Fifteen Months in Dixie; Or, My Personal Experience in Rebel Prisons — John Shaqi
Fifteen Months in Dixie; Or, My Personal Experience in Rebel PrisonsDay, W. W. (William Worthy)
History
Fifteen Months in Dixie; Or, My Personal Experience in Rebel Prisons
Day, W. W. (William Worthy)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and prisons
At another place, near where my regiment breakfasted on the morning of
the 19th, a Union battery had taken position, it was on the Chattanooga
road and to the rear was heavy timber. Here the trees were literally cut
down by cannon shots from a Rebel battery. Some of the trees were
eighteen or twenty inches in diameter. Havoc, destruction, ruin and
death reigned supreme. In some places, where some fierce charge had been
made, the ground was covered with the dead. Federal and Confederate lay
side by side just as they had fallen in their last struggle. But why
dwell on these scenes? They were but a companion piece to just such
scenes on a hundred other battlefields of the civil war.
We remained at the Chickamauga hospital for three weeks. Then all who
could ride in wagons were carried to Ringgold, where we took the cars
for Atlanta. Many of the wounded had died and we had buried them there
on the banks of the “River of Death.” I presume they have found
sepulture at last in the National Cemetery, at Chattanooga, along with
the heroes of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Peace to their
ashes. They gave all that men can give, their lives, for their country,
and we gave them the best gifts of comrades, honor and a soldier’s
grave.
At Ringgold some ladies came into the cars and distributed food to our
party. It was a kindly but unexpected act, and we appreciated it the
more as we were nearly starved. We traveled all night and arrived at
Atlanta about 11 o’clock A. M. the next day. We were removed to the
“Pen” and here I was introduced to the “Bull Pens” of the South.
The Prison Pen here was small, being used only as a stopping place for
prisoners en route for Richmond. The enclosure was made of boards and
was twelve feet in height. On two sides were barracks which would
shelter probably five hundred men. In the center was a well of good
water. The guards were on the platforms inside and nearly as high as the
fence.
The next day after our arrival the Commandant of the Prison put me in
charge of twenty-one wounded officers. These officers elected me nurse,
commissary general, cook and chambermaid of the company.
Our rations were of fair quality but of very limited quantity. A fund
was raised and entrusted to me with instructions to purchase everything
in the line of eatables that I could get.
Here we found Gen. Neal Dow, sometimes called the father of the “Maine
Law.” He had been taken prisoner down near the Gulf and was on his way
to Richmond for exchange.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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