The Portland daily press., 1876-04-12
Rahpl Prisons

At "The Libby" the officers confined there,
who had private resources. formed themselves
into messes and their supplies were put into a
common stack. The cooking was sometimes
done by each member of the mess in turn,
week and week about, and sometimes by one or
two members only, according to the circum-
stances in each case. One large apartment in
the basement of the prison was employed as a
kitchen, and in it many cooking stoves were set
up. which were the property of the masses,
costing from $500 to $400 each, confederate
money such as were sold at the north for 500.
The fuel for these stoves was furnished by the
prison, but the supply was insufficient general
ly and sometimes inconstant. On one occasion
none was supplied for the day and the tables of
common pine boards were broken up and used
in cooking.
Those officers who had no private resources
were obliged to depend entirely upon the prison
rations, which were poor in quality and insult
fcient in quantity at the best, and were some
times almost entirely wanting. On one occa.
sion nothing was supplied until late in the af-
ternoon. 1t was quite interesting to observe
the patience with which these annoyances and
vexations were endured. 1t was felt to be undg-
nified to complain to the prison authorities, be-
ing rebels in arms, ON account of i'll treatment
or to demonstrate with them. 1 never did it in
any case except where the private soldiers were
concerned, Some of the officers did on one or
two occasions ask that the boxes of supplies
which had been sent to the prisoners should
be delivered to their addresses.
I kept a brief diary of daily occurrences,
which 1 was able to conceal from the knowl-
edge of, the rebel authorities. / have it before
me now:
February 5. 'To-day no rations were
issued, except small quantity of refuse tur-
nips, one small one to me. In the afternoon
about two ounces each of meat and a small
piece of very vile corn bread"
Feb. Sth. "The Examiner of to-day says
Sugar So pound; -four $3.50 a barrel; corn
$50; meal $22 bushel; bacon $4 so; beef S2.75;
veal So 90 pound; mutton So; pork "a; oys-
ters SIG gallon; butter 81; lard So; eggs $3.50
dozen; potatoes $8 peck-tendency up
ward!'
Feb. 49, "To day our ration consists of moth
ing but small piece of vile corn bread. If it
were really good it would be only sufficient in
quantity to be eaten at one meal with meat
and potatoes"
Feb. 15 "To-day our ration is only corn
bread and water.'
During all this time there were many hun.
dreds of boxes, barrels, casks and packages of
all sorts of supplies piled up in neighboring
warehouse, sent from the North to the prison.
ers, each package addressed to some person !;
but they were not delivered. These had been
landed from canal boats under our windows
and piled up in full view of our quarters.
Large canal boats, many of them, at different
times had discharged full cargoes of these sup
plies directly in the rear of the prison, as if to
tantalize US, then were taken away, and not a
word said to us about them. Several such
packages were addressed to me.
Feb. 16. "The Rebs are issuing parts of a
few boxes to-day; that is, what they call the
perishable articles, keeping back the clothing
aud many other things. Many of the boxes
are plundered of part, and some of them of all
their contents. The prison officials are ex-
tremely insulting in their conduct. No meat
to-day"
There were but few of the prisoners who re-
ceived anything from their boxes-and those
who did, were told to bring their blankets. The
boxes were broken open by the rebs, and parts
of their contents put into the blankets all to-
gether, every separate package was rudely
broken open. Coffee, sugar, tea, butter, -four
etc, etc., examined and then roughly thrown
into the blankets-thus mixing them all up in
one mass. This was done uniformly in the
most insulting way.
Feb IS. "Clear, very cold, as it was last
night, Our poor soldiers on Belle Isle! about
800 of whom having no shelter must have suf-
fered." They lay upon the ground like cattle
in the open airl mo meat yesterday, but in
stead, one-half of medium sized flat turnipp
"The gray backs are now worth about fonr per
cent in gold'
Feb. 10. "No meat, we had half a gill of
poor rice and the corn bread. A few boxes de-
ivered in part to-day. All that is really valua-
BILE, detained. A great number of the boxes
have been broken open and mixed. All the
silk pocket handkerckiefs are at once stolen by
those vino open the boxes, and much of the
clothing also"
Feb. % ''There have been issued to us yes
terday and to-day instead of meat, about one
gill to each, of a small black bean called
"cow pea" at the South. They are very poor
at the best but these are old and full of worms,
worthless. Another canal boat load of boxes
no tons) came to-day for us, being the fourth
lot not delivered. They are plundered freely
aud we have relinqnshed all expectations Of
receiving them. We have no doubt that our
authorities are made to believe that these boxes
are delivered. else no more would be sent"
Feb. %. I'VE have ration of meat to-day;
about three ounces-the first for seven days"
Feb. ''A. Yesterday an officer sent out $40
to buy pair of drawers. When they came
they were marked Sanitary Commission We
have long believed that the flour, beans, hams
and other provisions sold to US were goods sent
to us by the Sanitary Commission and this JUS
tifies our suspicion"
Feb. 26. "To-day bale of pillows came for
distribution among the officers; the rebs kept
them all for their own use.''
Feb. q. MANY boxes were distributed to-
day. They were broken open in the absence OF
their owners and robbed of many things. The
bread. cake, tea, coffee, sugar, salt, and butter
were broken up and in some cases, as | saw,
were mixed promiscuously together. The
whole thing is shameful and is done expressly
to annoy" "Apother large lot of boxes arrived
to-day. There are nearly or quite one thousand
here now not delivered"
Feb. 2S mo meat to-day, the entire ration
is only four frosted potatoes. Every day,
hear more and more of the robbing of our
boxes"
The ration received from the rebels was not
sufficient to sustain life and the officers con-