The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-09-22

ing, he kept alive and encouraged the
oev,llsh ..al;g;iiitt;;- &C Lii; 1sec. When When
say prisoners were shot down in
cold blood without any real provoca-
tl"n-that they were often hung up
b. che thumbs until fainting relieved
tn u suffeling-that blows, kicks and
cul es were expended on us in lavish
pro 'rsion, I tell the truth, so help
me 'a1d! The most exact obedience
to @ aers, the most servilc submission
Ill Gnportment, did not exempt us
rom the exercise Of Il brutal AUTHORITY.
A thousand and one petty regulations
We're adopted; not for the purpose Of
lnsurlng a stricter custody, but to an
hoy and hllmiiiate us; and the least
infringement of any order was pun
1shed with severity altogether in
compatible with the nature of the Of
fence. For instance, few members
OF Cluke's regiment (the Eighth Ken
tucky) were discovered excavating
tunnel under their barrack. Instead
OF furnishing the guilty ones, the
colonel commanding ordered the en-
tire regiment to stand up in line for
a whole day, beneath q broiling sun;
toward night, the guard fired into
them, killing one, mortally wsnnding
another, and Gripping a third. On
several occasions our barracks we're
fired into at night, and men killed
while sleeping. These outrages were
justified by no circumstance of time
OF place. No conspiracy or disorder
was going on. Every man of us was
SO well acquainted with the proclivi-
ties of our keepers, that we actually
studied how to demean ourselves with
becoming humility; no course Of con-
duct seemed to psopitiate. There
was tallsman, however, which never
failed to win the latent kindness of
the guards, and that was the 'soiI of
l,cl1-,o.'
Twenty-Five. dollars worth of this
Invaluable elixir, gently rubbed ON
the hand of q "'sharp-shooter, always
carried a rebel over the wall to the
nearest depot. The cabal;stic ''open
sesame OF the Arabian tale was not
more potent Than this same oil. Dur
ing the six months OF Col. De Lands
administration, over two hundred and
fifty prisoners made good their es-
cape; and | do verify believe if green
backs had been plentiful, our entire
command would have gradually evacu-
ated their position.
The winter of &C III never be for
gotten by any of us. A locality in
the forty-second degree of North la
titude, always subject to the fierce
breezes Of Lake Michigan, was ex-
tremely cold to mon accustomed to
the genial sun, and soft, vernal- show
ers of the South. Our barracks were
nothing more than large sheds, open
and dilipidated, with scarcely single
window, and no floors AS the cold
weather approached; we commenced
making preparations, with the con-
sent and appreciation of the .sCom-
mlssary of Prisoners. Sufficient
clothing was sent for to make oil com
Portable; it safely arrived, per ex-
press; but conceive our surprise and
disappointment, when we were in
formed that late order from the War
Department limited our costume to
very few articles, and prohibited over
coatS ehtlfely. Ihe consequence was,
we only got what they chose to give
US; and all goods having to pass
through two .offices-an examining
and delivery office-and every fellow
connected with each having to steal
certain per cent. of what PASSED
through his hands, we scarcely got
at all. Had there been an
other office, we would have got no-
thing. At one time during the coolest
season, there were several hundred
overcoats' and large quantity of
other clothing at headquarters await
ing distribution. Earnest positions
were made by the destitute for blank
cts, woolen shirts, ETC., but in no one
instance were they favorably received.
1t was at Il time, too, that tried our
very souls, the month of January.
ILL II