The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-03-16
=. 4 PORTER.


,. - WILSON. D. A. DORSEY.
A FEW OF THE ESCAPED RAIDERS.
The eight men who got away from the
immediate vicinity of the prison travelled
In couples, taking different routes and
meeting with great variety of stirring
adventures. Porter and Wollam went
westward and reached the Tennessee
river, down which they floated in boat,
making land circuit to avoid mussel
shoals, till they reached Corinth, in Mis-
sissippi, on the 18th of November, having
been a month and two days on their peril
Gus routes.
Dorsey and Hawkins pursued a route
similar In general direction to the last,
but keeping little further west. They
were entangled in the outposts Of Bragg's
army, then on its retreat from Kentucky,
and very narrowly escaped capture. They
also were greatly helped by the Union
people of East Tennessee, and without such
aid woul;i very probably have died with
cold and hunger in the mountains. They
and all the others were received by their
army comrades and relatives as men risen
from the dead.
But the most surprising and longest but
easiest route was that taken by Wood and
Wilson. The former was so sick that it is
not probable he could in any other way
have been saved at all. They struck south
west till they encountered the Chatta-
hoochee river, when, seizing boat, they
padded down the stream night after night,
hiding by day, till they reached the Gulf
of Mexico, when they stood boldly out to
sea in their frail craft and were fortunate
enough to find our blockading fleet. OF
their emotions on once more beholding the
old flag it is useless to speak; all who were
prisoners during the war will understand
1t, and no others can! They reached Key
West Nov. ~, and were the first of the
party to send home full account of their
adventures, which is still on file in the
war department..
A few words will finish the story of the
six of us who were so unfortunate as to
be recaptured. We expected nothing less
than instant death; but instead of that
we were taken to the Atlanta barracks,
then under charge of an officer who had
been in the regular United States army,
from whom we received more humane
treatment than had been before accorded
US within the limits Of the Confederacy.
Here we remained two months, and were
then forwarded to Richmond, Va. We
spent only about two hours in Libby
in Castle Thunder, where our sufferings
were often very great. Food was but
little above the starvation point. No
clothes were given us by the COnfederacy,
and we were almost naked. Many died
around us, and in the very rooms with
us, of smallpox and other deadly diseases,
but our lives were strangely preserved,
though several of our number were very
sick. We never were called ON to face
another court martial. There was much
talk Of exchange, but our hopes in that
direction were so often disappointed that
we almost ceased to hope.
At length, on the 18th of March, 1868,
we received the joyful tidings that spe-
cial political exchange had been con-
cluded, which, by the insistance of Secre-
tary Stanton, had been made to include
us. No words can describe our joy when
we at last found that it was actually true,
and that our year of horror was over and
we once more under the old flag.