Excerpt from A Fastidious Prisoner Both the adjectives and illustrations are chosen for their effect, rather than for their relation to fact. If the article were sure to be carefully read, there would be no occasion to reply to it, for it furnishes its own internal evidence of unreliability. For twenty-five years the writer has undoubtedly been giving private rehearsalsof prison experiences, enlarging upon them as his imagination broadened and intensified, until at last he has gone into print, more anxious to live up to ...
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Excerpt from A Fastidious Prisoner Both the adjectives and illustrations are chosen for their effect, rather than for their relation to fact. If the article were sure to be carefully read, there would be no occasion to reply to it, for it furnishes its own internal evidence of unreliability. For twenty-five years the writer has undoubtedly been giving private rehearsalsof prison experiences, enlarging upon them as his imagination broadened and intensified, until at last he has gone into print, more anxious to live up to his oral versions than to keep within the bounds of reason. Upon this theory only can one account for such a story. When the adjectives and the overstatements are eliminated, this recital of Cold Cheer is little more than a petulant complaint that as prisoners of war they were not feasted and feted as distinguished guests. All that we ask is that it be read with the distinct understanding that its author writes of war times; that he was a prisoner of war, and was fed and clothed by the government. He makes four general charges abusive treatment, cruelty, starvation, and freezing to death. He bases the charge of abusive treatment upon the fact that prisoners were sometimes struck because they would not cease talking when an officer was pass ing. It is a matter of official report that it was practically impossible for an officer to go through the camp without beinginsulted. It was more difficult to disci pline the prison in this regard than it was our own camp. The prisoners would stroll near the sentry and mutter epithets, for which, if spoken under other circum stances, they would have been imme diately chastised. I recall a Sunday when they were holding open-air services. The preacher, in a prolonged prayer, plied anathemas so thick and fast, amid jubilant Amens, that I asked for authority to see that he ceased praying to be heard of men. This was not granted, and he continued to shout his abuse of the soldiers, officers, Yankee land, and the President. I never knew a case in which a man was slapped in the face for it, but I knew a thousand men who were ready for such a fray. I presume some men yielded to the provocation when officers or visitors were insulted. Suffice it to say that the abuse was provoked. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at ... This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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