The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-04-06
CAMP FISK, FOUR Miles !
FROM VIoKsBURG Miss.
March Both, 1865.

MARCH QUIZ, 1Ooo. 4Es
DEAR FATHER. to my promise
/ will give you short history in our line
of the treatment a prisoner meets with in
the SO called coniederacy.
AS you are aware, some 800 of us were
captured the Oath of September last, by
Forrest, at Athens Ala After a tedious
march Of some 65 miles, during which time
several of the negro troops were shot down
like SO many sheep, we reached Cherokee
Station Oh the Memphis & Charleston r. R.
Took the cars for Corinth whore we struck
Mobile and & Ohio R. r. without change of
cars we started on for Meridian, Miss. All
along the track we noticed burnt ties and
bent R. R. iron, the work of Sherman.
| From Meridian we took cars for Demop-
opolis;. crossed the Tombigbee to Selma,
thence to our destination, Cahaba. Our pris-
on consisted of an old cotton warehouse en-
closed by stockade, occupying space Of
| 100 by 125 yards square. One half of the
roof of the prison had been blown off, leav-
the ground on which the prisoners slept,
open to the weather This space of ground
was occupied, in pleasant weather by my
half naked companions, engaged in destroy
Ing the vermin on their clothes, washing and
drying their clothes, reading and amusing
themselves as best they might. When we
entered the prison, there were some $50
Al
was afterwards swelled to $500, which num-
Der covered the ground entirely during the
night, packed in like SO many spoons. The
prison is situated on the bank of the Ala
bama river. On the Oath of Feb. the river
commenced rising, caused by the continued
heavy rains. and in seven days it rose some
prison and yard so that it stood for days
feet deep. Boards and cord wood were
brought i'll and seaffolding raised ON which
the cold, shivering, half starved prisoners
crouched The water flowing over our sink |
and cook yard, caused filth of every de-
scription to float around the scaffold- |
ing. This water we were forced to use to |
wash ourselves i'll, and (will you believe it, |
TO drink Bricks were brought in with |
which we built fire places, on which to cook |
our scanty rations of corn meal and bacon.
While the water was at its height, the pres
ent exchange was effected. 1000 of my
comrades left by boat, leaving 500 of us in
the prison, on the waters subsiding we
were forced to police the prison. Three
wheelbarrow loads of rats were taken up,
who had suffered death from not needing the
example of Noah. Over SO cart loads of
filth bore them company to the banks of
the river
During the freshet, all traffic was carried
on in the streets by means of fat boats Civ
ing very fair representation of Venice by
a slight stretch of the Imagination.
Our rations consisted of corn meal, bacon
sometimes beet, salt, rice and moasses, all
of which were given US in very small guam
titles Molasses and rice we had but few
times. We cooked our rations in iron skill
let's, or bake ovens, and our rations of wood
were sometimes so small that one-half of
of our edible ratlons were sold to buy wood
with which to bake or cook the other half
Some so or 100 of my comrades were naked
from their waists up. Half of them had no
shoes, stockings hats or shirts The same
having been robbed from them on being
captured, by the chioaj,y.
At Andersonville 33, 1000 were crowded \
into space of 26 acres, without shelter, no
blankets nor clothing enough to cover their
bodies. From 100 to $50 died daily. Sick
nien have been taken up out of the mud to
be conveyed to the hospital, blanket be-
ing used in lieu of a hospital stretcher, when
after the body was deposited, pint of
mGggOtS could be collected from the blanket
on which they had lain. During the rainy
days no fires could be built, consequently,
we were forced to eat our meal raw. Fro.
zen feet were of common occurrence. A
great many were afflicted with scurvy so bad
that they could not straighten their limbs:
their means of locomotion were by hitching
along on their hands and knees, or rolling
over like log. When water froze to the
thickness of inch in night, We were fore
ed to sleep on the ground in the open air
sans blankets or covering of any kind ex-
cept the rags we wore.
those that were fortunate enough to hive I
money could buy bread and tobacco at a
kind of Suffers shop i'll the prison. Those
two articles constituted the sum total of the
''stock in trade" A half pound loaf cost
$500, in confederate money Sometimes
peanuts were brought in. They sold at the
rate of $500 per quart. A sheet of paper t
and envelop $1,00. Greenbacks sold at the
rate of $50 for 81. Gold 70 for /. Com s
mon brass buttons so cents a piece The
prison was supplied with water, ordinarily. b
from an artesan well in the town, of very g
pure, soft water, a blessing the boys fully =
appreciated. c
Inside of the walls,a space embracing the
ground feet from the walls running around
the interior, was used as beat for the
guards. The penalty for stepping on that
ground, was death. nearly a dozen were \
killed during the time was held as prison.
er, which is now six months. | have seen
men in that prison whose scaIps were en-
tirely filled with maggots, that had eat
their way through to the skull. The hair 4
stood up stiff and straight, from the number :
of lice that were harbored there Thank
God such instances were few. Bayoneting
was of daily occurrence.
Improbable as this may seem. neverthe-
less it is true. can bring thousands to tes- ]
tify to the same. The people at home have
but faint idea of the suffering the brave II
boys of the Union army have undergone in v
these lazar houses of the south.
The administration, think has been neg
igent, dilatory In the extreme, in not ex-
changing prisoners before this late day.
Here we are now, in parol camp. The ct
Christian Commission, who could have no m
better or more efficient agent than our friend OF
Rev. Mr.. Parmlee of Kenosha, is doing all O.
that it can for US. The same can be said of b
The Sanitary Commission. They have issu- al
ID to US writing materials, combs, tobacco CO
pipes and all the neccessaries soldier needs Of
and cannot get for want of funds ii
have come to the conclusion that no one BIZ
IAN comprehend the restitution ofthe south eV
until he has passed through it. Empty ~
houses are as common as full ones at the !"
1orth. Nothing but corn is raised, in the ~ =.
shape of grain. 1t is surely nothing but a.
(e) race %. -
There, is the cali for rations, and | must an
lose. Before doing SO. the worst wish I =,