CHAPTERVII。
ENTERINGRICHMOND——DISAPPOINTMENTATITSAPPEARANCE——EVERYBODYIN
UNIFORM——CURLEDDARLINGSOFTHECAPITAL——THEREBELFLAG——LIBBYPRISON——
DICKTURNER——SEARCHINGTHENEWCOMERS。
EarlyonthetenthmorningafterourcaptureweweretoldthatwewereabouttoenterRichmond。InstantlyallwerekeenlyobservantofeverydetailinthesurroundingsofaCitythatwasthentheobjectofthehopesandfearsofthirty—fivemillionsofpeople——aCityassailingwhichseventy—fivethousandbravemenhadalreadylaiddowntheirlives,defendingwhichanequalnumberhaddied,andwhich,beforeitfell,wastocostthelifebloodofanotheronehundredandfiftythousandvaliantassailantsanddefenders。
SomuchhadbeensaidandwrittenaboutRichmondthatourboyishmindshadwroughtupthemostextravagantexpectationsofitanditsdefenses。
WeanticipatedseeingaCitydifferingwidelyfromanythingeverseenbefore;someanomalyofnaturedisplayedinitssite,itselfguardedbyimposingandimpregnablefortifications,withpowerfulfortsandheavyguns,perhapsevenwalls,castles,posterngates,moatsandditches,andalltheotherpanoplyofdefensivewarfare,withwhichromantichistoryhadmadeusfamiliar。
Weweredisappointed——badlydisappointed——inseeingnothingofthisasweslowlyrolledalong。ThespiresandthetallchimneysofthefactoriesroseinthedistanceverymuchastheyhadinotherCitieswehadvisited。Wepassedasinglelineofbreastworksofbareyellowsand,butthescrubbypinesinfrontwerenotcutaway,andtherewerenosignsthattherehadeverbeenanyimmediateexpectationofusefortheworks。
Aredoubtortwo——withoutguns——couldbemadeout,andthiswasall。
Grim—visagedwarhadfewwrinklesonhisfrontinthatneighborhood。
TheywerethenseaminghisbrowontheRappahannock,seventymilesaway,wheretheArmyofNorthernVirginiaandtheArmyofthePotomaclayconfrontingeachother。
AtoneofthestoppingplacesIhadbeenseparatedfrommycompanionsbyenteringacarinwhichwereanumberofEastTennesseeans,capturedintheoperationsaroundKnoxville,andwhomtheRebels,inaccordancewiththeirusualcustom,weretreatingwithstudiedcontumely。Ihadalwayshadaverywarmsideforthesesimplerusticsofthemountainsandvalleys。IknewmuchoftheirunwaveringfidelitytotheUnion,ofthefirmsteadfastnesswithwhichtheyenduredpersecutionfortheircountry\'ssake,andmadesacrificesevenuntodeath;and,asinthosedaysIestimatedallmensimplybytheirdevotiontothegreatcauseofNationalintegrity,（ahabitthatstillclingstome）Iratedthesemenveryhighly。Ihadgoneintotheircartodomylittletoencouragethem,andwhenIattemptedtoreturntomyownIwaspreventedbytheguard。
Crossingthelongbridge,ourtraincametoahaltontheothersideoftheriverwiththeusualclamorofbellandwhistle,theusualseeminglypurposelessandvacillating,almostdizzying,runningbackwardandforwardonanetworkofsidetracksandswitches,thatseemedunavoidablynecessary,adozenyearsago,ingettingatrainintoaCity。
Stillunabletoregainmycomradesandsharetheirfortunes,IwasmarchedoffwiththeTennesseeansthroughtheCitytotheofficeofsomeonewhohadchargeoftheprisonersofwar。
Thestreetswepassedthroughwerelinedwithretailstores,inwhichbusinesswasbeingcarriedonverymuchasinpeacefultimes。Manypeoplewereonthestreets,butthegreaterpartofthemenworesomesortofauniform。Thoughnumbersofthesewereinactiveservice,yetthewearingofamilitarygarbdidnotnecessarilyimplythis。Nearlyeveryable—bodiedmaninRichmondwas;enrolledinsomesortofanorganization,andarmed,anddrilledregularly。EventhemembersoftheConfederateCongresswereuniformedandattached,intheoryatleast,totheHomeGuards。
Itwasobviouseventothecasualglimpseofapassingprisonerofwar,thattheCitydidnotlackitsfullshareoftheclasswhichformedsolargeanelementofthesocietyofWashingtonandotherNorthernCitiesduringthewar——thedaintycarpetsoldiers,herosofthepromenadeandtheboudoir,whostruttedinuniformswhentheenemywasfaroff,andworecitizen\'sclotheswhenhewascloseathand。Thereweremanycurleddarlingsdisplayingtheirfineformsinthenattiestofuniforms,whoseglosshadneversufferedfromsomuchasaheavydew,letalonearainydayonthemarch。TheConfederategraycouldbemadeintoaverydressygarb。Withthesleeveslavishlyembroideredwithgoldlace,andthecollardecoratedwithstarsindicatingthewearer\'srank——silverforthefieldofficers,andgoldforthehighergrade,——thefeetcompressedintohigh—heeled,high—insteppedboots,（noVirginianishimselfwithoutafinepairofskin—tightboots）andtheheadcoveredwithafine,soft,broad—brimmedhat,trimmedwithagoldcord,fromwhichabulliontasseldangledseveralinchesdownthewearer\'sback,youhadamilitaryswell,caparisonedforconquest——amongthefairsex。
OnourwaywepassedthenotedCapitolofVirginia——ahandsomemarblebuilding,——ofthecolumn—frontedGreciantemplestyle。ItstandsinthecenteroftheCity。UponthegroundsisCrawford\'sfamousequestrianstatueofWashington,surroundedbysmallerstatuesofotherRevolutionarypatriots。
TheConfederateCongresswastheninsessionintheCapitol,andalsotheLegislatureofVirginia,afactindicatedbytheStateflagofVirginiafloatingfromthesouthernendofthebuilding,andthenewflagoftheConfederacyfromthenorthernend。ThiswasthefirsttimeIhadseenthelatter,whichhadbeenrecentlyadopted,andIexamineditwithsomeinterest。Thedesignwasexceedinglyplain。Simplyawhitebanner,witharedfieldinthecornerwherethebluefieldwithstarsisinours。
ThetwobluestripesweredrawndiagonallyacrossthisfieldintheshapeofaletterX,andinthesewerethirteenwhitestars,correspondingtothenumberofStatesclaimedtobeintheConfederacy。
Thebattle—flagwassimplytheredfield。Myexaminationofallthiswasnecessarilyverybrief。TheguardsfeltthatIwasinRichmondforotherpurposesthantostudyarchitecture,statuaryandheraldry,andbesidestheywereinahurrytoberelievedofusandgettheirbreakfast,somyart—educationwasabbreviatedsharply。
Wedidnotexcitemuchattentiononthestreets。PrisonershadbythattimebecometoocommoninRichmondtocreateanyinterest。Occasionallypassersbywouldflingopprobriousepithetsat\"theEastTennesseetraitors,\"butthatwasall。
ThecommandantoftheprisonsdirectedtheTennesseeanstobetakentoCastleLightning——aprisonusedtoconfinetheRebeldeserters,amongwhomtheyalsoclassedtheEastTennesseeans,andsometimestheWestVirginians,Kentuckians,MarylandersandMissouriansfoundfightingagainstthem。Suchofourmenasdesertedtothemwerealsolodgedthere,astheRebels,veryproperly,didnotplaceahighestimateuponthisclassofrecruitstotheirarmy,and,asweshallseefartheralong,violatedallobligationsofgoodfaithwiththem,byputtingthemamongtheregularprisonersofwar,soastoexchangethemfortheirownmen。
Backwewereallmarchedtoastreetwhichranparalleltotheriverandcanal,andbutonesquareawayfromthem。Itwaslinedonbothsidesbyplainbrickwarehousesandtobaccofactories,fourandfivestorieshigh,whichwerenowusedbytheRebelGovernmentasprisonsandmilitarystorehouses。
ThefirstwepassedwasCastleThunder,ofbloodyrepute。ThisoccupiedthesameplaceinConfederatehistory,that,thedungeonsbeneaththelevelofthewaterdidintheannalsoftheVenetianCouncilofTen。
Itwasbelievedthatifthebricksinitssomber,dirt—grimedwallscouldspeak,eachcouldtellaseparatestoryofalifedeemeddangeroustotheStatethathadgonedowninnight,atthebehestoftheruthlessConfederateauthorities。Itwasconfidentlyassertedthatamongthecommoneroccurrenceswithinitsconfineswasthestationingofadoomedprisoneragainstacertainbitofblood—stained,bullet—chippedwall,andrelievingtheConfederacyofallfartherfearofhimbytheriflesofafiringparty。Howwellthisdarkreputationwasdeserved,noonebutthoseinsidetheinnercircleoftheDavisGovernmentcansay。ItissafetobelievethatmoretragedieswereenactedtherethanthearchivesoftheRebelcivilormilitaryjudicaturegiveanyaccountof。Theprisonwasemployedforthedetentionofspies,andthosechargedwiththeconvenientallegationof\"treasonagainsttheConfederateStatesofAmerica。\"Itisprobablethatmanyoftheseweresentoutoftheworldwithaslittlerespectfortheformalitiesoflawaswasexhibitedwithregardtothe\'suspects\'duringtheFrenchRevolution。
NextwecametoCastleLightning,andhereIbadeadieutomyTennesseecompanions。
Afewsquaresmoreandwearrivedatawarehouselargerthananyoftheothers。OverthedoorwasasignTHOMASLIBBY&SON,SHIPCHANDLERSANDGROCERS。
Thiswasthenotorious\"LibbyPrison,\"whosenamewaspainfullyfamiliartoeveryUnionmanintheland。Underthesignwasabroadentranceway,largeenoughtoadmitadrayorasmallwagon。Ononesideofthiswastheprisonoffice,inwhichwereanumberofdapper,feeble—facedclerksatworkontheprisonrecords。
AsIenteredthisspaceasquadofnewlyarrivedprisonerswerebeingsearchedforvaluables,andhavingtheirnames,rankandregimentrecordedinthebooks。Presentlyaclerkaddressedas\"MajahTunnah,\"
themanwhowassuperintendingtheseoperations,andIscannedhimwithincreasedinterest,asIknewthenthathewastheill—famedDickTurner,hatedallovertheNorthforhisbrutalitytoourprisoners。
Helookedasifhedeservedhisreputation。Seenuponthestreethewouldbetakenforasecondorthirdclassgambler,oneinwhomacertainamountofcunningispiecedoutbyareadinesstousebruteforce。Hisface,clean—shaved,excepta\"Bowery—b\'hoy\"goatee,waswhite,fat,andselfishlysensual。Small,pig—likeeyes,setclosetogether,glancedaroundcontinually。Hislegswereshort,hisbodylong,andmadetoappearlonger,byhiswearingnovest——acustomcommonthemwithSoutherners。
Hisfacultieswereatthatmomentabsorbedinseeingthatnopersonconcealedanymoneyfromhim。Hissubordinatesdidnotsearchcloselyenoughtosuithim,andhewouldrunhisfat,heavily—ringedfingersthroughtheprisoner\'shair,feelundertheirarmsandelsewherewherehethoughtastrayfivedollargreenbackmightbeconcealed。ButwithallhisgreedycarehewasnomatchforYankeecunning。Theprisonerstoldmeafterwardthat,suspectingtheywouldbesearched,theyhadtakenoffthecapsofthelarge,hollowbrassbuttonsoftheircoats,carefullyfoldedabillintoeachcavity,andreplacedthecap。Inthiswaytheybroughtinseveralhundreddollarssafely。
TherewasonedirtyoldEnglishmanintheparty,who,Turnerwasconvinced,hadmoneyconcealedabouthisperson。Hecompelledhimtostripoffeverything,andstandshiveringinthesharpcold,whilehetookuponefilthyragafteranother,feltovereachcarefully,andscrutinizedeachseamandfold。Iwasdelightedtoseethatafterallhisnauseatingworkhedidnotfindsomuchasafivecentpiece。
Itcamemyturn。Ihadnodesire,inthatfrigidatmosphere,tostripdowntowhatArtemusWardcalled\"theskanderlouscostoomoftheGreekSlave;\"soIpulledoutofmypocketmylittlestoreofwealth——tendollarsingreenbacks,sixtydollarsinConfederategraybacks——anddisplayeditasTurnercameupwith,\"There\'sallIhave,sir。\"Turnerpocketeditwithoutaword,anddidnotsearchme。Inaftermonths,whenIwasnearlyfamished,myestimationof\"MajahTunnah\"washardlyenhancedbythereflectionthatwhatwouldhavepurchasedmemanygoodmealswasprobablylostbyhiminbettingonapairofqueens,whenhisopponenthelda\"kingfull。\"
Iventuredtostepintotheofficetoinquireaftermycomrades。Oneofthewhey—facedclerkssaidwiththesuperciliousasperitycharacteristicofgnat—brainedheadquartersattaches:
\"Getoutofhere！\"asifIhadbeenastraycurwanderingininsearchofabonelunch。
Iwantedtofeedthefellowtoapile—driver。TheutmostIcouldhopeforinthewayofrevengewasthatthedelicatecreaturemightsomedaymakeamistakeinpartinghishair,andcatchhisdeathofcold。
Theguardconductedusacrossthestreet,andintothethirdstoryofabuildingstandingonthenextcornerbelow。HereIfoundaboutfourhundredmen,mostlybelongingtotheArmyofthePotomac,whocrowdedaroundmewiththeusualquestionstonewprisoners:WhatwasmyRegiment,whereandwhencaptured,and:
Whatweretheprospectsofexchange？
Itmakesmeshuddernowtorecallhowoften,duringthedreadfulmonthsthatfollowed,thismomentousquestionwaseagerlypropoundedtoeverynewcomer:putwithbatedbreathbymentowhomexchangemeantallthattheyaskedofthisworld,andpossiblyofthenext;meantlife,home,wifeorsweet—heart,friends,restorationtomanhood,andself—respect——
everything,everythingthatmakesexistenceinthisworldworthhaving。
Iansweredassimplyanddiscouraginglyasdidthetensofthousandsthatcameafterme:
\"Ididnothearanythingaboutexchange。\"
Asoldierinthefieldhadmanyotherthingsofmoreimmediateinteresttothinkaboutthantheexchangeofprisoners。Thequestiononlybecamealivingissuewhenheorsomeofhisintimatefriendsfellintotheenemy\'shands。
Thusbeganmyfirstdayinprison。
CHAPTERVIII
INTRODUCTIONTOPRISONLIFE——THEPEMBERTONBUILDINGANDITSOCCUPANTS——
NEATSAILORS——ROLLCALL——RATIONSANDCLOTHING——CHIVALRIC\"CONFISCATION。\"
Ibeganacquaintingmyselfwithmynewsituationandsurroundings。
ThebuildingintowhichIhadbeenconductedwasanoldtobaccofactory,calledthe\"Pembertonbuilding,\"possiblyfromanownerofthatname,andstandingonthecornerofwhatIwastoldwereFifteenthandCareystreets。Infrontitwasfourstorieshigh;behindbutthree,owingtotherapidriseofthehill,againstwhichitwasbuilt。
ItfrontedtowardstheJamesRiverandKanawhaCanal,andtheJamesRiver——bothlyingsidebyside,andonlyonehundredyardsdistant,withnointerveningbuildings。Thefrontwindowsaffordedafineview。
TotherightfrontwasLibby,withitsguardspacingarounditonthesidewalk,watchingthefifteenhundredofficersconfinedwithinitswalls。Atintervalsduringeachdaysquadsoffreshprisonerscouldbeseenenteringitsdarkmouth,toberegistered,andsearched,andthenmarchedofftotheprisonassignedthem。WecouldseeuptheJamesRiverforamileorso,towherethelongbridgescrossingitboundedtheview。
Directlyinfront,acrosstheriver,wasaflat,sandyplain,saidtobeGeneralWinfieldScott\'sfarm,andnowusedasaprovinggroundforthegunscastattheTredegarIronWorks。
Theviewdowntheriverwasveryfine。Itextendedabouttwelvemiles,towhereagapinthewoodsseemedtoindicateafort,whichweimaginedtobeFortDarling,atthattimetheprincipalfortificationdefendingthepassageoftheJames。
Betweenthatpointandwherewewerelaytheriver,inalong,broadmirror—likeexpanse,likeaprettylittleinlandlake。Occasionallyabusylittletugwouldbustleupordown,agunboatmovealongwithnoiselessdignity,suggestiveofareservedpower,oraschoonerbeatlazilyfromonesidetotheother。Buttheseweresofewastomakeevenmorepronouncedthecustomaryidlenessthathungoverthescene。Thetug\'sactivityseemedspasmodicandforced——asortofprotestagainstthegraduallyincreasinglethargythatreigneduponthebosomofthewaters——
thegunboatfloatedalongasifperformingaperfunctoryduty,andtheschoonerssailedaboutasiftiredofremaininginoneplace。Thatlittlestretchofwaterwasallthatwasleftforacruisingground。
BeyondFortDarlingtheUniongunboatslay,andtheonlyvesselthatpassedthebarrierwastheoccasionalflag—of—trucesteamer。
Thebasementofthebuildingwasoccupiedasastore—houseforthetaxes—
in—kindwhichtheConfederateGovernmentcollected。Onthefirstfloorwereaboutfivehundredmen。Onthesecondfloor——whereIwas——wereaboutfourhundredmen。ThesewereprincipallyfromtheFirstDivision,FirstCorpsdistinguishedbyaroundredpatchontheircaps;FirstDivision,SecondCorps,markedbyaredcloverleaf;andtheFirstDivision,ThirdCorps,whoworeareddiamond。TheyweremainlycapturedatGettysburgandMineRun。BesidesthesetherewasaconsiderablenumberfromtheEighthCorps,capturedatWinchester,andalargeinfusionofCavalry—First,SecondandThirdWestVirginia——takeninAverill\'sdesperateraiduptheVirginiaValley,withtheWythevilleSaltWorksasanobjective。
Onthethirdfloorwereabouttwohundredsailorsandmarines,takeninthegallantbutlucklessassaultupontheruinsofFortSumter,intheSeptemberprevious。Theyretainedthedisciplineoftheshipintheirquarters,keptthemselvestrimandclean,andtheirflooraswhiteasaship\'sdeck。Theydidnotcourtthesocietyofthe\"sojers\"below,whosecampideasofneatnessdifferedfromtheirs。Afewoldbarnacle—backsalwayssatonguardaroundtheheadofthestepsleadingfromthelowerrooms。Theychewedtobaccoenormously,andkepttheirmouthsfilledwiththeextractedjuice。Anyluckless\"sojer\"whoattemptedtoascendthestairsusuallyreturnedinhaste,toavoidthedelugeofthefilthyliquid。
Forconvenienceinissuingrationsweweredividedintomessesoftwenty,eachmesselectingaSergeantasitshead,andeachfloorelectingaSergeant—of—the—Floor,whodrewrationsandenforcedwhatlittledisciplinewasobserved。
Thoughwewerenotsoneatasthesailorsaboveus,wetriedtokeepourquartersreasonablyclean,andwewashedtheflooreverymorning;gettingdownonourkneesandrubbingitcleananddrywithrags。Eachmessdetailedamaneachdaytowashupthepartoftheflooritoccupied,andhehadtodothisproperlyornorationwouldbegivenhim。Whilethewashingupwasgoingoneachmanstrippedhimselfandmadecloseexaminationofhisgarmentsforthebody—lice,whichotherwisewouldhaveincreasedbeyondcontrol。Blanketswerealsocarefullyhuntedoverforthese\"smalldeer。\"
Abouteighto\'clockasprucelittlelispingrebelnamedRosswouldappearwithabook,andabody—guard,consistingofabigIrishman,whohadtheairofaPoliceman,andcarriedamusketbarrelmadeintoacane。Behindhimweretwoorthreearmedguards。TheSergeant—of—the—Floorcommanded:
\"Fallininfourranksforroll—call。\"
Weformedalongonesideoftheroom;theguardshaltedattheheadofthestairs;Rosswalkeddowninfrontandcountedthefiles,closelyfollowedbyhisIrishaid,withhisgun—barrelcaneraisedreadyforuseuponanyonewhoshouldarousehisruffianlyire。Breakingrankswereturnedtoourplaces,andsataroundinmoodysilenceforthreehours。
Wehadeatennothingsincethepreviousnoon。Risinghungry,ourhungerseemedtoincreaseinarithmeticalratiowitheveryquarterofanhour。
ThesetimesaffordedanillustrationofthethoroughsubjectionofmantothetyrantStomach。Amoreirritablelotofindividualscouldscarcelybefoundoutsideofamenageriethanthesemenduringthehourswaitingforrations。\"Crosserthan,twosticks\"utterlyfailedasacomparison。
Theywerecrosserthanthelinesofacheckapron。Manycouldhavegivenoddstothetraditionalbearwithasorehead,andrunoutofthegamefiftypointsaheadofhim。Itwasastonishinglyeasytogetupafightatthesetimes。Therewasnoneedofgoingastepoutofthewaytosearchforit,asonecouldhaveafullfledgedarticleofoverwhelmingsizeonhishandsatanyinstant,byatriflingindiscretionofspeechormanner。Alltheoldirritatingflingsbetweenthecavalry,theartilleryandtheinfantry,theolder\"first—call\"men,andthelateror\"Three—
Hundred—Dollar—men,\"astheywerederisivelydubbed,betweenthedifferentcorpsoftheArmyofthePotomac,betweenmenofdifferentStates,andlastlybetweentheadherentsandopponentsofMcClellan,cametothelipsandwereansweredbyablowwiththefist,whenaringwouldbeformedaroundthecombatantsbyacrowd,whichwouldencouragethemwithyellstodotheirbest。Inafewminutesoneofthepartiestothefisticdebate,whofoundthepointraisedbyhimnotwelltaken,wouldretiretothesinktowashthebloodfromhisbatteredface,andtherestwouldresumetheirseatsandgloweratspaceuntilsomefreshexcitementrousedthem。Forthelasthourorsooftheselongwaitshardlyawordwouldbespoken。Weweretooill—naturedtotalkforamusement,andtherewasnothingelsetotalkfor。
Thisspellwasbrokenabouteleveno\'clockbytheappearanceattheheadofthestairwayoftheIrishmanwiththegun—barrelcane,andhissingingout:
\"Sargintuvtheflure:fourtaneminandabread—box！\"
Instantlyeverymansprangtohisfeet,andpressedforwardtobeoneofthefavoredfourteen。Onedidnotgetanymoregyrationsorobtainthemanysoonerbythis,butitwasarelief,andachangetowalkthehalfsquareoutsidetheprisontothecookhouse,andhelpcarrytherationsback。
ForalittlewhileafterourarrivalinRichmond,therationsweretolerablygood。TherehadbeensomuchsaidabouttheprivationsoftheprisonersthatourGovernmenthad,aftermuchquibblingandnegotiation,succeededingettingtheprivilegeofsendingfoodandclothingthroughthelinestous。Ofcoursebutasmallpartofthatsenteverreacheditsdestination。ThereweretoomanygreedyRebelsalongitslineofpassagetoletmuchofitbereceivedbythoseforwhomitwasintended。
WecouldseefromourwindowsRebelsstruttingaboutinovercoats,inwhichtheboxwrinkleswerestillplainlyvisible,wearingnew\"U。S。\"
blanketsascloaks,andwalkinginGovernmentshoes,worthfabulouspricesinConfederatemoney。
FortunatelyforourGovernmenttherebelsdecidedtooutthemselvesofffromthisprofitablesourceofsupply。WereadonedayintheRichmondpapersthat\"PresidentDavisandhisCabinethadcometotheconclusionthatitwasincompatiblewiththedignityofasovereignpowertopermitanotherpowerwithwhichitwasatwar,tofeedandclotheprisonersinitshands。\"
Iwillnotstoptoarguethispointofhonor,andshowitsabsurditybypointingoutthatitisnotanunusualpracticewithnationsatwar。Itisasufficientcommentaryuponthisassumptionofpunctiliousnessthatthepaperwentontosaythatsomefivetonsofclothingandfifteentonsoffood,whichhadbeensentunderaflagoftrucetoCityPoint,wouldneitherbereturnednordeliveredtous,but\"convertedtotheuseoftheConfederateGovernment。\"
\"Andsurelytheyareallhonorablemen！\"
Heavensavethemark。
CHAPTERIX。
BRANSORPEAS——INSUFFICIENCYOFDARKYTESTIMONY——AGUARDKILLSA
PRISONER——PRISONERSTEAZETHEGUARDS——DESPERATEOUTBREAK。
But,toreturntotherations——atopicwhich,withescapeorexchange,weretobetheabsorbingonesforusforthenextfifteenmonths。Therewasnowissuedtoeverytwomenaloafofcoarsebread——madeofamixtureofflourandmeal——andaboutthesizeandshapeofanordinarybrick。
Thishalfloafwasaccompanied,whileourGovernmentwasallowedtofurnishrations,withasmallpieceofcornedbeef。Occasionallywegotasweetpotato,orahalf—pintorsuchamatterofsoupmadefromacoarse,butnutritious,beanorpea,calledvariously\"nigger—pea,\"
\"stock—pea,\"or\"cow—pea。\"
This,bytheway,becameafruitfulboneofcontentionduringourstayintheSouth。Onestrongpartyamongusmaintainedthatitwasabean,becauseitwasshapedlikeone,andbrown,whichtheyclaimednopeaeverwas。Theotherpartyheldthatitwasapeabecauseitsvariousnamesallagreedindescribingitasapea,andbecauseitwassofullofbugs—
—nonebeingentirelyfreefrominsects,andsomehavingasmanyastwelvebyactualcount——withinitsshell。This,theydeclared,wasadistinctivecharacteristicofthepeafamily。Thecontentionbeganwithourfirstinstalmentoftheleguminousration,andwasstillragingbetweenthesurvivorswhopassedintoourlinesin1865。Itwaxedhotoccasionally,andeachsidecontinuallysoughtevidencetosupportitsviewofthecase。Onceanolddarky,sentintotheprisononsomeerrand,wassummonedtodecideahotdisputethatwasraginginthecrowdtowhichIbelonged。Thechampionofthepeasidesaid,producingoneoftheobjectsofdispute:
\"Now,boys,keepstill,tillIputthequestionfairly。Now,uncle,whatdotheycallthatthere？\"
Thecoloredgentlemanscrutinizedthevegetableclosely,andreplied,\"Well,deymos\'generallycalls\'emstock—peas,roundhyaraways。\"
\"There,\"saidthepea—championtriumphantly。
\"But,\"brokeintheleaderofthebeanparty,\"Uncle,don\'ttheyalsocallthembeans？\"
\"Well,yes,chile,Ispecdatlotsof\'emdoes。\"
Andthiswasaboutthewaythematterusuallyended。
Iwillnotattempttobiasthereader\'sjudgmentbysayingwhichsideI
believedtoberight。AsthehistoricBritishshowmansaid,inreplytothequestionastowhetherananimalinhiscollectionwasarhinocerosoranelephant,\"Youpaysyourmoneyandyoutakesyourchoice。\"
Therationsissuedtous,aswillbeseenabove,thoughtheyappearscanty,werestillsufficienttosupportlifeandhealth,andmonthsafterward,inAndersonville,weusedtolookbacktothemassumptuous。
Weusuallyhadthemdividedandeatenbynoon,and,withthegnawingsofhungerappeased,wespenttheafternoonandeveningcomfortably。Wetoldstories,pacedupanddown,thefloorforexercise,playedcards,sung,readwhatfewbookswereavailable,stoodatthewindowsandstudiedthelandscape,andwatchedtheRebelstryingtheirgunsandshells,andsoonaslongasitwasdaylight。Occasionallyitwasdangeroustobeaboutthewindows。Thisdependedwhollyonthetemperoftheguards。OnedayamemberofaVirginiaregiment,onguardonthepavementinfront,deliberatelylefthisbeat,walkedoutintothecenterofthestreet,aimedhisgunatamemberoftheNinthWestVirginia,whowasstandingatawindownear,andfiring,shothimthroughtheheart,thebulletpassingthroughhisbody,andthroughthefloorabove。Theactwaspurelymalicious,andwasdone,doubtless,inrevengeforsomeinjurywhichourmenhaddonetheassassinorhisfamily。
Wewerenotaltogetherblameless,byanymeans。Therewerefewopportunitiestosaybitterlyoffensivethingstotheguards,letpassunimproved。
TheprisonersinthethirdflooroftheSmithbuilding,adjoiningus,hadtheirownwayofteasingthem。Lateatnight,wheneverybodywouldbelyingdown,andoutofthewayofshots,awindowinthethirdstorywouldopen,abroomstick,withapiecenailedacrosstorepresentarms,andclothedwithacapandblouse,wouldbeprotruded,andavoicecomingfromamancarefullyprotectedbythewall,wouldinquire:
\"S—a—y,g—uarr—d,whattimeisit？\"
Iftheguardwasofthelongsufferingkindhewouldanswer:
\"Takeyo\'headbackin,updah;youknohitsaginallodahstododat？\"
Thenthevoicewouldsay,aggravatingly,\"Oh,well,goto————
you————Rebel————,ifyoucan\'tansweracivilquestion。\"
Beforethespeechwasendedtheguard\'sriflewouldbeathisshoulderandhewouldfire。Backwouldcometheblouseandhatinhaste,onlytogooutagainthenextinstant,withaderisivelaugh,and\"Thoughtyouweregoingtohurtsomebody,didn\'tyou,you————————————
————————。But,Lord,youcan\'tshootforsourapples;ifIcouldn\'tshootnobetterthanyou,Mr。JohnnyReb,Iwould————\"
Bythistimetheguard,havinghisgunloadedagain,wouldcutshorttheremarkswithanothershot,which,followedupwithsimilarremarks,wouldprovokestillanother,whenanalarmsounding,theguardsatLibbyandalltheotherbuildingsarounduswouldturnout。Anofficeroftheguardwouldgoupwithasquadintothethirdfloor,onlytofindeverybodyuptheresnoringawayasiftheyweretheSevenSleepers。
