The National tribune., 1883-03-01
SCENESAT CAMP FORD
"reminiscences of PriSGn Life Within
The SlOckade al Tyler, Texas.

together with extracts from the testimony
taken by the investigating committee Of the
Foriioth Congress concerning the management
OF that Southern prison pen.
C4lnp T,i,r located about six miles from Tyler,
in Tc>as. was nclo~,d tya st"c'lalc. n embraced
area OF -lau- siN acres. il was used > PRISON
Ia l-i5 ANA ia5i There were at one llile IA i7"i
five thou .i prisoners al thI~ point There WtS a
dcadug s..eG feet from jIc -Jo,:>H'e. Wil'fi is1l
once hc.;s marked hy Trp,. ugi 81 was soon ohi't-
Grated lE tne ram. The testimony shows t!Ea
tie guard were left to tucF ura discretion ;s 10
WHOM "a f p. VS. :,cYo-- this i.a.i,.arv line and
many shot when ijIly feet ,ro.. the etocSia"
The pT.~nis under several cuIUUt'Iacr- Among
them were Colonies Alien. Stewart and Brown.
Officer AND enlisted m'n were confined ia iti,
stocla2c, 'd were subjected iD ihe same ir.',l'e
The camp WAS we'll located AMI supple! with good
water. 30 shelter was provided. The prisoner
however. constructed CABINS. sheds ais5 cave i'r
thrul~clN.- with lU-- brush. and dirt
Herman Wes.crticld, private in company H.
Fourth Missouri cavalry, who was captured ON
May >. l-5i, on the He'd River. l'y he tonird-
crate GrH RAJ Majors command and taken TO
Camp Ford testified before the investigating
committee as follows:
We arrived "a: Camp Ford in the evening. They
didn't give anything To eat until next ,iHy soi'c-
where ma the @it"TnOon. We had 40 shelter what
ever; and nest day they gave u some coTil-nN!. n
pint probably little over, to u man. They glHe
IL no wood JE"ngh. nor nothing Ia cook ID IN They
kept there about fourteen day. without giving
IL any shelter. After that, they allowed some Z"
us TO 20 ou, and ,t hrII-i, to build sheds Of
The fourteen days that we >ta;d IN there II was
running piyijy near every DAY AMI good many o
our boys "a taat tae cot sick from not having our
Nicuals CoU>cl as they ought 10 hc. II was coarse
CorII-me:il, and they goa the diarrhca from cstlnS
il and lying ia the wet: and | haV" seen men,
while was Ia there Gle Tor the want of sufficient
food W!di. here. some d.!ls we didn't .c,t uur
food ai all. Whenever il I.tIEcd as tECrr was a
creek bc,HeUn the camp ui'! the city, the ram
would svel! the creek, aujthc rebels would glyc;lS
excuse for not giving al ioDd, that they coudnt
get across iiIr creek. rvco:iect on several oc-
C:Isons didn't get anything ~ ali during the
whole day. Another thing oi,!nt get, ana that
was sufficient wood to cook our NlCtuais- During the
winter tIGc we hadn't enough 10 keep warm. Once
IN while they would let twenty of orr men 90 out
at Il time 20 chop trees down and carry Them IN. ana
they would send a guard along. Then they would
allow some q! - 10 yoO out alG ut some brush ait@r
we had sl.sid there while, make a shelter. The
treatment received was vCs: bld. / have seen
men brought ii there who haa marks all around
their necl9, where they had pat rope around them.
and tied them 10 the hor=e- and dragged them along
the ground. account OF thc.g beng too sick 10
walk any mere. have seen men brought IN there
who had managed TO escape from the stocllaie but
had been rct'aHtured 10y bl"o"!oGlt- have seen
them wila their pants all torn 10 pieces, and some
OI them had tAylr legs tom pretty badly 10y the
hounds 1on rcco!iVy NHo Nil> an command itl
Camp Tyler; thoy called INN colonel. They had
good many there ani they Cidn stay but a short
time generally. one time I remember "A Colonel
Brown was IN command. I heard some of the
guard say tlEit they could give mere food iithey
wanted To- br:; t.,. wouldn't do il That thc were,
supplying the whole Couitz!Cracy with beef, and
had plenty ~ provisions .IItl tha; try could give
rs more il they wanted TO have seen them bring
flour, coffee, ;.Iid sweet potatoes. We could get
most any hing we wanted! ii we had The money.
but the adutant OF tir post took al the money lac
could ind away from u and we didn't dare Ia show
money when hc WIS around. / know some
Men came in there and traded confederate money
for green arks They sad they wouldn't take
ereenbacl1s for thEEs tl3at Couid buy. and they
would give five collars in confederate money
for one in gre,nbJcl,s. and when il came to near
the clo,c Of the they would give Is ten. The
graveyard 's;:s right m sigl of the camp, and they
would vncr..lly bring bodies there and bury them
soon after got there, account Of their giving
us corp-lnoal good many died have seen rs
many a five - -lN die IN day. There were
about fcGiy-livc hundred prisoners when ] first
went There. Soi:c ot tieia wcrc exchanged amer q
while, asa about the last oI the there
about eighteen hundred. believe. To the best of
Oi my knoWlccSc, some scEcl or cI-!i hundred
must have died. The surgeon Bcyer came into The
inclosilrc, 20 my knowledge and never heard OF
any scl-ei il man ,.,st sick he generally staid
there till hr got 80 low he couldn't walk and then
We would osi-Ty him up 10 ta2 hospital il
blankets. | hardly ever SAW anybody 90 Ia the
hospital before they were - low that Thought
they cuulg.nt recover. Eost Of them had ~cIryy
diarrhca. and they let thela STAY IN ;he camp
long without giving them any medicine that they
couldn't recover.
VEGETABLES FOR CASH
JOSEPH BriJton who was taken prisoner at
the same tia1c. testified IL follows:
Ne were thirteen months prisoners there and
the or,i'r- ere that any that within tcn
steps Of tc >tps S.,ic Ia shoot him down that was
the order. when Colonel Allen leaving. |
heard linn ssy. he hoped every Yankee who was ia
would leave. Colonel Brown came after him: we
were. for eight months. kept pound Of beef
ana liut oi cslai-2cah dag and for live months
a pint 81 coIl-Htoai and I:ti a pound of bccfa
day: and on tl.c road going back, we never got a
bu oi anything ip cat. only what s.Tapcd
g.tlf in the can't. rfort W.. i, this Ny.i- when
~ were released gong home: the rebels, while
We were ln prison. used 10 in and take
tH- money .,,viv from tn. men and tbr,,
used Il shoot tucn over the ~tucliude: | re
member t3vy shot u3le man. who belonged 10
the Ou" Iiuudlcj and Ilur,Icyh Illinois, / used
u sec confederate officers go gc siacaic. II CarnD
Ford; "c,-'-i"isdly they mover said anything 10
tl-. thcIr fellow g.E3 WAS la command
there, Ecutr!s,ilt. who used - give orders fo-i!t
te pit~i'r- -iiil i7cd I" max" iS o:i tlcla and
steal ia, mooney friu the prisoners; suppose he
took many hundreds Of dollars They never had a
-"l--caiIt nh'n i5e IHrn got sick. they
L. lIc hospital: but tee hospital better liil
II the >tGe>st'c. v., lg; tie -eGryv badly:
f.t.r 5f ur .l Of the -l.i1., ,i Emma died two
L. iilvI. u'4 viii the -,sgyy. they had vegetables
out.las a3a, used - soA tEcIa. bat never would
l~-u" tb'iu- H- iIad no shelter from tc Dist uf May
T. tse l.t ri October only bushes and iTcr- over
'i- "h'" We I"lil ""o ollhll.--iitt'c hUis. and
oraulei .l on wet days. FOR fifteen dayS thcsc
'yery1il.-.a' igciIL-U or II oc9..- mill II y
clock ue l.e afy, ia 1Ue, il r;iI., stgs.,iy a,d
i;d Il. stand Ind take H. o ,yct days w, could
Dot S' ANYTHING 10 cat; t.eE had fiur miles 90 aul
ui'ir "ofli--.,i 'ud ihry veui' Hat =" for Il wet
d. 'ii; W..s iuc cNo'l~e tA.y gave. ! WAS two
dag. i lHf Fasting There, without grttil" any
tl.n-s io cat. incy navc- gaze as Say cipfhug.
Oscar q. .hrrh. sergeant n: or pf the Nine
t.cEta .oaa. who WAS captured u, ar Mor.anzia.
Ia. 0c.tenDcr -. l-O3. testified ~ follows:
Nc stopped Can,l, For ..l,ou fog.- nile,
Ell Di Iys"r if:,r. l,.ts shelter oi iIsv kind
60 % , snail .-lIi"lliS ipr hundred and
fUrty Utc l officers. We T,l.,:-!ucd ticrc through
tVp i,E~ ,ylii..sa- eiu., furnished ANYTHING. 10 cat
BIZ. receive. ssatlyt1 1,:I f,.stil Lieutenant Colonel
It;tS iiioia., ia, rl'c c''.Isu!ar that C would
mo- |- I. :s.'. for i- Io-Ti.il the prison
..itl. .a Att,' ;ilIt received ra.iot,Dglv
par .i 1. .lr ard t!lgUsh i!.n distance WAS y,.rv
Er. tu ll.le- the escaped Iy the dozens
sa-lF -.s-.t. Avosst .hc 'ltA at EorrIubcr at,nut
.sU..,-.r.i icgrDe- were i'st 10 work To dig a
.'.. iI.i.ad rs- }! !tc Enclosed ground contained
.'.f .f- .'.t ii-iit two acre.. SOME of th..
lt.rf. s..-' ta-"rsht irDiu yl.r ald ora :hi- dty
t"". --. ."ei;N-,iEih inG.su;. were shot The
cire-:- .-4.--- "crc these Ihry were carving
lo,- g. '..a noua. from tlc u,t-idc ;lil,i " .
tin" -. , carried them I.iJo quarter, they came
AZ ..a --Jnu- twelve ioej oI the line, when th,
:.i-.- .#s " Tea pace, .ro.u the nv," and drew
sl.. .s,..ad B. and a.. lir men turned 10
.-. i.. 'iss.d Ii, igll pss-ci through the
IT, f..- BODY .itd Through jhC OF the next
f'. itG.ls Ji tn iItt Thomas More
l.st .eH at % o.,asE rLc IcAt day. Frank
f..- t. t.it- 81 tiJC a.Byi yh8 fred the .liu
G ar-. ,i-. Wa- VERY '=...-t among the prison
... .-r.s .:Iclt,tv.l 20 i:2Hc grycIy.c ilc was
l.... Ht..r eg'.lri. .Hd ti.a -oI-.:u.ug.r Colonel
v i-st,rs ;..Jg.'9-TG tial ii y,:.- urvc: dsnG Ne
s.-H ta# permission a. fD ,rssH I, the Inc for
q" l.irf.'r. of getting tac i.,in,r-. The guards
rt.... ..t ii.lfi s,vD".i tltti ne would shoot "A
'--,-lc hc went .-e.S io = y..r.
.Ertr fil il1- q. 49, N'i. frequently in
ts.,.t ~ -..-rsi .I., ,...-- D. .fuilr -org..tnIs
-t... ulu ole sink. and tl.ci. iIII.,c cd
.Hs. t.- ..f.t.l . lIl- - ra~ dome l,y Afford
s- ... .li.t,.,I aaoil ni.r hundred and