The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-23

Boys Brigade of the Penn Avenue
Baptist church last night on his Per
soual "reminiscences Of Southern
Prison Life" Companies A and b aud
the cadet corps occupied ~ portion OF
the body of the church, and the other
space WAS devoted to good siz,d audi
encP. The proceeds netted quite
large sum and will be applied To tho
purchase Of uniforms for the B)ys'
Brigade
That the subject of Colonel Ripple's
talk was au appropriate one. WAS
shown by tbs rSpt attention OF tho
young msn whore interest nsvsr Jagged
from the tins Colonel Ripple began
speaking until he clos,d. Tne salient
points OF the address wsrs as follows
MlSCONCEPrloN OF ANDRRSoNvMLE.
| The paper shall read cannot bs digni-
| fed by the term Lecture; it ID simply
the recollection of scenes and events ia
which il was my fortune to take part
Few have u knowledge or conception of
Audersonville in which many thousand
union prisoners suffered aud died; yet.
from Gettysburg TO APPROXIMATION Court
| House there were fewer union soldiers
| hAAASN va kAV AASAA VI OesthAO khoh NASN ~
the prison pens Of the south in the same
! length Of time.
| Andersouvllle UyerShadows the other
prisons, but the mortality there was not
so great aS elsewhere. Salisbury, Flor
ence, Millen, Richmond, Danville, Belle
| Isle Columbia B,ackshsar aud other pris-
Gus this side Of the Mississippi, Camp
! Ford, Texas aud others on the west side,
contributed their quota which placed the
name Of the union soldier far above all
others for deeds Of heroic sacrifice ami
steSdiaSt loyalty to country.
After the lapse Of over twenty five years
my recollectons may be u little dlmmel,
and forget many names Of those who
passed through the furnace OF atictlou
with me; bat some OF tine scenes are 50 in
| deliOly impressed on my memory tha;
while reason, sense, or life remains, they
can never DO eHaced
My regiment the Fifty-secoud Pennsvl.
yaula, was oEe Of an expedition organized
under General Foster to get possession OF
James Island in Charleston hTbJr; the
attack failed, aud about l4D Of US VINO
lauded were either killed or captured IL
was the morning OF July 3, 1864, that we
walked into the Cupfederacy over the par.
ayets Of Fort Johnson, and it was not until
the iirsJ Of the following March that l was
privileged to shake the acquaintance thus
hastily and rashy formed
We were taken over TO Charleston dur
ing the morning and were marched
! through the part Of the city which was
eXpOsed to our guns on Morris Island to
the city prison. On our way we were
subjected to all sorts Of taunts and chat
fuE and sometimes could not refrain from
replying in kind. The hatred felt for us
| was plainly shown. We We're taken into
the Jail yard and in the afternoon fur
nished tubful of boiled mush and some
, bacon. very few partook OF it, but after.
ward l wished for an opportunity to at
tack the second tub. The heas in the
prison were driven away oy lice in over
wheming numbers who TOOK possession of
| our bodies.
EN- ROUTE TO PRISON Pen.
On the morning of thesixth we were re-.
moved from the Charleston prison and put
aboard the cars for Andersonville Forty
or fifty of US were packed in each box car
with one door closed and four guards
| watching the other exit. At Augu5ts
Joha Rapp bought quart Of milk and
divided IL among Brennan, Beavers and
! myself. We were o thirsty lot and tired,
and the milk, like its price-S2 per quart
was beyond description.
At Macon we were separated from our
others, who believe were left there, and
we went on. Colonel Hoyt escaped shortly
after aud within sight OF our gunboats on
the Edisto river was treed by dogs and re-
captured.
We arrived at Ardersouville on the
morning OF July and were allowed to re-.
tain all sums Of money less than 500. 1t
was at this time first saw Captain Henri
Wlrz, made famous, or infamous rather, by
his administration as commandant Of An
Gersonville prison. He was q little, weakened
specimen of man and resambled q skye
terrier, though the comparison is unfair to
the dog. He was utterly heartlesS and
held his position for that reason, by the
full knowledge and purpose OF his super
iors. One OF our boys described Wirz as
being the most even tempered man he ever
saw. in that he was always in rage.
We soon came to point overlooking
the stockade and the sight Of the inside Of
the prison below us was stunning and dis
heartening. 1t resembled an immense
ant-hill teeming with life There were
about 2j, ,0G0 prisoners there at the time,
and that mass swarming and moving
labout over the face of the prison bore out
the ant resemblance very strongly. II
srLnck our hearts to think this was to be
cur home-no ons knew how loug-per-
haps until the end OF the war, whenever
that might be. Upon our entrance, filth,
disease, starvation, and death were all
about US, and we were warned OF the dead.
line by the old prisoners: no intimation OF
this feature having been made by the
guard to us. In some places this dead-line
was shown by n fenCo about three feet
high, running around the inside of the
st0ckade about rod within It's limits:
but ia all places where it was or should
have been, the penalty was death for
crossing or leaning on II. As soon as a
| prisoner unwittingly crossed the dead
line, hs was shot down. some times at
twenty feet distance, and released from
captivity. Many went deliberately to
death in this way.
HORRIBLE DEATH RATE
The treatment which sent nearly a. 00t
ouNOf 45, 900 prisoners to their graves II
one year must have produced horrible
scenes: in stating this / want it upder
stood that 35, OOO was the greatest number
confined there in one month. 1t had beef
growing TO that point from the time thI
prison was opened IN March until August
after this they began moving them L
other prisons until toward the last there
was not a tenth Of that number there. The
htthlthb Nhh III hA'hbh VI
August; in that month nearly one out o
every eleven died, the number being 8,O97
nu average of within small fraction O
, 100 dead each day for the entire month. l
, was death in Nil its responsiveness and hor
ror as the dead wagons came for then
, they were tossed on like logs OF wood
twenty or more In wagon, and wer,
buried in trenches without cottins or othej
coverings that bore the faintegt selnblanc,
to Christian burial.
We had no shelter and the food was no!
nealthful; we had no opportunity to battle
or wash our clothing, Filth abounded
= everywhere. We were turned loose IN
, this prison, strangers to all, aud obliged t,
, hunt spaces for ourselves wherever W,
5 could find vacant spot.
After describing an interval OF find
, ing uuoccupied space and meager shel
, ter, Colonel Ripple told of traged,
enacted in full view Of the largest audi
ence ever assembled on an occasion o
the kind in this country.