The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-05-05

some OF them nearly completed, and If We
had not been moved there would have
been a general stampede some dark hight.
| shall long remember my suffering
from cold and hunger while in this camp.
Cold mornings. when the sun shone, |,
with many others, would stand close to
the shanty on the sunny side, and in this
way get little heat from the rays of the
sun. On the l4th of Feb, 1866. part of
us were started for Charlotte, S G., the
balance following the next day.
We stopped about four days at Char
lotte, and then went TO Raleigh and then
: to Gold>boro, n c.. and there on the 2Sth
of February we were paroled for exchange
and started for the point agreed upon by
the commissioners of exchange, which
was nine miles from Wilmington. and ON
the lst day of March We passed into our
lines Many of the officers had been
prisoners nearl y two years, but my time
was only eight months and five days. and
had heard from my family but twice
must say that this was the happiest day
of my life, and as it was my birthday
shall celebrate it, As soon as We passed
( the line there was such cheering is l nev-
er before heard; every man doing his best
and the old hats, meal-bags. &c, were
/ flying i'll the air i'll great numbers. We
marched little distance and then came
in sight of the stars and stripes tloatin. in
the breeze, and the cheering waS renewed.
Here for the first time We received L. s.
ration>, including coffee. that being some-
thing many of us had not tasted during
our term OF imprisonment. After eating
! all We wished for once. we marched 10
Wilmington and remained there over
night and on the next day We went on
board boats for Annapolis.
, We had hardly been in town two hours
before every officer had thrown off his old
filthy clothes, and got Il new suit through
out. and such Il change in appearance |
never saw before. could hardly rcco.-
nize those with whom Was we'll :,cqu;iint-
eral thing WAS good while they We're pri>-
oncr>. but very lew deaths occurring: but
no thanks TO the rebels ior ii. If we had
not obtained money we would have been
in the same condition ;,> the enlisted Inch.
with the exception that there were not
30 many of Us together. the largest number
L. H.. | LAT.
issued lis Were no better. either in quantity
or quality than were issued the men.
intend TO 90 into the field ;.-ain a
soon As exchanged. feeling that | owe a
great debt to pay those rebels and trail
! tors-;, debt of rerenge, and one which
hopc TO he able 10 pay don't know a
this shows Il christian spirit. but belicv,
it i the feelings of every man that ha-
suffered in their hands. Ii pains my heart
to think OF our poor enlisted mcn. Ii Is
cnou.h TO chill the blood of the >toute>r
heart 10 look upon them lni see the poor.
emaclated forms. MANY of them mere
skeletons. No pen can describe nV
tongue c;n tell the suffering ilIev have cx-
pericnced The halt will never bc known
1t is estimated that within three years 90
900 of our noble soldiers have died in TN,
hands of the rebels. and not from any pre-
vailing epidemic, bu: from exposure and
starvation. There Is no question III my
mind but the rebels have made Eit their
policy TO kill our men in this WAY: 10
make wholesale Slaughter But the
SrItirring i hy 10 means confined Ia our
soldiers. but extends even 10 the women
and children in the South, many poor
men being con>cripied into the service
and no provision made for their families
We were told bv Union man in North
Carolina. that he had known several In
ion men after being con>criptcd, 10 desert
and 90 Ia their homes and then hide them
selves away in the SwampS, and that the
rebels hld come IN search OF them, and
had actually taken their wives and tied
and laShed them (like they do the slave,
to max. them tell where their husband,
are. We also learned that there werC
many cases where men had enlisted into
the union army that the rebels had taken
every thing from them including grain
stock, &c, leaving nothing for the i:,mi-
lies to eat. They were praying for Sher-
pan to come Since arriving here al
Annapolis have seen two men that wer,
residents of n G. and they informed MT
that in 1862, they with others were TRYING
to organize company OF union men fol
the service, and the rebels getting intima-
tion of ii arrested the whole of them, IS
in number, and put them in prison a
Salisbury and a portion of the time kept
them in dungeons. in the meantime fire.
quently trying to have them take the oatl
of allegiance TO the government, which
they refused to do; and on there being III
exchange of prisoners, the survivors onl,
|, two in number were sent into our lines n
prisoners for exchange
: don't like to dwell upon such an un
!: pleasant theme, but will relate one NOR
} circumstance. When we were at Colds
boro, \. c., there was camp of our en-
, listed men about one half mile from Us
and at the time we left (2Sth of Feb. y the,
: had all been removed except about 500
1 sick ones who were left there in the opeI
field with no shelter, and many of then
had no shoes, caps nor blankets. and com
} paratively no clothing, and they were 5
1 sick they could. not get wood TO build fire
| in fact Il large portion of them could no
e raise themselves from the ground, but la
f moaning and calling for water, but tn