The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-06-01

keep their numbers reduced, brit now our
principal occupation was
"sKIRMIsHING,"
otherwise they would have carried us bodily
off
The same arrangement for issuing rations
prevailed here as at other prisons. The
quantity and quality was shout the same,
only we got nothing that was cooked. We
had had no meat of any kind since June, and
received here for ration of "a hours half o
pint of wormy cow-peas, half pint Of corn
meal the principal part of which was cob |;
for feeding the Yanks tho rebs did not think
it paid to bother to shell the corn.
At long intervals we got half teaspoon
of salt and sometimes a gill of sorghum
(which the rebs invariably called these mo-
lasses," which was issued in lieu of peas or
meal. 1t is a fact that cannot be truthfully
disputed, that the peas given to US always
contained from one to four bugs to each
individual pea. We tried to separate them
at first, but soon gave that up as bad job,
as it reduced the ration fully oue-half Ac-
cordingly, after boiling them, we would
mash the whole mess together and dry it
out in the skillet. We thought that if
travellers in the African deserts could eat
roasted locnsts, why not starving Yanks do
the same with Confederate bngs? Anyway,
so they were cooked and eaten with relish
Trading among ourselves and with the
guards still continued Tobacco was a
necessity to those in the habit of using it, as
q food, aud part of each days ration was
"swapped" for the weed.
Roll-call took place every evening, but it
never seemed to satisfy the rebs. They
were always, at every prison, issuing more
ratI0ns than there were men in the camp.
They did their best to find ont how it was,
but never succeeded, and could not catch the
slick Ysnks, who would answer to their
number and draw rations in several differ
ent squads.
Asat other prisons, the rebelSurgeons went
through the formslity of having sick call J"
at the gates, but it amounted to nothing, as
they had no medicine, even for their own
troops. Furthermore, medicine would not
have been of much use without wholesome
food, shelter, and humane treatment.
Here | saw for the first time those inn
mense spiders-tarantuas. There seemed
to be great many around camp. Although
we had become accustomed long before to
creeping things generally, these made rs
shudder. But they were as nothing COM
pared with the musketos, which might be
mistaken for diminutive humming-birds.
They came down among US In swarms, and
did not wait until night, either.
Books were scarce article in camp. / re-
member of seeing but two" Mill on the
Floss" and Baxters Saints Rest" One of
my comrades owned the latter, and read it
necessarily. Such is the association Of ideas
that several years after the war / Glanced to
have for a neighbor a most esiimabe friend,
but disliked him intensely, simply because
his name was Baxter
As the Preside ential contest was soan to
take place, the rebs were anxious TO know if
Mcclellan stood any chance of election.
They thought by taking a straw vote of the
camp some sort of basis could be estab
lished to figure from. The election took
place, and although an extra ration was
promised If Mcclellan were elected, Lincoln
carried the camp by a very large majority,
as he did at all other prisons.
This made the rebs feel rather
DOWN IN THE MOUTH,
as they knew that Mcclellan was great
favorte with the soldiers. They saw by
this showing that there was no hope of his
election.
Time hung heavy with US, with nothing
to divert our thoughts from our miserable
surroundings. The days seemed TO be of
interminable length and dragged slowly
along. Our principal conversation was in
regard to exchange, and the eatables we
would order up at the first opportunity after
that happy event occurred. Square meals
Was never-failing subject to draw upon to
whi e away The lesden hours.
The number of corpses at the gate each
morning increased as the days rolled by. 1t
was heart-rending sight--the filthy, con-
shrun kou farn,s ,yrea1hal into hide
ous shapes. Scurvy, by contracting the
cords had drawn the limbs into all manner
OF positions; flesh was swollen to bursting,
disgustiDg-l looking sores swarmed with lice
and maggots hands were cliBched, mouths
open and eyes staring, while swarms of nasty
flies filed the air about.
The bodies were nearly always naked, as
the few rags that had been worn had been
stripped from them by someone who had
the heart to do 1T as soon as the breath had
left the body, and sometimes before. 1t was
not an unusual sight to see ragged wretches
guarreling and fighting over dying pris-
oner for the possession Of the rags he might
have on.
After less than months stay at Millen
we were nnceremoniously routed out one
stormy morning about o'clock, hustled into
box-cars, and started toward Savannah. One
hardtack was issued to each man, and we
received nothing more for 40 honrs, when
our famishing stomachs were RECALLED by
haif-pint OF shelled corn.
The reason of our hurried departure was,
] presume, the fear Of Sherman's raiders
We learned afterward that they reached
Millen only few hours after we left.
Our stay at Savannah was of short dura-
tion, and our excursion was continued down
=
Ga. The rolling-sto and track of all the