第8章
intoa"detachment。"ThedetachmentswerenumberedinorderfromtheNorthGate,andthesquadswerenumbered"one,two,three。"Ontherollsthiswasstatedaftertheman"sname。Forinstance,achumofmine,andinthesamesquadwithme,wasCharlesL。Soule,oftheThirdMichiganInfantry。Hisnameappearedontherolls:
"Chas。L。Soule,priv。Co。E,8dMich。Inf。,1—2。"
Thatis,hebelongedtotheSecondSquadoftheFirstDetachment。
WhereWirzgothis,preposterousideaoforganizationfromhasalwaysbeenamysterytome。Itwasawkwardineveryway——indrawingrations,counting,dividingintomesses,etc。
Wirzwasnotlongingivingusatasteofhisquality。Thenextmorningafterhisfirstappearancehecameinwhenroll—callwassounded,andorderedallthesquadsanddetachmentstoform,andremainstandinginranksuntilallwerecounted。Anysoldierwillsaythatthereisnodutymoreannoyinganddifficultthanstandingstillinranksforanyconsiderablelengthoftime,especiallywhenthereisnothingtodoortoengagetheattention。IttookWirzbetweentwoandthreehourstocountthewholecamp,andbythattimeweofthefirstdetachmentswerealmostalloutofranks。ThereuponWirzannouncedthatnorationswouldbeissuedtothecampthatday。"Theorderstostandinrankswererepeatedthenextmorning,withawarningthatafailuretoobeywouldbepunishedasthatofthepreviousdayhadbeen。Thoughweweresohungry,that,tousethewordsofaThirty—FifthPennsylvanianstandingnexttome——his"bigintestineswereeatinghislittleonesup,"itwasimpossibletokeeptherankformationduringthelonghours。Onemanafteranotherstraggledaway,andagainwelostourrations。Thatafternoonwebecamedesperate。Plotswereconsideredforadaringassaulttoforcethegatesorscalethestockade。Themenwerecrazyenoughtoattemptanythingratherthansitdownandpatientlystarve。Manyofferedthemselvesasleadersinanyattemptthatitmightbethoughtbesttomake。Thehopelessnessofanysuchventurewasapparent,eventofamishedmen,andthepropositionswentnofartherthaninflammatorytalk。
Thethirdmorningtheorderswereagainrepeated。ThistimewesucceededinremaininginranksinsuchamannerastosatisfyWirz,andweweregivenourrationsforthatday,butthoseoftheotherdayswerepermanentlywithheld。
ThatafternoonWirzventuredintocampalone。Hevasassailedwithastormofcursesandexecrations,andashowerofclubs。Hepulledouthisrevolver,asiftofireuponhisassailants。Ayellwasraisedtotakehispistolawayfromhimandacrowdrushedforwardtodothis。
Withoutwaitingtofireashot,heturnedandrantothegatefordearlife。Hedidnotcomeinagainforalongwhile,andneverafterwardwithoutaretinueofguards。
CHAPTERXX。
PRIZE—FIGHTAMONGTHEN"YAARKERS——AGREATMANYFORMALITIES,ANDLITTLE
BLOODSPILT——AFUTILEATTEMPTTORECOVERAWATCH——DEFEATOFTHELAWAND
ORDERPARTY。
Oneofthetrain—loadsfromRichmondwasalmostwhollymadeupofouroldacquaintances——theN"Yaarkers。Thenumberofthesehadswelledtofourhundredorfivehundred——allleaguedtogetherinthefellowshipofcrime。
Wedidnotmanifestanykeendesireforintimatesocialrelationswiththem,andtheydidnotseemtohungerforoursociety,sotheymovedacrossthecreektotheunoccupiedSouthSide,andestablishedtheircampthere,ataconsiderabledistancefromus。
Oneafternoonanumberofuswentacrosstotheircamp,towitnessafightaccordingtotherulesofthePrizeRing,whichwastocomeoffbetweentwoprofessionalpugilists。Thesewereacoupleofbounty—
jumperswhohadsomelittlereputationinNewYorksportingcircles,underthenamesofthe"StaleybridgeChicken"andthe"HaarlemInfant。"
OnthewayfromRichmondacast—ironskillet,orspider,hadbeenstolenbythecrowdfromtheRebels。Itwasasmallaffair,holdingahalfgallon,andworthto—dayaboutfiftycents。InAndersonvilleitsworthwasliterallyaboverubies。Twomenbelongingtodifferentmesseseachclaimedtheownershipoftheutensil,onthegroundofbeingmostactiveinsecuringit。Theirclaimswerestrenuouslysupportedbytheirrespectivemesses,attheheadsofwhichweretheaforesaidInfantandChicken。Agreatdealofstrongtalk,andseveralindecisiveknock—downsresultedinanagreementtosettlethematterbywagerofbattlebetweentheInfantandChicken。
Whenwearrivedatwenty—fourfootringhadbeenpreparedbydrawingadeepmarkinthesand。Indiagonallyoppositecornersofthesethesecondswerekneelingononekneeandsupportingtheirprincipalsontheotherbytheirsidestheyhadlittlevesselsofwater,andbundlesofragstoanswerforsponges。Anothercornerwasoccupiedbytheumpire,afoul—mouthed,loud—tonguedTombsshyster,namedPeteBradley。Along—
bodied,short—leggedhoodlum,nick—named"Heenan,"armedwithaclub,actedasringkeeper,and"belted"back,remorselessly,anyofthespectatorswhocrowdedovertheline。Didheseeafootobtrudingitselfsomuchasaninchoverthemarkinthesand——andthepressurefromthecrowdbehindwassogreatthatitwasdifficultforthefrontfellowstokeepofftheline——hisheavyclubandablastingcursewouldfallupontheoffendersimultaneously。
Everyeffortwasmadetohaveallthingsconformasnearlyaspossibletotherecognizedpracticesofthe"LondonPrizeRing。"
AtBradley"scallof"Time！"theprincipalswouldrisefromtheirseconds"knees,advancebrisklytothescratchacrossthecenterofthering,andsparawaysharplyforalittletime,untilonegotinablowthatsenttheothertotheground,wherehewouldlieuntilhissecondpickedhimup,carriedhimback,washedhisfaceoff,andgavehimadrink。Hethenresteduntilthenextcalloftime。
Thissortofperformancewentonforanhourormore,withtheknockdownsandothercasualitiesprettyevenlydividedbetweenthetwo。ThenitbecameapparentthattheInfantwasgettingmorethanhehadstorageroomfor。Hisinterestintheskilletwasevidentlyabating,theleeringgrinheworeuponhisfaceduringtheearlypartoftheengagementhaddisappearedlongago,asthesuccessive"hotones"whichtheChickenhadsucceededinplantinguponhismouth,putitoutofhispowerto"smileandsmile,""e"enthoughhemightstillbeavillain。"Hebegancominguptothescratchassluggishlyasahiredmanstartingoutforhisday"swork,andfinallyhedidnotcomeupatall。Abunchofbloodsoakedragswastossedintotheairfromhiscorner,andBradleydeclaredtheChickentobethevictor,amidenthusiasticcheersfromthecrowd。
Wevotedthethingrathertame。Inthewholehouranda—halftherewasnotsomuchsavagefighting,notsomuchdamagedone,asacoupleofearnest,butunscientificmen,whohavenotimetowaste,willfrequentlycrowdintoanimpromptuaffairnotexceedingfiveminutesinduration。
OurnextvisittotheN"Yaarkerswasonadifferenterrand。Themomenttheyarrivedincampwebegantobeannoyedbytheirdepredations。
Blankets——thesoleprotectionofmen——wouldbesnatchedoffastheysleptatnight。Articlesofclothingandcookingutensilswouldgothesameway,andoccasionallyamanwouldberobbedinopendaylight。Allthese,itwasbelieved,withgoodreason,weretheworkoftheN"Yaarkers,andthestolenthingswereconveyedtotheircamp。Occasionallydepredatorswouldbecaughtandbeaten,buttheywouldgiveasignalwhichwouldbringtotheirassistancethewholebodyofN"Yaarkers,andturnthetablesontheirassailants。
WehadinoursquadalittlewatchmakernamedDanMartin,oftheEighthNewYorkInfantry。Otherboyslethimtaketheirwatchestotinkerup,soastomakeashowofrunning,andbeavailablefortradingtotheguards。
OnedayMartinwasatthecreek,whenaN"Yaarkeraskedhimtolethimlookatawatch。Martinincautiouslydidso,whentheN"Yaarkersnatcheditandspedawaytothecampofhiscrowd。Martinranbacktousandtoldhisstory。Thiswasthelastfeatherwhichwastobreakthecamel"sbackofourpatience。PeterBates,oftheThirdMichigan,theSergeantofoursquad,hadconsiderableconfidenceinhismuscularability。
Heflamedupintomightywrath,andsworeasulphurousoaththatwewouldgetthatwatchback,whereuponabouttwohundredofusavowedourwillingnesstohelpreclaimit。
Eachofusprovidingourselveswithaclub,westartedonourerrand。
Therestofthecamp——aboutfourthousand——gatheredonthehillsidetowatchus。Wethoughttheymighthavesentussomeassistance,asitwasaboutasmuchtheirfightasours,buttheydidnot,andweweretooproudtoaskit。Thecrossingoftheswampwasquitedifficult。Onlyonecouldgooveratatime,andheveryslowly。TheN"Yaarkersunderstoodthattroublewaspending,andtheybeganmusteringtoreceiveus。Fromthewaytheyturnedoutitwasevidentthatweshouldhavecomeoverwiththreehundredinsteadoftwohundred,butitwastoolatethentoaltertheprogram。AswecameupastalwartIrishmansteppedoutandaskeduswhatwewanted。
Batesreplied:"Wehavecomeovertogetawatchthatoneofyourfellowstookfromoneofours,andby———we"regoingtohaveit。"
TheIrishman"sreplywasequallyexplicitthoughnotstrictlylogicalinconstruction。Saidhe:"Wehavn"tgotyourwatch,andbeyecan"thaveit。"
ThisjoinedtheissuejustasfairlyasifithadbeendonebyallthedocumentaryformulathatpassedbetweenTurkeyandRussiapriortothelatewar。BatesandtheIrishmanthenexchangedveryderogatoryopinionsofeachother,andbeganstrikingwiththeirclubs。Therestofustookthisasourcue,andeach,selectingassmallaN"Yaarkeraswecouldreadilyfind,sailedin。
ThereisaveryexpressivebitofslangcomingintogeneraluseintheWest,whichspeaksofaman"bitingoffmorethanhecanchew。"
Thatiswhatwehaddone。Wehadtakenacontractthatweshouldhavedivided,andsub—letthebiggerhalf。Twominutesaftertheengagementbecamegeneraltherewasnodoubtthatwewouldhavebeenmuchbetteroffifwehadstaidonourownsideofthecreek。Thewatchwasaverypoorone,anyhow。WethoughtwewouldjustsaygooddaytoourN"Yaarkfriends,andreturnhomehastily。Buttheydeclinedtobeleftsoprecipitately。Theywantedtostaywithusawhile。Itwaslotsoffunforthem,andforthe,fourthousandyellingspectatorsontheoppositehill,whoweregreatlyenjoyingourdiscomfiture。Therewashardlyenoughoftheamusementtogocleararound,however,anditallfellshortjustbeforeitreachedus。WeearnestlywishedthatsomeoftheboyswouldcomeoverandhelpusletgooftheN"Yaarkers,buttheywereenjoyingthethingtoomuchtointerfere。
Weweredrivendownthehill,pell—mell,withtheN"Yaarkerspursuinghotlywithyellandblow。Attheswampwetriedtomakeastandtosecureourpassageacross,butitwasonlypartiallysuccessful。Veryfewgotbackwithoutsomeseverehurts,andmanyreceivedblowsthatgreatlyhastenedtheirdeaths。
AfterthistheN"Yaarkersbecamebolderintheirrobberies,andmorearrogantintheirdemeanorthanever,andwehadthepoorrevengeuponthosewhowouldnotassistus,ofseeingareignofterrorinauguratedoverthewholecamp。
CHAPTERXXI
DIMINISHINGRATIONS——ADEADLYCOLDRAIN——HOVERINGOVERPITCHPINEFIRES
——INCREASEONMORTALITY——ATHEORYOFHEALTH。
Therationsdiminishedperceptiblydaybyday。Whenwefirstenteredweeachreceivedsomethingoveraquartoftolerablygoodmeal,asweetpotato,apieceofmeataboutthesizeofone"stwofingers,andoccasionallyaspoonfulofsalt。Firstthesaltdisappeared。Thenthesweetpotatotookuntoitselfwingsandflewaway,nevertoreturn。
Anattemptwasostensiblymadetoissueuscow—peasinstead,andthefirstissuewasonlyaquarttoadetachmentoftwohundredandseventymen。Thishastwo—thirdsofapinttoeachsquadofninety,andmadebutafewspoonfulsforeachofthefourmessesinthesquad。Whenitcametodividingamongthemen,thebeanshadtobecounted。Nobodyreceivedenoughtopayforcooking,andwewereatalosswhattodountilsomebodysuggestedthatweplaypokerforthem。Thismetgeneralacceptance,andafterthat,aslongasbeansweredrawn,alargeportionofthedaywasspentinabsorbinggamesof"bluff"and"draw,"atabean"ante,"andno"limit。"
Afteranumberofhours"diligentplaying,someluckyorskillfulplayerwouldbeinpossessionofallthebeansinamess,asquad,andsometimesadetachment,andhaveenoughforagoodmeal。
Nextthemealbegantodiminishinquantityanddeteriorateinquality。
Itbecamesoexceedinglycoarsethatthecommonremarkwasthatthenextstepwouldbetobringusthecornintheshock,andfeedittouslikestock。Thenmeatfollowedsuitwiththerest。Therationsdecreasedinsize,andthenumberofdaysthatwedidnotgetany,keptconstantlyincreasinginproportiontothedaysthatwedid,untileventuallythemeatbadeusafinaladieu,andjoinedthesweetpotatointhatundiscoveredcountryfromwhosebournenorationeverreturned。
Thefuelandbuildingmaterialinthestockadewerespeedilyexhausted。
Thelatercomershadnothingwhatevertobuildshelterwith。
But,aftertheSpringrainshadfairlysetin,itseemedthatwehadnottastedmiseryuntilthen。AboutthemiddleofMarchthewindowsofheavenopened,anditbeganarainlikethatofthetimeofNoah。Itwastropicalinquantityandpersistency,andarcticintemperature。Fordrearyhoursthatlengthenedintowearydaysandnights,andtheseagainintonever—endingweeks,thedriving,drenchingfloodpoureddownuponthesoddenearth,searchingtheverymarrowofthefivethousandhaplessmenagainstwhosechilledframesitbeatwithpitilessmonotony,andsoakedthesandbankuponwhichwelayuntilitwaslikeaspongefilledwithice—water。Itseemstomenowthatitmusthavebeentwoorthreeweeksthatthesunwaswhollyhiddenbehindthedrippingclouds,notshiningoutonceinallthattime。Theintervalswhenitdidnotrainwererareandshort。Anhour"srespitewouldbefollowedbyadayofsteady,regularpeltingofthegreatraindrops。
IfindthatthereportoftheSmithsonianInstitutegivestheaverageannualrainfallinthesectionaroundAndersonville,atfifty—sixinches—
——nearlyfivefeet——whilethatoffoggyEnglandisonlythirty—two。Ourexperiencewouldleadmetothinkthatwegotthefivefeetallatonce。
Wefirstcomers,whohadhuts,weremeasurablybetteroffthanthelaterarrivals。Itwasmuchdrierinourleaf—thatchedtents,andweweresparedmuchoftheannoyancethatcomesfromthesteadydashofrainagainstthebodyforhours。
Theconditionofthosewhohadnotentswastrulypitiable。
Theysatorlayonthehill—sidethelive—longdayandnight,andtookthewashingflowwithsuchgloomycomposureastheycouldmuster。
Allsoldierswillagreewithmethatthereisnocampaigninghardshipcomparabletoacoldrain。Onecanbraceupagainsttheextremesofheatandcold,andmitigatetheirinclemencyinvariousways。Butthereisnoescapingalong—continued,chillingrain。Itseemstopenetratetotheheart,andleachawaytheveryvitalforce。
Theonlyreliefattainablewasfoundinhuddlingoverlittlefireskeptalivebysmallgroupswiththeirslenderstocksofwood。Asthiswoodwasallpitch—pine,thatburnedwithaverysootyflame,theeffectupontheappearanceofthehovererswas,startling。Face,neckandhandsbecamecoveredwithmixtureoflampblackandturpentine,formingacoatingasthickasheavybrownpaper,andabsolutelyirremovablebywateralone。Thehairalsobecameofmidnightblackness,andgummedupintoelflocksoffantasticshapeandeffect。Anyoneofuscouldhavegoneonthenegrominstrelstage,withoutchangingahair,andputtoblushthemostelaboratemake—upofthegrotesqueburnt—corkartists。
Nowoodwasissuedtous。Theonlywayofgettingitwastostandaroundthegateforhoursuntilaguardoffdutycouldbecoaxedorhiredtoaccompanyasmallpartytothewoods,tobringbackaloadofsuchknotsandlimbsascouldbepickedup。Ourchiefpersuaderstotheguardstodousthisfavorwererings,pencils,knives,combs,andsuchtriflesaswemighthaveinourpockets,and,moreespecially,thebrassbuttonsonouruniforms。Rebelsoldiers,likeIndians,negrosandotherimperfectlycivilizedpeople,werepassionatelyfondofbrightandgaudythings。
Ahandfulofbrassbuttonswouldcatcheveryoneofthemasswiftlyandassurelyasapieceofredflannelwillagudgeon。Ourregularfeeforanescortforthreeofustothewoodswassixover—coatordress—coatbuttons,ortenortwelvejacketbuttons。Allinthemesscontributedtothisfund,andthefuelobtainedwascarefullyguardedandhusbanded。
Thismannerofconductingthewoodbusinessisafairsampleofthemanagement,orratherthelackofit,ofeveryotherdetailofprisonadministration。AllthehardshipswesufferedfromlackoffuelandsheltercouldhavebeenpreventedwithouttheslightestexpenseortroubletotheConfederacy。Twohundredmenallowedtogooutonparole,andsuppliedwithages,wouldhavebroughtinfromtheadjacentwoods,inaweek"stime,enoughmaterialtomakeeverybodycomfortabletents,andtosupplyallthefuelneeded。
Themortalitycausedbythestormwas,ofcourse,verygreat。TheofficialreportsaysthetotalnumberintheprisoninMarchwasfourthousandsixhundredandthree,ofwhomtwohundredandeighty—threedied。
Amongthefirsttodiewastheonewhomweexpectedtolivelongest。
Hewasbymuchthelargestmaninprison,andwascalled,becauseofthis,"BIGJOE。"HewasaSergeantintheFifthPennsylvaniaCavalry,andseemedthepictureofhealth。Onemorningthenewsranthroughtheprisonthat"BigJoeisdead,"andavisittohissquadshowedhisstiff,lifelessform,occupyingasmuchgroundasGoliath"s,afterhisencounterwithDavid。
Hisearlydemisewasanexampleofagenerallaw,theworkingsofwhichfewinthearmyfailedtonotice。Itwasalwaysthelargeandstrongwhofirstsuccumbedtohardship。Thestalwart,huge—limbed,toil—inuredmensankdownearliestonthemarch,yieldedsoonesttomalarialinfluences,andfellfirstunderthecombinedeffectsofhome—sickness,exposureandtheprivationsofarmylife。Theslender,withyboys,assuppleandweakascats,hadapparentlytheninelivesofthoseanimals。Therewerefewexceptionstothisruleinthearmy——therewerenoneinAndersonville。
Icanrecallfewornoinstanceswherealarge,strong,"hearty"manlivedthroughafewmonthsofimprisonment。Thesurvivorswereinvariablyyouths,atthevergeofmanhood,——slender,quick,active,medium—staturedfellows,ofacheerfultemperament,inwhomonewouldhaveexpectedcomparativelylittlepowersofendurance。
ThetheorywhichIconstructedformyownprivateuseinaccountingforthisphenomenonIofferwithproperdiffidencetootherswhomaybeinsearchofahypothesistoexplainfactsthattheyhaveobserved。Itisthis:
a。Thecirculationofthebloodmaintainshealth,andconsequentlylifebycarryingawayfromthevariouspartsofthebodytheparticlesofworn—outandpoisonoustissue,andreplacingthemwithfresh,structure—
buildingmaterial。
b。Themanishealthiestinwhomthisprocessgoesonmostfreelyandcontinuously。
c。Menofconsiderablemuscularpoweraredisposedtobesluggish;theexertionofgreatstrengthdoesnotfavorcirculation。Itratherretardsit,anddisturbsitsequilibriumbycongestingthebloodinquantitiesinthesetsofmusclescalledintoaction。
d。Inlight,activemen,ontheotherhand,thecirculationgoesonperfectlyandevenly,becauseallthepartsareputinmotion,andkeptsoinsuchamannerastopromotethemovementofthebloodtoeveryextremity。Theydonotstrainonesetofmusclesbylongcontinuedeffort,asastrongmandoes,butcalloneintoplayafteranother。
Thereisnocompulsiononthereadertoacceptthisspeculationatanyvaluationwhatever。Thereisnotevenanychargeforit。Iwilllaydownthissimpleaxiom:
Nostrongman,isahealthymanfromtheathleteinthecircuswholiftspiecesofartilleryandcatchescannonballs,totheexhibitionswellinacountrygymnasium。Ifmytheoryisnotasufficientexplanationofthis,thereisnothingtopreventthereaderfrombuildinguponetosuithimbetter。
CHAPTERXXII。
DIFFERENCEBETWEENALABAMIANSANDGEORGIANS——DEATHOF"POLLPARROTT"——
AGOODJOKEUPONTHEGUARD——ABRUTALRASCAL。
Thereweretworegimentsguardingus——theTwenty—SixthAlabamaandtheFifty—FifthGeorgia。Neverweretworegimentsofthesamearmymoredifferent。TheAlabamianswerethesuperiorsoftheGeorgiansineverywaythatonesetofmencouldbesuperiortoanother。Theyweremanly,soldierly,andhonorable,wheretheGeorgiansweretreacherousandbrutal。WehadnothingtocomplainofatthehandsoftheAlabamians;
wesufferedfromtheGeorgianseverythingthatmean—spiritedcrueltycoulddevise。TheGeorgianswerealwaysonthelook—outforsomethingthattheycouldtortureintosuchapparentviolationoforders,aswouldjustifytheminshootingmendown;theAlabamiansneverfireduntiltheyweresatisfiedthatadeliberateoffensewasintended。IcanrecallofmyownseeingatleastadozeninstanceswheremenoftheFifty—FifthGeorgiaKilledprisonersunderthepretensethattheywereacrosstheDeadLine,whenthevictimswereayardormorefromtheDeadLine,andhadnottheremotestideaofgoinganynearer。
TheonlymanIeverknewtobekilledbyoneoftheTwenty—SixthAlabamawasnamedHubbard,fromChicago,Ills。,andamemberoftheThirty—EighthIllinois。Hehadlostoneleg,andwenthobblingaboutthecamponcrutches,chatteringcontinuallyinaloud,discordantvoice,sayingallmannerofhatefulandannoyingthings,whereverhesawanopportunity。
Thisandhisbeak—likenosegainedforhimthenameof"PollParrot。"
Hismisfortunecausedhimtobetoleratedwhereanothermanwouldhavebeensuppressed。By—and—byhegavestillgreatercauseforoffensebyhisobsequiousattemptstocurryfavorwithCaptainWirz,whotookhimoutsideseveraltimesforpurposesthatwerenotwellexplained。
Finally,somehoursafteroneofPollParrot"svisitsoutside,aRebelofficercameinwithaguard,and,proceedingwithsuspiciousdirectnesstoatentwhichwasthemouthofalargetunnelthatahundredmenormorehadbeenquietlypushingforward,brokethetunnelin,andtooktheoccupantsofthetentoutsideforpunishment。Thequestionthatdemandedimmediatesolutionthenwas:
"WhoisthetraitorwhohasinformedtheRebels？"
Suspicionpointedverystronglyto"PollParrot。"Bythenextmorningtheevidencecollectedseemedtoamounttoacertainty,andacrowdcaughttheParrotwiththeintentionoflynchinghim。HesucceededinbreakingawayfromthemandranundertheDeadLine,nearwhereIwassittingin,mytent。Atfirstitlookedasifhehaddonethistosecuretheprotectionoftheguard。Thelatter——aTwenty—SixthAlabamian——
orderedhimout。PollParrotroseuponhisoneleg,puthisbackagainsttheDeadLine,facedtheguard,andsaidinhisharsh,cacklingvoice:
"No;Iwon"tgoout。IfI"velosttheconfidenceofmycomradesIwanttodie。"
Partofthecrowdweretakenbackbythismove,andfeltdisposedtoacceptitasademonstrationoftheParrot"sinnocence。Therestthoughtitwasapieceofbravado,becauseofhisbeliefthattheRebelswouldnotinjure,himafterhehadservedthem。Theyrenewedtheiryells,theguardagainorderedtheParrotout,butthelatter,tearingopenhisblouse,cackledout:
"No,Iwon"tgo;fireatme,guard。There"smyheartshootmerightthere。"
Therewasnohelpforit。TheRebelleveledhisgunandfired。ThechargestrucktheParrot"slowerjaw,andcarrieditcompletelyaway,leavinghistongueandtheroofofhismouthexposed。Ashewascarriedbacktodie,hewaggedhistonguerigorously,inattemptingtospeak,butitwasofnouse。
Theguardsethisgundownandburiedhisfaceinhishands。ItwastheonlytimethatIsawasentinelshowanythingbutexultationatkillingaYankee。
Aludicrouscontrasttothistookplaceafewnightslater。Therainshadceased,theweatherhadbecomewarmer,andourspiritsrisingwiththisincreaseinthecomfortofoursurroundings,anumberofusweresittingaround"Nosey"——aboywithasuperbtenorvoice——whowassingingpatrioticsongs。Wewerecominginstrongonthechorus,inawaythatspokevastlymoreforourenthusiasmfortheUnionthanourmusicalknowledge。"Nosey"sangthe"StarSpangledBanner,""TheBattleCryofFreedom,""BraveBoysareThey,"etc。,capitally,andwethrewourwholelungsintothechorus。Itwasquitedark,andwhileournoisewasgoingontheguardschanged,newmencomingonduty。Suddenly,bang！wentthegunoftheguardintheboxaboutfiftyfeetawayfromus。WeknewitwasaFifty—FifthGeorgian,andsupposedthat,irritatedatoursinging,hewastryingtokillsomeofusforspite。Atthesoundofthegunwejumpedupandscattered。Asnoonegavetheusualagonizedyellofaprisonerwhenshot,wesupposedtheballhadnottakeneffect。Wecouldhearthesentinelrammingdownanothercartridge,hearhim"returnrammer,"andcockhisrifle。Againtheguncracked,andagaintherewasnosoundofanybodybeinghit。Againwecouldhearthesentrychurningdownanothercartridge。Thedrumsbeganbeatingthelongrollinthecamps,andofficerscouldbeheardturningthemenout。Thethingwasbecomingexciting,andoneofussangouttotheguard:
"S—a—y！Whattheareyoushootingat,anyhow？"
"I"mashootin"atthat————————YanktharbytheDeadLine,andby———
ifyou"unsdon"ttakehiminI"llblowthewholeheadoffnhim。"
"WhatYank？Where"sanyYank？"
"Why,thar——rightthar——a—standin"agintheDedLine。"
"Why,youRebelfool,that"sachunkofwood。Youcan"tgetanyfurloughforshootingthat！"
Atthistherewasageneralroarfromtherestofthecamp,whichtheotherguardstookup,andastheReservescamedouble—quickingup,andlearnedtheoccasionofthealarm,theygavetherascalwhohadbeensoanxioustokillsomebodyatorrentofabuseforhavingdisturbedthem。
Apartofourcrowdhadbeenoutafterwoodduringtheday,andsecuredapieceofalogaslargeastwoofthemcouldcarry,andbringingitin,stooditupneartheDeadLine。WhentheguardmountedtohisposthewassurehesawatemerariousYankeeinfrontofhim,andhastenedtoslayhim。
Itwasanunusualgoodfortunethatnobodywasstruck。Itwasveryrarethattheguardsfiredintotheprisonwithouthittingatleastoneperson。TheGeorgiaReserves,whoformedourguardslaterintheseason,werearmedwithanoldguncalledaQueenAnnemusket,alteredtopercussion。Itcarriedabulletasbigasalargemarble,andthreeorfourbuckshot。Whenfiredintoagroupofmenitwassuretobringseveraldown。
Iwasstandingonedayinthelineatthegate,waitingforachancetogooutafterwood。AFifty—FifthGeorgianwasthegateguard,andhedrewalineinthesandwithhisbayonetwhichweshouldnotcross。
Thecrowdbehindpushedonemantillheputhisfootafewinchesovertheline,tosavehimselffromfalling;theguardsankabayonetthroughthefootasquickasaflash。
CHAPTERXXIII
ANEWLOTOFPRISONERS——THEBATTLEOFOOLUSTEE——MENSACRIFICEDTOA
GENERAL"SINCOMPETENCY——AHOODLUMREINFORCEMENT——AQUEERCROWD——
MISTREATMENTOFANOFFICEROFACOLOREDREGIMENT——KILLINGTHESERGEANTOF
ANEGROSQUAD。
Sofaronlyoldprisoners——thosetakenatGettysburg,ChicamaugaandMineRun——hadbeenbroughtin。ThearmieshadbeenveryquietduringtheWinter,preparingforthedeathgrappleintheSpring。Therehadbeennothingdone,saveafewcavalryraids,suchasourown,andAverill"sattempttogainandbreakuptheRebelsaltworksatWytheville,andSaltville。ConsequentlynonebutafewcavalryprisonerswereaddedtothenumberalreadyinthehandsoftheRebels。
ThefirstlotofnewonescameinaboutthemiddleofMarch。Therewereaboutsevenhundredofthem,whohadbeencapturedatthebattleofOolustee,Fla。,onthe20thofFebruary。Aboutfivehundredofthemwerewhite,andbelongedtotheSeventhConnecticut,theSeventhNewHampshire,FortySeventh,Forty—EighthandOneHundredandFifteenthNewYork,andSherman"sregularbattery。Therestwerecolored,andbelongedtotheEighthUnitedStates,andFifty—FourthMassachusetts。Thestorytheytoldofthebattlewasonewhichhadmanyshamefulreiterationsduringthewar。ItwasthestorytoldwheneverBanks,Sturgis,Butler,oroneofahostofsimilarsmallerfailuresweretrustedwithcommands。