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

[611] Lee's army¹ that in the winter of 1864-5 himself and General Lee examined a return of rations issued to the corps under Lee's command, and found that the amount of meat divided by the number of men present would make the allowance a little more than one sixth, of an ounce per soldier per day, and this was a regulation issue. But his corps was not in that condition because he used his wagons to supply a little more when it could be found in the almost devastated country in his rear.²

With regard to clothing, it was simply impossible for the Confederates at that time and for many months preceding to have any sufficient clothing upon the bodies of their soldiers, and many passed the winters barefoot. Necessity, therefore, would seem to have compelled the condition of food and clothing given by them to the Federal prisoners, for it was not possible for the authorities to supply it without taking the clothing from their soldiers in the field.

There are two other complaints as to the condition of the prisoners. One was that sufficient water was not supplied at Andersonville. That I do not charge to the authorities, but to the brutality of the officers of subordinate rank and of brutal disposition, who were put in charge of them. I cannot believe the higher officers of the Confederacy were aware of the facts. Because all the higher officers of the Confederate army and of the government were so exceedingly pressed with rapidly recurring duties and transpiring events, they neglected to make proper inspections, and undoubtedly the strong hatred felt on the part of those who had no high motive to control them may account for such neglect.

I find more difficulty, however, in regard to the other complaint, the failure to supply fuel for fire during that winter for our prisoners. The winters of North Carolina and a part of Georgia are sufficiently severe. Indeed, the only time any of my troops had their feet frozen was when a regiment of them bivouacked in North Carolina after a hard march, and a sudden cold wave was so severe that their feet were considerably frozen before morning Their camp hardly seemed to me to be an excuse for that want of wood, except for the negligence or incompetency of the under officers having the prisoners in charge, which quite possibly may never have come to the knowledge of their