The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-01-02

IStuHu, uHu GU Vuhef NoeSos
By CAPT. J. T. DREW.
CHAPTER Ill.
The Hospitals the Dead were buried
The Black List"
The great number of rebel wounded taxed
the resources of the medical director Of Rich
mond, and so our own sick and wounded
were deprived of all but the co.nmonest
things. There was lack of stimulants in
deed, so poorly supplied were our wounded
that some of our surgeons, who had money,
spent it all to buy whiskey and brandy for
the sick. Many of our men died who might
have lived had they been given what they
needed. The food of the hospitals was very
poor-beef, bread and riee-but so poorly
cooked that the feeble could not relish ii.
think about one out of five lived of the diff
cult cases,and twenty-five per eentof ordina-
ry cases died.
When any one died, the body was at once
put into wooden box and set into the dead
house and after j or 10 had died, a hole was
dug and they were thrown in, all in one COM
mon grave. The dead cart was driven by a
slave, and many Of the rebels made coarse
Jokes about the !" Yankees at last being wait
ed on by a niger"
AS Law on my sick bed. unable to help
myself, l could look through the iron bars of
my prison, and see the piles of wooden boxes
that were brought every day, ,and see the dead
house and the emaciated remains of the dead
soldiers, and coul hear the vulgar jokes of
the rebels as they watched our men bring
out a lifeless comrade; and a bitterness that
is not hate nor contempt but which has
something of the venom of both filed my
heart.
From that time began TO get better.
could not die to be ioked over by the rebels,
thrown like a dog into ditch and covered
with the cursed soil of Virginia.
Man may be trampled on for a season, but
there is point beyond which he cannot be
pushed alive. AS we saw all that was heaped
upon us, a sullen, angry look filed mary
! a face, and desperate plan of escape was
formed.
This plan was, to seize the guards stimuli
taneously, and take their arms and uniforms,
and then with few of our men with iron bars
carried like muskets, to march out as the re-
lieving guard, and secure all the arms in the
guard house, arm our party, rush to the ar
mory and get the park of light artillery. 60
and take jeff Davis and Cabinet, and hold
them as hostages as We made our way down
the river. taking them with US. All this was
wild and reckless, and vet We had such accu-
rate information OF all about the CITY, am of
the opinion it would have succeeded, all but
the getting away. This plan was abandoned,
owing to two regiments coming from camp
and being quar;ered near the prison. and TO
q search for arms made among US, s,showing that
some traitor Lad informed.
! You have all doubtless heard of Lieut. Todd.
the renegade brother of Mrs Lincoln. He
sensual look. will dismiss him with his
descriptive list" A brute, that might have
been decent dog had he always had good
company.
/ "Old Warner the cook,va northerner
! by birth. and talked broad yankee,though he
affected great contempt for all yankees. He
did all sorts of dirty lying to Gen Winder and
got commissioned " Capt Conmissary Of Pris-
on" One could not help laughing to see how
odd he locked when he dotted the cooks aplor
and donned the captains uniform. -isinus
cum pelle leonis"-the ass in the lions skin
was never better illustrated.
One day this " old Warner" brought in an
old man with long white hair and resiles,
eye--a man of small form, bent with years and
yet evidently possessing great strength Of
body and mind. This was Edward Ruffin,
who boasts of having fired the first gun al
Sumter. "Ah," said |, then You had the
honor of beginning this war p Yes" said
he. d" ard thank God for it." / was amazed
That old man, who had seen our proud flag
hoa, in freedom and bring plenty to our land
for years, could feel JOY that his had been
the hand to first stain its folds with blood
and bring woe and w:etchedness TO millions
The first who fired i gun at Sumter. Rufiir
is his name-ft name Ior the deed,
\ few weeks after our confinement at Rich
mond,there was strong talk of making all tn,
officers hostages for the good conduct of oul
government. The, sought for every possibl.
pretext to hold some of US to be hung. Souti
Carolina sent up her howl for blood :" " Tn,
L. S. Government hold our sailors as Pi
/ rates'-send US some U. S. officers and mer
to hold the same way" was the CRY. This hat
good effect.
: Already they had treated US with renewe,
severity-shot three of our men for lookin:
out of the window.deprived us of the papers
cut down our rations, would allow US to sem
out for nothing, would allow no one to 20 4
the hospitals TO see the sick.called our name
twice day, cursed and insulted us,and final
ly made out the "Black List" concernin
, which will write in my next chapter.