Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-03-27


of the Federal strength.
OUGHT TO BE SHOT
As we were about to depart he asked me
If knea what ought to bs done with us
[ replied that did not. He answered by
saying that he thought that we ought to all
be taken out there. pointing TO meadow
near his headquarters. and shot. As we
left him. the landlord remark about hos
pitality" again REQUIRED to my mind
BACK TO OUR DEN.
We were taken back to our comrades
uiggers and Union men. where we put in
our time the best we could, waiting 70.
something else to turn up
OFF ron RICHMOND.
| Quite . number of secesh officers visited
US in the afternoon and towards evening
we were informed tina. we should be ready
at 8 o'clock that night to start for Rich
mond. We were glad of it. for we tho't
that we could not possibly get into a worse
place than we then were.
! MONT OF SUFFERING.
Accordingly when the hour arrived for
our departure. we were taken ont. our par
ty separated, and placed on the tops OF
TWO stages. We had no blankets or over
coats with ms. and our suffering from cold
on tina. nights ride--a distance of %
miles-was intense. and think will not
soon be forgotten by any of us. We ar
rived at Strasburgh about 8 o'clock in the
morning and took the cars for Manassas.
where we arrived little before daylight.
TREATMENT ON THE WAY.
On our way to Richmond at almost eve-
ry station the cars were boarded by crowds
of men, and sometimes women, for the
purpose of having peep at the Odd
Yankees" as everybody called us. and
again bringing to my mind the landlords
remark about hospitality"
ARRIVAL AT TIE C. s. A. CAPITAL.
We arrived at Richmond the third day
after our capture. entirely worn out. hav-
ing hal one supper on the night we
were taken, anil one meal Of bread and
meat At the guard house during the whole
Of that time.
was separated here from my men and
placed I'm = room occupied at that time by
about fifty officers Of the Federal army who
had been taken at Balls Bluff. Manassas
and other places. They were confined on
the first floor of one Of the Tobacco Fac
tories. the two upper floors being occupied
by the privates. Ny men were confined on
the opposite side of the street. in build.
ing similar to the one spoken of. at the
time we arrived. there was. | think.
about 1000 prisoners in Richmond. a
large number having been sent further
South. to Tuscaloosa. Columbia. Sails
bury and New Orleans. st
ORR TREATMENT.
So far as tn. officers were concerned,
they had plenty to eat. being allowed by
the rrison officers to purchase whatever or
ticles they desired. They were furnished
with bread and beef bv the e. S., but moth
ing else. all they hal aside from these two
articles had to be purchased at enormou,
prices. but as most of them had money
sent them. by their friends. they Jared very
well. But the suffering was not with them,
it was with the men who were crowded
and crammed to the number Of l50 and zoo
TO the floor. in the upper stories. with
nothing to sleep on. most of them hall ma
ked-their clothes having been either worn
out or thrown away on the battle field. and
at the time VIC arrived there the average
number Of deaths was two per day. aud
I. loo~- 1,,<> f,,.,a
8. now THEY WERE BURIED.
When one OF the men died at the hospital
the fist notice we woul.l hove of his death
would be the appearance of the hearsc in
the street driven by negro, then three oil
four Of the guard would go in and helr
carry him out. The corpse was usually
placed in plain pine box. After this wal
done the darkey would drive away. no one
knew whittier. This occurred twice day
for a long time. have often heard som'
Of the most brutal guards remark in thei
conversation, that "another Id Yam
kee was dead"
TIE FARE.
The pisoners. at the time of our adven
among them, were fed upon meat. RE
and bread. The bread was tolerably
fair article. but the meat was usually boil
ell mp the day previous to its being SEM
to the men and piled up reekins hot in q
large trough in the back yard. The nat
ural consequences followel--the meet wa
often putrid. when served 20 the men. ant
could not be eaten until the pangs Of hun.
ger srrose to such pitch that men woul'
devour anything. The rice was boiled an
carried to the men in large wooden buckets
1t was frequently sour--always scorny-
and the boys frequently found otis of can
die in it. Towards tho latter part OF on
confinement. however. rutabagas were sub
stituted for rice. and il we had remaine'
there great while longer we would in al
probability have come down to corn-fodicE
In one Of the prisons. the waste bones. bit
| of breal. and all the filth that would natu
rally accumulate in q room occupied b.
one hundred aud fifty men. was heaped to
gether in one corner of the room, where
remained. at one time for over three week
. before it was removed. Our men-natu
rally cleanly. and disposed to keep thing
in the best order possible male daily ap
, plication for leave to remove the stinkin
mass, but was put off from day to day.
' Men have been known. through sheer HIM
ger to hunt ont bones. from which IN