There were about 300 men detailed for duty each day. These consisted of eight commissioned officers, 32 non-commissioned officers, and 260 privates. This number was distributed to four different positions, allowing an equal number of officers to each, but the men were apportioned to each post according to the amount of duty to be done.
The guard was formed and reviewed each morning at 8 o'clock, preparatory to going on duty; the new guard usually relieved the guard of the previous day at 10 o'clock, and were kept on duty 24 hours. Each squad was under command of two officers, and was divided into three reliefs; these reliefs alternated with each other in a duty of two hours, thus allowing each man four hours' rest out of six.
The field officer of the day was accustomed to make a complete tour of the camp during the day, and usually visited each guard post at least once during the night. Whenever he was seen approaching any of the principal posts, the entire guard had to be turned out in order to be inspected and reviewed by him.
During the night, from 8 o'clock in the evening until 6 in the morning, every half hour was called by the guard on the fence, at the same time giving the number of each post and the word "All's well."
The prisoners were divided into companies, each company being under the charge of an officer detailed for that purpose. Roll was called morning and evening, at one of which the officer was required to be present and to make a daily report to the commandant of the post. Two meals per day were given the prisoners, one at 8 A. M. and one at 3 P. M. They were furnished with good, wholesome food, prepared in an immense cooking establishment. Each company marched to this house at the regular hours, and were served with their rations, going immediately back to their quarters to eat them.
Several large and commodious hospitals were provided for the sick, arranged with all possible convenience, and attended by a corps of competent Surgeons.
One might draw a grand comparison between the way in which our men were treated in the different prisons of the South, and the treatment of rebels at the hands of our Government. We who have seen the worn-out, hobbling rebel prisoner, go forth exchanged, after a few months' imprisonment, a strong and healthy man, cannot but feel the contrast when we see old friends, who, months ago were freed from Southern prisons, even now unable to stand the burden of any daily toil, and still wearing in their deep-lined faces the marks of past hardships. And when we think of those who once filled the vacant places in our homes and in our hearts, who might now be with us but for such hardships, we can reflect only with shuddering upon the treatment they have received, and feel grateful that we are at peace again. Verily, many a tale that we might tell were better left untold.
On the morning of Friday, Oct. 7th, one of the guard on the outside of the fence discovered a hole, through which it was evident some of the prisoners had escaped. The alarm was given, but it was too late. On investigation there were found to be 16 prisoners missing. They had made a tunnel about four feet under ground and sixty odd feet long, large enough to allow a man to crawl through. The night in which they made their escape was very dark and stormy, and taking advantage of this, they completed their excavation, crawled through, and were free.
This mode of escape was afterwards often tried, but the above is the only instance in which any reward was obtained for the great amount of work thus expended. A fellow put into practical operation one day a novel method of escaping. It was customary on the death of any of the rebels, to carry them to the dead-house; here the bodies were placed in coffins, marked, and a register kept. From the prison they were carried to the burial-ground, where the coffins were placed in long trenches, with a head-board marked to correspond with the register kept at the prison. One day one of the assistants at the dead-house arranged with one of his fellows to be placed in a coffin, and have the lid lightly nailed on. He was carried to the burial-ground, and unloaded with the other bodies. As soon as the cart drove off, our sharp fellow easily kicked the lid off and made good his escape.
Our camp life was beginning to be very monotonous. Each day the same routine was observed, and we were at our wit's end to produce some sort of amusement. We were provided, however, with the following incident which served us as a fund for some days: On the night of October 15th, all the camps being quiet, and no sound coming through the still night air, save the steady tread of the guard, or the hoarse, hollow cough of the prisoners, at 11 o'clock we were all suddenly aroused from our slumbers by the report of the alarm gun, the long roll soon followed and instantly the officers were out ordering the men quickly into line, each Company was marched on the parade ground on a double quick, the line soon formed and every thing was in readiness awaiting orders. Presently an orderly came riding up assigning to our Regiment a position, then quickly to another camp he went, and we started at quick time for our position, just as we set off the battery came thundering down the road, the bugle sounded, men dismounted, pieces were unlimbered, quickly loaded, and ready for action. From the opposite direction came more field pieces which formed a battery just in front of our halting place, then by us rushed a Regiment, and to us again came the orderly, and we were divided, one Battalion went in one direction and the other in an other. Thus the different commands were manœuvred for about an hour, finally a rest being allowed, the men began to enquire if we had not been "sold," as it was evident there was no disturbance in the prison camp nor any signs of an outbreak. But no one could give a solution to the problem, until the next morning we found it was all done by our Brigade Commander, to see what reliance could be placed on the men in case of an emergency.