Pemerton Building,
Richmond, Va. — We are confined on the third floor of the building, which is a
large tobacco warehouse. Was removed from the island yesterday. Was a warm day
and it was a long walk. Came across the “long bridge,” and it is a long bridge.
Was not sorry to bid adieu to Belle Isle. Were searched last night but our mess
has lost nothing, owing to the following process we have of fooling them: One
of the four manages to be in the front part of the crowd and is searched first,
and is then put on the floor underneath and we let our traps down through a
crack in the floor to him, and when our turn comes we have nothing about us
worth taking away. The men so ravenous when the rations were brought in, that
the boxes of bread and tubs of poor meat were raided upon before dividing, and
consequently some had nothing to eat at all, while others had plenty. Our mess
did not get a mouthful and have had nothing to eat since yesterday afternoon,
and it is now nearly dark. The lice are very thick. You can see them all over
the floors, walls, &C., in fact everything literally covered with them;
they seem much larger than the stock on Belle Isle and a different species. We
talk of escape night and day — and are nearly crazy on the subject. No more
news about exchange. Papers state that Richmond is threatened, and that
Kilpatrick's cavalry is making a raid on the place for the purpose of releasing
us and burning the town. Unusual bustle among them.
SOURCE: John L. Ransom, Andersonville Diary, p.
34
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