The National tribune., 1910-03-24
STORIES OF PRISON LIFE.

STORIES OF PRISON LIFE.
What 1t Meant to BE Prisoner in the
Hands of the Rebels, as Told by
Those Who Experienced the Ordeal.
| The letter recently published in The
National Tribune by DR.. w. j. w. Kerr,
a Surgeon at Andersonville, in which
he attempts to belittle the terrors of
| that hellhole of the Confederacy, and
the letter of complaint, Confederate
Prisoners of War;" published Jan. 6,
have awakened many memories of An
Jacksonville and other prisons in the
South. Comrades who know have this
to say about their treatment: II
Was DIR. Kerr There?
James Greasen, Co. ], 22d Mich, Kali
kaska, Mich, says: IF DR.. Kerr held
such sentiments at that time. it is no
wonder that the terrible conditions eX-
listed at Andersonville in 1854. In my
opinion either the man is purposely
misleading or he never was in Ander-
sonville. No man could have entered
that stockade and not seen the terrible
conditions. The worst has not been
told about Andersonville. 1t would not
be believed. A few years ago | stopped
at the home in Georgia of an old Con
| lfederate soldier who was guard at
Andersonville, and he told me that for
own that he was guard at Anderson
vile. He tried to keep it covered, for
he was in fear he would be hung for
murder so terrible We're the conditions
there. True, the Confederacy could not
keep so many men in real comfort, but
they did not have to treat us as they
did. No man would treat dumb brute
as we were treated. / know ratons
and clothing were scarce. and / have
been charitable all these years knowing
such, but when the facts are contra
dicted 1 feel it is time to speak"
The Truth Won Capt. Wirz.
s. D., says: Il was taken prisoner at
Wits Valley, near Lookout River, on
Nov. 81. 1863, and was exchanged on
Nov. 20, 1864, at Savannah. i was wit.
the second squad that was taker to
Andersonville Prison in the Spring of
'64. There were six of us, r. Galloway,
DIR. Garwin, T.. Rice, Rev. Massey and
one other besides myself. We had one
of the two shacks that were in the
prison at that time, ours being the one
| on the east side, nearest the creek, and
was made of split logs and dirt. We
organized sworn league for tunneling,
and started to work about 5 or 20 feet
from the dead line on the west side
We first dug shaft about 25 feet down
anu Sli uIh Ssihu, we tuHIitieu Il
distance of 43 feet, expecting to come
out about 20 feet beyond the stockade
into little hollow, where we would be
protected from view.
"Our league of IA members included
Joe Fletcher. r. Galloway, John Tuck
er, Clark McClasky, A Lloyd, Henry Gall
and seven others besides myself whose
names l cannot remember. We were
supposed TO be digging a well. We
made a hosting bucket out of pine,
and our pick and shovel was a half
canteen and an old butcher knife. To
haul the dirt out we used some old
sacks. We reached a point where only
two of us, John Tucker and myself
( would go into the hole to work, for if
caught ii meant sure death. We had
been working about two weeks, when
Capt. Wirz was seen coming towards us
with 20 negros and guards and himself
swinging two big revoivers. He said
he would allow us no more provisions
until we told him who was doing the
tunneling. He said he would shoot
them when found. 1t looked bad for
Tucker and me, but we decided the
| best thing to do was to tell him our
selves. so Tucker stepped up and said:
| Captain, am one of the men that
| has been working in that hole What
are you going to do about it?' And ]
said: I'm the other man. He looked
at first one and then the other of us,
as If dumbfounded. When his senses
returned he said: Vel, what won't you
| tam Yanks do? The negros and
guards filed up our tunnel, and that
was the last we heard of it, ! would
like to locate John Tucker or any OF
the boys that were with me in prison.
His Prison Experience.
| S. S. Wales, Co. b, I'd Ind, Mime
4 a nn1iS Mimi toll ic-
oner May 9, 1864. near Varnell Station
Ga. arrived at Andersonville May IA;
was assigned to the third squad of the
26th detachment; was quartered on the
north side of the main street. just west
of where the Plymouth pilgrims were
located. in a wall tent. / witnessed the
hanging of the raiders July II, which
was horrible sight. / was too lame
from scurvy to walk when the prisoner
were taken out in September, so had tc
remain with about 1000 others i'm some
open sheds in the north end of the
lstockade until November when he were
taken to Millen. AT least two-thirds OF
the number had died before leaving
Andersonville. 7 was in the second
trainload taken from Millen in a cold
pouring rain. When we arrived In Sl-
vannah it was freezing cold. We were
taken out into an open woods. We suf-
fered intensely, and when we arrived
at Blackshear a few days later we
found ohr comrades in a pine forest
which was paradise compared to An
Jacksonville. About a week later we
were taken to Thonasviile, Ga. Ther
we were marched across country bach
to Andersonville, where we arrived or
Christmas Day in another cold rain anl
turned in without food. wood or shell
ter. Our suffering was terrible We
remained there until April, 1865, Yher
we were sent to Jacksonville, Fla, ant
released"
i Aided by Loyal Woman.
p. NJ. Lonsbury, Co. f, 18th Mich.
Seattle, Wash, says: "On Washing.
tons birthday, 1865, a number of u.
boys who had been prisoners at Ander
sonville made our escape from the Con
federates at Wilmington, n. c., while
they were transferring us from Flor
ence to Salisbury. We entered our line.
when our boys had captured Whining
ton. There were IL or IA of us in the
loft of Mrs. Turner's kitchen, with Just
room enough under the roof for us tc
lie down. We could hear our gunboat.
coming up the river. Mrs. Turner wa.
stanch Union woman, and furnished
US with blankets and provisions while