The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-08-14
After MANY DAYS.
MORE ABOUT A LoNG-pELAYEp LETTER

MORE ABOUT A LONG-DELANED LETTER.
We give below the full text of the let
ter written by SecOnd-Lieut. Edward b.
Parker of Co. b. First regiment Vermont
heavy artillery to his father, Eli, b.
Parker of Middlcbury. The letter was
given to DR.. James ii. Denny, now of
Brooklyn. y. y, one of the surgeons
mentioned as about ito be sent through
the lines" DR.. Denny, in a letter to Mr..
Parker, says that when transferred from
the prison many addresses and messages
were entrusted to him this among the rest.
On his release Sept. 20. 1864, he COM
municated with the friends of his fellow
prisoners but as this letter had no other
signature than "Edward.' and he did not
know Lieut.. Parker well enough to con-
meet that name with him. he could not
forward it. Soon after he returned to
the front. At the close of the war this let
ter was filed away with DR.. Dennvs war
papers, and he only lately found it and
sent it to the Office of the adiutant-gen-
eral in Washington. There the identity
of the writer was discovered and the let
ter forwarded to his father. Lieutenant
Parker died at Columbia, 5. c., Oct. ID.
1864, of wounds received from blood
hounds, by which he was chased and
torn on the 9TH of the same month. when
he Jumped from a train on which he and
other prisoners We're being transferred
from Charleston IIarbor TO Columbia.
Parker had previously been removed
from Savannah where the letter was writ
ten, to Charleston. Lieut.. Parker was
| only II years of 9ge when he enlisted,
and was the youngest of three sons that
Mr.. Parker gave to the cause of the In
! 10 fln a.. II,
on the two sides of sheet of Il common
sized note paper that bears evidence of
having been folded into very small
space in order that it might be placed
within the pin-cushion in which it was
taken through the rebel lines:
SAVANNAH, GA. Sept. | 1864
| Dear FOtheT-l will now try TO write you
few lines to let you know that | am in the
land Of the living. | have written TO you
| three times, but | don't think any them
have reached you. But AS some surgeons
are to be sent through the lines in few
days thought | would try and get IA letter
| through some way, They have to be exam
| ined before they leave and are not allowed
TO take anything that looks like II letter,
| wrote letter to Cornwall and put il into Il
| button of my coat gave ii to one of the
chaplains that is among the party to be
sent away. If you get this let them know
|
| this fall. | have made II pin-ball that
| shall send this in. | guess that il will fool
| the Rebs. Tell 6. Rowley that Carroll is in
very good health and he will let his wife
| know. | was captured on the I'D We had
a hard fight We went out in the morning
with ~ men 81 of them were captured.
There was nearly all of the rest killed or
! wounded. We were taken to Richmond
and put in Libby till the 10Th. Then we
were sent &c Macon, Ga. but as Sherman's
cavalry was making raid in that place
they thought il would not be safe to leave
us there. There were 1870 officers in the
prison. They made three divisions, and
sent one division to Columbus, one to
Charleston and one here. We got here on
the 10Th of July. We live the best here we
have at any place in the Confederacy, but
that is not anything to braR of. We don't
get anything but corn meal, and little
beef and bacon and salt but still we can
| make out to live on that if we have our
health. The prison is yard IA rods wide,
81 long not building of any kind for
| shelter, We have some small tents. There
are 600 of us ia the yard. All of the officers
are well but Lieut. SOwles. He was sent to
the hospital night before last very sick. If
we have to stop here all winter and they
| do not open communication so We can send
home for clothing, | don't know what
/ shall do. | haven't got any boots and only
one shirt that Is poor one, Greenbacks
are worth 1870 of their money potatoes
II per quart wheat bread, 81 per pound.
l did not have any money when | was cap
tured. They took everything away from
most of the prisoners. | was in luck when
sent my watch home, if you ever got il ;