Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-04-29
Rebellion War Record.

! large numOof OF Union OIHc6fS Wolo
confined in a prison hospital at Char
lesion. S. c.. While here I was plan
ming and preparing for an escape, land
in order to keep my strength was
practicing daily at walking. | walk
ed several hours daily. barefooted,
in order to save my shoes, which |
hoped to need more, if [ ever got an
opportunity to walk away from my
guards and out of the confederacy.
My walking relieved my mind some
what of unpleasant thoughts and
forebodings, and, I have no doubt,
helped greatly to keep up my strength
and courage. Maj. Adams and my
self were prison chums and we kept
together as long as we were prison
ers. Neither of US at this time had
any money, but he had silver watch
which he sold for $3.50, confederate
money that we might have something
Will w HUI W CIioO S<A-
ira above our rations, which were
poor and inadequate. Provisions
were very high: beef steak 81 a
pound eggs So to S. dozen, milk
50 quart and other things in pro-
portion. Our money could not last
long at this rate. [ succeeded in get
ting letter through the lines to my
wife, and asked her to send me some
money. The return letter did not
reach me till a long time afterwards,
at Columbia. I got some money from
another source some three or four
weeks afterwards: A man came to
US who claimed that he was minis
ter of the gospel, that he came from
Massachusetts and was about to try
to make his escape home by running
the blockade. He had large sum
of confederate money which he was
willing to swap for orders. If we
would give him an order on some of
our friends north, he would let us
have his money in exchange. We
gave him orders on our friends and
wrote letters to them, stating our
condition and our great need of mon
ey. | gave him an order on broth
er in Lowell, Mass. 1t turned out
that the thing was fraud, inasmuch
as it was a plan of the rebels to get
rid of lot of worthless money for
orders on people north, which were
to be cashed in greenbacks or gold,
either of which could be used to great
advantage by the Confeds. Not long
afterwards a few officers were eX-
changed and we had opportunity to
send home some letters to our friends.
We were moved from Charleston to
Columbia, and put into camp some
two miles from the city, on grounds
not long afterward occupied by Gen.
Sherman's batteries, on his march
through the South at the time Colum-
bia was captured and burned. Our
camp was surrounded by a strong
guard, but not stockaded. While
here many officers made attempts to
escape, but most of them were pick
ed up by hounds and scouts and re-
turned to camp. | will relate a cir
cumstance that may be of interest in
the line of attempted escapes. We
were encamped on grounds that had
partly grown up to scrub oaks and
pines, and were permitted to cut the
trees for fuel. One day an oak was
felled and four officers that were near
it permitted themselves to be covered
up by the limbs and brush of the tree
in such way that the guards did not
notice it, and at night when the guard
line was drawn in near the camp, the
officers crawled out and made off.
Our friends were captured and brO't
back in day or two. [ see by an
old diary that on the night of Oct.13,
1864, that thirty officers slipped the
guards, but were all picked up and
returned. Sometime afterwards |
learned that four officers had q plan
for an escape, and L besought them
to let me into the secret, and let me
out with them. They said if | had
$25 they could get me past the
guards. They had succeeded in brib
ing a guard, who for $25 for eacE man
would let US out | was in trouble |
for | had no money. After q dint
of effort | succeeded in borrowing
three dollars-a one and two dollar
bill. | thought to get out with this
some way. saw Lieut.. Holden, the
officer who had charge of the escap-
ing party, told him l had the money
and was booked for an escape with
four others. 1t was late in the fall |
and pretty cold and we were allowed |
to burn log fires night times, so the
camp was pretty we'll lighted up.
Outside, however, on the guard line,
it was very dark and the guards could
see us plainly while we saw nothing
of them. It behooved US to be very
cautious about approaching the "dead
line We were to be at certain
point of the line at l o'clock, Lieut..
Holden leading out. He passed out
silently and three officers followed.
I was the last one to go. | stood
just inside the dead line watching the
others as they stole out into the dark
ness. AS [ stepped forward | heard
something that | supposed to be the
cooking of a gun, and my hair stood
up on my head. l could not stir
but soon | thought l saw the glimpse