The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-30


The twuking. stars are laughing love
Laughing at you and me.
never slept sounder The next day walked thirty
| two miles. This walk made mo confirmed anti'Pcri-
palette
\ ooSraAnAsp INFORMATION
Stopping the way at the headquarters OF scvers
rebol commanders, one night being speat at General
Rcsscrs and another al General Susrts headquarters.
and sceng good deal OF the Confederate army together
with our conversations with officers aud privates VINO
at every stopping place gathered about 70 soc WY
sion valuable fund OF information a. 10 the ocAIy
that and strength Of General Lees army Inis inof
nation. as the reader well knows, am res'raacu run
| imparting.
everywbere was courteous We wero submitted 70 no
indgnes o. search attempt 10 elicit nlormaion and
as consisted with position as prisoners Of war;
everything that could be to make us comforta
ble Alter getting within the lines OF the rebel army
were supplied with abundance TO eat while once,s
and mon preferred loans Of blankets enough to supply
'es'A''' xossvs LITTER AND dKsrRAr STUART.
General Stuart must have received the letter Of Mosby.
| but he did not rcceve va personally OK
pectcd. Two reasons were given for his not SEQ
ing us.ons ;na. no vas TOO busy: another
would be forwarded to General Leo. and BY him. doubt
essto the War Department whence undoubtedly woaid
without nis hosts Suspicion Of possible dupcity and
loading astr On this stsr and release question found
Il sSs osas, q soss 70 h sh
apprchensos, " fact. was that General Stuart would
soma u6 Oack the way We mad come. His delight on the
Richmond question became smaller by degrees and beau
utully less.
ENTRANCE or rm CONFEDERATE cArrAr
We wore four days on our journey to Richmond Tho
broad orb OF the moon was rising behind and shedding
its dim and socnng light upon the hilltops circlng
the seat Of the Confederate government and upon the
roofs OF tho more prominent government buildings and
s'aelier dwellings entered tho outskirts or tho
town. The outlines OF tho city dofences limned
darkly to Wow approach to the city II could
be seen that they were formidable and froauent and
this all that could be gathered It shonid
| stood that had augmented
| There were now twenty three Of us, the add
tions comprising captured prvates deserlers. We
were taken the shores! and through the least
freluented streets IN the direction OF tho LIBBY Prison
| DAsE swINDiE AND WORD or CAUTION
While | think Of it l viii make mention OF single cir
cms,ancc here that may he Of service to those uniortu
that greenhacks prohibited cirolaton Richmond,
and OF no account unless u be sent North Tho party
was with were wheeded into exchanging nearly all their
greenback for Confederate notes dollar for dollar
this statement The guard who did the exchanging stated
the they wanted Northern to send TO their re'a
tves and friends confined in Northern rsons As green
backs at that time Richmond worth ten times
much as Confederate notes tho basensss and extent Of
vIRw or f1spY
"And is this the famous Couciergerie prsonS' asked
to the gay French capital It will live history longer
than ANY French dynasty in the past or in the future
nrst c'usht glimpse OF tho building. "Liko the Con-
cereeris y has now It's place in history place nnen
| took a full view OF It In tho broad glare
OF the risen moon thought OF tho thousands far away
i WnOIl clear
light apd th SO stars cold and cruel oaulgcrco since
here were imprisoned tho objects OF tn love- and dcvo
tien, and prayers At this moment band OF singers
one OF tho upper rooms comnenced singing
Whan this cruel war ia over
Those hacsneyed words must say. to mo at once a.
sumed new vitality Their lines Of longing Cor peace
had an energy and depth aud breadth and funess OF
meaning they never possessed before My reflections
OF short duration We had passed the thres
| bold OF tho abby
HEGsrsRIso ANp saARoniHe At ilaar
All prisoners arc first tnken 10 libby prisn Horc their
namef are registered. ner persons 89arChcd
mcns made to the prisons in which ar, confined those
| of ike category. My comradc and myself pot
| through this preliminary process equally with tho
| rest, saving the searching. which indenty wo were
graconsly sparel In the roceton and searching pro
alluded to am constrained say none OF tho
unfeeng cruelty and mercies degradation OF prisoners
ing prisoners and those released which subsequently
had occasion to read shall speak moro fully hereafter
veyed to our assigned quarters.
cAsTLR THUNDER
ttere we are at last and block only from the Libby
dislike taking any with the threshold Of
Castle Thunder and chow the interior lie there would
ask any one before accompanying ms to take st fun
bottles and all having aversion to nsccis generally
Chased as sen O ps.s to wear only such garments
river And nrs, let me describe the building Original
iy, like tho Libby tobacco warehouse. soon after the
war began il was converted into son Until ND ut
year ago i was occupied exclusively by rebel soldiers,
MINED here to await trial on characs OF breach OF
military discipline or to out sentences or ball aud
chain wearing already passed. Dereict rebel sodiss
multiplying too rapidly, tho bulk Of them were
removed TO the pententary at Salisbury, North Caro-
lima. aud thcreupon the induction Of Yankee
began For long time descrte-s from The Northern
army wers confined in this building, until Castle Light
ming was appropriated to their sole occupancy.
The main building is one hundred feet long. fronting
Carey street by forty foet wido built OF brick and IL
four high. An extension q nearly oqva length
equal height and thirty feet wde extends from the
the latter OF about bali it's size Ia the lower Part OF
this lessor building is done tho prison cooking. Tho
side the main entrance which fifteen feet wide. and
leading from Carey street the Offices OF the
and widening OF the hall reception 70,
visitors The lower story Of the main extension de-
upper stories Of this and the main building aed With
prisoners All the windows have iron bars
suxBER AND CLASSIFICATION or PRISONERS.
During my stay have known many sixteen hun
dred prisoners to be confined in the building and the
criminal and ball and chain gangs largely wsedei
out to aid General Lee to reinforce his army against
the pressing pursuit Of General Meade last November
at the time estesmed severe and sure threatening
OF the capital itsolf. Whom left there about nine
hundred and 0tty Union prisonors--thc remainder
were rebels The prison rooms are designated BY num-
bers from one to ten, Inclusive. 49,.
lhero are ve condemned cells two 90 the ground floor
Of death, accused OF the highest military crimes and
refractory prisoners upon whom cold and dark cell short
rstions and ooncomtsns Of hsnasuns ana oa and
in these cells. Theirs 10 not holiday existence. Their
alternate groans curses prayers aud ciashng OF their
chains do not form concord sounds agreeable TO listen
to by the Day and week. wrote more than ono appeal
to the military authorities for those awarded the death
penalty and than farewell letter to wife and
friends or those whose death sentences executed
tr1IzESs ROOM.
The best room 10 the prison Ia the 'citizens room"
Il not only the best room In Castle Thunder but is
knowledged as the most comfortable OF any IN the Rich
mond PRISONS Except brief sojourn 10 another apart.
ment, the cause aud particulars OF which will detail
elsewhere, this was my putting up place during my stay
in the rebel emporium And staying here In this, the
most comfortable place even, 10 putting up with good
deal that Is uncomfortable. II Ii room about nfty feet
long by thirty wide and between atty and sixty Is the
number confined There FOUR WINDOWS,
two looking Nineteenth street and tho other two o..
fordng panoramic view OF the roof Of shackly ehod
/ and dark, damp and dismal alley The curious disa
Rreeable smell always pervading prison revealed its
presence with disagreeablc strength ard persstency al
my FIRST entrance. though happily the smells here after
wards learned had not thr double distlston pervadng
some other rooms persistent detention however. az
found has remarkable effect ia bunting ones oifac-
tory sensbilties and owe nature for this wise pro-
| vision u hers heavy bill OF thanks. cosmo.