Evening journal., 1900-02-15

DER FIRE OF THEIR OWN
GUNS.
Prison life during the war between
the states has been written up from a
Northern standpoint upon many oc-
caslons BY soldiers who experienced us
horrors in Southern prisons but ] nave
encountered little Of such literature
from Southern soldiers who suffered
confinement in prisons Of the North.
and h has not been because they had
nothing to write about, writes W. W.
Coldsborough 70 the Philadelphia Rec
ord. Military prisons are bad at tho
hest. but in writing ofgtheir evils one
IS ant to draw more or less upon the
Imagination, to lend Interest TO the
story and certainly some OF those | nave
read had beeni highly. favored. have
enfeavored 10 avoid this. and conhne
myself to.a simple, rn~arnished state
naent Of facts as thev occurred in my
prison experience, giving credit where
creditJs dua, sail OF which cam hetcor.
r1h6fAtcd by men IN high standing
stillhyinE- $50 f.rss,
Late one4 afternoon i'm july. 1860,
there emerged from hay loft az Fort
McHebrt, Baltimore, fifty oi"'flxty as
MISUNDERSTANDING specimens OF hui
manity as the eye had ever rested
upon. and the writer MAS Of the NUM-
Ser Some had lost a leg, others an
KIM. and agdin others shufflcd along
sainfuIIy With the assistance Of a cane,
These mon were all Confederate officers
r-ho had been wounded at Gettysburg
:. year before, and they had only re-
entity been declaru,i aopAsa lastegt and
discharged from tho hospital
Our destination was Fort Delaware
5ated on Pea Patch Island. some few
miles below Philadelphia, and our
means OF getting there was by one OF
tho small Ericsson boats that ply be-
twecn Baltimore and the Quaker City
Some time duripg the night we dis.
Embarked az our new prison home, and
we're quickly conducted TO a large en-.
Slosure and assigned our quarters.
STAR as ! could judge by the aid 0
r locomotive headlight the surround.
ngs were much more. inviting than IN,
morrow confines Of the old hayloft W,
ed left behind at Fort McHenry. ans
ilcse first Impressions were confirmed
v'hen Itaroae from my blanket in tn,
morning az breakfast call.
On three sides OF this large enclosur.
had been erected rude barracks for til,
accommodation OF a great many pris
aers. and there were confined here a
tiattime almost two thousand Officers
Along the fourth side OK the euclosur
an high board fence which keparat
the officers from the privates. a
1der no circumstances were they al
|
- We had been allowed the news
rfpers all along We were pretty wei
i'osIad aE 70 what had been transpir
ilg nc tho front daring the past yea,
md is,was therefore not surprised /
meet amy old commanders. Edwar
iob1spn and George II. Steuart. Wit
whom, I had parted ar Gettysburg o
That aemorabie Sd Of July the yea
before. They were here by reason
an carly morning visit General fancoc
had paid them a few weeks before
Srotsylyauia
PRISON OFFICIALS.
Before the DAY had passed I was 4,
troduced 70 General Schoepf. the con
msndant, a hne-looking German. wi
had had a checkefeds life bith In Ii
r1pe and n this country. ~ the on
break Of the Hungarian revolution
Joined Kossuth and fought with nj
through the war and at the collap
of the revolution nc had ACCOMPANY
that remarkable man To this countr
For want ~ something better 10
be, soon after his arrival. accent
the position Of porter In a Washin
ton hotel But Schoepf was a man
education and fine address. althou
an adyenturer, pure and simple. a.
he made many friends among membs
OF Congress, SO that when the eli
war broke out he had little Difficult
oy reason OF bis military training a