The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-12-28
Experience of an Anderson
Vile Prisoner In Dixie.
NO. XVIII.

He told me that tIas surgeons wer'
picking out 100 men of the wors'
cases to be paroled and go north OF
a hospital boat, and for me to go anc
be examined. I looked to the left
and saw that the prisoners were re
ceiving crackers, and down to the
right was a line of men being exam
ined by surgeon. I told Jones
would rather get my crackers and
go with the well men. ''No," said be
'syou must go with the sick. You
can't stand the trip without some hos
pital care" He took hold Of my arm
and led me down to the line. ]
stepped into the line at the lower
end of the column, and soon found
out that I would have to look very
sick if I passed an examination. Not
that 1 was so anxious to so on the
hospital boat, but 1 had missed my
raticns with one party, and I wanted
to get them with the other.
As the examiner came down the
lines I began to look bad. I was
still shivering from cold. [ saw that
the human fcnd was handling the
men very rough. He would ask a
man in a coarse, brutal way, "What's
the matter with you!' The answer
nine times out of ten would be,
'scurvy." He seemed to separate
them according to fancy. Tho e
he received he would jerk towards
him, and those he rejected he would
shove backwards hard enough to
throw them upon the ground.
My turn came at last, and the sur
geon asked, what the matter with
you?" in a gruff, consequential way. 1
answered "scurvy and diabetes" He
gave me pull by my jacket, and 1
was received. The jerk he gave me
sent me on my knees. The next
man was showed backwards, and so
on, until one hundred men were Sc
lected as fit subjects for the Hospi-
tai boat.
Ny friend Jones came around and
bid me farewell, and expressed him
self well pleased that I was to get
some care on my road home. ga
friend in need is friend indeed !"
If I only knew that Jones was as
fortunate as 1 was in getting liberia
ted, it would be great satisfaction.
The one hundred of us were all that
were exchanged. The balance of the
division were sent to Florida the next
day, and my faithful friend was one
of the number! The rebels had com.
pletely deceived all the prisoners,
with the exception of one hundred.
We learned at Savannah that Gen.
Sherman was making his famous
march through, Georgia, and then was
near Milledgeville and Augusta,
and the rebels were moving the pris-
oners to keep them out of Sherman
hands. About that time the North
and South had negotiated an ex-
change of ten thousand sick and
wounded prisoners, and the rebels
were picking out the number. After
the first 10000 were pick ed out, it
wouldn't have taken very great ef
fort to have found as many more unfit
for duty.
We we're marched about a mile to
an old church, halted, and told to
make ourselves at home The build
ing was already occupied by some
sick prisoners that had been selected
from a former division. We were
very hungry and called for s me-
thing to eat. No attention was paid
to the demand and we laid around the
church the balance of the day.
The guards who were guarding us
were of the ''home guard" type.
They were heartless and cruel. In the
evening a gentleman and two ladies
came out from the city and brought
us basket full of something to eat.
The guards met them and told them
they couldn't give us anything.
They insisted on letting us have our.
supper. We begged for something
to eat, but the cruel, hard hearted
wretches took the basket and devour
ed its contents within fifty feet of
US, and we didn't get morsel! I
had not eaten anything since Jones
had furnished me with the wheat
bread the day before.
We spent the night around the
old building. We had to sit up out
side, the inside being full. 1t was
too cold to lie down and sleep.
Some of the boys got hold of two
sticks of wood and built little fire.
That night passed eff as a great
many more had, only I think it was
the longest one of the season.
Morning dawned at last, and the
sun rose in his glory and brightness.
1t was cold, and we hunted the warm
side of the old building. We were
in continual shiver. 1 had been