born in Virginia in 1832; was killed in a battle near Richmond, Va., in 1864.

EARL VAN DORN

Rose to the rank of Major-General. Was born in Mississippi in 1821; died in 1863.

GENERAL SIBLEY

Organized a Texan force of 3,000 troops and marched into New Mexico. It was related to me by an intelligent gentleman, who said he served as an officer on General Sibley's staff, that General Sibley was deeply imbued with State Right ideas, and it was his plan, when he organized those 3,000 Texans into a little army, to march into New Mexico, capture New Mexico, Colorado, Indian Territory, Arizona, Southern California and a part of Texas, and then cut loose from the Southern Confederacy and form a Southwestern Confederacy. What foundation there was for this statement I cannot say. But he was met by Colonel Slough, with his Colorado regiment, and in a battle at Apacha, and also at Pigeon Ranch, his Texan army was overpowered

and his army supplies were captured, and his plans to form a South-western Confederacy scattered to the winds. General Sibley, with his shattered forces, retired to Texas. General Sibley graduated at West Point.

MILITARY PRISONS OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE UNION MILITARY PRISONS.

There has been some controversy since the close of the war in regard to the treatment of Confederate prisoners of war in the northern military prisons.

In isolated cases I have no doubt that individual prisoners may have been mistreated by certain officials; but I am positive it was not a general thing, and I am sure that it was not approved by the government. I may be allowed to say that I was in a position during most of the time to know much about the treatment that the Confederate prisoners received at the hands of Union officers. I state what came under my own personal observation at Camp Chase, located at Columbus, O., at Camp Morton, located at Indianapolis, Ind., and also at the camp located on Johnson's Island. These camps were all very pleasantly and healthfully located. The best shelter and excellent

water in abundance was provided.

The rations were the same as provided for the Union soldiers. The hospital arrangements for the sick were ample and the best of medical treatment, and kind nursing of the sick, was furnished. I conversed with many of the Confederate prisoners in the above camps, and they uniformly expressed themselves as satisfied with the treatment they received at the hands of those in charge of the prisons. The following is a specimen of the conversation I had with them: "How do you like prison life?" "We do not relish it; yet we cannot complain of our treatment here. We have good shelter and plenty of excellent grub.

But we would be glad to get back to Dixie again.”

I saw many thousands of Confederate prisoners but I never saw one in any northern military prison that seemed to be emaciated by starvation. The statistics show that the death rate among the Confederate prisoners in northern military prisons was comparatively small. What is true of the prison camps above referred to, I have good reason to believe to be true of all the northern prisons camps. If there were any cases of mis

treatment of Confederate prisoners in northern military prisons I have no disposition even to apologize for such conduct, but those guilty of such inhuman conduct deserve the scorn of their fellow men who ever they may be.

CONFEDERATE MILITARY PRISONS.

One of the horrors of the war was prison life. Confined in the several prison camps located in the South were thousands of Union soldiers, captured mostly in battle. One of the most prominent was located at Richmond, Va., and another still larger was located at Andersonville, Ga. Several large tobacco houses at Richmond were utilized as prisons for captured Union soldiers. These buildings, not having been constructed for such purposes, were miserable abiding places for human beings. Not properly ventilated, and having no means of drainage, they became hotbeds for breeding diseases. Large numbers of Union soldiers sickened and died in these filthy prison pens. Adjunct to this was a prison camp, located on Belle Island, near Richmond. island is formed by two arms of James river.

This