Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-11-10

given TO that common question. one OF
which was:
TO give you good licking
Because of some of the pretty plain
questions and answers, in about one
minute after every stop of the train
the crowd inside and the crowd out.
side seemed quite disposed to settle
the whole question OF the war right
then and there.
Wirz, getting of into such crowd,
was wont to demand;
What do you want here? What are
You erowding around this way for y
I'VE want 10 see the yankees" was
the reply.
You wants TO see dem yankees
You go fight the yankees, den you
see yankees plenty. stand backl"
The look of the man and the Eound
o. his voice we're such as to make
the crowd stand back quick, and
stand a good ways back. He some.
times stationed guards about fifteen
feet from the train, with instructions
not to let any one come nearer than
that.
At Atlanta. Georgia, the crowd be-
came especially turbulent, and we
were told that the people meant TO
mob us when we changed cars. Wirz
suspected their plan, and ordered both
trains to make quick run TO the
next station, which was done, and
We changed there. At every place
where we we're to change cars We
found the train ready and waiting for
us. Rations were handed to us as we
passed from one train to the other
Bread and meat were all we got,-no
coffee nor any other kind of drink. In
fact. we never got any coffee while
we were being entertained by the con
federacy
At Montgomery, Alabama, we were
| shipped aboard ar old cotton trans
/ port down the Alabama river and up
the Tombigbee ard Black Warrior TO
Tuscaloosa. where we arrived in the
early morning of the 9Th OF Deem
Der. Ii was q terribly cold day for
that latitude, and we were quartered
4 in an old tobacco shed while Wirz
went TO reconnoiter. AS he wished
TO leave all his men on guard over
us, he took with him one of the pris
oners. a man of the lst Ohio, to acl
as his orderly. This Ohio man after
ward reported to US what occurred
/ Wirz's first move was 20 hunt up
| Captain Griswold and find out about
quarters. Captain Griswold took hin
down to the river to an old dilapidat
ed cotton factory. Wirz said 1t was
no good, and that he would not put
his yankees in there. Griswold told
him 1T was the best he could get IN
Tuscaloosa. Wen, I'll see was the
reply: If | can't do any better III
take 'em back to Richmond" After
ward he found a big hotel building
empty. He hunted up the owner who
wouldn't rent it. Wiez told him he
would get good pay for the use OF It
Then this talk followed:
"Tbat is not the point; III not have
the yankees in my house"
by Gid, you win have yankees IL
your house, for I'll call out my hun
dred and fifty guards and take 1t.
the can't do II, I've got FIVE hundred
yankees and they'll fight like hill"
This was touchdown argument
and the owner walked off on his ear
while Wirz marched his yankees vi
and took possession OF the hotel. wv
broke ranks and made a rush for tn
most desirabis places. My riend WI
cox, Company d I'd Wisconsin infan
try. and joined hands so as not Z
get separated. We soon fonna ouI
selves in large 50xG0-foot room, tn
ceiling supported by four heavy co.
umns centrally situated, and by on
of these posts we pitched our camp
Every one threw down his bundle an
sat on It. We began TO think wei
what next? How long must we sta
here? Evidently until the war is over
, We are out Of hnmanity's reach, any
how. An exchange or parole eanno
reach us"
. The situation did seem disconragins
! 70 sag We all felt down In the mout
is an expression too tame. Our fee
ing vas akin to despair. Bat we di
not fo.get that we had enlisted to %
to suffer ana, if necessar5p 10 DIT
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