The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-02-14
DIGGING. FOR LIBERTY.
GEN r. - No-tbcSit Gives SterS ci
imprisonment mt Libhv-

fin. federal officers who were 50 uniortu~
nate as To be captured, is situated near
he southeastern limits of the city. The
building, as it was during the war
lronted $50 feet on Carey street and
extended south from the said street 100
feet, reaching within few yards OF the
James river canal. Previous 10 the
rebellion it was used as mercantile
house. While it was used as military
prison during the war, the business sign
of the firm last occupying it was sus-
pended from one corner of the edifice
aud read Libby & Sons. ship>chand-
| lers and grocers," And this Libby firm
had the honor of imparting the family
name TO this historic prison. The build
ing extended longitudinally from east to
west. On the side fronting Carey street
there were three entrances, each afford
ing ingress to a separate room. Each of
these rooms extended from the front to
the rear of the building, consequently
each room was fifty by one hundred feet
and the house being three stories high,
there were nine rooms in it of the size
mentioned. The building also contained
basement irregularly divided. One
large room in the basement was used as
kitchen, in which the cooking was
done for the hospital attached to the
prison. The lower room of this build
ng, during the time the federal prisoners
were confined N it, was used by the con-
federate officials who had charge of the
prison, and for other purposes.
During the winter of 1854, there
were above one thousand federal officers
confined in this building. In the second
and third stories of the eastern division
of the eiifce the officers captured at
Gettysburg had their quarters, to which
were added few osicers of the army of
the Potomac, captured miscellaneously
In the same story of the middle division,
the officers captured at Chickamsuga
had their lodgings. The officers who
belonged to General MeElroy's command,
captured at Winchester, Virginia, on
the 15.h of June, 1868, had their
dwelling place in the second story of the
western division; in the same division
in the third story Colonel Slreight and
his officers, who were captured near
Rome, Georgia, on the 4th day of May,
1868, had their quarters. In all the
rooms prisoners captured miscellaneously
could be found. There was free commu-
nication between all the rooms. there
being two doors in the partitions con-
Meeting one room with the other. Owing
to the suspension of the exchange of
prisoners restlessness and impatience
were quite prevalent. There was great
desire to escape, but this was apparently
impossible. The prison was strongly
guarded at every point, and could the
prisoner have escaped from the walls OF
the building dangers would have beset
him continually until he could reach tte
federal lines; but Notwithstanding the
great difficulty and danger attending an
effort to escape it was occasionally made,
and sometimes successfully. The grandest
stampede which was made from Libby
was made on the night of the 9th OF
February, 1864
In December, 1868, Colonel Rose, of
the Tooth Pennsylvania, conceived the
idea of escaping by means of a tunnel.
He communicated his plans TO some OF
his comrades, who promised their CO.
operation in the matter. The great diff
Guilty they found was in getting access
to the basement of the building, where
they designed commencing operations.
They could get access to the first floor OF
the eastern division, for this was occu-
pied by the hospital COOKE, who were
enlisted soldiers who had been captured !;
but then there was no opening into the
basement. There was, however, large
chimney leading up from fireplace in
the basement. They finally discovered
that they could go down the aperture of
the chimney, and thus reach the base
ment. At the east end OF the building
there was narrow alley, upon the oppo-
site side of which was a lot of consider
able size, near the center of which there
was an unused stable, this stable being
some distance beyond the guards, who
we're stationed near the building. 1t was
the design of the projectors of the tunnel
to open the terminus of it into this
stable. The greatest difficulty encoun-
tered was at the beginning. They had to
effect an opening in the foundation wall,
which was of stone. To do this they had
no better tools than a few small hatch
cts which were used about the building
for splitting kindlings. After great labor
an opening was effected. But the tunnel
must be walled and arched. The only
material that could be found for this was
the wooden boxes which had contained
articles of food and clothing sent to the
prisoners from their homes. The secret
of the tunnel had been communicated te
but few, and it was not desired that il
should be generally known what they
were driving at; but to avoid this, aitel
using their own boxes they procured The
services of the hospital cooks, who would
go among the prisoners and beg theil
, empty boxes for frewood. Not NOR,
than one man could work in the tunne
at the same time, and, consequently, th'
woik proceeded slowly. Then the tool
they had to work with, knives and sharp
ened sticks, were very inefficient. Tn
men had to remain on all-fours or lie,
: fat while at work. They had estimate.
the distance to be seventy>ive feet befor
5 reaching the center of the stable. The,
e measured their work carefully sc the,
] advanced, and when they reached tn