The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-10-22
COOLING WAS HELD CAP
TIVE IN SOUTHERN PRISON

tNOAtlNNt4 tkNtt paw WV
Ct rebel defenders captive and sent
them to Richmond, from which place
they were sent to the various Union
prison camps. His last battle was at
Goldshc'o and from then on until the
battle in which he was taken prisoner.
April 10, 1864, he took part in many
skirmishes. He took part in ss stand.
ing battles, not counting skirmishes.
1t was while $4,000 men OF Hoke's
division Of the Confederate army were
making an assault on Plymoth. N. c.
the Union men were repulsed and the
rebels took something like s,l00 I'M
ion men prisoners ana sent them 20
Tarboro on their way 10 rebel prison
camps and 20 what prlve1 living
death or worse than that % many 0f
the gallant men. Tarhoro is situated
on the Tar river and there they were
loaded into box cars and sent 20 An
derscnvilc prison, one Of the worst
places which, history in all its time
has ever recorded. Arriving at the
prison they started in at once 10 feed
They were fed as il they were no
more than SO much stock, only they
were not given the consideration
which u man pays Go his stock. They
had &c see 90 the cooking Of the. meal
themselves and If they succeeded in
securing wood 70 cook with the chan
ees were that il would be taken away
from them. Sometimes they would
so two or three days without feed
and then the gates would open and in
would come supply wagon IL would
be loaded with coarse cornmeal and
cow peas, some Of which might have
been partly cooked and some still raw
This stuff would be dumped right on
the ground and the boys would have
TO gather il up. Sometimes they would
be treated 70 half deeompoSed beef.
fly-blown and so llsmelhng that even
a starving man would turn away from
I il.
There was little stream Of water
running through the stcekade and this
was used as drinking water, bathing
beach and a refuse dumping ground.
I The Confederates used the stream ON
the high side Of the stoekade fer these
purposes and the water was loaded
with impurities when il reached the
( inside of the place where the Union
men were stationed and had % use il,
I The eondit ons which this brought on
We're terrible and were the cause Of
thousands Ct men dying. no atten-
tion being given them after they took
sick until il was quite sure that il
was too late and then the attention
was scarcely what one could give them
any credit for.
! Mr.. Gooding said that there was
+ Catholic priest who used 70 visit the
sick and dying men in the prison.
There Were also some Sisters OF Mer~
? cy who came in and tried with the
small means IN their power 70 make
/ life a little more cornfortahls>fcg the
suffering patriots. Mr.. Cooling SAYS
that the priest would always have =
good audience and that a good many
of the men were hsttered BY his Vis-
7 its. They also tried u leArn from
him how things We're coming On cut
side but he was not allowed 20 speak
of this on fear Of being refused the
privilege Of entering the stoeka1e and
they never learned a thing from hun
about the war conditions The men
also held little prayer meetings among
themselves and tried % lead as goo1
lives as thsy could.
Some Of the men organized then-
selves into a party Of raiders and they
would 20 out among the other prison.
ers at night and rob them Of anything
they might have. These men were
called raiders and they were finally
caught and after being tried and found
guilty they were condemned 70 death
bv hanging. There were six of them
and Mr.. Geoding says that he can
remember the day Of the hanging
just as plainly as II il were yesterday,
The Tanks never lost hope and no
got many 70 desert the Union cause
There were a few. who, tortured BE-
yond reason hy starvation. filth. dis
ease and other cruslties. eventually
gave in and took the oath of allexS-
anee TO the rebel cause These were
very few however and IL was only
under the most eSten0atinx eire0ra-
stances that any Of the men went over
&c the other side. IL was thought that
most of them did 50 in the hope that
they would thus ee more likely -
make their way back 20 the Unlea
lines and escape the horrible life
which they were forced 10 lead in the
prison.
Their food kept getting worse all
the time and finally il got So that
bread was made cut Of corn. TIE
ear Of corn. corn cob. hnsks. silks and
all were put through course grind
ing mill and sort Of = meal ra23e
from which their bread was Naked.
They got no vegetables sc all and this
brought on a condition of scurvy
from which thousands Of msn died
Mr.. Cooling hsd succeeded in secret
ing 10 bill in god United States
money. under a brass BUTTON at the
time he was captured and with this
he managed to purchase sone q the
Injuries Of prison life. He paid 10
cents for each spoonful ef salt which
he could get and this is perhaps ~
sponsible for his health heina< little
better while in prison than rasny 81
the other captives. An crSilrary hss-
cult would bring IS cents ard ether