Prison Life in Andersonville
h a warrant for inviting the attention of readers to the matters herein described. Broadly speaking, his record is that he saw nearly f
Hastings in the Eighth Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry; Company F of which N. H. Walbridge was Captain
ndering" regiment of Michigan-ex-Gover
mp on Meridian Hill overlooking the capitol. On October 19th, with his regiment, he embarked from Annapolis on the steamship
arleston, he was in the Signal Corps service on the Beaufort river. In April the regiment sailed to Virginia; he was at the second Bull-Run in July, and wi
Knoxville, and defense of Fort Saunders. After re-enlistment with his comrades in January he marched over the mountains nearly two hundred miles in ten days throu
l view of the smoke of Sedgwick's artillery opening the great battle of the Wilderness. On the afternoon of the 6th, his regiment was ordered into action when he with a thousand others from the division was taken prisoner and marched to Lee's headquarters, where he saw the famous general, whom he remembers as sitting with
rthouse by the great kindness of a Virginia Lieutenant a telegram was forwarded by flag of truce to his parents stating
miles to Orange Courthouse under close cavalry guard; thence by rail to Gordonsville, where the place of detention was a pen frequ
ther as companions in misfortune, and formed a group in which each one was to have a share and share a
nks. Quick there," given by a Confederate sergeant. The occasion was the arrival of a trainload of beef cattle for the Confederate army, and the maste
cot free from the usual ceremony of being stripped of superabundant clothes and accouterments. Thus our group of six were each left in possession of a blanket, a section of shelter tent, a haversack, a tin cup and plate, a knife, a fork, a spoon, and such scanty cl
e awaited transportation to an unknown destination, which proved to be the military inferno of Andersonville, in southwestern Georgia, to reach whic
veloped the train in a gloomy, suffocating pall. Mile after mile the worn, rattling freight cars and wheezing engine crept a
luxuriant foliage which screened attractive homes, whence the church bells were calling the summer-dressed occupants. On the sidewalk opposite from the trai
h sandwiches, crossed the street to the side of the train and, overcoming the objections of the guar
, and was matched by the sensibilities of some Southern ladies, who later viewing the
er I
of Andersonv
Deadline; 8, Forts and Batteries; 9, Main Fort; 10, [1]Gallows; 11, Magazine; 12, Capt. Wirtz' Headquarters; 13, To Cemetery; 14
SONVILLE
e Spring was located just below the