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out, day by day, in moderate quantities. The day after we arrived, we sent to New York for beds, bedding and other necessary articles of furniture. These we received a few days afterwards. Before our arrival, those of the prisoners who chose to do so, had obtained permission to board with the Ordnance Sergeant, who had been many years at the post. He and his family occupied two or three of the lower casemates, and he undertook to furnish us two meals daily at a charge, to each prisoner, of a dollar a day. This arrangement most of our party adopted. The others preferred or could not afford to do otherwise than accept the Government rations, upon which the majority of the prisoners were living. These were of the coarsest description, and were served in the coarsest style. A tin plate and a tin cup to each person constituted the whole table furniture. The dinners consisted of fat pork and beans, a cup of thin soup and bread, or of boiled beef and potatoes and bread on alternate days. For breakfast, bread, and weak, unpalatable coffee, were distributed. This fare was precisely the same as that furnished to the soldiers. I more than once examined these rations after they were served. The coffee was a muddy liquid in which the taste of coffee was barely perceptible, the predominating flavor being a combination of burnt beans and foul water. The soup was, if possible, worse, the only palatable thing about it being the few stray grains of rice that could sometimes be fished out of each can. The pork and beef were of the most indifferent quality, and were at times only half cooked. Over and over again have I seen gentlemen who had been always accustomed to all the comforts of life, forced to turn away with loathing from the miserable food thus provided for them. The fare furnished to those of us who boarded with the Sergeant, was very plain, but good enough of its kind.
On the 8th of October we addressed the following remonstrance to the President. The statements which it contains, were purposely made as moderate and temperate as was consistent with the truth.
