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。