The National tribune., 1883-01-11
PRISON EXPERIENCES.
Little Red Caps Personal ReCOlleCtiOns
of AnderSOnVille.
continued from lost resk.l

uuCn as q ueau sea. 1nere was daily less eDD
and flow than i'll any other community ON
the face of the globe Even the exchange of
visits between friends had ceased and in
deed, so crowded had the stOckade become
that 1t was almost an lmpOSSibIlity to pick
ones way through the tOrtuOus paths which
served as the sole means of communication be-
tween different parts of the prison. Yet hOr-
rlble as was the condition of the prisoners,
they could not be seduced from their devotion
to the old flag by any inducements which the
contederates were able to offer. There was at
this time great scarcity of mechanics in the
COntederacy and q prisoner who was master of
any ordinary trade would have found no diff
Guilty IN obtaining release on parole to work
for the rebels. Indeed, scarcely a week passed
IN which an effort was not made to engage
skilled wOTkmen for some purpose or other.
Shoemakers were most in demand, and next,
blacksmiths, machinists, molders and metal
workers generally. The managers of the
Tredegar iron Works of Richmond were bTazen
and persistent in their efforts to seduCe iron
workers to enter their employ, for, as the
majority Of the prisoners were masters Of
trades, it would have been of immense benefit
to the Conledcgacy could it have induced them
to work for it. The maChinists alone could
have been of more real service than q whole
brigade of troops, for the slenderness of the
confederate resources was primarily due to a
lack of the skilled labor necessary to their de-
VelOpmGnt, and nowhere could there have been
found finer body of skilled wOrkmcn than in
the thirty-tive thousand prisoners inCarccrated
at AndersOnvilie. But all solicitations to this
end were treated with the scorn they deserved.
The usual reply TO such invitations was: No,
sir; LII sES in here till | rot before | will
assist the cOntedeTaCy in any shape or form"
In the month of August shoemaker from Ma
con visited the stOckadc for the purpose Of secur
ing workmen for the confederate shoe factory.
He prosecuted his search without success until
he had reached the centre of the camp ON
the north side, when some of the shOemaleTs
who had gathered around him, apparently con-
sldering his propositions, seized him and threw
him into well. He was kept there a whole
day. When Wirz heard of this occurrence he
became greatly enraged, and declared that no
more rations should go in the stockade until
the man was delivered up at the gate, safe and
sound. This, Of course, had the desired effect,
and he was surrendered.
ENLARGING THE sToCKADE.
The stOckade was so crowded at this time, as
have already said, that it was almost impossi-
bic to move about in it, and even the confed-
crates saw that it would be impossible to make
room for any new prisoners without an enlarge
ment of the enclosure. They accordingly set
to work to build an addition on the north side
OF the stOcllade, making the total area about
twenty-Sevcn acres, or one acre for every
seventeen hundred prisoners. The Stockade
was still shamefully crowded, but the new en-
closure was great improvement over the old,
and those who moved into it were much better
of than those who remained behind. On the
completion of this addition the palisade which
separated it from the original enclosure was
fortunately left standing, and it was at
once attacked by thousands of prisoners, armed
with such tools as they could lay their hands
on. By the next morning not only had
every inch of the palisade above ground
disappeared, but that below had been dug up,
and there was not enough of the eight hundred
foot wall of twenty-five foot logs left to build
Il fire to cook breakfast with. The value of the
wood was so great that thousands had worked
the entire night to secure as much of the COW
eted treasure as possible.
One afternoon in August, some time after
this, an incident occurred which alarmed Wirz
very much A violent rain storm came up.
The water fell in torrents, and it seemed al
most as if the heavens had opened to deluge
the earth. The little creek running through
the camp soon became roaring torrent, and
presently large gaps were maze i'll the StOckade
on both the west and east sides. Wirz detected
the breaches at once and ordered two guns fired
from the headquarter fort. The signals rang
out angrily, and the guards rushed out and
formed in front of the gaps TO prevent an out
break if one should be attempted. The prison
ers, however, were more taken by surprise than
the guards, and We're not in condition TO
profit by the opportunity until it was too late.
The storm accomplished great good in another
direction, however. 1t swept away 4 great
deal OF filth and left the camp much more
wholesome. The water in the creek had be-
come indescrbably bad. 1t was already unfit
for use when it entered the stOCkade, and inn
mediately os entering it was still further con-
taminatCd. The OOzy seep at the bottom of the
hillsideS drained directly into this shallow,
sluggish stream, q yard wide and about SIX
inches deep, and heated by the scOrching rays
of the sun. Yet all the prisoners were forced
to wash III this foul stream and obtain their
supply of drinking water from it. 1t IS true
that some of the more fortunate had wells,
thanks to their own energy in overcoming eX-
traOrdinary obstacles, but no credit is due the
ContederateS for this since they did not make
the slightest effort TO provide these necessities
of life. The wells were generally dug with
case and pocket knives and half canteens, to
depth OttrOm twenty to thirty feet, and the dirt
was pulled up usually in pantaloon legs, al
though every device was used for the purpose.
This work had to be done at great risk too, for
the unwalled sides were liable to cave in at
any moment and smother the digger to death.
Not only did the cOntederateS refuse to furnish
boards with which to wall the wells and buck
cts to draw the water, but they did all in their
power to prevent the wells from being dug,
ana made continual tOrayS TO capture the Dig
ging tools. The great majority of the prison.
ers who went to the creek for water went as
near rs possible to the dead-line on the west
side where the creek entered the stOCkade, i'll
order to avoid the filth as far as possible, and
men were always to be seen there struggling for
their turn to take dip. In the struggle fire.
quently some poor fellow would be forced so
close to the dead-line as to excite the suspicion
of the guards, and the first warning the poor
unfortunate wretched prisoner would receive
would be a shot from their rifles. More
wicked and miustitiable murders were
never committed than these. 1t was about
this time that the prison was visited with
prOvidential dispensation. One morning the
camp was astOnished beyond measure TO dis
cover that during the night large, bold spring
had burst out on the north side, about midway
between the swamp and the summit of tho hill.
A GODsEND.
1t poured out its grateful flood of pure sweet
water in an apparently exhaustlcss flow. This
was truly GOdscnd. Old Wirz, WindCr and
their allies were poWerless to contend with na-
turc. The news spread like wild-tire through
out the stOclIade and thousands ilOCkcd at once
to see the miracle. The rush for the water was
So great, indeed, that the police had 10 take
charge Of the spring, and every one was COM
PEELED to await his turn Ofill his vessel. Every
morning shortly after daybreak hundreds
could be seen standing there in line. l notice
by the reports Of comrades who have revisited
the stOckade of recent years that the spring is
by the negroes in the neighborhoOd. After
IL &c