The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-07-31
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
cAHAwBA PRISON,
And the Horrible Treatment which Our Veterans
Rece{fed There

about II, On account OF The small number OF
prisoners DO were confined there, and the fact
that so few lived to tell The story. Fourteen
hundred OF those who did survive the horrors
were drowned by the explosion and burning
of the steamer Sulfana on the Mississippi River
Fortunately, j was one Of the saved that night,
but ] shall never forget the horrors Of the scene
can still bear the pitiiuI cries of the victims
for help. Imagine such calamity if you can
1860 poor, hungry, ragged skeletons reused
from their sleep at ? O'Clock in the morning by
the explosion OF the boilers, and plunged in hot
water, steam and fre2 / was in the water six
hours and picked up for dead, but / ann here
yet.
i was captured at Athens. Ala, on the oath
Of Sept, le64. by FORESTS cavalry, who robbed
Us OF oGr blankets, watches, etc, and then took
rs 10 Cahawba, on the Alabama River near the
center OF the State. There they searched US
again and took everything from Us, aud con-
fined us ia a brick building 2U0x300 leet with
root over a pant OF II, the center beng left
open. ] shall never forget the first glimpse 1
caught OF the inmates as we marched IN. The
poor fellows bad been there SIX months; they
had cut their hair as close as possible in order
10 keep of the vermin, and some of them had
nothing on but a pair OF drawers-nO cover 1or
head or fcet--and were nearly all as black as a
ClibitN liNlSln. i dShEG one OF lAteIl h1ldt UaQ
become of bis clothes, and he said he had sold
them 10 the guard for something 10 eat One OF
our company finding his brother there in that
situation, took the blouse from his own back
and gave il TO ham. Soon after We got there
We drew skillet IAN old fashioned bake ket-
te| lor every squad OF 10 men, and this was
the only dish OF any kind that they let Us have.
We hac 10 make wooden spoons and shaTllened
sticks with which 10 ear our food. We had a
small yard outside OF the wall with plank set
up endwise Tor a cook yard, and you can mag
inc what place thai was when we got IS0 fires
or smudges started. The smoke WAS too thick 20
breathe, and one could not stay there long enough
70 bake his pone as we called il, bur had to be
relieved by some o. the squad that remained
inside Of the walls out Of the smoke. There
was dead-linc around inside of the wall, where
the guards marched up and down, and we knew
that death would be our portion il we got across
It Being Sergeant drew the rations for our
squad ard ] knew just whal we had. We got
Tor rati0ns, at the most pint of unsilted meal
10 man per day. Sometimes. however, we
would 90 TWO days without any. and every
second or third day we had one forward quarter
OF beef with the leg and shoulder taken off for
1e0 men drew my tenth OF that for my squad.
1t might be Interesting 10 some 10 know bow
managed 10 divide il 80 there would be no sroxyl-
ing among the hungry men. ! tried a number
OF ways, but the on v one that gave salts action
=
knife lntO the PRISON. and having cut oil the
meat what lItile there was On it / took an old
ak that we had for that purpose and cut il into
10 pieces. then took the meat aud put piece
on each bone. and one OF the squad having turned
bis back 10 the piles, j would point 70 them,
and ask 10 whom each should he given. /
shared with the rest dividing everything in
this way. Once ia 10 OF II days We drew
little sat z spoonful and halt 10 a man that
! put into little piles on an old pieee OF rubber
blanket that one of the boys haTpeIIs6 10 have
As their names were called they stepped IN
took their position. put il into little cloth and
then STORED Il away Ia their pockets We drew
some lard two or three times while was there
tJt had yellow streaks through I'll enough 10
grease one or two PaRes. We had TO spread il
on with aetlck- Once / had salt enough left
70 sprinkle on top of the lard The rest Of the
time u WIS rather fresh eating. When we had
meat We pat Il into the skillet, cooked il a lit
tie, and Then stirred our meal into what we
called iIrsh mash. Ne would sit on the ground
around the skillet and each one take SPOON
fUl when il came his turn until il was all gone.
AZ did not last long. We got some pumpkins
twice. got four small ones once for our squad
They were quite sweet, and some OF the BOYS
ate theirs raw, while others boiled them with
meat These We're all the rafioBs we had 10
live on Tor the SIX months 1 was there
When any Of the prisoners got too noisy they
against the outside Of the prison, and when
they took a prisoner out for punishment they
made hlm 20 upon the under side Of the ladder
put his toes On the third or fourth round and
reach ug as high as he could with his hands
and b2iig there 20 minutes. The guards were
ordered, ~ case the Aank fen before that time
70 run hayOnet through him. / have seen
the boys 50 lame the next day that they could
hardly walk ! shall long remember the looks
OF The sauay-besaed boy who stood guard at
the door that we passed through 10 20 into the
cook yard. One of our men had been cut into
The cook yard with a little cup or pail be hap
peDe9 10 have, and which had wire bail. He
tsOk little stick about loot long 10 hang IL
On while cooking has mush over the fire and
after the nosh was cooked he started into the
PRISON, out Of the smoke. 70 eat it. As he did
so the guard halted him, and said. f" You can't
20 ~ here with wood" Tie nam halted. and
looked around, but not knowing that the guard
referred % the little stick ia question. stared
or whereuP0n to guard struck him IN the
back WIFI the bayonct ana ran il through his
bV1g. lac ieii 10 the ground and soon breathed
ms last TIE guard did not come back the
next morning 10 has post. and we learned that
they had gwen him fGTloagh for doing his
duty and killing Yank
Col Jones lad command Of the prison, when.
one night mere cane heavy raiu, and all the
prisoners 81 the lower side OF the prison where
slept bad 10 get up and stand the remainder
oi the night. We were forced 10 sleep on the
ground without any blankets or anything TO
keep rs OUt Of the mad aud wet One dav the
Coione! went through the prison and I saluted
HIM lfhat was the first and last time eyer
saiuted q rebel and asked him If be would LET
ns have some straw 10 sleep on TO keep US out
o. lhe nnd lie replied that he would send
some - TIE next day. and all the bows that
were IN hearing hnrrahed in anticipation OF
the treat, but the promise was never fulfilled
let no farmer would put his hogs IN such a
pen as We were confined in. Many time the
tears ran down our checks on account Of the
cruel aid uEnercifuI treatment which we
received az The hands Of our eaptors. On one
OCCASION we bad 10 stand Tor nearly three days
lD the wafer during a fresbet, but we were
benefited by II in two WAYS: il drowned the
rats out OF their holes IN tie walls SO that we
got few 70 eat lthat was q little addition 10
our r2tlUDsl. and il drowned cut the drawbacks
tas we called them. Some Of the rebs that had
little feeling for the Yanks got up a petition
&C. let Us cat on an island that was near there
They got over 90 10 sign t. and they handed
Ii To Col. Jones, but he declared that the Yanks
should stay in there until they were carried
ouf 70 be buried, and that was not long for some
OF thea. ! have seen 10 IN one morning laid
Out IN the siA we cut our meat on. The rebs
would GENE IN with the stretchers and four OF
I've OF onr boys would help them carry our
ceao comrades out and bury them. / think
every so.lleT who survived snch hardshiEs
ought 10 be well paid for his sufFeringg by the
Government, for in refusing 20 exchange as
sna setling as stay there 10 suffer and die II
Ola 50 deliberately and for a speciai object -