The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1882-10-12

prico Of treason, retaining cloarnes'
Of mind uutil the moment Of death
was but one instance among the
daily o ,curring in prison.
a young soldier. who al one time
had been clork Of company I, 18Th
Regt. p. V. died during the same
week at Charleston. In his las,
moments he continually said, 81
should be willing TO die II I could
have enough TO cat, and die aI
homo"
Thus longings for home odd food
and thoughts Of death were often
bitterly crowded together.
For convenience inissuing rations,
the prisoners were divided into de-
tachmonts OF thousands, aud then
subdivided into hundreds. There
were sergeants Of thousands an1 ser
geants OF hundreds, aud q chief sor
geant over tho whole. These d.
visions were to facilitate the issue
Of rations, and tho sorgeants were
selected from among the prisoners,
and were often chosen by tho pri-
souors themselves.
Much trouble, frat and last, oc.
currod in prison from tho robols no
vor being ablo to count tho prison.
ers correctly, We Scre ofton count
cd, bat with no satisfactory results.
There werc, throughout tho prison,
so many hungry men-whoso wits
Soemed to sharpen in proportion to
their hunSor continually dovising
ways to got "oxtra food" that il was
not strange that tho rebcls frequent,
ly found themselves issuing moro
rations than there wore mon 10 pri :
son.
BY iudicious management, ingen-
ious Yankees contrived to belong to
two or more squads, and draw ra-
tions for each without exciting sus-
picion. Upon ono count the rebel
Sergeants found thoy had issuel five
hundred moro rationa than there
wore mon in camp and oven by OK
ercise OF tho greatest care in those
countings, they would ofton be
cheated two or three hundred ra
tions, through tho doxterity which
prisoners had acquired Of shifting
from one squad to another, nnd in
this way being counted twioo OF
three times.
Once, while endeavoring to count
ns, Colonel Ivorson was 80 bailled
by the tactics, that ho dismissed the
matter for tho day, good naturedly
declaring that wo wore "heayy
dogs"
At last, in dispair Of finding oui
tho exact number OF Yanks in any
other manner, they marched the
prisoners out into an open space ol
ground, and kept Us standing in line
until counted; but even hore
where any cheat seemed certain to
become detected, and though threat
ened with punishment IL we played
Yankee tricks on them, the men oi
the rear rank were managed in such
q msnner that, in our detachment, q
llit!le over nine hundred men, oon-
trived to count up q thousand.
The officers counting rs mistrust-
cd something wrong, and reoouuted
MS twice. without detecting the cheat
but expressed his distrust in q kind
Of o stage aside, saying, "You'n
Yanks are the doggondest follows l
ever did count"
The rebels in this transaction re-
minded me OF Cuffoe, who, being
asked by his master III he had count;
cd all the pigs, replied, "yes, massa,
all'cept q little speckled one he
run'd round 30 / couldn't count
him" They never succeeded to
their liking in making US como out
straight, the boys would always get
the better of the rebels, and very
often iu ways that would be beyond
their comprehension.
About this timo Colonel Ivorson
detected tho sutlor in two offences /;
first, OF receiving greenbacks in pay
mont for goods, or minal offence in
the Couferderacy, aud second, charg
ing the prisoners oxorbitant pricos
in trading.
Wheroupon he oonfscatod the
greenbaoks. to be used to obtain
comforts for our sick, and forced
him to conform TO the schedule oi
prices in tho city. The following
wete, with little variation. the prices