American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-11-02

10 the ground. lie DegSeu haiu ioT ihet-
cy, but in vain He was led up again,
and again the drop fell. After this they
had no more trouble with scoundrels
among themselves.
In this stockade there was a place call
ed the dead line To cross this line was
instant death. One poor fellow dropped
a piece of bread which rolled over that
line He reached out his hand to get it,
and had his arm broken by a bullet from
the guard. If aman asleep near that
liue should sheehhis feet beyond it, he
was shure to hayea ball put throug h them.
Some, in despair, committed suicide by
merely stepping across that fatal
line
But these men assured us that of all
the horrors of that horrible place, moth
ing equalled the collection of the dead
every morning, often exceeding one humid
red in number, Wagons nd men we're
sent in One layer of bodies was thrown
in with the heads again INST the front of the
body of the wagon, then another with the
heads against the hinder end, and 80 on
alternately-the lower extremItieS over
apping-but if the wagon was full, then
the load would be rounded up with as
many as could be made to lie on. Not
uufrequently a jolt of the wagon would
throw body off upon the wheels, and
under the wheels, which would be thrown
on again as men would throw on sack
or billet of wood Thus were brave,
noble, intelligent Christian men carried
to their burial every morning.
A prayer meeting was held every even
inc by the prisoners. and was well attend
ed. This fact will afford a sweet drop of
consolation to many crushed and sorrow
ing heart at home They will see, by
faith, what the king of Babylon saw, one
walking with their loved ones in the fur
mace, whose form was like the Son of
God"
The rebel hospital attached othis vast
stockade prison was wretched affair
almost destitute of medicine, totally with
out comfortable aud nourishing food, and
poorly supplied with nurses.
To while away the time, which drag
ged heavily, the resources of these suffer
inc men were taxed to the utmost. Some
formed themselves into little clubs for
discussion and debate some engaged in
such small games as they could get up;
while others taxed their mechanical pow
els in the construction of bone rings and
thousand other things that could be
whitfield out of wood or bone with jack
knives.
Their ingenuity, but especially the
digging of the wells, aston shed the ma
tives greatly, who would collect in crowds
from the surrounding country aud peep
at them through the chinks of the stock
ade, afiurding our men no little amusement
by their uncouth manners and the oddi-
ties of their provineialisms For exam
pie: fellow would sing out in true
Georgia drawl, What made you uns
come down here to fight ws,uns?" Or,
as another fellow, who was encountered
by some Of our cavalry scouts, expressed
it: Z" What for you uns come here, crit
ter r-back, to f. hit we -uns? We-unS don't
go up north to fight you uns." These
are about fair samples of their vernacu-
larisms.
The common people are excessively
ignorant, and can give no iutellig bic rea-
son why they are at war with the Govern
ment. On the other hand, the blacks
seem to comprehend the matter perfectly,
and know very well that their freedom or
slavery hangs upon the issue of the strug
gle. These gentlemen are very confident
the negroes will never fight on the rebel
side. One of them asked shrewd,
brisk fellow, that he saw at Andersonville,
what they would do il their masters were
to make soldiers of them, and set them to
fighting the Yankees. With asly chuck
lie he replied, "Golly, massa, we would
charge-and torget to eonse back!' Both
these gentlemen said emphatically that as
class the nesroes are much more intelli-
gent than the poor whites.
A large majority ofthese prisoners have
lately been removed from Andersonville
to other places, the greater part to Charles
ton and Savannah, where their condition
is said to be materially improved. Let
us hope that soon the survivors will all
be exchanged.
Messrs. Stone and Cook assured us that
the friends of prisoners need not con-
clude that tacir captive friends are dead
because they receive no letters. They
both wrote many letters to friends at home,
/ q 4 Il