670 NortH Caronina Troops, 1861-65.

penses from Sandusky to the island. We have a postoffice
inside the enclosure where letters are received and distribu-
ted. A short time ago one could write long letters by paying
21% cents for each package, these letters could only be sent
inside the lines. The clerk read them after his hours of bus-
iness, but this was stopped, as the commander here decided
that if letters were proper to go it was worth extra charge for
same.

February 14, 1864.—Time passes rapidly. Last week
about four hundred men were sent from this prison, their
destination, we supposed, being Point Lookout, as we are con-
fident that they are not to be exchanged. They were taken
alphabetically by namé@ and the same number will leave
again as soon as they can cross the lake, which at this time is
impracticable on account of the ice. I am somewhat sur-
prised at this climate; it is more-changeable than North Car-
olina. Virginia is not even so much so. It is a strange
thing to me how quickly the ice can form. A few days ago
when the prisoners left they crossed in a boat, the next day
men were skating on the ice, and yesterday men were walking
on the ice. The weather not being very cold with a fresh
wind, this morning it has nearly all disappeared.

February 23, 1864.—The weather for the past week has
been so cold as to prevent me from writing at all, the ink
would freeze on my pen, water froze in canteens while under
our heads in our bunks. The cold was terrible. It would
penetrate our very bones. I lay under six heavy blankets,
but sleep was out of the question, notwithstanding I had a
bunk mate. Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of
Washington, and it was celebrated in mockery by the Fed-
erals outside of our bull pen. Drums beat, cannons belched
forth its thunders in honor to the memory of that great man,
and flags were waved by many. Yes, this was done by men
fresh from the gory fields of Virginia, the home of Washing-
ton, the first great rebel of the land they had invaded and des-
ecrated, a land whose devastation will remain a monument to
their shame. Yet these very men dared to pollute the name
of Washington, with their foul breath. We had our cele-
bration too, without any permission from our keepers. The

 

Prison Lire at Jounson’s IsuAnn. 671

men met together and called for some of our orators. Cap-
tain Fellows, from Arkansas, responded to the call and in
a few beautiful and appropriate remarks held his audience
spell-bound with his burning eloquence. He was followed by
Colonel Lewis, of Missouri, a favorite minister and a noble
Christian patriot. His remarks were excellent. He was
followed by Lieutenant Houston, of Virginia, who recited
some beautiful poems appropriate to the occasion, and the
whole festival wound up by Captain Fellows giving a senti-
ment composed by a rebel. I do not remember it, but will
get it. We also had music by the rebel band. As the Yan-
kees were not spoken of in very glowing terms, they interfered
and ordered us to our quarters, where-we went with the usual
Confederate yells. Thus passed the anniversary of Wash-
ington at Johnson’s Island.

You will doubtless find this narrative very conflicting in
some cases, but it is no waste of effort on my part to make it
truthful. One thing I wish to call your attention to, and
that is the manner in which facts are perverted and how
grossly things are misrepresented here. A long article ap-
peared in the New York Herald a few days ago describing
the life and condition of prisoners confined on Johnson’s
Island. Among other things it stated that we were supplied
with everything by a sutler, and that we were a happy lot of
fellows. I leave you to infer how happy we are, and as to
our being supplied by a sutler, I will explain, is because we
all have money—-that is, the commander has it on deposit for
us. We have a sutler, his stock consists of almost nothing.
As I stated before, one is not allowed to purchase any vegeta-
bles or delicacies, not even if it would save life.

Notwithstanding this is one of the most secure prisons I
ever saw, yet sometimes our men manage to make an escape.
This can only be done when the bay is frozen over, as it is im-

‘possible to get off the island after getting out of the enclosure.

Owing to the bad and insufficient quantity of water in the
wells, we are permitted to go to the lake once a day and fill
our canteens, and it is only about twenty yards from the en-
closure to the water, yet they have a double line of men
watching us when they open the gate for us to go through to