More prisoners came to-day and say there is to be no general
exchange during the war, and we are to be sent off into Georgia immediately.
Stormy and disagreeable weather and everybody down-hearted. Very still among
the men, owing to the bad news — hardly a word spoken by anybody. The least bit
off anything encouraging would change the stillness into a perfect bedlam. I this
morning looked into a tent where there were seventeen men and started back
frightened at the view inside. What a tableau for a New York theatre? They were
all old prisoners nearly naked, very dirty and poor, some of them sick lying on
the cold ground with nothing under or over them, and no fire; had just been
talking over the prospect ahead and all looked the very picture of dispair,
with their hollow eyes, sunken cheeks and haggard expression. I have before
imagined such scenes but never before realized what they were until now. And
such is but a fair sample of hundreds of men fully as bad.
SOURCE: John L. Ransom, Andersonville Diary, p.
28
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