Ihavebeenshown——inlateryears——manytabletops,ornamentedinmarquetry,inlaidwiththousandsoflittlebitsofwood,cunninglyarranged,andpatientlyjoinedtogether。Ialwayslookatthemwithinterest,forIknowtheworkspentuponthem:IremembermyAndersonvillepantaloons。
　　Theclothingupontheupperpartofmybodyhadbeenreducedtotheremainsofaknitundershirt。Ithadfallenintosomanyholesthatitlookedlikethecoarse"riddles"throughwhichashesandgravelaresifted。Wherevertheseholeswerethesunhadburnedmyback,breastandshouldersdeeplyblack。Thepartscoveredbythethreadsandfragmentsformingtheboundariesoftheholes,werestillwhite。WhenIpulledmyallegedshirtoff,towashortofreeitfromsomeofitsteemingpopulation,myskinshowedafinelacepatterninblackandwhite,thatwasveryinterestingtomycomrades,andthesubjectofcountlessjokesbythem。
　　Theyusedtodescantloudlyonthechasteeleganceofthedesign,therichnessofthetracing,etc。,andbegmetofurnishthemwithacopyofitwhenIgothome,fortheirsisterstoworkwindowcurtainsortidiesby。Theyweresurethatsostrikinganoveltyinpatternswouldbeveryacceptable。IwouldreplytotheirwitticismsinthelanguageofPortia'sPrinceofMorocco:
　　Mislikemenotformycomplexion——
　　Theshadowedliveryoftheburningsun。
　　Oneofthestoriestoldmeinmychildhoodbyanoldnegronurse,wasofapovertystrickenlittlegirl"whosleptonthefloorandwascoveredwiththedoor,"andsheonceasked——
　　"Mammahowdopoorfolksgetalongwhohaven'tanydoor？"
　　InthesamespiritIusedtowonderhowpoorfellowsgotalongwhohadn'tanyshirt。
　　Onecommonwayofkeepingupone'sclothingwasbystealingmealsacks。
　　Themealfurnishedasrationswasbroughtininwhitecottonsacks。
　　Sergeantsofdetachmentswererequiredtoreturnthesewhentherationswereissuedthenextday。IhavebeforealludedtothegeneralincapacityoftheRebelstodealaccuratelywithevensimplenumbers。
　　ItwasneververydifficultforashrewdSergeanttomakeninesackscountasten。AfterawhiletheRebelsbegantoseethroughthissleightofhandmanipulation,andtocheckit。ThentheSergeantsresortedtothedeviceoftearingthesacksintwo,andturningeachhalfinasawholeone。Thecottonclothgainedinthiswaywasusedforpatching,or,ifaboycouldsucceedinbeatingtheRebelsoutofenoughofit,hewouldfabricatehimselfashirtorapairofpantaloons。Weobtainedallourthreadinthesameway。Ahalfofasack,carefullyraveledout,wouldfurnishacoupleofhandfulsofthread。Haditnotbeenforthisresourcealloursewingandmendingwouldhavecometoastandstill。
　　Mostofourneedlesweremanufacturedbyourselvesfrombones。Apieceofbone,splitasnearaspossibletotherequiredsize,wascarefullyrubbeddownuponabrick,andthenhadaneyelaboriouslyworkedthroughitwithabitofwireorsomethingelseavailableforthepurpose。
　　Theneedleswereaboutthesizeofordinarydarningneedles,andansweredthepurposeverywell。
　　Thesedevicesgaveonesomeconceptionofthewaysavagesprovideforthewantsoftheirlives。Timewaswiththem,aswithus,oflittleimportance。Itwasnolossoftimetothem,nortous,tospendalargeportionofthewakinghoursofaweekinfabricatinganeedleoutofabone,whereacivilizedmancouldpurchaseamuchbetteronewiththeproductofthreeminutes'labor。IdonotthinkanyredIndianoftheplainsexceededusinthepatiencewithwhichweworkedawayattheseminutiaoflife'sneeds。
　　Ofcoursethemostcommonsourceofclothingwasthedead,andnobodywascarriedoutwithanyclothingonitthatcouldbeofservicetothesurvivors。ThePlymouthPilgrims,whoweresowellclothedoncomingin,andwerenowdyingoffveryrapidly,furnishedmanygoodsuitstocoverthenakednessofolder,prisoners。MostoftheprisonersfromtheArmyofthePotomacwerewelldressed,andasverymanydiedwithinamonthorsixweeksaftertheirentrance,theylefttheirclothesinprettygoodconditionforthosewhoconstitutedthemselvestheirheirs,administratorsandassigns。
　　Formyownpart,Ihadthegreatestaversiontowearingdeadmen'sclothes,andcouldonlybringmyselftoitafterIhadbeenayearinprison,anditbecameaquestionbetweendoingthatandfreezingtodeath。
　　Everynewbatchofprisonerswasbesiegedwithanxiousinquiriesonthesubjectwhichlayclosesttoallourhearts:
　　"Whataretheydoingaboutexchange！"
　　Nothinginhumanexperience——savetheanxiousexpectancyofasailbycastawaysonadesertisland——couldequaltheintenseeagernesswithwhichthisquestionwasasked,andtheanswerawaited。Tothousandsnowhangingonthevergeofeternityitmeantlifeordeath。BetweenthefirstdayofJulyandthefirstofNovemberovertwelvethousandmendied,whowoulddoubtlesshavelivedhadtheybeenabletoreachourlines——"gettoGod'scountry,"asweexpressedit。
　　Thenewcomersbroughtlittlereliablenewsofcontemplatedexchange。
　　Therewasnonetobringinthefirstplace,andinthenext,soldiersinactiveserviceinthefieldhadotherthingstobusythemselveswiththanreadingupthedetailsofthenegotiationsbetweentheCommissionersofExchange。Theyhadallheardrumors,however,andbythetimetheyreachedAndersonville,theyhadcrystallizedtheseintoactualstatementsoffact。AhalfhouraftertheyenteredtheStockade,areportlikethiswouldspreadlikewildfire:
　　"AnArmyofthePotomacmanhasjustcomein,whowascapturedinfrontofPetersburg。HesaysthathereadintheNewYorkHerald,thedaybeforehewastaken,thatanexchangehadbeenagreedupon,andthatourshipshadalreadystartedforSavannahtotakeushome。"
　　Thenourhopeswouldsoaruplikeballoons。Wefedourselvesonsuchstufffromdaytoday,anddoubtlessmanylivesweregreatlyprolongedbythecontinualencouragement。TherewashardlyadaywhenIdidnotsaytomyselfthatIwouldmuchratherdiethanendureimprisonmentanothermonth,andhadIbelievedthatanothermonthwouldseemestillthere,IamprettycertainthatIshouldhaveendedthematterbycrossingtheDeadLine。Iwasfirmlyresolvednottodiethedisgusting,agonizingdeaththatsomanyaroundmeweredying。
　　Oneofourbestpurveyorsofinformationwasabright,blue—eyed,fair—
　　hairedlittledrummerboy,ashandsomeasagirl,well—bredasalady,andevidentlythedarlingofsomerefinedlovingmother。Hebelonged,Ithink,tosomeloyalVirginiaregiment,wascapturedinoneoftheactionsintheShenandoaValley,andhadbeenwithusinRichmond。
　　Wecalledhim"RedCap,"fromhiswearingajaunty,gold—laced,crimsoncap。Ordinarily,thesmalleradrummerboyistheharderheis,butnoamountofattritionwithroughmencouldcoarsetheingrainedrefinementofRedCap'smanners。Hewasbetweenthirteenandfourteen,anditseemedutterlyshamefulthatmen,callingthemselvessoldiershouldmakewaronsuchatenderboyanddraghimofftoprison。
　　Butnosix—footerhadamoresoldierlyheartthanlittleRedCap,andnoneweremoreloyaltothecause。Itwasapleasuretohearhimtellthestoryofthefightsandmovementshisregimenthadbeenengagedin。
　　Hewasagoodobserverandtoldhistalewithboyishfervor。ShortlyafterWirzassumedcommandhetookRedCapintohisofficeasanOrderly。
　　Hisbrightfaceandwinningmanner;fascinatedthewomenvisitorsatheadquarters,andnumbersofthemtriedtoadopthim,butwithpoorsuccess。Liketherestofus,hecouldseefewcharmsinanexistenceundertheRebelflag,andturnedadeafeartotheirblandishments。
　　HekepthisearsopentotheconversationoftheRebelofficersaroundhim,andfrequentlysecuredpermissiontovisittheinterioroftheStockade,whenhewouldcommunicatetousallthathehasheard。
　　Hereceivedaflatteringreceptioneverytimehecamsin,andnooratoreversecuredamoreattentiveaudiencethanwouldgatheraroundhimtolistentowhathehadtosay。Hewas,beyondadoubt,thebestknownandmostpopularpersonintheprison,andIknowallthesurvivorsofhisoldadmirer;sharemygreatinterestinhim,andmycuriosityastowhetherheyetlives,andwhetherhissubsequentcareerhasjustifiedthesanguinehopesweallhadastohisfuture。Ihopethatifheseesthis,oranyonewhoknowsanythingabouthim,hewillcommunicatewithme。
　　Therearethousandswhowillbegladtohearfromhim。
　　[Amostremarkablecoincidenceoccurredinregardtothiscomrade。
　　Severaldaysaftertheabovehadbeenwritten,and"setup,"butbeforeithadyetappearedinthepaper,Ireceivedthefollowingletter:
　　ECKHARTMINES,AlleghanyCounty,Md。,March24。
　　TotheEditoroftheBLADE:
　　LasteveningIsawacopyofyourpaper,inwhichwasachapterortwoofaprisonlifeofasoldierduringthelatewar。Iwasforciblystruckwiththecorrectnessofwhathewrote,andthenamesofseveralofmyoldcomradeswhichhequoted:Hill,LimberJim,etc。,etc。IwasadrummerboyofCompanyI,TenthWestVirginiaInfantry,andwasfifteenyearsofageadayortwoafterarrivinginAndersonville,whichwasinthelastofFebruary,1884。Nineteenofmycomradesweretherewithme,and,poorfellows,theyarethereyet。IhavenodoubtthatIwouldhaveremainedthere,too,hadInotbeenmorefortunate。
　　Idonotknowwhoyoursoldiercorrespondentis,butassumetosaythatfromthefollowingdescriptionhewillrememberhavingseenmeinAndersonville:IwasthelittleboythatforthreeorfourmonthsofficiatedasorderlyforCaptainWirz。Iworearedcap,andeverydaycouldbeseenridingWirz'sgraymare,eitheratheadquarters,orabouttheStockade。Iwasactinginthiscapacitywhenthesixraiders——
　　"Mosby,"（propernameCollins）Delaney,Curtis,and——Iforgettheothernames——wereexecuted。IbelievethatIwasthefirstthatconveyedtheintelligencetothemthatConfederateGeneralWinderhadapprovedtheirsentence。AssoonasWirzreceivedthedispatchtothateffect,Irandowntothestocksandtoldthem。
　　IvisitedHill,ofWauseon,FultonCounty,O。,sincethewar,andfoundhimhaleandhearty。Ihavenotheardfromhimforanumberofyearsuntilreadingyourcorrespondent'sletterlastevening。ItistheonlyletteroftheseriesthatIhaveseen,butafterreadingthatone,IfeelcalledupontocertifythatIhavenodoubtsofthetruthfulnessofyourcorrespondent'sstory。TheworldwillneverknoworbelievethehorrorsofAndersonvilleandotherprisonsintheSouth。Noliving,humanbeing,inmyjudgment,willeverbeabletoproperlypaintthehorrorsofthoseinfernaldens。
　　IformedtheacquaintanceofseveralOhiosoldierswhilstinprison。
　　AmongthesewereO。D。Streeter,ofCleveland,whowenttoAndersonvilleaboutthesametimethatIdid,andescaped,andwastheonlymanthatI
　　everknewthatescapedandreachedourlines。AfteranabsenceofseveralmonthshewasretakeninoneofSherman'sbattlesbeforeAtlanta,andbroughtback。IalsoknewJohnL。Richards,ofFostoria,SenecaCounty,O。orEaglesville,WoodCounty。Also,amanbythenameofBeverly,whowasapartnerofCharleyAucklebv,ofTennessee。Iwouldliketohearfromalloftheseparties。Theyallknowme。
　　Mr。Editor,IwillclosebywishingallmycomradeswhosharedinthesufferingsanddangersofConfederateprisons,alongandusefullife。
　　Yourstruly,RANSOMT。POWELL
　　CHAPTERXLII
　　SOMEFEATURESOFTHEMORTALITY——PERCENTAGEOFDEATHSTOTHOSELIVING——
　　ANAVERAGEMEANONLYSTANDSTHEMISERYTHREEMONTHS——DESCRIPTIONOFTHE
　　PRISONANDTHECONDITIONOFTHEMENTHEREIN,BYALEADINGSCIENTIFICMAN
　　OFTHESOUTH。
　　SpeakingofthemannerinwhichthePlymouthPilgrimswerenowdying,Iamremindedofmytheorythattheordinaryman'senduranceofthisprisonlifedidnotaverageoverthreemonths。ThePlymouthboysarrivedinMay;thebulkofthosewhodiedpassedawayinJulyandAugust。
　　ThegreatincreaseofprisonersfromallsourceswasinMay,JuneandJuly。ThegreatestmortalityamongthesewasinAugust,SeptemberandOctober。
　　Manycameinwhohadbeeningoodhealthduringtheirserviceinthefield,butwhoseemedutterlyoverwhelmedbytheappallingmiserytheysawoneveryhand,andgivingwaytodespondency,diedinafewdaysorweeks。Idonotmeantoincludethemintheaboveclass,astheirsicknesswasmorementalthanphysical。myideaisthat,takingonehundredordinarilyhealthfulyoungsoldiersfromaregimentinactiveservice,andputtingthemintoAndersonville,bytheendofthethirdmonthatleastthirty—threeofthoseweakestandmostvulnerabletodiseasewouldhavesuccumbedtotheexposure,thepollutionofgroundandair,andtheinsufficiencyoftherationofcoarsecornmeal。Afterthisthemortalitywouldbesomewhatless,sayattheendofsixmonthsfiftyofthemwouldbedead。Theremainderwouldhangonstillmoretenaciously,andattheendofayeartherewouldbefifteenortwentystillalive。Thereweresixty—threeofmycompanytaken;thirteenlivedthrough。Ibelievethiswasabouttheusualproportionforthosewhowereinaslongaswe。Inalltherewereforty—fivethousandsixhundredandthirteenprisonersbroughtintoAndersonville。Ofthesetwelvethousandninehundredandtwelvediedthere,tosaynothingofthousandsthatdiedinotherprisonsinGeorgiaandtheCarolinas,immediatelyaftertheirremovalfromAndersonville。Oneofeverythreeanda—halfmenuponwhomthegatesoftheStockadeclosedneverrepassedthemalive。
　　Twenty—ninepercent。oftheboyswhosomuchassetfootinAndersonvillediedthere。Letitbekeptinmindallthetime,thattheaveragestayofaprisonertherewasnotfourmonths。Thegreatmajoritycameinafterthe1stofMay,andleftbeforethemiddleofSeptember。
　　May1,1864,thereweretenthousandfourhundredandtwenty—sevenintheStockade。August8therewerethirty—threethousandonehundredandfourteen;September30alltheseweredeadorgone,excepteightthousandtwohundredandeighteen,ofwhomfourthousandfivehundredandninetydiedinsideofthenextthirtydays。Therecordsoftheworldcanshovenoparalleltothisastoundingmortality。
　　SincetheabovematterwasfirstpublishedintheBLADE,afriendhassentmeatranscriptoftheevidenceattheWirztrial,ofProfessorJosephJones,aSurgeonofhighrankintheRebelArmy,andwhostoodattheheadofthemedicalprofessioninGeorgia。HevisitedAndersonvilleattheinstanceoftheSurgeon—GeneraloftheConfederateStates'Army,tomakeastudy,forthebenefitofscience,ofthephenomenaofdiseaseoccurringthere。Hiscapacityandopportunitiesforobservation,andforclearlyestimatingthevalueofthefactscomingunderhisnoticewere,ofcourse,vastlysuperiortomine,andashestatesthecasestrongerthanIdareto,forfearofbeingaccusedofexaggerationanddownrightuntruth,Ireproducethemajorpartofhistestimony——embodyingalsohisofficialreporttomedicalheadquartersatRichmond——thatmyreadersmayknowhowtheprisonappearedtotheeyesofonewho,thoughabitterRebel,wasstillahumanemanandaconscientiousobserver,strivingtolearnthetruth:
　　MEDICALTESTIMONY。
　　[TranscriptfromtheprintedtestimonyattheWirzTrial,pages618to639,inclusive。]
　　OCTOBER7,1885。
　　Dr。JosephJones,fortheprosecution:
　　BytheJudgeAdvocate:
　　Question。WheredoyouresideAnswer。InAugusta,Georgia。
　　Q。Areyouagraduateofanymedicalcollege？
　　A。OftheUniversityofPennsylvania。
　　Q。Howlonghaveyoubeenengagedinthepracticeofmedicine？
　　A。Eightyears。
　　Q。Hasyourexperiencebeenasapractitioner,orratherasaninvestigatorofmedicineasascience？
　　A。Both。
　　Q。Whatpositiondoyouholdnow？
　　A。ThatofMedicalChemistintheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia,atAugusta。
　　Q。Howlonghaveyouheldyourpositioninthatcollege？
　　A。Since1858。
　　Q。HowwereyouemployedduringtheRebellion？
　　A。Iservedsixmonthsintheearlypartofitasaprivateintheranks,andtherestofthetimeinthemedicaldepartment。
　　Q。Underthedirectionofwhom？
　　A。UnderthedirectionofDr。Moore,SurgeonGeneral。
　　Q。Didyou,whileactingunderhisdirection,visitAndersonville,professionally？
　　A。Yes,Sir。
　　Q。Forthepurposeofmakinginvestigationsthere？
　　A。ForthepurposeofprosecutinginvestigationsorderedbytheSurgeonGeneral。
　　Q。Youwentthereinobediencetoaletterofinstructions？
　　A。InobediencetoorderswhichIreceived。
　　Q。Didyoureducetheresultsofyourinvestigationstotheshapeofareport？
　　A。IwasengagedatthatworkwhenGeneralJohnstonsurrenderedhisarmy。
　　（Adocumentbeinghandedtowitness。）
　　Q。Haveyouexaminedthisextractfromyourreportandcompareditwiththeoriginal？
　　A。Yes,Sir;Ihave。
　　Q。Isitaccurate？
　　A。Sofarasmyexaminationextended,itisaccurate。'
　　Thedocumentjustexaminedbywitnesswasofferedinevidence,andisasfollows:
　　ObservationsuponthediseasesoftheFederalprisoners,confinedtoCampSumter,Andersonville,inSumterCounty,Georgia,institutedwithaviewtoillustratechieflytheoriginandcausesofhospitalgangrene,therelationsofcontinuedandmalarialfevers,andthepathologyofcampdiarrheaanddysentery,byJosephJones;SurgeonP。A。C。S。,ProfessorofMedicalChemistryintheMedicalCollegeofGeorgia,atAugusta,Georgia。
　　HearingoftheunusualmortalityamongtheFederalprisonersconfinedatAndersonville;Georgia,inthemonthofAugust,1864,duringavisittoRichmond,Va。,IexpressedtotheSurgeonGeneral,S。P。Moore,ConfederateStatesofAmerica,adesiretovisitCampSumter,withthedesignofinstitutingaseriesofinquiriesuponthenatureandcausesoftheprevailingdiseases。Smallpoxhadappearedamongtheprisoners,andIbelievedthatthiswouldproveanadmirablefieldfortheestablishmentofitscharacteristiclesions。TheconditionofPeyer'sglandsinthisdiseasewasconsideredasworthyofminuteinvestigation。ItwasbelievedthatalargebodyofmenfromtheNorthernportionoftheUnitedStates,suddenlytransportedtoawarmSouthernclimate,andconfineduponasmallportionofland,wouldfurnishanexcellentfieldfortheinvestigationoftherelationsoftyphus,typhoid,andmalarialfevers。
　　TheSurgeonGeneraloftheConfederateStatesofAmericafurnishedmewiththefollowingletterofintroductiontotheSurgeoninchargeoftheConfederateStatesMilitaryPrisonatAndersonville,Ga。:
　　CONFEDERATESTATESOFAMERICA,SURGEONGENERAL'SOFFICE,RICHMOND,VA。,August6,1864。
　　SIR:——ThefieldofpathologicalinvestigationsaffordedbythelargecollectionofFederalprisonersinGeorgia,isofgreatextantandimportance,anditisbelievedthatresultsofvaluetotheprofessionmaybeobtainedbycarefulinvestigationoftheeffectsofdiseaseuponthelargebodyofmensubjectedtoadecidedchangeofclimateandthosecircumstancespeculiartoprisonlife。TheSurgeoninchargeofthehospitalforFederalprisoners,togetherwithhisassistants,willaffordeveryfacilitytoSurgeonJosephJones,intheprosecutionofthelaborsorderedbytheSurgeonGeneral。EfficientassistancemustberenderedSurgeonJonesbythemedicalofficers,notonlyinhisexaminationsintothecausesandsymptomsofthevariousdiseases,butespeciallyinthearduouslaborsofpostmortemexaminations。
　　Themedicalofficerswillassistintheperformanceofsuchpost—mortemsasSurgeonJonesmayindicate,inorderthatthisgreatfieldforpathologicalinvestigationmaybeexploredforthebenefitoftheMedicalDepartmentoftheConfederateArmy。
　　S。P。MOORE,SurgeonGeneral。
　　SurgeonISAIAHH。WHITE,InchargeofHospitalforFederalprisoners,Andersonville,Ga。
　　IncompliancewiththisletteroftheSurgeonGeneral,IsaiahH。White,ChiefSurgeonofthepost,andR。R。Stevenson,SurgeoninchargeofthePrisonHospital,affordedthenecessaryfacilitiesfortheprosecutionofmyinvestigationsamongthesickoutsideoftheStockade。Afterthecompletionofmylaborsinthemilitaryprisonhospital,thefollowingcommunicationwasaddressedtoBrigadierGeneralJohnH。Winder,inconsequenceoftherefusalonthepartofthecommandantoftheinterioroftheConfederateStatesMilitaryPrisontoadmitmewithintheStockadeupontheorderoftheSurgeonGeneral:
　　CAMPSUMTER,ANDERSONVILLEGA。,September16,1864。
　　GENERAL:——IrespectfullyrequestthecommandantofthepostofAndersonvilletograntmepermissionandtofurnishthenecessarypasstovisitthesickandmedicalofficerswithintheStockadeoftheConfederateStatesPrison。IdesiretoinstitutecertaininquiriesorderedbytheSurgeonGeneral。SurgeonIsaiahH。White,ChiefSurgeonofthepost,andSurgeonR。R。Stevenson,inchargeofthePrisonHospital,haveaffordedmeeveryfacilityfortheprosecutionofmylaborsamongthesickoutsideoftheStockade。
　　Veryrespectfully,yourobedientservant,JOSEPHJONES,SurgeonP。A。C。S。
　　BrigadierGeneralJOHNH。WINDER,Commandant,PostAndersonville。
　　IntheabsenceofGeneralWinderfromthepost,CaptainWinderfurnishedthefollowingorder:
　　CAMPSUMTER,ANDERSONVILLE;
　　September17,1864。
　　CAPTAIN:——YouwillpermitSurgeonJosephJones,whohasordersfromtheSurgeonGeneral,tovisitthesickwithintheStockadethatareundermedicaltreatment。SurgeonJonesisorderedtomakecertaininvestigationswhichmayproveusefultohisprofession。BydirectionofGeneralWinder。
　　Veryrespectfully,W。S。WINDER,A。A。G。
　　CaptainH。WIRZ,CommandingPrison。
　　DescriptionoftheConfederateStatesMilitaryPrisonHospitalatAndersonville。Numberofprisoners,physicalcondition,food,clothing,habits,moralcondition,diseases。
　　TheConfederateMilitaryPrisonatAndersonville,Ga。,consistsofastrongStockade,twentyfeetinheight,enclosingtwenty—sevenacres。
　　TheStockadeisformedofstrongpinelogs,firmlyplantedintheground。
　　ThemainStockadeissurroundedbytwoothersimilarrowsofpinelogs,themiddleStockadebeingsixteenfeethigh,andtheoutertwelvefeet。
　　Theseareintendedforoffenseanddefense。IftheinnerStockadeshouldatanytimebeforcedbytheprisoners,thesecondformsanotherlineofdefense;whileincaseofanattempttodelivertheprisonersbyaforceoperatingupontheexterior,theouterlineformsanadmirableprotectiontotheConfederatetroops,andamostformidableobstacletocavalryorinfantry。Thefouranglesoftheouterlinearestrengthenedbyearthworksuponcommandingeminences,fromwhichthecannon,incaseofanoutbreakamongtheprisoners,maysweeptheentireenclosure;anditwasdesignedtoconnecttheseworksbyalineofriflepits,runningzig—
　　zag,aroundtheouterStockade;thoseriflepitshaveneverbeencompleted。ThegroundenclosedbytheinnermostStockadeliesintheformofaparallelogram,thelargerdiameterrunningalmostduenorthandsouth。Thisspaceincludesthenorthernandsouthernopposingsidesoftwohills,betweenwhichastreamofwaterrunsfromwesttoeast。
　　Thesurfacesoilofthesehillsiscomposedchieflyofsandwithvaryingadmixturesofclayandoxideofiron。Theclayissufficientlytenacioustogiveaconsiderabledegreeofconsistencytothesoil。Theinternalstructureofthehills,asrevealedbythedeepwells,issimilartothatalreadydescribed。Thealternatelayersofclayandsand,aswellastheoxideofiron,whichformsinitsvariouscombinationsacementtothesand,allowofextensivetunneling。Theprisonersnotonlyconstructednumerousdirthutswithballsofclayandsand,takenfromthewellswhichtheyhaveexcavatedalloverthosehills,buttheyhavealso,insomecases,tunneledextensivelyfromthesewells。Thelowerportionsofthesehills,borderingonthestream,arewetandboggyfromtheconstantoozingofwater。TheStockadewasbuiltoriginallytoaccommodateonlytenthousandprisoners,andincludedatfirstseventeenacres。NearthecloseofthemonthofJunetheareawasenlargedbytheadditionoftenacres。Thegroundaddedwassituatedonthenorthernslopeofthelargesthill。
　　TheaveragenumberofsquarefeetofgroundtoeachprisonerinAugust1864:35。7
　　WithinthecircumscribedareaoftheStockadetheFederalprisonerswerecompelledtoperformalltheofficesoflife——cooking,washing,thecallsofnature,exercise,andsleeping。DuringthemonthofMarchtheprisonwaslesscrowdedthanatanysubsequenttime,andthentheaveragespaceofgroundtoeachprisonerwasonly98。7feet,orlessthansevensquareyards。TheFederalprisonersweregatheredfromallpartsoftheConfederateStateseastoftheMississippi,andcrowdedintotheconfinedspace,untilinthemonthofJunetheaveragenumberofsquarefeetofgroundtoeachprisonerwasonly33。2orlessthanfoursquareyards。
　　ThesefiguresrepresenttheconditionoftheStockadeinabetterlighteventhanitreallywas;foraconsiderablebreadthoflandalongthestream,flowingfromwesttoeastbetweenthehills,waslowandboggy,andwascoveredwiththeexcrementofthemen,andthusrenderedwhollyuninhabitable,andinfactuselessforeverypurposeexceptthatofdefecation。Thepinesandothersmalltreesandshrubs,whichoriginallywerescatteredsparselyoverthesehills,wereinashorttimecutdownandconsumedbytheprisonersforfirewood,andnoshadetreewasleftintheentireenclosureofthestockade。Withtheircharacteristicindustryandingenuity,theFederalsconstructedforthemselvessmallhutsandcaves,andattemptedtoshieldthemselvesfromtherainandsunandnightdampsanddew。Butfewtentsweredistributedtotheprisoners,andthosewereinmostcasestornandrotten。Inthelocationandarrangementofthesetentsandhutsnoorderappearstohavebeenfollowed;infact,regularstreetsappeartobeoutofthequestioninsocrowdedanarea;especiallytoo,aslargebodiesofprisonerswerefromtimetotimeaddedsuddenlywithoutanypreviouspreparations。
　　Theirregulararrangementofthehutsandimperfectshelterswasveryunfavorableforthemaintenanceofapropersystemofpolice。
　　Thepoliceandinternaleconomyoftheprisonwasleftalmostentirelyinthehandsoftheprisonersthemselves;thedutiesoftheConfederatesoldiersactingasguardsbeinglimitedtotheoccupationoftheboxesorlookoutsrangedaroundthestockadeatregularintervals,andtothemanningofthebatteriesattheanglesoftheprison。Evenjudicialmatterspertainingtothemselves,asthedetectionandpunishmentofsuchcrimesastheftandmurderappeartohavebeeninagreatmeasureabandonedtotheprisoners。AstrikinginstanceofthisoccurredinthemonthofJuly,whentheFederalprisonerswithintheStockadetried,condemned,andhangedsix（6）oftheirownnumber,whohadbeenconvictedofstealingandofrobbingandmurderingtheirfellow—prisoners。Theywereallhunguponthesameday,andthousandsoftheprisonersgatheredaroundtowitnesstheexecution。TheConfederateauthoritiesaresaidnottohaveinterferedwiththeseproceedings。Inthiscollectionofmenfromallpartsoftheworld,everyphaseofhumancharacterwasrepresented;thestrongerpreyedupontheweaker,andeventhesickwhowereunabletodefendthemselveswererobbedoftheirscantysuppliesoffoodandclothing。Darkstorieswereafloat,ofmen,bothsickandwell,whoweremurderedatnight,strangledtodeathbytheircomradesforscantsuppliesofclothingormoney。IheardasickandwoundedFederalprisoneraccusehisnurse,afellow—prisoneroftheUnitedStatesArmy,ofhavingstealthily,duringhissleepinoculatedhiswoundedarmwithgangrene,thathemightdestroyhislifeandfallheirtohisclothing。