Imprisoned under fire. [from the Richmond, Va., times, August 22, 1897.]
Six hundred gallant Confederate officers on Morris Island, S. C., in reach of Confederate guns.
They were held in retaliation, and two of them relate the experiences of prison Life—Stories of Captain F. C. Barnes and Captain R. E. Frayser.A list of the officers under fire, as above, including those as well from Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee, has been given in Vol. XVII, Southern Historical Society Papers, pp. 34-46, but as the list from Virginia herewith is more complete and definitely descriptive, it is meet that it should be printed now. Further and graphic experience of the ‘hardships, sufferings and hazards’ of the ‘Six Hundred,’ is given in the ‘narrative’ of Colonel Abram Fulkerson, of the 63d Tennessee infantry, Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. XXII, pp. 127-146.—Editor. During the seige of Charleston the powerful Federal guns located on Morris Island could send their shells into the lower part of the city, where their explosion caused great destruction of houses, and danger to the inhabitants of that part of the town. As a means of protecting the residents, Major-General Sam Jones, commanding the Confederate forces in Charleston, notified Major-General J. G. Foster, of the United States army, that he had placed five generals and forty-five field officers of the United States army, ‘in a part of the city occupied by non-combatants, the majority of whom are women and children. It is proper that I should inform you that it is a part of the city which has been for many months exposed day and night to the fire of your guns.’ This letter was sent on the 13th of June, 1864. Forthwith General Foster sent a copy of the letter to General Halleck, at Washington, and thereupon he ordered 600 Confederate officers to be taken from Fort Delaware and placed on Morris Island under the fire of the Confederate guns, in retaliation for the act of General Jones. [366] Of these 600 officers, a list of the Virginians is given herewith, among whom will be found the name of Second Lieutenant C. F. Crisp, 10th Infantry, Luray, Page county. This second lieutenant was the late Speaker of the House of Representatives. Among others of the 600 not named with the Virginians, but well-known in Richmond, were Captain Thomas Pinckney, 4th cavalry, Charleston, S. C., and Colonel A. Fulkerson, 63rd Tennessee Infantry, Rogersville. The only Richmond man in the lot was Second Lieutenant S. H. Hawes, Page's Virginia Battery. The story of the transportation and life of the 600 is told by Captain F. C. Barnes, then second lieutenant 56th Virginia Infantry, and Captain R. E. Frayser, signal officer, New Kent county. During a recent visit to Richmond, Captain Barnes, who is now an honored citizen of Chase City, was induced to give the following account of his experiences:
Captain Barnes' story.
Captain R. E. Frayser's experience.
Captain Frayser was very reluctant in agreeing to write out some of his reminiscences of the imprisonment of the 600 at Morris Island. [370] While a great portion of his time has been devoted to journalism since the war, he has written very little about the conflict between the States, nor does he talk much about it. The whole of his time is now given to the practice of law, and he is doing well in this profession. The narrative written by Captain Frayser follows:In August, 1864, orders were issued by the Federal Government that 600 Confederate officers confined at Fort Delaware should should be sent to Morris Island, near Charleston, S. C., and placed under fire. There had been sent previously fifty general and field officers to the same point for the same purpose.— But after some little delay these officers were exchanged. The 600 were somewhat elated at first, thinking they too would very soon be in “Dixie,” after leaving Fort Delaware. But in this they were greatly disappointed. On the arrival of the Crescent City, the steamer that conveyed them to Charleston harbor, these officers were disembarked and marched along the beach to a most formidable stockade, located between batteries Gregg and Wagner, all in full view of Fort Sumter, which resembled at that day a huge brick kiln. It had withstood some terrific attacks, but in this dismantled condition the Confederate flag still waved triumphantly over this impregnable fortress. The first night in the pen was not at all pleasant, firing commenced early that night, and fragments of Confederate shell thrown from Fort Moultrie fell in the pen. The Confederates at the time were not aware of the presence of the Confederate prisoners, but they soon learned that the Confederate prisoners were exposed to the fire of Fort Moultrie, and there was a change in the guns at that fort. The dead line was a conspicuous feature in the appointments of this abode, where the six hundred lingered for forty-five days, suffering all the pangs of hunger that one can imagine; two ounces of salt pork or beef, with damaged ship bread, in a very limited quantity, and that inhabited with worms, ranging from a quarter to half an inch long, with black heads. When this was not given to the prisoners, they had doled out to them, stale grit with abundance of fat worms. These dainties given to the Confederates twice a day, made many sick, who were sent to the hospital, where they died. The death rate was alarming, with cruel treatment, the climate, and miserable water, the weak had to succumb to the inevitable. Forty-five days on such food was harsh treatment indeed. The reader may ask, what was all this for? Well, for ‘fighting against the best government the world ever saw.’
[371]
A counter move.
The Confederates were told at the time, this was a counter move on the military chess-board, by the Federal Government, for alleged ill-treatment of Andersonville prisoners, said to be confined in the lower portion of Charleston, to prevent that part of it from being destroyed by the heavy seige guns in Gregg and Wagner, that were firing on Charleston night and day, having a powerful auxiliary in the Swamp Angel, the nearest gun to Charleston. At the expiration of forty-five days, the prisoners placed under fire, were removed and put on board a steamer and sent to Fort Pulaski. Here the retaliation was continued, causing many deaths. The fort being somewhat crowded, a portion of the prisoners were sent to Hilton Head. Here as elsewhere, there was great suffering. Being immediately on the coast, the atmosphere was very damp and cold; rats and cats were killed in great numbers, and consumed by the starving Confederates. In war, a real soldier gives hard blows and expects the same in return; but it looks a little inhospitable to see one's adversary, with his knapsack full, and with no inclination to divide rations. A soldier can eat almost anything when he gets in a real tight place. The historian says that in the memorable retreat from Moscow, the King of Naples, when driven by hunger, enjoyed cat and horse flesh, so it was with the suffering Confederates sent to Morris Island. They did not hesitate to devour everything that came within their reach—cats, dogs, rats, etc. I cannot at this late day recall all the incidents connected with this distressing and protracted imprisonment, but I will mention one. The writer had on his person a finger ring and a $50 Confederate note. The two were sold for $10 and put in sutler stores, which were purchased at most exhorbitant prices. Sergeant Lennox, who belonged to the 54th Massachusetts regiment, which guarded the Confederates, and whose home was in Boston, was very kind to the writer. With this money Lennox bought bread, molasses and many other things. This he had to do in a most surreptitious manner, for it was a violation of orders, and had it been known, Lennox would have been severely punished. The 54th regiment was composed wholly of colored men, with the exception of the officers. The writer thinks that it was commanded by Colonel Hallowell, of Philadelphia. Immediately after the war the writer knew a number who had gone through this trying ordeal, as follows: Captain Jones R. Christian [372] and Jesse Child, of Richmond, and Captain Henry St. George Coalter and Captain Darracott, of Hanover county. These have responded to the last roll-call, and those who now survive are Lieutenant S. Horace Hawes, Captain DePriest, and the writer, of Richmond, and Captain Barnes, of Chase City, Captain W. C. Nunn, West Point, Va.Following are the Virginia members of the ‘Six Hundred:’
Lieutenant-Colonels.
Charles B. Christian, Forty-ninth Infantry, Allen's creek, Amherst county. James C. Council, Twenty-sixth Infantry, St. Steven's Church.Majors.
Richard Woodrum, Twenty-sixth Battalion, Union, Monroe co. Peter V. Batte, Forty-fourth Battalion, Petersburg. William H. Hood, Petersburg Militia, Berlin, Southampton co. D. A. Jones, General M. Jones' staff, Harrisonburg. Thomas P. Branch, General Ransom's staff, Petersburg.Captains.
J. McD. Carrington, Charlottesville Battery, Charlottesville. E. E. DePriest, Twenty-third Infantry, Richmond. W. P. Carter, Page's Battery, Millwood, Clarke county. George W. Mercer, Twenty-ninth Battery, Rural Retreat. J. H. Johnson, Twenty-fifth Virginia, Franklin, Pendleton co. J. J. Dunkle, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Franklin, Pendleton co. H. C. Dickinson, Second Cavalry, Liberty, Bedford county. J. W. Mathews, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Beverly, Randolph co. H. A. Allen, Ninth Infantry, Portsmouth. R. E. Frayser, Signal Officer, New Kent Courthouse. J. R. Christian, Third Virginia, New Kent Courthouse. L. Harmon, Twelfth Cavalry, Staunton. A. Dobyns, Forty-second Infantry, Jacksonville, Floyd county, J. W. Helm, Forty-second Infantry, Jacksonville, Floyd county. A. R. Humes, Twenty-first Cavalry, Abidgdon. W. P. Duff, Fifteenth Infantry, Jonesville, Lee county. D. C. Grayson, Tenth Infantry, Luray, Page county. A. N. Finks, Tenth Infantry, Madison Courthouse. F. W. Kelly, Fiftieth Infantry, Tazewell county. [373] T. M. Gobble, Forty-eighth Infantry, Abingdoh. W. S. McConnell, Forty-eighth Infantry, Estillville. W. L. Guthrie, Twenty-third Infantry, Prince Edward county. James Dunlap, Twenty-sixth Battery, Union, Monroe county. A. M. Edgar, Twenty-seventh Infantry, Lewisburg. J. A. Lipps, Fiftieth Infantry, Wise Courthouse. J. O. B. Crocker, Ninth Infantry, Norfolk. T. B. Horton, Eleventh Infantry. R. C. Gillispie, Forty-fifth Infantry, Fort Worth, Texas. R. H. Miller, Forty-fourth Infantry, Buckingham county. J. M. Hillsman, Forty-fourth Infantry, Amelia county. T. H. Board, Fifty-eighth Infantry, Bedford county. J. M. Hughes, Forty-fourth Infantry, Scottsville, Albemarle co. Isaac Kuykendall, Seventh Cavalry, Romney. J. M. Lovett, Twenty-second Cavalry, Hampshire county. W. T. Mitchell, Sixth Cavalry, Pittsylvania county. T. A. Moon, Sixth Cavalry, Halifax county. A. M. King, Fiftieth Infantry, Saltville, Lee county. B. G. Brown, Seventh Infantry, Brown's Cove, Albemarle co. Charles D. McCoy, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Charlottesville. William C. Nunn, Fifth Cavalry, Little Plymouth. Peyton Alfriend, Thirty-ninth Militia, Petersburg. Bruce Gibson, Sixth cavalry, Upperville, Fauquier county. George W. Nelson, General Pendleton's staff, Beaver Dam, Hanover county. C. J. Lewis, Eighth Cavalry, Charleston, Kanawha county.Adjutants.
D. M. Leyton, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Mount Meridian. B. B. Howelett, Fifth Cavalry, Cobb's creek. O. H. P. Lewis, Thirty-first Infantry, Beverly, Randolph county. W. W. Boggs, Twentieth Cavalry, Wheeling. J. Arrington, Forty-second Infantry, Campbell Courthouse. D. W. Garrett, Forty-second Infantry, Morgantown, Ga. H. T. Coalter, Fifty-third Infantry, King William Courthouse.First Lieutenants.
Thomas O. Moss, Twenty-third Infantry, Louisa Courthouse. H. Fry, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Wheeling. W. E. Hart, Page's Battery, King William Courthouse. B. C. Maxwell, Cutshaw's Battery, Westham Locks. [374] J. Ogden Murray, Seventh Cavalry, Richmond. W. Asberry, Sixteenth Infantry, Target Hill, Wayne county. B. D. Merchant, Fourth Cavalry, Manassas Junction. James H. Childs, Warrenton. S. T. Carson, Fifth Infantry, Steel's Tavern, Augusta county. Jesse Child, Forty-second Infantry, Richmond. George H. Killian, Fifth Infantry, Waynesborough. J. W. Gilkerson, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Mint Springs, Augusta county. M. E. Bowers, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Franklin, Pendleton county. W. L. Hunter, Forty-third Battalion (Cavalry), Waynesborough. W. L. Bernard,Thirty-seventh Battalion (Cavalry), Rocky Mount, Franklin county. T. S. Mitchell, Forty-second Infantry, Martinsville, Henry county. P. W. Dalton, Forty-second Infantry, Martinsville, Henry county. H. L. Hoover, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Staunton. T. J. Kirk, Fourth Infantry, Christiansburg. T. C. Chandler, Forty-seventh Infantry, Bowling Green. A. R. Angell, Forty-second Infantry, Rocky Mount, Franklin county. G. W. Finley, Fifty-sixth Infantry, Clarksville. W. McGaulley, Ninth Cavalry, Warsaw. J. C. Allen, Seventh Cavalry, Edinburg, Shenandoah county. L. B. Doyle, Fifth Infantry, Lexington. J. W. A. Ford, Twentieth Cavalry, Lewisburg. A. W. Edwards, Fifteenth Cavalry, Princess Anne county. W. H. Morgan, Eleventh Infantry, Campbell county. J. D. Greener, Fiftieth Infantry, Tazewell county. C. P. Harper, Twenty-first Infantry, Mecklenburg. Isaac Coles, Sixth Cavalry, Peytonsburg. S. M. Dent, Fifth Cavalry, Alexandria. Erasmus L. Bell, Tenth Infantry, Luray. C. D. Hall, Forty-eighth Infantry, Lee, Page county. Henry C. Howlett, Fifth Cavalry, Petersburg. Earl C. Andis, Fourth Infantry, Elk Creek. Jefferson W. A. Funk, Fifth Infantry, Winchester. John F. Lytten, Fifth Infantry, Long Glade. James W. Gellock, Twenty-seventh Infantry, Lexington. James W. McDowell, Twenty-sixth Battalion, Lewisburg. A. G. Hudgins, Confederate States Navy, Richmond. C. B. Eastham, Tenth Infantry, Harrisonburg. [375] J. H. Hawkins, Tenth Infantry, McGaheysville. T. P. Doyle, Thirty-third Infantry, Staunton.Second Lieutenants.
Drury Lacy, Twenty-third Infantry, Prince Edward Courthouse. S. J. Hutton, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Glade Spring Depot. M. H. Duff, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Lodi, Washington county. E. A. Rosenbalm, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Lodi, Washington county. S. A. Johnson, Twenty-third Infantry, Louisa, Washington co. J. W. Groom, Twenty-third Infantry, Louisa, Washington co. Alex. B. Cooke, Twenty-third Infantry, Louisa, Washington co. R. C. Bryan, Forty-eighth Infantry, Abingdon. J. T. Fulcher, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Abingdon. J. S. King, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Abingdon. S. H. Hawes, Page's Virginia Battery, Richmond. F. King, Page's Virginia Battery, King William county. R. Massie, Cutshaw's Virginia Battery, Covesville. George F. Keiser, Fifth Infantry, Greenville. John T. Gannaway, Fiftieth Infantry, Chatham Hill. R. W. Legg, Fiftieth Infantry, Turkey Cove. R. S. Bowie, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Abingdon. F. Foussie, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Weston. W. L. Enos, Twenty-sixth Infantry, Wood's Cross Roads, Gloucester county. A. B. Cauthorn, Twenty-sixth Infantry, King and Queen Courthouse. John M Lambert, Fifty-second Infantry, Greenville. W. P. R. Leigh, Fifth Cavalry, Gloucester Courthouse. W. N. Hendrix, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Fairmount. John G. Brown, Forty-ninth Infantry, Front Royal. W. H. Hatcher, Forty-second Infantry, Liberty, W. B. Carder, Fourth Infantry, Marion, Smyth county. T. J. King, Forty-second Cavalry Battalion, Martinsville, Henry county. T. M. Gravely, Forty-second Infantry, Martinsville, Henry co. J. P. Kelly, Fourth Infantry, Newburn, Henry county. P. Hogan, Fourth Infantry, Lexington. J. W. Mauck, Tenth Infantry, Harrisonburg. S. D. Bland, Eighteenth Cavalry, Franklin, Pendleton county. [376] C. Frates, Third Infantry, Petersburg. S. W. Garey, Third Infantry, Norfolk. F. C. Barnes, Fifty-sixth Infantry, Marysville, Charlotte county. J. H. Allen, Forty-eighth Infantry Battalion, Ballardsville, Boone county. H. G. Brinkley, Forty-first Infantry, Norfolk. C. F. Crisp, Tenth Infantry, Luray, Page county. S. H. Finks Tenth Infantry, Madison Courthouse. J. Long, Tenth Infantry, Bridgewater, Rockingham county. John A. Donaghe, Tenth Infantry, Parnassus. J. J. Hervitzie, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Lebanon. J. A. Burnett, Fiftieth Infantry, Blountville, Sullivan county, Tennessee. W. S. Gilmer, Thirty-seventh Infantry, Lebanon. J. W. Harris, Fifty-eighth Infantry, Bedford county. J. S. Hix, Forty-fourth Infantry, Goochland. Thomas R. Applebury, Forty-fourth Infantry, Fluvanna county. John W. Hughes, Forty-fourth Infantry, Cobham Depot. William A. Dawson, Twenty-seventh Infantry, Callands. D. B. Cannoy, Fourth Infantry, Elk creek. W. W. George, Twenty-sixth Battalion, Princeton, Mercer co. W. G. Herrington, Twenty-fifth Battalion, Shelby, Cleveland county, N. C. R. C. Campbell, Fifty-third Infantry, King William county. J. Walker Frasier, First Cavalry, Loudoun county. C. P. Johnson, McNeil's Battalion, P. R. Hampshire county. P. B. Akers, Eleventy Infantry, Lynchburg. L. Green, Fifth Cavalry, Petersburg. H. C. Jones, Fiftieth Infantry, Gladesville. J. S. Hempstead, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Dubuque, Ia. W. D. Dodson, Fifth Cavalry, Danville. Robert B. Hart, Fifth Cavalry, Stevensville. John W. Davis, Twentieth Cavalry, Clarksburg. Hopkins Harden, Nineteenth Infantry, Scottsville. Francis R. Haynes, Twenty-fourth Cavalry, Cobb's Creek. Thornton J. Berry, Twenty-fifth Infantry, Salt Lick. Norman D. Embry, Twenty-fifth Cavalry, Pineville. Alex. R. Humphries, Twenty-sixth Battalion, Lewisburg. C. D. Fitzhugh, First Cavalry, Hagerstown, Md.[377]
