The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-11-19
ECHOES OF THE PAST.
Excerpts From the Diary of Captain
Andrew j. Campbell.
A Thousand Good And True Men Vow to
Avenge the Death of Lieut.
Gibson.

JOHNSON Island PRISON, Aug. 8,
1862:-Last night another cold
blooded murder was committed by a
villainOus yankee sentinel, and the
officers of this post are, in my hum
BILE judgment, accomplices of the
crime. And if any of Hoffman's
battalion ever falls into the hands
Of any man in this pen, he is to be
pitied. AS it is, being sure that the
towards will never face the South
erner in open combat, a thousand
good and true men have vowed to
avenge the death of their comrade,
Lieut.. Gibson, of the Ark. troops.
And woe be to the man who has to
answer for the death of the young
Lieutenant who was shot down in
the act of stepping in the door of a
room to seek cover. He had been to
see some friends and was going to
his room when the sentinel told
him to go back. He quietly asked
if he could not go to his room. The
sentinel then peremptorily COM
manded him to go back and as he
was stepping in the door which he
was in front of he was shot through
the breast and never spoke word
afterwards. The sentinel would not
let man go to him until 1t suited
the leisure of the officer of the day
to come in. 1t was in the next
building to my quarters and L never
had anything to exasperate me so in
my life. | was perfectly enraged.
Every time | see villainous yankee
it makes my blood boil to think we
are to be shot down like dogs with
out any provocation whatever and
no means of redress. The officers
who have us in charge encourage
our murderers while protesting to
restrain them. One does not know
what minute he will be shot down as
we have frequently had guns leveled
and cooked on us when going to the
privy after dark. No wonder we
are for relentless retaliation as soon
as an opportunity is offered! Last
night about IL O'clock a sick man
from the hospital in going to the
privy was fired upon by one of these
same assassins. We have men in
Tenn. who welcome these yankee
assassins to our country, point out
our grey-haired patriot sires as
victims of their blood thirsty
conductors, tell them to free the
negro and encourage his savage
nature to deeds of barbarity un-
rivaled in the darkest ages of the
world.
Aug. TO- Sec. Station has issued
an order for the arrest of all men
going to Canada to avoid the draft.
Our anxiety is increased from the
fact that our lives have become
very insecure in the hands of our
unprincipled iailors. Handbills in
large type were posted up in the
prison this morning and all torn
down the instant they were put up
except one on the block house to
which prisoners cannot approach.
The contents were: prisoners who
prefer the oath of allegiance to the
U. s. to returning to the Southern
army must apply to Maj. Pierson
immediately OF course we deem
the act an insult to the prison. Old
Pierson Immediately sent in and
had the bills posted around the
walls so the sentinels could keep
them from being torn down.
Aug. II. Lying with my head in
my prison window and looking out
upon the calm waters of Lake Erie,
which present a striking contrast to
the state of our country, where men
of the same race are engaged in
deadly combat, deluging her fair
fields with human blood and strew-
ing her plains with the dead and
dying, and where one continual roll
of battle in all its fury is raging
from one side of her borders to the
other, l am led to ask myself the
question, When will this cruel and
bloody war end? 1t Is bringing suf-
fering and anguish to the hearts oil
untold thousands. Its progress il
traced in the tears of the widow and
orphan. 1t is shrOuding the cOun-
try in mourning for the untimely
death of fathers, brothers, sons and
husbands. The end is hard tC
divine. but it must end in the in.
dependence of the Southern States
or in their funeral obsequies. In
this rejecting mood "reminiscences
of home and of homes loved ones
spring up in my fancy. l see theil
smiling faces and home as it once
was; the fair fields and friendly
roads; the inviting groves and the
winding streamlets; the old school
house and the familiar church; the
smiling and devout faces that once
peopled them. L again wonder
when will this relentless war end
and with it my labors, tolls anC
dangers as a Confederate soldier il
defence of Southern homes. will
look forward to this period will
hope and anxiety and with the hell
of God will strike with a will unit
this end is attained.
But since l left my home swarmi
of despOilers have invaded my
native heath. The old homestead
are laid in ashes by the Huns
. GothsSand Vandals of the North
The seats in the old church remain
vacant. The school-boy Is NJ
longer seen engaged in innocen
sport around the old school-house
His gray-haired father is dragged
off in chains, his brother is murdered
and his mother and sister are N
longer secure from the vIlest of in
dignities. Our fathers can no longe
worship God under their own win
and fig tree. The faithful old min
lister who attended the spiritua
wants of our people is hurried ava.
and placed in lOathsome jails. Gu
J household servants are set agains
'the women and children In tn