The National tribune., 1909-12-30
LAST TO LEAVE ANDERsoNyILLE
A Comradc and His Rebel Brother.
Smoked Yanks and Misery-Liberat-
ed in Florida and Told to Go.

Editor National Tribune: was very
much interested in Geo A. Hotey q
G7th Iowa) account of the last squad
out of AndersOnville, being one of that
number myself.
1 was captured at Sulphur Springs,
Ala, in September, 1864, by Gen. For
rests command. After capture some
Of the Sd Tenn. Cav. boys, with part of
the 9Th Ind, Cav. and negro battery
and regiment, were lined UP and started
for a Southern prison. That night a
number of the boys got away, but the
rest of us were marched to the station,
Cherokee, and loaded into box cars.
There were three sections, and near
| OkolOma, Miss, one section got off the
track, killing one of the boys and in
jurng another. When we reached Ca
| haba Prison, Ala, we We're crowded
into an old cotton house, which TO us
seemed miserable enough, and / soon
Isuccumbed to malaria and became a
very sick boy. They moved me into the
prison hospital, and when an order
came for the convaiescents to be ex-
changed, altho I had not been pro-
nounced so by the doctors, l asked to
| be allowed to go, and / was.
We left Cahaba on boat, and went
up the river to Montgomery, and from
thence to Macon, where we were put
| into a stockade, which was in fairly
sanitary condition. There, strangely
IenOugh, I found a brother who had
Joined fortunes with the Confederacy,
who gave me clothing, money and a
pair of blankets and offered to get me
a parole of honor, which, however, L
politely declined.
| From here we went to Andersonville
where we remained until Lee surren-
dered. When we arrived the boys lined
| up to give us a reception and find out
the latest news from home We couldn't
| give them muchA j thought they were
the most wretched-looking set of fell
lows l had ever seen. practically naked,
pants only to the knee, many shirtIeSs
and most all bareheaded and black as
negros from pitch-pine smoke. We
were first divided into messes of 100,
/ with Il Sergeant over all, who would
! draw the ratiOns for the 100. This mess
was then divided into four, consisting
of 25 men each, each with a Sergeant
over it, who divided the ratjas among
| his men. had the honor Ecbeing the
| Sergeant of one of the nesSes of 25,.
and thereby got o choice, of rations.~
We dug pits three or fnur-feet deep
to protect us from ths cold, for. we had
neither shelter, clothes, blankets nor
! fire to keep us WarmaG One 9rian out of
every % was, allowed togo lDut each
day for wood, and would bring back for
the 25 what he could searry on his
shoulders, so you can see. tfsat was not
much. 900 blE {.
A good many things hsppdned, but I
will only speak of few. We had quite
a big ring fight. Comrade Mann, of
the 1st n. Y. II. A, lgoB esopn whisky
from the guard and became. quite tipsy.
The boys crowded around to hear him
talk, and Comrade Mason, Of, the 18th
Mich, was standing BY when Mann
asked him what he would have. Com
rade Mason said, "a chaw of tobacco,
please" when Mann said, 'Tll give you
tobacco" and slapped him around live
| ly, which we didn't like, because he
was a delicate man. Then Comrade
! Jude Mcconnell or Mccormack sailed
into the fight. and he and Mann finally
fell into one of the pits; but McCor-
! mack had gone in to win, and kept at
| Mann until he had worked off most of
his whisky, anyway, biting his finger
among other things. I remember bow
legged Jimmy. who kept cornbread
and peanut stand, and others whom
Comrade Hovey referred to. This is
| my recollection of our leaving Ander-
sonville. l have lost the date.
In reply to Capt. ]. Balsley, 9th
Ind, will say that no troops came to
lAndersonville while was there. There