The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-26


blouse, we helped the detail to load their
/ carl and then passed out with them After
getting outside we walked slowly towards
the fort, and watching our opportunity.
darted under an old carpenter shop which
was raised two or three feet from the
ground While waiting there for dark
ness chicken, chased by little darkey
and a couple of dogs, took refuge with us,
but was driven out without much trouble.
and we remained undiscovered. At one
time, however, / thought we were gone
mr." The little darkey came so near that
l could easily have placed my hands on
| him, and the dogs were smelling about
alarmingly close to as.
BETWEEN HOPE AND FEAR.
About dark it began raining and blow
| ing very hard. Between 8 and 8 o'clock
we crept down to the barracks occupied
| by Yankee regiment on duty at the ISL
and The barracks faced Delaware City
and were about thirty or forty feet from
the banks of the river. We crawled
under them and took a view Of the situa
ton It was not very encouraging just
then, for we found we had to pass two
sentries to get to the river. We
felt that our chances were
rather slim, but we were play
to make the venture. The night being
very dark our hope was that the sentries
would take us for their own men and let
lis pass without scrutinizing us very
closely rs there was no countersign on
that part of the island. At all events we
concluded 10 try it, for it was sink or
swim with us then.
| So just as the sentry sang out, Two
| o'clock, and all's WELL" we crawled out
| from under the barracks and started on a
run for the bridge leading to the sinks.
The sentry on the bridge took US for mem
bers of his regiment, as We had hoped he
would, and let us pass, remarking with a
| laugh: ''You fellows must be in q d big
| hurry" thought yes, but kept my
mouth shut The sentry on the front did
/ not notice us at ALL and on we went to
the sinks. We found no one there. and
| began operations at once. fearing the SEN
| try might suspect there was something
wrong If we did not return in short
time. We got into the water and inflated
our ''ironclads" in short order, and fasten-
| ing them securely put out from the shore.
| We found the tide running out but knew
| that at II o'clock it would return.
THE ESCAPE.
| When we were about two hundred feet
! from the bank large reflector, which
v as raised on q platform near the prison
crS barracks, was turned directly upon
us, burt | suppose the sentry thought it
was not necessary to look very closely in
that direction. SO he turned it toward the
! barracks again. After that we were safe
| from his observation. The reason no
alarm was given and 40 suspicion aroused
was that the sentries we had passed were
relieved very soon after, and thinking we
| belonged 10 their regiment. they sand
nothing about us 10 those who relieved
/ them. When we were about half way
across the river it was slack water and we
| swan directly for the shore, but before we
| reached it the tide was coming III rapidly
and we landed near the entrance of the
| Chesapeake and Delaware canal. After
getting out Of the water VIC waited for
bali an hour and then struck out below
| the town called Delaware City, and after
| going some three miles we stopped in a
patch Of woods. We We're in the water
| two hours and a half.
In the morning we resumed our journey
/ and soon came upon little dairy in the
| side of hill and abOut one hundred yards
| from farm house. The dairy was built
of logs, and as the door was locked and
we were rather hungry, we concluded to
| turn burglars. With the aid of a fence
rail we forced an entrance and found
| some pies and plenty of milk, cream and
| butter. Helping ourselves literally, we
again resumed our march.
| Here the manuscript ends. but it is only
| necessary to add that the escape was n
successful one. and the adventuresome
prisoners, after some further service in
the confederate ranks, surrendered with
Lees army and returned to their homes
in Louisiana.