The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-31
.,..,,,f. Al Camp Morton.

veterans, Galveston. ~
- rs,ss. December 1S.--Dear Sill
..ae. Inclosed1 send you a let
.s s...,ved some time ago from james
!. Who was prisoner in Camp MOT
"A at the time 1 was confined there
' s,,, an the streets OF Louisville, Ky.
.nrlug Of 1866. after my escape from
.orton. / shook hands with hin
"a IN for l had not yet sur
a and some OF the Twenty seventh
~, we're patrollng the city looking
~, have never met him since,
\. Latter was q pleasant surprise.
y Vs. " Val G. Giles.
4 Giles, Austin. Texas, -,
.sfillo, Texas, July Is, ls9s,--Dear sir
|ssmrade: Yours o. the 4th instant to
"a read both with surprise and
~ How strange 1t seems that
Az years have passed since We
,r,ners at Camp Morton, and most
4, lime we have both been citizens o!
and yet have never met nor heard
81 other. most. willingly comply
your request TO write some OF my
Ei,rtIops OF prison life, but as kept
5,r can not be exact about dates.
a n Missouri at the beginning OF the
var and served for awhile in The
guard under General Price. After
rere driven to the southern part of the
4 we camped at Neosho. Governor
Il Jackson called few OF the legisia-
oge,her and declared the State out
As Union. Then the State guards be-
10 form Confederate regiments. Most
M service was in the Eleventh Mis-
b Infantry.
hlhe fall of 1868 General Joe Shelby
Z, 1 raid into Missouri from Arkansas.
r,nt along, intending to help Colonel
ID. Hunter recruit men who wanted to
ssto Dixie. but was betrayed by fell
sodier--a Judas--before / had gone
into the State. We were n short time
Nringfeld, then few weeks at st.
sk and finally reached Camp Morton
tin November, 1868. For the first time
ms life my clothing was closely
rhed and everything of value. even
pencil and penknife, were taken from
What money | possessed being Con-
rate, was OF no value, and therefore
loss. AT first we thought our confine-
ii would be temporary and expected
Early exchange, but weeks grew into
nhs and then came the news of no ex-
|ngs Immediately after this our ratiops
n reduced to the point of starvation.
thalf of loaf OF bread, called "duf..
by the prisoners, and about six
ntes Of poor beef constituted a days
Ehhs Coffee and vegetables were cut of
F!'ely and the sutler WAS forbidden 10
VS. anything of substantial nature.
ms claimed by the Federals that this
IN retaliation for the starved condi-
xM their soldiers in Southern prisons.
prisoners sympathized with the North
prisoners, as we, knew the South. could
mrnish regular rations to her own
aers,as 1t was the policy of the North
Troops to devastate the South as n
w OF putting down the rebellion. That
~ successful, though a fearful policy
mown by Sherman's march TO the sea
~ nand. When some one remon-
.su win MIN for this he Is said to
4 nplled, War is hell anyway" The
reduced rations on strong
w men was to render them fran,ic
hunger, while 1t did not harm ofhers
much "U' III o'hers
Anp Morton was named in honor of
r. Morton, war governor of Indiana
~ located mile or two north NJ IN
s.polls on a plat of ground embracing
'Nenty acres that had been used as
LII sround' The old stock sheds were
iW barracks, and the grounds were
nv win a box wall of fourteen foot
L' stoutly framed. On the outside
platform about four feet from tho
k@ tne wall, on which the guards wers
tvnea. This enabled them 10 nrotaa,
III ,neir bodies, and yet they could
nrisou Tue prison. The land inside
NJ, m,son Jay nearly level with the eS-
sn , y, afain running through 1t from
INA un 20 the north This creel, was
FIJI. Tue prisoners the Potomac. The
wa,, we're punt along the north and
N ,his vi the prison, at distance NJ
III .n'y reet from the walls. Soma
N sbada we're enclosed, which gave
~. .nese trees the prisoners mo. a.
ANUS OF pastime. Some were 80.
d and " ap, some for Masonic ever
'1 M, sun others for gambling MR.
L,,s ..l money used in gambIine ,ua,
49, shets. furnished in lieu If move,
= f.,a VINO We're fortunate ennrrh, ~
MINUS rrn inside the Federal lines rho
Sinks seemed to be means ~ dis
NJ Ticket o aune,s among the prisoners.
sometinos 0aiu De used at the suffers
tH from 81 ehe prisoners could get
lsdy r,,a,as Tue outside through The !
Very few IA az weret scantily clothed,
n vint rev mad sufficient bedding
ne NJ. OF iS6S-64 was an unus,la,,v
M d,v view Years day. 1864, was he |
- ~ ~ A. ! ever saw, Several ward
h hsv u rain others We're SO injured |
va. ie,l SICK. and the "old eray !
\ Tba kept busy hauling out ne /
|s,hansap prisoners, having lost ali hone I
NJ began to devise means ~ |
&H ain Metcalf of Kentucky or
n sluad to break over the. wall
|uli sn the wall at dusk. but oniv
|tr Tlt NJ, in getting over and 60,
|iie N.Y. ne others were caught and tled
Iehed nn os to rack, and then
IA Inv on tip-toes. We're left stanJ,
l,lless as they could Mar It. This
~ riding Morgan's mule" nv m.
IN M,er this they tried minine
Walls. A tunnel was starisS
~ ,an. and In the direction OF the
loose dirt being carried in our
asrsa ana emptied into the Potomac
IN !, Where it would not be noticed.
bnn,s.,n me tunnels were detected he
n y,, n aS Finally, few men dug
fesn, tne east end OF the barracks
II secret from their near,
- va,,. managed to get 1T beyond the
More !. and succeeded in escaping
|liasts.a way. They were never caught
\ ihey lam ZANE 70 some OF their friends
veil f,i haa told of the tunnel. They
Ast , ,lepds whom they had left be-
|snpsl my would cover the mouth OF
ssred @l'h plank. The Federais
ehts hue aue tunnel and also kept quiet.
ttha MINT r,, when all was quiet ia ana
N snasrn, party led by a prisoner
Wa Harnhart. occupied the fun
A y ioot In an endeavor to es- !
IplS narnhart raised the plank he
Min WIN bullets from the guns OF