Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-10-26
ANDERSONvILLE
John D. ChaiiieId visiled Place
 Where He Was Imprisoned.

John D. Chattield and George Rob- | bins arrived home this morning from
 Andersonville, Ga, where they attend | ed the unveiling of a monument erect
 ed to the memory of Connecticut sol | diers who were imprisoned there dur ing the civil war; and especially to
 those who died inside the old paddock l The monument was erected by order
 of the legislature, who made an ap- propriation for that purpose. The
 base is of granite, and figure in
 bronze represents soldier boy off to l war. All surviving Andersonville
 prisoners were invited to be present
 and their expenses were paid from
 New Haven and return. The party left the Elm City Monday afternoon
 at 1 o'clock by way of the \. r., N.
 H. X H. R. R. and arrived at their destination Tuesday night They spent two days at Andersonville and left there Thursday afternoon, arriv-
 ing in New Haven on the return trip
 last evening. It was a very pleasant
 trip and the Waterbury men who
 were present among the guests cannot
 speak too highly of the management.
 which consisted of Colonel Frank w..
 Cheney, chairman: George Q. Whit
 ney, George E. Denison. Norman L..
 Hope and Theron Upson.
 Mir Chatefild was interviewed by a
 Democrat reporter immediately after
 and stated that he was very much pleased with the trip. Andersonville, he thinks. has not changed very much
 since he was prisoner of war there,
 being among the first 800 men sent there, many of them members of Con-
 pany C. 14th Connecticut regiment. which included a great many Water bury boys many of whom left home in high hopes and left their bones to bleach on the southern battle fields. MT Chatfield, with others, was cap tured at Bristow Station. Va. OctO- CT IA, 1863. and after doing time at Libby prison and Bell Island. he was transferred to AndersoDville. where he remained several months and finally went out under the name of man who was to have been paroled. but died the night before, and when the list was called the next morning. Chatfeld answered to the name of the soldier who had fought his last fight and passed over to his God, and as nobody knew the difference, no notice was taken of him.
 The beautiful spring that burst forth in the enclosure during a terrttic thunder storm is still there. and MT Chatfield brought home bottle of the water and expects to keep it as long as he lives. There was no running water there when the place was first used as prison and those wbo were confined there suffered much from drought. but the bursting forth of the spring removed this form of torture and everybody regarded it as coming from the Creator. The grounds at the well are now beautified and a neat pavilion stands nearby. With this ex- ception, there is nothing left to show that the place ever was used as q prison, for as matter of fact it was simply a very large lot fenced in, so that once you went in there was no way of escape except by death or parole. Mir Chatfield also brought back about half a peck of sweet po- tatoes and as he walked through the center he remarked to the reporter that one not knowing the contents of the bag would think that he was on the way home from a cock fight The tuhers were given to him by an old planter in Georgia who insisted that he try how they would thrive in northern soil.
 In valise MT Chatfield carried other souvenirs, including several bulbs of cotton which he picked lIp along the highway. They are quito a curiosity for one who never saw such things before.
 Mir Chatfield is a native of Water bury and relative of Colonel John l.. Chatficld. who was killed during the storming of Fort Wagner. He enlisted from Waterbury and has q very creditable war record. So far as hc knows. he is the only surviving member of the Fourteenth Connecti- | 'ut now living. who spent a season at | He thinks the Connec- l ticut legislature deserves great credit | Tor making an appropriation to com the men who did time in- | side the old paddock at Andersonville