THE IMMORTAL SIX HUNDRED
were not to be exchanged we began to speculate as to what the Yanks would do to us, now they had taken us from under fire. The wildest talk that was ever heard was listened to on the transport that night. Lieut. Pete Akers said he was sure we were all to be slaughtered, and boots for General Foster and his staff made of our hides. Others said we were to be put to work on river and harbor fortifications; but Captain Hammack, of Kentucky, said a sentinel told him, confidentially, that we were to be slaughtered at Fort Pulaski, packed in salt, and fed to Foster's niggers to make them fight. At daylight on the morning after leaving Morris Island we arrived at Fort Pulaski's wharf. About 9 o'clock we were ordered to fall into line on deck. Then we were marched onto the fort wharf, lined up and searched. What few U. S. blankets our men had hid from the Morris Island search were taken from us, leaving a large majority of us with only the clothes we stood in. After this exercise we were
128
