The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-17
ven. a 'reakout at the time Dahlgren's cav.


ner when bogus powder-keg was buried at
night in the prison cellar in the sight OF the
terrified Uncle Harry" who was solemnly
coninr,-l not TO divulge the meditated slaughter
TO the Yankee officers mp stairs, and into whuse
Quar-, - his duties as an employe called hlm
of:en IS Uncle Harry" was believed TO be
In !a.: sympathy with the Yankees the mani
fest .urtose Of this nocturnal ceremony OF the
koo ;;:f the caution was to convince the cap
tives /. I'll the prison was really mined, for the
Confcderates knew that the dayky would do
the forbidden thing at the first available mo-
mcnt.
Wnl,ut inquiring what Mr. Libby had tc do
abou, I. ebbv Prison or about his relations TO
the K,s-fsers Dick ard Maj. Turner (f0r /
have i,o remembrance Of the gentleman during
my Stay ;lere), VIII narraie The facts TO which
his mi.stEtemeBts allude in their proper place.
| wan, 10 make few remarks about the es-
cape of Feb. g. 1864 from Libby that could
not weii embrace iu my Century account of the
sf1aif aud THESE remarks are called for by some
marked features in this peculiar and dramatic
incident OF the WIZ
/ feel warranted in saying that there was
scarcely :sn episode of the rebellion about which
there las been more fiction written than the
LIBBY PRISON TUNNEL. ESCAPE.
A popnlar play embracing some striking Incl
dents la he affair, is now in the second year
OF iis consecutive rerr rsentatiou on the stage,
aiG lhtFe IS sc4rCSly altN war upoh
miscellaneous war ad dHentuIes thatdoes not give
the inciAunt prominence.
The fact that the tunnel through which 1o9
Union officers escaped on the night OF Feb y,
1864 u8, dug by only Is men. .solemnly sworn
10 obedicuce by Col Rose and to not divulge
the plot even 20 their fellow prisoners, have
never met since the escape in q body, BDd the
added iact that Col. Rose, the leade-, now aud
ever si,.cc the war Captain in the 10th Z. s.
Inf, never wrote for publication nor gave to
another Is-rsOn except myself the full details OF
the at,air. which. in the very nature of things,
he alone could possess, will nationally account
for the ;,iicting accounts that were atterward
borne 10 he North hy The released officers, and
In suci: irsgmentary forms as they had TelDem-
bered hsin from the lips OF the recaptured par
ticipaHts.
For Il IS necessary to remember that while
1o9 mca used the tunnel, none save Roses
"digsers" could have any knowledge of the
hole beyond that derived from their passage
throurl. It. Butsthaf little they will remember
vivi0ly Nsile they Ike. lH fact, 50 well had
Rose 8ad his party secre,ed their nearly TWO
months Of terrible labor from the general popu-
lace cf Libby. that ] had lain down for the
might without the remotest suspicion that such
o woIk had been done; nor did j learn Of the
exisisslsrc Of the tunnel uatil more than an
hour -ar Col Rose and his diggers had passed
OFT On Tuesday evening Feb. 9 1864.
Ros, party during the digging were di-
Tided 5u;o three squads Of i've each thus giving
each five men
ONE NIGHT on DUTY
and two days of. Ihis relief was absolutely
necessary 10 keep tie men in physical con-
ditiou .or their trying work in the elengthening
tunnr and the sckening atmosphere of " Rat
Hell cellar, its base But the work was con-
EtaHtlv under the personal supervision of either
Col. b'-e az Maj. Hamilton, his Grief assistant
who -t5t- lives AZ Rep5vvifiP XIV
An inezorable rule of the leader was that,
when nnt actually duty himself. every incl
6eat, however frifing that oceurTed during
the eriise operations, should be fully reported
70 hisi: = command never known to be vio-
lated i-- his faithful Comrades who instinct
lively rrc0gnized in this silent man the COM
nsnde ior the hour aud ordeal Moreover, no
man, except in cases of sickness. was permit
tee to ca more kinds Of vorE than ore.
Thus L viii e seeR That one man-even
smong the diggers-could have A full personal
knowledge of all The happeniug during The
work. zeePt Maj 4. G.. Hamilton, who, more
than any other Was in his fni enfdence
Wbe,. / sSy that my Century account OF the
affair has been pronu3Bced accurate and unim-
pegchabe by Col. Rnse. Mai. Hamilton, aud
every living digger whose address could be
found Ia less the impossihility, not to say
sbsurdi,y. OF Guard Cranes alleged comics
siozs, and vi Mr. Libby unique romance ahuut
tot atIHt33lS tS0NDtF-sLtHahg OF tue sGdIinlHg
prison ia February. 1854 will be obvious and
wifl>5e sErly exhibited in the record that fol-
lows.
/ have partly indicated the accounting cir
euulstauccs that have left limitless field for
war Ecii,n open TO those who have fallen into
the vice pf dIstprting one Of the hardest fAts in
TIE HARD HISTORY
OF the Union. prisoners Of war for the ignoble
prof; al catching for day the public eye and
Interest ~
can scarcely count the number of men who
have in articles. "reminiscences" and "correc-
tions, In the papers and periodicals, claimed
that they were the party that dug the Libby
tunnei aud escaped through it. The lapse of
years, 81 FAR from diminishing their numbers,
tends nn3v to swell ihe gallant mob until they
now BIC fair TO outnUmber the brave thousands
who charged as members OF the gallant six
hundred at Baiaclava, immortaiized hy Ten
nysen- Already they exceed the colored body
servants of Washington and the venerable
ladies the General bad kissed when they were
bssses Ii is bigger erowd than the young
est sol&fsT." the Oldest Grand Army mau."
or even that proud host of our couutrynen
whose .scestors crowded the deck OF the little
Eayh,Esr to the sinking point In 15i28.
AiTsaafn Lincoln made this tuaueT the sub
feet OF one Of his Jokes" Heaven forgive
me if lac didn'D when he said to the member
OF Congress who tod him alterward that he
was O1fe Ol the 1Hf1n GiDctfS VINO escaped
thronGh the long. narrow tunnel:
"TiGu was really wonderful feat of our
poor bu--." observed the President, after listen
ing attehtivels to toe narrative. ' But in veur
own case l can see nothing 70 excite my sur
prise"
HOs SOP" said the puzzled Legislator "I
don't z ei5e understands; -
Well ms just here" broke in Dir. Lincoln,
and ! talk from experience: / never saw OF
heard Of hole in tbis country SO long or
narrow that member of Congress couldn't
erswl through iti"
IL j. AZ actual fact well known to the sur
yiyorE Of Libby, that the timely exposure Of
the spurious claims pu; forth by politician
who had based his claim to political prefer.
znent on
TIE q eAzES AND FALSE ASSERTION
that be vas the plaunei and real leader in the
tunne :, -, Was the sole and righteous reason
that c.. aied him Ior the Governorship of his
Stale.
Lei IDc now dispose of the question as to the
names q the diggers Of the tunnel As a
m8tter @. iact two tunnels had been started
and had .ailed, before the last or successful
tunnel 49, begun.
Just = nights OF hard labor were spent on
the ttLlsgl through which the escape was made
hno the same, rank and regiment of the men
who Gb- Il were given IL foot note 10 my
CeHtagg account.
There were indeed some other officers vbo
hsc aoDs faithful bot ffuitless work ON the two
tunnels lliat were abandoned, and the fulI list
Of whose names Col Bose Geeply regre,e nos