West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-03-09
The RecOllsctlOnS ola Union Soldier
While a Prisoner Of War
In the South.
FLORENCE As IT MAS IN 1854
By James W. Johnson Of Tunnslton,
W. Va, Private in Co. 9, Third
West Virginia Infantry
Co. B, Sixth Indiana
Cavalry.
FLORENCE.

In about two weeks they TOOK
train load of us out of the old Fair
ground at. Charleston and removed
US to Florence, South Carolina, and
put us in an old field, and placed a
heavy guard line around us. There
was not a stick on that field as big
as a mans arm, and all we could
do was to lay down on the bare
ground without thing over us to
keep off the rain or sun. What
rations we drew we're raw, and as
usual nothing to cook them with.
They only put US in there temporar-
ily,until they got the stockade COM
pleted. They would haul wagon
loads of cane jus, topped and blad.
ed, and threw il in TO us, aud the
boys would eat It like cattle would
cat fodder
Sometimes / would almost get
discouraged. We had lost hope
of anything like an exchange. The
only thing we had to look ahead to
was the dismal stockade was almost
ready for us. One night / was
walking around among the distressed
boys that was laying over the
ground, and the thought came in
my mindthat If could see anything
that would be of any account to me
/ would take il. saw a small tin
box and opened il, and it had some
thing in it that looked like -four. /
put the lid on il aud laid il back.
The next thing saw was a big
spoon. | picked it up and took il
along with me, In the morning
whenI looked at it it proved to be
a very fine silver spoon.
One morning we got orders to
get ready to go in the stockade. 1
wilt give meagre description of
the stockade. 1t was 400 feet
long by 725 feet wide and through
II ran a stream of water, north and
south. bounded on one side by
swamp containing six acres. The
prison fronted the west, with only
one gate and one main street rum
ming through the center and cross
ing the creek on bridge. The
stockade was built out of rough
pine logs with the bark on,
about twenty feet high. Around
the outside was deep ditch, and
the dirt from it was thrown against
the timbers to within about four
feet of the top, which made road
around for the sentineIs 10 walk on.
The dead line inside was about
twenty feet from the stockade, and
consisted of deep furrow. Some
places there would be stakes drove
in the ground and a lath nailed on
the top of them These pine logs
that spoke of that was used TO
build the stockade we're stood on
their end, just the same as they
were at Andersonville. Those At
Andersonville were hewed four
square. and these we're put up rough
The men that we're put in Flor
ence prison went in under very un-
favorable circumstances In the
first place they we're all old prison
ers, had been captured from four
to six months, and confined in
other prisons, and consequently had
lost their power of endurance. The
most Of them we're almost destitute
Of clothes and what few clothes
they had on hung in tatters, and
was covered in vermin. A great
many Of them we're entirely bare.
footed. This was the condition III,
men we're in when they we're put in
Florence prison at the beginning oi
the winter.
When We went inside the stock
ade I looked around over n,
ground and ] saw about an acre n.
two in the northwest corner tha
had been woods and there was
great many poles and brush on Il
! made for IL and picked out plac,
and told the boys to 60 10 gathering
up poles and we would ft US up
shelter. SO the next morning vi
went to work IN good earnest an,
fixed us quite a comfortable plac
20 stay in. We stayed in ther
about two weeks and we're get,ln.
along fairly well, when they cam
In and ordered MS all out of tha
corner. They told Us they wer
going to put their hospital tents II
there. We we're ordered to &,