The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-11-24
NEWS FROM the GULF.
Escape Of Unisn officers and Soldiers
frsm Rebel Prisons.
They Are Aided by Negroes and
Union Men.
Their Sufferings, Their Wanderings and Their
Arrival on the Somerset,
Our Key West Correspondence.

Our Key West Correspondence.
Key WEST, Nov. 10, 1854
BY the arrival OF the United States sonomis,
from Apalachcola and q schooner from 0ckOck-
bay, havo been put In possession Of details OF
the escape Of two officers and four private soldiers from
captivity among the rebels The names or the officers
arc Captain George Deal and Captain Sketon Of the
Seventeenth Iowa infantry captured At Triton, Ga,
in Hoods movement TO the OK Sherman. IL Will bo
remembered that the entire regiment taken at the
time with the exception or the Colonel The prisoners
marched TO Taliadega, Ala distance OF one hun
dred and lity miles. Thence they were taken by rail-
road TO Selma, Ala, and from there down the Alabama
river TO Cahawba, where the enlisted men were pat 10
prison. and the officers on parole OF honor within pre-
scrbed limits In tho city Cahlwba was reached on the
Goth October and the prisoners ordered eastward
the 3Oh-the enlisted men 70 60 TO savannah, and the
officers Columbia :. c. That same evening they les
on the transport Coqucte for Montgomery, where they
took the train for Columbus, Ca, which place they
reached at seven O'Clock the evening OF tho
3lst That evening the two officers planned and
executed their escape. Asking permission TO go
for fuel short distance, they evaded the vlgi
lance Of the guard, and taking o circnous
route towards Atlanta for half mile they first started
In easterly direction, and shortly after altered their
course towards West Approaching the cbattahoochce
river they struck 1t about three miles from Columbus
aubsistng all the way . small quantity OF meat and
corn they happened to have when they started AZ
the OF the third day the iugives procured baitean
from negro for which they gave silver watch. They
then embarked and travelled by night down the River,
lying up during the day. Til they reached the Flint river
after which they oRted down the day and night
They obstructed during the journey by the narrows
n Gum swamp where they were compelled TO get out,
taking tho with through tho woods actually
cutting their way through with knife they had
purchased from q negro for Ave dollars. This
obstacle surmounted, the adventurous reached chan
mel leading tho ChipoIa river, down which they
glided coming agnn In the Apaachicola river, tho
course OF which they followed down within six miles
the town OF Apalachcola, passing Fort Gadsdeo 10
broad daylight In ignorance Of the estence OF fort o.
that spot They fortunate enough however, III not
being detected by tho pickets.
Al this point the river found to he wide, and
ma high wind prevailed they were driven n
about noon eighth day Of their journey. In TINS
strait they hailed a white man on the opposite bank q
sns VINO wen. mo IN sna Soa, these
sail and crossed the river to the place who're ne
themselves had started from. Daring the possaqe tins
officers Intercepted the men, when the former
found that the latter , were gn ,n.,r men , ss
| fugtives taken by them that night, 10
the boat to Apalnchcola where they were concealed Al
O'Clock the following morning Of the three
took the officers 10 small boat OF to the United
States steamer Somerset, witch was lyiog N Inc bay
here they kindly received by Acting Volunteers
Lieutenant Rogers, commanding Executive ohser Bar
kerr Or. Reeder Chief Engineer s v. Slings, Paymas
ter Webster and others, TO whom Captains Deal and
SHELTON beg 10 tender their grcatful Acknowledgements
They also received much Kindness from Acting volunteer
Lieutenant Sheriff. commanding the Stars and Stripes
The officers OF the sonoma too as well a. the naval o-
generally We'd with each other IN doing al they
could to render tho gallant officers With
grateful hearts the two gentlemen who, few days
BEFORE had only the prospects OF long aud cruel captv
ity 10 rebel prison. found themselves
under the star Spanged Banner They are ~ excel
health. ard win leave tho Union this evening Tor
tbn nj at Wneh.
ingon hopes OF being Afforded another opportunity or
speedily measuring strength with the rebels.
Tho officers, during their fugitive Journey, passed
quite TO rebel pckets several timesso close
turo With the exception OF tho dinner
given them by the three Union white men, already men
toned, their commssary department was entirely ad
mns;ered oy the negroes who showed them eyory kind
ventures ia the officer wounded at jackson,
Miss The bullet entered the right eye and came out
under the left This Is his second escape from arebei
prson. lie the first officer that made bs escape IN
1863 from the celebrated Hotel do LIBBY. The Rich
moud Enquirer gives hatterinE description 81 the
gallant ,ptain-the term bullet headed beng peculiar
~ appropriate
The four priyates mentioned a. the mmeacementot
this letter az having escaped from rebe captivity are
Thomas Cheshire, one OF General Bornsides scouts;
David Jones OF Company G, Tenth pennsy yania Noiun
cers; David Winn aud David Hughes, 81 the same COM
when they made her ATTEMPT TO escape. but he was
tracked dogs for i've days aud w3s catured by ten
Cheshire says he was captured on the zth 81 Se emoer
1863 In East Tennessee. The other taken
tho 20ln OK April ast, al Plymouth, y. O. lhey su0se
quenty met at Camp sumter Of dsgraceu notoriety, ~
Andersonvle, Georgia Cheshire says tht ne was ason
BY gueriilas who stripped him completely, and after
march the mountains 70 Atlanta he was forwarded
to Richmond, where he remained two months barely
escaping starvation From there he was transferred 70
Danvc, Va, where he mostly suffered from close con
nncment and pooruess Of diet, which brought on dia-
peies add the horrors 0 c1nhneEeot tue smallpox
broke out among the prisoners There were o. remedies
nor attendance speak Of though INFORM M saw tbs
unfortunate sufferers lying on the uoyr as hicky rs