The national Republican., 1862-07-23
The Rebel Prisoners.

The Rebel Prisoners.
ATTEMPTED ESCAPE FROM FORT DKLAwARK-
HOW THE PRISONERS KsoAPRD FROM THE
FoRT-RECAPTURE OF NEARLY ALL OF THEM
HOW THE PRISONERS LIvK-THRY DESIRE
TO SWEAR ALLEGIANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT
-CoRREsP sPoNDENCE WITH THE PROVOST
MARsHAL-fHE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF
WAR Says NONE WILL BIZ FORCED TO 90 BAoK
INTO THE REBEL LINES WHEN THERE rs AN
EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS, ETC. |It.F
DMAwAR1 Orr, July 7o.-Fcr The pest few
days the public have been kept In consider
able state Of excitement, on account Of the many
and exaggerated reports Of the escape Of pris-
onel from Fort Delaware, wherein are CON-
dned oil or most Of those men taken IN the late
aghe on the Peninsula and in the Valley Of
Virginia. That some have escaped out Of the
motley crowd Of rebels held here % prisoners
Of war BY the Government, until such times a.
they can be exchanged or paroled, is certain
but that there was any considerable number,
such o. was represented, is simply o canard,
got up BY men who may be classed as alarm
lists.
The fort In and around which the prisoners
are now confined IL pleasantly situated upon
what 70 known as Pea Patch Island, In the mid
Ole Or the Delaware river, and somewhat over
side. The Island consists Of about eighty
eight acres Of ground, all Of which 10 some dls.
tance below the level Of the river at high wa
ter, and is distant below PHILADELPHIA City
about forty-one miles. Newcastle Il situated
about seven miles above the fort; Delaware
Cty-a place Of inconsidersble size-is direct
~ opposite the island, and Salem, about nine
miles below, on the Jersey side-all Of which
places can DO plainly seen from the fort. The
fort Il substantially built freestone building,
covers aspaoe OF nearly twenty acres Of ground,
and has full command Of the river, which flows
beneath Its guns, and Ia, 10 itself, complete
nloSksde a. we'll as foe position from which
10 f8pel the advance of q foe up the river To-
ward Philadelphia. When the fort has It's
full complement Of guns II will mount
l65, all Of which are Of large caliLre. Outside
Of the walls Of the fort, and In convenient
places sbout the grounds, are number Of six
pound field pieces, which are kept constantly
loaded with grape and canister, ready, at .
moments notice, 70 scatter destruction among
those who see proper to be insubordinste or
rise against the garrison. Workmen have been
employed for nearly year past In building
new bomb proof Classmates and other buildings
on the inside Of the walls, and when the work,
which 10 now progressing very rapidly, 10 COM
pleted, this fertilization will rank among the
nrst In the country. One great fault, which
has been made manifest by the bombardment
OF Fort Sumter namely, the want Of proper
ventilation-has here been remedied, and Hues
now lead from each casemste to the parapet,
wnich are intended to carry of the smoke
which arises from the discharge of large
piece. Besides these new classmates, two large
and commodious buildings have been erected
lor the Officers and garrison, which, when
finished, will accommodate garrison Of eight
hundred men, exclusive Of the officers. The
by Fall.
While the spirit Of improvement is going on
inside the fort, ID the shape of neat and sub.
stantal brick structures, the outside also pre-
sents an animated scene. Here large frame
dalton Of the rebel prisoners. The barracks
take up considerable space upon the south side
Of the island, Just outside Of the gates Of the
fort, and consist Of eating and sleeping apart
men@ for the prisoners, together with large
hollow square, which Is formed BY the prison
barracks. At first Il was thought that these
buildings were SUFFICIENT for the acoommods-
ton OF all the prisoners who should be brought;
but since the recent "invoices' have arrived
from the peninsuls and the forts about New
YORK, these accommodations have been found
insuf1cient. and somewhat over one thousand
OF the prisoners are now confined In tents.
while new quarters, which are calculated TO .
accommodate three thousand men, are in course
OF erection, and will be finished In the course
or couple Of weeks. When these are Hn-
ished, all the rebels on the island will
be comfortably housed, much to their own
qualification, as we'll as to the garrison, who
experience considerable trouble in keeping the
men In their proper places. The prisoners are
now all formed into companies of one hundred
each, and 90 fast has been the incoming Of
prisoners that II has been through the indefatI.
gable EFFORTS OF the officers that matters are
now beginning to assume proper shape.
The whole number Of prisoners now held at
this place is three thousand nine hundred and
four, including officers and men, in citizens' un.
dress. who have been arrested within our lines
- spies These latter gentlemen all hail from
the Peninsula.
The following is list Of the officers of the
garrison:
Capt A. A. Gibson, U. 8. A., commandant.
:. Capt. Paul 7. Jones, Independent battery,
pennsylvania volunteers.
First Lieutenant Frank W. Paul, Indepen-
lent battery, Pennsylvania volunteers.
Second Lieutenant Edward s. Colwell, In
dependent battery, Penney ylvana volunteers.
The bankers OF Lebanon, Danville, and
frankfort, Ky, have sent their funds to Louis
fN- -