The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-06-22
SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE %, 1862.
For tho Nashville Daily Union.
Two Months imprisonment in
Rebel JaIls.

We were taken prisoners on the 9Th
Of April last at half past FIVE P. NJ. At
ter hard days fight our left flank gave
way, and let the enemy right on us. We
were surrounded and forced to surrender;
and after we had raised the white flag
the rebels still fired on us for fifteen
minutes, not more than seventy five yards
from us and on all sides of H. They
then marched us nine miles that night,
and we staid in an old field, without
bite to eat or our blankets to lay on, for
they had fallen into the hands Of the
rebels, and it rained on US all night.
The next morning they gave us one
cracker and about an ounce of bacon each,
and marched us TO Corinth, a distance of
twenty-four miles. Some Of our men
gave out with fatigue and hunger and sat
down TO rest, when the rebel guards
would threaten to shoot them if they did
not go on. They put us in dirty, muddy
cars at Corinth about midnight, after
keeping US in the rain until we were
thoroughly wet through (forit commenced
raining at dark and rained all night,) and
gave US nothing to eat. They took us to
Memphis, and put us in a warehouse with
about four hundred in one room. We
were so crowded we could scarcely lay
down. They kept us there about week,
and then took us to Mobile; there they
put us in an old cotton yard, about nine
hundred Of US together, and there they
treated us worse than dogs. They only
gave us one meal day, which consisted
of one cracker and some mule beef. They
would let us go for water the first day,
but for every prisoner they sent guard
went to get a canteen full of water and
as was going down the street there stood
four rebels dressed very aristocratically.
They commenced to abuse me, and called
me a id Abolitionist and Yankee thief,
and all the hard names they could think
of. SO said never mind gentlemen, you
may chance TO be a prisoner yourself
some day, when the guard who was close
behind me called me a id Yankee
niger thief, and swOre terribly that
he would shoot me on the spot if
dared TO open my mouth again. He
said these men were gentlemen, not TO be
spoken to by such Lincolnite. They
then would not allow us outside of the
door any more after that day not even
At the demands Of nature. They kept us
at Mobile about a week and took us TO
Cahawba, small town on Che Alabama
River. There our treatment was similar
as at Mobile. They would not allow
us outside Of the house. and our rations
were dreadful small and coarse What
was given us to last us a day we ate at
one meal and then wero not half salts
fed. The guards were very ill aud
Crabbid, aud often called us very hard
names and when we complained that
they were starving us, they would tell us
that we got more than a d-n Yankee
deserved; that we were eating the very
food their own women and children stood
in need of; and believe there was more
truth than fiction in it. They took us
from this place to Macon, Ga. Every
large town that we passed through they
would stop an hour or two TO display the
Yankees. They thought, that is some Of
the Southern Rebels that had never seen
battle field, that they had caught all
the Lincolnites And the officers that
were put in authority over us would tell
them that these men were the flower Of
LNCoLN's army and they We're geeen
enough to believe it. They would then
abuse u.s. and some would go so far as
20 throw rocks i'm the cars The first
question would always be: "What have
you come down here for you internal
Yankee? Just to steal our niggcrs, and
steal our cotton, and pollute our women;
but you never will subiguate us; for we
will fight to a man, and when we are all
dead our women will rise in arms
against you and drive you from our soil"
The Mississippians, Alabamians and Lou.
sianians are a very spitoful race of people,
and though Rebels they would have put
us all to death if they only dared, but
the people Of Georgia treated MS better;
they appeared to know how to treat a
prisoner. In Macon Ga, we were treat
ed better than at any other place, AL
though we did not have more than halt
rNtions, we had good quarters and clean
and they established rules for us 10 60
by. We were not allowed TO talk to citi-
Gems that came to see us, or the guards
We were to have roll call twice day.
and at the morning roll call, which was
ats o'clock, the Adjutant came to exam
inc our cook vessels TO see II they were
clean, and they examined every one Of u.
10 see il we had washed our face and
hands and combed our hair. If any ON,
was found in default he WAS punished
II any prisoner was found with a news,