Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/431

 Prison Life at Point Lookout. 431

Captain Davis enlisted in Company B., First Virginia Infantry, Captain James K. Lee, April 21, 1861. He was soon afterwards promoted to sergeant and served as such at the first battle of Man- assas. In September following, he was made first lieutenant of his company and on the 26th of April, 1862, after the death of Captain Lee, succeeded him in the command. At the second battle of Man- assas he was wounded, taken prisoner and carried to Johnson's Island. Captain Davis, after returning to his command, was again taken prisoner at Sailor's creek, and a second time incarcerated on Johnson's Island. After the war he went with Major J. B. Ficklen to San Antonio, Texas, and with him established a transportation line which was operated by them for several years. He finally died with yellow fever and is buried in San Antonio.

Officer Logan S. Robins of the police force of Richmond served under Captain Davis as first lieutenant of Company B. and is cogni- zant of the facts herein given. Johnson's Island is distant from Sandusky about two miles, and from the Canada shore about eight miles.

A memorial of the prison, 1862-1864, with a view of the prison, list of the prisoners, and various effusions from their pens, is given in Volume VI, Virginia Historical Collections. New Series. 1887.

[From Prosperity, Press and Rf potter, July, 1891.]

PRISON LIFE AT POINT LOOKOUT.

By REV. J. B. TRAVWICK.

As to the question as to the comparative treatment of prisoners in Northern and Southern prisons is up and as you have requested me, I will give some incidents of my experience at Point Lookout, Mary- land. It will certainly show that all the sinners were not in charge of Southern prisons. There is one fact I wish to note, and that is the men at the front, as a rule, were kind and thoughtful of our com- fort, and, on the other hand, men who had stayed all the while away from the front were, as a rule, without much sympathy.

I was captured at Fisher's Gap, near Strasburg, on September 22, 1864. After some delay at Winchester, Harper's Ferry and Balti-