ver, was the vermin, which invaded
every department.

Each officer was permitted to write home the amount of three lines per
week; but even these brief messages were not always allowed to leave
Richmond.

A variety of schemes were adopted to improve or kill time. We played
chess, cards, opened a theater, organized a band of minstrels, delivered
lectures, established schools for teaching dancing, singing, the French
language, and military tactics, read books, published a manuscript
newspaper, held debates, and by these means rendered life tolerable,
though by no means agreeable.

An incident occurred, after we had been in prison some time, which made
a deep impression upon every one. Some of our men had been confined in a
block not far from Libby, called the Pemberton Building. An order had
been issued to remove them to North Carolina. When they left, their line
of march was along the street in our front, and when they passed under
our windows, we threw out drawers, shirts, stockings, etc., which they
gathered up; and when they raised their pale and emaciated faces to
greet their old commanders, there were but few dry eyes in Libby. Many
of them were making their last march.

Our sick were removed to the room set apart, on the ground floor, for a
hospital; and, when one died, he was put in a box of rough boards,
placed in an open wagon, and rapidly driven away over the stony streets.
There were no flowers from loving hands, and no mourning pageant, but a
thousand hearts in Libby followed the gallant dead to his place of rest.

We were seldom visited by any person. The only call I received was from
General Breckenridge, of Kentucky; I had known him before the war.
During our interview, I referred to the resources of the North and
South, and asked him upon what ground he hoped the Confederacy could
succeed. His only reply was, that, "five millions of people, determined
to be free, could not be conquered."

There being no exchange of prisoners at this time, projects of escape
were discussed from the beginning. One scheme was, for a few persons at
a time to put on the dress of a citizen, and attempt to pass the guard
as visitors. A few actually recovered their liberty in this manner.
Another plan was, to dig a tunnel to the city sewer, which was
understood to pass under the street in front of the prison, and escape
through that to the river. This project might have succeeded had not the
water interfered. The final and