The weekly union record., 1864-04-09
The Escape from Libby Prison.

( The following interesting narrative Of the
escape OF Union prisoners from the Libby
Prison, Richmond, is from the Washington
Star: 4 large number Of the officers who
escaped from Libby Prison, a few days ago.
arrived 10 this city. last night. and stopping
al the Metropolitan and National Hotels. and
I from them We gather very interesting state
ments relative to their manner Of escape.
( Over two months ago. the officers confined in
Libby Prison conceived the idea of affecting
their own exchange, and, after the matter had
been seriously discussed By some seven or eight
of them, they undertook to dig for distance
toward sewer running into basin This
they proposed doing by commencing at point
10 the cellar, near a chimney. This cellar was
Immediately under the hospital, and was the
receptacle for refuse straw, thrown from beds
when they were changed. and for other refuse
matter. Above the hospital was room for
officers. and above that, yet another room. The
chimney ran through all these rooms and the
prisoners, who were iu the secret. improviSed a
rope, and night after night let working parties
down. who successfully prosecuted their exca-
waiting operations.
The dirt was hid under the straw and other
refuse matter IN the cellar, and it was trampled
down so as not to present too great bulk.
/ " hen the working party had got to consld
( erable distance underground, it was found diff
cult to haul the dirt back by hand, and a
spittoon, which had been furnished the officers
in one of the rooms. was made TO serve the
purposo of a cart. string was attached to it
and i was run in the tunnel, and, as soon as
filled, was drawn out and the contents deposited
under the straw But after hard work and
digging with finger nails, knives and chisels, a
number of feet. the working party found them
selves stopped by piles driven in the ground.
These were at least a foot in diameter. But
they were not discouraged. Penkniyes, or any
other articles that would cut, were called for.
and after chipping, chipping, chipping for a
long time, the piles were severed, and the
tunuelers commenced again and in a few
moments reached the sewer.
But here an unexpected obstacle met their
further progress. The stencil from the sewers
and the flow of filthy water was so great that
one of the party tainted and was dragged out
more dead than alive, and the project in that
direction had TO be abandoned The failure
was communicated 10 a few others besides
those who had first thought of escape, and then
party Of seventeen, after viewing the premises
aud surroundings, concluded to tunnel under
Carey street. On the opposite side of this
street from the prison was sort of carriage
house or outhouse, and the project was to dig
under the street and emerge from under or near
the bouse. There was high fence around it,
and the guard was outside of this fence The
prisoners then commenced to dig at the other
side of the chimney aud after few handsfull
of dirt had been removed, they found themselves
stopped by stone wall, which proved after
wards to be three feet thick The party were
by no means undaunted, and with penkuives
and pocketknives they commenced operations
upon the stone and mortar.
After nineteen days and nights hard work
they again struck the earth beyond the wall,
aud pushed their work forward. Here, too,
latter they had got some distance under
ground,) the friendly spttoon was brought uto
requsitlon, and he dirt was hauled cut in small
quantities. After digging for some days, the
question arose whether they had not reached
the point aimed at; and in order to. if possible.
test the matter, Capt. Gallagher of the % Ohio
regiment. pretended that he had box IN the
carriage house over the way, and desired TO
search il out. This carriage-house, it is proper
to state, was used as q receptacle for boxes aud
goods sent to prisoners from the North and the
recipients were often allowed TO 60, under
guard across the street o secure their property.
Capt Gallagher was granted permission to 90
there, and as he walked across under guard.
he, as well as be could, paced off the distance.
and concluded that the street was about fiftv
feet wide
On the 9th or 7ih Of February, the working
party supposed they had gone a suflicien, dis
tance, and commenced 10 dig upwards When
near the surface they heard the rebel guards
talking above them, and discovered thev were
some two or three feet yet outside the fence
The displacng of a stone made considerable
noise, and one of the sentnels called to his
comrade and asked him what the noise meant.
The guards, after listening few minutes. con
cluded that nothing was wrong, and returned
TO their beats. This hole was stopped up bv
inserting into the creyce an old pair of panta-
looms stuffed with straw, aud by bolstering the
whole up with boards. which they secured from
the floors, etc, Of the prison. The tunnel was
then continued some six or seven feet more. and
when the ng party supposed they were
about to emerge into daylight, others in the
prison were informed that there was a wav now
open for escape. One hundred aud nine Of the
prisoners decided to make the ATTEMPT to get
away. Others refused, fearing the consequences
if they were reeaptured and others vet, among
whom were Gen Neal Dow. declined to make
tie attempt because, as they said, they did not
desire to have their Government back down
from lis enunciated policy of exchange. Col.
Rose, of New York, Col. kendrck of Tenn,
Capt. Jones, Lieut.. Bradford, and Others,
informed Gen Dow that they could not see how
making their escape would affect the policy Of
exchange. Their principle was that it was
their personal right to escape if they could,
and their duty to their Government to make
the attempt.
Abor, So O'Clock on the evening of the 9Th,
the prisoners started out; Col Rose. of New
lorl, leading the van. Before starting. the
/ Prisoners had divided themselves into SQUADS Of
Two, three and four, aud each squad was to
take different route, and, after they were out,
were 10 push for the Union lines as fast as
possible. 1t was the understanding that the
working party were to have an hours start OF
the other prisoners, and, consequently the rope
ladder in the cellar was drawn out. Before the
expiration Of the hour, however the other
prisoners became impa,ient. and were let down