The National tribune., 1882-08-19


station, bringing several hundred slaves 10
clear the track of rubbish, and orders for us
TO be returned to prison. We received the
intelligence with the keeneSt and bitterest
disappointment. Had we known our fate
an hour sooner revolt would certainly have
occurred. We had no time to organize it,
however, and in an hour more were inside
the stockade. A thrill of horror passed
through me as the gates closed behind us
When the prisoners saw us marching back
from the depot the widest excitement pre-
vailed among them. They had heard nothing
of the disaster and the most sensational
rdmOrs were put afloat. Our cavalry had
cut the rebel line Of communication; the
exchange was over; a collision of trains had
occurred with terrible loss of life, and
other tales of the kind were disseminated.
When We finally entered the stockade we
explained matters, and the furore ended.
We remained quietly in our novels on the
14th, and on the 18th the forty-eighth de-
tachment again fell in line near the gate.
] joined it. Hour after hour passed slowly
away, but no signs of removal were APP
parent. Several times we thought we saw
indications Of the wished-for orders, but in
each case we were disappointed. For up
wards Of an hour in The afternoon a drench-
ing rain beat down upon us.
About five o'clock 500 of the sick and
crippled were ordered out of the stockade.
1t was sight to touch a heart of stone /
.
crawling on his hands and knees out of the
prison, and watched him until he was out of
sight. Many of them walked scarcely a
hundred yards from the gate before they
fell exhausted. There they were suffered TO
remain, unaided. All night long fierce
rain poured down, and at least two hundred
of those who were unable to reach the
depot strewed the roadside, exposed to the
pitiIess elements. The utter inhumanity of
these rebels battles execration. At about
five o'clock last evening the members of our
regiment were electrified by the official in
formation that General Sherman had nego-
tiated a special exchange of TWO thousand
of the men Of his army who were captured
on the 22d of July. Positive orders were
issued to lis to enroll our names Hundreds
OF prisoners who were captured on that
date, and who belong to other organizations,
regard the announcement with grave suspi-
cion, believing that the two thousand are to
be held as hostages, or subjected TO even more
heartless treatment than we have all been
receiving, in retaliation for some outrage in
the field our forces may have committed
The members Of our regiment, however, be-
heve otherwise, and our names are already
enrolled, and we are impatiently awaiting
orders. On the night of the railroad smash
up performed the great financial exploit
of my captivity. l exchanged a broken
Iowa wildcat" 81 bill for half dozen
plugs of splendid tobacco. A rebel sentry
was my victim.
Sept 17h-The rebels call this pen "Sum-
ter Prison" The police have resumed their
humane efforts for the care of the sick and
dying. All they can do, however, is of little
avail. In the north end of the inclosure
half a dozen open sheds have been lately
erected, and into these the sick are being
crowded. helped take sufferer up there
yesterday who had gone insane, and was