The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-08-17
lFor the News.
SOUTHERN PRISON-PENS.
Experience of an Anderson
vile Prisoner in Dixie.
NO. K X.

vile Prisoner in Dixie.
NO. XXX
A few remarks at the close of the last chapter
VIII make it necessary to give a brief account of
our warfare with vermin and struggles to extermin
ate them and their attempts to exterminate us.
No one who was not resident of Anderson
vile prison can have any idea of the multitudes,ot
OF these little pests. The ground was alive with
them, and they would attack you by hundreds.
The prisoners would go to work and kill off all
they could find on their clothes, but in 80 minutes
there would be as many more to ill their places.
Wo be to the poor fellow that was too weak to
fight themi They soon collected in numbers suf-
fcient to sap the very life from him.
am well satisfied that numbers of our soldiers
were actually eaten up by vermin 1 have seen
men with their backs in solid sores from that cause
and no other. 1t was impossible to keep clean, as
IiDt one ina thousand had change of clothes, and
nunbe-s of our men had been in prison for gear,
and what clothing they had was worn out fSa1
may ask why we didn't patch them. The reason
is obvious. We had nothing to patch with. Nee
dies and thread were scarce as water the san
dy desert.
Our condition in August, 1864, may be described
by saying that our clothing was about worn out,
our faces hands and feet were smoked black, our
hair and beard uncut, and our general appearance
repusive. The prisoners were dying at the rate of
l4O every 24 hours. Sickness was on the increase,
and general despondency had settled down over
nearly all in the prison.
All kinds Of rumors were afoat. One day we
would hear that we were to be paroled. Next day
that Sherman was coming to liberate us then Kill
patrick or Stoneman. All these reports kept US
in painful suspense.
Our rations had been changed from corn bread
and meat to sorghum molasses and beans, and
sometimes rice. The beans had one drawback
to them-they were full of bugs that were cooked
up with the beans. AT first we didn't relish them,
but finally we got use to them and ate them along
with the beans. There was no salt or seasoning of
any kind with the beans, and they were cooked
without cleaning, and rotten beans, and all kinds of
litter cooked up together.
| During August was taken down with the sour
wy and my two comrades also. 1t was but short
time until was past going about My limbs were
sweled and my ancles stiff. The leaders contract
ed, and began to think that would have to share
the same fate that thousands of my comrades had
been doomed to-death In arebel prison. What
bitter thought To die away from friends, and
in such place-uncared for and unthought Of
with no one to perform the last sad duties to the
dead Then the thoughts that if died my re-
mains would be roughly pitched head foremost
into the bitches prepared days before in order that
they might be ready to hurry out of sight as soon
as possible the hated YankeesI Pen cannot de-
scribe mans feelings under such circumstances.
believe that the despondency of many of our
men after they became sick and disabled, was one
great cause of their bones lying in Georgia to-day
After they had lost all hope of being exchanged,
they soon passed away from this world of trouble.
September came and with it more comfortable
weather, and the condition of the prisoners was
little improved. The mortality diminished to about
lsO deaths day. The prisoners devoted portion
of their time to abusing Gen. B. F. Butler as they
were under the impression that he was in some
way responsible for their continued imprisonment.
If the General could have heard some of the re-
marks about him he would not have felt highly
eompiimented.
Chuck-fuck banks were in prosperous condition
in the prison. Men would sit all day and shake
dce-box, and every man that had any inclination
to gamble-and could get dime, had the oppor-
tunity to lose it or win another.
Several bake-houses had also been started.
Some of the prisoners had been able to buy flour,
and would bake it up into small biscuits and sell
them at IS cts. apiece One man, by the name of
Charles Huckelby, had built him a room near the
"dead-ine," under the charge Of the guards and by
permission of Capt. Wurz. and selling beer and
cakes. He carried on Irregular bakery.
1t was mystery to the rest of the prisoners how
HuckeIby came to be favored and protected by the
rebels 1t was reported and generally believed that
he accumulated in short time about SO, co., which
goes to prove that some men will thrive and get
rich where thousands are starving to death all
around them.
Once more a report came to US that all the pris-
oners in Andersonville were to be paroled and ex
changed Immediately. Some believed it and some
didn't. always believed it, tried to. 1t did me
good to believe it-perhaps kept me alive. Hope
and expectation were the beacon light, that in
spired and sustained me. The disappointment
came, but 1 had enjoyed week of hope-sweet
hope!
Yes We were to be exchanged =! That was on
every mans tongue, and from all the signs there
certainly was something more than usual going on.
The trains were dropping cars st the station, and
the activity and hustle denoted something. As If
to further convince us of parole, one thousand
men were taken out of the prison and embarked
on the cars and steamed out north That settled
the question of exchange in the minds of great
many, but still there parties that didn't be-
lieye it.
The guards were interrogated and they said it
was an exchange The next day 1000 more men
went, and every day one or two thousand men
Of rould |
learn nothing of where they went to-only that
they were exchanged.
At last the division belonged to was called for,
and the gates thrown open to let them out. was
at this time badly afflicted with the scurvy, and
the orders were for nobody to go that couldn't
walk to the depot. had been hobbling around
for some time, and could barely stand. Some
times would be walking in a half-bent position,
one of my ancles would give way, and 1 would
fall like log but the prospects OF getting out of
prison made me feel strong, and l nerved myself
to try 10 walk to the station. got into the line
and started; and had walked about half the way
when my ancle gave way and down went got
up to try again, but couldn't bear any weight on
my treacherous ancle. l was mad at that ancle.
There were my friends going past me, and they
would soon be home, while 1 must go back to that
hateful prison tried to crawl to the station, and
and was making some head-way in that position,
when guard put stop to my further movements
by ordering me to crawl back to prison. l obeyed
very reluctantly, but soon found that man can't
crawl back towards a prison as well as forward
away from it. My soul was in the forward move
ment, but not in the reversed one.
"AIl things are for the best, - and what we some
times think curse proves to be blessing in dis
guise. Whether that will apply in the present in
stance will leave my readers to Judge. The train
that tried to get away on jumped the track about
three miles below the station pling the cars down
an embankment, and killing and wounding about 40
prisoners, and the remainder were returned back
to the prisone. Some time afterwards we learned
that the men who had been taken out of Anderson
vile were transferred to the prison at Salisbury
South Carolina, and the cause of moving them
was to get them out of reach of Gen. Sherman's
army, but it was several days before we heard
these facts.
To be continued.
IITTELL's LIVING AGE--Nos. 1917 and l6IS,
bearing date July 20 and August respectively, of
this standard weekly, have numerous noteworthy