The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-03-10

then latterally Ear enough TO make . place
where one Oh two men could lie. Fully three
fifths of the prisoners thus burrowed for shell
ter, and in order to cross the prison grounds
we had zig-zag paths which avoided these
holes. Soldiers who were there and saw the
remains OF the prison pen after the prisoners
left, say that the ground was honey -combed
with these burrows We were indebted to
Richardson and Browne for many comforts.
and many men own to the exertions OF these
men in their behalf, even life itself. They in
troduced Sanitary regulations among the men
(this was wholly neglected by the commandant)
and attended personally to their execution
Mr.. Richardson induced the men to gather all
the clothing of any account from the dead, and
he attended personally to it's distribution
among those who were most needy They were
both men OF the kindest heart and very many
of our boys had reason to bless them for their
kindness and thoughtfulness In their behalf
As to the food allowed us l will say, that 1t was
insufficient to support life for any great length
of time; and l believe am right in saying that
no man lived to get out OF this prison unless
he had more than the regular allowance OF
rations. Many obtained extras in various ways
such as selling buttons cut from their pants and
jackets, needles, pins, photographs, testaments,
and other articles Of the kind which they had
managed to keep and nothing will better illus
uate the awful ignorance and benighted con-
dition OF the Southern poor whites, than this
traffic. Not one in fifty could read or write,
and they were as we'll satisfied with dutch
testament as with one printed in english, and
they thought we were trying to impose on them
when we tried to explain how photographs
we're taken. They would pay fabulous sums in
Confederate money for picture, no matter
of whom and sold on commission the pho
tograph of the wife and child OF one OF my
company for $4,000 of Confederate money, and
took il in corn bread-ten small loves-half OF
which was taken by each of US and even that
sacrifice did not help hlm through, and his
bones now lie there in the soil Of the I" Old
North State" Think OF this. a man IN this
land of plenty, sells the picture OF his wife and
child for bread and then starves to death. Our
food consisted usually of corn dodgers, (small
round balls OF corn breadD and rice soup, and
this diet was seldom changed. The bread was
made OF meal coarsely ground, and with a
large portion Of the cob ground with it, also
liberal addition of ground sugar.cane seed.
which az an article Of diet is no better than
corn cob, and this put in in such quantity
sometime that the bread was very black and
hard. This stuff was mixed up with water
alone; no salt nor anything else was added,
o,d tba ,oixtt,ra a ynoulda1 into halls yvaioh-
ing from five to seven ounces-no more than
that. This bread was very hard, especially the
crust and l have seen the men when eating it.,
many times break out their teeth-their jaw
bones and gums being so badly affected with
scurvy. The soup was made OF rice boiled IN
water totally unseasoned, and was seldom
anything more than rice water. Our rations
were one of these cron-dodgers and one gill Of
soup as above described. at ten O'Clock a. II. OF
each day. and nothing else. Four or five times
during the five months l was in this prison
they gave us some worm eaten salt beef, but
even OF this commodity-which was eagerly
devoured-we did not receive to exceed two
pounds per man all told. Several times-per-
haps five tmes-during the winter when the
themselves, quantity OF the offal nose pieces,
and legs below the knee were brought in on
wheel-barows and dumped on the ground
There would then be a general scramble and
fight over this, participated IN by all who could
set near enough, and the men would fight like
wild beasts over this filth. Two men would
struggle together over piece of the offal and
NoIl FOL 49,
In the general scramble l would frequently
with the help of friend be able to catch a
piece and run and get away with what broke
off. Sometimes our bread was raised by raw
meal OF which we received one half pint per
day IN place Of the dodgers, and this was Of
tenest eaten raw because of the necessary
waste IN cooking, and many days-ten to twelve
IN all-our usual routine was varied by total
fast. On the oath of November, 1864, we had
nothing whatever to eat, and on the 25th,
Thanksgiving day at home, in York State, } the
usual time for ratons had pa ssed and nothing
to eat. Some ten or fifteen men becoming
frantic with hunger and fear, planned an as
sault on the guards, supposing that if they
could secure the muskets OF the one O'Clock re-
uel Nullo Ou lls IOuuus tuey COuiu Will Tue
help OF the rest OF the boys force passage
out and llberate the whole. This might have
been done under ordinary circumstances. but
their emeute was illtimed, as there happened
to be brigade OF troops on their way to the
front then at the railway station only about
forty rods away, and these coming to the assis-
lance Of the guards, ranged themselves around
the prison and began murderous fire OF mus
kerry on the prisoners from all drections.-
The planners of this movement did well, for
they disarmed nearly all the guards, using only
clubs as weapons, but it was useless to try fur
Their and all the boys gave signals that they had
given up. They had their Southern fury rous-
ed however and would not stop, and they kept
up rafting fire of musketry for full thirty
minutes after all signs of resistance had ceased.
In addition to the musketry, they had twelve
pound field piece at each corner Of the stockade
loaded to the muzzle with canister. and at
least one charge was fred from each gun,
quartering across the grounds. The tent which
have described as the one under which slept,
stood directly in front OF and about six rods
from one OF these guns. This gun was dis
charged twice at the first fire there were six
men in the tent, mostly lying down, and almost