1 A SOIREE RET Ue PRE OAL

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752 NorrH Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

the privilege of purchasing a variety of articles from outsid-
ers. The above correspondent says that at one time his mess
had seventy-five dozen eggs. During the Spring, Summer
and Autumn some of the citizens showed their kindness and
humanity by carrying or sending down quantities of provis-
ions. The buildings afforded ample shelter, there being, in
addition to the large house, six other smaller brick buildings.
The old well afforded pure, refreshing water, and the oaks
shed a cool and grateful shade. An escaped prisoner pub-
lished a complimentary acknowledgment of the genial cour-
tesy and generosity of Captain Swift Galloway, who was at
that time commanding. They then had for the sick clean
mattresses, and a frame hospital large enough for forty pa-
tients. There was one peculiarly sad feature, however, con-
nected with the prisoners. It was the close confinement of
two or three officers as hostages for a like number of Confed-
erate officers whom the Federal Government was threatening
to execute in retaliation for the death of certain criminals by
order of the Confederate authorities. Their lot was of ne-
cessity very severe, but was alleviated by the magnanimous
treatment of the commandant.

METHODS OF ESCAPE.

There were a few regular prisoners of war at this time in
addition to other classes. Twelve officers were confined in
the upper story of the large building. They concluded to
make a desperate effort to escape. Accordingly they tied
their blankets together, hung them out of the window, and
a deserter, who was to act as their guide, started down. But
the blankets were torn by his weight, he fell to the ground,
the sentinels discovered him, and the plan was foiled.

Other attempts were made by means of tunnels, one run-
ning from the commissary building to the stockade, but the
vigilance of the guards again foiled them. The efforts and
plans resorted to in order to effect their escape were often
very irregular. The dead were buried outside of the stock-
ade by a detail of prisoners under guard. Upon one of these
cecasions one of the prisoners, being a ventriloquist, threw
his voice into the coffin and so frightened the guards that the

SALISBURY PRISON. 753

escape of the entire detail was easily effected. Another suc-
cessful plan was known as the “smallpox ruse.” The hospi-
tal for those afilicted with this dire malady was without the
stockade. A number of prisoners, heating some needles red

‘ hot, burned small holes in their faces and bodies, and present-

ing themselves to the Surgeon of the post, were ordered to the
hospital. Once beyond the stockade, but little time elapsed
ere they, too, had escaped.

When new deserters were brought to the prison they were
generally “mugged” by those already there, and stripped of
everything they had thus far preserved for their comfort.
The parties were detected and subjected to severe corporal
punishment, but as they continued their rapacious violence,
the balance of the prisoners petitioned the authorities to send
them to Andersonville. They were sent in compliance, and
after reaching Andersonville became so obnoxious that they
were arraigned before a court-martial of the prisoners, tried
for their lives, and six of them were convicted and hung. It
might have been one of these who, at Andersonville, mur-
dered his own brother in order to get his property at the
North, buried his body in his tent, spread his blanket over it,
and for some time slept upon it. A gentleman from Georgia
informed me such a case actually occurred.

On 3 March, Captain J. H. Fuqua was appointed to the
duties of inspector, and second in command.

Captain Swift Galloway (Company H, Third Regiment
North Carolina Troops), was succeeded by Colonel John A.
Gilmer, Twenty-seventh Regiment North Carolina Troops,
who had been so severely wounded in battle that he was una-
ble to perform active service again.

In July the officers of the prison were Colonel John A. Gil-
mer, Commandant; Captain J. H. Fuqua, Assistant Com-
mandant; Lieutenant F. D. Stockton, Adjutant.

The prison guard was composed of three companjes known
az “Freeman’s Battalion.”

Company A, Captain C. D. Freeman, 110 men; Company
B, Captain H. P. Allen, 108 men; Company C, Captain E.
D. Snead, 112 men.

The prisoners at that time numbered and were classified as

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