USA > Tennessee > The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and early western history, including a chronological summary of battles and engagements in the western armies of the Confederacy > Part 28
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Previous to the war, Point Lookout was a summer resort of some importance on account of its chalybeate wells, which were very strongly impregnated with copperas. With the proper diet, this water was, doubtless, beneficial to invalids; but with a ration of bean soup, stale bread and salt pork, it was death to many of the prisoners. The ground was inclosed with a high plank fence, near the top of which was a walk-way for the guards. The prisoners were divided in twelve divisions, and these again into companies, lettered A, B, C, &c , which were further subdivided into messes of seventeen. Each mess occupied a Sibley tent, which, as many of our readers know, is large and bell-shaped, and the men, when in bed at night, resembled the spokes of a wagon-wheel. Very few had blankets or covering, and pillows were made of sand. When I reached prison, I had made no change of clothing for two weeks, and had to do as a majority of the inmates did : go into the bay and wash my clothes, and remain in the water until they dried. Tobacco, bread, meat and soap passed as legal 'currency, and any one in possession of any of these articles could readily get money for them. Being possessed of none of them, I puzzled my brain for some days to devise means to get a postage stamp and paper on which to write for aid. I felt like it was a sheer impossibility to dispose of part of my scant ration of two small pieces
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of salt pork and three quarters of a loaf per diem, and, at the same time, make out to live, but had to come down to it at last. By this means I was enabled to write to my nearest friend, I. Taylor, of Bal- timore, and he sent me a suit of clothes and a ten pound bale of smok- ing tobacco. The latter was as good as money to me. I had commit- ted a piece of folly a few weeks previously, of which I had sorely been · repenting. We had captured a train of cars on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and, after exchanging hats with the passengers, had relieved a paymaster of his funds, which, not being current in Virginia, we foolishly burned. I had thousands of dollars in my grasp then, and now had to starve myself to get a postage stamp.
It was a strictly enforced rule at the prison that at tattoo-9 P. M .- all talking should cease; and however much noise was being made the sound of the bugle hushed that great army of men into the deepest silence. During the day prisoners were not allowed to gather in groups, for fear of their working plots. Fatigue duty was performed mostly by the prisoners, who were glad enough to get outside. This was the only chance to get any news, no secular papers being allowed inside, or to be read at all ; so, unless we happened to get some items from a communicative soldier on the outside, we were as ignorant of current events as though we were in Africa. The prospect beyond the prison walls was dreary enough, the Potomac being eight miles wide, and the bay twenty-five. A remarkable feature of our life here was the prevalence of night blindness with many of the inmates; the victims became totally blind on the approach of darkness, and re- mained so until daylight, when the sight seemed perfectly restored. This peculiar condition was attributed to the nature of our surround- ings. There was nothing green for the gaze to rest upon as a relief from the glare reflected from the sand and the white walls of the tents.
One of the greatest horrors of our life here was the daily dread of being shot by the negro guards. I remember one day starting toward a group collecting around the detail then coming in, but before I reached the place a negro guard raised his musket and fired into the crowd: two of the party fell dead, and another was wounded. The fiend kept walking his beat, repeating excitedly, "My gun wants smoke!" meaning, I suppose, that he wanted to shoot again. An officer came and had him relieved, but I learned that nothing was done with him. These guards were from North Carolina, and claimed that their conduct was in retaliation for bad treatment from their for-
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mer masters. Fifteen or twenty prisoners were killed or wounded by them during our stay. One night some of our mess were singing "Home, Sweet Home" in a very low voice, when bang went a gun, the ball cutting through the tent, but doing no harm to any person. The slightest noise after tattoo was sufficient to provoke a shot from the walls.
Soon after reaching prison, our daily ration consisted of two small slices of bread, two of salt pork, a little bean soup, minus the beans, and a cup of coffee without sugar; but the latter was soon discontin- ved in retaliation, they said, for treatment of their prisoners in our hands. . It is remarkable how the faculty of invention is stimulated and developed. under the influence of necessity. In a short time, a great many of the prisoners were engaged in the manufacture of gutta- percha jewelry, horse-hair chains, and the like, some of which were beautiful, considering that there were very few tools to work with. A pocket-knife here and there, with an occasional saw and dimin- utive, reversible drill constituted the resources of the workmen. The trinkets were smuggled out by some detail or guard, and sold readily at good prices. As a consequence, there was a small in- flation in the way of five and ten cent shinplasters in circulation in the prison camp. Some of the men collected pieces of cracker-boxes, and of these made very snug little houses. One of these was fitted up as a keno and gambling establishment.
A great flutter of excitement was raised one day over the announce- ment that a female prisoner had arrived, and it proved true. It seems that a young Virginia girl, who had a sweetheart in an artillery com- pany, allowed love to get the better of her discretion and joined the battery as a recruit, her disguise being so complete that her lover even never discovered her identity. In some battle she was captured and he escaped. At the time I saw her in prison she had been provided with a wardrobe suited to her sex and furnished a special tent. The government released her after a short imprisonment, and it is hoped that both lovers were spared to exchange the horrors of war for the felicities of a peaceful married life.
Before completing this account of imprisonment at Point Lookout, I wish to testify to the kindness and gentlemanly conduct of Major Weymuth, the commandant. He was from Massachusetts, I think. In my opinion, he did all in his power to ameliorate the condition of the prisoners, being, probably, hindered from doing more by orders
VOL. I, NO. VI .- 3.
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from his government. I am, also, satisfied that many of the cruelties practiced were done by order of his subordinates. The Mason. Fraternity who were at this place will always cherish his memory. He effected an organization among the members, and held frequen: meetings of the craft. Through his instrumentality, the Masons in various parts of the country sent valuable contributions to their in :- prisoned brethren.
By the latter part of July the prison was overflowing from constan: captures from General Lee's army. The government had already begun the erection of another prison at Elmira, N. Y., and on; Jul; 30th the first transfer was made. I was fortunate in getting offwith the first batch. During the voyage, which occupied several days, ! became well acquainted with the captain, and agreed to ship with him !! if he could arrange my escape. The plan was that I should occupy a bed in the room with the mate and himself, and, if search was made. I might be able to pass for the mate. Accordingly, while anchored off Governor's Island, I took the room. Soon afterward we weighed anchor and landed at Jersey City, where we were to disembark and take the cars. After the prisoners were formed in line on the shore. the officer who was to receipt for them said he was four men short. and that he wanted them dead or alive. The consequence was, thres men were found covered up in the coal-bin and I was pulled out of the captain's bed. On the way to Elmira, five or six made their escape by jumping from the car-window while the train was in motion, but in m; car guards were stationed in the aisle as well as at the doors. Reach- ing Elmira, we were marched through the streets, headed by a band of music. The Johnny Rebs were objects of great curiosity, and crowds of people gathered along the way to see us pass. A mile above the city, on the Chemung River, we found the prison-camp, our future home for eleven long, weary months, but to many now about to enter it, a home only for a short time, when death brought a release. Th: grounds occupied about the same area as at Point Lookout, and were similarly arranged, except that the fence was higher. Inside of th: fence, large reflecting lamps threw a bright light over the camp ..: night. No buildings had been erected at this time, except the cook. house and hospital, and the prisoners were placed in "A" tents, which were not allowed to be placed nearer than sixty feet of the fence, for fear of a tunnel. No one was allowed to step between the line c: tents and the fence. We found here a very different commanda ::
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from Major Weymuth, in the person of Colonel Beale, of the Veteran Reserve Corps ; but his Provost Marshal, Major Colt, was a gentleman, and knew how to treat men, though they were his enemies and prison- ers. A few negro soldiers were on duty inside as a patrol, and one of them lost his life in a way that was never suspected. He was caught by some of the prisoners one night and gagged, so that he could make . no alarm ; his gun was then strapped to his back and he was thrown into a pond of water in the enclosure. This was done in retaliation for the shooting of so many of our men at Point Lookout. Some search was made for the missing man, and he was put down as a de- serter. There was one thing about the management of Elmira that seemed paradoxical. In some respects, a rigid sanitary discipline was maintained. The premises were kept scrupulously clean, and the men were required once a day to form into battalions and march around the grounds for exercise. On the other hand, the diet was of a kind cal- culated to destroy health. The ration was the same as at Point Look- out, and the salty bean-soup, with hardly a bean in it, tended to pro- voke scurvy and chronic diarrhea in their worst forms. Fully three- fourths of the prisoners were prostrated with these diseases, which car- ried off four-fifths of the thirty-three hundred who died at Elmira in eleven months. A mortality of thirty-three per cent. is fearful to con- template, especially when so much of it was preventable by the use of a few anti-scorbutics, which were abundantly in reach. The effects of scurvy on individuals were varied. Sometimes the lower limbs would turn black, as if mortification had set in; again, the teeth would drop out; and, coincidently with these symptoms, a prostrating diarrhoea was almost certain to exist. I sat up with a young man from Virginia (Wm. Gruwart) who was afflicted with the disease in about as bad a form as I ever saw it. His teeth dropped out, and his limbs, body and gums were all affected. On the night he died he took a small looking-glass, and, after scanning his wasted features, said: "If you ever see mother, don't tell her how I looked when I died." I obeyed his request, and only sent messages of love.
After the scurvy became so fearfully prevalent, the officers began to issue one-half of an onion, one-half of an Irish potato and a little vin- egar to each victim, and when the ration came around the poor fellows would seize upon it like ravenous beasts. William Aimison and Al- phonso Allen, of Nashville, who were in prison with me, can certify to all of these statements. The Nashville boys were pretty much free
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from this disease, from the fact that, our homes being in the Federal lines, we could get supplies of money with which we could purchase vegetables. However, the money was deposited with the sutler to our credit, and never came into our hands directly. Those not simi- . larly situated had to suffer and die. Such was the hunger for fresh food that a dog was killed and eaten with great relish. The animal belonged to the prison baker, and followed his master in once tou often. After some months, rats began to visit us, and you could fre- quently hear at night such expressions as these : "Here he goes!" "There he goes! Catch him !" Many were caught and greedily de- voured. There was a regular market where dressed rats sold readily, bread being oftenest the medium of exchange.
I will now speak of some of the modes of punishment. One was to tie the victim up to a beam by the thumbs, with his toes just touch- ing the ground. Another was a barrel shirt, and was made in this wise : One head was knocked out of a molasses barrel, and in the other a hole was cut large enough to admit the head, the weight rest- ing on the shoulders. In this position the hands are encased close to the side. If the barrel was not heavy enough, a lot of bricks or rocks were placed on top. In the case of the man who ate the baker's dog, there was a large placard on the barrel, inscribed, "I ate a dog." The prisoner thus panoplied was compelled to make the circuit of the camp, bearing his own shame. If a prisoner told an officer a lie or stole any thing, he was placarded, "I told a lie," or "I am a thief." Many a time these punishments were in- stigated by the oath-takers, who remained in prison pending their appli- cation to take the oath. These men were not trusted by the loyal pris- oners, and, to gain favor with the authorities, they resorted to tale- bearing to get their comrades punished. One humped-back fellow, with a large acquiline nose, whose name, I think, was Shockey, was particularly obnoxious on this account. Plans of escape were always being devised. We had one in which a chosen few took a solenin oath of secresy, and it was as follows: A tunnel was to be dug from our tent, a distance of sixty feet, to the fence and several beyond, so as to come out on the turnpike. After getting out, we were to scatter and meet at a point near Buffalo, N. Y., capture a boat, and go to Canada. The first serious obstacle to overcome was the disposal of the dirt and concealment of the mouth of the tunnel, which was to begin from one of the tents. The tents were required to be struck
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every day to dry the ground, but this difficulty was overcome by mak- ing a platform the size of the tent, and packing dirt over it for conceil- ment. This being arranged, work on the tunnel began at once, and, after progressing several days, two men were kept in it all the time- one at the farther extremity, digging away with his hands, and the other under the platform, pulling the dirt to him on a little slide, to · which strings were attached at the ends. The dirt thus accumulated under the platform during the day was removed in haversacks at night and scattered about the streets, which were newly made, and no sus- picion was created. The work progressed fifty-five days, and at the end of that time there were few finger-nails in the party, the only in- strument used being an old worn-out butcher-knife. Just after com- pleting the tunnel we had bright moon-light nights, and the only altern- ative was to wait for the dark of the moon. But, after all of our weary labor, our hopes of freedom were dashed just before we were ready to make the attempt. A heavy commissary wagon, happening to get off to the side of the road, broke through the place of exit of the tunnel, and, to our dismay, we saw soon after a squad of soldiers tracing it up with picks and shovels. As a consequence, those occupying the tent were arrested and thrown into an underground dungeon. They re- fused to inform on the rest of their co-workers, and these escaped pun- ishment.
The prison hospitals were well supplied with medicines, and the diet was good, but there were so many sick that there was room for only a small proportion, and these the worst cases. The authorities deserve credit for taking every pains toward identifying the dead. As soon as a man died, his name, company, regiment and State were written on a slip of paper, and this was pinned on his bosom. After he was taken to the dead-house, the inscription was transcribed on a head-board. He was then placed in a wooden coffin, the slip containing his name being corked up tightly in a bottle and put in with him. By this means he could be identified, in case the head and foot-boards were destroyed.
Late in the fall the authorities erected about forty wards, each capa- ble of sleeping about three hundred men, and very comfortably con- structed with two stoves to each. The bunks were in three tiers, each capable of holding four men. The plan adopted by the occupants in cold weather was to sleep " head and tails," which greatly economized the use of blankets, of which there was no abundance. Just before
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going into our new quarters the two governments had arranged an ex- change of their sick, and the prison surgeons had examined and take :. the names of a great number in this prison for that purpose. At the time there was a young man from South Carolina in my ward by the name of Strouse, a nephew of the late W. D. Robertson, of Nash- ville, Tenn. He had been examined and his name taken down for exchange. I had watched by him in his illness, and when the da; drew near for his departure I saw that his end was fast approaching. and that death would give him the exchange. I sat by the poor fel- · low the night he died, with a sickly, glimmering torch made of pine sticks for a light, candles not being allowed, and a more ghostly sigh: I never saw. The thought struck me, after Strouse's death, that it would be a good chance to personate him and get out on exchange, by taking his name and pinning my own on his coat. So, when the time came around and the sick who were able to travel were called out, I took my place in line with an old shawl around me and my body drawn up like a sick turkey. When Strouse's name was called, I an- swered as feebly as possible. The surgeon was present, making a re- · examination, and when he reached me he felt my pulse and simply re- marked : " Step aside ; you are not sick." At this time I weighed about one hundred and eighty pounds, and was the picture of fair health, which made me a bad subject for such an ordeal.
In the depth of the winter, smallpox broke out, and the authorities having made no provision for a suitable hospital, tents were erected on the declivity next to the Chemung River, each capable of holding four men. Under this kind of shelter, it can be imagined what little chance a patient had for life. It seemed that he was expected to die any way, and it mattered little whether he froze to death or succumbed to the violence of the disease. I had some experience myself in this institution. I had a chill one day, followed by high fever, during which I was delirious; then an eruption broke out on my body which made me suspect varioloid. At this discovery the surgeon said I had smallpox, and ordered me to be sent to the smallpox hospital. I pro- tested strongly, telling him that I had been well vaccinated and show- ing a good scar, but it was no use. On arriving at the hospital, I was put in bed with two of the worst cases I ever saw. Their entire bodies were covered with the loathsome disease, and, to add horrors to it, the poor fellows had taken gangrene and were fast sinking. The blankets were full of scabs and alive with vermin. I never spent a more
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wretched week than while here. Both of my fellow-sufferers died, and their bodies were prepared for their rude coffins in front of my tent. The weather was intensely cold, and their bodies had frozen in the po- sition they occupied at the time they died. It was horrible to see the attendants breaking their arms and legs in order to force them into their coffins. When I left the hospital, my clothes were burned and I " was supplied with a suit of United States clothing, the coat having the tail cut off to mark me in case of escape. As I walked into ward 36 I called, "Attention !" and the boys sprang into line at once, thinking I was an officer ; but when they discovered the mistake, they crowded around for a general hand-shaking, and I was welcomed as one from the grave.
As evidences accumulated that the war was nearly over, our fare was improved; but at the assassination of President Lincoln some cruelties were practiced, to give way, however, to a better spirit when the general surrender took place. June was soon on us, and President Johnson having issued an order for the release of prisoners of war, they began to leave as fast as they could take the oath. I was in a squad who refused to subscribe to it, and we were put in a barrack to ourselves, to be sent to the Dry Tortugas, as the authorities threatened. About the last of July, I received a letter containing a check from my good friend, Judge Whitworth, advising me to come home. I had been of this way of thinking for some time, and I accordingly did so. MARCUS J. TONEY.
Nashville, Tenn.
DIARY OF PRIVATE W. J. DAVIDSON.
(Continued.)
J
ULY 15TH .- Nothing out of the common routine took place during this day. Skirmishing continued and some shelling.
July 16th .- Every thing went on quite smoothly until 9 o'clock A.M., when, to our surprise, the enemy ceased firing entirely. The cause was soon made known. In clear, lively tones their bugles sounded the "Forward," and in a short time a strong line of skir- mishers was seen advancing on the run-ours falling back to the ditches. Following these came their main line, also at a double-
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quick. Our impatience got the better of our judgement, and we began firing on their skirmishers, while the artillery threw a perfect torrent of grape and shell into the main line.' The consequence was, they were scared back before we could do them much injury. They took refuge in a ravine some five hundred yards off and remained un- til the afternoon, when General Gregg determined to drive them away and re-establish his skirmish lines. To effect this, the batteries shelled the place furiously for a half hour, when several of our regiments ad- vanced, and, after a spirited fight of fifteen minutes, routed the party and recovered the lost ground. While the picket fighting was in prog- ress, our Orderly Sergeant, Joe English, was badly wounded in the leg, and Dick Smith and I carried him off the field. Nearly all of the regiment was on picket during the evening and night. At 2 o'clock on the morning of the 17th an order came for the pickets to fall back noiselessly to the trenches, which we did very quietly. On arriving here we found the main body of the enemy had slipped off during the night. By a rapid march we reached Brandon, on the Southern Railroad, having made fourteen miles before the heat of the · day. The retreat was admirably managed throughout, and it was not until late in the day that the enemy learned that the bird had flown. At this place, the progress of the brigade was delayed some time to allow another body of troops, coming by a different road, to get in ad- vance, and it was late in the evening before we reached a camping- place, three miles east of Brandon. On this march we suffered greatly from hunger, in consequence of not finding our wagon-train in time to save the rations from being spoilt. Corn-fields suffered that night.
July 18th. - We marched seven miles this morning, and, while rest- ing several hours, cleaned out a corn-field near by. Started again, and again halted to allow half of the army to pass. Soon after starting again, a heavy rain fell and continued for several hours. The road, from the continual tramping of those in advance, got in a terrible con- dition, and it was 9.o'clock at night before the brigade made camp, hav- ing to pass the entire army. As a consequence, fully two-thirds of the men fell by the way-side. The mud, darkness and fatigue had been too much for them, and many of them slept in the mud where they gave out. A sole roasting-ear diet was not equal to the task of the hardest march we had ever had.
. July 19th .- Drew flour this morning for the first time in eight months. We are to stay here to-day and draw ten months' pay. Our pay-rolls
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are in the hands of Sergeant English, who is, probably, a prisoner, and, consequently, we will make no draw.
Morton, July 20th -Made three miles yesterday, and are now en- camped in a thick forest with an abundance of good spring water at hand. We are washing clothing and fixing up generally, but ready to begin the march at any moment. We draw flour every day, with bacon occasionally, and roasting-ears are to be had for the gathering.
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