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

10.
Fuel was doled out in chilling guam
tities; .tnti, although every little piece
OF coal and wood was boarded with
nliserly care. still we suffered in
/ te4sely. Toward the latter part of
| February, if recollect arjght, it was
brulted abo4t the camp, and generally
believed, that Col. De Lands com
mand had marching or 5crs. The re-
/ port proved to be correct, ana we
halied their departure with sincere
JOY, anticipating q chH*e-5e Of condi-
ton In change of ruisfS Col. T.
| Sweet assumed command. Every
thing progressed with admirable or
der and clevG.ness until the following
day. During this happy interval, we
were comparatively well treated.
With the Colonel's. approval, and
under the supervision of men appoid
ed by him, we improved our barracks.
dltched and made clednly our grounds,
erected new buildings for various pur-
poses, and in short did all that we
could to make ourselves comfortable.
fully expecting to remain there until
the close OF the war Hard times
came on again, however, in July. In
the tlrst place, came an order from the
War Department curtailing our ra-
tions so frigghtfully that we began to
feel hungry at the very prospect.
Secondly, we were prohibited receiv-
ing articles from the outer world.
This was another cruel stroke of
Outrageous fortune, :" for many be-
nevoient persons in Kentucky and
other States had been daily sending
us mighty hampers and boxes of
wholesome provisions. The suffers
we're also prohibited selling us any
thing to eat. Our suferin gs now com
menced in dead earnest.
We drew just enough meat and
bread to sustain life ann keep us ra-
Vci1ously AunSxy ali ti1esflme. Cf ali
prolonged totures, [ think a gnawing
and everlasting hunger the worst.
The fabled agony of Tantalus must
have bee1 something like it. Like
Oliver Twist In the poor house; we
went to bed hungry, dreamed of
something to eat all night, and got
up the next morning hungrier than
ever, to breakfast on q cold crust and
pass the long, weary day with our
''aching voids" untitled. This was
the case day after day, week after
week, month after month The most
rigid economy and careful manage !
ment did no good. Some would eat
their rations fo1: day at one maecl:;
others thought it best to have two.
which was something like conjurine a !
quart out of pint bottle.
In camp Of ten thousand men, a |
hound puppy would have starved to ;
death, provided itwasn't killed and
eaten. This ras the unhappy fate of !
a corpulent canine THAT was decoyed
into Barrack No. 8 byGreen Williams
and Milton Walker, of Company G,
"a Kentucky, killed and cooked by
these gents, and eaten with infinite
gusto.
Capt. Wells Sponable, the commits
sary of prisoners, hearing of the
affair, summoned the wretches before
his awful tribunal, and giving them a
sound cursing, committed them to the
dungeon.
Both mongrel puppy, whclp and hound,
were carefully kept out of reach from
that day. Petition after petition was
sent to headquarters, setting forth
the lnsnhciency of our rations, and
praying for more, but we invariably
got the same rep4y-''thc Govern
ment allow You SO much and no
more This state of things con-
tinued for eight months, only times
grew worse as the winter of "a ap-
proached. We did not get stoves
and fuel until December Iii that
latitude it is rather cold the 1st of
October. We were vastly better stu
ated IN respect to warm quarters than
during the preceding winter. 1t
seemed, however, that fate, as she
bestowed one blessing, gave us, ut
the same time, d still greater curse.