The soldier's story of his captivity at Andersonville, Belle Isle, and other Rebel prisons . ed it. Frequently the guard firedindiscriminately into a crowd. On one occasion Isaw a man wounded and another killed; one waslying under his blanket asleep, the other standing somedistance from the dead line. A key to this murderous, inhuman practice was tobe found in a standing order at rebel headquarters,that any sentinel killing a Federal soldier, approach-ing the dead line, shall receive a furlough of sixty days ;while for wounding one he shall receive a furlough forthirty days. This order not onl
The soldier's story of his captivity at Andersonville, Belle Isle, and other Rebel prisons . ed it. Frequently the guard firedindiscriminately into a crowd. On one occasion Isaw a man wounded and another killed; one waslying under his blanket asleep, the other standing somedistance from the dead line. A key to this murderous, inhuman practice was tobe found in a standing order at rebel headquarters,that any sentinel killing a Federal soldier, approach-ing the dead line, shall receive a furlough of sixty days ;while for wounding one he shall receive a furlough forthirty days. This order not only offered a permiumfor murder, but encouraged the guard in other outrages,against which we had no defence whatever. Meninnocent of any intention to infringe the prison regula-tions were not safe when lying in the quiet of theirblankets at night. Four or five instances happenedwithin range of my observation at Andersonville, andthere were dozens of cases which I heard of, succeedingthe report of guns in the stockade. Scarcely a nightor day passed but the sharp crack of a rifle told of the. VIEW OF THE PALISADE AND DEAD LINE. He announced his determination to die, and getting over thedead line, was shot through the heart. Page 87. OUTRAGES EST ANDEESONVTLLE. 87 murder of another defenceless victim. Men becomingtired of life committed suicide in this manner, Theyiiad but to get under the dead line, or lean upon it, andtheir fate was sealed in death. An incident of this kind came to my knowledge inJuly. A New York soldier had tried once or twice to es-cape, by which means he had lost his cooking utensils andhis blanket, and was obliged to endure the rain and heatwithout protection, and to borrow, beg, or steal cook-ing implements, eat his food raw, or starve. Lyingin the rain often at night, followed by the tropical heatof day, was torture which goaded him to announced his determination to die, and getting overthe dead line, was shot through the heart. One can-not be
Size: 1638px × 1526px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectandersonvilleprison
