The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-05-30

language can describe, in marshes anC
Upon the cold or wet ground, or in thu
ison pens, from starvation and abIse
story of one who went from oul
ghborhood, though the half can no
put upon paper, may not be uninter
Sting, and may give those who are toe
young to have known anything of the
experiences of those days, an idea Of
what war really is. Oliver Green Of
SALISBURY, one of the veterans of the
war, enlisted in the LIST Vt. Cavalry, Co
q. in 1862, under Capt. Bean of Pownal
and was later under Capt. Frank Ray OF
Bennington, whose promise as patriot
and soldier is on the lips of all his com
rades The regiment was forwarded tC
Washington and were employed between
Washington and Alexandria for somt
time, for the protection Of the Capital
which it was ever the desire of the Con
federates to capture. The cavalry were
employed in accommodating about the
different gaps through the
mountains, when the Southern army
would make their advances from the
south and west, as Manassa, Smokers or
Ashly gaps, in the last of which Green
was in hand to hand fight with the
rebel cavalry, He was with Gen. XII
patrick most of the time, when on the
campaign for the protection of PennsyI-
vania. The division of Gen. Custer was
often with that Of fitzpatrick, and the
drill and fatigue, with the often expos
ures incident to army life, told upon the
health of the men and brought disease
and premature old age on many whose
temperament was not fitted for such a
life. He was taken prisoner Oct. IL,
1868 near Brandy Station, Virginia, with.
In about forty rods of the plantation of
John NJ Bolts, Southern neutral. on
the retreat of Gen. Meade from the Rap
idon, a few months after the battle of
Gettysburg. There had been hand fight
ing and squad were taken prisoners,
ami with two or three hundred made up
of cavalry and infantry who had been
captured, were taken to Culpepper Court
House, about six miles away and kept
over night, in the Church. Here he saw
Gen. Lee, who was in pursuit of Meade,
and who looked, as he thought with
come satisfaction on the Union soldiers
Lee was making strong effort to push
on to get to Centrcville, which was a
strong position to be occupied by either
army which should be fortunate enough
to get there first The prisoners went
from Culpepper to Spotlsylvania, when
all were stripped and searched, and all
valuables, even to little keepsakes, were
taken from them, and them ION to
Richmond" was the order, though in a
different way from the one tn y had
hoped to go; and then into the walls of
the dreaded Libby Prison they were
thrust All blankets and overcoats had
been taken from the prisoners, and be-
fore being confined within its walls they
we're again stripped and a more thor
ough search made, to be sure that no
valuables or weapons should he left upon
their persons. The room was bare of any
furniture, nothing but the walls and
floor and the windows, from which if any
looked out and the sentinel observed it,
he was ordered to shoot them. This
bare floor to lie upon, was the softest
found during their prison life, not from
the difference in material, but as there
was more flesh on their bones, than
after they had been subjected to prison
fare for time. They were fed on very
weak pea soup, with occasionally little
meat, and in a short time were removed
into the "Pemberton" warehouse, to
make room for more prisoners. Re-
naming here until January, they were
then removed to Belle Island and kept
until about the middle of March, when
they were sent to Andersonville, Ga
This prison-pen consisted Of about TWEEN
ty acres of ground upon side hill, sur
rounded by a stockade, where the sol
diers were kept, sometimes numbering
over thirty thousand at a time. Their
sufferings were great as they were Oblig-
ed to sleep upon the ground with moth
ing to cover them, and to keep from
dying from the cold, often, when reduc.
ed by sickness and hunger, they were
compelled to dig holes in the ground to
burrow in, as a nearer approach to COM
fort, and to keep life in the body through
the chilly nights. No wonder the skin
would become parched, and seem too
small for the bones over which it was
drawn, and the eyes protrude from the
sockets, and the gums recede from about
the teeth. after the prisoners had been
dealt out rations at the rate of twenty
five pounds Of meal day to one hun
dred men, and this amount decreased by
five of the overseers taking double ra-
tions before the division. In addition
TO this once week meat was dealt out,
ten pounds to one hundred men, or one
and one-siXth ounces to a man. MIR.
Green says they would wait anxiOusly
for the meat, though often it would
seem to make an effort to crawl away,
being 80 infested with vermin. From
dysentery, scurvey and other diseases,
brought on by sutferings from hunger,
exposures and cruelty, there were ire
uuent deaths, many of which were well
coined by the poor "boys" who had be-
come discouraged, disheartened and en-
tirely helpless. The one having charge
of the prison, Henry Wirz, Swede, was
after the war found found guilty and
hanged for his i'll treatment of the pris
oners, but this in the Judgment of the
poor sufferers or in that OF civilized
mankind, was but p slight punishment
for such Who'll, sale inhumanity. They
were confined at Andersonvile until the
taking of Atlanta, when the $4,000, pris-
oners were divided into three corps and
sent in different directions that they
might not fall into the hands of the
Union army. Green's corps was sent to
Savannah in a great hurry and confined
III a IL
being formed of boards set up and driv-
en- into the ground and surrounded by a
guard, with orders as at other prisons,
to shoot or place blood hounds upon the
track of any who should attempt to es-
cape. Gen. Sherman's march from At
lanta to the Sea-" was closely watched
by the rebels, and soon they were re
moved to a similar prison near Milledg-
vile. From here they were transported
again to Savannah where they renamed
until another movement of Sherman
compelled their removal to Blackstone
on the coast. When Savannah fell be
fore Sherman, the prisoners were sent to
Townsville, which is upon an island,
and il was necessary TO wade through
water from one to three feet deep to get
to il. After Fort Fisher was captured
they were marched eighty miles across
the country to Little Albany, where they
took the cars To 20 again to Anderson.
vile, arriving there January 20, 1860
On these journeys, the prisoners would
have at times to eat but one ear of corn
from three to five inches long, each day
and sometimes be obliged to help push
the cars along for want of steam. He
used to think of Fuller's dog in Shafts
bury Hollow, and would imagine him
eating to his fiji. and wish he could
share with him the dainlies from III,
dogs plate. At last there was rumol
that they were to be exchanged and OF
April l4Lh, fourteen hundred Of them
were started in one direction, they knew
not whithtr, but bringing up in Bald
wInsviIIe, Florida. The train stood OF
the three tracks of railroad Y, and tn,
prisoners were ordered to get out int
The square Tor triaDg!e) which was done
re- quickly as possible as they were il
expectation OF being exchanged. Many
were unable to stand erect, being drawn
out Of shape by scurvy and from weak
nnss nrndnceh NV hi. nasn a nd filth ,u hi u