The National tribune., 1885-02-12
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
LIBBY PRISON.
A Picture of Life There by an Ex-Inn,ate.

To THE Editor: If the reader OF these
sketches will go back in his imagination to the
Summer of 1863 and get OFT the cars that
have arrived in Richmond from Stanton, Va
with hatch of prisoners, early one morning
in a furious rain storm, and take his place III
line bv my side. and at the word move on"
from our guards, march through the dirty
streets of the city for some time, he will IND
himself on Carey street, in front OF large
brick warehouse, filling the square from
Twenty-first TO Twenty-second street, with
the canal and James River Immediately behind
il. Here the command 10 halt Is given. we
face about and cast our eyes up at the sign
over the pavement and read, Libby Il Sons,
Ship Chambers and Grocers."
Now look up at the windows on the second and
third floors with bars but no sash or glass, and
YOU will see innumerable faces peeping out at
you making all sorts ofsigns, motions and grim
aces that we do not understand, and that would
lead you to believe it to be an asylum for poor
demented creatures if it did not occur to You
that il was Libby Prison. slim, wiry fellow,
about five feet 10 inches high and 30 years of
age with cat-like tread and hOrSe,Jockey
style, comes out and receives the orders from
Lieut.. Tom, of North Carolina regiment, who
has charge of us. That is the notorious Dick
Turner. the turnkey of Libby Prison, and one
of the most despicable creatures that evolution
in human nature ever produced,-a fitting
counterpart to the coarse vulgar and brutal
Winder whose tool he is. Dick Turner has an
assistant (whom we call Sergeant also
named Turner, but no relation to Dick, and
not at heart an unkind man. He leads Us into
the large room on the ground floor, next
Twenty first street. At the door we are met
by dapper little fellow with pencil and
memorandum book, who takes our names.
regiments, rank, etc. He has not a bad face like
Dick Turner, and is very active in his duties.
That is Ross the counting clerk, who was
afterwards burned TO death in the destruction
OF the SpottsWood House.
AS we enter the door we notice an Office to
our right, occupied by stout, good-natured
clerk in his shirt-sleeyeS. named La Touche, a
Marylander from one of the lower Counties,
and married to the daughter of prominent
Baltimore leather merchant. There is also
medium-sized man, wearing bright Confed
crate uniform. That is Maj. Turner-for there
are three of the name engaged at Libby Prison,
which fact sometimes leads to confusion-the
commandment of the prison Maj. Turner is
not of striking appearance, being too effeml-
nate; but he dresses well, affects a soldicrly
manner, and is no doubt a very genteel man.
Inside the door we are marched out of sight of
our companions by Dick Turner. and demand
made for our valuables. We produce our pocket
books and in an instant we understand the
efforts of the prisoners at the windows to warn
US TO beware of our money; but, alas, too late.
Turner now takes the beautiful silk sash from
our shoulders and stoops down and removes
our spurs and then runs his hand down into
our pockets for our knives anything else he
may chance to find. If he entertains any
doubts of having missed anything, he hauls of
cur boots. Of course we feel very angry about
it and eXpostuate but he does not appear To
hear unless we become administrative, and
then he would likely enough seize club lying
handy and knock us down.
After he has gone through" us to his
hn n
the far side of the room, next the canal,
and we ascend flight of stairs to
door on the second floor. We enter our
prison quarters, and the door slams shut
behind us and is quickly bolted. We feel hui
INFLATED and bcwildered when hundreds of
voices salute us with cries of Fresh fish!
Fresh fish," and men gather about us in
groups and ply us with questions such as
Where are you from ? " What commando"
and thousand others. 4 sense of remorse over
comes Us, aud We regret that we had not died
upon the battlefield or jumped from the train
and died, if need be, in an attempt at escape,
rather than make one more OF such q mass of
suffering humanity. 4 disgust fills our soul at
the thought OF what we have passed through,
and Of becoming one OF the thousand and more
half naked, halt starved and lousy throng be-
fore US. Dautes vision rises in all its horrors
10 cur mind, and we see his inscription over
the gates Of hell with its ominous lines:
Through me you pass into eternal pain;
Through me among the people lost for aye;
All hope abandon, ye who enter here.
But in a few days we will find our philoso-
ply get the better of our feelings, and wisely
conclude 10 make the hest of our lot. We make
acquaintance and form friendships such as we
have never felt before. We join a mess of 20
persons and tO-morrow-not before although
we have had nothing to cat since leaving
Staunton 2i hours ago-we will draw four
ounces of beef and bone, ounce two of
rice and beans, and six ounces of bread or meal
to the man. We take our turn in the mess as
assistant cook at first, and when our turn comes
at the stove we put on the five pounds of beef
and bone with the rice OF beans and boil them.
When cooked we divide equally between us
all, and eat the soup and half the rice Or beans
and One-third the bread for dinner. For sup
per We eat the balance of our rice or beans
and another third of bread, and for breakfast
We either make hash out Of our beef or eat it
cold with the remaining third of bread
sKIRMIsHING.
After breakfast the first thing in order viii
be "skirmishing" thousand men-officers
OF all grades as well as privates-strip to
the buff, more or less, and search through every
seam and crevice of their garments, while squat
ting OH the bare 0aken floor, for "graybacks."
We hear the peculiar click" in volleys that
sends them TO the angel land. And wo betide
the poor, lazy or sick man who neglects his
morning skirmish drill.
We are then all formed in line and counted
by Clerk Ross and the Sergeant TO see that none
have escaped. Then we exercise by marching
round and round the large rooms, until they
all drop out one after another, and the drill
ENDS. We now read if we are fortunate enough
10 have anything TO read, we talk with our
friends, or visit about in some of the other
rooms After dinner we will likely have u
lecture from some Of the fine speakers among
the prisoners, or a concert from some Of the
fine voices among them, theatrical enter
tainment, as our company embraces all kind Of
talent. Some are busy carving ornaments and
napkin rings out of the beef bones of our ra-
tions; others studying propositions, tactics,
photography, etc. The floors are divided into
four large rooms on each, that communicate
with each other by doors cut through the brick
petitions, and particular rooms become more or
less the habitat of those who are from the diff
fercnt armies they represent and all have their
central figures or leading characters, although
rank is ignored except such as manhood CON
fers and nature bestows upon the fittest. After
supper Chaplain McCabe Will probably sing us
some fine songs, such as Rally Round the Flag"
and Scottish ballads. And here let me remark
that he contributes probably, more rays Of hope
and comfort to the respondent soul than any
other one man IN Libby Prison Yet, sad TO
relate, while cheering the dropping spirits of
others and sustaining their waning strength,
he himself became prey to melancholy, and,
neglectng his sanitary duties, drifted from
nostalgia into a typhoid condition; and only
the fact hat at he la Pnnlpaut apparantlr If