Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1865-04-06

nit with as good grace as they can.
Mr.. STEWART:
In my last, after giving you a
very imperfect account of my prison
life at Belle Isle, / promised you a
short history of my journey to An
dersonviIle, and experience as pris
oner in that celebrated place. -
/ left what should be appropriately
named Hell-isle. on the 10th day OF
March, 1864, in company with about
500 of my fellow prisoners. We
were packed into freight cars like so
many cattle, each car containing
about IS men. The weather during
I the trip, was unusually cold, and hay-
ing no fire, or scarcely any blankets
we suffered very severely from cold.
The trip occupied six days, and dnr-.
ing the whole time we were closely
confined to the cars, and not allowed
to get outside for any purpose. Open
ings we're made in the floors for pri-
vate purposes but M screens or any
thing to prevent observation. The
guards used their own pleasure
about furnishing us water. Twice
on the trip we drew one days rations
consisting of hard bread made OF
bran ana beans, and a small pief e of
meat. Some died in the cars, but
how many ] do not remember. Our
officers called the attention OF the
guards to the condition of the dying
men, but they paid DO attention to 1t.
We arrived ut Andersonyille on the
22d of March, 1864. We were
marched to the stockade i'll a cold
rain, and turned loose to shit for
ourselves. This stockade contained
at that time about Ii acres, all the
timber had been cut off for the fence,
and their was no shelter not even a
bush left standing. The timber had
been pine and the land was perfectly
barren. A small run passed through
the center of the lot. On each side
o. this run there was q swamp eX-
tending about one hundred yards.
This swamp was lmpassahle Except
on logs or rails. The run and swamp
occupied at least one fourth OF the
sixteen acres, leaving but twelve
acres sufficiently dry for o man to lie
down upon.
Into this pen, about 5000 prise
ners from Belle Isle and Alabama,
were turned like so many hogs, to
"root or die" Afterwards the mum
Der was incr eased to 10000 making
it almost impossible to find room to
stand. This state of things contfn
ned up to lst of July, when the stock
ade was enlarged by taking in about
Is acres. This additional ground
was added to one side, and was of a
drv sandy nature where we could get
no water, even by digging 10 feet, so
that the men on that addition, had
to come to the run l have named, for
} water.
After the enlargement, the Num-
Der of prisoners was increased to
about 80 900. For this vast crowd
of men, no shelter whatever was pro
yiied. save that which they could
make with their blankets. No tents
of any description, not even shade
tree to shield US from the rays of a
burning sun in August, the dc"s at
night, nor from the rains OF heaven.
The terrible suffering occasioned by
this exposure to the sun at that
season OF the year, may be imagined
but the Imagination will fall far short
of the reality. A vast number be-
came insane, from the intense heat
of the sun, having no shelter nor any
means of procuring any. l saw one
man who in three weeks became so
prostrated from this cause, as to be
unable to drive off the flies that
swarmed through the camp. These
flies soon produced worms in the
flesh of this poor man. l saw them
crawling over him and through his
flesh whilst he was yet living. This
was a comman sight. 1t is too ter
rible to speak CT, but give it as an
instance Of the refined cruelty to
which we were exposed in this den
of Southern barbarIsm.
/ could recite other still more
loathsome sights that come under
my own observation, but decline do
} ing so first because of their disgust
!. ing nature and secondly because from
their very outrageous violation OF the
common order of things, they would
be deemed improbable.
Our rations consisted at first ol
I about one pint OF meal, and Il small
: piece of bacon daily, OF which latter
. article the worms had claimed Their
, share, anl we had frequently to Nrlve
them off before using it. After the
first OF June, they furnished us COOK
ed rations, consisting of the same
kind and quantity of meat, bean;
, cooked hulls and all, sour and spoil
ed hy the sand clinging to then
wien gathered. The rauons were
D two small to keep a well man living
e for any length of time. Those OF Us
n who had any money could buy food
Two men with me, managed to &c
extra rations by doing little jobs o
work for the guards. Now and theI
i we received little fresh meat. bu
generally almost in q putrid condi
d ton, very often SO much SO, as TO o.