678 Norta Carotina Troops, i861-’65.

suspense to us. The accounts from the field through Yan-
. kee papers are anything but encouraging. They have the
most bombastic headings, and judging from what they say,
they must have killed and wounded twice as many men as
Lee had, and driven him at least a hundred miles south of
Richmond. But we know our little army yet presents a wall
of living fire around Spottsylvania Court House and it is
no fault of ours that we are not there to share in the hardships
and dangers of our comrades. There is no reliable news
about our being exchanged. The prospects are gloomy
enough about getting to Dixie. There are here now over
two thousand officers, and how many more will be added to
our number before the war is over, God only knows. I am
nearly out of money and clothes, and have no prospects of
procuring any more. It seems that my friends are tired of
me for they write but seldom now. Everything is enor
mously high, but money will procure one anything he wants.
Tobacco, for instance, is $1.00 a plug, or $2.50 a pound.
Confederate money is worth 7 cents in the dollar; so you can
figure to yourself how much our money will buy. During
the greater part of the winter and spring we had a part of
Sedgewick’s Corps to guard us. They were very kind to the
prisoners and we received many favors at their hands, and we
were all sorry when they left for the front, for they left us in
the hands of the cold blooded militia of this State, whose
acts of cruelty will long be remembered with unpleasant re-
flections. General Shaler, lately captured at Spottsylvania,
was in command of this post. Major Belvin, who shared his
fate, was in charge of the prison inside. So you see how
fate changes. I have a little bunch of wild flowers that came
from our graveyard outside and you have no idea with what
fondness and tenderness I nurse them. They carry me back
to happy hours before the horrid war. It is cold weather
here, yet I almost dread warm weather for the stench from
our filthy den will be almost intolerable.

May 16.—The same painful suspense is with us in regard
to the situation of General Lee’s army. The Yankees in this
morning’s issue of the Sandusky News claim a great and de
cisive victory, with General Lee in full retreat. Truly we do

 

Prison Lire at JoHnson’s ISLAND. 679

not believe all the stuff we read. If we did and it was true,
we should by this time have Lee a hundred miles from Rich-
mond, wounded and dying, and lost more prisoners than he
had men. We should also have to realize the sad spectacle
of seeing a Yankee General gobbling up men and swallowing
cannons. It would astonish you to see some of the bulletins
sent from the army and published by authority of the Gov-
ernment. They are exceedingly jubilant over their supposed
victories over Lee, but time will show.

May 19.—A little lull in the great storm of excitement.
The news from the army to-day is more favorable and we
have the glad assurance that all is yet well. The Yankees
make a feeble effort to claim victory, admitting a loss of
40,000 men.

May 23.—The great excitement is now over and we can
look around upon our gloomy prison and breathe free. Yes-
terday being Sunday, we had preaching, the Rev. Colonel
Lewis ofticiating. I never in my life listened to a more elo-
quent and appropriate sermon. About a thousand officers
were present representing every Southern State, as well as
every degree of wickedness and good. It is a great privilege
to have such a good man among us as Colonel Lewis.

T saw a little incident this afternoon that struck me very
forcibly. The Yankees were having a grand parade, just
as one of our poor fellows was being carried out to the grave.
The coffin, a square box, was being handled in a dray fol-
lowed by about a dozen of his comrades. They had to pass
the Yankee regiment, which was having a great flourish of
trumpets as they marched by. The contrast was very im-
pressive. One was the pomp and show, the other the stern
reality of war. The weather is quite warm here now. We
understand that seven hundred more prisoners are to be added
to our already crowded prison. This looks as if there was
to-be no exchange and I don’t think the prospects very flatter-
ing. There must be now, on both sides, at least sixty or sev-
enty thousand men held as prisoners. This is a burlesque
on civilization and a lasting disgrace to the Federal Govern-
ment. Pity at least, for their own men, should induce them
to encourage an exchange. No, they are willing to sacrifice