I am convinced that every commandant we had over us--except Wirz--was habitually in the receipt of bribes from prisoners.

I never heard that any one succeeded in bribing Wirz, and this is the sole good thing I can say of that fellow.

Against this it may be said, however, that he plundered the boys so effectually on entering the prison as to leave them little of the wherewithal to bribe anybody.
Davis was probably the most unscrupulous bribe-taker of the lot.
He actually received money for permitting prisoners to escape to our lines, and got down to as low a figure as one hundred dollars for this sort of service.

I never heard that any of the other commandants went this far.
The rations issued to us were somewhat better than those of Andersonville, as the meal was finer and better, though it was absurdedly insufficient in quantity, and we received no salt.

On several occasions fresh beef was dealt out to us, and each time the excitement created among those who had not tasted fresh meat for weeks and months was wonderful.