The National tribune., 1885-08-06
A NOBLE ACT.
An Incident Of Libby Prison.

ToTHE EDITOR: There are no columnsof your
priceless soldier sheet scanned by me with more
interest than those containing the contributions
of the personal "reminiscences of the boys who
wore the blue a quarter of o century ago, and
I beg leave to add my mite in the shape of re-
cording the act of comrade, which, for pure
unselfishness and greatness of heart, it was
never my lot to see equalled, in the army or
elsewhere The writer had the misfortune to
be confined in Libby Prison in September, 1861,
having been taken prisoner at the disastrous
battle of Bull Run Tor Manassas, as it called in
the South. There were about 20 officers con-
fined on the first floor at that date gathered
from various fields, including West Virginia
and Kentucky.
Your older readers will remember that the
U. S. brig Perry, Lieut. Parrott on the 9th
of June preceding, had captured the rebel YES
sci Savannah, with crew of IA men on board.
She had, the day before her capture, seized the
schooner Joseph, of Rockland Me-, laden with
sugar. and, putting prize crew of eight men on
board, sent her to some Southern port.
Public feeling in the North was at the war
heat, and demanded that these IA men should
be tried and executed as pirates, and they were
held in close confinement by our Government,
awaiting trial. The people of the South or
Confederate Government, reasoning from their
own methods. believed that they would suffer
death. The Richmond Government determined
to select an equal number of men OF the highest
rank then held as prisoners of war, and to hold
them in close confinement, and in case of the
execution of the Savannah's crew to retaliate
by putting to death those thus selected. All
| who were on the first floor of that tobacco fac
tory on that Sunday morning will clearly
| remember with what emphasis and,
may add, evident pleasure the rebel Gen.
Winder with his guard entered our prison. He
briefly stated his business, and said he was
ordered to select IA men as above. He at once
read off the names of the gallant Coils. Corcoran,
Nef and all the other field officers, and then
| said he would select by lot from the Captains a
number sufficient to complete the party. Their
names were put in hat and drawn out Five
were to be taken from IL. The silence of death
reigned in the room, where 20 officers were con-
| fined. One after another their names were read,
and among them was that of the brave Mctluade
who was lying then sorely wounded in rebel
hospital. Then came out the man whose deed
l wish to record. cd d-n you, will you
hang a wounded man? l am a Captain, take
me-" The oppressive silence of this act, which
all believed would end in tragedy, was broken
by the explosive utterance above Capt. Ihos
Cox, jr., Co. l, LIST KY, whose name had not
been drawn from the hat, thus instantly vol
unteered to take the place Of a wounded COM
rade, whom he had never seen, and, if need be-
in his place to suffer death.
God bless him! / have been a better man
for witnessing his nobility. He was accepted
and led away with the others to solitary con-
finement and, as all then feared, to their death,
leaving us who remained with hearts heavy as
lead and feeling more deeply than ever the
bitterness of prisoners lot.
These brave comrades were brought back to
US in few weeks and were welcomed with
gladness. Our Government had decided to
waive the point as to piracy and to hold the
privateers as prisoners of war. They were
tried, but never sentenced. This action released
the hostages, who without the shadow of a
doubt would have suffered death had the pri-
vatcers been executed.-G. B. KENNIsTON,
First Lieut., 5th Me-, Boothbay, Me.