The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-02-13
DIGGING FOR LIBERTY.
Gen. H. =. RO~1heOtt Gives n story Of
ImprIsOnmenf at libby

which was used by the confederate
as a prison in which to con-
fine federal officers who were so unf0rtu>
nate as TO be captured, is situated mar
the southeastern limits of the city. The
building, as it was during the war,
fronted $50 feet on Carey street and
extended south from the said street 100
feet, reaching within few yards of the
James river canal Previous to the
rebellion it was used as a 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 edifce
aud read: Libby & Sons, ship>chand-
Iers 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-
tederate officials who had charge of the
prison, and for other purposes.
During the winter of 1864, 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 a few officers of the army OF
the Potomac, captured miscellaneously
In the same story of the middle division,
the Cticers captured at Chickamsuga
had their lodgings. The officers who
belonged to General McElroy's command,
captured at Winchester, Virginia, on
the 10Th of June, 1868, had their
dwelling place in the second story of the
western division; in the same division
in the third story Colonel Streight and
mis- officers, who were captured near
Rome, Georgia, on the 4th day of May,
1868, had their quarters. In all the
rooms prisoners captured miscelIaneously
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 the
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, o.
the Tooth Pennsylvania, conceived the
idea of escaping by means of a tunnel
He communicated his plans to some o.
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 o.
the eastern division, for this was occu.
pied by the hospital cook, who were
enlisted soldiers who had been captured
but then there was 10 opening into the
basement. There was, however, large
chimney leading up from a freplace il
the basement. They finally discovered
thai they could go down the aperture O
the chimney, snd thus reach the base
ment. At the east end of the building
there was a narrow alley, upon the oppo-
site side of which was lot OF consider
able size, near the center of which there
was an unused stable, this stable being
some distance beyond the guards, wht
were stationed near the building. It wa
the design of the projectors of the tunne
to open the terminus of it into thi
stable. The greatest difficulty encOun
tered was at the beginning. T1ey had t.
effect an opening in the foundation wall
which was of stone. To do this they hat
no better tools than few small hatch
cts which were used about the buildinj
for splitting kindlings. After great labo
an opening was effected. But the tunne
must be walled and arched. The onI,
material that could be found tor this wa
the wooden boxes which had containe,
articles of food and clothing sent to tn
prisoners from their homes. The secre
of the tunnel had been communicates t
but few, and it was not desired that j
should be generally known what the
we're driving at; but to avoid this, ate
using their own boxes they procured th
services of the hospital cooks, who woul
. 90 among the prisoners and beg thei
q empty boxes for frewoOd. Not MOI
? than one man could work in the tunnt
at the same time, and, consequently, tb
2 wolk proceeded slowly. Then the too
: they had to work with, knives ard SHARP
ened sticks, were very inefficient. tn
men had to remain ON alIzfours or lie