The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-17
FX-PRISONER STATESMEN
covGRFssMEN WHO HAVE BEEN
BEHIND THE BARS.

captured During the War-Speaker
cr,sp's Prison Life.
From the Netc York Herald.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-Several OF the
-, members OF congress have spent weary
Months in prisons watched by guards ready
:, shoot at their slightest attempt TO escape.
Come for such attempts have gone about
.hsir prison pens with loads Of iron tied to
.ho,r ankles. and others have been followed
-, od-hounds and recaptured. These
.,stesmen, who now feed on the fat Of
washington, then grew thin on prison fare,
.,d their bones stuck out as they grabbed
t,r their rations in all the different military
prisons of the north and south during the
last war. They were all brave soldiers and
thew are all to-day patriotic American citi-
Eens.
Not one of them bears any Ill will toward
che section of the United States where he
snsnt those gloomy prison days, and both
nnion and confederates among them find
evcuses for the poor food and bad treatment
vrb,oh they then received.
The stories of these experiences read like
q romance. Take that OF the speaker. The
uon Charles Frederick Crisp was plain
UCharlien Crisp in 1851. He was a beard
less bow of l6 when he entered the confed-
crate army, but they made him lieutenant
and he led Company K of the Tenth Vir-
oinis infantry. He had served three years
when he was wounded and captured, and
carried 10 Fort Delaware, and for three
months he lay there with thousands of
other confederate prisoners. having no
comforts. but no great privations.
Then an order was issued that in retalia-
tion for the acts of the confederates 600 Off
i GERS among the prisoners of this fort should
be sent south and placed under the fire of
the confederate guns at Morris Island, near
Charleston. This order was not known to
the prisoners, and when the future speaker
was selected with the others and told to get
ready to go southwark he supposed be was
going to be exchanged and his heart was
glad. The 600 we're packed away between
. the decks OF the little steamer Crescent.
UNDER CONFEDERATE GUNS.
When the ship arrived at Morris Island
the speaker and his fellow officers were put
in q stockade on the sands. This stockade
was square and it inclosed about an acre. 1t
was midway between the confederate bat
teries Gregg and Wagner and in front Of
the federal batteries, and 30 located as TO be
In direct range of the confederate guns.
These guns were mortars and they threw
great shells, which went shrieking over the
the air, and fragments fell into the stockade,
TO the horror OF the prisoners. Strange to
say, however, no one was hurt.
representative Cobb of Alabama was in
this prison at the same time with Speaker
Crisp. He had been taken prisoner at the
battle Of Gettysburg, had spent six months
In prison on Johnson's Island, had been car
rled from there to Fort Delaware and now,
with these other officers, he was in the
.olxn 10 h. RnAD a.
and the speaker had practically the same
experiences and they remained together
until they were carried back to Fort Della
ware.
Their guards on Morris Island were
negroes, land these ;" says Mr.. Cobb, ''were
The blacklist negroes you ever saw. These
we're exposed as much to the fire as we
we're, and one Of them had his leg knocked
of by q she'll"
What sort of accommodations had your
asked.
Not very good" was the reply. 1.-THE
,smp was laid Off in streets, and we had
little A tents, and there were four men in
ient. A negro sergeant had charge OF each
'ow OF tents, and it was his duty to call the
foll three times day ard to issue rations.
Around the tents and inside the stockade
here was rope tied to posts which we
tnew was the dead line, and the man who
H.
le would be shot
I'VE were under fire at Morris Island for
more than forty days, and were then car
ned to Fort Pulaski, and at the close Of the
var taken back to Fort Delaware and re-
essed."
GEN. wHEELER'S CAPTURE.
Perhaps the most distinguished prisoner
lmong the members of the House was Gen.
Joe" Wheeler. the famous confederate
avary officer. Davis looked upon Gen.
Wheeler as his chief support in his pro-
ected flight through the south. Gen.
Wheeler was dashing along in the rear of
Jefferson Davis when he was captured. He
lad not yet reached Davis when he received
IN order to dishand his troops. He had
lone this and had only few OF his soldiers
& 1bOut him when he was captured. He told
ne the other night the circumstances of his
apture He said:
VI was lying in the woods in company
With several of my soldiers and a couple of
legroes when party of union soldiers came
Up. These soldiers were in confederate
Aothes end they found us by aid Of negro
Eho had brought us something to eat. They
we're beaded by Lieut.. Reynolds, and as
Don as | saw MIN come up and talk to my
negroes knew that it was all up with me
md that they had found out who was.
lad torn the stars which denoted my rank
4 VI my coat, but the coat was faded and the
pots shone out, 80 they could tell | was an
Incer Upon being accosted and asked who
was told them that / was Gen. Wheeler
md that under the cartel then in force
uIrendered and asked that we be paroled.
Lieut.. Reynolds told me he would not
.ccept my parole at that time aud said,
you wanted to be with Davis, and we will
axe you to him. With that he took me
WIN him to Atlanta, and l was there put
company with Jefferson Davis, Alexan-
Ter stephens, Clement G. Clay and ex-Sen-
Hor Reagan upon little boat and taken in
us down to Savannah, where we got an
Mner boat which carried us north. The
oat mat took US north was guarded by the
sunDoat Matamoras The families of
avs and Clay were taken north with US,
wa MRS. Davis had little Winnie Davis
WIN her. She was then a baby and l had
'er On my knee during a great part of the
no!age and helped to take care of her, as
Davis
roomed with Alexander Stephens on
tasSteamship," continued Gen. Wheeler,
,, anu found him very gloomy over the
aspects. AS for me, l felt happy and
~.Ggnt 1t was grand thing thar 1 had
W. ueen taken prisoner before that and felt
s Hsved that the war was ever. One day
~'G 70 Mr. Stephens in joking way that l
NM oeen accustomed to going north every
~, luther for my health and that the federal
ms s.sent was very kind in the present
bauce when had no money, to take me
anu pay my expenses for me.
STEPHENS WAS SERIOUS.
bod. 7 xrxbA