The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-12-07
THE IMMORTAL SIX HUNDRED.
Interesting Sketch of their Memoir
able Experiences.

At the annual reunion OF Unlteu
Confederate veterans, the populace
who knew it, saw a small band of
grizzled and gray veterans, marching
proudly behind the banner, thus in
scribed: Survivors of the Immortal
Six Hundred Confederate Officers,
Prisoners of War. Forty-two days un-
der fire of our own guns on Morris
Island, Charleston Harbor, S. c., IS
day on Rotten Corn Meal, Cats and
Pickle rations, at Hilton Head and
Fort Pulaski, 18 days in the Hold OF
the Prison Ship, Crescent City, from
Fort Delaware to Morris Island"
This banner and these men unfold
a tale of horror, such as bring fortn
a shudder and a blush of shame to
the cheeks of every man, woman, or
child, in the confines Of the Union.
In all the annals of ancient or mod
ern history, no band of human be-
ings, helpless. bound prisoners or
war, were ever called upon to suner
or endure more. AS one OF those
survivors, even at this distant day,
l shudder to review them. Space
does not permit me to give details;
so shall confine myself to cold, sta
tistical facts. On August the 10th,
1864, six hundred Confederate OIL
GERS were selected from among the
prisoners confined in the barracks
and prison cells of Fort Delaware
and marched on board small coast
ing steamer, that piled between Phil
adelphia and New Orleans. Into the
hold of this vessel they were march
ed, and like dry goods, packed in
shelves, next to the boilers, coal
hunks and furnaces, below the water
line. A narrow gangway, thirty
inches wide, led from the rear or
these hunks, to an iron ladder; up
this ladder, forty-five feet above
their heads was closet, and one
sinkhole, for the use of the entire
Six Hundred. Along this ladder
was posted six Federal guards, whose
orders were to let but one prisoner
ascend and descend at time. The
rations furnished were pint of hot,
salty, greasy pea soup, and four
mouldy, sour, worm eaten ship bis
cults twice a day. The water furn-
ished was from a small evaporator,
whose capacity was only sufficient
for the officers and crew, thirty in
number. The consequence was that
with 800 prisoners, the thirty officers
and crew of the vessel, and the 200
Yankee guards, that this evaporation
could not distill suficiency of~wa-
ter. So the water given the pris-
oners was so hot that in the tempera-
ture of the hold, was always 120 de-
grees Fahrenheit, that we would
have to blow and cool it for an hour
at a time, before we could swallow
it. And when it cooled, it had a
Shiny, and a very brackish taste
Under these conditions the calls of
nature had to obeyed, and the mar
row gangway, of 80 inches, was soon
aslosh with the emissions from the
tortured men. Each day, as the ship
steamed on her way, southwark, to-
ward Morris Island the weather
grew warmer, and the sea rougher,
and the sufferings in that dark, dis
NAL, heated hold, and the scent from
the bilge water, and the ever in
creasing odors of human emissions,
was almost unbearable.. When we
reached Charleston harbor, and were
removed to the upper decks, out OF
mephitic odors of the dark hold, our
complexions were as fair as lilies OF
the valley, and just as devoid of the
rose tinge. From off Hilton Head we
were carried to a sand bar on Nor
ris Island, in front of Charleston and
directly under the guns of Fort Sum-
ter, Fort Moultrie, and all the Con-
federate batteries guarding the city:
Behind us frowned the Yankee guns,
in Batteries Wagner, Chatfeld and
Gregg. Around us a walled stock
ade, about 100 yards square, man
ned by negro guards, under mon
ster named Hallowell. Here our
guards made pretense of erecting
stronger works and nearer approach
es toward our defenses, which caus-
ed all the guns in Charleston harbor
to be turned on us, and for AZ days,
they poured their iron ball upon us
day and night.
Every day the oath of allegiance
was offered to us, as a means of es-
cape, from this awful fire. And when
none were induced to take it, the
Yankee batteries would open a ter
rifle fire in reply to our own guns,
and every now and then, burst one
of their own shells in our midst.
From this awful Hell of Fire" on
Morris Island, we were removed to
Hilton Head and Fort Pulaski, and
there for 65 days were were fed on
rotten corn meal. Corn meal that
was kiln dried in 1850, and here is
sued to US, in the winter of 1854
1865, with half pint of extra sour,
Shiny pickle. Of course we ate every
rat, or cat, and an occasional dog
that came in our reach. Under these
conditions as I have before remark
ed, this band of six hundred i'm
mortals bore their sufferings and
were carried back to the northern
prisons, and the survivors paroled
in June and July, 1865. Prior to
this, only eighteen of these men, un-
der all their hardships, took the oath
of allegiance, and escaped further
suffering.
And tha survivors of tnat immOr-