vers and discovered the
deception. A crowd had followed them, and they were now well laughed at,
but they took it good-humoredly, only swearing at Moore for his
deviltry. When we went back to roll-call Moore was in his place in line,
and, as he gave a good excuse for absence and disclaimed all knowledge
of any joke, the guards had to be satisfied with some general cussing.

The rebel prisoners were also kept in this stockade--men who, as at
Washington, were imprisoned for various crimes and offenses.

One rebel prisoner complained of a theft. Moore hunted around, found a
suspect, convened a court-martial, had the man tried, found guilty and
sentenced to receive ten lashes, which were duly administered.

The court-martial and punishment are worthy of note. All the
preparations for the trial were made in due and ancient form, as
formally as if it had been ordered by the regularly-constituted
authorities in military life. The army (the prisoners) was well
represented by a judge-advocate, and the culprit by "learned counsel."
The offender was placed on the stand, and then witnesses for both sides
were thoroughly questioned and cross-questioned. Being found guilty in
usual form, the prisoner was sentenced as solemnly as if before a
regular court. The punishment was given by causing the thief to be bent
over a stump, with his hands and feet held by Confederate prisoners,
while the ten stripes were laid on with a halter strap in the hands of
another, who did not spare the victim. The rebel prisoners endorsed the
proceedings as being perfectly legal and just.

The feverish desire to escape was constantly present with every man in
the stockade, but there seemed to be little chance for getting away. We
were allowed to go out after wood, but there was a guard for each
prisoner when we went.

One rebel guard talked to me, and made a proposal. He was a rebel from
principle, he said, but had lost everything, and was now over forty
years old. What the outcome was to be he did not know, but he did know
that he wanted to make some money for himself and family, and had a
chance to do so if he had some help.

He told me of two steamboats, loaded with cotton, then lying tied up on
Red River, not over five miles away, and kept in readiness for a run up
some secluded bayou if the Yankees approached, calling my attention to
the fact that, as only two guards protected each vessel, the fires kept
in the furnaces made it a comparatively ea