sed a
living man to become dead and buried on the records, while he was
carried on the rolls and subsequently exchanged under the name of the
man who had actually died. Several men escaped whose names were answered
in person afterward by others, who took their place in line and then
slipped back to their own places to respond to their own names. In this
way a number of men were exchanged under the names of those who had
escaped and whose absence had been covered up. This was possible, owing
to the roll-call and the few guards who handled large numbers of men,
but it was afterwards stopped by a numerical count when a few cases of
doubt had occurred.

When the rebels started the new system of counting we used to bother
them all we could by causing disappearances. One of the first attempts
we made at this was to secrete about 150 men in the lofts and corners of
the various buildings which then existed, as well as above the lower
weight poles on the roofs of our cabins; the usual custom of hanging
blankets to air on the eaves of our quarters enabling us to cover the
men who were hidden there.

There was a great excitement and furore when the count showed the
shortage and apparent escape. Dogs and searching parties were sent out
in all directions without avail, and the next morning it was more
excitement when the count was in excess of the required number. We did
this constantly, in a small way, although our fun was spoiled after the
first large discrepancy, but it served to increase chances of escape by
making the rebels pay less attention to a small shortage. They would not
attempt to hunt through the stockade for a few men, and after a few
cases of finding the missing ones at the next or the following count
they could not be sure of an escape until too late to follow with any
chance of success.

Exchanges at this time were considerably delayed by the trouble which
resulted from the paroles given to the large number of prisoners at
Vicksburg. These men were tired of fighting, had no desire to serve the
Confederacy again, and not only refrained from again carrying arms
against the United States, until regularly exchanged, but sought to
avoid doing it at all by keeping out of the way of exchange.

In one of the boat fights on the Red river the rebels captured an army
paymaster in citizen's clothes. He was sent to our stockade, was
exchanged in due time and sent home, and I learned years after that he
had had $150,000 of