662 NortH CaARoLina Troops, 1861-65.

warm, but I was unable to march the distance, eight miles.
We were escorted by cavalry. The officers were very kind.
They served out rations to us, soft bread was given to the of-
ficers, hard tack to the men. The rations consisted of bread,
bacon, sugar and coffee. A horse was furnished me and I
got along very well until we arrived at the Junction. If you
remember, we destroyed the road from Bristoe Station to the
river, but in less than a month they had it nearly replaced
with new sills and rails and bridges. We found here a long
train of dirty box cars into which we were packed like fish in
a barrel, and owing to some cause we did not start until nearly
9 o’clock. Being very much fatigued I went to sleep and
woke up at Washington City about 4 o’clock in the morning.
We had a very strong guard with us on the train with artil-
lery mounted in flats. At Washington we were met by a reg-
iment from Pennsylvania who volunteered to escort us
through the streets of the city with military honors. We ar-
rived at the old capitol about daybreak, and were ushered
into the yard where I was lucky enough to find a soft plank
to rest on. We did not remain here long, when we were in-
vited into the house, where the prospects for comfort were
very uninviting. The first thing we tried to do was to kin-
dle a fire, but it proved a failure. Breakfast was soon an-
nounced. It was plain, plentiful and substantial, and Uncle
Sam had no cause to complain that justice was not done his
fare. In the course of the day, Mr. Wood, the superintend-
ent, gave four of us, Colonels Godwin, Murchison, Ellis and
myself, a couple of rooms in a building near by, where we
were made very comfortable. As soon as I arrived in Wash-
ington I wrote to my friends in Baltimore, informing them
of what had happened. The rooms we occupied were
on the third story fronting the capitol and the windows
were grated. One room we used for a sleeping room, the
other, having a stove, was our parlor, dining and sit-
ting room. Here we fared sumptuously. The rations
issued were good. Mr. Wood sent us $100 and we were
doing finely. :

Our next door neighbor was Miss Belle Boyd. I wish I
was able to do her justice by a short description. She soon

Prison Lire at Jonnson’s ISLAND. 663

made our acquaintance and sent us four a magnificent din-
ner, and she visited us often. She was not handsome, but a
beautiful figure and of winning and prepossessing manners.
Her conversation was animated and charming. She was
very sensitive and almost childish, she was warm hearted and
generous and one was almost compelled to love her. She
was looked upon by the Federals as being a very dangerous
woman, but one would not think so, unless he was well ac-
quainted with her. Her prejudices were very strong and she
hated the North with a bitterness I never saw equaled before
in a woman. She related to us many amusing anecdotes of
her life. She was also very troublesome to her guards, but
as far as I could see she was treated kindly. Her rooms were
elegantly furnished and she fared sumptuously. Her only
complaint seemed to be the restraint of prison life. Our
privileges in Washington were somewhat restrained. We
were allowed two hours each day for exercise in a very small
yard. Sentinels lined every passage and at night would ery
each hour with “all’s well.” Our door was usually locked
but could be opened on the slightest summons by the sentinel
on the outside. No visiting was allowed only by permission,
Miss Belle being the only exception, she being a privileged
character.*

Mr. Wood was very kind to use. He visited us very often,
supplying us with money and everything we desired. I shall
always remember him with kindness. I was surprised the
third day of my imprisonment by being informed that two
ladies wished to see me in the office below. You may judge
my delight and astonishment, when I entered the office, to
find my two sisters from Baltimore, the oldest, Louise, the
youngest, Kate. The room was full of officers, the rules for-
bidding a private interview. -I shall not undertake to de-
scribe this meeting. You can form some idea of two affec-
tionate sisters meeting their brother in prison, whom they
had not seen in five years. We were only allowed thirty
minutes interview. It was cruelly short. My oldest sister

*It is now understood that she was a Federal spy. using the oc-
casion to ‘‘spot’? Southern sympathizers who communicated with pris-
oners. The above facts would indicate as much.—Ep.