The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-03-11
SNistellall|Jeyotts,
At AndarsonYille.


The following account is made up of Sc
lections from an article in the March Np
of the. Atlantic Monthly. It is the most
graphic recital Of the suferings Of our pris-
oners that we have yet read, and want Of
space alone prevents us from publishing it
entire 1t gives the personal history of
one Of the prisoners, who is introduced oc-
casionally in conversation with others
Eds. ..,,.
The prisoners, over thousand strong,
were formed in line and ordered to march.
AS they tramped along the dusty road, they
strained their eyes, eagerly, but furtively
for the first show Of their prison. Seeing
tents on the left, there was a little stir
among them, but that proved to be Rebel
camp; then some one spied heights topped
with cannon, and "Now," said they, ''we
are close upon it," and then stopped short
for wonder, for here the road ended, ran
butt against the wall Of huge roohess in
closure, made of squared pines set perpen-
dicularly and close together in the ground.
"Is it a pen p asked one, doubtfully.
eyes, yours" retorted one of the guard,
with grin,-s'the Stockade Prison"
The word ran down the line like shiv-
err and the men stood mute, cycling each
other doubtfully. e
They we're hardly in, when there was a
scramble, and cry of "Rations!' y and
came numbering train of wagons, bring
ing the days supplies. There were at this
time under torture twenty-eight thousand
prisoners,-more than the population of
Hartford; and as the Southern Contedera-
CIV. Christian association, and conduct
ing itself with many appeals to Christian
principle, believes the wind is tempered to
the shorn lamb, and so shears the Yankees
as close as possible, these men had all been
formally feeced Of such worldly gear as
blankets, money, and extra clothing
Some further shearing there had been also,
but irregular, depending chiefly on the
temper of the captors,-strlpplng them
sometimes to shirt and drawers, leaving
them occasionally jacket and shoes SO
now most were barefooted, most IN rags,
and some had not even rags. They had
lain on the bare earth, sodden with damp
or calcined into dust, and borne STORM and
heat helplessly, without even the shelter
of board, till they were burned and vast
ed to the likeness ofhaggard ghosts; most
had forgotten hope, many decency; some
were dying, and crawled over the ground
with woful persistency that it would have
broken your heart to see !; they were all
fasting, for the day S rations, tossed to them
the afternoon before, had been devoured,
as was the custom, at a single meal, and
proved scant at that; and they crowded
wolfishly about the wagons, the most miser-
able, pitiable mob that ever had mothers,
wives, and sisters at home to pray for
them. A
"I say, my friend, where do we find fuel ?"
Drake asked of aman sitting quietly on the
ground. eI
."Where the Israelites found the straw
for their bricks" was the answer. "There
is no special provision made, unless it be
an occasional permit to forage outside, un-
der -- Hold off there don't touch that,
man, unless you want to be cooked your
self for supper that's the dead line !"
Drake drew back from o light railing
running parallel with the inclosure, on
which he had nearly laid his hand. M d4
"What the Deuse is the dead line r M
"The new way to pay old debts, and put
Yankee out Of the world cheap. Show
so much as your little finger outside, and
the guard nails you with bullet and as
they like that sort Of thing, they blaze
away whenever they get a chance, which
is once or twice day,--for our men expose
themselves voluntarily. When Satan said,
Skin for skin, yea, all that man hath viii