The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-12-04
Adventures ofan Iron
ABri6ade Nan -,
By CAPT. R. K. BEEcHAM, I'd Wi


We remained in Asylum Prison about
two months, or until the evening of Feb
II, 1865, during which time nearly if moi
quite all the Union officers imprisoned in
the South were confined in this camp, but
notwithstanding this fact, and the further
fact that there We're about ! 200 of us,
there was not one General, only one Col
Onel and but two or three field officers OF
lesser rank among us; all the others being
line officers. These facts show the value
of rank to- the individual possessing it.
For more than a year no general exchange
of prisoners had been possible, but dur
ing all that time it had been possible to
exchange Generals who were prisoners. \
GEN. JOHN wINDER.
On Feb. 4. 1867 Gen.. John ,Winder
visited us at the Asylum Prison. Gen.
Winder was. the man who established the
stockade- for enlisted men who were pris-
Oners, at IAndersonyille, Ga, and who
boasted of his purpose TO make of that
stockade the horrible charnel-field for
Yankee prisoners that it soon afterward
became. At that time the old sinner
am sure his dearest friends will not claim
that he was Saint-waS the General SUI
pervisor or Commander of all the prisons
and prisoners of war throughout the
South He inspected thoroughly every
part of our camp and had the Opportnni-
ty of getting a full and fair view of the
man who was more directly identified with
and responsible for the murder by starva-
ton and exposure of thousands of Union
prisoners of war than any other man,
then living or dead, with the possible ex-
ception of jeff. Davis. He must have
been between 20 and so years of age. His
hair was as white as snow and his face
was like unto a mask OF ice, rejecting the
sympathetic throbbings of his heart; and
from that face his cold gray eyes cleaned
like musket balls imbedded in tombstone.
He seemed to retain his coid-blOoded de-
sire and determination to kill and destroy
in his suave and gentle way every Union
prisoner who came within his power, to
the last hour-perhaps to the last mo-
ment of his life. The last order ever is
sued by the direction and at the command
of Winder was issued on the afternoon OF
this day of his visit to our prison, and is
"Feb. 4, 1865.
prisoners of War will take notice.
Il am directed by Gen. Winder, COM
manding prisoners of war, that in case
any more tunneling takes place in this
prison he will remove all of the barracks
and tents: so that it will be the fault of
the prisoners themselves if they have no
covering from the weather. They will
furthermore take notice, that ii any IN
jury is done to any prisoner suspected OF
giving information, l shall use force for
force and the guilty party viii be punish
ed
"(Signed) A. GRISwOLD,
Major, Commanding Prison"
Maj. Griswold commanded the Asylum
Prison. and so far as ] could learn he
never of his own free will did an act to
make the conditions surrounding us more
intolerable and severe. He issued this or |
der, as it shows on its face, by the direc-
ton and at the command of Winder. l
copied into my diary at the time the order, |
just as it was written, word for word, and
l still preserve it as a mementO mort.
From Asylum Prison Winder went |
home, and that night God Almighty is
sued an order to him which he ebeyed, and
We prisoners rejoiced that God mad called |
him hence before he had fully completed |
his great earthly work, that he had so
carefully planned.
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
1t was St. Valentines Day in the year of |
our Lord 1865, and a day long to be re- |
membered. For two months and two days, |
during the most invigorating portion of a
South Carolina Winter, We had enjoyed
to its fullest extent the glorious sport of
hunting South Carolina game, within our
brick-walled retreat, in the suburbs of
South Cardinals capital city. All! Such |
rare sport it was, such superb hunting!
There were millions in it,. e., of game |
in our camp. The comrade who joined not
in the chase every day in the week. Sun |
day not excepted, possessed not the spirit |
of q true sportsman and was liable 10 pos |
sess no blood in his veins ere he was |
aware, for the game was blocdthirsty.
Within this quiet retreat we had dwelt |
for two long months, substantially care |
free. We were all on the payroll of the |
yIuifad States of America Ubita tho CQp- |
federate States of America had assumed |
all responsibility f-prOviding our board |
ing house accommodations, all our neces- |
sary wearing apparel, which in that genial
cline was not necessarily burdensome or
abundant, and also for our medical treat |
ment in case of sickness or accidents in the |
chase. Even the walls that Unframed our
coy retreat were ornamented with pictur- |
esque watcntowers, equi-distant from one |
another, and not far apart, throughout /
their whole extent. In each and every one |
of these watchtowers could be seen, at all |
hours of the day, and they were there also
at all hours of the night, faithful guard
ian of the camp, dressed in the gay and
attractive uniform of a Confederate SOL |
dier, whose duty it was to watch over and
protect us at all hazards-to cover US with |
their muskets from the inclemency of the
weather, particularly from the night air,
and from every other danger, both seen
and unseen. Here we had enjoyed one
continuous round of pleasure.
l have in my possession, and preserve |
with care, beautiful and perfect H. |
lustration of that ''happy hunting
ground" sketched during leisure hours
by the skillful hand Of an artist
comrade Of those halcyon days of the /
long ago, to which / frequently turn, as |
solace in the trying hours of adversely. |
Doubtless many an old comrade of that |
joyful Winter, through the gathering
which hath Overwhelmed him in the dear |
land whose battles he fought and whose |
nag he maintained, hath seen again and yet |
again, in his minds eye, that cheerful and |
well-watered oasis as he hath journeyed |
In sorrow across the cheerless Sahara of |
his declining years.
But earthly joys may not last forever, |
and 1t was decreed that all our Innocent |
amusement should suddenly be brought to |
an end; that We should shake from off our |
feet the sun-kissed soil of South Carolina |
and depart far hence to return no more for |
ever.
During the days of our sojourn in this |
delightful retreat Sherman and his dash |
ing raiders had reached Savannah and on |
the LIST day of February, 1865, they began
their march nOrthward through the Caro- |
linas, which closed with Johnston's sur
render on April 26, at Durham's Station. |
In North Carolina. During Sherman's |
march sea ward and later, when he was
marching landward, the newsboys of Co
lumba found ready sale for their papers
outside of our camp, and it was seldom |
that the supply held out sufficiently that |