Newspaper clippings, 1861-1930, Vol. 5

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always ate my days ration as soon aa brought back to prison again, although
£ could after I got It, using It all tat some got a j^eod squaire meal by the £2Z"<v^
one meaL operation. >    'W?n*
There was at that time a strong On September 23rd and 34th It trained police force made up from among the two days and one night until our camp prisoners, the Chief being Surgeon Ut- was completely covered with water, ter of the Second New York Cavalry, Not a spot of earth could be seen inside and a very good and capable man he the stockade aiid those who slept that was. He maintained good order night did so while standing. On the throughout the camp. All disputeg were 25th the weather cleared and by mid- settled by him, there bekng no appeal might we began to find places to Itiy, from his decision, fin? he was king. It then turned cold so that Ice formed Perhaps you are surprised that the as thick as window glcuu. This caused prisoners needed police, but you must much stifferlng as we had no blankets, remember that there we were as a only thin summer clothing. The loy- large city In number on a small piece alty of the suffering prisoners to their of ground, and many bad men were country and Its officers was astonlsh- with us. Scarcely a night passed with- ing. One Instance Is recalled of^Mr. out some one's being robbed or killed, Bailey, a lawyer of New York, who, for life was not valued highly In such a trying to gain favor with the Rebs, be- plaoe. gan to make a speech to us In which
Many Died of Scurvy he berated Grant and Lincoln and our
Many died of that dreadful disease government generally for prolonghig scurvy, of which I saw three different the war, etc. As soon as the drift <rf fornu; swelling, sore mouth, and his talk was discovered, the "Nortl n muscular contraction. The first was mudsills" knocked him down and near¬ by far th? worst form, the body swell- ly killed htm before he could reach the Ing until it burst 1 have seen men guard where he went with all speed, with lips and mouth as lasge as one's Many Tried To Escape
hand, of a f iry red color, and so sore The prisoners were continually plam- that everything that touched It waa.ntog to escape or studying how to bet¬ like being burned. Others would have iter their condition and as tunneling Sore gums, until the flesh would fairly was easy here at Savannah, this means rot from the jaws leaving the bare was often tried until the Rebs dug a teeth set In their honey sockets. ditch on the outside of the fence, six
At this time our rations was a piece feet wide down to the water line. This of corn bread, (meal ground cobs and of course, stopped our tunnels, because all) with nigger beans or peas, season- we could not dig in the water.* We ed with black bugs and gravel stones, discovered this ditch about midnight and one-fourth pound of meat. when we -reached it ,with our tunnel.
Moved to Savannah The  guard    Immediately  eadled    oUt:
I had only been here thirteen days "Corporal of the Guard, post number when the Rebs must have thought us eight! Yanks getting out Uke hellr' too near Sherman, who had now got to He fired at us and there was some t«U Atlanta; so AndersonviUe was vacated, retreating. Then, to locaU our tun- and 80,000 of us were taken to Sevan- nels, they put a heavy load on a cart aiah and put in a pen with nearly the and drew It around the camp hetwe^ same experience as at AndersonviUe. the fence and the dead line. WhW » A Lieut. Davis had command of us wheel cut deeply into the ^ndy earth here and a meaner man was never they knew that there, was a h<»l».^e- bom. I have seen him come into camp neath. Then they would curif. 1^ and commence telling the boys about d—d Yankeej^.. ,.. /^        .,,>
exchange until he had gathered a good - i' -l^ed^-to Attempt,    y? -^j--
crowd around him and then taking a I Aiter ^ month's stay at Savannb* big club which he always cairied. iwj^were.trtHai ta CamplMatmpm Bwing it around, knock these poor half ^i"«'»'p*: ^*» ^" » «^«'^ "»,^ '^- naked and half-starved union soldiers &<*« »»* the best camp we had «a down and kick them for falling. I have |risoners. Here^we had good water seen him ride right over our boys who from a large oreek and plenty of wo«n^ were too sick to even stand and could M the lower side of this canap w«re not Mt out of his wav ***® '**"*'®' ^^^ **« stream was dammed
"^ttSd^mJ J weather ^^ "»eht and opened when fuU todean.
our Savannah prteon was surround- 0"t the place. Here. wiUi a messmate, ed by a high boa^ fence. Instead of a J, »»<*« ""f ^*L*J^!^?.l^ T^ S log stockade. We could dig doWn to. "°»«^S ««* with this filth, only tobe to the sandy ground about five feet and recaptured and returamd, as there was find good drinking water.   The first » 8^^^^°" *^« »~"*^* •• ^^ *• <>*
night here twelve tunnels were dug^'^^n^ A p^^„ ,.««*-« w* h.H ^mu tiwough to the outside, by means of ^ While at Camp Lanten we had sheu which many    escaped    only    to    He ^er for we built a hut of spUt loss aad.