AboutthistimeWindercameonfromAndersonville,andtheneverythingchangedimmediatelytothecomplexionofthatplace。HebegantheerectionoftheStockade,andmadeitverystrong。TheDeadLinewasestablished,butinsteadofbeingastripofplankuponthetopoflowposts,asatAndersonville,itwassimplyashallowtrench,whichwassometimesplainlyvisible,andsometimesnot。Theguardsalwaysresolvedmattersofdoubtagainsttheprisoners,andfiredonthemwhentheysupposedthemtoonearwheretheDeadLineoughttobe。Fifteenacresofgroundwereenclosedbythepalisades,ofwhichfiveweretakenupbythecreekandswamp,andthreeorfourmorebytheDeadLine;mainstreets,etc。,leavingaboutsevenoreightfortheactualuseoftheprisoners,whosenumberswelledtofifteenthousandbythearrivalsfromAndersonville。Thismadethecrowdingtogethernearlyasbadasatthelatterplace,andforawhilethesamefatalresultsfollowed。Themortality,andthesendingawayofseveralthousandonthesickexchange,reducedtheaggregatenumberatthetimeofourarrivaltoabouteleventhousand,whichgavemoreroomtoall,butwasstillnotone—twentiethofthespacewhichthatnumberofmenshouldhavehad。
Noshelter,normaterialforconstructingany,wasfurnished。Thegroundwasratherthicklywooded,andcoveredwithundergrowth,whentheStockadewasbuilt,andcertainlynobitofsoilwaseversothoroughlyclearedasthiswas。ThetreesandbrushwerecutdownandworkedupintohutbuildingmaterialsbythesameslowandlaboriousprocessthatI
havedescribedasemployedinbuildingourhutsatMillen。
Thenthestumpswereattackedforfuel,andwithsuchpersistentthoroughnessthataftersomeweekstherewascertainlynotenoughwoodymaterialleftinthatwholefifteenacresofgroundtokindleasmallkitchenfire。Themenwouldbeginworkonthestumpofagoodsizedtree,andchipandsplititoffpainfullyandslowlyuntiltheyhadfollowedittotheextremityofthetaproottenorfifteenfeetbelowthesurface。Thelateralrootswouldbefollowedwithequaldetermination,andtrenchesthirtyfeetlong,andtwoorthreefeetdeepweredugwithcase—knivesandhalf—canteens,togetarootasthickasone\'swrist。Therootsofshrubsandvineswerefollowedupandgatheredwithsimilarindustry。Thecoldweatherandthescantyissuesofwoodforcedmentodothis。
Thehutsconstructedwereasvariousasthematerialsandthetastesofthebuilders。ThosewhowerefortunateenoughtogetplentyoftimberbuiltsuchcabinsasIhavedescribedatMillen。Thosewhohadlessekedouttheirmaterialsinvariousways。Mostfrequentlyallthatasquadofthreeorfourcouldgetwouldbeafewslenderpolesandsomebrush。