ers," was Captain Sennes's announcement.

We made hasty preparations to receive the "fresh fish." They ranked from
second lieutenant up to colonel. Such a motley and reckless lot I never
met before. All had been captured inside the rebel forts when the mine
was exploded at Petersburg. We were uncomfortably crowded for room with
so many men, and Captain Sennes proposed to the old prisoners that we
should sign a parole and return to our quarters on the first floor. We
readily agreed to it. On our part, we were not to escape by tunnelling,
or from the yard; on their part, our door was to be left open, with
liberty to go into the yard when necessary, and also one hour in the
morning and afternoon for recreation.

Williams and Porter had been released from irons. The six officers
highest in rank among the new arrivals were assigned to the rooms which
they had vacated, and granted the same privileges as we. On Main Street
was the printing establishment of Ball & Keating. The building extended
across the rear of our yard. We were greatly surprised to see a number
of young ladies taking a good view of the prisoners from a second-story
window. The rebs had gotten scared, and had moved the Bureau of Printing
and Engraving from Richmond to Columbia. Ball & Keating's establishment
was selected for the printing of the Confederate currency. The money was
not worth stealing. An ordinary burglar could have taken away a
cart-load of the notes. At night the money was left loose in the
different rooms, the same as a lot of hand-bills in a common
printing-office. The lady employes, as a means of recreation, would gaze
at the Yankee hirelings in the prison-yard. A number of the privates had
no coats or shirts, and were barefoot. The sight must have been very
interesting.

When the officers were in the yard the privates had to remain in the
barracks. That was the time that those young ladies from Virginia showed
their good breeding. If one of us happened to get within spitting
distance of a window, up would go their noses and down would come the
saliva. At first we were inclined to be angry, but that was just what
those females liked, so we changed our tactics, and threw kisses back
when they spat. By that means the spitting was stopped. Every day we
would hear exciting news from different sources.

What interested us most came direct from the Secretary of the
Confederate navy. He authorized some gentlemen to make arrangements for
a spec