The National tribune., 1882-08-26

ised to write to them if / ever got home.
When | went to visit him this morning he
was dead On his left hand he had worn
gold ring the gift of sister. / was tempted
to remove it yesterday, in order to send it to
his people if l ever could, but hesitated to
ask him for it. Before / reached him this
morning some one had stolen it and most of
| his clothing. / also took care of Torkleson,
who had also given up all hope. am now
the last man of the Sixteenth Iowa in An
dersonville. (Our regiment marched with
| Sherman to the sea, and skirmished some on
the way; was under fire at Savannah; fought
at Bentonville n. C.-the last action Of the
war; tramped through the streets of Rich
mond, the rebel capital; took part in the
grand review at Washington City, and was
disbandoned at Davenport, Iowa, in July,
1861
Oct. 3d.-A heavy rain fell last night.
Some time during July or August 12O Union
sergeants of detachments prepared formal
complaint, setting forth the brutal manner in
which We are treated here, and mailed it to
the confederate authorities at Richmond.
! Strange to state, it was promptly forwarded;
| an official reply was returned, and Wirz sum-
moned the sergeants to his headquarters, and
read to them this reply. 1t was, in sub
stance, dry statement that General Winder
was entrusted with the management of
prison affairs throughout the south, and
from him there was no appeal. Wlrz then
added: "The confederate government knows
all about this prison. | am only carrying
out General Winder's instructions. / expect
to so to hell for the way you fellows are
treated, but, by God, 1 will give you hell
while do live" He then ordered the SER
geants back into the stockade. 1t is said
that from forty to sixty men were drowned
during the celebrated night storm of August
| 9th, when part of the stockade fell down
A large number of these men slept in holes
| in the ground, and for some reason they
were unable to get out. They were drowned
! like so many rats A rebel guard informs
me that when their pickets confronted ours
around the base of Kenesaw mountain, our
men reproached them for cowardice because
| they persisted in building breastworks and
would never fight openly. Incensed by the
accusation one of their number challenged
any of our men to duel. An opponent was
| quickly found. The two men stepped out
of their rifle-pits to open ground, and began
| firing. At the ninth round q musket-ball
crashed through the rebel champions brain.
| The rebel government exercises great wis
dom in its management of military affairs
| xrhn
wounds disqualify for rough service are sent
to the rear for duty of lighter character
while we are chiefly guarded by old men,
| boys, convalescent veterans, and others of
not very much use in the field. We are
kept starved to such a degree that an armed
force of women could almost control us,
penned up as we are under batteries.
heavy rain is coming-rain makes misery
here.
Oct 4M.-A prisoner who has been on pa
role at the graveyard has been sent into the
stockade. He says that dead bodies often
fall to pieces on being handled for burial
that the bodies are laid into the trenches
side by side, " on edge, in spoon fashion; that
only about two and half feet of earth are
thrown on them, and that grapevines are
being planted on top. He says the grave
! diggers have hard job of it and earn their
extra rations At the head of each dead
man a stake is driven with number on it,
which corresponds with his number on the
death roll at headquarters. AS we are well
aware the naked dead bodies are hauled to
the graveyard in a ration wagon, piled in
! like so many slaughtered hogs. Our ratiOns
are shoveled into the same wagon in the
afternoon and hauled in to us. A sentinel
stands guard at the deadhouse for fear some
of the dead Yankees will jump up and es-
cape. If there is anything the southern
confederacy hangs on to like grim death, it
is TO a Yankee prisoner. Even when he is
dead the confederacy wants him. The fact
is, however, that in June a prisoner coun-
terfeited death so perfectly that his COM
rades carried him out to the deadhouse, left
him there, and brought back load of wood.
When he got a good chance he jumped up
and bid the confederacy farewell. The joke
was so good that the prisoners told it, and
ever since then the deadhouse has been kept
under guard. Wirz says that he wishes all
the prisoners were in hell and that he was
there with them. Scores of men have COM
mitted suicide in this prison, preferring
quick death to lingering one. If l ever
carry musket again, l will ten times rather
die on the battlefield than surrender.
IEntered according to act of Congress in the year
1852 by The National Tribune III the Office of the
Librarian Of Congress at Washington.
WHY GRANT SHED HIS CIGAR,
"You really must not smoke, General"