The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-10-26
branches, and enters tho stockade on
the north bank.

which Is ABOUT nifty rods from the out
or wall of the stoclaadc, and the west
ern side about an equal distance from
the railroad. All about this space
stands an almost unbroken wall Of
pine trees, tall, straight and sombrc.
Within q third, of mile from the
stockade stand hundreds Of fat pines.
~ THE sTooKADE
Is made entirely Of pine logs, placed
upright in the ground, fve.feet in the
ground and fifteen feet above, The
logs are usually q foot in diameter,
and about half of those in the inner
wall are squared, all the rest being
left round, Those in the outer wall
have the bark on; those on the inner
have it removed 50 that the wall is
made almost without q crevicc. The
inner wall, as Isaid above, includes
twenty-seven and thirds acres
inside of 2the dead line there are pre-.
cisely twenty. six, Tho dead, line con.
| sists of pine stakes, three feet and a
half long, al intervals of eleven feet
with strips of boards nailed on the
top. On three side1 of the stockade
this row of stakes stands seventeen feet
| inside of the inner wall ; on tho north
side it is only ten feet from it. The
outer wall is forty yards from the in
ner, and is constructed in the same
way, except that tho gateways are
OMEN, and The joints are not SO careful.
| ly fitted. On the outside Of the inner
wall arc placed the sentry boxes, This
is simply a small platform, sufficiently
elevated to allow the guard to look
over the wall, covered with q few
shingles, and reached by a ladder.
The entrances through the inner
wall are guarded with care. Arount
the gates, on the outside, are built
small, square stockades, fitted with
heaven wooden doors, barred and boil
ted. The principal gates are double
for teams, and in these are smaller
trap-doors, to allow single persons tC
pass. Into these small stockadcs, {
few would be admitted at time, 10 bC
datailed for various duties.
THE INTERIOR
Presents now an appearance mucf
as if il had been burrowed by praire
dogs. On the sides of the banks, th,
men cxcavated little pits, largo enough
for ono, two, three, or four, proppins
up the roof with boards and poles, ant
, sometimes trusting to tho firmncss o
the sand alonefor support. So smootl
and so hard are these walls, in many
cases, that they have craven thei
names upon them. Some built littl
frc-placcs in the wall, with q chimney
. ascending through the ground, anC
, slept with their feet toward it; 9th
crs placed the chimney beside thu
I narrow door. Evidently they smoked
t badly, as the walls arc blackend over
: On the level surface they placed
1 pole on two stakes, leaned against it
few boards, and covered them witt
D straw and sand, leaving only marrow
0 entrance at one end. All took care t
c place the chimney so that they coul
sleep before it. Others, still, nike
clay and sand, and moulded from il
s with their hands, rude bricks, wit
D which they built "Dutch ovens" tina
+, appear to have served a good purpose
5 After the interior was well heated
J. they drew out the fire and put in thci
meat. Little square plates, roughI
$ bent together, from sheet of iror
and punched with holes, for selves
c OK. horns, fur ishod with strings, sery
S ing for salt cellars or drinking vessel
+ wooden paddles, small pieces Of irol
Q beaten thin, previously preserved fc
It many uges, and small scraps of irol
S furtively hid in convenient crevicC
: lie scattered about. The bones whic
b they had picked were broken to piece
J. for the marrow. T.
,, In various places wcro red pepper
i gourds and cow.peas, growing frol
s seeds which they had dropped.
= one of the subterranean huts n Gov
l. pea had taken root, and growing OF
d to the sun, had borne. q good ration
( peas. There are eleven sheds in tt
n stoclsade, one hundred feet long an
" twenty wide, simple roofs elevated c
RS posts, and without siding. In thc'
q were q few rough hunks, and man
G. boards spread on the ground, indies
TX ting that they had been well cccupic
W In the southwest corner of tie stocI
ID ade is q closed shed, fourteen feet b
t, twelve, in which is q small Shelf
@. broken scale, and few boxes. Her
III from hole in the wall, three feet loI
q and eighteen inches wide, were issue
* the rations for the prisoners.
g .~ FORTS.
oil OF these, there are eight, prepare
CT -originally, for mounting thirty-eig
u cannon. Only nine cannon are nc
le TO be found about the grounds, and
Ut am not able to state whether mo
. were employed or not. OF these, S
ID were in the large fort at the sout
ro west corner, all pointing toward Il
VS. stockadc; the remaining throo we
"a distributed in the other small for
be and pointed outward. The large fc
ld has twenty-threo sides, contains tv
y magazines, and several traverses, a,
" is every way formidable affair. i
Us others are pentagons, much small
'o' but well constructed. Prisoners W
p, were willing to work on these we
ca allowed to do so, and furnished wi
Gu double rations. AS an additional
re curity, tho side most remote from t
camp ofthe guards was furnished wi