The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-03-09
The Escape9from Richmond.

the escape from LIBBY friSon OK mum
ber of Union Officers. The report below will
be found very interesting:
Among the principal Union officers who es
capped from the Libby Prison, at Richmond. or
the night of Tuesday, the 9th ultimo, were
Col Harrison G. Hobart, of the 2ls: Wisconsin
volunteers and Col. II. 5. West of our 24tl
regiment. As has been previously announced
both were successful in the attempt, but few
are aware Of the perseverance which was nee
essary on the part of these officers and their
| daring comrades to effect their release from
prison or the trials they encountered in their
perilous journey from Richmond to the lines OF
the Union army. Col Hobart reached this
city on Saturday, and from him we learn the full
particulars Of this romantic chapter in the his.
tory of the war.
The battles of Chicamauga, at which Co.'s.
| Hobart and West were captured, were fought
on the 18th and Goth of September Col. Ho
bart states that the 2lst egimcnt, which he
commanded, and which formed part Of lhom
as corps during that fight was stationed On the
very front of Thomas line and fought through
four battles-two on Saturday and two on Sun.
day On the latter day, their brigade (whic,
was commanded by Starkwcather) was not
driven from the line till the close of the struggle
and after the tide of battle was turned against
|
to the rear, in which position portion
Of the brigade, with only three regimcntal
standards, were rallied. A rebel battery was
Instantly planted on their right and rebel caval
nv swept in between them and the bulk of our
retreating army. 1t was here that Col. Hobart
was captured, together with about seventy of
his regiment. the same number of the lst Wis
con>in, and about hundred other members of
that riSAc-bcing the last men OF that brig
adc left in the front. Escape being impossible
ana the ranks broken, Col. II. stepped few
PAGES one side to avoid the cnemy's cavalry
and found himself face to face with party of
rebel infantry, approaching in regular lie o!
battle. a rebel officer advanced, offered his
hand, said he was glad to sec him and pro-
posed to ntroudce him to his commander
Gen. Claiborne of Alabama. Tie colonel re-
! piled that it was not in his power just then to
| decline the pressing invitation, whereupon he
was conducted to headquarters. "Where We're
you fighting p said Gen. Claiborne. "Right
there !" Col. II. replied. Claiborne answered
"Iour men have fought like brave mcn. sir
I that line has given us the main trouble OF the
| day"
| The prisoners marched thirty miles to Tunnel
| Hill where they took freight-cars to Richmond,
through Atlanta, and the two Caroiinas. They
had eaten nothing for thirty-six hours, includ-
Ing the first day after their departure, but were
soon supplied. This journey occupied about
ten days with little suffering except from in.
sufficient clothing. Col. Hobart had no out.
side garment except a horse blanket which he
shared with Surgeon Dixon o. the First Wis
| consin.
Arrived at Richmond, about 200 officers, in
c,uding Coils Hobart and West. were placed in
a room in the second story of Libby prison, 90
by 30 in dimensions. After some weeks, the
number in each room was reduced to aboNt $50
The whole number in this prison was about
l ,l0O-al offccrs-having access to each other
There were no beds and the prisoners slept on
the floor. For short time they were furnish
ed with -four brcad-afterwar ards their bread was
a sort of unboltcd corn. They were also fur
nished sometimes with fresh beef, sometimes
with co-ned beef, sometimes with rice and veg
etable soup. There was no glass in the win
dows and until of late, no fire in the rooms
An application for window-glass made during
the sevcrest cold weather, was answered with
the assurance that the coniederates had none
to furnish. The worst afiliction. however, was
the vermin, which were nearly into!erable-the
body lice swarming throughout the institution
The prisoners were seldom visited by any rcr
son. The roll was called each morning. Their
money was taken away, confederate money be-
ing supplied in return. Col. Hobart Fortunate
ly saved his greenbacks for future use by con-
ceang the notes in the lining of his pants,
while on the way to Richmond. Each officer
was permitted to write home to the amount of
three lines per week. A variety of schemes
were adopted by the prisoners to improve or
kill time. They played chess and cards: they
opened a theatre and organized band of ne
gro minstrels; they established schools for
teaching dancing, singing, the French Lam
Suage, and military tactics they read books,
published manuscript newspaper, and held de-
bates-by these means rendering life tolerablc
though by no means agreeable.
PRO- jects for escape were quietly discussed
| from the beginning. One scheme was for the
prisoners, a few ut a time, to don the dress OF
citizens and attempt to pass the guard. Several
actually recovered their liberty in this manner.
Another plan was to dig tunnel to the general
city sewer. and 60 out through that a plan
which would have succeeded had not the water
cf the sewer intertered. The final and success
full plan adopted was agreed upon about two
! months ago.
On the ground floor of the prison, on level
| with the street, is kitchen containing fire
place at which the prisoners do their cooking
Beneath the kitchen is basement, story. one
of the rooms in Which is occupied rs store
room. This store room is next to the street,
and though not exactly under the kitchen, is
SO located that the prisoners found it possible to
reach it by digging downward and rearward
through the masonry of the fireplace. When
this was accomplished, the next object was to
construct tunnel, on Il level with the floor of
The store room, beneath and across the street,
to an open shed, on the opposite side of the
| street, which was considered the most practica-
bic point for egrcss.
! The knowledge Of the plan was c0niled TO
but twenty-five of the prisoners, and nothing
was known OF the proceedings by the remainder
OF the occupants OF the prison until two OF
! three days before the escape. The twenty five
among whom were Coils. Hobart and West, di
vided themselves into two parties for arranging
the escape-one under the direction of Col
i Hobart, and the other under that OF Ma or Me
Donald Of Ohio. \ table knife, n file, Il chs
cl and'7 spttoon, were secured for working
tools, when operations commenced Sufficient
OF the masonry was removed from the fireplace
to admit the passage of Il man to the storeroon
below an excavation was then made througt
the foundation wall III the storcroom towaru
| the street, and the construction of the .unne
proceeded night by night. But two persons
could work at the tunnel at the same time
One would enter the hole with his tools and q
small tallow candle, dragging the sp!ttoon after
| him, attached to string. The other w3ul,
fan the ar into the tunnel, aud would draw ou
the novel dlrt.calt when loaded, conceallng lis
contents beneath The straw and rubbish OF thu
storerooms Each morning, before daylight, the
tunnel was covered by straw and the bri * re
placed in the fireplace. This tunnel required
about fifty days of patient, tedious and danger
Gus labor. 1t wasseisht feet below the street.-the
tween sixty and seventy feet in length, anl
barely large enough for iuligrown man tc
crawl throsgh, by pulling himself along with
hands and toes.
When u was complete, it was arranged thai
Maj. McDonald's party should leave the prison
first, ut O'Clock D. m.-COl. IT, and the bal
ancn of thn tmontu hro nItnr,varlS Ry tlhi.