Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1862-07-24
Thrilling Narrative.

Thrilling Narrative. ~
THE following thrilling narrative was related to
Fortress Monroe cores ondcnt of The Nec York Herald
by Lieut.. Nj CAMP, of ISRAEL CAMP of Wyausng,
this county. 1t will be gratifying to the numerous
friends of Lieut. CAMr, in this county to known that he
is safe within the Union lines. The narrative por-
trays some of the hardships of soldiers lfe.-EDl
By tie arrival of the supply steamer Mas
sachusetts at this place last evening we have
the very interesting narrative of seven Union
officers who escaped from Macon, Georgia, in
most wonderful manner They traversed a
distance of several hundred miles before they
reached our gunboatS on the seacoast The
following are the names Of the escaped prison
erS
Lieut. G. W. Brown, Twent Y third Missouri.
I Lieut y. J. Camp, Twentyhird Missouri.
Lieut.. fl. W MayeS. Ninth Kentucky.
Lieut.. J. ). Agey Fourteenth Iowa.
/ Lieut.. G. II. L,-iu. Fourteenth Iowa.
Sergeant J. \. Rhodes, Fourteenth Iowa.
Sergeant Nixon Rhodes, Fourteenth Iowa.
These gentlemen are perhaps the most in
tegent aud cute men whose adventures it has
been my lot to chronicle.
Lieut.. Camp has furnished me with the fol-
lowing details of their capture and subsequent
escape He says that they were stationed at
Pitlsbnrg Lan1Iug, aud on the morning of the
9th of April deSpat-h informed them that
the enemy were with iu three miles, and adyanc.
ing. At eight o'clock in tho morungthey engag-
edthe enemy and foug ht hard until ha!f past five
o'clock Z. Nj when they were surrounded and
captured. There were two thousand aud
seventy who fell into the hands of the enemy
That evening they were taken six miles towards
COrlntb, aud were kept standing up all night
duriDg a heavy rain. In the morning each
mau was served out with one small cracker -
At five o'clock \. NJ. took up the line of
march towards COrinth, where they arrived at
/ six in the evening. Here they remained for
few hours, and then, taking the cars reached
Memphis on the evening of the Sth. The
Journey was soon recommended, and or the
I 10Th of April they reached Montgomery,
Alabama, having passed through Granada
jackson and Mobile, General PrentiSs and
staff being left at Selma. The privates were
sent to Tuscaloosa. At Montgomery they
were quartered h cotton she'd where, u a
half famished condition, they we're daily sub
jected to the curses of the citizens and the
vile language of The rebel troops On the 9th
of May it was rumored that an exchange OF
prisoners was soon to take place but this
proved false
I Ou Ihc 1SC VI may u bi iubdl uluihtI lOOn
! place, which caused the most intense excite.
ment among our men. The facts are subStan
TALLY these :-Leutenant w S Bliss, of the
Second Michigan battery, being sickly, bad
obtained permit from tie Provost Marshal
10 purchase milk in going for it a sentry
/ disputed his right, and because he asserted it
| h s.ntry shot him in cold blood
! On the Oath of May the prvates were sent
to Chattanooga for exchange On the 30th
hey were also ordered to prepare to leave for
Macon, Georgia, and left the next day on the
cars At seven o'clock they arrived in Co
lumbia, and on he first day of June arrived in
Macon. and were sent up TO the Fair Grounds,
a camp Of instruction, called Camp Oglethrope
which was in charge of Maj. Rylauder, of the
| Tenth Georgia battalion. He occupied two
hours in speechmakng to them, aud stated
:" that the fortunes of war nave placed you iu
my power and if you conduct yourselves like
gentlemen you will receive such treatment as
gallant officer vouchsafaS to unfortunate
prisoners" They found here quite number
of noncommissoaed officers who had been there
since May.
Ga The 9th of June Lieut. G. W. Brown,
Lieut. n. j. Camp, of the Twenty, third NJ;
souri, Volunteers, and Lieut.. H. w. MayeS, of
the Ninth Kentucky Volunteers, agreed to
escape that night. The night was dark AID
stormy and in every way we'll calculated to aid
them in their perilous Undertaking. AT nine o.
cckin the evening Lieut.. Mayes started ahead.
Brown next, and Camp last. The last had
several narrow escapes. A one time a pris
oner appeared at the door of house, and the
rays of light from a candle revealed his posi-
ton but, fortunately, the guard did not dis
cover him. Camp met his comrades in the
edge of the wooded outskirts, and made the
timber, intending to pass around the artillery
camp, and thence to the river bauk about
three miles below the town. The barking of
hounds informed them when they We're near
the picketS but they were not secuted out.
Re ichng the street that passes the Fair
Grounds, they put on bold face and ran the
gauntlet of the guards, singing Dixie" and
wbistiing anything but " Yankee Doodle"
Al the gate of the Fair Grounds they met
Major Rylander with a lantern in his hand,
but escaped his particular notice, nor did they
shed a tear at their departure IRON this blust-
ering scion of Southern chivalry Great diff
Guilty was experienced in passing through the
swamps, and it was ten o'clock when they
reached the river. They searched for boat,