The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-04-06
Rebel Prisons.

formation of every thing that transpired in the
confederacy, except such matters as were not
permitted to be published-such as northern
successes, and the utter destitution prevailing
throughout the South. But as to the latter
point we often CLEANED important particulars
that were picked up by the rebel locals and put
into print.
In morning report of the police court in
Richmond, the local said, "Sam Jones a we'll
known negro about town was up for stealing
eighty dollars in gold, two hundred and fifty
dollars in green backs and about half peck of
Confederate money" "The rebels were not
backward in making fun of the ''gray backs"
L asked rebel soldier how much pay they had /;
he said the men were drawn up in line and pay
masters passed down the front with bushel
baskets full of gray backs, and each man put
in his hand and grasped as much as he could
hold for his share. The men with the largest
hands got the most pay.
This rebel money became worthless and the
rebel congress thought to infuse new life into
it by curious system of finance. The one
hundred dollar bills were to be taxed on
given day twenty-five per cent, and on that day
"OiO OuiJ " pO iCenOuOu ecfcuty-uf6 per
cent. of their face-aud this amount was to be
paid in confederate four per cent bonds
something like the proposed 65 bonds! and if
the bills of that denomination were not pre-
sented for exchange on or before that day they
were to be considered ipso facto-as taxed one
hundred per cent, and of course were worthless
And bills of other denominations were also
largely taxed, the object being to reduce the
AMOUNT OF this currency which was in circula-
tion. The effect of this legislation was to de-
press still further the nominal value of the
graybacks.
The season before Sherman's march to the
sea the rebel congress had forbidden the cul-
ture of cotton and had enjoined the cultivation
OF food and raising of stock SO as to relieve the
rebel army from the extreme destitution from
which it was suffering But for this policy of
the rebel government 1t is thought that Sher-
mans march would have been impossible, be-
cause his army could not have subsisted.
As the effect of this policy his troops Jared
sumptuously, but they left nothing behind for
anyone who might follow.
In Libby Prison some of us had ways of COM
municating with the outside world other than
that have spoken OF. The prisoners were
allowey periodically to write letters of six lines
which must pass through the prison office for
inspection, and they were then sent down to
City Point and handed over to the 10y Al au-
thorities. l bad written secret letter home
by lieutenant of our navy, who was ex-
changed, in which directed that in future nv
letters of six lines should be held to the fire, to
be heated but not scorched, Then the entire
sheet was filled with writing in lemon Juice
The heat would bring out the characters IN
dark brown, so as to be perfectly egible.
communicated this secret to several officers
first writing home, requesting that the friends
OF these persons should be rotified to heat the
letter sheets received from Richmond.
Some ole communicated this secret to an
irish officer, prisoner, who Immediately
availed himself of it, and filled his sheet full
OF prison news a nd accounts of the rebel situ-
alton, then added at the bottom in ink, "When
you receive this hold it to the firep' The reb-
els down in the Office were SO hilarious over
this funny bull that they came up in the pris-
on to have some sport over 1t Perhaps they
did not suspect that an extensive correspond
ence was constantly going on in the same way.
IT they had kept their counsel they could have
subjected all our correspondence to this ordeal
by fire, and would have had some notion of our
intimate acquaintance with the situation of the
rebel cause. From that day lemon juice was
at discount in the Libby market, and for a
long time afterward the Irish officer was
laughed at for his blunder "Hold it to the
fre!' became at last worn out joke
After my return to the Libby from Mobile,
my fellow prisoners were desireus of Learning
from me, my views of the actual condition of
the rebel states, as to the prospect of their con-
tinuing the war. So it was arranged that we
should have meeting in one of the three up-
per wards of the prison. This was large
room, open to the roof about twenty-five feet
wide and seventy feet long. This was
packed full of eager listeners and all the beams
of the roof were crowded with men curious to
hear what had to communicate 1t was de-
sired that the prison officials should hear moth
ing of It, so some of our number who were upon
the beams above the entrance stairway were
directed to keep sharp lookout and by some
sign to notify the speaker upon the first ap-
pearance OF an unbidden auditor. In the
midst of my story, as we were all deeply en-
gagged in its details, those watching made the
sign The heads of the officials were just visi-
BILE in the stairway before we knew they were
present. 1t would not be the better way TO
come to sharp and sudden pause, so without
change of tone the least hest isation, the story
of the rebel exhaustion and prostration, as
had seeu them was instantly changed into a
temperance lecture of the most puDgent sort,
adapted to any locality and especially to life in
the army and life away down in Dixie. These
officials stopped at the top of the stairway and
the fact that while in the loyal armies great
care was taken to keep whiskey awav from
our troops, as an important matter in relation
to health, discipline and efficiency, the confed-
crate officers were anxious TO obtain a regular
and full supply for their men. The officials
turnded away saying to each other, as was
afterwards told, so, d-n them, they're a
drunken lot ard can't be trusted with drink,
that's the reason for it, ND.