Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-03

in a delightful hillside home amid family
/ Joys. For a number of years he has been a
master in the Wells school at the west End,
/ Boston. He could tell his pupils a story
which would make their eyes dilate and their
! gentle frames tingIe from head to foot. To
a Boston Globe representative he accorded
/ an interview recently. the substance Of which
/ is recorded below.
! Capt. Dimick enlisted and went to the front
! from Lyme, N H, IN the Eleventh New
! Hampshire Infantry, Joined the ninth corps
Of the Army of the Potomac in Pleasant Val
/ ley Va, just after the battle Of South Noun
+ tain and Antietam, the dark days Of the re-
bellion. His first battle was before Fredericks-
burg in March, 1863. After serving under
Mcclellan and Burnside, the corps was ordered
/ TO Memphis, Tenn, thento Knoxville, KY,
/ back to Grant in the Wilderness, fighting the
battles Of SpOttsyIvania, North Anna and
! Cold HarbOr. In front of Petersburg, June
| II, 1864, he was taken prisoner being at the
time in command of two companies, as Off
GERS were scarce.
Glow were you captured, captain2" asked
the reporter.
eve were ordered to Sharge upon the
enemy one morning before light. Coming to
a house my men divided, part going each
side After getting by tried to draw them
together, and went toward q squad of my
men, as 1 supposed. 1t was a rebel SQUAD; I
was at their mercy aud compelled to sur
render"
Where were you taken?"
First to Petersburg, was kept over night
at AndersOnvile, then taken to Macon, Ga,
where with 1, 500 Union officers I was held
SIX weeks; then to Savannah for six weeks,
Charleston for three weeks and October Z
1864, to Columbus, S. c., where I was con-
fined with 1, 500 commissioned officers. it be
ing the custom to keep these in separate
prisons from the privatcs and nOn-cOmmis-
stoned officers"
what kind of prison was it?'
"A level field with no enclosure, but sur
rounded by d line Of guards and with four
cannOns facing the grounds. few feet in
side OF the guard was a circle of stakes This
was the dead line to cross which by light
meant instant death from q musket of the
guard"
Did any prisoners escape?'
''Ch, yes; on dark nights there were frequent
attempts to escape, some of which were sue
cessful. Each soldier of the guard had a
certain beat to traverse back and fourth and
when two guards were at opposite ends of
their beats, a prisOnerwOuld run through the
line. There would be a musket shot; if in
the darkness it missed, their prisoner escaped
into the woods, and the guard could not fol-
low"
How was the fOod?''
1T was called Camp Sorghum, as that
sweet mixture was the principal article of
diet. The living was very poor, consisting Of
cornmeal and Sorghum, no meat or vegeta-
bles.
How long did you remain at Camp sor-
I escaped from there November 4, 1864,
after d four weeks stay
Did you run the ine?''
''NO. l took another course. 1t was chilly
November weather. not unlike the same bleak
month at the North. The prisoners were &C
corded the privilege of going out of camp in
to wood lot, which was also surrounded by
"a and for fTTnI To in
wood lot was used up, and about the same
time there was a change IN rebel commanders
at Camp Sorghum. The new commander is
sued an order allowing the Union prisoners
to go to his tent, give their parole that they
would return, and then pass out into an un-
guarded tract of woods for fuel. 1t was IA
vOrabIe opportunity, and the first day, No
vember 3, about fifty of the prisoners es-
capped. The following day, I, with others,
got away"
Glow was this done, captain; by breaking
your parOIe?"
NO, we did not do that way; I cannot
say how it was with others. We went to the
commanders tent gave the parole, got the
desired fuel and took it back to the camp
Then we returned and took up our parole.
/ We were free from the ties of honor, and felt
that it was the rebels duty to see that
we returned to the prison enclosure. Men
| were passing back and forth, and three OF US,
drawing deliberately to one side got into
/ the woods and secreted ourselves until night
"WhO were with yOu?"
+ lieutenant, whose names L do not know. We
/ we're Joined that night by Lieut.. W. G. HOl-
/ man from the One Hundred and FOrty-fifth
/ Pennsylvania infantry and third man. 1t
was cloudy NOvembernight and wetraveled
in the woods only SIX miles before morning"
/ Glow did you guide your cOurse?"
81 happened to have little pOcket-cOm-
( pass, which 1 had carried about from the
! time entered service. I have it here now"
! Capt Dimick opened his desk and held
forth well-worn compass, the size OF q small
watch such as seemed more ike plaything.
1t mad the vital points, the unerrlng magnetic
needle aiming toward thenOrth- He also took /
out a letter, crumbled and with pretty torn
/ sreases, and gently unfOlded it,
t'This, he said, lis the only letter received
during the five months was in Southern
/ prisons; 1t was written by the woman who
/ afterwards became my wife
On a part of the sheet not covered by writ
/ ing was the outline Of map; pin holes mark /
ed on the family traced lines important
+ points bearing upon the proposed journey
+ There were few maps in Camp Sorghum
which were richly treasured. borrowed one /
laid it over the latter aid pTicked through Z
. the principal places. Our aim was to strike !
. the Greenvile & Columbia railroad, fifty
miles from camp, ae point just west Of
/ where 1t crosses the Saiuua flVers ana then
follow the railroad IN the direction of Knox
vile which was a total distance Of 800 miles
from the camp. Union forces were nearer, In /
the coal direction, but the Knoxville route
/ appeared to be more feasible. Guided by the
rude map and compass, We proceeded, hiding
+ In the woods by day and travelling by night,
subsisting on such limited supplies as We had
: taken with us or foraged on the way
'4Ihe second night We made twelve miles
Lieut.. Holman was weak, couldnObstand the
+ exposure, and leaving our party went back
+ and surrendered himself TO the rebels. His
{ home was IN West Randolph, Mass The
third night we came upon house which vas
brilliantly lighted Most of US wanted to 60
round it, but the major thought It would be
safe to 60 past as it was back from the
street., and as be was the ranking officer ne
f followed his advice. When we got opposite I
Al. hrrrrn s-arr7 vrr17a r-s11 III and