The Rebel Surgeons took praiseworthy care that our Government should profit as little as possible by this, by sending every hopeless case, every man whose lease of life was not likely to extend much beyond his reaching the parole boat.

If he once reached our receiving officers it was all that was necessary; he counted to them as much as if he had been a Goliath.
A very large portion of those sent through died on the way to our lines, or within a few hours after their transports at being once more under the old Stars and Stripes had moderated.
The sending of the sick through gave our commandant--Captain Bowes--a fine opportunity to fill his pockets, by conniving at the passage of well men.

There was still considerable money in the hands of a few prisoners.
All this, and more, too, were they willing to give for their lives.
In the first batch that went away were two of the leading sutlers at Andersonville, who had accumulated perhaps one thousand dollars each by their shrewd and successful bartering.

It was generally believed that they gave every cent to Bowes for the privilege of leaving.

I know nothing of the truth of this, but I am reasonably certain that they paid him very handsomely.
Soon we heard that one hundred and fifty dollars each had been sufficient to buy some men out; then one hundred, seventy-five, fifty, thirty, twenty, ten, and at last five dollars.