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they have built — some of blankets, others of old tents, oil-cloths, pine-straw, earth, etc., and some of boards.
There is also a sutler appointed by the government, who sells them vegetables, fruits, eggs, or anything else he can procure, except munitions of war and liquor.
The same writer states a remarkable fact connected with the history of this prison, which we do not remember having seen before, and the correctness of which we have no means of confirming:
The Federals,
he says, “have established in the interior of the prison a court of justice, where all criminal offences are tried.
The
Friday before I arrived there they hanged six of their number, who were tried, found guilty, and condemned by the court to suffer death for their crimes against their fellow-prisoners.
They sent to the commandant of the prison for tools and materials to build the scaffold, and the rope to hang them with; and they then proceeded to execute the sentence of the court with all the decorum and solemnity that would have been observed by our own people.”
It is certainly strange that the officers in charge of this prison should have allowed such a court to be established by the prisoners; but in war, which is a dreadful trade, we are met on all sides by scenes that would shock us terribly in times of peace.
In the far
Southwest the great revival influence, already noticed by
Dr. Kavanaugh, was felt among the soldiers with great power.
In two brigades there were over five hundred conversions.
The scenes were much like those witnessed sixty or seventy years ago.
Dr. K. says in his report
Wicked men come into the congregation, or into the outskirts of it, and are suddenly stricken down and fall to the earth, and remain for hours speechless and apparently unconscious.
Some of their friends became alarmed for them and spoke of running for the doctor.
But old Bro.
Talbott happened to be experienced enough
