Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-30

Editor of The Journal:
AS contributor to the columns Of
Close Calls 1 will give your readers some
"reminiscences Of events OF my prison life.
from the time OF my capture. at the fall
of Fort Gregg, on April 3 1865. until L
reached home on the night of July fol-
lowing Though 1 write from memory,
IL is "a memory kept green by oft rehears-
ais to old soldiers as we would sometimes
meet and discuss or relate the stirring in
cidents OF the war.
Some events. as I will tell them. may
seem incredible, when contrasted with the
boosted civilization and Christian spirit
of the American people. But what write
is literally true, except some minor points
perhaps that would be immateriaL Some
of the incidents are indeed close calls and
bloOd-curdling. and this. too, after hostil-
tiles had ceased, and Generals Lee and
Johnston had capitulated. But this dark
cloud Of brutality and barbaric depravity
and satanic meanness of one man In au-
thority over us has a silver lining In the
considerable and ofttimesA gentle treatment
accorded us by our captors. l shrink
from reporting the cruel treatment melted
out to us as prisoners by one inhuman
wretch while st is a real pleasure to
chronicle the gentle and considerate treat
ment by many of our captors, and | will
add that we did not expect to be fed upon
sugar plums or recline upon downy beds.
After these predatory remarks / will be-
gin my story. Immediately after being
taken prisoners we were marched under
guard across to the enemy's lines. at the
terminus of General Grants railroad from
CITY Point, Just in the rear OF his lines
around Petersburg. Here we saw the I'M
limited resources of our enemy, in thou
sands OF troops, with arms stacked, held
in reserve, while we were pressed with
odds OF at least four to one; also great
piles of meat barrels Of -four, sacks Of
corn, bales of hay, etc, that looked like
mountains to famished Confederate.
1 saw the futility of further resistance on
our part.
At SHUTDOWN we were marched, with a
complete line of soldiers encircling us, to
City Point, on the James river. Early
next morning. April 3. we embarked upon
an ocean steamer and landed at Point
Lookout north OF the mouth of the Po-
tomac river, and lodged in prison. Here
we found twenty thousand prisoners,
quartered in small tents upon fifteen
acres of land, and only four wells to wa
ter this vast host. The water was prac-
tically exhausted by 4 o'clock p. m. of
each day, and at nightfall / have seen
500 prisoners around each well, a pitiful
mass scrambling for water. This lasted
Until . . GlOths MACn ldANOO was UEdNcllt
when the thirsty crowds must dispense
or be fired upon by the negro guards
sometimes on duty.
The Yankees explained that the prison
was overrun by the great influx of pris-
oners from Petersburg. Our fare con-
sisted Of a piece of Goldfish about the
size of three fingers and a slice of loaf
bread one inch thick for each meal; ex-
cept Thursday for dinner we got bean
/ in, q fr, wifi hardly N ava oF
grease and containing about one-half doz-
en- beans, which could be distinctly seen
in the bottom of the cup. This was a
luxury here.
/ will have to pass so much detail to
compass the limits Of a newspaper article.
The prison camp at PIT. Lookout resem-
bled a miniature world, commercially,
containing many Confederate suffers. who
bought from a Yankee suter. just out
side the prison walls, through a window
about one foot square, and resold to other
prisoners, who got money by making all
manner of trinkets, such as finger rings,
watch chains, etc, and selling for fabu-
lous prices 10 excursion parties of ladies
and gentlemen from Washington, d. c.,
Baltimore, etc, who were eager to buy
as trophies anything made by a rebel
prisoner.
Indeed there was Confederate prison
er, taken at the first battle of Manassas,
who was still in prison when I got there.
and who had sold his name for exchange
three times for twenty-five hundred dol
lars total. The parties purchasing going
out of prison upon his name and he re-
naming in prison under their name each
time. This was purely a business trans
action with him. He was the only big
Confederate sutler I'm prison; his shop was
about Is feet square. as / saw it, and
built entirely Of cracker boxes, counters,
shelves and all. His exchange sales to-
gether with his profits as sutler. footed
up at the end of the war to about $4,000.
| made clear in prison. He had an eye to
business.
After remaining in the regular prison IN
charge OF Major Brady for a week, 1
procured a transfer to the hospital camp
IN charge of DR.. VOCAL. of New York,
assisted by my old friend, y-5mDs Gull
lars, of Lincoln county. I found this
camp a heaven compared with the other.