distant from the town of Tyler, in a northeast direction, and on
the side of the main road to Marshall. The stockade was called Camp
Ford, and was situated in the midst of a section thickly covered with a
growth of pine timber, the enclosure consisting of about six or seven
acres in a comparatively open space, where the trees had been cut off.
The trunks of from one foot to eighteen inches in diameter had been
split in two, and cut so that they were about nine feet long. These had
been sunk in the ground about three feet and one-half to make the fence
around the prison, and the tops of these slabs were about the height of
an ordinary man's eyes from the ground.

The enclosure had been recently enlarged, and there were no buildings in
it except in the old portion, and these now stood in the northwest
corner, where there was a beautiful spring, which gave an abundance of
clear and good water.

The stockade had two gates, the main entrance being on the north side
and the other through the eastern fence or wall. The guardhouse was
opposite the main gate, the headquarters of the rebels in a house over
100 yards down the road toward Tyler, and the hospital about 300 yards
beyond.

We stood for over an hour, in all our glory, before the stockade, while
the rebels looked us over and checked us off; then we were marched by
details into our attractive future home.

My company was directed to the southwest corner of the enclosure, and
assigned to quarters consisting of tree stumps, tangled oaks and scrubby
pine brush.

Who can adequately describe the feelings which possess a man at such a
time!

The remembrance of the patriotic inspiration, and hopes of glory, which
actuated the enlistment; the recollection of how the desire for the
comforts of life and the pleasures of home associations was suppressed
in order that the country's need might be served; feelings of
thankfulness that death in battle had not been the result; and then a
self-questioning as to whether death would not be preferable to a long,
dreary imprisonment; all combine to make one realize the extent of such
a misfortune: but a man becomes more miserable when nursing his
miseries, and the active employment of mind and body in attempts to
remedy present evils is the best means of avoiding depressing
influences; so most of us turned our attention to making the best of our
situation.

The next morning we held a council, and at once set about laying out a
tow