REMINENCES OF LIFE IN THE ARMY AND AS A PRISONER OF WAR, Smith Co, TX

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Copied from the files in the East Texas Family Research Center
Ralph W. Steen Library, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, TX
MCCULLOCH, JOHN SCOULLER. REMINISCENCES, 1877. 1 ITEM. (A-56) 

Copied by Mary Love Berryman - 15 Jul 2000

The following manuscript is a photographed copy of J. S. McCulloch's
experience while a prisoner of the Confederate Army, at Camp Fore, 
Texas, during the last year of the Civil War.

John Scouller McCulloch was born Sept. 5, 1829.  He graduated from
Jefferson college (now known as Washington and Jefferson) in 1854 and 
from the Associated Reformed Theological Seminary at Allegheny, Pa.  
In 1858.  He was licensed April 9, 1957 by the Associated Reformed
Presbytery of Big Spring, Pa., and ordained Aug. 23, 1857.

He became pastor at Peoria, Ill. in 1857 and remained there until 1864.
On March 24, 1859 he married Mary Craig Fulton (born March 24, 1830, at
Big Spring, Pa.)  To this union were born five sons and one daughter:
Ewing (died young),Ida, Bruce, Craig, Paul and Ralph.

In 1864 Rev. McCulloch was called as chaplain to the 77th Regiment of 
Illinois Volunteers.  When this regiment was taken prisoner, the men 
were incarcerated at Camp Ford.  Set free after about four months, by 
Yankee soldiers, the former prisoners walked to the Mississippi River,
and Mr. McCulloch returned to Peoria by boat.

His next pastorate was in New York City, from 1865 to 1877, at the 
Harlem church on 116th St.  Then from 1877 to 1899, he was president of
Knoxville (Tenn.) college, one of the earliest colleges for the lately 
freed negroes.

Monmouth College at Monmouth, Illinois conferred the degree of D. D. on 
him in 1879.

From 1900 until his death in 1910 he resided in Omaha, Nebraska, 
preaching occasionally at the Central United Presbyterian Church.  Mrs. 
McCulloch preceded him in death in 1904.

NOTE:  The first pages are not copied here.  It begins after he is 
captured. MLB

We were hurried to the rear beyond Mansfield, and turned into a 
corn-field to camp for the night.  I was without an overcoat or 
blanket, and the temperature was not far from freezing point.  Not one 
quarter of the men had any covering for the night.  The officers were 
separated from the men, and watched more closely.  We gathered round 
the fire, and wondered what had become of this one and that one.  My 
brother, who had gone into the fight, was not with us, and no one could 
give me any satisfactory account of him.  The night came on, and the 
firing in the area ceased.

Then we gathered round the fire and said to the guard that we would 
pray before lying down, and with uncovered heads, we asked our heavenly 
Father to watch tenderly over our comrads, who still lay maimed and 
dying on the field.  The guards looked on in mute astonishment until 
we were through, and then paced their beats while we tried to sleep.  
It would have greatly relieved my anxiety if I had known that my 
brother was in another sqad near by, a prisoner like myself, but safe 
and sound.

I shall not soon forget the kindness of Captain Stearns, who seeing 
that I had no covering, shared with me his rubber blanket and overcoat.  
I was still too cold to sleep much, but I was much more favored than 
hundreds of others, who had no bed but the bare ground, and no covering
but the sky.  Not one tent or blanket was ever furnished to us.

But some one says:  "Medical officers and chaplains are not held as
prisoners".  That is what I thought, too, and that is the rule laid 
down in our army regulations; and so I applied at once to the officer 
in command to be sent to the hospital to care for our wounded men until 
I should be released, and others interceded for me, but the commanding 
officer said he had no authority to release me, and at 9 o'clock the 
next morning I was ordered to fall into line with about eleven hundred 
others, for a march of about a hundred and forty miles to the town of 
Tyler in the interior of Texas.

Many of us started out that morning without breakfast, and without any
ration for dinner, and we were obliged to beg from those, who had their
haversacks, and also from negroes and white people who came out to the
road "to see the Yankees" as we passed.

At night after marching about fifteen or twenty miles we had our first 
ration.  It consisted of about a pint of Indian corn meal, and some 
cured beef -- what the soldiers call "salt-horse".  It was utterly
impossible to get water enough.  The guards were very strict lest any
of us should escape, and many hired negroes and other citizens to bring
them water, because they knew where to find it.

The corn meal was good, but how to cook it was the question.  The beef
too would have answered well, if there had be a few vessels to boil 
the salt out of it, but not one man in ten could do any thing of the 
kind.  Hungry men, however will eat, cooked food if they can get it, 
but raw, rather than starve.

Hence you might have seen groups of men sitting at the fire -- one 
holding a rail with a handful of moistened meal stuck on its flat side
next the fire to bake it, another with a tin cup hung on the end of a 
stick, holding it over the fire to boil much, another still with a 
slice of salt beef on the end of a spit, holding it to the fire, which,
in a few minutes, drew out the salt and left it on the outside, so as 
to parch the lips the moment it touched them.

All the cooking was done in primative style, and the few vessels that
could be obtained were kept in use nearly the whole night, the men 
waking each other and eating in turn.  The third night some eighteen
or twenty of us clubbed together, and when we encamped, sent a man to 
a neighboring house, and borrowed a large pot.  With this we parboiled
the salt beef, and made it quite palatable.  Was was plenty there also,
and after the beef was done, we took part of the salt water, and stirred
in our corn-meal rations, and soon had a grand feast of mush.  We had 
no plates or bowls - not even spoons.  Each guest made a little paddle,
and stuck it into the pot, and after blowing it cool, ate what was on 
the paddle, and then reached back for another paddle full.  This was 
getting supper under difficulties, but we had the satisfaction of 
knowing who the cooks were, and that everything was clean!  We had not
all done eating when a cold storm of wind and rain set in, and the few
who had rubber blankets and shelter tents, covered themselves as best 
they could, and the rest sat by the fire, or walked about nearly all 
night until the rain ceased.

Such exposure, as a matter of course, made a long sick list in the 
morning, and not a few complained that they were too ill to walk, and 
threats were resorted to in some instances to compel them.  Old Mr. 
Robb, chaplain of the 46th Indiana, gave out the third or fourth day,
and he was allowed to ride a few miles in a wagon.  He was sixty-four 
years old, and very weak from the effects of exposure, but he was
compelled to get out and march when many of us thought that the
courageous old man might at any step sink down and die.  You might
think, that we were a very sad and solemn procession, and it certainly
was very trying to men who got sick, but the spirit that animated our
soldiers was not easily broken.  Scarcely an hour passed without a good
general laugh or a hearty cheer.  The batallion that guarded us were in
constant anxiety lest we should seize their guns and make our escape,
and hence many of the prisoners were very bold - perhaps impudent.
Trading was freely carried on between prisoners and the guards.  Paper 
and gold pens, and black hats, and sword-belts and haversacks were
exchanged for blankets and old quilts and pieces of carpet - anything
our men could get to keep them warm at night; so that in three or four
days, perhaps half them had something to sleep under.

These transactions afforded not a little amusement as we marched along.
Then the prisoners and guards would, in spite of all the efforts of the
officers, get in to arguments on the most vital questions between the
North and South.  Some shrewd fellow would lead off, and others would 
cheer him whenever he made a good point.  Of course our side always 
came off best in these wordy encounters.

In the town of Marshall, Texas, the citizens, mostly ladies, gathered 
out in great numbers on the porches and side-walks of the principal 
street, as we passed through.  They were evidently in their best 
attire, and they did not try to conceal their delight at seeing so 
many Yankees deprived of their arms.  Some of us felt our indignation 
stirred almost beyond endurance as we saw group after group wave their 
handkerchieves to the Colonel, who was riding in our front.  At length, 
when we had reached the centre of town, my brother, who was marching 
at my side, could stand it no longer, and without consulting any one, 
he rand out in a clear voice.

     The Union for ever.
     Hurrah boys hurrah,
     Down with the traitors,
     Up with the stars.
     For we'll rally round the flag boys
     Rally one again
     Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

The inspiration was irestible, and as fast as the sound was carried 
back the familiar words were caught up and sung with a will.  We passed 
many planters, who had fled from Arkansas, and Louisiana and 
Mississippi, and wer on their way with their negroes into the interior
of Texas.  Some of them had quite a large train of wagons and servants
and cattle, and they were obliged to camp out at night!

One morning, soon after we commenced our march, we found one of these 
nabobs almost ready to move from his camp.  He was standing beside his
grand old carriage.  He would have been a splendid looking man, if he 
had not been quite so portly.  He looked at us, with evident 
satisfaction, and seemed very glad to see us, but he did not have all 
the enjoyment to himself; for after fifty or a hundred of us in front
had passed him quietly, one of the men with a keen sense of the 
ludicrous started the familiar song.

         "Massa runned away,
          Darkey stay at home."

A hundred voices chimed in at once, but when the singers came to the 
words.

         "He's six feet one way three feet tother
          And he weighs three hundred pounds.""

the hit was so apparent, that the men couldn't sing for laughing.  And 
they broke out in a general shout.

The rebel soldier, enjoyed the confusion of the nabob, almost as much
as we did; for they said he was running away from the conscription.

Another thing which kept up the spirit of the prisoners, was the hope 
held out that we would get into good barracks, and have plenty of 
cooking utensils.  Hence, when we halted within half a mile of the 
stockade, we thought it very hard to lie out and shiver another night, 
when a few steps more would have brought us into comfortable quarters.  
But the next morning dispelled our delusion.  We marched into a field 
of about ten or eleven acres, with a few trees, and a great many high 
stumps, and young sprouts.  It was surrounded by a stockage fence, in
some places fourteen feet high.  We were still looking for the barracks,
but after a few words with the old prisoners, we were assured that 
neither board, slab, tent nor blanket would be on two other implements,
but I think I have given you the exact list.  Imagine how a town of
twenty-one hundred people could get along with such an outfit.  And yet, 
in less than four weeks one half of those men had comparatively good
shelter.  They would all have had comfortable quarters in less than a 
week, if they could have borrowed or bought tools, but this was 
impossible and hence, we had to take turns with the tools, and 
sometimes wait for hours and days to get a chance to bore a hole, or 
split a shingle or clapboard.  I belonged to a mess of sixteen, and in 
about  two weeks, we had a shanty sixteen feet square, with a 
clap-board roof and a wooden chimney, plastered inside with mud.  Here, 
we ate, slept and cooked.  It was a rough place; and yet it was one of 
the best in the stockade.  I have seen thirty-five men on several 
occasions, when it rained, spend the night in that shanty, and they 
were very thankful for the accomodations.

We made a table of clapboards, and our service of plate and china was 
not extensive.  I made myself a wooden spoon, and with this, and my 
pocket knife, and my fingers, I got along.  I was peculiarly fortunate 
in getting hold of a small empty tomato can, and with this I made a 
small plate, and left enought for another plate, and then we were just
so much better off than some others of our mess.  Trained as we were 
in these lessons of household economy, we feel ourselves quite 
competent to advise the ladies how to furnish a table in hard times.

There was a vast amount of trading done among the prisoners.  I was 
very much surprised at this.  Soon after we arrived in prison, a man 
came in one day with cornmeal and he sold out in a very short time at 
a dollar a pint, in greenbacks.  The same day our mess bought twenty 
pounds of flour at a dollar a pound.  There were men among the 
prisoners, who lived by their wits, just the same as anywhere else.  
They tried to keep up the price of provisions, and bring down the price 
of watches pens, pencils, rings, and other things that were much sought 
after in the South.  I knew one man who made not less than $200 in a 
month in this way.  Of course it came off his fellow prisoners, and 
some of them imagined he was doing them a great favor.  Some bakers and
barbers and potters no doubt made considerable money honestly, but there
was much swindling and gambling too.

The Texans, also, were great traders.  One of the guards soon traded 
me out of my hat, and they tried over and over again to trade me out of
my boots.

The first two weeks we received full rations - a pound of corn meal
unsifted, and about a pound of beef. In the following winter, however,
the ratiion of beef was reduced to three or four ounces.  Several times
the rations were stopped for a short time, and threats were often made
to do so, when some mischief had been done.  Another way of punishing
us was to allow no one to go out for wood.  This was frequently done,
but the importunity of the prisoners gerenally prevailed very soon to
have the punishment removed.

A trivial offence was often made the pretext for punishing, forty-five
hundred men for one or two days.

Escapes were frequent, and they were a constant source of annoyance to
the authorities.  These escapes were effected in various ways - 
sometimes by loosening a post in the stockade, & sometimes climbing 
over it, & sometimes by bribing the guard.  There was very little
difficulty in getting out.  The main object was to keep the officers
from finding it out, that any were missing, and many were the 
expedients at roll call, to excape detection.  Sometimes a week would 
elapse before an escape was discovered.

A dark rainy night was the time to escape.  This was to prevent the 
blood-hounds from getting the scent.  As soon as it was known that a
prisoner was gone, the horn was sounded for the dogs, and in a little 
while we could hear them howling after their game.  To escape these 
faithful dogs was next to an impossibility.  A good blood-hound was
worth several men for guarding prisoners; and hence I have heard more
curses and dreadful threats of bengeance against these poor innocent
dogs, than against their guilty, inhuman masters.

Scores of men were caught, and brought back, and punished, for doing
what they felt was duty - that is trying to escape.  Some would be
caught in a day or two, and others were brought back for two or three
weeks.

The punishments were various, and some of them barbarious and cruel.
Usually they were kept a few days in the guard-house, but in some cases
they wer required to stand bare-headed in the sun for hours, or to 
stand bareheaded in the sun for hours, or to stand in some peculiar 
position under penalty of being shot.

One of the best men we had a most devoted and consistant Christian, 
escaped, and was caught, brought back, and cruelly punished.  Colonel
Borders tried to make him promise that he would never try to escape
again, and that he would also use his influence to induce the other
prisoners not to escape.  He was a noble fellow, and he seemed never
to fear the face of man.  And he replied.  "Colonel you know you would
not consent to such a thing if you were a prisoner.  Our government
makes it our duty to escape if we can, and as I have sworn to defend
that governement I cannot conscientiously comply with your demand".
This was the substance of his reply.  He was respectful buy very fire.
soe the colonel determined to make him feel his power.  He ordered him
to be placed on a stump about seven or eight inches in diameter for 
several hours a day.  The stump was cut as you have often seen with one
side sloping down, and the other up so that one toe was inclined 
downward and the other up - a most painful position, and yet the 
sentince was ordered, if he should not stand on both feet all the time,
or if he should step off, or fall off, to shoot him on the spot.

But no sooner had John Edwards got off than he commenced singing hymns,
and patriotic Union songs, in spite of the guards.  

When at length the time came for exchange, Colonel Borders came up to 
him, and said Well Edwards.  You're going now.  I have had a good deal
of trouble with you and you may think I have treated you harshly 
sometimes, But you must remember, that when you took sick at Camp Groce, 
I sent two men, and had a straw bed made for you.  "I know it Colonel 
said Edwards "abd U tgubj tiy fir ut,"  "And" said the Colonal "you
must remember that I sent you some food from my own table when you 
were getting better."  I know it Colonel, and I think you for it."  
Quite a crowd, by this time, had gathered rougn, both of his own men
and prisoners.  "Now, said the colonel I may be sent to the front, and
some day fall into your hands, "and I have just one request to make of
you - that if ever I fall into your hands as a prisoner, you will treat
me as I have treated you.

"No sir!" said Edwards "Why, said the Col. What do you mean? And every 
man stretched his neck to hear better.  "Why Col., said Edwards.  "If
ever you become a prisoner in my hands, I'll treat you so well that 
you'll be ashamed of yourself."  The Colonel dropped his head, and shot
through the crowd, while they enjoyed a hearty laught at his expense.

Another man for trying to excape was compelled to stand, with his bare 
heels on two sharp pins driven into the ground, for eight hours a day
without his hat in a southern sun.

There is a long list of cruelties in connection with Camp Ford.  Several
of them resulting in death, which their inhuman perpetrators may well 
wish forgotton.

ROBBING PRISONERS

The robbing of prisoners was generally done on the battle fields or very
soon after surrender.  Some eleven hundred, captured when I was, were
not robbed at all, except a very small number, while twelve hundred
captured a few days after were nearly all robbed.  Watches, knives,
pocket books and money, combs, pencils and pens, and black cases, and
when these men came in they were in a very destitute condition.

AMUSEMENTS

The amusements of the prisoners were very much like those of a regular
army camp.  Men could be seen every hour in groups playin chess and 
checkers, and cards.  Others played base ball until the place became 
too crowded for this.  The few books that could be found were mad read 
over many times, and many spent their time whittling & carving wood, 
but a large proportion of the time was spent in idle talk, and in sleep.  
There was one violin but there was no promiscuous dancing though there 
were many a hoe-down  I have no recollection of seeing either a 
quadrille or a round dance, and I conclude that men don't like to dance 
with their arms around each other, and their chins over each others 
shoulders.

RELIGIOUS MEETINGS

The religious privaleges were all we could expect, and indeed, I 
believe the religious element of our camp, made a good impression in 
Texas,

Mr. Robb and myself were the only chaplains at first, but two others 
came in afterwards.  We applied at once for the privalege of holding 
meeting, and we were permitted to hold three meetings on Sabbath, and 
one every night till nice o'clock.  We felt very little restraint, and 
prayed as fervently for the success of our rms and the downfall of 
slavery and the rebellion as any of you in New York.  The post 
commander, with his wife and a number of ladies came in one Sabbath, 
and listened with great apparent respect while I preached but he 
afterwards told two of our Captains, that I was a black-hearted 
abolitionist.  Those meetings were not often dry and cold and lifeless.  
The men, who made up the audience were the very pith of the religious 
element of that large camp of 4500 men.  The current of religious 
feeling, I may say religious enthusiam was strong, and I have no doubt 
that many men, and perhaps some of the rebel guards, date their first 
deep conviction of sin, and sense of pardon, from those meetings.

SANITARY CONDITION.

The health of the prison was remarkable, and disapointed many 
apparently well grounded fears.  Had any one told me that I could 
live six weeks, when we were turned into that pen, I woiuld have 
thought him a fool.  But out of a hundred and thirty men of our 
regiment, we lost only two in fourteen months.  Others lost half 
their men, mainly because they allowed themselves to lose hear, and 
had such poor facilities for cooking their food.  Many precious lives 
could, no doubt, have been saved, if the sick could have been removed 
to a hospital.  Without any of the conveniences of a sick room, you may 
see that the sick man's comrads would be almost glad when he died, 
because it left them a little more room in their miserable hut, and 
relieved them of care.

Prison life, long continued, develops some of the worst traits of human
nature, and never perhaps was selfishness more gross and intense then 
in the prisoner's hut where one was sick or dying.

RUMORS OF EXCHANGE

It was all important to the prisoners to keep up their spirits.  If 
they once gave way to despondency, they were almost sure to die, and
hence rumors of exchange had a good sanitary effect.  Every few days a 
report came, that several hundred men had been exchanged.  When I came
away I carried more than two hundred letters with me, and in nearly
every one of them, the hope of speedy exchange was expressed.  I have
seen sober sensible men, almost beside themselves with temporary joy,
when these plausible reports came in.  There was not a time, perhaps,
when every man did not hope to be exchanged in three weeks.  There 
hopes of speedy release, too, prevented many men from attempting escape.  
They kept thinking it would be only a few days longer and hence nothing
would be gained by escape.  For my own part, I was constantly, while
able to keep my feet, planning and scheming how we could get away 
without of being caught, or overpowered and brought back.

After enjoying good health for six weeks, I was suddenly taken sick and 
for some time I familiarized my mind with the thought of burial in the
adjoining sandhill more than two thousand miles from home.  But in about
two weeks the fever was broken, and in three weeks more I was able to
preach a short sermone, as one of the most solemn meeting I ever 
attended.  I had obtained my parole that day, and I bid them farewell,
intending to start in the morning to report at Kirby Smith's head 
quarters at Shreveport.  There were about twenty in all, of us released.
Poor Chaplain Lamb was sent back because they found that he belonged to
a colored regiment.  Colonel Borders insulted him in the grossest 
manner and said.  Wwe don't recognize nigger officers.  You can go back
into the stockade.  Go off!"

When we reached Shreveport we found that we would have to wait two 
weeks for a boat.  We drew our rations for two weeks, and turned them 
in to a boarding house, and strolled about the city.  Here we became 
familiar with southern prices.  In the market, small cups of coffee 
were freely sold at $2.50, in confederate money, water mellons at from 
ten to twenty dollars.  Milk was one dollar a quart.  Each boarder 
could have any  extra dish by paying for it.

Ordinarily the prices were about from ten to fifteen times as hight as 
in New Orleans.  The principal dining room in the city had a large run 
of custom, and the regular charge was $15 a meal.

I visited the stores.  There were fine, large store-rooms, but many of 
them were closed, and of the others the array of empty shelves, proved
that our fleet maintained something more than a "paper blockade".

At length about a thousand prisoners came on and overtook us, and we 
embarked for our lives.  Our hearts thrilled, when our boat pushed off,
floating the white flag.  But it was a timid joy.  So often had we been
disappointed that we had learned not to be too confident.  Four months
had now elaspsed since I left home, and I had never heard a word, or
seen a line from my family.  As we came nearer and nearer to the 
Mississippi the suspense became painful.  Some had heard no word from
home for nearly a year - some more.  What changes had come.  Many of us
revealed our secret fears, and hopes to each other, as we steamed along.
When, therefore, we, at last, reached our lines, and were once more 
under the stars and stripes, now dearer than ever, and when a most 
unexpected letter, direct from home, was found on the cabin table, and
when the first few lines revealed that wife and daughter and son were
all alive and well, you must not think me weak if I wept for joy as I 
sought a secret place and gave God thanks that capture and imprisonment,
is an epoch in my life, and I only speak the experience of thousands of
others when I say that nothing of a merely worldly nature, ever 
impressed me half so much.

After that, whenever we went out to meet the enemy, my greatest dread
was not so much wounds and death, but capture.  Distressing dreams, 
even to this day, have almost invariably some unwelcome connection with
being flanked and surrounded, And the most awful nightmare is when I
think I am trying to escape, and I hear blood-hounds coming nearer and
nearer, and yet I can neither run, nor swim, nor climb a tree.

I am satisfied - satiated with war.  It originates in wichedness, and 
it develops wickedness at almost every step.  The soldier, above all
things, needs the truth of God, and the grace of God in his heart, that
he may resist temptation, and honor his Christian profession; but when 
war becomes a necessity to resist encroachments, and drive back the 
invader, let the Christian Church do everything possible to mitigate 
its evils; for it is true that nowhere in Christian effort more fruitful
in blessing than in the army.

I am obliged to you, ladies and gentlement, for your patient attention, 
I have detained you too long and I bid you good night.

116th St. April 16, 1877
Knoxville College Societies, Jan. 13th. 1888 (140)