The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-03-07
lily Prison Life and Escape.

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with no memoranda to guide me. / re-
turn again to my story. The armed man
who came to us as related in my last, was
the guide promised by the good woman.
The breakfast she had promised soon fol-
lowed, which we enjoyed as only men
who had marched and toiled as we, could
enjoy a square meal. And here l might
as well tell you, for know you will ask
the question, how we were fed during our
stay in the swamp? There was no diff
Guilty whatever. GurrIllas belonged to
the families living around the swamp,
and where they were not connected they
were well known, and where they were
not loved they were feared by white and
black. We were never betrayed, though
our whereabouts must have been known
to many persons both white and black.
Whenever and wherever they made a re-
QUESTION for rations, ii was promptly at
tended to. Besides, huckleberries were
in season and did good service by way of
staying the appetite when there was any
difficulty in procuring rations. One even
Ing. when near Camden courthouse, we
lay not far fro m the road waiting fer ra-
tons and for the approach of night. We
were surprised to see dozen carts make
their way to us, loaded in part with pro-
visions, but in much larger part by wo-
men, both maid and matron, who had
come they said 10 look at confederate
uniform once more. 1t had been more
than a year since they had seen one.
There We no lntroductions, nor the need
of them wherever southern soldiers and
southern ladies met. We met and talked
with all the freedom of old friends, who
had met after long separation. A dance
was PROF Osed and bnt for lack of a hldle,
our company would have taken all the
chances of capture for one hours drnce In
Dismal Swamp with the Camden girls.
Knowing that we would go through their
town by night, they stayed and made the
nights march with us, insisting that
we should ride and they walk, but no
man was found willing to ride in the cart
unless the girls shared it with them. So
part of the ladies rode and part walked
as did the men, riding and tieing as the
saying is until we passed the little viii
liage, where we separated amid the bene-
dictions of the women. About the third
day after we entered the swamp, Capt.
Semmes and his lieutenant, Capt. Hol-
mes, left us thinking doubt less, and wise
, " too, that we would be safer in small
squads than in 50 large body, taking
with them about dozen men. The man
ner, and not the fact of their leaving gave
ofense. If Capt Semmes had taken pains
to explain his reasons, there was prob
ably not man but would have acknow-
legged the wisdom of his course of action.
This he did not do, and there was conse-
| quently the feeling on the part of those
left behind that the man whom they had
greatly honored did not appreciate the
honor conferred him. There was for a
while no little CONSERVATION among us,
until upon inquiry it was ascertained that
there was guides left for us. Disintegra-
ton became the order Of the day. Ex-
cited voices were heard all round ex-
claiming, "Virginians, over herel" "Here's
| Mlssourip Louisiana herep Tennessee,
on this sidel" "North Carolina herep
"Here's the Lone Star state with lone
mani" Tenneseee, seeing that she had
but tour men went over In a body to her
old college mates in Missouri. North
Carolina having but two men, and feel
ing that she was a near, blood relation
to Tennessee, came over in q body also.
Afterwards We found that we had twenty
four men IN all. In less time almost than
it takes me to write it, "the forlorn hope"
separated without the loss of a man to
meet once more in the city of Richmond.
The other bands being smaller had organ
lied more quickly than we, and had con-
sequently obtained choice of guides,
When we were ready for the march, we
found mere youth was to be our guide.
| We fingered for a time after all others
bad gone questioning the guide closely as
to his kno Wedge of the country, and his
ability to put us thrOugh-with no little
misgivings as to our future--when stran-
ger appeared suddenly among us and the
guide exclaimed, "here's the captain; ALPS
right now" The captain of the guerIllas
lived in the neighborhood county of Cam
den had heard of our landing and had
hurried Immediately to our help. He
was good looking young man OF about
thirty years of age, Enthusiastically gem
tleman as was easily to be seen in his de- |
portment,a man of considerable culture, a |
lawyer by profession, had been a mem
Der of the state legislature, knew the |
swamp and seemed possessed of all know
ledge of every character that could be OF |
use to us in our situation. / am sorry |
to be under the necessity of making again |
the confession that have forgotten a
name we'll worth the remembrance. He |
was very much disappointed when he
learned that the company had disbanded
rem arking, "that it would have been
feather in his cap to have put US through
the lines in body" We at once turned
over all athority to him and began our
march around the swamp, instead of across
it. Our direction was first south, then
west, then northwest, keeping the swamp
always to our right and never being far