The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-06-07
Five Months in "a North Carolina
Prison.

Prison.
We had the pleasure yesterday of few
minutes conversation with Mr.. William H.
Cansler, private in Co. A, Sd regiment
Kentucky cavalry. For the past six months
he has been a prisoner in the hands of the
rebels, and confined most of the time in an
old cotton mill at Salisbury, N. G. Mr..
Cansler was captured in the fight at Sacra-
mento, on Green river, in which Captain
Bacon was killed. He was taken
from the battlefield direct to Hop
kinsviIle, thence to Nashville, where he
remained three or four weeks, and then
forwarded to Salisbury, where he was con-
fined, until liberated on parole through the
efforts oF Co.. Rnrnside- The other soldiers
who were taken prisoners at the sanaa Tina
shared the fate of, and were liberated with
young Cansler, and are now on their way
to, or have arrived at their respective homes
in Kentucky. Cansler, himself lives in
Hopkinsville, and has not heard from his
friends since he passed through his native
town prisoner.
The treatment of their prisoners by the
rebels is in marked contrast with the course
pursued by the Government with those
whom the chances of war throw into its
hands. With a few rare exceptions, the
secession madness has curdled the "milk
OF human kindness" in the breasts of the
Southern people, and they spare no efforts
to heap indignities on the Federal soldiers
who fall into their power. They rack their
ingenuity to devise petty schemes Of annoy
ance, and at times resort to the most brutal
measures to make the lives of their prison.
ers miserable in the extreme.
The prison at Salisbury was four-story
brick, which, as stated before, had been
used as a cotton mill. In the room occu-
pied by young Cansler there were 225 pris-
Oners, who were SO badly crowded as to
render the taking of any exercise an impos.
sibility. They were not permitted to 20
into the open air except for water or on the
most urgent necessity, and were then al
lowed only three minutes to return. Ten
pegs were hung just outside the door of the.
room in which they were confined, one of
which each prisoner was required to take
with him when he retired. When the ten
pegs were exhausted no one else was per-
mitted to leave until by the return of one
of the absentees, he was able to possess
himself of a peg. This rule had no ex-
ception. 1t was enforced with a rightly
that at times put the prisoners to the great
est Inconvenience and suffering
When FIRST Mr.. Cansler and party ar
rived at Salisbury, the fare of the pris-
oners, though nothing to compare with that
furnished the rebels at Camp Morton, was .
yet sufficient in quantity and psssable in ,
quality. But soon the rations commenced .
deteriorating both in quantity and quality, j
until, for three or four weeks before they |,
were paroled, the prisoners were compelled I
to live on a ration consisting of nine ounces
of bread, made of poor quality of flour
and with yeast that caused the bread to l
taste like peach leaves, and small quantity Of |
diluted bean soup, seasoned with an ounce
or two of horse meat. This was the whole
fare for weeks. The effects of such food I
were soon visible. The scurvy commenced /
its ravages, and had not the order came for I
the release of the prisoners, Mr.. Cansler
thinks most of them would soon have been
released by the Great King, to whom even
are forced to suceumb. The
of itself was destructive to
health. The limbs of the men became
partially paralyzed, and in the morning
when they awoke they would frequently |
find their legs black from failure of the