The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-17
ANDERSONVILLE.
Continued from first page.)

color suspiciously limited of its interna
furniture, seized my good hat and COOL,
remarked, This will do for me-
"Such was my first intimate acquaint
ance with the Southern chivaIry. A
few hours later was much more kindly
treated by Confederate Brigadier, ant
a fine, soldierly looking fellow from
Texas hoped that my fears of long i'm
prisonment and starvation might prove
unfounded. But, on the whole, my ex
perience was that the rays of human
kindness which fell athwart the black
horrors of the prison-pens of the South,
were indeed, like angels visits, few and
far between
About 2 p. M, June %, 1864, in
company with about 200 unfortunates,
| was turned like wild beast into the
pen at Andersonville, Ga. There were
given to us no shelter, no cooking uten-
sils, no soap, no kettles for washing our
clothing, no system. of police to prevent
crime or secure cleanliness, nothing save
what we carried in on our backs. They
provided 20-toot Stcckade and blood
hounds to prevent our escape. guards to
shoot us if we crossed the dead-line,
rations, such as they were, usually once
in "a hours, and-graves.
GAS we entered that horrid place filled
with ragged, dirty, diseased humanity,
the sight was almost overpowering; but,
having been at the time of my capture
much impressed by the words of the
heather king to Daniel, thy God whom
thou servest continually, he will deliver
thee | tried 10 lean upon the Lord and
seek "a heart for any fate Corpl w.
S. Moss, 7th N. Y. II. A., having pro-
posed to join with mine what shelter he
had brought in, we became companions
in suffering and partners in the posses
sion of a rude tent.
81 spent much time in search of re-
ligious company, but without success till
the night of July 8, when, attracted by
the singing of hymns, l found large
and attentive congregation gathered in
prayer and conference meeting.
was deeply impressed by the sight, as
the faint light of the feeble fires fell on
their emaciated forms clothed in rags,
begrimed with dirt and disfigured by
disease, their faces pinched with hunger,
but radiant with the presence of God.
What words of Christian cheer they
uttered in the very jaws of death
What songs of triumphant faith foated
out upon the air! What words of holy
trust rose in prayer to Cod Never
have attended religious meetings where
song and speech and prayer more fer
vently and fittiagiy expressed the riches
of Christian experience. There was no
cold formality which freezes devotion,
and no luxurious ease which saps the
vigor of piety. There no one need at
tend unless he wished to. and no one
need stay away on account of personal
appearance or social distinctions.
"My first sight Of anything religious
in that dismal place was while searching
for religious companions. | found men
engaged together in reading their Testa-
ments. i
Upon becoming acquainted with
Serg't B. N. Waddell, 10th Ohio, he
informed me that he and some others
started prayer-meeting on the Goth of
May, 1864. 1t was this beginning
which had grown intothe large assembly
whose songs of devotion guided me to
their place of meeting. Serg't M. II.
Miller, 22d Mich. Cav, has since in.
formed me that he ard others organized
a prayer-meeting in March, 1864. This
must have been not more than one
month after the arrival Of the first pris-
oners at Andersonville. How seldom,
even under the most favorable circum-
stances, has any company of wanderers
to new cline established the public
worship of God more promptly than did
these unfortunate men herded in loath-
some prison.
"The local habitation of our public
religious services was never fixed for any
great length of time. We used to as
semble on some vacant spot, and as the
prison filled up moved to another. A
little before dark those who took lead
ing part, especially in singing, would
repair to the place and ring the bel"