validity。　　But　this　state　of　affairs　was　allowed　to　continue
over　a　yearin　fact　until　the　downfall　of　the　Confederacywithout　a
hand　being　raised　to　mitigate　the　horrors　of　those　placeswithout　even
an　inquiry　being　made　as　to　whether　they　were　mitigable　or　not。　　Still
worse：　every　month　saw　the　horrors　thicken；　and　the　condition　of　the
prisoners　become　more　wretched。

The　suffering　in　May；　1864；　was　more　terrible　than　in　April；　June　showed
a　frightful　increase　over　May；　while　words　fail　to　paint　the　horrors　of
July　and　August；　and　so　the　wretchedness　waxed　until　the　end；　in　April；
1865。

3。　　The　main　causes　of　suffering　and　death　were　so　obviously　preventible
that　the　Rebel　leaders　could　not　have　been　ignorant　of　the　ease　with
which　a　remedy　could　be　applied。　　These　main　causes　were　three　in　number：

a。　　Improper　and　insufficient　food。
b。　　Unheard…of　crowding　together。
c。　　Utter　lack　of　shelter。

It　is　difficult　to　say　which　of　these　three　was　the　most　deadly。　　Let　us
admit；　for　the　sake　of　argument；　that　it　was　impossible　for　the　Rebels　to
supply　sufficient　and　proper　food。　　This　admission；　I　know；　will　not
stand　for　an　instant　in　the　face　of　the　revelations　made　by　Sherman's
March　to　the　Sea；　and　through　the　Carolinas；　but　let　that　pass；　that　we
may　consider　more　easily　demonstrable　facts　connected　with　the　next　two
propositions；　the　first　of　which　is　as　to　the　crowding　together。　　Was
land　so　scarce　in　the　Southern　Confederacy　that　no　more　than　sixteen
acres　could　be　spared　for　the　use　of　thirty…five　thousand　prisoners？
The　State　of　Georgia　has　a　population　of　less　than　one…sixth　that　of　New
York；　scattered　over　a　territory　one…quarter　greater　than　that　State's；
and　yet　a　pitiful　little　tractless　than　the　corn…patch　〃clearing〃　of
the　laziest　〃cracker〃　in　the　Statewas　all　that　could　be　allotted　to　the
use　of　three…and…a…half　times　ten　thousand　young　men！　　The　average