Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-02-27
THE ESCAPE FROM RICH
NHOND.
FULL PARTICULARS BY ONE OF THE
ESCAPED COLONELS.
UNION SENTIMENT IN RICHMOND.
Eighteen NHen Imprisoned for At
tempting 10 Ikill Jeff. Davis.


Eighteen NHcn Imprisoned for At
tempting 10 INill JcH. Davis.
The Washington Star contains the follow
ing account of the escape of the Union pri-
soeers now in Washington:
"Over two months ago, the officers confin-
ed in Libby Prison conceived the idea of |
cffecting their own exchange, and after the
matter had been seriously discussed by seven |
or eight of them, they undertook to dig for
distance toward sewer running into the |
basin. This they proposed doing by COM
mencing at a point in the cellar. near
chimney. This cellar was Immediately |
under the hospital, and was the receptacle |
for refuse straw thrown from the beds when |
they were changed, and for other refuse |
matter.
COMING INTO THE LIGHT.
"Colonel w. p. Kenrick, of West Tennes- |
see; Captain ID. j. Jones, of the 1st Ken
lucky Cavalry; and Lieutenant r. Y Brad |
ford, of the 2d West Tennessee were detailed |
MS rear guard, or rather to go out last, and |
from window Colonel Kendrick ard his |
companions could see the fugitives walk out
OF cato at the other end of the enclosure
OF the carriage house, and fearlessly move
oh The aperture was SO narrow that but |
one man could get through at a time, and
each squad carried with them provisions in
haversack. At midnight, a false alarm
was created, and the prisoners made con-
siderable noise in getting to their respective
quarters. Provi6entially, however, the
guard suspected nothing wrong. and in
few moments the exodus was again COM
menced.
"HALF-PAsT TWO AND ALI's WELL"
."Between 1 and 9 o'clock, the lamps were
extinguished in the streets, and then the
exit was more safely accomplished There
were many officers who desired to leave,
who were so weak and feeble that they were
dragged through the tunnel by main force
and carried to places of safety, until such
time as they would be able to move on their
journey. At 2t o'clock, Captain Jones. Col.
kendrick, and Lieutenant Bradford passed
out in tho order in which they are named,
and as Col Kendrick emerged from the
hole, he heard the guard, within few feet
of him, sing out, post No. Z, half.past two
in the morning, and all's we'll" Colonel X.
says he could hardly resist the temptation of
saying, not so we'll as you think, except for
the Yanks'
EXPERIENCE or 4 PARTY OF THREE.
"a description of the route pursued by
! this marty and of the tribulations through
! which they ,'dssSuj VIII give some llca Oh
the rough time thcr all had of it. Colonel
Kendrick had, before lca0'ng the prison,
mapped out his course, and concluded that
the best route to take was the one towarGs
Norfolk or Fortress Monroe, as there wvsc
fewer rebel pickets in that direction. They
therefore kept the York River Railroad to
the left and moved towards the Chickahom-
my river. They passed through Boar Swamp
and crossed the road leaing to Bottom Bridge
Sometimes they waded through mud and
water almost up to their necks, and kept
the Bottom Bridge road to their left, al
thoagh at times they could see and hear the
cars travelling over the York river road.
"While passing through the swamp near
the Chickahominy, Colonel Kendrick sprain-
ed his ankle and fell. Fortunate, too. was
the fall for him and his party, for while he
was lying there one of them chanced to look
up, and saw in direct line with them a
swamp bridge, and in the dim outline they
could perceive that parties with muskets
were passing over the bridge They, there
fore, moved some distance to the south land
after passing through more of the swamp,
reached the Chckahominy about four miles
below Bottom Bridge. Here now was
difficulty. The river was only twenty feet
wide, but 1t was very deep, and the refugees
were worn out and tatigued. CHANGING
however, to look up, Lieutenant Bradford
saw that two trees had fallen on either side
of the river and that their branches were
} interlocked. BY crawling up one tree and
down the other, the fugitiyes reached the
east side of the Chickahominy, and Colonel
Kendrick could not help remarking that he
:, believed Providence was on their side,
else they would not have met that natural
bridge.
after crossing over this natural bridge
they laid down on the ground and slept
until sunrise on the morning of the nth,
when they continued ON their way, keeping
eastwardly as near as they could. Up to
this time they had had nothing to eat ynd
were almost famisheG. About noon on the
1lth they met several negroes, who gave
them inflammation as to the whereabouts
of the rebel pickets, and furnished them with
food.
FRIESDLISEss OF THE NEGROES.
"Acting under the advice of these friend
ly negroes, they remained quietly in the
woods until darkness had set in, when they
were furnished with comfortable supper
by the negroes, and after dark proceeded on
their way, the negroes (who everywhere
showed their friendship to the fugItiyes)
having first directed them how to avoid the
rebel pickets. That night they pvssed
camp OF rebels, and could plainly see the
smoke and camp fire. But their weary feet
gave out and they were compelled to stop
and rest, having only marched five miles
that day.
"They started again at daylight on the
18th, and after moving awhile through the
woods, they saw negroe women working
in field, and called her to them, and from
her received directions, and were told that
the rebel pickets had been about there look
ing for the fugutives from Libby. He-e they
laid low again, and resumed their Journey
when darkness set in, and marched five
miles, but halted until the morning of the
l4th, when the journey was resumed.
AT one point they met negro in the
field, and she told them that her mistress
was Secesh woman, and that she had a
son in the rebel army. The party, however,
were exceedingly ldngry, and they deter
mined to secure some food. This they did
by boldly approaching the house. and in
forming the mistress that they were fugitiyos
from Norfolk, who had been driven out by
Butler; and the Seeesh sympathies of the
woman were at once aroused, and she gave
them OF her substance, and started :hem on