Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-09-13
OUT OF ANDERS0NyILLE
A Veterans story of His Thrilling Escape
From Rebel Prison.

A Veterans story of His Thrilling Escape
From Rebel Prison.
OF the thousand or more Andersonville
prisoners who at one time or another,
made a break tor liberty, nine -teuths
were recaptured within an hour, says a
| New York Sun correspondent. OF the
other tenth, the majority were returned
inside of day. So far as l can learn,
only three prisoners ever made their way
from Andersonville to the Union lines,
and was one of them. | was captured
soon aztec Lee returned TO Virginia from
Gettysburg, and was sent with about $50
others direct to unreasonable. | had at
the moment of capture about $500 in
Confederate money with me, hidden in
the lining of my vest and $50 in green
backs in the heel of one of my shoes. |
was searched four different times before
| passed through the gate of Anderson
vile, aud my money WAS not discovered.
They would have taken my clothes from
me, but would not have il that way. On
two occasions when | was ordered to
"shuck" stood boldly up and said:
This is my uniform. l paid for 1T. |
own l.. I'm going to keep it. If the
Confederacy is so hard mp that 1t mist
ought to be informed"
| entered the stockade with my full suit
of clothes and all my money, much to the
surprise of my fellow prisoners, all of
whom had been dispoiied. The place
was then approaching its worst. had
made up my mind directly after capture
that if taken to Andersonville, | would
run any risk TO escape. | had not been
inside an hour before | was canvassirg
the chances. According TO all accounts
they were slim indeed. The stockade was
heavily guarded, the guards were aware
of every Yankee trick, and the people in
the country around eagerly took up the
hunt after any prisoner who made dash
for liberty. There was no longer any
| hope of tunnelling under the fence, and the
| idea of a sudden uprising of all the prison
ers had to be abandoned in the face o the
artillery planted to prevent such move
ment. In two days l had figured the
matter down TO this: First, if | got
away it must be while l Mad strength
pluck and money. Secondly, the first
move toward escape uust be to get de-
/ tail outside the stockede. On the third
day of my stay I sent word that I was
| willing to serve on the medical staff Of
the post if desired, ana my offer was &C
cepted.
| Just at that time there was a good deal
/ OF sickpess among the COnfederates as
| we'll, and there was no one at the post
/ worthy the tille of surgeon. l had served
/ for six months IS hospital steward at
! Washington, and, though nothing of a
| doctor / was better qualified to admins
/ ter medicine than any one at the post
/ The dispeusary was a room about twelve
/ feet square, and the stock on hand was
/ almost worthless. There was about
! hundred boxes of cathartie pills, some
! blue mass, not over two ounces of qu-
nine, an ounce of cslomel, and gallon
I lug of extract of blackberry root. There
I we're a few surgical instruments, but the
whole outfit would have been held il con
J tempt by a baokwoo1s beginner. The
( day / went out of the stockade there we're
! twenty-three Confederates on the sick
/ list, ana at least one thousand prisoners
/ that should be put under medical care.
| was informed that 1 would be put on
my honor not to attempt to escape, but
was not sworn or asked TO sign any
I naper, | therefore Felt at liberty to
carry ont any plan which might come to
me. / knew the location Of Anderson
vile to q dot, and the long distance one
would have TO travel to reach the union
lines Such prisoners as had got away
had no other idea than to put distance
between them and the stockade and had
soon worn themselves out. Ny
first attention Was given TO the
country around Us. In two weeks,
bv observation and inquiry, | kney every
Highway and plantation for zen miles
around rs. tx another fortnight I could
have made my way across the State Of