An extremely detailed manuscript memoir, about 50 pp. folio, apparently copied shortly after the war from an original diary, chronicling the experiences of Houston Smith, Co. I 17th Iowa, first as a prisoner in Georgia, in November of 1864, then as an escapee on the run, and finally ending with his safe return to the Union lines in mid-January, 1865. Originally the document was 54 pages in length, but the first two pages, as well as pages 13 and 14, are missing. More than enough remains to provide a detailed and vivid description of one man’s war experiences. A few of his entries from prison follow, in part: "Nov. 16, 1864: One of the boys… has been in Andersonville a year. He had the scurvy & had the hospital gangrene in the great toe of his right foot…had to have it amputated about five months ago and it is still running…Five hundred and fifty four came in from Andersonville & over half of them on crutches. Such a sickening sight, some with legs and arms amputated and look like skeletons…they are laying around on the ground without any kind of shelter…Nov. 19…Said to be a thousand to go out today of sick…a good many are bribing there way out. Some have paid as high as eighty dollars & are standing at the gate….some have managed to take the name of some dead one whose name might be called." From this unidentified prison Smith is transferred to Blackshear prison in Georgia after an agonizing train ride, largely without food and exposed to the elements. Once there, conditions are no better, as his entries indicate: "Nov. 27…I see a man now with a beef knawing the raw meat & the muscles, and after he gets tired of knawing he will sell it to some other one to make soup…Nov. 30…One of our men who was hardly able to walk staggered a step over the dead line & was shot dead by a boy who was on guard…the ball shattered his left arm and passed through his body. He belonged to the Eighth U.S. Regulars. The boys all took a good look at the guard so that they could remember him…Dec. 2…No rations in camp…bought a beef head from a guard for a dollar…Boiled the head and made mush…it is hard to see the poor fellows around us so wishful…The camp is in great confusion. Some tried to escape, one was killed, some was captured and some got away."
With Sherman's advance into Georgia, conditions in camp continue to worsen, and Smith and a friend resolve, as he puts it, "to make a strike for liberty, or death, and for something to eat." On December 10, 1864, he makes his move: "We watched until near three o'clock…I gave my partner the sign and started with him by my side…As soon as we crossed their beat they commenced firing…fired five shots at us." After hiding out several days, Smith and his friend come to a house where a woman stayed with her servant, and promised her that they would see that Sherman's men would not destroy her property if they aided her. The woman then directs Smith to a camp of Confederate deserters and draft-dodgers. Joining in a raid, Smith gallantly assists these men in killing an elderly Confederate woman and stealing her possessions. Smith's words speak best for themselves: "Dec. 15…Boys proposed that we make a raid tonight on old man Foster…started in the gate…An old slut jumped out of a crib near the gate & came charging & just as I was going to shoot Davis dropped the muzzle of his shot gun over my shoulder and blew her brains out…I met the old gent coming out…was close to him all the time with a cocked gun…went through the smoke house and loaded a horse with hams and poultry…ammunition, knives, spoons & dishes.“ After several weeks of similar behavior Smith receives an offer from two disloyal Confederate officers to help him escape saying that "they were both Union men at heart but took commissions to keep out of being pressed into the ranks." They dress Smith and his friend in old Confederate uniforms, sending them on their way with money and provisions. While dressed as Confederates, the men asked a loyal Southerner for a ride on his wagon. Upon his refusal, Smith berated him: "for a white livered coward laying around home and us out fighting for his [racial epithet]…he begged pardon." After further adventures, including help from slaves, Smith and his friend reach Union lines, but forget that they are dressed in gray, and carelessly confront union cavalry: "They came close enough for us to see their blue clothes…we came out on the road whooping and yelling, forgetting our own dress. They deployed with cocked carbines & came up much surprised." The misunderstanding is soon rectified, and Smith is returned to his own unit until war's end. In overall good to very good condition, with staining, tears, and area of paper loss (some substantial) which affect some of the text. Accompanied by photocopies of Smith's service record.
