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[Illustration: C. M. PRUTSMAN.]
A SOLDIER'S EXPERIENCE IN SOUTHERN PRISONS
by
C. M. PRUTSMAN
Lieut. in Seventh Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers
A Graphic
Description of the Author's Experiences
in Various Southern Prisons
[Illustration]
New York
Andrew H. Kellogg
1901
Copyright, 1901,
By C. M. Prutsman,
Lexington, Neb.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Events preceding my capture--The last day of freedom--A
major's folly--My picket line captured--Warrenton--I
lose a valuable pair of boots--Culpepper--Farewell
to the boots--A disappointing test of good faith 5
CHAPTER II.
Libby--Now I lose my money--"Fresh fish"--Quarters and
rations--Boxes from home--Two majors escape--A general
conspiracy--Bad news and new prisoners--General
Butler saves two Union officers by threatening to hang
Captains Fitzhugh Lee and Winder--Two female prisoners
discovered in male attire in Belle Isle--We secure
their release 13
CHAPTER III.
Sick in the smallpox ward--A new plan of escape--Over a
powder mine--The plan fails--Filling the roll, one hundred
and nine men "short"--Shot at through windows--"Bread!
bread!"--Hopes of exchange--May 1st--Boxes
which had passed in the night--Brutes--More boxes--Danville,
May 8th--Two weeks later, Macon 20
CHAPTER IV.
A tunnel spoiled by the rain--Captain Tabb's cruelties--Corn
pone bakers--July 4th squelched--Beyond the "dead
line"--Caught--Sherman sixty miles away--Charleston--Negro
regimental prisoners--In the gallows' shadow--Whipping-post--Paroles
--Money exchange drafts--The Anderson men 29
CHAPTER V.
Sherman devastates Northern Georgia--Columbia "Camp
Sorghum"--A "dug-out"--I get away--Free--An unexpected
plunge--Trouble ahead--Recaptured--A meal--The
"debtor's cell" at Abbeville--Back to "Sorghum" 41
CHAPTER VI.
An "underground railway"--More paroles--Bloodhounds--Bribing
the guard--Bloodhound steaks--Two hundred
and fifty prisoners "short"--Back to Columbia--Building
barracks--A good tunnel started 50
CHAPTER VII.
Five of us have a narrow escape from the train--Friendly
negroes--A good old "shakedown" 57
CHAPTER VIII.
Surrounded by rebel forces--Undiscovered--Skirmishing for
food--Sambo--Sambo's schemes--Sambo brings succor--At
headquarters--Sambo's reward 65
CHAPTER IX.
General Logan--General Sherman--Clean at last--General
Hobart's hospitality--Luxurious ease--A ghastly reminder
of horrors escaped--Washington "short"--Ordered
back to my regiment--An honorable discharge 74
A SOLDIER'S EXPERIENCE IN SOUTHERN PRISONS.
CHAPTER I.
Events preceding my capture--The last day of freedom--A major's
folly--My picket line captured--Warrenton--I lose a valuable pair of
boots--Culpepper--Farewell to the boots--A disappointing test of good
faith.
My enlistment in the service of the United States as a soldier to
aid in putting down the rebellion of 1861-5 bears the date, August
2, 1861. I was mustered into the service as a second sergeant of Co.
I, 7th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, August 28, 1861, which regiment
afterwards formed a part of the famous "Iron Brigade." I was afterwards
promoted to the rank of orderly sergeant, serving as such until April
15, 1863, when I was commissioned second lieutenant, and finally on May
4, 1863, received my commission as first lieutenant, in which capacity
I was serving at the time of the opening of my story.
On or about the first day of October, 1863, after an attack of
sickness, I was discharged from the Seminary Hospital at Georgetown,
D.C., and ordered to report for duty to my regiment which was then
stationed near the Rapidan River, south of Culpepper, Virginia. A few
days after I reached my regiment the whole army in great haste started
north for Centerville, in order to head off the rebel army which was
threatening to get between us and Washington City, _via_ the Shenandoah
Valley. We arrived at Centerville just in time to frustrate their well
laid plans.
On the morning of October 19th, we started out, Kilpatrick's Cavalry
in advance, in search of the rebs and found them in full retreat,
_via_ the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, Warrenton and Leesburg pike,
and Thoroughfare Gap. We arrived near Gainesville, where, some months
previous, we had fought our first battle. Here we halted a few moments,
to mourn over the long mound of earth, which but partly covered the
remains of our dead, who on this very ground with our brigade and
Stewart's Battery ("B" of the 4th Regulars) had fought the whole of
Stonewall Jackson's division for four hours, repeatedly repulsing
every attack and holding our ground until, finally, Longstreet's
column coming up in our rear, our position became too critical. With
Jackson's Division between us and Washington, and Longstreet in our
rear, discretion became the better part of valor and we were obliged to
retreat, leaving our dead on the field, where this mound now made shift
to cover them. History relates that Fitz John Porter had been ordered
to check and repulse Longstreet at 4 P.M., and failing to do so was
afterwards court martialed, but this is a digression and I must proceed
with my story.
Resuming our march south, we arrived at the Manassas Gap Railroad,
which we crossed, pursuing our course until we came to a little place
called Haymarket, where our division was halted in the fields and a
detail sent out for picket duty. Forty of this detail were from my
regiment, and I was put in command of the quota furnished from the
brigade. We advanced about one mile further south and then west,
leaving the roads to be picketed by details furnished from the other
brigades of the division.
Hardly had I established my line, and chosen a place for the support to
bivouac, before the enemy slipped in at a place called Buckley's Mills,
between the picket and the cavalry in our front, and after a short and
sharp engagement they forced Kilpatrick's Cavalry to leave the pike and
flee to the south-east, in order to pass around the enemy's flank and
return to our lines. The corps was compelled to fall back about three
miles in order to get north of the rebel army, which was endeavoring
by advancing _via_ the Bristo station from the east and Thoroughfare
Gap road from the west, to get in its rear. The major in command of the
lines covering both roads, Bristo station and Warrenton pike, gathered
up all the men who could be conveniently reached, and following the
corps, left me in ignorance of our dangerous position and entirely at
the mercy of the enemy. (This major was afterwards court martialed for
conduct unbecoming an officer in the face of the enemy, and dismissed
from the service.)
In my position I could hear heavy trains moving on the pike, but could
not see them on account of the woods. Finally a couple of rebels,
chasing a few sheep, approached our lines, and naturally I undertook to
capture them, but failed in the attempt. This revealed our position,
and shortly after a long, heavy skirmish line appeared in sight,
advancing upon us from the south. I concentrated my line by drawing in
my right, which was the most exposed flank, dropped back a few yards
in order to give my men the benefit of the timber for protection, and
awaited the result.
As soon as the advancing line was within range we poured in a volley by
file, confusing and staggering that section directly in our front, but
as each flank of their line extended beyond ours and they continued to
advance we were compelled to retreat, disputing the way from tree to
tree until we reached a point where the Bristo road crossed the pike at
nearly right angles; here I commanded my men to rally on the reserve by
the left flank, but the men on the left, to my surprise, informed me
that the road was full of rebels. I then directed another retreat by
the left oblique, in order to get away from the road and make our way
back to the fields, where we had left the brigade, but upon arriving
there and jumping the fence we found ourselves in the midst of a rebel
battery; the rebels had been massing there for more than an hour.
I had no alternative but to surrender. My casualty list was two men
wounded, both in their legs. Ah! what a sorry plight we were in. My men
were footsore and weary from their hard marching and maneuvering and
our animals were completely fagged.
We were gathered in line; I was their first victim, without hat or
sword, both of which had been taken away by the first rebel who had
approached me.
All and each of the men had shared the same fate.
We heard a few volleys of musketry north and west of us; then spherical
case shot from our own guns began to fly among us, which caused the
rebs to beat a hasty retreat to protect themselves from the murderous
fire of our artillery.
As soon as we reached the pike we turned south and, after marching a
couple of miles, we were halted in the woods, and there put in charge
of a guard, which was to take us to Warrenton.
It was now getting quite dark, and to add to our wretched condition it
began to rain, notwithstanding which we resumed our march to Warrenton,
eight miles distant. Upon our arrival there we were put into an old
storeroom, which had been improvised as a prison, and in which we found
a number of others prisoners who had been captured or picked up from
our army on its retreat from the Rapidan.
Those prisoners were crowded into one end of the room, while we were
confined in the opposite. The next step was to examine us for boots and
shoes. Previous to this I had secretly taken three twenty-dollar bills
from my wallet, dampened them in my mouth, flattened them out a little,
then slipped them into my watch pocket. But it was not money they
wanted; they were looking for footwear.
It was my misfortune to have on a new pair of shop made boots, which I
had just received by express from northern Pennsylvania, having been
made to order. The provost marshal came in with a small guard and a
couple of lanterns and proceeded with his examination. I think I was
the first man approached, the officer giving the order, "Examine
that man's feet." The order was quickly obeyed. The guards rolled up
my pant legs to observe the length of their boot tops and the quality
thereof. Their report was "Good." Another of the guard carried an
old sack filled with old shoes which had been cast off by men of our
army. The officer politely told me "to pick out a pair of shoes from
the sack, and get out of them boots." Having no option in the matter
I very reluctantly surrendered my new boots, and replaced them with a
pair of the cast-off shoes. Later we will hear from those boots. They
examined every man's feet, made a number of good trades, then raised
the blockade. After this we were allowed the privilege of the whole
room, and laid ourselves down for a good night's rest.
Next morning (October 20th) we were marshaled out into the street,
put under a mounted guard in command of a lieutenant, and started for
Culpepper. This guard proved to be an exception to most guards; they
were very gentlemanly, worthy of the responsibility they had undertaken
and would frequently dismount and give some one of the poor fagged and
footsore prisoners a seat in the saddle. We reached Culpepper about
dark, and were ushered into another old storeroom, similar to that
at Warrenton, for the night. Here we found the first infantry we had
seen since our capture, and were turned over to their charge. The next
morning, two other officers and myself were taken across the street
to the provost marshal's office and were asked to give our parole not
to leave the building, except to look after the welfare of our men
when they wanted to report their grievances to the provost marshal,
Major Richardson, whose office we were to be permitted to visit. We
willingly gave the parole. Major Richardson assured us that our private
property should and would be protected, and enjoined upon us to report,
for the benefit of all the prisoners, any and all cases of extortion
that came to our knowledge.
During the afternoon I observed a good-looking cavalryman stepping
around the provost marshal's office, wearing a fine pair of long
legged, newly blacked, boots. The thought struck me that those boots
were private property and mine, and probably all that I would have to
do to regain them would be to report to the major. I did so, and the
following colloquy took place:
"Major, I beg pardon, but I believe you made us the promise that our
private property would be respected, and asked that we should report
all extortions to you."
"Yes, yes, certainly, lieutenant; have you lost anything?"
"Yes, major, I have."
"What?"
"A pair of new boots."
"Where?" was the major's query.
"While in prison," I replied.
"You don't think that I can find them, do you?" he questioned.
"No, sir, but I can."
"Where are they?" asked the major.
"Upon that soldier's feet," pointing to the man with the boots on.
"Ah, ah, that is one of General Stewart's men and I do not have
anything to do with him."
This ended both the dialogue and all chance of ever recovering my
treasured boots, so I bid a fond farewell to my late pedal coverings,
and went back to my quarters a sadder but wiser man. I knew then
just how much faith I could pin in the future upon the pledges of my
captors.