The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-24
A BRAVE CONFEDERATE.
THE STORY OF CAPTAIN BEALL-A
LAKE ROMANCE RELATED-HOW
ALL OF OHIO WAS THROWN INTO
A FEVER By \ YOUNG VIRGINIAN.
THE DESC ENT UPON SANDUSkI.

Itpnstance L. W0nlsan In liarprrs Mnnthiy.l
This young Virginian. an officer of the
Confederate army, was hung as pirate and
spy on Governors Island, New York har-
bor. February "a, 1863. The sentence wa-
lust, and its execution Necessary part OF
lhc discipline of war. Yet, now That years
have elapsed, aud we can review the past
Without that terrible personal interest that
made our hearts burn within US, there is
something worthy of note in the story of tn $
man. who, Young. wealthy. and educated,
threw himself. is it were. into tn"
laws of death from sincere though
mistaken love for his native couIl-
trv. John Yates Bcal was Il Ia
tive of Jefferson county, Virginia. He
pradllated at the University OF Virginia,
Charlottesville, and at the breaking out ol
the rebellion owned large plantation ~
his native county his property was cstl-
mated at 81 900 900, and In addition he Is
said TO be the heir of an estate in England.
In the carlicL days Of the war BcaIl OrgaIl-
iZed Company G, Second Virginia infantry,
and his regiment aitcrward formed part ot
the Original "StvncwalI Brigade" under
StoncwaIl jackson. He took part in many
battles, but IL is his piratiral expedition
arnony the i.lands Of Lake Erie which brings
him within the range Of our subj jcct-an cNpe-
iition which ended in disaster and death. IL
i well remembered along the lake shore !;
Buffalo. Detroit, and Cleveland were nlcd
with excitement: the cliZeaS En'rollcd the
streets by night. and visions of piratical craft
sailing boldly in and firing upon the defence
less houses filled all eyes. Exhausted Ohio
had sent into the field regiment after rcgi-
frontier was entirely exposed. and It scented
nm EASY thug to sail across from Canada aud
| batter down her towns. Looking back upon
| il now. it still seems easy, and yet was ncfer
dome. although Canada swarmed with con-
| spirators under the leadership OF jacob
Tbompsun, secret agent of the Confederate
Government. The United States had but
one war vessel on the lakes, the Michigan, Il
| paddlc-wbcel steamer carrying eiSht guns.
The capture of this boat would enable Il
| small body Of men to carry destruction from
ono pnd of the lake to the other. In Sep
tembcr, 1864, the Michigan was lying on
Johnson's i,Iand Sandu>ky bay, which ma
been used since 1862 is "a dcloy ior prisoners
of war. Here were confined 2,iSo men, all,
| with the exception OF about 100, ofncefs Vi
| the Contederacy-enough TO command ah
army of $4,000 men. The little Island was
naturally uppermO>t in the Thoughts OF Inc
r, bel officers in Canada. 1t was near al
hand: steamer could run across III the
night, and in the winter land force couii
a,taek il, for the ice was strong, and nowhere
was there more than five miles Between
island and island, stretching hike stepping
stones across the lake from Point Pelec TO the
ohio mainland. No ether prison was on an
,yno>ed frontier like this, and we're II
NOT for the guns Of the Michigan rescue
mirht be effected; the Michigan, therefore,
must be captured. In the report OF .lTob
l'rlomp.on, secret agent Oi the tonieucfacy
in Canada, a document belonging to the
rchcl archives, the whole plot IS related.
There were two parts, the first b"Ir2 the ex-
pcdition by water under Beall, and the Sc
rond a conspiracy on shore, by means o'
which the of1irer> of The Michigan were To
be thrown of their guard, so thlt upon q
yiven signal Beall could steam ripidiy IN,
surprise them, and capture the boat.
cannon shot sent over Johnson's Island was
to tell the prisoners that the hour oil rescue
had come ; Sandusky was next TO be atacK
ed, and, after horses had been secured, tbe
prisoners were to mount and make tor CleVe
| land. the l,Oais cooperating, and from Cleve
Ia,,d strike across Ohio for Wheeling ana the
Virginia border. The key TO the whole
movement was the capture of the Michigan
| THE rLor AND TIE rLorTERs.
The plot on shore was headed bya Con
fedrrlt.. officer nanIed Cole. Beall perform
ed his yrirt with entire success; and hat
the other head possessed equal capacity, nj
doubt lie plan would have been suceessfu'
and the whole North taken by surprise bj
this daring raid and re>cue upon hitherto
n,areful and unno;ced border. The two
thousand young officers, riding for thei,
lives through the beart of Ohio, where
there % was no organized force to ooppose them
would have seemed like phantom bana = te
the e astonisbcd inhabitants. Even the ta
nous raid of John Morgan, wen rem remember tn sh,
ed I In the great red brick farm.houses OF th' -
central counties, would have been sslipsea q