St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1865-04-06
ST. CLOUD MINNESOTA. THURSDAY APRIL. s. 1865

f. s. -ass b g o. T.
M1NNESOT THUR
side out, saw the skeia, he remarked
that il W. id nioe looking thread,
but put i back into the pocket very
much 70 the relief of the owner. The
prisoners vers. then taken to Belle L.
land, where they remained about ten
days, and we're then transferred to
Camp Sumter, q Andersonville, Ca
Our cavalry had been raidiug through
that country : few days previous, and
had cut the Richmond and Dauville
Railroad, 50 they were taken by the
way ofLynehburg. They stopped one
day At that point, and receiving two
days rations, we're marched on foot the
remaining distance-between eighty
and, ninety miles-to D.nville. (Ara-
tioa consisted Of . small corn dodger
and about half > ponnd Of bacon
The Sergeant relates the follovinx
incident, which occurred on the march
between Lyncbburx and D,,v;lle-
Thev had halted 4 . little ! town . :, for :.
few moment. to nrocure v.,er and
when great crowd assembled 70 ,,..
upon the extraordinary sipbt-m.nv Of
them never having seen . live Yankee
and of course. the d.rk;e. vcr. mt
in fun force. The Sergeant overheard
tie following remark: "Wy, lor mas
81, desc men look jus like de rebs got
not horns At al !"
AT Camp Sumter, In Anderson vile,
the prisoners were divided into det.ch.
ments Of three hundred men each, with
= Sergeant tor each detachment, called
. Hundred Sergeant, whose business it
was 70 call the roll every morning aud
form his men in line, for the purpose
Of receiving rations. These detach-
ments numbered about liz, making
the number OF prisoners between $4,000
and 3o'ooO.
The ratlous here consisted Of nearly
one quart OF corn meal, about quarter
OF . poued Of bacen, and At rare iuter-
,va''-once or twice ! week-half 4 pint
Of beans.
The stockade in which they were
confined was made by placing logs over
twenty feet lon; in M upright position.
About fifteen feet from this, on the in
side, row of posts Vas ret, about four
feet high, with poles nailed along the
top, wish was called the ~ 1t
"DrAD nrE."
A stream Of ~.ter-~r.n directly
through the camp, and, Of course, va,
crossed in two places by this "dc.d
line" and the Sergeant says he has Of:
ten seen men, who. came down to the
stream to get water near the prescribed
boundary, wbilo STOPPING to dip up va
ter with their cups, fall from weaknex
and exhaustion, and accidentally fall
ing with : few inches Of their bodie,
exposed beyond the pole, would be sho'
dead where they fell. He once saw .
man shot dead by the guard. who va.
scufling with . comrade, and happen
ed to tall under this polo which consti
tuted the "dead line." On one occa
sion OF this kind, he overheard the an
thor Of the dastardly deed hail , com
rade with, IL say, Bill. I've got . tb;r
ty days furloush now, shure !: for ",
jist shot my regular Y.uk."
The excuse for this cruel re.ul,tio,
was, that the prisoners were likely I.
escape by scaling the walls, or burrow
ing their way, oat. by digging unde
the st,ckade ; in fact, . great man,
did burrow out, commencing in thei
tents, fifteen feet from the walls, an,
i h.v;n.. ~ t,,l. - 1...... ~,