Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[612] superiors. Andersonville, for example, was in a wooded country with wood in plenty close at hand, which could be procured with a little energy and thoughtfulness, and no expense.

Indeed, the prisoners could, without escaping or attempting to escape, have procured the wood for themselves, except for the grossest inefficiency and want of sense of those having them in charge in refusing to permit them to so do.

I have no personal knowledge of the condition of the rebel prisoners of war except at Point Lookout, where I had from twelve to fifteen thousand under my immediate charge from December, 1863, when I first inspected them, to April, 1864, when I last inspected them, except through the medium of gentlemen of my staff.

In December, 1863, I made two personal inspections at Point Lookout of the condition of the rebel prisoners of war. I went into their camp, which covered some acres, and was well laid out. There were tents to accommodate all of them, placed upon a perfectly proper camping ground laid out in streets. At the corners many of the prisoners assembled around me, and I asked them to state to me any complaints they had to make as to the clothing, food, or anything else. They all said they had no complaint to make except that, as the weather was cold, they wanted more firewood than our army regulations allowed.

I then subjected several of them to personal inspection with their leave, examining even the condition of their gums,--because in looking over the ration I had come to the conclusion that it was possible that not sufficient fresh vegetables had been given them, and that I might find, as I did, slight indications of the scurvy by the condition of their gums, their complaints of stiffness of their joints, and from the fact of their growing too fat from being without exercise.

I then said to them: “Upon your pledge that you will take no improper advantage of the concession, I will permit you to furnish yourselves with as much firewood as you choose to burn, the fire to be raked out after taps. I will direct that a number not exceeding one hundred of you, whom your officers will detail,--for I suppose you have some organization,--may go out and cut from a neighboring forest which belongs to a secession friend of yours, as much wood as ”