The National tribune., 1899-02-16

| at thus being kept five months, confined
| under the fire of our own guns, on M0rri:
island, the shells burst ting around us con
stantly all the time We were there; anS
when one of the shells from the huge 800
Founders would explode in the vicinity o
the Jail it would rock the tower to it.
| foundation.
CoLoIED SOLDIERS IN PRISON.
In few days after we were incarceratet
lin this place 1000 of our officers wer,
brought 10 the city to be put under fire O
our own guns, in retaliation for the shell
ing OF the city, and among them wa:
Lieut.. Henry, of my own regiment, who
had been captured at the battle of Chick
amauga, and with him was Mai. Beatty
OF the I'd Ohio, and from them l obtained
a knife and small file to make. some
Keys with, for the purpose, if possible, Of
making my escape. ] had intirnated my
desire to them, and they tossed the in
struments into my cell through the graf
ing as they were going up into the drum
OF the tower to sleep.
l saw them once after for Il few min
utes ION the sly" and learned that they
had been brutally treated, as had been all
their comrades, since the battle of
Chickamauga.
In my prison were about 80 colored sol
diers belonging to the 54th Mass, who
had been captured in the attempt to
storm Fort Wagner. Poor fellowsi they
had sorry time of it, as the rebels had a
particular spite at them, and some of
their number, learned, had been sent off
to the country TO men who claimed them
as slaves.
One-a ne-looking fellow, named Geo
Grant-had SO far gained the confidence
OF the rebels that he was made a sort of
turnkey over the prison, and he sue
ceeded in getting Union woman to bring
him a piece of thick brass for us to work
into keys. 1t was piece of stair-carpet
bar, and was just the thing we wanted.
Through man named Leatherman ! got
a note to Lieut.. Stokes, of the navy, and
requested him TO write to my father and
let him know how and where Twas
Stokes had been brought to the place
for exchange. And l will take occasion
here to say that have it in my power to
vindicate our officers from the charges so
often brought against them by our enc
mics. Of not caring for the welfare of the
soldiers, and that they were selfish and
and were Indifferent as to what
became of us, if they only could get place
and power and were able to make money
out OF the war.
Here was an officer Of another arm of
the service than that to which belonged,
who had never seen me before, who knew
nothing in the world of me, but who in
terested himself deeply in my case; for as
soon as he was exchanged he wrote the
following letter to my father at Hillsboro,
o.:
New York, Oct 26, 1864
"Sir: l have just returned from the
South, paroled prisoner. While / was
confined in Charleston, S. c., / saw your
son, James Pike, who was in solitary
in the Jail, together with his
Charles Gray, and was able to
with them. They told me they
were captured near Augusta, Ga, in uni
form and under arms, and on special
duty" for Gen. Thomas; and also wished
me TO write you when ! was released and
tell you that he was quite well and in
good spirits; but they were looking rather
pale, poor fellows, from their long i'm
DrisOnment and short rations of food.
vas kept in the jail yard, while they
we're in the building. l communicated
,y means of a negro boy who carried
water to them.
az promised them when got out would
10 all l could for them. Ihave just wri t.
en- to Col. Milford, Assistant Agent of