New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-02-20
oyw MILITARY BUDGET'
Tho Escape fror, ,l,e Eibby-An h"'s'es''
ing Narrative.
F,or. Tae Washington st'r. FEB. is.

A large number OF the olDceIS WIN eso"P.U
,o Tbhv Prison few days ago arrived IN TINS city
j,i. and ere stOping Of the National ard Metro
notan Hotels and from hom we gather very interest,"
lug statements relative to Their mahner OF escape;
over two months ago the uinccis confined Ia LADY,
Prison conceived the idea OF efiectng their own OK
change and after tho matter bad been seriously as
cusscd hy some eight OF them they unhtriu1h
20 dig for a distance toward sewer tunhug mo Wv
basin This hey proposed doing by commencing NJ
point In the cellar. near chimney. ms ccIar WI.
Immediately under the hospital end was the rrcepl'c
for refuse straw, thrown from the beds wren they w
changed and for other Iefuse matter Above the ms
pital was IA for officers, and above thaI YET s"'
room The chimney ron through AL teSe room eJ ~
the prisoners who were ~ tif secret lmY -
rope and nig' after night = WORKING piItco 49,
who successfully prosecuted Their c@ea'aI'"s 0p'''
tons ..,, -.soso
meter in Che cellar and il was trGmped down 20 s
not to present too great a bulk Nbeh IN, NoIhihS
marty lsd got 90 a considerable distance unueglounu
Il uas fnnd difcn 20 haul Tie dirt back by manu- aW
spjttoon which had been furnished Dy the Officers
one Of the rooms, was maze 10 ssfhe .uo pu - n IN
cart A string was attached 10 II ans IL was run -.
fbe tunnel and ~ soon filed was drawn ont ana we
dirt deposed under the straw. but after halG Nvih
and digging with tngernals Knives, anu oiSes
number OF feet the working party iOnnu tue-usOi' -
sfopped by piles driven IL the ground lheSe Teio a.
ieasf foot IN diameter. But they were MOI usSyu,
coed Penkniyos on any other articles that wouid Sn
20 called for. and, after chipping chipping GRIP
,,inc for long time the piles were seVt rcd ohu tIo
tunpelers commenced again, and IN ie" ihonei''0
nj here an unexpected obstacle met their further
croSress The stesch from the sewers ana the no" 9
Ttby wafer was SO great that one of the party iancu
- no dragged ont more dead than alive, ana Tue
project IN that direction had TO be aDahIoheH -
farrc was communicated 20 rev Diners besiue tn"s,
who had first thought OF eecape, ond then part! OF
H. after viewing the premises and snTrouhclhsS cU
olnded TO tunnel under Carey street Cn the opposite
side o. this street from the prison was sor, OF
honse or Clubhouse and the project was 10 Dig unG inc
street and emerge from under or near the mousse iheI
was high fence around it, end the guard was OUTSIDE
of this fence The prisoners then commenced 70 u's
Ia If m
of dirt had been removed they .ound themselves stop
ned by sopewan which proved aficrward to be three
feet thick The party were by no means unOauh'e'i.
and wifi penknivcs and pocket knives they commenced
operations upon the stone and mortar 49,,
Afer nineteen days and nge.e' hard WORK. W.
again struck the earth beyond the wall ana pg'heG
tler work forward. Here too (oiter they haH eot
some distance under ground tho friendly spit ".
brought into requsition, and the art was hi,u Guy ~
ANAL quantities. After digging for some d9ys, lhe
ouestion arose whether they bad not reached ine pom
aimed at and in order to [ PoiT ogmc st Dyeaad
tbst he had box In the cauiaeehouse over the waT,
and desired to search it out. Thin carriesehouse II Is
nroper 10 state was used receptacle for boxes ane
Foods sent 10 prisoners from the North and the roc
sHs were oft allowed TO 90. under ercrd across me
street 20 secure their properly IHpii uaiFI'r va,
under guard he as well he could paced oil The Gis-
lance and concluded that the street was about % ie
On the 9Th or 18th of February he working party sup
oosed they had gone sufficient distance and com
inenced 20 dig upward When near the surface icy
covered they were some two or three iee' YET ou'e
khe fence. .,,, .;ee
and one Of the senucs called % his conradc and ass cd
him what The noise meant. Tie guards, after hsioGns
few minutes concluded that nothing sW1ong, ans
returned to their boats. Ihls loe Whs stopped up "
inserting into the creyice pair OF old pantaoons h
with straw and by bosterng the whole up with boards
which they secured from the floors, &C. OF the prison
The tunnel then continued some ak or seven lee
more and when the working party supposed they weT
about ready to emerge 10 Daylight Others in tie plso
informed that there was way now open Tor e'
cape One hundred and nine Of the prisoners decided
make the attempt to get away Others refused fearin
vet Semong whom were GEN Neal Dow declined
make the attempt because (as they sai they did not
sire " have their Government back down from ]
eDuncieted policy Of exchange. Col Rose, OF Newly or
Col Kendrick, Of Teun.. Capt. jones' Lieut. Bradior
and others. informed Gen Dow that they could not
how making their escape would affect tie pohcy Oh e
change. Their principle that II was tier person
right 10 escape If they could and their duty to the
Government to make the attempt.
About 81 o'clock the evening Of the 9th, the pri
oners started ont Col Rose of New. York leading ii
ysn Before starring the prisoners had divided then
scye. into squads Of two. three. and four and eac
souad was 10 take different rOnio. and after they wei
out to push for The Union lines as st as sssipe
TO have on hours start OF the other prisoners iu coz
sequonty the rope ladder in the cellar "as drawn oai
Refore the expiration of the hour however the 0tne
prisoner became impatient and were let down through
the chimney successfully luio the cellar.
Col W. p. Kendrck of West Tennessee, Capt d. }
Homes OF The LIST Kentucky Cavalfy, and Lieut. X y
bradford of the % West Tennessee. detailed a.
rear guard or rather 90 out last; and from window
Col K and his companions could see TIE iugtises whs
out of gate at the other end Of the Enclosure Of the ear
rage house and feariessy move of The aperture as
so narrow that but one cOpld get through al lime
and each SQUAD carried with them provisions IN haye
sack. At midnight false alarm was created ana tl'
prisoners msde considerable noise in getting TO the'
respective quarters. rroyidentally. however, th'
guard suspected nothing wrong, and in a few moment,
the exodus again commenced. Col hcndrlcs anC
his companions booked with some trepidaon upon h'
movements Of the ngityes as some of them exercising
but little discretion, moved boldly out on the ncosur
into the glare Of The gas-ight. Many OF them were
however H. citizens dress aud as all the Rebel guards
wear the United States uniform, but little suspicion
could be excited il the ngtiye3 had been accoseC
by guard.
Between and O'Clock the lamps were e1,inF-isAe,
in the streets and then The exit safely
plished. There many officers who desired 4
leave who were weak and feeble that they ger
dragged through TIC tGnnd b. main force and carrie,
to places Of safety until such time they would be abb
to move on tHcr Journey At 2, O'Clock. Capt. Jones
Col kendrick. and Lieut. Bradford passed ont in I'll,
order in which they named. and as Col X. emerged
nom the hole be heard the guard within a few feet O.
him sing out Post No half past two In the morning
and airs we'll Col h. says be could hardly resist ht
temptation Of saying: Not SO well you think, ex
cepi for the Yanks." Lieut. Bradford was intrus ed
with the provisions for this squad aud in getting
through he Obliged to leave bis hayersack behine
him. as he could not get through with it upon him.
once on they Proceeded up e. street keeping in thc
the city
description of the route pursued by this party and
OF the tribu3tiOps through which Trey passed will give
some idea Of The rongh time they al had of it, Col
Kendrick had before leaving the prison mapped his
course and concluded that tho best route 10 take was
the ORG toward Norfolk Fortress Monroe as there
were Tower Rebel pckets in that direction They
therefore kept the York River Railroad 10 the left and
moved toward the Chiekahomiuy River. They passed
through Boar Swamp md crossed the road leading 10
Bottom Bridge Sometimes they waded through mud and
water almost up TO their necks and kent the Bottom
Bridge road to their let although on,