Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-08-13
Story of the War-A New Jersey Sol.
der. .-....-.-..


COLONEL HENRY W. SAWYER, who has
lately been. appointed Superintendent of
the life-saving apparatus on the New Jersey
coast, once passed through very perilous
adventure. He was among the Federal
prisoners in Libby Prison, at the time when
the Confederate Government determined
to retaliatein kind for the. execution 0ftwoa
rebel officers by one ofour Western Gen
erals. Mr.. Sawyer was at that time cap
tain in the First New Jersey cavalry, and
was of the grade of officers from whom Sc
lections were to be made for the victims to
Confederate vengeance 8 The officer who
was in charge of the prisoners at that time,
was kind hearted and agreeable man,
and was regarded by them with feelings of
gratitude and affection. On the morning
in question this officer entered the room
where the prisoners were confined and
told all the officers to walk out into another
room. s.
This order was obeyed with particular
alacrity, as the prisoners were daily ex-
pecting to be exchanged, and it was sup
posed that the order had arrived, and that
they were about to exchange their prison
quarters for home and freedom. After
they had all gathered in the room their
countenances lighted up with this agreea
BILE hope, the sofficer came in among them
and with very grave face, took a paper
out OF his pocket and told that he had
very melancholy duty to performs, the
purport of which would be better under
stood by the reading of the order he held
in his hand, which he had just received
from the War Department He then pro-
ceeded to read to the amazed and Mortified
group, an order for the immediate execu-
fsx~y, <>ff >a<~ffJ
for the hanging of two Confederate Off
GERS. ---,A-@-.---- =.
yYAs the reader ceased, the men, looked at
each other with blanched faces, and a
silence like death prevailed for some min
utes in the room. The Confederate officer
then suggested that perhaps the better way
would be to,place a number of slips of
paper, equal to the whole number of
officers from whom the victims were to be
selected, in a box, with the word "dead''
written on two of them, and the restblank
the two who drew the fatal slips to be
the doomed men. This plan was adopted,
and chaplain was appointed to prepare
the slips. The drawing then commenced,
the men advancing and taking out slip,
and if it proved blank, taking their
places in another part of the room.
The drawing had proceeded for some
time, and fullya third of the officers had
exchanged gloomy looks of apprehension,
| for relieved aspect they could not avoid
| showing, after escape from such terrible
peril, before fatal death slip had been
drawn. At the end of about this period,
however, the first slip was drawn, and the
name of " Captain Henry w. Sawyer, of
the First New Jersey Cavalry" was called
out as the unfortunate man. The Captain
was, Of course, deeply agitated, but did
not lose his self-possession He imme-
diately began revolving in his mind some
plan for averting, or at least postponing
the immediate carrying-out of the SAN
culinary edict of the rebel government,
and by the time that, he was joined by his
companion in misfortune, who turned out
to be q Captain Flynn, of an Indianaregi-
tment, he had resolved upon his course.
The officers in command, as soon as the
drawing was completed, ordered the two
men to be taken out and Immediately exc
cuted. M s etg -, ~
Captain Sawyer, however, demanded, as
a request that no civilized nation could re-
| fuse under such circumstances, that he
! should have permission to write to his
| wife to inform her of the terrible fate that
awaited him, and to have her come on and
| UANt I'LL OH COCl llll ldl wv CIl IeCbDlUt lOI
day or two was thus obtained, and Saw
yer subsequently obtained an interview
with the rebel Secretary of War; and Sc.
cured permission to write to his wife
which he did. His object in writing tc
her was principally for our government tc
| be made acquainted with the predicament
in which the two officers were placed, and
to secure hostages and threaten retalia
ton should the order of the rebels be car
ried out. q
1t turned out precisely as Sawyer hoped
and expected. Our government was in
formed of the condition of affairs, and
promptly seized son of General Lee and
one of some other prominent rebel, and
threatened to hang them if the Union
officers were executed. BY this means the
l.zA~- -. ~ >-<--e zsyCrc saved
as the Confederate government did moi
dare to'earry out their threats. AFTER a
few months more confinement, Captain
Sawyer was exchanged. CaptaingFiynn
his companion in misfortune, came out 81
the ordeal with his. hair as white as snow
turned gray by the mental sllfferings he
endured. Captain Sawyer in a week OF
two was as good as new" and. served
through the war--I1sntoas Gazette. -
4 : 81 e tl