YouhavegiventhebestdescriptionofprisonlifethatIhaveeverseenwritten。Theonlytroubleisthatitcannotbeportrayedsothatpersonscanrealizethesufferingandabusethatoursoldiersenduredinthoseprisonhells。Yourstatementsareallcorrectinregardtothetreatmentthatwereceived,andallthosescenesyouhavedepictedareasvividinmymindtodayasiftheyhadonlyoccurredyesterday。Pleaseletmehearfromyouagain。Wishingyousuccessinallyourundertakings,Iremainyourfriend,WALTER,HARTSOUGH,LateofKCompany,SixteenthIllinoisVolunteerofInfantry。
CHAPTERLXXVI
THEPECULIARTYPEOFINSANITYPREVALENTATFLORENCE——BARRETT\'SWANTONNESS
OFCRUELTY——WELEARNOFSHERMAN\'SADVANCEINTOSOUTHCAROLINA——THEREBELS
BEGINMOVINGTHEPRISONERSAWAY——ANDREWSANDICHANGEOURTACTICS,AND
STAYBEHIND——ARRIVALOFFIVEPRISONERSFROMSHERMAN\'SCOMMAND——THEIR
UNBOUNDEDCONFIDENCEINSHERMAN\'SSUCCESS,ANDITSBENEFICIALEFFECTUPON
US。
OneterriblephaseofexistenceatFlorencewasthevastincreaseofinsanity。WehadmanyinsanemenatAndersonville,butthetypeofthederangementwasdifferent,partakingmoreofwhatthedoctorstermmelancholia。Prisonerscominginfromthefrontwerestruckaghastbythehorrorstheysaweverywhere。Mendyingofpainfulandrepulsivediseaseslinedeverystepofwhateverpaththeytrod;therationsgiventhemwererepugnanttotasteandstomach;shelterfromthefierysuntherewasnone,andscarcelyroomenoughforthemtoliedownupon。
Underthesediscouragingcircumstances,home—loving,kindly—heartedmen,especiallythosewhohadpassedoutofthefirstflushofyouth,andhadleftwifeandchildrenbehindwhentheyenteredtheservice,werespeedilyovercomewithdespairofsurvivinguntilreleased;theirhopelessnessfedonthesamegermswhichgaveitbirth,untilitbecamesenseless,vacant—eyed,unreasoning,incurablemelancholy,whenthevictimwouldlieforhours,withoutspeakingaword,excepttobabbleofhome,orwouldwanderaimlesslyaboutthecamp——frequentlystarknaked——
untilhediedorwasshotforcomingtooneartheDeadLine。SoldiersmustnotsupposethatthiswasthesameclassofweaklingswhousuallypinethemselvesintotheHospitalwithinthreemonthsaftertheirregimententersthefield。Theywereasarule,madeupofseasonedsoldiery,whohadbecomeinuredtothedangersandhardshipsofactiveservice,andwerenotlikelytosinkdownunderanyordinarytrials。
TheinsaneofFlorencewereofadifferentclass;theyweretheboyswhohadlaughedatsuchayieldingtoadversityinAndersonville,andfeltaloftypityforthemisfortunesofthosewhosuccumbedso。Butnowthelongstrainofhardship,privationandexposurehaddoneforthemwhatdiscouragementhaddoneforthoseoflessfortitudeinAndersonville。
Thefacultiesshrankunderdisuseandmisfortune,untiltheyforgottheirregiments,companies,placesanddateofcapture,andfinally,eventheirnames。IshouldthinkthatbythemiddleofJanuary,atleastoneineverytenhadsunktothisimbecilecondition。Itwasnotinsanitysomuchasmentalatrophy——notsomuchaberrationofthemind,asaparalysisofmentalaction。Thesufferersbecameapatheticidiots,withnodesireorwishtodoorbeanything。Iftheywalkedaroundatalltheyhadtobewatchedclosely,topreventtheirstrayingovertheDeadLine,andgivingtheyoungbratsofguardsthecovetedopportunityofkillingthem。Verymanyofsuchwerekilled,andoneofmyMidwintermemoriesofFlorencewasthatofseeingoneoftheseunfortunateimbecileswanderingwitlesslyuptotheDeadLinefromtheSwamp,whiletheguard——aboyofseventeen——stoodwithguninhand,intheattitudeofamanexpectingacoveytobeflushed,waitingforthepoordeviltocomesoneartheDeadLineastoaffordanexcuseforkillinghim。Twosaneprisoners,comprehendingthesituation,rusheduptothelunatic,attheriskoftheirownlives,caughthimbythearms,anddrewhimbacktosafety。
ThebrutalBarrettseemedtodelightinmaltreatingthesedementedunfortunates。Heeithercouldnotbemadetounderstandtheircondition,orwillfullydisregardedit,foritwasoneofthecommonestsightstoseehimknockdown,beat,kickorotherwiseabusethemfornotinstantlyobeyingorderswhichtheirdazedsensescouldnotcomprehend,ortheirfeeblelimbsexecute,evenifcomprehended。
InmylifeIhaveseenmanywantonlycruelmen。IhaveknownnumbersofmatesofMississippiriversteamers——aclasswhichseemscarefullyselectedfromruffiansmostproficientinprofanity,obscenityandswift—
handedviolence;Ihaveseennegro—driversintheslavemartsofSt。Louis,MemphisandNewOrleans,andoverseersontheplantationsofMississippiandLouisiana;asapolicereporterinoneofthelargestcitiesinAmerica,Ihavecomeincontactwiththousandsofthebrutalizedscoundrels——thethugsofthebrothel,bar—roomandalley——whoformthedangerousclassesofametropolis。IknewCaptainWirz。Butinallthisexceptionallyextensiveandvariedexperience,InevermetamanwhoseemedtolovecrueltyforitsownsakeaswellasLieutenantBarrett。HetooksuchpleasureininflictingpainasthoseIndianswhosliceofftheirprisoners\'eyelids,ears,nosesandhands,beforeburningthematthestake。
Thatathinghurtsomeoneelsewasalwaysamplereasonforhisdoingit。
Thestarving,freezingprisonersusedtocollectinconsiderablenumbersbeforethegate,andstandthereforhoursgazingvacantlyatit。Therewasnospecialobjectindoingthis,onlythatitwasacentralpoint,therationscameinthere,andoccasionallyanofficerwouldenter,anditwastheonlyplacewhereanythingwaslikelytooccurtovarythedrearymonotonyoftheday,andtheboyswenttherebecausetherewasnothingelsetoofferanyoccupationtotheirminds。ItbecameafavoritepracticaljokeofBarrett\'stoslipuptothegatewithanarmfulofclubs,andsuddenlyopeningthewicket,flingthemoneafteranother,intothecrowd,withalltheforcehepossessed。Manywereknockeddown,andmanyreceivedhurtswhichresultedinfatalgangrene。
Ifhehadlefttheclubslyingwherethrown,therewouldhavebeensomecompensationforhismeanness,buthealwayscameinandcarefullygatheredupsuchashecouldget,asammunitionforanothertime。
Ihaveheardmenspeakofreceivingjustice——evenfavorsfromWirz。
IneverheardanyonesayingthatmuchofBarrett。LikeWinder,ifhehadaredeemingqualityitwascarefullyobscuredfromtheviewofallthatIevermetwhoknewhim。
Wherethefellowcamefrom,whatStatewasentitledtothediscreditofproducingandraisinghim,whathewasbeforetheWar,whatbecameofhimafterheleftus,aremattersofwhichIneverheardevenarumor,exceptaveryvagueonethathehadbeenkilledbyourcavalry,somereturnedprisonerhavingrecognizedandshothim。
ColonelIverson,oftheFifthGeorgia,wasthePostCommander。Hewasamanofsomeeducation,buthadaviolent,ungovernabletemper,duringfitsofwhichhedidverybrutalthings。Atothertimeshewouldshowadispositiontowardsfairnessandjustice。TheworstpointinmyindictmentagainsthimisthathesufferedBarretttodoashedid。
LetthereaderunderstandthatIhavenopersonalreasonsformyopinionofthesemen。Theyneverdidanythingtome,savewhattheydidtoallofmycompanions。Iheldmyselfalooffromthem,andshunnedintercoursesoeffectuallythatduringmywholeimprisonmentIdidnotspeakasmanywordstoRebelofficersasareinthisandtheaboveparagraphs,andmostofthosewerespokentotheSurgeonwhovisitedmyhundred。IdonotusuallyseekconversationwithpeopleIdonotlike,andcertainlydidnotwithpersonsforwhomIhadsolittleloveasIhadforTurner,Ross,Winder,Wirz,Davis,Iverson,Barrett,etal。Possiblytheyfeltbadlyovermydistanceandreserve,butImustconfessthattheynevershoweditverypalpably。
AsJanuarydraggedslowlyawayintoFebruary,rumorsoftheastonishingsuccessofShermanbegantobesodefiniteandwellauthenticatedastoinducebelief。WeknewthattheWesternChieftainhadmarchedalmostunresistedthroughGeorgia,andcapturedSavannahwithcomparativelylittledifficulty。Wedidnotunderstandit,nordidtheRebelsaroundus,forneitherofuscomprehendedtheConfederacy\'snearapproachtodissolution,andwecouldnotexplainwhyadesperateattemptwasnotmadesomewheretoarresttheonwardsweepoftheconqueringarmiesoftheWest。ItseemedthatiftherewasanyvitalityleftinRebeldomitwoulddealablowthatwouldatleastcausethepresumptuousinvadertopause。
AsweknewnothingofthebattlesofFranklinandNashville,wewereignorantofthedestructionofHood\'sarmy,andwereatalosstoaccountforitsfailuretocontestSherman\'sprogress。ThelastwehadheardofHood,hehadbeenflankedoutofAtlanta,butwedidnotunderstandthatthestrengthormoraleofhisforcehadbeenseriouslyreducedinconsequence。
SoonitdriftedintousthatShermanhadcutloosefromSavannah,asfromAtlanta,andenteredSouthCarolina,torepeattherethemarchthroughhersisterState。Oursourcesofinformationnowwereconfinedtothegossipwhichourmen——workingoutsideonparole,——couldoverhearfromtheRebels,andcommunicatetousasoccasionserved。Theseoccasionswerenotfrequent,asthemenoutsidewerenotallowedtocomeinexceptrarely,orstaylongthen。Stillwemanagedtoknowreasonably,soonthatShermanwassweepingresistlesslyacrosstheState,withHardee,DickTaylor,Beauregard,andothers,vainlytryingtomakeheadagainsthim。Itseemedimpossibletousthattheyshouldnotstophimsoon,forifeachofalltheseleadershadanycommandworthythenametheaggregatemustmakeanarmythat,standingonthedefensive,wouldgiveShermanagreatdealoftrouble。ThathewouldbeabletopenetrateintotheStateasfaraswewereneverenteredintoourminds。
ByandbywewereastonishedatthenumberofthetrainsthatwecouldhearpassingnorthontheCharleston&CherawRailroad。Dayandnightfortwoweekstheredidnotseemtobemorethanhalfanhour\'sintervalatanytimebetweentherumbleandwhistlesofthetrainsastheypassedFlorenceJunction,andspedawaytowardsCheraw,thirty—fivemilesnorthofus。WeatlengthdiscoveredthatShermanhadreachedBranchville,andwassingingaroundtowardColumbia,andotherimportantpointstothenorth;thatCharlestonwasbeingevacuated,anditsgarrison,munitionsandstoreswerebeingremovedtoCheraw,whichtheRebelGeneralsintendedtomaketheirnewbase。Asthisnewswassowellconfirmedastoleavenodoubtofit,itbegantowakeupandencourageallthemorehopefulofus。Wethoughtwecouldseesomepremonitionsofthegloriousend,andthatweweregettingvicarioussatisfactionatthehandsofourfriendsunderthecommandofUncleBilly。
Onemorningorderscameforonethousandmentogetreadytomove。
AndrewsandIheldacouncilofwaronthesituation,thequestionbeforethehousebeingwhetherwewouldgowiththatcrowd,orstaybehind。TheconclusionwecametowasthusstatedbyAndrews:
\"Now,Mc。,we\'veflankedaheadeverytime,andseehowwe\'vecomeout。
WeflankedintothefirstsquadthatleftRichmond,andwewereconsequentlyinthefirstthatgotintoAndersonville。Maybeifwe\'dstaidbackwe\'dgotintothatsquadthatwasexchanged。WewereinthefirstsquadthatleftAndersonville。WewerethefirsttoleaveSavannahandenterMillen。Maybeifwe\'dstaidback,we\'dgotexchangedwiththetenthousandsick。WewerethefirsttoleaveMillenandthefirsttoreachBlackshear。WewereagainthefirsttoleaveBlackshear。Perhapsthosefellowsweleftbehindthenareexchanged。Now,aswe\'veplayedaheadeverytime,withsuchinfernalluck,let\'splaybackwardthistime,andtrywhatthatbringsus。\"
\"But,Lale,\"（Andrews\'snickname——hispropernamebeingBezaleel）,saidI,\"wemadesomethingbygoingaheadeverytime——thatis,ifwewerenotgoingtobeexchanged。Bygettingintothoseplacesfirstwepickedoutthebestspotstostay,andgottent—buildingstuffthatthosewhocameafteruscouldnot。Andcertainlywecanneveragaingetintoasbadaplaceasthisis。Thechancesarethatifthisdoesnotmeanexchange,itmeanstransfertoabetterprison。\"
Butweconcluded,asIsaidabove,toreverseourusualorderofprocedureandflankback,inhopesthatsomethingwouldfavorourescapetoSherman。Accordingly,weletthefirstsquadgooffwithoutus,andthenext,andthenext,andsoon,tilltherewereonlyelevenhundred——
mostlythosesickintheHospital——remainingbehind。Thosewhowentaway——weafterwardslearned,wererundownonthecarstoWilmington,andafterwardsuptoGoldsboro,N。C。
ForaweekormoreweelevenhundredtenantedtheStockade,andbyburningupthetentsofthosewhohadgonehadtheonlydecent,comfortablefireswehadwhileinFlorence。Inhuntingaroundthroughthetentsforfuelwefoundmanybodiesofthosewhohaddiedastheircomradeswereleaving。Asthelargerportionofuscouldbarelywalk,theRebelsparoledustoremaininsideoftheStockadeorwithinafewhundredyardsofthefrontofit,andtooktheguardsoff。Whiletheseweremarchingdown,adozenormoreofus,exultinginevensomuchfreedomaswehadobtained,climbedontheHospitalshedtoseewhattheoutlookwas,andperchedourselvesontheridgepole。LieutenantBarrettcamealong,atadistanceoftwohundredyards,withasquadofguards。
Observingus,hehaltedhismen,facedthemtowardus,andtheyleveledtheirgunsasiftofire。Heexpectedtoseeustumbledowninludicrousalarm,toavoidthebullets。Butwehatedhimandthemsobad,thatwecouldnotgivethemthepoorsatisfactionofscaringus。Onlyoneofourpartyattemptedtoslidedown,butthemomentwesworeathimhecamebackandtookhisseatwithfoldedarmsalongsideofus。Barrettgavetheordertofire,andthebulletsshriekedaverourheads,fortunatelynothittinganybody。Werespondedwithyellsofderision,andtheworstabusewecouldthinkof。
Comingdownafterawhile,Iwalkedtothenowopengate,andloopedthroughitoverthebarrenfieldstothedensewoodsamileaway,andawilddesiretorunofftookpossessionofme。ItseemedasifIcouldnotresistit。Thewoodsappearedfullofenticingshapes,beckoningmetocometothem,andthewindswhisperedinmyears:
\"Run！Run！Run！\"
Butthewordsofmyparolewerestillfreshinmymind,andIstilledmyfrenzytoescapebyturningbackintotheStockadeandlookingawayfromthetemptingview。
Oncefivenewprisoners,thefirstwehadseeninalongtime,werebroughtinfromSherman\'sarmy。Theywereplump,well—conditioned,well—
dressed,healthy,devil—may—careyoungfellows,whoseconfidenceinthemselvesandinShermanwassimplylimitless,andtheircontemptforallRebelsandespeciallythosewhoterrorizedoverus,enormous。
\"Comeupheretoheadquarters,\"saidoneoftheRebelofficerstothemastheystoodtalkingtous;\"andwe\'llparoleyou。\"
\"Ogotoh———withyourparole,\"saidthespokesmanofthecrowd,withnonchalantcontempt;\"wedon\'twantnoneofyourparoles。OldBilly\'llparoleusbeforeSaturday。\"
Toustheysaid:
\"Now,youboyswanttocheerrightup;keepastiffupperlip。Thisthing\'sworkin\'allright。TheiroldConfederacy\'sgoin\'topieceslikeahouseafire。Sherman\'spromenadin\'throughitjustasitsuitshim,andhe\'sliabletopayavisitatanyhour。We\'reexpectin\'himallthetime,becauseitwasgenerallyunderstoodallthroughtheArmythatweweretotaketheprisonpenhereinonourway。\"
ImentionedmydistrustoftheconcentrationofRebelsatCheraw,andtheirfacestookonalookofsupremedisdain。
\"Now,don\'tletthatworryyouaminute,\"saidtheconfidentspokesman。
\"AlltheRebelsbetweenhereandLee\'sArmycan\'tpreventShermanfromgoingjustwherehepleases。Why,we\'vequitfightin\'\'emexceptwiththeBummersadvance。Wehaven\'thadtogointoregularlineofbattleagainstthemforIdon\'tknowhowlong。Shermanwouldlikeanythingbetterthantohave\'emmakeastandsomewheresothathecouldgetagoodfairwhackat\'em。\"
Noonecanimaginetheeffectofallthisuponus。Itwasbetterthanacarloadofmedicinesandatrainloadofprovisionswouldhavebeen。
Fromthedepthsofdespondencywesprangatoncetotip—toeonthemountain—topsofexpectation。WedidlittledayandnightbutlistenforthesoundofSherman\'sgunsanddiscusswhatwewoulddowhenhecame。
WeplannedschemesofterriblevengeanceonBarrettandIverson,buttheseworthieshadmysteriouslydisappeared——whithernooneknew。Therewashardlyanhourofanynightpassedwithoutsomeoneofusfancyingthatheheardthewelcomesoundofdistantfiring。Aseverybodyknows,bylisteningintentlyatnight,onecanhearjustexactlywhatheisintentuponhearing,andsowaswithus。Inthemiddleofthenightboyslisteningawakewithstrainedears,wouldsay:
\"Now,ifeverIheardmusketryfiringinmylife,that\'saheavyskirmishlineatwork,andsharplytoo,andnotmorethanthreemilesaway,neither。\"
Thenanotherwouldsay:
\"Idon\'twanttoevergetoutofhereifthatdon\'tsoundjustastheskirmishingatChancellorsvilledidthefirstdaytous。Wewerelyingdownaboutfourmilesoff,whenitbeganpatteringjustasthatisdoingnow。\"
Andsoon。
Onenightaboutnineorten,therecametwoshort,sharppealsofthunder,thatsoundedpreciselylikethereportsofrifledfieldpieces。
Wesprangupinafrenzyofexcitement,andshoutedasifourthroatswouldsplit。Butthenextpealwentoffintheusualrumble,andourexcitementhadtosubside。
CHAPTERLXXVII
FRUITLESSWAITINGFORSHERMAN——WELEAVEFLORENCE——INTELLIGENCEOFTHE
FALLOFWILMINGTONCOMMUNICATEDTOUSBYASLAVE——THETURPENTINEREGION
OFNORTHCAROLINA——WECOMEUPONAREBELLINEOFBATTLE——YANKEESATBOTH
ENDSOFTHEROAD。
ThingshadgoneoninthewaydescribedinthepreviouschapteruntilpastthemiddleofFebruary。FormorethanaweekeverywakinghourwasspentinanxiousexpectancyofSherman——listeningforthefar—offrattleofhisguns——strainingourearstocatchthesullenboomofhisartillery——scanningthedistantwoodstoseetheRebelsfallingbackinhopelessconfusionbeforethepursuitofhisdashingadvance。ThoughwebecameasimpatientasthoseancientsentinelswhofortenlongyearsstoodupontheGrecianhillstocatchthefirstglimpseoftheflamesofburningTroy,Shermancamenot。WeafterwardslearnedthattwoexpeditionsweresentdowntowardsusfromCheraw,buttheymetwithunexpectedresistance,andwereturnedback。
ItwasnowplaintousthattheConfederacywastotteringtoitsfall,andwewereonlytroubledbyoccasionalmisgivingsthatwemightinsomewaybecaughtandcrushedunderthetopplingruins。ItdidnotseempossiblethatwiththecrueltenacitywithwhichtheRebelshadclungtoustheywouldbewillingtoletusgofreeatlast,butwouldbetemptedintherageoftheirfinaldefeattocommitsomeunparalleledatrocityuponus。
Onedayallofuswhowereabletowalkweremadetofallinandmarchovertotherailroad,wherewewereloadedintoboxcars。Thesick——
exceptthosewhoweremanifestlydying——wereloadedintowagonsandhauledover。Thedyingwerelefttotheirfate,withoutanycompanionsornurses。
Thetrainstartedoffinanortheasterlydirection,andaswewentthroughFlorencetheskieswerecrimsonwithgreatfires,burninginalldirections。Weweretoldthesewerecottonandmilitarystoresbeingdestroyedinanticipationofavisitfrom,apartofSherman\'sforces。
Whenmorningcamewewerestillrunninginthesamedirectionthatwestarted。Intheconfusionofloadingusuponthecarsthepreviousevening,IhadbeenallowedtoapproachtoonearaRebelofficer\'sstockofrations,andtheresultwashisbeingtheloserandmyselfthegainerofacanteenfilledwithfairlygoodmolasses。AndrewsandIhadsomecornbread,andwe,breakfastedsumptuouslyuponitandthemolasses,whichwascertainlynone—the—lesssweetfromhavingbeenstolen。
Ourmealover,webeganreconnoitering,asmuchforemploymentasanythingelse。Wewereinthefrontendofaboxcar。Withasawmadeonthebackofacase—knifewecutaholethroughtheboardsbigenoughtopermitustopassout,andperhapsescape。Wefoundthatwewereontheforemostboxcarofthetrain——thenextvehicletousbeingapassengercoach,inwhichweretheRebelofficers。Ontherearplatformofthiscarwasseatedoneoftheirservants——atrustyoldslave,welldressed,foranegro,andasrespectfulashisclassusuallywas。SaidI
tohim:
\"Well,uncle,wherearetheytakingus？\"
Hereplied:
\"Well,sah,Icouldn\'trightlysay。\"
\"Butyoucouldguess,ifyoutried,couldn\'tyou？\"
\"Yessah。\"
HegaveaquicklookaroundtoseeifthedoorbehindhimwassosecurelyshutthathecouldnotbeoverheardbytheRebelsinsidethecar,hisdull,stolidfacelightedupasanegro\'salwaysdoesintheexcitementofdoingsomethingcunning,andhesaidinaloudwhisper:
\"Dey\'sa—gwinetotakeyoutoWilmington——efdeykingetyoudar！\"
\"Cangetusthere！\"saidIinastonishment。\"Isthereanythingtopreventthemtakingusthere？\"
Thedarkfacefilledwithinexpressiblemeaning。Iasked:
\"Itisn\'tpossiblethatthereareanyYankeesdowntheretointerfere,isit？\"
ThegreateyesflamedupwithintelligencetotellmethatIguessedaright;againheglancednervouslyaroundtoassurehimselfthatnoonewaseavesdropping,andthenhesaidinawhisper,justloudenoughtobeheardabovethenoiseofthemovingtrain:
\"DeYankeestookWilmingtonyesterdaymawning。\"
Thenewsstartledme,butitwastrue,ourtroopshavingdrivenouttheRebeltroops,andenteredWilmington,ontheprecedingday——the22dofFebruary,1865,asIlearnedafterwards。Howthisnegrocametoknowmoreofwhatwasgoingonthanhismasterspuzzledmemuch。Thathedidknowmorewasbeyondquestion,sinceiftheRebelsinwhosechargewewerehadknownofWilmington\'sfall,theywouldnothavegonetothetroubleofloadingusuponthecarsandhaulingusone,hundredmilesinthedirectionofaCitywhichhadcomeintothehandsofourmen。
Ithasbeenassertedbymanywritersthatthenegroshadsomeoccultmeansofdiffusingimportantnewsamongthemassoftheirpeople,probablybyrelaysofswiftrunnerswhotraveledatnight,goingtwenty—
fiveorthirtymilesandbackbeforemorning。VeryastonishingstoriesaretoldofthingscommunicatedinthiswayacrossthelengthorbreadthoftheConfederacy。ItissaidthatourofficersintheblockadingfleetintheGulfheardfromthenegrosinadvanceofthepublicationintheRebelpapersoftheissuanceoftheProclamationofEmancipation,andofseveralofourmostimportantVictories。Theincidentgivenabovepreparesmetobelieveallthathasbeentoldoftheperfectiontowhichthenegroshadbroughttheir\"grapevinetelegraph,\"asitwasjocularlytermed。
TheRebelsbelievedsomethingofit,too。Inspiteoftheirrigorouspatrol,aninstitutiondatinglongbeforethewar,andtheseverepunishmentsvisiteduponnegrosfoundofftheirmaster\'spremiseswithoutapass,noneofthementertainedadoubtthattheyoungnegromenwereinthehabitofmakinglong,mysteriousjourneysatnight,whichhadothermotivesthanlove—makingorchicken—stealing。Occasionallyayoungmanwouldgetcaughtfiftyorseventy—fivemilesfromhis\"quarters,\"whileonsomeerrandofhisown,thenatureofwhichnopunishmentcouldmakehimdivulge。Hismasterwouldbesatisfiedthathedidnotintendrunningaway,becausehewaslikelygoinginthewrongdirection,butbeyondthisnothingcouldbeascertained。Itwasacommonbeliefamongoverseers,whentheysawanactive,healthyyoung\"buck\"sleepyandlanguidabouthiswork,thathehadspentthenightononeoftheseexcursions。
Thecountrywewererunningthrough——ifsuchstraining,toilsomeprogressasourenginewasmakingcouldbecalledrunning——wasarichturpentinedistrict。Wepassedbyforestswhereallthetreesweremarkedwithlongscoresthroughthebark,andextendeduptoahightoftwentyfeetormore。Intothese,theturpentineandrosin,runningdown,werecaught,andconveyedbynegrostostillsnearby,whereitwaspreparedformarket。ThestillswereasrudeasthemillswehadseeninEasternTennesseeandKentucky,andwereasliabletofierydestructionasapowder—house。Everyfewmilesawidespaceofground,burnedcleanoftreesandunderbrush,andyetmarkedbyaportionofthestoneswhichhadformedthefurnace,showedwhereaturpentinestill,managedbycarelessandignorantblacks,hadbeenlickedupbythebreathofflame。Theyneverseemedtore—buildonthesespots——whetherfromsuperstitionorotherreasons,Iknownot。
Occasionallywecametogreatpilesofbarrelsofturpentine,rosinandtar,someofwhichhadlaidtheresincetheblockadehadcutoffcommunicationwiththeouterworld。Manyofthebarrelsofrosinhadburst,andtheircontentsmeltedintheheatofthesun,hadrunoverthegroundlikestreamsoflava,coveringittoadepthofmanyinches。
Attheenormouspricerosin,tarandturpentinewerecommandinginthemarketsoftheworld,eachofthesepilesrepresentedasuperbfortune。
Anyoneofthem,iflyinguponthedocksofNewYork,wouldhaveyieldedenoughtomakeeveryoneofusuponthetraincomfortableforlife。
Butafewmonthsaftertheblockadewasraised,andtheysanktoone—
thirtiethoftheirpresentvalue。
TheseterebinthinestoreswerethepropertyoftheplantationlordsofthelowlandsofNorthCarolina,whocorrespondtothepinchbeckbaronsofthericedistrictsofSouthCarolina。Asthere,thewhitesandnegroswesawwereofthelowest,mostsqualidtypeofhumanity。ThepeopleofthemiddleanduplanddistrictsofNorthCarolinaareamuchsuperiorracetothesameclassinSouthCarolina。TheyaremostlyofScotch—Irishdescent,withastronginfusionofEnglish—Quakerblood,andresemblemuchthebestoftheVirginians。Theymakeanefforttodiffuseeducation,andhavemanyofthevirtuesofasimple,non—progressive,tolerablyindustriousmiddleclass。ItwasherethatthestrongUnionsentimentofNorthCarolinanumberedmostofitsadherents。Thepeopleofthelowlandswereasdifferentasifbelongingtoanotherrace。Theenormousmassofignorance——thethreehundredandfiftythousandmenandwomenwhocouldnotreadorwrite——weremostlyblackandwhiteserfsofthegreatlandholders,whoseplantationsliewithinonehundredmilesoftheAtlanticcoast。
Asweapproachedthecoastthecountrybecameswampier,andouroldacquaintances,thecypress,withtheirmalformed\"knees,\"becamemoreandmorenumerous。
Aboutthemiddleoftheafternoonourtrainsuddenlystopped。Lookingouttoascertainthecause,wewereelectrifiedtoseeaRebellineofbattlestretchedacrossthetrack,aboutahalfmileaheadoftheengine,andwithitsreartowardus。Itwasasrealalineaswaseverseenonanyfield。Thedoubleranksof\"Butternuts,\"witharmsgleamingintheafternoonsun,stretchedawayoutthroughtheopenpinewoods,fartherthanwecouldsee。Closebehindthemotionlesslinestoodthecompanyofficers,leaningontheirdrawnswords。Behindthesestill,weretheregimentalofficersontheirhorses。Onaslightriseoftheground,agroupofhorsemen,towhomotherhorsemenmomentarilydasheduptoorspedawayfrom,showedthestationoftheGeneralincommand。Onanotherknoll,atalittledistance,wereseveral—fieldpieces,standing\"inbattery,\"thecannoneersattheguns,thepostillionsdismountedandholdingtheirhorsesbythebits,thecaissonmenstandinginreadinesstoserveoutammunition。Ourmenwereevidentlycloseathandinstrongforce,andtheengagementwaslikelytoopenatanyinstant。
Foraminutewewerespeechlesswithastonishment。Thencameasurgeofexcitement。Whatshouldwedo？Whatcouldwedo？Obviouslynothing。
Elevenhundred,sick,enfeebledprisonerscouldnotevenoverpowertheirguards,letalonemakesuchadiversionintherearofaline—of—battleaswouldassistourfolkstogainavictory。Butwhilewedebatedtheenginewhistledsharply——afrightenedshriekitsoundedtous——andbeganpushingourtrainrapidlybackwardovertheroughandwretchedtrack。