an Tyree, of Company K detail, whose home was not far away, said he
could get some bloodhounds that would run them down. He was sent after the
dogs and they were put on their tracks after they had been gone four or
five hours, and followed them about thirty miles and caught them. The next
time we stopped there, at 2 a. m., they, the prisoners, seemed restless, a
number being up and moving around near the guard lines. Two or three made
a break through the guard lines and escaped in the darkness. Several shots
were fired at them, which awoke and roused up the whole camp. They were
ordered to lay down, but would not obey, even when the officers ordered us
to fire into them. But instead of firing into them, as we were ordered,
tried firing a few shots over them, which had the effect to make them lay
down. The officers then went among them and told them if anyone got up
before day he would be shot down. But still, occasionally, one would get
up and a guard would fire over him. At last one of the guards shot and
killed one. That might have been omitted, though we had orders to do so.
All the guards deplored that rash action. An old, sick Irishman fell in
the branch and died that night. I noticed after the war six or eight
graves at that wayside camp. Those who escaped that night probably got
through, as we never heard of them again.

While on guard in the car with them some of them twitted us about being
afraid of our officers. I told them our officers were kind and treated us
well; that I had been in the army seven months and had never seen a man
bucked and gagged; and, turning to a serious-looking Irishman, who was
listening with interest, but had said nothing, I asked him if he had ever
seen anything of that kind in their army. He answered, "Yes, my friend;
I've been bucked and gagged meself many a time." That was a clincher for
me that ended the discussion. The bad treatment of prisoners on both sides
makes one of the darkest pictures of that war. We understand statistics
show the mortality to be 13 per cent on the Federal side to 9 per cent on
the Confederate. My own experience in a Federal prison at the close of the
war, while very disagreeable, was much better than those poor fellows were
getting with us. But when we take into consideration the superior
resources of the United States, they were, to say the least, equally
negligent and resentful to their helpless enemies. Point Lookout Federal
prison will be treated on in