Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-03-15

rlson, for without single excep-
tion the officers and men treated
us with respect and kindness, some.
thing to which we had been unac-
customed.
/ Our ration had been somewhat
varied from that we received on
Morris Island, but still it was sad.
1 y deficient in quantity; and, know
ing this II was not an unusual
thing for Federal soldiers to share
with us their ration, which was
none too abu ndant, but they nm.
! grudgingly gave US what they could
lily spare. !.
The feeling between the white
troops aud the oolored, of which
latter there were several regiments
in the department, principally made
up of Southern negroes, was not OF
the best. A decided preference had
been manifested for the colored
troops by the department comman.
der. They seemed to be his pets,
bis pride, and they we're encouraged
in their insolence. OF course, this
made bad blood, and more or less
rioting between them was the re-
suit.
In on evil hour for as this com.
mandant conceived a brilliant
scheme to destroy body Of Geor-
gia militia at q place called Honey
Hill. Gathering together his col.
ored troops and ANAL portion Of
bis white ones, he sailed forth with
flying colors, and he returned With
his tail between his legs, aud sevo.
raj hundred "darks" short.
PRISONERS SHORT RATIoNs,
From that time forth he detested
everything white, as a bull does ev.
erything red. lie snubbed the
white officers OF his white troops
in the most open manner. and upon
his poor prisoners he wreaked ven.
geanco to bic hearts content. Our
rAtions, little enough, God knows,
we're reduced to one pint Of rotten
cornmesl, quarter Of a pound Of
fresh bread aud cucumber pickle
per day; the latter part Of the ra-
ton was supposed to serve as an an
tiscorbutic, but didn't "scorbute"
worth q cent.
And such cornmeal ! Why, il
one undertook to aft 1t through
improyised sifters he lost the only
nutriment II possessed in the bugs
and worms, and one fourth Of bis
rations bealdes. Was Il e wonder,
then, that upon such a diet scurvy
and diarrhma soon prevailed The
former attacked the joints OF the
limbs, which swelled and mortified,
and then came the poor prisoners
best friend to his relief--death.
Colonel Brown was in great dis
trees Of mind and pleaded with his
superior in our behalf, aud was
threatened with court-martial for
his fmpertinence."
But kind Providence watched
over us. The old fort was infested
with cats. Indeed, almost every
soldier Of the garrison had his pet.
Suddenly these pets began TO mys-
FERROUS disappear, and the fact was
soon brought to the attention Of
Colonel Brown, who soon solved
the mystery, and made one request,
and that was for as to respect one
cat, and that cat was Mrs. Carmi-
chael's Let. For all / know to the
contrary, that cat is living today,
IL surely was alive when we left,
and it was the only one that sur
yived the famine.
That many more Of our members
would have died, had it not been
for those blessed cats, there is no
question, for, with the exception Of
fish Colonel Brown struggled into
us at the dead Of night on one oc-
casion, and which he had caught by
letting the water out Of the moat,
it was all the meat we had for for
ty.five days, aud that was eaten
without salt.
A DAY or DELIvERANCE.
A day Of deliverance finally came;
but, alas too late for many. Gen.
eral @. A. Gilmore was ordered to