especially among the older men and those who had families. But we
youngsters accepted the fortunes of war and were glad that we
were alive, even if we were prisoners. In my mess in prison there
were fifteen, all having been captured at the same time, and many
of us comrades of three years' standing.

"I remember the day we were taken off the train and marched
through the town for the prison, a Yankee band in our front
playing national airs and favorites of their army, and the people
along the route jeering us and asking how we liked the music. Our
mess held together during the march, and some of the boys
answered them back as well as they could. Once inside the prison
stockade, we went into quarters and our mess still held together.
Before we had been there long, one day there was a call among the
prisoners for volunteers to form a roustabout crew. Well, I
enlisted as a roustabout. We had to report to an officer twice a
day, and then were put under guard and set to work. The kind of
labor I liked best was unloading the supplies for the prison,
which were landed on a near-by wharf. This roustabout crew had
all the unloading to do, and the reason I liked it was it gave us
some chance to steal. Whenever there was anything extra, intended
for the officers, to be unloaded, look out for accidents. Broken
crates were common, and some of the contents was certain to reach
our pockets or stomachs, in spite of the guard.

"I was a willing worker and stood well with the guards. They
never searched me, and when they took us outside the stockade,
the captain of the guard gave me permission, after our work was
over, to patronize the sutler's store and buy knick-knacks from
the booths. There was always some little money amongst soldiers,