The National tribune., 1885-06-04
BELLE ISLE.

BELLE ISLE.
A Kentucky Soldier Tells the Story of Its Horrors
To THE EDITOR: j was captured on the 9Th
of September, 1863, near Graysvile Ga, with
Sc others of my regiment. The first thing the
Johnnies did was TO relieve US OF our canteens,
overcoats and blankets, and what little money
the boys had. i always supposed that was done
for the purpose Of tightening our loads, SO we
would be able to keep up with horse on q trot,
and must say We came near doing it for two
days and nights. l think we arrived at Cal
houn, Ga, on the 18TH and drew some beef and
-four We were then ordered to get on the cars.
Here i want to relate little incident that
happened just as the train was passing through
the outskirts of the town. Capt. Jones, of Go.
ID Of my regiment, was sitting at one side of
the door. Capt. Pait WAS the rebel officer in
command of us. Just as the car got even with
large brick house q young lady came out to
the track and threw a beautiful bunch of flow
ers into the car. picked it up, and the rebel
Captain said: Hand that over here, as it is
for me-" There was a little note pinned to it,
and l took time to read it first. 1t said Union
forever Miss Hattie E. NJ" When the rebel
Captain saw it he handed it over to Capt. Jones,
and said il was not for him. We divided it up
and gave all hands a small portion.
We reached Atlanta Ga, the next day and
were provided with quarters at the bull pen.
where there were about $50 Yankee prisoners.
There we remained for about 10 days, when we
were put on board the cars for Richmond. l
do not remember the time it took us to reach
there, but we were number of days on the
road as there was 4 constant stream of rebel
soldiers coming down from Lees army to re-
enforce Bragg. We finally reached Richmond
and cur first nights lodging was in Libby. The
next morning we were taken up, two at a time,
into a small room, and made to strip Off all of
our clothes. We were carefully searched, and
if any money or anything worth keeping was
found, it was taken charge of by the rebels.
We had dinner, or what was called dinner,
which consisted of a tub of bean soup. This
soup contained about one pint of beans to three
gallons Of water. We had no bread. There
were then in our squad about 100. We were
marched over to Belle Isle for Winter quarters.
Now, readers, you who never experienced
any hardships, will not believe what the
Yankee prisoners suffered in that rebel hell
during the Winter of 1868 and 1864. ! was
put into the 35th hundred. There was a
Sergeant and two men to draw our rati0ns
twice day, and sometimes only once, as ratlons
were often short, as the Johnnies told us. They
consisted of four ounces of cornbread, made from
cob and all, and - pounds of bcef,-or the Lord
only knows what kind of meat il waS,-bone and
all, for 100 men. That was not quite two
ounces to the man. including bone. This was
what we received for our daily rations Long
before left there there were $500 in the pen.
As cold weather came on we We're allowed three
green pine cord-woOd sticks to every 20 men
three times per week, and nothing but the
heavens and clouds 10 cover us. Those bitterly
cold, frosty nights we would trot up and down
through the camp all night long, and sleep the
next day, if the sun should shine. As for water
there were four old barrels set in the ground
for 6,000 to 1000 men. The water did not rise
over six inches deep during the day, and if one
went to the barrel during the night TO get
water he would be shot at by the guards
| remember about the middle of December,
1868, one night l had slipped out and was bent
over in the barrel. Just then poor sick COM
rade came out to get some water AS he got up
from the barrel the guard fred and / heard a
groan The guard said: a think got that
-- Yankee" and sure enough he did, for
next morning there he lay dead and stiff. |
did not learn his name, but think he was a
member of the 5lst Ohio. Do any of the boys
remember the Sunday morning the guards shot
the Sergeant who was in charge of the working
squad? He was on top of the breastworks, tell
ing the men how TO do the work, and the guard
ordered him to get down, when he replied that
be had been ordered there on duty. How many
remember the red headed Sergeant who used to
club as over the head every Monday morning
as we were taken out of the Enclosure to be
counted off? If there ever was an incarnate
The NATIONAL TRIBUNE his name? / remem-
Der one evening, after sick ccmrade had eaten
his little ration, he vomited it all up on the
ground, and along came poor starved boy and
with a splinter he commenced to eat it up.
When some one spoke to him and told him
what it was and tried to make him let it alone,
the miserable boy ate on. Some may think
this is a lie, but have one living witness here
in Tennessee yet; and some would probably
wish TO know who he is. His name is Joe Far
rer and his post-otiice address is Flat Creek,
Bradford Co., Tenn. He was a prisoner on
Belle Isle for over IL months. / would like for
any of the boys who remained there after Janu-
AIRY, 1864, TO tell what became of Chipn-
dale as he had at Belle Isle Louis H. Hauci's
silver fife, that was presented to Hauck by
Gen. Smith. i think his mother lived at New
port KY; also, any Of the upper row boys
Frank Dorse, Harry Harding, Bill Bowman,
Dan Brown, Co. ID, LIST KY; VIM. Hines, 51st
Ohio.
/ left there in January, 1864, and it has been
so long l have forgotten many of the boys. /
fear most of them starved to death, for it
was nothing but starvation that was killing
them. i would like very much to hear through
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE or by letter from
any of the boys who were prisoners at Belle
Isle.-JoHN n. CoLsHER, Co. IL, LIST KY,
Lynchburg, Tenn.