Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1865-03-01
From the Irashurgh standard
AT aNDERsoNvILLE.

(put dowa on the map Americas Is a
/ station on the Southwestern and Georgia
railroad, 60 miles southwest Of Macon.
| There is no town or settlement OF the
least Importance. A small wooden church
never completed, and less than dozen
houses were in sight. We got out of the
cars and marched down in front of Capt.
Wurtz's quarters. Capt Wurtz was in
command of the prisoners at this post.
He is lean, tall. rough looking German.
He swore about every word he spoke.
While taking our names, forming US into
squads and detachments so we should
know how to draw rations, he commenced
| to curse us. II was one of the hottest
days ever saw; it seemed as though we
should sweat ourselves all away. If any
one got out of the ranks little to get in
the shade or to get an easier position, he
not only got volley of oaths slupg at
him but got his soul damned also, I'D ,mu
your soul, " seemed to be the Southernor s
favorite expression. especially if anything
went wrong 1t did not satisfy the iends
to abuse the body Of Yankee. Cruel,
savage, brutal men destitute of pity or
humanity thousands of our poor boys
have they killed by starvation and then
cursed them because they died. Can
such savage demons as these escape the
pangs of he'll? Metbinks | hear million
voices answering Neoer Necer!
While they were getting us ready to
enter the Bull PEN as it was called, we
could but stand and gaze with awe and
wonder at the spectacle before US and hear
the hum and roar of the prison, which
came plainly to our ears like the low muir
mur Of the sea waves The prison (cal-
led Camp SUMTER is stock ,de fence of
logs. around about % acres, some fifteen
feet high. firmly built, with sentry boxes
on the outside and near the top of the
fence .......=
When they got us ready to enter the
pen of misery, rebel sergeant led the
way and we followed, with "a guard on
each side of course. Geo. Robbins of
Craftsbury was sick. and VIC had to leave
him on the out side to 60 to the pospital.
We never heard word from him after
wards. AS we went into the gate the
guards fell back as we did not need them
any more. The reb. took us across the
camp, then back again and crossed the
creek Ga small muddy stream running
through a bed of black muck). We
could 60 anywhere we pleased lusiue the
pen, just as cattle do in pasture, only
We must be around at roll call at eight
in the morning and draw rations. | soon
found a fellow from Go. NJ, OF the It'll,
that was taken the oath of May on the
North Anna river. About the first thing
he told me was to Look out for the
dead bne." This line consisted of a row
of stakes driven into the ground, with
poles fastened on the top. at distance of
II feet from the stockade on the inner
side. This line was closely watched by
the guard. and any prisoner who APP
preached it. as many unconsciously did,
was shot dead. There was standing
order that "any sentinel who killed a
Yankee for approaching the dead line,
should receive furlough for two months
aud some considerable bounty" ..
| had read and wondered at what |
read abont Union prisoners in the hands
Of the rebels, but never knew or imagin-
ed anything about what their suferings
really were till now. 1t made me feel
queer when first saw human beings,
with scarcely rag Of clothes on, lay
stretched out on the bare ground. in
the scalding sun with their feet and legs
all sunburned and rotten with scurvy,
and maggots crawling over them so thick
you could almost scrape them off by the
handful; calling for assistance, for some
one to bring little water, or for some
one to come and turn him over SO that
he could rest the side he had been laying
on so long Starved almost to death
mere skeletons of skin and bone. Hun
dreds of such cases as those. only worse
than can be described, could be seen ev-
cry day in all parts Of the camp; dying
for no other reason in tho world than be.