AboutthistimeWindercameonfromAndersonville,andtheneverythingchangedimmediatelytothecomplexionofthatplace。HebegantheerectionoftheStockade,andmadeitverystrong。TheDeadLinewasestablished,butinsteadofbeingastripofplankuponthetopoflowposts,asatAndersonville,itwassimplyashallowtrench,whichwassometimesplainlyvisible,andsometimesnot。Theguardsalwaysresolvedmattersofdoubtagainsttheprisoners,andfiredonthemwhentheysupposedthemtoonearwheretheDeadLineoughttobe。Fifteenacresofgroundwereenclosedbythepalisades,ofwhichfiveweretakenupbythecreekandswamp,andthreeorfourmorebytheDeadLine;mainstreets,etc。,leavingaboutsevenoreightfortheactualuseoftheprisoners,whosenumberswelledtofifteenthousandbythearrivalsfromAndersonville。Thismadethecrowdingtogethernearlyasbadasatthelatterplace,andforawhilethesamefatalresultsfollowed。Themortality,andthesendingawayofseveralthousandonthesickexchange,reducedtheaggregatenumberatthetimeofourarrivaltoabouteleventhousand,whichgavemoreroomtoall,butwasstillnotone—twentiethofthespacewhichthatnumberofmenshouldhavehad。
Noshelter,normaterialforconstructingany,wasfurnished。Thegroundwasratherthicklywooded,andcoveredwithundergrowth,whentheStockadewasbuilt,andcertainlynobitofsoilwaseversothoroughlyclearedasthiswas。ThetreesandbrushwerecutdownandworkedupintohutbuildingmaterialsbythesameslowandlaboriousprocessthatI
havedescribedasemployedinbuildingourhutsatMillen。
Thenthestumpswereattackedforfuel,andwithsuchpersistentthoroughnessthataftersomeweekstherewascertainlynotenoughwoodymaterialleftinthatwholefifteenacresofgroundtokindleasmallkitchenfire。Themenwouldbeginworkonthestumpofagoodsizedtree,andchipandsplititoffpainfullyandslowlyuntiltheyhadfollowedittotheextremityofthetaproottenorfifteenfeetbelowthesurface。Thelateralrootswouldbefollowedwithequaldetermination,andtrenchesthirtyfeetlong,andtwoorthreefeetdeepweredugwithcase—knivesandhalf—canteens,togetarootasthickasone'swrist。Therootsofshrubsandvineswerefollowedupandgatheredwithsimilarindustry。Thecoldweatherandthescantyissuesofwoodforcedmentodothis。
Thehutsconstructedwereasvariousasthematerialsandthetastesofthebuilders。ThosewhowerefortunateenoughtogetplentyoftimberbuiltsuchcabinsasIhavedescribedatMillen。Thosewhohadlessekedouttheirmaterialsinvariousways。Mostfrequentlyallthatasquadofthreeorfourcouldgetwouldbeafewslenderpolesandsomebrush。
Theywoulddigaholeinthegroundtwofeetdeepandlargeenoughforthemalltoliein。Thenputtingupastickateachendandlayingaridgepoleacross,they,wouldadjusttherestoftheirmaterialsoastoformslopingsidescapableofsupportingearthenoughtomakeawater—
tightroof。Thegreatmajoritywerenotsowelloffasthese,andhadabsolutely,nothingofwhichtobuild。Theyhadrecoursetotheclayoftheswamp,fromwhichtheyfashionedrudesun—driedbricks,andmadeadobehouses,shapedlikeabeehive,whichlastedverywelluntilahardraincame,whentheydissolvedintoredmireaboutthebodiesoftheirmiserableinmates。
Rememberthatallthesemakeshiftswerepracticedwithinahalf—a—mileofanalmostboundlessforest,fromwhichinaday'stimethecampcouldhavebeensuppliedwithmaterialenoughtogiveeverymanacomfortablehut。
CHAPTERLXIX。
BARRETT'SINSANECRUELTY——HOWHEPUNISHEDTHOSEALLEGEDTOBEENGAGEDIN
TUNNELING——THEMISERYINTHESTOCKADE——MEN'SLIMBSROTTINGOFFWITHDRY
GANGRENE。
WinderhadfoundinBarrettevenabettertoolforhiscruelpurposesthanWirz。Thetworesembledeachotherinmanyrespects。Bothwereabsolutelydestituteofanytalentforcommandingmen,andcouldnomorehandleevenonethousandmenproperlythanacabinboycouldnavigateagreatoceansteamer。Bothweregiventothesamesenselessfitsofinsanerage,comingandgoingwithoutapparentcause,duringwhichtheyfiredrevolversandgunsorthrewclubsintocrowdsofprisoners,orknockeddownsuchaswerewithinreachoftheirfists。Theseexhibitionsweresuchasanovergrownchildmightbeexpectedtomake。Theydidnotsecureanyresultexcepttoincreasetheprisoners'wonderthatsuchill—
temperedfoolscouldbegivenanypositionofresponsibility。
AshorttimeprevioustoourentryBarrettthoughthehadreasontosuspectatunnel。Heimmediatelyannouncedthatnomorerationsshouldbeissueduntilitswhereaboutswasrevealedandthe,ringleadersintheattempttoescapedelivereduptohim。Therationsatthattimewereveryscanty,sothatthefirstdaytheywerecutoffthesufferingswerefearful。Theboysthoughthewouldsurelyrelentthenextday,buttheydidnotknowtheirman。Hewasnotsufferingany,whyshouldherelaxhisseverity？Hestrolledleisurelyoutfromhisdinnertable,pickinghisteethwithhispenknifeinthecomfortable,self—satisfiedwayofacoarsemanwhohasjustfilledhisstomachtohisentirecontent——anattitudeandanairthatwassimplymaddeningtothefamishingwretches,ofwhomheinquiredtantalizingly:
"Airye'rehungryenoughtogiveupthemG—ddds——sofb————syet？"
Thatnightthirteenthousandmen,crazy,faintingwithhunger,walkedhitherandthither,untilexhaustionforcedthemtobecomequiet,satonthegroundandpressedtheirbowelsinbyleaningagainststicksofwoodlaidacrosstheirthighs;troopedtotheCreekanddrankwateruntiltheirgorgesroseandtheycouldswallownomore——dideverythinginfactthatimaginationcouldsuggest——toassuagethepangsofthedeadlygnawingthatwasconsumingtheirvitals。AllthecrueltiesoftheterribleSpanishInquisition,ifheapedtogether,wouldnotsumupagreateraggregateofanguishthanwasenduredbythem。Thethirddaycame,andstillnosignsofyieldingbyBarrett。TheSergeantscounseledtogether。Somethingmustbedone。Thefellowwouldstarvethewholecamptodeathwithaslittlecompunctionasonedrownsblindpuppies。
ItwasnecessarytogetupatunneltoshowBarrett,andtogetboyswhowouldconfesstobeingleadersinthework。Anumberofgallantfellowsvolunteeredtobravehiswrath,andsavetherestoftheircomrades。
Itrequiredhighcouragetodothis,astherewasnoquestionbutthatthepunishmentmetedoutwouldbeasfearfulasthecruelmindofthefellowcouldconceive。TheSergeantsdecidedthatfourwouldbesufficienttoanswerthepurpose;theyselectedthesebylot,marchedthemtothegateanddeliveredthemovertoBarrett,whothereuponorderedtherationstobesentin。Hewasconsiderateenough,too,tofeedthemenhewasgoingtotorture。
ThestarvingmenintheStockadecouldnotwaitaftertherationswereissuedtocookthem,butinmanyinstancesmixedthemealupwithwater,andswalloweditraw。Frequentlytheirstomachs,irritatedbythelongfast,rejectedthemess;anyverymanyhadreachedthestagewheretheyloathedfood;aburningfeverwasconsumingthem,andseethingtheirbrainswithdelirium。Hundredsdiedwithinafewdays,andhundredsmoreweresodebilitatedbytheterriblestrainthattheydidnotlingerlongafterward。
Theboyswhohadofferedthemselvesasasacrificefortherestwereputintoaguardhouse,andkeptovernightthatBarrettmightmakeadayoftheamusementoftorturingthem。Afterhehadlaidinaheartybreakfast,anddoubtlessfortifiedhimselfwithsomeofthevillainoussorgumwhisky,whichtheRebelswerenowreducedtodrinking,hesetabouthisentertainment。
Thedevotedfourwerebroughtout——onebyone——andtheirhandstiedtogetherbehindtheirbacks。Thenanooseofaslender,stronghempropewasslippedoverthefirstone'sthumbsanddrawntight,afterwhichtheropewasthrownoveralogprojectingfromtheroofoftheguardhouse,andtwoorthreeRebelshauleduponituntilthemiserableYankeewasliftedfromtheground,andhungsuspendedbythethumbs,whilehisweightseemedtearinghislimbsfromhisshoulderblades。Theotherthreeweretreatedinthesamemanner。
Theagonywassimplyexcruciating。Theboyswerebrave,andhadresolvedtostandtheirpunishmentwithoutagroan,butthiswastoomuchforhumanendurance。Theirwillwasstrong,butNaturecouldnotbedenied,andtheyshriekedaloudsopitifullythatayoungReservestandingnearfainted。Eachonescreamed:
"ForGod'ssake,killme！killme！Shootmeif——youwantto,butletmedownfromhere！"TheonlyeffectofthisuponBarrettwastolightuphisbrutalfacewithaleeroffiendishsatisfaction。Hesaidtotheguardswithagleefulwink:
"ByGod,I'lllearntheseYankstobemoreafeardofmethanoftheolddevilhimself。They'llsoonunderstandthatI'mnotthemantofoolwith。I'moldpizen,Iam,whenIgitstarted。Jesthear'emsqueal,won'tyer？"
Thenwalkingfromoneprisonertoanother,hesaid:
"D———nyerskins,ye'lldigtunnels,willye？Ye'lltrytogitout,andrunthroughthecountrystealin'andcarryin'offniggers,andmakin'
moretroublethanyerd————dnecksareworth。I'lllearnyeallaboutthat。IfIketchyeatthissortofworkagain,d————defIdon'tkillyeezsoonezIketchye。"
Andsoon,adinfinitum。Howlongtheboyswerekeptupthereundergoingthistorturecannotbesaid。Perhapsitwasanhourormore。Tothelocker—onitseemedlonghours,tothepoorfellowsthemselvesitwasages。Whentheywereletdownatlast,allfainted,andwerecarriedawaytothehospital,wheretheywereweeksinrecoveringfromtheeffects。Someofthemwerecrippledforlife。
Whenwecameintotheprisontherewereabouteleventhousandthere。
MoreuniformlywretchedcreaturesIhadneverbeforeseen。UptothetimeofourdeparturefromAndersonvilletheconstantinfluxofnewprisonershadpreventedthemiseryandwastingawayoflifefrombecomingfullyrealized。Thoughthousandswerecontinuallydying,thousandsmoreofhealthy,clean,well—clothedmenwereascontinuallycominginfromthefront,sothatalargeportionofthoseinsidelookedinfairlygoodcondition。Putnownonewprisonershadcomeinformonths;themoneywhichmadesuchashowaboutthesutlershopsofAndersonvillehadbeenspent;andtherewasineveryfacethesamelookofghastlyemaciation,thesameshrunkenmusclesandfeeblelimbs,thesamelack—lustereyesandhopelesscountenances。
Oneofthecommonestofsightswastoseemenwhosehandsandfeetweresimplyrottingoff。Thenightswerefrequentlysocoldthaticeaquarterofaninchthickformedonthewater。Thenakedframesofstarvingmenwerepoorlycalculatedtowithstandthisfrostyrigor,andthousandshadtheirextremitiessobadlyfrozenastodestroythelifeinthoseparts,andinducearottingofthetissuesbyadrygangrene。
Therottedfleshfrequentlyremainedinitsplaceforalongtime——
aloathsomebutpainlessmass,thatgraduallysloughedoff,leavingthesinewsthatpassedthroughittostandoutlikeshining,whitecords。
WhilethiswasinsomerespectslessterriblethanthehospitalgangreneatAndersonville,itwasmoregenerallydiffused,anddreadfultothelastdegree。TheRebelSurgeonsatFlorencedidnotfollowthehabitofthoseatAndersonville,andtrytocheckthediseasebywholesaleamputation,butsimplyletitrunitscourse,andthousandsfinallycarriedtheirputrefiedlimbsthroughourlines,whentheConfederacybrokeupintheSpring,tobetreatedbyourSurgeons。
Ihadbeeninprisonbutalittlewhilewhenavoicecalledoutfromaholeintheground,asIwaspassing:
"S—a—y,Sergeant！Won'tyoupleasetaketheseshearsandcutmytoesoff？"
"What？"saidI,inamazement,stoppinginfrontofthedugout。
"Justtaketheseshears,won'tyou,andcutmytoesoff？"answeredtheinmate,anIndianainfantryman——holdingupapairofdullshearsinhishand,andelevatingafootformetolookat。
Iexaminedthelattercarefully。Allthefleshofthetoes,exceptlittlepadsattheends,hadrottedoff,leavingthebonesascleanasifscraped。Thelittletendonsstillremained,andheldthebonestotheirplaces,butthisseemedtohurttherestofthefeetandannoytheman。
"You'dbetterletoneoftheRebeldoctorsseethis,"Isaid,afterfinishingmysurvey,"beforeyouconcludetohavethemoff。Maybetheycanbesaved。"
"No;d————difI'mgoingtohaveanyofthemRebelbutchersfoolingaroundme。I'ddiefirst,andthenIwouldn't,"wasthereply。"Youcandoitbetterthantheycan。It'sjustalittlesnip。Justtryit。"
"Idon'tliketo,"Ireplied。"Imightlameyouforlife,andmakeyoulotsoftrouble。"
"O,bother！whatbusinessisthatofyours？They'remytoes,andIwant'emoff。TheyhurtmesoIcan'tsleep。Come,now,taketheshearsandcut'emoff。"
Iyielded,andtakingtheshears,snippedonetendonafteranother,closetothefeet,andinafewsecondshadthewholetentoeslyinginaheapatthebottomofthedug—out。Ipickedthemupandhandedthemtotheirowner,whogazedatthem,complacently,andremarked:
"Well,I'mdarnedgladthey'reoff。Iwon'tbebotheredwithcornsanymore,Iflattermyself。"
CHAPTERLXX
HOUSEANDCLOTHES——EFFORTSTOERECTASUITABLERESIDENCE——DIFFICULTIES
ATTENDINGTHIS——VARIETIESOFFLORENTINEARCHITECTURE——WAITINGFORDEAD
MEN'SCLOTHES——CRAVINGFORTOBACCO。
Wewereputintotheoldsquadstofilltheplacesofthosewhohadrecentlydied,beingassignedtothesevacanciesaccordingtotheinitialsofoursurnames,thesamerollsbeingusedthatwehadsignedasparoles。ThisseparatedAndrewsandme,forthe"A's"weretakentofillupthefirsthundredsoftheFirstThousand,whilethe"M's,"towhichI
belonged,wentintothenextThousand。
IwasputintotheSecondHundredoftheSecondThousand,anditsSergeantdyingshortlyafter,Iwasgivenhisplace,andcommandedthehundred,drewitsrations,madeoutitsrolls,andlookedoutforitssickduringtherestofourstaythere。
AndrewsandIgottogetheragain,andbeganfixingupwhatlittlewecouldtoprotectourselvesagainsttheweather。Coldasthiswaswedecidedthatitwassafertoendureitandriskfrost—bitingeverynightthantobuildoneofthemud—walledandmud—coveredholesthatsomany,livedin。Theseweremuchwarmerthanlyingoutonthefrozenground,butwebelievedthattheywereveryunhealthy,andthatnoonelivedlongwhoinhabitedthem。
Sowesetaboutrepairingourfaithfuloldblanket——nowfullofgreatholes。Wewatchedthedeadmentogetpiecesofclothfromtheirgarmentstomakepatches,whichwesewedonwithyarnraveledfromotherfragmentsofwoolencloth。Someofourcompany,whomwefoundintheprison,donatedusthethreesticksnecessarytomaketent—poles——
wonderfulgenerositywhenthepreciousnessoffirewoodisremembered。
Wehoistedourblanketuponthese;builtawallofmudbricksatoneend,andinitalittlefireplacetoeconomizeourscantyfueltothelastdegree,andwereoncemoreathome,andmuchbetteroffthanmostofourneighbors。
Oneofthese,theproprietorofaholeinthegroundcoveredwithanarchofadobebricks,hadabsolutelynobed—clothesexceptacoupleofshortpiecesofboard——andverylittleotherclothing。Hedugatrenchinthebottomofwhatwasbycourtesycalledhistent,sufficientlylargetocontainhisbodybelowhisneck。Atnightfallhewouldcrawlintothis,puthistwobitsofboardsothattheyjoinedoverhisbreast,andthensay:"Now,boys,covermeover;"whereuponhisfriendswouldcoverhimupwithdrysandfromthesidesofhisdomicile,inwhichhewouldslumberquietlytillmorning,whenhewouldrise,shakethesandfromhisgarments,anddeclarethathefeltaswellrefreshedasifhehadsleptonaspringmattress。
Therehasbeenmuchtalkofearthbathsoflateyearsinscientificandmedicalcircles。IhavebeensorrythatourFlorencecomradeifhestilllives——didnotcontributetheresultsofhisexperience。
Thepinchingcoldcuredmeofmyrepugnancetowearingdeadmen'sclothes,orratheritmademynakednesssopainfulthatIwasgladtocoveritasbestIcould,andIbeganforagingamongthecorpsesforgarments。Forawhilemyeffortstosetmyselfupinthemortuarysecond—
handclothingbusinesswerenotallsuccessful。Ifoundthatdyingmenwithgoodclotheswereascarefullywatchedoverbysetsoffellowswhoconstitutedthemselvestheirresiduarylegateesasiftheyweremenoffortunedyinginthemidstofacircleofexpectantnephewsandnieces。
Beforeonewasfairlycoldhisclotheswouldbeappropriatedanddivided,andIhaveseenmanysharpfightsbetweencontestingclaimants。
Isoonperceivedthatmybestchancewastogetupveryearlyinthemorning,anddomyhunting。Thenightsweresocoldthatmanycouldnotsleep,andtheywouldwalkupanddownthestreets,tryingtokeepwarmbyexercise。Towardsmorning,becomingexhausted,theywouldliedownonthegroundalmostanywhere,anddie。Ihavefrequentlyseensomanyasfiftyofthese。Myfirst"find"ofanyimportancewasayoungPennsylvaniaZouave,whowaslyingdeadnearthebridgethatcrossedtheCreek。Hisclotheswereallbadlyworn,excepthisbaggy,darktrousers,whichwerenearlynew。Iremovedthese,scrapedoutfromeachofthedozensofgreatfoldsinthelegsaboutahalfpintoflice,anddrewthegarmentsovermyownhalf—frozenlimbs,thefirstrealcoveringthosemembershadhadforfourorfivemonths。Thepantaloonsonlycamedownabouthalf—waybetweenmykneesandfeet,butstilltheywerewonderfullycomfortabletowhatIhadbeen——orrathernotbeen——wearing。Ihadpickedupapairofbootbottoms,whichansweredmeforshoes,andnowI
beganahuntforsocks。Thistookseveralmorningexpeditions,butononeofthemIwasrewardedwithfindingacorpsewithagoodbrownone——
armymake——andafewdayslaterIgotanother,agood,thickgenuineone,knitathome,ofblueyarn,bysomepatient,carefulhousewife。AlmostthenextmorningIhadthegoodfortunetofindadeadmanwithawarm,whole,infantrydress—coat,amostserviceablegarment。AsIstillhadforashirttheblouseAndrewshadgivenmeatMillen,Inowconsideredmywardrobecomplete,andlefttherestoftheclothestothosewhoweremoreneedythanI。
Thosewhousedtobaccoseemedtosuffermorefromadeprivationoftheweedthanfromlackoffood。Therewerenosacrificestheywouldnotmaketoobtainit,anditwasnouncommonthingforboystotradeoffhalftheirrationsforachewof"navyplug。"Aslongasonehadanything——especiallybuttons——totrade,tobaccocouldbeprocuredfromtheguards,whowereplentifullysuppliedwithit。Whenmeansofbarterweregone,chewersfrequentlybecamesodesperateastobegtheguardstothrowthemabitofthepreciousnicotine。ShortlyafterourarrivalatFlorence,aprisonerontheEastSideapproachedoneoftheReserveswiththerequest:
"Say,Guard,can'tyougiveafellowachewoftobacco？"
Towhichtheguardreplied:
"Yes;comerightacrossthelinethereandI'lldropyoudownabit。"
TheunsuspectingprisonersteppedacrosstheDeadLine,andtheguard——aboyofsixteen——raisedhisgunandkilledhim。
AttheNorthSideoftheprison,thepathdowntotheCreeklayrightalongsideoftheDeadLine,whichwasamerefurrowintheground。
Atnighttheguards,intheirzealtokillsomebody,wereverylikelytoimaginethatanyonegoingalongthepathforwaterwasacrosstheDeadLine,andfireuponhim。Itwasasbadasgoingupontheskirmishlinetogoforwaterafternightfall。Yeteverynightagroupofboyswouldbefoundstandingattheheadofthepathcryingout:
"Fillyourbucketsforachewoftobacco。"
Thatis,theywerewillingtotakealltheriskofrunningthatgauntletforthismoderatecompensation。
CHAPTERLXXI
DECEMBER——RATIONSOFWOODANDFOODGROWLESSDAILY——UNCERTAINTYASTOTHE
MORTALITYATFLORENCE——EVENTHEGOVERNMENT'SSTATISTICSAREVERY
DEFICIENT——CAREFOBTHESICK。
Therationsofwoodgrewsmallerastheweathergrewcolder,untilatlasttheysettleddowntoapieceaboutthesizeofakitchenrolling—pinperdayforeachman。Thishadtoserveforallpurposes——cooking,aswellaswarming。Wesplittherationsupintoslipsaboutthesizeofacarpenter'sleadpencil,andusedthemparsimoniously,neverbuildingafiresobigthatitcouldnotbecoveredwithahalf—peckmeasure。
Wehoveredcloselyoverthis——coveringit,infact,withourhandsandbodies,sothatnotaparticleofheatwaslost。RememberingtheIndian'ssageremark,"Thatthewhitemanbuiltabigfireandsatawayofffromit;theIndianmadealittlefireandgotupclosetoit,"weletnothinginthewayofcaloricbewastedbydistance。Thepitch—pineproducedgreatquantitiesofsoot,which,incoldandrainydays,whenwehungoverthefiresallthetime,blackenedourfacesuntilwewerebeyondtherecognitionofintimatefriends。
Therewasthesameeconomyoffuelincooking。Lessthanhalfasmuchasiscontainedinapennybunchofkindlingwasmadetosufficeinpreparingourdailymeal。Ifwecookedmushweelevatedourlittlecananinchfromthegrounduponachunkofclay,andpiledthelittlesticksarounditsocarefullythatnoneshouldburnwithoutyieldingallitsheattothevessel,andnotonemorewasburnedthanabsolutelynecessary。Ifwebakedbreadwespreadthedoughuponourchessboard,andproppeditupbeforethelittlefire—place,andusedeveryparticleofheatevolved。Wehadtopinchandstarveourselvesthus,whilewithinfiveminutes'walkfromtheprison—gatestoodenoughtimbertobuildagreatcity。
ThestumpAndrewsandIhadtheforesighttosavenowdidusexcellentservice。Itwaspitchpine,veryfatwithresin,andalittlepiecesplitoffeachdayaddedmuchtoourfiresandourcomfort。
Onemorning,uponexaminingthepocketsofaninfantrymanofmyhundredwhohadjustdied,Ihadthewonderfullucktofindasilverquarter。
IhurriedofftotellAndrewsofourunexpectedgoodfortune。Byanefforthesucceededincalminghimselftothepointofreceivingthenewswithphilosophiccoolness,andwewentintoCommitteeoftheWholeUpontheStateofOurStomachs,toconsiderhowthemoneycouldbespenttothebestadvantage。AtthesouthsideoftheStockadeontheoutsideofthetimbers,wasasutlershop,keptbyaRebel,andcommunicatingwiththeprisonbyaholetwoorthreefeetsquare,cutthroughthelogs。TheDeadLinewasbrokenatthispoint,soastopermitprisonerstocomeuptotheholetotrade。Thearticlesforsalewerecornmealandbread,flourandwheatbread,meat,beaus,molasses,honey,sweetpotatos,etc。
Iwentdowntotheplace,carefullyinspectedthestock,pricedeverythingthere,andstudiedtherelativefoodvalueofeach。Icameback,reportedmyobservationsandconclusionstoAndrews,andthenstaidatthetentwhilehewentonasimilarerrand。Theconsiderationofthematterwascontinuedduringthedayandnight,andthenextmorningwedetermineduponinvestingourtwenty—fivecentsinsweetpotatos,aswecouldgetnearlyahalf—bushelofthem,whichwas"morefillin'attheprice,"tousethewordsofDickens'sFatBoy,thananythingelseofferedus。Weboughtthepotatos,carriedthemhomeinourblanket,buriedtheminthebottomofourtent,tokeepthemfrombeingstolen,andrestrictedourselvestotwoperdayuntilwehadeatenthemall。
TheRebelsdidsomethingmoretowardsproperlycaringforthesickthanatAndersonville。AhospitalwasestablishedinthenorthwesterncorneroftheStockade,andseparatedfromtherestofthecampbyalineofpolice,composedofourownmen。Inthisspaceseverallargeshedswereerected,ofthatrudearchitecturecommontothecoarsersortofbuildingsintheSouth。Therewasnotanailoraboltusedintheirentireconstruction。Forkedpostsattheendsandsidessupportedpolesuponwhichwerelaidthelong"shakes,"orsplitshingles,formingtheroofs,andwhichwereheldinplacebyotherpoleslaiduponthem。
Thesidesandendswereenclosedbysimilar"shakes,"andaltogethertheyformedquiteafairprotectionagainsttheweather。Bedsofpineleaveswereprovidedforthesick,andsomecoverlets,whichourSanitaryCommissionhadbeenallowedtosendthrough。Butnothingwasdonetobatheorcleansethem,ortoexchangetheirlice—infestedgarmentsforotherslessfulloftorture。Thelongtangledhairandwhiskerswerenotcut,norindeedwereanyofthecommonestsuggestionsfortheimprovementoftheconditionofthesickputintoexecution。Menwhohadlaidintheirmudhovelsuntiltheyhadbecomehelplessandhopeless,wereadmittedtothehospital,usuallyonlytodie。
ThediseasesweredifferentincharacterfromthosewhichsweptofftheprisonersatAndersonville。Theretheyweremostlyofthedigestiveorgans;hereoftherespiratory。Thefilthy,putrid,speedilyfatalgangreneofAndersonvillebecamehereadry,slowwastingawayoftheparts,whichcontinuedforweeks,evenmonths,withoutbeingnecessarilyfatal。Men'sfeetandlegs,andlessfrequentlytheirhandsandarms,decayedandsloughedoff。Thepartsbecamesodeadthataknifecouldberunthroughthemwithoutcausingaparticleofpain。Thedeadfleshhungontothebonesandtendonslongafterthenervesandveinshadceasedtoperformtheirfunctions,andsometimesstartledonebydroppingoffinalump,withoutcausingpainorhemorrhage。
Theappearanceofthesewas,ofcourse,frightful,orwouldhavebeen,hadwenotbecomeaccustomedtothem。Thespectacleofmenwiththeirfeetandlegsamassofdryulceration,whichhadreducedthefleshtoputrescentdeadness,andleftthetendonsstandingoutlikecords,wastoocommontoexciteremarkorevenattention。Unlessthevictimwasacomrade,noonespeciallyheededhiscondition。Lungdiseasesandlowfeversravagedthecamp,existingallthetimeinamoreorlessvirulentcondition,accordingtothechangesoftheweather,andoccasionallyraggingindestructiveepidemics。Iamunabletospeakwithanydegreeofdefinitenessastothedeathrate,sinceIhadceasedtointerestmyselfaboutthenumberdyingeachday。Ihadnowbeenaprisonerayear,andhadbecomesotorpidandstupefied,mentallyandphysically,thatIcaredcomparativelylittleforanythingsavetherationsoffoodandoffuel。Thedifferenceofafewspoonfulsofmeal,oralargesplinterofwoodinthedailyissuestome,wereofmoreactualimportancethantheincreaseordecreaseofthedeathratebyahalfascoreormore。AtAndersonvilleIfrequentlytookthetroubletocountthenumberofdeadandliving,butallcuriosityofthiskindhadnowdiedout。
NorcanIfindthatanybodyelseisinpossessionofmuchmorethanmyowninformationonthesubject。InquiryattheWarDepartmenthaselicitedthefollowingletters:
I。
TheprisonrecordsofFlorence,S。C。,havenevercometolight,andthereforethenumberofprisonersconfinedtherecouldnotbeascertainedfromtherecordsonfileinthisoffice;nordoIthinkthatanystatementpurportingtoshowthatnumberhaseverbeenmade。
InthereporttoCongressofMarch1,1869,itwasshownfromrecordsasfollows:
Escaped,fifty—eight;paroled,one;died,twothousandsevenhundredandninety—three。Total,twothousandeighthundredandfifty—two。
Sincedateofsaidreporttherehavebeenaddedtotherecordsasfollows:
Died,twohundredandtwelve;enlistedinRebelarmy,threehundredandtwenty—six。Total,fivehundredandthirty—eight。
Makingatotaldisposedoffromthere,asshownbyrecordsonfile,ofthreethousandthreehundredandninety。
This,nodoubt,isasmallproportionofthenumberactuallyconfinedthere。
Thehospitalregisteronfilecontainsthatpartonlyofthealphabetsubsequentto,andincludingpartoftheletterS,butfromthisregister,itisshownthattheprisonerswerearrangedinhundredsandthousands,andthehundredandthousandtowhichhebelongedisrecordedoppositeeachman'snameonsaidregister。Thus:
"JohnJones,11ththousand,10thhundred。"
Eleventhousandbeingthehighestnumberthusrecorded,itisfairtopresumethatnotlessthanthatnumberwereconfinedthereonacertaindate,andthatmorethanthatnumberwereconfinedthereduringthetimeitwascontinuedasaprison。