Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-03-17

With twenty -four OF my COM
pany-Co.. !. 3ith Miss. ! reach
cd Rock Island, ILL.,, Che latter
part of November. go. We ar
rived about o O'Clock az night;
found snow and sleet two feet
deep. in fact we didn't see the
ground until April.
The prison was situated on an
island in the Mississippi river,
bordering on the north western
part of Illinois.
Tho buildings consisted of "a
barracks or houses symetrically
arranged ard laid fl in streets.
They were neither ceiled nor
plastered, the floors We're made
OF plank laid loosely on the
ground. You can imagine how
cold they were with weather down
to zero and below.
One hundred and ten men were
put in each barrack 20xl00 feet
Two stoves were in each barrack.
The firsS morning after We
reached Rock Island. a Federal
captain came in with a file of
men to call the roll. lie first
ordered us to line up. Then he
said "Uncover!" We simply
stared 1T him in amazement, hav-
ing never before heard such n
command. He seemed to think
that we mutinied. He grew red
in the face and raised his voice
in angry tone and said again,
."Uncover!!" By this time he
began to realize that we were
ignurant of the meaning of his
command wner4upln he sud
in no gentle voice. Damn. you,
take off your hats" We semov-
ed them. After this, we were
given general orders, what to do
and what not to do. Among
these was an order that we elect
an orderly 10 each barrack. /,
was bis duty t. line US up for
roll call and see that barracks
and premises were kept in neat
and sanitary condition. This
latter was r gidly enforced.
Our bunks or beds were three
story-one right above the other.
two men to the bunk, two blank
cts TO the bunk and nothing more
than the hard hunks on which y
sleep. The people then told u
BY way of cheer that was the
coolest winter in years. Fifteen
hundred men died the first six
months from cold and exposure
10 that climate.
For a few months after we
were imprisoned, We Jared we'll
enough. Then our rati5ns were
cut down n one fourth qganti-
", that is 10 about one ourth OF
what a man could eat, days
rations consisting of one small
loaf Of bread and cne-dfth pound
OF poor best with water "adiibi-
tum." Soldiers who had no
friends in the Yankee lines u
furnish them greenback money
with which u buy food really
suffered. Those Of US who were
more fortunate We're robbed o:
much OF the pleasure OF such a
fortune by knowing that our tel g..
low soldiers We're hungry.
The discipline was very severe
For example, we dared not COL
lect in groups or we would in
stantly be fired into by guard.
on the parapet. For other viola
lions other punishments were
used. One very popular being
Riding John Morgan" as the
boys used to say. Riding plank
was not quite pleasant.
: As to clothing, if soldiers were
in dire need, they were furnish
ed, those furnished consisting oil
yankee uniform trousers and
judging from their lasting quail
ties, they had been in the quarter
masters department ever since
the war with Mexico.
, This want of provisions and
clothes caused many of our fell
lows TO join the Federal army to
keep down Indian invasion on
the frontier. Twenty-seven hun
dred joined them, they were not
required TO fight agains: their
own people.
We were allowed to have Judi
clal circuit courts to try any vio-
iatlon of prison laws, such as
stealing provisions, clothes, DC.
There were some fine young law
yers in prison and they made
these trials worry interesting.
Any decisions of the jury were
enforced if necessary by the
iederals. We had religious SER
vices every Sunday by our chap
lain an Episcopalian minister.
! Commentator is due the doc
tors and some officers. They
we're fine men, and memory OF
them goes to make up the bright
spots OF this prison experience.
| would not have you think
that this state of affairs entirely
crushed the spirits of our fellows,
for many were the hours of rev.
elry spent within these prison
walls, enjoying the music of the
improvised "iiddles" and listen
ling to the stories told. Social
lines were drawn as in any other
body of people, and conaenial
spirits We're sought in every walk
of life, and but for these hours of
laAH fA.D1t&.