Three Years in the Confederate Horse Artillery — George Michael Neese.

April 15 — The United States flags here were all floating at half-mast to-day. This morning when the Yankee sergeant came in to superintend the roll-call he tried to look sad, but from his snappish demeanor I at once saw that the biggest bunch of his grief was entirely composed of anger. After roll-call one of the prisoners in our company ventured the question: “Sergeant, why are the flags floating at half-mast this morning?” With a scowl-covered countenance the sergeant snappishly replied: “Some of you Rebels killed President Lincoln last night.” With quick repartee our man replied: “We did not do it, for we were here in this pen all night.” Ever since early spring we have been drawing raw dried codfish about twice a month for our meat ration. The way some of them look, smell, and taste, they must have been caught by Simon Peter when he went fishing with Jesus.