Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/77

 Prisoners of War North and South. 69

From The fournal, Atlanta, Ga., June 3, 1906.

PRISONERS OF WAR NORTH AND SOUTH.

[A remarkable essay by Miss RUTH RODGERS, the fourteen year old daughter of Judge and Mrs. Robert L. Rodgers, a brilliant and talented girl, who has won a succession of badges, medals and blue ribbons since she first started to school.

On May 23, 1906, she won the McDowell Wolff medal for the best essay on "Prisoners of the Civil War," and was, also, awarded the prize offered by the State School Commissioner of Georgia, for the best essay on "Events of 1861 Their Importance and In- fluence," her essay being adjudged the best sent from Fulton county. She was valedictorian of the West End School, when it closed, and was at the same time announced the leader of her class for the year.

Judge Rodgers, her father, is the historian of the Atlanta Camp of Confederate Veterans.

It is gratifying to be informed that the cruel stigma may be removed from the memory of Captain Wirz.

At a meeting of the Louisiana Historical Association held in New Orleans, January 2d, 1907, "the Secretary laid before the Board correspondence regarding a history of 'Andersonville' that is in preparation by an influential citizen of Montana, a Republican who has held important offices in his State, a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, who was for seven months confined at Andersonville, who proposes to publish his version of that prison. In it justice will be done to Wirz's memory. It will be shown that Wirz did his best with the scant means at his command to alleviate the condition of the prisoners. He was also a member of a prison committee that waited upon Wirz several times, and he says that Wirz always granted reasonable requests if in his power." ED.]

In the consideration of the Civil war, one of the special, and most interesting in all of its various phases is the capture and treat- ment of prisoners of war.

In all nations or countries called civilized, when they may be engaged in war, it is customary for the contending parties to accept the surrender of men from the opposite army, when they may be