The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1862-02-13
Letter from the Seventeenth Ohio.

CAMP NEAR SOMERSET, Ky,
January 2S, 1863
DEAR Lou: To day l saw William Con
ner, Ct Company D, cIp!an Free, 3ist
OHIO, who on the 19!h Of January was
taken prisoner BY the rebels. Hs had
Gen. Schoef's pass in hi1 pock t, aud
they tried him and found him guilty as a
spy. and were going to hang him when
they got to Knoxville. He says on the
10th, the day Of the battle. he nsver saw
such jam and confused mass Of men as
there was in the rebel army. as they come
piIing into their bTeast.works; Confusion
in fact oonfounded confusion, and about
8 o'clock at night they commenced cross.
Ing the river. lie says about 9 o'clock
in the morning the gu'rd started with
him for the ferry. and there he made up
his mind to escape, but when .hcy got
within about one hundred yards Of the
ferry it was dense mess OF human be
ings packed together in disorder but as
they got to the crowd a sentinel took hold
OF either arm and put two in front and
eight in his rear, so he concluded the Zig
was up" for that night. About sun,up
the balance OF the men plunged into the
river, some swan across and some were
drowned. and on they went pelI nell.
helter skel'er, and marched without any.
thing to eat until sometime in the night
they halted and rested little while, but
long before all had come up they started
again, marched the balance Of the night,
throwing away their guns at almost every
step and marched until Wednesday night
about Q O'Clock, laid down to sleep with
out anything to eat, as they had nothing
10 eat Twelve men we're detailed to
watch him. Thirty hours more took him
10 where he could not escape. The twelve
men were divided into reliefs, four 10
watch at time and eight to sleep Son
the whole camp. or rather confused mass
OF men were asleep, as also the eight sen.
tinels. and in few minutes, Bill says, 10
his joy he saw three of the watching s-n.
tinels give way to ia igue aud loss of sleep,
and soon they were sound aslsap. Hope
sprung up, and as he lay managing some
way to escape from the other sentinel, be
had just concluded 10 pi k up a s,icE of
wood, knock the sentinel down and in the
confusion run the risk Of escape, when to
his astonishment. but delight. he saw the
remaining sentip- commence nodIing. as
he sat close 10 him, aud soon his head
rested on his breast, ard upon inspection
he found the last sentinel asleep. Nois.
Iessly the prisoner arose and quietly left,
but he had a line Of sentintls and pickets
to pass before he was safe. l; being very
dark he crawled for some distancs aud
soon discovered that he was teyond the
line OF sentinel Is He now rose and s'art
ed for freedom in gool earnest. A little
fire in his front soon told him where
the picket was. He struck for the woods
and soon climeda steep and rugged noun
tain, and having made 4 of mile, he
concluded to hide and wait until the next
day; hsidly hid until he disc overed day.
light showing itself in the east. lie laid
there all day. saw the guard hunting for
him until about the middle of the after
noon. and when near him, they concluded
their blrd was gone, and far on his way
to the land of Yankees, AMI sway they
went and joined 10 the stream of strag.
Cling soldiers that hal been passing all
day. AS soon as it was dark he crswle
out. took his course aud struck for our
camp, Travelled all night and until about
10 o'clock A. NJ, when he discovered
house 10 valley, and after watching un.
I'll he became satisfied there were no men
about be veuiured in, nearly starved, hav-
ing eaten nothing from Monday morning
He found widow woman secession in
feeling; he passed for secession soldier,
got something to eat and managed, during
the conversation, 10 ascertain where there
were ome Union people living, ~ fortunately
for him, ii was only about eight miles; he
got there that aft rnoon, got as much as
be could eat and stayed until recruited up,
and to our surprise, when all hopes had
been given up by us Of Bill Conner, he
stepped into camp after an abseuce of 5
days. He run a very narrow escape but
says he was well paid fer his trip, and
will be mere cautious hereafter. Conner
is good scout aud brave man.
Col. Connell started home to day, on
account OF i'll health He h cen qnite
unwell for several days, and my on
y surprise is that he has stood up under
the exposures we have been compelled to
undergo. AS soon as it was ascerlaued
tho Col. was compelled to go home on
account Of his health, it was a universal
expr essiOn of regret, lie is loved by
both men and officers and we'll does he