Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-08-20

Grant We left our winter quarters
the third of May We crossed the
Rappahannock. and the fifth of NJ ay
we engaged in one of the hardest
battles Of the war and one that took
from the ranks of the old Vermont brig
ade 1000 men in less than two hours.
1t was here that my pants were red
with blood from good brave boys that
stood by my 5 de- On the Oath of June
we were sent to tear up the Weldon |
railroad. Here we were surrounded |
by Rebs who outnumbered u.s. 10 to l
and took US prisoners of war Ne were
at once paraded through the streets
of Richmond, where we received such /
pet names as Damned Yankees. Inva- I
ders, Vermont Abolitionists, etc. We
were finally landed in Libby prison,
where we We're robbed of everything I
Of value. Ii any Of the boys were
unfortunate enough to have on a coat, /
pants, or shoes that were good for
anything, the Rebs stole them, and of |.
course the boys had to go without. /
We arrived at Andersonvilie prison
July u We were soon crowded
through the gate inside the stockade, [
little thinking that part of that squad
OF - would ever 90 through the gate
again until carried, ouC TO be burned
me to describe one-tenth part of the
misery. suffering. starvation, the
horrors Of the living the dying anG
dead skeletons inside that st0ckade
while I was confined there.
During the five months | was confined
there, 2. N. Bixby, Clark Bunder and
others had starved to death. My
brother Harrison. being too weak to
stand, was carried out, as the prison
pen was being evacuated near the last
of November, and was exchanged by
the Rebs, as they we'll knew his mill
tary career was ended. But he reached
the union lines in time t. die under
the protecting folds Of the Star Span
gled Banner.
About the last Of November we
were taken out with the promise Of
exchange. but instead we were taken
were as bad, and in some respects
ratiOns were half pint Of the worst
kind of wormy beans. mostly shells.
or sometimes the equivalent in rice
or small piece of coarse corn bread.
This piece of bread, or what they
called bread, for our "a hours rations
would measure to the. best Of my
memory. two inches wide, three inches
long and one inch thick. Some call
Writ a iend, but Florence had a
brute Of the deepest die That was
the red-headed brute. Barrett. 1t was
in this prison that | came near losing
my courage. | had the scurvy in its
worst form, but fortunately on my old
blue coat | had some brass buttons
which [ traded with Rebel sergeant
for sweet potatoes, / think Is good
sized ones. These / ate raw, as | had
no chance to cook them, but they
saved my life.
A last the joyful news came that
we were to be exchanged. We were
loaded onto the cars. and taken to
Wilmington. =. c., where there was
a genuine exchange. and once more
after almost nine months of misery.
s aviation and also I'm Ter the detestable
Stars and Bars, we had the Joyful
plea -Lre Of a-aln passing under the
Glorious Star Spangled Banner"
Brother Harney mas told me how.
when ala caught signs 0 the OH Iaz.
he tainted for very joy. This is the
way he tells it here:
''But the change was too much for
me from rebel prison pen, to freedom
T n Gods country, and once more under
the protecting folds Of the dear old
Stars and Stripes. This change. with
my starved, weak and emacia0ed con
diti0n, was more than I could stand
and for number cf days, I thought
myself back in those awful prison
pens. But / finally reeained my lost
4 senses, and few weeks Of kind treat
ment and such medicine as the rebel
doctor could give, I was soon strong
enough to be sent to Annapolis, Md.
where with such treatment as was
given IN Gods country, I was soon
after taken a IS days furlougn to my
home in Vermont. When ! arrived
home l could walk but Q few rods at {
time.
1.-THE surprise it gave my relatives
and friends can better be imagined
that described. They had not heart
from me but once since my cJnfne
ment in the southern prisons. They
had been told by someone who hal
been exchanged who thought ne saw
me jump over the dead line beause
was SO discouraged and was shot by
the rebel guard. After my furl0ugl
was expired, against the wish Of nay
friends, I returned to Annapolis, Md.
where [ remained in the hospital unit
was able TO be discharged. on tht
first day Of July, 1855, when ] again
returned to my home in Vermont Fo1
more than year after my discharge
was able to do but very little, If any
manual labor. and today, after 80 years
| feel the effects Of my treatment il
those Southern bells, called prison
pens. "