The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-12-06
HARD LINEsI
The Pitiful Experience of Union Prisoner In
Southern Pens.

The Pitiful Experience Of a Union Prisoner In
Southern Pens.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In compliance with your request, give you
au account of ray prison experience from date of
capture which, as per account of Stoneman
raid, occurred upon July 81, 1864 When we
reached Andersonville we were drawn up in
/ line four deep outside the stockade. They
| 1.-THE rebelsl said 4" You were going TO release
the prisoners here; We'll show you Anderson
Vile" Be it remembered that was our mission
when we left Atlanta. We were then ordered
| To diyest ourselves of our clothing and turn
over what money we had. | secreted two $50
bills in my mouth, and having been on the
raid so long, my clothing consisted only of hat,
blouse pants and shoes. The rebel sergeant
asked nle-the same as he did others-if had
any jeweiry and watches, and l replied had
not-that ali had was pocket book contain
/ ing SIS and fne comb. Upon hearing this
he said that as was wounded and had moth
! ing, he would give me the twenty-five cents
4 and also my canteen. confscating the rest even
my hat and shoes. / asked him for my fine
comb, but he refused to return it. With my
pants and blouse for my only covering entered
! the stoGkade. We were then put into detach-
Inents where vacancies existed-one thousand
men comprising detachment / was put into
/ the thirty thousand, third detachment. /
cannot find words 10 describe my feelings when
| ] looked upon the prisoners and the surround
! ings-about two-thiris unable to walk, and
such poor fellows as did possess vitality to stand
or walk were mere skeletons. Was |, too, soon
to be like them2 / fully realized my fate if /
| remained there. We had nothing to eat for
twenty four hours, and received nothing until 10
a. next day, and the rations then consisted of
solitary cup of corn meal, ground cob and all,
one and a half teaspoons of salt and two of
beans. This was full ration and all De might
Il IL III
rebel suffer within the st0ckade. This rebel
| suffer was a Northern man who had enlisted
III the Union army and, having been captured,
/ had taken the oath Of allegiance to the c. S. A.
I for which he received the sutiership. / regret
to say that he belonged to my town-Holly,
| Oakland county, Mich. Out of respect to his
relatives / withhold his name. When, TO my
surprise, saw that he was man well known
| to me and that he recognized me, asked him
if it was not dangerous 10 change money. He
replied that il was, but if had any money and
! would buy 50 Of him he would give ne the
| right and proper change. For the S. received
/ thefoliowing articles: one dozen red peppers tea
cup CT salt, one quart gray peas, one quart corn
meal and one piece of cora bread. He said it
was fall value for So, and more than he gave
others. His store was opposite police headquar-
teTs and the south gate. 1t was built Of logs
with shanty roof, as every prisoner viii re-
| member Prisoners who went there to buy, If
they showed more money than the article
which they wished TO purchase cost were
robbed, and no change Was given. If they made
| too much noise about il they were knocked
down. That ended il, tine police generally
taking no notice Of it. This renegade Union
soldier had about 30 under suffers lprisoners)
10 whom hcs0ld his wares, TO be res0ld by them
through the camp. Each Of these had little
stand Of their own--ionr stakes driven in the
ground with slab upon ii formed their stand
4 and their stock in trade consisted of about one
dozen red peppers, one dozen small pieces to-
baceo about one chew each) one peek corn
meal, dozen sticks Ted root and sassafras as
medicine, and pail CT beer, made from one
quart oorn-neal, with the addition of half of
3 red pepper per cup They generally en-
pioyed = clerk to sell this about the prison
while they attended 10 their wholesale stores
This clerks salary was q chew of tobacco
per day, and If he was not a good salesman
he was soon discharged. Those who had no
money could obtain chew Of tobacco or its
equal for an eagle button. About fourteen DAYS
after entered the prison was appointed Yam
kee sergeant over detachment of ninety men,
My duties were 10 call the rcll, keep the men
ia line until the rebel sergeant counted them
and to draw the rations / was supplied with
a book, that / might register the name COM
Iiauy and regiment Of any that oied, and put
slip upon their breasts. by means Of which the
officer IN charge eoald register them when
taken to the dead-line TO be inspected and sent
out for burial. l also had charge of their
burial. Captain Wirz at first ordered thar a
squared piece of pine timber be placed across
them when buried but II was afterwards done
away with. There being no timber at hand,
he told me to bury them as / saw fit. / then
covered the bodies with pine boughs Captain
Wirz asked me why | put them on. told
him 70 make it more like Christian burial.
wIRz's TEMrER.
Tho rations Of those too sick to eat and those
who had died. ] was obliged to return, on pain
of losing my own ration. For the above duties
we were allowed an extra ration. There were
! times when meat was issued, but in sach a
state that but little of it could be eaten. We
drew one cord of wood for every 1000 men,
and the ration to each man was about tho size
OF an aE-handie. 1t was considered rs Of the
same value IS . ration Of neal. When we took
out one OF orr dead for burial we were allowed
to bring in much wood as we conld carry,
which, when cut into rati0as, we could sell al
ten ccats per ration, realizing about 81 for it.
Captain Nirz WAS man Of Idost pn1oyeraabe
temper, and he visited Isis wrath upon his
starving, helpless prisoners. One Of the pris-
oners within nay sight and hcaring) asked
him IN q very respectful manner if lie could
rot give him something better to eat, where
upon he lWirzi knocked him down aud jumped
npon him with both feet, from the effects of
which the poor fellow died IN about thirty
minutes On another occasion he ordered q
sent ~ 70 shoot man who was endoayorlng to
catch wafer over the dead-line. The sentry
refused TO obey the order. and Captain Wirz
i;5iiaediattly took the gun from hini, fired and
Killed . nian who was standing near-not the
alleged offender. One day IA order was issued
Cor tic sick % face IN at tic south gate for ex-
change, and after remaining there three days