The National tribune., 1878-03-01

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ing them, with no one to look ON but himself"
In May the author paroed for duty as surgeons
clerk service which subsequently gave him full opport
nifty to famlarze himself the customs and practices
which obtained among the prison authorities the dispos
oh Oh e ocers and guards and the supply and govern
ment of the prison itself In this capacity he gives
/ us the following experiences
DESCRIPTION OF THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
RAW RATIoNs.
1.-The ratons consisted of cornmeal bacon fresh beef
peas RICE salt and sorghum moasses. The corn-meal
was unboed of it ground with the cob and often
hed with sand and gravel. Much of it had apparently
been put up while warm and had become and musty
either during transportation while in The bacon
was lean, yellow, very salt, and maggoty it had been
brought to us unpacked, and covered with dirt and
cinders it soft with rust that it could easily be
pulled to pieces with the fingers The beef was slapbt
cred the prison. which it was brought and thrown
down in pile in the north cook-house where it Law until
1t was issued to the prisoners Here in this hot climate
1T was soon infested with flies and maggots and rapidly
changed into greensh color, emitting an offensive odor
pecuar to decaying flesh 1t lean but the heat
rendered quite tender before it served up The ar
cle denominated black peas peas was brought in
sacks apparently just as it had left the threshng ground
OF the producer having been wnnowed or ceansed
OF the ne pods and the dirt which naturally mngleswth
all leguminous plants while growing in the field besides
they were filed with bugs and many of them were so
eaten as to leave nothing but the thick tough skin of
pea IN It's natural shape The rice musty and
had apparently been put up in hadried state where it
became heated and wholly untitled for use
There two houses used in connection with the
prison The first of these in process of erection when
the detachment to which belonged entered the pen and
went into operation about the middle of May It was
Gated on the north side of and the swamp of the
prison, and subsequently ncosed by the defensive
stockades At the time it built it was supposed to
be OF sufficient capacity TO perform all the cooking
say Tor the prisoners, and contained three large
and several kettles set in brick for boiling the meat
and peas or rice but being found inadequate supply
the wants of the another building constructed
some time in the latter part of August 1t located
about hundred yards north of the defenses line
with the west wall of the prison This designed and
tained perhaps dozen large potash kettles brick
work The old cookhouse was thereafter used for baking
the cornmeal strong force of paroled prisoners was
appointed to perform the work in these cookhouses
with constant labor it unable to supply wants.
and about one-half of the rations issued raw.
The meal was prepared for baking by first pouring it
in quantity into large trough prepared for the purpose
A little salt then added, when water enough was
poured in to make it of the proper consistency and the
whole stirred with sticks to mix it thoroughly The
dough baked in shee-ron pans twenty by six
teen inches in surface and two and onehaf inches deep
The Who'll divided into pones containing about a
pound and each of these pones constituted days
OF bread for one man. The utmost cleanliness could
be observed in mixing this stuff :; the meal above
stated partly and partly cob and often contained
materials that were neither these The water was
Ing furnished and these with the haste necessary
to be made in preparing the dough- conspred the
mixture unpaatabe and sickenng particularly when cold
The prisoners who had charge of the cookhouse undoubt
edly tried prepare the food well as they could but
their efforts vain with such limited facilities as they
had"
The peas and were boiled in the nol TIL cookhouse
they We're turned from the bags as they were broug Int
the prison. without cleansing separating from the cha
and dirt into the large potash kettles containing the
water in which the meat had been boiled the cooks here
rs In the south coohose had of cleansing the
raw material and had they possessed the facilities they
had no time to devote TO the purpose To winnow semi
weekly sufficient of peas for 16 900 ations al
lowing third of pint TO EACH requires long time
even with the aid of the best machines but for twenty
men Co pick over by hand this amount is simply inn
possible. OF these cooked rations there were daily is
sued to each prisoner about pound of bread fourth of
pound of bacon, four six of beef (ncud
ing the bone place of the bacon and teaspoonfu OF
salt twice aweek pint of peas rice issued in ad
dton and occasionally couple of teaspoonfuS of sor-
ghum moassess. Sometimes sort OF mnsh was made to
take the place of the pone buC although it change
from the monotonous bread it so unpalatable
that the bread preferred
About half OF the ratonS issued raw because of
the vast amount of labor necessary cook them bulk
at the coohouSeS rather because the confederate au
thorities too poor indoen brutal (proh
ably the latter TO furnish facilities for the purpose had
the prisoners been provided with the they would
gladly have perormed the requisite labor The manner