The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-05

Charleston. Here, much to our SURPRISE az;
tnougn this city was called the hotpeu u
fSorit; we We're better treated ~ o my the
Inorllles and received more favors tr9 ns .9
eiuZens imam at any point in the Conie sre ~
Although nominally placed under tne Iio ~ ~
gu. guns as hostages for the pr9tec',oyf the
oio Guy, we were, by the changing froro
range OF the guns by our forces, so iaI io IN
being In very dangerous position, lna a, oo Of
oI ii}.i casu.altles were the Smashing ounding
NIUE dinner table and the slight W. ~ .
OF one OF the men sitting at the taD.ed ~ 5ur
fragment OF shell which penetrnapSSuir activ
Dullalng. Another shell explodeuo mem tberi.
over US, ana few fragments DuIleu ~ ony
selves in the yard, doing no damage 70 Sny
one. toward the latter part OF oep.elno o.,1
the yellow teyer made its appeai"cittvv att II
soon began TO DO sad havoc in the cIsy. ~
was not long before 1t reached the prisoners
and many OF them died of the dread ulsease'
Neither dld the Confederate solaiedTs esc APE
Indeed the prison commandant anu ms a 1!
tant both died of the fever within rev Gays
after it first appeared. The epidemic hayIng
gained sure foothold, we were marcI na,' on
to Columbia which was prison CHILD
rather than stockade prison.. Here our ra-
tons were meagre, the nights so1n oSo@ a-as
emily, and want of sufficient sneiS '1r,aS Of
Roper Hospital.
While at Charleston my wants had neen ~
measure relieved by the recetpL OF w gg a
among whom was Mai i' W. L. NJ. Burger, then
serving as assistant Adiutant Genera 70 MAJ.
cen. Porter. Soon after reaching Ooiuin pls ~
tSs from ON this my friend 6r n Special ex
change, and, my delight can be pet.et ini ne
ag1ned than described, when on the ltIn VI
o os tp amid the cheers and hehind'
OF Inc poor Fellows / was leaving pentnluS
and with my pockets crammed Win Iettel ,s
Ior Gear ones at home, / babe, az l o .nen
thought, q long farewell to old "Camp S4rg-
num-. Again was doomed TO dlsapPolnt'
lnent. Having proceeded to Charleston ~,
NAMED there on parole day OF Two anu
was then taken to military post near Poca-
aDOOt mn ht1ud mill
lesion, where was, as was told, 10 DC eA-
changed for Confederate officer OF my own
rang. with sad recollections and roma ant nc
1patlons prepared to bid farewell 10 me me
Confederacy. Honored with a seat on an olu
ambulance drawn by a still more aged mule,
after riding fifteen miles over rough road
accompanied by an officer of Gen. Hardee,s
sra star; , atltnough was stillon parolel reached,
the the 1sbie strean ehdiyided the Federal
one OF our officers in full uniform, while
across the stream paced our sentinels with
measured tread. was nearly overcome with
Joy when thought in few moments l
should be within our own lines and under
the protection of our flag. Judge of my con-
sternation and disgust when told by the Fed
eral ofhcer having charge ofthe matter that
he had received telegram directing him TO
hold the exchange suspended until further
orders from Washington: Back | went 10
the Confederate camp. Again and stillfagain
three times in succession-I had my ride In
the mule wagon and visited the flag OF truce
boat, the last time only to be informed that
my exchange had been annulled and that
must go back to "durance vile," Secretary
Stanton having decided to grant no more
special exchanges. Meanwhile the Confed-
crate officer for whom / was to have been
exchanged and who had actually been al
lowed to enter the Confederacy on parole to
effect this very exchange, was compelled to
go back to our lines and remain a prisoner.
This officer was none other than Maj Lamar
Fontaine of Texas, who had distinguished
son ~ rom 10 1nG u
ing the siege of Vicksburg, being obliged, in
doing this to pass through line after line of
our troops then besieging Vicksburg.
returned to Columbia ga sadder and wiser
man." From that moment / determined to
escape, and had but few days to wait before
did so, and that, too, in broad daylight, with
Hunt and Litchheld of my mess. We told the
sentinel we were going out for wood. When
we. got out the wood did not suit us,
and having learned that there was an
ABUNDANT supply in the range of mountains
separating Tennessee from North Carolina,
we struck a northwest course, and should,
in due time, have reached Knoxville,
had we not encountered q squad of natives
| and Cherokee Indians (then in the Confeder-
| ate service) who insisted upon our returning
| with them as their guests.
AS it was, after q tramp of 412 miles
| through the enemy's cOuntry,-more than
| half this distance being made by night,-hav-
| ing been lost five days in the laurel thick
| ets,-lying down at night with no shelter and
| almost no clothing upon ground covered with
| snow, wading sometimes streams in which
ice had actually appeared, subsisting two
days on half rations and three on none, we
| were at last delivered back to the tender
| mercies of Confederate authorities, who i'm
| mediately placed us in confinement at Dan
| vile, Va.
| had visited Danville on my way to Ma
| con and was familiar with the place. Here
| remained, after my thirty days of liberty,
until March, when was taken with others
/ to Libby Prison at Richmond, from which
| point was exchanged barely in season to
| participate in the glorious campaign which
ended in the surrender of Gen. Lee and the
/ downfall of the Confederacy.
l Should undertake to tell you what befell
us while we were making our fruitless dash
for liberty, which has already been done by
an ADLER pen, or should / endeavor to des-
| cribe the long weary days we spent at Dan.
vile, where we were packed down upon a
hard floor so closely that at night there was
hardly standing room, or, If, encouraged by
/ your kind attention, / should venture to re-
| late the untold and amusing incidents which
cheered and made endurable SO many
| months of prison life, and, If, perchance, as
my memory should fit back to that grand
transition from confinement to liberty,
| should attempt to describe my feelings as
| rode along at the head of my regiment
1 through the streets of Richmond and
| looked up and saw Confederate prisoners
| peering through the same grated windows
| from behind which hut six short weeks he
| foroI myself had watched the greycoated
/ sentry in the night pace back and forth and
| shout twelve O'Clock and all is WELL" L
should prolong this article too far into the
night for men who have Reached that age at
which good habits and early hours are their
safeguard in their declining years.