The National tribune., 1883-07-12
TWICE A PRISONER.
A Wisconsin Soldier whom the Confed-
crates Found it Hard to Hold.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUxE:

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In your issue of April 18th, read of the ex-
ploits of the two drummer boys Tommy Nell
son and Albert Burns, of the Tenth Wisconsin
v. i. was a member Of company K, Tenth
Wisconsin, and well remember the little DRUM
mers. / have been highly interested in the
stories of prisons and prison life, which have
from time to time appeared in THE TRIB-
UNE, and desire to state for the benefit of sOme
who may think me dead, that / was not shot
when went out on scout for General Nc
Arthur from Marietta Ca, as reported, but
taken prisoner on the 1st Of October, 1864, near
Lost Mountain, not far from New Hope Church,
and within five miles of Hoods headquarters
i was taken TO Andersonville prison and helped
to dig one OF the tunnels there two of which were
filed pom the morning of October 21st On the
afternoon Of that day, while going for wood with
others under heavy guard, I made break for
liberty and got away from the escort In twenty
minutes, as near as / can estimate, heard the
hounds on my track, but / continued TO run
until reached Flint River, which was six miles
from the prison swan the river and slept in
a swamp on the other side until daybreak. On
the fourth day, having subsisSed meanwhile on
what could pick up in the woods, reached
and swan across the Altamaha River. ] was
followed every day by hounds until o'clock
on the 25th, when my pursuers called the single
hound which had followed me that day to
them, whipped him and sent him home / saw
the men, but succeeded IN keeping the hound
back wish club while standing in the water,
knee deep. The swamp was small and the
men thought the dog had followed the wrong
trail. That night borrowed" tall IRON
gray horse from planter, Il took it from his
yard, and rode all night. In case the planter
should see this desire to return my thanks to
him! His horse was certainly good one, and
carried me safely about sixty miles. There
were seven hounds at the plantation where
got the horse and they were not very friendly
to me. The noise they made attracted the at
tention Of the keeper and he came out to see
what they were barking at, but I walked
away short distance aud kept in the shade
Of the trees, and it being dark, the keeper
finally called the hounds into the house.
When the coast was clear, with the help of
colored boy who was friendly disposed towards
me, / made bride by untwisting a piece Of
rope, took the best horse and rode away. At
daybreak / entered 3 swamp, and taking the
animals neck for pillow, lay down to sleep
until the sun was up Upon awaking, went
in search of food for the horse, but while was
away he broke loose, and the last saw of him
he was making good speed for home. That
day it rained and was taken sick with inter-
| mittent fever. When able to walk, returned
to the road, but was retaken and put in
Macon. There / was sick for some time.
When Sherman made his advance on Macon I
| was taken to Savannah and paroled with ten
| thousand other sick and wounded. Thence we
were sent to Parole Camp, Annapolis. Nd
| There / saw Tommy Nelson. He called on me
on the 29th of November, 1864, the day after
my arrival, as / was not able to move about.
had been prisoner before, having been cap
| tured first at the battle of Chickamauga with
1900 others, on the night of the last days fight.
| ]. B. Gaylord, two OF three others, and myself
IL. x-II -
/ too late to go farther. We were first taken 90
Richmond and put IN the Pemberton building,
/ where had taste of the luxurious hospitality
of the authorities there. was then removed
| to Danville, with the first 200 prisoners, and
was lodged in No. prison. was one Of the
I party who attacked the guards, and when the
attack was given up, made my escape on the
night of the 14th of November, 1853, through
the stockade. j. B. Gaylord fed with me, and
| during the night we came across Decker, Of
| the Third Wisconsin battery, and Murray, OF
| the Twenty-fourth Wisconsin volunteer in
| fantry. We only made eight miles on the first
| night, and took breakfast with an old planter,
| who took US TO be Confederates. We travelled
very boldly, IN one instance passing through .
| town where seven men stood in front of store.
1t was near night however, and we thought to
/ gain the woods before they could stop Us. On
the morning of the 18th we were retaken within
| eight miles of the Blue Ridge and put in Henry
county jail fOr q few days. Here we were well
treated by our eaptOrs. We were then re-
moved to No. 8 prison, Danville. On the 9th
of December, 1858, at night broke open two
doors and passed the guard in my stocking
feet. George Lund, of the First Wisconsin VOL
unteer infantry, and Calvin Livinggood, came
| with me. After making about forty i've miles,
| we encountered some guards at the forks Of q
road waiting for rs. Livingg0od was taken,
but Lund and ran past them ] saw Living
good again when at AndersonviNe, ct which
time he was sick with scurvy. Lund and
got ten miles beyond Salem, but were there
again reeaptured and carried to Salem jail. bus
we were released the next morning by six OF
the Third Virginia mounted infantry, COM
manded by General Averill, who burned the
stores at that place. This was ON the 10Th Of
December, 1868. We reached our lines at Bey-
erly, w. Va, about 3 o'clock on Christmas after
noon, and received orders from General Ayerill
to report to our State We reached Milwaukes
on the night of the 3oth, where Land found his
mother on her death-bed. / left the nexs
day for home, but was showed in for number
of days on the railroad twenty-five miles west
of Milwaukee. ! reported TO Adjutsnt- General
Gaylord, at Madison, and received leave OF
absence for thirty days. On February 10Th
was ordered TO Camp Randall, and did not re-
join my regiment until June T. 1854 Upon
my return I found that the quotas of the COM
| panie5 had been filed by recruits. The above
dates | have taken from pocket diary kept by
me at that time. joan SoUIER,
Co. Z, 10th Wis. V L
ALBERT LEA, MINI.