第4章

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。