Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-05-10
for him. In the evening he was out of his

for him. In the evening he was out of hi
head and by morning he was a corpse
| think, on the 18th of July, a lot OF u
were called out at the sally port" formed
in line and marched over to Libby prison
The rumor was that we were to be parole(
and sent away TO make room for 40,OOO
militia captured at Gettysburg.
After marching to Libby, the Sixteenth
Ohio and our company were taken back u
the third floor A door was opened into thu
citizens department and forty. five our mel
and forty of the Sixteenth Ohio were wer'
called through. We thought it was thu
door of liberty, and were all anxious to q
through. The officer could not make GU
one mans name on the list and and We:
Hunter said, "Thatith my NAME" anC
stepped through as brisklv as If he were
going to be married. In less than tvt
minutes he would have give $50 OF any
mans money to be out of there
So soon as the eighty-ive had passed II
through that door it was locked, double
barred, and two sentinels with loaded mus
kets placed in charge All men were
ordered TO keep away from that door, and
the guards instructed to shoot down any
one who attempted to enter through it.
There were several conjectures as TO why
these men were placed in there. The worst
feature was that more men had been
brought over than the cartel called for,
and as we were 10 be sent away in the
night these men would be kept in the citi-
zens department until morning and re-
turned to the Island The strange part OF
the proceedings was the fact that the men
selected were West Virginians, one compa-
ny of the One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio
b. ing recruited in West Virginia.
About dark we drew our rations. which
consisted Of rice, soup and bread | could
not distinguish the rice grains from the
maggots, and could eat none of it. Our
men in the citizen department department
were so badly frightened at the turn of af-
fairs that they could hardly eat anything
but those old fellows. some of whom had
been in prison from the beginning of the
war, readily paid 30 and - cents. Confed-
crate scrip, per cupfull, and swallowed it
down with evident relish.
Ateight o'clock, we were formed in line
and paroled. We slept all night in Libby
prison, there being a hitch somewhere in
the arrangements. On the following morn
ing about ten o'clock, the boys in the citi-
zens department were returned to US.
never saw whittier set of men in all my
life To add to their misery when they
found that through that door was not the
way TO liberty, an old sailor picked up an
evening paper, which had been brought in,
and glancing at it said Hello, boys, here
is news. Two men 10 be executed at Libby
prison, a citizen and soldier, in retalia-
ton for the death of two prominent Con-
federates executed in Kentucky by order
Of Gen. Buebridge." Then he pretended
to read the manner of drawing lots, and
that So soldiers had been placed in the citi-
zens' department. No wonder the boys
cared nothing for "A supper of maggots and
rice.
About eleven o'clock, the bread that had
been cut up to ration US in the night time,
was issued to US, making the second break
fast. At twelve, the conscripts were
formed in Cary street in open order on
either side of the street. We marched
down and formed in line. When all
down Cary street. About three
blocks below Libby, a man stood with
ham fierce on wheelbarrow near the
curbstone, and, as we passed by, he gave
each file man chunk of meat about the
size Of your double fists to be divided
among the four men marching abreast Bill
Harris was our file man, and | was the
fourth man from him in line. Bill, instead
of dividing began to chew and suck at the
ham bone the man had given him. l nearly
made circle of our line TO get around and
get piece of that meat until happened tc
look at Bills hand with which he was
holding that bone, and happened to see the
maggots working out through his fingers
then did not want any meat.
We were marched over the river TO Man
chester, here we found cars into which we
were ordered to climb. Being wise from
our Stanton experience, lot of US gath
cred up in the door of the car and began L
yell. mo more in this carl We are dying
Suffocating! Murderr' When all The
men were cared we spread out and haC
plenty of room. Just then man came
along asking, "Where is the troops from
| Tennesseeln We said we were the troop
from Tennessee He soon came arounC
and poured about bushel Of crackers oil
the floor of the car The second time we
had gotten crackers in the Southern Con
tederacy.
Nothing specially occurred on this trip
We did not take the direct route to ST
Petersburg We then learned what haC
caused the hitch. Gen. Dix had been raid
ing up in that direction, and they were
afraid he would recapture US. We were
run to Burksville Junction, going very
slow, reaching there some time in the night
When the cars stopped, we were ordered
out and told that the train was below
Weakened up, jumped out of the car, plunged
down the bank, and before | reached thu
bottom found it was below with ven
geance l rolled and tumbled something
| less than thousand feet. | thought blame
it all, am | never going to stop. Finally
reached a stopping place, found the track
climbed into the car and went TO sleep.
Here they put little boy, about six
sixteen, in the car to guard us. He wen
| to sleep with his musket in his arms. One
of the boys thinking he might hurt some
body took it out of his arm, took OF thu
bayonet which he thought he might neeC
for candlestick, and broke the muske
over the door, saying; HE never dld Ike
the looks of such things.
When the boy awoke we had organized
court martial" and had already tried
him. as we told him, for sleeping on his
post. and that we intended to shoot him
reading, from memory, the Articles O.
War concerning the penalty for suct
crimes He cried and begged piteously FOL
his musket. Some one told him it dropped
out of his arms on TO the ground while h'
was asleep.
We were then on the South Side road
running towards Petersburg. We haC
everything our own way. The train raj
so slow we could pick blackberries anC
keep up with it. You could not have hireC
US TO leave il; we were our own masters
were going home, and wanted to take NJ
risks
A wreck occurred on the road which de
layed us about two hours. A lot of u
went up and bossed the niggers who Were
removing the wreck. The officers in charge
of the train looked on us with amazement
but as we went back in hurry TO our ca
when the wreck was cleared, they sale
nothing TO US.
While passing through Petersburg W,