Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-11
nEmlNIsCrNcEs or rmE LIHnY.

d
"REMINISCENCES OF THE LEBsY
The Removal of Its Prisoners ct The
Evacuation.
Tor the Dispatch.l
The writer was first betrayed into
writing the long story giving the history
of how the Federal prisoners were re-
moved from Richmond on the eventfu
I'd of April, 1865, by his wish 70 DO his
few comrades and himself justice IN car
rying out what to him seemed the mos
risky if not plucky part of the work oil
that memorable day Of the evacuation
Z. C., the removal of every prisoner OF
war from our city.
There were exactly tn of us there
were Sirieen h4a9rrd OF them. Captain
Thomas VI. Southgate, now and for many
years valuable officer in the Old Do
minion Line, commanded the boat CthC
William Alisoa) that day, Captain Gif-
ford being sick at home. His impress
sion, Ike my own. is that We took 1900
but private letter from Captain james
Stewart gives the exact number as ! ,b6I.
We had a guard of only sic men
without an officer. There were four OF
us on the boat. so it can be easily seen
that if our passengers had chosen they
could have easily turned the tables upon
us. had to do rather more than good
DAVIS LIVING to lull suspicion among tnc
officers, who were evidently aware that
something "Out of the common " was
afoot.
So many stories have been written of
the evacuation, " all OF them emitting
any allusiOn to the presence IN our city
of 1900 hostile prisoners on That morn
ing, and ne one having ever alluded to
the strange tale OF their removal, that !
appreciate tue fact that what | write Is
one small page Of history hitherto I'M
told, and BOW told wholly from memory
for | find in my diary only this: The
iact that on the preceding Thursday,
March 30th, we delivered 1867 prison
ers at Boulwares, receiving 504 Coincide
rates in return. Those We delivered were
Of the worst type, being from Castle
Thunder and similar depOts.
The writer had never any connection
with the Libby Prison, and was never
inside It's doors until the last few days
of those strange times. had succeeded
in getting away considerable quantity
OF supplies to our own men at Fort
Delaware and also a large amount to
the Federal prisoners at Danyille. and
there were several carloads on hand for
Florence and other points; but mean
while General Sherman had prevented
the possibility, as also the necessity, OF
forwarding to those prisons be being IN
charge or in close proximity.
1t can never be forgotten that the gi-
gantic mistake of the war Was that Of
General Grants in placing peremptory
embargo upon the exchange OF
prisoners and supplies. When he
discovered his error It was, alas
too late. When | WAS ordered to
this duty the Confederacy WAS in er-
tycB,is, although we knew it not, and
there was little time left to arrange aud
carry out general exchange. ] found
in charge OF the warehouse Zone door
east of the Libby General Joseph Hays,
then of the United States regular army,
and Northumberland Hooper, Twen-
ty-fourth Massachusetts volunteers (Col-
onel Ordw9y's resiment, both being
paroled prisoners. 1 take pleasure in
stating at this late day that / found both
OF them gentlemen in every sense OF the
term. They soon prOcuredan exchange,
and parted with them with sincere re-
greet.
It was their request to judge Ould
that the writer should lie placed in
charge of the United States depot of
supplies, suggesting at the same time
the names of Captain James Stewart, of
New York, and Captain Porter, OF Mas
sachusetts, both prisoners, should need
assistance. Dre0dipg the responsibility,
at once waited upon Major Turner, who
readily paroled thesegentlemen, together
with two priystes. both of them excel
lent boys, Frank Van Horn, Of Della
ware, and John Locke, of Boston, and
most faithfully did they all discharge
their duties, although Captain Porter
ycrv soon obtained his exchange. |
have never since heard from HIM, and
bNL lNI tue AtIti4 huAtg 'ff'Ht thN
sale Of Libby Prison might never
again have heard OF Captain Stew
art. But for him and his two boys the
storchouse and prison would have been
but pile OF ashes lie was indefatiga-
BILE in DONG his duty, and remained in
Richmond long after the evacuation. X
have only 70 DAY received from him a
very readable letter, but too long, | fear,
for these columns. Should any Sne wish
It, however, ! will cheerfully send a
printed copy thereof
In closing let me say that found Ma
jor Turner always ready and anxious to
assist these officers in every way For
the officers themselves, they were ever
mindful Of their parole, doing or saying
naught to which the most capllous could
take exceptions. ! remember, however,
that on certain occasion one Of them
asked II / believed Jefferson Davis gould
be rc elected. My reply WAS that
It was too early to predict, os
he had nearly three years OF has SIX
years term to serve but If nominated I
thought he would have a "walk-oyer.
Sure enough, he did. CARrRR.