John D. Billings, The history of the Tenth Massachusetts battery of light artillery in the war of the rebellion

---

[458] unable to satisfy her desire for rapid transit. We made sure that our side had gained some great advantage and saluted the shells with cheers, to the great disgust of the sentries.

Some of the prisoners managed, one day, to cut out a piece of the flooring so as to communicate with the prisoners on the floor below. The Rebel authorities suspected this, but they never could find the place. The negro sweepers must have known where it was, but they never told.

In these ways the wretched days dragged on. At four o'clock, each day, a shout from the northern end of the room gave notice that our luxurious supper was about to be served; this consisted of another piece of the apology for bread, which we by no means sneered at then, and bean, or rather pea broth, about one-third of a pint to each man. It was very galling to see those worthless negroes pour out some of it into the street when the tubs were a little heavy. This stuff was made of the cowpea, raised as a forage crop at the South; and these peas, like others, were full of weevils to such an extent that their carcasses made a thick, black layer over the broth. This was of a dark-red color, and we thought the flavor excellent.

We were as long as possible in eating supper, and when it was over we soon went to bed; that is, we went in a body to our chosen spot near the centre of the room, as far from the window as possible, and lay down. There was no glass in the windows, and as the month was September, and the prison on the river bank, it always became very cold before morning; so we used to lie down as close together as we could get, and when one wanted to turn we all had to turn in concert. It took some time to get to sleep under such circumstances, and just as we were