The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-11-01
ArRsAK FOR
Crawling Through the T""nei-"c'ap'"re
when Within Sight OF sn'"ke 'r"'" '"e
Union Picket Fires.

When. on the night OF February =, 1861,
Colonel Rose completed the tunnel at LID
by prison. through which siNty-one Union
soldiers escaped to the Federal lines, Cap
tain Frank n. Moran, Of the Seventy-th'rd
New York regiment, then prisoner 'here,
pot an inkling ~ what was gong on anu
hurried 10 join the crowd OF iuginVes.
While hundreds were pressing ,oi Dr.
dcncc nj the narrow mouth OF the tinnei,
tho cry Of Guards" was raised. a stam-
nede followed. Notwithstanding the panic
no guards appeared, and Captain Moran
fastened hack towards the opening. what
bcfell him Is related in an extremely enter
tanning article in the Philadelphia I,'neS,
from which article the subjoined extracts
are TAKEN .,..,. ,,,o
soueczcd myself feet first through the
narrow aperture i'm the fireplace, ana iound
,hat the opcning led in descending slant
from the back Of the fireplace through ,ic
chimney and into the east cellar, which
was divided from the cellar containing the
OH NV n wall. These cells were directly
under the kitchen, at the front OF ,,e
buildins. and were alternately used i"r inc
confinement of hostages, "uoup'eso!,,e
prisoners" and Union spies under acun-
sontence. They Were 1oorless Closets,
ahouf ten or twelve feet square. "A snlaIi
steam Of light stole into them part OF the
dav from a narrow grated window hali
smnkep i'm the sidewalk above. They were
co,orded hy special scntinels. were I've
with enormous rats. and the arr IN ITEM
w,s sickening. From these dreadful cages
many brave fellow went forth 10 DEAN.
f ;, ,hicL wall divided this from the east
collar under the hospital room, ana IL was
in The cast wall of this cellar that the tun-
mel proper began.
SURROUNDED BY RATS.
Finding the short fragment OF blanket
rome hanging from the top OF the OPENING
LET nv feet down, hoping 10 toucn Do'
tom. Int found none. and - my bruised
hand and shoulder made II Impossible 10
~ IonO | balanced myself for "A fall.
wbitber and to what depth knew not, for
II was rayless pit of darkness. with
SORT Of faith i'm fortune shut my eyes ana
teeth and in the name OF liberty iel go.
Thanks TO my thoughtful comrades zen
into "A huge pile of straw. ana amer r"iIiI@
over two or three times found DlIStl III
the darkness among hundreds oil Squeahi,s
rats. and before ! could recover my equili-
brj,Im a score Of the rcpulsive creatures ran
over me. Complying with my instructions,
n,aced nv back to The wall near where |
dronned and waded knee-decp toward the
onnosite wall through the straw that COW
cred the cellar. The place seemed 10 he
norfectly alive with rats that fought,
sonsalcd and tore each other and thumped
-a.rainst nv ankle at every step.
Al last | reached the wall and ran my
hand along the cold, damp surface in
search of the opening To the tunnel. In
this manner eroped along until reached
tbe southeast corner. and believing that
must have passed the hole made my way
back in the same way, feclingthe wall WIN
increased anxiety ana caution. stopped
a dozen times 10 listen Tor some friendly
token from nv comrades who had long
since preceded me, but no sound co'ild be
heard but the horrible chorus OF the rails.
The thought Of failure began to haiass me,
as did the fear that | should be forced to
mass the night III the loatheSome place.
Great beads of Precipitation came out on
my forehead when thought OF being found
hy the guards in the morning. il indeed the
colony of rats did not long ere that time
hattie for the choice cuts of my remains.
A TRAIN OF HORRIBLE THOUGHTS.
II naralyzed me 10 think that through
nv laundering the tunnel would ne as
covered that had cost such heroic labor,
and tba, I should be loaded with the dis
GRACE Of deriving hundreds OF my fellow
prisoners OF their liberty. In this train OF
oppressing thoughts came the remembrance
that this had at one time been the dead
cellar where bodies from the hospital
room above il used TO be boxed up prior
IN burial. The revolving idea that the
Union dead should ever have been lett,
even temporarily, in such place slckened
me, and would have given fortune at
that miserable moment fora friendly stream
of light and blessed breath OF fresh air.
thought had already surveyed I'm acre
sOf wall, and was on the border OF despair,
when. to my boundless JOY, my hand Tell
npon 4 pair Of heels. | knew they were
live heels, for | had no sooner touched
them than they vanished like magic III the
wall.
4" Who's there ?" said ayoice, as II from
grave.
Moran" answered, "frOm the Get
tysburg room. Who are you
"Charley Morgan" the scpulchrli voice
respoudcd. "from the Chickamauga room.
Are the rcbs comingr"
..No. Go ahead and make room for me.
said 1: and away went the heels, after send
Ing shower Of dirt into both my eyes.
The hole appeared, ~ ] advanced, To
have AN average diameter of about Two
feet. At times we appeared 10 he descend
iny and again we seemed to rise The
and suffocating. My bruised shoulder got
rough usage as wedged myself forward
on my hands and face. The hole grew
narrower as advanced. and notwithStand-
ing INV slight form | found myself more
than once i'm the position Of the fat man
who had preceded me. Morgan unhappiN
took 4 violent cramp in one OF his legs,
and TO relieve his distress | pulled of his
shoe. This proved Il somewhat trouble.
some charge, for in order TO save il for it,
owner had To push ii ahead Of me ~
crawled onward. The length Of the tunnel
seemed interminablc. | was gasping for
breath, aud my shoulder was panine
dreadiully. II seemed rs il we were lost
In some horrible grave.
PURE AIR LAST.
| was struck with the wonderful clear
ness with which all sounds were transmitte,
through the passage. as il we were encom
passed by metallic instead III clay walls
Al last, near fainting with suhocation, pain
and fatigue, "a ray Of light gladdened IN,
eyes and felt the welcome blcsscdness Oi
fresh air--certainly the most delicious air
have ever breathed in my whole life. Nor
gan extended his hand and gave me 4
friendly welcome rs rose like an appari-
ton 10 the surface OF the earth and having
reached terra trina | made careful and
minute survey Of my surroundings. WAS
in IA yard that divided two old buildings
that faced respectively north and south.
stood abont seventy feet from the east
ern wall of the prison, and looking through
the dilapdated fence saw the sentmels
? pacing their posts, and by the light Of the
street-lmnps could easily distinguish their
features. An arched way Of sufficient
width ar the naSSaUa al xyapnns IeI IN fba