The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-23
SOME HORRORS
OF PRISON LIFE
"A Confederate Relates His Ex-
perience in Northern
Prison.

The following letter was written
under date of February s, 1908. from
Washington 10 Major j. ogden Murray,
OF Winchester:
My Dear Comrade,--Your request for
some recollections and personal ex-
perience of prison life during the civil
War, and something of my recollec-
ton of the Immortal 500 Confederate
officers who were placed urder fire
of our own guns Smelling Morris Is
land, S. c., 1864, by order of Edwin
NJ Stanton, came duly. / can only say
in reply that ] have carefully read
your book, The Immortal 600" in
which you have given our history
from the time we left Fort Delaware,
packed like sheep on the steamer Cres-
cent and landed on Morris island
Your story OF the wanton cruelty in
flicted upon us on the prison ship at
Morris Island Hilton Head and Fort
Pulaski | am willing TO qualify Is
true that the history you have written
of those terrible days is not in the
least exaggerated, in fact, YOU have
not pictured the horrible cruelty as
YOU might have done that was wan
tonly inflicted upon us with the force
and severity the case merits. Yet
Your story is complete. To it / can
add nothing. But l will say this: /
have never forgotten the cruel treat
rnent, and add personal experience
OF my purchase of a cat from one OF
the negro guards at Hilton Head to
appease the wolf Starvation then with
his nose in my tent door.
How 1t Was Done.
one day one of the negro guards
j asked If there were any Caroline coun-
u, Virginia, men in our party. My
comrades called me up to see thu
negro. / recognized him as forme,
slave belonging to my friend am
neighbor Mr.. Will Lightfoot. of Por
Royal. The darby was very polite
and after some conversation he said
t"Deed Mars Tom, wish l could hel
you, but the boss men day watch u
close" l said YOU can help us II yo
want to and no one will find you on
sHow's dat, boss?" Well, | said,
see over there at the officers quarter
large fat cat. / want you to e
that cat, kill and dress 1t and brin
st to me when you come on guard, an
/ will give you S.. l knew as OF
quarters were small it would be in
possible for me to kill and dress til
cat without being caught by tn
guard officers, 50 L got tho darby
do the work. Few DAYS after this fl
teryiew this negro was on guard. an
s,ro enough he brought mo the cat n
ready for cooking, and | do tell yo
that cat was no kitten.
1t Was Feast.
If was NOT foo large however /
hoii in orr old fin coffee boiler we ha
brought from Fort Delaware with u
And I want rirht here comrade I
add my testimony 70 yours thot re
meat ia starving mon 10 n deIic,o,
de,icacy yct womb nnt care for
now wo,l comradee McC:auIv Alsor
DowIett cantajn Frazier and myse
d;d eniov hat cat stew reneInh,
how our men would n,Irchase rats fro
those wb, co1ld catch them and
always tenv ie.+s the mtllionaires of n,
nartG WHO HAD t,roenhacks ana con,
Indulge in luxury Of dainty rat STOW
a,d fries evnendod ma, ,,reanhac
fortune s5 an Inc cat niirci,neo fro
Tho negro guard peonIo who rn,
this letter. comrade viii no doubt go
A. is inauguration. buf f;oa knows
Tell the truth. One dav a yankna n
ficer came into our nrison lilo W..
followed by nice fat nojnter do
! offered him Sic In C,onfedernte mons
Tor his dog what In tho nan,a
poodncss he asked mo "do vor w,
With dog in nrisonqi toId him
wanted tn cal him and no dec,irod
soil me his dog.
''"'''"'
cannot believe the Wasifingto
authorities were responsible for o,
bad treatment and the inhumani
|hich was lhliiStea upon us. Gener
Foster and old Hallowell, with h
nggers, ana secretary stanton d
ceived President Lincoln and the pc
pie of the North that they could
their cruel work to us without que