Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-06-27
LIFE IN REBEL PRISONS.
Thrilling Experiences NJ one Of Our
Bays In Blaa--lnsinncrs of Terri.
Bile suffering NJ the Hands Of Fiends
w Human Form--MnjOr MONT, the
Monsirr-- FrIghifHl Suffering from
Vaccination.

w Nunlnu FOrn--M Major WOtlts the
Monsirr--FrIgh,fal Suffering from
Vaccination.
ny WIN. ORrERsoN, CO. n, 33D o. v. ~
NUMBER ONE.
feel IL 10 be my duty tn give a brief
sketch Of what ! heard and mw while n
pripncr ot wur in rebel prisons. was
taken prisoner at Cbicknmanga on the 20lh
II September 1868, aud taken to station
on the railroad leading from Chattanooga
to Atlanta, where IN company with about
500 other Union prisoners we were stripped
ri our monty aud valuablcs Of all kinds.
Any of us who possessed u good hat or
co,t were ordered to give them up. a
Johnny came up to me and told me TINT
lie wanted my hat, 50 saying he lifted 1t
from my head and replaced it with his old
gr, nsy rcb cap which took from my head
snd threw rs fur MS could. He also took
my watch, gold pen, and my pocket.book
with about SS5 in it and all | got in return
was as good cursing as he knew how TO
lection. Then, after the robbing was com.
pleted, VIC were crowded into common
stock car, which was too filthy to ship good
cattle in, aud sent to Richmond, Va, where
we were crowded iIt, Pemberton buildings
and Libby prison. There we met with the
most nhuman scofs and abuses; we were
halt starved, but the indomtable spirit OF
Al. \ - T..
we l'egnn ut once to devise svne plan OF
revenge. BY some mysterious means we
discovered that in the basement story OF
the building, there was u fine lot of sugar
and salt stored for the use ol Lees army
which we ut once set about appropriating
TO our individual Use, by cutting a hole
through the floor aud appointing quarter
master whom we stationed down the cellar
at our base Of supplies, We received
good supply daily for several days, until
by bad deal made by one OF our fellows,
we were found out and our rations OF su.
gar and salt cut short. The mistake which
led TO our discovery was as follows: We
had cultivated brisk trade with the
guards, in which the principal commodities
OIL our part were sugur and salt, with an
occasional overcoat and prison manufac-
tured greenback while on the part OF the
guards tobacco, bread, meat, beans, hominy
and few potatoes were the leading art-
cles of trade. One of our fellows got hold
OF one OF those true patriots who was briin.
ful of love for the ConfedeIncy and the
more for n love of promotion in Office and
he let our secret out, for which we suffered
severely. Our punishment was 10 stand in
ranks all night and get nothing TO eat the
next day. A few days after this event old
JEFF. came in to inspect the prison and
some OF the boys asked him ii the Confed-
eracy had any more sugar for trade he re-
piled that we had passed \ good joke, but
il wns on the wrong side OF Sally's face. l
asked him II we were going to be exchanged?
He said that they we've ready to effect an
exchange at any time but that the Lin.
coin government would rather let us die
there than to exchange man for man; he
also said that we might be kept there tor
years. Well said "bully for old Abe,
he'll make things all right" Thus ended
all the interview that | ever had or ever
desired TO have with old jeff. Davis, the
arch traitor Of the United States. l will
here give little incident which will show
their inhuman treatment Tor the most tri.
ding offence. One OF the boys that be-
longed to the same company with me had
u
rebels got hold Of. He had written these
words, dated Oct. LIST, 1868. "Ten days
with the Devil and one Day in He'll"
This was written the evening after we got
in Richmond. His punishment for this
vile slander on the Confederacy and their
leader was TO be buckei and gagged FIVE
hours on n porch, where the whole OF the
rebel guards could see and hiss ut him ms
he lay there in the most excruciating pain,
both in body and spirit. When they loosed
him, lie shouted "hurrnh for Abe Lincoln |"
We were kept ut Richmond until the 18Th
of November, 1868, when we were moved
to place called Danville, on the Dan riv-
er, where we were pinced under charge Of
one OF the most inhuman wretches that !
ever met with. lie was not only cruel and
void Of principle, but basely indecent. His
iank was that OF major, his name Motif.
God knows that l never want TO see him
again, for ii do would feel like doing
wrong to him in person. While under his
command we were aslong as two days at
time without morsel 10 eat for no greater
ofiense than That some of ua were caught
trying to make our escape from prison.
While here four of us managed to cut n
board off OF the privy and we got out after
dark, on the night Of the Goth of Noven-
Der, and crossed the river on the bl idge and
started for the Kanawha River, distance
OF some l50 or 200 miles over very rough
country, without morsel OF provisions
and half starved to begin the journey, and
that, too, amid our most infurialed enemies;
nevertheless, IL looked as though death was
our inevitable doom il we remained in the
prison and II could be no worse il we met
death out in the wilds OF the Blue Ridge
and Cumberland Mountains. Animated
with hope OF escnping from the horrors
OF rebel prison, we ret out on our march
through trackless wilderness, Tor at least
TO us it was trackless wilderness) for we
dared not keep the travelled road. 1t was
a season when we could hope Tor nolhing
TO supply our craving appetiies from the
fields and forest, We cut loose from ey.
erything but the iervent hope Of freedom
and that alone will enable one to endure
the nose fatiguing hardships, examples of
which are numerous in the history of our
Revolutionary fathers. We Travelled days
and never tasted II monthful of food, ex-
cepting when one day we found Il few per,
simmons. These were obnoxious to me At
any other time; but impelled by hunger
Of the tiercest kind ] nte some of them.
On the evening Of the fifth dny we were
pressed by hunger 10 such an extent rs to
effect our eyesight so that everything look.
ed like something designed for us TO eat.
Time will fail me 10 give minute descrip.
tion Of our feelings at this trying hour,
suffice IL 10 say that we sought house to
zee whether We could beg morsel 10 stay
the gnawing OF that awful hunger; and,
luckily for us, we found one occupied by a
lone widow by the name of Parks She
prepared supper for us, and as God is my
guide, rpeak the truth, while she was
making ready for MS, every plate or dish
that she set ON the table looked TO me just
like loaf Of bread smoking hot, and /
could not see them any other way. Mycon'.
rades, who were d. K. Shriver, Of Manches.
ter, Ohio; j. Kaedlsr, Of Cainbridge and