Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1865-02-23
Communicated
FEBRuARYa9, 1854.

FEBRuAsY 9, 1884.
EDITOR TELEanApH-S1 Through the col
umns of your paper, l wish to give q brief ac-
count of my Imprisonment in rebeldom. |
was captured on the morning of the 10Th Of
June, 1864, near Lynchburg, and was put in
to an old tobacco house where about 400 of
us were crowded together as close as we could
be, and kept there two days, then I'VE were
started off in the cars for Southern prisons.
We were seven days getting to Andersonyille
and during the most of that time were kept
closely crowded in bex-carsjs the well 1sick
and wounded all taget ether-7the latter suffering
very much from their wounds uuder such
treatment. To add suffering to all this, we
we're nearly starved SO that many Of our boys
pawned their clothing for morsel Of corn
bread they had previously taken our blank
cts, and in that condition we were put into the
nauseous pen to shift for ourselves as best we
could, to get anything to shelter us from the
pelting rain and scorching sun. After we
had been there two weeks, we succeeded in
getting shelter made that protected us tol-
erably well from the hot sun. r. lgM..
The rations were well adapted to siekeh the
men, especially during hot weather We
would get small piece of corn bread or meal
(Which was often souri, and small piece of
beef, (often Spoiled and some peas that were
filled with bugs, and often cooked before is
sued to US without so much as even blowing
out the shucks and dirt Sometimes we got
little rice instead of peas, and a few spoon
fuls Of tnolasses instead of beef Many Of the
prisoners were obliged to eat their ratons raw,
only because the rebels would not give them
enough wood, which might easily have been
furnished in abundance as the stockade was
surrounded with woods. yr r..'..'.,'.5 .5' '.r',e
+ In July and August, the mortality Of the
camp became fearful They died at the rate
of one hundred day. Every morning the
rebels hauled of the dead by the wagon load,
piled in like so many logs Of wood, and were
buried together in one long trench sufficient
to contain hundred bodies. Afterwards our
rations were hauled to us in the same wagons
the dead were hauled in. ...-... ...,.
Two of my terminates died in Anderson
vile prison--David Moore, Of Co. G. and Roy
al Hoyt, of Co. B, 10th Ohio. They died in
the first part Of August. Vs.
On the 7th of September the rebels began
to move. lis away to other prisons, viz: Flor
cnce, s. c., and Savannah, Ca was taken
to the latter place, where at first we Jared tol-
erably well, until several hundred more pris-
oners were put into the pen, and then the
scenes of ofAndersonville were acted over again.
In the latter part OF October we were taken
to Millen, where we remained till about the
middle of November. There we we're kept
in a spacious stockadc, through which ran a
small clear stream of water, that greatly add
ed to our health and comfort But still our
rations were so small that many of the prison
ers actually starved to death, and some that
had scarcely any clothing chilled to death,
There the rebels took advantage of our suffer
ings, and as an induccmcnt, they offered US a
new suit ofclothes and all the rations ~e
ac.,icd, if we would volunteer in their service.
Many of the prisoners volunteered, merely to
save their lives, with view to future escape.
as already known, when Sherman started
from Atlanta, we were hurried away from Mil
len. The first trains took lot of US to Black
sl.ire Ca, and those after, took the majority
of the prisoners to Florence, S. g. was
among those that went to Blackshire, and
luckily for me too, as it afterwards proved
There we were taken cut into the woods, and
camped as close together as possible, and
line of guards kept around us. There we
Jared better, and were healthier than we had
previously been while, in the Contederacy.-
There the prisoners took advantage of the alb
sence of the stockade and the bloodhounds,
and began to make their escape in various
ways .... .-....- '-.-. ~.
had tried before we left Millen to make
my escape, but each time was foiled in the at
tempt Not forgetting the worth Of liberty, |
tried again on the l4th of December, and was
successful. | made my escape alone, and
walked hard all night and part Of the next
day through woods and swamps without any
thing to eat, excepta little raw corn. Hun
ger induced me to approach house, which
after carefully surveying to see that no ene-
mics were there, | walked up to, and found
them to be Union people They were poor,
but seemed glad to assist me all they could.
After breakfast the next morning, they filled
my haversack with sweet potatoes and dried
beef, and informed me it was dangerous to
travel by day, and advised me to travel by
night | Immediately went off into swamp,
built up fire and felt quite comfortable there
in my solitary place. Justat dark | emerged
from my hiding place, and proceeded on my
lonesome journey as, | was directed, but un I'M
fortunately lost my way in the swamps, and
could not find the way out, SO laid down and
slept soundly till morning, then went on my
way short distance and came to another
Union man house that was directed to-
There they gave me breakfast, and par of
shoes, Gas was barefooted,) and filled my
haversack with sweet potatoes. Travelled on
through woods short distance, and came out
upon an old railroad which travelled a little
ways when sawa man coming on the road
towards me; l hurriedly skulked awayiinto a
swamp where j remained hid till dark, and
then came out and walked hard all night, and
made off full thirty miles by the time it was
daylight, Again i hid in the swamp where, /
built a fire, roasted my potatoes and eat them,
then laid down and slept lsoundiy tlll4nearly
night Then ] started on my lonesomeiand
perilous journey again. That night ] ran
very near upon some rebtl pickets, Forth
nately for me, ] had got 50 tired that I con
cluded to stop and lie down.. which sayedrmy
being captured. Next morning Ihailed "a
was passing, and asked where |
could get something to eat.' He told me to
wait there, and soon he Ibroughtme q ,smal
pail full of boiled sweet potatoes, which he
said would tskill hunger I1had got SO ia,
igped and sfoetsore that a rennpilede ein that
neighborhoodl a week. during which tmecl
was fed by the negroes, who seemed pleased
to bring, the best they could They told me Of
all the rebel picket posts, and showed me where
to find boat on the river. and told me where
- Ill = 4 Al I In Al..s..