CHAPTERVII。
　　ENTERINGRICHMOND——DISAPPOINTMENTATITSAPPEARANCE——EVERYBODYIN
　　UNIFORM——CURLEDDARLINGSOFTHECAPITAL——THEREBELFLAG——LIBBYPRISON——
　　DICKTURNER——SEARCHINGTHENEWCOMERS。
　　EarlyonthetenthmorningafterourcaptureweweretoldthatwewereabouttoenterRichmond。InstantlyallwerekeenlyobservantofeverydetailinthesurroundingsofaCitythatwasthentheobjectofthehopesandfearsofthirty—fivemillionsofpeople——aCityassailingwhichseventy—fivethousandbravemenhadalreadylaiddowntheirlives,defendingwhichanequalnumberhaddied,andwhich,beforeitfell,wastocostthelifebloodofanotheronehundredandfiftythousandvaliantassailantsanddefenders。
　　SomuchhadbeensaidandwrittenaboutRichmondthatourboyishmindshadwroughtupthemostextravagantexpectationsofitanditsdefenses。
　　WeanticipatedseeingaCitydifferingwidelyfromanythingeverseenbefore;someanomalyofnaturedisplayedinitssite,itselfguardedbyimposingandimpregnablefortifications,withpowerfulfortsandheavyguns,perhapsevenwalls,castles,posterngates,moatsandditches,andalltheotherpanoplyofdefensivewarfare,withwhichromantichistoryhadmadeusfamiliar。
　　Weweredisappointed——badlydisappointed——inseeingnothingofthisasweslowlyrolledalong。ThespiresandthetallchimneysofthefactoriesroseinthedistanceverymuchastheyhadinotherCitieswehadvisited。Wepassedasinglelineofbreastworksofbareyellowsand,butthescrubbypinesinfrontwerenotcutaway,andtherewerenosignsthattherehadeverbeenanyimmediateexpectationofusefortheworks。
　　Aredoubtortwo——withoutguns——couldbemadeout,andthiswasall。
　　Grim—visagedwarhadfewwrinklesonhisfrontinthatneighborhood。
　　TheywerethenseaminghisbrowontheRappahannock,seventymilesaway,wheretheArmyofNorthernVirginiaandtheArmyofthePotomaclayconfrontingeachother。
　　AtoneofthestoppingplacesIhadbeenseparatedfrommycompanionsbyenteringacarinwhichwereanumberofEastTennesseeans,capturedintheoperationsaroundKnoxville,andwhomtheRebels,inaccordancewiththeirusualcustom,weretreatingwithstudiedcontumely。Ihadalwayshadaverywarmsideforthesesimplerusticsofthemountainsandvalleys。IknewmuchoftheirunwaveringfidelitytotheUnion,ofthefirmsteadfastnesswithwhichtheyenduredpersecutionfortheircountry'ssake,andmadesacrificesevenuntodeath;and,asinthosedaysIestimatedallmensimplybytheirdevotiontothegreatcauseofNationalintegrity,（ahabitthatstillclingstome）Iratedthesemenveryhighly。Ihadgoneintotheircartodomylittletoencouragethem,andwhenIattemptedtoreturntomyownIwaspreventedbytheguard。
　　Crossingthelongbridge,ourtraincametoahaltontheothersideoftheriverwiththeusualclamorofbellandwhistle,theusualseeminglypurposelessandvacillating,almostdizzying,runningbackwardandforwardonanetworkofsidetracksandswitches,thatseemedunavoidablynecessary,adozenyearsago,ingettingatrainintoaCity。
　　Stillunabletoregainmycomradesandsharetheirfortunes,IwasmarchedoffwiththeTennesseeansthroughtheCitytotheofficeofsomeonewhohadchargeoftheprisonersofwar。
　　Thestreetswepassedthroughwerelinedwithretailstores,inwhichbusinesswasbeingcarriedonverymuchasinpeacefultimes。Manypeoplewereonthestreets,butthegreaterpartofthemenworesomesortofauniform。Thoughnumbersofthesewereinactiveservice,yetthewearingofamilitarygarbdidnotnecessarilyimplythis。Nearlyeveryable—bodiedmaninRichmondwas;enrolledinsomesortofanorganization,andarmed,anddrilledregularly。EventhemembersoftheConfederateCongresswereuniformedandattached,intheoryatleast,totheHomeGuards。
　　Itwasobviouseventothecasualglimpseofapassingprisonerofwar,thattheCitydidnotlackitsfullshareoftheclasswhichformedsolargeanelementofthesocietyofWashingtonandotherNorthernCitiesduringthewar——thedaintycarpetsoldiers,herosofthepromenadeandtheboudoir,whostruttedinuniformswhentheenemywasfaroff,andworecitizen'sclotheswhenhewascloseathand。Thereweremanycurleddarlingsdisplayingtheirfineformsinthenattiestofuniforms,whoseglosshadneversufferedfromsomuchasaheavydew,letalonearainydayonthemarch。TheConfederategraycouldbemadeintoaverydressygarb。Withthesleeveslavishlyembroideredwithgoldlace,andthecollardecoratedwithstarsindicatingthewearer'srank——silverforthefieldofficers,andgoldforthehighergrade,——thefeetcompressedintohigh—heeled,high—insteppedboots,（noVirginianishimselfwithoutafinepairofskin—tightboots）andtheheadcoveredwithafine,soft,broad—brimmedhat,trimmedwithagoldcord,fromwhichabulliontasseldangledseveralinchesdownthewearer'sback,youhadamilitaryswell,caparisonedforconquest——amongthefairsex。
　　OnourwaywepassedthenotedCapitolofVirginia——ahandsomemarblebuilding,——ofthecolumn—frontedGreciantemplestyle。ItstandsinthecenteroftheCity。UponthegroundsisCrawford'sfamousequestrianstatueofWashington,surroundedbysmallerstatuesofotherRevolutionarypatriots。
　　TheConfederateCongresswastheninsessionintheCapitol,andalsotheLegislatureofVirginia,afactindicatedbytheStateflagofVirginiafloatingfromthesouthernendofthebuilding,andthenewflagoftheConfederacyfromthenorthernend。ThiswasthefirsttimeIhadseenthelatter,whichhadbeenrecentlyadopted,andIexamineditwithsomeinterest。Thedesignwasexceedinglyplain。Simplyawhitebanner,witharedfieldinthecornerwherethebluefieldwithstarsisinours。
　　ThetwobluestripesweredrawndiagonallyacrossthisfieldintheshapeofaletterX,andinthesewerethirteenwhitestars,correspondingtothenumberofStatesclaimedtobeintheConfederacy。
　　Thebattle—flagwassimplytheredfield。Myexaminationofallthiswasnecessarilyverybrief。TheguardsfeltthatIwasinRichmondforotherpurposesthantostudyarchitecture,statuaryandheraldry,andbesidestheywereinahurrytoberelievedofusandgettheirbreakfast,somyart—educationwasabbreviatedsharply。
　　Wedidnotexcitemuchattentiononthestreets。PrisonershadbythattimebecometoocommoninRichmondtocreateanyinterest。Occasionallypassersbywouldflingopprobriousepithetsat"theEastTennesseetraitors,"butthatwasall。
　　ThecommandantoftheprisonsdirectedtheTennesseeanstobetakentoCastleLightning——aprisonusedtoconfinetheRebeldeserters,amongwhomtheyalsoclassedtheEastTennesseeans,andsometimestheWestVirginians,Kentuckians,MarylandersandMissouriansfoundfightingagainstthem。Suchofourmenasdesertedtothemwerealsolodgedthere,astheRebels,veryproperly,didnotplaceahighestimateuponthisclassofrecruitstotheirarmy,and,asweshallseefartheralong,violatedallobligationsofgoodfaithwiththem,byputtingthemamongtheregularprisonersofwar,soastoexchangethemfortheirownmen。
　　Backwewereallmarchedtoastreetwhichranparalleltotheriverandcanal,andbutonesquareawayfromthem。Itwaslinedonbothsidesbyplainbrickwarehousesandtobaccofactories,fourandfivestorieshigh,whichwerenowusedbytheRebelGovernmentasprisonsandmilitarystorehouses。
　　ThefirstwepassedwasCastleThunder,ofbloodyrepute。ThisoccupiedthesameplaceinConfederatehistory,that,thedungeonsbeneaththelevelofthewaterdidintheannalsoftheVenetianCouncilofTen。
　　Itwasbelievedthatifthebricksinitssomber,dirt—grimedwallscouldspeak,eachcouldtellaseparatestoryofalifedeemeddangeroustotheStatethathadgonedowninnight,atthebehestoftheruthlessConfederateauthorities。Itwasconfidentlyassertedthatamongthecommoneroccurrenceswithinitsconfineswasthestationingofadoomedprisoneragainstacertainbitofblood—stained,bullet—chippedwall,andrelievingtheConfederacyofallfartherfearofhimbytheriflesofafiringparty。Howwellthisdarkreputationwasdeserved,noonebutthoseinsidetheinnercircleoftheDavisGovernmentcansay。ItissafetobelievethatmoretragedieswereenactedtherethanthearchivesoftheRebelcivilormilitaryjudicaturegiveanyaccountof。Theprisonwasemployedforthedetentionofspies,andthosechargedwiththeconvenientallegationof"treasonagainsttheConfederateStatesofAmerica。"Itisprobablethatmanyoftheseweresentoutoftheworldwithaslittlerespectfortheformalitiesoflawaswasexhibitedwithregardtothe'suspects'duringtheFrenchRevolution。
　　NextwecametoCastleLightning,andhereIbadeadieutomyTennesseecompanions。
　　Afewsquaresmoreandwearrivedatawarehouselargerthananyoftheothers。OverthedoorwasasignTHOMASLIBBY&SON,SHIPCHANDLERSANDGROCERS。
　　Thiswasthenotorious"LibbyPrison,"whosenamewaspainfullyfamiliartoeveryUnionmanintheland。Underthesignwasabroadentranceway,largeenoughtoadmitadrayorasmallwagon。Ononesideofthiswastheprisonoffice,inwhichwereanumberofdapper,feeble—facedclerksatworkontheprisonrecords。
　　AsIenteredthisspaceasquadofnewlyarrivedprisonerswerebeingsearchedforvaluables,andhavingtheirnames,rankandregimentrecordedinthebooks。Presentlyaclerkaddressedas"MajahTunnah,"
　　themanwhowassuperintendingtheseoperations,andIscannedhimwithincreasedinterest,asIknewthenthathewastheill—famedDickTurner,hatedallovertheNorthforhisbrutalitytoourprisoners。
　　Helookedasifhedeservedhisreputation。Seenuponthestreethewouldbetakenforasecondorthirdclassgambler,oneinwhomacertainamountofcunningispiecedoutbyareadinesstousebruteforce。Hisface,clean—shaved,excepta"Bowery—b'hoy"goatee,waswhite,fat,andselfishlysensual。Small,pig—likeeyes,setclosetogether,glancedaroundcontinually。Hislegswereshort,hisbodylong,andmadetoappearlonger,byhiswearingnovest——acustomcommonthemwithSoutherners。
　　Hisfacultieswereatthatmomentabsorbedinseeingthatnopersonconcealedanymoneyfromhim。Hissubordinatesdidnotsearchcloselyenoughtosuithim,andhewouldrunhisfat,heavily—ringedfingersthroughtheprisoner'shair,feelundertheirarmsandelsewherewherehethoughtastrayfivedollargreenbackmightbeconcealed。ButwithallhisgreedycarehewasnomatchforYankeecunning。Theprisonerstoldmeafterwardthat,suspectingtheywouldbesearched,theyhadtakenoffthecapsofthelarge,hollowbrassbuttonsoftheircoats,carefullyfoldedabillintoeachcavity,andreplacedthecap。Inthiswaytheybroughtinseveralhundreddollarssafely。
　　TherewasonedirtyoldEnglishmanintheparty,who,Turnerwasconvinced,hadmoneyconcealedabouthisperson。Hecompelledhimtostripoffeverything,andstandshiveringinthesharpcold,whilehetookuponefilthyragafteranother,feltovereachcarefully,andscrutinizedeachseamandfold。Iwasdelightedtoseethatafterallhisnauseatingworkhedidnotfindsomuchasafivecentpiece。
　　Itcamemyturn。Ihadnodesire,inthatfrigidatmosphere,tostripdowntowhatArtemusWardcalled"theskanderlouscostoomoftheGreekSlave;"soIpulledoutofmypocketmylittlestoreofwealth——tendollarsingreenbacks,sixtydollarsinConfederategraybacks——anddisplayeditasTurnercameupwith,"There'sallIhave,sir。"Turnerpocketeditwithoutaword,anddidnotsearchme。Inaftermonths,whenIwasnearlyfamished,myestimationof"MajahTunnah"washardlyenhancedbythereflectionthatwhatwouldhavepurchasedmemanygoodmealswasprobablylostbyhiminbettingonapairofqueens,whenhisopponenthelda"kingfull。"
　　Iventuredtostepintotheofficetoinquireaftermycomrades。Oneofthewhey—facedclerkssaidwiththesuperciliousasperitycharacteristicofgnat—brainedheadquartersattaches:
　　"Getoutofhere！"asifIhadbeenastraycurwanderingininsearchofabonelunch。
　　Iwantedtofeedthefellowtoapile—driver。TheutmostIcouldhopeforinthewayofrevengewasthatthedelicatecreaturemightsomedaymakeamistakeinpartinghishair,andcatchhisdeathofcold。
　　Theguardconductedusacrossthestreet,andintothethirdstoryofabuildingstandingonthenextcornerbelow。HereIfoundaboutfourhundredmen,mostlybelongingtotheArmyofthePotomac,whocrowdedaroundmewiththeusualquestionstonewprisoners:WhatwasmyRegiment,whereandwhencaptured,and:
　　Whatweretheprospectsofexchange？
　　Itmakesmeshuddernowtorecallhowoften,duringthedreadfulmonthsthatfollowed,thismomentousquestionwaseagerlypropoundedtoeverynewcomer:putwithbatedbreathbymentowhomexchangemeantallthattheyaskedofthisworld,andpossiblyofthenext;meantlife,home,wifeorsweet—heart,friends,restorationtomanhood,andself—respect——
　　everything,everythingthatmakesexistenceinthisworldworthhaving。
　　Iansweredassimplyanddiscouraginglyasdidthetensofthousandsthatcameafterme:
　　"Ididnothearanythingaboutexchange。"
　　Asoldierinthefieldhadmanyotherthingsofmoreimmediateinteresttothinkaboutthantheexchangeofprisoners。Thequestiononlybecamealivingissuewhenheorsomeofhisintimatefriendsfellintotheenemy'shands。
　　Thusbeganmyfirstdayinprison。
　　CHAPTERVIII
　　INTRODUCTIONTOPRISONLIFE——THEPEMBERTONBUILDINGANDITSOCCUPANTS——
　　NEATSAILORS——ROLLCALL——RATIONSANDCLOTHING——CHIVALRIC"CONFISCATION。"
　　Ibeganacquaintingmyselfwithmynewsituationandsurroundings。
　　ThebuildingintowhichIhadbeenconductedwasanoldtobaccofactory,calledthe"Pembertonbuilding,"possiblyfromanownerofthatname,andstandingonthecornerofwhatIwastoldwereFifteenthandCareystreets。Infrontitwasfourstorieshigh;behindbutthree,owingtotherapidriseofthehill,againstwhichitwasbuilt。
　　ItfrontedtowardstheJamesRiverandKanawhaCanal,andtheJamesRiver——bothlyingsidebyside,andonlyonehundredyardsdistant,withnointerveningbuildings。Thefrontwindowsaffordedafineview。
　　TotherightfrontwasLibby,withitsguardspacingarounditonthesidewalk,watchingthefifteenhundredofficersconfinedwithinitswalls。Atintervalsduringeachdaysquadsoffreshprisonerscouldbeseenenteringitsdarkmouth,toberegistered,andsearched,andthenmarchedofftotheprisonassignedthem。WecouldseeuptheJamesRiverforamileorso,towherethelongbridgescrossingitboundedtheview。
　　Directlyinfront,acrosstheriver,wasaflat,sandyplain,saidtobeGeneralWinfieldScott'sfarm,andnowusedasaprovinggroundforthegunscastattheTredegarIronWorks。
　　Theviewdowntheriverwasveryfine。Itextendedabouttwelvemiles,towhereagapinthewoodsseemedtoindicateafort,whichweimaginedtobeFortDarling,atthattimetheprincipalfortificationdefendingthepassageoftheJames。
　　Betweenthatpointandwherewewerelaytheriver,inalong,broadmirror—likeexpanse,likeaprettylittleinlandlake。Occasionallyabusylittletugwouldbustleupordown,agunboatmovealongwithnoiselessdignity,suggestiveofareservedpower,oraschoonerbeatlazilyfromonesidetotheother。Buttheseweresofewastomakeevenmorepronouncedthecustomaryidlenessthathungoverthescene。Thetug'sactivityseemedspasmodicandforced——asortofprotestagainstthegraduallyincreasinglethargythatreigneduponthebosomofthewaters——
　　thegunboatfloatedalongasifperformingaperfunctoryduty,andtheschoonerssailedaboutasiftiredofremaininginoneplace。Thatlittlestretchofwaterwasallthatwasleftforacruisingground。
　　BeyondFortDarlingtheUniongunboatslay,andtheonlyvesselthatpassedthebarrierwastheoccasionalflag—of—trucesteamer。
　　Thebasementofthebuildingwasoccupiedasastore—houseforthetaxes—
　　in—kindwhichtheConfederateGovernmentcollected。Onthefirstfloorwereaboutfivehundredmen。Onthesecondfloor——whereIwas——wereaboutfourhundredmen。ThesewereprincipallyfromtheFirstDivision,FirstCorpsdistinguishedbyaroundredpatchontheircaps;FirstDivision,SecondCorps,markedbyaredcloverleaf;andtheFirstDivision,ThirdCorps,whoworeareddiamond。TheyweremainlycapturedatGettysburgandMineRun。BesidesthesetherewasaconsiderablenumberfromtheEighthCorps,capturedatWinchester,andalargeinfusionofCavalry—First,SecondandThirdWestVirginia——takeninAverill'sdesperateraiduptheVirginiaValley,withtheWythevilleSaltWorksasanobjective。
　　Onthethirdfloorwereabouttwohundredsailorsandmarines,takeninthegallantbutlucklessassaultupontheruinsofFortSumter,intheSeptemberprevious。Theyretainedthedisciplineoftheshipintheirquarters,keptthemselvestrimandclean,andtheirflooraswhiteasaship'sdeck。Theydidnotcourtthesocietyofthe"sojers"below,whosecampideasofneatnessdifferedfromtheirs。Afewoldbarnacle—backsalwayssatonguardaroundtheheadofthestepsleadingfromthelowerrooms。Theychewedtobaccoenormously,andkepttheirmouthsfilledwiththeextractedjuice。Anyluckless"sojer"whoattemptedtoascendthestairsusuallyreturnedinhaste,toavoidthedelugeofthefilthyliquid。
　　Forconvenienceinissuingrationsweweredividedintomessesoftwenty,eachmesselectingaSergeantasitshead,andeachfloorelectingaSergeant—of—the—Floor,whodrewrationsandenforcedwhatlittledisciplinewasobserved。
　　Thoughwewerenotsoneatasthesailorsaboveus,wetriedtokeepourquartersreasonablyclean,andwewashedtheflooreverymorning;gettingdownonourkneesandrubbingitcleananddrywithrags。Eachmessdetailedamaneachdaytowashupthepartoftheflooritoccupied,andhehadtodothisproperlyornorationwouldbegivenhim。Whilethewashingupwasgoingoneachmanstrippedhimselfandmadecloseexaminationofhisgarmentsforthebody—lice,whichotherwisewouldhaveincreasedbeyondcontrol。Blanketswerealsocarefullyhuntedoverforthese"smalldeer。"
　　Abouteighto'clockasprucelittlelispingrebelnamedRosswouldappearwithabook,andabody—guard,consistingofabigIrishman,whohadtheairofaPoliceman,andcarriedamusketbarrelmadeintoacane。Behindhimweretwoorthreearmedguards。TheSergeant—of—the—Floorcommanded:
　　"Fallininfourranksforroll—call。"
　　Weformedalongonesideoftheroom;theguardshaltedattheheadofthestairs;Rosswalkeddowninfrontandcountedthefiles,closelyfollowedbyhisIrishaid,withhisgun—barrelcaneraisedreadyforuseuponanyonewhoshouldarousehisruffianlyire。Breakingrankswereturnedtoourplaces,andsataroundinmoodysilenceforthreehours。
　　Wehadeatennothingsincethepreviousnoon。Risinghungry,ourhungerseemedtoincreaseinarithmeticalratiowitheveryquarterofanhour。
　　ThesetimesaffordedanillustrationofthethoroughsubjectionofmantothetyrantStomach。Amoreirritablelotofindividualscouldscarcelybefoundoutsideofamenageriethanthesemenduringthehourswaitingforrations。"Crosserthan,twosticks"utterlyfailedasacomparison。
　　Theywerecrosserthanthelinesofacheckapron。Manycouldhavegivenoddstothetraditionalbearwithasorehead,andrunoutofthegamefiftypointsaheadofhim。Itwasastonishinglyeasytogetupafightatthesetimes。Therewasnoneedofgoingastepoutofthewaytosearchforit,asonecouldhaveafullfledgedarticleofoverwhelmingsizeonhishandsatanyinstant,byatriflingindiscretionofspeechormanner。Alltheoldirritatingflingsbetweenthecavalry,theartilleryandtheinfantry,theolder"first—call"men,andthelateror"Three—
　　Hundred—Dollar—men,"astheywerederisivelydubbed,betweenthedifferentcorpsoftheArmyofthePotomac,betweenmenofdifferentStates,andlastlybetweentheadherentsandopponentsofMcClellan,cametothelipsandwereansweredbyablowwiththefist,whenaringwouldbeformedaroundthecombatantsbyacrowd,whichwouldencouragethemwithyellstodotheirbest。Inafewminutesoneofthepartiestothefisticdebate,whofoundthepointraisedbyhimnotwelltaken,wouldretiretothesinktowashthebloodfromhisbatteredface,andtherestwouldresumetheirseatsandgloweratspaceuntilsomefreshexcitementrousedthem。Forthelasthourorsooftheselongwaitshardlyawordwouldbespoken。Weweretooill—naturedtotalkforamusement,andtherewasnothingelsetotalkfor。
　　Thisspellwasbrokenabouteleveno'clockbytheappearanceattheheadofthestairwayoftheIrishmanwiththegun—barrelcane,andhissingingout:
　　"Sargintuvtheflure:fourtaneminandabread—box！"
　　Instantlyeverymansprangtohisfeet,andpressedforwardtobeoneofthefavoredfourteen。Onedidnotgetanymoregyrationsorobtainthemanysoonerbythis,butitwasarelief,andachangetowalkthehalfsquareoutsidetheprisontothecookhouse,andhelpcarrytherationsback。
　　ForalittlewhileafterourarrivalinRichmond,therationsweretolerablygood。TherehadbeensomuchsaidabouttheprivationsoftheprisonersthatourGovernmenthad,aftermuchquibblingandnegotiation,succeededingettingtheprivilegeofsendingfoodandclothingthroughthelinestous。Ofcoursebutasmallpartofthatsenteverreacheditsdestination。ThereweretoomanygreedyRebelsalongitslineofpassagetoletmuchofitbereceivedbythoseforwhomitwasintended。
　　WecouldseefromourwindowsRebelsstruttingaboutinovercoats,inwhichtheboxwrinkleswerestillplainlyvisible,wearingnew"U。S。"
　　blanketsascloaks,andwalkinginGovernmentshoes,worthfabulouspricesinConfederatemoney。
　　FortunatelyforourGovernmenttherebelsdecidedtooutthemselvesofffromthisprofitablesourceofsupply。WereadonedayintheRichmondpapersthat"PresidentDavisandhisCabinethadcometotheconclusionthatitwasincompatiblewiththedignityofasovereignpowertopermitanotherpowerwithwhichitwasatwar,tofeedandclotheprisonersinitshands。"
　　Iwillnotstoptoarguethispointofhonor,andshowitsabsurditybypointingoutthatitisnotanunusualpracticewithnationsatwar。Itisasufficientcommentaryuponthisassumptionofpunctiliousnessthatthepaperwentontosaythatsomefivetonsofclothingandfifteentonsoffood,whichhadbeensentunderaflagoftrucetoCityPoint,wouldneitherbereturnednordeliveredtous,but"convertedtotheuseoftheConfederateGovernment。"
　　"Andsurelytheyareallhonorablemen！"
　　Heavensavethemark。
　　CHAPTERIX。
　　BRANSORPEAS——INSUFFICIENCYOFDARKYTESTIMONY——AGUARDKILLSA
　　PRISONER——PRISONERSTEAZETHEGUARDS——DESPERATEOUTBREAK。
　　But,toreturntotherations——atopicwhich,withescapeorexchange,weretobetheabsorbingonesforusforthenextfifteenmonths。Therewasnowissuedtoeverytwomenaloafofcoarsebread——madeofamixtureofflourandmeal——andaboutthesizeandshapeofanordinarybrick。
　　Thishalfloafwasaccompanied,whileourGovernmentwasallowedtofurnishrations,withasmallpieceofcornedbeef。Occasionallywegotasweetpotato,orahalf—pintorsuchamatterofsoupmadefromacoarse,butnutritious,beanorpea,calledvariously"nigger—pea,"
　　"stock—pea,"or"cow—pea。"
　　This,bytheway,becameafruitfulboneofcontentionduringourstayintheSouth。Onestrongpartyamongusmaintainedthatitwasabean,becauseitwasshapedlikeone,andbrown,whichtheyclaimednopeaeverwas。Theotherpartyheldthatitwasapeabecauseitsvariousnamesallagreedindescribingitasapea,andbecauseitwassofullofbugs—
　　—nonebeingentirelyfreefrominsects,andsomehavingasmanyastwelvebyactualcount——withinitsshell。This,theydeclared,wasadistinctivecharacteristicofthepeafamily。Thecontentionbeganwithourfirstinstalmentoftheleguminousration,andwasstillragingbetweenthesurvivorswhopassedintoourlinesin1865。Itwaxedhotoccasionally,andeachsidecontinuallysoughtevidencetosupportitsviewofthecase。Onceanolddarky,sentintotheprisononsomeerrand,wassummonedtodecideahotdisputethatwasraginginthecrowdtowhichIbelonged。Thechampionofthepeasidesaid,producingoneoftheobjectsofdispute:
　　"Now,boys,keepstill,tillIputthequestionfairly。Now,uncle,whatdotheycallthatthere？"
　　Thecoloredgentlemanscrutinizedthevegetableclosely,andreplied,"Well,deymos'generallycalls'emstock—peas,roundhyaraways。"
　　"There,"saidthepea—championtriumphantly。
　　"But,"brokeintheleaderofthebeanparty,"Uncle,don'ttheyalsocallthembeans？"
　　"Well,yes,chile,Ispecdatlotsof'emdoes。"
　　Andthiswasaboutthewaythematterusuallyended。
　　Iwillnotattempttobiasthereader'sjudgmentbysayingwhichsideI
　　believedtoberight。AsthehistoricBritishshowmansaid,inreplytothequestionastowhetherananimalinhiscollectionwasarhinocerosoranelephant,"Youpaysyourmoneyandyoutakesyourchoice。"
　　Therationsissuedtous,aswillbeseenabove,thoughtheyappearscanty,werestillsufficienttosupportlifeandhealth,andmonthsafterward,inAndersonville,weusedtolookbacktothemassumptuous。
　　Weusuallyhadthemdividedandeatenbynoon,and,withthegnawingsofhungerappeased,wespenttheafternoonandeveningcomfortably。Wetoldstories,pacedupanddown,thefloorforexercise,playedcards,sung,readwhatfewbookswereavailable,stoodatthewindowsandstudiedthelandscape,andwatchedtheRebelstryingtheirgunsandshells,andsoonaslongasitwasdaylight。Occasionallyitwasdangeroustobeaboutthewindows。Thisdependedwhollyonthetemperoftheguards。OnedayamemberofaVirginiaregiment,onguardonthepavementinfront,deliberatelylefthisbeat,walkedoutintothecenterofthestreet,aimedhisgunatamemberoftheNinthWestVirginia,whowasstandingatawindownear,andfiring,shothimthroughtheheart,thebulletpassingthroughhisbody,andthroughthefloorabove。Theactwaspurelymalicious,andwasdone,doubtless,inrevengeforsomeinjurywhichourmenhaddonetheassassinorhisfamily。
　　Wewerenotaltogetherblameless,byanymeans。Therewerefewopportunitiestosaybitterlyoffensivethingstotheguards,letpassunimproved。
　　TheprisonersinthethirdflooroftheSmithbuilding,adjoiningus,hadtheirownwayofteasingthem。Lateatnight,wheneverybodywouldbelyingdown,andoutofthewayofshots,awindowinthethirdstorywouldopen,abroomstick,withapiecenailedacrosstorepresentarms,andclothedwithacapandblouse,wouldbeprotruded,andavoicecomingfromamancarefullyprotectedbythewall,wouldinquire:
　　"S—a—y,g—uarr—d,whattimeisit？"
　　Iftheguardwasofthelongsufferingkindhewouldanswer:
　　"Takeyo'headbackin,updah;youknohitsaginallodahstododat？"
　　Thenthevoicewouldsay,aggravatingly,"Oh,well,goto————
　　you————Rebel————,ifyoucan'tansweracivilquestion。"
　　Beforethespeechwasendedtheguard'sriflewouldbeathisshoulderandhewouldfire。Backwouldcometheblouseandhatinhaste,onlytogooutagainthenextinstant,withaderisivelaugh,and"Thoughtyouweregoingtohurtsomebody,didn'tyou,you————————————
　　————————。But,Lord,youcan'tshootforsourapples;ifIcouldn'tshootnobetterthanyou,Mr。JohnnyReb,Iwould————"
　　Bythistimetheguard,havinghisgunloadedagain,wouldcutshorttheremarkswithanothershot,which,followedupwithsimilarremarks,wouldprovokestillanother,whenanalarmsounding,theguardsatLibbyandalltheotherbuildingsarounduswouldturnout。Anofficeroftheguardwouldgoupwithasquadintothethirdfloor,onlytofindeverybodyuptheresnoringawayasiftheyweretheSevenSleepers。