Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-04-12

after they had crossed the moat
they were brought back. looking
like so many half,drowned rats.
When daylight came we were
treated to genuine surprise. With
great solemnitY all the prisoners
were marched from the classmates
to the parade ground, and there
lined up in two ranks. Then two
field pieces we're brought npon the
ground and stationed vahin sew
enty.fve yards Of US I'D loaded
with canister, and behind these
two guns several companies Of sold
iers we're drawn up, and the unhap-
| py-looking little general ordered
these soldiers to loadtheir guns.
Great heaven, what did alathis mean!
Had our Government committed
any dreadful act that justified such
horrible retaliation Or was this
the act Of a mailman !
A LITTLE COMEDY.
Do not be alarmed, reader. We
we're in no danger, for General
Molineux was only rehearsing a liz.
tie comedy that had suggested it.
self when the attempted escape was
reported to him. lta title was 81
Want to Find the Hole in the
Wall, " and when not one but sew
eral we're found VIC we're dismissed
to our quarters and admonished not
to be naughty again.
Bat we we're not to remain long
with our sad faced little host, for
we we're booked for exchange. On
March 1, 1865. what we're left Of
us we're marched or carried in III.
ters on board tho steamer Ashland,
and deposited in the dark hold Of
that ship. There had been 30 pre-.
parations made TO receive as. not
even a bunk. aud sick and dying
and we'll men were on an equal
footing. However, there was one
consolation Left us--wo Rcre to be
exchanged, and a feW hours oisuf-
fering could be borue patiently.
4 DREADFUL VOYAGE.
The ship was light, aud rolled
heavily in the sea, aud long before
we reached Hilton Head The hold
Of the ship was sight, for every
man Of Us had been made doathly
sick. What those poor sick and
dying Of our party must have SUI.
fcred it would be impossible to de-
scribe. But, thank God, a. Hill
ton Head some one with human
heart in his bosom interposed. and
shall always believe that man was
General Gilmore, for We were
transferred to the ship Illinois, a
commodious eide wheel steamer,
fitted with every comfort for the
transportation Of troops.
From Hilton Head there was
nothing to vary the monotony Of
our voyage, except to witness two
or three burials at sea. as our poor
comrades passed away, until one
evening our ship dropped anchor
of Fortress Monroe, and We felt
that liberty was oncd more close at
hand.
A day or two passed, and the ship
still rode at anchor, aud during
that interval army surgeons had
gone among us aud examined criti-
cally into our condition. We did
not then know what it all meant,
and 1t was well that we did not, as
it would have only added TO the in
tenslty Of our suffering ald the Bit
terness Of our disappointment.
We were not in fit condition for
exchange, and the ship was ordered
to proceed to Fort Delaware, where
it arrived on March II.
Not quite seven months before
six hundred happy Confederate Of
flcers had marched down to the
wharf alongside which the trans
port now lay, for they had every
reason to believe they would soon
be free. Note the contrast now as
the remnants Of that splendid body
of men tottered down the gang.
plank or were carried in filters to
the hospital, which many would
not leave alive, and those that did
left with health so shattered as tC