"A prisoner on board the 'Old Jersey!' The very thought was
appalling. I could hardly realize my situation.
"The first thing we found it necessary to do after our capture was to
form ourselves into small parties called messes, consisting of six in
each, as previous to doing this, we could obtain no food. All the
prisoners were obliged to fast on the first day of their arrival, and
seldom on the second could they obtain any food in season for cooking
it. * * * All the prisoners fared alike; officers and sailors received
the same treatment on board of this old hulk. * * * We were all
'rebels.' The only distinction known among us was made by the
prisoners themselves, which was shown in allowing those who had been
officers previous to their captivity, to congregate in the extreme
afterpart of the ship, and to keep it exclusively to themselves as
their place of abode. * * * The prisoners were confined in the two
main decks below. The lowest dungeon was inhabited by those prisoners
who were foreigners, and whose treatment was more severe than that of
the Americans.
"The inhabitants of this lower region were the most miserable and
disgusting looking objects that can be conceived. Daily washing in
salt water, together with their extreme emaciation, caused the skin to
appear like dried parchment. Many of them remained unwashed for weeks;
their hair long, and matted, and filled with vermin; their beards
never cut except occasionally with a pair of shears, which did not
improve their comeliness, though it might add to their comfort.
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