The National tribune., 1897-11-25
CHAPTER LXf

| BREAK THREATEN ED-DIFF1ttLI1ES AT
TENDING DISCRETION TO THE REBELS.
One day in November, some little
time after the occurrences narrated in
the last chapter orders came in to make
out rolls Of all those who were born out
side of the United States, and whose
terms of service had expired
We held little council among our
selves as to the meaning of this, and
concluded that some partial exchange
had been agreed on, and the rebels
were going to send back the class of
boys whom they thought would he of
least value to the Government. Acting
on this conclusion the great majority of
us enrolled ourselves ms foreigners, and
as having served out our terms.
] made out the roll of my hundred,
and managed to give every man for
eign nativity. Those whose names
would bear it were assigned to Eng
land, Ireland, Scotland, France, and
Germany, and tile balance were dis
tributed through Canada and the West
Indies. After finishing the roll and
sending it ont | did not wonder that
tile rebels believed the battles for the
Union were fought by foreign merce-
naries. The other rolls were made out
in the same way, and | do not suppose
that they showed 500 native Americans
in the Stockade.
The next day after sending out the
rolls there came an order that all those
whose names appeared thereon should
fall in. We did 50, promptly, and as
nearly every man in camp was included,
we fell in as for other purposes, by hun
dreds and thousands
We were then marched outside and
massed around stump On which stood
rebel officer, evidently waiting to
make us a speech. We awaited his
remarks with the greatest impatience,
but he did not begin until the last di-
vision had marched out and came to
parade rest close to the stump.
1t was tie same old story:
Prisoners, YOU can no longer have
any doubt that your Government has
cruelty abandoned you; it makes no
efforts to release you, and refuses all our
offers of exchange. We are anxious to
get our men back, and have made every
effort to do so, but it refuses to meet us
Oh any reasonable grounds.
Your Secretary of War has said
that the Government can get along very
we'll without you, and Gen. Halleck has
said that YOU were nothing but a set of
neutrality-suspicious. and coffee boilers,
ANYHOW.
You've already endured much more
than it could expect of YOU; ,ou
served it faithfully during the term you
enlisted for, and now, when it is through
with you, it throws YOU aside to starve
and die. You also can have 10 doubt
that the Southern Coniederacy is certain
to succeed in securing its independence
1t will do this in few months.
" 1t now offers yon an opportunity to
join its service, and if you serve it faith
/ fully to the end, you will receive the
same rewards us the rest of its soldiers
You will be taken out of here, be we'll
clothed and fed, given Il good bounty,
| and, at the conclusion Of the war, re-
celye land warrant for nice farm.
If you -
But we had heard enough. The
Sergeant of our divlsIon-a man with a
stentorlan voice, sprang out and shouted !:
Attention, First Division I"
We Sergeants Of hundreds repeated
the command down the line. Shouted
he:
First Division, about >
Said We:
First Hundred, about y
Second Hundred, about -
"Third Hundred, about -
Fourth Hundred, about y etc.
Said he a
"Face!" m
Ten Sergeantsrepeated Face !" one
after the othersapd each man in the
hundreds turned on his heel. Then our
leader commanded
First Division, forward! march !"
and we strobe back into the Stockade,
followed Immediately by all the other
divisions. leaving the orator still stand
ing on the stump.
The rebels were furious at this curt
way of replying. We had scarcely
reached our quarters when they came
in with several companies, with loaded
guns and fixed bayonets. They drove
us out of our tents and huts, into one
corner, under. the pretense of hunting
axes and spades, but in reality to steal
our blankets, and whatever else they
could find that they wanted, and to
break down and injure our huts, many
of which, costing us days of patient
labor, they destroyed in pure wanton-