Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-01-28

the penalty OF crossing the line WIFI
his life. Among those in the prison
was crazy old fellow, called ''Polly,
He was really insane. One day ht
stepped outside the line and bareC
his bosom to the guard. The senti-
mel knew the man was crazy, and
hesitated to fire. Just at this time
the notorions Wirtz came along, and
pointing his revolver to the guard.
said, "shoot the prisoner or [ shall
YOU The guard fired and sent an
ounce ball through the head of poor
old "Polly," and that was the last of
him.
/ was with the first squad that en- :
tered the prison. We chose tent
ing place near the southwest corner,
near the gateway at that end, the
ground being high and dry at this
place. Three comrades of us put
our property together and prepared
our prison home. We spread blan-
ket over a small pole held up by
stakes driven into the ground, and
made our situation as comfortable as
possible. When we first entered the
place. our rations of corn meal and
bacon were quite bountiful, and /
managed to lay by a small quantity
of meal, using a pocket torn from an
overcoat for my storehouse. At this
time we had a sufficient quantity of
wood for doing the little cooking we
were able to do. But this was before
we fell into the mercy of the cruel
Capt. Wirtz.
Soon after the campaign opened in
the spring of 1864, new patches of
prisoners began to arrive, and it was
not long before the number was so
large that the grounds had to be en-
larged. This was done by taking in
new grounds at the north. This was
something like fifteen acres. l esti-
mate that the ground actually occu-
pied by the prisoners could not have
exceeded 20 acres. On this at one
time there were 1000 prisoners, or
over 1 200 on each single acre.
Our rations had gradually dwindled
down until we had only one-half pint
of coarse corn meal each day with a
small piece of bacon, probably not
over an inch square. The bacon was
very often alive with maggots. Oc-
casionally we drew a small ration of
beans. The beans were wormy or
rather pierced with worm holes, and
nearly every one had inside of it
lively little round bug, which under
ordinary circumstances would not
have been relished as food. While
of necessity we ate beans and bugs
[ think most af the prison
ers would have preferred to have had
the two articles of diet kept separate.
l might here speak of the water.
The stream which flowed through
the camp was small. Outside and
above us, the rebel troops who guard
ed the prison, had pitched their tents
alongside the sluggish stream. They
got their water supply from the
brook, but worse than this, all the
filth from their camp naturally ran
into the stream, thence along down
the stockade, where we were
compelled to drink the filth and fever
poison. A portion Of the stream, at
the upper end, was divided off for
water; then another portion
was used for bathing purposes-and
a horrible place it was. Below this,
the prison 'ssinks'' were located. At
ter little while, the condition of
things at and about these sinks was
indescribable and terrible. The sight,
the scent and the poison were unen-
durable; but the poor, sick, emaciat-
ed dying men were compelled to 60
INTO that filthy place daily. The wa
5er used for drinking purposes was
filed with malarial poison, no doubt,
N addition to the filth from the camp
above, for it was covered with the
green, Shiny matter so thick that it
lad to be brushed off the surface
when we dipped it up.
Notwithstanding the dangers at
ending an attempt to escape the
prison the guards on the walls, the
blood hounds and the savage Wirtz,
he boys were constantly engaged in
operations, and not a few
rot outside to be hunted down and
brought back. Some tunnels were
thirty or forty rods long started away
inside the dead line and dug far
enough outside to get away from the
guards. When it is remembered that
hese excavations were made in the
hight time, with no tools except |
wooden paddles and halves of can
eens, the great labor performed will
De understood. The dirt from the
tunnels was taken out ia blankets
md handkerchiefs and scattered |
about the camp or put on to the side
)f the stream where men were filing
out over the swampy ground to make
lew grounds on which to put the new
prisoners as they came in. In all the
work done, / never knew of but two
who made their full escape. One of
these was with Barrows, above men
toned. Occasionally one would get
off so or 100 miles to be hunted |
down by armed bodies in pursuit, the
following the trail.
These poor fellows would be return
ed and punished by being put into
tba focfono1 l.