True Democrat., 1862-12-17
s. II. TERRELL, Sergeant Major, Burford's Reg't,
 18th Texas Cavalry.

JACKSON, Mss.
 To Ge editors True Democrat aad Pine Bfs6 Soatron- /. GENrLEmEN: As a. citizen of Pine Bluff, in your State, l address you to tell how Arkansians were treated, as prisoners of war; by the federlIs. was among the number captured on Island TO- on the 6th of April, 1862. We all thought that we had seen and felt some of the evils and privations of war, but we were only A B scholars then; now full graduates as far as experience of the horrors Of federal prisons can teach us. After our capture, they made us stand in the rain all day, all night and until three o'clock in the afternoon of 5he next day, when We were placed on board of a boat, aAd afterward, on the cars to Chicago We were five days in reaching Chicago, during which time we were given only one or two crackers a day, so that we arrived weak and starving. Upon our arrival at Chicago we were searched from head to foot on the plea of hunting for anything contra band, and they took fiom us money, watches, pocket knives, rings letsers papers; in fact every thing. Here we were submitted to iildignities and prosecutions without number, and one day, when a sentinel had fired into us, of our boys knock ed him down. They could not identify the pris- soner who had done this, so they marched all, about two thousand in number, into the square and kept us there for two days and nights without any thing to eat. This failed to find the man whose blood they sought, and, as the men, maddened by hunger, threatened to rise and mutiny, we were marched back to the barracks,
 One evening, soldier of Sic 2Gth Mississippi, who. was sick in the hospital, in delirium, and out of his mind, got up and went about ten steps from the hospital door, when sentinel shot him through the heart, killing him instantly. At another time, upon some frivolous pretext, they fired q volley into us, killing five and wounding four others At another time they marched the prisoners from the barracks and sent for the Chicago police to search our baggage. These thieves took all the good clothes, knives, and in fact, everything the prison CTS had. Rendered desperate by the repeated in suits and outragcs, number ofsboys revolted one night and with brickbats knocked the sentinel in the melee we were fired upon with about hundred shots from small arms and once with cannon but ms damage was done. Four of those who escaped were ecaptlired few days after. A large piece of timber was tied between the shoulders of each of these meii, weightyas they could carry it. for four hours every day. The remainder of the day and night they were confined in dungeons, on quar- ter rations, until our boys again revolted. Now and then fed would jump one of our boys to whip him, but do notremember single instance where the federal did not come off second best in the fight, and the Confederate would be sent to a dungeon. We were taken up to Camp Douglas, and there at the point of tue bayonet, made to dig ditches and throw up levees for the sentinels to walk.on. The Confederate money they took from IS was sent south to their men who were prisoners in the hands of the Confederates The most in- sating andsnferna indignity.offered to us was the oath of allegiance, which some 300 of the East Tcnnesseans took freely, but sternly rejected by the Arkansians, Kentuclians, Missssppians and Missourians. The patriots told them that they