Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-05-01
We clip the following notice Of this
work from the Philadelphia Press
Prison LIE i'm Richmond.

! nond aa experienced hy United States
soldiers in captivity there, that the vol
ume before us, giving a faithful account
will probably find a multitude Of read
ers. Lieut.. Harris, its author, is an in
telligent Philadelphian, who writes in
the plainest and most straightforward
manner, telling his own experience, and
faithfully recording what passed before
his own eyes from the time be was taken
prisoner at the battle of Balls Bluff, on
the 21st of October 1861, to the 22nd Of
February, 1862. Four very unpleasant
months they were to him and others.
Lieut.. Harris was one of the twenty
four officers captured at dusk, at Balls
Bluff They were Immediately marched
under guard TO Leesburg, three miles dis
tant, where their advent excited almost
4 frantic exultation. Declining to accept
parole which conceded no privilege ex-
cept that of paying their own hotel bills,
they were taken off to Manassas, where
they were marched into an old barn.
''Here" Mr.. Harris says, 1--WE were visit
ed by scores Of Confederate officers and
civilians, none of whom were in the barn
amoment before they commenced discus
sing the political causes Of the war Con-
yersing with that efIervescing tempera-
ment so peculiar to the Southern born,
their manner soon became disagreeable
and quarrelsome, and we found it neces-
sary to abstain from all conversation. A
few ladies came to the barn door, stood
and gazed upon us, smiled their smile of
contempt, and then went tripping away
TO tell their friends 'how dirty and nasty
the Yankees looked They reached
Richmond by rail on the morning Of the
24th October, received with mingled tri-
umph and hatred by the populuce, who
crowded to see 'the Yanks," and march
ed into their future prison, which is thus
described
"The Tobacco Warehouse, where the
officers and two hundred and fifty pri-
Yates are connneu, Is situated III ttle
lower portion of the city on the south
west corner of Twenty and Main
streets, and was occupied, previous to
g being used as a military prison by Messrs
= MggOn g. Co., for manufacturing and
storing tobacco.
"It is a large three-story brick build
. ing, built in a substantial manner, anc
peculiarly adapted for prison and hos
pital purposes. The main Cor first tlool
- is allotted to the officers, fifty of whom
are its present December j, 1861 occu
. pants. The second and third floors con
e tain each one hundred and twenty-five
privates. In the centre Of the officers
floor is placed the machinery for pressing
and preparing tobacco, dividing it int
two equal sections, the western beinI
=, used for eating and writing purposes, th
u eastern for promenading and sleeping
Ten mess tables, made out of rough pin
boards, and a number of wooden bench
y u es and stools, occupy the main portion O
- the western division; and the floor
= well covered in the eastern by bedstead
= and cots of Southern and prison manu-
- facture The latter are primitive, ye
- unique in style, being Of the simples
structure that rough boards and a fe'
>, nails can accomplish.
u "The length Of the officers room
y sixty-five feet nine inches, width forty
i' five feet, height twelve feet three inches
= one half of which space is occupied b
70 the machinery in the centre and nOrther
~ portion Of the floor. The room is lighte
'' by five windows on the west or lowe
, side, and three on the east or city sid
~ Those on the cast are level with II
, street and we'll protected by iron bar
- the west windows are without bars, bI
- double guarded by sentinels placed
~ The yard.
nc "rhe sills Of those in The west a.
o. used as pantries by the stewards, and
curious assortment Of stores is often di
pIayed-tn cups, plates, knives and forl
a Gun Of butter saucer Of salt uaper
pepper, loaf Of bread cold beef con
and brush, whisk broom, towels a w
shirt drying shaving apparatu bott
Of vinegar, Sc.
ge, "The room is lighted by gas, the use
me which is either kindly on unwittiug
in given at all hours of the day; we use
for cooking as well as Illuminating pa
poses, and the od0r Of hot coffee aud o.
md casiOnal stews may be scented dai
M 1 throughout the roOm At nine oclO
s,g we have breakfast consisting of fre
M, beef occasionally lyer-with five on
vo ces of bread; at one o'clock dinner
". boiled or roast beef with iiyc ounces
on bread; at six o'clock supper--iivc ounc
"a of bread
be "l Confederate Government furnish
the rations OF bread and beef with 81
and brown soap. AN other articles
food are provided by thc prisoners 40 {
following prices Tea 81 per p0un
coitee, sl per pound. YoWn sugar
cents; butter 90 cents POTATOES s. /
N. Z busheI; molasses, 81 25 per gallon. Il
cost of extra ndoHs. which ave c1Riin