red. As I
came to my tent, which was just opposite Capt. Johnson's, I said to my
tent-mates somewhat excitedly, and in a tone loud enough for Johnson to
hear: "Well, boys, I have now got some news that is reliable. I just came
from Col. Miller's tent, and the Colonel told me that Col. Smith told
him--" here I dropped my voice so that Johnson could not hear. In a second
Johnson jumped out of bed and came across the street, minus everything but
his night clothes, and asked excitedly: "What did Col. Miller tell you?"
"Well," said I, "Col. Miller told me that No. 9 squad would be detailed to
police the camp to-morrow."

Johnson, without saying a word, returned to his bunk amid the roars of
laughter from the whole squad. I know it was cruel, to laugh at, and play
jokes upon men who were half insane upon the subject. There were those
who were clearly insane upon the subject of exchange, and were really to
be pitied.

A Captain, whose name I have forgotten, became perfectly insane while we
were at Savannah, and I think he died while in prison. At first those who
noticed his peculiar actions thought he was playing a dodge to get paroled
and sent North, but we were all soon convinced that the poor fellow had
brooded over his imprisonment until his mind had completely lost its
balance.

His mind seemed to be continually dwelling upon exchange, and for days and
weeks he could not be induced to talk upon an other subject. He would tell
the most improbable stories, that no one else had heard, about a general
exchange of prisoners that was soon to take place, but as such stories
were continually floating around the camp, not much attention was paid to
him, and if any one thought upon them at all, they looked upon his stories
as silly canards, gotten up to fool some one with.

His mind finally seemed to run to sumptuous dinners, and he would invite
eight or ten of his prison companions to dine with him at a certain hour,
and upon their arrival, they would find perhaps a half baked corn meal
pome, that had been cooked in a dirty old wash basin, over a smoky fire,
having been mixed up without salt or rising of any kind, to be the
princely spread he had invited them to.

He would do the honors in a courteous and dignified manner and seem to
think he was at home entertaining some distinguished guests in a royal
manner, to a regal feast.

Of course his comrades would excuse themselves on one pretext and another,
and would leave him