The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-06-17

from starvation | could scarcely walk
or stand. had never heard negro
curse a white man, and when l saw
and heard negroes telling white men
how anxious they were to shoot them,
it made my blood run cod.
Our march from BTewtOn to the
Village" was one series Of hunger,
thirst and suffering. Well do l re-
member every night we camped l
looked for a hole that l might creep
into and be left the next morning. On
the last day of March we were placed
on the steamship Alabama and start
ed for Ship Island, and oh, what
time We had that night! 1t came on to
blow about midnight, and then began
a medley of cursing, weeping, praying
and vomiting that l can not forget to
my dying day. Next morning, April
l, We were landed on Ship Island and
placed in charge of the most ferOcious
looking negroes ever met. ...
Close up daT, you d-n rascals, my
gun wants to spoke at you so bad"
resOunded from every side.
l have often thought over it and
been constrained to think the hand If
Providence alone saved US all from
being massacred on that island. /
had always said l wouldn't thank God
for bread if l had nothing else; but
before / left Ship Island l would have
thanked God from the bottom of my
heart for a spider full of bread, such
as my wife could cook.
Reader, just think of four or five
thousand prisoners with no means of
defense, not even a pocket knife at
the mercy of 100 of the most diaboii-
! cal human beings on Gods earth, well
armed with minnie rifles and anxious
for some pretext to shoot us down, and
you can have a faint idea of our con
dition on Ship Island.
Every morning We were lined up 10
walk four or five miles to bring wood
to cook our daily meals which con-
sisted of a pint Of mush, one hard
tack and one slice of meat to do us
"a hours!
Gentle reader, if you never should
cred a musket and suffered for your
country, you can not possibly imag ne
what a poor soldier has to undergo.
God grant that our beloved country
may never go through the horros of
another war.
l remember the night the news
reached Ship Island Of the assassina-
ton Of Lincoln. Amy person who
never witnessed the antagonism of a
lot Of hornets whose nest has been
pelted by a naughty boy, can not
/ imagine the effect that news had on
the negroes on guard. That night a
noble soldier belonging to a Texas
company was shot through by a ne
gro guard while shaking his blanket
in front of his tent. DR.. Malone. OF
! Brewton. was called to examine min
and said there was no chance for him
. to live. He died next morning.
/ After four weeks confinement on
! the island we were placed on a steam
ship and sent to New Orleans, from
which place We were sent TO Vicks-
burg At Vicksburg we were treated
nicely. The lades-God bless them
every one-coming from every quar-
ter with bread and cakes and even
! soap to wash our hands, began to
throw US bread after the manner Of
, a ball game. It was a sight to see
: halfstarved soldiers catching the
) loaves of bread as the ladies' threw
] them over the lines.
! After rema ming at VicksbuTg two
or three days we were sent out to
Big Black and paroled and sent home.
On the second day "a night We reach
ed Jackson, the capital of Mississippi,
and there received transported on 10
Selma, A a. Next day about SHUTDOWN
we arrived a. Meridian. As we roll
ed up we saw a train ready to start
for Mobile. George Tippins, who was
on the car with me cried ont, There
S. is train going to Mcti' e, lets go and
board her" / said to him our tickets
were for Selma, but he juTped cut
and made for the train and h S b,ot7
er Phil and I Flowed him. and We