Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-04
SOLDIERS COLUMN.
STRUCK A BIG SUGAR NINE.
PombeI ton Prison-How Prisoners
Foraged from the .Enemy.

Much has been written concerning the
experiences Of comrades in Libby, An
dersonville, Salisbury and other rebel.
prisons, but / do not remember seeing
anything about the Pemberton Prison.
This building was situated across the
street from Libby, about 100 yards lower
down. Why so much has been written
atout O. her prisons and nothing about
this one am unable to say, and will en-
deavor to rescue it from oblivion.
In September, 1868, accepted an ur-
gent and pressing invitation from the
chiyalric sons of the South to become
their guest for an indefinite period. /
did not like to refuse, for fear of giving
offense, which appeared to me to be a
dangerous thing to do Just then. Sub>
sequent events proved that itwould have
been better to have Iisked it: l believe
the chances of death were
greater in accepting than in de>
clining such invitations, and most people
would prefer death by shooting to be-
Ing starved to death. In company with
i79 unfortunates Of my regiment 1 was
assigned to Pemberton Prison. 1t was
three>story tobacco factory, with brick
partition through the center from cellar
to roof. This Partition was or had been
pierced on each floor. leaving a good
wide doorway ;but we found lhese places
closed by heavy planks, so we mad to
keep on our own side. l was on the
third tloor of the Or SON. and there was
a small kuothole through one. OF the
pianks, which gave me an opportunity
to communicate with our comrades on
the other side. Wether there were
similar means of communication on the
other floors or not do not know. Toe
members of my regiment had no blan>
kets, and very few others had them; we
were relieved of them early in the game.
The building was comfortable and
we did not suffer from cold, but our
stomachs had not yet shrunk to tae
dimensions required by prison rations,
and mine never did quite get there; con-
sequently we all had &C ring voids. e..
There were 900 of us on each side of
the partition, nearly all Chickamauga
pr soners. Some of the boys became Gu.
rious to know what the cellar contain
ed, or perhaps they were looking for an
outlet to freedom; at any rate they cut
through the floor and went down. They
made the astounding discovery that the
cellar was full of sugar, stored in hogs
heads. Of course they sampled it, and
the news spread. We must have had
among us several men who we're born to
fill higher positions than they were then
occupying, for all attempts to make a
rush for the hole were promptly sup
pressed, and commissary department
was organized to distribute rations of
sugar to all. Inever got even a glimpse
of the hole, but I did get some of tho
sugar; in fact, for week or ten days
we had all the sugar we want,
ed, and I know in, my case it
was from a quart to three pints per day.
never would have believed it possi-
BILE to eat so much. Of course, the news
got through the knothole, and about the
same time we learned that the boys on
the other side had sunk shaft and
struck salt in sacks. Commercial rela>
tions between the two sides began at
once, sugar being passed through the
knothole In teaspoon, and salt returns
ed in the same manner This was much
more satisfactory to us than to our
neighbors, as the demand for salt was
not SO heavy as that for sugar. We had
both salt and sugar in abundance, while
they just got sugar enough to whet their
appetites. =
This was entirely too good thing to
last, and the end soon came. They had
no Commissary Department on the
other side, each one going for salt when
he felt like it, and as one man could
bring up enough at one trip to salt a
great many meu, no confusion resulted.
But few of the men were not satisfied !;
some men want the earth-but these SIM
ply wanted more sugar. They went into
the cellar, and by some means
worked hole through the brick par
tition and got the sugar. They got
what they wanted and told their friends,
who, of course, told their friends, and
soon everyone knew that new vein in
the mine had been struck. There was
no system about it; everybody wanted
to 60 down, and pandemonium ensued.
Of course all this happened after p. M.
as there would be danger of interrupt
ton and discovery at other times. We
could see nothing, but we could hear
the noise of 900 men, desperate with
hunger, fighting over hole in the floor
just large enough for one man to get
through. The sugar was brought up in
haversacks, and many of the salt-sacks
were emptied and filled with sugar and
taken up through tbs hole, then the
struggle would begin and last until the
sack was empty. The guard came to
see what was the matter, but came nc
further than the door. The Officer of the
Guard concluding that it was just gen.
eral row among the Yanks, did not care
how much they fought among them
selves. We soon learned the cause oi
the trouble. Some of the boys wanted
to 90 down and protect our rights, but
wiser council prevailed, and the hole or
our side was kept closed.
The next morning the secret was out
There was mixture of sugar, salt and
Yankee gore abont an inch thick al
over the floor, and the hole was easy dis
covered. The hole on our side had beer
made so that the cuts in the boards cam'
directly over the joists, and nothing
could be 81 en- from below, and our par
in the affair was not suspected. Th
wall was repaired, the rations were stop
ped on the other side for one or tw,
days, the remaining stores removed, ant