News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-04-03
AN OLD STORY RETOLD.
THE MOST ROMANTIC EPISODE OF THE
CIVIL WAR.
The Daring Escape of Union Officers from
Libby Prison-Most of Them Recaptured.
from the Chicago Inter-Ocean.]

from the Chicago Inter-Ocean.l
The story of Libby Prison has often
been told, but, however graphically and
thrillingly, it can never equal the reality
as impressed upon the memories of the
men who survived its horrors and priva.
tons.
x
In the winter of 1S63-64 about LOO
officers were confined in Libby from all
the Union armies, principally the Army
of the Potomac, the Army of the Cum
berland, the officers captured on
Streight's Inflated raid, and few from
the navy. The winter was remarkably
cold for Virginia, and there was not q
particle of fire allowed in the building.
There was a good roof, however, which
was an incalculable advantage over the
condition of the enlisted men imprisoned
at Belle Isle, not many miles away. The
food for day for each man was a small
loaf of coarse brown bread, baked very
hard, small piece of meat, mostly bone,
and two tablespoonful of rice without
salt or sugar. The water was brackish
and bad. The building absolutely
swarmed with disgusting. vermin. The
cracks in the building were breeding
places for them. The men were tortured
nearly unto death with this disgusting
plague.
In the latter part of 1868 it was whis-
pered about that two or three officers
had escaped by bribing the guards.
Several others tried it and were brought
back. During the entire winter the
project of an escape by tunnel was enter
tanned by considerable number of men,
but it was one of great difficulty. Finally
a desperate few resolved to make the at
tempt. Obviously the tunnel must be
started from the cellar. To do this it
was started in the bottom of the fire.
place and the first section of the tunnel
was dug to the adjoining cellar, which
was unused. This was a great advantage
and well worth appreciation. The tunnel
way then commenced. It was just large
enough for man to crawl through upon
his belly. But two men could work at a
time, one would dig and pass back the
dirt to his partner, who would crowd it
back to the mouth of the tunnel, whence
it was evenly spread over the floor, and
a part put in some old barrels. 1t was
surprising how little dirt came from the
tunnel. Two tunnels were partially COM
pleted, and sorrowfully abandoned, one
because it ran into sewer, and the
other was found to be so small as to pre-
vent the passage of any but very small
men.
Colonel Rose, of the Seventy seventh
Pennsylvania Volunteers, originated and
engineered the successful tunnel. The
tools with which the work was done
were of the rudest and simplest descrip-
tion-an old knife, broken fire-shovel,
sharp splinters of wood, almost any
thing, It took three weeks of constant
labor to dig ''the" tunnel. During all
this time but small number of the
1 100 officers knew of the existence of
the tunnel, for men rendered desperate
by hunger and privation might do
treacherous work. The evening of Feb.
9. 1864. memorable time in the history
of Libby, the tunnel was finished, and
the word passed among the trusted few.
There were ITO who decided to make the
desperate attempt. On account of the
small size of the tunnel and the slow
made by each man in the pas
sage, it took all night for those to pass
In the cellar little attempt
had been made to preserve order by an
into squads by leaders, but
the poor fellows, painting for freedom,
could not wait for their turn, and crowded
and struggled for the precedence, but
all in perfect silence. But one man
could be in the tunnel at time on ac-
count of the bad air, which made
further delay.
AS these half clad, grimy spectres
emerged from the hole, which was back
Of an upright high board fence, only
about fifty feet away from the guards,
they were obliged to turn a corner and
pass an open space, in full view of six
guards with loaded muskets. 1t was
dark night, but it was still one of the
most remarkable things that ever hap.
oened that the guards did not stop some
If them at least. The guards themselves
said afterward that there was a sort of
/ calaboose further down that way, and
hey supposed those passing men were
thieves or other stragglers, not dreaming
hat the Yankees had taken such pas
age to liberty. But, be that as it may,
10 officers got away. AS they emerged
hey broke away in squads of two, three,
our, or perhaps singly, as it happened.
md, taking for their guide the North
tar, hurried as best they might toward
he Union lines.
About one-half of the 10 were recap
ured. The rest, more fortunate plunged,
nto the swamps, the briars, the thorns,
vading through creeks and swimming
ivers, begging a crust of an honest black
ace upon whom they could always de-
'end; travelling by night and sleeping
" day in swamp, suffering untold
lardships, and at last famished, nearly
laked, and with bleeding feet, they
cached the Union outposts.