At all events, we should leave no means untried to avail ourselves of whatever seeming chances there might be.
There could be no other motive for this move, we argued, than exchange.
The Confederacy was not likely to be at the trouble and expense of hauling us about the country without some good reason--something better than a wish to make us acquainted with Southern scenery and topography.
It would hardly take us away from Savannah so soon after bringing us there for any other purpose than delivery to our people.
The Rebels encouraged this belief with direct assertions of its truth.
They framed a plausible lie about there having arisen some difficulty concerning the admission of our vessels past the harbor defenses of Savannah, which made it necessary to take us elsewhere--probably to Charleston--for delivery to our men.
Wishes are always the most powerful allies of belief.

There is little difficulty in convincing a man of that of which he wants to be convinced.
We forgot the lie told us when we were taken from Andersonville, and believed the one which was told us now.
Andrews and I hastily snatched our worldly possessions--our overcoat, blanket, can, spoon, chessboard and men, yelled to some of our neighbors that they could have our hitherto much-treasured house, and running down to the gate, forced ourselves well up to the front of the crowd that was being assembled to go out.
The usual scenes accompanying the departure of first squads were being acted tumultuously.

Every one in the camp wanted to be one of the supposed-to-be-favored few, and if not selected at first, tried to "flank in"-- that is, slip into the place of some one else who had had better luck.

This one naturally resisted displacement, 'vi et armis,' and the fights would become so general as to cause a resemblance to the famed Fair of Donnybrook.

The cry would go up: "Look out for flankers!" The lines of the selected would dress up compactly, and outsiders trying to force themselves in would get mercilessly pounded.
We finally got out of the pen, and into the cars, which soon rolled away to the westward.