COUNTY TENNESSEE
On this 28th day of July 1866 before me a Notary Public of Carbondale in the county and state above named and duly authorized by law to administer oaths for general purposes. Evidence of my being duly commissioned and qualified being now on file in the office of the Commissioner of Pensions in Washington City; personally appeared Thomas J Norwood who being first duly sworn, declares that he is aged 21 That he resides in Williamson County State of Illinois. That he was a private in Company 'E' of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry Volunteers and was captured by the rebels at Union City, Tennessee on the 24 of March 1864, and was a prisoner in the stockade at Andersonville, Georgia from about the first of June 1864 to the 16 day of September 1864 at which time, on account of diarrhea, he was taken out of the stockade and placed in the hospital just outside the stockade. That he was acquainted with James A. Kilbreath who was a private in Company 'A' of the 11th regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers. That said Kilbreath was also a prisoner in the hands of the rebels and was placed in said Andersonville Stockade about the first of July 1864. That said Kilbreath when he was first put in said prison pen had the scurvy very badly and could hardly get about. That he kept growing worse and so much reduced that he could not walk a step. That sometime before this affiant was sent to the hospital, several attempts were made to have the said soldier taken out of the stockade to the hospital, but the rebels would not let him out. That after this affiant was sent to the hospital outside of said stockade on or about the 11 of October 1864, this affiant saw the said James A. Kilbreath in the hospital grounds sitting crouched up on the ground by a little tree, with no blanket or anything except the earth to lay on and no covering except the sky over his head, at near sundown. That said soldier being entirely unable to help himself and his limbs contracted and drawn up and close to his body and had the diarrhea very bad. The said Kilbreath then said to this affiant that he was going to die, and asked this affiant to try to get him a place where he could be under cover. That this affiant tried to encourage said soldier and went to find a place where he could get him under shelter, but not succeeding he did not return to the place where said soldier was until the next morning about half past 8 O'clock when he went to the same place, but said Kilbreath was not there. That this affiant then went immediately to the dead house expecting to find his body there. That when he reached the dead house, the wagon that hauled off the dead had just been loaded and started away to the burial ground and he had no opportunity to examine further for the body of said soldier. This affiant further states that it was the rule at said hospital to call the roll of all the persons there each morning at 8 O'clock. That when a person died his name was dropped from the roll and not called. That he paid particular attention to the roll call for several days after he last saw said Kilbreath and did not hear his name called. That he was at said hospital up to the 16th of November 1864 and had good opportunity to know if said Kilbreath had been about said hospital. That he never saw or heard of him after the aforesaid. That at the time the affiant last saw said soldier, he believes from his condition that he could not live but a short time longer. This affiant further states that he resides as above stated and has no interest in the claim of Mary E. Kilbreath, widow of James A. Kilbreath for a pension.
Contributed by Ron Norwood
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