The National tribune., 1896-01-30
Remembers tho Prisoner.

Remembers tho Prisoner.
| J. ". Blake, Co. +, 18th Me-, st. Paul,
Mimi, says: Having been a constant reader
Of your paper for the past 10 years L have
seen many articles of interest, but none more
so than that in your issue of Dec. 49, con-
tributed by Comrade Maxwell, I'd Mass. L.
III. battery. As a member of the 18th Me.
| was in that campaign, and, as prisoner
captured during the siege of Port Hudson, l
had the pleasure of an acquaintance with
| the bright and jolly member of the 165th
| n. Y. Zou ZOus, whose sad death caused by
the last shot fired by the rebs from Port
| Hudson Comrade Maxwell has well written.
| Il never knew his name, but well remem-
Der his first attempt to escape. We were at
the time confined inside an old store build
| ing on the cliff near the river, with guards on
all sides. Zou-Iou had managed to get hold
of reb cap and jacket, and with help from
some of the rest had cut out piece of the
| base finish on the inside and two widths of
siding on the outside of the building then,
when the guards back was turned, he slip
ped through and just deliberately walked
across his beat as if he was one of them.
This was in broad daylight, between and 6
in the afternoon.
His plan was to wait until dark and
| then swim down the river to the fleet, about
five miles below. AS soon as it was dark
enough he started on his long swim. So far
all was well, but he reckOned without his
host; probably his strength was reduced by
the whole-corn diet we had been having, and
not knowing about long eddy where the
current ran up river, he got very tired.
Floating with the current he thought he
was nearing the west bank. which meant
freedom, when in reality it was the east
bank, and inside the rebel lines.
" He tried to make landing to rest, and
found only steep, wet clay that he could not
climb. He tried his best until exhausted
and in great danger of drowning He then
cried for help, and, greatly to his surprise,
was drawn out of the water by the John
MES instead of the Yanks
:" He was naked, and for fear they might
take him for a spy he had to tell them of his
escape from the prison. So about midnight
he was brought back to the prison. He was
one of the irrepressible, and it was not many
days after that he, with nine others, made
successful escape by tunneling under the
guard and coming up in an old stable.
After all this it seemed hard that he should
be killed by that last shot, martyr to the
cause
The morning of the surrender went to
the river for water, and saw where the two
shots struck that were fred at the mill.
They were good line-shots-One struck 90
feet low, and the last about 10 feet low; 10
feet more raise would have demolished the
railroad engine that was furnishing the
power. the engine was blocked up with
ties, and a belt driven by one of the drive
wheels connected with the mill. | suppose
they could not grind all that was needed,
as we prisoners for number of days had our
corn on the ear, and very poor corn at that.
Well, our picnic ended as do all good
things Some of us still live to talk over
the old times, and many are gone. All are |
worthy OF honor, but none more so than our |
Zou-Zou.n
The First Battle of Bun Run.
D. w. VickeIy, Co. II, 18th n. Y, Mason |
City, ILL.,, says: In your issue of Jan. 0, in
an article on Bull Run, J. L. Williams, of |
Lebanon, O., makes the assertion that the
rebel army could have taken Washington on
July % 1861, which shows that he did not
know what he was writing about. To talk
about an army that was really almost
whipped marching through the rain and
through our army into Washington is nom
ion in camp at Arlington that never went
near the battlefield; another division was in
reserve at Centerville, and was not engaged.
My brigade was not broken, and there were
probably plenty of other organizations that
could have been gotten together to repel
any attack that could have been made
against them.
"My regiment did not get to Arlington
till nearly night of the 3d. and | hardly !
think that were the last ones. If Mr..
Williams is going to write up the battles of
the war he had better study his subjects
and not make such ridiculous statements"
A War Relic.
John Washburn, Summertown, Tenn,
says: A negro boy in this town has silver
shield pin-badge, with the inscription ID.
K. ElwOod, Co. G, 18th Ind Vol He found
it on the mountains in Jackson County, Ala,
about three years ago. If Mr.. Elwood or
any of his family will write to me, and are
willing TO pay the boy little, l will get the
badge and send it."
Another Solid Republican.
S. G. Ferguson, Sergeant, Co. A, 35th Mo-,
and Lieutenant, 57th U. S. c. T., Hay Springs,
Neb., says: Here is another solid Repub-
ican, if not one notch ahead of COmrade
Hughs, SD Iowa. 1 voted for John p. Hale,
Free Soil candidate for President, in 1852,
although not yet 81 years old. was high
private in the rear rank of John Browns
Guards Cedar County, Iowa,
md have stuck to the colors ever since
Republican, all wool, and yard
wide; and hope to live to see either Reed,
or Allison in the White House
N 1896"
Information Wanted.
Mrs. Paulina Fingado, 327 East Eighty
,ighth street, New York, wants the address
If any member of the Sth N. Y. who knew
Ter husband, Adolph Fingado, Corporal, Co.
4, and subsequently Lieutenant and Cap
ain.
Old Soldiers, Attention.
A oood home for the lone snldier at Inu |