Identifier: andersonvilles00mcel (find matches)
Title: Andersonville : a story of Rebel military prisons, fifteen months a guest of the so-called southern confederacy : a private soldier's experience in Richmond, Andersonville, Savannah, Millen, Blackshear, and Florence
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: McElroy, John, 1846-1929
Subjects: Andersonville Prison United States -- History Civil War, 1861-1865
Publisher: Toledo : D. R. Locke
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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nned. They seemedto comprehend for the first time that it was really the deter-mination of the Begulators to hang them. Before that they hadevidently thought that the talk of hanging was merely bluff.One of them gasped out: My God, men, you dont really mean to hang us up there ? Key answered grimly and laconically: That seems to be about the size of it. At this they burst out in a passionate storm of intercessionsand imprecations, which lasted for a minute or so, when itwas stopped by one of them saying imperatively: All of you stop now, and let the priest talk for us. At this the priest closed the book upon wJiich he had kepthis eyes bent since his entrance, and facing the multitude onthe North Side began a plea for mercy. The condemned faced in the same direction, to read theirfate in the countenances of those whom he was addressing.This movement biought Curtis — a low-statured, massivelybuilt man — on tlie right of their line, and about ten or fifteensteps from my company. , :^
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A 8TOKT OF REBEL MILITAItY PRISONS. 247 The whole camp had been as still as death since Wirzs exit.The silence seemed to become even more profound as the priestbegan his appeal. For a minute every ear was strained tocatch what he said. Then, as the nearest of the thousandscomprehended what he was saying they raised a shout of No ! no a NO I! Hang them ! hang them ! Dont let them go! Never! Hang the rascals! han^ the villains! Hang em ! hang em! hang em! This was taken up all over the prison, and tens of thousandsthroats yelled it in a fearful chorus. Curtis turned from the crowd with desperation convulsinghis features. Tearing off the broad-brimmed hat which hewore, he flung it on the ground with the exclamation : By God, Ill die this way first! and, drawing his headdown and folding his arms about it, he dashed forward forthe center of my company, like a great stone hurled from acatapult. Egypt and I saw where he was going to strike, and randown the line to help stop him. As he came u

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