Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-20
WAR PAPERS.
A MEETING OF VIRGINIA OFFICERS IN
FORT DELAWARE.
Discussing the Question Of Swallowing
the Yellow Puppy After Johnston's
Surrender Resolutions, &c.
[For the Dispatch. ]

When the above caption is read thou
sands will be eager to read what follows,
Is it contains part Of the history Of Vir-
ginians who had not only shown them
selves tried and true when victory
perched on the Confederate banner, but
ever firm almost to a fault when they
saw the Confederate cross 60 down in
death and defeat. A preliminary state
ment is necessary.
Twas captured on the I'd Of March,
1865. Without attempting to give any
Of the details Of prison-life and Of the
misery which attended it in the last
days Of the civil war, particularly after
the assassination of President Lincoln,
let it suffice to say that Fort Delaware
was known 70 be the rorst Of Federal
prisons and / might quote Secretary
Stanton in order to give q comparison
of the treatment Of prisoners on the
respective sides, which would show
that his figures demonstrated that
thirteen out Of every hundred Of Con-
federate prisoners died in Federal
prisons, whilst eight out of every
hundred Federal prisoners did in Con-
federate prisons; and l might add
more weight to the statement that Fort
Deloware ras the rorst Of Federal pri-
sons by giving detailed figures in re-
gard to this prison, and recall the names
Of Captain Ali and Lieutenant Wolf;
but it would be foreign to the object Of
this paper, save insofar as it would add
to the heroism Of our 4" Virginia boys"
in that pen, standing as if
"On the Bridge OF Signs,
A palace and a prison on each hand -
the price Of the one being to take the
oath and freedom, the penalty of refusal
and the other continued misery.
So then, as soon as it was officially
announced that General Lee had sur
rendered, the authorities came into our
pen, in which some $500 Confederate
officers we're Gagged" and stated that
the roll would be called alphabetically
and the oath would be rendered to all,
and those who wished to take it and
did so would be released. This was the
oath Of allegiance to the United States,
and was known in prison as the "yel-
low puppy" and taking it was called
swallowing the yellow puppy" 1t
was printed on yellow paper.) The
first name called was Lieutenant p. b.
Akers, from Lynchburg, who, in his
answer, made the pen resound with
loud, long, and continued MOI! Yet
a good many officers, believing that the
Confederacy had collapsed, answered
aye" The question submitted,
will you take the oath and be re-
leased, or not:" Aye. meant liberty.
No meant continued misery. | kept
tally until the authorities ceased calling
the roll, and the average was ID for to
Is against-or nearly evenly divided.
A meeting of most of the Virginia Of
fcers was informally held, and these
acted together and proudly answered
No, Lincoln was assassnated not
many days after, and all of this
action by the authorities amounted to
naught. Those who had voted Aye"
were not released. The "screws"
were frightened no letters were
allowed to be sent or received, the
suffers store was closed against US,
and the big guns Of the fort proper
were turned on us, so that their line
of fire, as near as could be, was CEN
tered on our pen. This done no doubt
for intimidation.) All games and smuse-
ments. such as ball, marbles, &C., were
stopped BY order, and everything to
add to our misery was done that could
be accomplished. This continued for
some days,
After Johnson's surrender the prof
fer of the oath was again made. A full
and formal meeting was then called of
Virginia officers, and in pursuance of
that call they assembled in my division,
partment or large room, in which, on
No. 81. "a division was simply com
both sides, were three tiers Of hunks
or shelves, ON which the prisoners
slept.)
1t will be seen from the following
proceedings that, Notwithstanding the
increased rigor in their treatment-not-
withstanding that the surrender of
Johnston left really no hope for their
MISUNDERSTANDING death stood
knocking at their doors in the form Of
scurvy and other loathsome diseases
notwithstanding their longing to be
again with loved ones at home-yet,
true to themselves and loyal to their
traditions, they took counsel and de-
termine1 to act together; and whilst
there were differences of opinion, the
action Of this meeting was to be law
for all, and, as the sequel showed,
not until every Confederate orsaniza-
ton had been dispersed; not un-
til Kirby Smith in the trans-MiSsis-
sippi Department, had surrendered;
until President Davis was in irons, and
no semblance or yestige Of Con(ede-
rate Government remained, did any Of
this band Of brothers renew allegiance
to Uncle Sam and leave their prison
cells.
Twas kept there til the
Child Of the sun. refuigent Summer.
came, and many remained till they saw
approach the
. yellow Autumn, wreathed with nod
ding corn
The following is an exact copy of the
proceedings of this meeting, held in
Fort. Delaware prison twenty-one years
ago. Respectfully,
PETER J. OTEY.
DIVISION No. 81, FORT DELAWARE, }
April 80, 1865. !
Pursuant TO a call made by the Of
ficers from Virginia confined in Fort
Delaware as prisoners Of war, and who |
had refused to take the oath of allie |