The National tribune., 1906-12-13
Stories Eminenty Worth Telling Of Experiences and Adventr
in the Great National Struggle

Jolly lot OF fellows, and used us as wen
as they could. Our .rations consisted
of corn meal and salt beef. and all the
salt we had we got out of the beef bar
rels We arrived at Camp Ford the
18th, and found them enlarging the
stockade. The original stockade was
16 rods square, and they made it 40
rods square. We moved in the 10th.
Water was Father scarce for a few days,
till they made some boxes and sunk
them in the ground. The spring was
on the outside, and the water was con-
Quoted inside by spout and in the
night the boxes would fill up, so we
had plenty of water to drink, cook and
wash with The stockade was made by
setting logs eight feet high in the
ground, with bank thrown up on the
outside, so that the guards could walk
along and see inside. Soon after We got
there q lot more men came that We're
captured with Steele in Arkansas. We
were allowed to go outside and get
wood and stuff to build, so that We
soon had some shelter from the sun
and rain. Our rations consisted of one
and quarter pounds of corn meal and
quarter of pound of bacon, which
took in the whole hog, from the tip OF
his nose to the tip of his tail, and even
to the ends of his toes The only prs-
oners at Camp Ford when we arrived
were some gunboat crews captured at
Sabine Pass the Fall before. Along in
May they gave us fresh beef in place of
the bacon, about a pound a day, so that
we Jared great deal better than those
In the Eastern prisons. Some of the
prisoners managed to make their es-
cape. but most of them We're recapturei
and brought back. One of the schemes
the the boys contrived in order to get
out was by means of mule and cart
given us to draw cut the sweepings of
the camp. 1t was driven by one of our
boys, and he would put a couple of men
In, cover them over with the rubbish,
draw them outside and dump them out
over the hill. 1t was said that over 100
got out in that way. One day one of
the boys q suppose, to get favors from
the rebs) told of it, and that put an
end to that scheme. Next, the boys
dug tunnel on the east side, and quite
a number escaped before the guard dis
covered them. The rebs sent for a
pack of hounds, and by night had most
of them back again. The next exchange
was made Oct. 1, and the next in Feb
ruary. At that time / went 10 the hos
pital to help take care of the sick. When
we went out we We're given a pass by
the rebs for two men at a time to go
in and out of the stockade, but instead
of using it ourselves We sent 1t, by some
tai, building a new hospital, to some of
the boys inside, and they would come
out on 1t to the hospital, stay till night
and then skip out. One day we ran out
10 or IL. On one occasion we were in
one of our shantfes planning for the
next days work. and the same fellow
that told of the cart deal stood in the
doorway and heard what we were say
ing. He went and told the rebs wha.
xUo n hat MT CT IN
that game, as we got no more passes.
- One day. one of the rebs came to us
and said he had been trying to get a
furlough, but 1t had been sent back
disapproved. We told him that we
could give him a better furlough than
that so he got us sheet of paper. and
We copied the old furlough, and one Of
the boys signed 1t Capt. Parrett, COM
manding company" another, "Coi.
Sweet, commanding regiment" anoth-
er. Gen. McCullah- commanding de-
partment," and / signed it, Gen. Prad-
fuit, commanding post" We placed the
dates the same distance apart as they
were on the furlough that had been
disapproved. as it had to go first from
camp to Tyler and then to Barnum, 80
miles away. He took it that night and
skipped out, and when his 80 days were
up he came back and said that it work
ed all right. Another reb wanted TO
try It. so we made another, and he came
back all right Then we thought il
| worked so well for them we would try
| 1t ourselves. Jewett, of the 32d Iowa
| (my bunkmate), made arrangements
with one of the rebs to let him out of
the stockade, in the meantime fixing il
up to take the place of one of his COM
pany at the hospital The reb let him
out, and he came to the hospital and
stayed that day, and the next night he
/ left. That was only a short time be-
| fore we all left, as the war had closed
When we arrived at New Orleans We
had only been there two days when
Jewett came along. He said he had nc