The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1865-03-23

lIe uSdb idlIOu DClbS OHlAO'OO oiVoSN'A,
and the men were confined in the Jail
yard, without shelter, and with nothing to
protect them from the filth with which
the yard abounded. The condition Of the
quarters here may be inferred from The
fact, that the contents of large cess-pooi'
filled to over1owing, whenever it ralned'
which it did several times while the priS-
oners remained there, were flooded over
the yard While here, the prisoners were
under the fire of our own troops; ana we
arc assured by the Lieut.. that though the
shells, which frequently fell in their mluS''
were rather dangerous visitors, yet they
were received with d hearty welcome by
all hands. as something coming from
friends. Occasionally the prisoners were
admitted into the Jail building; but the
filth was as great in the building as in the
yard and they were subject to the addi-
tional modification of forced association
with the worst possible characteristic
thieves, the prostitutes, the pick pockets
and the murderers of Charleston.
From Charleston the prisoners were ta-
ken to Columbia, S. c.. where they were
confined in large yard attached to the
Insane ASYLUM. Here they remained
four months, and spent the second Christ
mas of their Imprisonment. The mess
to which Lieut. Drake belonged, consist
of himself, Capt. G. A. Bayard, l4Sth Pa,
Capt. H. 4. Harris, lS4th Pa, 1t. j.
Breon and 1t. w. II. Brady Of Gen. Bar
lows staff, thought to celebrate this
Christmas with good old fashioned din
ner, but, in the end. found themselves
wOefully disappointed. Their turkey and
other fancy fxings, simmered down to
small plate of mush for each man. On
New Years day they Jared some better.
At an expense Of $50, the five men sue
ceeded in securing two and half pounds
of beef-steak, half peck of sweet pota-
toes, three loaves of bread about the size
of penny roll, and small pinch, each,
of pepper and salt-hardly enough for
one hungry man. 1t proved, however, a
feast to men whose lives had been sustain
ed rather by the recollection of the good
things at home, than by the miserably
slim allowance of poor provender furnish
cd by the rebel authorities, without doubt
to destroy life. The rations served here
were no improvement On those furnished
at Charleston.
On the 18th Of February, owing to the
close approach of the advance Of Sher-
mans forces, under Fitzpatrick, the pris
oners were .hurriedly taken to Charlotte,
IS. c. Here they remained about week,
received meat rations for the first time in
four months, and were notified that they
were to be exchanged. At the end Of the
week they were temporarily parolled, and
sent to Salisbury. via Gouldsboro, n. c.
On arriving at Gouldsboro they were re-
parolled, and quartered in the Court
House for two days, after which they
were sent to North East Bridge, near
Wilmington, and handed over to the T.
MON authorities.
On arriving within our lines Lieut..
Drake found himself SO worn down by
disease and suffering, contracted and en-
dured within the Rebel prison camps, as
to be unable to proceed further. He at
once entered a Government Hospital,
where it required some three weeks of
careful nursing to fit him for his journey
home. Though rapidly becoming him
self again, evidences of the hard treat
ment he received are still apparent upon
his person. He informed US that so long
as he received money and provisions from
his friends here, he managed to make
himself quite comfortable; but nothing
had been received from this source for
more than year, and for that period his
lot has been hard indeed
When officers received such treatment
from their rebel captors, what must not
the private, who fell into their hands,
have suffered.