Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-02-13
By CAPT. J. T. DREW.
CHAPTER VI.

L now come 10 tue most BioOlnJ udy
Of our Imprisonment. The priyateers-
men had been tried ard some of them
convicted Justice demanded chat they
be hung. But we were peculiarly sitn-
ated. If those robbers were hung in
Philadelphia, honest men would be hung
in Charleston. And toweVer ready any
man may be 10 die at ,he cannon s
mouth, / have yet to sec the man who
desires 10 swing into eternity on a rope.
There was also another grim dweller
among US. Sickness had ordered into
the cell used for a hospital, over 60 Of
4 our men, aud in every cell Of tue Off
4 GERS lay some one, two, three, aud four
of its inmates. Every face looked sallow
and haggard every eye wild and pain
full; every voice sounded husky and de-
pressed. Oar ralions l-3 ration Of ba-
con and musty bread,) were too poor
and scant to keep men alive and we'll
The bread was served out to the men
and olficers-l3 crackers in 3 days. In
Two days halls of the men would not have
morsel Of bread, and lived on the pit
tanco of mRggOtty bacon they got daily,
and what the officers could give them.
Those who had money among the oili-
GERS were able sometimes TO obtain sup
plies from outside. Some Of them did
smuch for the poor men.
Oar rebel masters gave Us just wood
enough 10 build fire twice day. They
Furnished nothing for the hospital save a
little quiuine. Ii a man had The fever
be took qainlne If man had The eh'ils
be took quinine II q man had the dys-'
4entery he took quiniue If man bioke
d bone be took quinine. And so IL went
There was so little and that little 50 IN
appropriate for most cases, ,hat our sur
geons gave up all hopes Of curing by
drugs, and so, many got well.
The hospital room was the largest one
il the jail. 1t had two windows and TWO
doors. II was about 20 by 10 feet lnI
fhat room were typhoid lever, diPtheria,
chills and fever and many other COM
plaints. The poor fellows, Cduced to
skeletons by sickness, with stomachs hot.
loathed the coarse unwholsome food CIV
en- them, went about detected and miser-
Able, now speaking of home among
the hills of the north where plenty a.
waited them--lhen bemoaning the tate
Mat had left them there forsaken land
lingering in wretehedness, died in de-
apair There were exceptions, where
some who were sustained by an unfaller
iDg hope in Christ, sank to rest with a !
sweet smile on their skeleton features.
like a sunbeam on the jagged rocks of a
mountain top.
Tn my cell we lost one DIR. Griswold,
Ssth N, Y. regiment. He died Of fever.
An that could be done for him was done.
One day while his mind was wandering
he pointed to the eagle which had been
made with charcoal on the wall and said: |
--"There she is bleeding, bleeding--but
one day again she will arise as majesti- |
cally as ever--and woe to those who
have tried to crush her now"
He died. The captain in charge of
the prison asked Gen. Ripley what kind
Of funeral he should give this United |
states officer. Ripley replied-"Bury /
hin like id dog. Give him to a
bigger and let him be thrown into some
hole." They gave us a pine box-we
put in his lifeless body, and he was then
borne, we know not where. As we stood
afound his corpse, we thought of the
I'm made desolate, and the young
vile waiting in vain for her husbands
Feturn, and the question was :'Who goes
1ext 2
The following are extracts from my
6urnal Of this time:-
'Hark !! Do you lear that dull, gra-
hng sound 1t is the-Zouaves sharpen-t