The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-22

uAuCCAc VVcA US u SOluAuOiu Iu0S l EAAShe
not expect the same treatment at the
Libby as at Columbia, for Maj. Turner
has never been in active service" Yet
had no cause of complaint of his treat
ment of me personally. 1t was indeed try
ing to a soldier to find the United States
flag, union down." fastened behind Maj.
Turner's desk in that prison office, and it
was with feeling of relief that l re-
ceived the order to pass up to the moor
above, and share the lot Of my fellow
prisoners. As assembled the ladder lead
ing to the upper rooms, and my head
showed itself above the floor to the crowd
of prisoners there. l was greeted by the
cry from hundred voices:
"Fresh fish! fresh fish! fresh fish"
And that gave me n place as fresh
man in the great prison college where the
seniors were known as "sardines."
Nearly thousand Union officers were
in the Libby at that time. 1t was be
wildering throng in which found myself
as l stood among those who pressed for
ward at the announcement OF a new pris-
on conner 1t seemed as though there was
no more standing room for prisoners, and
how all could find room to He down was
| matter of wonder. 1t was not easily ar
| ranged, after all. When night came. the
officers stood in rows, each in his appoint
ed place, and then they lay down. so
closely packed that the floor was literally
| covered by them. All must go to bed. and
| all must get up, by agreement. There
| was no walking around by restless sleep
| err, no getting up in advance of ones fell
| lows in the morning. There seemed to
| be no space for me on the Over-packed
floor, and at first l thought l must stand
| ap all night: but provision was made for
me. Gen. Neal Dow, of Maine, was at
| that time the ranking officer in the Libby.
| Naturally he had n little larger space than
the others assigned to him. and he gener-
| Ously accorded me room to lie down on
| his foOr patch. which was in the center
| of the front end of the second story OF the
Libby.
Most of the windows ut both ends of
the room had been broken out, and. al
though the spaces were barred, the cold
winds swept through pitilessly. No sun
light found its way in even on n bright
day, and the bare floors were damp all
day and all night from each morning s
washing. In my weak and worn condi-
ton, was cold all the time. When night
came ! must SILVER in my one thin blank
ct Failing asleep, I would dream of be
ing near fire trying to warm myself,
| and then / would awake to find it was q
dream. OF all forms of mere physical
discomfort, / never knew anything more
trying than this continuous shivering with
cold by day and by night.
"Skirmish for graybacks" was the
morning signal in the Libby for prepar-
ing to rise. Each officer then. sitting mp
in his place, would strip off his upper gar
ments, and cleanse himself from vermin
for the day. "Graybacks" was the pop
ular term for Confederate enemy, and
again for our most obnoxious insect foe.
It was strange sight, those long rows Of
| Union officers, including men in the high
est spheres of life in the North. indus
triOusly striving to exterminate their in
sect enemy. which was fattening itself on
the hest blood in the land. 1t was
struggle for the survival of the fittest.
When all was ready. men stood up for
the new day, to answer to the prison roll
| call from ''Dick Turner"
The bare cobwebbed. and dusty walls
| of the prison-rOoms had been nailed, and
pesged, and shelved. and cord-strung, for
| the hanging and slowing of cups. and pots.
and pans. and jars, and bottles. and
books. and musical instruments. and fenc-
ipg-foils, and smaller articles of clothing.
while between the naked fioor-beams
above were hanging, on lines, blankets
and shawls and Overcoats and towels. On
the floor were boxes and raced barrels,
and an occasional crippled chair, for seats.
These made the place look more like
| pa wnbroEer's, or a city junk shop, than
like our Columbia Jail quarters.
OUR PRISON FARE AND COOKING ARRANGE
| MENT.
| At the end of each main room was a
single water-faucet, where the $50 to 200
| inmates of that room could wash, without
basin or tub, when they could get access
to it. The eating-rooms on the lower
floor had rude tables of unplaned boards
running their entire length, with narrow
| benches of the same material alongside OF
them. Along the sides OF these eating
rooms were 10 small cools-stoves, at each
of which 100 men must do their cook
ing for the day. Thorough system and
prompt work were necessary to secure
| this Our officers must arrange for it.
They had an organization. with the rank
ing officer in prison as the cOmmandant,
and n designated Adjutant, and Com,
missary. Groups of officers formed into
messes, each man in turn sharing in the
cooking for his mess, and putting into the
common stock his portion Of fuel. The
messes agreed together as to the hour of
the day or night when they could have
| the use of the stove during the next week
Thus the stoves were in use all the "a
| hours, and this was none too much time
Meals in the Libby at the pest were not
of the best. One of my fellow-officers
found whole rat baked into a loaf of
corn-cake furnished with his ratiOns. The
rat had probably jumped into the dough
| trough while the corn-cake was making
and been knocked in the head and work
ed into the cake. 1t was not a good ap-
petizer. Another felow-officer, cultivated
Boston gentleman, was cooking for his
mess at one time. He made a savory
dish for himself of "pea soup" by boiling
a lot of beans together with a fresh ham
bone. 1t was midnight when the sour
was cooked. If he should eat it before
he slept, he would lose the pleasant feel
ing of having a full stomach while wide
awake; therefore he set it aside until day.
light. On looking at it in the morning
| he found its surface covered with cooked
maggots. He could not but be glad that
he had not eaten it in the dark. But he
welcomed the next prison-meal, because il
was the best he could get.
| During the day there were classes in
German, in French, and in photography
Men played cards. or chess, or checkers
Others fenced with prison-made foils
Some sketched: some carved beef-bone
napkin-rings, or shirt-studs, or seals. OF
other ornaments; some made thread ''tat-
ting" as they had learned to in boyhood
All knew well that the hardest work in
the world is to do nothing, and no one at
tempted that.
Boxes from the Sanitary Commission
and from the Christian Commission, con-
tanning supplies for the prisoners, as well
as boxes from home friends, were now be-
1 ing received at the Libby, thus supplying
them with comforts we had lacked in Co
lumbia. 1t would have gladdened the
home hearts to see the delight with which
prisoner unpacked the box from his dear
ones and gloated over each lOnged-fOr or