The National tribune., 1896-06-18
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
AFTER THE "BREAK.'
Incidents of the Closing Days at salisbur

received Duml CT OF IebAciS iioih 'hS WIN
rades aitesting the accuracy OF your diagram
OF Salisbury prison ard of my narrative pup
lished a short time ago.
One correspondent has sent me important
information as 10 the number of dead in
Salisbury and the number killed and
wounded in the "break" The number OF
the latter he puts at 81 killed and 261
wounded.
Mai Gee. the rebel commander, burned
the dead house books Just before Gen. Stone
man captured the place. 1t may interest
some of your readers to know that about
IL OF Is years ago, when was employed as
exchange editor on a New York daily, /
picked up the Savannah NelcS one day, and
ran my eye, according TO custom, down the
first column of the first page. which contained
interesting items from Southern States.
came across paragral h which, rs 1t printed
itself on my mind, ran about as follows:
"Mai. Gee. who commanded the depot for
Federal prisoners at Salisbury during the
war. was killed a few days ago at Jackson
vile. Fla, by the wall of building which
was on fire falling upon him."
That WAS all-without heading, pressed
in between other short items about fat hogs
and hungry a.ligators, etc, was the obituary
of man who was largely instrumental in
causing the deaths of thousands of Union
soldiers But perhaps he was only an instru-
ment.
After the break of Nov. %. 1864, the cru
city of the guards greatly increased. 1t was
customary nearly every night for them to
fire vOleys into the stockade. Ii sounded
like the rattling Of a picket-line- As the
prisoners who were able generally were
Obliged to go to the " dead-ditch," many
prisoners were killed by the guards under
the prcteDse that they were about TO cross
the ditch.
The colored prisoners were especially OBJ
jects Of bate aud maltreatment, and was
perhaps the only witness, except the muir
derer, OF the wanton killing of one OF them.
/ should say here that early in December
i was myself seized with the complaint
which was generally followed in few days
by death, although under ordinary clrcnm-
stances, even without medicine, the same
complaint would hardly cause Inconvenience.
j had about concluded that my time had
come. when one day. while still able to drag
myself about, saw a crowd in the open
space not far from the dead-house. 4 had
seen the same crowd before and knew what
it was there for. The clothing of the dead
was being distributed among the living /
thought might, perhaps, get pair Of shoes,
aud i went near. Albert ID. II Richardson, the
New York correspondent and civilian pris-
oneT was distributing the clothing. He had
a sort of charge over the hospitals, and that
was part of his work.
] stood Oh the outside of the crowd. not
say ing anything. Richardson was standing
on a box, and his eye rested on ME. All
who knew him know that he was man of
generous impulses He called me over TO
him.
"How old are your he asked.
Sixteen years of age" ] answered.
"You are too young 10 endure such suffer
iDgs as these" "a Mr.. Richardson. Come
10 me at my cabin at A o'clock this after
noOn.o
i went-of course, guessing at the time.
BE took me into the cahin, gave me enough
to eat, warm place TO sleep, clothing and
shoes 10 wear, and inspired new hope of
life In few days I was so much better
that i was able 10 be of some slight assist
snce to him ia bis famous escape of Dec. Is.
BY his order / kept visitors away while
he was making his preparat ons, and / am
the little lad whom be mentions as carry
ing to the small gate the medicine-box
which enabled him TO deceive the rebels
outside of the stockade, after be had got out,
by means of pass belonging to hls asso-
ciate, Junius Henri Browne.
The help Richardson gave me at this
critical lime enabled me to stand The hard
chips Of the prison to the end. / may state
here that j met him in New York in the fol-
lowing Summer, and he was very kind 10
me, and some years later inirodUc ID me TO
New York journalism.
dsu in ifel. II so1l 4,
him upstairs in his cabin. when we heard
shot near by. / ran to the opening which
served for window. Right below the win
dow lay color,d prisoner, dead. his brains
ooziBg out Oh the ground Near by lay a
bone, which the victim had probably been
about 10 pick up. The guard who had
committed the deed was just bringing his
gun back 10 a shoulder-arms In my anger
i forgot all caution, and, shaking my fist at
the guard, swoIe at hum. lie only grInned
and walked along. You NAV ask why he
did not shoot me- The reason undoubtedly
was that The prisoners ia the correspondents
cabin were regarded az persons not 10 he
shot at random, and the fellow did not
know that i WAS an ordinary prisoner /
heard that the guard received furlough OF
two weeks for this murder. Ii was murder
for the CORES pOndenis' cabin was within the
dead llne and the prisoners had the same
right 10 be IA It's immediate vicinity as they
had TO be in The middle Of the stockade.
In regard 10 the burial alive of wounded
man at Salisbury, confirmation comes to me
in letter from Comrade Il. f. Booth. In
dianola, Iowa. He writes:
" In Springfield, H., in 1876, I met an old
slave by accident who had been at Sails
bury. j heard him talking about the place.
and j sought and Obtained an interview
with him. He told me he was assisting in
digging the trenches for the Union dead
and when they threw one of our men in the
trench-to quote the old slaves language
he kind OF Erunted that the sight was so
elckeDlmg and the sound so horrifving to
him that before be could control himself be
lihe slave exclaimed, Oh, God and one OF
tie guards ordered him TO leave, or he
would put bayonet through his black
hide"
This statement needs no comment. Ap-
parently this may have been another case
OF burying alive, besides the one / men
toned IN my first article on Salisbury.
Comrsde Booth also writes: Do you re-
member in December, one muddy day, they
had four horses on the dead. wagon. aud a
heavy load. One Of the lead horses, the off
oDe--a big, boDy sorre-balked, and one of
the guards went 10 punish the horse with
his bayonet, and the guards gun went off,
killing the horse. Prisoners gathered round
and proposed to buy the dead horse for food,
but rebel officer came in and repulsed
every offer, and had the horse dragged out"
The tide of horror heuaF IA chi, in Gals,