three artists in this Danville prison, viz: Captain
Albert Thomas, who now has a studio in Syracuse, N. Y., Lieutenant
VanDerweed and another, whose name I do not now remember; but almost every
prisoner who was confined in Danville, will remember him as the officer
who was once sent down the river from Richmond for exchange, but who,
while passing Fort Fisher, was detected by the Confederate officer in
charge, in making a sketch of that fortification, and return to prison. He
was finally paroled with the rest of us, and we chaffed him considerable
while we were going down the river, some of the boys teasing him to make
them a sketch of the Reb iron-clads in the river, or of Fort Fisher.

Lieutenant VanDerweed made a number of sketches of prison scenes and some
fine pencil sketches of officers. He also went outside to make pencil
sketches of Confederate gentlemen and ladies, and while thus engaged, of
course, lived well and enjoyed pleasant society.

Captain Albert Thomas was solicited to do the same, but said in his
expressive way, that he would starve and see all the rebs in ---- (he
mentioned some warm climate) before he would make a picture of one of
them. He made some excellent pencil sketches of different officers in the
prison and among them one of Colonel W. C. Raulston, who met so sad a fate
in the attempted outbreak on the Tenth of December, 1864, but this sketch
unfortunately, was lost.

He also made a good one of myself, from which I have procured a cut for
this volume, and which I highly prize.

There were also in Danville, as in other prisons where I was confined,
sutlers who bought provisions of the Johnnies and sold to their comrades
at a profit. They would buy two or three pounds of bacon of the Johnnies
and cut it up into small pieces of about two ounces each, and sell these
to their comrades, who either had not money enough to buy more, or were
too fond of their own comfort to go down stairs at eleven o'clock at night
to buy of the guard.

[Illustration: PENCIL SKETCH OF AUTHOR, BY THOMAS, AT DANVILLE.]

CHAPTER XXVI.

On the 17th of February we were ordered to get ready to leave for Richmond
for exchange. The order was received with the most extravagant
demonstrations of joy; officers who had heretofore been sedate and gloomy,
throwing their arms around each other in the wildest excitement. Some
laughed and shouted, some wept for joy, while others gave vent to their
feelings by singi