Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-03-14
CHAPTER XIV.
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY AND A DARING ES-
CAPE.

AN AWFUL TRAGEDY AND DARING Es-
CAPE.
It was at Knoxville in east Tennessee
that the soldiers were first arraigned for
trial. Previously, the leader, Andrews,
had been tried ut Chattanooga but no de-
cision had been rendered. Little time was
needed for the proceedings of the court, rs
the raiders did not deny belonging to the
Union army, and having entered the
enemies lines with hostile purpose. On
this was based the charge of being spies.
In the case of the leader there was added
the charge of disloyalty to the Con-
federacy, rs he had professed to be friend
of their cause, and to be engaged in their
service. Each raider was tried separately,
and only one of them each day was
brought before the court martial. There
seemed no reason for these very deliberate
proceedings, but some Of the raiders had
afterward reason to be exceedingly CRATE
ful for the delay in their own case which
was thus occaSioned. When only seven
of the number had been tried, Il sudden
advance of the Union forces broke up the
court and caused hasty transfer of the
whole party-those who had been, as we'll
as those who had not been tried to At
lanta, Ga. No verdict had been COM
municated to the men who had been court
martialed. In few days, however, the
sentence of immediate execution arrived
for them. Andrews had been separated
from his comrades and put to death u
week earlier The seven soldiers met
their death with q heroic fortitude
which excited the admiration and regret
even of their enemies! No event of the
war made more profound impression
upon the people of Atlanta, where all
these events are still vividly remembered.
In the hurry and confusion Of great
military events the fourteen survivors
seem for time to have been forgotten.
But:in October of the same year we be-
came convinced that another court mar
tial was about to assemble 20 adjudge our
case. We had no reason to hope for diff
ferent verdict from that already given;
and we resolved to strike boldly for our
freedom, preferring death even in hope
less fight to quietly waiting for the eNccu-
toner. Accordingly, when the jailor
brought our food in the afternoon, he was
seized and held silent while the keys were
wrested from him and the doors unlocked
before an alarm could be given. There
were seven fully armed sentincls OH duty.
Five of these were secured at the first
rush and their muskcts wrcSted from their
grasp; but the other two fled through the
prison gate and gave the alarm Greater
SUCCESS than this was scarcely possible in
the attack of unarmed prisoners upon
yigilant guards. But Il strong reserve just
outside Of the gate was almost immedi-
ately on the scene of action, and the strife
became too unequal to be longer main
tained. Nothing but flight in the clear
sunlight toward the woods, n mile away,
remained. There was u wild chase, rapid
firing, and for time the belief prevailed
that number of the raiders had been
killed. This was not the case; but six
were retaken and led buck to the prison
from which they had broken out with
such high hopes little while befOrc-the
writer among this unfortunate number.
That some should have been recaptured
is not to be wondered at; the marvel is
that any escaped and the marvel grows
when their fortune is followed further
They travelled in couples, concealing them
selves during the day and making what
progress they could during the night.
They suffered greatly from hunger and
from the cold that soon came on. Two of
them went westward, and finally, obtain
ing possession of q boat, (triftcd down the
Tennessee river till they arrived at the
Union lines, nearly six weeks after break
ing out of prison. Two others vent north
ward through Tennessee to kentucky,