第16章
Ihavebeenshown——inlateryears——manytabletops,ornamentedinmarquetry,inlaidwiththousandsoflittlebitsofwood,cunninglyarranged,andpatientlyjoinedtogether。Ialwayslookatthemwithinterest,forIknowtheworkspentuponthem:IremembermyAndersonvillepantaloons。
Theclothingupontheupperpartofmybodyhadbeenreducedtotheremainsofaknitundershirt。Ithadfallenintosomanyholesthatitlookedlikethecoarse"riddles"throughwhichashesandgravelaresifted。Wherevertheseholeswerethesunhadburnedmyback,breastandshouldersdeeplyblack。Thepartscoveredbythethreadsandfragmentsformingtheboundariesoftheholes,werestillwhite。WhenIpulledmyallegedshirtoff,towashortofreeitfromsomeofitsteemingpopulation,myskinshowedafinelacepatterninblackandwhite,thatwasveryinterestingtomycomrades,andthesubjectofcountlessjokesbythem。
Theyusedtodescantloudlyonthechasteeleganceofthedesign,therichnessofthetracing,etc。,andbegmetofurnishthemwithacopyofitwhenIgothome,fortheirsisterstoworkwindowcurtainsortidiesby。Theyweresurethatsostrikinganoveltyinpatternswouldbeveryacceptable。IwouldreplytotheirwitticismsinthelanguageofPortia"sPrinceofMorocco:
Mislikemenotformycomplexion——
Theshadowedliveryoftheburningsun。
Oneofthestoriestoldmeinmychildhoodbyanoldnegronurse,wasofapovertystrickenlittlegirl"whosleptonthefloorandwascoveredwiththedoor,"andsheonceasked——
"Mammahowdopoorfolksgetalongwhohaven"tanydoor？"
InthesamespiritIusedtowonderhowpoorfellowsgotalongwhohadn"tanyshirt。
Onecommonwayofkeepingupone"sclothingwasbystealingmealsacks。
Themealfurnishedasrationswasbroughtininwhitecottonsacks。
Sergeantsofdetachmentswererequiredtoreturnthesewhentherationswereissuedthenextday。IhavebeforealludedtothegeneralincapacityoftheRebelstodealaccuratelywithevensimplenumbers。
ItwasneververydifficultforashrewdSergeanttomakeninesackscountasten。AfterawhiletheRebelsbegantoseethroughthissleightofhandmanipulation,andtocheckit。ThentheSergeantsresortedtothedeviceoftearingthesacksintwo,andturningeachhalfinasawholeone。Thecottonclothgainedinthiswaywasusedforpatching,or,ifaboycouldsucceedinbeatingtheRebelsoutofenoughofit,hewouldfabricatehimselfashirtorapairofpantaloons。Weobtainedallourthreadinthesameway。Ahalfofasack,carefullyraveledout,wouldfurnishacoupleofhandfulsofthread。Haditnotbeenforthisresourcealloursewingandmendingwouldhavecometoastandstill。
Mostofourneedlesweremanufacturedbyourselvesfrombones。Apieceofbone,splitasnearaspossibletotherequiredsize,wascarefullyrubbeddownuponabrick,andthenhadaneyelaboriouslyworkedthroughitwithabitofwireorsomethingelseavailableforthepurpose。
Theneedleswereaboutthesizeofordinarydarningneedles,andansweredthepurposeverywell。
Thesedevicesgaveonesomeconceptionofthewaysavagesprovideforthewantsoftheirlives。Timewaswiththem,aswithus,oflittleimportance。Itwasnolossoftimetothem,nortous,tospendalargeportionofthewakinghoursofaweekinfabricatinganeedleoutofabone,whereacivilizedmancouldpurchaseamuchbetteronewiththeproductofthreeminutes"labor。IdonotthinkanyredIndianoftheplainsexceededusinthepatiencewithwhichweworkedawayattheseminutiaoflife"sneeds。
Ofcoursethemostcommonsourceofclothingwasthedead,andnobodywascarriedoutwithanyclothingonitthatcouldbeofservicetothesurvivors。ThePlymouthPilgrims,whoweresowellclothedoncomingin,andwerenowdyingoffveryrapidly,furnishedmanygoodsuitstocoverthenakednessofolder,prisoners。MostoftheprisonersfromtheArmyofthePotomacwerewelldressed,andasverymanydiedwithinamonthorsixweeksaftertheirentrance,theylefttheirclothesinprettygoodconditionforthosewhoconstitutedthemselvestheirheirs,administratorsandassigns。
Formyownpart,Ihadthegreatestaversiontowearingdeadmen"sclothes,andcouldonlybringmyselftoitafterIhadbeenayearinprison,anditbecameaquestionbetweendoingthatandfreezingtodeath。
Everynewbatchofprisonerswasbesiegedwithanxiousinquiriesonthesubjectwhichlayclosesttoallourhearts:
"Whataretheydoingaboutexchange！"
Nothinginhumanexperience——savetheanxiousexpectancyofasailbycastawaysonadesertisland——couldequaltheintenseeagernesswithwhichthisquestionwasasked,andtheanswerawaited。Tothousandsnowhangingonthevergeofeternityitmeantlifeordeath。BetweenthefirstdayofJulyandthefirstofNovemberovertwelvethousandmendied,whowoulddoubtlesshavelivedhadtheybeenabletoreachourlines——"gettoGod"scountry,"asweexpressedit。
Thenewcomersbroughtlittlereliablenewsofcontemplatedexchange。
Therewasnonetobringinthefirstplace,andinthenext,soldiersinactiveserviceinthefieldhadotherthingstobusythemselveswiththanreadingupthedetailsofthenegotiationsbetweentheCommissionersofExchange。Theyhadallheardrumors,however,andbythetimetheyreachedAndersonville,theyhadcrystallizedtheseintoactualstatementsoffact。AhalfhouraftertheyenteredtheStockade,areportlikethiswouldspreadlikewildfire:
"AnArmyofthePotomacmanhasjustcomein,whowascapturedinfrontofPetersburg。HesaysthathereadintheNewYorkHerald,thedaybeforehewastaken,thatanexchangehadbeenagreedupon,andthatourshipshadalreadystartedforSavannahtotakeushome。"
Thenourhopeswouldsoaruplikeballoons。Wefedourselvesonsuchstufffromdaytoday,anddoubtlessmanylivesweregreatlyprolongedbythecontinualencouragement。TherewashardlyadaywhenIdidnotsaytomyselfthatIwouldmuchratherdiethanendureimprisonmentanothermonth,andhadIbelievedthatanothermonthwouldseemestillthere,IamprettycertainthatIshouldhaveendedthematterbycrossingtheDeadLine。Iwasfirmlyresolvednottodiethedisgusting,agonizingdeaththatsomanyaroundmeweredying。
Oneofourbestpurveyorsofinformationwasabright,blue—eyed,fair—
hairedlittledrummerboy,ashandsomeasagirl,well—bredasalady,andevidentlythedarlingofsomerefinedlovingmother。Hebelonged,Ithink,tosomeloyalVirginiaregiment,wascapturedinoneoftheactionsintheShenandoaValley,andhadbeenwithusinRichmond。
Wecalledhim"RedCap,"fromhiswearingajaunty,gold—laced,crimsoncap。Ordinarily,thesmalleradrummerboyistheharderheis,butnoamountofattritionwithroughmencouldcoarsetheingrainedrefinementofRedCap"smanners。Hewasbetweenthirteenandfourteen,anditseemedutterlyshamefulthatmen,callingthemselvessoldiershouldmakewaronsuchatenderboyanddraghimofftoprison。
Butnosix—footerhadamoresoldierlyheartthanlittleRedCap,andnoneweremoreloyaltothecause。Itwasapleasuretohearhimtellthestoryofthefightsandmovementshisregimenthadbeenengagedin。
Hewasagoodobserverandtoldhistalewithboyishfervor。ShortlyafterWirzassumedcommandhetookRedCapintohisofficeasanOrderly。
Hisbrightfaceandwinningmanner;fascinatedthewomenvisitorsatheadquarters,andnumbersofthemtriedtoadopthim,butwithpoorsuccess。Liketherestofus,hecouldseefewcharmsinanexistenceundertheRebelflag,andturnedadeafeartotheirblandishments。
HekepthisearsopentotheconversationoftheRebelofficersaroundhim,andfrequentlysecuredpermissiontovisittheinterioroftheStockade,whenhewouldcommunicatetousallthathehasheard。
Hereceivedaflatteringreceptioneverytimehecamsin,andnooratoreversecuredamoreattentiveaudiencethanwouldgatheraroundhimtolistentowhathehadtosay。Hewas,beyondadoubt,thebestknownandmostpopularpersonintheprison,andIknowallthesurvivorsofhisoldadmirer;sharemygreatinterestinhim,andmycuriosityastowhetherheyetlives,andwhetherhissubsequentcareerhasjustifiedthesanguinehopesweallhadastohisfuture。Ihopethatifheseesthis,oranyonewhoknowsanythingabouthim,hewillcommunicatewithme。
Therearethousandswhowillbegladtohearfromhim。
[Amostremarkablecoincidenceoccurredinregardtothiscomrade。
Severaldaysaftertheabovehadbeenwritten,and"setup,"butbeforeithadyetappearedinthepaper,Ireceivedthefollowingletter:
ECKHARTMINES,AlleghanyCounty,Md。,March24。
TotheEditoroftheBLADE:
LasteveningIsawacopyofyourpaper,inwhichwasachapterortwoofaprisonlifeofasoldierduringthelatewar。Iwasforciblystruckwiththecorrectnessofwhathewrote,andthenamesofseveralofmyoldcomradeswhichhequoted:Hill,LimberJim,etc。,etc。IwasadrummerboyofCompanyI,TenthWestVirginiaInfantry,andwasfifteenyearsofageadayortwoafterarrivinginAndersonville,whichwasinthelastofFebruary,1884。Nineteenofmycomradesweretherewithme,and,poorfellows,theyarethereyet。IhavenodoubtthatIwouldhaveremainedthere,too,hadInotbeenmorefortunate。
Idonotknowwhoyoursoldiercorrespondentis,butassumetosaythatfromthefollowingdescriptionhewillrememberhavingseenmeinAndersonville:IwasthelittleboythatforthreeorfourmonthsofficiatedasorderlyforCaptainWirz。Iworearedcap,andeverydaycouldbeseenridingWirz"sgraymare,eitheratheadquarters,orabouttheStockade。Iwasactinginthiscapacitywhenthesixraiders——
"Mosby,"（propernameCollins）Delaney,Curtis,and——Iforgettheothernames——wereexecuted。IbelievethatIwasthefirstthatconveyedtheintelligencetothemthatConfederateGeneralWinderhadapprovedtheirsentence。AssoonasWirzreceivedthedispatchtothateffect,Irandowntothestocksandtoldthem。
IvisitedHill,ofWauseon,FultonCounty,O。,sincethewar,andfoundhimhaleandhearty。Ihavenotheardfromhimforanumberofyearsuntilreadingyourcorrespondent"sletterlastevening。ItistheonlyletteroftheseriesthatIhaveseen,butafterreadingthatone,IfeelcalledupontocertifythatIhavenodoubtsofthetruthfulnessofyourcorrespondent"sstory。TheworldwillneverknoworbelievethehorrorsofAndersonvilleandotherprisonsintheSouth。Noliving,humanbeing,inmyjudgment,willeverbeabletoproperlypaintthehorrorsofthoseinfernaldens。
IformedtheacquaintanceofseveralOhiosoldierswhilstinprison。
AmongthesewereO。D。Streeter,ofCleveland,whowenttoAndersonvilleaboutthesametimethatIdid,andescaped,andwastheonlymanthatI
everknewthatescapedandreachedourlines。AfteranabsenceofseveralmonthshewasretakeninoneofSherman"sbattlesbeforeAtlanta,andbroughtback。IalsoknewJohnL。Richards,ofFostoria,SenecaCounty,O。orEaglesville,WoodCounty。Also,amanbythenameofBeverly,whowasapartnerofCharleyAucklebv,ofTennessee。Iwouldliketohearfromalloftheseparties。Theyallknowme。
Mr。Editor,IwillclosebywishingallmycomradeswhosharedinthesufferingsanddangersofConfederateprisons,alongandusefullife。
Yourstruly,RANSOMT。POWELL
CHAPTERXLII
SOMEFEATURESOFTHEMORTALITY——PERCENTAGEOFDEATHSTOTHOSELIVING——
ANAVERAGEMEANONLYSTANDSTHEMISERYTHREEMONTHS——DESCRIPTIONOFTHE
PRISONANDTHECONDITIONOFTHEMENTHEREIN,BYALEADINGSCIENTIFICMAN
OFTHESOUTH。
SpeakingofthemannerinwhichthePlymouthPilgrimswerenowdying,Iamremindedofmytheorythattheordinaryman"senduranceofthisprisonlifedidnotaverageoverthreemonths。ThePlymouthboysarrivedinMay;thebulkofthosewhodiedpassedawayinJulyandAugust。
ThegreatincreaseofprisonersfromallsourceswasinMay,JuneandJuly。ThegreatestmortalityamongthesewasinAugust,SeptemberandOctober。
Manycameinwhohadbeeningoodhealthduringtheirserviceinthefield,butwhoseemedutterlyoverwhelmedbytheappallingmiserytheysawoneveryhand,andgivingwaytodespondency,diedinafewdaysorweeks。Idonotmeantoincludethemintheaboveclass,astheirsicknesswasmorementalthanphysical。myideaisthat,takingonehundredordinarilyhealthfulyoungsoldiersfromaregimentinactiveservice,andputtingthemintoAndersonville,bytheendofthethirdmonthatleastthirty—threeofthoseweakestandmostvulnerabletodiseasewouldhavesuccumbedtotheexposure,thepollutionofgroundandair,andtheinsufficiencyoftherationofcoarsecornmeal。Afterthisthemortalitywouldbesomewhatless,sayattheendofsixmonthsfiftyofthemwouldbedead。Theremainderwouldhangonstillmoretenaciously,andattheendofayeartherewouldbefifteenortwentystillalive。Thereweresixty—threeofmycompanytaken;thirteenlivedthrough。Ibelievethiswasabouttheusualproportionforthosewhowereinaslongaswe。Inalltherewereforty—fivethousandsixhundredandthirteenprisonersbroughtintoAndersonville。Ofthesetwelvethousandninehundredandtwelvediedthere,tosaynothingofthousandsthatdiedinotherprisonsinGeorgiaandtheCarolinas,immediatelyaftertheirremovalfromAndersonville。Oneofeverythreeanda—halfmenuponwhomthegatesoftheStockadeclosedneverrepassedthemalive。
Twenty—ninepercent。oftheboyswhosomuchassetfootinAndersonvillediedthere。Letitbekeptinmindallthetime,thattheaveragestayofaprisonertherewasnotfourmonths。Thegreatmajoritycameinafterthe1stofMay,andleftbeforethemiddleofSeptember。
May1,1864,thereweretenthousandfourhundredandtwenty—sevenintheStockade。August8therewerethirty—threethousandonehundredandfourteen;September30alltheseweredeadorgone,excepteightthousandtwohundredandeighteen,ofwhomfourthousandfivehundredandninetydiedinsideofthenextthirtydays。Therecordsoftheworldcanshovenoparalleltothisastoundingmortality。
SincetheabovematterwasfirstpublishedintheBLADE,afriendhassentmeatranscriptoftheevidenceattheWirztrial,ofProfessorJosephJones,aSurgeonofhighrankintheRebelArmy,andwhostoodattheheadofthemedicalprofessioninGeorgia。HevisitedAndersonvilleattheinstanceoftheSurgeon—GeneraloftheConfederateStates"Army,tomakeastudy,forthebenefitofscience,ofthephenomenaofdiseaseoccurringthere。Hiscapacityandopportunitiesforobservation,andforclearlyestimatingthevalueofthefactscomingunderhisnoticewere,ofcourse,vastlysuperiortomine,andashestatesthecasestrongerthanIdareto,forfearofbeingaccusedofexaggerationanddownrightuntruth,Ireproducethemajorpartofhistestimony——embodyingalsohisofficialreporttomedicalheadquartersatRichmond——thatmyreadersmayknowhowtheprisonappearedtotheeyesofonewho,thoughabitterRebel,wasstillahumanemanandaconscientiousobserver,strivingtolearnthetruth:
MEDICALTESTIMONY。
[TranscriptfromtheprintedtestimonyattheWirzTrial,pages618to639,inclusive。]
OCTOBER7,1885。
Dr。JosephJones,fortheprosecution:
BytheJudgeAdvocate:
Question。WheredoyouresideAnswer。InAugusta,Georgia。
Q。Areyouagraduateofanymedicalcollege？
A。OftheUniversityofPennsylvania。
Q。Howlonghaveyoubeenengagedinthepracticeofmedicine？
A。Eightyears。
Q。Hasyourexperiencebeenasapractitioner,orratherasaninvestigatorofmedicineasascience？
A。Both。
Q。Whatpositiondoyouholdnow？
A。ThatofMedicalChemistintheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia,atAugusta。
Q。Howlonghaveyouheldyourpositioninthatcollege？
A。Since1858。
Q。HowwereyouemployedduringtheRebellion？
A。Iservedsixmonthsintheearlypartofitasaprivateintheranks,andtherestofthetimeinthemedicaldepartment。
Q。Underthedirectionofwhom？
A。UnderthedirectionofDr。Moore,SurgeonGeneral。
Q。Didyou,whileactingunderhisdirection,visitAndersonville,professionally？
A。Yes,Sir。
Q。Forthepurposeofmakinginvestigationsthere？
A。ForthepurposeofprosecutinginvestigationsorderedbytheSurgeonGeneral。
Q。Youwentthereinobediencetoaletterofinstructions？
A。InobediencetoorderswhichIreceived。
Q。Didyoureducetheresultsofyourinvestigationstotheshapeofareport？
A。IwasengagedatthatworkwhenGeneralJohnstonsurrenderedhisarmy。
（Adocumentbeinghandedtowitness。）
Q。Haveyouexaminedthisextractfromyourreportandcompareditwiththeoriginal？
A。Yes,Sir;Ihave。
Q。Isitaccurate？
A。Sofarasmyexaminationextended,itisaccurate。"
Thedocumentjustexaminedbywitnesswasofferedinevidence,andisasfollows:
ObservationsuponthediseasesoftheFederalprisoners,confinedtoCampSumter,Andersonville,inSumterCounty,Georgia,institutedwithaviewtoillustratechieflytheoriginandcausesofhospitalgangrene,therelationsofcontinuedandmalarialfevers,andthepathologyofcampdiarrheaanddysentery,byJosephJones;SurgeonP。A。C。S。,ProfessorofMedicalChemistryintheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia,atAugusta,Georgia。
HearingoftheunusualmortalityamongtheFederalprisonersconfinedatAndersonville;Georgia,inthemonthofAugust,1864,duringavisittoRichmond,Va。,IexpressedtotheSurgeonGeneral,S。P。Moore,ConfederateStatesofAmerica,adesiretovisitCampSumter,withthedesignofinstitutingaseriesofinquiriesuponthenatureandcausesoftheprevailingdiseases。Smallpoxhadappearedamongtheprisoners,andIbelievedthatthiswouldproveanadmirablefieldfortheestablishmentofitscharacteristiclesions。TheconditionofPeyer"sglandsinthisdiseasewasconsideredasworthyofminuteinvestigation。ItwasbelievedthatalargebodyofmenfromtheNorthernportionoftheUnitedStates,suddenlytransportedtoawarmSouthernclimate,andconfineduponasmallportionofland,wouldfurnishanexcellentfieldfortheinvestigationoftherelationsoftyphus,typhoid,andmalarialfevers。
TheSurgeonGeneraloftheConfederateStatesofAmericafurnishedmewiththefollowingletterofintroductiontotheSurgeoninchargeoftheConfederateStatesMilitaryPrisonatAndersonville,Ga。:
CONFEDERATESTATESOFAMERICA,SURGEONGENERAL"SOFFICE,RICHMOND,VA。,August6,1864。
SIR:——ThefieldofpathologicalinvestigationsaffordedbythelargecollectionofFederalprisonersinGeorgia,isofgreatextantandimportance,anditisbelievedthatresultsofvaluetotheprofessionmaybeobtainedbycarefulinvestigationoftheeffectsofdiseaseuponthelargebodyofmensubjectedtoadecidedchangeofclimateandthosecircumstancespeculiartoprisonlife。TheSurgeoninchargeofthehospitalforFederalprisoners,togetherwithhisassistants,willaffordeveryfacilitytoSurgeonJosephJones,intheprosecutionofthelaborsorderedbytheSurgeonGeneral。EfficientassistancemustberenderedSurgeonJonesbythemedicalofficers,notonlyinhisexaminationsintothecausesandsymptomsofthevariousdiseases,butespeciallyinthearduouslaborsofpostmortemexaminations。
Themedicalofficerswillassistintheperformanceofsuchpost—mortemsasSurgeonJonesmayindicate,inorderthatthisgreatfieldforpathologicalinvestigationmaybeexploredforthebenefitoftheMedicalDepartmentoftheConfederateArmy。
S。P。MOORE,SurgeonGeneral。
SurgeonISAIAHH。WHITE,InchargeofHospitalforFederalprisoners,Andersonville,Ga。
IncompliancewiththisletteroftheSurgeonGeneral,IsaiahH。White,ChiefSurgeonofthepost,andR。R。Stevenson,SurgeoninchargeofthePrisonHospital,affordedthenecessaryfacilitiesfortheprosecutionofmyinvestigationsamongthesickoutsideoftheStockade。Afterthecompletionofmylaborsinthemilitaryprisonhospital,thefollowingcommunicationwasaddressedtoBrigadierGeneralJohnH。Winder,inconsequenceoftherefusalonthepartofthecommandantoftheinterioroftheConfederateStatesMilitaryPrisontoadmitmewithintheStockadeupontheorderoftheSurgeonGeneral:
CAMPSUMTER,ANDERSONVILLEGA。,September16,1864。
GENERAL:——IrespectfullyrequestthecommandantofthepostofAndersonvilletograntmepermissionandtofurnishthenecessarypasstovisitthesickandmedicalofficerswithintheStockadeoftheConfederateStatesPrison。IdesiretoinstitutecertaininquiriesorderedbytheSurgeonGeneral。SurgeonIsaiahH。White,ChiefSurgeonofthepost,andSurgeonR。R。Stevenson,inchargeofthePrisonHospital,haveaffordedmeeveryfacilityfortheprosecutionofmylaborsamongthesickoutsideoftheStockade。
Veryrespectfully,yourobedientservant,JOSEPHJONES,SurgeonP。A。C。S。
BrigadierGeneralJOHNH。WINDER,Commandant,PostAndersonville。
IntheabsenceofGeneralWinderfromthepost,CaptainWinderfurnishedthefollowingorder:
CAMPSUMTER,ANDERSONVILLE;
September17,1864。
CAPTAIN:——YouwillpermitSurgeonJosephJones,whohasordersfromtheSurgeonGeneral,tovisitthesickwithintheStockadethatareundermedicaltreatment。SurgeonJonesisorderedtomakecertaininvestigationswhichmayproveusefultohisprofession。BydirectionofGeneralWinder。
Veryrespectfully,W。S。WINDER,A。A。G。
CaptainH。WIRZ,CommandingPrison。
DescriptionoftheConfederateStatesMilitaryPrisonHospitalatAndersonville。Numberofprisoners,physicalcondition,food,clothing,habits,moralcondition,diseases。
TheConfederateMilitaryPrisonatAndersonville,Ga。,consistsofastrongStockade,twentyfeetinheight,enclosingtwenty—sevenacres。
TheStockadeisformedofstrongpinelogs,firmlyplantedintheground。
ThemainStockadeissurroundedbytwoothersimilarrowsofpinelogs,themiddleStockadebeingsixteenfeethigh,andtheoutertwelvefeet。
Theseareintendedforoffenseanddefense。IftheinnerStockadeshouldatanytimebeforcedbytheprisoners,thesecondformsanotherlineofdefense;whileincaseofanattempttodelivertheprisonersbyaforceoperatingupontheexterior,theouterlineformsanadmirableprotectiontotheConfederatetroops,andamostformidableobstacletocavalryorinfantry。Thefouranglesoftheouterlinearestrengthenedbyearthworksuponcommandingeminences,fromwhichthecannon,incaseofanoutbreakamongtheprisoners,maysweeptheentireenclosure;anditwasdesignedtoconnecttheseworksbyalineofriflepits,runningzig—
zag,aroundtheouterStockade;thoseriflepitshaveneverbeencompleted。ThegroundenclosedbytheinnermostStockadeliesintheformofaparallelogram,thelargerdiameterrunningalmostduenorthandsouth。Thisspaceincludesthenorthernandsouthernopposingsidesoftwohills,betweenwhichastreamofwaterrunsfromwesttoeast。
Thesurfacesoilofthesehillsiscomposedchieflyofsandwithvaryingadmixturesofclayandoxideofiron。Theclayissufficientlytenacioustogiveaconsiderabledegreeofconsistencytothesoil。Theinternalstructureofthehills,asrevealedbythedeepwells,issimilartothatalreadydescribed。Thealternatelayersofclayandsand,aswellastheoxideofiron,whichformsinitsvariouscombinationsacementtothesand,allowofextensivetunneling。Theprisonersnotonlyconstructednumerousdirthutswithballsofclayandsand,takenfromthewellswhichtheyhaveexcavatedalloverthosehills,buttheyhavealso,insomecases,tunneledextensivelyfromthesewells。Thelowerportionsofthesehills,borderingonthestream,arewetandboggyfromtheconstantoozingofwater。TheStockadewasbuiltoriginallytoaccommodateonlytenthousandprisoners,andincludedatfirstseventeenacres。NearthecloseofthemonthofJunetheareawasenlargedbytheadditionoftenacres。Thegroundaddedwassituatedonthenorthernslopeofthelargesthill。
TheaveragenumberofsquarefeetofgroundtoeachprisonerinAugust1864:35。7
WithinthecircumscribedareaoftheStockadetheFederalprisonerswerecompelledtoperformalltheofficesoflife——cooking,washing,thecallsofnature,exercise,andsleeping。DuringthemonthofMarchtheprisonwaslesscrowdedthanatanysubsequenttime,andthentheaveragespaceofgroundtoeachprisonerwasonly98。7feet,orlessthansevensquareyards。TheFederalprisonersweregatheredfromallpartsoftheConfederateStateseastoftheMississippi,andcrowdedintotheconfinedspace,untilinthemonthofJunetheaveragenumberofsquarefeetofgroundtoeachprisonerwasonly33。2orlessthanfoursquareyards。
ThesefiguresrepresenttheconditionoftheStockadeinabetterlighteventhanitreallywas;foraconsiderablebreadthoflandalongthestream,flowingfromwesttoeastbetweenthehills,waslowandboggy,andwascoveredwiththeexcrementofthemen,andthusrenderedwhollyuninhabitable,andinfactuselessforeverypurposeexceptthatofdefecation。Thepinesandothersmalltreesandshrubs,whichoriginallywerescatteredsparselyoverthesehills,wereinashorttimecutdownandconsumedbytheprisonersforfirewood,andnoshadetreewasleftintheentireenclosureofthestockade。Withtheircharacteristicindustryandingenuity,theFederalsconstructedforthemselvessmallhutsandcaves,andattemptedtoshieldthemselvesfromtherainandsunandnightdampsanddew。Butfewtentsweredistributedtotheprisoners,andthosewereinmostcasestornandrotten。Inthelocationandarrangementofthesetentsandhutsnoorderappearstohavebeenfollowed;infact,regularstreetsappeartobeoutofthequestioninsocrowdedanarea;especiallytoo,aslargebodiesofprisonerswerefromtimetotimeaddedsuddenlywithoutanypreviouspreparations。
Theirregulararrangementofthehutsandimperfectshelterswasveryunfavorableforthemaintenanceofapropersystemofpolice。
Thepoliceandinternaleconomyoftheprisonwasleftalmostentirelyinthehandsoftheprisonersthemselves;thedutiesoftheConfederatesoldiersactingasguardsbeinglimitedtotheoccupationoftheboxesorlookoutsrangedaroundthestockadeatregularintervals,andtothemanningofthebatteriesattheanglesoftheprison。Evenjudicialmatterspertainingtothemselves,asthedetectionandpunishmentofsuchcrimesastheftandmurderappeartohavebeeninagreatmeasureabandonedtotheprisoners。AstrikinginstanceofthisoccurredinthemonthofJuly,whentheFederalprisonerswithintheStockadetried,condemned,andhangedsix（6）oftheirownnumber,whohadbeenconvictedofstealingandofrobbingandmurderingtheirfellow—prisoners。Theywereallhunguponthesameday,andthousandsoftheprisonersgatheredaroundtowitnesstheexecution。TheConfederateauthoritiesaresaidnottohaveinterferedwiththeseproceedings。Inthiscollectionofmenfromallpartsoftheworld,everyphaseofhumancharacterwasrepresented;thestrongerpreyedupontheweaker,andeventhesickwhowereunabletodefendthemselveswererobbedoftheirscantysuppliesoffoodandclothing。Darkstorieswereafloat,ofmen,bothsickandwell,whoweremurderedatnight,strangledtodeathbytheircomradesforscantsuppliesofclothingormoney。IheardasickandwoundedFederalprisoneraccusehisnurse,afellow—prisoneroftheUnitedStatesArmy,ofhavingstealthily,duringhissleepinoculatedhiswoundedarmwithgangrene,thathemightdestroyhislifeandfallheirtohisclothing。