The National tribune., 1878-03-01

about in the crowd And here too are emaciaed forms
700 weak to walk and they turn their hollow eyes plead
mgly upon us; they the victims of diarrhea their
eshess arms hang anguidy by their sides and their hol
low cheeks are vd with leanness But few of these
can be benefited now by the surgeons skill many will
call for it but little while. Even while we stand here
some nave felt the last agony and expired.
PROCURING wArER.-NEw pEFENsEs
" Leaving this busy scene, walk around among the
prisoners ana examine their facilities for procuring water
The main reservoir is the creek which passes through the
swamp but it also through the camp of the prison
guard and along the base of the house outside the
walls receiving the refuse and garbage of both of these
the prisoners within have dug holes in various of the
cosure aborousy excavatng the earth with hands
race IN OLD oootlegs We shall find perhaps fifty of these
water holes but the fluid thus obtained is pure and cool
ana amply repays the patient toll required in their exca
Vaton Near the northern extremity of the swamp is a
spring, oubbing up from the marshy ground which has
been scooped out to slight depth and Just outside the
deaoIne IS another living stream, flowing through
spout Xed there by daring prisoner in the darkness
OF the night on, mayhap by officer more humane
than his fellows but is beyond reach of the hand
and the prisoners tie their little cups upon long stick
and angle, as it were, for the cooling liquid
Having examined this pen thus hastily let us pass out
AGAIN Where we came in leaving these wretched beings
STARVING ana dying under the burning rays of this terri
bic SUM- and if you have been able in this brief view to
understand the thousand part of the misery here en-
@ Iued 10 leahze anything OF the horror by which you
nave been srounded or on the other hand if you can
call up one thought of pity for the beings i'm authority
over us who have allowed their humanity to be all swai-
lowed up in their yengeul passions and who delight in
nothing SO much as in orturng then your visit has not
been in vain.
Some time the latter part of july General Sherman
made his famous but unfortunate raid upon Macon the
effect OF which felt Andersonville by both prisoner
and Jaer There at that time about thirty thou
sahd men confined at this place. and it greatly feared
that General otoneman would ride suddenly down upon
US open the prison doors, and set us free The valiant
captain Wrz was greatly exercised at the prospect of
s pertinent OF gradually reducing the ratons, until he
shoud ascertain with nntessimal exactness the precise
amount OF food Yankee would require to support life
being nertered with when it was so near its solution he
General for
ymg the place. For this purpose large force of ne
groes We're conscripled, and Immediately set to work
strong earthwork thrown up, thirty rods from
the southwest of the sockade mounting nine light
guns ye OF which trained to bear diagonaly across
that ncosdre to guard against uprising of the prison
es IN case OF an attack about twenty-five rods from the
north gate and ittleTo the north Of it. another earth
work was constructed of smaller dimensions than the
nrsb SNAPPED like a parallelogram and mounting five
guns three OF which also bore upon the prison pen Two
lines of stocade built around the whole nclosure
about sixteen feet apart the inner one being fifty wards
from the wall OF the prison pen. An earthwork then
raised on each corner of the stockades except on the
southwest corner A low ntrenchment then thrown
up around the north end of the whole which extended
lro the man road on the west side to the swamp the
east aud arranged with angles as to enae every
approach from the north east and If it is remen
oered tt the stockade was built upon two separate ee
yatlons 1t will be by reference the ground plan
that an attack from any direction upon the force guarding
us would be an attack against also; for gun fired
from any point would either be instantly senced by the
artillery IN the fortiticatons its shot must be thrown
toward the sockade with nine chances in ten of IT'S fall
by no means gratifying to them however well pleased they
would have been to be taken by their friends Nor
could the place have been taken by sege that event
we must inevitably have starved DEATH for the temper
1t both General Wnder and Captain Wrz such that
hey would have taken away all ratons for the of
he garrison aud reduced TO the last extremity before
hey would have yielded the place The prisoners were
'hus made the chief part of their own security.
'BoXEs AND PACKAGES FROM HoME-LETTERs
Express boxes were occasionally received by of
a hfA flla EaIG
search by the authorities and after leaving their hands
contained nothing than loaf of mouldy cake unfit
on eating all articles of value either for eating or wear
ng had been contscated Packages of letters came
% the prison by flag of truce but under the regulations
II Captain Wrz every prisoner compelled TO pay the
apain ten cents SiCer before receiving his letter 1t
vas very seldom that the Villains exchequer was benefited
~ this eXtoron for very few in Andersonvile pos
essed any money of any kind, much less in coin. The
apain knew very well that the greater number of
lad no money at ALL and that those who fortun
e TO possess greenbackS buy their silver of his
utter lat