The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-06-03
The story OF s Hsaro,ed Prisoner.

The Story OF s. H'are,ed Prisoner.
EDITOR EAwE-EyE:-s;r, will give
yo,, a few OF the particulars OF my lorg
COZ 1inenaent IN Rebel PRISONS:
T vas 2 prisoner Nineteen months lack
ing I'm y.avs. was captured on tie 10th.
August. 1863, and parcIed a. 9olasDoro,
North Carolina, February 24tn. ls65, aud
during I'll .cis time was pratal,y treated.
The IRIS. PRISON was II was Meridian
Ala. and thences.o Mobile There We
wee cas-. in an old jail that was not tit for
a hog pen. We remained there four days.
They removed us ten to Atlanta, t1eor.
yis. where one OF our companions lett this
troublesome world. He died. = Christian
and q patriot. Mr.. EamS was a MEM
Der of the 10Th. His death was> caused ny
the bad treatment he got from Mobile to
Atlanta. We renamed three days in At
lanta. ~ s. ~ s7sNT
Here = beeao~te-fhiRk that my time had
coue;ans: should n.eet a martyrs grave.
PRAYED TO God, and pat my trust iIrhiln,
and by his aid 10y lie was spared. 90 the
Isle I had a very severe attack OF tux
and agae. j never received & dose OF med.
iciue. thought o. oar Saviour when l
looked round; and saw tina. had not q
place TO lay my head. Oar rst.ons began
to be very scsnt.,a ] was moved To tears 10
see the starving conai.ion OF my fellow
nr:soners. el'-, y 1, 4 s
One OF nv trends, George Calvin Of the
1itn Kentu sky, came 10 me one mornlng.,
sFrieEd Baynhill, ~ said he, ~ cannot i've
on such small allowance OF food" Said /,
. George, do not get such thing in your
head. Pray 20 God that your time may
be short in this miserable place; that you
vii! meet that dear wife and children that
you have left behind; don thing OF dying
in such place as this" As soon as man
got little discouraged he would not try
to help himself, and III a few days would
tail iE.o the grave. ~ VA Y
On the sth Of February. 1864, we were
began to think that there was no hope for
me. The scurvy had Ivy this siaae Edeep
roo: in my system. BY the LIST Of July
i could not walk without assistance. Ont
OF the eighteen Of my regiment, there u
but three Of us left ut this time. The terra
ror Of death had in all its malignant forms
visited our camp, and during this month
the deaths averaged lG per day Athe most
horrible looking humsn beings my eyes
ever beheidt During line time that wss
IN the staplade 81 Anderkonville, there
had been Il, S4S of oar brafe soldiers who
died IL that miserable place.
The ls: of Septen Der the bells began to
seattle, us. They were afraid that Sher-
man would come TO our rescue. On the
10th ] was carried to The depot bv two OF
my friends, and was 'Aarfled 10 Florence,
lower teeth. My mouth was perfectly rot
ten with scarvy. could have pulled ali
of The inside Of my mouth out. ! fire.
ouenily would spit out pieces my gums
az large as ten cent piece. BY removing
me from one prison to the other I began
to mend, and by the 18th Of October was
almost well. On the 18th I ran of from
~ Anti
nd receptured teu miles I.olf Pocltaligo,
and WAs carried to Charleston, $. c., and
confined in the negro Jail for four weeks;
theft removed Us back to Florence. The
ra:ions were very scanfy lone pint of corn
meal three to four spoonetul OF peas, ga;
up with bugs.
On NY return to this Bull cpen. l was
ginning to crawl around on my hands and
We were started for As1r
lines.1 fell down several times in getting
out 70 the cars, and they hurried me, and
told me if did not walk fasterT they would
shoot my damned brains out. ! Howl
would like to come across the villia0s
now.
oack nor shoe to my feet. During last |
winter have stood on the ground where |
i, was froze four inches deep, to be
counted, for four hours. lay on the bare
ground over q year,spOthiDg unoer me nor |
over me, lin hole dr. in tho ground; and |
sand. often told the rebels |
that they never should have my bones to
bleach in the Southern Confederacy. All |
the time was in prison prayed to God |
to give me strength TO worry my way
through the dannable pits Of hell, ii SO
lr ~ cal them, for they - nothing more. |
have reasons tn bless Soc, Tor ihrou8h |
bis grace tnntoa the 2sth dag Of March,
1865, joi.1ea NY family "a Van Buren, |
county, Iowa ,,4lshough was sGk hardly |
able TO walk, it was ono OF tho happies;
days OF my life. ~
May sod bless ell those that nay read
his letter.
W. Il. BARHHILL, psroled prisoner,
Go. q, 30th Iowa Int,
a Camp Chase, Ohio.
May %. 1865.