The National tribune., 1881-12-24
THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIBBY.
INCIDENTS AND HUmoRs OF PRISON LIFE.


Captain Frank f. Moran in Philadelphia Times.
Doubtless the popular belief concerning Libby
Prison is that il was a gloomy dungeon where
the light of social pleasure never entered and
where horrors accumulated upon Horrors head.
And when it is considered how often during the
heated days Of the rebellion the troubles of pris
on life were so graphically and withal so truth
fully depicted by returned prisoners, this impress
sion is natural enough. Yet a full and fair inves
tigation will establish the fact that the popular
conception of Libby Prison is erroneous to a con-
siderable degree and illustrating this, it is my
present purpose to bring to light few Of the
pleasures of the place l shall not attempt to
present them in anything like symmetrical order,
but give them as they may arise in memory after
the lapse of seventeen years | must ask pardon
at the same time if what [ shall record Of prison
life partalzes somewhat of the nature Of personal
recollection for it must be remembered that every
prisoner has personal experience that materially
differs from that of his comrade 1t is after all,
only by the combination Of these individual re-
mniscenes that a full and accurate account of the
events OF the war can be obtained, and it should
be regarded not only the privilege but the duty
of the soldiers of the Union to give their testi-
mony as living witnesses concerning these ever
memorable events.
1t was my fortune or rather my misfortune, to
fall wounded into the hands of the confederates
in the battle of Gettysburg and to remain pris-
oner for the twenty months that followed The
first half Of the time was spent in Libby Prison
and the remainder Of the time in Macon Ga, and
Columbia and Charleston, S c. Having been
captured in the second days fight / witnessed the
final struggle of the third day from behind the
confederate line, and was directly in the rear of
Pickett's division when its magnificent but vain
charge was made to break the Union left centre.
The column Of prisoners accompanied the retreat
Of the confederate army, crossing the swollen PO-
tOmac at WilliamspOrt in a torrent Of rain. Our
route toward Richmond was through the beauti-
full but then devastated valley of the Shenandoah,
our Journey on foot being not much less than two
hundred miles. The column having taken cars
at Staunton arrived in Richmond on July is,
1868, and was at once conducted under guard to-
ward the southeastern border Of the city followed
by a boisterous mob of men, women, and chill
dren. We halted at last in front of an antiquated
brCk building over the office door of which there
creaked upon its rusty hinges a small weather.
beaten sign of oblong shape, bearing on either
side in faded letters, the inscription: Libby &
Sons, Ship Chambers and GrOcers, while from the
barred windows above there peered down upon US
in silence group Of pale faces, and the captives
then for the first time realized that they stood on
the threshold of the famed Libby Prison.
Libby was Northern man. and l believe a
native of Maine, who, prior to the war, owned
and occupied the premises, never dreaming in
those peaceful, prOsy days OF business that the
modest sign, scarcely larger than washboard
would, through the strange fortunes Of a future
war, be the means of linking his name forever
with one of the most noted of military prisons,
and assuredly one of the most interesting land
frontage from east to west of hundred and
forty-five feet, and depth from north to south
of one hundred and five feet. 1t stood isolated
from other buildings, with streets passing its
front rear and west ends and with a vacant
space on the east about sixty feet in width A
line of sentinels guarded the prison from every
side The portion of the building devoted TO the
use of the prisoners consisted Of nine rooms each
hundred and two feet in length by torty-hve III
breadth The ceiling was about eight feet high,
except in the upper rooms, which were higher,
better lighted, and better ventilated, owing to
the pitch of the roof Rickety, administered
stairs led from the lower to the upper rooms, and
all the rooms of the upper floors were connected
oy DOORS leaving free access from one to the other
WIN the exception of few rude hunks and
'aoieS IN the upper and lower west rooms, which
were respectfully termed "Streight's room" and
Mllroy's room," and four long tables in the
lower middle or Kitchen ROOM there was no
furniture in the prison, its rooms presenting the
ordinary appearance of warehouse lofts The
north windows commanded martial view of the
hilly portion of the CITY. which in 1860 was in
sight of McClellan's outposts. From the east the
prisoners could look Oft toward the Rockets and