History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships, Part 88

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman
Number of Pages: 664

USA > Indiana > Randolph County > History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships > Part 88

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"There was a bog or swamp of several acres on both sides of the stream on which the stockade was located. No arrangement was made for removing filth or excrement, and the prisoners had to resort to this swamp. The stream was the only source of sup- ply for water. The condition of the swamp and of the stream may be imagined, but cannot be described. There were 30.000 prisoners in the stockade at one tim-, and there was a space of not more than three feet by six to each man. There was almost no shelter, and the rainfall was fearful, at one time twenty days in succession; and the ground became much like a barayard in the winter. Many dug holes in the ground to burrow in. but the rain would 'drown' them out. The clothing became reduced often to pants and blouse, or to drawers and shirt, and those in- conceivably ragged, filthy and loathsome. Our rations at first were raw-one to one and a half pinis of very coarse, unsifted meal, one gill of rotten, bug-eaten beans or peas, or sometimes rice; sometimes a little meat and occasionally a teaspoonful of salt. The cooking had to be done with the vile wator of the execrable stream and in the smoke and soot of a pine knot fire. The effect of this wretched feeding was scurvy in its most terrible forms, mostly showing itself in pain and stiffness of limbs. run- ning sores and the like. In my own case, it caused contraction of limbs (so as not to be able to walk for two months). severe pain and spongy and bleeding gums (every tooth in my head be- ing perfectly loose). Mer would lie helpless, covered with foul sores, dying and insensible, and vile vermin crawling in and out of these fearful ulcers. Most of the deaths occurred inside the stockade; few were taken to the hospital. The deaths inside the prison rose to fifty and seventy-five per day. A pack of hounds was kept to recapture escaped prisoners, since attempts to escape were numerous, chiefly by tunneling. Tunnels had to be dug from four to twelve rods, still, many were made and a considerable number of men got out of the stockade, though most of them were retaken and returned to the prison."

This whole subject of life in rebel prisons is awful beyond the possibility of words to express. No adequate idea can be given of its horrors. Even the unfortunate subjects of the treat- ment, as they now look back through the lapse of years to those fearful scenes, can scarcely believe them to be real; for it would seem impossible that men with high sounding professions of honor and humanity upon their lips, could allow the perpetration of such atrocities and unheard of cruelty. That such things were allowed and approved, however, is an unquestionable fact, attested by thousands upon thousands of wretched men who sur- vived and by the piled-up graveyards around those prison pens.

Humanity perhaps could wish that the memory of such things should pass from among men, but the genius of history, calm but stern, demands that such atrocities as the Black Hole of Calcutta, the prison ship Jersey, the blowing of Hindoos from the mouths of loaded cannons, the siege of Leyden, the Sack of Antwerp and numberless similar events, and the still more atro- cious scenes of Belle Island, Salisbury, Florence and Anderson- ville should be embalmed for the execration of the human race.

And yot the Southern authors of those unspeakable atrocities and the participants therein seem not to be aware that the permission to live untried and unmolested after these unimaginable crimes is a merey before unheard of in the annals of mankind.

PHISON EXPERIENCE -- ANDERSONVILLE.

William Warrell and his brother. Chester Warrell, enlisted in the Fifty-third Ohio Regiment. Company K. August 22, 1861. They were living in Union City, Ohio, at the time. They were taken prisoners by the confederates near Atlanta, July 22. 1864, with a few others of the company. They were marched to An- dersonville, arriving in a few days, and cast into that den of hor rors. They say tongue cannot describe nor the mind conceive the fearful suffering. wretchedness and death of that awful place. Great munbers were already there. probably 30,000, and the mortality was terrible. Disease and death in their most hor. rid forms, struck' down, day und night, month after month, the best and the bravest in that devoted band. The Warrells stood it comparatively well. William says his worst time was at Sa- vannah, after being removed from Andersonville. He was thought to be near death, and he heard his tent mates planning how they would divide his clothes among them when he was dead. He did not let them know he heard them, but he told them he was not going to die, and he did not. He got better. but had to be led. half carried to the pump to wash. etc .. for many days. The scenes were sickening. The bodies were all buried naked, the clothes being saved for those who were still alive to wear. The corpses were laid in tiers by the gate, and when the dead wagon came they were piled np in bulk till the wagon was full. Relays of men were kept outside on parole to dig graves for their poor comrades. Warrell thinks they were buried in separate graves each man by himself. (The author of " Andersonville " states that the bodies were buried in trenches four feet deep.) This last is probably the truth. They were taken to Millen. perhaps in October, 1864; then to Savannah and again to Florida, and at length to Andersonville. They were exchanged at last. in about April, 1865, 5.000 of them be. ing marched through Florida to Jacksonville in that State, and there passed into the Union lines. The confederates left the prisoners about eight miles from the National troops, told them the road to take and let them go. having been paroled not to bear arms till properly exchanged.

Much has been said of the wonderful spring that opened at Andersonville. Warrell saw it burst out. It was on rising ground several rods away from any hollow or bottom. The ground had been growing moist and watery for some days, and it was decided to dig to see what they could find, whereupon the water came forth abundantly. A barrel was set down for a spring or well. and spouts or troughs were laid for the water to run off. The stream was as large as one's arm, furnishing water enough for the whole camp. The water was pure and sweet and cold. One cannot imagine what a blessing was that wonderful spring to those wo-begone men shut up within the impassable walls of that crowded stockade. Before that time the water was absolutely unendurable, taken from that reservoir of unutterable stench and filth, the creek and the swamp through which it ran receiving. as it did. the offal from that seething mass of humanity, without the possibility of cleausing or purification. But to pie- ture those things is utterly impossible. Those who would see it attempted must read . Andersonville," one of the most feurfully thrilling books ever put in print.

As for cooking. Mr. Warrell's squad had a kind of pan, which they had made of a plate of sheet-iron some one had managed to get hold of as they were coming in the cars in their passage to Andersonville. It would hold water and they made mush in it and what not. They had no salt, their bread had no salt and none was furnished that he ever heard of.

Sometimes fresh beef would be furnished, and Warrell says: "I always ate mine raw, because I thought it would help to keep the scurvy off that so many suffered and died with. Their mouths would swoll and grow raw, their legs and feet would swell twice the natural size, teeth would come loose and fall out, and they would die rotting by piece meal.

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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.

"I have seen," says Mr. Warrell, "men dying with scurvy, naked. except a rag tied round their waist, and the maggots crawling from their flesh as they lay. Men would bo sick with the diarrhea, so sick they could not go away, and they would dig a hole in the ground near them and use it for the purposes of nature. Many such holes would be made within a short distance, and the result may be imagined. I never saw any one killed at the ' dead line,' but have seen them after they had been killed. I saw a man shot by the guards as we were marching to Millen. There was a pile of staves as we passed along, and a man grabbed one of the staves, and the guard shot him and he fell dead, and we marched on and I never knew any more about him.

"No utensils of any kind were furnished the prisoners, and many had none at all. The only thing we had was the pan, one-half a foot deep and a foot square. It was stolen once, but we got it again. Those who had money could buy of the guards, corn-bread, or meal, or tobacco. The men would trade anything they had for corn-meal or bread. Every morning would be heard the cry of men wishing to barter -. Who'll trade meal for tobacco,' etc. At first. the boys used to cheat the rebels. They would show a nice pair of boots perhaps, and make the rebel throw down his meal, etc., first, and then fling a pair of boots, a poor, worthless pair, far over the stockade, and when Johnnie had found them the .Yankee rogue' would be gone and could not be discovered. They stopped all this pretty soon by refusing to trade unless the 'Yank' would throw his ' article' first.

"The supply of wood was one stick of pine cord wood to twenty-five men, divided by one man into twenty-five parts (one ax was supplied to 100 men) and distributed by ono man turn . ing his back and telling who should have each particular pile. Each man would take his quota of wood and cut it up into splinters as fine as shavings or matches, and with these make in- finitesimal fires to cook their mush. This splitting of their wood and making and watching their 'teeny- weeny ' fires would take hours and hours of weary time. No shelter of any kind was for- nished. We had a piece of blanket. We dug a hole a foot or two deep, fixed up a bit of a pole and stretched the blanket frag- ment over so as to keep the dew off, and then slept in that hole. In the winter we would keep warm in the night by 'trotting' round among the sleeping men hour after hour, and then we would sleep in the sunshine in the daytime when it was hot. My shoes were stolen and I had none the whole winter. We had no matches, nor flints, nor any means to produce fire. We had to depend on some one else. Somebody would have fire, and we would kindle ours when we needed. Once in awhile mo- lasses was issued, and often the men could trade it off for meal or bread."

Mr. Warrell was nover outside the stockade, only as he was taken ont to be moved to some other prison.

For another sketch of prison life see account of W. A. W. Daly in Military Reminisconcies.

The prisoners named by William Warrell are as follows:

William Warrell, Company K, Fifty-third Ohio, nine months, Union City; Chester Warrell. Company K, Fifty-third Ohio, nine months, Union City; Jeremiah Torney, Fortieth Ohio, eighteen months, Ward Township; Levon B. Moyer, Fortieth Ohio, eight- nen months: Stephen Boast, Fortieth Ohio, eighteen months; Newton Founts, Fortieth Ohio, Kansas. Others are as follows: W. A. W. Daly, Ninetieth; Charles Potter, Ninetieth; Calvin W. Diggs, Eighty. fourth; John Stick, Alabama, Fifty-fifth Ohio, Company K; Barnes, died, Ninetieth; James Ryan, Fifty-third Ohio; Noah Ingle, Fortieth (Cavalry), died in six weeks; Peter Shaffer, Fortieth Ohio; John Cring, now of Port- land, Jay Co., Ind .; Daniel Bond, now of Science Hill, Ky.

ANDERSONVILLE PRISON.

The sum total of burials in that cemetery is fearful. Thir- teen thousand eight hundred and twenty-six corpses were put under ground in a few terrible months. Seventy or eighty, sometimes, would be found ready to be carried outside the gates at the break of morning light upon that devil's den of disease, and filth, and awful death. The statistics stand thus: From New York, 2,396; Pennsylvania, 1,894; Ohio, 1,004; Illinois,

856; Indiana, 624; Kansas, 468; Tennessee, 780; Virginia, 312; Wisconsin, 250; Vermont, 240; Massachusetts, 775; Mich. igan, 624; United States Army, 456; elsewhere-known, 2,703; unknown, 440; total number 13,826.

INCIDENT IN ANDERSONVILLE.

An incident is related of Amlersonville which is at least good enough to be true. At one time, the rebel gnards were said to have become wearied of their work, perhaps from sympathy with the wretched, hapless fellow-men under their charge. Gen. Howell Cobb. then and ever since a stern, relentless rebel, was sent to reconcile them to their horrid task. The soldiers were as- sembled, and they were harangued in his bitterest, most savage and threatening manner. While in the act of thus addressing the Confederate soldiers, the Federal prisoners inside happened to have started the singing of one of the "songs of the war," perhaps the "Flag of Freedom." or, mayhap. "John Brown." The song spread through the whole stockade and resounded far outside the walls of the prison, and disturbed the sturdy rebel in his harangue. "Hush that racket," he cried. Wirtz, who stood beside him, cursed and swore his choicest oaths, but of course in vain. On rolled the glorious song of freedom from the throats of scores of thousands of men, enthusiastic even in their de. spair. Wirtz and Cobb might as well have attempted to still the ocean waves dashing under the power of a maddening tempest upon a rugged, rock-bound shore. The love of country lay deep within those suffering, woe-begone hearts, and not even the hor. rors of Andersonville could quench the ceaseless fre, nor prevent it from bursting forth at times into a fierce, overmastering flame. "God bless our native land!"

STATISTIC'S, PRISONERS.

Prisoners- - Federals captured, 187,323: Confederates, 476, - 169; deaths of Federal prisoners. 26,249; deaths of Confederate prisoners, 26,771; deaths at Andersonville (Union soldiers), 13 .- 826: deaths at Danville, Va., 1.296; deaths at Florence, S. C., 2,793; deaths at Richmond, Va., 3,540; deaths at Salisbury, N. C., 4,728; deaths-Confederate prisoners: Alton, Ill., 20 per cent-1,613 of 7,717; Camp Chase, Ohio, 15 per cent-2,108 of 14,227; Camp Douglas, Ill., 17 per cent-3,759 of 22,301; Camp Morton, Ind., 17 per cent-1, 763 of 10.819; Elmira, N. Y., 32 per cent -2,928 of 9,167; Fort Delaware, Del., 11 per cent-2,- 502 of 22, 773: Point Lookout, Md .. 8 per cent -- 3,446 of 38,053 (exchanged, etc.); Rock Island, Ill., 20 per cent-1,922 of 9,536; Johnson's Island, Ohio, 33 percent-270 of 7,357.

The per cent of deaths at Elmira was large. The reason for it is to be found, however, not in the treatment of the prisoners after their capture, but in their condition before that event. They were ragged, feeble, half-starved when taken, and they died in spite of kind, careful, considerate treatment. Their men came to ns in wretched condition and were restored to health and strength, so far as kind treatment could effect that result, and re- turned to the South-well fed and fully clothed. Our men went to them healthy, well fed, warmly clad, and, after suffering un- told and indescribable terrors, from starvation, filth, exposure and neglect, and the hideous diseases consequent thereon, such as were not lying in that crowded graveyard outside the stockade walls of Camp Sumter and elsewhere. came back to the Union lines naked, filthy, reeling with the weakness of long-continued and desperate hunger, or borne, helpless, by the strength of friends, to the Union hospitals, often only to die among com- rades, in a friendly shelter, despite the care, rendered all too late, bestowed by those who would gladly have saved the lives of the much enduring men to their country and themselves.

STEAMER SULTANA.

The Sultana was a steamer of large size, engaged in the Mis- sissippi trade. She had an immense load-2,000 soldiers, in- cluding many prisoners from Andersonville, etc. There were also many other passengers and a full crew. and much freight. She stopped at Memphis to unload 100 barrels of sugar. Passing on up the river, she exploded her boiler April 9, 1865, about seven miles above Memphis, hurling the pilot house and a part of the

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cabin high into the air. Many were buried in the debris, and many plunged into the river. The explosion occurred in the widest part of the channel, and comparatively few were saved. The steamer Bostona, a mile distant, came to the scene of the wreck and rescued a considerable number. The ironclad Essex came up from Memphis and saved sixty. Out of 2,200 on board, only 600 survived that terrible catastrophe. Some floated down the river past Memphis and were picked up. In a few seconds after the explosion, the ill-fated vessel was all on fire. She burned to the water's edge, and sank near the Arkansas shore. Forty of the members of the Seventh Cavalry were on board the Sultana, and only one out of them all escaped.

SKETCH OF OFFICERS.

The following list is as complete and as accurate as the in- formation at hand will permit. It is hoped that the errors, if any, are not important. It has beon the intention to annex to the name of each officer his highest title, as also his present resi- dence, or business, or both, when it is within the knowledge of the writer:

Henry Ammerman, Second Lieutenant Company C, Nine- teenth Regiment, belongs to Jay County, Ind.

James Addington, Second Lieutenant Company F, Fifty-fifth Regiment, is a resident of Randolph County.

Thomas Addington, Chaplain Eighty fourth Regiment, clor- gyman and farmer, l'ranklin Township.

Robert Anderson, First Lientenant Company G, One Hun- dred and Sixth Regiment.

Thomas M. Browne. Brigadier General by brevet, member of Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses, resides at Winchester, Ind.

George W. Brnce, Surgeon of the One Hundred and Forty- seventh Regiment, is a physician of long standing at Winches. ter, Ind.

Richard Bosworth, Assistant Surgeon Thirty-sixth Regi- ment, practicing physician at Winchester. Ind.

George H. Bonebrake, Major, Sixty-ninth Regiment, was in business at Noblesville, Ind., now in California.

Charles W. Bachfield, Second Lieutenant Company C, Sixty- ninth Regiment, is a silversmith at Elwood, Madison Co., Ind.

William Burris, Major Eighty-fourth Regiment, resides at Farmland, Ind.

George W. Branham, Captain Company B. One Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment (Seventh Cavalry), resides at Union City, Ind.

Wilson J. Baker, Commissary, One Hundred and Twenty- first Regiment.

William F. Bright, Second Lieutenant Company B, One Hun- dred and Twenty-fourth Regiment, resides in Randolph County, Ind.

Joseph A. Bunch, First Lieutenant Company G, One Hun- dred and Twenty-fourth Regiment, is a hunber-dealer, Union City, Ind. 4.

Ezra W. Bond, Second Lieutenant Company F, One Hun- dred and Fortieth Regiment, is a carpenter at Baxter Springs, Kan.

John Bidlack, Second Lieutenant Company I, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, rosides in Celina, Ohio, and is a railroad man.

Silas Colgrove, Brigadier General by brevot, ex-Judge of Twenty-fifth Judicial District of Indiana, practicing attorney, resides at Winchester, Ind.

Joseph Cook, Captain Company C, Nineteenth Regiment, died February 19, 1863.

W. M. Campbell, Captain Company I, Nineteenth Regiment, ex-Sheriff of Randolph County, farmer and trader, Spartansburg, Ind.

Theodore F. Colgrove, Lieutenant Colonel One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, is a practicing attorney at Winchester. Ind.

James N. Cropper, First Lieutenant, Company D, Sixty-ninth Regiment, handles school furniture at Muncie, Ind.

Nathan B. Coggeshall, Second Lieutenant, Residuary Bat-

taliou, Company D, Sixty-ninth Regiment, physician, County Commissioner of Randolph County, elected in 1880.

William Commons, Surgeon, naval service, practicing physi. cian at Union City, Ind.

George U. Carter, Lieutenant Colonel, Eighty-fourth Regi- ment, is a business man at Winchester, Ind.

Ebenezer T. Chaffee, Adjutant Eighty-fourth Regiment, is railroad agent for Muncie & Fort Wayne Railroad at Hartford, Ind.

Jonathan Cranor, Colonel of Fortieth Ohio Regiment, busi ness man at Winchester, Ind.

Edward Calkins, First Lieutenant Company H, One Hun. dred and Nineteenth, attorney, used to reside at Rochester, Ind., now in Colorado.

William M. Cox, Captain Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, is a farmer, residing east of Winchester.

Robert P. Davis, Assistant Surgeon Eighty-fourth Regiment, practicing physician, Jay County, Anditor Jay County, Ind.

W. A. W. Daly, First Lieutenant, Company B. Ninetieth Regiment, ex-Sheriff of Randolph County, farmer in Washing- ton Township.

Joab Driver, First Lientenant Company F, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Farmland, farmer and carpenter.

Charles A. Dresser, Quartermaster One Hundred and Thir- tieth Regiment. died in New Mexico some year or two ago.

Marcellus B. Dickey, Captain Company H, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, resides in Kansas.

Amos Evans, Second Lieutenant Company E, Eighty-fourth Regiment.

Massena Engle, First Lieutenant Company H, Eighty-fourth Regiment, is a farmer two and a half miles south of Winchester.

Stanley W. Edwins, Assistant Surgeon One Hundred and Twenty- fourth Regiment, lives in Madison County. Ind .; has been several terms a member in the Legislature of Indiana.

Edmund Engle, Captain Company H, One Hundred and Twenty fourth, is a merchant in Winchester, Ind.

Reuben B. Farra, Captain Company F, Fifty-fifth Regiment, resides at Soldiers' Home, Dayton, Ohio.

David Ferguson, Assistant Surgeon Sixty-ninth Regiment, practicing physician at Union City, Ind.

Francis French, Second Lieutenant Company E, Sixty-ninth Regiment.

Joseph S. Fisher, Captain Company E, Eighty-fourth Reg- iment, resides in Allegheny City, Penn., engaged in the lumber business.

Francis M. Fleckenger. First Lieutenant Company F. Eighty-fourth Regiment, killed coming home, at the close of the war, by a railroad in Tennessee.

William H. Focht, Captain Company H, Eighty-fourth Regi- ment, wind-mill maker, Winchester, Ohio.

Benjamin Farley, Captain Company C. Ninetieth Regiment, Fifth Cavalry, became blind, died not long ago at Union City. Ind.

Franklin Ford, Second Lieutenant Company A, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment, was Sheriff of Randolph County, and died eight or nine years ago, while in office.

Jacob S. Groshans, First Lieutenant Company H, One Hun- dred and Twenty-fourth Regiment, did reside in Union City.

Isaac P. Gray, Colonel Seventy-seventh Regiment. Lienten- ant Governor of Indiana, Governor of Indiana by the death of Gov. Williams during winter of 1880; practicing attorney at Union City.

Abraham V. Garrett, Captain Company G, One Hundred and Sixth Regiment.

Nathan Garrett, Commissary, One Hundred and Nineteenth Regiment, died some years ago in Randolph County, an old man; buried in Huntsville Cemetery.

R. W. Hamilton, Captain Company C, Nineteenth Regiment, practicing physician at Lynn, Ind.

James E. Huston, Captain Company C, Sixty-ninth Regi- ment, farmer, resides two miles north of Winchester, Ind.

Thomas Hollingsworth, First Lieutenant, Company E, Sixty- ninth Regiment.

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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.

E. M. Ives, First Lieutenant Company C, Eighth, three months, is an attorney at law at Farmland, Ind.

Joseph T. Ives, Captain Company A. Twentieth Regiment re-organized, is engaged in the flax-seed oil business at Richmond, Ind.

Elisha Johnson, Second Lientenant Company E, Fifty-sev- enth Regiment.

Joseph R. Jackson. Captain, Residnary Battalion, Company D), Sixty ninth Regiment, ex-Postmaster at Union City, Ind., real estate dealer and agent.

Jacob A. Jackson, First Lieutenant Company C. One Hun- dred and Twenty-first Regiment (Ninth Cavalry).

Samuel G. Kearney, Captain Company E, Thirty sixth Regi- ment (probably belonged to Delaware County).

Benjamin F. Kemp, First Lieutenant Company E, Eighty- fourth Regiment. farmer, resides in Jackson Township.

Isaiah W. Kemp, Second Lieutenant Company H, Eighty- fourth Regiment. farmer and business man, White River Town- ship.

Thomas S. Kennon, First Lieutenant. Company H. One Hun- dred and Twenty-fourth Regiment, farmer and stock-dealer, Bar- tonia, Ind.

Thomas J. Lee, Captain of Company C, Eighth Regiment, three months, died years ago.

Cornelius Longfellow, Captain Company E, Sixty-ninth Reg iment.

William M. Locke. Second Lieutenant Company K. One Hundred and Ninth Regiment, in business at Noblesville, Ind.

John Loch, First Lieutenant Company K. One Hundred and Ninth Regiment. at Hollansburg. Ohio.

Sylvester L. Lewis. Captain Company B. One Hundred and Nineteenth, railroad agent at Fort Wayne. Ind.

W. W. Macy, Captain Company A. Twentieth Regiment re- organized, lato Sheriff of Randolph County, farmer west of Win- chester. Clerkship Washington City.

Robert Il. Morgan, First Lieutenant Company D, Fifty-sev- enth Regiment, practicing physician at Spartansburg. Ind.

Jacob S. Monteith, Assistant Surgeon Sixty-ninth Regiment, lived at Lynn. Ind .. and died at the close of the war.

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History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships, Part 88

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman Number of Pages: 664

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman
Number of Pages: 664