American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1867-10-05

racks ard the deposits at the sinks ;
and as they returned from the out
| side they would haul in the same
carts the beef intended for our ra-
tions that day, and plainly enough
did it slow in what particular cart
it had been hauled; still in our fam
ishing condition we could but eat it.
:. Still the glorious privilege was left
us of hating the men who thus i'm
posed on our detenseless situation
and fear that those officers at Rock
Island forgot that they were fghting
no, not fighting, but guarding
priseners--for the Union, and ought
to try to win them back to their old
ALLEGIANCE, sTlansKO Ne>est. "dA 'cepn, ff5sr-i'e
the officers of our post credit for the
great execution they did with their
PLAN. No doubt it was mJfc pleas
ant than the bullet method, but we
would have taken bullets and IN
equal footing in preference, had we
had our choice. Still / ought not to
complain as tar as bullets are con
cerned, for almost every day we
heard the wicked singing Of Yam
kee bullet as it sped to the heart Of
some unlucky man who had trans
cended the bonds of Yankee prOpri-
ETY..
So common did this thing of shoot
ing the prisoners become, that eN cry
morning the question was asked,
"How many men were shot last
night ?" This was endured as long
as patience was virtue, when the
inmates of the prison informed Col.
johnson that unless it was stopped
at once we would charge the fence
around us and sell our lives, at least,
in the struggle for our freedom, a
death any man ought to prefer to
that OF being shot down like a dog as
were some Of us every day. The le-
mOnstrance had the desired effect,
probably from the fact that the gar
ris0n had been very much weakened
by detachments b"ing sent to Wash
ington City, leaving the number on
duty smaller than usual, and max
ing the idea of charge from ten or
twelve thousand infuriated men not
very pleasant to contemplate, cspa-
cially when those men entertained
but slight regard for those august
officials. For a long time after this
but few shots we, fired at us, until
the negro troops came to guard us
in November, 1864, after which time
no man was safe inside the prison
walls from the demons incaInate,
who, tolerated by the white-livered
srnnQdrels who could sink low enough
to command negro companies, made
our prison a slaughter-pen, and shot
down our men for no caTSe whatever
but to crafty their appetite for blood.
Five men together III the street was
always sufficient cause for bullet to
be sent hurting among them, often
cutting down one or two of their
number. | remember on one occa-
sion when the bugle sounded the
first call for roll call, which was only
a signal for us to get to our own
quarters, while the second was to
.'fall H." that | was standing III the
door of my quarters, and remained
there waiting for the second bugle
to sound, when bullet from the gun
of negro guard whiStled at my ear
and struck the door near my head,
causing an immediate change of base
on my part, as | did not care for any
more such striking civilties on the
art of the sable son of thunder and
glorious defender Of glorious cause
in a horn. | was thereafter very
careful not to get within range Of ne
gro muskets at roll-call, for though
had resided at Rock Island for some
time | had contracted no desire to
let my mertal remains sleep on lis
shores when | should shuttle of the
mortal coil. The fact is, I rather
disliked the idea of being shot by an
internal negro. | guess, though,
that while We were guarded by the
negroes our noble regiment was tax
ing our revenge at Saltville. Per
haps Burhridge can say, unless our
Maker has iustly removed him from
the society of men and sent him to
issue hog orders to the followers of
Satan and to crack jokes NiTh late
very distinguished martyr there.
During the negro reign, which last
ed until we left prison, a great many
men fell victims to their hate, among
them member of my regiment-Pe-
ter Loyal, Co. q, LIST Kentucky--who
stepped to brush pile to break n
poker for the stove, when he was or
dered off by the negro guard, snd
when he turned away TO comply with
the order, the cowardly rascal shCt
him in the back and the poor boy fell
dead in his tracks, while the life blood
almost touched the fend who shot
him, as it spirited out and crimSorea
the snow on which he lay. Poor .al-
low bravely had | seen him face the
foe Oh more than une field, aud his
blood had already flowed for his
country ere this. But his soul has
gone to Our God, and happier is he
than it he had lived to see his COM
try trOd to the dust beneath the heel
of the vile OppreSSOr.
This murderer was never punished
but left to kill others of our men,