The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-07-22

Written for THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE by Free Lance
Immediately after entering Andersonville
prison began keeping q dali yrecord Of what
occurred around me, and ] adhered to this
practice until the day Of my Liberation. ]
can give the reader no more correct and vivid
insight into the kind Of q lie we led during
our captivity than by liberal transcripts from
my journals. 1t should he borne in mind
that l quickly adapted myself to my new
circumstances, and instead of wasting my
limited stock Of paper in ambitious descrip-
tions, sough to confne myself to very con-
else and matter-of-tact entries. I wrote in
the finest and closest chirography, and often
after 1 had filed q page again utilized it
by writing crossWise. Some Of these entries
L have been able to decipher only with the
greatest difficulty, owing to the fading cut
OF the ink. We drew no rations on the after
/ noon we entered the stockade, and had moth
ing to eat that entire day. While searching
for an unoccupied spot On which to sleep
that night [ had very narrow escape.
Every foot Of ground appeared to be crowd
ed. Observing the vacant space outside the
dead line, and being ignorant Of the purpose
Of that fatal railing, I started to go outside
Of to establish my quarters there. An Old
prisoner grabbed me in time to prevent
shot from the sentry, and explained to me
very important fact that should have been
communicated to us on the outside of the
stochade I awolSe early on the following
morning, July 29th, and found myself sui-
feriag from an Unsuitable hanger Ny com
rade's blanket was covered with maggots,
which had crawled off the ground, and 1
noticed that the neighhorinc paths and lanes
were stTewn with sheltcrlas5 men who had
died during the uight Many Of their bodies
/ had turned biack-and-DIue from the effects Of
/ scurvy. That afternoon we drew half a pint
/ Of stock peas " per man, cooked, the insides
/ Of the peas being filed with black bugs. a
small piece of corn-bread was added, and our
"ratiGas" for twenty-four hours were de-
clared duly issued. It was nothing unusual
to pick whole kernels of corn ont Of the
bread, and occasionally q piece Of hUsk or
cob. We were nearly famished, however, and
red bread, peas, cobs, bugs, huslzs and
still remained hungry. After that 7
hungry for seven months-the total
of my incarceration in the bull pens"
so-called confederate government. 1
ow quote from myjournal:
AN EARTHLY HE'LL.
DERsoNvILLE, Ca, July 30th, 1564.-
e now in what might iusti.
thly he'll. All that my fu
up Of horrible scenes pale
Eeality arouTF ne, -l'c
&c not capable OF foTmi
for two or three regimen
lver thirty thousand hall
beings. A large portion of tbe Inoios-
insists OF a swamp Of black muck al
too poisonous to step in, while every
! foot frm ground is polluted with every
ima4.aabIe kind offlth and yermin. There
are no tents to shield the sick and dying
from the burning rays Of the sun, from
The chill midnight winds, nor from the rains
Of hea,cn, while every breath of air is bur-
dened with q stencil almost 0verpowering
Two thirds Of the men are without blankets
shoes or decent clothing, having been robbed
OF almost everything by their brutal captors
while every one Of the narrow streets and
lanes is strewn with the forms OF dead and
dying. Brutalized by long confinement
among such dreadful scenes, those yet sur
viving in comparative health seem to have
lost all human feeling. The sick are kicked
about like dogs; the dying are left in the
streets uucared for until death relieves them.
The starving steal food from the lips Of the
starving, and many have been dragged from
their novels ct midnight to be murdered for
the paltry sums Of money in their possession.
Six miscreants were hanged q couple of
weeks ago by band Of Regulators" after
having been tried and convicted of murder
bya jury OF prisoners. One of them, who was
transferred to this place from Libby prison,
Richmond, is said to have actually cut the
throat of his own brother for small sum of
money, buried the mutilated body under his
couch, and slept over it until The stencil be-
trayed the presence Of the fostering corpse.
THE TALES OF FICTION OUTEIvALED.
DO not such horrors outrivaI all tales OF
fiction? Men afflicted with the scurvy lie
on every hand, with their feet and legs so
swollen that walking is impossible Others
are unable to eat the food issued to them, on
account of their teeth, which rot from their
gums, and instead of assisting one another,
each man seems determined 20 look out for
himself and for no one else. I have seen
living skeletons striving, with horrible rage,
to intlict that injury on each other which
their mutual weakness prevented. Passing
down "street " yesterday saw q man
lying in my way insane with misery His
limbs were being devourod by worms, yet
there he had lain, perhaps for weeks, without
kind word or helping hand. To-day he
died Others, hopeless Of assistance, aud al
ready gangrened, cast themselves into wells
or rush over the "dead-line,' to be shot by
rebel sentries, who, we are informed, receive
a furlough of thirty days for every prisoner
they kill. My soul sicllens in recording
these awful facts.
CIRCUMVENTING THE VERNIIN.