Exhaustingallthese,theyweredesertedfortheFrench,GermanandEnglishportionsofEurope。Theturnofthelatterisnowcome;faminesarebecomingterriblyfrequent,andmankindispouringintothevirginfieldsofAmerica。
LowerGeorgia,theCarolinasandEasternVirginiahaveallthecharacteristicsofthesestarvedandworn—outlands。Itwouldseemasif,awaybackinthedistanceofages,somenumerousandcivilizedracehaddrainedfromthesoilthelastatomoffood—producingconstituents,andthatitisnowslowlygatheringback,asthecenturiespass,theelementsthathavebeenwrungfromtheland。
LowerGeorgiaisverythinlysettled。MuchofthelandisstillinthehandsoftheGovernment。Thethreeorfourrailroadswhichpassthroughithavelittlereferencetolocaltraffic。Therearenotownsalongthemasarule;stationsaremadeeverytenmiles,andnotnamed,butnumbered,as"StationNo。4"——No。10,"etc。Theroadswerebuiltasthroughlines,tobringtotheseaboardtherichproductsoftheinterior。
Andersonvilleisoneofthefewstationsdignifiedwithasame,probablybecauseitcontainedsomehalfdozenofshabbyhouses,whereasattheotherstherewasusuallynothingmorethanamereopenshed,tosheltergoodsandtravelers。Itisonarudelyconstructed,ricketyrailroad,thatrunsfromMacontoAlbany,theheadofnavigationontheFlintRiver,whichis,onehundredandsixmilesfromMacon,andtwohundredandfiftyfromtheGulfofMexico。AndersonvilleisaboutsixtymilesfromMacon,and,consequently,aboutthreehundredmilesfromtheGulf。
Thecampwasmerelyaholecutinthewilderness。Itwasasremoteapointfrom,ourarmies,astheythenlay,astheSouthernConfederacycouldgive。ThenearestwasSherman,atChattanooga,fourhundredmilesaway,andontheothersideofarangeofmountainshundredsofmileswide。
Tousitseemedbeyondthelastforlornlimitsofcivilization。Wefeltthatweweremorecompletelyatthemercyofourfoesthanever。WhileinRichmondwewereintheheartoftheConfederacy;wewereinthemidstoftheRebelmilitaryand,civilforce,andweresurroundedoneveryhandbyvisibleevidencesofthegreatmagnitudeofthatpower,butthis,whileitenforcedourreadysubmission,didnotoveraweusdepressingly,WeknewthatthoughtheRebelswereallaboutusingreatforce,ourownmenwerealsonear,andinstillgreaterforce——thatwhiletheywereverystrongourarmywasstillstronger,andtherewasnotellingwhatdaythissuperiorityofstrength,mightbedemonstratedinsuchawayastodecisivelybenefitus。
ButherewefeltasdidtheAncientMariner:
Aloneonawide,widesea,Solonely'twasthatGodhimselfScarceseemedtheretobe。
CHAPTERXVL
WAKINGUPINANDERSONVILLE——SOMEDESCRIPTIONOFTHEPLACE——OURFIRST
MAIL——BUILDINGSHELTER——GEN。WINDER——HIMSELFANDLINEAGE。
Werouseduppromptlywiththedawntotakeasurveyofournewabidingplace。Wefoundourselvesinanimmensepen,aboutonethousandfeetlongbyeighthundredwide,asayoungsurveyor——amemberoftheThirty—
fourthOhio——informedusafterhehadpaceditoff。Heestimatedthatitcontainedaboutsixteenacres。Thewallswereformedbypinelogstwenty—fivefeetlong,fromtwotothreefeetindiameter,hewnsquare,setintothegroundtoadepthoffivefeet,andplacedsoclosetogetherastoleavenocrackthroughwhichthecountryoutsidecouldbeseen。
Therebeingfivefeetofthelogsintheground,thewallwas,ofcourse,twentyfeethigh。Thismannerofenclosurewasinsomerespectssuperiortoawallofmasonry。Itwasequallyunscalable,andmuchmoredifficulttoundermineorbatterdown。
ThepenwasLongestduenorthandsouth。Itwas！dividedinthecenterbyacreekaboutayardwideandteninchesdeep,runningfromwesttoeast。Oneachsideofthiswasaquakingbogofslimyoozeonehundredandfiftyfeetwide,andsoyieldingthatoneattemptingtowalkuponitwouldsinktothewaist。Fromthisswampthesand—hillsslopednorthandsouthtothestockade。Allthetreesinsidethestockade,savetwo,hadbeencutdownandusedinitsconstruction。Alltherankvegetationoftheswamphadalsobeencutoff。
Thereweretwoentrancestothestockade,oneoneachsideofthecreek,midwaybetweenitandtheends,andcalledrespectivelythe"NorthGate"
andthe"SouthGate。"Thesewereconstructeddouble,bybuildingsmallerstockadesaroundthemontheoutside,withanothersetofgates。
Whenprisonersorwagonswithrationswerebroughtin,theywerefirstbroughtinsidetheoutergates,whichwerecarefullysecured,beforetheinnergateswereopened。Thiswasdonetopreventthegatesbeingcarriedbyarushbythoseconfinedinside。
Atregularintervalsalongthepalisadeswerelittleperches,uponwhichstoodguards,whooverlookedthewholeinsideoftheprison。
TheonlyviewwehadoftheoutsidewasthatobtainedbylookingfromthehighestpointsoftheNorthorSouthSidesacrossthedepressionwherethestockadecrossedtheswamp。Inthiswaywecouldseeaboutfortyacresatatimeoftheadjoiningwoodland,orsayonehundredandsixtyacresaltogether,andthismeagerlandscapehadtocontentusforthenexthalfyear。
Beforeourinspectionwasfinished,awagondroveinwithrations,andaquartofmeal,asweetpotatoandafewouncesofsaltbeefwereissuedtoeachoneofus。
InafewminuteswewereallhardatworkpreparingourfirstmealinAndersonville。Thedebrisoftheforestleftatemporaryabundanceoffuel,andwehadalreadyacheerfulfireblazingforeverylittlesquad。
TherewereanumberoftobaccopressesintheroomsweoccupiedinRichmond,andtoeachofthesewasaquantityofsheetsoftin,evidentlyusedtoputbetweenthelayersoftobacco。Thedefthandsofthemechanicsamongusbenttheseupintosquarepans,whichwererealhandycookingutensils,holdingabout——aquart。Waterwascarriedinthemfromthecreek;themealmixedinthemtoadough,orelseboiledasmushinthesamevessels;thepotatoeswereboiled;andtheirfinalservicewastoholdalittlemealtobecarefullybrowned,andthenwaterboileduponit,soastoformafeebleimitationofcoffee。IfoundmyeducationatJonesvilleintheartofbakingahoe—cakenowcameingoodplay,bothformyselfandcompanions。Takingoneofthepiecesoftinwhichhadnotyetbeenmadeintoapan,wespreaduponitalayerofdoughaboutahalf—inchthick。Proppingthisupnearlyuprightbeforethefire,itwassoonnicelybrownedover。Thisprocessmadeitsweatitselfloosefromthetin,whenitwasturnedoverandthebottombrownedalso。Savethatitwasdestituteofsalt,itwasquiteatoothsomebitofnutrimentforahungryman,andIrecommendmyreaderstotrymakinga"pone"ofthiskindonce,justtoseewhatitwaslike。
ThesupremeindifferencewithwhichtheRebelsalwaystreatedthematterofcookingutensilsforus,excitedmywonder。Itneverseemedtooccurtothemthatwecouldhaveanymoreneedofvesselsforourfoodthancattleorswine。Never,duringmywholeprisonlife,didIseesomuchasatincuporabucketissuedtoaprisoner。Starvingmenweredriventoallsortsofshiftsforwantofthese。Pantaloonsorcoatswerepulledoffandtheirsleevesorlegsusedtodrawamess'smealin。
Bootswerecommonvesselsforcarryingwater,andwhenthefeetofthesegavewaythelegswereingeniouslyclosedupwithpinepegs,soastoformrudeleathernbuckets。Menwhosepocketkniveshadescapedthesearchatthegatesmadeveryingeniouslittletubsandbuckets,andthesedevicesenabledustogetalongafterafashion。
Afterourmealwasdisposedof,weheldacouncilonthesituation。
Thoughwehadbeensadlydisappointedinnotbeingexchanged,itseemedthatonthewholeourconditionhadbeenbettered。ThisfirstrationwasadecidedimprovementonthoseofthePembertonbuilding;wehadleftthesnowandicebehindatRichmond——orratheratsomeplacebetweenRaleigh,N。C。,andColumbia,S。C。——andtheairhere,thoughchill,wasnotnipping,butbracing。Itlookedasifwewouldhaveaplentyofwoodforshelterandfuel,itwascertainlybettertohavesixteenacrestoroamoverthanthestiffingconfinesofabuilding;and,stillbetter,itseemedasiftherewouldbeplentyofopportunitiestogetbeyondthestockade,andattemptajourneythroughthewoodstothatblissfulland——
"Ourlines。"
Wesettleddowntomakethebestofthings。ARebelSergeantcameinpresentlyandarrangedusinhundreds。Wesubdividedtheseintomessesoftwenty—five,andbegandevisingmeansforshelter。NothingshowedtheinborncapacityoftheNorthernsoldiertotakecareofhimselfbetterthanthewayinwhichweaccomplishedthiswiththerudematerialsatourcommand。Noax,spadenormattockwasallowedusbytheRebels,whotreatedusinregardtothesethesameasinrespecttoculinaryvessels。
Theonlytoolswereafewpocket—knives,andperhapshalf—a—dozenhatchetswhichsomeinfantrymen—principallymembersoftheThirdMichigan——wereallowedtoretain。Yet,despiteallthesedrawbacks,wehadquiteavillageofhutserectedinafewdays,——nearlyenough,infact,toaffordtolerableshelterforthewholefivehundredofusfirst—
comers。
Thewitherandpolesthatgrewintheswampwerebentintotheshapeofthesemi—circularbowsthatsupportthecanvascoversofarmywagons,andbothendsthrustintheground。Theseformedthetimbersofourdwellings。Theywereheldinplacebyweavingin,basket—wise,anetworkofbriersandvines。TuftsofthelongleaveswhicharethedistinguishingcharacteristicoftheGeorgiapine（popularlyknownasthe"long—leavedpine"）werewroughtintothisnetworkuntilathatchwasformed,thatwasafairprotectionagainsttherain——itwasliketheIrishman'sunglazedwindow—sash,which"kep'outthecoarsestuvthecold。"
TheresultsaccomplishedwereasastonishingtousastotheRebels,whowouldhavelainunsheltereduponthesanduntilbleachedoutlikefield—rottedflax,beforethinkingtoprotectthemselvesinthisway。
Asourvillagewasapproachingcompletion,theRebelSergeantwhocalledtherollentered。Hewasveryodd—looking。Thecervicalmusclesweredistortedinsuchawayastosuggesttousthenameof"Wry—neckedSmith,"bywhichwealwaysdesignatedhim。PeteBates,oftheThirdMichigan,whowasthewagofoursquad,accountedforSmith'sconditionbysayingthatwhileondressparadeoncetheColonelofSmith'sregimenthadcommanded"eyesright,"andthenforgottogivetheorder"front。"
Smith,beingagoodsoldier,hadkepthiseyesinthepositionofgazingatthebuttonsofthethirdmantotheright,waitingfortheordertorestorethemtotheirnaturaldirection,untiltheyhadbecomepermanentlyfixedintheirobliquityandhewascompelledtogothroughlifetakingabiasedviewofallthings。
Smithwalkedin,madeadiagonalsurveyoftheencampment,which,ifhehadeverseen"Mitchell'sGeography,"probablyremindedhimofthepictureofaKaffirvillage,inthatinstructivebutawfullydullbook,andthenexpressedtheopinionthatusuallywelleduptoeveryRebel'slips:
"Well,I'llbedurned,ifyouYanksdon'tjustbeatthedevil。"
Ofcourse,werepliedwiththewell—wornprisonjoke,thatwesupposedwedid,aswebeattheRebels,whowereworsethanthedevil。
Thererodeinamongus,afewdaysafterourarrival,anoldmanwhosecollarborethewreathedstarsofaMajorGeneral。Heavywhitelocksfellfrombeneathhisslouchedhat,nearlytohisshoulders。Sunkengrayeyes,toodullandcoldtolightup,markedahard,stonyface,thesalientfeatureofwhichwasathin—upped,compressedmouth,withcornersdrawndowndeeply——themouthwhichseemstheworldovertobetheindexofselfish,cruel,sulkymalignance。Itissuchamouthashastheschool—boy——thecowardoftheplayground,whodelightsinpullingoffthewingsofflies。Itissuchamouthaswecanimaginesomeremorselessinquisitortohavehad——thatis,notaninquisitorfilledwithholyzealforwhathemistakenlythoughtthecauseofChristdemanded,butaspleeny,envious,rancorousshaveling,whotorturedmenfromhatredoftheirsuperioritytohim,andsheerloveofinflictingpain。
TheriderwasJohnH。Winder,CommissaryGeneralofPrisoners,Baltimoreanrenegadeandthemaligngeniustowhoseaccountshouldbechargedthedeathsofmoregallantmenthanalltheinquisitorsoftheworldeverslewbythelessdreadfulrackandwheel。ItwashewhoinAugustcouldpointtothethreethousandandeighty—onenewmadegravesforthatmonth,andexultinglytellhishearerthathewas"doingmorefortheConfederacythantwentyregiments。"
Hislineagewasinaccordancewithhischaracter。HisfatherwasthatGeneralWilliamH。Winder,whosepoltrooneryatBladensburg,in1814,nullifiedtheresistanceofthegallantCommodoreBarney,andgaveWashingtontotheBritish。
Thefatherwasacowardandanincompetent;theson,alwayscautiouslydistantfromthesceneofhostilities,wasthetormentorofthosewhomthefortunesofwar,andthearmsofbravementhrewintohishands。
Windergazedatusstonilyforafewminuteswithoutspeaking,and,turning,rodeoutagain。
Ourtroubles,fromthathour,rapidlyincreased。
CHAPTERXVII。
THEPLANTATIONNEGROS——NOTSTUPIDTOBELOYAL——THEIRDITHYRAMBICMUSIC——
COPPERHEADOPINIONOFLONGFELLOW。
Thestockadewasnotquitefinishedatthetimeofourarrival——agapofseveralhundredfeetappearingatthesouthwestcorner。Agangofabouttwohundrednegroswereatworkfellingtrees,hewinglegs,andplacingthemuprightinthetrenches。Wehadanopportunity——soontodisappearforever——ofstudyingtheworkingsofthe"peculiarinstitution"initsveryhome。Thenegroswereofthelowestfield—handclass,strong,dull,ox—like,buteachhavinginoureyesanadmixtureofcunningandsecretivenessthattheirmasterspretendedwasnotinthem。Theirdemeanortowardusillustratedthis。Weweretheobjectsofthemostsupremeinteresttothem,butwhennearusandinthepresenceofawhiteRebel,thisinteresttooktheshapeofstupid,open—eyed,open—mouthedwonder,somethingakintothelookonthefaceoftherusticlout,gazingforthefirsttimeuponalocomotiveorasteamthreshingmachine。
ButifchancethrewoneofthemnearuswhenhethoughthimselfunobservedbytheRebels,theblank,vacantfacelightedupwithanentirelydifferentexpression。HewasnolongerthecredulousyokelwhobelievedtheYankeeswereonlyslightlymodifieddevils,readyatanyinstanttoreturntotheiroriginalhorn—and—tailconditionandsnatchhimawaytothebluestkindofperdition;heknew,apparentlyquiteaswellashismaster,thattheywereinsomewayhisfriendsandallies,andhelostnoopportunityincommunicatinghisappreciationofthatfact,andofofferinghisservicesinanypossibleway。Andtheseoffersweresincere。ItisthetestimonyofeveryUnionprisonerintheSouththathewasneverbetrayedbyordisappointedinafield—negro,butcouldalwaysapproachanyoneofthemwithperfectconfidenceinhisextendingalltheaidinhispower,whetherasaguidetoescape,assentineltosignaldanger,orapurveyoroffood。Theseserviceswerefrequentlyattendedwiththegreatestpersonalrisk,buttheywerenonethelessreadilyundertaken。Thisappliesonlytothefield—hands;thehouseservantsweretreacherousandwhollyunreliable。Verymanyofourmenwhomanagedtogetawayfromtheprisonswererecapturedthroughtheirbetrayalbyhouseservants,butnonewereretakenwhereafieldhandcouldpreventit。
Weweremuchinterestedinwatchingthenegrowork。Theywoveinagreatdealoftheirpeculiar,wild,mournfulmusic,wheneverthecharacterofthelaborpermitted。Theyseemedtosingthemusicforthemusic'ssakealone,andwereasheedlessofthefitnessoftheaccompanyingwords,asthecomposerofamodernoperaisofhislibretto。Onemiddleagedman,withapowerful,mellowbaritone,liketheround,fullnotesofaFrenchhorn,playedbyavirtuoso,wasthemusicalleaderoftheparty。
Heneverseemedtobotherhimselfaboutair,notesorwords,butimprovisedallashewentalong,andhesangasthespiritmovedhim。
Hewouldsuddenlybreakoutwith——
"Oh,he'sgoneupdah,nevahtocomebackagin,"
Atthiseverydarkeywithinhearingwouldrollout,inadmirableconsonancewiththepitch,airandtimestartedbytheleader——
"O—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o！"
Thenwouldringoutfromtheleaderasfromthethrobbinglipsofasilvertrumpet"Lordbresshimsoul;Idonehopeheishappynow！"
Andtheantiphonaltwohundredwouldchantback"O—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o！"
Andsoonforhours。Theyneverseemedtowearyofsinging,andwecertainlydidnotoflisteningtothem。Theabsoluteindependenceoftheconventionalitiesoftuneandsentiment,gavethemfreedomtowanderthroughakaleideoscopicvarietyofharmoniceffects,asspontaneousandchangefulasthesongofabird。
Isatoneevening,longaftertheshadowsofnighthadfallenuponthehillside,withoneofmychums——aFrankBerkstresser,oftheNinthMarylandInfantry,whobeforeenlistingwasamathematicaltutorincollegeatHancock,Maryland。Aswelistenedtotheunwearyingflowofmelodyfromthecampofthelaborers,IthoughtofandrepeatedtohimLongfellow'sfinelines:
THESLAVESINGINGATMIDNIGHT。
AndthevoiceofhisdevotionFilledmysoulwithstrongemotion;
ForitstonesbyturnsweregladSweetlysolemn,wildlysad。
PaulandSilas,intheirprison,SangofChrist,theLordarisen,Andanearthquake'sarmofmightBroketheirdungeongatesatnight。
But,alas,whatholyangelBringstheslavethisgladevangelAndwhatearthquake'sarmofmight。
Breakshisprisongagsatnight。
SaidI:"Now,isn'tthatfine,Berkstresser？"
HewasaDemocrat,offearfullypro—slaveryideas,andhereplied,sententiously:
"O,thepoetry'stolerable,butthesentiment'sdamnable。"
CHAPTERXVIII。
SCHEMESANDPLANSTOESCAPE——SCALINGTHESTOCKADE——ESTABLISHINGTHEDEAD
LINE——THEFIRSTMANKILLED。
Theofficialdesignationofourprisonwas"CampSumpter,"butthiswasscarcelyknownoutsideoftheRebeldocuments,reportsandorders。
ItwasthesamewaywiththeprisonfivemilesfromMillen,towhichwewereafterwardtransferred。TheRebelsstyleditofficially"CampLawton,"butwecalleditalways"Millen。"
Havingourhutsfinished,thenextsolicitudewasaboutescape,andthiswastheburdenofourthoughts,dayandnight。Weheldconferences,atwhicheverymanwasrequiredtocontributeallthegeographicalknowledgeofthatsectionofGeorgiathathemighthaveleftoverfromhisschoolboydays,andalsothatgainedbypersistentquestioningofsuchguardsandotherRebelsashehadcomeincontactwith。WhenfirstlandedintheprisonwewereasignorantofourwhereaboutsasifwehadbeendroppedintothecenterofAfrica。Butoneoftheprisonerswasfoundtohaveafragmentofaschoolatlas,inwhichwasanoutlinemapofGeorgia,thathadMacon,Atlanta,Milledgeville,andSavannahlaiddownuponit。AsweknewwehadcomesouthwardfromMacon,wefeltprettycertainwewereinthesouthwesterncorneroftheState。
ConversationswithguardsandothersgaveustheinformationthattheChattahoocheflowedsometwoscoreofmilestothewestward,andthattheFlintlayalittlenearerontheeast。OurmapshowedthatthesetwounitedandflowedtogetherintoAppalachicolaBay,where,someofusremembered,anewspaperitemhadsaidthatwehadgunboatsstationed。
Thecreekthatranthroughthestockadeflowedtotheeast,andwereasonedthatifwefolloweditscoursewewouldbeledtotheFlint,downwhichwecouldfloatonalogorrafttotheAppalachicola。ThiswasthefavoriteschemeofthepartywithwhichIsided。Anotherpartybelievedthemostfeasibleplanwastogonorthward,andendeavortogainthemountains,andthencegetintoEastTennessee。
Butthemainthingwastogetawayfromthestockade;this,astheFrenchsayofallfirststeps,waswhatwouldcost。
Ourfirstattemptwasmadeaboutaweekafterourarrival。Wefoundtwologsontheeastsidethatwereacoupleoffeetshorterthantherest,anditseemedasiftheycouldbesuccessfullyscaled。Aboutfiftyofusresolvedtomaketheattempt。Wemadearopetwenty—fiveorthirtyfeetlong,andstrongenoughtobearaman,outofstringsandstripsofcloth。Astoutstickwasfastenedtotheend,sothatitwouldcatchonthelogsoneithersideofthegap。Onanightdarkenoughtofavorourscheme,wegatheredtogether,drewcutstodetermineeachboy'splaceintheline,fellinsinglerank,accordingtothisarrangement,andmarchedtotheplace。Thelinewasthrownskillfully,thestickcaughtfairlyinthenotch,andtheboywhohaddrawnnumberoneclimbedupamidasuspensesokeenthatIcouldhearmyheartbeating。Itseemedagesbeforehereachedthetop,andthatthenoisehemademustcertainlyattracttheattentionoftheguard。Itdidnot。Wesawourcomrade's。
figureoutlinedagainsttheskyasheslid,overthetop,andthenheardthedullthumpashesprangtothegroundontheotherside。"Numbertwo,"waswhisperedbyourleader,andheperformedthefeatassuccessfullyashispredecessor。"Number,three,"andhefollowednoiselesslyandquickly。Thusitwenton,until,justasweheardnumberfifteendrop,wealsoheardaRebelvoicesayinaviciousundertone:
"Halt！halt,there,d——nyou！"
Thiswasenough。Thegamewasup;wewerediscovered,andtheremainingthirty—fiveofusleftthatlocalitywithallthespeedinourheels,gettingawayjustintimetoescapeavolleywhichasquadofguards,postedinthelookouts,poureduponthespotwherewehadbeenstanding。
ThenextmorningthefifteenwhohadgotovertheStockadewerebroughtin,eachchainedtoasixty—fourpoundball。TheirstorywasthatoneoftheN'Yaarkers,whohadbecomecognizantofourscheme,hadsoughttoobtainfavorintheRebeleyesbybetrayingus。TheRebelsstationedasquadatthecrossingplace,andaseachmandroppeddownfromtheStockadehewascaughtbytheshoulder,themuzzleofarevolverthrustintohisface,andanordertosurrenderwhisperedintohisear。Itwasexpectedthattheguardsinthesentry—boxeswoulddosuchexecutionamongthoseofusstillinsideaswouldproveawarningtootherwould—beescapes。Theyweredefeatedinthisbenevolentintentionbythereadinesswithwhichwedivinedthemeaningofthatincautiouslyloudhalt,andouralacrityinleavingtheunhealthylocality。
ThetraitorousN'Yaarkerwasrewardedwithadetailintothecommissarydepartment,wherehefedandfattenedlikearatthathadsecuredundisturbedhomesteadrightsinthecenterofacheese。WhenthemiserableremnantofuswereleavingAndersonvillemonthsafterward,I
sawhim,sleek,rotund,andwell—clothed,loungingleisurelyinthedoorofatent。Heregardedusamomentcontemptuously,andthenwentonconversingwithafellowN'Yaarker,inthefoulslangthatnonebutsuchashewerelowenoughtouse。
Ihavealwaysimaginedthatthefellowreturnedhome,atthecloseofthewar,andbecameaprominentmemberofTweed'sgang。
Weprotestedagainstthebarbarityofcompellingmentowearironsforexercisingtheirnaturalrightofattemptingtoescape,butnoattentionwaspaidtoourprotest。
Anotherresultofthisabortiveeffortwastheestablishmentofthenotorious"DeadLine。"Afewdayslateragangofnegroscameinanddrovealineofstakesdownatadistanceoftwentyfeetfromthestockade。Theynaileduponthisastripofstufffourincheswide,andthenanorderwasissuedthatifthiswascrossed,oreventouched,theguardswouldfireupontheoffenderwithoutwarning。
Oursurveyorfiguredupthisnewcontractionofourspace,andcametotheconclusionthattheDeadLineandtheSwamptookupaboutthreeacres,andwewereleftnowonlythirteenacres。Thiswasnotofmuchconsequencethen,however,aswestillhadplentyofroom。
ThefirstmanwaskilledthemorningaftertheDead—Linewasputup。
ThevictimvasaGerman,wearingthewhitecrescentoftheSecondDivisionoftheEleventhCorps,whomwehadnicknamed"Sigel。"Hardshipandexposurehadcrazedhim,andbroughtonasevereattackofSt。
Vitus'sdance。Ashewenthobblingaroundwithavacuousgrinuponhisface,hespiedanoldpieceofclothlyingonthegroundinsidetheDeadLine。Hestoopeddownandreachedunderforit。Atthatinstanttheguardfired。Thechargeofball—and—buckenteredthepooroldfellow'sshoulderandtorethroughhisbody。Hefelldead,stillclutchingthedirtyragthathadcosthimhisLife。
CHAPTERXIX。
CAPT。HENRIWIRZ——SOMEDESCRIPTIONOFASMALL—MINDEDPERSONAGE,WHO
GAINEDGREATNOTORIETY——FIRSTEXPERIENCEWITHHISDISCIPLINARYMETHOD。
TheemptyingoftheprisonsatDanvilleandRichmondintoAndersonvillewentonslowlyduringthemonthofMarch。Theycameinbytrainloadsoffromfivehundredtoeighthundred,atintervalsoftwoorthreedays。
Bytheendofthemonththerewereaboutfivethousandinthestockade。
Therewasafairamountofspaceforthisnumber,andasyetwesufferednoinconveniencefromourcrowding,thoughmostpersonswouldfancythatthirteenacresofgroundwasaratherlimitedareaforfivethousandmentolive,moveandhavetheirbeingaupon。Yetafewweekslaterweweretoseeseventimesthatmanypackedintothatspace。
OnemorninganewRebelofficercameintosuperintendcallingtheroll。
Hewasanundersized,fidgetyman,withaninsignificantface,andamouththatprotrudedlikearabbit's。Hisbrightlittleeyes,likethoseofasquirrelorarat,assistedingivinghiscountenancealookofkinshiptothefamilyofrodentanimals——agenuswhichlivesbystealthandcunning,subsistingonthatwhichitcanstealawayfromstrongerandbravercreatures。Hewasdressedinapairofgraytrousers,withtheotherpartofhisbodycoveredwithacalicogarment,likethatwhichsmallboysusedtowear,called"waists。"Thiswasfastenedtothepantaloonsbybuttons,preciselyaswasthecustomwiththegarmentsofboysstrugglingwiththeorthographyofwordsintwosyllables。Uponhisheadwasperchedalittlegraycap。Stickinginhisbelt,andfastenedtohiswristbyastraptwoorthreefeetlong,wasoneofthoseformidablelooking,butharmlessEnglishrevolvers,thathavetenbarrelsaroundtheedgeofthecylinder,andfireamusket—bulletfromthecenter。Thewearerofthiscompositecostume,andbearerofthisamateurarsenal,steppednervouslyaboutandsputteredvolublyinverybrokenEnglish。HesaidtoWry—NeckedSmith:
"PyGott,youdon'tvatchdemdamYankeesgloseenough！Deyareschlippin'rount,andpeatin'youeferydimes。"
ThiswasCaptainHenriWirz,thenewcommandantoftheinterioroftheprison。TherehasbeenagreatdealofmisapprehensionofthecharacterofWirz。Heisusuallyregardedasavillainoflargementalcaliber,andwithageniusforcruelty。Hewasnothingofthekind。Hewassimplycontemptible,fromwhateverpointofviewhewasstudied。Gnat—
brained,cowardly,andfeeblenatured,hehadnotaqualitythatcommandedrespectfromanyonewhoknewhim。Hiscrueltydidnotseemdesignedsomuchastheebullitionsofapeevish,snarlinglittletemper,unitedtoamindincapableofconceivingtheresultsofhisacts,orunderstandingthepainhewasInflicting。
Ineverheardanythingofhisprofessionorvocationbeforeenteringthearmy。Ialwaysbelieved,however,thathehadbeenacheapclerkinasmalldry—goodsstore,athirdorfourthratebook—keeper,orsomethingsimilar。Imagine,ifyouplease,onesuch,whoneverhadbrainsorself—
commandsufficienttocontrolhimself,placedincommandofthirty—fivethousandmen。Beingafoolhecouldnothelpbeinganinflictiontothem,evenwiththebestofintentions,andWirzwasnottroubledwithgoodintentions。
Imentiontheprobabilityofhishavingbeenadry—goodsclerkorbook—
keeper,notwithanydisrespecttotwohonorablevocations,butbecauseWirzhadhadsometrainingasanaccountant,andthiswaswhatgavehimtheplaceoverus。Rebels,asarule,areastonishinglyignorantofarithmeticandaccounting,generally。Theyaregoodshots,finehorsemen,readyspeakersandardentpoliticians,but,likeallnoncommercialpeople,theyflounderhopelesslyinwhatpeopleofthissectionwouldconsidersimplemathematicalprocesses。Oneofourconstantamusementswasinbefoggingand"beating"thosechargedwithcallingrollsandissuingrations。Itwasnotatalldifficultattimestomakeahundredmencountasahundredandten,andsoon。
Wirzcouldcountbeyondonehundred,andthisdeterminedhisselectionfortheplace。Hisfirstmovewasastupidchange。Wehadbeengroupedinthenaturalwayintohundredsandthousands。Here—arrangedthemenin"squads"ofninety,andthreeofthese——twohundredandseventymen——