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Show A PLEASAKT JfiVXIN. A Notable Anniversary Celebrated Lant Evening at the Home of J. B. P ember-ton. ember-ton. I'esterday was the twenty-ninth anniveiBary of the liberation of J, 13. Pemberton from the Andersonville prison, and the occasion was cele-Drated cele-Drated right merrily at the home of Mr. Pemberton in the Fifth ward last evening. The local members of the G. A. li. and their ladies, with a few other friends and their wives, were invited, and the evening was spent as evenings devoted to social enjoyment usually are, only there were many reminiscences of the war and war times recalled and tjld. Altogether it was a happy evening. even-ing. At the request of some of his friends Mr. Pemberton related his prison experience ex-perience as follows: "1 was captured bunday, September 26, 1863. I was in the act of putting a cap on my musket. Just as I had put tbe cap on, I heard a voice back of me saying; 'Here, you Yank, give me that gun,' and I looked around, and imagine my surprise to see tne woods alive with rebels; it seemed as though they were cominc out nf the ground as bees out of a hive. Of course I surrendered, as meek as a lamb. In that battle my cclonel and lieutenant colonel were both killed. I was taken to Richmond, and placed in JLibby prison; alter remaining awhile, I was eent to Belle Island prison. From Belle Island I was taken to Danville, Dan-ville, Virginia. Before I was removed from Belle Island, and when we were getting ready to move, several preachers preach-ers were sent into the camp. They held services with, us, and we thought that tlltl ruhsls rvara r.ntH : but afterward we learned that this was done to keep the boys from runLing away, while being transferred from the prison to the railway car. I also laid m the Florence prison. We had very pour water in Andersonville. There was twenty one acres in this enclosure, borne oi us boys dug wells; some of these wells were twenty-eight feet deep. We dug them with old knife points, 6poon nandles, and pieces of oarrel hoops, and made buckets to draw np Jthe dirt out of old pants pockets. Digging well3 got some of the boys into the idea of tunneling out of the prison. As Boon as this was discovered, dis-covered, we were ordered to fill up our wells this ehut off the supply c? water. We had no more good waltr then, lit-til, in answer to praver, a spring broke out a little ways from the deadline. This spring was so near the dead line, that some of the boys were shot while attempting to get a drink. To prevent this we dug out a 1- g and made a water trough of it. The spring is there on the ground today. to-day. "I was seventeen months in prison; during that time I never sa-v the stars and stripes but once, and that was when a northern woman in Richmond held it up at the window, and we boys cheered. General Grant, when president of the United States, made her postmistress of Richmond for this act. WThile in Andersonville we had religious services by some of the Djys who were preachers and godly men. I have seen hundreds on their knees at one time, praying mightily to God. Different durca doora were opened on the prison fields and thousands of boys united with the different branches of the christian church. "When I was exchanged, I was burniDgup with fever; was out of mv head most of the time, and will never know how I got from place to place. When I stepped off the boat I marched under arch with the stars and stripes floating over my head; there I heard some cursing the south; there I heard some thanking God tor liberty, but I broke down and wept like a child; the flag of my country never looked dearer to me in my life than at that moment." Lack of space forbids publication of more of this interesting hiptory. After Comrade Pemberton gave his experience, his daughter, Miss Florence, Flor-ence, seated herself at the piano and led the company in singing, "In the Prison Cell I Sat," followed by other choice selections. The company was then invited to partake of a rich "coffee" and fruits. Thus closed one of the most enjoyable evenings of the season, and one long to be remembered by Comrade Pemberton Pember-ton and his invited guests. |
