Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 29.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

Unpalatable food.

Our rations, while confined in this prison, were ten ounces of cornmeal per day for each prisoner. The meal was kiln-dried and had been put up in 1861; so it was four years old. It had turned very dark, and was not suitable food for animals—certainly not for human beings.

When taken out of the barrels it was a cemented mass, and would come out in chunks and blocks as large as a half bushel.

Before using it, we would have to rub it in our hands, and sift it through tin cans perforated with a nail. This was done to separate the bugs from the meal, when we felt that we could spare the bugs and have meal enough left. One can imagine what our condition was with no food but this for forty-four days, except sour pickle made of onions, cabbage, and other vegetables. The pickle was given us to prevent scurvy. Some of our number were already suffering from this trouble.