The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-08
.RECOLLECT|OkS
OF THE PRISONS
There Was Cruelty and Neglect
in the Northern Places Of i.
Detention.
Editor Tlnes-Dispatch /:

)SSShkASAAs
Editor Times-Dispntch:
Sir.-I have read much OF the civil
War" but dc not remember reading
very much Of anything OF the North
orn prisons and prison pens. AS had
some experience in thenh or in some
of them at least, Will beg you to
give me short space In your columns
TO state very briefly some OF the facts
that occurred in some of them.
/ was wounded July 3, 1868. at
Gettysburg, In tho charge made by
Plckett's Division, left on tho battle
were, or when was captured, ] know
not. 1 was wounded In the early part
of the engagement, and have no recol-
lection afterwards whatever OF the
battle. We6
/ have n faint recollection of pass
ing a place where beeves had been
slaughtered. I suppose they (who-
ever they were) took me to the Wal
nut Trees Ga hospital for wounded
Confeds) where laid In the rain and
mud for days, so / have been In
formed by an old friend and comrade
who saw me there. He said 1 knew
no one or anything, and as he could
not do anything for me, left me to
die. The first that / remember of was
being ut O. barn, and of the licks l
received from the boy who brought
coffee and tea to us. Severely as l
was wounded. with my skull broken.
one ball through my left hand and
wrist and another through my right
ankle, i could not get around but
little. Consequently, l slept great
deal of the time, and whenever he
found mo asleep he would beat me
tn t,1rr I, o. "a
his hands on first. He finally got so
hard on me that had to appeal to the
doctor for help. He said he would
attend to him, and l presume he did,
for l never saw or heard anything
more OF him afterwards.
July 18th some of US were sent to
Baltimore, and spent two days and
nights there. Here met Bob McClue,
one OF my company. tho first face that
had seen since ! was captured that
knew. We were together for only
short while, he being sent to Fort Nc
Henry and / to Chester, Pa. I, with
number of badly wounded prisoners.
arrived at Chester July 21st. The hos
pital was in front of the Grocer Theo-
logical Seminary. The doctors and
officers occupied this building. We
were we'll cared for and we'll treated
here. l found Rice Gillian, another
OF my company, here. We were III
separate wards. and did not see very
much of him. He was sent South and
exchanged long before left there. We
were in this hospital until October Attn.
We were all sent then to Point Look
out, where We landed October eth. we
left one poor fellow there, who must
have died. He was screaming at the
top Of his voice like he was crazy as
VIC marched out. Some Of us got sea-
sick, and particularly do ! remember
how sick Erhart, from Bedford county.
was. When we got to Point Lookout
tho trouble began--no wood, scant ra-
tions and copperas water to drink. AT
first we We're given coffee, pickle, beer
and pork. beans, and sometimes fish,
beef and Irish potatoes. After short
time coffee was cut off and rations re-
duced. Soap and vinegar, such as 1t
was, was plentiful.
DISGUISE Came On.
Diarrhea and scurvy prevailed to an
alarming extent. Many poor fellow
went to his long home with these dis
eases. I have seen the dead hauled
out by the four-horse wagonload. and
two wagons at q time sometimes On
ono occasion there was a wagon going
out loaded with the dead. and they
were piled up so high that some of
tEens fell off the wagon and the collins
bursted open. We were guarded by
the First, Second Third and Fourth
New Hampshire regiments, If I remem-
Der correctly. They were very clever
fellows. They We're sent somewhere
else, and were relieved by the Thirty
sixth United States Colored Regiment.
The colored guards were hard on us;
would shoot on any occasion, without
q cause and without notice. We had
four provost marshals over us while
there-Capt. J. n. Patteson, Captain
Barnes, Major II. G. o. Weymouth. and
finally Major A. G. Brady. Patteson and
Brady were very popular, particularly
so was Patteson. Brady had much
mouth. Weymouth was a tyrant: none
liked him. Barnes was not in office
long, and I do not remember much Of
him. Ben Butler came to Point Look
out twice. He commanded that division
of the army. Much fun was poked at
him. Some said they had an old
spoon. some brass ring, etc, that he
could get. Others wanted more ra-
tions, some wanted to go home, and
SO on.
Sang to Butler.
D. C. Ross, from Highland county,
composed song on Buffers coming,
which he sang very often, to the,
amusement or all. Ihere was gloomy
time at Point Lookout with some when
Pickett and Butler We're talking re-
taliation. Butler made many threats,
which he may have thought would
make some take the oath. Searches
and inspections We're very common.
The camp had spies Inside. who re-
ported everything that took place.
When Early was around Washingto ton
the Yanks brought war vessel and
anchored 1t broadside and gave orders
| IL there was any signs Of an outbreak
that fire would be opened by the gum
boat on the camp.
l was paroled January IT. 1865. and
then left, with q disease contracted,
never to be we'll any more.
J. Fl. WHITEHEAD,
Co. y. 18th Va. Inf,
Hunton's (Garnetts) Brigade,