The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-02-14
ANpERsONvILLE, CA.


and cemetery might be Of interest to the read
ers of your paper, ] left the land of ice, sleet
and snow March g. 1888, taking Pullman car
over the Monon route via Louisville and Nash
vile, arriving at Bowling Green, KY, 100 miles
south of Louisville at noon on March q.
| Peach trees were in bloom and wildfowers
were to be seen all along the route. Nearing
| Nashville, we passed through the National
| Cemetery. The grounds are laid out nicely
aud neatly kept, and looked quite beautiful as
we passed swiftly by. Leaving Nashville,
called a halt and took brief look over the once
bloody battlefield of Stone River. l then
! passed through MuTfreesboro and Tullahoma.
| At Governs Station ] stopped for supper. This
is the place where the dog leg-of mutton soup
was dished up in 1863
At Chattanooga visited Lookout Mountain;
then went to the graves of my comrades, the
Mitchell raiders, that captured the locomotive
and were hung at Atlanta. The graves arc in
circle in the National Cemetery For the
information of their friends l viii give the
number of their graves as marked on head
stones:
]. J. Andrews. 1899. Citizen of Kentucky.
William Campbell 111s0, Citizen of Ken
lucky.
Samuel Slaven. 11176. Co G. 33d Ohio
S. Robinson. 11I77. Co. G, 33d Ohio
/ g. d. Wilson. HIS. Co. b. I'd Ohio.
Marion Ross. 11179 Co. A, Cd Ohio.
Perry G. Shadrack. 111sl. Co. K, I'd Ohio
IL
| Leaving here, passed over a continuous bat
tlefeld to Atlanta. Official records show that
! from Chattanooga to Atlanta inclusive, more
| than $4,000 men were killed and wounded and
more than 10000 captured from Sept. 10 1863
! to Sept. 10 1864. Arriving at Andersonville
l found the same depot agent in charge that
was here in war times. His name is NJ. p.
| Suber; he is rs years old, and has been agent
/ here 81 years. Geo. Disher. who was a con-
ductor, and handled the prisoners to and from
! the stOckade, is still connected with the road.
/ l arrived at o'clock, and after eating my first
! square meal in this place tathOugb / had been
/ a boarder here II months), | started out to
| hunt up my old stamping ground, The stock
| ade is about half a mile east of depot. Here it
| was that 10000 Northern soldiers were con-
fined like cattle in pen. This prison WAS
used from February, 1864, to April, 1854
months.
! The stOckade was formed Of strong pine logs
! firmly planted IN the ground and about 90 feet
/ high. The main stOckade was surrounded by
! two other rows of logs, the middle one Is feet
/ high, the outer one IL feet. 1t was so arranged
| that if the inner stockade was forced by the
| prisoners, the second would form another line
| of defense, inclosng % acres. The great stock
! ade has almost entirely disappeared. It is only
/ here and there that post or little group of
! posts are to be seen. These have not all rotted
away, but have beensplit into rails to fence the
1 .
nedy, colored man. Only small portion of
| the ground can be farmed. The swamp, in
/ which a man would sink to his waist still
| occupies considerable space. In crossing the
little brackish stream I knelt down and took a
| drink, without skimming of the graybacks, as
| of old. Passing on, not far from the north
! gate l came TO Providence Spring, that broke
forth on the 10Th or 18th OF August, 1864. The
spring is surrounded by neat wood curbing,
with small opening on the lower side, through
which the water constantly flows Not the
! slightest trace is left of the dead-line
The holes which the prisoners dug with
| spoons aud tin cups for water and to shelter
from sun and rain still to be seen, almost as
| perfect as when dug. Also the tunnels that
were made with view to escape are plain TO
| be seen. Relics of prison life are still being
! found-bits of potts. kettles, spoons, canteen-
covers, and the like. / had no trouble in To-
| eating my headquarters on the north slope
! You can imagine my feelings as / walked this
| ground over again after 81 years, thinking of
1 the suffering and sorrows of those dark days
/ Visions of those living skeletons would come
up before me with their haggard distressed
countenances, and will follow me through
| life.
A half mile from the prison pen is the GEM
etery. Here are buried the 1874 that died q
wretched death from starvation and disease
| The appearance OF the cemetery has been en-
| tirely changed since war days. Then it was an
/ old field. The trenches for the dead were dug
| about seven feet wide and 100 yards long No
collins were used The twisted, emacated forms
| OF the dead prisoners were laid side by side
and at the head Of each WAS driven little
stake on which was marked a number CORE
spending with the number of the body on the
! death register The register was kept by one
of the prisoners and 1878 names are regis
| tered, with state, regiment company, rank
| date OF death and number OF grave. Only 92I
| graves lack Identification. l found 80 of my
regiment numbered, and quite number whom
| knew had died there lie with the unknown
! The headboards have been taken away, and
substantial white marble slabs have been
erected in their places. The stones are of two
| kinds. For the identified soldiers the stones
are fat, polished Slabs three feet long lone
half being under ground four inches thick
and y inches wide. On the stone is a raised
shield, and on this is recorded the name rank
state and number. For the unknown the
stone is four inches square and projects only
five inches above the ground. The rows of
graves are about 10 or 10 feet apart There
are few stones that have been furnished by
| the family or friends of the dead Aside from
| the few, so many stones alike are symbolic of a
similar cause and an equal fate. The cemetery
covers % acres Enclosed by brick wall five
feet high The main entrance is in the center
OF the west side. In the center of diamond
shaped plot rises a flagstaff where the Stars
and Stripes are floating from sunrise to sunset.
The cemetery presents a beautiful appearance.
The grounds nicely laid out aud neatly
kept, under the supervision of J. NJ Bryant,
who lives in a nice brick cottage inside the
grounds
will close by quoting one inscription from a
stone erected by sister to the memory of a
brother.
They shall hunger no more. neither thirst any
more neither shall the sun light on them nor any
| heat.
" For the Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto
| living fountains of water; and God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes"
Rev, VII: 16, IL.
The writer of the above article was prisoner
of war over 10 months, was captured at the
battle of Chickamauga Sept. 90, 1868; deliv-
cred to the Union lines April, 1865, and was
aboard the Inflated steamer Sultana.
Would ike to know if any c0mrade living
was imprisoned this long.-A. c. Brown, Co.
/, I'd Ohio, Albert Lea, MINI.
BGzzard's ROOst.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: On reading
Non Veterans" communication in your pa
per, 1t brought to my mind an incident that
occurred at the same time and place. was
Surgeon of the Goth H., and established hos
pital at Tunnel Hill two or three miles from,