The discipline in the prison at Elmira was not rigorous. The prisoners
had to clean up the cells, halls, and yard, but the rest of their time
they could spend as they liked. Some of those whose friends had money
were able to live in comparative luxury and to assist those who had no
such resources; for throughout the War there was never any great
difficulty in passing letters to and from the South. The line of
frontier was enormous and it was only at certain points that hostilities
were actively carried on, consequently letters and newspapers were
freely passed, and money could be sent in the same way from one part of
the country to another.

At certain hours of the day hawkers and venders of such articles as were
in most demand by the prisoners were allowed to enter the yard and to
sell their wares to the Confederates. Spirits were not allowed to be
carried in, but tobacco and all kinds of food were permitted to pass.
Vincent had at Alexandria written a letter to his mother, and had given
it to a man who represented that he made it his business to forward
letters to an agent at Richmond, being paid for each letter the sum of a
dollar on its delivery. Vincent, therefore, felt confident that the
anxiety that would be felt at home, when they learned that he was among
the missing at the battle of Antietam, would be relieved.

He was fairly supplied with money. He had, indeed, had several hundred
dollars with him at the time he was captured; but these were entirely in
Confederate notes, for which he got but half their value in Northern
paper at Alexandria. He himself found the rations supplied in the prison
ample, and was able to aid any of his fellow-prisoners in purchasing
clothes to replace the rags they wore when captured.

One day Vincent strolled down as usual toward the gate, where, under the
eye of the guard, a row of men and women, principally negroes and
negresses, were sitting on the ground with their baskets in front of
them containing tobacco, pipes, fruit, cakes, needles and thread,
buttons, and a variety of other articles in demand, while a number of
prisoners were bargaining and joking with them. Presently his eye fell
upon a negro before whom was a great pile of watermelons. He started as
he did so, for he at once recognized the well-known face of Dan. As soon
as the negro saw that his master's eye had fallen upon him he began
loudly praising the quality of his fruit.

"Here, massa officer, here bery f