English Diary 2
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:30 last edited by
16th. Rations — a sanitary cupful of corn meal and six ounces of beef, Eight or ten deaths yesterday and last night. Five hundred prisoners arrived from our old quarters at Richmond.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:30 last edited by
19th. Nothing new last two or three days. Walter Webb, of my company, very sick today. Poor fellow, I must attend to him, as he did all he could for me when I was sick. We are going to take care of each other as long as we can.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:31 last edited by
20th, No change in rations. Webb is no better today. More prisoners from Richmond just came in. It is cool here nights and morning but pleasant during the day. Webb, Culberson, Gallagher and I have two blankets which we make serve as a tent.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:31 last edited by
21st. Some beans and a little soup added to the rations today. Webb is a little better, but Culberson is now sick.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:31 last edited by
30th. Nothing to say for several days, but I must do something. A large number of prisoners arrived from Danville prison, it is getting very much crowded here.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:31 last edited by
April 1, 1864. More prisoners from the neighborhood of Richmond, Va. Squads of four to six men are let outside of the gates each day to gather firewood for each ninety men. The poor fellows can't carry much but they are glad to get out and get some fresh air.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:31 last edited by
2d. Rations, the usual quantity of corn meal and six or eight ounces of rotten beef, but it must be eaten. The filth and vermin in this place is horrible. Oh, humanity ! eh, Christianity! where are you. Not in the Southern Confederacy, that I can testify to. Some strangers, men and women, came in here the other day , and when they saw our condition, they turned up their noses and laughed.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:31 last edited by
3d. They say that three or four of our men while out in the woods for firewood, over-powered the guard, took his musket from him, stripped him of his clothing, and then took him fifteen miles away and allowed him to go.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:32 last edited by
4th. Rations, pig feed, (corn meal,) about three ounces of salt pork and half a pint of beans. Three men above-mentioned were pursued, over taken and brought back here today and ball and chain put on them.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:32 last edited by
5th. Some more prisoners tried to get away last night. Capt. Wirz. the commander, is greatly excited ; he rode through the camp on his horse, and no prisoner dared speak to him.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:32 last edited by
6th. Considerable fighting and stealing among the prisoners, It is not safe for one to have a dollar or a good overcoat, for you would be way-layed and killed, if necessary, to gain possession of the coveted articles. It is said there is a regular organized gang of thieves here. Deaths are on the increase all the time; from twenty- five to forty dropping off a day. The sun is quite warm now. God help us, if they keep us in this filth during the hot weather. The dead-line is claiming its victims and the stocks and various instruments of torture are being patronized. The deep-toned baying of the bloodhounds breaks the morning stillness of the forest and swamps; some poor fellow has got beyond the guards and is being chased down. The sound of the hounds dies away and instead we hear the far-away tooting of a horn and the rebel cheer — the run away is caught. In time they appear with him; he is led bleeding and torn and fastened in the infernal machine. The maggot flies deposit their eggs in his wounds and he is punished for ten or twelve hours and then turned into the prison with wounds uncured; a few days later we see him a working mass of maggots. The raiders, or prison thieves are getting bold. They are known as the "Collins Raiders,'' and are growing fat while many in the pen are starving to death. The prison is crowded to its very edge and it is impossible to keep from getting near the dead line. There are hundreds of crazy men in the pen who. in spite of our watching, would get to the dead-line; and many sane men would calmly fold their arms and step across it to end their misery. The guards in shooting the men nearly always wound or kill one who was not near the line; the bullet would pass through the body of the man it was intended for. and glancing on through the pen, would find a lodging place in some innocent man's body. The number shooting this way could be counted by the scores. We were constantly in as much danger of being shot here as at the battle front.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:32 last edited by
8th. Great number of the prisoners sick with rheumatism, diarrhoea, scurvy and a great many are carried off. The hospital was removed outside of the stockade today to make room for more prisoners. The stream of water that passes through here runs from west to east, dividing the camp into two equal parts. The rebel camps are north and south of this stream, with breastworks and battery of artillery on each corner, south and east are the cook houses and west of all is the railroad depot, about three-fourths of a mile away. The rebels wash their clothing and themselves in this stream, horses and mules are driven into it to drink, buckets, tubs and kettles belonging to the rebel camp and cook houses are washed here, and all the filth of the camps thrown into it; and then it runs through to us. We have to use it, although it is literally alive with vermin and filth of all kinds. If our friends could see us! I know it would make many weep to see the thousands of their fellows who only a short time ago held their heads high in honor and pride, keeping step to the soul-stirring martial music, now rotting in filth and apparently forgotten by their government. Just think of it! Seventy-five deaths have occurred in the last 24 hours. At that rate it will not be long until we are all gone. There are about eighteen thousand prisoners here now and more coming in all the time; one shot by the guard today.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:32 last edited by
12th. Have not written in my diary the last three days. During that time three hundred prisoners died. Rations for the last week very fair — corn cob meal and a little over a half-pound of beef.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:32 last edited by
13th. Getting quite warm, which occasions a great many deaths.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:33 last edited by
14th. More prisoners made their escape last night. It is said they dug a hole under the stockade and got out that way. Captain Wirz is wild; says his hounds will make short work of them.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:33 last edited by
15th. Some more prisoners came in today. I did not learn where they are from, but, judging from their appearance, they have been captured recently. They have overcoats and blankets.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:33 last edited by
16th. Wirz gave orders to the guards that if any prisoner approaches the dead-line, shoot him on the spot, and if a crowd congregates near the entrance, for the artillery to open fire on them.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:33 last edited by
17th. Learned today that Sergeant Hope of Co. C, 13th, my regiment, died in Richmond. A number of boxes came today. Some of the prisoners are dissatisfied with their friends at home for their seeming forgetfulness.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:33 last edited by
18th. About five hundred more prisoners came in today from Cahaba, Alabama. Bernard Tolen, Co. D, died today.
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wrote on 26 Jan 2025, 23:33 last edited by
19th Over a hundred deaths the last two days. Corn meal and bacon - a good change.
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3 - 2025-01-30
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