Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-04-06

A little incident will show on what
precarious conditions depended even
this meager allowance Of provender.
Discipline was enforced through the
stomach, and with mob of half
starved men nothing can be more effec-
tive.
One night during the winter the
guards got sleep and some of the
prisoners tore down portion of the
dead line" (strips of boards nailed
to posts about 2 II feet high } to make
fires to keep from freezing. Next
morning Capt. Wirtz published an
order that
NO RATIONs WoULDsBE ISSUED
until the perpetrators of the helnous
olfense were found and delivered up.
Efforts were made by the sergeants OF
the camp to ferret out the offenders,
but without success. After going
without food for twenty-four hours the
situation began to grow desperate.
Something must be done. A Van
Winkelereied must be found. TO
this end ten days extra ratlons were
offered to the man who would confess
the deed and bring relief to the camp.
Such a reward to hungry man seemed
munifcent. But it was a dangerous
undertaking Nothing but CASTRO
nomical necessity would justify it, L
might dodge the grim specter on one
side; if | did there was the reward OF
ten days rations; on the other was
lingering death by starvation certain
sure Don't anybody give me credit
for ali act Of magnanimous self sacrl
fee for the good Of the whole. That
was only a secondary consideration.
My own necessity was the primary mo-
tive. [ resolved to chance an inter
view with Capt Writ for The hope of
a full meal Of even such provisions.
So [ offered myself as the ''scapegoat. >
I was taken before Wirtz, who, with
cooked revolver IL hand, and curses
on his lips, consigned me to the stocks
for twenty-tour hours. This pleasant
instrument of torture consisted of
planks set on edge with holes about
two feet from the ground, in which
the feet were confined. They were so
high that little more than the shoul-
ders could rest O., the ground. One
may immagine that twenty four hours
in this constrained position was not
an agreeable experience; especially as
baretooted and half naked, and a chill
ling northwest wind blowing all the
time. However, weathered it with not
quite life enough to stand (having
tasted fortY-eight hours on an empty
stomach }, but [ had ten days rations
to recruit on.
SHOOTING PRISONERS
that approached too near the dead line"
was all almost every day occurrence
a sort of recreation for the guards.
The dead were each morning labeled,
by pinning piece of paper containing
name and number of detachment to
to their clothes, if they had any; if
not, tied to the toe or finger with a
string. Details from outside carried
them to the "deadhouse which was
a sort of shed made of crotches set
upright and covered with poles and
brush. the acagons that brought an the
ratons were loaded with dead bodies
on their return. The corpses were
corded in two tears as high as they
would lie on and then trendeled off to
the burial ground where they were
tumbled into trenches seven or eight
feet wide and five or six in depth.
They were handled with no NOR GER
emony than as if they had been the
carcasses of dead dogs.
When Sherman captured Atlanta
there was general scare. Some Of US
were moved to Savannah, whert we re-
mained month. and were then sent to
MILAN. Here for the first time we
had plenty of good waiter aud wood.
Here we remained until Sherman start
ed on bis march to the sea. Or leav-
ing here we were called out at o'clock
at nj ght and received one ''hardtack'
each, and got nothing more for ninety
hours, and then were tasted on a pint
of raw corn We went again to Sa
vanah and down the Gulf Railroad to
Blackshear. Here We camped in an
open field. The weather was severe
and but two log fires were allowed to
warm 1900 men, though there was
plenty of timber on all sides.
MANY FRoZE TO DEATH
during the night. Yet, says Davis:
"We did as well for the prisoners as
we could" Thence to Thomasville,
and across the country to Albany, 70
miles, and on Christmas eve arrived
again at Andersonvillc. The ground
was frozen and most of US barefoote1.
A great many died by the way. We
reached Andersonville IN storm of
sleet and were marched into the pen
which had been plowed up during our
absence We passed night of
horrible suffering. without food or fire,
In February we received batch of
fresh prisoners from Thomas's army.