第32章

Theeyesdidnotunclose,butthelipsopenedslowly,andsaidwithapainfuleffort:

"F—i—r—s—tR—a—t—e！"

Thisscenewasrepeatedeverymorningforoveraweek。EverydaytheRebelSurgeonwouldinsistthatthemanshouldbetakenout,andeverymorningBickfordwouldgaspoutwithtroublesomeexertionthathefelt:

"F—i—r—s—tR—a—t—e！"

Itendedonemorningbyhisinability,tomakehisusualanswer,andthenhewascarriedouttojointhetwoscoreothersbeingloadedintothewagon。

CHAPTERLXXIV。

NEWYEAR\'SDAY——DEATHOFJOHNH。WINDER——HEDIESONHISWAYTOADINNER

——SOMETHINGASTOCHARACTERANDCAREER——ONEOFTHEWORSTMENTHATEVER

LIVED。

OnNewYear\'sDaywewerestartledbytheinformationthatourold—timeenemy——GeneralJohnH。Winder——wasdead。ItseemedthattheRebelSutlerofthePosthadpreparedinhistentagrandNewYear\'sdinnertowhichalltheofficerswereinvited。JustasWinderbenthisheadtoenterthetenthefell,andexpiredshortlyafter。TheboyssaiditwasaclearcaseofDeathbyVisitationoftheDevil,anditwasalwaysinsistedthathislastwordswere:

"MyfaithisinChrist;Iexpecttobesaved。Besureandcutdowntheprisoners\'rations。"

ThuspassedawaythechiefevilgeniusofthePrisoners—of—War。Americanhistoryhasnoothercharacterapproachinghisinvileness。Idoubtifthehistoryoftheworldcanshowanotherman,soinsignificantinabilitiesandposition,atwhosedoorcanbelaidsuchaterribleloadofhumanmisery。TherehavebeenmanygreatconquerorsandwarriorswhohaveWadedthroughslaughtertoathrone,Andshutthegatesofmercyonmankind,buttheyweregreatmen,withgreatobjects,withgrandplanstocarryout,whosebenefitstheythoughtwouldbemorethananequivalentforthesufferingtheycaused。Themiserytheyinflictedwasnotthemotiveoftheirschemes,butanunpleasantincident,andusuallythesufferersweremenofotherracesandreligions,forwhomsympathyhadbeendulledbylongantagonism。

ButWinderwasanobscure,dulloldman——thecommonplacedescendantofapseudo—aristocratwhosecowardlyincompetencehadoncecostusthelossofourNationalCapital。Moreprudentthanhisrunawayfather,heheldhimselfalooffromthefield;hisfatherhadlostreputationandalmosthiscommission,bycomingintocontactwiththeenemy;hewouldtakenosuchfoolishrisks,andhedidnot。WhenfalseexpectationsoftheultimatetriumphofSecessionledhimtocasthislotwiththeSouthernConfederacy,hedidnotsolicitacommandinthefield,buttookuphisquartersinRichmond,tobecomeasortofInformer—General,High—

InquisitorandChiefEavesdropperforhisintimatefriend,JeffersonDavis。Hepriedandspiedaroundintoeveryman\'sbedroomandfamilycircle,todiscovertracesofUnionsentiment。Thewildesttalesmaliceandvindictivenesscouldconcoctfoundwelcomereceptioninhisears。

Hewasonlytoowillingtobelieve,thathemightfindexcuseforharryingandpersecuting。Hearrested,insulted,imprisoned,banished,andshotpeople,untilthepatienceevenofthecitizensofRichmondgaveway,andpressurewasbroughtuponJeffersonDavistosecurethesuppressionofhissatellite。ForalongwhileDavisresisted,butatlastyielded,andtransferredWindertotheofficeofCommissaryGeneralofPrisoners。ThedelightoftheRichmondpeoplewasgreat。Oneofthepapersexpresseditinanarticle,thekeynoteofwhichwas:

"ThankGodthatRichmondisatlastridofoldWinder。Godhavemercyuponthosetowhomhehasbeensent。"

RemorselessandcruelashisconductoftheofficeofProvostMarshalGeneralwas,itgavelittlehintoftheextenttowhichhewouldgointhatofCommissaryGeneralofPrisoners。Before,hewasrestrainedsomewhatbypublicopinionandthelawsoftheland。Thesenolongerdeterredhim。FromthetimeheassumedcommandofallthePrisonseastoftheMississippi——sometimeintheFallof1863——untildeathremovedhim,January1,1865——certainlynotlessthantwenty—fivethousandincarceratedmendiedinthemosthorriblemannerthatthemindcanconceive。Hecannotbeaccusedofexaggeration,when,surveyingthethousandsofnewgravesatAndersonville,hecouldsaywithaquietchucklethathewas"doingmoretokillofftheYankeesthantwentyregimentsatthefront。"NotwentyregimentsintheRebelArmyeversucceededinslayinganythinglikethirteenthousandYankeesinsixmonths,oranyothertime。HiscoldbloodedcrueltywassuchastodisgusteventheRebelofficers。ColonelD。T。Chandler,oftheRebelWarDepartment,sentonatourofinspectiontoAndersonville,reportedback,underdateofAugust5,1864:

"Mydutyrequiresmerespectfullytorecommendachangeintheofficerincommandofthepost,BrigadierGeneralJohnH。Winder,andthesubstitutioninhisplaceofsomeonewhounitesbothenergyandgoodjudgmentwithsomefeelingsofhumanityandconsiderationforthewelfareandcomfort,asfarasisconsistentwiththeirsafekeeping,ofthevastnumberofunfortunatesplacedunderhiscontrol;someonewho,atleast,willnotadvocatedeliberately,andincoldblood,theproprietyofleavingthemintheirpresentconditionuntiltheirnumberissufficientlyreducedbydeathtomakethepresentarrangementssufficefortheiraccommodation,andwhowillnotconsideritamatterofself—

laudationandboastingthathehasneverbeeninsideoftheStockade——aplacethehorrorsofwhichitisdifficulttodescribe,andwhichisadisgracetocivilization——theconditionofwhichhemight,bytheexerciseofalittleenergyandjudgment,evenwiththelimitedmeansathiscommand,haveconsiderablyimproved。"

Inhisexaminationtouchingthisreport,ColonelChandlersays:

"InoticedthatGeneralWinderseemedveryindifferenttothewelfareoftheprisoners,indisposedtodoanything,ortodoasmuchasIthoughtheoughttodo,toalleviatetheirsufferings。IremonstratedwithhimaswellasIcould,andheusedthatlanguagewhichIreportedtotheDepartmentwithreferencetoit——thelanguagestatedinthereport。WhenIspokeofthegreatmortalityexistingamongtheprisoners,andpointedouttohimthatthesicklyseasonwascomingon,andthatitmustnecessarilyincreaseunlesssomethingwasdonefortheirrelief——theswamp,forinstance,drained,properfoodfurnished,andinbetterquantity,andothersanitarysuggestionswhichImadetohim——herepliedtomethathethoughtitwasbettertoseehalfofthemdiethantotakecareofthemen。"

Itwashewhocouldissuesuchanorderasthis,whenitwassupposedthatGeneralStonemanwasapproachingAndersonville:

HEADQUARTERSMILITARYPRISON,ANDERSONVILLE,Ga。,July27,1864。

TheofficersondutyandinchargeoftheBatteryofFloridaArtilleryatthetimewill,uponreceivingnoticethattheenemyhasapproachedwithinsevenmilesofthispost,openupontheStockadewithgrapeshot,withoutreferencetothesituationbeyondtheselinesofdefense。

JOHNH。WINDER,BrigadierGeneralCommanding。

Thismanwasnotonlyunpunished,buttheGovernmentisto—daysupportinghischildreninluxurybytherentitpaysfortheuseofhisproperty——

thewell—knownWinderbuilding,whichisoccupiedbyoneoftheDepartmentsatWashington。

IconfessthatallmyattemptstosatisfactorilyanalyzeWinder\'scharacteranddiscoverasufficientmotiveforhismonstrousconducthavebeenfutile。EvenifweimaginehiminspiredbyahatredofthepeopleoftheNorththatrosetofiendishness,wecannotunderstandhim。

Itseemsimpossibleforthemindofanymantocherishsodeepandinsatiableanenmityagainsthisfellow—creaturesthatitcouldnotbequenchedandturnedtopitybythesightofevenoneday\'smiseryatAndersonvilleorFlorence。Noonemancouldpossesssuchagrievoussenseofprivateornationalwrongsastobeproofagainstthedailyspectacleofthousandsofhisownfellowcitizens,inhabitantsofthesamecountry,associatesinthesameinstitutions,educatedinthesameprinciples,speakingthesamelanguage——thousandsofhisbrethreninrace,creed,andallthatunitemenintogreatcommunities,starving,rottingandfreezingtodeath。

Thereismanyamanwhohasahatredsointensethatnothingbutthedeathofthedetestedonewillsatisfyit。Astillfewernumberthirstforamorecomprehensiveretribution;theywouldslayperhapsahalf—

dozenpersons;andtheremaybesuchgluttonsofrevengeaswouldnotbesatisfiedwiththesacrificeoflessthanascoreortwo,butsuchwouldbemonstersofwhomtherehavebeenveryfew,eveninfiction。Howmusttheyallbowtheirdiminishedheadsbeforeamanwhofedhisanimosityfatwithtensofthousandsoflives。

But,whatalsomilitatesgreatlyagainstthepresumptionthateitherrevengeoranabnormalpredispositiontocrueltycouldhaveanimatedWinder,isthatthepossessionofanytwosuchmentaltraitssostronglymarkedwouldpresupposeacorrespondingactivityofotherintellectualfaculties,whichwasnottrueofhim,asfromallIcanlearnofhimhismindwasinnorespectextraordinary。

Itdoesnotseempossiblethathehadeitherthebraintoconceive,orthefirmnessofpurposetocarryoutsogiganticandlong—enduringacareerofcruelty,becausethatwouldimplysuperhumanqualitiesinamanwhohadpreviouslyheldhisownverypoorlyinthecompetitionwithothermen。

TheprobabilityisthatneitherWindernorhisdirectsuperiors——HowellCobbandJeffersonDavis——conceivedinallitsproportionsthegiganticengineoftortureanddeaththeywereorganizing;nordidtheycomprehendtheenormityofthecrimetheywerecommitting。B

后续内容为VIP可读请开通VIP，或购买此章节