The National tribune., 1882-08-05

ralons OF the whole stockGde and compelled
his delivery at the north gate. The inside
of AndersonviIIe prison is not d very safe
place to transact business for the southern
confederacy in. Many Union officers are
imprisoned at Macon. We learn that their
treatment is somewhat better than ours;
nevertheless, they fare badly enough. When
a Georgia officer wants a prisoner to obey an
order very promptly he orders it done right
smart quick" Before our capture, when we
inquired of a citizen how far it WAS to such
a place, he usually replied that it was :" a
right smart chance"
august 16H.-The sunny side of our i'm
prisonment is the luxurious leisure we enjoy,
although, as comrade of mine has remarked,
"It's dogs life of hunger and ease" Every
prisoner who aspires to respectability devotes
from two to three hours a day 10 killing
vermin. The rapidity with which lice mul-
tipIy in every seam and crevice Of our cloth
ing is perfectly amazing. Without soap or
hot water to fight them with, we have no
recourse but industry and our thumb nails.
Clothing is so scarce and valuable here that
not one man out Of five hundred ever thinks
of wearing out his shirt by washing it in a
dirty brook. He simply becomes warrior
for few hours daily, and wages extermina-
ton against his multitudinous tormentors.
When he gets tired out he submits resignedly
for the rest of the day, having nothing what
ever to do but to feel little hungrier than
he was before. When he gets so sick that he
is no longer able to battle with verInin, you
may say that he is literally eaten alive. 1t
is delicate subject, but many dying man
in this stOckade has had almost every drop
Of blood in his body extracted by swarms and
piles of lice. l have never recorded the fact
that the sick in the main prison receive
neither medicine nor medical attendance, as
I deemed the information entirely super
duous There is a little Union drummer
boy on duty at the headquarters Of Wirz,
who brings us most Of the news we get from
the outside world. lie has frequently taken
his drum apart, put newspapers in it, and
smuggled them in TO Us. Any prisoner who
speaks to the slaves who occasionally come
in TO repair the stoc}ade is Immediately shot.
The total absence Of all kinds Of amusement,
reading matter or mental diversion leads
a large class Of men TO brood over their
miseries with fatal effect. All the fuel that
has ever been burnt in this camp has con-
sisted of roots and pitch pine. The result
Is that the smoke has made every other man
YOU meet as black rs an African. 1t is COM
mon to see men standing waist-deep in the
filthy swamp, trying 10 claw out roots for
fuel.
Aatgust 19h.-Our gloomy cityisgradually
growing more civilized. The police are over
bearing and arrogant, but are accomplishing
a good work IN accordance with orders
lately issued by their chief, they have com
menced looking after the sick and helpless
and have notified every sergeant Of a mess
to personally see to ii that his sick men get
their rations or look out fora severe lashing
for his negligence. They have also ordered
the streets cleaned daily, and are having the
most malarious portions Of the swamp filled
with fresh earth, the labor being performed
by details from the various detachments
Thieving has been almost entirely checked
and Divine service is now being held at fouI
OF i've sections of the camp every evening