Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-04-14

Nh. RICHARDSON In compliance with
your request, to give you some few ite"s ~
relation to our treatment in rebeldom, sno
oM mode Of living while there, | attempt
this letter. II would be superauous TOR me
to detail the incidents of the battle OF the
22d Of July, At Atlanta, for Col. Sanders ID
his able report, has already given the peo-
pie of our State . graphic picture Of tna'
stirring scene. l will take up the narrstive
where he left it, and pursue the history Of
our adventures little fnrther, although
should shrink from the task Of giving com
plete history of our sufferings, both from
my inability to do the subject justice ana
from the pain it wonld cause me to live over
those dreadful days again.
We were marched from the field BY
roundabout way to Atlanta, where we ar.
rived ct about dusk. Our guards treated
US in . gentlemanly manner, (as We hsd
done 70 them an heuf before when they
were our prisonsrs) giving us all the cigars
and tobacco we would accept. A We
marched up the streets Of Atlanta, singing
"Rally Round the Flag. Boys" the citizens
came forth shouting that they had captured
all Of the Yankees, and using very abusive
language toward as. We told them that
they had not captured US, and that If they
had any spleen to disgorge, to 60 over and
talk to Billy Sherman's boys. Amid their
congratulations with one another they were
visited by Yankee shell, which tore away
the corner of . house, laid three ofthe scoun-
drels out for their funerals, and dispersed
the remainder. We raised loud yell, and
started up the "Red, White and Blue" At
Hoods headquarters we we're handed over
to . gang Of Wheelsr's cavalry, to be guard
ed to East Point, six miles distant. lfever
there trod the earth band Of cut-thrcats
and Williams they were these men Of Wheel
era They robbed the boys Of coats, pants,
boots, money, watches-ofeverything, even
to combs, pocket-knifes, and the photo
graphs Of friends and relatives. They were
the most convincing set Of men ever en-
countered-their arguments were irresista-
bic and conclusive. They simply consisted
in the drawing Of . revolver, the cooking Of
. trigger, and the Strengthening Of an arm.
| saw one man, our Color Sergeant, karn,
refuse . rcb his cantsen, when the muzzle
of navy revolver was within an inch Of his
brains, and the villain feared to shoot him,
although At perfect liberty to do so. Few
had the nerve, however, to be 20 stubborn
We marched to Griffin, 80 miles. The in
habitants focked to the road-sides in large
numbers from the surrounding country,
some in expectation of finding the Yankees
with horns in the middle of their foreheads.
They treated us very civilly, and the women
frequently emptied their dinner baskets for
our benefit
We reached Andersonville at about noon;
we had no trouble in getting c view Of the
prison. Indeed, it is abusing the English
language to call it prison. started back
in horror at the very sight Of it, at the dis
lance of mile. Imagine . stOckade Of logs
fifteen feet high, enclosing . space Of about
forty acres, on two confronting hill sides,
divided by black swamp, and you have an
idea Of 1.-THE lay" Of the ground. Then i'm
agine forty thousand half-naked skeletons
crawling in and out Of mud huts, pushing
about in the crowded streets like bees in q
hive, or lying about, sick and helpless in
the sun, trampled upon by the surgng mass
which cannot find room for its vastness, and
you have faint idea of the scene presented
to US. On all sides Of the 'prison' were
the camps Of the rebels, guards were in box
es along the top of the stockade. and batter
les were placed so as to rake every corner OF
the inhuman den
Gen. Wynder (and he is now dead, may
his soul get its dues for his black hearted
| deeds Of shame) met us in front Of = battery
and caused us to be counted off into detach-
ments Of 270 men each, for the purpose oi
issuing ''rations" with facility, and ordered
us into camp" Never shall I forget nv
first night in Andersonville. As we enter
ed, our column was almost pushed from the
road by crowds of greasy, lousy, naked
skeletons, camerous to know "if Lincoln
had agreed to exchange yet" I, for one
did not waste many words in assuring their
that it was for the good Of the country fol
them to starye to death in order to have thu
policy" held consistent; I did not tel
them that "the North could stand it--tha
she had plenty Of men after they were gon,
that we must make the rebs come to terms
if it took a hundred thousand lives"
didn't wish to die just then, and didn't til
them all that, or explain to them the intri
cate and beautiful workings Of the 'spoli
cy."
What horrid sights met our eyes! Th,
streets were clogged with dead and dying
on every hand misery was appaaent in it
most appalling form, starvation was showl
on the haggard countenances of every one
men lay groaning in nakedness on the bar
earth, with their limbs devoured with mag
gols You could not step for human fifth
felt that was in "the valley Of the SHADOW
Of DEATH" or as Tennyson has tin eth
laws Of dcath,' and in ''thc mouth ofhell.
Indeed, rather think penetrated furths
than the mouth So overpowered was will
sense ofhorror Of my situation that it wa
some time before had thought Of lookin
out for my future comfert. At length
party Of us set about hunting = place t
!. epread our blankets. II was no where {