Year: 1878

40


who had puroined them from the quartermaster their
regiments and after woodwas brought into the prison 10y
the commissary owner Of these tools often made
extra Fuel ration by oaping them to those who had no
other Of cutting IT, The quantity Of this wood
extremely small small indeed, that hesitate to make
of it. lest should be disbcievcd but It is
safe to that than one-fourth of cord was
given detachment for oneday this divided equal
ly among two hundred and seventy men, would give to
each little more than one ninth OF foot to reduce
it still further it equal to green pine board one inch
in thickness, twelve inches long by five wide This
the maximum the minimum was no wood at all; which
frequently the This wood drawn to us in
various conditions being mostly the tops of trees that
had been feed TO obtain the stockade timber 1t consist
ed Of large and small sticks varying from foot an inch
in diameter and from two to twenty feet in length 10
reduce this proper dimensions required the aid of tools
and these consisted principally of iron spikes which had
been picked up upon the railroad while the boys being
transported hithe and wooden wedges which had been
whitfield out with iack-knves With these implements
could reduce the wood TO plinters of sufficient dmen
ons for cooking purposes but it required the closest
economy in the using Little holes dug in the earth
in which the fires built and these orr tin pans


we had them were hung In which we heated water or
scadng our meal preparatory to cooking it. and at the
time toastng morse of bacon to econouze the
heat.


1.-THE rENNEssEEANs-THE PLYMOUTH PRISONERS.


In the early part of Nav some five hundred Tennes-
who had been captured by Forest and wntered at
Selma and Cahawba, Alabama, arrived among us: the
most of whom were haess bootless and shoeess with
out coats pants and blankets On leaving those places
the authorities had told them that they going be
exchangeda hrewd piece of strategy with which rebel
officers duped the unsuspcctng prisoners upon all
sons of removal 10 avoid increasing the number of the
guard that accompanied them They wholly desti
ute of cups plates spoons and dishes of every kind
well as of all means OF purchasing thcm they having been
stripped Of these things by their capors In their dest


e condition. they were turned into the stockade and left
to shift for themselves in the best they could To
borrow cups OF their felowprsones an impossiby
for could be expected to lend what if it not
returned would be the of his destruction par





nothing left for them but bake their meal and
upon stones and chips eat it without moisture nd
afterwards to go the brook like BEASTS to quench their
thirst To keep themselves from the cold at night they
scooped ont shallow places in the earth with their hands
and lying down side by side in these with their bare
heads and naked feet resting upon the surface of the
ground and their unprotected bodies wet with dews and
storms the wetched men trembled and shivered till morn
ing There was no hope OF be tering their condition. for
having money they could buy nothing; nothing would
be given them by their fellows by the authorities they
could do nothing by which to earn even wor-out apparel
they utterly helpless to benefit themselves and yet
these men were kept here for many months and lived


Soon afteTward came two thousand more, who had
been recently captured at Plymouth, North Carolina
These sonville with better provisions
than any that had before arrived By the of
render they allowed to retain their money KNAPP
Sacks and extra clothing; together with certain articles
pertaining culinary uses These things were private
property, bought and paid for by each man, and by all
law and decency should have been preserved to him with
out stpuaton but such not generally the 1t
matter of the greatest surprise TO that the rebel
authorities respected these terms after they had been
made with them yet by oversight doubtless their
part they were respected; but they knew full well that
such articles could be of to their army would Just
surely find their way ultimately into their possession
for trng returns if they had taken them by force
few days before the of these they had been
enlisted veterans and received pay such Each
had consequently large amount of moneysome much
three hundred dollars-aud nearly every had
overcoat extra pants Shirts drawers and blankets 1t
pleasant TO look upon them TO their noble forms
arTayed in the comfortable uniforms of loved country
but while glad to find them well provided with
materials for their comfort were by rejoced
to see them among us; for we know too we'll by
experience that their present good cheer could not last
They were, general thing noble minded and intelli
gent with high of honor and integrity whose
associations had evidently been of the best character they
had enlisted and pered their lives that of the
ton because they felt it to be duty Iw sad to think
how they would be brought low their courage gone
and squalid want and misery claim them for their victims
They brought the exchange question:
and like all prisoners who had been but recently captured
nduged in iatterng antcpatons ospeedy release; and