ladies on horseback followed. Then came a woman in a cart and six dogs. She had turnips she wanted "to exchange for a ring." At 9 a. m. trains moved down the Charleston road which revived. the hope in some that Charleston had been made a point for exchange and that city was to be our destiny. Before noon all were ordered aboard; our train switched to the Charleston road, backed a mile, when we were ordered off and marched out a road through woods for "the old field" where a man said we were to go. Many were unable to walk. A detail was made to carry them. Many who could walk were unable to assist. There was not one in the lot who retained normal strength; few had seen a well day in three months. After half a mile we found ourselves in a field. Tall weeds and long grass stood on portions we passed over, which we pulled and put in heaps where we halted. From a near fence we collected rails, material for shanties. We thought an officer of the guard kind, for when guards cried: "Stop you'ns, sar," bringing muskets down and starting for us, he said: "Oh, let 'em work; they can't carry a big heap," and looked at us smilingly. This awakened in us a grateful, but faint cheer. He might have thought of us as one would of a flock of limping, distempered sheep minus half their wool; but I think his motive merciful.

We found 2,000 prisoners on the ground who left Andersonville before us; had been around by Savannah and Charleston; among them former chums, Wright, Boodger, G. W. Mattison and O. W. Burton. The field is destitute of living water. Details of 100 men go out for each 1,000, once a day, a mile to a stream, consequently our small pails do not contain enough for more than drinking and cooking; no washing. Our hope of using grass, weeds and rails for shanties vanished. Not only did strength prove inadequate, but the need of fire caused our stock of material to vanish.

PRISONERS OVERRUN GREEN GUARDS.

Monday, Sept. 20th.-It is said 10,000 prisoners have arrived at Florence, from Andersonville, 7,000 since we came. Men have. died rapidly. I have been unable to write since the 15th. My health and the effort to care for myself have prevented. The 15th: and 16th droves of plantation negroes passed with spades and axes, in charge of drivers, to build a stockade. Griffith, Gloverand I are stopping under small trees. Lenity was shown at first. Citizens were allowed to converse and trade through the guard. Had a talk with a group of five women with poor vegetables to exchange, or sell. To my question they said, sadly: "We'nses mens all in Fedrit army." One said, "My ole man kilt long time

done gone." She didn't know where, but another said it was at Chancellorville. Another said two of her sons "got kilt", one at Gettysburg, one this year with Gen. Lee. Two others of these familes had been wounded, but were on duty at Richmond. Others were at Charleston and Wilmington. I asked: What did your folks go to war for? Two replied in concert: "Thames hat ter; Yankees were coming to steal all our niggers and everything." They thought Yankees "rich enough to buy niggers if they'ns wanted any."

"Did your people own niggers?" I ask.

We'ns done gone got no niggers, nebber.

We'ns poor; no

lan', only patches big folks loan. You'ns sees we'ns' mens had to fight for 'em what has to save the South."

"Will it do you any good?"

"Feard it won't, an we'ns 'ill lose our'ns liberty or get kilt off." I told them I hoped no more of their men would be killed; that the war would end and give them liberty and a better chance than ever before.

On the 16th there was a rush beyond the guard, of several hundred prisoners who brought in a rail fence slick and clean in spite of guards who seemed bewildered by their boldness. There was something comical in their acts. In his excitement one fellow yelled pleadingly: "If you'ns don't stop I git in ga'd 'ouse, sho!"

This was followed by a bigger rush from another part of the field, for the woods seventy rods away, about 500 men going, completely astonishing the stupid guards who had not yet learned they had any power but to "shoot off their mouths," saying: "Har, sar!" "You'ns thar!" "Stop, sar!" "Git in dar you'ns." You'ns can't tote no mo' rails!" "Co'pal g'a'd!" so green were they.

It seems the removal of prisoners had not been anticipated long; little or no provision had been made, and the mass of guards had been picked up by scouring the country, and put on duty without discipline or instructions by officers who had been hurried here with a hundred or so who had seen service. Presently a heavy line of skirmishers, some of whom showed signs of having seen service, deployed and double-quicked to the woods, some parts of the line opening fire. There was quite a sputtering of musketry at intervals. Then our men came straggling, in. Most of them, while in the woods, picked up nuts and gathered wild grapes; others skulked away hoping to escape. At the time no rations had been given since we left Andersonville, which was. designed for two days.

Before this excitement was over, rations were announced. All got a small piece of Indian pone, a few spoonfuls of corn meal an hour later, largely gathered from citizens. In this raid ten pris

oners were shot. Some who wandered away are being brought in. Many of us had designed to try to escape, but lameness, hunger and weakness deterred me. The 17th, scurvy, very pronounced, appeared again in my legs with dropsy. Press the swollen flesh and it does not return to shape. It is yellow, dark in spots. On one ankle the flesh girds tightly about the bone. Every step taken seems like tearing it loose.

Citizens are wild with the idea of getting United States money. Three boys who had been interested in the meal beer deal at Andersonville still had $8 and they divided with Griffith and myself. We buy miserable apples and fine sweet potatoes. I ate them raw. It was the greatest hapiness I had experienced from eating, though blood ran from my gums, inflamed with scurvy, and some of my teeth tore loose.

Since the raid officers have thought best to allow citizens to trade with us. I sold my pocketbook for $5 "Confed" to a Rebel soldier. Bought more sweet potatoes. It don't take many potatoes to smash a "V." The 18th I was detailed to go out to look after sick that had not yet been brought in. Owing to infirmities, I gave the chance to Griffith. He had a better chance to traffic and traded his boots for a pair of shoes of English make, and got $20 "Confed" to boot. This helped us, for the next two weeks; without it I believe we should have famished, for rations did not average one meal a day, poor at that. Thus far they have been less than at Andersonville. Yesterday the issue consisted of three spoonfuls of flour, three onunces fresh beef, one-half pint of meal, the same of brown beans, with the proclamation: "This ration is for two days." Still I hope the transfer from Georgia has prolonged my life-getting purer air and the precious sweet potatoes, rarer than anything I have ever tasted. They have checked the scurvy.

After twenty hours of wind it began raining the 17th, and still rains with prevailing cold wind. The water settles between the knolls in this part of the field, which is crowded, for the reason that the flat part is mostly covered from one to three inches deep, in order to get on the knolls and under trees where we sit and stand as best we can; cling to roots, to trees, to each other, to keep out of the pools which are from three to eighteen inches deep. Of course we are badly drenched from falling rain and more or less chilled all the time. All long for it to clear up.

NINE DAYS' STORM-SOUTHERNERS WILLING TO STARVE.

Sunday, Sept. 26.-Nine days and nights steady rain, sometimes heavy. This morning it stopped; mists have cleared; we hope, oh, so ardently, the equinoxial storm is over. It does not seem we could endure another day of this awful wet and chill,

Many poor fellows have perished in it. Morning after morning they lay dead in the pools of water among the knolls or in low places. Some too, weak to cling to high ground, or crowded off, rolled into the water and drowned, at our feet in the night.

But God's great sun came out today. Chilled, faint, sore in throat, lungs; lame in every joint and muscle; almost hopeless, we drag ourselves from under trees to bask in its thrilling beams. We revive; a thrill of joy comes with it; I hope again. Oh, it is "easy now for the heart to be true." Wonderfully my strong heart responds!

The sick who were left outside in absence of places called hospitals, have been sent in. Griffith is with us again. The storm over, men have to hunt clothing again for lice. They have become terrible because of forced neglect. G. thinks if they were eatable, we might live on the "fat of the land."

Men just in who attempted escape, report every road and bridge guarded. What will be done with us we are anxious to know; our condition is deplorable. Last evening a man standing by me was shot by a sentry, the ball passing through his wrist and lodging in his side. With others I took him to his friends. This morning he was taken to a doctor. Why he was fired upon, I cannot conceive; we were six rods from the guard line.

South Carolina people are frank, sociable and generous as any I have seen in the South, so far as I have been able to study them. We have seen enough to confirm an undisputed fact that the mass of people are good natured, kind hearted like all Americans. It is only when warped by falsely educated prejudice that they become set on a false track, obstinately, impulsively, recklessly, wrongly determined. Abnormal social and economic conditions fostered by slavery, made free intercourse with the North impossible, if slavery were to be maintained, which had become the paramount policy. Separation socially, made separation politically and geographically imperative if the exclusion of slavery from new territory were to be enforced by national authority. The pet policy of nationalizing slavery according to the Dred Scott edict, could not be longer expected in the Union, and its gradual extinction was but a matter of time-its decadence natural. Secession was the last resort to save and prosper it. This was the Southern hope; for this the war. But to save themselves from military defeat there are those who favor negro emancipation on conditions that slaves bear arms in support of the Confederacy, as an. expedient. This is not favored by planters but by ambitious generals and statesmen who shrink from the humiliation of total defeat. To save the personal pride of a few, alone spurs them on. But we shall know each other better through courses opened by this dreadful school of war, and by suffering incident to it which

generates a spirit of merciless vengeance that must vanish slowly as war clouds fade from the national firmament. This will be whether we gain our freedom from this "durance vile" by cartel or by death.

A man evidently high in society, not a military man professionally, but assuming an officer's rank, conversed with us today. He is apparently sixty. We expressed our views freely, but in few words, of the Southern cause, when he said: "You say what no citizen dare, or would be allowed to say." We said the force of events will overwhelm the South, when he replied:

"You may be stronger than we but you never can whip us; we never will give up."

"But," says one, "if you cannot feed us now, you will starve. If you free the slaves to enlarge your army, who'll raise the 'grub' to feed the army? You give up the real thing you went to war for-to maintain slavery-and kick out the foundation of your edifice. While this looks like a collapse, still, you will in your fall, build better than you know. You will be at the mercy of the Union government and will have freed the negroes yourselves."

To this hot shot he simply said, with emotion:

"If the Confederacy is not recognized we may; but we are willing to starve, we are willing to starve!"

To nail this argument, Comrade Brock said it reminded him of a story. A man declared if his neighbors did not accede to his insolent demand, he would drown himself. Not complying, he waded into water until it ran into his mouth, nose and ears, when he backed up a little, shook his head, and said, "I can't stand that." Seeing his neighbors laughing at his folly, he went in again; but it was no better and his feet sank in the mud, and he stuck. He couldn't "stand that," and yelled, "Pull me out on conditions soand-so." His neighbors replied, "We will pull you out on conditions that you stay out and behave, and we will behave, too." So we argue that when Sherman gets through Georgia and the Carolinas, and Richmond falls, and the Confederate government has taken to the dismal swamp, Secessionists will hold up hands. and ask Uncle Sam to save them from themselves.

MISERY.

I've looked on Misery undismayed,

His foul breath on my cheek;

I've felt him crawling where I layed
When wind blew chill and bleak,

And drenching rain fell on my head

And on my body beat,

And starved men, frozen, stark and dead
Lay ghastly at my feet.

I've seen him creeping, mean, ensconce,