Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-14

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There was an order that we could
only write to relatives. Immediately we
all became cousins and nephews to some
body. A lady would get letter from her
dear cousin; she caught on right away,
and cousin II was. Those cousins sent
us clothing. good things to eat, wrote
kind letters. and cheered us every way.
Some day we ought TO build a monument
TO our cousins up there. The quarters at
Eimira were large buildings of rough
plank. holding go men, in charge of two
sergeants from among the prisoners. We
were required to keep them very clean,
and to do this detail was made each
day Of fifteen men, three of whom were
on duty at time from sunrise to tattoo.
Breaches Of rules were punished by i'm
prisonment in the guard-house or in a
black hole. by bucking. or confinement
In the sweat-box. This implement
OF torture must have come down
from the Inquisition. 1t was made
or plank just large enough for
man 10 stand erect in with his
hands down and so tight that he could
not raise them; he could not bend his
knees. The top, several teet above his
head, was the only place through which
air could enter, and this placed in the sun
made confinement for any length OF time
intense torture. / remember two young
men from Southwest Virginia, who in
some way had got enough whiskey to get
drunk on, and who were punished by
bucking and gaggng, the sweat-box, and
black hole, because they would not di-
vulge the name OF the Yankee who fur
nished the whiskey. An officer struck one
of them in the mouth with tent-pin, but
they held out and told them they might
kill them before they would tell. There
were not a great many instances Of cru
city, and some Of the officers were kind
when it was in their power to be so. The
hospitals were quiet, good, and well fur
nished, and prisoners were detailed as
nurses and stewards. Doctors, who were
mostly men employed not commissioned,
were kind and did what they could TO
alleviate the sufferings of the sick.
In all the prisons. the prisoners. by
their manufacture Of trinkets, &c, were
able to get some money, by which they
carried on a traffic among themselves.
At Point Lookout there were many who
kept eating-houses, where one could get
hot biscuit and coffee, molasses, some
times cabbage or anything that could
be bought from the suffers. At Elmira
we We're not allowed to buy so many
things from the sutler. Tobacco was
almost the only article we could buy. 1t
was also an important part or the cur
rency. The authorities would not let
money sent by friends be paid In money,
but forced you to get orders on the
sutler. So to turn IL into money, we
had to buy tobacco, trade it for bread,
sell the bread for money; with the money
you could buy bread when hungry, or
possibly clothing from some one who had
n msfit or more than he wanted. There
were many attempts to escape by tun-
nels. but only one was successful, by
which five men got away. L was ready
one night to go out, and two men were
In the hole about to open 1t, when some
0ath-taker discovered ii and reported u.s.
The two caught were confined in the
black hole for month on bread and
water.
We sometimes had preaching on Sun
day. Rev. Thomas X. Beecher, brother
of Henry Ward, a Catholic bishop, ana
several others. All but one confined
themselves to the Gospel; one man under
took to tell US Of the wickedness or the
rebellion, but had 70 finish his sermon 10
the few Yankees who stood around, as
the prisoners all left In January there
was talk Of exchanging the SICK and, or
course all wanted to get into the nos
pitfalls / was so fortunate as to be sick
enough TO get in, and to be sent on the
second load TO Richmond. You may i'm
agine with what JOY / got ready, sewing
nv prison relics in the lining OF my
clothes for fear they might be taken,
telling good-by to the many friends, new
and old some met there who had become
dear by pleasant association, congeniality
of thought and feeling. never 10 be seen
or even to be heard of in this world again
The sad memories Of that time are bright
ened by thoughts OF those who helped 10
hear the ills to which we were all sub
iected. The southern soldier, in prison.
half-starved, poorly clad. in rigorous
climate. in the midst of disease, with
death rapidly reducing his numbers
bearing all with patient endurance, with
cbeerfulness even, with no incentive but
love of country and of honor. maintained
the reputation for bravery and devotion
10 duty upheld by men on hard-fought
fields when inspired by the enthusiasm OF
comrades and the leadership or loved
Commanders. May our memory of the |
men and the times be kept ever green.