CorporalCarriganwasthegiganticprizefighter,whowasuniversallyacknowledgedtobethebestmanphysicallyamongthewholethirty—fourthousandinAndersonville。TheRaidersknewthatGoodyhadcomeinbeforeweofhisownbattaliondid。Theyresolvedtokillhimthenandthere,andinbroaddaylight。Hehadsecuredinsomewayasheltertent,andwasinsideofitfixingitup。TheRaidercrowd,headedbyPeteDonnelly,andDickAllen,wentuptohistentandoneofthemcalledtohim:
\"Sergeant,comeout;Iwanttoseeyou。\"
Goody,supposingitwasoneofus,camecrawlingoutonhishandsandknees。Ashedidsotheirheavyclubscrasheddownuponhishead。
Hewasneitherkillednorstunned,astheyhadreasontoexpect。
Hesucceededinrisingtohisfeet,andbreakingthroughthecrowdofassassins。Hedasheddownthesideofthehill,hotlypursuedbythem。
ComingtotheCreek,heleapeditinhisexcitement,buthispursuerscouldnot,andwerechecked。Oneofourbattalionboys,whosawandcomprehendedthewholeaffair,ranovertous,shouting:
\"Turnout！turnout,forGod\'ssake！theRaidersarekillingGoody！\"
WesnatchedupourclubsandstartedaftertheRaiders,butbeforewecouldreachthem,NedCarrigan,whoalsocomprehendedwhatthetroublewas,hadruntothesideofGoody,armedwithaterriblelookingclub。
ThesightofNed,andthedemonstrationthathewasthoroughlyaroused,wasenoughfortheRaidercrew,andtheyabandonedthefieldhastily。
Wedidnotfeelourselvesstrongenoughtofollowthemontotheirowndunghill,andtryconclusionswiththem,butwedeterminedtoreportthemattertotheRebelCommandant,fromwhomwehadreasontobelievewecouldexpectassistance。Wewereright。Hesentinasquadofguards,arrestedDickAllen,PeteDonnelly,andseveralotherringleaders,tookthemoutandputtheminthestocksinsuchamannerthattheywerecompelledtolieupontheirstomachs。Ashallowtinvesselcontainingwaterwasplacedundertheirfacestofurnishthemdrink。
Theystaidthereadayandnight,andwhenreleased,joinedtheRebelArmy,enteringtheartillerycompanythatmannedthegunsinthefortcoveringtheprison。Iusedtoimaginewithwhatzealtheywouldsendusover;aroundofshellorgrapeiftheycouldgetanythinglikeanexcuse。
Thisgaveusgoodriddance——ofourdangerousenemies,andwehadlittlefurthertroublewithanyofthem。
Thedepressioninthetemperaturemademeverysensibleofthedeficienciesinmywardrobe。Unshodfeet,ashirtlikeafishingnet,andpantaloonsaswellventilatedasapalingfencemightdoverywellforthebroilingsunatAndersonvilleandSavannah,butnow,withthethermometernightlydippingalittlenearerthefrostline,itbecameunpleasantlyevidentthatasgarmentstheirofficewaspurelyperfunctory;onemightsayornamentalsimply,ifhewantedtobeverysarcastic。Theywerewornsolelytoaffordconvenientquartersformultitudesoflice,andindeferencetotheprejudicewhichhasexistedsincetheFallofManagainstourminglingwithourfellowcreaturesintheattireprovidedusbyNature。HadIreadDarwinthenIshouldhaveexpectedthatmylongexposuretotheweatherwouldstartafinesuitoffur,intheeffortofNaturetoadapt,metomy,environment。ButnomoreindicationsofthisappearedthanifIhadbeenahairlessdogofMexico,suddenlytransplantedtomorenorthernlatitudes。Providencedidnotseemtobeinthetempering—the—wind—to—the—shorn—lambbusiness,asfarasIwasconcerned。Istillretainedanalmostunconquerableprejudiceagainststrippingthedeadtosecureclothes,andsounlessexchangeordeathcamespeedily,Iwasinabadfix。
Onemorningaboutdaybreak,Andrews,whohadstartedtogotoanotherpartofthecamp,cameslippingbackinastateofgleefulexcitement。
AtfirstIthoughtheeitherhadfoundatunnelorhadheardsomegoodnewsaboutexchange。Itwasneither。Heopenedhisjacketandhandedmeaninfantryman\'sblouse,whichhehadfoundinthemainstreet,whereithaddroppedoutofsomefellow\'sbundle。Wedidnotmakeanyextraexertiontofindtheowner。Andrewswasinsoreneedofclotheshimself,butmynecessitiesweresomuchgreaterthatthegenerousfellowthoughtofmywantsfirst。WeexaminedthegarmentwithasmuchinterestaseverabellebestowedonanewdressfromWorth\'s。Itwasinfairpreservation,buttheownerhadcutthebuttonsofftotradetotheguard,doubtlessforafewsticksofwood,oraspoonfulofsalt。
Wesuppliedtheplaceofthesewithlittlewoodenpins,andIdonnedthegarmentasashirtandcoatandvest,too,forthatmatter。ThebestsuitIeverputonnevergavemeahundredthpartthesatisfactionthatthisdid。Shortlyafter,Imanagedtosubduemyaversionsofarastotakeagoodshoewhichaone—leggeddeadmanhadnofartherusefor,andalittlelateracomradegavemefortheotherfootabootbottomfromwhichhehadcutthetoptomakeabucket。
ThedayofthePresidentialelectionof1864approached。TheRebelswerenaturallyverymuchinterestedintheresult,astheybelievedthattheelectionofMcClellanmeantcompromiseandcessationofhostilities,whilethere—electionofLincolnmeantprosecutionoftheWartothebitterend。ThetoadyingRaiders,whowereperpetuallyhangingaroundthegatetogetachancetoinsinuatethemselvesintothefavoroftheRebelofficers,persuadedthemthatwewereallsobitterlyhostiletoourGovernmentfornotexchangingusthatifwewereallowedtovotewewouldcastanoverwhelmingmajorityinfavorofMcClellan。
TheRebelsthoughtthatthismightperhapsbeusedtoadvantageaspoliticalcapitalfortheirfriendsintheNorth。Theygaveordersthatwemight,ifwechose,holdanelectiononthesamedayofthePresidentialelection。Theysentinsomeballotboxes,andweelectedJudgesoftheElection。
AboutnoonofthatdayCaptainBowes,andacrowdoftightbooted,broad—
hattedRebelofficers,struttedinwiththepeculiar\"Ef—yer—don\'t—
b\'lieve——I\'m—a—butcher—jest—smell—o\'—mebutes\"swaggercharacteristicoftheclass。TheyhadcomeintoseeusallvotingforMcClellan。
Instead,theyfoundthepollssurroundedwithticketpedlersshouting:
\"Walkrightupherenow,andgetyourUnconditional—Union—Abraham—Lincoln—tickets！\"
\"Here\'syourstraight—hairedprosecution—of—the—warticket。\"
\"VotetheLincolnticket;votetowhiptheRebels,andmakepeacewiththemwhenthey\'velaiddowntheirarms。\"
\"Don\'tvoteaMcClellanticketandgratifyRebels,everywhere,\"etc。
TheRebelofficersdidnotfindthescenewhattheirfancypaintedit,andturningaroundtheystruttedout。
WhenthevotescametobecountedouttherewereoverseventhousandforLincoln,andnothalfthatmanyhundredforMcClellan。ThelattergotveryfewvotesoutsidetheRaidercrowd。ThesamedayasimilarelectionwasheldinFlorence,withlikeresult。OfcoursethisdidnotindicatethattherewasanysuchapreponderanceofRepublicansamongus。
ItmeantsimplythattheDemocraticboys,littleastheymighthavelikedLincoln,wouldhavevotedforhimahundredtimesratherthandoanythingtopleasetheRebels。
IneverheardthattheRebelssenttheresultNorth。
CHAPTERLXI
THEREBELSFORMALLYPROPOSETOUSTODESERTTOTHEM——CONTUMELIOUS
TREATMENTOFTHEPROPOSITION——THEIRRAGE——ANEXCITINGTIME——ANOUTBREAK
THREATENED——DIFFICULTIESATTENDINGDESERTIONTOTHEREBELS。
OnedayinNovember,somelittletimeaftertheoccurrencesnarratedinthelastchapter,orderscameintomakeoutrollsofallthosewhowerebornoutsideoftheUnitedStates,andwhosetermsofservicehadexpired。
Weheldalittlecouncilamongourselvesastothemeaningofthis,andconcludedthatsomepartialexchangehadbeenagreedon,andtheRebelsweregoingtosendbacktheclassofboyswhomtheythoughtwouldbeofleastvaluetotheGovernment。Actingonthisconclusionthegreatmajorityofusenrolledourselvesasforeigners,andashavingservedoutourterms。Imadeouttherollofmyhundred,andmanagedtogiveeverymanaforeignnativity。ThosewhosenameswouldbearitwereassignedtoEngland,Ireland,ScotlandFranceandGermany,andthebalanceweredistributedthroughCanadaandtheWestIndies。Afterfinishingtherollandsendingitout,IdidnotwonderthattheRebelsbelievedthebattlesfortheUnionwerefoughtbyforeignmercenaries。Theotherrollsweremadeoutinthesameway,andIdonotsupposethattheyshowedfivehundrednativeAmericansintheStockade。
Thenextdayaftersendingouttherolls,therecameanorderthatallthosewhosenamesappearedthereonshouldfallin。Wedidso,promptly,andasnearlyeverymanincampwasincluded,wefellinasforotherpurposes,byhundredsandthousands。Wewerethenmarchedoutside,andmassedaroundastumponwhichstoodaRebelofficer,evidentlywaitingtomakeusaspeech。Weawaitedhisremarkswiththegreatestimpatience,butHedidnotbeginuntilthelastdivisionhadmarchedoutandcametoaparaderestclosetothestump。
Itwasthesameoldstory:
\"Prisoners,youcannolongerhaveanydoubtthatyourGovernmenthascruellyabandonedyou;itmakesnoeffortstoreleaseyou,andrefusesallouroffersofexchange。Weareanxioustogetourmenback,andhavemadeeveryefforttodoso,butitrefusestomeetusonanyreasonablegrounds。YourSecretaryofWarhassaidthattheGovernmentcangetalongverywellwithoutyou,andGeneralHalleckhassaidthatyouwerenothingbutasetofblackberrypickersandcoffeeboilersanyhow。
\"You\'vealreadyenduredmuchmorethanitcouldexpectofyou;youserveditfaithfullyduringthetermyouenlistedfor,andnow,whenitisthroughwithyou,itthrowsyouasidetostarveanddie。YoualsocanhavenodoubtthattheSouthernConfederacyiscertaintosucceedinsecuringitsindependence。Itwilldothisinafewmonths。Itnowoffersyouanopportunitytojoinitsservice,andifyouserveitfaithfullytotheend,youwillreceivethesamerewardsastherestofitssoldiers。Youwillbetakenoutofhere,bewellclothedandfed,givenagoodbounty,and,attheconclusionoftheWarreceivealandwarrantforanicefarm。Ifyou\"——
Butwehadheardenough。TheSergeantofourdivision——amanwithastentorianvoicesprangoutandshouted:
\"Attention,firstDivision！\"
WeSergeantsofhundredsrepeatedthecommanddowntheline。Shoutedhe:
\"FirstDivision,about——\"
Saidwe:
\"FirstHundred,about——\"
\"SecondHundred,about——\"
\"ThirdHundred,about——\"
\"FourthHundred,about——\"etc。,etc。
Saidhe:——
\"FACE！！\"
TenSergeantsrepeated\"Face！\"oneaftertheother,andeachmaninthehundredsturnedonhisheel。Thenourleadercommanded——
\"FirstDivision,forward！MARCH！\"andwestrodebackintotheStockade,followedimmediatelybyalltheotherdivisions,leavingtheoratorstillstandingonthestump。
TheRebelswerefuriousatthiscurtwayofreplying。Wehadscarcelyreachedourquarterswhentheycameinwithseveralcompanies,withloadedgunsandfixedbayonets。Theydroveusoutofourtentsandhuts,intoonecorner,underthepretenseofhuntingaxesandspades,butinrealitytostealourblankets,andwhateverelsetheycouldfindthattheywanted,andtobreakdownandinjureourhuts,manyofwhich,costingusdaysofpatientlabor,theydestroyedinpurewantonness。
Wewereburningwiththebitterestindignation。Atall,slendermannamedLloyd,amemberoftheSixty—FirstOhio——arough,uneducatedfellow,butbrimfullofpatriotismandmanlycommonsense,jumpeduponastumpandpouredouthissoulinrudebutfieryeloquence:\"Comrades,\"
hesaid,\"donotlettheblowingoftheseRebelwhelpsdiscourageyou;
paynoattentiontotheliestheyhavetoldyouto—day;youknowwellthatourGovernmentistoohonorableandjusttodesertanyonewhoservesit;ithasnotdesertedus;theirhell—bornConfederacyisnotgoingtosucceed。ItellyouthatassureasthereisaGodwhoreignsandjudgesinIsrael,beforetheSpringbreezesstirthetopsoftheseblastedoldpinestheirConfederacyandallthelousygraybackswhosupportitwillbesodeepinhellthatnothingbutasearchwarrantfromthethroneofGodAlmightycaneverfinditagain。AndthegloriousoldStarsandStripes——\"
Herewebegancheeringtremendously。ARebelCaptaincamerunningup,saidtotheguard,whowasleaningonhisgun,gazingcuriouslyatLloyd:
\"Whatin————areyoustandinggapingtherefor？Whydon\'tyoushootthe————————Yankeeson————————————？\"andsnatchingthegunawayfromhim,cockedandleveleditatLloyd,buttheboysnearjerkedthespeakerdownfromthestumpandsavedhislife。
Webecamefearfully,wroughtup。Someofthemoreexcitableshoutedouttochargeonthelineofguards,snatchtheygunsawayfromthem,andforceourwaythroughthegateTheshoutsweretakenupbyothers,and,asifinobediencetothesuggestion,weinstinctivelyformedinline—of—
battlefacingtheguards。Aglancedownthelineshowedmeanarrayofdesperate,tenselydrawnfaces,suchasoneseeswholooksamenwhentheyaresummoningupalltheirresolutionforsomedeedofgreatperil。
TheRebelofficershastilyretreatedbehindthelineofguards,whosefacesblanched,buttheyleveledthemusketsandpreparedtoreceiveus。
CaptainBowes,whowasoverlookingtheprisonfromanelevationoutside,had,however,divinedthetroubleattheoutset,anwaspreparingtomeetit。Thegunners,whohadshottedthepiecesandtrainedthemuponuswhenwecameouttolistentthespeech,hadagaincovereduswiththem,andwerereadytosweeptheprisonwithgrapeandcanisterattheinstantofcommand。Thelongrollwassummoningtheinfantryregimentsbackintoline,andsomeofthecooler—headedamonguspointedthesefactsoutandsucceededingettingthelinetodissolveagainintogroupsofmuttering,sullen—facedmen。Whenthiswasdone,theguardsmarchedout,byacautiousindirectmaneuver,soasnottoturntheirbackstous。
ItwasbelievedthatwehadsomeamonguswhowouldliketoavailthemselvesoftheofferoftheRebels,andthattheywouldtrytoinformtheRebelsoftheirdesiresbygoingtothegateduringthenightandspeakingtotheOfficer—of—the—Guard。Asquadarmedthemselveswithclubsandlaidinwaitforthese。Theysucceededincatchingseveral——
snatchingsomeofthenbackevenaftertheyhadtoldtheguardtheirwishesinatones（loudthatallnearcouldheardistinctly。TheOfficer—of—the—Guardrushedintwoorthreetimesinavainattempttosavethewouldbedeserterfromthecruelhandsthatclutchedhimandborehimawaytowherehehadalessoninloyaltyimpresseduponthefleshiestpartofhispersonbyalong,flexiblestripofpinewieldedbyverywillinghands。
AfterthiswaskeptupforseveralnightsdifferentideasbeganItoprevail。ItwasfeltthatifamanwantedtojointheRebels,thebestwaywastolethimgoandgetridofhim。HewasofnobenefittotheGovernment,andwouldbeofnonetotheRebels。Afterthisnorestrictionwasputuponanyonewhodesiredtogooutsideandtaketheoath。Butveryfewdidso,however,andthesewerewhollyconfinedtotheRaidercrowd。
CHAPTERLXII。
SERGEANTLEROYL。KEY——HISADVENTURESSUBSEQUENTTOTHEEXECUTIONS——
HEGOESOUTSIDEATANDERSONVILLEONPAROLE——LABORSINTHECOOK—HOUSE——
ATTEMPTSTOESCAPE——ISRECAPTUREDANDTAKENTOMACON——ESCAPESFROMTHERE,BUTISCOMPELLEDTORETURN——ISFINALLYEXCHANGEDATSAVANNAH。
LeroyL。Key,theheroicSergeantofCompanyM,SixteenthIllinoisCavalry,whoorganizedandledtheRegulatorsatAndersonvilleintheirsuccessfulconflictwithanddefeatoftheRaiders,andwhopresidedattheexecutionofthesixcondemnedmenonthe11thofJuly,furnishes,attherequestoftheauthor,thefollowingstoryofhisprisoncareersubsequenttothatevent:
Onthe12thdayofJuly,1864,thedayafterthehangingofthesixRaiders,bytheurgentrequestofmymanyfriends（ofwhomyouwereone）,IsoughtandobtainedfromWirzaparoleformyselfandthesixbravemenwhoassistedasexecutionersofthosedesperados。Itseemedthatyouwereallfearfulthatwemight,afterwhathadbeendone,beassassinatedifweremainedintheStockade;andthatwemightbeoverpowered,perhaps,bythefriendsoftheRaiderswehadhanged,atatimepossibly,whenyouwouldnotbeonhandtogiveusassistance,andthusloseourlivesforrenderingthehelpwedidingettingridoftheworstpestilencewehadtocontendwith。
OnobtainingmyparoleIwasverycarefultohaveitsoarrangedandmutuallyunderstood,betweenWirzandmyself,thatatanytimethatmysquad（meaningthesurvivorsofmycomrades,withwhomIwasoriginallycaptured）wassentawayfromAndersonville,eithertobeexchangedortogotoanotherprison,thatIshouldbeallowedtogowiththem。Thiswasagreedto,andsowritteninmyparolewhichIcarrieduntilitabsolutelyworeout。Itookapositioninthecook—house,andtheotherboyseitherwenttoworkthere,oratthehospitalorgrave—yardasoccasionrequired。Iworkedhere,anddidthebestIcouldforthemanystarvingwretchesinside,inthewayofpreparingtheirfood,untiltheeighthdayofSeptember,atwhichtime,ifyouremember,quiteatrainloadofmenwereremoved,asmanyofusthought,forthepurposeofexchange;but,asweafterwardsdiscovered,tobetakentoanotherprison。Amongthecrowdsoremovedwasmysquad,or,atleast,aportionofthem,beingmyintimatemess—mateswhileintheStockade。AssoonasIfoundthistobethecaseIwaitedonWirzathisoffice,andaskedpermissiontogowiththem,whichherefused,statingthathewascompelledtohavemenatthecookhousetocookforthoseintheStockadeuntiltheywereallgoneorexchanged。Iremindedhimoftheconditioninmyparole,butthisonlyhadtheeffectofmakinghimmad,andhethreatenedmewiththestocksifIdidnotgobackandresumework。
Ithenandtheremadeupmymindtoattemptmyescape,consideringthattheparolehadfirstbeenbrokenbythemanthatgrantedit。
Oninquiryaftermyreturntothecook—house,Ifoundfourotherboyswhowerealsoplanninganescape,andwhowereonlytoogladtogetmetojointhemandtakechargeoftheaffair。Ourplanswerewelllaidandwellexecuted,asthesequelwillprove,andinthisparticularmyownexperienceintheendeavortoescapefromAndersonvilleisnotentirelydissimilarfromyours,thoughithaddifferentresults。IverymuchregretthatintheattemptIlostmypenciledmemorandum,inwhichitwasmyhabittochroniclewhatwentonaroundmedaily,andwhereIhadthenamesofmybravecomradeswhomadetheefforttoescapewithme。
Unfortunately,Icannotnowrecalltomemorythenameofoneofthemorremembertowhatcommandstheybelonged。
Iknewthatourgreatestriskwasrunineludingtheguards,andthatinthemorningweshouldbecompelledtocheattheblood—hounds。Thefirstwemanagedtodoverywell,notwithoutmanyhairbreadthescapes,however;butwedidsucceedingettingthroughbothlinesofguards,andfoundourselvesinthedensestpineforestIeversaw。Wetraveled,asnearlyaswecouldjudge,duenorthallnightuntildaylight。Fromourfatigueandbruises,andthelonghoursthathadelapsedsince8
o\'clock,thetimeofourstarting,wethoughtwehadcomenotlessthantwelveorfifteenmiles。Imagineoursurpriseandmortification,then,whenwecouldplainlyhearthereveille,andalmosttheSergeant\'svoicecallingtheroll,whiletheanswersof\"Here！\"wereperfectlydistinct。
Wecouldnotpossiblyhavebeenmorethanamile,oramile—and—a—halfatthefarthest,fromtheStockade。
Ouranxietyandmortificationweredoubledwhenattheusualhour——aswesupposed——weheardthewell—knownandlong—familiarsoundofthehunter\'shorn,callinghishoundstotheiraccustomedtaskofmakingthecircuitoftheStockade,forthepurposeofascertainingwhetherornotany？
\"Yankee\"hadhadtheaudacitytoattemptanescape。Thehounds,anticipating,nodoubt,thisusualdailywork,gaveforthgladbarksofjoyatbeingthuscalledforthtoduty。Weheardthemstart,aswasusual,fromabouttherailroaddepot（asweimagined）,butthesoundsgrowingfainterandfaintergaveusalittlehopethatourtrailhadbeenmissed。Onlyashorttime,however,wereweallowedthispleasantreflection,forerelong——itcouldnothavebeenmorethananhour——wecouldplainlyseethattheyweredrawingnearerandnearer。TheyfinallyappearedsoclosethatIadvisedtheboystoclimbatreeorsaplinginordertokeepthedogsfrombitingthem,andtobereadytosurrenderwhenthehunterscameup,hopingthustoexperienceaslittlemiseryaspossible,andnotdreamingbutthatwewerecaught。On,oncamethehounds,nearerandnearerstill,tillweimaginedthatwecouldseetheundergrowthintheforestshakingbycomingincontactwiththeirbodies。
Plainerandplainercamethesoundofthehunter\'svoiceurgingthemforward。Ourheartswereinourthroats,andintheterribleexcitementwewonderedifitcouldbepossibleforProvidencetosoarrangeitthatthedogswouldpassus。Thislastthought,bysomestrangefancy,hadtakenpossessionofme,andIherefranklyacknowledgethatIbelieveditwouldhappen。WhyIbelievedit,Godonlyknows。Myexcitementwassogreat,indeed,thatIalmostlostsightofourdanger,andfeltlikeshoutingtothedogsmyself,whileIcamenearlosingmyholdonthetreeinwhichIwashidden。BychanceIhappenedtolookaroundatmynearestneighborindistress。HisexpressionwassufficienttoquellanyenthusiasmImighthavehad,andI,too,becamedespondent。Inaveryfewminutesoursuspensewasover。Thedogscamewithinnotlessthanthreehundredyardsofus,andwecouldevenseeoneofthem,GodinHeavencanonlyimaginewhatgreatjoywasthen,broughttoourachinghearts,foralmostinstantlyuponcomingintosight,thehoundsstruckoffonadifferenttrail,andpassedus。Theirvoicesbecamefainterandfainter,untilfinallywecouldhearthemnolonger。Aboutnoon,however,theywerecalledbackandtakentocamp,butuntilthattimenotoneofusleftourpositioninthetrees。
Whenweweresatisfiedthatweweresafeforthepresent,wedescendedtothegroundtogetwhatrestwecould,inordertobepreparedforthenight\'smarch,havingpreviouslyagreedtotravelatnightandsleepinthedaytime。\"OurFather,whoartinHeaven,\"etc。,werethefirstwordsthatescapedmylips,andthefirstthoughtsthatcametomymindasIlandedonterrafirma。Neverbefore,orsince,hadIexperiencedsuchaprofoundreverenceforAlmightyGod,forIfirmlybelievethatonlythroughsomemightyinvisiblepowerwereweatthattimedeliveredfromuntoldtortures。Hadwebeenfound,wemighthavebeentornandmutilatedbythedogs,or,takenbacktoAndersonville,havesufferedfordaysorperhapsweeksinthestocksorchaingang,asthehumorofWirzmighthavedictatedatthetime——eitherofwhichwouldhavebeenalmostcertaindeath。
ItwasveryfortunateforusthatbeforeourescapefromAndersonvilleweweredetailedatthecook—house,forbythismeanswewereenabledtobringawayenoughfoodtoliveforseveraldayswithoutthenecessityoftheft。Eachoneofushadourhaversacksfullofsuchsmalldelicaciesasitwaspossibleforustogetwhenwestarted,theseconsistingofcornbreadandfatbacon——nothingless,nothingmore。Yetwemanagedtosubsistcomfortablyuntilourfourthdayout,whenwehappenedtocomeuponasweetpotatopatch,thepotatosinwhichhadnotbeendug。Inaveryshortspaceoftimewewereallwellsuppliedwiththisarticle,andlivedonthemrawduringthatdayandthenextnight。
Justatevening,ingoingthroughafield,wesuddenlycameacrossthreenegromen,whoatfirstsightofusshowedsignsofrunning,thinking,astheytoldusafterward,thatwewerethe\"patrols。\"Afterexplainingtothemwhowewereandourcondition,theytookustoaveryquietretreatinthewoods,andtwoofthemwentoff,statingthattheywouldsoonbeback。Inaveryshorttimetheyreturnedladenwithwellcookedprovisions,whichnotonlygaveusagoodsupper,butsuppliedusforthenextdaywithallthatwewanted。Theythenguidedusonourwayforseveralmiles,andleftus,afterhavingrefusedcompensationforwhattheyhaddone。
Wecontinuedtotravelinthiswayforninelongwearynights,andonthemorningofthetenthday,asweweregoingintothewoodstohideasusual,alittlebeforedaylight,wecametoasmallpondatwhichtherewasanegroboywateringtwomulesbeforehitchingthemtoacanemill,itthenbeingcanegrindingtimeinGeorgia。Hesawusatthesametimewedidhim,andbeingfrightenedputwhiptotheanimalsandranoff。
Wetriedeverywaytostophim,butitwasnouse。Hehadthestartofus。Wewereveryfearfuloftheconsequencesofthismishap,buthadnoremedy,andbeingverytired,coulddonothingelsebutgointothewoods,gotosleepandtrusttoluck。
ThenextthingIrememberedwasbeingpunchedintheribsbymycomradenearesttome,andarousedwiththeremark,\"Wearegoneup。\"Onopeningmyeyes,Isawfourmen,incitizens\'dress,eachofwhomhadashotgunreadyforuse。Wewereorderedtogetup。Thefirstquestionaskeduswas:
\"Whoareyou。\"
Thiswasspokeninsomildatoneastoleadmetobelievethatwemightpossiblybeinthehandsofgentlemen,ifnotindeedinthoseoffriends。
Itwassometimebeforeanyoneanswered。Theboys,bytheirlooksandtheexpressionoftheircountenances,seemedtoappealtomeforareplytogetthemoutoftheirpresentdilemma,ifpossible。BeforeIhadtimetocollectmythoughts,wewerestartledbythesewords,comingfromthesamemanthathadaskedtheoriginalquestion:
\"Youhadbetternothesitate,forwehaveanideawhoyouare,andshoulditprovethatwearecorrect,itwillbetheworseforyou。\"
\"\'Whodoyouthinkweare？\'Iinquired。
\"\'Horsethievesandmoss—backs,\'wasthereply。
Ijumpedattheconclusioninstantlythatinordertosaveourlives,wehadbetteratonceownthetruth。InaveryfewwordsItoldthemwhowewere,wherewewerefrom,howlongwehadbeenontheroad,etc。Atthistheywithdrewashortdistancefromusforconsultation,leavingusforthetimeinterriblesuspenseastowhatourfatemightbe。Soon,however,theyreturnedandinformedusthattheywouldbecompelledtotakeustotheCountyJail,toawaitfurtherordersfromtheMilitaryCommanderoftheDistrict。Whiletheyweretalkingtogether,Itookahastyinventoryofwhatvaluableswehadonhand。Ifoundinthecrowdfoursilverwatches,aboutthreehundreddollarsinConfederatemoney,andpossibly,aboutonehundreddollarsingreenbacks。Beforetheirreturn,ItoldtheboystobesurenottorefuseanyrequestIshouldmake。SaidI:
\"\'Gentlemen,wehaveherefoursilverwatchesandseveralhundreddollarsinConfederatemoneyandgreenbacks,allofwhichwenowofferyou,ifyouwillbutallowustoproceedonourjourney,wetakingourownchancesinthefuture。\"
Thisproposition,tomygreatsurprise,wasrefused。IthoughtthenthatpossiblyIhadbeenalittleindiscreetinexposingourvaluables,butinthisIwasmistaken,forwehad,indeed,fallenintothehandsofgentlemen,whosezealfortheLostCausewasgreaterthanthatforobtainingworldlywealth,andwhonotonlyrefusedthebribe,buttookustoawell—furnishedandwell—suppliedfarmhousecloseby,gaveusanexcellentbreakfast,allowingustositatthetableinabeautifuldining—room,withaladyatthehead,filledourhaversackswithgood,wholesomefood,andallowedustokeepourproperty,withanadmonitiontobecarefulhowweshoweditagain。WewerethenputintoawagonandtakentoHamilton,asmalltown,thecountyseatofHamiltonCounty,Georgia,andplacedinjail,whereweremainedfortwodaysandnights——
fearing,always,thatthejailwouldbeburnedoverourheads,asweheardfrequentthreatsofthatnature,bythemobonthestreets。
ButthesamekindProvidencethathadheretoforewatchedoverus,seemednottohavedesertedusinthistrouble。
OneofthedayswewereconfinedatthisplacewasSunday,andsomekind—
heartedladyorladies（IonlywishIknewtheirnames,aswellasthoseofthegentlemenwhohadusfirstincharge,sothatIcouldchroniclethemwithhonorhere）takingcompassionuponourforlorncondition,sentusasplendiddinneronaverylargechinaplatter。Whetheritwasdoneintentionallyornot,weneverlearned,butitwasafact,however,thattherewasnotaknife,forkorspoonuponthedish,andnotabletosetitupon。Itwasplacedonthefloor,aroundwhichwesoongathered,and,withgratefulhearts,we\"gotaway\"withitall,inanincrediblyshortspaceoftime,whilemanymenandboyslookedon,enjoyingourludicrousattitudesandmanners。
FromhereweweretakentoColumbus,Ga。,andagainplacedinjail,andinthechargeofConfederatesoldiers。Wecouldeasilyseethatweweregraduallygettingintohotwateragain,andthat,eremanydays,wewouldhavetoresumeouroldhabitsinprison。OuronlyhopenowwasthatwewouldnotbereturnedtoAndersonville,knowingwellthatifwegotbackintotheclutchesofWirzourchancesforlifewouldbeslimindeed。
