Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-03-06
A War Memory.

| Capt. M. A. Miller former well known
| citizen of Staunton, when he was proprie-
tor of the Miller House, corner of Freder-
lex and Augusta streets, had a war expert
ence the recollection of which has just
been revived by Gen. Sherman's death and
the publication of letter written by that
officer August 10, 1862. A reporter Of the
Richmond Dispatch interviewed Capt.
Miller. who now has a farm in Henrico
county near that city, on the subject.
The letter of Sherman said: II have
one man under sentence of death for
smuggling arms across the lines and hope
Mr.. Lincoln will approvelt." 1t seems that
when the Federals captured Memphis,
Tenn, among the citizens who were there
was Capt. Miller who had held position
as Civil Engineer in the City Engineer S
office. He was then Captain of Engineers
in the Confederate army and was at home
on sick leave recovering from an attack of
typhoid fever. When he became conva-
lescent he found the opportunities fol
shipping arms to the Confederates so good
that he skipped large number. One night
in carrying boat load Of them across the
river he was captured by a Federal boat
| While he was a prisoner. a friend got the
information to him that his case had beer
tried and he had been sentenced to death
that the sentence was only waiting the APP.
proyal Of President Lincoln, to whom it
had been referred, and he had better escape
The day after getting that news, Capt. Mil
lei SAID. this happened
| General Sherman came into my cell accom-
panied by two members of his staff whose
as soon as saw him. He sat there some ten
or fifteen minutes talking to me. l remember
that he was very polite, but still his manner
| was positive.
In the first part of his conversation he re-
marked that [ was probably aware that the
sentence of the court-martial was death.
| told him that | had no way of knowing, as
that was the first official notification of it thai
l had received. We talked along for awhile
and then General Sherman told me that il
the discharge of his official duties it would BIZ
necessary for him to carry the sentence of the
court into execution, which he proposed to dc
on the following Friday. This was Monday
| don't think | exactly realized the gravity
of the situation, for although knew that hat the
sentence had been passed it did not impress
itself on my mind as something that was actu
ally going to happen. Looking General Sher
man straight in the face laughed, not bois
incredulity. The General did not resent my
behavior, remaining. perfectly silent an6
courteous. One of his staff officers. a major
spoke up CURLY and said. Sir, do you know
Language quite forcibly, think: ''What il
the hill have you got to do with it?" for
did not think it polite for him to interfere
when the General and I were talking. Sool
after that the officers left, and put my wits
| to work to arrange for an escape.
l had any number of friends in the city out
side OF the prison who were trying to help mt
escape. Several plans were suggested, one O.
which was for me to get on the roof Of thu
prison and then go down through an adioin
ing building. To assist me in this, the ga
was one night through the intervention of my
friends cut off from all that portion of thu
city, but the scheme was discovered and O
course failed. My wife also brought me
light, strong rope, which for obvious reason
it was decided best not to attempt to use.
After considerable work l finally succeeded
in hitting on a successful scheme. In the prs
on there were besides the regular guards VIVA
men who accompanied prisoners to variou
places in the city.
I | had gotten on quite friendly terms wit
Il one Of thern--a Canadian named Redmond
j who WIS attached to an Ohio regiment, VIII
I did not know what my sentence was. [ toll
him TO go down to my house with me so that
could see the little one. This was true, a
one Of my family really was i'll at the time
The man replied that he. too had wife ant
children, and that if they were sick he woul
certainly like to see them, and so he grantee
my request.
The result was that Capt. Miller was &C
companied to his home by the guard. Afte
getting in, the guard stood near the bat
room door while Capt. M. was pretendin
, to take a bath, but had in reality escape
through a window. He made his wa
safely to the Confederate army. The guar
was imprisoned for two years for allowln
| him to escape. Capt, Miller was born q
: Gettysburg, Pa, but lived South eve
1 since he was twenty-one. His wife is
: native of HagerstoWn. Nd.