From the Richmond Examiner, 9/24/1862
BELLE ISLAND, since its evacuation by the Yankee army of prisoners, has undergone a fumigation for purification purposes. The tents have been taken down and the space occupied by them cleaned out. The removal of the tents revealed a great number of wells sunk by the Yankees, which provided them with abundance of good water, they using the arm for a windlass and a cup and twine string for a bucket and rope. The guard camp, on the hill overlooking the camp ground, still remains intact, as the Island will still continue to be used as a military prison depot.