The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-07-20
THE CAPTAINS STORY

THE CAPTAINS STORY.
Capt. q. w. Dimick has for thirteen Years
past been a resident Of Watcrtown. lie lives
i'll Il delightful hillside home amid family
Joys. Fora numlmr of years l,c has been II
n;ist"r in the Wells school at the west End,
Boston. rr"nl,i tell his pupils IL story
which would make tlrir eyes ,iIatc and their
is'ntl faimrs tinSlr from head To foot. To
u BOSTON Gl"lm representatives liz accorded
an interview recently the substance of which
is recorded lmlow.
Capt. Dimrk enlisted aud went to lr front
from Lyme, n. H., in tho Eleventh New
Hampshire Infantry Joined the ninth corps
of the Army of he Potomac in Pleasant Val
ley. VA. just after the hattie of South Noun
tain nn, .tntirtam. the dark days of the re-.
ln'llinn. Ills first battle was before Ffrlcrirks-
l,ur.s in March. 1S,i:l After serving under
Met lrllnn and burnside, tllrcur,,s was ordered
I" Memphis, Tenn, tlrnto Knoxville. ky.,
back to Grant in the Wilderness. fighting the
i,it les "l Srot!sylvania. North Anna aud
lohl ilarlor. In front of Petersburg, June
u. lSti. he w:ls taken prisoner, being at the
tim" III command of two companies, ns otii-
| trlH were scarce
How were you captured. c;,ptain:" asked
til" wlmrtrr.
We WEI" ordered to charge upon the
enemy one mnrning hrfna light Coming TO
!, h",'>" my men divided, part gniny ,.,cl,
side After getting by tried to draw thru
together. and went toward II squad of my
men. as supposed. II was Il rlml squad:
was at their mercy aud compelled to sur
rnrr.''
Where w"r" you takcn?'
"First io Petersburg, was kept over night
nt Aml"iSnnvilr. then tnkcn To Mnron, G;l.,
where with 500 Union Officers ] was held
six weeks: then to Savannah for six weeks,
llarlrstnn for three weeks aud Ortnlnr Z,
1861. t"Colummls. s. e., where wns con
fined with ] 800 commissioned officers it lr-
ing the custom to keep these in srIn,rt.
prisons from the privat's aud noltcolnnlis-
STONED officers
what kind ofn prison was itn"
~ level lirhl with no enclosure, hut sir
rounded by u line of guards and Will, four
rnm''"s f'''iug the grounds. few fret in
side of the guard WAS n circle of stakes. This
WAS The '''cntl line I" cross, which by light
meant instant death from II m,,skct of The
guard
did any prisoners escape"
"oh. yes; on dark nights there were fi,u,,,rut
attempts To escape. some Of which were, sue
| certain beat to traverse back and fourth and
Mlirn wo guards were mt opposite ends of
their Haits, II prisoner would run through lr
| line. There would In u m,isket shot: fin
he darkness il missed. their prisoner rs.:,,n.l
int" he woods. and the guard could not iul.
low"
"iIow was thu fuul?"
"lt WAS caIl,sl Camp Sorghum. as that
sweet mixture wns the principal article of
diet. The living WAS very poor. consisting of
,ornm,al and Sorghum, no meat or v,.,i;,-
blrs.'
How long did you rcmnin at Camp Sur
gllum:'
II 's'tl"sl from here November 4, 1864.
after Il four week II stay"
"llid You run the limc?"
No, took another course. II was chilly
N"v"ml"r w"ntlIrr. not unlik. TIL" same bleak
month at tI'" North. The prisoners were ;,r-
corded the privilege of going ont camp ill.,
a @nnr,i. for fuel to use in c,mkin.. This
wood lot was used up. and nl"nt the sn,lm
time there was cllan.c in rclnl commanders
at Camp SORGHUM. The new commander is
sued an order allowing the Union prisoners
to go To his tent. give their parnl, that they
guarded tract of woods for rIcl. II w;,s IL IA
v"r',i'lc opportunity, and tn" first day. NJ
vcIni"r:'. about fifty of the prisoners .s-
rnr'l. The following day. !, with others,
got away"
How WAS this done, captain; by breaking
your lartIr?'
No, we did not do that way: I cannot
say how il WAS with others W. wen, tn the
commanders tent, gave the parole. got the
desired fuel and took il back to HE camp
Then Then we returned and took mp onr parole.
We were free from the les of honor. aud felt
hat it was the rebels duty To that
We returned tO the prison enclosure Men
w'r" passing back and forth, aud ,llrr of u.s.
drawing deliberately to one side, got iaiu
he woods and secrctr,l ourselves lint il night" :"
Who were with you:"
Two Pennsylvania officers. II rurt;in and u
lirutrmnnt, whose names do not know We
were joined TINT night by Lieut. ". e. Iiul-
man from the One Hundred aud Furiy-iiith
Pennsylvania infi,ntry and II third man. II
was II cloudy SOvrmlnrniglit aud w"trnvrlr,l
in h" woods only six miles before morning"
How did yum guide your course"
II hnpprnal to hive a litl" m"kr-r"m-
pass. which had curricl :lull, from tho
time entered service. have it here. now"
Capt. Dimick opened his desk aud held
forth II w"ll-wo compass, I'll" size of small
watch. s,cll as seemed more likca plnything.
II hm'i tn" vital points, tlle unrrrin.s mngIrtir
needle, aiming toward tilrn0rth. IIculS0tonk
out 81 letter. rr,lmbsl and with pretty torn
rirnsrs. and gently unfol,lcl it.
This, he said. lis the only let ter received
during the five months was in Southern
prisons; 1T wns written by the woman who
afterwards Became my wife,"
On II part ofthe sheet not covered by writ
ing WAS The ont line of /, map; pin holes mnrk.
ed on the f;iintly traced lines important
points l~i,rinS upon the proposed journey.
Ihrr" were u few maps in Camp Sorghum
which were. richly treasured. borrowed un.
laid il over he latter nlnl prickri through
the principal l'la'rs. Our aim was To strik.
the Gr,anvillr Il Columbia r.ilrn,.l. fifty
f,il.S fI,,p
wiicr" il crnss,s the Snlu,lh river, and then
follow the railroad in the direction of Knox
villr which was IL total dstnncr Of 500 miles
from the camp. Union forces were nearer. in
the coal direction. but the Knoxville route
appeared to lu' more feasible. Guided by the
r'ni, map an'i rninl'iss. We prmar,lcd. hiding
in tll" woods I'y day and travelling by night.
snl,sisiinG ON s.ll limited supplies as We had
taken with lis or fprng'tl on the way.
"Tl" second night We nude twelve miles.
Lieut.. Holman w;ls wcnk, cOnlnut stand the
exposure. and leaving our party went back
HON" was in West Randolph. Mass The
third nigh, W" came upon II HOUSE which WAS
brilliantly lighted. Most of us wanted to go
r",Iml il. hnt the major Thought il wonld lm
si't" I" go past. as il was lnck from the
street, and ;s he WAS ID. ranking officer We
followed his advice. When We got op,nstr
the house II stern voice cried haitian wrwrir
confronted by an orderly sergeant from Ear
ly's force. who had learned of the escape Of !,
large numl".r of Union prisoners and had
been placed on the watch. A pack of dogs
lmgan nrkng furinusly and, ;s We were.
wholly 's"I'n'1lrss, almost prostratel with
w";iriImss and hunger, we knew that cs,u,..
from ;ln armed man aud II puck of blood
hounds. wits impossible. SD, un,lrr cover of
the or,lrrly's revolver, We went into the
house. Inside was II family consisting of an
old man and vile, ayo''ng and II hoy and
one or two other women. \ cheerful blaze
cracked in nrgc, open fireplace. the women
prepared good food and trcntrll MS very hos
pi,ahly. We I'LL pretended to Il" fnotsor..
lr"nrtsi"k, discouraged, used up aud glad to
lm captured.
'Tl,a night We slept upon the floor. with
the enemy on guard. During tlle night the
orderly captured six more, making eleven
prisoners all told. In the morning he pro-
posed to take us to Lexington Jail. The old
man hirncssed up the mules in an old cunoe
h . khsl L.. Al