Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 22.djvu/142

 130 Southern Historical Society Papers.

and thence we were marched some two or three miles towards City Point, to the headquarters of General Patrick, the Provost- Marshall General of Grant's army, where we were guarded during the day in a field, without shelter, and under a burning sun. In other respects we were treated with the consideration due prisoners of war by Gen- eral Patrick, whom we found to be a gentleman.

Besides the duty of receiving prisoners and forwarding them to prison, it seemed to be General Patrick's duty to receive the strag- glers of General Grant's army and send them to their respective commands, and I feel safe in making the statement that, during the day we were at his quarters, there were more stragglers brought in by the cavalry, than the total number of Confederates opposing the advance of Grant's army upon Petersburg, during the i6th and iyth of June, before the arrival of Lee's army.

We were next taken to City Point, James River, and from there to Fort Delaware by steamer.

Fort Delaware was one of the regular Federal prisons, situated upon an island in the Delaware River, opposite Delaware City, forty miles below Philadelphia.

At one time there were as many as 2,500 officers, and 8,000 pri- vate soldiers confined in that prison.

The quarters provided for the officers were reasonably comforta- ble. They were at times too much crowded.

The private soldiers were kept in a separate department, and the officers had no communication with them and no opportunity to judge of their treatment, but it is said they were crowded in insuffi- cient quarters and poorly fed. Such of the officers as had friends North were furnished by them with money and clothing, and fared reasonably well. The less fortunate suffered for necessary clothing, and were compelled to live wholly on the prison fare, which was often insufficient to prevent actual hunger.

General Schoepf, a foreigner by birth, was in command at Fort Delaware. He was a humane officer and did all that he dared to alleviate the sufferings of the prisoners and to supply their wants. He married a Virginia lady who was said to be a Southern sympa- thizer, and on this account, possibly, the General's actions were closely watched, and it is said that Captain Ahl, one of his aids, was sent there and forced upon him, for the special purpose of spying upon his actions and reporting his conduct to the authorities at Washington. However this may be, it was known that many of the harsh prison rules were adopted and enforced by the General at the