San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-07-31

rived frum the ratlons given prisoner
there-eorn bread and sorghum molas
ses. One day few of the boys and my
self made break and succeeded in
getting through the lines, but We're al
taken the next day. Later made an
other break, having for companions Cap
tain Ewing and Captain Baldwin, the
latter one of my congressional chums in
the house He is member from Mime.
sofa, you know, and right glad were we
TO discover one day while sitting out in
the lobby taking a smoke that we had
been companions ON that daring though
unsuccessful effort to get away from ouI
good friends. the Johnny Rebs. We got
along famonsly after giving them the
slip this time and thought we were
going to reach the Union lines. But at
the end of the third day Ewing broke
down completely, and we said by him
and were caught and sent back
"Mv fifth and successful attempt to
escape was made from moving train
We were being taken by train to Char
lotte, N. c., and two other prisoners
and myself cut hole through the bot
tom of the car At the first opportunity
we slipped through the opening and
made ran for it. The night was very
stormy one, with snow and sleet. None
of us had any shoes, and was bare
headed, having lost my hat in getting
away from the Car. We were thinly
clad and were weak from long subsist-
ence upon prison fare. We had gone a
considerable distance through the storm
when our strength gave out and we
agreed that we could not travel mile
farther. We knew that pursuers were
not far behind us, but felt obliged to
succumb to our fate. At this moment
we came upon negro cabin, and when
the inmates responded to our knocks we
told them who we were and what straits
we were in, and they took us right in.
They gave us warm food and drink and
good beds. When the pursuers came up,
our colored friends blandly informed
them the escaping prisoners had been
seen running down the road as fast as
they could go about half an hour before.
By the help of these kind negroes we
finally managed to reach the Union
lines"
In Confederate Prisons.
Congressman Cobb of Alabama, the
propounder Of the famous question,
"Mr. Speaker, where was 1 at?" has re-
lated his experience after his capture in
the battle of Gettysburg, and it is an
exceedingly interesting story. He was
the first lieutenant of company at
tached to the Texas division under Long
street. 1.-THE second day of the fight,
July 2, $685." said Mr.. Cobb, II was
cornered by the enemy in the course of
the engagement. On one side of me was
a steep, almost perpendicular slope On
the other was a wood of heavy timber
and thick underbrush. failed to hear
the order for retreat, and before I knew
it was surrounded and captured. Twas
first taken to Fort Henry, Baltimore
harbor, then to Fort Delaware for three
weeks, and after that to Johnson's is
land, where staid from the LIST of Au-
gust until the February following. At
that time there was a call for 600 of US
officers to be carried to Point Lookout
at the mouth of the Potomac. We We're
joyful over the transfer, as we thought
it was made for the purpose of exchange,
and as a matter of fact 200 were ex-
changed.
"We were eventually crowded out by
the wounded men brought in from some
battle and were then carried back to Fort
Delaware. Soon after our transfer an
other call for 600 men was issued to go
to Charleston harbor to be made the
subjects of retaliation The Federals
charged that Federal prisoners in the
hands of Confederates had been kept
within range of Federal batteries and
thus exposed to the shots from their own
men. Whether this was true or not / do
not know, but they took me and about
600 other prisoners, among them Speak
er Crisp, and placed us in position be-
tween Federal and Confederate batteries,
where we were exposed to the shots of
both sides The shots would fly over us
occasionally. l don't remember that
any of us was injured, but it was GER
tainly not pleasant to be constantly ex-
pecting a stray shot to drop among us.
After this ordeal our party was separat-
ed, some of the 600 being sent to Fort
Pulaski and the remainder to Hilton
Head. I was among the latter and was
some time afterward transferred back to
Fort Delaware, where remained until
the cessation IF hOSti litieS
II never saw any particular case of
cruelty in the prisons in which was
confined The guards shot several pris-
oners at Johnson's island, but l guess
they brought it on themselves. There
were severe punishments for insubordi-
nationals, for instance, when privates