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[196] ninety-two miles to Staunton. I shall never forget, after we left Staunton, the remarks of this lady. At nearly every station that we came to, the rebels crowded upon the platforms to see these monstrous creatures called Yankees. After we commenced our march from Winchester, we reached Staunton, ninety-two miles, in four days. The first loaf of bread we bought we paid two dollars for, and we paid the same price for a little bucketful of milk. At night we had a stick of wood or a stone for a pillow. When we sent rebel prisoners to Martinsburg, twenty-three miles, we sent them in wagons; but here were Lieutenant-Colonels, Captains, Chaplains, and Surgeons marched the whole distance on foot, except when one of the guards got tired of riding, and would let some one ride his horse a short distance. We arrived in Richmond towards night, of a dark, drizzly, damp day, and there we were separated from the ladies who went down with us. The ladies were sent to Castle Thunder, and we were sent to Libby Prison. This Libby Prison stands on the north bank of the James River, on the east side of the city of Richmond, and gets its name from the former owners of the building, “Libby & son.” It was formerly used for a tobacco house. It is a building of about two hundred and fifty feet on the street, and one hundred feet back, and is three stories high. There are nine rooms, all about of a size. I should suppose that in the basement there are an equal number of rooms. There is not a sash nor a glass in a window in that building, with the exception of the one room that has been used for the hospital. I presume our officers who are there to-day, while we are here comfortable in this room, are without either sash or glass in the windows. In the room that I was in, which was one hundred feet long by fifty feet wide, there were fifteen openings for windows, but no sash or glass in any of them. We were conducted into the office of that building, Captain Turner's room. (By the by, let me say to you, that if ever Captain Turner falls into the hands of any of the Union officers that have been confined in that prison it will be a sad day for him.) He is a man that is entirely devoid of humanity. There is not a good streak in him, from the ends of his toes clear up to the ends of his hair. He has another man under his control who acts as inspector, who is as mean a man as ever the Lord let live anywhere, and, as they say down in Castle Thunder, if the devil does not get him there is no use in having a devil. When we arrived at this office they took us into another room, where the process of searching commenced. They took our gum blankets and all our money, provided we did not hide it. Some of them hid their money, and, by keeping it out of sight, they succeeded in taking it into prison with them. From me they received ninety-one dollars in greenbacks. They gave me a receipt, and stated to us that all our money should be returned to us when we left the prison. But it so happened, as they said, that they got a despatch only an hour before we had to leave, and all our money was in the hands of the quartermaster, and he was at the other end of the town; and, with all the good wishes they had for me, and my fellow-chaplains, and much as they professed to desire the return of the money, it would be impossible to do it. So we came off without the money. [A voice--“I thought they did not like greenbacks.” ] They are as greedy for greenbacks as a pig is for green corn. I tell you that the guards of the prison would roll up Confederate money, and put little stones in it, so that they could throw it, and we would throw down greenbacks in exchange. They were punished severely if caught at it, but with all their care, and everything they could do to stop it, we could get all the money exchanged that we had; and if we had had ten times as much we could have got it exchanged. As a punishment, they reduced some officers to the ranks, and did all that it was possible to do to stop the circulation of greenbacks; for whenever a Confederate gets greenbacks enough to pay his way out, he is almost sure to desert; and that is one reason why they wish to keep greenbacks away from them. When we were searched we were sent up stairs, and there I heard one cry I shall never forgets as it rung in my ears: “Fresh fish! Fresh fish!” I thought we were to have fine living if we were to have fresh fish every day; but as soon as I got up I found that we were the fresh fish they were talking about. When we entered the prison we were called Milroy's thieves, for they had a terrible spite at Milroy. They said if they had only got him they would have torn him in pieces. Seeing that they had not got Milroy, they must have somebody upon whom to vent their spite. When Colonel Streight was first brought in they vented their spite on him. The Governor of Alabama issued a requisition that Colonel Streight and all his officers should be delivered over to the civil authorities, to be tried by the laws of Alabama, and executed. They endeavored to intimidate them. Well, when we came in they changed their spite from Colonel Streight to Milroy's men. They were all bad men. They must not buy a single thing. We must not buy any coffee, or tea, or sugar, or bread, or anything at all. They were going to put us on the scantiest rations and the strictest discipline. They were very angry towards us. The first scene that I witnessed in Libby Prison made a strong impression upon me. A surgeon, Dr. Pierce, a fine young man that had travelled with me on the march from Winchester down to Staunton, and from Staunton to Libby Prison, and after we had got there, on a hot day in June, sat down in the window and pitt his head out to breathe the fresh air. The guard on the street, passing by, ordered him to take his head in, but he did not hear him. It was said that the guard repeated the order, but he did not hear him. I heard the crack of a musket, and saw the bullet strike in the sleeper joist, just above Dr. Pierce. By the good providence of God, it barely missed him. I assure you we took care how we put our heads put of the windows after that. At Castle Lightning, opposite to Castle Thunder, a
Van Nostrand. New York, New York. 1866.
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