The National tribune., 1883-09-27
rs TO THE DEAD-LINE
The True Story of Its Establishment
at AnderSOnVille.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:

noticed IN our paper, September 6th, an
inquiry as to how the dead-line came to be
established at Andersonville, and, with your
permission, will give my understanding of
the matter.
was among the first 400 who were sent to
Andersonvile from Belle Island. When we
got there the stockade was not completed
almost the entire end on the north side was
open. The ground inside the inclosure was
covered with stumps, logs. limbs, brush-the
debris from cutting the timber for the stock
ade. This was bonanza for the boys. who had
been all winter on the island without cloth
ing, blankets, shelter. FIRE, and the gate had
hardly closed upon MS before fire was started,
and if ever there was "welkin ring IN the
wilds of Georgia it went up there and lasted rs
long as we had breath. Some OF the most
provideIt of our number saw glorious OPP
portunity" To better their condition, and
wisely gatherad together enough Of the logs,
sticks, ard limbs to make themselves very
comfortable quarters, aud retained them dur
ing their sqjoaru there. The st0ckade itself
was built of square timbers, averaging about
fifteen inches square. a trench was dug about
six feet deep, log fully foot through was
put in the bottom and these square timbers
placed upright this. leaving them about
twenty feet above the ground. AT this time a
Colonel Persons, with his regiment-the Fifty
fifth Georgia-who, with his regiment, had
been captured and paroled by our forces and
then sent by the rebel authorities to guard the
prison. in charge OF the stockade and |
must say that he was gentleman. Well we
had not been in the stockade more than two or
three days before there was not wood enough
inside the pen to cook a cup of corn coffee
with True, individuals had gathered together
quite quantity of timber, limbs, and chips,
but this was their private property, and the
good-natured colonel allowed them to hold it
as such, and would let as many of the boys 90
ontside for wood he could furnish guards to
take care Of But this leniency presented
greater temptation than some of the boys could
resist. SO they struck for liberty and home by
"mugging" the guard. This the colonel could
not stand, so he finally shut down on the detail,
and the boys began at once to devise other means
OF escape. The stockade was completed about
the 20th of March, 1854. The guard was sta
toned on 3 small platform near the top of the
stockade from the first, and about the 1st of
April they built sentry box, about four feet
square, of rough pine boards, open in the front,
from which they could look down on the
inside
ATTEMPTS AT ESCAPE.
As soon as the stockade was finished we had
T" full swing" within the Enclosure, the guards
paving no attention TO us, and great many of
the boys built their shebangs" by the side of
the stockade, which was a great help, as build
ing material was scarce. Everything was GO
Ing along now III apple pib OTIeT Inc
colonel WAS obliging. the guards had tasted q
little of prison life themselves and were very
clever towards u.s. Rltions were abundant and
OF the best quality and fair variety, but, not
withstanding, there were restless spirits among
the crowd, and they did not see why they
should quietly hang around there" with only
d tweBty-foot wall between them and freedom
/ do not say ii to boast but | was one of those
who caused the dead-line TO be erected at An
(larS4nyifle I 1zgs ppe nf fha pa Ffy of thir-
teen who scaled the stockade on the night of
March a. On the southwest side of the stock
ade the timbers had settled, and IN doirg gso quite
large cracks were made between them, and we
fingered and toed our way up and let ourselves
down on the outside Wedid not make very much
progress towards escaping. however, for we were
gobbled" up about 9 O'Clock the next morning
but the excitement of the undertaking and the
experience was worth all our disappointment
The vigilance of the guards was increased, and
so was our determination to get away. The
rebels did not-disturb us in our quarters close
to the stockade. aud my mess of eight had
very cosy shebang | thought it advisable not
to run too much risk, or to scare the rebels
into ordering US TO other quarters SO / joined
my fortunes with party who were digging
tunnel very near the place where we had
climbed over the stockade, because they
thought the chances more favorable of getting
under than over the wall. We put in nearly
three weeks Of hard work on the tunnel, and at
last everything was completed and lots were
drawn to determine in what order we should
go out There were only five of us in the
working of the scheme, but when we found it
was sure thing, we let about twenty-five into
the secret and this brought On the first
trouble.
A FUTILE UNDERTAKING.
As soon as they knew of it they in
sisted in sharing an equal chance of getting
away, instead of giving US, who had done
all the labor, the first chance, so we had
to compromise By drawing lots. AIy num-
Der on the roll was nineteen. We were to
divide into squads Of five as soon as we were
fairly outside, and each party was to take
different route All succeeded in getting be-
yond the guard safely, but not soul succeeded
in getting through to Gods country" 1t
was while our pursuers were picking us up
two or three at time-that Colonel Persons
was relieved, and Wirz took command, or
rather had charge and care of the guard around
the stockade and the iaterier Of the same, be-
ing responsible TO General John FL. Wnder,
who had followed the last of the prisoners from
Richmond, and held the position of commssary-
general of prisoners of war. The reasons igned
at the time for removing Col. Persons were that
our Government had entered d protest against
| his doing guard duty, as it was IN violation of
the terms of parole. There was great activity
among the boys about this time, and the writer
and those connected with him in schemes of
escape were not the only ones who were on
liberty bent. Nearly every man was busy with
some project iii that direction. During the
time We were being gathered in from our hid
ing places others had effected an escape ever
the stockade, but had been Immediately dis
covered, aud measures had been at once taken
10 prevent such occurrences in the future.
happened TO be brought in TO Wirz's head
quarters about the same time that Sergeant
Fritchie, of the Second Maryland, and squad
who had jumped over the stockade were brought
up there. Wirz was swearing and storming
wildly, and Winder was red hot with rage TO
think that any Marylander would fight for
the - Yankees. was personally pointed
out to Wirz by the rebel sergeant Emerson
as the man who had led the escapade a short
| time before, and was very forcibly reminded
| by old Wirz that | would be taken care of in
the future. He kept his word by ordering me
| taken TO tle blacksmitis IS shop where they
attached bali and chain, weighing about sew
enty pounds, to my ankles. The next day
was pat back into tho stoekade, and found my
comrades engaged in tearing down and moving
/ our shebang" away from the side of the
| stoekade and squad Of rebel guards with
| Fixed bayonets, under command of ViTz driv-
| Ing and pushing everybody away from the
| stockade, while force of men was following
| them up driving stakes about four feet long
into the ground and mailing on the top of them
q narrow strip of board which was christened
| the dead line"
WHY THE LINE WAS ERECTED.
| The rebels did not fully agree among