West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-03-16
The RsColIeCtiOls Of a Union Soldier
While a Prisoner Of War
in the South.
FLORENCE As 1t WAS IL 1884
By James w Johnson Of Tunnslton,
W. Va, Private il &c. c, Third
West Virginia Infantry
Co. 3, Sixth Indiana
Cavalry.

SAW dnOtueF mhn suIL Clutb 10
where l stayed. The deadline along
thers were stakes driven into the
ground, and a lath tackled ON them
IL had been raining for two or three
days and his blanket had gotten wet
aud he went to hang it on the lath 20
dry. and the guard shot him through
the breast, an he died in about half
hour. he looked to be about thirty
years old. He belonged TO Michi.
gan regiment. The men who were
shot at the desdline were never
wounded they were either shot
through the head or heart at very
close range, aud the shot was awlays
fatal
You might wonder how the boys
passed their time In there. They had
nothing to read, and they had moth
ing to play any kind of games with.
They didn even have pocket knives
to whittle with. All they could do
was to get together in groups aud sit
down aad pull their old ragged
clothes off and pick the grayba off
of them, and talk about getting home
aud what good things they would
have to eat when they got there
Along in the winter they got 20
having a sick call every morning.
The sick would fall in lire and the
doctor would go along and examine
them. and those who were bad he
would send to the hospital Those
who were not SO bad they would pa
10 aud send them through to our
lines jim Jeffers had gotten half
oS blanket from some one who had
died. He hal had the smallpox and
it had left very deep scars on him
There was one scar on his leg that
looked vey much like bnllet hole.
One moraing when they sounded the
sick cali Jim gathered mp mis- piece
OF blanket and threw il around his
shoulders aud told Hamaker and l
that he was going home that day.
we jus. hoOied at him. he told us
ho wa1 going. 50 he hobblsd into
tha line. and / watched him TO see
what the result would be- The doc
tor came along and said, whats the
mstter with you Jim said he was
sick with some kind Of fsver. and
had been wounded ia the leg aud that
wasnt we'll yet. The doctor told
him to show him where he hSd been
shot jim pulled up his pants and
showed him that big smallpox mark.
The doctor looked at it and told him
he could go on out. Then jim threw
the old blankets at me and waved me
good bye, and that was the last we
saw Of Jim until We got bacl, to the
regiment That left Hamaker and /
by ourselves. We got mess Of
twenty to issue ratious to. We would
draw for the whole twenty ard then
divide it out-one would divide the
meal and the other the sorgum, and
Of course we would always look out
for ourselves.
Just at the upper end Of the
swamp. close to the bridge a little
Indiau stayed al winter de stage d
by his lone self and did not associate
with any one. and nobody associated
with him OF paid any attention 60
him. He had a cave dug back in the
bank six or eight feet, and then
hole dug from the top Of the ground
down to the back end Of his cave.
He had his FIRE back IN there. and
that hole served as chimney.
There was some kind Of birds that
resemble our snipe would come in
there in droves and settle down on
the swamp. The Indian got a small
pole about like fishing pole aud
stuck one end in the ground aud bent
it over and set snare with it. he
would sit IN the door Of his cave and
watch jt aud every once in a while
you would see o bird hutter and he
would go down and take it out
Sometimes he would catch six or
eight a day re would cat those
birds with his ratiOns. and ho was
81 fat as pig A great many more
incidents occurred while i was 10
Florence which L might speak of.
but will have to pass on Along
in tho latter part of February. 1855.
the frst 400 Of the FIRST thousand got
orders to pack up and get ready %
leave. We had no idea what they
were going 10 do with us. THAT
afternoon Barrett came iu and order
ed ne to fall In line and we gathered
mp our personal property and turned
orr real estate over 70 the Southern
CODfoieraoy and walked out We
were pretty hard looking brigade
We bad nothing on but few old
rags Nearly an of them bad an
old black dirty blanket around their
shoulders thoir hair was long aud
hung in strings down thoir backs.
they bad sat am winter lowered over
a little pine smoke. and they were as
black as a pot They had never seen
soap, scissors OF comb since they had
been capturod notwithstanding my
own condition and my strong viii.
however prison ice had begun 90
tell heavily on me When ! was
captured 7 weighed 100 pounds when
/ got to our lines weighed less than
100 pounds They took as to the