Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-02-11
Prison Life.
BY MARK WARNER OF THE FIRST VT.
CAVALRY.

CAVALRY.
On the Sth day of September few
| hundred of us were formed in line
/ and marched to the railroad station,
not far away.
AS we marched away from that
prison hell, we presented a sight that
would have made any human being,
other than our prison guards, sick at
heart. Haggard, lean, filthy, feeble,
lame. halt and crazed. we took our
way toward the railroad, expecting
that the long-wished-for day had
come when we were to be sent away
on exchange. We waited beside the
track-there was no depot-about an
hour, when it was learned that no
transportation could be provided, and
we were marched back to our old
quarters in the stockade. We were
informed that within week we were
surely to be taken away. 1t was
long week to US; but true to their
word, this time, we were taken to
the railroad again. While we had no
very firm faith in our removal to an
other place, or in an exchange, we
welcomed anything nothing could
be worse.
We took a train, at length, and
started for Millen. We found the
prison here very much like that at
Andersonville, and need not describe
it. Our rations were the same, and
our treatment not much unlike what
we had suffered before. We were,
however, the first to arrive at this
place, and it was clean, at first, and
more tolerable than the filthy place
we had left. / will notice little
thing here that was, to us, of great
Importance. There was little pond
of water inside the stockade, and as
we heard splashing in it, we went
to see what was going on. 1t turned
out that lot of our boys were in the
water fishing with their hands for fresh
water Holsters. They were about two
inches in length. | found my bunk
mate, and we managed to catch |
enough of the interesting "fish' to |
make us a good meal after they were
boiled as soup. While we were fish |
ing we had the misfortune to lose our
overcoats and blankets. Some of |
our comrades stole them, and we
never could get trace of them after
wards. The nights at this time were
cold, and the days hot. We were
obliged to travel much of the time
during the cool hours of night to
keep warm, getting sleep when we
could catch it.
/ had the impression that the bacon
was using would give me the sour
Wy, and traded off my small ration
If southern hog for tobacco. and
to get q little consolation
put of the weed. We had become
80 weak and enfeebled that we hard
Y sensed the condition of things
around us, and memory fails to gath
er up many of the incidents of our
prison life.
After stopping at Millen about six
yeeks,we were put on board the cars,
md our destination proved to be Sa-
We were crowded into box
cars like sheep or cattle, as close as
not having room to change
our position, and when we stopped
we're unable to get out of the cars.
We were helped out, or tumbled out
rs best we could, and lay down on
,he ground till carts came around and
We were carried somewhere to a board
'tockade of not very large size. We
-emained here until the 10Th day of
when we were marched
out and down to the river. As we
cast our eyes down the stream, we
caught sight of thing that brought
oy beyond measure to our poor souls.
A fourth of a mile away was United
States vessel with the old Stars and
Stripes floating proudly in the breeze.
had many times in my life looked
lpon the old flag as thing of beau ,
", and an emblem of freedom but
never before had | realized what the
stars and the stripes. the blue and the
ed, fully meant. To US, at this time.
hey meant release, food ,comrort. joy,
nome. Not greater, methinks, will