English Diary 1
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:49 last edited by
19th. Three men found dead this morning; dying of starvation; no rations at all today; many taken to the hospital.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:49 last edited by
20th. Rations three-fourths of a pound of bread, half a pint of boiled rice, and about a gill of molasses. They say it is to make up for not getting anything yesterday.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:49 last edited by
21st. The prison police receive extra rations; and well they earn it; they carry the filth away in tubs and empty it in the James river. Heavy rain last night and this morning.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:50 last edited by
22d. We got rice soup and dodger this morning. One prisoner stabbed another today, the result of an altercation.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:50 last edited by
23d. Great joy this morning owing to the news of a speedy exchange and that every prisoner in Richmond and vicinity would be paroled or exchanged before the first of the month.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:50 last edited by
24th and 25th. Nothing transpiring.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:51 last edited by
26th. Guards report great excitement in Richmond about our cavalry making a raid on the city.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:51 last edited by
31st. Rations for the last four or five days the same, and I thought it was no use to use my diary, as I had nothing to put in it but starvation and suffering.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:51 last edited by
February 2, 1864. About five hundred prisoners came in here today. They were captured at the Rapidan and they say our army is in fine condition for the Spring campaign. Some of them cannot eat the prison rations, and as they have money, they can trade with the guards.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:51 last edited by
5th. The prisoners who arrived the second bought some beans, eggs and sausages from the guards and cannot get them cooked right; it is making them sick to eat it. I saw one of the prisoners gather up what one of them vomited, wash it off, cook it over again and eat it. Starvation will make us do anything. Orders received here this morning that some of us would be sent to Pemberton prison and from there to City Point for exchange. About five hundred of us were taken out this afternoon and brought over to the old place. Some say for exchange but others say that we are going to be sent to Georgia,
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:52 last edited by
7th. Saw Captain Meaney, of my company, had a friendly salute from him. He made signs with his hands indicating that we were bound for Georgia. Rations today just twice as much as we received on Bell Isle. The men are in good spirits, thinking they are going to be exchanged. Some new prisoners came in today and were taken to Libby to be searched. Reports have it that Kilpatrick is making a raid on Richmond. The guards will not talk to us. One of them fired a shot from the guard room up through the floor. The ball passed through the third floor; on its way it struck one of the men on the finger and smashed it. Another man was struck on the head but not fatally, while standing at the window, two other prisoners had narrow escapes and having been fired. Possibly they are furious because of Kilpatrick's raid.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:52 last edited by
8th. Left building this morning at 4.00 o'clock and marched to the depot and took the cars. The guards say we are going to Georgia (that is the exchange.) Each man receives a loaf of corn bread as he marches out of the building. There are six hundred of us, about sixty of us packed in each car. No seats, but lying in all positions tall swearing and fighting; remain in the cars all night.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:52 last edited by
9th. Arrived here at Raleigh, North Carolina, at 4.00 P. M., and will remain here all night.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:52 last edited by
10th. Four or five prisoners made their escape last night and several died in the cars. Started for Branchville, South Carolina, this morning.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:52 last edited by
11th. Arrived at Branchville this afternoon and changed cars and guards.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:53 last edited by
12th. Several prisoners jumped off the cars on the Georgia Central Railroad in the night and made their escape, Several men too sick to take from Raleigh, so were left behind.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:53 last edited by
13th. Drawing close to Macon, Georgia, and the guards say we will remain there till morning and get something to eat. Arrived at Macon at about 9.00 P. M.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:53 last edited by
14th. Start out for Andersonville this morning; it is about 40 miles from here and we expect to get there about 2.00 o'clock this afternoon, I wish we were there, for I am tired of being in these old freight cars for the last four or five days.
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wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:53 last edited by
February 15th. Our train, after groaning and creaking along for five or six days, during which time there were many adventures, escapes and recaptures, at last reached its destination. The trip from Macon was nearly south over a railroad passing through a continuous stretch of dense pine woods and vine tangled swamps. After a run of sixty miles from Macon, we stopped in a clearing, where there were few houses, and which we learned was Andersonville. We were taken from the cars to an open piece of ground just east of the station. Looking eastward about a quarter of a mile we could see an immense stockade. The last few days of our journey we had no water and suffered from thirst; the car that I was in had been used for hauling lime, and had half an inch of lime on the floor. When they loaded us in at Richmond, Va., they put about sixty men in each car and any moving around would stir up the dust. Our lips and tongues seemed parched and cracked; two died in our car on this trip. There was a small brook within two rods of us, but the guard line was between us and the water. I was pleading with the guards to let us go to the water when a little grinning-faced rebel captain on a gray horse rode up and shook a revolver in my face and said : "You Yankee, you must wait, or you get so much water that you drown in putty quick." He rode around us several times, bounding high in his saddle, flourishing a revolver and swearing at the guards and us alternately; by this time we learned that this was Captain Wirz. the Commander of the prison.
train - a succession of vehicles traveling in the same direction
clearing - a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
hauling - transportation -
wrote on 24 Jan 2025, 21:54 last edited by
We were ordered forward towards the big stockade, moving quietly and painfully along, our spirits almost crushed within us, urged on by the double file of guards on either side of our column of ragged, lousy skeletons, who scarce had strength to run away if given an opportunity. We neared the wall of great square logs, and massive wooden gates, that were to shut out hope and life from nearly all of us forever. The cheerless sight near the gate, of a pile of ghastly dead, the eyes of which shone with a stony glitter, the faces black with smoky grime and pinched with pain and hunger, the long matted hair, and almost fleshless frames swarming with vermin - gave us some idea that a like fate awaited us inside.
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