The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-01-01

ESCAPE OF CHARLES ANDERSON
FROM TEXAS.
Col. Chas. Anderson, brother of Major
Anderson, Of Sumter, recently made his
escape from the Texas rebels, and arrived
at New York. At recent meeting in
Cooper Institute he gave the following ac-
count of his escape: :
Ny purpose was to give my family ten
days to reach Brownsville or Matamoras !;
to allow them-ten days siay there, and
then to make my escape, which would
give them margin of ten days more be-
fore it would be known in Brownsville.
thus giving them thirty days to get out
of the country. At the end Of about ten
days, thinking it time for me to be ar
ranging formy departure. ] CHANGED to see
. young gentleman from Brooklyn, VIM.
Bayard, son of VIM. A.. Bayard; who
came into the camp on visit 70 the fam
lily of Maj. Mcckling, in whose custody /
was. Remembering from chance con-
versation had with him two years pre-
yious. that We were Of the same political
sentiments in. regard to the Union, Mt
once resolved to conspire with him for
my escape. After he had spoken with
his cousin, Maj. Meckliag) | asked him
il be played backgammon. He replied
Chat he did not. Knowing that must in
slme way seize the occasion, / authorize
lively ordered him 10 sit down that I
might teach him the game. He took his
seat, and began long and dull lecture
upon the principles Of the game, and, as
Shakespeare says, talked an infinite deal OF
nothing about the throws of the dice, &C.,
for the purpose Of wearying out the at
tention Of the guard. who'was the wife Of
the Major. For example, when threw
trays ace. ! would say, Trays, trays ace,
IA miserable throw for me, and asked
in the monotonous tones of the play. il
he didn't wish to 90 to New York. He
at first looked sufprised-so surprised as
to alarm me, but in little while, catch
ing the trick, and with better skill as an
actor than myself, he added to some re-
mark Of his own, ayes, indeed " Where
upon. during the play, we concocted a
plan of escape. To make my imprison-
ment the more secure. in addition to my
being confined to the chain OF sentinels,
the sentinels we're each required to call
out every half hour the hour of the night
and add that .sali is we'll. This really
gave me the advantage Of knowing at
each half hour whether the sentinels were
near my tent Besides these sentinela
and the lieutenat, who slept in the small
room Of the tent opposite my own, -four
special guards were put in . tent opposite
the space between my own room and the
| lieutenant's. had ALWAYS put my boots
outside Of my tent at night, to make the
! guards believe / was secure in the tent
had given out that had no other pair
Of boots than these, and asked the Major
to buy me pair in town. ! had, how.
ever, . pair Of shoes, which I kept sc
GREETED. WIS also in the habit Of lacing
up the front of my tent; and rs this could
not be done from the outside, an add
tional reason was given for the guard to
think their prisoner was safe, This be-
| ing promised, on very dark, rainy night,
when one of those tremendous Texan gales
called a "norther" was blowing. / made
an excuse to leave the tent of the Major,
saying that / must 60 and smoke my
hyosciamus for my asthma. and went to
my tent. Iputmy boots outside as usual,
laced up my tent, placed my chair in a po-
sition as though my knees we're sticking
up, raised up the bottom Of the tent
crawled ont, and deliberately walked
through the chain Of. sentincls into tht
dark bottom Of the Sallado. After various
difficulties and hindtances from losing
my way, reached the rendezvous, where
horse had been provided, and started OF
my journey to Mexico Itook the Lare
do road, where the Indians had killed fou
or Eve men two days before, from which
argued they would fly from the vicinity
and that | should not be troubled b,
them. When crossed the river boundar,
Of Texas ] shouted "God and Liberty 7
with more than Mexican zeal. and pc
contra. INDUCING in some simprecation
concerning JEFF. Davis and the Southern
!, Confederacy which It'll well not to repeat
In nine days | came to Monterey, whsr
Governor Vidaurri kindly offered me
seat in his carriage. At Vittoria l wa
wakened up by one Of the passengers =
three o'clock in the morning, with the re
mark that a friend was present. AM
there vas my kind friend and ally, thi
noble youth from Brooklyn, who had rid
den oil the way after me on horseback
i with only 325 at the start, and l2l cent
in his pocket when he reached me.
order frem GEN. Rosecrans.
Officers and Soldiers Of tie Department
| Of Western Virginia:
| You have closed an arduous campaign