€’
THURSDAY. AUGUST 2. 1956
THE PILOT—Southern Pines, North Carolina
Page THREE
SUMMER READING
Depiction Of General Winder In
Novel Untrue, Descendant Says
The disparaging character
ization of General John Hen
ry Winder wWch appears in
the best-selling novel "An-
dersonville," by MacKinlay
Kantor, has ttnised the ire of
descendants of the Confeder
ate officer, -who say there is
documentary evidence that
the author's presentation of
General Winder is inaccurate
and unfair. One of the 18 liv
ing great-grandchildren of
General Winder, Mrs. Mary
Winder Osborne ctf Pine-
hurst, presents in the follow
ing article a very different
point of view on General
Winder and also makes pub
lic a letter written by James
H. Seddon, the Confederate
Secretary of War, vindicating
the good character of Gen
eral Winder. The article and
letter will be of interest to
readers of "AndersonvUle"
and students of history. Mrs.
Osborne is the wife of the
Rev. Francis M. Osborne, re
tired Episcopal clergyman.
By MARY WINDER OSBORNE
During the War of 1861-65 and
^ since, nothing has produced more
bitter sectional feeling among
Americans than the treatment of
prisoners of war. Even before the
War Between the States had end
ed, ap accusation was generally
prevalent in the North that the
Confederate Government was de
liberately attempting to murder
its Federal prisoners by harsh
treatment and starvation—and
throughout the South letters
^ were received from soldiers in
northern prisons such as Elmira,
Camp Douglas, St. Louis, in Ohio
and in Delaware and other places,
telling of cruel treatment by their
Federal captors. Not only did
these pathetic letters describe the
lack of food, clothing and proper
medical attention, but other pri
vations and sufferings that were
* even worse than the real or re-
ported conditions at Belle Island,
Libby, Salisbury and Anderson-
ville or elsewhere in the South.
Chosen As Scapegoats
Regardless of the question of
relative brutality in Northern
and Southern prisons, one thing
is certain: namely, that by the
year 1864 general public opinion
in the North had settled on two
persons representing the Confed
erate Government as scapegoats
C for Northern hatred and had de
termined on their severe pun
ishment and if possible, their an
nihilation. One of these was Gen.
John Henry Winder, who was
commissioner in charge of all
Confederate prisons east of the
Mississippi River; and the other
was his subordinate, Capt. Henry
Wirz, the commandant at Ander-
sonville, Ga.
President Andrew Johnson was
* so moved and misled by the ram
pant sensationalism and “yellow
journalism” of otherwise repu
table newspapers and magazines,
that he paid $100,000 fcir the ar
rest of President Jefferson Davis
on the charge of having had part
in a conspiracy with Gen. Winder
and others to assassinate Abra
ham Lincoln. But of the alleged
conspirators only Davis was ar-
^ rested.
For two years Davis was cruel
ly confined at Fortress Monroe
awaiting' trial. Eventually, Hor
ace. Greeley and others offered
bond and the Confederate Presi
dent was released, but never
brought to trial. Death saved
General Winder fromi a similar
fate to that endured by Jefferson
Davis. Capt. Wirz was illegally
arrested and his court-martial
- and execution were a travesty of
justice and legalized murder un
der the authority of the Federal
GEN. J. H. WINDER
Government.
With the lack of evidence to in
volve Confederate leaders, and
the moderating influence of
Greeley and such men in the
North, the fanatical outcry
against Southern men of promi
nence died down. Men of con
structive ^ minds, North and
South, joined in a laudable effort
to heal the wounds of conflict
and to restore the com,plete unity
of the nation.
Charge Renewed
However, when General Grant
made an effort to have himself
elected President for a third term
and the Republican National
Convention was in a deadlock
over the issue, J. G. Blaine, for
political reasons, renewed the
charge of deliberate brutality and
Inhumanity in Southern prisons.
The defense of Grant for the part
he had had in forbidding the ex
change of prisoners in 1864-65—
one of the contributing causes of
over-crowded conditions at An-
dersonville—became so acrimon
ious that Dr. R. Randolph Stev
enson, former head surgeon of
Confederate prisons, answered
the charges against the Confeder
ate Government and officials by
a book published in 1876. ,
Dr. Stevenson’s book, with the
title, “The Southern Side of An-
dersonville Prison,” was based
on personal observations and doc
umentary evidence and is the
most authentic record .of what
really happened at Andersonville
and how much General Winder
did to alleviate a very deplorable
situation brought on by condi
tions over which he had no con
trol. This book, now out of print,
is a complete answer to the ex
aggerated and. sordid stories of
Southern brutality broadcast
with the encouragement of Sec
retary of War Stanton, whom the
patient Lincoln barely tolerated
and whom President Johnson
fired from the Cabinet at the risk
of being impeached.
Now, once more, the cancer of
sectional hate broke out. In 1879
a newspaper reporter named Mc-
Elroy, who had established some
thing of a reputation for writing
highly colored war stories and
murder mysteries, published a
book with the title, “Anderson
ville.” McElroy had been a Fed
eral draftee. He had been wound
ed and then captured and impris
oned at Richmond. From Rich
mond he was transferred to An
dersonville, Ga. Following the
traditional pattern of war prison
ers, he became very bitter toward
his captors. >
Lurid Tales
After the war was over, McEl
roy found a good market for his
lurid tales of his own experi
ences and observations in the
highly charged tension which
gripped the country. Naturally,
he got a better price for his stor
ies. As his renown increased, his
writings were more and more in
demand by readers in the North.
Naturally he found Gen, John H.
Winder, the head of the Confed
erate prison system, the chief ob
ject of his venom.
His characterization of General
Winder is summed up in these
words found on page 61 of his
“Andersonville,” published in
1879: “A man so unscrupulous,
cruel and blood thirsty that at
the time of his appointment he
was the most hated and feared
man in the Southern Confeder
acy. He could look unmoved up
on the terrible suffering that pre
vailed in Andersonville in June,
July and August, 1864. He could
see three thousand men die each
month in the most horrible man
ner without lifting a finger in any
way to assist them.”
It is not unlikely that this des
cription by McElroy became the
accepted portrait of General Win
der in the minds of all who wish
ed to vent their spleen on some
outstanding Confederate official.
Investigations Questioned
Finally, in recent years, it
seems to have occurred to Mac
Kinlay Kantor, a writer of fiction,
that he would outdo all previous
stories of prisoners of war and,
by calling his book an historical
novel, make a goodly profit. Ap
parently disregarding all prin
ciples of honest research, he se
lected a few historical persons
whom he calls by name. Then he
rehashed all that was sordid and
much that had happily been for
gotten by the American people
and produced “Andersonville,”
a book that seems to me to be the
dirtiest and most useless of mod
ern times.
Claiming to have made serious
investigations of a long list of
books, which he publishes as his
bibliography of reference, he fol
lows closely McElroy’s “Ander
sonville” as the chief basis for his
tale and adds any filthy detail
that had root in his sordid imag
ination. Only the most gullible
reader is deceived by Kantor’s
(Cont&iued on page 7)
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Sunday School Lessons
BY DR. KENNETH J. FOREMAN
Backffrovnd Scripture: Luke 2:40, 51>
52; I Peter 2:1-3; 4:1-11; 2 Peter 1.
Devotional Readinf: Philipplans 4:4-9.
In Two Ways
Lesson for August 5, 1956
Dr. Foreman
T he United States now has
more drug addicts than all
other western nations combined—
sixty thousand. In the past three
years the Federal Bureau of Nar
cotics has compiled a list of names
and addresses of 30,000 known ad
dicts, and the list is growing at the
rate of a thou
sand everymonth.
These and other
facts were
brought to light
last January by a
Senate Judiciary
Sub committee
after seven
months seeking
the facts. Illegal
dope traffic, they
found out, has trebled since World
War II. Whereas at the war’s end
there was one addict to every 10,-
000 persons, now there is one to
every 3,000. Approximately. 50% of
all crime in our cities, and 25% of
all crime in the nation at large, is
traceable to drug addiction.
How Does It Start?
The narcotics evil, like the alco
hol evil, like most social sores, be
gins with the young people. If for
one generation you could bring up
children and young people with no
knowledge of such things and no
temptation to indulge, you would
have dealt a heavy blow to those
who traffic in these things. No
body, no healthy boy or girl cer
tainly, wants to be the sort of
wretch Frank Sinatra played in
‘‘The Man with the Golden Arm,”
or the kind of persons you may
find in the hospitals that try to do
something with narcotics victims.
But young people the traffic must
have. Thirteen per cent of all dope
addicts in the country are under
21. (These figures from TIME
magazine for last Jan. 16.) Now,
how does a boy or girl get started
on the dope habit? How do they
get started drinking? The other
night a boy in his second stolen
car for that night knocked in two
store fronts and woke up in the
hospital. His girl friend woke up
next morning in jail. Both were
about* sixteen, both had been
drinking—-beer, she said. The ques
tion is. Why do they do it? What
starts them off?
Letting Yourself Go
One answer given by young peo
ple themselves is that they are
after thrills, “a kick.” Just being
young is not thrill enough, they
have to jazz it up with alcohol or
narcotics. Let yourself go! they
say to themselves. Go on, faster,
faster; when all the thrill nature
provides are stale, then go -after
the artificial jolts you can get
from a bottle or a hypodermic syr
inge. This is not all the fault of
young people. Older people often
lead them astray. Even teachers
may do it, for there is a philoso
phy of education that says, in ef
fect, that a child must never be
made to do what he doesn’t want
to do. “What I want” is supposed
to be the key to happiness. Now
this is precisely the opposite of the
Christian way of living. Self-con
trol, not letting yourself go, is al
ways a mark of the Christian life
in every New Testament descrip
tion of it. Life without inner con
trol is not only a weak life, it is
headed for a crash.
Who’s to Blame?
Sometimes the blame for young
people’s downfall is not to be laid
at the door of the traffickers in
drugs. Parents themselves who
have never said “No” may be to
blame. Some years ago a school
for girls received this letter from
a wealthy woman: “My daughter
has always been spoiled and given
as much money as she could
spend. She is sixteen years old and
I’m afraid has the wrong view of
life ... I don’t think her compan
ions are just the right sort either
... I shall try very hard to have
her wardrobe proper although it
wiU be extremely difficult because
she has always had very expen
sive and extremely fancy clothes.
. . . Please advise as to what sub
jects she had better take up. If
either Latin or domestic science
can be taken I prefer D.S. because
she knows very little about cook
ing. I am very glad the girls are
requested to keep their rooms in
order ... It is my wish that my
daughter becomes what a real
American girl should be, a perfect
wife and mother, and under your
care I hope she will come home to
us a different girl.” Do you think
she did? Do you think she could
have? If you had been in charge
of that school, would you have ac
cepted this girl? If she finally
turned out to be an alcoholic or a
narcotic drug addict, whose fault
would it have been? The Christian
Way is the harder road—till you
get to the end!
(Based on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Rdnoatlon, Na
tional Connell of the Churches of Christ
in the U. S. A. Released by Community
Press Service.)
Bookmobile
Schedule
Tuesday—Routh’s service sta
tion, 9:30; Payne’s, 9:45; Taylor’s
10; Marion’s, 10:30; Cameron
Community with stops at
Thomas. 'TaUey, Phillips homes
and post office, 10:45 to 12; Col
lins’ 12:15; Gilchrist’s 12:30; Mc
Donald’s, 1; Paul Thomas service
station, 1:45.
Wednesday — Doub’s Chapel
route, with stops at Chriscoe’s,
9'45; Black’s 10:15; Garrison’s,
10:30; Freeman’s, 11; Chaffin’s,
11:45; Eulis Vest, 12; Haywood’s,
12:15; A. Thomas, 12:30; Clyde
McKenzie, 1; Elmer Vest, 1;15;
Scarboro’s, 1:45; R. L. Blake, 2;
W. E. Jackson, 2:30; Robert
Blake, 2:45; Auman, 3; and Cox,
3:15.
Thursday—Westmoore commu
nity, 9:45 to 12; Carthage, 1 p. m.
to 2 p. m.
Friday — Murdocksville Road,
at Lewis, 9:15; Dunlap’s, 9:30; M.
McKenzie, 9:45; Clayton’s, 10;
Rice’s, 10:30; Black’s, 11; Mon
roe’s, 11:15; Neffs, 11:30; Coy
McKenzie, 2; R. E. Lee, 12:45;
Cole’s, 1; Blue, 1:15; Garrison,
1:30; Moore’s, 2; McGirt’s, 2:15.
Attend The Church of Your Choice Next Sunday
'WiMj, (Ldrlf-b mf...
This unhappy little fellow ia learn
ing an important lesson — tears do
not solve problems.
Life brings many difficulties to the,
average person, often heavy burdens
of responsiblity, grief, and pain that
must be met without compromise.
But there is a wise solution for all
of us if we fortify ourselves with
qualities that will give courage,
faith, and hope in the face of all
trouble.
In hours of stress and anxiety, the
Christian religion is a rock of refuge.'
In the Church you will find spiritual
strength, guidance, and enduring
comfort. Go to God’s House and put
your trust in Him.
THE CHURCH FOR AU . . .
AU FOR THE CHURCH
The Church is the greatest lac-
tor oa earth lor the building oi
character and good citizenship. It
is a storehouse of spiritual values.
Without a strong Church, neither
democracy nor civilization con
survive., There are lour sound
reasons why every person should
attend services regularly and sup
port the Church. They ore: (1)
For his own sole. (2) For his
children's sale. (3) For the sake
oi his community and nation. (4)
For the soke of the Church ilsell,
which needs his moral and ma
terial support. Plan to go to
church regularly and read your
Bible daily.
Day Book Chapter Verges
Simday I Chronicles 16 23-36
Monday.... Isaiah 6 1-S
Tuesday.... Isaiah 9 2-7
Wednesd’y. Mark » 8 27-38
Thursday... Mark w g 33.50
Friday Mark 12 28-44
Saturday... Romans 7 14-25
BROWNSON MEMORIAL
CHURCH (Presbyterian)
Cheves K. Ligon, Minister
Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Wor
ship service, 11 a.m. Women of
the Church meeting, 8 p.m. Mon
day following third Sunday.
The Youth Fellowships meet at
7 o’clock each Sunday evening.
Mid-week service, Wednesday,
7:15 p.m.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH
New Hampshire Ave.
Sunday Service, 11 a.m.
Sunday School, 11 a.m.
Wednesday Service, 8 p.m.
Reading Room in Church Build
ing open Wednesday 3-5 p.m.
THE CHURCH OF WIDE
FELLOWSHIP (Congregational)
Cor. Bennett and New Hampshire
Wofford C. Timmons, Minister
Sunday School, 9:45 a.in.
Worship Service, 11 a-m.
Sunday, 6:30 p.m.,' Pilgrim Fel
lowship (Young people).
Sunday, 8:00 p.m.. The Forum.
EMMANUEL CHURCH
. (Episcopal)
Martin Caldwell, Rector
Holy Communion, 8 a. m. (First
Sundays, 8 a. m. and 10 a. m.)
Sunday School, 9 a. m.
Morning Prayer and Sermon, 10
Holy Communion—each Wed
nesday and Holy Days, 10 a. m.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
New York Ave. at South Ashe
David Hoke Coon, Minister
Bible School, 9:45 a.m. Worship
11 a.m. Training Union, 7 p.m.
Evening Worship, 8 p.m.
Scout Troop 224, Monday, 7:30
p.m.; mid-week worship, Wednes
day 7:30 p.m.; choir practice
Wednesday 8:15 pjn.
Missionary meeting, first and
third Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Church
and family suppers, second Thurs
days, 7 p.m.
MANLY PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Grover C. Currie, Minister
Sunday School 10 a.m.
Worship Service, 2nd and 3rd
Sunday evenings, 7:30. Fourth
Sunday morning, 11 a.m.
Women of the Church meeting,
8 p.m., second Tuesday.
Midrweek service 'Thursday at
8 p.m.
ST. ANTHONY'S (CathoUc)
Vermont Ave. at Ashe
Father Peter M. Denges
Sunday masses 8 and 10:30 ajn..
Holy Day masses 7 an(i 9 a-m.;
weekday mass at 8 a.m. Confes
sions heard on Saturday between
5-6 and 7:30-8:30 p.m.
SOUTHERN PINES
METHODIST CHURCH
Robert L. Bame. Minister
(Services held temporarily at
Civic Club, Ashe Street)
Church School, 9:45 a.m.
Worship Service, 11 a. m.;
W. S. C. S. meets each first Tues
day at 8 p. m.
—This Space Donated In the
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CHARLES W. PICQUET
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Interest of the Churches by—
CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT CO.
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