Litchfield enquirer., 1862-11-06
SPEECH OF GEN. PRENTISS.
PLAIN TALE BY 4 YANKEE GENERAL.

Brig. Gen. B. N. Prentiss, taken prisoner a e the battle of Shiloh and recently released Wa 2 serenaded at Wilard's Hotel Washington, or Friday evening the l7th. and made the following : speech to the fifteen hundred people assembled t We copy from the N. I. Tribune:
 | My FRIENDS This ovation, if intended fol $ me, is high compliment for which l thank you As d soldier, permit me to say, if it is !, your pleasure, it is my will to recount to you some of the scenes through which have passed with my fellow officers in captivity in the :: Land of Di1ie." Cries of ''that what we want. 5 In doing so, my friends, permit me to say, that } may use some harsh language. If l do, don't
 blame me, for 1 have cause For six long , months l have been kept in close confinement by those demons of the South. Permit me to commence with my capture on the 9th of April last on the field of Shiloh, at , o'clock in the morning with those officers that were afterward Il capti vity with me. We wore fighting the en- emies of this government. We continued to fight them until fifteen minutes of SIX in the eve hing, when being completly enveloped by the entre rebel force, we had to sucumb and it was bitter moment for us It was on that field that beheId illinuisans, Iowans, Missourians, and some fvom Indiana. battling for their coun- trv It Was there that saw the noble Stars and Stripes tra:led in the du=t by these demons of the South. Yet after having been perSecuted during my entire captivity, l come home to the North, and am told that there are men with us rot W Hing to sustain the government. Let me say to you as a soldier, man, as loyal cit south. Cheers, and cries of " Good,"' good.
 1 trust it is nat so. l trust you have not got them at the North. go on an early train t. the West as an officer. It is not my duty to as sail persons, but that man who is not willing to defend his government at this hour of trial is my enemy. Loud cheers. And claim the privilege everywhere of assailing hn. Ap- pause and cries of " Bully for you.
 Nv friends, was taken at Shiloh with 2G0 others brave and gallant men. We were march ed the day after our capture. both wounded and we'll soldiers (some 300 of them badly woundel) |. distance of 22 miles without food, they having
 taken their last meal on the morning of that fl .ht. We were marched to Corinh, placed in box cars, all together, and sent to Memphis, ar irving there on Tuesday night. 2,2G0 of these men were placed in one building Afterl had plead and begged that they might have provis- ions, 1 went into the hall, called the colonel commanding the post, an told him that these men had been without provisions from Sunday until "Wednesday morning. None could be far ni>h u pcyceiving the golness of Liberty painted upon the end of tie nall, l said to them. 1 Soldiers. arise to your feet.' The poor men were lying upon tha foor They 20. up, anl every one of them joined in singing the :" Star s ,anglel Banner" and '' Co!amb;a t.e Gem of
 h Ocean, An immense ;s:e>nhly Of people came hocking around the huidng after We had taken our position in the train for the South at 0 o'clock that day, having received onlya few hard biscuits from the southern conGederacy, women, Yes, loyal ladies of Memphis furnished us something to eat. Had we depended upon the men there, your soldiers would have suffer ed longer. As the cars were leaving, the ladies would step up to the windows and throw ns bread, meat. and crackers, as We were passing which they hal purchased themselves.
 We were taken next to Jackson. The pass enger tram which preceded us had given notice | to the citizens that several thousand Yankee prisoners would arrive that day. We were kept ! r,ln t, ho taken iuto Jackson by daylight Citizens had assembled at the depot and great cheering Was heard upon our arrival. The question Was asked '' How m ny are there cf you::' Twon ty-two hundred and twenty nine, l repliet.
 Well, seven thousand of you devils went into Memphis on Tuesday night,' was the response. We were taken the next day to Meridian, Miss where we were paraded again as a menagerie on the street. "How many Yankees have you got" says citizen to the conductor" 2.239 was the answer. That's right, seven thou sand in Memphis twenty five hundred in Jack
 son, and twenty-two hundred here to day-pret ty good haul.'' Mobile was our next stopping place, where an immense concourse witnessed the arrival of.' Live Yankees How many have you on board ?'' |" About two thousand" < Glo- rous haul for Shiloh. Hurrah for Beauregarl Two thousand shipped to Meridian and placed in quarters there yesterday seven thousand at Memphis, two thousand at Jackson, and now two thousand here. Pretty good haul for Shi- loah.' Wherever the train stopped people ran to see the Yankees, and the same sort of arith-
 netic went on.
 They manifested a great desire to see Yan- Aee General. Some of the many stories these peo- pie have published concerning me were true, for
 was little saucy fora prisoner. l used to go to the window to show myself. Every now and then I found a Union man and began to give
 him instructions what to do. The colonel in charge seeing me so conversing. would eXciam
 " Take your head in you must not talk with these men," " Sir" l replied, '" have fought
 for my country. I am a live Yankee. You
 have the power to punish, but God alone car
 stop this tongue from wagging.' Applause anc V laughter. At Mobile we were placed on trans . ports, and there for the first time learned tha | we were to be separated from the private sol f diers. They were sent to the prisons of Alaba f ma. at Tucaoosa learned we officers had tl :. go to Talladega. Having in my possession