hundred dollars of him and Lieutenant Leyden of my mess, took
the same amount, just to accommodate him; and I wrote the required letter
to my wife, while Leyden wrote one to his brother, in Rochester, N. Y.
These checks and letters were given by him to General Hayes, who had been
ordered to Richmond, as was supposed, for exchange; and who agreed to
bring them through the lines, and forward the letters to their address,
and deposit the checks with Riggs & Co. When I got all this money I was
flush again; and distributed it around among my friends and comrades, ten
dollars to one, and twenty to another, as their necessities seemed to
warrant, keeping what I thought would do me until I got out, or could make
another raise.

I laid in quite a stock of provisions for myself, and helped those of my
friends who had no money, and needed something more than the rations they
drew to live upon.

Colonel Smith had established a rule, that three officers could go every
day, under a guard of two soldiers, to visit their friends in the
hospital, a mile or so distant, by applying for permission by letter to
him. Applications for this privilege would be filed, and permission
granted when their turn came; it might be a week after the application was
filed, before we could go. Lieutenant Leyden, myself and another, made our
application, and waited for our turn, to take a walk of a couple of miles
in the open air; for this was really all we wished to do. We were called
out one day soon after, and with two guards over us, strolled over to the
hospital, which was about a mile from where we were confined. We had a
nice walk, and as we were returning, we asked the guard to take us into a
saloon, where we could get a drink before we went back to prison.

The guard did not know whether they would be allowed to do this, but
meeting an officer they asked him, if it would be right to go with us. Why
of course, said he, take them wherever they want to go. They then took us
into a little ten by twelve room, where there was a bar, and I asked all
hands to have a drink. Applejack was the only beverage, so all five of us
took that; and thinking as the Governor of North Carolina, has been quoted
as saying to the Governor of South Carolina, that "it's a long time
between drinks," I set 'em up again. The guards refused to drink a second
time, probably fearing that it might incapacitate them from properly
guarding us, so I only had eight drinks to pay for a