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feet square, in the middle. A gloomier looking place than Fort La Fayette, both within and without, it would be hard to find in the whole State of New York, or, indeed, anywhere. On the high bluff on Long Island stood Fort Hamilton, an extensive fortification, whose commanding officer, Col. Martin Burke, had also jurisdiction over Fort La Fayette. Lieut. Chas. O. Wood, who had a few months before received a commission from Mr. Lincoln, was commanding officer at Fort La Fayette. The two principal gun batteries, and four of the casemates in the lower story, were assigned to the prisoners. Each of these batteries was paved with brick, and was, I should judge, about sixty feet long and twenty-four feet wide. The one in which I was first quartered was lighted by five embrasures, the breadth and height of each being about two-and-a-half by two feet, and on the outside of these, iron gratings had been fastened. There were five large thirty-two pounders in this room, which were about eight feet apart, and with their carriages occupied a great deal of space. Five large doorways, seven or eight feet high, opened upon the enclosure within the walls, and were closed by solid folding doors. We were only allowed to keep two of these doors, at one end of the battery, open, and at that end only could we usually see to read or write. The lower half of the battery was in a state of perpetual twilight. The adjoining battery was in all respects like the one I have attempted to describe. The four casemates which were occupied by prisoners, were vaulted cells, measuring twenty-four by fourteen feet in length and breadth, and eight feet at the highest point. Each was lighted by two small loop holes in the outer wall, about ten inches wide, and by a similar one opening on the inside enclosure. These casemates were both dark and damp, but they had fire-places in them, while it was impossible to warm the gun batteries, until stoves were put up about a week or ten days before we left.
The Fort could not be made to accommodate twenty people decently besides the garrison. Nevertheless, there were always largely over a hundred crowded into it, and
