Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-17
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sonyille stockade.

story. be was one Vi bnO yVuusSos oOANASAS
of the late war. He shouldered a musket at
16, was captured at Jonesville, Virginia, in
1858. and after q short stay at the prison in
Richmond. found himself in Andersonville.
The exchange of prisoners between the
North and the South stopped on July 3,
1868. and from this time on the Southern
prisons rapidly filled. In January, 1864,
there were Is, 600 prisoners in Richmond and
Danyille, and in April, '64, the number OF
prisoners in Andersonville was $500. At
the end of MAY this number had increased to
$4,000, and at the end of June to 26,00O.
These raiders were hung in July, and at the
end of that month there were 81, 900 prison
ers in the stockade.
ANDERsoNvILLE PRISON.
Said Colonel McElroy: You cannot
imagine the crowded condition of the prison.
1t consisted, you know, of field covering
about four city squares, outside of which e1-
tended a high stockade. just inside of
this stockade was a road 20 feet wide run
ming around the whole inside of the prison,
known as the dead line. The guards were
ordered to shoot the man who got his fingers
over this line and remember one day in
fixing my tent, which was just outside of
the dead line 1 heard the ping of bullet
and just escaped being shot for having my
elbow over the edge.
The prison was in the shape of a rectangle
and it consisted of two hills which sloped
down toward the center through which ran
creek perhaps 100 feet wide. On the sides
of these hills were crowded the thousands in
the prison and at one time there was scarce
ly room enough for all to lie down at once.
The prisoners came from all parts OF the
United States and from all the divisions OF
the Union army. They did not know one
another and the new arrivals were as lost as
man in a strange town. During the war
there was band of so-called Union soldiers,
who were in fact guerrillas and who preyed
off of both sides. Some of these were boun-
" jumpers, others were Union deserters and
others were made up of the thieves and cut
throats who follow the fortunes of war to
make what they can out of either side.
BAND OF cUT-THRoATs.
The rebels had captured a number oi
these men, and they held them for time al
Richmond with the idea of exchanging
them for Confederate prisoners. Our com.
pany soon became acquainted with them,
aud when they were sent from Richmond to
Andersonville we spotted them. As soon
as they got into the prison they organized
themselves into a regular band of thieves
and robbers. They had leader and they
committed a number of murders. When
ever a new set of prisoners was ad-
mitted they would make it a point
10 rush upon them, and by throwing
blankets over their heads, or knock
ing them down, would be able to steal
whatever valuables they brought into prison
with them. The men who came in, know.
ing no one, would suppose that the whole
prison were like these raiders and the result
was there was no security of ofproperty. None
of the prisoners had any property to speak
of, but the new arrivals always brought in
something. In April, 1864, however, the
Confederstes captured brigade al
Plymouth, n. c., consisting of the One
Hundred and First and One Hundred anC
Third Pennsylvania, the Eighty-ffth New
York. the Sixteenth Connecticut and somt
other organizations. The most of these meI
had veteranized and had arrayed themselves
in fine clothes preparatory to going home Il
see their folks and sweethearts on thell
veteran turlOugh.
THREE BRUTAL MURDERS
Bv the terms of their capture they wer,
allowed to keep their personal property, anC
they formed fine quarry for the raiders
As soon as they entered Andersonville the,
were attacked, and some who offered resist
ance were killed. Others were beaten owe
the head with clubs made of heavy pine
knots or cut with knives or razors. Tn,
whole camp was in state of terror owe
these outrages. / remember one mornin,
seeing three men who had been killed th
night before by the raiders. Their throat
were cut. and it at last became so common
that almost any time during the day vol
would see q mob in some part of the CAM
brought about by these men.
Many attempts were made by the law
abiding soldiers of the prison to secure OF
der in their immediate vicinity. Fac
SQUAD or clan as it were, had its own place
but those squads nearest the dead line hnall
resolved themselves into little organlzs
tion for mutual self-protection. belonge
10 one of these companies, and our part wa
the only portion Of the prison where an
kind of order prevailed. The rest OF th
place was held by the raiders, and anarch.
reigned.
A SECRET ORGANIZATION.
II got worse and worse every day, and to
ward the latter part of June Sergeant LIE
Rov L. Kew, OF Company M. of my battal
ion OF the Sixteenth Illinois Cavalry un
dertook the organization of force of regu
lators. There was a number OF his old bat
TALON In the prison and the organization
soon included 80 able-bodied boys who ha'
NOT succumbed TO the pestilential scurvy
and other diseases Of the camp. This or
qauization was made very quietly az th
raiders were ready to crush out anything o
the kind by the assassination OF the leader
II was kept so secret that they got no ink
ling of il till the night OF July 2, 1864, ant
then Kew had 800 boys organized and arme'
with clubs which were tied to their wrist
nth strings. These clubs were about tn
nj n