Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-05-17
WAR SKETCHES,
OF INTEREST TO WEST VIRGINIA SOLDIERS
In OARLIN'S BATTERY.
This Paper Treats Of the Release From Imprisonment
of the Battery Boys Who Were Caught at
Wlnchsstsr-Intsrssting Story by
George W. McClelland.
Camp Parole.

the count, the Captain made US little
speech. Among other things he welcomed
US on board and congratulated US upon oul
escape from prison and starvation. He
said: just as soon as we cast loose anC
turn our boats head down stream the CONS
will sound, and just bevond the engine
room on the lower deck you will find plenty
to eat, and best Of ali we shall have plenty
of Lincoln coffee" l was sorry / haG
thrown away my tin cup, but one of the
boys promised me the loan of his cup, and
with this had TO be contented.
So soon as we turned down stream, the
gong sounded and l broke for below. II
was crowded to suffocation. / finally gol
by the engine, but it was struggle The
engine room was enclosed by an oval shaped
bulkhead. Just in the rear of the engine
room and to the left hand as | came in
reaching distance. man held up on a flesh
fork about two pounds of meat. The next
pushed my way round the engine room
and out on the guards, when | sat down
and put myself on the outside of that piece
of bread and nearly all of the meat.
BY this time one of the boys gave me his
cup, and prepared to travel the circuit on
the second round. ] found the crowd con.
siderably thinned, so / got around quite
easily. When / reached the meat man he
held up chunk nearly as big as my head
did not want it. but when half loaf oil
bread was stuck under my nose / could not
resist the temptation, so | gathered it In tC
assist me in drinking my coffee.
When had put myself on the outside oil
that cup of coffee and the second half loai
of bread | began to think of persons
had read of who had killed themselves by
overeating, and for few minutes | felt {
little uneasy, but suffered no inconveni
ence. The fact is the black berries anC
extra rations we had gotten since we lef
Belle Island had prepared my system fol
the after gorge.
was little too well satisfied to grow
very enthusiastic over the remnant O
jamestown which we passed in two or tire,
hours time. Only an old ruined churcl
and two or three pieces of walls, or what
took to be walls, was all | saw. gazeC
with stupid wonder and amazement on thu
| little Monitor that had so completely useC
up the big Merrimac or Virginia.
| We stopped opposite the Minnesota, tn,
| flag ship of the squadron. A boat put of
from her side and an officer boarded u.
with the glad news that Lees army hat
been whipped at Gettysburg and Vicksburs
had surrendered.
Just after dark we dropped anchor of
Fortress Monroe in 80 fathoms of water
A companion and | found oar way to the
stern OF the boat and fixed place and soor
fell into sound, dream ess slumber, sleep
ing the sleep of the just.
When | awoke it was morning, the sun
was shining brightly and we were out on
the boundless ocean. looked TO the right
and left. My eyes swept the horizon in all
directions No land in sight. The fact is
had just awakened when we had passed
out of Hampton Roads into the Atlantic
and was then approaching Capes Charles
and Henry that guard the entrance of Ches-
apeake Bay. 1t was different from what
had expected. There were no large waves.
have seen rougher water on the Ohio
many time. think, though we fortunate
ly met no rough weather We seemed to
be at the bottom of trough with the wa
ter rising gradually to the horizon. think
nothing would be more monotonous than a
sea voyage.
After breakfast l took my station on the
bow of the boat on the lower deck and, as
we steamed up Chesapeake Bay, watched
the vessels of all sorts and sizes and under
the flags of all nations go down the bay.
out on the broad Atlantic, and to the various
countries of the globe
AS we entered the harbor of Annapolis,
we saw British slOop of war anchored
off the harbOr. She manned her yards for
US as we steamed up. 1t was a beautiful
sight, about 250 men dressed in their best
uniforms standing on the spars across the
different masts.
We steamed up to the wharf of Annapo-
lis, and the prisoners were marched out to
College Green barracks and placed under
command of an old Major, who was quite
facetious. We were formed in line and
in sending US to our barracks his method
was TO call out, "All the troops from Ohio
step two PAGES to the 'front.' The men
would step out. He would single out a
sergeant to take command, form them into
line and march them to the Ohio barracks.
When he came down in his list, he cried
out, "All the troops from Kentucky step
two PAGES to the front" A single, solitary
individual stepped out. The Major rode up
pretty close to him and said, Are you the
troops from Kentuckyf' Eyes, sir" ''All
right" said the Major. Form yourself
in two lines and march to your barracks"
We were furnished with tin cup, plate,
spoon and knife and fork, and complete
new uniform. These things were given to
US outright The Major told US TO take
piece of soap, go to the river strip off our
old clothes. make a bundle Of them, wade
out into the river as far as we could and
shove out our bundle of old clothes as far
as possible into the current and let them
float away, live stock" and all. | obeyed
TO the very letter those instructions.
In few days we were sent TO Camp Pa
role, about two miles from Annapolis and
the troops belonging to the western army
were sent to Camp Chase. Camp Parole
was in the sand and among the pines. We
scent most of our time catching sea crabs
and fishing for cove oysters. Discipline
was very lax. We could go where we
could and do what we pleased. The camp
was under command of Col. Root.
Sergeant Deters got hold OF Wheeling
paper, and found in it notice from Cap
tain Carlin for all provost marshals, post
commandments, etc, to furnish his men
transportation to their command Deiters
and several others got few miles from
Annapolis, and showed that paper, never
whispering a word about being parOled
prisoners and presto they had transporta-
tion home.
Some of the boys, among them Yves Hun
ter, wandered out TO Bedford, Pa, on their
way home. were arrested and soon found
themselves IN Fort Henry, Baltimore.
Corporal Phillips, after we had nearly all
struggled away from his inner conscious
nesS, produced an order by Edwin M. Stan
ton, Secretary of War, transferring our
company to Camp Chase. The company
was promptly furnished transportation, and
Phillips and few others, all who were
there that would go, rode on the cars TO
near Martins Ferry. AS the train slowed
up they jumped off and crossed the river
home.
The writer was with crowd which
finally consisted of eight, seven infantry
men and one battery man. We had been
originally three battery men. Jessie Litten,
Jacob Hull and myself Jessie Litten took
sick before we had gone three miles. Jake
Hull travelled about sixty miles before Civ
ing out and going back. l kept on and we
kept gaining new recruits until we had
eight all told.
AT Bedford, Pa, we received our last
augmentation, which consisted Of Charlie
Colbert. hospital steward of the Twelfth
West Virginia, and companion out of the
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