Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-08-21
BY CAPT. w. H. ANDREWS.

I relieved of the command or the western
army and General ]. B. Hood placed in
command. General Sherman had captured
and burned Atlanta, and General Hood
was on the back track chasing the moon
With all these disasters staring the Con-
| federacy in the face the morals OF the
army were never better and all had nruS
belief that we would eventually gain our
| independence. General Sherman's cap
| ture Of Atlanta caused the prisoners at
Andersonville to be removed to Sayan-
nah, the first train had arrived on sep
TENDER sth. and they were placed in a
stockade near the jail The stockade was
built with plank y feet high with sentry
boxes for the guards high enough to see
within the enclosure. Among the priso-
ners were a lot of sick, mostly anected
with scurvy, caused for the want OF
proper diet and medical attention. For
the last two years of the war all the med
icine we had in camps was Iodine anu
brick bats Carry sick man TO the doc
tor and he would examine his tongue ana
order him painted with Iodine or ruDoeu
down with a brick bat and the prisoners
Jared the same way, as there was no meoi,
cine to be had in the Confederacy' an
ports being blockaded. The regulars
with six pieces Of artillery guarded them
One Sunday evening the ladies and girls
of Savannah turned out en- masse WIN
baskets of provisions for the prisoners:
There must have been at least 800 Oh
them; the guards could not keep them
back and Major Wayne had the regiment
turned out and surrounded them. 1iau
the prisoners made a break at that time
the soldiers would have had to tlre on
them as well as the prisoners The SAD
Might of the poor boys in blue toucheo
the tender hearts Of the good women Va
Savannah and they were eager TO reheVe
their wants as much as they coulo. AT
- LnaW General 6H6E-
man had reduced the city OF Atlanta 70
ashes and II might not be many weeks
before Savannah would be in the Same
condition. I felt sorry for them ana II y
had been in my power 4N
have released all prisoners noi "a
and south. The north VIII ..s "a,
ing Andersonville when Gaorlel too1s 10
horn. but IL was not any worse tnah tlie
northern prisons, If as bad, altnoush
bades would have been paradise cOhh
pared to either of them. There was nol
a day during the last two years OL my
war that 1 would have surrendered on tile
6eld preferrfng death to a northern prls-
- General II 8. Grant was to blame
for all the suffering endured for the last
two wears Of the war, as he would not eN-
change an able bodied prisoner, Claiming
that the Federal prisoners south were SO
poorly fed that Ii would take them Loii
90 to 60 days after being exchangeo pc
fore IDeY were duAC ApA SO fa~Nf
rebel prisoners north were so Wen treaVec
they would go right back to the 'front.'
NV Youngest brother was at Rock Island,
81 months and when he got home could
hold him up to the sun ana count MS
bones without the aid OF an A-ray'
walking skeleton, nothing but skin ana
bones, and / saw numbers return AFTER
The war I'm the same condition. 1 think we
had IL down about right in the army
and that was General Grant said II
would take FIVE Yankees to kill or cap
ture every id rebel he turned loose. No
doubt Grant was pretty good at ngures'
as we can prove by figuring little our
selves In the civil war there were 6OOVOO
Confederates and 100000 Federals, four
and two-thirds Yankees to one rebel Pref
tv steep figures but they must be correct
as nearly 100000 are drawing pensions
81 years after the war. The war records.
at Washington show that there were TO-
goo Confederates in northern prisons, with
a death rate of u per cent. while there
were 10000 Federals confined in southern
prisons with a death rate of per cent.
But am getting as far from my subject
as the straggler said the chaplain was
from his command. While the army was
on the march one day chaplain of some
regiment overlook a straggler and asked
him what command he belonged to- be-
long to General Blanks command. said
the straggler. What command do you
belong to. To the Army of the Lord re-
piled the chaplain. Well, my friend, said
the straggler you are id long ways
from your command.
Prisoners continued to arrive from An
Jacksonville, while others were sent to
Charleston. rts
Won't some of the old comrades inform
the pdblic through The Journal what be-
came of the prisoners confined In the
south. Where were they at the time of
the surrender On the oath Of September
the regulars were relieved from guarding
prisoners and were sent to Whitmarsh
island on the steamer Ida, landing at Tur-
ner's Rock. and marched to Gibson's
Point, where we pitched our tents. On
the 18th, the ladies of Savannah visited
the camp and presented the regiment with
a battle flag, the Confederate battle cross.
A young lawyer from Savannah presented
the flag and Captain James R. DuBose,
in command of the color company, receiv-
ed II. Should you ever meet up with the
old captain ask him about the speech
he made on that occasion. He might not
tell you. as the captain is as modest as
he was brave. 1t was sad to put aside our
old battle cross, covered with the names
of battles we had been engaged in, where
II had always fioated proudly at the front.
Five men had been shot down with it,
three Of them being killed.
Picket duty on the island was extremely
heavy, and more especially as there was
a great deal Of sickness among the regu-
lars. On the 7th of November we COM
menced building winter quarters at Glib
sons Point, Turner's Rock, and Fleet
wood Colonel Wayne's headquarters, out
of pine poles. Rations were getting scarce
and the boys turned their attention to
rats and acorns. They were a kind Of
wharf rat and burrowed under the ground.
Every morning you could hear the boys
yelling over camp Turn out your rat de-
tails" Some would have spades to dig
them out with while others had clubs to
kill them. stand back boys and give
them a chance" was the order of the
day, but when he left his hole he would
not make many jumps before he was
knocked over. The boys would have them
boiled, baked and stewed. I don't recol-
lect that heard of any on the half-shell.
They were pronounced fine but could
never get hungry enough to tackle rat
so I contented myself eating parched
acorns. No doubt after we left and the
enemy visited our camp they thought the
Rebels were pretty hard up, by the rat
hides and acorn bulls they found in camp.
During November the Yankee exchange
fleet arrived at Savannah, loaded with
sick prisoners which were exchanged for
an equal number Of theirs. On the 9Th Of
December the regulars evacuated the is
land and marched to Savannah and early