Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1865-03-30

uary, 1864, and hundreds of our me
perished from the cold. We di
not get wood enough in a month B
make. one good fire. Our ration
were furnished US cooked, so as t
avoid giving US fuel to cook then
and warm our frozen limbs. ThI
water we drank was obtained from
James river, and only in day light
Great suffering was experienced from
thirst at night Men could not sleel
for cold and munger, and suffered
more from thirst than they otherwis,
would have done. Many men wer,
shot by the guards for attempting t.
get water, or getting over what wa,
called the-dead line. All night Ions
you could hear men groaning in tht
agonies of death, without any hops
of relief from the demons who stood
guard around them, and refused them
even drop of cold water. Many in
their last hours became raving mani.
acs, to whom death came as a merci
full visitor and released them from
their terrible misery.
Added to all this was the regular
sound of the musket shot, as some
poor fellow in his agony staggered
over the dead line, or performed
some act in violation of prison rules.
All night long these sounds rang in
our ears, and many poor fellow in
nocent of any such violation met his
death from stray bullets fired at ram
dom by the inhuman guard or if
aimed at some unfortunate Ysnkee
missed him, only to strike fatally one
for whom it was not designed. Such
mistakes were only treated as jokes,
by these murderers, nor do ! know of
a single instance wherein the perpe-
traitors were censured by their off
Ger The sinks or privies are made
near the river, and could be used
only in the day time. During the
night, men suffering from diarrhea
and other diseases of a like nature
were of necessity obliged to use the
camp, and the condition of it in the
morning, may be better conceived
than described. Details ofprisoners
were made every morning to remove
the excrement and filth that had ac-
cumulated In the camp the night pre-
vious. The labor of doing this was
more than could be done by the men
in the time allowed. OF course the
remainder was left to be troden un-
Ter foot, or lain down upon the sue
;eeding night, producing on the
bodies of the unfortunate men, ulcers
md sores of the most disgusting and
painful character. All these scenes
we're of daily occurrence. The con-
lition of the camp, after one or two
months of our stay, may be readily
imagined.
Rahons at first consisted of a
mixture of rye and corn bread twice
/ day, with small ration of meat
,nce a day. This would about suf
ice TO sustain life but no more. To
! sick man it was anything but nour-
shIng. In about ten weeks after
ny arrival, we received corn bread
made of unsifted meal without salt.
Neat was only furnished us twice in
en- days, and then not only of poor
quality, but small in quantity. l re-
NAMED on Bell Isle until 18th March
1854. The foregoing detail of prison
ife in that horrible place, is not
'verdrawn in any particular. The
scenes of misery and suffering that
occurred there, are beyond the pen
If an ordinary writer to describe
But they arc written on my mind and
memory, as with a pen of red hot
teel. They never can be effaced,
,ut will endure to the latest moments
# my life.
1t will be born in mind that all
hese sutferings were endured by US,
n sight Of Richmond, and almost
Inder the eye of JEFF Davis and his
nyrmidons. They knew of it all.
They could not fail to know it. Nor
Tas it caused by a scarcity of pro-
-isions at Richmond, nor of fuel. |
Dur guards lived as well as rebel
oldiers do generally. 1t was our
deliberate conviction, that the rebel |
authorities, if not openly, at least
acitly assented to the horrible afro
tiles of the guards, for the purpose
# thereby depicting the Union forces
" the actual death of those whose
constitutions were feeble, an6 by so
destroying and breaking down those
# US, whose naturally good consti- |
ution would have enabled us to sur |
i've, the rigors of such discipline,
nd be fit for duty on exchange. |
mother object in view was to force
S many of us as possible to enter
he rebel service. To the honor of
'ur boys be it said that very few ac-
epted life on such conditions. 1t
Tas also supposed that such inhu-
nan treatment of these prisoners
7ould deter many in the North from
olunteering in the Union army
This scheme think also failed of its
Intended design.
In my next, l shall e7deavor to
i've you an account of my trip to
Indersonville, Georgia, and a de-
cripton of that lazar house, where
o many Of our brave soldiers now
leep peacefully after enduring all
be cruelties that Southern malig-
ants were able to infiict upon them.
Yours, &c,
H. F. WOOD, |
Sergt. Co. NJ, 9TH o. v. C.