Transferred to the "Rhode Island."--Meeting with an old
Friend.--Arrival at Fort Warren.--Treatment there.--Correspondence,
and its Result.--Prison Life.--Exchanged.--The Crew at
quarters.--Burial of the "Unknown."
On the 9th of May we were transferred from the Colorado to the steamer
Rhode Island, bound to Fort Warren. On board of this vessel we were
"tabooed" even more completely by the officers, than on board the
Colorado; for the Rhode Island was officered, with the single exception,
I believe, of her captain, by volunteers, who were not connected with us
by any associations of friendship or congeniality of taste. The harsh
order to hold no intercourse with us, had been evaded or violated, "sub
rosa," on board the Colorado by old friends and shipmates. On board the
Rhode Island, much to our satisfaction, it was strictly obeyed; for we
would have lost our patience to be "interviewed" by fledgling naval
heroes, many of whom had reached the quarter deck through the
hawseholes. Upon one occasion, many years ago, when the question of
increasing the United States Navy was under discussion by Congress, a
rough western member, opposed to the measure, stated that his section of
the country could supply droves of young officers whenever they were
needed. The United States Government must have "corralled" lots of
youngsters, without regard to their fitness or capacity, to send on
board the ships of war during our civil conflict. The "noble commander"
of the Rhode Island most of us had known of old as a prim little
precisian, and a great stickler for etiquette, and by no means a bad
fellow; but so strict a constructionist that he would probably have
refused to recognize his grandfather, if it were against orders. But he
had a humane disposition under his frigid exterior; and allowed us all
the comfort and privileges compatible with discipline and safety.
We touched at Fortress Monroe; and while the vessel was at anchor there
I received a gratifying evidence that this fratricidal war had not
destroyed all kindly feelings between former friends and messmates. The
executive officer of the Rhode Island called me aside to say that a
friend wished to see me in his state-room; and as he did not mention
the name, I was surprised to find myself warmly greeted by Albert Smith.
We had served together during the Mexican war, and our cruise had not
been an uneventful one; for the vessel to which we were attached ("the
Perry") after considerable service in the Mexican Gulf, was dismasted
and wrecked, during one of the most terrific hurricanes that ever
desolated the West India Islands. Thirty-nine vessels, out of forty-two,
which lay in the harbor of Havana, foundered at their anchors, or were
driven ashore; all of the light-houses along the Florida reef were
destroyed, and hundreds of persons perished. The Perry lost all of her
boats, her guns, except two, were thrown overboard, and she escaped
complete destruction almost by a miracle. She encountered the hurricane
off Havana, and after scudding for many hours under bare poles,
describing a circle as the wind continued to veer in the cyclone, she
passed over the Florida reef with one tremendous shock as she hung for a
moment upon its rocky crest. Her masts went by the board, but we had
passed in a moment from a raging sea into smooth water. Captain Blake,
who commanded her, achieved the feat of rigging jury masts with his
crew, and carrying the vessel to the Philadelphia navy yard for
repairs. Albert Smith and I had not met for many years. He offered me
any service in his power, and pressed me to accept at least a pecuniary
loan. The kind offer, although declined, was gratefully remembered; and
I was glad, too, to find that he, in common with many others, who
remained to fight under the old flag, could appreciate the sacrifices
made by those who felt equally bound, by all the truest and best
feelings of our nature, to defend their homes and firesides.
On our arrival at Fort Warren we were assigned quarters in one of the
casemates. Little more than a year had passed away since I had planted a
signal staff upon its parapet to _angle_ upon; being then engaged, as
chief of a hydrographic surveying party, in surveying the approaches to
Boston Harbor. _Then_ its garrison consisted of a superannuated sergeant
whose office was a sinecure; _now_ it held an armed garrison, who
drilled and paraded every day, with all the "pomp and circumstance" of
war, to the patriotic tune of "John Brown's body lies a-moulding in the
grave, but his spirit is marching on;" and it was crowded with southern
prisoners of war.
For a few days, in pursuance of Commodore Porter's policy, we were
closely confined; but all exceptional restrictions were then removed and
we fell into the monotonous routine of prison life. The following
correspondence took place previous to the removal of the restrictions,
and explains the reason of their withdrawal.
FORT WARREN, Boston Harbor, May 25, 1862.
Sir,--I was much surprised last evening on being informed by
Colonel Dimmick that Lieutenants Wilkinson, Warly, Ward, Whittle
and Harris, together with myself, have been, by your order, denied
the "privileges and courtesies that are extended to other
prisoners," on the ground that the act of burning the Confederate
States Battery "Louisiana," late under my command, was held by the
United States Navy Department as "infamous." In my letter to the
Department, dated on board of the United States Steamer Rhode
Island, Key West, May 14th, 1862, and forwarded through Commander
Trenchard on the arrival of that vessel in Hampton Roads, together
with a copy of my letter to Flag officer Farragut, and his reply
thereto, I felt assured that all the facts connected with the
destruction of the Louisiana were placed in such a light as not to
be mistaken, nor my motives misconstrued. To render the affair
still more clear I enclose herewith a memorandum of W. C. Whittle
Jr., Confederate States Navy, who was the bearer of my message to
Commodore Porter respecting my fears that the magazine of the
Louisiana had not been effectually drowned. With all these
statements forwarded by me to the United States Navy Department I
am perfectly willing to rest the case with impartial and
unprejudiced minds, as well as with my own Government, satisfied
that nothing has been done by the foregoing officers, nor myself,
militating at all against the strictest rules of military honor and
usage.
Though I will not affect an indifference to the personal annoyance
to us by the action of the United States Navy Department in our
case as prisoners of war, yet my chief solicitude is to have placed
on file in that office such a statement of facts as will, on a fair
investigation, vindicate all the officers of the Confederate States
Navy concerned from the odium of infamous conduct unjustly
attempted to be fixed upon them by those of the United States Navy;
against which and the infliction of punishment as directed by the
Navy Department I enter my solemn protest.
I most emphatically assert that the Louisiana, when abandoned and
fired by my order, was not only not "turned adrift" or intended to
injure the United States forces as charged by Commander Porter; but
that she was actually left secured to the opposite bank of the
river and distant quite three-fourths of a mile from the said
forces, for the very reason that they were flying a flag of truce,
and for that reason I dispatched the warning message to Commander
Porter respecting the magazine. That it is not only the right, but
the duty, of an officer to destroy public property to prevent its
falling into the hands of an enemy does not admit of question; and
in addition to all which, it must not be overlooked that the forces
under my command flew no flag of truce, and that I was not in any
way a party to the surrender of Forts Jackson and St. Philip.
I have the honor to be
Very respectfully your obedient servant,
(Signed) JNO. K. MITCHELL,
_Commander C. S. Navy._
Hon. GIDEON WELLES,
Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D. C.
_Copy in Substance._
NAVY DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, May 29, 1862
SIR,--The explanations of Commodore J. K. Mitchell are
satisfactory, and the restrictions imposed on him and his
associates by the department's order of the 2d instant will be
removed, and they will be treated as prisoners of war.
This does not relieve Beverly Kennon from the restrictions imposed
on him.
(Signed) GIDEON WELLES.
Colonel Justin Dimmick,
Commanding Fort Warren, Boston.
(_Copy._)
NAVY DEPARTMENT, June 25, 1862.
SIR,--The letter of John K. Mitchell of the 20th inst., concerning
the restrictions imposed on you, by order of this Department, at
Fort Warren, has been received.
Will you please furnish the Department with the particulars of the
destruction of the gunboat of which you had command in the
engagement below New Orleans, with _wounded_ men on board.
I am respectfully your obedient servant,
(Signed) GIDEON WELLES.
BEVERLY KENNON, Fort Warren, Boston.
(_Copy_) FORT WARREN, BOSTON, June 28, 1862.
HON. GIDEON WELLES, _Secretary U. S. Navy_.
Sir,--Colonel Dimmick, the commander of this post, delivered to me
yesterday a letter signed by you under date of June 25th directed
to me as "Beverly Kennon" and referring to a communication
addressed to you on the 20th inst. by my superior officer,
Commander J. K. Mitchell, of the Confederate States Navy, whom you
are pleased to designate as "John K. Mitchell."
The purport of your letter is a request that I will furnish your
Department of the United States Government with the "particulars of
the destruction of the gunboat of which I had command in the
engagement below New Orleans with _wounded_ men on board."
When I destroyed and left the vessel which I had commanded on the
occasion referred to, all the wounded men had been removed, the
most of them lowered into boats by my own hands. I was, myself, the
last person to leave the vessel. _Any_ statements which you may
have received to the contrary are wholly without foundation. It
would not be proper, under any circumstances, that I should report
to you the "particulars" of her destruction; that being a matter
which concerns my own Government exclusively, and with which yours
can have nothing to do. Should any charges be made against me,
however, of which you have a right to take cognizance under the
laws of war, I will with pleasure, respond to any respectful
communication which you may address me on the subject. Indeed I
shall be glad of the opportunity to vindicate my character as an
officer from the unjust and unfounded imputations which have been
cast upon it in the connection to which you allude, and upon the
faith of which I have already been disparaged by unusual
restrictions and confinements, here and elsewhere, since I have
been a prisoner of war, without having been furnished an
opportunity for such vindication. But your letter of the 20th inst.
so studiously denies, both to Commander Mitchell and myself, not
only our official designations, but those of common courtesy, that
while I am unwilling to believe you would intentionally offer an
indignity to prisoners of war in your power, I can not now make
further reply without failing in respect to myself as well as to my
superior officer and Government.
I am Sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed) BEVERLY KENNON,
Commander in Provisional Navy of the State
of Louisiana in the Confederate service.
The restrictions were removed from Kennon in a few days after the close
of this correspondence.
Many distinguished political prisoners were at that time confined at
Fort Warren; and all of the officers captured at Fort Donelson. Among
the former class, were those members of the Maryland Legislature, and of
the Baltimore City Council, who had been arrested and imprisoned by the
United States Government for alleged treason. It was my good fortune to
be invited into this mess. It is not my purpose to inflict upon the
reader a detailed account of prison life during the war, which has been
described by far abler pens than mine. All the members of our mess took
their turns, either at carving or waiting upon the table, and guests
were never better served. The graceful and accomplished old Commodore B.
and General T. shone conspicuous as carvers; while Colonels, Majors and
Captains, with spotless napkins on their arms, anticipated every wish of
the guests at the table. Colonel Dimmick was honored and beloved by the
prisoners for his humanity, and he and his family will ever be held in
affectionate remembrance by them; many of us having received special
acts of kindness, while suffering from sickness. When his son was
ordered to active service in the field I believe there was an unanimous
prayer by the prisoners that his life would be spared through the perils
he was about to encounter. The prisoners, first giving their parole not
to attempt to escape, were allowed the range of nearly the whole island
during the day; and not unfrequently suffered to see relatives and
friends who had received permission from the proper authorities to visit
them. In happier "ante bellum" times, I had known some of the good
people of Boston, and had spent a portion of a summer with several
families at that pleasant watering place, Nahant. One of my most
esteemed friends--Mrs. L.--with the charity of a noble and Christian
heart, wrote to me as soon as she learned that I was a prisoner; but she
was too loyal to the flag not to express regret and distress at what she
believed to be a mistaken sense of duty. The reader may remember the
definition once given of "Orthodoxy" by a dignitary of the church of
England to an inquiring nobleman. "Orthodoxy, my Lord, is _my_ doxy,
heterodoxy is _your_ doxy if you differ from me." The same authority, it
has always appeared to me, was assumed by a large portion of the
Northern people. They demanded a Government to suit their ideas, and
disloyalty consisted in opposing them.
We were permitted to write once a month to our friends in the
Confederacy; the letters being left open for inspection. There were a
few Northerners among us, but I know of only a single case where the
individual concerned so far yielded to the persuasion of his friends
outside, as to renounce the cause which he had sworn to defend.
Aside from the confinement, and the earnest desire to be doing our part
in the war, there could be no cause to repine at our lot. We were
allowed, at our own expense, to supply our tables from the Boston
market, not only abundantly, but luxuriously; the Government furnishing
the usual rations; and the prisoners grew robust upon the good fare and
the bracing climate. A tug plied daily between Boston and the island on
which Fort Warren is situated. We were permitted to receive the daily
papers and to purchase clothing and other necessaries, either from the
sutler, or from outside; and many of the prisoners were indebted to a
noble charity for the means of supplying many of these needs; of
clothing especially, which was chiefly furnished by the firm of Noah
Walker & Co. of Baltimore. The firm itself was said to be most liberal,
not merely dispensing the donations received in Baltimore and elsewhere,
but supplying a large amount of clothing gratuitously. The policy of
retaliation had not then been adopted. It is conceded that the United
States Government, towards the close of the war, subjected the
Confederate prisoners in their hands to harsh treatment in pursuance of
this policy; but in justice to the Confederate authorities it should be
borne in mind that they repeatedly proposed an exchange of prisoners
upon the ground of humanity, seeing that neither provisions nor medicine
were procurable; and, I believe, it is also a conceded fact that General
Grant opposed exchanges. The testimony of General Lee given before the
"reconstruction" Committee, clearly establishes the fact that _he_ did
all in his power to effect this object. In answer to a question he says:
"I offered to General Grant around Richmond that we should ourselves
exchange all the prisoners in our hands, and to show that I would do
whatever was in my power, I offered them to send to City Point all the
prisoners in Virginia and North Carolina, over which my command
extended, providing they returned an equal number of mine, man for man.
I reported this to the War Department, and received for answer, that
they would place at my command all the prisoners at the South, if the
proposition was accepted." The Rev. J. Wm. Jones, D.D., author of
"Personal Reminiscences of General R. E. Lee," writes as follows upon
this subject (page 194, et seq.) viz:
"1st--The Confederate authorities gave to prisoners in their hands the
same rations which they issued to their own soldiers, and gave them the
very best accommodations which their scant means afforded.
"2d. They were always anxious to exchange prisoners, man for man, and
when this was rejected by the Federal authorities, they offered to send
home the prisoners in their hands without any equivalent.
"3d. By refusing all propositions to exchange prisoners, and declining
even to receive their own men without equivalent the Federal authorities
made themselves responsible for all the suffering, of both Federal and
Confederate prisoners, that ensued.
"4th. And yet notwithstanding these facts, it is susceptible of proof,
from the official records of the Federal Department, that the suffering
of Confederate prisoners in Federal prisons was much greater than that
of Federal prisoners in Confederate prisons. Without going more fully
into the question, the following figures, from the report of Mr.
Stanton, Secretary of War, in response to a resolution of the House of
Representatives, calling for the number of prisoners on both sides and
their mortality, are triumphantly submitted.
In prison. Died.
U. S. Soldiers 260,940 22,526
Confederates 200,000 26,500
That is, the Confederate States held as prisoners nearly 61,000 more men
than the Federals; and yet the death of Federal prisoners fell below
those of the Confederates four thousand."
Lastly, the Southern Historical Society, Richmond, Va., has recently
published a "Vindication of the Confederacy against the Charge of
Cruelty to Prisoners," which is conclusive on the whole question. It was
compiled by the Secretary of the Society, the Rev. J. Wm. Jones, just
quoted, who concludes with the following summing up of his argument.
"We think that we have established the following points:
"1st. The laws of the Confederate Congress, the orders of the War
Department, the Regulations of the Surgeon General, the action of our
Generals in the field, and the orders of those who had the immediate
charge of the prisoners, all provided that prisoners in the hands of the
Confederates should be kindly treated, supplied with the same rations
which our soldiers had, and cared for, when sick, in hospitals placed on
_precisely the same footing as the hospitals for Confederate soldiers_.
"2d. If these regulations were violated in individual instances, and if
subordinates were sometimes cruel to prisoners, it was without the
knowledge or consent of the Confederate Government, which always took
prompt action on any case reported to them.
"3d. If the prisoners failed to get their full rations, and had those of
inferior quality, the Confederate soldiers suffered in precisely the
same way and to the same extent; and it resulted from that system of
warfare adopted by the Federal authorities, which carried desolation and
ruin to every part of the South they could reach, and which in starving
the Confederates into submission, brought the same evils upon their own
men in Southern prisons.
"4th. The mortality in Southern prisons (fearfully large, although over
three per cent less than the mortality in Northern prisons) resulted
from causes beyond the control of our authorities, from epidemics, etc.,
which might have been avoided or greatly mitigated had not the Federal
Government declared medicines "contraband of war," refused the
proposition of Judge Ould, that each Government should send its own
surgeons with medicines, hospital stores, etc., to minister to soldiers
in prison, declined his proposition to send medicines to its own men in
southern prisons, without being required to allow the Confederates the
same privileges--refused to allow the Confederate Government to buy
medicines for gold, tobacco, or cotton, which it offered to pledge its
honor should be used only for Federal prisoners in its hands, refused to
exchange sick and wounded, and neglected from August to December, 1864,
to accede to Judge Ould's proposition to send transportation to Savannah
and receive _without equivalent_ from ten to fifteen thousand Federal
prisoners, notwithstanding the fact that this offer was accompanied
with a statement of the utter inability of the Confederacy to provide
for these prisoners, and a detailed report of the monthly mortality at
Andersonville, and that Judge Ould, again and again, urged compliance
with his humane proposal.
"5th. We have proven by the most unimpeachable testimony, that the
sufferings of Confederate prisoners in Northern "prison pens," were
terrible beyond description; that they were starved in a land of plenty,
that they were frozen where fuel and clothing were abundant; that they
suffered untold horrors for want of medicines, hospital stores and
proper medical attention; that they were shot by sentinels, beaten by
officers, and subjected to the most cruel punishments upon the slightest
pretexts; that friends at the North were refused the privilege of
clothing their nakedness or feeding them when starving; and that these
outrages were perpetrated not only with the full knowledge of, but under
the orders of E. M. Stanton, United States Secretary of War. We have
proven these things by Federal as well as Confederate testimony.
"6th. We have shown that all the suffering of prisoners on both sides
could have been avoided by simply carrying out the terms of the cartel,
and that for the failure to do this, the _Federal authorities alone_
were responsible; that the Confederate Government originally proposed
the cartel, and were always ready to carry it out both in letter and
spirit; that the Federal authorities observed its terms only so long as
it was to their interest to do so, and then repudiated their plighted
faith and proposed other terms which were greatly to the disadvantage of
the Confederates; that when the Government at Richmond agreed to accept
the hard terms of exchange offered them, these were at once repudiated
by the Federal authorities; that when Judge Ould agreed upon a new
cartel with General Butler, Lieutenant-General Grant refused to approve
it, and Mr. Stanton repudiated it; and that the policy of the Federal
Government was to refuse all exchanges while they "fired the Northern
heart" by placing the whole blame upon the "Rebels," and by circulating
the most heartrending stories of "Rebel barbarity" to prisoners. If
either of the above points has not been made clear to any sincere seeker
after the truth, we would be most happy to produce further testimony.
And we hold ourselves prepared to maintain against all comers, the
_truth of every proposition we have laid down in this discussion_. Let
the calm verdict of history decide between the Confederate Government
and its calumniators."
These extracts are inserted with the hope that the fair minded reader
may be induced to read the evidence upon the Confederate side.
"Truth crushed to Earth will rise again;
The Eternal years of God are hers;
But Error, wounded, writhes in pain;
And dies amid her worshipers."
It is not to be denied that the sufferings in Confederate prisons were
fearful; but they were caused by the destitute condition of the country
ravaged by war, and the scarcity of medicines which were not to be
obtained.
We were growing very tired of the monotony of prison life, scarcely
varied except by the daily game of football and the semi-weekly reports
of the capture of Richmond, when a rumor began to circulate of a speedy
exchange of prisoners. It was about the time when General McClellan
"changed his base" from the lines around Richmond to Harrison's Landing,
on James River. Early in August a large number of us, military and naval
officers, were sent on board a transport bound to James River, where we
arrived in due time, and thence, after taking on board a number of
Confederates forwarded from other prisons, we proceeded up the river to
Aiken's Landing. There was fighting near Malvern Hill as we passed by
there, and the United States gunboats had been shelling the Confederate
troops. The crew of one of them was at quarters, the men in their snow
white "frocks" and trowsers, the beautifully polished eight inch guns
cast loose and ready for action. The captain of one of the guns, a
handsome man-of-war's man, looked at our party with a smile of bravado
as we passed by, at the same time tapping his gun with his hand. Garrick
or Kean could not have conveyed more meaning by a gesture. That handsome
fellow's confidence in his pet was not misplaced; for history records
how frequently during the war the tide of battle was turned by that
gallant Navy to which it is an honor ever to have belonged. We, who so
reluctantly severed our connection with it, still feel a pride in its
achievements; and in our dreams are frequently pacing the deck, or
sitting at the mess table with dear friends of "auld lang syne," from
whom we are probably severed forever on this side of eternity.
We were put ashore at Aiken's Landing on the 5th of August. It was a
hot, sultry day. Three or four poor fellows had died on board our
transport while on our way up the river, and their bodies were landed at
the same time with ourselves. While we were waiting for the
preliminaries for the exchange of prisoners to be settled between the
Commissioners, a large grave was dug in the sand with such implements as
could be procured, and the "unknown" were consigned to their last
resting place between high and low water mark.