Island, as were the field officers sent thither during the early part of last month. This is a most singular method of defending a besieged city against its enemies, and illustrates, to some extent, the character of a people that would like to be "let alone," while attempting to establish a government in accordance with their own chivalrous notions of justice, equality, and State rights.

July 28.-The second six hundred were counted out of the pen late in the afternoon. As his name was called, each prisoner stepped between the deadline and stockade, where we expect to remain until morning, when it is generally understood that we will be shipped to the coast.

All the old prisoners are in line, and we shall leave Camp Oglethorpe in charge of a hundred prisoners from Sherman's army, who were brought in yesterday.

We left Macon at four o'clock A. M. of July 29th, guarded by a battalion of the Fifth Georgia Reserves, and reached Savannah at six o'clock the same evening, the distance being about one hundred and fifty miles. It soon became apparent that the Rebel authorities were moving us from necessity. Their hurried and excited manner indicated that all was not well. Artillery was being rapidly hurled into position, the troops were on the alert, and every preparation made to defend the place; but as for ourselves, we could only hope that through their misfortune we might find an opportunity for escape and the reader may imagine our disappointment when we learned afterwards, from one of the guards, that our cavalry, under General Stoneman, cut the road at Griffin Station only thirty minutes after we had passed. To think that freedom had come almost within our grasp, and yet cluded us, tended only to add bitterness to our hard lot. General Stoneman attacked Macon, but was repulsed, and himself with a detachment of his command were captured. One hundred prisoners, or

more, who had not been removed, were hurried down into a swamp, and guarded during the fight.

Is situated at the mouth of the Savannah River, on the eastern coast of Georgia. It is unsurpassed by any other city in the State in its business facilities, and also in its neatness and regularity. In a military point of view, it stands next to Charleston in importance. Its population at present is about twenty thousand, incuding a large number of refugees. The inhabitants are generally suffering from the most abject poverty. At present there is a perfect stagnation in business; but one can easily judge its past enterprising spirit by the unmistakable marks of its former prosperity.

Our camp is in the eastern part of the city, near the Marine Hospital, which was built and formerly used by our Government.

Pulaski's monument stands within plain view. This is a fine structure, about forty feet in height.

There are about four thousand Rebel troops doing garrison duty in the city. The nearest Union troops are at Fort Pulaski, located at the entrance of the harbor, on the South Carolina shore. They are in such close proximity to the Rebel forces that if we could but escape the vigilance of our guard we should be almost certain of reaching the Federal lines in safety.

Camp Davidson, our present Prison Pen, takes its name from Captain H. H. Davidson, who was its

first commandant. It is surrounded by a stockade. and dead-line, and does not differ materially from the pen at Macon. Quite a number of large, mosscovered live-oak trees are growing within the enclosure, which will furnish a refreshing shade from the oppressive noon-day sun.

KIND TREATMENT AT SAVANNAH.

So great is the contrast between our treatment here and at other places, that we cannot but feel that fortune has certainly smiled kindly upon us for

once.

This is truly. the oasis in the desert of our prison lives. The authorities have issued tents and cooking utensils to us, and seem inclined to alleviate suffering as far as lies within their power. We have pitched our tents in regular order, so that the camp has quite a military appearance.

Our senior officer, Colonel Miller of New York, acts as commandant of the interior, and all requests and complaints are made through him to the prison authorities. He also superintends the issuing of rations and policing of the camp. It is fortunate for us that our guard, the First Georgia Volunteers, have been prisoners of war, and have learned what we had a right to expect, from the magnanimous treatment they themselves have received from the Federal government. And then Nature is kind to us; we are enabled to bear our sufferings more cheerfully than at first. Scenes which at home would chill the blood and destroy all peace of mind, have be

come so commonplace with us that we look upon them unmoved; 'tis a dangerous experiment to place one constantly amidst the misery and sufferings of others, with no power to alleviate them.

At Richmond, Danville, and Macon, the authorities adopted a course, which they believed would forever render us unfit for further military duty. Their means were starvation, close confinement in filthy dungeons, and cruel treatment. The slightest pretext was sufficient to increase its severity. Evidently, at Savannah they have not yet learned the usual method of ridding the Confederacy of its enemies.

The troops here have all seen service, and there is nothing like the adventures of the battle-field and the mutual sufferings there experienced, to teach soldiers humanity towards each other. Whenever attempts are made to escape, they give us to understand that they would do the same themselves, under like circumstances, but are still compelled to punish such infractions of prison discipline. They politely ask our pardon for inspecting our quarters, and in a manner as gentlemanly as possible, remove our blankets from the floors of the tents in their search for incipient tunnels, etc. All this is very gratifying, and tends to remove the bitter hatred which former brutality had engendered.

These Georgia boys will be long remembered, and may look for the utmost kindness and consideration from us, if chance ever reverses our situa tions.