Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-04-11

but two or three suffers had open
their shops in the empty stores and
were getting their usually exorbit-
ant prices for everything. In the
market place there was one little
boy selling peanuts. About 1000
paroled prisoners arrived today,
who showed very plainly by their APP
pearance the treatment which had
been accorded them. Wilmington
had been entered by our troops for
the first time last Wednesday and to-
day daily paper made it's appear
ance, and tonight one of the theaters
is open.
Wilmington, No. Carolina,
Wednesday March /, 1865.
1t rained again last night and this
morning, so we did not get up very
early. We were to move today but
waited until afternoon when we
went about half a mile to division
headquarters. Major General Couch
has command of the corps now, and
Brigadier General Mclean commands
the division. Over one thousand
more paroled prisoners arrived today,
all officers. They were but very lit
tie better in appearance than the
privates and told almost increditable
stories of their treatment at the
hands of the rebels. They said their
were $4,000 of our men buried at An
Jacksonville prison, 5000 at Macon, g.
600 at Columbia, besides other places
/ have forgotten, where there are A.
600 or less buried, all having died
mostly from lack of food, clothing
and proper care. They said it had
been five months since they had had
meat of any kind issued to them.
Such humanity and cruelty can
never be forgotten by the men who
suffered it.
Thursday, March 2, 1865.
No jobs of work were brought to
me today, so / employed the time in
sharpening my tools. Made a slit
ting saw out of a cross-cut by filing
out every other tooth to make it
coarser. | did not get it done how
ever. Today was cloudy and mild.
Saw the inhabitants planting gar
dens and they said it was four weeks
later than they usually plant them.
Friday, March 3, 1865.
After washing the dishes and read
ing the morning papers, | went to
work on the saws again and finished
them. Then / finished fixing the am
bulance which / had started several
days before. After eating lunch
for dinner l took short walk to the
east of the town. / saw nothing of
interest there, so walked down to
the wharf. While here / met Amin
Jakeway, of my company, who had
been taken prisoner the sixteenth of
last August, and had just been par
oled. He said he had drawn and
eaten three mems ration, yet had
gone hungry and looked thin. About
five o'clock | got orders to repair a
desk for Captain Clemens, so / got
my tools and worked on it until dark.
/ knocked the top from a nice table
seemed like a hard way to use pro-
perry. but traitors must suffer.
Saturday, March 4, 1866.
Today is inauguration day at
Washington, when "Uncle Abe" is
to be sworn in as a veteran. Here
in Wilmington all is hustle and hurry
to starting a campaign.
/ finished Captain Clemens desk,
which coupled my time until the mid
die of the afternoon, then brought
my tools back to camp and then went
back after some nails and a permit
to send some things home by ex-
press. II rained some today.
Sunday, March 5, 1865.
Soon after breakfast was sent for
by Lieutenant Anderson and order
ed to make mess box for him.
Went down TO the commissary and
got box, brought it up to camp,
cut il down some, made partitions in |
IL and hung the cover. then pack |
ed bundle Of express to send home.
In the evening was called by Lieut.
enant Clingman to fix desk, and
when got done he set me to looking |
over guns and II was nine o'clock |
before got through. We were |
obliged to take our tent down and |
turn them over to the quarter mas