English Diary 1
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6th. No change in the program today. Have nothing of interest to put down in my diary but hardships and misery, and plenty of that. No one can form an idea of what suffering there is here, and no pen can describe the hardships we have to endure, all through bad management in some department, either Union or rebel. There is talk of sending a petition to Washington to see if we cannot be gotten out of here. Our government should not allow its citizens and soldiers to remain in rebel prisons to rot and die. The rebels blame our government.
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7th, About a dozen of our men taken to the hospital, among them one of my company. Don't expect to see the poor fellow again. One of the guards said today that they only take them to the hospital to get them ready for burial, and advised us all to stay where we are, if we had any one to care for us, as at the hospital the doctors are all young fellows who have no experience and only practice on the prisoners. The old doctors are with the army tending to their own men.
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10th. Great excitement in the building this morning. One of the guards said we would be on our way home in a week, I hope so; Richmond and I will willingly part. There is something the matter today; we can hear the bells ringing. The guards say they are rejoicing over some victory. I hope not. I don't want to hear anything like that.
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13th. Rations half a loaf of corn bread, to last till this time tomorrow. The doctor is in the building now and he is examining the sick, sending the worst cases to the hospital. He said our government is sending us provisions and that they are at City Point now. Well, if that is the case, there is very little chance for parole or exchange this year.
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14th. It is hardly worth my while to say what we had to eat today. but I must say something. Can see the rebel capitol and the dirty rag on top. We have a good view of it from here, it stands on high ground, almost in the center of the city. Half a loaf of corn dodger and a spoonful of molasses today.
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15th. Doctor in again this morning and sent five to the hospital. One of the prisoners died here last night. Cannot learn his name, but he is from some New York regiment. The Doctor said the provisions from our lines arrived this morning. One of the guards said he was going to have seme of the Yankee grub or it would not be his fault. I expect they will get more of it than we will.
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22d. Great excitement this morning about the exchange of prisoners. The prisoned officers across the street in Libby shout to us that all is right now, that the Cartell has been resumed and all hands are going to be exchanged.
hands-crew, a group of people who work closely together.
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23d. Rations about the same as yesterday and we feel better. The rebs say we will get fat now since we are getting the extra rations. I think there are some here who will never get fat. Poor fellows ! I have not received an answer to the letter I sent my mother in Bristol. Sent another today. Told her to send me a box for a Christmas present and put some shirts and notions in it. The rebel officers in charge of us say that any of the prisoners who wish to send word home for anything like clothing and edibles could receive them, as an agreement has been entered into by the commissioners on both sides.
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24th. Rations good today. Have as much as we want now. Some of the prisoners who are weak eat too much since the U. S. rations came in and it almost killed them. Several taken to the hospital this morning in a poor condition. They are never taken from here until they are about dead.
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25th. Very cold last night and a cold rain this morning. This is hard on us, as we have hardly any clothing. And oh! how filthy it is here! The prisoners busy themselves two or three times a day to try and rid themselves of the vermin which are crawling all around. There are about three hundred of us on this floor, and as many more on the second and third.
1 - 2025-02-12
2 - 2025-02-11
3 - 2025-02-10
In 2024, the number of babies born in South Korea increased for the first time in nine years. The change is welcome news for a country that is dealing with serious population problems.