The National tribune., 1885-11-12
fonr and the floor planks were spiked down

in the Shenandoah Valley, increased our num-
ber 10 lbs. Every morning at we were let
down into the back yard for half an hour, and
again at 3 in the afternoon. None of us were
ever permitted to leave the second floor at any
other time. The water-closet accommodations
for those l2S men, for Isl hours were sjr COM
mon Uoodea buckets. Every man there was snf-
fering from diarrhea, and before midnight the
condition Of that Jail was horrible beyond I'M
agination. 1t was not until the guards had
narrowly escaped drenching from the Stops
thrown through the window that they allowed
us few more buckets.
The nights were fearful; the weather was
hot. We were packed so closely that we fairly
steamed. The grayb was universal. The walls
and cracks of the old Jail were literally filled
with the most voracio. bedbugs. The stencil of
the slop buckets was intoerable If some poor
sufferer started in the night to cross the room
he was sure to step on some sleeper and a storm
of curses quickly followed; others would join
in until the whole gang We're awake yelling like
madmen, and making the widest uproar posi-
BILE. II ii was not "sheol" those nights, 1t was
something near akin TO that place. Occasionally
guard outside sent shot up through the Win
dows as an admonisher TO keep quiet
Our rations for each man were small piece
of cornbread Sour for breakfast; for dinner,
very small piece of cornbread. gill of COW peas
boiled in pint of water; no supper. The peas
were wormy and strong, and at first were re-
ceived with disgust, but we got over that.
Scurvy soon broke out, and sore mouths and
swollen feet were common. Those whe had
money could send TO the market under the City
Hail. only few rods away, and purchase fresh
bread and sweet potatoes Bread was so cents
per loaf when we first arrived, but it quickly
advanced until it reached 50 per loaf, and 1t
remained at those figures until left the Con-
federacy. TO obtain sweet potatoes to cure my
scuryyI sold first my vest. then my cap, sus-
- IL c.
pair, and sold most of the buttons from my
coat.
Opposite the Jail lived a man who kept a pack
of boodhounds and white English bulldogs,
for hunting escaped prisoners and slaves. Often
did we see those dogs start off TO hunt some
fugitive, three or four mounted men with shot
guns following them. Lieut.. Roberts, of an Hi
nois regiment, was so badly bitten by this pack
that he died in a few days after Two Lieuten
ant-Colones from the staff of that great and
good" General, Robert Z. Lee, visited US on q
tour of inspection. They listened very politely
to our complaints, made plenty of promises to
better our condition, and that was the last that
we heard of them. 4 Confederate officer re-
cruting for the Foreign LEGION" (better
known as "Galvanized Yanks,") offered any
Union officer the same rank in the Confederate
army, $500 Confederate States money, uniform
and set of equipments. A like offer was made
10 the enlisted men. In spite of the protesta-
tions of their friends eight of them accepted it,
took the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy,
deserted il q body the first night in camp, were
recaptured, court-martaled and shot, all within
a week.
Two colored sailors captured from our block
aiding squadron were brought IN and claimed as
slaves by some planter. They were stripped of
their neat blue sailor uniforms, clad in dirty
negro clothes, tied together with cotton ropes
and driven of. Of course their fate was un-
tn lU lS hqt
and shotgun soon ended their lives.
At each evening the City Hall bell rang,
and the darkies could be heard running to their
quarters. Any Of them caught out after that
hour were put in the calaboose, a small build
ing close to the Jail. In the morning they
were taken out, their hands put in the stocks,
and the men whipped on the bare back, the
women On the bare legs Generally they hal
looed well. "Oh-h-h, Lordy Oh-h-h, Lordy!"
was the usual outcry. From the back windows
of the Jail we could see the Courthouse steps,
and every Wednesday and Saturday morning
there was public vendue" or auction of
slaves. Many a lot of "chattels" have l seen
sold.
In September the naval officers were eX-
changed. Capt. Williams had been paroed to
proceed to Washington to arrange special ex-
change for the sailors. If he failed, he was to
return TO confinement again. Fortunately, as
we thought, he succeeded, and the blue jackets
were both killed in the assault on Fort Fisher,
and Capt. Williams afterwards perished by the
sinking of his ship of the coast of Japan. A
few special exchanges followed which had
most depressing effect on those OF US who re-
mained.
Numerous plans of escape were devised but
for some reason they always fell through.
Lieut.. Williams 43d q. S. c. T., and Lieut..
Pierce, 31st Me-, did succeed IL leaving one
rainy night by sliding down a rope within two
feet of the guard, as he stood in the doorway
out Of the rain. Lieut.. Williams reached our
lines near New Berne, but Lieut.. Pierce was
drowned while crossing a river in North Caro-
lima
The rebel guard occupied small building
about Is feet from the Jail, and the roof came
nearly TO the level of our windows. Some Off
GERS constructed bridge of bunk-boards and
got it out one dark rainy night, but the guard
discovered it, and we saw him run and call the
others. Quietly they gathered at the corners
OF the building and waited for US to come out.
Escape was impossible and we began to pull the
bridge inside. The Sergeant of the Guard
challenged: stop, you - - Yank, or I'll
shoot you dead"
SIN with it, boys" said Capt Dibler who
had charge Of it, and in it came.
"Shoot, boys, shoot! Load and shoot, ies' fast
as ye KIM" yelled the Sergeant and bang!
bang! went the muskets on every side of the
Jail.
Inside we were ell cheering and yelling;
ralyInG imaginary companies; calling on them
to Rally on the Old Flag" calling for ammu-
milton, whistling, screeching, cat calling, but
all lying low TO avoid the bullets that the guard
We're plugging up through the windows. Out
side the City-Hall bell was Changing the alarm,
and the citizens were ralying with their shot
guns. The post guard camped mile away,
came down on the run, with their Captain
Or. d. Semi in command.
The next morning the Columbia papers had
long article on the daring attempt to escape
made by the Yankee prisoners and only for
the bravery, promptness and energy of Capt
r. ID. Sem and his gallant post guard, the city
might have been captured by the Yankee van
dals and given over to pillage, rapine and arson"
1t was bad scare for the rebs and the editors
kept demanding that we should be moved to
more secure quarters. On the 18th of Decem-
Der We were removed to Camp Asylum, where
the balance of the Union officers were confined
Camp Asylum was the Asylum yard, about four
acres, high brick walls on three sides and plank
stockade on the other; sentry-boxes on the
top of the wall every 20 feet, and dead-lines
inside. We all agreed that il was tight place.
The nights were cold and frosty, the water in
the troUghs freezing every night.
Here we received our ratons raw; we could
eat them that way or cook them as best we
could. Four pints of cob meal, a pint of sor-
ghum, and very little salt, were the rations
for five days Two cbums and myself cooked
for long time in quart tin cup that had,
Nd H.ls - ln,..r L