ht gave me two loaves of bread
and some small fishes, dried herring, which was divided with my comrades,
Virgil Elliott and Felix Dobbins. When Richmond was evacuated the people
were destitute and most of them on the verge of starvation. So now the
United States Government had nearly all of them to feed, white and black.
When we went to get our rations two men drew together. I told my comrade
to get our meat and I would get our bread. Avery, a consequential mulatto
gentleman, waited on me, and when he weighed up my crackers, I said, "Meat
for two men, please," and he throwed it up quick and pushed it to me. So I
got a double ration of meat.

We crossed the James River on a pontoon bridge over to Manchester--all the
bridges having been burned. Here we found many new freight cars marked U.
S. M. R. R. We took up quarters in them to wait until 8 a. m. next day.
That night a big rain broke down the road and we had to lay over another
day. So I told Felix that I guessed more prisoners came in last night; let
us go over and draw rations with them again, and he said all right. And we
went over and drew another supply. I had now drawn eighteen pounds of salt
pork to do me home. We sold the last draw to an Irish woman who kept a
little shop, and we indulged in a quart of molasses. The people of
Richmond were as clever and sympathetic with us as during the war. One
storekeeper invited us to come in and help ourselves on sweet crackers
(ginger snaps). The good lady that cooked our meat in Manchester sent with
it a plate of nice, hot biscuits. We left Richmond June 16th, but our
train could not cross the Appomattox River. The high water had careened
the new trestle bridge. We walked over and on to another station, and a
train from Burkville came after us. We stayed at Burkville until dark, and
when we were ordered to board some box-cars, I found the door full, and
they said not another could get in. I fought my way in and found those in
the door all there were in it. So I hunted up my comrades, Elliott and
Dobbins, and brought them in, as a thunder storm was coming up. These men
who tried to keep us out were hospital rats. They were clean and did not
want to mix with us lousy, dirty prisoners. After we got in they let no
others in, while many had to ride on top in an all-night rain storm.
Thousands of Federal troops occupied Greensboro and Charlotte. They were
all quite friendly and congratulated us on the close of the war. I said,