he preached; for he never came empty-handed.
On his first visit he brought armfuls of tobacco, each plug wrapped in a
pious tract. He asked us to fall in line, for he had something for each.
When he came to me in the distribution, I declined it, saying "I never
use tobacco in any form." "Oh take it," said he; "you read the tract,
and give the tobacco to your neighbor." On subsequent Sundays he brought
eggs and other delicacies for the sick. We admired him as a preacher,
and regarded him with affection as a man. Secession and slavery aside,
for he believed in the rightfulness of both, as we learned on arguing
with him, it would be hard to find a more lovable character than Charles
K. Hall. And the South was full of such, who would have been glad, if
permitted and opportunity offered, to be good Samaritans, neighbors to
him who had fallen among foes; pure, gentle, kindly spirits, to whom it
will be said in the last great day, "I was an hungred and ye gave me
meat; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto
me."

From the lack of sufficient and proper food, clothing, and exercise, the
health of all suffered. Much of the time it was impossible to keep warm.
The most prevalent diseases, I think, were rheumatism and scurvy. I
suffered from both. Anti-scorbutics were scarce. The pain from
rheumatism was slight during the day; but at evening it began in the
joints of the fingers and became more severe as night advanced,
ascending from the hands to the wrists, arms, and shoulders. It was
worst at midnight and through the small hours, then gradually diminished
till daylight. The prison physician did his best to help us with
liniment, but in those winter nights the treatment was ineffective.

Upon the total failure of our attempt to break out on the 10th of
December, and having come reluctantly to the conclusion that Colonel
Smith had told us the truth when he said that Lincoln and Grant would
not consent to an exchange of prisoners, I foresaw that death was
inevitable after a few months, perhaps a few weeks, unless the situation
should materially change for the better. I determined, though without
much hope of success, to appeal to Colonel Smith for personal favor. On
the 15th of December I sent word to him that I wished an interview with
him. He immediately sent a soldier to bring me to his office. He
received me courteously; for he was a gentleman. I told him it was
necessary for me, if I was to live muc