Compass that Guided Us by Night and Day
and Knife, Fork and Spoon Purchased from
Colored Woman at Macon, Georgia
During my prison life I met comrades who had been, I think, in most of the places where our men were confined and they all practically told the same story; that when they were turned over to the local authorities they were well treated, but that when they came under the Richmond or Winder care it was as different as it well could be.
Apparently it was well understood that no soldier was to be in a condition, when exchanged or when he got North, to re-enter the service.
After we had been in Macon for perhaps a couple of weeks, I noticed one day two officers riding around in another part of the park. I recognized one of them, and asked our captain of the guard: "Who is that officer with Colonel So-and-So?" He replied: "That is Colonel So-and-So of Richmond of President Davis' staff." I asked no more questions, but thought it significant that he was there.
Two or three days later a hundred or so of colored men were at work in that part of the park building a stockade enclosing about three acres. The stockade was a tight board fence twelve feet high, with a walk on the outside near the top and a railing outside of it for the guard, where they could see everything. On the inside, about forty feet from the stockade, was a picket fence called "the dead line." That is, if anyone approached it, he was to be shot.
After the enclosure was completed, one morning we noticed a crowd of men being marched inside the stockade. They were prisoners from Libby. Soon after we followed them. With these prisoners came Lieutenant Davis of Baltimore, who had charge of the prison. He apparently had his orders from Richmond and obeyed them strictly. It was a very great change for us. Our rations, treatment and everything else were so radically different. A small brook ran through one end of the enclosure, fortunately inside the dead line. We dug a spring there and from it got all the water we had.
