The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-14
Like every railroad within the Confeder.

Like every railroad within the Confeder-
ate lines in the summer Of 1864, that lead
ing west from Savannah was in very bad
state and the rolling stock was quite ia
keeping with the roadbed. Ten miles an
hour was considered good speed for pas
senger train, but rs prisoners were carried
in freight cars, and on a freight schedule
or on no schedule at all delays on sidingS
were frequent, and a knowledge OF the dis
lance to DE Travelled gave no idea of the
time when one might expect to reach his
destination. 1t was about . o'clock in the
afternoon of June u when we left Savan-
nah and the officer in charge of the guards.
Lieutenant Grimes, of the Thirty second
+ Georgia, told US that he expected to get TO
Macon, about 100 miles away, the next day
at noon.
We left Camp Division in driving rain,
which poured down, almost without cessa
tion, for twenty four hours. Although
close 10 the hole which Bell hai cut in the
bottom of the car and over which he lay,
went to sleep. as l have known weary
veteran soldiers TO do when lying down
under fire. Ii was near midnight when
l was aroused by the stopping OF the train
and the eeating of the rain on the roo.
/ Bells whisper and his hand on my arm as
! sured TIE that he was near snd dispelled
drowsiness. We supposed the train had
come TO a stop for wood and water and
as il was dark inside and out and all the
conditions we were hoping for seemed to
/ be at hand, we were about to drop through
/ the hole 10 the track, when the door at the
side was thrown violently open and a mau
appeared, holding a lantern above his head
Guards, turn out here!" he shouted.
/ The two guards who had been sleeping.
+ one at each end of the car, crept over the
recumbent prisoners and got out through
the door that was open. With the voice of
one in authority and blessed with good
lungs, the5same man called In:
"The prisoners must get out here!'
els this Maconp' some one asked.
mo; it's Millen,n said the man.
"Bpt amt we going on to Camp Ogle-
thorpe."
mot that am aware of; l reckon we
can care for you here" Then in an au
thoritative voice: Come, hurry up [ don't
want to stand here all night"
Bell and myself were the last men TO
leave the car but fortunately tho hole in the
bottom escaped the notice of the man with
the lantern. As soon as the prisoners were
out we were formed by Tours, my compan-
ion and myself bringing up the rear with
another prisoner, who was suffering from
intiammatory rheumatism and who moved
with much pain and difficulty. Somebody
near the head of the line called out:
''How far are we to march, captain!n
"lt's right smart walk for G night like
this" was the unsatisfactory response.
Tonight, if we uns is shot fo' hit ~
whispered Bell, and he emphasized his
words by grip on my arm.
The guard at the rear of the line, evil
IDENTIFY of the "homen variety, was a tall.
gsunt man of sixty, with a detected air, u
slouchy walk and an utter lack of interest
in the count Of the prisoners that was made
as soon as we left the cars. There were
i've lanterns along the line, and excepting
that carried by the man who seemed to
have taken command, they were all circu.
lar, tin affairs with perforations, through
which the light of the tallow dip within
strained. When the line was formed the
nearest of these lanterns was about thirty
feet to our front, and was carried by man
: who stood off about ten feet to the left x
the line.
"The guards must see that the prisone,
are Kept closed upp'
This command came down the line from
the man with the best lantern: then the
order "Marchin was given, and we startec
of through mud SO thick and tenacious
, that 1t threatened to pull our boots off a,
every step. 1t was not till we got away
from the lights of the shabby little station
that we realized how intensely dark it was
Before we he'd gone 300 yards the line hat
lost formation and prisoners and guard.
were struggling and staggering through
the mud Although helped along by twt
friends. our rheumatic comrade fnall,
came to a stop and said to the guard:
"You can kill me if you want to, for i
will kill me to go another hundred wards
Pm played out"