Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-05-12
LOCAL MATTERS
From Last ETenlng's EditiOn.I

RIcHMoND.-Captain Warren P. Edgarton, 0
the lst Ohio Artillery, Lieutenant N. L
Paddock, Adjutant of Reserve Artillery
of the Department of the Cumberland, ant
Lieutenant 7. J. Spencer, Assistant Ord
nance Officer on General Roseerans' staff, ar
rived this morning, having recently been re
leased on parole from the Libby Prison
Richmond. Captain Edgarton was captured
at the battle of Murfreesboro' Lieutenant
Paddock and Spencer were captured on the
10Th of April last, with train on the Louis
Vile & Nashville Railroad, within nine mile.
of Nashville. Lieutenant Spencer has fur
nisbs I'd us with an interesting account of theil
capture and subsequent treatment. He ia
from Detroit, and went into the service orig
inally with Loomis' Battery. Lieutenant
Paddock is a son of Captain T. L. Paddock
of this city.
The party that attacked the train consisted
of 600 picked men from WheeIer's Cavalry
Corps, under command of Colonel FerriIl, Of
the Texan Rangers. They had removed the
spikes from rail st the termination of a
curve, without displacing the rail. The
train came on at full speed, the engineer de-
tecting no difficulty with the track, and at
the moment the locomotive struck the loose
rail, the rebels, who were concealed in the
thicket, poured a deadly vOlIey at the train.
There were a number Of convalescent sol
diers on the top of the cars, going to conva-
lescent camp at Nashville, and the first vol
ley was directed at them, killing several.
The next voIley was fred into the car win
dows, causing death to number, among
whom were three rebel prisoners, who were
going to Camp Chase to be exchanged. The
locomotive was thrown from the track. The
moment before the second voIley was fred,
some one in the car in which were Lieuten-
ants Paddock and Spencer, shouted % down ~
and all dropping on the floor at the time, the
shots passed over them. Lieutenant Pad
dock was hit in the leg by ball, which
glanced OF without doing him any serious in
jury. Lieutenant Spencer had important
papers on his person, which he was convey
ing from Murfreesboro' to Nashville. These
be managed to destroy or to conceal.
The rebels captured all on board, cOmpTis-
ing 10 officers, about 40 privates, and Is or
20 civilians, besides SS5, 900 in United States
money. From the train the prisoners were
hurried twenty miles into the woods, cross
ing Stone River at point inside the Union
lines. There they halted, and offered to
parole all the prisoners except Colonel Wood,
of the 18th, and Colonel George Buell., of the
5Sth Indiana regiments, reserving them be-
cause they were field officers. All accepted
the parole except nine, among them Lieuten-
ants Spencer and Paddock, who refused be-
cause the conditions of the parole were not
in accordance with the terms of the cartel.
The paroled men were sent under Gag Of
truce to our lines at Murfreesboro', and the
eleven officers were then marched by cir
euitous route to Lebanon, Stanley meanwhile
securing the different roads with his cavalry,
in order to effect their release. At Lebanon
the prisoners met Gen. Wheeler, who treated
them with extreme kindness. He ncknowl-
edged that the parole offered them was ille-
gal. They remained at Lebanon over night,
and the next morning found their feet to be
terribly blistsred from their 20 miles march.
They were taken in wagons from Lebanon
to Alexandria, Tennessee. The next day
they we're taken to place called Liberty, "a
singularly inappropriate name for town in
Dixie) where they met the famous John Nor
gan, and were introduced to him. He treat
cd them with great kindness and gave them
an order on his commissary for gallon Of
upple-jack whisky. twas viIlainous stuff,
but the best John had. Morgan's men, as
well as Wheeler's, are very bitter in their de-
nunciation of Bragg. From Liberty they
we're taken to Tullahoma, Bragg's headquar-
ters, where they were putin filthy quarters.
Thence they went by cars to KnoxviIIe.-
They received kind treatment there. They
were quartered at the La Mari House, (pay-
ing their own board) and were allowed con-
siderable liberty, though they could converse
with no one. They met Belle Boyd, the ia
nous rebel spy, at Knoxville, however, and
we're permitted to converse with her,
Several Union ladies came to the psrlor
with her and made the acquaintance of the
prisoners. The prisoners on leaving we're
allowed to bid the ladies good bye, in the
presence of the Chief of Police and guard
Several Of the ladies in shaking hahds en-
deavored to leave money in the hands Of the
! officers but none Of them would receive it
twas in violation of their parole. One lady
put $500 confederate note in the hand o.
an officer but he returned it to her.
The night previous to their departure from
Knoxville, Colonel Buell. in prominadinl
along the corridor, felt hand touch hin
from window. He stopped, and the hand
which was a Iady's, placed sUmvthiDg il hi
own, no word being spoken. On going t
his room he found it to be a 500 note. H
sent it to the lady whom he supposed to b
the donor the next morning.
From Knoxville the prisoners were takel
to the Libby Prison, Richmond. The ex
citement about the Fredericksburg battle wa
very great for several days before they left
which was Tuesday of last week.
All the troops except the city battalion
(the latter numbering 600 mem we're sent t
reinforce Lee, and on Friday night and Sal
urday the battalion went also. On Sunda
the prisoners found that they were guarde
by citizens some fthem in their best clothei
as though they had been stopped on thei
way to church. Lieut.. Loomis says Stone
man with 500 men could easily have captul
ed Richmond and destroyed it. stOnema
destroyed over 5,OOO,O coo rations which tn
rebels had in storehouses, and committe
great devastation along the railroads, as WI
reported in Richmond before the prisOne
left.