The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-29
HORRORS OF BELLE ISLE.
A Connecticut Comrade Takes Up Capt.
Beecham's Account and Continues the Mar
- d, rative to MAY, 1864,

Beecham's account of Belle Isle in Au-
gust, 1865, in which he describes the pen,
prisoners, etc, is accurate. l was there,
so let me continue the story after Capt.
Beecham left. The gates were closed to
any going out, but often opened to others
coming i'll. AS the war continued the re-
sources of the Confederacy became small
ef, and the conditions surrounding the I'M
fortunate prisoners grew worse from day
to day until the end.
l had been taken a prisoner at Mine
Run, Nov. 30. 1868, and arrived on Belle
Isle at midnight, Dec. 2. Tie night was
cold. was sick. As we marched in,
distance inside, a dense mass of prisoners
blocked our way. The faces and forms
of these men are in my memory still.
When daylight came, the scene was more
horrible to look upon. There were some
old tents in the center, and the spaces be-
tween them were crowded with men try
ing to sleep; some had gone into that long,
last sleep.
For some days we could get but little
rest, for the men crowded around us, ask
ing questions about their regiments and
what the news was from the front, and
whether or not we had heard of any ey-
change to take place, and whether Uncle
Sam knew how they were being treated.
etc. At this time 10000 prisoners were
cioNueu vi lHdl SiHdl space OIL STOuuu
less than five acres. This mass of men
was never still day or night. They had
to keep moving about in order to prevent
freezing to death. This Winter was Bit
ter cold one. | counted one morning 125
dead. l tried to find some members of my
regiment and company, as we lost some
at the battle of Bristol Station, Oct. IA.
| never would have known them. ! was
looking for robust forms in blue, not the
dirty, ragged, starving forms that claimed
me as their comrade; but such was the
case. l was glad to meet them, and they
made room for me in their already over
crowded tent. There were two men in
this tent belonging to Wisconsin regI
ment, whose names were Frost and Snow.
They had been at Belle Isle long time,
but left alive.
Through my comrades I received my
first ration, piece of corn bread, three
inches by four and one inch thick; it was
made of coarse meal with bran in it.
Some days we would get sweet potatoes.
piece of cabbage and two spoonfuls of
rice or beans, with one stick of cord wood
to 100 men to cook with, and no ax with
which to split it.
The men were divided into squads
of 100 men, in charge of Sergeant. Up
to Christmas the death rate was large.
Some squads were reduced to 60 men. The
prison officials thought the men were get
ting too much to eat, SO on Christmas
morning all the prisoners were marched
outside; there was not room for all on
land land some had to stand in the river.
got on a rock and was in the last squad
to be recounted back into the pen. This
is how / knew the number of prisoners
that were in the pen. This is how 49,
600 prisoners spent their Christmas Day
on Belle Isle.
About the end of January, more pris-
oners were brought in; some from my own
regiment and company, who had been
taken at Morton's Ford, on the Rapidan
River. / was glad to meet them, but
grieved to know that soon they would be-
come the same wretched beings as the
rest of us. Like Capt. Beecham, / cannot
describe what l witnessed from day to
day.
About the end of March we were told
that an exchange was to take place. This
gave new hope; all anxiously looked for
ward each day to the roll call. At last
it came. We fell in and marched out by
squads. 1t was a continuous column. As
the men passed the pen they gave up their
tins and blankets; they did not want them;
they were going home to Gods country
and friends. Yes, boys, you went home,
via Andersonville. The exchange was
from Belle Isle to Georgia. When the
gates were again opened, all crowded to
to be exchanged. The crush became great.
A rebel Sergeant, with red hair-I have
forgotten his name-stood at the gate,
and taking a gun from the guard, thrust
with the bayonet at the men struggling
to pass out, until the gateway was full of
wounded men. After the wounded were
removed, he gave the order to come out.
No one moved; he again gave the order,
still holding the gun. A comrade by the
no nf M in
to advance. A Sergeant of a squad was
| standing beside him. AS we reached the
gate, he asked if we were of his squad.
No. Up went the gun at shortened arms,
and struck O'Neil ON the side of the head.
I caught him as he fell and dragged him
back from the gate. Blood was running
from his ears; he was unconscious a long
time. When he revived he did not know
me. How long l cared for him l do not
know, for l, too, lost consciousness. How
long l slept, cannot tell; awakened as
from long .,leep. All was still; the pen
was empty; they were all exchanged but
me. No, I see some others lying there
still. Why had they left us? Soon some
one came over and lifted me up. l, with
some others, was placed in a fiat boat
and taken over the river to Richmond.
was placed in large tobacco warehouse.
Here, for the first time, l saw n doctor.
He gave me some hot tea. He was a
kind man, and did ali he could to cheer
us up. He told us we would be eX-
changed in a few days. His name / can
not recall. Then came a flood, and we
had to wait until the river went down.
About the end of April we were taken
down to steamboat bound for City
Point. On the boat l met another COM
| rade from my regiment, Capt. +. b. Do
ten. He had come from Libby Prison,
and looked as bad as the rest of us; his
clothing was in rags and he appeared care
worn and wan. Ii three months in Libby
reduced men to his condition, you can
draw your own conclusions about the con-
ditions Of the prisoners from four to eight
months on Belle Isle. We arrived at City
Point about 4 p. m. The sight that greet
ed us was as Capt. Beecham described it.
A gangplank connected the boats. The
kind doctor from Richmond handed us
over the gangway, and Union doctor re-
ceiyed us. AT once l was lifted up and
placed in a clean bed. l protested 1 had
vermin on me, but they did not heed me.
from the frost-bitten feet of some of the
men, and as the last rag was removed, the
bones of the feet fell on the floor. Some
| OF you have seen that picture, ''Killed I'm
der the Old Flag" Such were the scenes
on that boat on its way to Baltimore.
There were 600 on the boat. of which 1G
died that night and over 400 of the GOO
died later. How we came to be exchanged
l could not learn.
We We're placed in Westoe Hospital in
Baltimore. A commission was appointed
| to inspect and take down our statements,
which were published in book, with the
was a sick man. l was never able to re-
| ioin my raDiment Soma Of thnSn wi, m