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place it was almost impossible to read or write. We found it difficult sometimes to keep ourselves warm enough even with the aid of overcoats. At times again, the atmosphere of the room would he positively stifling. Some one or more of the inmates were constantly under medical treatment, and it may be imagined how noisome and unhealthy the room often was. As prisoners were, from time to time, discharged from the casemates, the remaining inmates would invite one or more of those in the gun batteries to fill the vacancies, permission to do so being first asked of the Sergeant of the Guard. These invitations were given, not because the casemates were less crowded than the batteries, but because the first stranger who should be brought in, would certainly be put in the place of the prisoner who had been last discharged, and, as the casemates were to be kept filled to their utmost capacity, those occupying them preferred to have their friends and acquaintances for their companions. Small and crowded as the casemates were, they were, nevertheless, a little more comfortable than the batteries, from having fire-places and wooden floors. I was fortunate enough to get into one of these casemates after I had been some two weeks in the Fort.
About ten days before we left Fort La Fayette, Lieutenant Wood chose to make the prisoners responsible for the drunkenness of one of the soldiers, and prohibited the further use of liquor, of any kind, among the prisoners. It was discovered a few days afterwards, that some of the soldiers had stolen some of our liquor from the room in which Lieutenant Wood kept it, and to which the prisoners had no access. It was also discovered that the soldiers got liquor from the Long Island side, one of the crew of the boat having been detected in smuggling it into the Fort for their use. These facts sufficiently accounted for the drunkenness of the soldiers, but Lieutenant Wood did not, on that account, relax his new rule. While we were allowed the use of liquor, no abuse of the privilege came under my observation, nor do I believe there was any. Just before the new restriction was imposed on us, I had received from New York two small boxes of liquor containing a dozen-and-a-
