Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-05-28
FIRST NIGHT IN LIBBY.


lieve them more narrowing than min
the first night spent in Libby. 1t wa
dark and bitterly cold. The wind hisse,
necessarily through the barred window
to the north, and through the chinks o
the rough board floor a steady draugh
came up and made a balloon of the thiI
blanket covering Captain Martin anC
myself
After 9 o'clock, and when the light!
were out and the men lying down in Ions
rows, as if death had come upon then
when massed in solid rank, there still
went on hum of conversation in the
upper Chicamauga" room. The Won
der to me was not that they did not droI
off to sleep at once, but that anybody
could possibly go to sleep in such place
at any time.
To the east of the room in which lay
there was similar apartment, which
Martin told me was the Upper East,
or upper Potomac" room, below which
there was "Lower East" or "Lower
Potomac" room. The prison officers
made no effort to classify the prisoners,
but as was natural men from the same
commands herded together. The west
ern third of Libby was occupied by men
of "Straight's command" who had been
captured near Rome, Ga, the previous
May, and were therefore the "oldest
fish" in prison, and by prisoners from
our army in West Virginia, principally
Milroy's men. The middle rooms, which
were also the darkest, were filled with
men from the armies of the Ohio, Mis-
sissippi, and Cumberland, and majori-
ty of whom had been "gobbled" at Chic
amauga. The two east rooms were the
brightest and warmest, and their occu-
pants were the jolliest and noisiest.
Most of them had been ''scOOped in" the
first day at Gettysburg, or from Sickle's
Corps on the second, and all of them,
with the exception of General Neal Dow
and few others, taken at Port Hudson,
belonged to the Army of the Potomac.
For fully an hour after the lights were
out the widest kind of an uproar con-
tinued in the Upper Potomac Room.
There were cheering, stamping, cat calls,
and barking, and over all the confusion
could catch these queries, the mean
ing of which | subsequently learned:
"Who the devil stole my blanket?"
"Teed of ReadingT' came thunder
ing shout.
"Who hid behind the big gum" from
one.
"Boltz of Berksr' from what seemed
a thousand.
"Where do you wish you was?"
"Home with my mother"
Here followed in every key, from shrill
falsetto to gruff base: "Oh, L want to
90 homer 81 don't like this placep
81 want my breakfast early-and lots of
it," "Cook for ten and let me eat alonep
"Bow, WOW, wow-gr-r-r bowl" 'Choke
that id dogF"
A few seconds of silence and then a
weary voice calls out: "BOys, do keep
still and let fellow sleepl"
A roar of wild laughter that threaten
ed to lift the roof, which to me had no
merriment in its sound, greeted this re-
quest. Then the comments began:
80, yes, let him repose!"
sect him some soothing syrupr'
Crock him to sleep mother; rock him
to sleeps" this was the refrain of then
popular song, and the whole Upper Po
tomac Room seemed to be singing it.
This was followed by the requests:
"Fan his head, some one"
"Give him an artillery punch and let
me smell the glass. Ah-h-h!'
"Ah-h-h!" from everybody.
"Boys, upon my soul I'm ashamed of
you," said the man who wanted to sleep.
"And we're ashamed of ourselves
even though we are in the jug. Now,
attention; | have motion to make;"
this in commanding voice.
"What is it Ryan," from score.
81 move, as the night is cold, and we
can't sleep anyhow, that we spend the
time profitably."
second the motion. How's it to be
done?"
81 move that Colonels Cesnola, Cava-
da, Won Helnerick, and myself be ap
pointed committee of four to go down
to the Lower Room and invite General
Neal Dow to come up and give us a
temperance lecture. I've made up my
mind to swear off for some time. All
in favor will say Aye"
"Ayep' in laundering tones.
"All opposed, NO"
"No! in tones still more laundering
"The Chair is undecided"
"Divisionl divisionl divisionw
81 call for rising vote!'
The gentleman who made the last sug
gestion was unanimously invited to go
out to the spigot and soak his head.
Captain Maas?-Ed Mas, of the
Eighty eighth Penn-syl-va-ni-ayw
"Well What the devil is it nOw?"
This from a man who had evidently
been trying to sleep.
"Give us song with a laundering
long chorus to it; something that will
warm fellow like IRE, a jug of punch,
and feather bed"
"And will you hold your ID tongues
after that and go to Sleep"
"Oh, come, Cap. we'll hold our tongues,
for we amt women; but don't ask the
impossible" said the man who wanted
to hear Neal Dow.
A pause, then whole regiment SEEM
ed to be clearing its throat preparatory
to helping along the chorus. Then,
high above the whistling of the wind
through the bars and the beating of the
sleet upon the roof, a ringing tenor
voice sang the words:
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of
the Lord,
He is trampng out the vintage where the grapes
of wrath are stored;
He has loOsed the faithful lghtnings of his terri
| Bile swift sword
| Gods truth is marching on"
AS Mrs. Howe's splendid Battle Hymn
is not before me, l am not quite sure OF
the words, but can never forget the
thrilling chorus that followed it. Again
and again was repeated the "Glory
glory hallelujah, Gods truth is march
ing on"