The National tribune., 1910-02-17


the trading TO suit themselves, too I
had on new hat which a Johnny liked
-Jshe looks of, He grabbed it. off my
head and handed me his old WORKOUT
headsear. j afterwards learned that
he took it from a Union prisoner at
Missionary Ridge about year before.
1t was full of holes, and the rim hung
down in my eyes.
The negro soldiers all had on new
shoes and the rebels traded them out
of their. shoes in the same way.
The first two or three days that we
were with Hoods army gave US an OPP
portunity to see the makeup of rebel
army. They were very poorly dressed
in brown and butternut gray cotton
suits, with badly worn shoes when they
had any at all. Their wagons were
nearly all old farm wagons, except those
they had captured from Uncle Sam,
and were drawn by rundown mules
and thorses.
Hoods army seemed to be in good
spirits. They thought they had cap
fured Sherman's army. They said they
were. going right on to Louisville, and
1ntehded to Winter on the Ohio River.
We were hurried on to prison, going
thru Georgia to Selma, Ala. One day
q regiment of cavalry was detailed to
guard US, and they marched us pretty
hard =" Some of the boys gave out but
camp. l could run down the best horse
they had in the regiment. When we
got down TO Jackson Ala, we thought
they would load US on the cars and give
us a ride into Selma, but they conclud=
ed otherwise, and we had to- foot it.
Our rations consisted of, cornmeal
and raw beef and nothing to cook it in.
They gave Us some crackers that were
about as hard as bricks, and looked
like they had been made out of rice
mixed with water. without salt or short
ening: For little. -knotty apples they
charged us SO a dozen.
As we marched into Selma the side
walks were lined with ladies. waving
their handkerchiefs at the rebel guards.
Pointing to us prisoners, they would
yell. .HerEs your Yankees! Here's
your Lincoln dogs, Here's your nigger
officers" and other like remarks
Here we were loaded on a little
steamboat and taken down the Alabama
River 10 Cahaba, about 25 miles below
Selma. As soon as the boat landed at
Cahaba we were ordered to fall in. and
were marched off TO the Provost Mar
shats Office, where we were all searched
and. everything of value taken away
from MS We were then marched to
the a,rison. named Morgan, in honor Of
that daring Confederate raider, John
Before the war the prison was used
as a cotton warehouse, the property OF
Col. Samuel HILL The roof on one side
had fallen. There were about 1000 in
the prison. and We were ordered TO take
the side that had no roof on it.
one night it rained so hard that we
began 10 crowd in among the old pris-
on"rs, and then the terrific yolley of
oatis that greeted us was such as had
never heard before or since.
Our grub there consisted of corn
meal. which we mixed up with water
and baked in ovens allowed us for that
purpose There was cook yard in
front Of the prison, where there were
400 or SEQ little fires, and we would
have to stand and fan the fire with our
hats - keep up the heat. We dare not
leaVc cur meal cakes for fear some one
world steal them.
Pctween the prison and the cook
yard there was a gate, and all persons
stopping there were ordered TO be shot
without warning.
We were confined in Castle Morgan
about 10 days. Then, owing to its crowd
ed condition, We were sent to Millen.
Ga. We stopped awhile in Montgomery,
.Ala.. and saw the building where the
first Confederlte congress met in Feb
ruary, 1861.
t'he day we arrived at Millen was
YER cold and rainy. When we looked
th.a tlie cracks of the stockade the
prisoners looked so black and dirty
tha hSgc thought they wcTc .ncgros. but
xna1 inside we discovered our mistake
ayc lad no fire, and VIC We're all stand
dag sarodnd wet and shivering. Some
OF sii.. old prisoners we're wallowins
arornh in rhe mud and rain and nearly