Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-08-09

Interesting "Reminiscences OF the
Siege OF KIcamond. How rziss Van
Lew Very Cicyeriy sidcd Gen. Grant.

The recent appointment by the Post
master General of Miss Van Lew. of
Richmond, Va, as a clerk, at salary
of $1,000 year, has opened rich vein
of war "reminiscences in the minds of
men who were actors in the scenes be-
fore Richmond during the last sixteen
months of the rebellion. One of
these men is Col ID. b. Parker, who
is now chief inspector OF the Post Of
flee Department He enlisted as a
private soldier in a volunteer com
pany in Chatauqua County n Y,
early in 1861, was promoted, and
afterward he organized the postal
service of the army of the Potomac
Col Parker was with Gen Grant
after he assumed command of the
armies of the United States and made
his headquarters with the Army of
the Potomac.
Ii recent conversation with Wash
ington correspondent of The New
Tribune, Col. Parker said Il know
Miss Van Lew very we'll. | made her
personal acquaintance the day Rich
mond fell, but | had known of her
long before that When Gen Grant
had his headquarters at City Point.
we used 10 receive the Richmond
newspapers in time for breakfast
every mornng, through the kindness
of Miss Van Lew. OF course the
newspapers were very interesting and
to Il considerable extent valuable but
other intelligence received from the
same source was of much greater inn
portance. Mis- Van Lew had q friend
"a trlsty Union man who was a
clerk in the Adjutant Generals De
partment at Richmond where he had
access to the returns showing the
strength of the rebel regiments,
brigades, divisions and corps, their
movements and where they were sta.
toned. From him Invaluable infor-
nation found its way TO Gen Grant
regularly through Miss Van LEWIS
instrumentality She also had man
in the Engineer Department, and he
made beautifully accurate plans Of
the rebel defenses around Richmond
and Petersburg, which were promptly
forwarded To Gen. Grant.
A UNION AGENT IN LIBBY PRISON
Then Miss Van Lew got young
Ross, nephew of FRANKLIN Stearns,
the rich Unionist of Richmond, APP
pointed to an office in Libby prison.
Ross helped great many of our of
ficers TO escape from that horrible
place, and SO well did he play his part
that not only was he not suspected by
the confederates, but the most of our
boys in the prison who did not escape
considered him one of the most brutal
of their jailers, and when the end
came would have been very glad To
put an end to him. Several years ago
| met Capt. Lounsbery who had
been confined i'll Libby and he asked
me about Ross, who died several years
ago Lounsbery said that one after
noon Ross came into the prison rs
usual to call the roll, cursing the
/ I'D Yankees, and as he passed
him, said in low tone, BE in my of
flee at Q 80 tonight. Lomsbery did
not know what TO make of this, but
he determined to find out what it
meant To his surprise, he had no
difficulty in getting to the Office past
several guards Once there, hefouud
Ross. who gruilly said See here, !
have concluded to try you and see if
you can do cooking Go IN there and
look around See what you can find
and ! will see to your case after a
while. Lounsbery went into "A back
room where he found a complete Con
federate uniform hanging over a chair.
He took in the situation instantly,
and donned the uniform as speedily as
possible, and walked back INTO the of
/ flee, which he found vacant, and step
ped out into the street The guard
did not stop him, and he had walked
only few steps from the door when
black mar uccosted him and asked
if he desired TO find the way TO Miss
Van LEWIS house He replied that
he did and was guided to her residence
on church Hill, where he was secreted
until an opportunity was found TO get
him out of Richmond, He got off
safely and came into our lines.
COLoRED GUIDES FOR ESCAPED PRISON
Frs.
Miss Van Lew kept two or three
bright, sharp colord men on the watch
near Libby prison, who were always
ready 10 conduct escaped prisoners to a
place of safety Not all of them We're
secreted at her house-for there were
several safe places of refuge in Rich
mond supported by her mans. When
Col. Streight, of Indiana, and his com
panions dug their way outof Libby, he
and several of his comrades were secret
ed for several days in the house of a
man named Quarles, which was sftu
ated across a rayine only a few hun
dred yards from and in full view OF
the mansion occupied by Jefferson
Davis But Miss Van Lew was the
guiding spirit, and she it was who
took upon herself the dangerous duty
of providing means Of maintenance
and escape for such Of our men as were
50 fortunate as to escape from the hor
rible walls Of Libby.
WAR SECRETS CONCEALED IN BRoGANs.
How did she manage TO open and
keep correspondence with Gen.
Grant,"
"Well she had form in the coun.