Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-10-02

THE FINAL pEIIvHRA>CE FROM THAT rni-
son HE'LL.

'"i ''NA' 'fi'' hhANNh fh'N lHN' lhf
''N mil
From Or r H. Mann- "A Yankee in
Ander-onyiile" " in the Csntury for Aug
u-t we quote as follows Ali this time il
was evident that the Confcderacv was
falling 10 pieces and our deliverance not
far distant. The tone Of the prison au-
thorities began to change particularly to
those Of Us who were cnioying the outside
parole. The guard began to fratcrnize
with Us. showing a disposition to be neigh
horly one of them mad,. the burial squad
a present of very fine ham such ham
a they at the south only know how to
cure, and hnshrl uf sweet potatoes They
began To lounge into our little log Int ard
chat with uS during tile evening, and play
cribhacc, chess and checkers. We were
invited into their camp. The las. Two or
three weeks Of our STAY at Florence We
could 70 and come pretty much a.
pleased after our days duties were done.
At last wc were told th9i they could hold
Us no longer, and that we would be placed
on board the cars as fast a. they could he
obtained and run into the Union lines at
Wilmington. Adjutant Cheatham request
e. all the parolcd men 10 remain To help
Oft the last train load, which would con
s>t Of the sick and totally disabled
watched for nv comrades as the prs
oners filed out Of the >tockade. took
Snow. McCulIom, and Short by the hand
as they emerged from this gate to Hades,
and assured them that thcy were really
bound for Gods country this time The
last load left the fourth day after. We
worked till near rlidnight IN loading the
box cars with their half living. half-dead,
human freight, the remnants and drees of
to the train, and more than twenty while
en- route between Florence and Whining
ton. We placed aboard the train nearly a
hundred cases of SMALLPOX. and two hun
dred cases in the last stages or scnryy-
whose condition | dare not describe. The
excitement and efforts 10 revive the al.
most diving kent nv nerves and muscles
strung till the last man was on board;
then | felt faint and deathIy sick. and
could not ride inside the cars with the
loathsome sick and diving. climbed to
the top of the train. and rode for the first
ffty miles in cold northeast rain storm,
until so thoroughly wet and chilled that
shook from head to foot like man with
ague Then crawled along to the engine
and over the tender into the cab, where |
found four of nv comrades. who had pre-
ceded me to get warm, and we rode here
the remaining distance to Wilmington.
We supplied the tender and fire with wood.
and, in short, pretty much ran the train as
we pleased. Soon after daylight of March
|, 1865 | saw the first free Union soldier
in ten months, in the form of foraging
cavalry man. Our whole train load cheer
ed him with all the noise we could make,
and waved some kind of rag | never
saw a more astonished soldier Evidently
he did not comprehend the situation.
About noon we reached the Union lines,
upon the opposite side of the river from
Wilmington, where we were met by am
bulance, surgeons, and everything possi-
Bile to make us comfortable, and there we
saw the glorious God given flag, the Stars
and Stripes of free people.
could not eat during the three days we
spent at Wilmington, but did drink a little
coffee, that we had longed for so much.