Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-08
AN IRREPARABLE LOSS.
How the Florence Prison Hospital
Register was L0St-A Sod Reminls.
eence Of the War.
To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:

| Register Was Lost-A Sod Reminis
cence Of the War.
! To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:
| A few days ago, while at the archives division
| of the army department, there was temporarily
placed in MY hands q collection of rebel prison
| records, fragmentary, mutilated and in many
| instances badly blotted. They are the records
| of only a few out of the thirteen prison pens o.
the soulful think of only Cahawba, Millen
| Salisbury and Florence.
These fragments, just as captured, have been
| carefully placed In one volume and finely
bound in calf As I eagerly looked over the
| sad registers the names Of many comrades
| came to view: but only q few from Florence-al
before the letter 8 being missing from that reg
| lister.
Against many names cheek marks in red ink
appear, placed there by officials who had coca,
sion to examine these documents lately. 1t is
plain that these records, even mutilated as
fishing or disproving claims in the Pension
Office.
This leads me to make somewhat detailed
| statement in regard to the loss of the death
register at Florence prison. First let me state
that the fragment OF a register found as above
stated in the arehive:, is the one made by the
prisoners received at the prison; while the
death register made by the hospital attendants
inside the pen records the history Of those dis
charged by death, and Is, therefore, the more
important
II was the writer's misfortune to be an inmate
of Florence prison from the period of its first
establishment, In September, 1864, to its evac-
uation, in March, 1855. From being greatly
emaciated prisoners transferred from Anderson
vile, we found ourselves better circumstanced
as long as the wood inside the pen lasted and
until We became over-crowded with arrivals
from the field: Soon. however. the wood was
exhausted, the little pen was filed with Ii 600
prisoners, the seventies Of that worst OF rebel
prisons were inaugurated by the cruel keepers,
Col: Iverson and his fiendish neutenants, the
suffering became terrible and the death.rate
appalling - ,on,.
rades into the hospital, as a few poor sheds in
the northwest corner OF the pen were called.
Simple remedies, prepared from a scant supply
OF drugs sent up from Charleston, elled out by
woodcutters outside, were administered to their
forked stakes, Eept their bodiesnp out of the
stored SO far az to be able to walk about and 1
at once became engaged in encouraging the rest
and nursing them as best could, under the in
struction of the skiilful kind-hearted, but often
tfpsy, rebel surgeon. / became in turn, night
nurse, ward-master of the fifth ward steward OF
the same, and, finally, was placed in full charge
as e!iief steward Of the hospital. From this time
came in possession of the hospital register
and personally made the records for the con-
GLIDING month of the hospitals continuance
The condition OF the prisoners throughout the
stockade at this time was too horrilying to de-
scribe; fortunately it is not necessary Tor the
VI ILLS iLTttClS IL 10 say Iil:tt
frost-bitten, shriveled and dead hands and feet
malignant saad-sores along the back. ulcers in
various parts of the body, bowel disorders, sour
Wy and other diseases OF all sorts were preva-
lent, while nearly every prisoner was beset by
swarns OF verrnin, nuInerouSy bred, as mat
ter Of course, throughout the stockade by those
unable to make the eXertiOn necessary to rid
themselves of the ScOurge.
When it was known the federal forces were
near and the prison keepers fed, March 1st,
1865. most OF the prisoners, about 5000 in
number at that time. were unable to stand
alone. Only about 100 were able to walk
Twenty four-mule wagons had been provided
and placed In charge of an overseer to transport
the prisoners to the railroad station at Florence,
one mile distant. Every one able to lift q pound
pared tretchers, bringing the unfortunates out
ofthe stockade and crowdin. them into the open
springless wagon boxes, eleven on side, in u
sitting posture, for the excrutiating ride over
the rouyh road. The evacuation began at day
light in the morning, and was not concluded
until eleven al night, when the two long, heav-
Hy-lOaded trains OF box cars were pulled out and
started for Wilmington, NC
During all this day OF removal, fraught with
terrible suffering, which was herOically endured
aIternated with two or three others in recev-
in. and slowing skeletons into the wagons, adj
ministerng medicines, scraping of vermin, and
pu.ating dead hand or foot by severing the
ilgaments at u joint with a knife or scissors.
From the e first was greatly concerned for the
the day had hidden in a secure place. When
the last wagon was filled dragged myself back
W lHc uOSplta DIOUSHt IOTtl inc DOCK, ana
cogitstted over the best plan to conceal and so
be able to bring it away. The book was COM
mon blotter for cotton business, think, about
fourteen inches long, six or seven wide and one
and one-half thick. The paper was poor arti-
Gle, coarse, wine-colOred and badly ruled. l
could not put the book in care OF person in
authority whom l could trust. To carry it in
sight would only subject it to capture by the in
tensely bitter secessionists, whom l knew re-
an Object IN my medcne box stored With If
teen bottles Of still precious remedies, and
slung by strap to my arm. had on but one
and this was partly filled with lona-kept relics
of the place. 1t was clear that this pocket af-
torded the only hiding place at had, SO l de-
register, these being about one-half inch thick,
folded the mass into three close folds and
thrust the packet carefully into my pocket,
and then hastsEed out to the last wagons, leav-
in. the loathsome prison feeling glad and
/ distinctly remember that the thick package
remained In place long after We were on the
train. My duties required me to pass often
stepping from one to the next OF the box cars,
and passing down the bottles to the inmates
with directions for their use. 1t was remarka-
bic that only nine deaths, ii remember rightly
occurred throughout this long and labOrious
day of transfer, and these resulted from the
fact that the poor victims We're too deranged i'm
mind to realize that the lOngloOkeG-tor day of
delivcrance was at hand.
When the ocean air was scented through the
I1ln pluey WOOuS, anu WcSlOWly passed through
Gen. Fosters picket lines, distant Wow of
Wilmington was caught, and above it a very
large flag was floating, displaying in sublime
Significance the stars and stripes. INSTANTLY
and as II by agreement, shout OF JOY rose from
the trains that in tone, quality, intensity
and pathos sxcelled anything ever
heard. AS the trains came TO halt
several angels, as it appeared to our
disordered vision, disguised as ladies of the
Sanitary commission, who had been awaiting
us, came forward from their tents under the
trees with God be prased!' on their lips, and
baskets OF sandwiches and pots OF coffee in their
hands.
Numerous hospital attendants IN bright blue
uniforms carefully lifted the rescued prisoners
cots arranged in long rows in adjoining build
ings.
Ne wero under the Pgis of the old FLAG and
We're getting enough to eat again. Who could
be happier?
However we were not to be immediately re-
lieved of all our discomfOrtS. No clothing
could be given to US at Wilmington. Inever
jected to the suffering of their old-lmc rags,
fith and vermin until arriving a week laiNi.
at Annapolis. Some of US begged to have
water heated, SO we could take Il bath, and it
was when preparing for my bath that sud
denly recalled the impression that the precious
hospital register was missing. inquired dill
gently among the prisoners and hospital at
PENDANTS and also searched all through the cars.
The document was gone! lost out of my pocket.
perhaps, on the road, while stepping from car
TO car, Or STOPPING to pass medicines in at the
doors.
The reader may criticise this narrative and
declare that proper care was not given to the
the time, and afterwards, on the way, became
too much enUrtSSed in the iOy n deiivar, :, 40