The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-02-05

so was fitted up with pair of wool socks.
gray pants, blue blouse and undermined
Texas hat accompanied with any amount of
body servants.
BURNING THE BOAT.
The boat soon after took fire, and the rebel
officers had hard work to get the men to carry
Off ammunition that was slowed in the hold,
and was taken forward on the lower deck
near the capstan, and there left till l feared
they would not get me off at all. The heat had
blistered my face, when soldier dragged me a
little ways out of the heat, and another took
hold of my feet, and they carried me of. !
think was the last man off the boat.
DESPERATE NEGRO.
There is one incident wish to relate here.
While lying on the boat near the capstan,
negro soldier Ia Sergeant) came rushing by
from the hull, ran down the staging, drew his
revolver and snapped it three times in the face
of the Colonel in charge of the detail getting
off the ammunition. The revolver failed to go
off, the Sergeant was seized by the soldiers.
dragged off, tied to tree and shot. The
wounded were taken to cotton shed near by;
from there in wagons to Cheneyviile, La Here
/ met many of my regiment who were wounded
and taken on the City Belle-amongst them
Surg. Stanton, Asst Surg ]. c. Gill also, Sur
geon from one of the gunboats; Col. Raynor, of
the seth Ohio; a First Lieutenant from New
York regiment, and a Major and Adjutant
from some colored regiment. The Doctors
herein named had performed all surgical opera
tions and had done all for the wounded that
was possible, but when we arrived they had
no surgical instruments-not even pocket cases,
they having been taken away by the rebel Sur
geons; SO they could do nothing for us, except
give us the kind care which they untiringly
bestowed on all the wounded An old negro
woman who was captured with us was boss
cook the assistants were the slightly wounded
soldiers. All the prisoners that were not
wounded were taken to Camp Ford, Tyler,
Tex =. The Confederates left two barrels of
-four. several boxes of crackers, and some other
commissaries captured from the boat, which
lasted about two weeks and then we subsisted
on unsifted cornmeal made into bread, with
no salt and nothing to leaven it but ashes.
This, with molasses, was all the Confederacy
furnished. The citizens kindly donated many
delcacies for the badly wounded, but there
were so many of us that the few inhabitants
could not keep the poor fellows from suffering
and dying for want of proper n0urishment.
The Major and Adutant made their escape
from the hospital soon after we were taken.
The condition of the wounded became so de-
plorable and so many died that Corp John
Null and myself concluded to attempt an es
cape in hopes of reaching our lines, and, under
flag of truce, bring ratiOns to our dying COM
rades. Null was shot through the hand, and |
could now go on crutches. But our escape
from the hospital, the hardships endured to
the Atchafalaya, our recapture when within two
miles of the Union lines, and our return to
prison, would fill several columns; and not
knowing how this will be received will close
by saying would be glad to hear from some
of the survivors of Shaggy Pont.-JoHN M.
BAER First Lieut., Co. II, Tooth Ohio, Ninth
Div Thirteenth CornS RiuphamtOn. Wis