The National tribune., 1901-05-23
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kAdnd ~
(:o..Shor1t
On the March to the Sea

Copyrighted, 1893, by the publishers of The NAEIosAI
80 TRIBUNE.

|
Almost all of them were simply great,
open pens, inclosed by a high stockade
of heavy pine logs.
The design and execution were very
crude and simple, probably borrowed
from the old Indian wars.
deep ditch, with straight sides, was
first dug around the site of the intended
prison. This was probably two feet wide
and five feet deep. Then pine logs, %
| feet long, were set on end Ill the trench,
| and the earth packed firmly about them.
It made a very solid wall, which would
resist even field artillery.
| At intervals along the top of this wall
! were little perches for the guards, who
could overlook the entire interior of the
prison.
Camp Lawtop," as the prison near
Nlillen was officially termed, was con
| structed i'll this manner. Inside the stock
| ade was merely bare ground, with no
sort of shelter or other provisions for the
thousands who were turned into it.
| Outside the stockade rose a strong fort,
| mounted with field guns, to overawe the
| prisoners, and the garrison was shelter
| ed in rude huts and shacks.
An apology for hospital was estab-
| Gshed in the shape of shacEs of pine
boughs, which afforded Il little shelter
| from the cold, drenching Fall rains for
| those prisoners who were sinking under
the exposure and hardships inside the
| stOckade.
| Though the prison had been establish
| ed less than two months, had held less
than NTH as many prisoners AS were
| confined III AnderSonville, and thus lack
| ed many of the horrors of that terrible
| place, the evidence on every side of the
| misery OF the poor captives sickened 81
and Shorty as they walked about and
! looked.
| All the prisoners able to walk had been
| sent away. The rebels took no chances.
| They would spare no man who had in
| him the least probability of being dan
| gerpus to the Southern Confederacy Men
| with their legs stiffened and swollen with
| scurvy and drawn up near to their bodies
| men with their teeth dropping out, men
| blOated with the dropsy, men coughing
| their lives away III gatlOpIng consumption,
| men reduced to skeletons with dySentery,
| were all sent off, though every ear on
which they rode had its CHASTITY burden
| of dead before they reached Savannah,
! 80 miles away. They. were sent on open
| Hat cars, iii the midst of pitiess, mar
| ow-Searching November rain, which beat
| through their enfeebled bodies to their
| very hearts, rOnly a few wretched and
hopeless nvalids at the very brink of the
| grave, and who il did not seem possible
| could live more than day or two, were
| left lying on the noisOme pallets of pine
/ boughS, III the Hblect makeShift for hos
| pital. They and their wretched surround
| ings seemed like some horrible nightmare
| -SOHlt IdfhlIlS OF IIle IOitufES oil
| the lnquisitiOn- ST. and Shorty walked
to the great gate of the stockade-that
| portal toward which the prisoners eyes
were always turning with deep interest,
| to see the ratfons come in, fresh patches
Of prisoners arrive. the dead carried out,
| or in expectancy Of that happiest of all
events-"eXchange.
The two comrades looked in and their
eyes Travelled sorrowfully and indignant
! ly over the lonely and desolate interior of
the prison, every feature of which was
eioquent of measureless human misery
| the hateful dead-line, with its visions of
| malicious young bfats of guards shoot
! ing prisoners On the slightest pretexts;
/ the hOles-nOw filled with water-that
| Scared the surface of the ground, show
| ing where the boys, with no tools but
| their hands and sticks. had burrowed TO
get some sort of shelter from the ele-
ments: the poor novels laboriously fab
| rlcated by tha luckier or stronger out of
! pine-bOughs and tufts of leaves: the I'M
| slightly vessels, roughly carved out of
chips. i'll which they had mixed their
| coarse cornineal. Wherever the comrades
| looked they saw some mournful reminder
| of the dire destitution and needs Of the
poor captfveS.
In an old field little removed from
| the stockade was the last dolOrous chap
ter IN tbs inetfa5le tragedy, Long lines
| of freshly turned yellow sand showed
where hundreds had been laid away
| where the malice of traitors could trou-
| bic them no longer-hunger and hardship
felt and feared nc more. Treason had
done its worst. Its victims now had suf-
| fered the last pang. Forgiveness of their
torturers was now as impossible as re-
| paratiOn. The case was before the Judg-
ment Seat Of God, and they must be the
| accusers.
Say, Shorty" said 81, abruptly, turn
| ing away, and pulling himself together
an OF and IL,
something. l can't look on this any lon
ger, or my heart would turn to stone, and
| I'd start into killing every living thing
| in Georgy. I'm afraid l can never be
merciful again to anything that wears
| butternUt."
Il don't want to be- answered Shor-
| ty. Twouldn't be right TO the boys
whom they wouldn't be merciful to-
II wish them cowardly hyenas Of
guards had had little more sand" 81
not kill one of them, after all our talk
| what we'd do when We came up with
| them. Never saw men scatter and run
so quick in my life. 1t was like landing
i'll a parcel of rats. | was looking for the
captain, as my special meat. but before
! could make out which he was the gang
was out of sight and range"
Il suppose there's no way of getting
! them, except by running them down with
dogs said Shorty. I'D like awfully
| Wen 10 lay nandS on about q half a dOZ-
en-, SOS TO sleep easier after looking at
that pen"
q expect the best things to go back
to Foster Walsh, and see if we can help
any there. There's nobody left alive in
the pen, and all the rebels have struck
out for tall timber for all their lives were
worth"
IF they couldn't run any faster than
their lives were WORTH" Shorty answer
ed, wrathfully, "a snail would overtake
| them the first rod. If | had the chance
| could kill 1000 Of them this minute
and then not feel haIf-satisfied. Wasn't
there a feller in the Bible, 81, that let
loose a lot of wolves on his enemies, to
| cut their throats and suck their blood ~
mo; you're thinking of Samson, Shor-
ty, and they were only foxes, that burnt
up their fields"
well, foxes wouldn't suit me. I want
wolves, painters, catamounts, something
that's fierce for cutting throats and suck
ing blood. Then I'd want to go in and
kill the wolves and painters for having
so much rebel blood in EN-"
There's a couple O. rebels now" said
81, instinctively bringing down his gun,
as he noticed some men walking out to-
ward them from among the shacks. 81
wonder who they can be?'
Lets shoot 'em and inquire after
ward" suggested Shorty, cooking his gun.
81 feel as if l can't live another minute
without killing something rebel"
Hello, Indianny," shouted one of the
men, as they came forward. Awful
glad to see you"