Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1912 — Anniversary Capture at The Battle of Babine Cross Roads. [ARTICLE]

Anniversary Capture at The Battle of Babine Cross Roads.

On April 8, 1864, forty-eight years ago, I was taken prisoner at the battle of Sabine Cross Roads. I. was a member of Company H, of the 46th Indiana regiment, and there were 77 of that regiment captured, including Lieuten ant-Colonel Aaron M. Flary, Capt Wm. M. DeHart and Chaplain Hamilton Robb. The federal loss at this battle was 600 killed and wounded and 1,250 taken prisoners. I did not submit to capture without a struggle, and received two bayonet wounds, one in my right hip and another in the calf of my right leg. | We were hastened to Mansfield, where we were kept one night- and the following morning we wereistarted to a southern military prison at Camp Ford, Texas, where we underwent abuses that were so barbarous as to be almost unbelievable. For months we were huddled without shelter, almost without clothes, and with puttrld meat and stale cornmeal as our daily ration. Vicious guards shot men 'down for the most trivial offenses and hundreds died from the hardships and privations imposed by the hard-hearted commander of the prison. As I look back over this almost half century and think of the atrocities committed by the fiend who- cammanded the hellpen in which we were kept, and realize all the hardships which we endured, I wonder I lived through it and came out with my mind clear and with sufficient of my former body of which to construct a human being. There was only about one blanket for each 20 men, only one pan in which to cook our meat and meal for each 10 men; we had no hats, many had no shirts, our trousers were torn off to the knees. The hot Texas sun burned us and baked our brains, the nights were cold, the rains made a mud hole of the pen where we were guarded and we had barely a few fires about which we huddled. Often a lad died while lying on the ground with the rain falling over him in torrents. Dugouts, which were made by many of the prisoners, would fill with water and the most horrible conditions ensued. It is doubtful if the prison conditions of any barbarious war ever approached the horrors of a southern military prison. When, on Dec. 15th, the remaining prisoners of the 46th and those from various other regiments were paroled and proceeded to New Orleans by the way of Houston and Galveston, some men died in crossing the gulf between Galveston and New Orleans. Their brave hearts gave way in the very sight of liberty. At New Orleans as we marched up the main streets a queer sight we made. 1 had no shoes, no hat, no shirt, just a pair of trousers that were worn out below knees, but I gave no thought to my appearance. I was free and that meant so much to me. I remained in the army, becoming a veteran and served until discharged Sept. A, 1865.

JAMES E. PASSONS.