Daily Republican., 1879-08-16

As fast as the dead dropped they were
picked up and driven In carts to
trench mile distant and there thrown
into common grave. In the month OF
June while hauling out the bodies one
Of them happened to fall from the wag-
on as it was passing bridge that COW
cred a small stream that ran by the
camp. The corpse with thud struck
the edge Of the bridge and rolled down
the embankment and caught right on
the waters edge. There it staid until
every particle Of flesh was washed from
tho bones by the action Of the tides and
that grinning skull buoyed up and
floated by the gentle undulating motion
Of the waters Is IS firmly impressed upon
the minds Of those who have survived,
% are the frowning points Of the long
lines Of artillery upon the hills above.
THE DEAD LINE.
Many were sho. down ruthlessly and
without the least provocation. The
dead line was as destructive as the
scythe Of death. Itwas only composed
of shingles tackled up, but the moment
IL was approached q human soul was
sent into eternity. The new arrival
did not know what the shingles meant.
The older prisoners endeavored to. in
form as many as they could but they
could not tell all. These new arrivals
would often have aspare shirt. OFTEN
times these would they wash, and in an
lunguarded moment would, perhaps,
start to hang 1t on the fatal line to dry.
An advance step-ths next instant the
form of the prisoner, weltering in his
blood, would fall across the lins-dssd,
or, perhaps, another wounded unto
death, staggering beneath his weight
Of sickness would, in his weakness,
reach out his hand to support himself
upon the fatal railing, and before his
hand would fall his body would be
riddled with bullets fired from the
deadly rifles Of the ever watchful guard.
Ere this all the Delaware prisoners
who had been con6ned with MIR.
Peters had died. He i'll all his priva-
tions, had partner named Jacob East
Icy, a member of the 18th Pennsylvania
regiment. These two kept together
and shared each others lniseries. They
we're together when Sherman IN his
raid on Savannah, compelled an eva
cuation of Andersonville by the rebels
and they were together when their
captors brought them back some three
months later. When they returned
the weather was cold. No shelter was
afforded them. In order to protect
themselves nine men dug a large cave
| in the side of the hill with their hands
and crawled into it. They had not
been there long before the whole root,
being of sand, caved in and buried the
9 prisoners beneath the heavy mass.
In March 1865 the whole entire num-
ber of prisoners in dying condition
were transferred from Andersonville to
Lake City, Florida. Here little stakes
we're driven in for the line over which
it would be instant death to CROSS
Soon after being incarcerated, wanting
to procure some fire, Mr.. Peters was
told by his partner to Ego for some
sticks and he would get some water
The sticks were procured aud the part
ner who had volunteered to get the
water was standing on the inside. At
the command of the Sergeant to "open
gates and let prisoners file down for
water" he, being the first, stepped his
foot over tho line and in an instant he
was stricken to the earth shot through
the loins. The last words were
TOM, GO AND SEE MY SISTERS ~
l. tried to parenthetically explained
Mr.. Peters, but was unsuccessful.
His father and mother were dead, and
his sister could not be found.
In the same year, shortly before
President Lincoln's assassination, the
prisoners were liberated at a little
place called Baldwin, ten miles distant.
They we're directed towards Jackson
Vile, Florida, where the Union lines
were. There we're about 1000 libera-
ted. By additions this number was
maintained the same during the two
years, but during the time from May to
October from 35, 600 to $4,000 perished
at Andsrsonville. The poor liberated
wretches had 28 miles to walk, but Mr..
Peters, with five others, half dead from
fatigue, dropped within the Union
lines about $3.50 o'clock the next morn
ing. There was great rejoicing among
the prisoners, and many actually died
from excessive 10y. Their horrible
condition, as they were brought into
camp, filed the soldiery with unfeign-
ed astonishmsnt and as the damning
evidence of rebel cruelty fell from the
lips of those whose very appearance
was condemnation itself, every rifle
was grasped with frmer hand. and
the set lips and stern, sun Drowned
visage of the men Of the North told
plainly of the deep passion that sway
ed and surged within the patriotic
breast.
As for the prisoners, when they again
heard the we'll known sound OF the
reveille and saw with glistening eyes
the stars and stripes as they floated in
the breeze, kissed by the sun beams
that shone with modest grace over the
crown of a neigh boring hill, many fell
upon their naked knees and bowed
their heads in humble alteration.
at was not long before we were back
in Wilmington, concluded Mr.. Peters;
"there were four of us. Robert Hanna,
who was color bearer of the regiment.
He had his dear old flag wrapped around
his breast from the day when first cap
tured until released, and often in the
prison moments faithful few would
gather around him and he would un-
wrap the end from his bosom, and with
those colors before our eyes We would
sit in silence wondering whether it
would ever be our fortune to again see