The Last Ninety Days of the War in North-CarolinaSpencer, Cornelia Phillips
History
The Last Ninety Days of the War in North-Carolina
Spencer, Cornelia Phillips
North Carolina -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Campaigns
to prisonners of war from North-Carolina, blankets, clothing, etc.,
in like quantity, should be distributed by the State of North-Carolina
to the Federal prisoners at Salisbury, passed both houses, I think,
without one dissentient voice, within the next day."
The letter-books of Governor Vance, it will be remembered, passed into
the hands of the military authorities in May, 1865; and, under the
order of General Schofield, were transmitted to the State Department
at Washington. Whether they have been or are to be returned to the
Executive Department of this State, to whom they properly belong,
remains to be seen. A correspondent of the New-York press, who was
allowed to examine them, remarks that "among much evil they exhibited
_redeeming traits of character_!" that "the letters of Governor Vance
to Mr. Secretary Seddon, of the War Department of Richmond, and to
General Bradley Johnson, who had control of the prisoners at Salisbury,
_urged_ upon both these functionaries the immediate relief of the
suffering prisoners, as alike dictated by humanity and policy." This
correspondence, when it shall come to light, will show that the action
of the executive was as prompt and decided as that of the legislative
department of the State. Whatever may be said of the treatment of
prisoners at Andersonville and elsewhere, it is certain that no efforts
were spared on the part of the public authorities of North-Carolina,
nor, we may add, of the community around Salisbury, to mitigate, as far
as was possible, the inevitable horrors of war; and that our Governor,
especially, exerted all the power and influence at his command to
render immediate and effectual relief.
Governor Vance received no reply to his application to the Federal
authorities. From General Bradley Johnson, at Salisbury, he received in
reply a list of clothing and provisions then being received from the
North for the prisoners; and a statement that they needed nothing but
some tents, which Governor Vance was unable to send them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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