The Portland daily press., 1876-02-18
Rebel Prisons.

At one time at Libby Prison we observed
that the guards were few and careless in their
manner of performing their duties, and we had
ascertained that there were but few rebel
troops in thu city, and those here we supposed
must be such as were unfit to be sent to the
'front.' The idea occurred to some of us that a
forcible escape might be possible and we looked
over the ground to ascertain what the chances
were.
In the second story of each store-three of
them-of which the prison consisted, there was
large doorway closed up by folding doors
which we could open at any time, and these
were about eight feet from the ground and
wooden framework of canvas awnings ran
along in front of them. By these doors, and
with the help of the awning frames, we could
make sudden and powerful rush upon the
few sen;inels upon their beats before our win
dows, sieze their arms, capture the officers
from the outside, and make ourselves masters
of the prison.
So far the project could be easily executed.
The next step was to be rush for an arsenal
in another part of the city. where we knew
quantity of arms was kept, where the guard
"~o INV SsAohSs anu UC easily ONeIpOW-
cred. While this was going on, part of our
number, with such arms as could be obtained
were to run rapidly to Belle Isle and oyerpower
the guard and release the thirteen thousand
prisoners who were confined there, who were
to be instantly formed into companies, battal-
ions and brigades, under officers already told
off for that purpose, who were at once to march
out of town towards the North, having first
destroyed the telegraph lines.
All this was very well upon paper, but there
were dithculties about it which many of the
officers were too impatient to consider-they
wanted to be of, anyhow. We were Informed
about the arms in the arsenal, but knew moth
Ing as 10 ammunition. There was no way of
rapid and free communication with the island,
and the transportation OF soldiers from it TO
the main land would be difficult enterprise
and its success would, aG the best, be doubtful
But our arrangements and plans were brought
suddenly to an end. One fine morning as we
looked out of our front windows, we saw a
vacant piece of ground just across the street.
occupied by the troops, tents and field gans OF
a battery. The guns were unlimbered and in
position for instant use-upon the prisoni Then
we knew there must be traitor among us. and
we looked wonderingly in each others ewes
Who could he be? And there were little knots
of us gathered about in corners, talking busly
put not above our breath: who could he be?
Ihe prison officials said nothing; we asked no
questions and seemed not to notice that there
mad been any change. But we soon learned
that one of our number, who had been a vio-
lent New York pro slavery politician before
the war, with whom we had held little inter-
course, of whom we had always entertained
suspicious, had negotiated the day before to be
taken out of the prison and sent to the hos
pital! Then we knew who had betrayed us.
We all felt as sore and vexed about the be-
trayal of our plans as if they would have been
certainly successful, of which there was room
for grave doubt.