The Dispatch Carrier and Memoirs of Andersonville Prison

he rebels had taken everything and anything that they could make use of) and went to sleep, and I did not waken until I was aroused by the call to f

cars for the evening. You can bet I was glad to stop. When we finally got fixed for what I supposed the evening, we were ordered to form in line, and then the Johnnies went through us again; and what they did not take the first time, they did not leave this time. When they got through with us I went and lay down. I will never forget how good it did feel to

ething rather strong. I asked one of the guards what it was. He

ooked back over the whole train, which carried 1800 men, and wondered how in the world we could all get in there. At this time there were only sixteen acres inclosed by the pen, and

ats about as wide as the hand, thus forming a second fence four feet high which ran parallel to the stockade and all around the pen. This was the dead line. A prisoner that came anywhere near the line was shot by the guards. The guards

rz's headquarters. We were formed into line and counted off; w

came out in front of us and said: "You are a fine looking lo

ng back and we marched in. The old prisoners crowded around us and were eager to fin

g to what I saw on first going into Andersonville. The ground was whit

kes the man. They were filthy, and the lice could be seen crawling all over them. There were men with their feet,

f the most horrible sights I ever saw. Within twenty yards of us three men had died during the night. Some of the men were engaged in carrying the dead to the gate entrance. I saw, without moving from the place where I slept, the bodies of fifty-three men that had died during the night. I brushed the maggots from my clothes, and walked down to the creek to wash. When I got there and had a good view of it, it was hard to tell whether it would make one clean or dirty. The rebel guard was camped above on the creek, and they made it a point, it seems, to throw all their filth into it, and at this time it was all the water we had to drink. I asked one of the prisoners if they ever gave the men soap. He laughed and wanted to know if he looked like a man that had ever seen soap. Just the looks of him would have convinced the most skeptical mind on that point. I went in, however, rubbed some dirty water on my face, and called it a wash. At 12 o'clock the wagon with the meal came in. When I saw them giving it out I

were so crowded. About this time the weather began to get very hot and the death-rate began to increase. The suffering among the prisoners was such as I hope never to witness again. The water was fearful, and we begged the rebels to give us tools to dig wells with. We dug wells all over the prison, but could get no water. About this time they enlarged the prison and took in eight more acres. I tell you it was great relief. In and around Andersonvill

five feet from the stockade; so we went down about eighteen feet and commenced digging a tunnel in under the stockade. Night after night we worked and threw the dirt into the well until we filled it to the place started from. Then we handed the dirt up in part of a blanket, and carried it down and

four days we had our tunnel finished (I shall never forget it) it was a dark, rainy night, and we commenced dropping down into the well, one by one, until there wer

"the rebels are

rawled out, and I, being behind him, gave him a boost. The next man boosted me, and so on until we were all out exc

he woods. Oh, how we did run! Every stump and bush we saw we thought a rebel. I said, "Boys, hold up; I can't stand this any longer." No wonder, for we were so starved that there was nothing left but skin and bones. Being in such a weak condition I was surprised that we had gone so far in so

, in the middle of a swamp, a small island. If we could only get to it, we thought we would be safe, for a time at least. The water was covered with slime, and full of all kinds of reptiles. The deadly water moccasin predominated. Our only chance was to get to the island; so in we went. We finally got to the island, and found it covered with a dense growth of laurel. We crawled

re over on that isla

e I don't see how

Rebs then y

er here I will send the dogs after yo

still. Another

Don't you see how the cane is par

; "I will get astraddle of a lo

shanty that had been built by some runaway negro before the war. One of the men, who had been looking around, came running up and said that there was a dugout hidden in the brush. To get it into the water was the work of a minute. It was badly sun-cracked, and leaked, bu

arrowing down and the banks were getting hig

Don't you think it

m. Pull in an

tree until I got close up to the chopper. It was a negro chopping wood in front of a cabin. A large negro woman

no other house I stepped o

id Jake; "w

who I am," said I; "but, Aun

if dat blamed niggah ebbe

hite people aro

n four miles of us. What's the matter, h

I've just got

good Lord! I

bet I

to-day wid all dem dogs, down by de cane-brake. Dey said

all alon

there are

ess the Lord. F

he boat up and come on. When we got to the shanty, the old woman

ever seed such hard look

ter daylight. Hearing old Aunty bustling about I put my head down through the trap door to speak to her. Just then Jake came in and said: "I'se been all around and don't see nobody at all." The old woman then told us that we had better stay three or fou