Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1891 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXII. BELOW HALF RATIONS. This is one of Captain Holmes' sweet revenges. The 31st of December was ration-day, but instead of issuing us our regular ration of coffee, sugar, hominy, vinegar, candles, soap, salt, pepper, etc., we had to be content with half rations. For instance, eight pounds of coffee was at that time the allowance for a hundred rations, and twelve pounds of sugar, eighteen ounces of flour, etc., per day, but as a substitute for coffee, they issued us four pounds of rye, six pounds of sugar, four pounds of hominy, vinegar none, candles none, soap none, and very little salt and pepper, and to cap it, the coarsest kind of corn meal instead of flour. We tried our best to obtain satisfaction, but altogether in vain. As we expected this treatment would last only for a short time, we tried to make the best of it for the time being, hoping that Captain Holmes might have some few grains of humane feeling left in him, and that he was only trying to show the power he had over us prisoners; we still bore up, hoping for a change. Ration-day after ration-day followed, but always the same rations; at last they made a little change by issuing us as a substitute for rye -- barley. In the month of May, 1862, we suffered the most from want of sustenance. Our daily food was beef and " corndodgers," neither rye, barley nor salt did we receive during this month. At one time, while a number of us were sitting together, I made the remark, that comething must be done to save ourselves from becoming dirty, and to preserve our health. We decided the first thing on the programme was to try and make soap. All of us then went to work, gathering the necessary substance -- bones, offals, waste meat, etc. We commenced the manufacture of soft...
