.arol nah ant Boston.
ACCOUNT
OF THE
SUPPLIES SENT TO SAVANNAH:
WITH THE
-vast ppeal of ob~atwb ~seett in ~atanil  all;
THE  LETTER TO THE MAYOR  OF SAVANNAH;
AND
THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITIZENS, AND LETTER OF
THE MAYOR OF SAVANNAH.
BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
BOSTON:
PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON.
1865.








ACCOUNT
OF THE
SUPPLIES SENT TO SAVANNAH.
AT the call of the Mayor of Savannah, a public
meeting was held in that city December 28th, 1864,
which unanimously adopted the following preamble and
resolutions: -
Whereas, by the fortunes of war, and the surrender of
the city by the civil authorities, Savannah passes once more
under the authority of the United States; and whereas we
believe that the interests of the city will be best subserved
and promoted by a full and free expression of our views in
relation to our present condition, we therefore, the people of
Savannah, in full meeting assembled, do hereby Resolve,First, That we accept the position, and, in the language of
the President of the United States, seek to have "peace by
laying down our arms, and submitting to the national authority under the Constitution;" "leaving all questions which
remain, to be adjusted by the peaceful means of legislation,
conference, and votes."
Second, That, laying aside all differences, and burying bygones in the grave of the past, we will use our best endeavors
once more to bring back the prosperity and commerce we
once enjoyed.
Third, That we do not put ourselves in the position of a
conquered city, asking terms of a conqueror; but we claim
1




the immunities and privileges contained in the Proclamation
and Message of the President of the United States, and in all
the legislation of Congress in reference to a people situated
as we are; and while we owe, on our part, a strict obedience
to the laws of the United States, we ask the protection over
our persons, lives, and property recognized by those laws.
Fourth, That we respectfully request his Excellency the
Governor to call a convention of the people of Georgia, by
any constitutional means in his power, to give them an opportunity of voting upon the question, whether they wish the
war between the two sections of the country to continue.
Fifth, Thlat, Major-General Sherman having placed, as mili.
tary commander of this post, Brigadier-General Geary, who
has, by his urbanity as a gentleman and his uniform kindness
to our citizens, done all in his power to protect them and their
property from insult and injury, it is the unanimous desire of
all present, that he be allowed to remain in his present position; and that, for the reasons above stated, the thanks of the
citizens are hereby tendered to him, and the officers under his
command.
Sixth, That an official copy of these resolutions be sent to
the President of the United States, the Governor of Georgia,
General Sherman, and to each the Mayors of Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Atlanta, and to Brigadier-General Geary.
After the occupation of that city by the United States
forces under General Sherman, the Mayor and Aldermen
of Savannah appointed Colonel Julian Allen, who had
offered his services gratuitously, to proceed to New
York for the purpose of negotiating the exchange of
rice for other provisions for the use of the suffering and
destitute inhabitants of the city. General Sherman issued an order to Albert G. Browne, Supervising Special
Agent of the Treasury Department, confirming this
appointment, directing the Quartermaster to give him




5
transportation, and requesting the Collector of New
York to grant clearance for provisions for the use of
the people of Savannah, to the amount of fifty thousand
dollars in value.
Colonel Allen, believing that the people of the North
would rather give the required provisions, and not take
the rice from the suffering people of Savannah, who
needed it all, expressed these views to Mr. Browne,
who concurred in the opinion. The people of Savannah did not ask aid, and Colonel Allen disclaimed asking it for them.  He simply made his statement of
matters of which he had been an eye-witness. He
arrived in Boston on Saturday, January 7th, 1865.
On Monday, January 9th, 1865, the citizens of Boston were invited, through the public papers, to meet in
Faneuil Hall on that day at noon, to consider measures
for the relief of the suffering people of Savannah. It
was announced that His Honor, Mayor Lincoln, would
preside; that Colonel Allen would make some interesting statements; and that the Hon. Edward Everett, and
other gentlemen would address the meeting.  The
leading newspapers called the attention of their readers
to the meeting, and expressed the opinion that there
should be a full and enthusiastic gathering of the citizens in aid of the object. At the appointed hour the
body of the hall was filled with gentlemen, and many
ladies occupied seats in the galleries.
The following officers were appointed:



President.
His Honor MAYOR LINCOLN.
Vice-Presidents.
JOSEPH WHITNEY.           SAMUEL H. WALLEY.
EDWARD S. TOBEY.          JAMES M. BEEBE.
JOHN Z. GOODRICH.         GEORGE W. MESSINGER.
JAMES L. LITTLE.          WILLIAM GRAY.
DWIGHT FOSTER.            CHARLES G. GREENE.
HENRY I. BOWDITCH.        JOSEPH S. ROPES.
EDWARD N. KIRK.           JOHN P. PUTNAM.
EDWARD E. HALE.           OSBORN HOWES.
LORENZO SABINE.           WILLIAM CLAFLIN.
MARTIN BRIMMER.           WILLIAM T. GLIDDEN.
WILLIAM B. ROGERS.        S. R. SPAULDING.
E. R. MUDGE.              BENJAMIN E. BATES.
GEORGE C. RICHARDSON.     ALPHEUS HARDY.
AMOS A. LAWRENCE.         WILLIAM ENDICOTT, Jun.
JAMES SAVAGE.             NATHANIEL FRANCIS.
JOSIAH QUINCY.            C. ALLEN BROWNE.
FRANCIS C. MANNING.        C. F. DUNBAR.
Secretaries.
M. DENMAN ROSS.           HAMILTON A. HILL.
GEORGE W. SEARLE.
In his opening address, the Mayor said, " The doors
of Faneuil Hall have not been opened in the last four
years on a more auspicious occasion.  The city of Boston hails with joy the sentiments of loyalty and fealty
to the old flag, which Savannah, freed from her thraldom, is now  permitted to utter; and as her Mayor
presided over the formal announcement of her renewed
devotion to the country, so I acknowledge that it is fit
that one holding similar official relations to Boston
should participate in the proceedings of this meeting."
Colonel Allen made a short address, giving full explanation and evidence respecting the great suffering of




7
the citizens of Savannah; and speeches were made by
James C. Converse, Joseph S. Fay, George C. Richardson, William Gray, Edward Everett, and William H.
Gardiner.
The meeting adopted these resolutions, which the
Mayor was requested to communicate to the Mayor of
Savannah: -
Resolved, That the citizens of Boston have heard with sincere satisfaction of the course pursued by the authorities and
people of Savannah, since the occupation of their city by the
Federal forces under Major-General Sherman; and especially
of their distinct and hearty recognition of the duties resting
upon them, and of the immunities resulting to them as citizens
of the United States, - their country and ours.
Resolved, That we extend to the people of Savannah our
congratulations on their deliverance from the irresponsible
power of the Rebel Government, and on the re-establishmellt
over them of lawful and constitutional supremacy.
Resolved, That we esteem it a privilege to extend assistance to the suffering poor of Savannah, of whose destitution
we are informed by the Mayor and Council of the city, and by
the statements of Colonel Allen, made on this occasion.
Resolved, That we invite the people of Boston to furnish
such contributions of money and provisions as the necessities
of the case require, and that a Committee of thirty, of which
the Mayor shall be chairman, be appointed by the presiding
officer, to receive them, and to make distribution as they shall
judge proper.
The Executive Committee, who were instructed to
publish such permanent record of all matters connected
with raising the fund as in their judgment might be
deemed expedient and proper, cannot omit from this
record the last appeal of Edward Everett in Faneuil




8
Hall,- the appeal with which he closed his public
labors on earth; in itself one of the most touching
which ever fell from human lips.
The Committee appointed under the fourth resolution
met on the following day, January 10th, 1865, passed a
vote that it was expedient to raise twenty-five thousand
dollars for the object contemplated, and made the undersigned an Executive Committee to purchase and forward
supplies to Savannah, with full powers. Mr. William
Perkins was chosen Treasurer.
It was announced at this meeting, that Messrs. Glidden and Williams had offered to transport, free of cost,
such contributions as should be ready for shipment on
the 14th of January, by the steamer " Greyhound;" and
several gentlemen, who were present, offered to advance
ten thousand dollars, for an immediate purchase, to be
forwarded by that vessel.
On January 13th, 1865, the Executive Committee
reported in part, that on Wednesday, the 11th instant,
subscription papers were opened at the Mayor's Office,
at the Merchants' Exchange, at the China Mutual Insurance Office, and at the Boylston Insurance Office,
and were sent to the several members of the General
Committee; that the morning papers of Wednesday
announced the subscriptions of several members of the
Committee, -
At their first meeting on Tuesday, amounting to.. $3,700.00
That the subscriptions on Wednesday were..... 17,607.00,,,,,,, Thursday were..            8,529.00,,,,,,  Friday were.3,955.50
Making a total of.$33,791.50




9
The Committee also reported that several persons had
offered to accompany and take charge of the shipments
to Savannah, without compensation; and that they had
committed the trust to Messrs. Harrison 0. Briggs,
Julian Allen, and William H. Baldwin.
Although the whole matter of purchasing and forwarding the contributions was intrusted to them, with
full powers, the Executive Committee preferred, in a
subject so deeply interesting to a large number of contributors, to present an early report of the progress
then made, and to submit, for the several signatures of
the members composing the General Committee, a letter
to be sent to the Mayor of Savannah. This letter was
signed by every member who acted upon the General
Committee, and will be found with the papers accompanying this statement, in connection with our letter to
General Sherman, and instructions to our agents.
The report of the Treasurer which, with the names of
the contributors, will be found in this account, shows
that the total amount subscribed in money was $34,495.07. In addition, several subscriptions were made
of supplies; and the very liberal contribution of Messrs.
Glidden and Williams, on behalf of themselves and other
owners of the " Greyhound," was of the value of fifteen
hundred dollars.
By the bills of lading, the supplies were to be delivered
"to Harrison 0. Briggs, Julian Allen, and W. H. Baldwin,
the Boston Committee, or to assigns, freight for the
said goods free, being contributions from the citizens of
Boston to the citizens of Savannah, and shipped per order
of the Executive Committee."  As it was not convenient




10
for Colonel Allen to proceed to Savannah by the "Daniel
Webster," from New York, Mr. Henry D. Hyde, a
member of the General Committee, was appointed an
additional agent to act in connection with those already
named. As will be seen in the Treasurer's report, the
shipments were made by three vessels; the " Greyhound"
from Boston, and the " Daniel Webster" and " HarvestMoon" from New York. The transportation from New
York was at the expense of the Government of the
United States, and was made necessary by the inability
of the " Greyhound" to carry all the supplies. The remaining funds will be applied in conformity with the
views of the contributors.
Five hundred copies of the proceedings of the meeting in Faneuil Hall, including the report of Mr. Everett's
speech, were sent by the " Greyhound" for distribution
among the people of Savannah.
The undersigned do not deem that the instructions
given to them require the publication, in this account, of
matters which have already been widely circulated; but
they are unwilling to omit the Report made by the gentlemen who took charge of the supplies to Savannah, —
who had free intercourse with all the people of the city,
and who have taken great pains to acquit themselves,
in a manner satisfactory to them and to us, of the important and delicate trust committed to them. Still less
are we disposed to omit the proceedings of the public
meeting in Savannah, on the 25th January, 1865, or the
letter from Mayor Arnold to one of the Committee who
had remained in Savannah, dated February 8th, 1865.
General Sherman stated in conversation, that he had




11
received frequent applications from the interior of
Georgia to furnish military protection for Union meetings; to which he replied that he would gladly do so,
were his force large enough for the purpose; but that it
was of more importance for the Union men of the South
as well as the North, that his whole army should be
employed in breaking up the military strength of the
enemy.
The Mayor of Savannah proposed to circulate the proceedings of the meeting held in that city, with the letter
from Boston, in the State of Georgia, with the aid of
the cavalry of our army as opportunity offered; and we
intend to send a large number of copies of this account
to Savannah for the purpose.
The narrative of these events conveys a faint impression of the interest manifested in the few days occupied
in the completion of the active labors of the Executive
Committee. The subscription papers, to raise twentyfive thousand dollars, were placed before the community
on Wednesday morning; and, on Friday afternoon of
the same week, we reported a subscription of nearly
thirty-four thousand dollars. In the Merchants' Exchange, kindly proffered to us by the proprietors, our
table was constantly surrounded by unsolicited subscribers; and the absence of all vindictive feeling towards
the South was particularly evinced by contributions from
those who have lost some of their most priceless treasures in the stern realities of the war.
Will the contributors for the relief of Savannah allow
us, in closing our official relations to them, to express
the deep satisfaction which we have enjoyed, in acting
2




1'2
as the instruments to receive and transmit their offering
to the people of Savannah?  The cordial and prompt
answer given to the appeal made in Faneuil Hall will
be remembered after we all shall have passed away; and
in producing that harmony of a re-united people, to
which we confidently look forward, we place great reliance upon the victories of a Christian spirit.
WILLIAM GRAY.
E. R. MUDGE.
JOHN A. BLANCHARD).
NATHAN CROWELL.
W. T. GLIDDEN.
BOSTON, February 20th, 1865.




13
LETTER S.
Letter to General Sherman.
BOSTON, January 13th, 1865.
Major-General W. T. SHERMAN, Savannah, Ga.
DEAR SIR, — As the Executive Committee of citizens of
Boston, who have contributed supplies to be forwarded to
Savannah for the relief of the sufferers in that city, we beg
to introduce to your acquaintance, as our agents, Messrs.
HARRISON 0. BRIGGS, JULIAN ALLEN, and WILLIAM H. BALDWIN, who have offered to take charge of their transmission
and delivery.
We have given them a letter from the General Committee
to the Mayor of Savannah, and our written instructions for
their guidance. We enclose to you copies of these papers.
They will, of course, be in all respects subject to your
direction, or, in your absence, to that of the General commanding in Savannah.
Permit us to assure you that we all feel a profound appreciation of the great services to our country of yourself and
your noble army.
We are very respectfully yours,
WILLIAhM GRAY.
E. R. MUDGE.
JOHN A. BLANCHARD.
NATHAN CROWELL.
WAMr. T. GLIDDEN.




14
Letter to the Mayor of Savannah.
BOSTON, January 13th, 1865.
To Hon. R. D. ARNOLD, Mayor of the City of Savannah, Ga.
SIR, —You will receive from the officers of a meeting of
the citizens of Boston, held in Faneuil Hall, on Monday the
9th instant, an attested copy of its proceedings.
The undersigned were appointed a Committee under the
fourth resolution.  It gives us great gratification to be
the organ of communication between the people of Savannah
and our own citizens. Sister cities on the Atlantic, long connected by friendly offices and commercial ties, it gives us
sincere pleasure to witness the re-opening of an intercourse
which has been temporarily suspended, and which we believe
will never again be closed.
But, far above and beyond the relations to which we have
just referred, we should not be true to our own convictions,
nor to the feelings which animate our citizens, were we to
refrain from expressing a deeper cause of satisfaction, - in
receiving the resolutions passed at the public meeting held in
Savannah, on the twenty-eighth day of December last. We
regard them as the true exponent of the heart of the Southern people, and we cordially welcome their expression.
The history of former days is not forgotten. It has rather
been deepened by the later trials of our nation. We remember the earlier kindness and liberality of the citizens of
Savannah towards the people of Boston in the dark colonial
days. We recall the meeting held there on the tenth day of
August, 1774, when a committee was appointed " to receive
subscriptions for the suffering poor of Boston:" as to which
it is recorded, " There are large donations of rice for the sufferers in Boston; and, had we the means of sending it to
them, with very little trouble much more would be collected
and sent. Few have subscribed less than ten tierces of rice."
The rice was sent to New York, sold there, and the proceeds,
~216. Os. 5d., were remitted to the Boston Committee, and by
them applied to the relief of the pool- here.




We remember that Nathanael Greene, the noble son of
Rhode Island, sleeps in your beautiful cemetery. We recall
the scene on the banks of the Savannah River, when "the
military and municipality met the mournful procession at
the landing in your city; the whole body of citizens joining
with one accord in this last demonstration of respect to him,
who, of all those who had distinguished themselves during
the war of the Revolution, was, next to Washington, the one
who held, at this moment, the highest place in public esteem."
The memory of past days of common danger and common
suffering of an united people struggling to be free stands
before us. The annalsof the South and the North, engraven
together upon the tablets of memory, still live; and we believe
that neither the South nor the North will permit them to die.
Our Executive Committee will give written instructions to
those in immediate charge of the transmission and delivery
to you of our offerings of peace and good-will; and we hope
soon to hail the day when all the people of the United States
will, in the language of the President, quoted in your resolutions, find " peace by laying down their arms, and submitting
to the national authority under the Constitution,"-" leaving
all questions which remain, to be adjusted by the peaceful
means of legislation, conference, and votes."
We are very respectfully yours,
F. W. LINCOLN, Jun., Mayor. JOSEPH H. CURTIS.
WILLIAM B. SPOONER.     GEO. C. RICHARDSON.
WM. GRAY.               NATHAN CROWELL.
WILLIAM PERKINS.        ALBERT BOWKER.
M. D. ROSS.             HENRY D. HYDE.
JOHN A. BLANCHARD.     JOSEPH C. TYLER.
GEO. WM. BOND.          E. S. TOBEY.
JOSEPH W. BALCH.        DAVID H. COOLIDGE.
FREDK. NICKERSON.       E. R. MUDGE.
WM. T. GLIDDEN.         ALPHEUS HARDY.
FRANCIS BACON.          S. R. SPAULDING.
EBEN HOWES.             JOSEPH WHITNEY.
W. H. BALDWIN.          Jos. S. FAY.
JAMES C. CONVERSE.      HAMILTON A. HILL.
SAMUEL D. WARREN.       N. THAYER.




16
Letter of Instructions to Messrs. B1iggs, Allen, and Baldwin.
BOSTON, January 13th, 1865.
To Messrs. HARRISON 0. BRIGGS, JULIAN ALLEN, and WM. H. BALDWIN.
GENTLEMEN, - You are appointed to take charge of the
supplies and provisions contributed by the citizens of Boston
otr the relief of the people of Savannah.  One of you will
sail in the steamer " Greyhound" from Boston, and another
in the steamer " Daniel Webster" from New York, on Saturday next. In each vessel will be portions of the articles to
be forwarded.
On your arrival at Hilton Head, should these vessels proceed no further, you will tranship the articles by such modes
of conveyance as may be within your reach, — preferring
Government transportation, if it can be had.
When you reach Savannah, you will immediately report to
Major-General Sherman, or, in his absence, to the General
commanding in Savannah.  You will deliver the letter to
General Sherman, which covers copies of these instructions,
and of the letter of the General Committee to the Mayor of
Savannah.
With the approval of General Sherman, or, in his absence,
of the General commanding in Savannah, you will deliver the
articles shipped, to the Mayor, to be disposed of for the benefit of all the people of Savannah who may require aid.
You will advise us frequently, by every opportunity, of
your proceedings; giving us full accounts of the execution
of your trust, and the distribution made.
You have offered your services in this good work without
compensation. On behalf of those whom we represent, we
tender you their thanks. Whatever expenses are necessarily
incurred in the re-shipment, if any, at Hilton Head, and delivery at Savannah, you may draw for upon us; notify,ing us by mail of the draft, not exceeding two thousand
dollars.




17
You go on a mission of peace and good-will to the suffering: we need not make any suggestions as to the mode in
which such a mission should be discharged.
With our good wishes for a prosperous passage and a safe
return,
We are truly your friends,
WM. GRAY.
E. R. MUDGE.
JOHN A. BLANCHARD.
NATHAN CROWELL.
WM. T. GLIDDEN.




18
REPORT
OF
COMMITTEE SENT TO SAVANNAH.
To Messrs. WILLIAM GRAY, E. R. MUDGE, JOHN A. BLANCHARD, NATHAN CROWELL,
WILLIAM T. GLIDDEN, Executive Committee, 4fc.
THE Committee appointed by you to proceed to Savannah
in charge of the supplies contributed by the citizens of
Boston for the relief of the people of that city, having
delivered the same in accordance with your instructions, beg
leave to submit the following Report: —
The value of the supplies placed in our hands at the time
of our departure was about twenty-five thousand dollars,
about thirteen of which were shipped on board the steamer
" Greyhound," which sailed from Boston on Saturday, January 14th; and the balance, on the United-States transport
"Daniel Webster," which sailed from New York on the Monday following. Two members of the Committee took passage
on the " Greyhound," and the other on the " Daniel Webster."
It was hoped the voyage from Boston would not occupy more
than four days, and that we should have the satisfaction of
landing the cargo in Savannah, and relieving the wants of the
people, without delay; but, owing to a succession of accidents
which have already been reported, the " Greyhound"  did not
arrive until the 25th, and even then, owing to the movements
of the army, and difficulty in obtaining assistance, we were
not able to commence discharging the cargo until the 30th.
The "Daniel Webster" experienced similar delays, and arrived
on the same morning with the " Greyhound;" but, being




19
needed for special service by the Government, the goods
were discharged immediately.
While the vessels were aground in the river, the Committee
proceeded to the city, and waited upon General Sherman.
He at once approved of the enterprise, and gave orders to
General Grover, the Post Commander, to render us all needed
assistance; and we take pleasure in acknowledging the kindness with which he received the Committee, and the prompt
manner in which he acted by detailing one of his staff, Lieutenant Charlot, to co-operate with the municipal authorities
in the distribution of the stores. The address which you
requested us to present to the Mayor was then delivered,
and subsequently published in the papers of the city.
The steamer " Rebecca Clyde " with the New York contributions had arrived before us, although she did not leave
that city until the day after we sailed from Boston. Her small
size and light draft of water enabled her to pass directly up
the river, and the supplies on her were being discharged
when we arrived.
The contributions, on being landed, were immediately placed
in an adjoining store-house, and protected by a guard. From
the store-house they were removed to a store in the central
part of the city for distribution.
A meeting of the City Council was then called, and the
Committees from New York and Boston invited to confer
with them, for the purpose of organizing some plan of distribution, which should afford to all, prompt and immediate
relief. The following method was then adopted: —
A number of responsible gentlemen were appointed in each
ward, who go from house to house, and learn the wants of
each family. After satisfying themselves as to their actual
necessities, the head of the family is presented with a ticket
bearing the amount he is entitled to receive; this ticket is
presented at the store of delivery the next morning, and the
goods at once obtained. These tickets are renewed each
week, if the same want continues, with some change as to the
articles of food, so far as the variety sent will allow. Your
3




20
Committee are satisfied that this is the most impartial system
that could have been adopted, and made many careful
inquiries as to whether it was being faithfully carried out,
and are satisfied that the authorities are making every effort
to supply all without distinction.
On Wednesday, the 25th, a public meeting was held in the
Exchange in response to a call made in pursuance of a resolution of the City Council; an official copy of the proceedings
of which meeting is herewith presented.
Your Committee were not only gratified by the public
expressions of gratitude manifested on that occasion, but also
by the renewal of them at private interviews, and believe they
are sincere and heartfelt.
The attentions of the citizens were all we could desire or
expect under the circumstances, and their only regret was
that their condition prevented them from showing us more
hospitality. We desire in this connection to express our
thanks to Messrs. Bartels and Riddle, proprietors of the
Pulaski House, for their attentions during our whole stay;
they declining to receive from us any remuneration.
We would here close our report, which we believe embraces
all that was required in your letter of instructions under
which we were to act.
Our duties were simple and plain; and we have endeavored
to discharge them so that the recipients of your bounty might
feel that you were actuated by no other motive than a desire
to relieve their sufferings, and that your gifts were the
expressions of Christian sympathy and good-will. Since, however, we have returned, we find much interest manifested in
the general condition of affairs, and a desire to know, if possible, the true state of union sentiment among the people of
Savannah.
We would therefore add, that, although not authorized by
you, or considering that it was in any manner connected with
our mission, we nevertheless employed all the leisure time,
during our stay in that city, in making careful investigations,
and gathering all reliable information upon this point.




21
We visited many of the prominent citizens at their homes,
and held interviews with some who proclaimed themselves
still bitterly opposed to the Federal Government, for the
purpose of obtaining from them their opinion of the manifestations of loyalty which were being made, and learn, if
possible, the true motives by which those were actuated
whose allegiance to the Federal Government dated only from
the time of General Sherman's occupation of the city. By
adopting this course, together with the opportunities which
we had of attending some of the meetings of the leading citizens, which from their nature were necessarily of a private
character, and where their future plans and purposes were
discussed, we feel that the conclusions which we have formed,
whether correct or otherwise, may not be uninteresting.
Therefore, from all information thus gathered, we feel justified
in assuming that there have always been in Savannah a few
really and thoroughly loyal Union men. They have not been
allowed, it is true, to proclaim it at all times; but nevertheless
they have remained firm, enduring threats, insults, and abuse:
while some have only escaped violence on account of their age
or established respectability. They have maintained their position, and their consistency is acknowledged even by their
enemies. But the far larger class, which we think includes
nearly all the male population of the city, are those who are
convinced of the hopelessness of the rebel cause, who at last
begin to realize the power and determination of the North;
admitting fully that they are exhausted, while our strength
and resources are comparatively unimpaired. They see that
a continuation of the struggle must inevitably result in their
complete disaster, if not in their final extermination; and
consequently, with this conviction, they consider a further
continuation of the conflict on their part but madness and
folly, and the further effusion of blood criminal.
They therefore yield to the power of the Federal Government, and proclaim themselves ready to renew their allegiance
to it. The women, however, are still ardent advocates of the
rebel cause: this may be easily explained from the fact, that




2~2
they are governed more by passion and impulse than men,
and have not yet given the question a calm and sober consideration. Many have lost husbands, sons, and brothers in the
struggle, and are not yet willing to admit that all the sacrifices,
hardships, and sufferings of the past four years, together with
the blood which has been shed, shall all be in vain. As they
are led to take a more reasonable view of their position, their
opinions will doubtless change; but at present they, together
with the clergy, are, with few exceptions, on the side of the
confederacy.
This, we submit, is the correct position of the masses of
the citizens of the city, and the true state of Union sentiment
among them. They have, we doubt not, been sincere in their
expressions; and have come back under the government of
the United States, claiming the benefits of the President's
Proclamation, and the protection and magnanimity of the
administration.
As some paragraphs appeared in the public newspapers,
shortly after our departure, to the effect that the condition of
the people of Savannah hlad been exaggerated, thereby
giving the impression that the contributions which had been
bestowed were not required, we deem it proper to present a
simple statement of the actual condition of the citizens, which,
we trust, will satisfy the most sceptical, that not only was
every pound of the supplies needed, but that, unless some
measures are adopted whereby they can render to themselves
assistance, they will, after these are exhausted, become either
dependent on the general Government, or the further charities
of the benevolent.
For some weeks prior to the capture of the city by General
Sherman, nearly every article of food had been consumed
except the rice, which had been taken possession of by the
confederate authorities, and was sold by them to all classes at
a uniform price, the rebel currency being the medium of
exchange.  The Federal army had swept the country for
miles around tile city; and, when it occupied it, the inhabitants were in a state of most extreme destitution.




23
The property of the citizens consisted of real estate, bank
and railroad stocks, negroes, cotton, and rice. In one or all
of the above investments did the wealth of these people consist; and from nothing else could they realize a dollar whereby
to purchase the necessaries of life, aside from their own currency.  The first order of General Sherman swept that from
circulation, and made it penal to pass, under any circumstances. Their real estate was valueless: there were no
purchasers; and, if there were, no satisfactory title could be
given. The bank stock had long since exploded, and the
banking-houses immediately occupied by military authorities.
The railways have for the past four years been in the hands
of the rebel Government; and those not destroyed by our
forces are nearly worn out, and of but little value. The
negroes were at once as free as themselves; and even their
house-servants had nearly all deserted them.
The rice had long since passed out of their hands; and the
only available property in their possession, and on which they
could possibly realize a single dollar under any circumstances,
was cotton. Thirty thousand bales of this were stored in the
warehouses on the wharves, and about five thousand scattered
throughout the private buildings and dwelling-houses of the
city. This last amount was held principally by the poorer
classes, who bad secured a few bales each, with the idea that,
as a last resort, they should have something by which they
could realize enough to provide for their necessities, when all
else should fail.
The few Union men who, from the commencement of the
war, were convinced of the final result, had invested all their
surplus funds, together with the proceeds of any other property which they might be able to dispose of in it; considering
it the only thing that would be of any ultimate value.
Others, as their confidence in the success of the Confederacy became impaired, followed their example; and the result
is, that the amount stored in the warehouses was held by a
large number of owners. General Sherman, however, confiscated the entire stock in the whole city, including every




24
bale in every private house; and an agent was appointed
whose special duty it is to ship it at once to New York.
It will therefore be seen that the most wealthy were at
once left without a dollar of available property in their possession; and, as Mayor Arnold remarked in his public address,
" all were reduced to one dead level of poverty." This was
their condition when your Committee arrived with your contributions, and the relief it afforded was in no respect too
immediate or abundant; but, notwithstanding all the present
hardships and sufferings of these people, we regret to believe
that their future prospects are the cause of far greater anxiety
and solicitude.
In addition to the destitution resulting from four years
of non-intercourse with the outer world, and the ravages
produced by a war which has swept off nmore than one-half
the young men between the ages of sixteen and fifty, desolating every household, comes now the sudden and complete
overthrow of their institution of slavery, convulsing society
to its very foundations; changing the relations which have
existed in the community for nearly two centuries, in an
hour; and placing two races, with all their prejudices and
peculiarities, at once on the same common level of equality.
Here they stand face to face, antagonistic,- alike destitute,
beginning life anew, jealous of each other, and uncertain of
the future. Well may the contemplation of the prospect fill
them, as it does, with consternation and dismay; and men who
have passed the prime of manhood, as they look forward
through the years which it must take to re-organize society,
re-arrange labor upon a new basis, and bring back business
into its legitimate channels, shrink back discouraged, despondent, and disheartened.
We therefore beg leave, in closing, to call your especial
attention to this aspect of their condition. We have now
fully and fairly reached the question of the immediate and
unconditional emancipation of four millions of bondmen. The
march of General Sherman through the heart of the South,
and his continued progress northward, settles the question,




25
even if there were no enactments of Congress to confirm it.
It is a responsibility which a large portion of the people of
the North have for the past twenty years invited, and have
felt themselves prepared to assume; but, we submit, it is one
which has never been equalled in magnitude in the history
of any nation, and will require all the sagacity, wisdom, and
philanthropy of every statesman, patriot, and Christian to
meet it.
What are to be the future relations of this people is the
grand question of this nation. If the freedman is to be protected by the Government while the war continues, what
shall be his condition when the States return, and assume
control? If left to find his place by the necessity of capital
and labor, who can say that the necessity may not crush him?
We agree with General Sherman, that at an early day he must
be provided with a home; but how to arrange and regulate
it is a problem not yet solved. General Saxton, on the Sea
Islands, is doing all in his power to benefit and elevate them;
while the Freedmen's Aid Society are mainly directing their
efforts to the relief of their immediate necessities, and the
organization of an educational system among them.
But the great work of re-organizing labor, so that production may be encouraged, protection enjoyed, and withal the
race elevated, has hardly yet been touched; and believing it
can never be successfully carried out, except by the co-operation of practical men, we have ventured to make these few
remarks.
HARRISON O. BRIGGS.
HENRY D. HYDE.
WM. H. BALDWIN.
BOSTON, February 15th, 1865.




26
PROCEEDINGS
OF A
PUBLIC MEETING HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.
SAVANNAH, January 25th, 1865.
IN response to a call made in pursuance to the following
resolution of the City Council, viz., "Resolved, That His
Honor, Mayor Arnold, be requested to convene a meeting of
our citizens at the Exchange, at twelve o'clock on the
25th instant, for the purpose of giving expression to their
heartfelt thanks to the citizens of New York and Boston for
the very large, valuable, and timely contributions of provisions and other necessaries of life which have been received
and are now on their way to this city; and that His Honor
the Mayor invite the several Committees from New York and
Boston, including the owners and commander of the' Rebecca Clyde,' with Captain Veale of General Geary's staff
and Lieutenant Charlot, U.S.A., all of whom have co-operated
with us in the good work, to attend the meeting," - a large
meeting of the citizens met this day at the Exchange.
On motion of Mr. IH. Brigham, His Honor, Mayor Arnold,
was called to the chair, and Mr. John Gammell was requested
to act as Secretary.
The Mayor, on taking the chair, made the following remarks:" FELLOW-CITIZENSS: For the second time since the capture
of our city, it has been my duty to summon you to meet
together in public assembly.




27
"The occasion which brings you together to-day is one
which will be ever remarkable even in the annals of the last
few weeks, so pregnant as they have been with events which
make epochs in history, and which almost condense a lifetime
in a day.
"A brief review  of the circumstances under which we
were placed will be necessary for a clearer understanding of
our present condition.
" The capture of Savannah, on the 21st of December, 1864,
produced greater alterations in our condition than mere military possession and military government. The Confederate
currency, already inflated to an almost nominal value, was
still the medium of exchange while Savannah was in the
Confederacy: but, the moment the United States regained
Savannah, Confederate money was literally not worth the
paper on which it was printed; and all, all of us, individuals
and the City Government, were reduced to a dead level of
poverty. Cut off from all communication with the external
world, with no means to purchase provisions, and no provisions to purchase, I did not exaggerate your condition in my
opening remarks on the 28th of December.
"The want of fuel was supplied, as far as practicable, by
the direction of the noble Geary; and I am happy to state,
that, at the earliest practicable period, his successor, MajorGeneral Grover, will take measures to furnish wood to our
inhabitants.
" The statements made at the meeting of the citizens, and
the observations of eye-witnesses from the North, struck a
sympathetic chord in the breasts of many generous citizens
of New York and Boston; and, recollecting the time-honored
adage,'Bis dat qui cito dat' (He gives doubly who gives
quickly), in the shortest possible time and at the most inclement season of the year, behold the noble steamships
wending their way southward, freighted with provisions,
accompanied by the Committees, whose whole-souled philanthropy has been their only guide. These ships, this acceptable freight, these philanthropic gentlemen of the Committees
4




28
of New York and Boston, are here; and it is to give you an
opportunity of expressing your heartfelt gratitude that you
have met together this day.
"I do not envy the man who is not willing to join heartily
and sincerely in this expression of feeling; but I do not believe there is any such within the sound of my voice.
" I hope that this day will prove that the citizens of Savannah justly appreciate the generosity of New York and Boston,
and that they will further show that they look upon the
action as the olive branch of peace; and that they will meet
it, on their part, by the fairest, frankest acceptance of it as
such.
" Such, from what I have seen, I believe to be the prevalent
sentiment of our people.
" War stirs up the very foundations of society. We are
now in the midst of jarring elements; but a ray of light is
dawning. We may expect that it will lead to a more perfect
day; and we must, in the mean time, endeavor to profit by
the words of St. Paul,'Tribulation worketh patience, and
patience experience, and experience hope."'
He then introduced to the meeting the following gentlemen: Messrs. Archibald Baxter, C. H. P. Babcock, Frank
Lathrop, representatives of the city of New York; Messrs.
H. O. Briggs, W. H. Baldwin, H. D. Hyde, representatives of
the city of Boston; Mr. L. E. Chittenden, one of the owners
of the steamer " Rebecca Clyde;" Mr. John M. Glidden,
one of the owners of the steamer "Greyhound;" Captain
Veale, U.S.A.; and Lieutenant Charlot, U.S.A., acting with
the Relief Committee on part of the military authorities.
On motion, the Chair appointed the following Committee of
thirteen gentlemen to report resolutions, viz.: —
Wylly Woodbridge, N. B. Knapp, T. R. Mills, William
Hunter, G. W. Wylly, E. Padelford, A. Champion, A. A. Solomons, John McMahon, Isaac Cohen, T. J. Walsh, John R.
Wilder, H. A. Crane.
During the absence of the Committee, by invitation of the




29
Chairman, the meeting was eloquently and appropriately
addressed by the following gentlemen; viz., Messrs. Baxter,
Chittenden, Briggs, Baldwin, and Hyde, and Capt. Veale
U.S.A.
The Committee having returned, reported, through their
Chairman, Wylly Woodbridge, Esq., the following resolutions,
which were unanimously adopted:"The spontaneous and unsolicited liberality and benevolence of the citizens of New York and Boston, in raising
contributions and purchasing and forwarding provisions for
the use of the destitute of the city of Savannah, call for no
ordinary expression on the part of its citizens.
" Deprived for years of all external trade, cut off from the
commercial world by a rigid blockade, the resources of
the town were gradually wasted away, until we had reached
the point of almost positive starvation, when the occupation
by the army of General Sherman took place.
"This transition state of society complicates our situation.
The military power must obtain, so long as any portion of the
Southern States maintain an armed resistance to the Union.
Civil government cannot be established, nor the channels of
ordinary intercourse be opened. While this lasts, the people
are comparatively helpless.
" Such is the situation of Savannah; and such, in succession, will be the condition of the various portions of the
country, as they again fall into possession of the National
Government.
" The hand of sympathy and fellowship so generously extended to us by the citizens of New York and Boston affords
the most gratifying evidence, that a large portion of our
Northern fellow-citizens are desirous of re-establishing the
amicable relations which formerly existed between the various sections of our wide-spread Republic, and ought to carry
conviction to every unprejudiced mind that there is but one
course to pursue; and that is, to aim at a speedy termination
of the unfortunate strife which has been devastating the




30
country for nearly four years. Having appealed to arms to
decide the question, the weaker party, in such a contest,
must abide the issue of events, and cannot dictate terms.
"But the proclamation of President Lincoln has pointed
out the only way in which the United States, with their unexhausted and inexhaustible materials of war, will consent to
peace; and one of the largest meetings ever held in this city,
on the 28th of December, placed the people of Savannah in
the category presented by the Chief Magistrate.
"The meeting called to-day to convey the thanks of our
citizens to the generous donors of the provisions which are
to be distributed gratuitously to the needy is the direct fruit
of this action, dictated as it was by the reasonable hope of
retrieving the mistakes of the past, and re-establishing, as far
as possible, the prosperity which once blessed our land.
"Whatever may be the action of the United-States Government in future, this meeting has to-day a duty to perform to
the citizens of New York and Boston, in giving expression
to the sentiment of the town in relation to the munificent
bounty of which it is the grateful recipient.
"The city is in the same condition as it was when the
meeting of 28th December was held. The great difficulty is
in the fact, that the people are without remunerative industrial
occupation, which the early opening of our port would speedily
relieve. Let us hope that this may be remedied in reasonable
time. Meanwhile the contributions of our generous donors
are literally a Godsend; for, as the scanty resources of living
which were in the city when captured have been gradually
consumed, literal starvation stared us in the face. We are
now relieved from any immediate fear of this calamity, and
have at least respite until the present chaotic elements of our
situation shall subside into order. Be it therefore
"Resolved, That the citizens of Savannah tender their heartfelt gratitude to the Chamber of Commerce of New York, to
the New-York Commercial Association of the Produce Exchange, and all the liberal citizens of the city of New York,
who contributed means to purchase provisions, and also to




31
the New York and Washington Steamship company, which
so generously placed the steamship' Rebecca Clyde' at the
service of the Committee, for the transportation of the provision hither.
"Resolved, That the same acknowledgment is due to the
citizens of Boston for their prompt and liberal action in raising contributions, and sending out provisions, for the relief
of our citizens; and also to the owners of the steamship' Greyhound' for their generosity in furnishing transportation
for the provisions; and that the place of their meeting in
Faneuil Hall, the Cradle of American Liberty in the days of
our common struggle for independence, was an appropriate
one for the renewal of those ties which then bound Massachusetts and Georgia in a common bond.
"The eloquent -and touching letter of the Boston Relief
Committee to an unfortunate people is treasured for the children of many a family.
"Resolved, That these expressions are not alone an offering
from those whose necessities may induce them to accept the
bounty so liberally bestowed, but are the wide utterance of a
grateful community.
"Resolved, That the thanks of the citizens of Savannah are
eminently due, and are hereby gratefully returned, to Colonel
Julian Allen of New York for his kindness in offering to
advance the funds and to make purchases for the corporate
authorities of the city of Savannah, until he could be re-imbursed by shipments of rice; and also for his philanthropic
exertions in bringing to the notice of the citizens of New
York and Boston the destitute condition of our people, of
which he became personally cognizant while among us.
"Resolved, That our most cordial thanks are due, and are
hereby returned, to Messrs. Archibald Baxter, H. P. Babcock,
and Frank Lathrop, the Committee on the part of the NewYork contributors; and to Mr. L. E. Chittenden and the other
owners of the' Rebecca Clyde;' and to Messrs. H. O. Briggs,
W. H. Baldwin, and Henry D. Hyde, Committee on the part
of the citizens of Boston, who, at this inclement season of the




32
year, have sacrificed the comforts of home, and braved the
privations of a wvinter voyage, to fulfil their mission of mercy;
and also to Mr. Glidden, and the other owners of the steamer'Greyhound,' for her gratuitous use in conveying the provisions.
"Resolved, That the citizens of Savannah heard with profound regret of the death of the Hon. Edward Everett; his
name and fame are the common pride of the country; but the
city of Savannah will'claim to hold in especial remembrance
the fact, that the last public act of his life was in behalf of
her suffering people, and under circumstances which evinced
that the kindness of his heart was not even exceeded by the
brilliancy of his intellect. They knew he was great: they
feel he was good."
On motion of Mr. A. Wilbur, the following resolution was
adopted: —
"Resolved, That special copies of the proceedings of this
meeting be forwarded by His Honor the Mayor to the President of the United States, the President of the Chamber of
Commerce of the city of New York, the President of the
Produce Exchange of New York; to General W. T. Sherman; to Albert G. Browne, Esq., Treasury Agent; to Colonel
Julian Allen of New York; to His Honor the Mayor of the
city of Boston; and the President of the Board of Trade of
Boston."
On motion, the meeting adjourned.
R. D. ARNOLD, Mayor of Savannah.
JNO. GAMMELL, Secretary.




33
LETTER OF MAYOR ARNOLD.
SAVANNAII, February 8th, 1865.
To W. H. BALDWIN, Esq., one of the Boston Relief Committee.
DEAR SIR, —My meeting with you this morning was an
unexpected pleasure, as I had believed that you had left the
city some days since,- a pleasure not arising alone from personal considerations, but also from the fact that your continued presence among us has enabled you to witness the
effects of the generosity of your fellow-townsmen to our
suffering people, and to judge for yourself of the mode of
distribution which has been adopted by the corporate authorities, which, I was gratified to learn from you, met your
approval.
The peculiar circumstances under which we are placed,
rendered this duty somewhat difficult. As I have said in my
addresses to our public meetings, one great difficulty is the
want of remunerative industrial occupation for the classes
accustomed to work; and, until the unhappy strife now carrying on between North and South shall have terminated, and
the channels of intercourse between town and country be
again opened, and the mutual relations of supply and demand
between them be re-established, this state of affairs must
exist more or less.
The sudden dissolution of the relations of master and servant, which have hitherto regulated'a large class of our labor,
has produced, and will produce, effects not easily comprehended by those who are not on the spot to witness them.
In days gone by, Savannah proudly claimed the honor of
being the pioneer of the great works of internal improvement which rendered Georgia so prosperous; and, in the
ratio of her population, can challenge most cities to a com



34
parison of the capital contributed for those purposes. But a
sad change has occurred. IHer bank capital has been swallowed up in the vortex of Confederate currency; her immediate railroads have been damaged to an extent which will
require a large amount of labor and capital to repair; and
the productive powers of the country at large are -for the
present, at least -entirely prostrated.
Unless labor, the source of all well-being in this world,
shall be re-organized in some practical form, a dreary future
awaits the South. But it is the part of common sense to look
evils sternly in the face, to acknowledge them when they
exist, and to make every effort to remedy them.
The alternative is to succumb in hopeless despondency,an alternative which will not be accepted by any of our
people. We have a trying period to pass through; but we
will pass, through it, though many faint by the way.
The course of events is often as impetuous and irresistible
as the cataracts of Niagara; yet they find their way into a
comparatively placid lake: so may the waters of our revolution subside.
The preamble and resolutions of the meeting of citizens of
Savannah, a copy of which I have the honor to subjoin, fully
express the sentiments entertained in this city in relation to
the generous and spontaneous action of your city.  The
pleasant intercourse with your associates, Messrs. Briggs and
Hyde, and yourself, has, I hope, on your part, as it has on
ours, bound more closely the ties which are destined hereafter to keep us joined together as fellow-citizens of a widespread Republic.
With great regard, I remain yours,
R. D. ARNOLD.




35
SPEECH OF EDWARD EVERETT.
MR. MAYOR, -After the statements to which we have just
listened from Colonel Allen, the eye-witness of the scenes he
has described, I do not feel as if any thing I could say was
wanting to induce the citizens of Boston to respond promptly
to his appeal. The condition of Savannah certainly makes
an imperative call upon our best feelings.  It contains
twenty thousand men, women, and children, suffering to a
greater or less degree for clothing, fuel, and food. Their
care-worn looks, their haggard faces, their emaciated frames,
as described by Colonel Allen, bear witness that they have
long been in this condition. General Sherman having escaped
into the city, and General Hardee having escaped out of it,
the authority of the United States has been restored in this
principal seaport of Georgia, and cheerfully accepted, nay,
joyously welcomed, by the main body of the inhabitants.
There can, I think, be no doubt of the last fact. At the
great public meeting convened by the Mayor,- a meeting of
all classes of the citizens, held in the Masonic Hall, the largest in the city, - after the address of the Mayor, which has
been generally copied into our papers, the resolutions, which
have also been extensively inserted in our journals, were
passed by acclamation; the allusion to the flag of the United
States and the home of the President being received with
hearty cheers. Now this I consider one of the most remarkable and encouraging events of the war. It proves what I
have always asserted, because I have always known, that
there was a wide-spread Union sentiment at the South.
There is not one of the Southern States, with the possible
exception of South Carolina, and I doubt even that, in which,
if the question had been thrown to a popular vote, after a
5




36
full and free discussion, for a year and three-quarters, as was
the case with the Constitution framed in 1787, the first blow
of the Rebellion could have been struck. But, long before
the outbreak, a system of political proscription and intimidation, enforced when necessary by acts of violence, had established a complete reign of terror; so that, when the time
came, the masses were "precipitated" by a few ambitious
and disappointed political and military leaders into the
Rebellion. Gladly would they have thrown off the yoke; but
the means that placed it have riveted it on their necks.
All history teaches how small an organized military power
suffices to hold an unarmed population in subjection. With
all their able-bodied men, of whatever opinion, forced into
the army, and the pains and penalties of treason visited upon
every one who manifests in word or deed a wish for the
restoration of the Union, it is not to be wondered at, that an
open expression of that sentiment has not taken place.
Considering the vicissitudes of war, and the possibility, as it
may seem to them, that the confederate yoke may again be
placed upon their city, though we well know that that event
will take place when Savannah River runs up hill, I rather
wonder that her citizens have ventured even now to take the
step they have. It is evidently a fair expression of the
sentiment of the city. The meeting was called by the Mayor,
at the request of leading citizens; none of General Sherman's
army, officers or men, were present; sentinels were placed
at the door to keep the soldiers out, and none in fact were
admitted.  There have been other manifestations equally
expressive of good-will between the people of Savannah and
General Sherman's army. The best understanding exists between the military and the local authorities; private property
is respected; the officers of the army are gladly received as
private boarders in the houses of the citizens; and there is
not probably in the United States, at this moment, a better
governed and more quiet and orderly city than Savannah.
These precious boons have been brought back to its citizens
with the flag of the Union.




37
But something else must go with it. There is no store of
food there.  Their warehouses, their dwelling-houses, are
empty of provisions and of the other necessaries of life; and
there are twenty thousand men, women, and children, who,
in the interval which must necessarily elapse before trade
can return to its accustomed channels, must be clothed and
warmed and fed. It is our duty, as I know it will be our
pleasure, to do our part in this benevolent work. They offer, it is true, to send the rice which General Sherman has
given them, and sell it at the enhanced price which it bears
in our market, in payment of the supplies in which they
stand in sore need. But New York and Boston don't want
their rice. Savannah wants our pork, beef; and flour; and I
say, in the name of Heaven, let us send it to them without
money and without price. By-and-by we will trade with
them as we did in the good times before the curse of Secession and Rebellion came upon the land. By-and-by we will
take the rice and the cotton, and give them our food and our
fabrics in return.
Now, sir, I had rather not be paid for the relief we send
them. Our storehouses and granaries are full; our farmers
never had a better year. Some branches of trade and manufacturles are depressed, but others are more than usually
active and profitable. The great West, big as she is, is
hardly big enough to hold the wealth that is annually reaped
from her fertile fields; and, as if the accustomed products of
the soil were deemed insufficient by a bountiful Providence,
the very clods of the earth throughout the Middle States
" are pouring out rivers of oil," till King Petroleum bids fair
to sway the markets of the world, as King Cotton did before
his fibrous majesty was dethroned. In this state of things,
sir, I don't want our great commercial cities, warm-hearted
Boston and imperial New York, to go to chaffering with poor,
war-stricken, starving Savannah for the food she needs for
her famished citizens. No, sir: I should as soon have expected the fond father in the parable, that loveliest page in
the sacred volume, to drive a bargain with his returning son




38
for a meal's victuals out of the fatted calf. Let us offer it
to them freely, not in the spirit of alms-giving, but as a
pledge of fraternal feeling, and an earnest of our disposition
to resume all the kind offices of fellow-citizenship with our
returning brethren.
Do you say that they were lately our enemies? I am well
convinced, that the majority, the great majority, were so but
nominally. But what if they were our enemies?  "If thine
enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;" especially when he has laid down his arms, and submits to your
power. And I hope we may never have to retaliate in any
other way the cruelties of starvation practised upon our
poor prisoners. Nothing so plainly shows the ruthless spirit
of the leaders of the Rebellion, as the manner in which our
prisoners of war have been treated at some of the depots.
The accounts of these cruelties which have reached us have,
of course, been contradicted; but I know them to be true. I
know it from some of the living victims of these cruelties.
A young officer exchanged from Libby —a person as well
entitled to credit as any one, high or low in office, priest or
layman, by whom his account has been or can be contradicted
-assured me that the statements so frequently made of the
cruel manner in which our prisoners were treated in that
prison are unexaggerated. An officer recently escaped from
Columbia informed a friend of mine, who repeated it to me
last Saturday, that the allowance even to officers was a very
small quantity of uncooked cob meal daily, with a spoonful
of sorghum sirup. The condition in which the returned
prisoners came back to us — their wasted frames, their
sunken eyes, their nerveless limbs —shows that it is the
settled policy of the Rebel leaders to send them home broken
down, body and mind, and unfit for service; in other words,
to keep them out of the grave just long enough to be exchanged for a Rebel prisoner, who will return better fed and
clothed than he was at home, hale and hearty, and ready to
take the field. That such is the case with the Southern
prisoners of war at our depots, I have had some opportunities




39
to know personally. The prisoners at Fort Warren are as
well housed and fed, as far as substantials are concerned, as
nine-tenths of the people of Massachusetts; that is, they have
comfortable shelter, space for exercise, adequate clothing,
and food, animal and vegetable, in abundance.  I visited
Camp Douglas, near Chicago, at a time when eight thousand
confederate prisoners were confined there. They had twenty
acres of ground for exercise and games in which they chose
to indulge; they had comfortable barracks; I saw Western
hams by the cart-load unloading into their store-rooms, and I
passed through their quarters just at the dinner-hour. The
tables certainly were not spread with damask table-cloths,
nor set out with porcelain or cut glass; nor did I taste the
food. But, judging from looks and smell, it was as wholesome
and savory as I ever wish to see on my own table; and, in
quantity and quality, it was equal to that of the Union regiments that guarded the depot. A similar state of things, I
was informed by an intimate friend of mine, an officer high in
public service, exists at Johnson's Island, inll Lake Erie. I
have also heard from trustworthy sources similar accounts of
the treatment of the prisoners at Fort Delaware.
Mr. Davis made it a complaint in one of his messages, that
Southern prisoners were confined at a place so far north as
Fort Johnson. He did not appear to remember, that Millen
and Andersonville in summer might be as trying to a Northern constitution as Fort Johnson to a Southern constitution
in winter; and it is a curious fact, officially ascertained, that
the proportion of persons frozen to death is greater at the
South than the North, in consequence of our more effectual
precautions to resist the cold. I mention these facts, the
rather now, that, as an offset to the cruelty practised on our
prisoners at the South, an attempt is making to persuade the
sympathizing classes in Europe, that Southern prisoners are
made to suffer at the North.
Now, sir, I believe the best way in which we can retaliate
upon the South for the cruel treatment of our prisoners is for
us to continue to treat their prisoners with entire humanity




40
and all reasonable kindness; and not only so, but to seize
every opportunity like the present to go beyond this. Indeed, it is no more than our duty to treat the prisoner well.
The law of nations requires it. The Government that refuses
or neglects it does not deserve the name of Civilized. Even
inability is no justification. If you are yourself so exhausted
that you cannot supply your prisoner with a sufficient quantity of wholesome food, you are bound, with or without exchange, to set him free. You have no more right to starve
than to poison him. It will, however, be borne in mind, that
while the hard fare of our prisoners is defended by the Southern leaders, on the ground that it is as good as that of their
own soldiers, — at the same time, they maintain that their harvests are abundant, and their armies well fed. There is no
merit in treating a prisoner with common humanity: it is
simply infamous and wicked to treat him otherwise. While
we take no credit to ourselves that we do not starve our
prisoners, let us show that we are glad of a chance to minister to the wants of our fellow-citizens of the South, when we
are under no moral obligations to do so.
Under no moral obligations, did I say, sir? I am not so
sure of that. Forty years ago, we thought it our duty to
relieve the starving Greeks.  We sent ship-loads of provisions to them in charge of a worthy citizen (Dr. Howe) to
make the distribution; and the memory of that kindly deed
still dwells on the " Isles that crown the Egean deep."
When the icy hand of famine smote the toiling millions of
Ireland, in 1847, the cry of their distress reached this hall,
and returned with a generous response. When the want of
employment, caused by the cessation of the supply of cotton,
deprived the operatives of Lancashire of their daily bread,
our friends in New York sent the " George Griswold," laden
with provisions, to their succor. The pirate Semmes showed
what he was made of, by burning the vessel on her return
voyage. Not a twelvemonth has elapsed since the heart of
our community was stirred to its depths by the pathetic eloquence of Colonel Taylor, setting forth the distress of our




41
brethren in East Tennessee. The relief extended by you in all
these cases was not a mere gush of sentimental benevolence:
it was, as you so considered it, the performance of a Christian
duty, an act of obedience to the great law of love, which,
paramount to the Constitution and law of the land, lays its
sacred obligation on every rational creature, and makes us
all brethren, mutually dependent on each other, in the one
great human family. And shall we shut out from this great
family our brethren of Savannah, who, by the valor and conduct of our armies and the heroic skill of their noble leader,
are again gathered, nothing loath, beneath the folds of' the
sacred flag? General Sherman, as kind as he is brave, who
desires only to preserve by the gentle sway of gratitude and
love what his unconquered sword has won, has himself said
that " the timely relief of the suffering citizens of Savannah
will be worth more to the Union cause than ten battles."
For Heaven's sake, my friends, let us hasten to win these
bloodless victories, saddened by no parent's bereavement, no
widow's tears. While we subdue the armies which a merciless conscription of old and young drives to the field, and
maintain a cordon of iron and fire around the shores of persistent Rebellion, from the moment a desire is manifested on
the masses to acknowledge the authority of the Government,
let us hasten to extend to them the right hand of Christian
love, to supply their wants and to relieve their sufferings,
and to mark their return to the Union by the return of a
prosperity to which, by the selfish and cruel ambition of their
leaders, they have so long been strangers.
I most cheerfully second the resolutions.




42
DONATIONS
FOR THE
RELIEF OF THE PEOPLE OF SAVANNAH.
William Gray...... $500.00   Gardner Brewer & Co..          200.00
E. R. Mludge, Sawyer, & Co.   500.00   C. WV. Freeland, Beard, & Co.  200.00
Joseph S. Fay...... 500.00  J. S. & E. Wright & Co..    200.00
Fisher & Co......   50000  Amos A. Lawrence...    200 00
Blake Brothers & Co...   500.00  George XV. Lyman..             200.00
Hlenry P. Sturgis..       500.00   William Amory..    200.00
Nathaniel Thayer..        500.00   Charles Amory...         200.00
James M. Beebe & Co..    500.00  Fearing, Thacher, & Co... 200.00
Naylor & Co......    00.00  Horatio Harris & Co...    200.00
J. Z. Goodrich...       600.00  James L. Little & Co...    200.00
Francis Skinner & Co..       600.00  Denny, Rice, & Co....   200.00
Boston Board of Brokers.. 500.00   E. S. Tobey...       200 00
Faulkner, Kimball, & Co.      500.00  J. C. Burrage & Co.             200.00
Jordan, Marsh, & Co.          5 600.00  Foster & Taylor.....   200.00
Charles Hook Appleton         200.00
Miss Mary Anne Wales.. 300.00   C. F. Hovey & Co...   200.00
J. C. Howe & Co.              300.00
Dane, Dane, & Co.             150.00
S. D. Warren...... 250.00
Samuel May......   20.00  Albert Bowker..                   100.00
John A. Blanchard...    260.00  Fisher & Chapin...      100.00
Friend.....              250.00   George William Bond... 100.00
Joseph Whitnev &1 Co..    250.00  Otis Daniell..               100.00
lasigi, Goddard, & Co...     250.00   Lemuel Crehore... 100.00
M. H. Simpson..... 250.00  Stoddard, Lovering, & Co.. 100.00
George C. Richardson... 250.00  Spencer, Vila, & Co..          100.00
Benjamin E. Bates...    250.00  Ichabod Goodwin, of PortsWilliam F. Weld & Co.         260.00      mouth....... 100.00
William Perkins..... 250.00 May & Co......    100.00
Edward Cunningham... 250.00  Larkin, Stackpole, & Co.            100.00
J. N. Fiske...           100.00
George C. Shattuck...    200.00   H. O. Houghton & Co..           100.00
Tudor Company.....           200.00  N. & B. Goddard.                100.00
Howes & Crowell.          200.00  Edward E. Rice.                100.00
Miss Pratt....... 200.00  Sprague, Soule, & Co...    100.00
J. Amory Lowell....    200.00  Ezra Trull & Co.                   100.00
James S. Amory.....  200.00  P. C. Brooks..    100.00
William H. Gardner.         200.00  Caleb A. Curtis..... 100.00
S. R. Spalding..    200.00   J. Ellis....          100.00
G. F. Parkman..        200.00  J. D. & M. Williams... 100.00




43
Johnson& Thompson.    100.00  M. D. Ross..100.00
Stephen Fairbanks...    100.00  Butler, Sise, and Co... 100.00
N. A. Thompson...   100.00  Thayer, Brigham, and Co..    100.00
Livermore, Morse, & Co..    100.00  Benjamin F. Burgess... 100.00
Mrs. Hemenway.... 100.00  N. B. Gibbs......                100.00
Nickerson & Co.                100.00   B. G. Boardman..       100.00
William Bramhall..           100.00   Sewall, Day, and Co... 100.00
Thatcher Magoun..           100.00   Jos. B. Glover.....    100.00
Nathaniel Francis..          100.00  Austin Sumner.100.00
John Taylor.      100.00  Edwards, Nichols, and Richards 100.00
Jacob Hittinger.    100.00  Banker and Carpenter.. 100.00
R. H. Tucker of Wiscasset      100.00  E. C. Stanwood and Co.. 100.00
Mrs. T. G. Cary... 100.00  James M. Barnard..   100.00
Bayley, Rollins, & Co...   100.00  Alpheus Hardy and Co.. 100.00
Edward Everett.100.00   George W. Wales.                           100.00
William B. Spooner & Co..    100.00   Downer Kerosene Oil Co..  100.00
J. M. Jones & Co...    100.00  William S. Bullard... 100.00
Field, Converse, & Allen       100.00  F. Nickerson and Co... 100.00
Henry Poor & Sons...    100.00  Rice and Davis..       100.00
Henry Daggett & Co...        100.00   Fogg, Houghton, and Coolidge  100.00
David Sears...          100.00  S. H. Gookin....        100.00
Otis Norcross & Co..      100.00  Burr Brothers and Co..    100.00
J. C. Converse & Co.         100.00   Way, Warren, and Co.           100.00
John A. Burnham...    100.00   J. Field.....            100.00
J. L.                          100.00  Thomas E. Proctor... 100.00
F. Dane & Co..                 100.00 William Hilton..       100.00
E. F. Wood & Co...         100.00   S. D. Crane and Co.. 100.00
Alexander Strong & Co...   100.00  Nash, Spalding, and Co.. 100.00
Frederick Jones..       100.00  F. Gordon Dexter... 100.00
James Parker....   100.00   Stephen Salisbury... 100.00
Henry Upham.                   100.00   Thomas B. WVales and Co.      100.00
Bates and Co.... 100.00   Brewster, Sweet, and Co..    100.00
Addison Gage and Co..         100.00  E. D. Peters and Co... 100.00
E. Wakefield.... 100.00   Stephen Tilton and Co... 100.00
John Atkinson.                 100.00   J. P. Melledge.....  100.00
Miss Isa E. Loring..      100.00  Fuller and Dana..       100.00
A friend..                     100.00  J. C. Tyler and Co.             100.00
J. Huntington Wolcott..    100.00  Jos. Nickerson and Co..           100.00
D. N. Spooner...            100.00  James Read......  100.00
John Gardner.... 100.00  E. H. Eldridge and Co...   100.00
Sweetser, Swan, and Blodgett  100.00   Abner Kingman..       100.00
Israel Whitney..       100.00   Preston and Merrill....        100.00
George H. Kuhn..             100.00   E.A. and W. Winchester.. 100.00
H. P. Kidder....              100.00  Oliver Ditson....        100.00
Joshua Stetson....      100.00  William Ropes and Co.. 100.00
Wilson, Hamilton, and Co.      100.00  Edward Habich...        100.00
William Munroe...           100.00
Dale, Brothers, and Co..  100.00 W.. H. Hill..         50.00
F. VW., Somerset Street..    100.00  H. M. Clarke.....        50.00
Tuttle, Gaffield, and Co.     100.00   Miss Louisa Shaw...   50.00
Francis Bacon.                 100.00  Rev. Theo. M. Barton... 50.00
S.C. Thwing and Co..         100.00   Charles K. Cobb.....   560.00
James Vila and Co.            100.00  Hugh Montgomery...    50.00
James Davis.          100.00  Henry I. Bowditch... 50.00
Franklin Haven..       100.00  Arthur Wilkinson.              50.00
Curtis and Peabody...   100.00   Wilkinson, Lamb, and Co.           50.00
Thomas Wigglesworth..    100.00  Lorenzo Papanti..        50.00
James McGregor.... 100.00  Rev. Dr. Burroughs...  50.00
Homer and Sprague.            100.00  Rich, Cowing, and Hatch.    50.00
6




44
George R. Minot.....  000 A. H. Bowman..   60.00
Friend..                      50.00 W. H. Boynton and Co..   60.00
G. Morey.....           60.00   Curtis and Co.                    50.00
Charles Brewer and Co..       50.00   Rev. N. L. Frothingham.        50.00
Chenery and Co.6.. 50.00 Hartley Lord.. 50.00
G. Chase.                        50.00 George H. Gray.. 50.00
A. D. Weld and Son..    50.00   Jones and Farley.6 50.00
James T. Patten and Co..        50.00   William H. Davis and Co.          50.00
Newhall and Thacher..        50.00   Kendrick and Co..                50.00
Edward Wyman..        50.00   Robert Waterston...          60.00
Mrs. R. H. White...    50.00   Elisha T. Loring.                    50.00
F. C. Manning....    560.00   Edward W. Codman..             50.00
William Read and Son.           50.00   William Underwood and Co.    50.00
J. Pickering Putnam..      50.00   Nathan Matthews...       50.00
Louis Osborn.                   50.00 Henry Bryant.5. 60.00
Samuel I. Pollard...          60.00
J. P. Gardner.                  50.00   Beza Lincoln                      30.00
George W. Simmons and Co.   50.00   C. H. Appleton.....  30.00
George Higginson...   50.00 James Savage...  30.00
I. F. Dobson...... 50.00 J. Henry Sears..                                30.00
Charles Mifflin......  50.00
J. H. Beal.                     50.00 William H. Kinsman..   25.00
James Hunnewell                  50.00   Bridge, Lord, and Co..         25.00
Solomon Piper...... 50.00  William Minot..                               25.00
Charles W. Cartwright...  50.00   0. H. Sampson.....   25.00
Robert Codman....              50.00   H. Bird and Co.                   26.00
Charles J. Morrill...       50.00   Samuel H. Walley...             25.00
D. M. Hodgdon and Co..         50.00   Friend......    25.00
John Simmons and Co..          60.00   Sears and Co.....                25.00
Francis C. Lowell...        50.00   Littell's Living Age...        25.00
Mrs. E. Shimmin.....             50.00   F. W. Lincoln, jun.....    25.00
Robert Hooper.....              50.00   John P. Healy......   25.00
James Hayward.....    50.00 Henry A. Peirce...                             25.00
R. B. Forbes......  50.00   George 0. Sears...                           25.00
A. A. Frazar.                    50.00 Thomas Manning..   25.00
Alfred Winsor and Son..   50.00 Robert Kershaw..        25.00
F. S. Merritt.                   50.00 H. B. Pearson...... 25.00
J. Amory Davis....  60.00 C. Choate...25.00
E. G. Alden and Co.              50.00   John L. Gardner, jun...        25.00
J. D. Sturtevant.               50.00   George B. Rogers...            25.00
0. W. Holmes....       50.00   C. W. Dabney, jun.....            25.00
B. R. Gilbert.                   50.00 J. WV. Balch.....  25 00
Emmons, Danforth, & Scudder,   50.00   Henry Atkins.....                   25.00
Isaac Taylor.....           50.00   Flint and Hall......  25.00
George B. Cary.. 50.00 Eliphalet Jones                                    25.00
A Friend....... 50.00 Henry Edwards..    25.00
George M. Soule..              50.00   W. V. Greenough....  25.00
Henry Callender.                 50.00 Henry Gardner...   25.00
John A. Emmons...             50.00   S. Q. Cochran.....  25.00
Robert B. Storer.               50.00 William Thomas.                    25.00
Howe and French...            50.00  Timothy T. Sawyer...               25.00
William E. Baker...           50.00  Jacob A. Dresser                   25.00
Mrs. M. L. Putnam...           50.00   Thomas 0. Richardson..          25.00
Dr. James Jackson...        60.00   William T. Eustis...           25.00
Elmer Townsend.5 0.00 D. R. Whitney...    25.00
Barnabas Davis.                  50.00   Southard, Herbert, and Co.        25.00
George W. Messenger..         50.00   Waldo Flint...        25.00
Seth Bemis.......  50.00  David Buck......   25.00
E. A. Boardman5 60.00   William R. Jones.                                  25.00




45
John Cummings, jun...        25.00   George W. Robinson...   10.00
George Gardner.25.00 F. W......   10.00
E. Davis........  10.00
George W. Wheelwright.         20.00   WV. A. H..                      10.00
J. P. Bush.......  20 00  R. C. Winthrop                         10.00
Ira Stratton.20.00   George D~ Welles...                           10.00
J. Sinclair Miller.20.00  Mrs. Isaiah D. Crowell..                   10.00
Cash..                         20.00 H. H. S.                          10.00
S. B. Stebbins and Co...      20.00  Frank Tripp...       10.00
William Babson.20.00 Lady..                                           10.00
Mrs. J. A. Peabody.         20.00   Vermont......         10.00
B. Williams......  20.00   W. A. Morse...                     10.00
S. H. Fessenden.20.00   J. A. Patterson....                        10.00
A Friend..            20.00 Cash.....                    10.00
William Sprague...  20.00
Otis Rich...              20.00   Edward Ryan......   6.00
T. J. Jones and Co.             20.00  Mrs. Ann B. Adams.                 5.00
A Friend.....   20.00 Anthony Kelly..       5.00
Avon Place.......  20.00   J. Wingate Thornton...   5.00
Salem.20.00 S. G. Deblois...  5.00
Samuel Weltch and Co..        20.00   W. 1H. C.......00
B. C. Clark.....    20.00   Mr. Abbott.......           5.00
D. H. Coolidge....        20.00  H. B. H.....      5.00
E. S. M.....   5.00
Miss Abby B. Francis of Cam-            Mrs. M  Myers..        5.00
bridge.18.00 Cash...... 5.00.,..........    5.00
J. Schumacher and Co.          15.00
Miss A. B. P. Walley...    15.00  J. E. Farwell and Co...         2.50
A. T. Lyman....             15.00
A. W. H.......    2.00
Nathaniel Gordon.            10.00  J. A. Fowle......   2.00
A Friend......    10.00   J. P. Almy...        2.00
Cash...10.00
C. Ellis...       10.00  Three little boys of New BedJ. L. Mills and Son.           10.00       ford.                        1.00
Dennison and Co..       10.00   J. Andrews.......   1.00
Davis and Crosby...  10.00   Cash.........    1.00
William C. Codman.             10.00
Otis Munroe.....              10.00   Overpaid on Subscription.       0.67
H. WV. Brooks...             10.00
Cash.........  10.00                             Total, 34,495.07,,.........  10.00...,,.........  10.00  J. W. Green, 1 box codfish.
Charles Emery....    10.00   George F. Bartlett, New Bedford, 1
Henry Hutchinson.             10.00       barrel flour.




SAVANNAH RELIEF FUND in Account with WILLIAM PERKINS, Treasurer.                                                        (1r
1865.                                                                        1865.
Jan. 23. To cash paid Messrs. Glidden & Williams.              $..23,000.00   February. By amount of sundry contributions, as follows:Feb. 7. To cash paid Messrs. Glidden & Williams.....   7,888.47                            14 of 500 dollars each.$7,000.00
For cost of the following goods shipped to Savannah,                                 of 250 dollars each........ 3,00000
as follows, including cost of insurance300 dollars each...........   600.00
Per Steamer GREYHOUND, from  Boston, —                                              1 of 150 dollars............   150.00
39 Tierces of Sugar.                                                    25 of 200 dollars each..........  5,000.00
10 Half-chests of Tea.                                                    
50 Barrels of Pork.                                                    125 of 100 dollars each........  12,500.00
30 Barrels of Smoked Shoulders.                                         86 of 50 dollars each..                      4,300.00
15 Drums of Hake.                                                      40 of 25 dollars each..........  1,000.00
25 Barrels of No. 2 Mackerel.                                                
10 Barrels of Herring.                                                  4 of  30 dollars each...........   120.00
200 Barrels of Flour.                                                    20 of 20 dollars each..........    400.00
100 Barrels of Potatoes.                                                  1 of 18dollars                                       18.00
25 Barrels of Onions.                                                                                                          100
10 Barrels of Beans.                                                    3 of 15 dollars each........... 4500
Per Steamer DANIEL WEBSTER,.from Veto York, -
29 of 10 dollars each...........    60.00
330 Barrels of Corn Meal.
100 Barrels of Beef.                                                      1 of  21 dollars (J. E. Farwell's bill)....       2.50
100 Barrels of Pork.                                                     3 of  2 dollars each..........                 6.00
500 Barrels of Potatoes.                                                  3 of  1 dollar each.3.00
Per Barque HARVEST MOON, from Netw  York,-                                         Overpaid by a Contributor........    0.57
170 Barrels of Corn Meal.
500 Barrels of Potatoes.                                                                                                  $3,495.07
100 Barrels of Onions.
29 Tierces of Hams.                                       1865.
To cash paid J. E. Farwell's bill of Printing..          2.50   Feb. 15.   By Balance brought forward........  $3,513.10
Feb. 13. To cash paid Henry D. Hyde on account of citizens
of Savannah, and expenses incurred in delivering
supplies................    91.00                                Errors Excepted.,7  15. To Balance................   3,513.10                                                   WILLIAM   PERKINS, Treasurer.
$34,495.07     BOSTON, Feb. 15, 1865.