After returning from the expedition, the ever-popular Barton made her experiences with Captain Moore known. In this letter to General Benjamin Butler, she blamed Moore of a litany of wrongdoings, including being responsible for Dorence Atwater’s imprisonment for larceny in August 1865 after he retrieved his death list from the Army without permission.

Barton’s letter also included the “Appended Clause, of an Official Report to Secretary Stanton of the expedition to Andersonville Ga July 1865 – for the purpose of identifying the graves”, where she accused Moore of being “violently opposed” to her before she had “even been twenty minutes in his company,” of ignoring her and never consulting her on any matters during the expedition, and of forging letters in her name that were published in various newspapers to make her “appear odious and ridiculous.”

Barton requested Butler’s aid to prevent Captain Moore from being assigned as Chief of the U.S. Burial Bureau and subsequently becoming her supervisor. Although she suggested that Butler go directly to President Andrew Johnson if necessary, Butler was unable to intercede and Moore was appointed to the newly created office in November, 1865.

A beloved figure, Barton did not disabuse people of the notion that she was responsible for identifying the nearly 13,000 men who perished at Andersonville. While that accomplishment belonged to the Army Quartermaster’s office, Barton was irreplaceable as a correspondent with the families of soldiers who perished there. She continued her work with the Missing Soldiers Office and promoted its work through an extensive lecture tour through the Northeast and Midwest until the office closed in 1868.

Previous

Back to Exhibits