The National tribune., 1906-05-24
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
Prison Fare in DnnyiIIe Pens.

. Corncob bread and sheep peas COM
! prised the food given to the Union pris-
oner% in the Danville (Va.) prison pen
for seven months, according to Com
rade Frank A. Hall, Co. y, 1st Md. P
II. b, in a communication to The Ma
tional Tribune from Lisbon, Ind. He
was a prisoner. there for the best part
of year. and declares that the cap
tives at Andersonville were better off
than those in the pens at DanVille
THE corncob bread had no salt in it,
adds Comrade Hall. "In memory l can
: now see those skeleton forms of our
men covered with vermin. Our captOrs
would not even give us light. The win
dows were boarded up, and to touch
one of them you were setting yourself
up for a target from the sentinel below
II was in February. 1865, we were eX-
!, changed. and the Government sent soma
! clothing to cover our nakedness. 1 hal
traded the buttons off my blouse with
the rebs for tobacco.
,t IF the bill for the ex-prisOners of
, war cannot be passed in its original
form, why not give us so cents a day
for the time we We're confined and call
, it square? | love The National Tribune
, and had ] known it was so interesting
4 would have subscribed for it years
\ ago"
Everything Was Fair in War.
il An interesting incident that happened
; just before the battle of Fredericksburg
Il is related by William II. Trimmer, of
u MechanicSbuTg, Pa. 1t was related to
i him by his brother, whose regiment
came to halt in sight of the town. and
I the commanding officer told the men
1 they might begin the erection of their
1 Winter quarters, but there was no AK
in the company with which to cut tim
1 ber. He was n member of a Pennsyl-
/ vania regiment. and not far away was
| a New York regiment, several men of
| which had axes and were busily en-
| gagged in cutting down trees with which
| to build their Winter quarters. Trimmer
and another man named Eph went over
and stole an AK from the New Workers.
and ran back to camp with the stolen
! property. They ran one behind the 9TH
| er, and when Eph discovered Trimmer
| in his rear he shouted:
Thunder almighty, Trimmer, I will
| never go with you to steal anything any
more. for everywhere / ran you came
right behind me. If that fellow who
had the AK had shot at you and missed
you he would have hit me-
"Eph was 35 or 40 years old. and
Trimmer was but 10. Eph professed to
be great Christian. and would not
swear or steal. but IL he got excited he |
would say Thunder almighty He would |
plan for other people to steal and think |
in so doing he was not SHINING. Please |
tell me if the old 1st Pa. r. V. c. was |
fighting regiment
Seeking His Old Comrades.
Forty years since, Aug. 16. 1865"
writes Comrade 5. L. Brown, Co. B, |
10th Pa. Cav, Mineral, H. How many
of the boys of the 10th Pa. Cav. who
received their discharges on that date
would answer roll call to-day? What Il
strange transformation those 40 years
would show could the boys of Co. B be
called into line to-day. looking just as
they did then, and facing them another
line as they are to-day. On the one
side young. keen-eyed daredevils, train
ed in the art of war. with muscles like
iron and nerves as steel: on The other,
old men. with white hair. bent forms
and feeble steps.
Where are they all to-day? Call the
roll, Serg't Will Colvin. and see if they
are all present and accounted for and
answer for yourself. Where have you
been these 40 years? You can't have
forgotten those days when we first went
soldierin'.' oh. weren't we green? And
do you remember the regimental drills
out near Bladensburg? Can't you vet
hear Col John Irwin Gregg giving or
ders to Capt. Hurst: Maj. Fry with
clanking spurs and sword; Dad" Kel-
~, johnny GOWN. SerS smith and all
the rest down to q? Where are you
all?"
Who Knows COmrade Prueu.
Comrade j. r. Adams, 1902 Douglasl
street. st. Joseph. Mo-, says he know
poor and destitute woman who has
not heard from her husband since he
was in the army, and she would like
to know whether he is living or dead
His name was Mills Pruett, and he first
enlisted in Co. a, 5th Mo. Cav and was
mustered out with his regiment June
%, 1868, and re-enlisted in Co. /, 11th
Mo. Cav. He was last heard from at
the close of the war at Benton Bar
racks, st. Louis, Mo. He never returned
to his wife at st. Joseph, Mo. She would
like TO know If anyone has heard from
him or can give information as to his
whereabouts. or if dead, where he died.
Address Mrs. Mahala James, 1924
Douglas street, st. Joseph, Mo.
Needs Addition and Subtraction.
Referring TO a communication in a 4
recent issue of The National Tribune